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by pawlitico
The thought "howl strange and dangerous are fireworks!" keeps swimmin' round my doghead.
Never met a dog or any other four-footed who likes fireworks. Never asked other furriends, but I 'spoze birds and bees and bugs and others dislike noisy explosions too.
Yet all the nation's a stage fur fireworks on a July 4th evening. Howl, what are fireworks: the humans' tribute to freedom, or a cathartic release of pent-up human anger? Imagine if other species lit colored fires and made explosions. Humans would think we're out of touch with Nature, to woof the least.
Consider the iconic pic below.
The little Yorkshire Terrier is being made to ride in a wee wagon, towed behind a huge human on a terrifyingly large tractor. Howl small and vulnerable this dog is! Not just physically small — also small in terms of what's impawtant to many American humans on July 4th....
Just think 'bout howl this Yorkie dog must feel! Could humans make sure all dogs — and cats! — are somewhere safe on the big noisy holiday?
Pawleeze, American humans everywhere, look out fur animals' needs come the next 4th of July. It'd be wonderful if the emergency veterinary clinics and animal shelters didn't fill up every year after the fireworks explosions.
by pawlitico
Tilin Corgi and I want you to know that we love all dog breeds. This having been said, we admit that we find certain Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis arfully cute.
Take Lola the Pembroke, fur example. She has the 2008 winning "sleeper" photo in the Dogster & Catster 4th Annual World’s Coolest Dog & Cat Show.
Photos don't get any cuter than this one of Lola asleep in her dog bowl. I guess Lola gets tired from doin' a lot of exercise with her human.
A lot of dogs don't get as much exercise as Lola. But they still eat an arful lot of food — pawbably lots of commercial kibble and other stuff that makes 'em obese.
I've grown up to be a dog who speaks my mind. I mean, when I have somethin' to howl about, I find it hard to hold back. So I'm gonna growl now:
Wassup with all the obese dogs!? I've seen so many of them lately: overweight dogs gobblin' down junky treats at howliday parties, super-obese dogs who can't jump up onto Santa's lap to get their photos taken, and so many obese Corgis and Basset Hounds — two breeds who are prone to back problems and injuries. We should never ever be allowed to carry extra weight.
C'mon, humans, do you love us dogs, or what!? If you love dogs, pawleeze quit overfeeding 'em!
Tilin Corgi and I stay slim. We learned to paw attention to proper weight 'cuz Tilin was prone to back problems. You know that Tilin's being trim and strong saved his life! . . . Need I howl more?
Paw-note: See all the super-cute photos of Lola CGC, including her runnin' around agilely, on her Dogster.com page. I hope I wasn't too howly and growly about the subject of overweight dogs. . . .
by pawlitico
Read it and howl: The State of California wants to impose a 9% sales tax on veterinary care!
Remember when my buddy Tilin "winecountrydog" Corgi had major emergency veterinary surgery and looked like he did in this photo?
Do you think we corgis had lotsa cash to pay for all that wonderful surgery and after-care? . . . Imagine what adding an extra 9% to our vet bills would've done to us!
We're not the only ones who can't afford a tax on vet care.
I want to bark to Governor Schwarzenegger on behalf of humane "food animal" farmers and California consumers: A 9% increase in the cost of farm animal vet care will not only cause food prices to rise but also cause some farmers to go under.
The cost of biz for farmers has gone up, as feed costs and other prices have soared. The implementation of State Proposition 2 to set standards for confining farm animals will also increase the cost of doing business for "food animal" farmers, albeit it for the right reason. Howl, we're trying to suppawt humane farmers who raise free-range "food animals" and produce cage-free eggs, and here the State comes along with an idea that'll hurt these good guys.
All farm animals require veterinary care — and deserve good healthcare — just as we dogs do, but farmers can't afford higher medical costs.
This is the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Action Alert:
Governor Schwarzenegger recently announced his plans to add a sales tax on veterinary services as part of his budget plan to stimulate the California economy. This was part of a larger combination of program cuts and revenue increases to solve the multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. It is particularly disturbing that veterinary services were included with "appliance and furniture repair, vehicle repair and golf." All of the other healing arts professions were excluded from the sales tax proposal.
A special session of the Legislature must be convened to approve the Governor’s plan. The proposal would need to be approved by the Legislature with a two-thirds majority of both the Assembly and the Senate.
The CVMA is strongly opposed to this proposal.
Our legislative team has been working hard to get sales tax on veterinary services removed from the Governor’s proposal. We know you are concerned for the welfare of your patients, the difficult choices your clients may need to make if the cost of veterinary care increases, more animals being abandoned to shelters, increased euthanasia, and the overall strain placed on small businesses.
It is imperative that the voice of the veterinary profession is heard with respect to this important issue. We urge you to write personal letters to the Governor, your state representatives and their leadership expressing your concerns. We also encourage you to get your clients involved and ask them to write letters as well. It is easy to do. View the CVMA Fact Sheet and contact information. Visit the Legislative Action Center for contact information for your state representatives.
Your letter should be mailed directly to the Governor with copies forwarded to key members of the Legislature, including your local representatives. The letter should be on your practice letterhead, and if possible we would appreciate it if you would fax the CVMA a copy of your letter as well at (916) 646-9156.
If you have any questions, please call the CVMA office at 1(800) 655-2862.
Thank you for your assistance,
William Grant II, DVM
CVMA President
Paw-leeze, veterinarians and everybuddy everywhere, growl to the Governor and State pawliticans to stop this doggone crazy tax proposal — even if you don't live in California!
Tell the State to spread out a sales tax increase across the board, or add it to some high-demand consumer items like electronics and booze. Human medical care isn't taxed. Veterinary care should NOT be taxed either!
The CVMA is asking its membership of more than 6,000 veterinarians to write letters to the Governor about the hardship this proposed vet sales tax would create. Read more at CVMA.net and at Veterinary Newsmagazine's DVM360.com.
I'm hoping you pets and people out there will write your own letters. Woof!
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
916.558.3160 Fax
---
The Honorable Karen Bass
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol, Room 319 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.319.2147 Fax
---
The Honorable Don Perata, Senate President pro Tempore State Capitol, Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814 916.327.1997 Fax
---
The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
Senate President pro Tempore
State Capitol, Room 4035 Sacramento, CA 95815
916.323.2263 Fax
---
The Honorable Mike Villines
Assembly Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 3104 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.319.2129 Fax
---
The Honorable Dave Cogdill
Senate Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 3048 Sacramento, CA 95814
916.327.3523 Fax
When you write to the Governor and legislative leaders, ask them to remove the proposed sales tax on veterinary services in the 2008-09 Special Session proposal.
by pawlitico
Dog-ma came home in a wee tizzy from last night's Great Egg debate about California Proposition 2, which was held on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College. She said that the wonderful Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) debated the wonderful cage-free egg farmer, Steve Mahrt, of Petaluma.
Dog-ma sez it just isn't fair to have to argue about egg price over egg quality and nutrition. Besides, we wouldn't eat the eggs of cruelly-caged chickens even if they were givin' 'em away!
Our concern that laying hens be treated compassionately isn't compromised by caring about egg farmers like Steve Mahrt. After all, he and his family have been in the cage-free egg biz fur years, and he's now afraid that changes in regulations are gonna put him out of business.
Okay, so, what are we gonna do in order to see to it that laying hens are treated well and that the 'Steve Mahrts' of the Pacific region stay strong? . . . How are we dogs, who need animal protein in our diets, gonna help get rid of all inhumane farming of eggs, poultry, meat, and dairy!?
The answer from us Humane California Dogs: We're followin' the rule of fair prey! We companion animals have got to be humane consumers!
Look, my dog-ma had previously sat down and bellyached to me and Tilin Corgi and our Ani Siamese about declining terms of trade and other political-economic realities. Then she got into that thing about how either you're a leader, a change agent, or you're not.
So, all you doggehs, kittehs, and animal lovers: Is you is on the lead team or is you ain't? Either you're gonna lead the way in this period of economic change toward humane food production, or else you ain't! In other words, either you're gonna study up fast on the benefits of eatin' humanely-farmed animal protein, and then take that studyin' to the streets, or you're just not in the game.
And, in a sense, it is a game. It's the game of how humans whine about food prices while blowin' dollars on lotsa other stuff. C'mon, folks! You can't have your eggs cheap and have 'em tasty and cage-free, too.
But this is of course not a game to the "food animals" whose lives end when they become someone's prey.
Paw-leeze, humans everywhere, join us in investing in the humane food ethic and in a humane farming future. Be a humane food consumer!
And Californians, we'd better put paws up in favor of YES! on Prop 2. Otherwise the California farm economy and the regional farm economy ain't gonna stay ahead and be strong in the future.
We support a YES! on Prop 2 vote for ethical and economic reasons. The economic reason is to promote California's humane farmers as leaders in the New Egg economy. The ethical reason is self-explanatory. . . . Oh howl, I don't have to explain compassion, do I?
by winecountrydog
Sun's up, uh huh, looks okay
The world survives into another day
And I'm thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me
I had another dream about lions at the door
They weren't half as frightening as they were before
But I'm thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me . . .
Walls windows trees, waves coming through
You be in me and I'll be in you
Together in eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me . . .
Freighters on the nod on the surface of the bay
One of these days we're going to sail away,
going to sail into eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me
And I'm wondering where the lions are . . .
I'm wondering where the lions are. . . .
– Bruce Cockburn "Wondering Where The Lions Are" (1979)
Shackle, an 11-year-old African lioness, spent the night in a church with her human and others who couldn't make it off Bolivar Peninsula on the Texas coast, near Galveston, before Hurricane Ike struck.
AP News, 16 September 2008
Many years from now, a small group of Hurricane Ike survivors will probably still be telling the story of how, on the night the storm flattened their island, they took sanctuary in a church — with a lion.
The full-grown lion was from a local zoo, and the owner was trying to drive to safety with the animal when he saw cars and trucks stranded in the rising floodwaters. He knew he and the lion were in trouble.
He headed for the church and was met by a group of residents who helped the lion wade inside, where they locked it in a sanctuary as the storm raged. The water crept up to their waists, and two-by-fours came floating through broken windows. But the lion was as calm as a kitten.
When daylight came, everyone was still alive.
"They worked pretty well together, actually," said the lion's owner, Michael Ray Kujawa. "When you have to swim, the lion doesn't care about eating nobody."
Shackle the lion and her human friends escaped the wrath of Ike at First Baptist Church in Crystal Beach.
The towns of Crystal Beach and Gilchrist are on the Gulf of Mexico, along the 30-mile peninsula that stretches across the southern part of Galveston Bay. This is an area of seaside getaways, and of fishing and shrimping operations.
But not anymore.
Bobby Jobes, one of the many Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens who've been deployed since Hurricane Ike, was quoted as saying, "There's nothing there. . . ."
"Nothing" except some animals — including stranded big cats!
According to Texas blogger Susan Evans, there's at least one tiger loose.
I'm wondering where and how the cats are. . . . I hope they get through this alive.
By winecountrydog
It's a weird day when a dog's gotta worry about cyber-crime. A doggone weird day.
But it's impawtant to know about info security and be on the lookout fur cyber-mean humans taking advantage of everybuddy during a time when we're all looking at news about the hurricanes.
Actually, any time there's a disaster or other big media event, the cyber-meanies can't seem to resist creating phony websites with domain names that sound just like the real thing.
We need to research the website owners to see if they're legitimate charities. Otherwise, we could be giving our contact info and our donations to some Animal Hater Co. instead of an impawtant animal welfare organization like the Louisiana SPCA.
Two paws up fur Stefanie Hoffman at The Channel Wire Blog fur bringing up phishing and other cyber-dangers in her piece "Phishers Exploit Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna."
We already know about spamming. Phishing is something we dogs need to be careful about, too.
Here's what ChannelWeb Encyclopedia tells us.
Phishing
Pronounced "fishing," it is a scam to steal valuable information such as credit card and social security numbers, user IDs and passwords. Also known as "brand spoofing," an official-looking e-mail is sent to potential victims pretending to be from their ISP, bank or retail establishment. E-mails can be sent to people on selected lists or on any list, expecting that some percentage of recipients will actually have an account with the real organization.
E-Mail Is the "Bait"
The e-mail states that due to internal accounting errors or some other pretext, certain information must be updated to continue your service. A link in the message directs the user to a Web page that asks for financial information. The page looks genuine, because it is easy to fake a valid Web site. Any HTML page on the Web can be copied and modified to suit the phishing scheme.
Anyone Can Phish
A "phishing kit" is a set of software tools that help the novice phisher imitate a target Web site and make mass mailings. It may even include lists of e-mail addresses. How thoughtful of people to create these kits. In the meantime, if you suspect a phishing scheme, you can report it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at www.antiphishing.org. (See pharming, vishing, and smishing.)
The "Spear" Phishing Variant
Spear phishing is more targeted and personal. The e-mail supposedly comes from someone in the organization everyone knows such as the head of human resources. It could also come from someone not known by name, but with a title of authority such as a LAN administrator. Once one employee falls for the scheme and divulges sensitive information, it can be used to gain access to more of the company's resources.
You can read Ms. Hoffman's phishing blog here.
You can visit ChannelWeb Encyclopedia to learn more definitions of information security issues and other computing and Web topics!
Photo credit: Jackson Hill Photography
By winecountrydog
Dog-ma loves bicycles. Dog-ma told me that her dad was a UK cycling expert back in the day. He knew about gears, panniers, and sidecars before Trek and trekkies were born.
As a dog, I could hate cyclists. But I don't even chase them. What I'm peeed off about is one human cyclist on a street by a local college — that is, one Bike Hotshot who didn't like sharing the road with our car.
Imagine what did the pedaling idiot deliberately did: He faked a left turn into a crosswalk right in front of our car.
Dog-ma had to hit the brakes. It's a good thing Jack Corgi and I were wearing doggie seatbelts.
May I interject this concept at this juncture — as Woody Allen once said so innocently, before he dropped a verbal bomb: May I suggest that the pedaling idiot stick the pedals where a pedal doesn't shine?
Howl, yes, I'm peeed off. You don't ever hear me bark like this unless somebuddy threatens my life. It's not bad enuff that I'm recovering from life-saving back surgery? Now I've got to have a pedaling idiot try to make me a vegetable?
Vegans, I'm not demeaning vegetables. You know I like tryveg.com. It's just that, as a dog, I need slightly more mobility than a veggie has.
Paw-leeze, all you cool cyclists, tell fellow humans not to fake out car drivers with sudden bicycle moves. It only leads to accidents, which cause disability or death. Such a stoopid human trick it would be for a cyclist to mame or kill 'cuz of arrogance.
Dog-ma and I still think it's great to bicycle. Especially with a doggie sidecar.
I wanna bark about nice bike tours: Tour d'Organics. It's a doggone great idea for human bicyclists to do a tour with organic venues.
Local farms host the rest stops, which are well stocked with local produce and snacks. Howlingly terrierrific!
I'm an organic dog and a big Humane California farm supporter. So, I say, what could be better than Tour d'Organics? Paw-leeze check out the 2008 tours — the 4th annual. Ride first in Sebastopol, California, on August 17, and then in Portland, Orgeon, on September 6.
I can't go 'cuz I'm healing. But I hope you dogs get to go in your sidecars. Pawmail me about what a great time you have!
On August 1, 2008, the Emirates Airlines new A380 arrived at JFK Airport in New York. Everyone's been fussing over this "flying palace." It's a huge, double-deck, wide-body aircraft — the largest passenger airliner in the world.
I think the Superjumbo Airbus A380 has the face of a mother dog.
The A380 has space and amenity pawsibilities heretofore unknown in the sky. The best-hyped is Emirates' "onboard super-spa" — the two showers in first class. Additional first-class offerings include 14 private suites, a lounge, and a snack bar. Other airlines' A380s all have big amenities. Popular are first-class double beds and work desks. In the future, look for onboard casinos and gymnasiums.
The very first A380, dubbed a "21st century flagship," made its debut flight in April 2005. The Airbus PR people said:
"For its first flight, the A380 took off at a weight of 421 tonnes / 928,300 lbs., the highest ever of any civil airliner to date. During the flight, which took the aircraft around South West France, the six crew members . . . tested the A380’s handling, using both direct and normal flight control laws with the landing gear up and down, and with all flaps’ and slats’ settings during the part of the flight at cruise altitude."
I'm glad I wasn't on that flight. I might've had to kiss my tail goodbye.
If you fly first class to or thorugh Dubai on Emirates, you could receive two nights' complimentary accommodations at The Harbour Hotel & Residence or at The Palace the Old Town. But not if you're a pet! Dogs and cats will have to say Dubai another way.
You'd think the Emirates A380 would have an onboard pet spa and a lot of space for us pets to travel in the cabin with our humans. . . . Nope.
Emirates has this to say about pets onboard: "No live animals — neither pets nor service animals — are permitted in the cabin of any Emirates® aircraft. They can, however, travel in the aircraft hold subject to certain conditions and extra charges."
Are we just "baggage" in the hold? . . . Assistance dogs are "baggage" too? . . . Is this the 21st century flagship philosophy?
If and when we dogs and cats do have to fly, we must always read the latest IATA Live Animal Regulations as well as our airlines' pet policies. Maybe we can find some airlines who like us if we dig through a dogzillion international flights — try searching at Airline Consolidator.
You'll have to have a strong, air-travel-approved pet carrier, or travel crate. Talk to your vet about shots and stuff, and pack your favorite treats and books for the long flight.
Remember this advice from PJ O'Rourke: "Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
By winecountrydog
Again I was awakened by monsters in the sky. As a wine country dog with sensitive ears, I strongly DISLIKE hot air balloons.
They breathe fire like dragons and hiss like giant monsters. They're worse than crackling amps. I beg dog-ma to make them stop. All I can do is bark uncontrollably.
Go hiss your burners somewhere else, you stoopid balloons that almost land on my head at eight o'clock in the morning!
Dog-ma sez I'm a dog who's "inordinately concerned with moving objects in the sky — versus on the ground, where Welsh Corgis traditionally do their herding." She thinks I'm sound-obsessed 'cuz one of my ears was damaged when I was a tiny puppy, before she rescued me.
Whatever. Hot air balloons upset me more than anything else. If I could bite their wicker baskets and pull them to the ground, I'd tear holes in their envelopes. Doggoneit.
Snoopy the Flying Ace dislikes hot air balloons, too. He has to put up with being hissed at in his museum and airport doghouses in Sonoma County wine country. His friend Woodstock actually likes the balloons. What a silly bird.
Snoopy, please get the Sopwith Camel out of the hangar so we can scare away the hot air balloons. We need to be ready to take off from Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport any time a balloon tries to come near our dog-n-people-houses.
The stoopid balloons had better fly higher when they're over wine country houses!
by winecountrydog
July 29, 2008, is the 50th annniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA).
I wasn't born when U.S. President Eisenhower commissioned Dr. T. Keith Glennan as the first administrator for NASA in 1958.
Fifty-one years ago, in 1957 — when the space race first began — a Russian part-Samoyed terrier dog named Laika became the first dog to go into outer space . . . and to die in outer space.
Laika died from stress and overheating, it is said, almost certainly the same day after being launched into space in Sputnik 2. There'd been never any intention by the Soviet space agency to bring back Laika or the space capsule.
A compelling retelling of "the story of Laika" is found at MoscowAnimals.org, an animal welfare site run by Mayhew Animal Home to benefit homeless Moscow animals. In the footer of Laika's page are these words:"Laika represented for some the pioneering spirit which took us 'where no man had gone before.' For others, she symbolised the ruthless exploitation of innocent creatures for dubious benefits.
Perhaps this is best summed up in the words of Oleg Gazenko, a leading member of the Soviet Space Programme's scientific team. Speaking at a Moscow news conference in 1998, he said: 'The more time passes, the more I'm sorry about it...We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.'"
Interesting reading about Laika: Ted Strong's Laika page and Laika on Wikipedia
It was a clear afternoon on Highway 101 near Healdsburg when the shiny metal giants going 65 MPH all got to the same freeway stretch at the same time. I watched from my backseat as the cars urgently laid rubber. Dog-ma hit the brakes hard. I flew forward for a split-second as my doggie seatbelt engaged the car seatbelt's locking mechanism.When the metal giants had come to a stop, I was still sitting quietly. I'd been spared. A 30-pound dog like me, traveling unrestrained in a car that decelerates suddenly from 65 mph, is thrown forward violently enough to develop thousands of pounds of g-force in just one foot of movement. Formula One race car drivers experience about 5 g when braking.Dog restraint is an unpopular topic, but the facts speak: Both dogs and humans are saved by having everybuddy buckled up. Kids and babies riding in a car with "free Fido" are especially at risk of being crushed when Fido goes flying. Passengers and drivers with no dogs are at risk, too. Remember when novelist Stephen King was almost killed in June 1999?As King walked down a road near his home, a guy driving a van got distracted and crashed into him. King was hospitalized with a broken hip, broken leg, broken ribs, and collapsed lung. The van driver, who lost his license and was given a suspended jail sentence, said that he'd looked away from the road for a few seconds because his dog was getting into a cooler in the van.How many of this country's 70-some million dogs are buckled-up road scholars?
Dog-ma says people argue that they "can't get Fifi to wear her seatbelt," or "Fido wiggles out of it." This means they haven't found a harness as perfect as my Ruff Rider Roadie. If you ever did get in a car accident — even if you're turned upside down — the Roadie will hold you, and won't strangle you, thanks to its cross-over-chest design.You can't wiggle out of a good seatbelt like the Roadie, and won't want to. You'll like it 'cuz it means you're going out to have fun. Your person will like it that you won't be able to run away from the car. And you won't get into any trouble inside the car or leaning out a car window.Unfortunately, most canine restraint systems on the current market are inadequate, even potentially hazardous, because they're poorly designed and untested. Bummer, right? As Joanne Howl, DVM, pointed out to dog-ma, "A big concern is about so-called safety solutions that can be worse than no solution at all. When a product is untested, it puts a dog at greater risk because the owner/guardian assumes the product is adequate and comes to depend on it." Dogs, caveat emptor!Some people say "crating is the way to go." Crating is not THE solution (though we've known dogs who only felt safe traveling in a crate, or portable kennel). Not all crates are made well enough to withstand impact. Plus, people have to know how to secure a crate in their vehicle.To bark again like I always do when talking about wine country car travel in the summertime: Forget the dog crate! You'll suffocate inside that thing in the car. If you've absolutely gotta be in a portable kennel — it can come in handy at the inn or motel — tell your humans to get a cooling mat for the floor of the crate. And a nice doggie cooling vest and bandana too.Oh howl, I'll try not to be up in paws about the risks associated with loose dogs in cars. But to corral a phrase, freedom isn't about being free in the car.
In a popular wine blog, I came across this entry title: "Mothers against Cork." Why would mothers be against the little chewy things my buddy Jack corgi and I enjoy? The blog subtitle tells us "Opening Wine Should not be a Chore." Oh howl!
I showed "Mothers against Cork" to dog-ma. She scowled and said, "This was written by a guy at Wine Enthusiast. Not someone I usually think of as lame." What got dog-ma's back up is how the writer referred to his mother, making her sound like she's got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.
He said, "[Mom] started trying to use it [the two-handled corkscrew], but she couldn’t manage. Her grip is not as firm as it used to be, and she couldn’t get the screw started with one hand while trying to steady the bottle with the other. When you think about it, this is a very tough job for an elderly person."
We don't want to think about it. And I'll bite you if you ever call me "elderly." I'm a dog for cork. I say just dig the darn corkscrew in, turn, pull, and bite.
That blog entry must've been a veiled plea to end the use of cork as a bottle closure — a topic that hits a little nerve with dog-ma. She says, "I'm not sure what all the anti-cork crowing is about, especially given that other closures are unproven, and that today's cork suppliers do massive QA and QC to avoid cork taint. . . .
"You can pull a cork out easily if you're shown how and have the right opening device — a sommelier's corkscrew — not one of those silly two-handled things. A wine bottle's only hard to open when the cork is dried out or welded into place."
Woof? I have more to learn about human behavior. I don't see why anyone would waste time welding a wine bottle closed.
by winecountrydog
Are you a dog headed for wine country? . . . It's not easy in summer for a dog traveling in hot California, Oregon, and Washington wine country. Where are you gonna hang out and stay cool? Dog-friendly places? . . . In California, you can't go in restaurants or farmer's markets, and relatively few winery tasting rooms. There are few places that'll let you inside with your guardian/owner. Yet you could die from heat stroke waiting in the car.
I've got to admit that, if I were a tasting-room manager or gift buyer, I wouldn't want rowdy dogs wagging merchandise off the shelves. And as a winery patron, I wouldn't want to run into big rowdy dogs, especially in crowded tasting rooms.
So what's a friendly dog in wine country to do?
1) Get to googly pawing. Find dog-friendly tasting rooms, not just dog-friendly wineries — there's a difference. Ask wineries whether they have shady outdoor spots for us dogs. And look for other dogstinations — you know, dog events like Bark in the Park, Graton Day festival Pet Parade, and Healdsburg Dog House Halloween parade. Always make sure you've got your dog bytes right though: Contact wineries, inns, and events to confirm their dog policies!
2) Make a plan for how you're going to stay cool, which means all day long in summer. Don't worry about evenings; it cools off before sunset. You could get a professional dog walker, doggy daycare, or a dog spa visit along your travel route. (Consider a single-run kennel 'cuz you might get overwhelmed by strangers.) Tell your people to see about advance reservations and other requirements!
3) Pack everything you need to stay cool: your water bowl, plenty of water, your leash and outdoor tie-down, cooling bandana neck-scarf, cooling pet mats, Cool Vest, shade umbrella, and a stack of towels. Towels soaked in cold water and wrung out will help you and your people stay cool. Remember, too, to pack your food, treats, travel ID, toys, emergency contacts, vaccination records, and other regular stuff.
4) Get a good doggie seatbelt harness. I wear my Ruff Rider Roadie harness and wouldn't do car travel without it. Forget the dog crate! You'll suffocate inside that thing in the summertime here.
5) Tell your people to sit-stay flexible. Be prepared to change the itinerary on super-hot triple-digit days. We have only a few in a row, then it cools off again. On the hottest days, head for wineries and recreation spots in the cooler Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. (See WineRoad.com.)
6) If you get desperately hot on the wine road: Ask your driver-person to stop and buy bags of ice to arrange close to you — not directly on you! Even with ice and cooling mats, you cannot survive long alone in the car. If your people park in the sun instead of the shade, you're done for. You're taking a risk if you even try to stay in the car, so just don't let your people leave you there.
7) If your people have an emergency: Tell your guardian/owner to speak up, and go get the people at the winery or restaurant or wherever to let you go inside with them while they take care of the emergency!
Everybuddy thought I was silly when I said I started blogging to keep my mind off my problems after major back surgery. But I knew blogging is good for you.Howl if you still want to, but consider the May 2008 Scientific American article "Blogging — It's Good for You," which is about studying the therapeutic value of blogging:
". . . Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity . . . and even speeds healing after surgery. . . . Scientists now hope to explore the neurological underpinnings at play, especially considering the explosion of blogs. According to Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the placebo theory of suffering is one window through which to view blogging. As social creatures, humans have a range of pain-related behaviors, such as complaining, which acts as a 'placebo for getting satisfied,' Flaherty says. Blogging about stressful experiences might work similarly. . . ."
Dogs have stressful experiences, like my recent veterinary emergency. I don't complain about that 'cuz I'm grateful to be able to walk and be pain-free.
But I do admit to whining about what a dog-un-friendly world it is. If only I were allowed to sit-stay and write at more cafes and wineries. . . .
