Weekend doggy pictures
I finally did it - I abandoned “My Dog”. It was a hard decision, but it was one that had to be made. I was getting frustrated not being able to take care of “Dirk” (yep, that was his name - he was named after Nowitzki) the way I would have liked to - couldn’t feed him - couldn’t really look after him.
I was warned that after the 85 days I had spent caring for him, he would not be the same if I abandoned him. I still had to harden my heart and let him go.
Alright, by now if you have realized I am being coy about something, you are right. Dirk is my dog in the mobile game, “My Dog”. I downloaded the game on to my cell phone and tried the pet sim for 85 days before I gave up in frustration.
I am quite surprised by the many glowingly positive reviews the game seems to have garnered - just Google it. The game was also apparently endorsed by the SPCA for how much “bonding” it promoted between people and their pets.
Honestly, I think “My Dog” was a great concept ruined by stupid execution. The game essentially consists of a home with three areas - garden, kitchen and living room - and three out-of-home places - a grocery store, a dog show tent and “around the block” walk. You feed your dog, you scoop his poop and you take him out for walks around the block. You get rewarded with money and goodies when you keep your doggie happy and healthy - fun and games, right?
Not all the time! The problem with the game is that there is a lot of randomness built into it. My dog needed to be fed at least four times a day - if I didn’t, his health deteriorated and he camped in the kitchen begging for food. The problem is that the grocery store didn’t always carry enough good - sometimes I didn’t have enough money to buy the food - sometimes there wasn’t enough food.
The stocking process of the grocery store was so random that sometimes you could go several days in a week with only one edible thing for the dog available per day. I consider that animal cruelty. I was not comfortable with the entire thing - even a game gets you emotionally invested in when it lasts for 85 days and has you spend atleast an hour a day on the total. It was just way too high maintenance for very little payoff and too emotionally grating to be much fun. Just not worth it!
When Should You Put Your Dog Down? - How to make a decision you never want to make. By Jon Katz - that was a very interesting and sensible column about a topic that is very close to my heart, being as I am, owner of 4 dogs. I have seen plenty of people delay the decision to put their dogs down and instead keep them alive for years, in sickness more than in health. I believe that is wrong.
I know it might sound callous to many - it isn’t like I don’t love my dogs. Each of my dogs is like a baby to me, even if I didn’t give birth to them. Sammy, my Black Dane has been with me since he was 6 weeks-old - I put diapers on his little butt, potty-trained him, took him to obedience classes, got him his first shots - pretty much everything you might do to a little baby. But if Sammy ever got diagnosed with something that would make his life difficult for him, I think I would rather let him go than try to hold on to him, just so I can have my baby even if he is pain.
I think that is the part most pet owners fail to understand - that keeping your dog alive in misery is not a favor to the dog, but to yourself. For your selfish reasons, you are making the pet that you love so much, go through much pain and endure sickness. If we as pet owners truly care for our pets’ happiness, I think we should put them down when they are miserable and not keep them alive.
Note: When I refer to sickness and misery above, I mean that which cannot be cured - I am not advocating the putting down of pets who suffer from minor illnesses or injuries.
NEW! Bow-Lingual® Dog Translator
Hmmm…I am not so sure I would like this on my babies - sometimes the way they bark - especially Rocky the black-and-white Springer mix - it seems to me as if they are scolding me and leaving no holds barred. I’d rather pretend everything is hunky-dory and imagine they love me more than anything else than get something like this to shatter my precious illusions, thankyouverymuch!What’s pestering your pooch? Find out with the Bow-Lingual translator! It analyzes your dog’s bark to determine which of his six emotions he is feeling. Whether your dog is happy, sad, frustrated, on-guard, assertive or needy, the Bow-Lingual will provide a phrase based on the emotion, to let you know what he is trying to say.
I mean, all I do is pet my dogs when I am around, let them lie on our bed when we are not. I also drive them 20-miles each way every week to the dog-park so they can run around, exhaust themselves and get muddy. Bad me! I never thought about how to make them more fulfilled instead (rolling eyes).
Is Your Dog Fulfilled?I drive a couple of hundred miles each week so my border collies can embrace their destiny—or is it their ancestry?—by herding sheep at a farm. When I’m there, I’m always amazed at the scores of people who show up with all sorts of dogs, from avid herding breeds to bewildered mutts. Their owners are all eager to expose them to the ancient art. “I do agility, obedience, and therapy dog training,” the owner of a Lab/shepherd mix told me, “and I’d love to add herding. We have Thursdays and Fridays open.”
I will add more comments to this once I finish calling my husband to check and make sure all of my dogs are home and none have run away or anything :O
HoustonChronicle.com - Beagle treks 800 miles, from Kansas to Alabama
But that was the case with Norman, a beagle who wandered off from his owners in Solomon, Kan., one day in March and showed up Friday outside an Auburn University computer repair shop."I didn't think much of it -- we've found dogs out here before," said Daryl Waites, Auburn's digital repair manager. "Usually just some student lost them."
Waites, a dog lover and owner, coaxed the beagle into the repair shop, where he and receptionist Cindy Darby checked the dog's collar. The collar's dull brass tag was inscribed: "2003, City of Solomon, KS."
This picture shows Sammy, my black Great Dane (1 yr/135 lb) and Raju, my fawn Great Dane puppy (6 mo/100 lb) on the livingroom sofa. Sammy is technically still a puppy, since Great Danes grow till they are around 2-3 years old. Next week, we are taking them to this St. Paddy's celebration organized by the Great Dane Rescue of North Texas. It is going to be a fun day with doggies having a big pond to swim in - more pictures after the event :)
Of course, the Great Danes are but the newest additions to our family - the two mutts below were our first dogs - the black and white one being Rocky (2 yrs from Lexee's Legacy) and the brown one, Buddy (2 yrs, SPCA).
My baby Great Dane is getting neutered today. I will not be able to see him until after the surgery at around 3:30 in the afternoon. This is the first time ever I have been away from him this long. I hope and pray everything will go well with him.
Update: Well, his (pregnant) vet had a medical emergency, so the surgery has been postponed till next wednesday
