Orange County Super Pet Adoption 2009

The third annual Orange County Super Pet Adoption Event at the Irvine Animal Care Center is just around the corner.  We were at the Super Pet Adoption Event last year and plan on checking out the festivities again this year.  If you’re interested in adopting a pet then this is a must see event as there are over 40 rescue groups in attendance with approximately 700 homeless dogs, cats, and rabbits.  I even saw several pigs, chickens, and goats at last years Pet Adoption.

Here are some more details on this years Super Pet Adoption:

OC Super Pet Adoption 2009

WHAT: Orange County Super Pet Adoption Event
WHEN: Sunday, June 7th 10am – 5pm
WHERE: Irvine Animal Care Center, 6443 Oak Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92618

More than 40 rescue groups will bring about 700 homeless dogs, cats, and rabbits.

Other activities include:

• Food Court
• “Ask the Vet” booth
• “Ask the Trainer” booth
• Silent Auction
• Raffle
• Low-cost Microchips
• Vendors
• Special Guest Appearance by Snoopy from Knott’s Berry Farm

This is one of the larger pet adoption events in Orange County.  If you enjoyed the Orange County Pet Expo back in April we highly recommend visiting the Irvine Animal Care Center June 7th for the Orange County Super Pet Adoption

Dog Versus Cat

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Dog Versus Cat post. Here’s one of our posts from earlier in the year: Kitty Vs. Puppy – The Age Old Battle.

While scrolling through my RSS reader I came across this great picture from the PuppyParade. I’m not too sure where it originated from…the flickr post just mentions that he’s not sure of it’s origins either. However, I do agree that it’s too funny not to share.

I’m not sure if this is real or fixed up with Photoshop. Either way what a great photo:

Dog Versus Cat

Here’s a link back to the original flickr user Nikko Myers.

You have to love the look on the puppies face. I’m going to have to tally the score at cats 1 dogs 0.

Do you have any great photos like this you’d like to share? If so, send me a message through my contact form and I’ll do my best to add it to the site.

Dog And Human Or Cat And Human?

It must be video week for us here at Puppy In Training. I came across another great video I want to share with you guys. It’s actually very old footage from the late 60’s early 70’s, but I guess it’s been circulating around Youtube for a while now, so many of you may have already seen it.

The video brought up a question in my mind: Is the bond between a cat and a human stronger than the bond between a dog and a human?

In my eyes I always thought that dogs and humans formed a stronger bond, but after watching this video you’ll see that cats can form very strong relationships with humans as well.

Here’s the video:

Chrisitian The Lion

My favorite part is when they are in Africa and Christian is coming down the hill. At first he seems very hesitant, but then realizes that it’s his old caretakers/owners…I think I have some dust in one of my eyes…

Strong Bonds With Both Cats And Dogs

I don’t think all cats are as affectionate nor form a bond like Christian the lion did. However, the same can be said for dogs and not all dogs will form a strong bond with their human owners. I just thought this video was a shining example of the kind of relationship a cat (in this case a lion) can have with its human caretakers/owners/parents.

Now, I understand why my mom is so crazy with her cats!

What do you think? Does a dog form a stronger bond with it’s human owners or does a cat?

Are Dogs One Of The 10 Smartest Animals?

Of course they are otherwise why would I write this article on a blog about dogs?

While surfing the internet today I came across the MSN article The 10 Smartest Animals and just like any other list (Top 10 lists are supposed to be one of the most popular article titles on the internet) it caught my attention. I thought to myself “I wonder which animal is the smartest” and was confident that dogs would be on the list. Would the dog be number 1 on the list the “Top Dog” so to speak?

Unforturnately, or fortunately the list seems to be in random order with no ranking just displaying the top 10 animals And of course dogs did make the list as did we…the humans. The article was much longer than I thought it would be, but to your benefit I decided to show you the quick and dirty list here on the Puppy In Training site:

The Top 10 Smartest Animals

In no particular order:

• Humans – Thats right! We made the list. “We have the ability to learn, reason and solve problems.”
• Chimpanzees – “Our genome is 98% identical…chimps performed better than humans on a number memory test.” Chimps can be pretty intelligent when they’re not trying to rip off your arms.
• Dolphins - Dolphins use “…distinct whistles and clicks that may serve as dolphin names, perhaps used in a type of language.” Hmmm…I heard they can take down a great white (maybe just an urban legend). I always thought Flipper was pretty smart.
• Elephants – Can you imagine the size of their brain? ” A crowning achievement…was when female Asian elephant named Happy recognized herself in the mirror” Oh yeah, and they never forget.
• Cephalopods – Huh?!? Octopi, Squid, and Cuttlefish…”have a seemingly irrepressible curiosity, a disdain for boredom, an ability to learn and the capacity to use tools.” Who would have thunk (is that even a word) it?
• Crows - “They fashion tools from twigs, feathers and other bits of debris to snare food from hard-to-reach places.” I saw about 20 crows chasing a fairly large hawk the other day. They must be territorial too.
• Dog – YAY! Our favorite over here at Puppy In Training. I’m so biased…I’m going to include the entire excerpt about dogs from the article. The image below is from the University of Vienna.

Man’s best friend

Are dogs intelligent or just really good at basic obedience? They can learn to sit, lie down and fetch, for example, but can they read their owner’s intentions? Research suggests they can at least find food in response to non-verbal cues, a type of understanding that scientists think may be akin to the human ability to understand someone else’s point of view. The dog in the experiment pictured here accurately discriminated between photos of dogs and photos of landscapes – an indication the dog was able to form the concept of “dog.”

• Cats – My mothers favorite. “…some cat owners have trained their pets to sit down, roll over and jump through hoops. Cats learn the tricks by observation and imitation, egged on with positive reinforcement.” Come on mom…get discplined and teach your cats some tricks!
• Pigs – I thought this was very interesting about pigs: “Here’s the dirt on pigs: They are perhaps the smartest, cleanest domestic animals known – more so than cats and dogs, according to some experts. But pigs don’t have sweat glands, so they roll around in the mud to stay cool.”

That’s the list. I hope you enjoyed it. The full article is on MSN’s website.

What do you think? Do you have any experience with these animals? I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.

Cats and Dogs: Living Together as Brothers and Sisters

Is it possible that instead of fighting like cats and dogs, that cats and dogs could live together in peace or even as friends? The answer is yes, with proper training from the owners. So, if you are an animal lover and wish to have both cats and dogs in your home you should be prepared for some behavior training and lots of animal love.

Introductions

It is likely that either the cat or the dog will already be living in your house when you seek to add another pet. Rarely, will you add both a cat and dog to your house at the same time. So, it is advisable that you introduce your pets to each other properly.

If you already have a cat and are looking to add a dog to the family, then do some research on different breeds that might be more accepting of cats. For example, breeds that are bred to hunt or herd may have a harder time accepting cats than other breeds. Ask the dog breeder or animal shelter whether the dog you are seeking to adopt has had any experience with smaller animals and whether the experience has been positive.

If you already have a dog and are seeking to add a cat to the family, then do some training with your dog before bringing the cat home to live with you. Make sure that the dog is comfortable on leash, even in the house, so that you can have easy physical control over the dog if you need it. If at all possible, introduce your dog to other animals, especially smaller animals, either in your neighborhood or at a park. See how your dog reacts but also understand that your dog’s reaction may be different in his own home.

When the second animal is welcomed in to the home, allow both animals to become familiar with each other’s scent before a face to face introduction. It may take a few days for them to become comfortable and familiar with each other’s scents and sounds which they will hear from their different parts of the house. The new pet should be confined to a room (or floor of the home) to begin with and should receive regular visits and attention from the human members of the family. Once the new pet is comfortable with that, consider removing the older pet from the home by taking a dog for a walk or confining a cat to your bedroom. Then let your new pet explore the home. The final step will be to introduce the pets. Do this with your dog on leash so that you can intervene if you must, however, allow your pets the freedom to get to know each other without your interference if they can do so safely.

Living in Peace

It may take continual training, especially with your dog, to get your pets to live together peacefully. However, it can be done. Some cats and dogs will simply tolerate each other and others will end up as the best of friends. Either way you will enjoy the love of both pets in a peaceful and happy home.

Article by Jason Brooks of OhMyDogSupplies.com, leading provider of dog beds.