science_doc

I wish my computer at home was fast enought to visit this site!!!! I too would have to vote no on pet cloning. I agree with everything everyone above said. Plus there are many scientific/health reasons cloning is bad idea. Thanks for the thoughts :P :-?

Okay guys and gals, I have an opinion on the subject, but don't want to spoil the replys of others with my thoughts. I am posting this to get an idea about how the general pet owning public feels about cloning. I can tell you the cost proposed by the companies who will perform these services are in the 1000's and the anticipated date for general practical availabilty was quoted at about 3 years from now. PLEASE lets not get rude and just share our thoughts. As a scientist I am always curious to know what the general public thinks about the crazy stuff we do :P :lol: :roll:

I'm moving to Atlanta in a couple of weeks and I ran into some of those flying cows called palmetto bugs while apartment hunting in GA. My best guess is that I will not be sleeping for the first few months after arrival. I have lived my whole life in the Midwest where the bugs are a resonable size and weight :lol:

Okay we have written out the Thank Card with the subtle message, now please everyone cross your fingers that the new owners get the hint :roll:

Okay by now some of you may think that I am a "know it all", but I can't help it that's the price I pay for studying science :oops: Daddy Long legs are not spiders at all, and they are not poisons either, see this website if you don't believe me: [url]http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html[/url] I like to think that I can help you guys out a bit since you are always full of useful stuff for my former and future pets. I have no idea if dogs eating posionus spiders could make them sick, but since posions are proteins I would think their stomach acid might be able to destroy the toxin before it hurt the dog. Birds eat posions snakes right???? I'm thinking Bald Eagles and Rattle snakes, but I could be wrong about this too. BTW I was just looking this up recently cause my cats eat these thing all the time. YUCK!!!!!

Thanks for the kind words of support :D We are thinking about sending the new owners a thank you card for letting us visit and in the card mention that we know that this dog seems really wild when you first bring her home but with some professional assistance (telling them about obidience classes as a non-offensive hint) she really settles down. We were thinking this subtle hint to get them more on the right track? Who knows it might not work, but at least then we will feel like we have done everything in our power to help the little pooch out.

Hi everone, Again I am new to dogs and all the long time rescue people can probably identify with my feelings today. As some of you may know we adopted this beautiful lab/husky mix pictured next to my name from a local humane society last March for our very FIRST dog, LOL. We foolishly brought this super stubborn, smart, and prey driven dog home to live with our two cats which needless to say ended in heartache for us and a new home for the dog. Luck for her I was smart enough to avoid returning her to the pound and instead worked with a local no kill rescue group as well as offering to foster home her until we could find someone who could care for her properly. We went to visit her in her after 1 month in her new home and were shocked, not because they were abusing her in any way, in fact she looked really healthy and happy, BUT they had completely stopped obedience training the dog. Everything we had worked so hard to teach her was gone and I guess that in their home she is in charge, literally. I realize that if they want an out of control dog that's their choice, but it pained me to see her so wild again. I told them before they adopted her that she had no recall skills but was starting to learn and instead of continuing her education, they just keep har chained or on a leash at all times, because the first night they had her they let her out without restraint and she took off. Then they finally built the dog run they had promised to build before they adopted her. When I talked with the rescue group I stated to them I thought that she should go to a home with a fenced in yard due to need for obedience training, but they just poo pooed me and said they had norther/large breeds with no fence, etc. I am also worried, because it took me 2 months to get this year old dog to stop mouthing and yesterday she would not get her teeth off my hands or feet. Anyway I know that I am just ranting, but more than anything I'm scared for this poor dog. I know that an untrained dog has potential to do something bad which could result in the destruction of the poor animal. I know that I might have caught her on a bad day (perhaps even another change of living caused her set back so it's my fault) and things may not be as bad as they seem, but now more than ever I want to give a HUGE thanks to all the rescue foster parents out there who deal with these problems day in and day out for years. OK that's it done with spilling my worries on all of you thanks for the ears (well really eyes) :cry:

As always I preface this note with the fact that I am a novice dog owner, but I was thinking about getting an american eskimo dog, so I did a bit of reading. From what I read they get along well with other pets and kids, but they are VERY SMART and need some entertainment all day long. I personally think that's true of all dogs anyway :P There are lots of web sites on eskies and eskie breeders if you search the net.

cool post Hollywood, Along those lines I have something to share. As you all know I'm a novice to dogs and now realize I have a full blow case of the virus (please refer to the other post not a "real" illness). When I was first getting to know my lab/husky mix she would make a growling type sound whenever I was doing something she didn't like. I FREAKED out, thinking that I had adopted a killer dog who was seconds away from bitting my arms off. Then I started to communicate with the various rescues in my area and I got some awesome advice from someone that this behavior was likely to be a mutated version of the husky wooooo woooo woooo sound I have become completely convinced that ALL novice dog owners should be forced to get some lessons in dog behavior BEFORE they bring their new wonder home. I look back now and realize that I was a COMPLETE idot and I considered myself "well prepared". I wonder what would happen if people were forced to take some kind of informative 2 hour class before they bought/adopted their first dog? I know just wishful thinking, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to change :wink:

I am counting the days until I can rescue another dog!!!! I would love to give a home to any and all special needs dogs! Poor puppy, I wish there was an easier way to get the word out to the general public about pet stores and puppy mills :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Glad everyone enjoyed the stories :D

I did not see the footage your talking about Louis, sorry, I guess I really can't speak about the laws in Europe since I have only worked here in the USA. I can't deny that there have been some VERY bad people out there in the animal research community, but then there are some very bad people in the dog breeding community, etc. but not all breeders are bad. I wish that I could show you all the caring people I have known. I myself have witnessed people call an anonymous tip line here where I work to turn in a lab that was doing bad things out of ignorance. The practice was then stopped. We all police ourselves as well as being randomly checked by the government. I think that anyone who is cruel to animals, technician or not should be punished with REAL JAIL TIME not a fine or a slap on the wrist. This goes for everyone out there who inteacts with animals. I guess I should also appolgize to Beagle88, I have always enjoyed your posts, sorry if I offend I just feel really strongly about the posititves of animal research :oops:

I have posted as a guest on the topic of animal research before and I would love to debate the issue for as long as necessary to try and ease your minds that the vast mojority of animal research is done by caring individuals who really are working to help you and your family. I think that Louis captured the essence of this issue best there is no easy solution. I do research using animals and every animal sacrifice is difficult for me. I wish there were another way, but there isn't. And the other comments about how their living situation is not the best it could be is also probably true, but we all want drugs and treatments we can afford so there lies the real problem. I know that you all want the best treaments for your human and canine family members the only way this can be achieved is by research. The Aids comments I cannot let go without a direct response. Many species of monkey are far more promiscuous than any human you have ever met. Often they will have sex with every member of their group regardless of gender or age just to increase their rank in the group. You cannot put morals on wild animals, they are not capable of those choices. They live to gain as much as possible and spread their genes regardless of the cost or consequence. Monkeys do in fact get aids, but to them it is more like the common cold. Unfortunately for humans since were are closely related genetically, but not the same, this simple virus is able to get into our immune systems and destroy our defenses. The real burning question not too long ago was why some people were repeatedly exposed to Aids and did not become infected with the virus. The answer was slight genetic modifications in a protein found on the surface of one type of white blood cell. How do we know about these cells and receptors - animal research.

Ok I get back from checking out the city of Atlanta and this forum has become so depressing :cry: Dumped dogs, attacking dogs, and then to top it all off someone thinks a website about bonsi kittens will lighten the mood. Funny in a way, but really sick in another way. I'm sorry. I just don't have a sense of humor about these types of spoof websites, cause you know somewhere in the world some moron will go ahead and try this trick. So I searched the web and found a site with happy dog stories (at least the few I skimmed) to cheer everyone up. If everyone has seen these already, I apologize in advance. [url]http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/woof/roll/dogstories/[/url] On another note, if anyone has any knowledge or advice about finding a good vet in and around the city of Atlanta, more specifically Decatur/Buckhead or that general area, please let me know.

Giz, Unfortunately she had actually been given a longer sentence, but upon appeal the previous decision was overturned. I was very diaspointed but the appeal judge was right, he stated something like well we all know this woman and her husband are guilty of murder, but the law dosen't see it that way. The husband also got 4 years. The wife's sentence was MUCH longer before and I wish that it could still be longer, these 2 people were nuts and have don serious damage to the presa canario image. I looked up these dogs after the attack and they are beautiful but it was obvious to me that they were definatley not for the careless or ignorant owner, which we you get right down to it is probably true of all dogs.

Well this is a truly sad post...... The one that I really can't understand is the Premarin.....I thought that things like Insulin and other hormones were now manufactured synthetically using recombinant bacteria instead of "organically" (insulin used to come from pig pancrease - but some people had bad reactions). However, when I looked up the drug I discovered the SHOCKING truth that this deplorable company does use horse urine in the manufacture of their product. The only saving grace to this story is that there is a new FDA study which has demostrated that hormone replacement is a REALLY BAD IDEA. See these links for details: [url]http://www.msnbc.com/news/779497.asp[/url] [url]http://www.msnbc.com/news/777875.asp[/url] [url]http://www.msnbc.com/news/775338.asp[/url] Now we can all hope that this company will have to find another product to sell :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Okay I just voted and the NO's are kicking butt, horaaay for common sense :P

Hoooooray for me, I have a paw :P

Thanks guest :D I have already planned to sign up for obeidence classes before I even pick up the dog. I really want to have a well trained dog so that I can take her every where I go........ and yes I have already decided on a female.... another "sterotype" I have heard about dogs getting along with cats. Someone told me once that female dogs can be more accepting than male dogs (disclaimer- I am just repeating what someone else said to me I have no concrete evidence for this statement). My head knows that temperment should come before looks ( a lesson learned with my last dog) but it's so hard. I feel so drawn to big active dogs. This is one reason why we are waiting for 1 year to get our new dog. We want to have a house with a fenced in yard before we bring home our new fuzzy child.

What does blah mean????

Okay all this post is really just to get some polite chit chat started about breeds cause frankly I love to hear opinions. I was looking at one of the Atlanta humane society webs sites (this is where we will be living when we get our next dog) and I notice LOTS of chow mixes..........Being a very inexperience dog owner I am a little nervous about this breed. I know what you are all thinking in a mutt breed characteristics area a crap shoot at best. In addition, the reputations of different breeds, for example lets say pitts, are not always deserved. Okay all this being said what do you all think about chow mixes? The dogs I saw were mostly lab/chow and retriever/chow. One final thought is that I have fallen completely in love with GSD mixes, they are so striking (I mean most husky or lab GSD mixes).

Our cats are named Aidan - for Aidan Quinn cause he had blue eyes and Mina - short for Willamina I think from interview with a vampire (these cat's were named before I came on the scene, so I am venturing a recollection LOL). Our dog was named Abigail - from my favorite Steven King book The Stand. I just loved mother Abigail when I read the book :P

When I was visiting the humane society last week here in Michigan there were about 6 dogs on heartworm medication. I know that all the vets here recommend year round protection and a yearly test. My vet even wanted me to start our 2 indoor cats on preventative meds, but I'm having a hard time with that decision. I have had indoor cats all my life in the midwest and heve never heard of them getting heartworm.

The overweight cat has been to the vet several times......once at least for an anal gland scare. I think that anal glands are without a doubt the worst part of pet ownership :-? There appear to be on the surface no other problems with the cat other than she is really lazy and a spayed female. We trying our best to get her to run around more, even going so far as to try a halter and taking her outside (she has been an inside cat her whole life). As far as the BARF diet I too was worried about bad bacteria growing on the surface of the meat, but the things I have read suggest that preditory animals like cats will often eat old kills suggesting that they have inate protection against bacteria. These types of concerns are exactly why I wanted to talk about the cost/benefit and risk/gains with others who have made the switch. Thanks for your comments and please add more :D

One other novice question which might have already been covered, but here goes.....does anyone use the BARF diet. I have been thinking that I might like to use this diet for my future dog as well as my two cats, one of which is really fat and can't seem to drop weight despite diet and exercise. I know there are tons of books and websites on the subject, but it's so much nicer to be able to have conversations with people who have actually tried things like this diet. Thanks a million for all the input so far, now I can stop harassing co-workers with non-stop bable about dogs :D