Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet News (General)’

Sometimes pet care can mean keeping a hamster healthy, ensuring a cat is well-fed or housebreaking a puppy. Occasionally, however, the responsibilities of a pet owner entail indulging one’s dog in the latest fashions and waiting beside the dressing rooms as French poodles and German Shepherds sample the latest in European fashions. Canine dress has become a recent fad that’s grabbed the attention of the most upscale boutiques.

For most of the year, Henri Bendel provides chic loungewear, cosmetics, lingerie and fashion accessories to women around the country. For one weekend this summer, the boutique held its second annual luxury shopping event for fashion-forward dogs and their owners.

The Dog Days of Summer event was held at the Henri Bendel location in New York City, and featured more than one dozen vendors displaying dog fashions, toys and accessories. Ranging from urban to couture styles, the selection finally gives dogs a chance on to strut their styles on the catwalk.

Dog fashion designer Guylynn Gia addressed the inherent difficulties of the budding industry, saying "To fit a dog is much more difficult. He understands English to an extent, but he gets impatient and wiggles around."

Other retailers of dog apparel include Wagwear, Ruff Luv, Best Friend NYC and Fatboy USA.

Some pet owners may cause a neighborhood nuisance if they fail to develop a polite way to take their dogs to the bathroom; but when the dog belongs to President Barack Obama, the repercussions of potty pet care could become a national scandal.

Flight attendants aboard the president’s Air Force One told the Wall Street Journal that they had seen the U.S. first-dog, Bo, ambling around the famous airplane this summer. On one occasion, a member of the flight crew described how the dog failed to squeeze itself into the tiny on-deck bathroom, and relieved itself right in the aisle.

The attendant told the news source, "You can imagine the horror on board when they discovered what it had done."

Although a White House press official claimed that the event never occurred, one Walls Street Journal blogger cheekily suggested that a government cover-up was underway.

Evidence suggests that Bo has irreverently chosen bathroom locations in the past. Obama commented in an interview with NBC, "We go out and we’re walking and I’m picking up poop, and in the background is the beautifully lit White House. It’s quite a moment."

As the Journal reporter notes, Bo is declining to comment.

Families may frequently have trouble getting their young children and their pets to coexist and share an enjoyable relationship. One animal behavior expert advises the kids may need to be taught to change their behavior to keep dogs and cats happy.

Mary Burch, director of the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen program and certified animal behavior analyst, counsels that pet owners wishing to promote a positive relationship with their dogs or cats must fulfill two pet needs, the News Tribune reports.

"First, the owner would need to meet basic needs – food, water, exercise," says Burch. "The second thing is positive experiences – playtime, brushing, training."

The expert believes that problems commonly arise in pet care when small children play with animals in ways that are distressing to the pets. While kids may have fun poking a sleeping cat or pulling the tail of an eating dog, these actions can irritate animals, leading to poor relationships.

According to Burch, most animals are also upset by shrill voices, quick motions and loud sounds. Namely, "Animals want to feel safe and loved, they don’t like being teased."

The Best Friends Animal Society recommends that no child under one-year old should be left unsupervised with a pet.

Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for Animal Action Week to promote the importance of guarding biodiversity in ecosystems and to value the bonds between people and animals.

During Animal Action Week, IFAW engages teachers and children around the world in topics which concern the responsibilities humans have for animals. This year’s theme, Under One Sky, seeks to explain how everyday activities can impact both the environment and the creatures that dwell within.

DiCaprio, and IFAW Honorary Board Member emphasized, "Animals, like people, need a home that provides food, water, shelter and space. It’s our responsibility to protect animals and our planet’s vital ecosystems if we want to leave a better world for future generations."

As part of the program, the organization asks families to sign a pledge to take care of the animals with which they interact.

IFAW has now been operating for more than 16 years and has educated children in 18 countries about the importance of respecting and actively protecting animal life.

The U.S. Humane Society estimates that 39 percent of households own at least one dog and 34 percent house at least one cat.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting proposals for studies which investigate how interactions between humans and animals affect typical development and health.

The National Insititue of Child Health and Human Development, a sector of the NIH, has teamed up with the Waltham Center for pet Nutrition in England to study whether some animals can have recognizable effects on a child’s psychological welfare.

The request for research proposals was encouraged by doctors who treat Alzheimer’s and autism who have noticed that patients often respond to their pets or service dogs in ways that they cannot relate to humans.

Dr Melissa Nishawala, clinical director of the autism-spectrum service at the Child Study Center, described how an 11-year-old boy with autism, Milo, reacted to pet therapy after a service dog moved in with the boy’s family. "I noticed a prominent and noticeable change. He started to give me narrative in a way he never did." She added that he mostly spoke about the new dog.

While pets work wonders to miraculously improve our health, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association says that veterinary pet insurance can be used to protect pet health and ensure the financial stability of the pet’s family.