Can A Litter Of Puppies Have More Than One Father?

Can a litter of puppies have more than one father?

I’m not sure when I first heard about a litter of puppies having more than one father, but I do recall hearing that it is a true statement…A litter of puppies can most definitely have more than one father.

Why was I thinking about this? Well, last Saturday at the pet adoption I saw two puppies at the Cuddly Canines booth that looked totally different, but were said to be siblings. Here’s a picture:

Chow Chow Labrador Retriever Mix

Koa and Sequoia

Picture from Cuddly Canines Website

Here are some photos I took at the Orange County Super Pet Adoption:

These precious baby boys were born around June 1st to what appears to be a Chow-Lab combo. They are indeed brothers, although they look nothing alike. Koa looks like he just hopped out of the clothes dryer after a quick spin through the fluff cycle, and Sequoia has beautiful short flaming red hair! Both boys are sweet & cuddly.

By the way, I looked today and these two are still up for adoption. If you’d like to adopt one or both puppies go to the Cuddly Canines website and fill out an application.

Now I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I think these two puppies may have had different fathers.

Another Multiple Father Example

Here’s a picture of a litter of puppies we rescued from the Riverside Shelter a couple years ago:

These puppies were German Shepherd mix, but two of them looked more like Labrador Retriever then German Shepherd. Once again I think there were multiple fathers involved with this litter. DNA test anyone?

Answers From Yahoo Answers

I read this on the Yahoo Answers site and also on many other sites across the internet:

A female dog can have as many different fathers for her puppies that bred with her. Dogs can release multiple eggs and they can be fertilized by whichever dog’s semen is present. If more than one male bred her, that’s how many fathers the puppies can have. the main reason everyone gets a fair shot at the eggs is because the semen wait a day or two before fertilizing the eggs.

When a dog ovulates the eggs are not totally mature. They finish maturing as they enter into the uterine horns. Then whatever dog’s semen is present releases from the uterine lining and heads for the eggs.

Now one single puppy cannot have two different fathers. Each puppy will get half of it’s DNA makeup from Mom and one Father, but since often dogs have litters it’s possible for two puppies from the same litter to have 2 different sires.

Have you had or seen any litters of puppies with multiple fathers? If you have some stories or photographs please send them to me. I’d love to post them to my blog.

Evolution Of A Puppy In Training Logo

In recent weeks I’ve been trying to redesign the Puppy In Training website and also create a new logo for said website. It’s been a long process, but everything is finally coming together and I wanted to show you some of my early thoughts on the logo design process and also some of the resources you might be able to use to design your own logo.

My first inkling of logo design was just the simple paw print. However, this is a common logo for many dog and puppy websites and I wanted to be at least a little bit original. Here’s the paw print I was thinking about using:

I’m not sure when I first thought about redesigning my site and creating a logo, but I do remember coming across Johann’s website in recent months and saw a short post on the company LogoYes. Johann put together an article called Online Logo Generator and wrote about LogoYes.

LogoYes

I decided to check out LogoYes. The site is very easy to use and you can create your own custom logo in just a few minutes. It’s free to try and for a small price you can buy the logo files and business cards. Here’s the logo I created in just 5 minutes:

LogoYes was very easy to use and you can create a great looking logo in no time at all. However, I wanted more flexibility and in my mind I already had an idea of what I wanted my logo to look like. There are many great logo images on the LogoYes site that you might want to use for your own company logo.

If you’re looking to create a new or redesign your logo I suggest you take a quick look at LogoYes and see if their services meet your needs.

Puppy In Training Logo

The logo all came together in the past couple weeks. I don’t mind paying the $69 or $99 to create my logo using the LogoYes software, but it just wasn’t getting me exactly what I wanted (like I said I already had an idea of what my logo would look like…in my head). So, I took my feeble graphic design, drawing, and art skills and went to work on a custom logo (I probably would have been better off hiring somebody).

I was hedging back and forth with the paw print because I couldn’t get my drawings of a puppy to look very professional in particular I wanted an image that looked like my puppy Linus.

Raise A Green Dog!

As luck would have it while reading through my RSS feeds I happened to visit another of Johann’s great websites called Raise A Green Dog! Here’s a little excerpt from the Raise A Green Dog! About Us page:

Help your dog go green! By purchasing environmentally responsible pup products, utilizing environmentally safe household products, and by taking other sustainable measures, you can have a healthier and happier pup, and help the environment at the same time!

I enjoy all of Johann’s websites, posts, he even has I believe over 100 Squidoo lenses. However, this time I noticed something I didn’t see before. The body of his little green dog logo was exactly what I wanted on my logo. Take a look:

I wanted to draw my image with puppy Linus’s paws hanging over the edge of the logo just like this little green dog.

I tried to redraw this logo, but make the image look like my puppy Linus. Speaking of my puppy Linus you might be wondering what does he look like? He’s actually a mixed breed, but looks a lot like a lab. I wanted the logo to look like a lab (but secretly I’d know it was created from an image of Linus) as most of our guide dog puppies in training are Labrador Retrievers. Here are the two pics of Linus that I was trying to copy:

The Final Version - Puppy In Training Logo

After looking at the pictures of Linus , doing my best to try and imitate the lower portion of the Green Dog logo, and also trying to mix in the look of a Labrador Retriever I came up with the following logo (the logo is blue because the new website will be blue):

A few notes:

• I’m not sure if I’m going to keep the Magazine portion as part of the site logo.
• The new site design will feature a magazine style and have the feeling of a more traditional website. However, at it’s core it will still be a blog.
• The logo doesn’t look quite like the pictures of Linus, but I do think it looks like a Black Labrador Retriever…maybe it’s Stetson.
• I’m sure between now and my site launch I will still make slight changes to the logo.

I’m very please with the way the logo looks. Professional help and artwork would have very much helped ease the process. You can see quite a few flaws in the larger version of the logo. I don’t think I’ll need a larger version of the logo unless I need to print something like business cards or letterhead.

Anyways, unless someone out there would like to donate a free logo to me for some website publicity I’m sticking with the new logo design above.

What do you think of my new logo design? Good, Bad, Ugly??? Does anyone know of good resources for designing a logo?

Guide Dog Advertising

While playing around with Twitter I came across an interesting Guide Dog Advertisement at what looks like a bus stop billboard in Amsterdam. Here in Southern California I have not seen much advertising for our local Guide Dog organizations.

It’s funny, but not till recently did I notice any Guide Dog Ads. I’m not sure if I just wasn’t being very observant or if just recently (the past month) Guide Dog organizations have been trying to get their name out there through different forms of advertising. Here are three Guide Dog advertisements I came into contact recently:

Guide Dogs Billboard

The bus stop billboard in Amsterdam is a very clever advertisement. Take a look at the image.

Do you guys get it?

…

…

…

“See Through Dog”

It took me a few seconds before I actually picked up on that. It’s an advertisement for KNGF Guide Dogs. KNGF is an acronym for Koninklijk-Nederlands-Geleidehonden-Fonds (Royal-Dutch-Guide-Dog-Foundation).

Guide Dogs Visa Card

I recently wrote about the Guide Dogs For The Blind Visa Card and would consider that a form of advertising. As I mentioned in the comment section I’d love to have my own Guide Dogs of America Visa card (now if we can only get GDA to sign on).

By the way, I love the picture on the card. Guy playing the guitar while his dog sings.

Guide Dogs Stamp

Another form of Guide Dog advertising I came across recently were Canadian stamps that Anne, Jim, and Dutch brought back for me from their recent vacation. Here’s the image:

The stamp’s pretty cool. They even put Braille next to the image.

Have you seen any Guide Dog advertisements recently?

Labrador Retriever Chow Mix

I mentioned in yesterdays post that at Sundays Orange County Super Pet Adoption we saw our friends at the Cuddly Canines rescue.  They had quite a few adorable puppies and I was lucky enough to snap a few photos.

The first one I saw was an adorable fluffy looking yellow Labrador Retriever.  The volunteers at Cuddly Canines said he was a Lab Chow Mix.  He was adorable and reminded me a little of my own dog, Linus.  Linus is mostly Australian Shepherd, but he also looks like he may be mixed with a Labrador Retrieve and possibly a Chow (he was fluffy when he was little, has a curled tail, and purple spots on his tongue).

Here’s the information on Ditty:

Dashing Ditty the Lab Chow Mix

This precious little boy was born around May 20th, then abandoned in the shelter without mommy or daddy. He appears to be Lab mixed with a bit of Chow. He is very calm & laid back for a young pup, not at all a whiner or a barker. Ditty would make a nice family pet for those with older kids.

Here’s another picture I took of Ditty on Sunday:

If you’re interested in Ditty you can contact Cuddly Canines at their website at http://www.cuddlycanines.com.  If you’re interested in raising a puppy or fostering please take the time to visit the Cuddly Canine’s website.  They have many puppies and dogs for adoption and are often in need foster families.

I’ve volunteered as a puppy raiser in the past and must say it’s a lot of work, but very rewarding.  I’d highly recommend it if you have the time, patience, and a home that can’t accommodate a dog or a litter of puppies.

Have you fostered a dog or puppy before?  If so, how was your experience?

3 Interesting Animal Shelter Facts

It was a busy weekend and I’ll probably write a few posts about it over the next couple days. Sunday afternoon we visited the Irvine Animal Shelter for the Orange County Super Pet Adoption. As I mentioned in a previous post I visited the Pet Adoption last year, but this years event was bigger and better. I saw our friends from Guide Dogs of America and also our other friends at Cuddly Canines.

One thing I noticed at this years Pet Adoption were several signs with some interesting animal facts. I don’t think I found all of them, but I did take pictures of three of the signs I did come across.

Interesting Animal Shelter Facts

FACT 1

Foster parents for homeless animals are desperately needed. Please sign up at the Information Booth.

Volunteering as a puppy/dog foster parent is a very rewarding endeavor. If you have the time and space I highly recommend looking into fostering. We’ve fostered several dogs and puppies with the rescue organization Cuddly Canines.

FACT 2

Did You Know… In 7 years one female cat and her offspring can give birth to 420,000 kittens.

Now that’s an interesting fact! One of my friends had several litters of ferral kittens constantly coming through their neighborhood. I guess if on cat can produce that many kittens I could see how the cat population can get out of hand.

FACT 3

Did You Know…Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born ever finds a permanent home.

That’s a sad fact. I was very happy to see that the Super Adoption Event has grown and hopefully brings more awareness to our community.

I’m sure there were several other interesting fact signs that I missed. Unfortunately I was a little short on time, but I’m glad I had the chance to visit this wonderful event again this year.

Did you make it to the Orange County Super Pet Adoption?  Did you have a good time?  Did you adopt an animal?

Guide Dogs For The Blind Visa Card

It seems like coincidence that about an hour ago I was talking about getting a new Visa card and right now while patrolling the blogosphere I came across the following article: Charge It For Guide Dogs. The article highlights the benefits of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Visa card and it’s benefits. As I said, less than an hour ago I was talking to my co-workers at lunch about getting a new Visa or Mastercard and was trying to find out which card had the best rewards program.

Guide Dogs For The Blind Visa Card

If you take a look at the GDB website you can find information and an FAQ with all the benefits you will receive with the GDB Visa Card. I wanted to highlight a few key points that I thought would be relevant:

• Guide Dogs for the Blind receives $50 for each approved application
• Guide Dogs for the Blind receives .3% of all net retail transactions
• No Annual Fee
• Interest Rate: 0% for the first six month introductory period on purchases and balance transfers.  After the six month introductory period, the interest rate will be the federal prime rate (no lower than 5.25%) + 5.65%

I like the Guide Dogs For The Blind Visa Credit Card Catch Phrase: Every credit card sends you a statement. Ours lets you make one!

Guide Dogs Of America Graduation

This Sunday, July 27th we will be attending the Guide Dogs Of America Graduation at their campus in Sylmar, CA. Lucky for us our good friend Dustin is graduating. We are so proud of Dustin and his parents Anne and Jim. We can’t wait to see him in harness with his new companion.

If you’re in the area we’d love to see you in attendance. There will most definitely be several other dogs graduating, plenty of tears of joy and sadness, and inspiration for me and others to do our best to raise our current and future guide dog puppies in training. Derby and I will be there!

Dustin is Graduating!

Here’s the information Dustin wrote on his blog:

Hello Everyone,
Well, the waiting is over, I have been in training with my new partner for some time now. We are doing extremely well working together. We will be graduating on July 27th. All of you have been wonderful to me supporting me and my family. We have had many adventures together, trains, airports, training classes, churches, schools, movies, parks, museums, festivals, malls, the beach the surf, conversations on our blogs, becoming a Canine Good Citizen, and so on. Its been so much fun, I will miss you all but you know this is what I have been dreaming about since I became a puppy in training. I hope you will come to see me and my partner graduate. I will be looking for you.
Love, Dustin

Dustin And Stetson

Here are a few pictures of Dustin showing Stetson how to be a surf dog at the beach a few weeks before he went In For Training.

I can’t wait for Guide Dogs of America Graduation. Here are the details:

Guide Dogs Of America Graduation

WHAT: Guide Dogs Of America Graduating Class #358
WHEN: Sunday, July 27th, 2008 at 10:00am
WHERE: Guide Dogs of America Campus, 13445 Glenoaks Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342

Here’s information from the GDA website:

At the end of each class Guide Dogs of America holds a Graduation and Awards Ceremony to honor the guide dog recipients of the current class, the Sponsors and Puppy Raisers, and all who have contributed to the success of the class.

The Graduation Ceremony starts at 10am and is held in an outdoor setting under an awning. Each class has 8-10 students who may talk about their training experiences, along with the puppy raisers who fostered their dog. Puppies-in-training are in attendance along with some working guide dogs. GDA merchandise is available. A reception and tours are held immediately following the ceremony. Attendance is free and all are welcome.

I hope to see you all there!

Puppy Adoption - Fiona The Lhasa Apso Mix

It’s been a while since I profiled a puppy from the Cuddly Canines website. As always 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.

Fiona The Lhasa Apso Mix

Fiona

Fiona is a 2 year old Lhasa mix who weighs about 18 pounds. She is a sweet gal who needs a home to call her own. She was severely matted, so she had to be shaved down, which is a perfect hairdo for the hot weather we have been having. She gets along great with other dogs, but is a bit too curious about kitty cats, so a feline-free home would be best for her, unless you are willing to work on creating harmony. Fiona is a great gal with a very happy nature.

A friend of mine has a Lhaso Apso/Shih Tzu mixed puppy. I’m not too sure about the temperament of a purebred Lhaso Apso, but her dog is very calm and easy going everywhere except when he’s at home. At home he’s high energy and loves to play.

Are you interested in adopting?

If you are interested in adopting Fiona please visit the Cuddly Canines website. If you happen to adopt Fiona please remember, it’s never too early or too late to start her on her 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, Fiona 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.

Orange County Super Pet Aoption Event

This Sunday, July 27th the Irvine Animal Care Center will be hosting the second annual Orange County Super Adoption Event. I live in Irvine and the Irvine Animal Care Center is only about 10 minutes from my house. I was also lucky enough to attend the inaugural event last year.

If you are interested in adopting a pet, are a pet lover, or just want to support local rescues and shelters than I highly recommend you attend this event. Visit the City of Irvine website to see all the details for the Super Adoption Event.

Orange County Super Pet Adoption Event

There will be more than 40 rescue groups with approximately 700 homeless dogs, cats and rabbits. There will be plenty of entertainment and activities including:

• Child’s Bouncy House
• Food Court
• “Ask the Vet” Booth
• “Ask the Trainer” Booth
• Silent Auction
• Raffle
• Low Cost Microchip
• Vendors

There will also be a special guest appearance by Snoopy from Knotts Berry Farm.

WHAT: Orange County Super Pet Adoption Event
WHEN: Sunday, July 27th 10am - 5pm
WHERE: Irvine Animal Care Center, 6443 Oak Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92618

I’m going to do my best to make this the Orange County Super Pet Adoption Event, but there’s a good chance I will not make it this year. Sunday, July 27th is also the same day as our pal Dustin’s guide dog graduation. I’m very excited and will be in Sylmar at 10:00am for his graduation.

If you attended last years Pet Adoption or if you attend this years event please leave me a comment and let me know how it went.

Top 5 Must Have Puppy Products

I’ve had Derby my yellow Labrador Retriever GDA puppy in training for a few weeks now and during that time I’ve re-familiarized myself with some must have puppy products. It’s only been a year and a half since I began raising Stetson, but time has eroded my memory and forgotten are the misbehaviors associated with puppyhood.

Well…that has all changed now that Derby is here. The joys and frustrations of owning a puppy are once again at the forefront of my life. Derby now reminds me that there are several products essential to raising a puppy. Although there are many other items you should have before, during, and after puppyhood I decided to put together a list of my top 5 must have puppy products.

Top 5 Must Have Puppy Products

I’d recommend you have all 5 of these products before picking up your puppy.

1. Dog Crate - Do you plan on crate training your puppy? Crate training is an important part of raising a guide dog and also a great way to house train your puppy. The crate I currently use is the Midwest Life Stages Fold & Carry Wire Mesh Dog Crate - 30″L. I prefer the wire crate because it comes with a divider that allows you to partition your crate allowing your puppy to use the crate from puppyhood to adulthood. A second advantage to this crate is it collapses allowing for easier storage.



2. Durable Nylabone - It’s a good idea to have several toys made of different textures. I’m a fan of the Nylabone for redirecting a mouthy puppy. The Nylabone is durable and will usually last a long time. When my puppy puts his mouth on my hand I always have a Nylabone handy, slide my hand out, and replace with Nylabone



3. Bitter Apple Spray - Does your puppy chew on his leash, your carpet, your shoes, your hand? I use the Bitter Apple spray to deter my puppies chewing habit. When I notice Derby chewing on his leash I douse it with Bitter Apple. He will not put his mouth on anything I spray with Bitter Apple. Over time he’ll learn what is appropriate and inappropriate to chew on.



4. Large Classic Plush Mallard - As I mentioned earlier it is important to have many toys with different textures. A plush toy with a squeaky in the middle will entertain your puppy for long periods of time. I also use it to work on Derby’s fetch and retrieve skills (GDA puppies in training are not allowed to play fetch and retrieve with the standard tennis ball). There are many plush toys out on the market and one of my favorites is the Jakks Pacific line-up of plush toys. My dogs and puppies really like the Mallard for some reason.

   

5. Nature’s Miracle Stain & Odor Remover - A puppy as young as Derby is bound to have one or two accidents in the house (probably more like one or two a day). If you’re puppy has an accident in the house it’s important that you properly clean up the mess. Nature’s Miracle completely eliminates urine odors and stains with no perfume cover-up discouraging new pet soilings.

There are definitely many other essential products required for raising a puppy. What other products do you consider essential when raising a puppy?

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