Coyotes Coming Closer

Last night when I let my crew out for a run around the yard I heard a different sounding bark - one I didn't like at all. And then Suzie came hurrying back into the light with Pepper close behind.

Most of the time my dogs tend to sound threatening to anyone out there - but last night they seemed to be frightened themselves. All but Ralph. Ralph just kept barking at them, but he's a little bigger. He's been known to pick up a coyote and toss it like a rag doll.

Tonight the coyotes were barking so close that I'm sure if I'd had a flashlight I'd have seen them at the bottom of the hill. A couple of firecrackers sent them on their way, but they made me nervous. I came straight in and checked to make sure both cats were safe inside. Tiger likes to explore outside and gets a little farther from the house than I'd like.

I don't mind hearing them howl and yip - as long as they stay in the woods and away from my critters!

Do You Use Clumping Litter for Your Cats? Beware!

Since many dog lovers are also cat lovers, I thought I should share what I learned today.

This morning's e-mail brought a sad message from Nicole at Kent County Animal Rescue - and along with it a warning for those with kittens... Here's the story in Nicole's words:

"Lately we have lost a few kittens from sudden death. We had come to the conclusion it was some kind of sickness from birth or other illness but last night after spending a few hours trying to save yet another one I realized that the vomit contained wet cat litter.. So i went to read up on it and here is what I have learned..."

"Do NOT use clumping litter for a young kitten! Use pellet-style litter until the kitten is at least eight weeks old. Caution about clumping litter: Ingesting sodium bentonite can be harmful or fatal to your cat. Your cat may ingest the litter when cleaning her paws. Litter containing Sodium Bentonite should be avoided, especially for small kittens. They have small crystals that once inhaled will expand in their lungs or if eaten will expand in their intestines."

Take a Minute to Feed a Dog, Help a Rescue

Yesterday my friend Brynann from Beagles of Arizona Rescue Club wrote asking me to please vote for them every day on Petfinder's Animal Rescue Site. They're in the running for top shelter in Arizona, and - like all rescues - could really put the prize money to good use.

So... if you don't have a favorite rescue, please vote for BARC - and if you do have a favorite, go see if they're participating. It would be pretty tough to win the national spot, since Best Friends is in the lead and they have thousands of followers, but you just might put BARC (or your hometown rescue) in top spot for your State.

This is the same site that asks you to come and click every day to help feed a rescued dog... Every time you do, you contribute .6 bowls of food. So you might want to bookmark that page and go back often to click.

Click here to visit the Animal Rescue Site and feed a dog, then Vote for your favorite rescue!

While you're there, look at the unusual items for sale. Some of those might make good ideas for your rescue group, although I don't know where you'd buy paper clips shaped like dog biscuits! You could, however, copy some of the other ideas, such as the paw shaped candies. In any case, looking at their offerings will get your imagination started.

New Doggie Quotes

Thanks to Bob & Mabel (treat giver and rat terrier, respectively), of the Dog Tracks - Songs by Dogs website, I just got a long page of dog quotes - and posted at least a dozen new ones on my Do You Love Dogs site.

If you love gathering good quotes, come and see!

But first, here's more of them...

"My dog is half pit bull, half poodle. Not much of a watchdog, but a vicious gossip!" - Craig Shoemaker

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends." - Alexander Pope

"I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons." - Will Rogers

"There are times when even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so he can take him there.” - Lee Iacocca, US auto business executive

"I like dogs better [than people]. They give you unconditional love. They either lick your face or bite you, but you always know where they're coming from. With people, you never know which ones will bite." - Greg Louganis

"If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience." - Woodrow Wilson

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us." - Robert Louis Stevenson

And one more... for today's political world: "[My dog] can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings." - Gerald B H Solomon, US Congressman

Does Your Dog Get Diarrhea?

Who knows what upsets a doggie tummy now and then? And who enjoys trying to force a dog to take a pill - or Milk of Magnesia?

If you dog suffers from occasional (or chronic) bouts of diarrhea, you'll be glad to know of a simple cure I learned about recently: Coconut Macaroon Cookies! Almost no one has trouble convincing a dog to eat a cookie.

Sounds crazy, but according to several reports I've read, the cookies work for both dogs and humans. For humans the recommended "dose" is two cookies per day. For dogs a half cookie usually does the trick.

The reason why it works has to do with the oil in the coconut causing the body to digest food more easily. And in fact, humans who suffer from irritable bowel disease have found relief by taking a couple tablespoons of coconut oil daily - or more, depending upon the severity of their illness.