Loyalty - Italian Street Dog

When it comes to loyalty, dogs have the market cornered. Mutts and senior dogs have an edge because they may not be noticed for anything other than their unswerving loyalty to their masters – even if that master is dead. The most famous example of this loyalty was by Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier. But the most heartbreaking example comes from an Italian MUTTnamed Fido. Remember that Fido really means “faithful one” -- not "dog."

With my surname being Messina, one cannot overlook this heart warming and,at the same time, heart breaking story about Fido an amazing Italian dog.

On a bitter night in 1941, bricklayer Carlo Soriani found Fido dying under a bridge. He took Fido home to his wife. They gave the mutt food and care until Fido was back in good health. Perhaps the only holistic integrated veterinary care used was none other than TLC. In a way still unknown to science, Fido and Carlo bonded. Fido would follow Carlo to the bus stop and wait at the stop for Carlo to come back from work and then the both would walk home.

But in December 30, 1943, Carlo never came home after boarding his usual morning bus. His factory was bombed and Carlo did not survive. Fido waited … and waited … and waited. He never stopped waiting. He refused to go home to where Carlo’s widow wanted him. Food and blankets were brought to the loyal dog. In 1957, the town gave their canine fixture a medal for loyalty. Fido would die a year later, still at the bus stop. His fourteen year wait was finally over.

It is still unknown why this one Italian dog waited in such an extraordinary way but is it any wonder that people remember dogs better than humans. But out of all the famous dogs, political dogs or humorous dogs offered up to memory, none was as loyal as an elderly mongrel named Fido.

Dogs, Kids and Dust: Healthier Together Than We Imagined

As if you needed more reasons to love your mutt, and to take it easy on the dusting... A recent study has shown that the house dust in homes with at least one dog living there helps to protect against the development of asthma in children. These findings were recently presented by researchers from the University of California at San Francisco during the 2012 Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

An obscure fact, indeed. You might be wondering how on earth the medical science community even got the idea to study such a thing. However, in some circles, this correlation between dogs and better respiratory health has been widely known about for some time. 

Apparently, whatever your dog is contributing to the dust in your home can have a positive and protective effect against respiratory infection. The dog dust seems to help shelter children from the common respiratory virus RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is the virus that can lead to the onset of asthma in children, but your mutt's dust seems to help prevent it. (And to think you used to curse the extra dust your pooch left around the house!)

The 2012 study showed that laboratory mice that were fed house dust from from a dog owner's home and then injected with the RSV virus consistently did not exhibit any symptoms of the virus.

The findings of this study are the first step in being able to identify and isolate the exact, protective microbe from your dog that is conferring this protection to children. Once this healing component of dog dust is determined, it can then be used in a more focused way to benefit even more children.

For now, dog owners with children get to enjoy this added benefit of dog ownership even before science fully understands it. As if the adventure of training, raising and having fun with a dog wasn't reason enough to consider adoption! From pure breeds to shelter dogs, mutts and rescues, any type of dog can contribute this wonderful healing benefit to the household.

So take it easy on the dusting and give your mutt some extra petting time... More than ever before, science is proving what dog owners already knew: dogs can be a major contributor to the holistic health of a household. For more articles on Asthma, kids and pets click here. 

Chief Presidential Issue This Year? Dogs!

While a number of spotlights have paid tribute to the influence of dogs in political campaigns, the voice of the Mutt needs to be heard. The 2012 presidential election is rife with political dog stories ranging from reports of Governor Mitt Romney’s vacation with his dog riding on the roof of the car (belch!)  to his adventure saving a drowning  

Seamus Romney

Scottish Terrier while on a jet ski (who knew?). President Obama too has received questions from dog owners during his campaigns regarding his support of shelter dogs and rescues. This political season, it is important for you and all other dog owners across the nation to speak up about the importance of supporting shelters, rescues and getting another Mutt into the White House. 

The Incumbent First Dog

Bo Obama

Bo, the First Dog of the United States and close advisor to President Obama, is a Portuguese Water Dog. President Obama had originally intended on getting a dog from a shelter, however he cited his daughter’s medical struggles with allergies as reason for finding a hypoallergenic breed. At the time of his inauguration, President Obama expressed a kinship with Mutts along with his interest in shelter dogs stating that “a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.” Many dog shelter organizations have prompted President Obama to keep with his word about adopting a dog and educated him on the fact that he could find a sheltered mutt suitable for his daughter’s health needs. In the meantime, the president’s family has been giving financial support to shelter organizations (yea!).

The Kennedy Mutts

Pushinka and Pupniks

Bo was given to President Obama by the Kennedy family. It was John F. Kennedy that brought Mutts into the White House by adding Pushinka and Wolf to his dog family and the former gave birth to a loving litter known as the pupniks. This was an important political metaphor as Pushinka was a gift from a Russian premier and pup of a Soviet space dog. By bringing in a Russian dog and breeding new pups with his own American dogs, Kennedy created a message of unity and kinship through the world’s love of animals. While most presidents have elected to bring home traditional breeds to the White House it is time for another Mutt to represent the country.


Training Presidents to Make a Statement

Presidential candidates strive to listen to their voters. The political dogs of America and you, their owners, must voice the importance of helping rescues and providing for shelter dogs. America is a country of dog lovers and if a president can make a valiant effort to show care towards senior dogs, rescues, and Mutts then the general public will be inspired to follow suit.  More on first dogs here.

This post represents Reba’s personal opinion but we encourage all pet owners to continue to support rescues and ban puppy mills no matter what the breed may be.

Acupuncture: The Integrated Veterinary Approach for Adventure Driven Mutts

You might consider it a special treat to go get a massage for yourself but, as more and more research suggests, massage coupled with acupuncture is a great method for dealing with illnesses, medical conditions, pain and stress in people.  A growing number of veterinarians are bringing the healing powers of massage and acupuncture to dogs and other animals too. While you might give your dog a morning and evening massage, its best to leave the needle work to the doctor!

Integrated Doggy Vets

New York Magazine reports Leilani Alvarez’s use of acupuncture at the Upper East Side’s Animal Medical Center. Alvarez explains the benefits of this ancient Chinese technique: “Acupuncture helps the body heal itself by releasing natural painkillers and anti-inflammatories. It also sends out neurotransmitters, hormones, and other cellular mediators, which improve circulation and immune functions.” Alvarez is just the latest in a growing field of integrating veterinary practices.

Medical Uses

For senior dogs specifically experiencing health problems from chronic pain, arthritic issues, gastrointestinal trouble and difficulty walking, acupuncture can provide an all-natural healing option when Western medicines have proven incapable or have lost their effectiveness. The medical benefits of using acupuncture on humans continues to expand and as more veterinarians receive acupuncture training the results for dogs can keep developing. The science behind acupuncture continues to unfold even as some Western researches doubt its Eastern philosophy. Yet, both humans and dogs are getting better through this holistic approach.

Working With The Right Vet

What is most important when experimenting with acupuncture is finding the right veterinarian. Just like in acupuncture for people, dogs need to be relaxed. If your dog is known to get a little fussy it is advisable to find a veterinarian that will work on calming your dog down before the acupuncture session. If your dog is prone to anxiety when visiting any veterinary hospital, see if they will accommodate your dog’s needs by helping bring your dog directly inside without a long stop in an uncomfortable waiting room. There is nothing worse for rescues than to be surrounded by a mix of breeds that might bring up bad memories of the shelter.

Is Acupuncture For You, Your Dog, or Both?

A lot of us who have already experienced the wonderful holistic benefits of acupuncture are eager to help our dogs when a medical need arises. But for those of you who have never undergone the process yourself, we recommend that you talk it over with your current veterinarian before introducing it to your dog and request a referral to consult with an acupuncture specialist.

If you've ever used acupuncture on your dog or cat let us know about your experience by commenting below.

What We're Learning from the "Wet Dog Shake"

Dogs definitely have a distinctive way of getting rid of excess water from their coats. We've all seen it. Large or small, mutt or purebred, when a dog comes bounding out of a lake after a swim or a fetch, they all do a version of the "wet dog shake."

The wet dog shake is nothing new, and we've all enjoyed watching it (preferably from a distance!) But what is new is that recently scientists and engineers have taken an interest in this iconic dog activity. Why? It turns out that the wet dog shake embodies unique physical motions that could help in creating technological advances in how we clean sensitive, hard to reach instruments.

High speed cameras are being used to study the wet dog shake. Researchers from Georgia Tech have determined that dogs can shake off about 70% of the water from their saturated fur in about four seconds. The main reason for this is their loose-hanging skin. While a dog's spine can only rotate about 30 degrees in either direction, the loose-hanging skin of the typical canine can swing a full 90 degrees each way. The result is three times the velocity, three times the amplitude and nine times the centrifugal force of just shaking the backbone alone.

Scientists believe that dogs evolved to have loose skin in part because of the way it helps them dry off quickly. Wet fur causes a drop in body temperature, and it requires a lot of energy for a dog to reheat itself. Without the ability to shake off most of the water right away, as much as 20% of the daily dog's caloric intake would be depleted helping the dog dry and reheat.

Researchers believe that the information gleaned from the wet dog shake could have many practical applications. It could lead to more efficient cleaning and drying processes for sensitive instruments such as solar panels, the insides of electronic devices, optical devices and even equipment in outer space.

So the next time your mutt does the wet dog shake (video) right next to you, try not to get too annoyed. He's helping us more than you realized!

Crippled Dog Left to Die in Mountains. Owner Wants Her Back; ALSO New Wave Band, Devo Releases New Single About a Famous Political Dog!

This mutt is outraged! About 13,500 feet above the ground, among the snow-capped peaks of Mount Bierstadt in Colorado, Scott Washburn and his wife, Amanda, found an abandoned, dying German shepherd dog.

This past Saturday, Aug. 11, Washburn and his wife were on a leisurely hike up Mount Bierstadt in Clear Creek County, a 14,000-foot peak near Denver that is categorized as a "14er" because, as Washburn said, "the peak is over 14,000 feet high and considered a Class 3, meaning it is not the most difficult - but it's too difficult for a dog to be on it or an inexperienced person.

"We were hiking to this ridge and we got off course and I was a little ahead of my wife," he said. "She called out to me and said, 'Hey I found a dog,' and figured I misheard her 'cause there was no way a dog was where we were."  You don't want to miss the rest of this story and video! More photos here.

Tell us what you think about this story.

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OH BOY this mutt is laughing!    In case you haven't heard, New Wave band, Devo, will be releasing the single, "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro! (Remember Seamus)", a track about Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s infamous 1983 road trip in which he transported the family dog from Massachusetts to Ontario in a kennel strapped to the roof of the family station wagon.  Read more on this funny article about this dog lovin' band and the app they are developing for dog lovers!

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7 Ways Cats Help You Decorate

CATS. Today I am muttering about cats. You can't live with them and you can't live without them! This mutt tolerates them!  BOL!

7 Ways Cats Help You Decorate

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