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Millionaires Prefer Dogs to Cats Should They Reconsider

Diposting oleh fajar di 05.59 Label: cats, Dog, dogs, millionaires, prefer, reconsider, should, they, to

By Tamara McRill

As it turns out, the pet most likely to be shedding fur in the lap of luxury may not fit very well on a human lap at all. A recent survey done by the Spectrem Group shows that millionaires overwhelmingly pick dogs as their pet of choice: 58% own dogs, while only 37% are cat owners.

Thats a big difference in pet ownership from the rest of the country. Humane Society statistics show that 39 percent of U.S. households own dogs, while 33 percent own cats. But those households actually own more cats total than dogs: 8.2 million more cats, to be exact. This is because feline households are more likely to have two cats, while canine households are more likely to have only one dog.

So why do millionaires prefer dogs over cats? Are they missing out on something the rest of the country gets about cats?

Looking for Love and Loyalty

One of the theories floating around is that millionaires might prefer the unconditional love and loyalty dogs give them. A love that is unattached to their ginormous bank balance. That is something youll certainly get in spades from most dogs.

But heres a secret most cat owners could tell these millionaires: cats love deeply and faithfully too. Now I dont know if it takes longer for a cat to become deeply attached to its human, since I have always been a very hands-on pet owner. I do know, from having many cats in my youth, that kitties can love just as fiercely as dogs. Maybe it does come down to having the time to play and bond.

What about Time?

Having owned both cats and dogs, I would say that dog ownership takes far more time out of your day. Larger breeds cant get the type of exercise indoors that most cats can manage, and all dogs need to be walked. They also need to be taken out to potty.

Some wealthy people may choose to hire someone to handle those dog details, but Im assuming they could just as easily hire someone to change the litter pan.

Travel Companions

Perhaps it comes down to being able to take their pets with them. Assuming that many wealthy pet owners travel frequently, they may choose dogs as their four legged companions because they can go more places with them. Although both cats and dogs can certainly travel, dogs are more accepted in hotels and other locations.

Of the other factors I could think of, dogs and cats came out even. Having a high-powered job is stressful, but petting either animal is a proven stress reducer. Its certainly just as fun to hand out a FELIDAE cat treat to a purring pal as it is to toss a CANIDAE dog treat to a drooling buddy.

Top photo by Puppies are Prozac
Bottom photo by Suzi Duke

Read more articles by Tamara McRill

What Would Dogs Do If They Had Thumbs

Diposting oleh fajar di 09.06 Label: do, Dog, dogs, had, if, they, thumbs, what, would

By Keikei Cole, Canine Guest Blogger

The other day the “Boss” was laughing about a holiday on March 3rd, If Pets Had Thumbs Day. Visions of high fives and thumbs up suddenly came to mind. After thinking about it for a minute, I knew this was something I could sink my teeth into, so I decided to bark out my own list of what Id do if dogs had thumbs.

You Tube videos. Yep, Id film and post funny hooman videos. Its fun to watch those hoomans – such interesting creatures. I can see it now, Keikei, the internet sensation of the Doggiesphere, made possible with opposable thumbs. The boss is always cackling over videos of my canine cousins chasing their tail or doing a slow motion shake. Id film hoomans in super slow motion trying to keep up with us at the dog park. Especially their face when were doing something they think we shouldnt be doing. Hoomans can move pretty fast sometimes. BOL.

The remote control would be mine. I like to watch Animal Planet as much as any doggie, but it would be nice to surf for something else and change the channel without having to use my nose or teeth. I would go with an exciting canine action flick or maybe a canine thriller. And Id have my own bowl full of CANIDAE TidNips™ and Snap-Bits™ to munch on. I might even sprinkle in some FELIDAE TidNips™ to kick it up a notch.

Texting looks sort of cool. I like the noise it makes. Id text my doggie pals in the neighborhood to coordinate a specific time when we all howl. Oh wait, this is even better – we could stare at a wall and pretend like we see something the hoomans cant see. That always gets them.

You know how some hoomans love to sit around playing cards for hours? Id get my own card game going! We would play the doggie version of Go Fish. Im sure youve heard of it. Its called Go Cat. If we get the wild card, we have to chase a kitty up a tree.

If I had thumbs, Id brush my own teeth. OK, I get the idea about brushing teeth. But whats with prying my mouth open just to shove some stupid brush down my throat? Whats worse is when the boss sticks her finger in my mouth. Think about it for a minute, that finger has hooman germs on it!

Some doorknobs are impossible to open if you dont have thumbs. Imagine being able to open the door and pretend I was going to run away. The look on the bosss face would be priceless. Hey, now that I think about it, I could also drive her car. Whos up for a burger and fries?

It would be fun to learn how to run that carpet cleaning machine the cats dont like. That could make for an interesting afternoon irritating those fleabags while at the same time tidying up the rugs for the boss so I could get brownie points.

I could become a famous artist and paint a masterpiece. I would be known as Keikei, the Magnificent Canine with Thumbs. Yeah, I like that. Id travel the world, appearing on talk shows and signing autographs. And everyone would want one of my paintings.

I’d learn how to play the piano and then invite all of my friends over for a midnight howl. I’d reset all the clocks in the house to different times and then watch the boss try to figure out what time it really is. Sure, that might be a mean trick, but think of the funny video I could shoot!

If dogs had thumbs, I could sit on a park bench pretending to read a newspaper or do a crossword puzzle while keeping a watchful eye for squirrels to chase. I know that darn refrigerator door opens, but so far I havent figured out how to do it. Thumbs would make it much easier to raid the fridge for a late night treat.

Have you ever tried to catch a ball with a baseball glove on your nose? Of course you havent. But if I had thumbs, I would change the whole concept of playing catch! Hmmm, I wonder if there could be a market in doggie baseball gloves.

Oh, the endless possibilities…if only dogs had thumbs!

My feline friend, Rocky Williams, recently pondered the question, “If cats had thumbs, would they conquer the world?” I think not…but dont you dare tell Rocky because he might claw my face! BOL.

Read more articles by Linda Cole

Dogs help in natural disasters They just do

Diposting oleh fajar di 09.53 Label: a, disasters, do, dog, dogs, help, how, in, initial, just, natural, on, they, tips, to, train, training

(Australian bushfires are big. Really big. source)

Hey Julie,

What an important topic to raise. Its so important that we stop to consider what animals are experiencing in times of natural disaster and rescue.

It got me thinking about a different kind of natural disaster that struck my local community in February 2009, the series of bushfires (wild fires) that came to be known in Australia as the Black Saturday bushfires.

It was horrible.

One of the formerly forested ridges in the 2009 bushfire zone (source)

Extreme weather conditions, the lay of the land, an unexpected wind change and a series of fires that merged into one enormous front resulted in Australias highest loss of life as a result of a bushfire. The fires were only 15km (9 miles) from my house and had the wind gone in a different direction it could easily have been my similarly bushy home area that was devastated.

There were many, many, many people, pets, other animals and wildlife who were killed, injured and/or displaced by this huge and devastating event.

But Julie, do you know what? Dogs helped. They really did.
In so many special ways.

A search and rescue dog and handler (source)

Volunteer handlers with their search and rescue dogs helped to locate the remains of people who had died trying to defend or take shelter in their homes, enabling identification that would assist with closure for the victims remaining families.

We have evidence about how important the role of dogs and pets can be in our lives. Especially for children. The relationship children form with their pets has been shown to help modulate the effects of traumatic events like natural disasters. So keeping pets with families (or in a safe place that can be visited and where families know they are safe) is an important part of helping people cope in times of disaster.

Just by being present, many dogs were acting as unwitting therapists. Offering the opportunity for calming behaviour - like patting, which has been shown to result in lower blood pressure and heart rate in the person patting the dog - when people really needed it.

One of the most remarkable things that the injured and displaced dogs achieved was acting as a catalyst to community engagement and resilience.

The nearest animal shelter to the area devastated was immediately inundated by displaced large animals, cats, dogs, other small pets and numerous wildlife. You can read their account from page 40 of the article in Animal Sheltering magazine here.

Happy was treated for burns at the shelter & featured in the media (source)

As the shelter had prepared for the possibility of a fire in the region, they were prepared to some degree. However, they found themselves immediately under pressure to find resources to house, feed and reunite hundreds of small and large animals with families who potentially (and very probably) had no homes left to return to. Within two days the shelter was inundated by offers of support from other vet clinics, community members, volunteers and people WANTING TO HELP THE DOGS (oh, OK, and the other animals!).

(source)

A huge network swung into action sourcing and coordinating the donations of cages, blankets, food, etc. etc. from all over the country. This was an incredible feat given many of the shelter staff lived in the affected area or had friends/family affected. It gave the wider community a sense that they were contributing to help in some tangible way (enabling them to COPE on a psychological level with the awful reality) and also helped the affected area feel that people were aware of their situation and there to support them.

So important.

Im pleased to see that your city has similarly been pulling together in the wake of Sandy.

So you see? Dogs help in natural disasters. They really do.

Sam the koala drinking from a volunteer fire fighters bottle

Ill sign off now with a quick return to your point about animals in rescue situations.

I know its not a dog, but this koala (dubbed "Sam") is a really interesting case. Koalas are not usually considered friendly or approachable in the wild. They can hiss and bite and scratch if they are approached and feel threatened.

But this chap offered the entire country watching these horrific events unfold a beautiful moment of hope and wonder. He let a firefighter approach him and drank from his water bottle. An illustration of a positive human-animal connection all forms of media distributed far and wide.

Highly unusual behaviour (as the firefighter acknowledges with some colourful language part way through the video!).

I hope your election day went well over there. I really enjoyed reading your contribution to this piece about Seamus Romneys trip to Canada.

Til next time!

Mia

The region transformed in the 2009 bushfires is regenerating.

Full Dog Training

Millionaires Prefer Dogs to Cats Should They Reconsider

What Would Dogs Do If They Had Thumbs

Dogs help in natural disasters They just do

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