Dog Blog from Trendy Puppy

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Trendy Puppy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:31:00 GMT

Mary wrote:
Recently ordered dresses & accessories for our girls (canine). Quality of products were outstanding, service and shipment very FAST. Products were USA made which is important to me today. This site DOES care about meeting your expectations and needs. Will be a repeat customer.

Dog Clothes

Trendy Puppy — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:30:00 GMT

Our new line of fun summer dog clothes is in so be sure to take a look.

Have a great and safe summer!
The staff of TrendyPuppy

THE OLD MAN AND HIS DOG

Trendy Puppy — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:24:00 GMT

THE OLD MAN AND HIS DOG

"Watch out! You nearly broad-sided that car!" My father yelled at me.

"Can't you do anything right?"

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice

was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back.

At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my

thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The

rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of

nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed

often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to

his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy

log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone,

straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about

his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An

ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an

operating room. He was lucky; he survived. But something inside Dad ied. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctors orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Rick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm.

We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed othing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Rick. We began to bicker and argue.

Alarmed, Rick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The

clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of

each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent.

A raindrop struck my cheek. I looked up into the gray sky. Somewhere up

there was "God." Although I believe a Supreme Being had created the

universe, I had difficulty believing that God cared about the tiny human

beings on this earth. I was tired of waiting for a God who did not answer.

Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it. The next day I sat

down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem in vain to each of the sympathetic voices that answered.

Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I

just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article." I

listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depress ion. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog. I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of ens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs - all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons, too big, too small, too much hair.

As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to

his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one

of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked,

then shook his head in puzzlement."He's a funny one ~ Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate.We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up omorrow." He gestured helplessly. As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?" "Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my

decision."I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly. Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it." Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!" Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed.

At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his

eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like

duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled

toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he

raised his paw.Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion

replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal. It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship.

Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout.

They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet. Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends.

Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing

through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Rick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene; but his spirit had left quietly sometime during the

night.Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Rick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently

thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of

mind.The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserv ed for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2."Be not forgetful to entertain strangers..."

"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article ~

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter ~ His calm

acceptance and complete devotion to my father ~ and the proximity of their

deaths.And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

~by Catherine Moore~

Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely,

Love truly and forgive quickly.

Urgent Dog Food Recalls!

Trendy Puppy — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:44:00 GMT

Pet deaths prompt recall of pet food

by ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
Courtesy of Yahoo News

Published: 3/16/2007

WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site — http://www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.

The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

P&G announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.

Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., Henderson said.

Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.

"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.

The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.

Menu Foods is majority owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.

Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.

What's with some people? Stealing a dog?

Trendy Puppy — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:29:00 GMT

In February of 2007 2 men were said to have stolen a cute silky terrier dog from an Animal Kingdom store in
Fairmont just before closing, police said.
The 2 men were seen looking at the puppy a $1,200 silky terrier, one of the most prestigious
and expensive small dogs at the store. The workers were distracted and went to help another customer in the store. When they came back both the sweet puppy and the 2 men were gone.

They were caught on store security cameras but they are unable to locate the thieves.
The owner of the pet shop is more worried about the dog being in the wrong hands than the money.
We all hope the dog is found and the thieves are caught.

Dog Collars and Fun Clothes

Trendy Puppy — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:12:00 GMT

This spring we will be adding more fun dog collars and darling spring clothes. In the line up are..dog bikini's, more harness dresses including one for a cheerleader dog. We will be adding pink dog rain slickers with matching rain hat and leashes. In our dog collar section there will be some wonderful nylon and ribbon collas with quick release buckles in silver along with silver bling letters and super heavy duty leather Bling dog collars. You'll love them all.

Pets outnumber people in the United States by about 60 million

Trendy Puppy — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 16:31:00 GMT

As promised. When I find an interesting dog related article I will post it here for you to read. This was published by CNN on 4/26/06

CNN) -- Pets outnumber people in the United States by about 60 million, with furry, feathered and scaly inhabitants numbering about 360 million, according to the pet industry.

"That's a lot of mouths to feed," said Bob Vetere, COO and managing director for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

In the decade from 1994 through 2004, the amount of money spent on pet food, pet supplies, veterinary visits, medicines, live animals and services, more than doubled from $17 billion to $34.2 billion, Vetere said. In 2005 alone $36.3 billion was spent.

An increasing percentage of that money was spent on services that used to be reserved for people: massage therapy, spa treatments, couture clothing and gourmet food.

"Now you've got the Marriots, the Ws and the Westins where you can bring your pet along, and they've got room service," Vetere said. One of these pet-friendly hotels "will bring you, for $19.95, tenderloin in a special souvenir dish with bottled water for your pet, and a bed," he said.

Ancient relations

Humans kept pets as long as 4,000 years before livestock was domesticated, according to Melinda Zeder, director of the archaeobiology program at the Smithsonian Institution.

"There are dog burials in ... present day Israel and Jordan that date back to about 14,000 years ago," Zeder said. "Dogs are felt to be the earliest animal domesticates, probably drawn as wolves to human encampments."

Burial evidence of cats as pets dates back 8,300 years, roughly 4,000 years before the ancient Egyptians started depicting cats on tomb walls, she said.

Humans had a mutually beneficial relationship with these earliest pets. Dogs, whose diet overlaps that of humans, provided their early masters with companionship, warning and possibly hunting assistance, Zeder said. Cats aided ancient farmers by eliminating rodents that threatened grain harvests.

But as humans domesticated cats and dogs, they selected traits that over time favored lack of aggression. These docile traits led to a number of evolutional, physical changes in dogs.

"Things like lop ears and piebald (spotted) coats are things you see in domesticated animals that you don't see in wild animals," Zeder said. "But another factor that comes in with selection for lack of aggression is greater playfulness, more sort of puppy or juvenile type behaviors."

Dogs, like juvenile wolves, she explained, have a smaller snout, jaw, teeth and cranial capacity than their adult wolf ancestors.

"The most striking is a change in the configuration in the skull and a reduction in the cranial capacity," Zeder said, likening the change in brain size to dogs becoming less intelligent as they became domesticated.

'Looking for love'

Thousands of years later, humans are still looking for these baby-like qualities in dogs, but for different reasons.

Matthew Margolis, a professional dog behavior therapist and animal aggression expert from California, asks his clients why some of them get dogs, especially little dogs. Their response, he says, is, "Well, my children have gone from the home. I'm lonely. I want something to love." The response from young people without families often is that they want a puppy to raise before raising a child. This anthropomorphism results in the last trait anyone wants in a dog -- aggression.

"Uncle Matty," as Margolis is known on his PBS show, "Woof! It's a Dog's Life," said dogs start to bite, growl, bark excessively and fail to become house-trained because their owners neglect to train their dogs and don't act like responsible owners.

"That's why you have so many problem animals," he said. "You can't just bring a dog home. Love is not enough. Love will never change a bad behavior."

There are 5 million dog bites reported each year, resulting in $400 million in legal claims, according to Margolis, who often testifies in pet-dispute court cases.

"The problem is, people are looking for love," Margolis said. "And you wouldn't believe how many people get bit by the family pet."

Bonnie Beaver, past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association and faculty member at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine agrees.

"People are thinking of their animals as four-legged humans and not understanding what normal dog or cat behavior is and what the true behavioral needs of the dog and cat are," she said. "Dogs, if we look at the wolf model, would normally spend 20 hours a day with members of their pack. Now we are their pack, and we leave for 10, 12 hours a day and now the dog is alone. And we wonder why they get destructive and develop separation anxiety. Cats would normally be out roaming, and ... to warn other cats they would spray urine. We don't appreciate urine to be sprayed inside the house, but that's a normal cat thing," Beaver said.

The perks of modern life

While modern man's emotional needs may have compromised pets' animal instincts, the health of animals has reaped the benefits of human technological advances.

Beaver cites the high quality of pet food, vaccines, chemotherapy and surgical techniques for extending the life of pets.

"Thirty years ago in the U.S., the average age of a dog was 4 years; the average age of a cat was 3 years," she said. These days the average lifespan of a dog is between eight and 12 years, Beaver said.

According to the APPMA, Americans spent $14.7 billion on pet food and treats in 2005. With a wide scope of options, owners can choose to buy food that best fits their pets needs, from natural and organic to vitamin-enhanced and diet formulas.

"Anything that's a trend in human foods, within four to six months it will be a trend in pet food, too," Vetere said.

Modern insight into ancient animal diets is improving pet food. By re-examining cat diets, for example, food manufacturers are able to create a more balanced product.

"Cats and dogs used to eat leftovers from humans, which isn't necessarily bad. But every species of animal has its own nutritional needs," Beaver said. "When you think of a cat you think of them eating a mouse," she said, explaining that a leftover piece of muscle meat does not have the same nutritional value as a mouse, whose body also offered bone and digested vegetables.

An alternative healthcare is holistic treatment. Less-traditional care methods are becoming more popular, Beaver said, "paralleling what's happening in human medicine." Treatments like chiropractics, acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage all are available for pets these days, although they are not all scientifically proven methods of treatment.

M. Spencer Newman, a veterinarian in Marietta, Georgia, whose practice is limited to treating pets with mobility issues, says holistic treatment tries to "stimulate natural processes within the animals to keep them healthy and restore health as opposed to using drugs as a first choice."

Pet owners' spending is not limited to the basics. The APPMA found in its National Pet Owners Survey that 27 percent of dog owners and 13 percent of cat owners buy their pets birthday presents, and 55 percent of dog owners and 37 percent of cat owners buy their pet holiday presents.

"I don't think I've ever bought my dog a gift where he's turned around and said, 'Oh thanks, anyway,' " Vetere said.

Why do humans dote on pets to the tune of billions of dollars a year? Pet owners report it's because of the bond with their animals, whom they may refer to as their best friend, a companion or a member of their family.

"Animals give you unconditional, unrestricted love," Margolis said.

Of his golden lab, Dakota, Vetere said: "I can sit and talk to him and tell him any problem I have, and he just sits there with his tongue hanging out, smiling at me, just waiting for me to finish. It's like, 'OK, you feel better now? Let's go outside and play.' "

Use That Flea Treatment

Trendy Puppy — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 19:19:00 GMT

This was sent in my Fudgie Kraus. Thanks Fudge!

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A woman is in stable condition with bubonic plague, the first confirmed human case in Los Angeles County since 1984, health officials said Tuesday.

The woman, who was not identified, was admitted to a hospital April 13 with a fever, swollen lymph nodes and other symptoms. A blood test confirmed the bacterial disease, and she was given antibiotics, officials said.

Bubonic plague is not contagious, but if left untreated it can morph into pneumonic plague, which is. Bubonic plague is usually transmitted to humans from the bites of fleas infected by rodents.

Health officials said they suspect the woman was exposed by fleas in her home and that there was no cause for alarm. An estimated 10 to 20 Americans contract plague each year, mostly in rural communities.

Bubonic plague is believed to have been the "Black Death" that killed 25 million people in Europe between 1346 and 1351

Our Dog

Trendy Puppy — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 13:31:00 GMT

Hi to all our wonderful friends and customers. This is our first attempt on our dog blog. We envision this blog to be full of great pet advice and dog stories for our readers. We'll start by telling you our latest dog story. Suzie, our 8 lb Maltese-poodle mix was sick last week. She was vomitting and wouldn't eat for 3 days. I was certain Suzie had chewed on some of my sons underwear and had swallowed them. Certainly she must have some sort of bowel obstruction. So off to the local vet we went. $300.00 later after X-rays and such it was determind she just had a dog flu. Dog flu? Never heard of it but she is back to her normal cute self this week. Barking at everything that walks past the house.