And They Call It Puppy Love…Literally…

Once again cuteness takes over this blog. I was reluctant to post, but the story comes from Japan (I’m Japanese), it’s exactly one month from Valentine’s Day, the heart-shaped marking and puppy are adorable, it’s a true story, and it’s Friday! I went ahead and did my due diligence on this one unlike last weeks Dog Kissing Firefighter article. Amazingly it’s true! This little Chihuahua was born with a perfect heart-shaped pattern on his coat and has been confirmed by Snopes.com.

These photos are already all over the internet, but I thought it would be a nice way to end the week.

Wouldn’t this little guy be a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Puppy Born With Heart-Shaped Mark

Heart-kun, as he has been named by owner Emiko Sakurada, was born on May 18, 2007, one of a litter of puppies at the Pucchin Dogs shop.

Heart-kun was born as part of a litter raised by breeder Emiko Sakurada. This little Chihuahua was born with a perfect heart-shaped pattern in his fur. Ms. Sakurada said that she had never seen a similar marking on the approximately 1,000 other puppies that she had bred, and that she had no plans to sell Heart-kun, who has “brought good fortune” to her and everyone who crosses his path. Miss Sakurada has had many requests to purchase this little guy, but with the good luck he has brought it’s safe to say that he’s going nowhere.

Here’s a video of little Heart-kun on YouTube.

I wonder how much Miss Sakurada has been offered for little Heart-kun. Do you have any similar stories?

8 Things You Should Know About Guide Dog Etiquette

Stetson is a Guide Dog puppy in training and not yet a full fledged guide dog. Our job as puppy raiser’s is to teach him basic obedience and socialize him with our daily activities such as bringing him to work, the grocery store, movies, concerts, amusement parks, airplanes, on the bus…etc.

It’s very important that people know proper etiquette when they see or meet a guide dog team (a blind person and his/her guide dog). Here are 8 things everyone should know about guide dog etiquette.

8 Things About Guide Dog Etiquette

1. Please don’t pet, call out (or bark, meow or cluck) to, or otherwise distract a working Guide Dog. Allow the dog to concentrate and perform for the safety of its blind partner. A Guide Dog in harness is “on duty”, even when sitting or lying down.
2. If you are in a car, please don’t honk the horn or call out directions. Handlers listen to traffic flow and other environmental sounds to decide when it’s safe to cross a street (Guide Dogs can’t read traffic lights!).
3. Don’t forget, Guide Dog teams have the right of way!
4. Please don’t feed a Guide Dog. Diet and feeding times are strictly monitored to maintain good health and reliable relieving schedules.
5. Never grab the harness or leash from the handler - you can disorient and confuse the team. If the handler looks like he needs help, offer your assistance and take your cue from his response. If you believe someone is in a dangerous situation voice your concern in a calm manner, but do not push, pull or grab the person.
6. Speak to the person, not the dog! Some Guide Dog handlers may allow petting, but always ask first. Many folks enjoy introducing their dogs, but if they decline, please respect their wishes. Blind people have busy lives, too, and they may not have time to stop and chat.
7. Sometimes a Guide Dog will make a mistake, and a correction is necessary to keep up the training. This could be a verbal reprimand or a leash correction. Handlers have been taught the proper and humane training techniques to maintain their dogs’ working standards. You may not always hear it, but Guide Dogs get loads of praise when they do the right things.
8. You can expect to see Guide Dog teams just about anywhere. The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and State Laws explicitly grant the right of access everywhere the public is allowed. They are allowed into restaurants, offices, churches, hospitals and hotels. They travel on buses, in taxis and airplanes, shop at grocery stores, enjoy amusement parks, movies and concerts.

This list comes straight from the Guide Dogs of America website. For more information on Guide Dog etiquette please visit the GDA website.

Guide Dogs of America Puppy In Training

I’ve talked to a couple different schools about guide dog puppy in training etiquette and the rules are very similar to the 8 points I mentioned above. Regarding petting our guide dog puppy’s in training: we are advised that it is okay to allow people to pet our dogs while they are wearing their jacket. However, people must first ask if it’s okay and second our puppy’s must stay in a “sit” position and remain calm. If our puppy gets out of the “sit” position we advise people to stop petting until we control our puppy and get them back into a “sit”.

By the way, it is sometimes important that we do not allow people to pet our puppy’s when they’re wearing their jacket. So if you do come into contact with a puppy raiser and they advise you not to pet their puppy, please don’t be offended the puppy may be in the middle of a specific training exercise.

I hope this article helps you understand basic guide dog etiquette. If you have any questions about guide dog etiquette please let me know in the comments area.

Have you come into contact with a guide dog or a guide dog puppy in training? Did they’re handler allow you to pet the dog? Did you follow the guide dog etiquette mentioned in this article?

Cuddly Canines Adoption Event

Cuddly Canines is having an adoption event this Sunday, March 16th at the Petsmart in Aliso Viejo, CA. I try to highlight at least one dog or litter of puppies from the Cuddly Canines website here on my blog every week.

If you haven’t read some of my other posts, I’ve worked as a volunteer foster parent for Cuddly Canines and have had the pleasure of taking care of both litters of puppies and full grown dogs. If you have the chance I highly recommend you visiting Cuddly Canines during this adoption day.

Here are the details:

• What:Cuddly Canines Adoption Event
• Where: Petsmart 26761 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
• When: Sunday, March 16th 11am - 4pm

 

 

From Cuddly Canines Website: “We will have lots and lots of dogs there, so come meet your new family member!”

If you’re interested in a dog or puppy please visit the Cuddly Canines Adoption Event this Sunday. I’m not too sure which puppies will be at this event, so check out the website to see what puppies and dogs are available for adoption through Cuddly Canines.

True Or False: A Dog’s Mouth Is Cleaner Than A Humans

Just the other day my dog Stetson licked my face and as a devote dog owner I had no problem with this (although as a Guide Dog in Training Stetson should not be licking). However, a friend of mine screamed out “ewwww, that’s gross!” I immediately reacted with “A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s!” The funny thing is I’ve heard that line many times throughout my life without any proof.

Is a dog’s mouth really cleaner then a human’s? Sometimes I find it hard to believe.

Dog’s Mouth Vs. Human’s Mouth

Why am I second guessing myself about what I said the other day? Well, as I said earlier I have no proof and haven’t done any research on this subject. Here’s my evidence against the dogs:

1. My dogs don’t brush or floss there teeth twice a day - I only brush my dogs teeth about twice a week.
2. My dogs both have “doggie breath” all the time. - Stetson’s is worse than Linus’s
3. My dogs can and do lick themselves in places I cannot and do not.
4. Some dogs enjoy eating there own and other animal feces (my parents dog).

I found this great quote on the About.com website:

“A dog’s mouth contains a lot of bacteria,” notes Dr. Gary Ask the Vet” Clemons. “Remember, a dog’s tongue is not only his wash cloth but also his toilet paper.”

The Verdict

So, is a dog’s mouth cleaner than a human’s? After extensive research (filtering through five or six articles on the internet) I have come to the conclusion that no a dog’s mouth is not cleaner than a human’s.

Where Did This Urban Legend Come From?

Evidently Doctor’s started this rumor. Early medical journals found that human bites were more likely to cause infection then a mammals bite including dogs. More recent findings have noted that other than bites to the hand human bites do not have any higher risk of infection than animal bites.

To sum up:

• Originally it was thought that a human bite was more likely to cause infection then a dog bite. - starting the rumor that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s
• New evidence shows that this is not true. - thus dispelling the rumor.

Conclusion

Why is a dog’s mouth not as clean as a human’s then? Mainly because of the points I mentioned above. A dog doesn’t care where he puts his mouth or tongue. He therefore collects more bacteria then a human on a daily basis. A dog also doesn’t brush and floss daily.

Have you heard this rumor before? What do you think about this evidence?

Here are a couple articles I used in research:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dogs/a/dog_breath.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBX/is_2003_Feb-March/ai_97515424

Puppy Adoption - German Shepherd Mix

If you are considering puppy adoption, I highly recommend visiting one of your local puppy/dog rescues. In past articles I’ve talked to you about the puppy/dog rescue, Cuddly Canines. I want to do my best to help place these puppies by profiling each puppy, litter of puppies, and dogs on this blog.

***Note this dog may already be adopted as I will keep this information in my archive. Please check the Cuddly Canines website for the most recent puppies up for adoption.

Richie the German Shepherd Mix

Richie

Born on December 30th to a purebred German Shepherd mommy & what looks like a Black Lab daddy, Richie has the happy, good nature of a Lab & the loyalty of a German Shepherd. A real winning combination! Since birth, he has been in a foster home with 3 kids, other dogs, and cats. Richie is well on his way to being housebroken & responds very quickly to training! This boy is going to make a fabulous family pet.

Richie is in Redondo Beach

Are you interested in adopting?

If you are interested in adopting Richie please visit the Cuddly Canines website. If you happen to adopt Richie please remember, it’s never too early or too late to start him on his training. If you are interested in puppy adoption or fostering here are a few other articles you might enjoy:

Puppy Adoption And Fostering
Dedicated To My Dog Linus

Of course, Richie is not the only dog being fostered by Cuddly Canines. Please visit their website to see the most current pictures of all their dogs and puppies.

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this article. Is puppy adoption in your future? Do you want to try puppy fostering? If so, please visit the Cuddly Canines website.

Puppy Training Tip Of The Day - Give The Command Once

Have you ever seen someone training a dog and giving the same command over and over again? Something along the lines of Stetson Sit….Sit…..Stetson Sit…Sit…. I see it happen almost everyday. I constantly have to mentally remind myself not to give the same command more than one time.

Make no mistake, this is a difficult lesson to learn. I’ve been working to retrain myself not to say the same command more than one time for over 3 years and still I will catch myself repeating the same command during training.

Tip of the Day - Give the Command Once

Today I want to teach you one thing…get one thing in your head (and my head). When you give your dog a command only give it one time. The image below to the right is Stetson and Linus in a “Sit, Stay” on their bed (of course the command was only given once).

“Stetson…Sit” If your dog does not respond to the command then lead them into the position (the way you lead your dog into the “Sit” Position will vary depending on how you are training your dog). Don’t repeat the command. Let me repeat myself DON’T REPEAT THE COMMAND!

If you constantly repeat commands then your dog may think he’s supposed to respond to “Sit…Sit…Sit…Sit…” before he actually puts his butt to the ground. On the other hand, if you tell your dog “Sit” one time and then make sure he gets his butt to the ground then over time through repetition, consistency, and persistence your dog will learn as soon as he hears the word “Sit” his butt is to hit the ground.

When you train your dog do you only give the command once?

Dog Kissing Firefighter

Update 03/08/2008: Snopes.com has reported that while the picture is real the description is inaccurate. For more information scroll to the update at the bottom of the story.

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I just recently received this email again. This story has been circulating around the internet for years, but I love both the story and the picture. Here’s the exact story as I received it again in an email.

Appreciating a good deed

He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire.

She is pregnant.

The firefighter was afraid of her at first, because he had never been around a Doberman before.

When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest.

A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, “The Observer,” noticed this red Doberman in the distance looking at the fireman.

He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do.

As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies, and kissed him, just as the photographer snapped this photograph.

And people say animals are dumb - yeah right.

A great story and great picture. I hope everyone enjoyed this one again.

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Updated 03/08/2008: One of our readers, Carole sent me an update to this story from Snopes.com.

According to Snopes.com the picture is real, but the description is inaccurate. Here’s the quote directly from the firefighter, Jeff Clark with the Charlotte Fire Department:

We didn’t do anything (special) to save Cinnamon. When we have a house fire, we have to do a primary search. There could be people home and inside. Our first major concern is life safety. That house was full of smoke and we couldn’t see it very well. All I saw was a dog run out, and one was (already) in the backyard. I think Cinnamon got out the door herself.

The dog approached me. As soon as I knelt down and took my mask off, Patrick was coming around the corner of the house and took the picture.

Below is the story circulating around the internet. Here’s the link to the full story at Snopes.com: Animal Gratitude. Thank you Carole for sending me this updated information.

Did You Miss Canine Dental Health Month?

February was canine dental health month and I missed it on my blog. However, I still wanted to get a post up about canine dental health. Last month during our Guide Dogs of America monthly meeting we were visited by a gentleman who performed Non-Anesthetic Dental care.

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of several presentations on non-anesthetic dental care and while I think it is a good thing for your dogs to receive non-anesthetic dental care I myself have not had any of my dogs receive non-anesthetic dental care.

OCGDA Meeting on Canine Dental Health

One of the great benefits of being a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America is the great information and presentations you get at the meetings. During February’s monthly meeting we were taught how to properly brush our dogs teeth and told which toys are okay and not okay for our puppies.

Unfortunately it is rather difficult to explain in writing how to brush your pets teeth here are a few pointers we learned during our meeting.

• Don’t use regular people toothpaste. Use toothpaste made specifically for dogs. Stetson likes any of the toothpastes I’ve used. Linus prefers the Poultry Flavored Toothpaste in the image to the left.
• At the meeting we were told we can use regular people tooth brushes (soft bristles).
• Be sure to brush all the teeth on the outside and inside.
• Remove anything stuck between the teeth
• Of course they recommend non-anesthetic dental care for you dog if he/she qualifies (I don’t get my dogs this service).
• Start brushing your puppies teeth early on - it’s much easier to get your puppy used to teeth brushing when he’s small then when he’s full grown.
• It was recommended that we use the actual toothbrush over the little rubber finger brush. The reason being that the rubber finger brush doesn’t remove sediment as well as the regular brush.
• Brush your puppies teeth at least once a day.
• Make sure you use lots of praise when brushing your puppies teeth.

Price List For Non-Anesthetic Dental Care

The main reason I have not used Canine Non-Anesthetic Dental care is because of the price. Here is a price list we received at our meeting. Hopefully this will help you price compare if you are looking for a similar service.

Cleaning Schedule	Cleaning Price
Initial Cleaning	$165.00
Monthly Maintenance	$28.00
Bi-Monthly Maintenance	$56.00
Quarterly Maintenance	$78.00
Semi-Annual Maintenance	$109.00

If you are interested in this dental cleaning program and are local to Orange County, CA then please contact me in the comments area and I’ll send you additional information.

Do you get your puppy non-anesthetic dental care? Do you brush your puppy’s teeth regularly?

New Puppy Training Tip - Get The Scent Of The Litter

It’s been a little over a year now since I picked up Stetson from the Guide Dogs of America facility in Sylmar, CA. He was only 7 weeks old and weighed around 12 pounds. He looked to be one of the bigger puppies in his litter. There were 5 total puppies in his group one yellow Labrador Retriever and the other 4 were black labs.

I can remember like it was yesterday. Louise, the puppy program manager was talking about our new puppies, going over the does and do nots of puppy raising, handing out our puppy starter kits, and finally walking down to the kennels for our first interaction with our new puppies!

New Puppy Training Tip

I was very excited to pickup Stetson, but was sensible enough to ask my fellow puppy raisers what hints they had for my first encounter with my new puppy. One tip that has stuck out in my mind was offered by our Orange County Guide Dog group leader, Tammy (she had already raised 5 Guide Dogs of America puppies). She told me to:

Bring a new toy and rub it on each puppy in the litter. This will get the scent of the litter on the toy. When you get home and it is time to “kennel” your puppy place the toy in the puppy’s crate. The scent of the litter on the toy will help put your puppy more at ease when it is time for him to sleep in his crate. For most puppies this is their first time separated from their litter mates and they will often times feel very lonely.

You could also use a blanket instead of a toy or why not use a blanket and a toy. Below is a picture of Stetson with his first toy ducky (I got the scent of the rest of his litter on his toy ducky).

If you are preparing to get a new puppy getting the scent of the litter is a great tip if you have access to the entire litter. It may just help your puppy and you get better sleep during those first few nights.

What do you think of this training tip? Do you have any tips for new puppy owners?

Is Your Computer Screen Dirty? Click Here!

I was surfing through some of Digg’s top posts and came across this one. I’m not sure who came up with this post, but it sure is an original idea for cleaning computer screens.

Based on the number of Diggs many of you have probably already come across this screen cleaner. I actually Stumbled it days before I found it on Digg.

Yes, it’s true!!! you can now clean your computer screen through the power of the internet. I know it sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s truly amazing. And the best part about it is it’s absolutely free! Don’t ask me how it works just click on the link below to see!

 

Start Cleaning Now…

 

I hope everyone enjoyed the ultimate internet screen cleaner!

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