Competition

Just for fun quiz............do you know the answers to these questions?

1. Name 3 human foods that dogs should not be fed.

2. Which dog breed is at the moment most popular?

3. Should dogs be fed raw carrots?

http://www.psychicpaws.com

Photos Wanted Please

If you are like me you love to show your dog off, and what better way of doing it than on the Internet.

Big or small, mutt or pedigree, all of us dog-lovers think our own dog is special. I thought it would be a good idea and also good fun to have a photo gallery here. If you are interested in sending a photo for publication please send it to my Psychic Paws site which is:- www.psychicpaws.com. Just go to the site and you will find an e-mail address.

I Have Been Away

Sorry I have not been posting but I have not had internet access for the past couple of weeks because I have been back in the UK.

Unfortunately, in these hard times I have been forced to return to the UK to earn money periodically.

The important part of this is my baby, my boy Ben has to go into kennels whilst I am away. He was in this time for 17 days. I have checked the kennels out and they are extremely good but despite this, when he came home yesterday he was really not himself. Ears back and tail down. How mean did I feel? Ben is back to normal today though and is now lying on his back hogging the settee - sounds familiar?

He is thinner too which has worried me but needs must as they say.

How Do You Cope With the Loss of a Pet?

We know when we take an animal into our home and heart, that one day we are going to have to face living without them. Whether a bird, cat, dog, rabbit or any of the myriad pets that people have nowadays, that same creature will not in the main live as long as us.

I have had the honour of having many animals living with me over the years, and when the time came for them to leave I felt the same gut/wrenching pain each time. All but 2 of my babies had to be euthanised and that is such a hard decision to have to make. There are always questions, was it too soon, did I leave it too long, these are natural things that we ask ourselves?

I suppose if you know as I do that there is no death, it must be a little easier, but even knowing that I will see them all again does not make me cry fewer tears nor grieve any less.

http://www.psychicpaws.com

What Happens to Our Pets When They Die.

Mike left an interesting comment also some info about a book which may be of help to some. My theory is our pets go on as I believe we do. I am sure that death is not the end. If you look at my site http://www.psychicpaws.com/ you will see that I am a psychic and an animal communicator.

I have had so much proof over the years from both humans and animals that I am convinced that there is nothing to fear in death.

I know that many people are sceptical of people who call themselves psychics, especially those who advertise on-line and charge for readings as I do, but some of us ARE genuine. A friend of mine has been a medium for many years and always used to give readings for free. He then found that people were not taking seriously what he was giving them because it was free information. I suppose that people think if something is free it cannot be worth anything, when he started charging for readings the feedback from people was much more positive..........strange, or is it just human nature?

If anybody would like a FREE short reading please go to the Psychic Paws site and follow the instructions, but please mention this blog.


You may be interested in another site about the on-line store Amazon.

Click here http://amazingamazon-sorchajack.blogspot.com/

What Happens to Our Pets When They Die

For most of us this is a pretty emotive subject. We all love our animals and the thought of losing them is almost unbearable, but we know it must happen at some time or other.

I have been very lucky with nearly all of my guys, only two died at a young age and the rest have lived into old age. It is a very sad fact that animals life spans are shorter than ours and we are well aware of that when we bring them into our lives.

It just seems to happen so quickly, one minute they are young and full of life, chewing things up and just generally being a pain, and the next you notice the grey hairs on the muzzle, the stiffness on rising and the fact that they cannot climb the tree like they used to, or walk as far along the beach.

To be continued................

www.psychicpaws.com

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An Orphan at 50

Christmas Presents for my Animal-Loving Friends

Just been looking for Christmas presents on the web. As most of my friends are animal lovers, I like to buy things that are suitable.

Just found this great site called ANIMAL DEN, see their banner on the right. They have absolutely loads of things that would make ideal presents. What I like is that all of the animals are in categories and then sub-categories. For instance if you are looking for doggie presents, just click on dogs, and there is a massive list by breed. I pressed on Husky and there are so many things, from coasters to calendars, ornaments to jewellery, and that is just for one breed!

They even do a category for wildlife, elephant, and hedgehogs, you name it it is there....well mostly. The prices are very reasonable, and they have loads of offers too.

I will definitely be ordering from them!

Click on the Banner on the top right and have a look.

http://www.psychicpaws.com/

Great Band

Just had to post this. Nothing to do with dogs, but you have got to listen to this band. Amazing.

http://www.strikland.info./

Photos of Where I Live in Spain

Just thought that you might like to see some photos of where I live. For any of you guys back in the UK you will understand why I love living in Spain.

First photo is a lightening strike just 2 doors away...........a bit scarey. The third photo is Benidorm beach, Playa Levante after the tourists have gone. Not as grotty as you may have thought. This is the beach where dogs are not allowed and my wee Basil had a crowd of admirers one night when he was playing football there. He could have played for England............He is playing football on the other side now, which is something I would like to talk about soon....Petloss.

How Your Dog Can Get You in to Trouble

My Ben was out back tonight and I went to check on him. He was chewing something, and when I opened his mouth it was a pebble. I threw it away and he went after it again. I retrieved it from the big mouth once more and threw it again. I am cringing now. The pebble sailed over the hedge into a neighbour's yard and hit something,and made a big clatter. I ran inside and hid, followed in hot pursuit by Ben. Dogs...........don't we just love them............

Feeding the Best to Your Dog

Over the years I have tried all sorts of dog foods. When I was a novice I would feed just dog biscuit and canned food. Now I have learned better.

My vet recommended when my Labrador was suffering from kidney problems to cut out nearly all protein. This surprised me because I though that dogs were carnivores. He explained that the kidneys process protein and when they are weak feeding protein makes them more likely to fail. So he was fed on a special diet biscuit to support his kidneys and raw vegetables.

Since then I have always made a point of feeding vegetables to my dogs. Now there have been all of the health scares with the proprietary brands, my Ben rarely gets ready-made food, he has people food.. I give him olive oil every day, a probiotic yoghurt and he loves his raw carrots.

Typical Ben meals are fish and vegetables, chicken stew and minced beef with vegetables, all served with rice or potatoes. Now I don't know what the experts would say about his diet, but he looks pretty healthy to me, and although he has a rough coat, it shines like silk.

I have just been investigating a few sites and I have found another that looks interesting, please see what you think by clicking the link.

http://Click Here!

Rescue Dogs and Their Problems

I spoke earlier about some of the problems a rescue dog can have, and we encountered another today.

Sunny Spain is not so sunny at the moment, in fact it has not stopped raining for 2 days. Still Ben wanted his usual morning walk. On the way to the woods, Ben started walking backwards, cringing and generally looking scared. I spoke to him and tried to reassure him then I noticed what he had seen...........a person walking towards us with an umbrella..........

I did have to giggle, but you can imagine through his eyes how scary it was, a big round black thing with legs walking towards him. This underlines how aware you must be with rescues, how, although he appears so confident now, something as trivial as an umbrella totally threw him.

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The Smell of Wet Dog

It is pouring with rain here, but of course Ben still wanted to go for his evening walk, but spent most of it shaking himself because he does not like the wet.

I dried him off as best I could and told him to get into his bed. Wouldnt you know, I went upstairs to get changed and when I came down he had sneaked up onto the settee. Never mind, I have always wanted a settee that smells of wet dog...........

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Fleas and 1-800

Had to come back and tell you, just had a look at the 1-800PetMeds, and they do a shampoo. It has no chemicals and is entirely natural. It is ideal for sensitive skin, and does not irritate as some shampoos. It contains essential oils of:- Cinnamon, Rosemary, Cedarwood, and Clove among other natural ingredients. Sounds just what I am looking for. Great.

Please Leave a Message, I am Getting Lonely

Hi there
More animal chat. Just found a flea on my dog.........ugh! I need to do a bit of research on flea treatments. I am not too keen on chemical stuff, I always wonder if that is the cause of some cancers. I remember that my sister had a cat who always wore a flea collar. She developed a cancerous lump right under the collar and had to be put to sleep.

I am going to have a look at 1-800 Pet Meds, I am sure they do some alternative stuff. Let you know tomorrow.

Myths About Dogs and Cats

Years ago it was said that you could never have a cat and dog in the same house. Of course, me being me, ignored it and got a kitten to live with us, and the aforementioned Labrador, Jack. I got the kitten from a rescue centre, a cute little bundle of black and white fur, with an upturned black heart on her nose. Jack fell in love with her instantly, and was forever holding her down and licking her. He also had a disconcerting habit of carrying Jilly(as I called her) around by her head. This was fine until she got a bit bigger and then she decided that she was fed-up being wet all of the time, covered in dog spit, and she started retaliating. To start with she would just hiss and swipe at Jack's nose, then she discovered that it was much more effective to jump up and grab his jowls at the sides of his mouth. I would hear an anguished howl from Jack, and then he would coming running to me with a little black and white kitty hanging from his mouth............needless to say, he soon stopped annoying her.

I hope that you like the photo of them together.

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Rescue Dogs, and Adoption

My beautiful Ben did his bit of the blog last night, now it is my turn.

A lot of people would rather give a home to an unwanted dog for lots of reasons. Although there are puppies in rescue centres or pounds, many people would rather adopt an older dog for a variety of reasons. One of them being, you don't normally have the hassle of toilet training, as an older dog has control over it's bodily functions. Please understand though, many rescues do have "accidents", because of nerves or fear. My Ben had a few at the beginning, but it was only because he was very timid and nervous, and would wet when he got scared. Now he has gained more confidence, it doesn't happen any more. Whatever you do,never scold them, as it will only make things worse. Patience, is the key word.

Another plus to adopting an older dog is that you know roughly what size it will be. It can be difficult to know how big a puppy will be if it is mixed breed. Ben was about a year old when he came to us, so had more or less reached his full size, although he has muscled up, his overall frame is the same.

You must be prepared to give a lot of time and attention to your rescue, as many have never lived in a proper home. Do not think you can bring it to your home and it will learn all of the rules overnight. When we first had Ben, he would take anything he could find around the house and put it in his bed, sometimes chewing the item along the way. I have rescued cushions, mats and various other things, also a pair of mocassins-never did find the laces.

Many rescue dogs have what is called "separation anxiety", which means that they will often misbehave when left alone. Think about it, if a dog is happy when you are around, maybe for the first time in it's life, when you leave it, I feel it is logical that it will panic. We still do not leave Ben for any length of time. You have to work up to things gradually, start off by leaving them for 5 minutes, then 10 and so on. I have found a kong full of cheese will keep Ben occupied for half an hour, so that is the longest I leave him at the moment.

Above everything, you must be prepared for any hang ups the dog will have, and whatever you do, NEVER hit them for misbehaving, as so many have been mistreated in the past.

My Name Is Ben.

Hi everyone,

My name is Ben and my Mum says that I am a rescue dog. My Daddy was a Husky, and my Mummy was a Galgo, which is a Spanish hunting dog.

I had a bad start in life, and was found out in the Campo or countryside, with my friend Judy. This nice lady took us home and fed us, and sorted out all of our sore places and took all of the ticks out of our ears. I was about 6 months old at the time and had never known love until this nice lady found us. It was sad, as she could not keep us as she has 2 dogs already, but she said that she would look after us until we found our forever homes.

She took us both to a place called the "vets" and he stuck needles in us which we didn't like much, but the lady said it would stop us getting ill. Then we went back to the "vets" the next week to be sterilised. Well I don't know what it means, but I had another needle and when I woke up, I realised that I had something missing, or should I say 2 things missing.............It was very sore where these 2 things used to be, but after a few days it got better. Our nice lady told us that it was very important that we did not make babies, as there are too many unwanted dogs already. I didn't know how to make babies then, and I still do not know, I would be glad if some of you older dogs out there would tell me...........

After 5 months, my forever Mum and Dad came to get me. I was scared at first and wet on the floor, also I used to put cushions and shoes and stuff in my bed, but I have stopped that now. Mum and Dad were very patient with me because they said that I had such a bad time before. I get all the best food and everything now. My Mum said that she only wants me to have the best food, so I have lots of vegetables and fish, and something Mum calls Olive oil, because she says it is good for me.

I shall tell you some more things very soon. Good-bye, and lots of doggy licks. Ben. xxx

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http://www.psychicpaws.com

Big Dogs or Small Dogs

Pros and cons of having a big dog to live with you.

Pros

1. Even if they are the softest dogs in the world, people are put off seeing a big dog that they don't know, therefore are good watchdogs.

2. I have never been scared of walking my big dogs anywhere on my own, as big dogs are a big deterrant.

3. Most big dogs are "walking dustbins" so you never waste food.

Cons

1. Have you ever tried cleaning a big dog when it has been out in the mud and rain...........need I say more.

2. Your floors will never stay clean. Yes, little dogs bring things in from outside, but big dogs bring in much bigger things, ie. tree branches, large shrubs etc.

3. Big dogs cost more to feed.

4. Medication costs more, because the dosage normally goes on the weight of the dog.

All in all, the choice is yours, but I ask you these things: please think very carefully before taking on a dog, they take a lot of care and time from your day. They need lots of love, but in return you will get plenty. Last but not least, please get them sterilised. Apart from the fact that we don't need anymore unwanted dogs, bitches can develop serious problems with their wombs, and dogs often get testicular cancer.

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Big Dogs or Small Dogs

I have to say that my preference is for big dogs, although I have had one very small dog, not through choice, but because nobody else wanted him.

There are pros and cons for both of course.

Small Dogs - pros

1. It is much easier to keep a small dog clean, unless they are long coated, you can bath them at home.

2. A small dog can live in even the smallest space, as long as it gets adequate exercise.

3. They don't cost much to feed.

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4. It is very easy to pick them up and away from any trouble, ie. other dogs.

5. When you take them out and it is raining, it is so easy to clean them off when you get home.


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Small Dogs - cons

1. They tend to bark a lot more, and it is that irritating, yippy, squeaky bark.

2. You can't rough and tumble with them like a big dog.

3. They are much much prone to injury than a big dog.

I would love to hear some of the funny things that your dog has done. The aforementioned Jack was an escape artist. I once sat up until 2 in the morning because he had escaped once more. After sitting for hours I heard a noise at the door, and there was Jack. I angrily asked him where he had been, and he walked in the door limping. Straight away, I was the concerned and loving Mum and knelt down and cuddled him and lifted his paw to see what he had done. There was nothing to see, and then Jack started rushing around with his tail wagging, and no limp whatsoever...........ever been conned. I always knew that he was clever, but to pretend he had hurt himself to escape a telling off............extremely clever I think.

http://www.psychicpaws.com

Rescue Dogs, Puppies and Much More.

If you are reading this, I can be almost 100 per cent sure that you like dogs, or at least have an interest in them. I like dogs, in fact, I adore them. Big, small , hairy or fluffy I think that they are great.



I have owned dogs for many years, or should that be the other way around? There was only one that I raised from a puppy, and that was Jack, a Yellow Lab. I really did not know a lot about Labradors, except they were used as Gun Dogs, were extremely gentle and good with children, and advertised toilet rolls. So, here I was with this cute little thing, with chunky legs, an unsteady gait and big brown eyes. (bit like my ex actually, but without the cute factor).



I read all that I could on toilet training, obedience and diet. I need to add that what Labs think they should eat, and what they actually should eat are total opposites. Apart from the normal dog food, and treats, Jacks diet consisted of, shoes, slippers, any sort of paper, kids toys, skirting boards, walls, doors, garden and house plants, and of course cat poo.



The training went very well too, in theory that is. Jack would sit, stay, lie down and come when called, he would also walk to heel off the lead. Excellent, I am sure you are thinking. Problem was, Jack only did these things when he felt like it, the rest of the time, he was a disobedient, unruly hooligan, and remained so until just before he died. Apparently, this Peter Pan quality in Labradors is fairly common, I just wish that I had known about it at the time.


I just wished that there had been some help available. Nowadays, it would be easy. Dog training classes, behavioural specialists, dog whisperers, there is just so much help out there. That is where it becomes confusing though, there is so much advice now, that it can be hard to decide which method to choose.


It is often difficult to take time out of a busy schedule, to take our dogs to classes. People who come to the house are often extremely good, but they are very expensive too, so I thought that I would research other ways. Most suitable for my lifestyle, is the information available on the internet in the form of training manuals. Of course, these things rarely come for free, and I dont want to spend money on something that does not work, so I had a good look around.


One of the ones that really"jumped out", is a training system by a guy called Daniel Stevens. What I noticed first of all, was his 60 day money back guarantee. I also like the idea of getting the information straight away, instead of the often lengthy wait for items to arrive in the post. If you have never downloaded books or manuals, I can assure you that it is very easy, if I can do it anybody can.


I like his down to earth approach, and the fact that he does not promise miracles, like some. If you read some of the testimonials, you will see what I mean, they all state there have been big improvements with their dogs, but nobody is talking about miracles.

Daniel often offers discounts, and he uses Clickbank for accepting payments, which is extremely secure. Please click the link to have a look at Daniel's site, if it is not for you, WATCH THIS SPACE, I am in the process of checking out a few more. Click Here

http://www.psychicpaws.com