Yoga for dogs? Who knew?
I recently came across an online newspaper story about a woman who opened the first yoga studio for dogs and babies in Houston because she saw this form of exercise growing in other parts of the country, particularly in California and New York.
I'd never heard of it. Apparently, I need to get out more.
Marilyn Swick owns the studio and has been offering free introductory classes to people and their dogs. The fact is, dogs don't need this - it's called doga - so it's really about establishing a better relationship with your pet.
"People who do doga are dog people first," Swick told the Houston Chronicle. "It takes a special person to have that connection with an animal."
Swick said she hopes to expand her studios to San Antonio, Dallas and Austin, and if this thing grows, she could have people and their pets doing the downward dog everywhere.
I found a site where you can order a DVD called "Yoga4Dogs," but frankly, I don't see myself attempting any poses with my Dachshunds. A daily visit to the park is enough to keep them happy.
To those of us who count our dogs and cats as members of the family, hearing the results of a recent poll was no surprise. My wife and I nodded when we saw the story. In many ways, our lives are centered on our three Dachshunds and cat.
I'm sure some will disagree, and that's fine. Anyway, it was interesting to read that an Associated Press-Petside.com poll this week found that half of all American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as anyone in the household. Another 36 percent said their pet, while not a full member, is still a part of the family.
That's 86 percent who feel their pet is at least a part of the family. Personally, I can see why.
We worry when they're sick, we get anxious when they don't eat all their food, we buy them toys to play with and we appreciate their companionship. That's love.
The poll also found that single people were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people (66 percent of single women vs. 46 percent of married women). Also, men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the family. Another 42 percent said they take their pets on vacation.
The fact is, we love our pets. And they love us back. Isn't that what we expect from family?
When one of our three Dachshunds bark, they all bark. My wife hates it. I love it.
I consider their barking to be a deterrent - to strangers, to would-be intruders, to anyone who might lurk around our neighborhood. She just considers it unwanted noise.
I wonder what she'd think if she heard Daz, a German Shepherd Dog that recently put himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for the loudest bark - a hefty 108 decibels. That's about as loud as a chainsaw.
And I'm sure she'd love to hear the 30 dogs that set the record for loudest collective bark at the same time during a competition in a north London park. Their bark mark was 115 decibels, akin to a jet plane taking off.
"He is the loudest dog in the world," Peter Lucken, Daz's owner, said, "but I don't really notice how loud he is."
I say congratulations to the winners. My wife says, "Shhh."
A few years ago, one of our three Dachshunds was sprayed by a skunk while we were on one of our favorite walks. I'll never forget the agony Scooter, my wife and I went through trying to get rid of the stinky odor. We tried washing him in tomato juice, dog shampoo, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid and a few other things. Nothing worked.
By the sixth or seventh washing, he was whimpering from having spent so much time in our shower, and because the acid in the tomato juice stung his delicate paw pads. Scooter, who is a sweet, laid-back dog, clearly didn't like the smell, but he hated the repeated washings even more.
Worse still, we were supposed to drive from the Bay Area to Los Angeles the next day, with dogs in the car. We made the long trip, but our eyes were watering from the lingering skunk residue that stubbornly remained on poor Scooter.
The foul odor didn't leave him - or my wife's car - for some time.
That's why I had to pause when I saw a story on ChicagoTribune.com about what to do if your dog gets skunked. It's worth a read if you live near areas where skunks roam, but here are a few highlights:
1. If you dog gets squirted, leave him outside. You definitely don't want the smell inside your house or on your furniture.
2. Water won't remove the stink, nor will tomato juice.
3. The best way to get rid of the smell is just to give it time, said Francine Barnes, owner of Carriage Hill Kennels in Glenview, Ill.
The story includes a homemade anti-skunk rinse that includes hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap that you mix and apply to your dog while he's dry. There's a similar remedy on the Dogtime site. Read it - with spring here, it could come in handy.
I'm little late posting this item, maybe because I still find it hard to believe.
In Britain, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has warned dog owners they could face legal action if they "overdress" their pets. The issue has caused something of a stir in Australia, where dog experts appear to be divided over the issue.
The chief veterinatarian for the RSPCA in New South Wales says dressing a dog can create a bonding experience between owner and pet. But the organization's president in Australia, Hugh Wirth, believes the warning has some validity.
"Our concern is when clothes on an animal can be seen to be endangering its health and welfare," he said.
I'm not big of dressing dogs. My wife likes to put jackets on our Dachshunds when it's cold outside, but we like them to go the full monty otherwise. Their natural coats, in most instances, are enough to keep them acclimated.
The stories I read said nothing about what kind of fines or punishment violators faced. Hopefully, they won't be sent to the doghouse.
