Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/97877
6A Daily News – Saturday, December 8, 2012 Pets health&activities Animal Island: During the holidays everything is a toy Westie still has some Pretend you are your pet this holiday season. You see colored howling wolf in him bright dangling lights and shiny, ornaments By RONNIE CASEY Q: We have two Westies that are brothers and now 6 years old. Whenever a siren goes off or an airplane flies overhead or even when we play certain music, one of the dogs will howl over and over until the noise stops. The other dog just ignores the noise or else will actually bark at his brother as if to tell him to be quiet. We thought that perhaps it was a problem with the one dog's ears. The vet said that the dog was fine and that "some dogs just do this." What's your opinion? A: This fascinates me as it shows how the domestication process in pets from wolf to dog is not quite finished in some individual animals no matter how un-wolflike they look or act. Wolves can bark like a dog, but usually only once or twice. Repetitive barking is unique to dogs and most likely was unknowingly selectively bred into the dog thousands of generations ago because it provided a method of signaling an alarm. A wolf's primary form of communication is the howl, but most likely early dog keepers did not find this trait useful to them so any dog that howled excessively was not bred and thus did not get to pass this trait on to future generations. However, it is obvious that some dogs still possess the instinct to howl and others do not. Nobody quite knows why. You have two brothers there and the one dog seems as puzzled by his sibling's howling as you do. Usually dogs that still have the howling instinct will not howl as a form of communication as wolves do but only in response to certain environmental sounds. This behavior, though not thoroughly understood, shows how dogs perceive frequencies of sound that are out of our auditory range. At the end of the day, your vet's statement of "some dogs just do this" is about all that there is to say about this behavior. ——— Q: We finally got our power back and my two parakeets seemed to have gotten through it OK. Since we had no heat in our house for a week, do I have to be worried that they may have gotten a cold or some other illness? We kept them wrapped up in a blanket and they seem just fine, but I always thought pet birds needed to be kept warm to keep them from getting sick. A: Bacterial infections and different viruses make birds sick — not cool temperatures. Being exposed to cool temps for a long period of time can lower a bird's resistance to fighting off different types of bacteria, thus the bird can get sick this way, but it has nothing to do with the temp itself. This is why it is so important that birds have a spotless cage to live in and drinking and feeding dishes that are clean to prevent the birds from coming in contact with the bacteria in the first place. It looks like you did a fine job in this stressful time. that look like something to have fun with. You want to eat the scented candles and freshly baked goods that have those yummy odors. Best of all, there is a tree inside, so there is no need to go out and play. Pets are easily confused and most consider everything as some sort of toy or food. While it can be a pleasure to watch any animal swat and play with various items, be aware of everything within reach and keep your beloved companions safe this holiday season. "O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can'st give me…" Pets often view a "real" Christmas tree as the perfect chew toy. Dogs, especially puppies like to grab bottom branches and chew or pull on them. However if pine needles are eaten, they can cause severe gastrointestinal problems. Cats and kitties love to climb, and Christmas trees are the ultimate in cat trees. Therefore, ensure the stand is solid, stable and weighted down, so when your cat climbs or your dog pulls on it the tree will not tip over causing possible injury to your pet or damage to your home. For extra security, a ceiling hook can be installed and fishing line utilized to secure the top of the tree to the hook. Christmas tree water can become stagnant, and become a breeding ground for bacteria and your pet could end up with nausea or diarrhea should he drink it. A tight-fitting tree skirt over the tree stand may help to prevent this. In addition, do not place chemicals in your tree's water. Your tree may stay fresher for a longer period, but it can prove to be deadly to pets. "Tinseltown, Where everything glitters, Tinseltown, All sparkle and shimmer…" Cats especially love sparkling tinsel. When it is swallowed tinsel can cause severe vomiting, dehydration and obstruction resulting in surgery. Instead of tinsel, it would be best to use something like wide cloth ribbon to drape on the tree. In addition, never hang edible treats on a Christmas tree. They provide too much temptation. Any ornaments placed on the bottom of the tree should be non-breakable and try to avoid using wire ornament hooks. Remember, ornaments dangling from a tree are viewed as toys. Dogs will most likely chew them and shards of breakable ornaments can severely damage your pet's mouth or intestines. Christmas tree lights and electric window displays are very inviting to pets as well. Keep wires and batteries out of paws and jaws' reach. A wire can provide a potentially lethal electrical shock and a punctured battery can cause burns to both the mouth and esophagus. Make sure that all electrical connections and outlets are secured and concealed. When hanging lights on the tree do not have any of the wires hanging lower than the branches. Tape electrical cords to the walls or floors to guarantee that your pets will not chew on them. You know not to feed your pets chocolate. However, a resourceful pet will chomp on anything they think is tasty. Therefore, keep pets away from unattended food, and be sure garbage pails are secured and covered. Ribbon, if swallowed, can cause intestinal obstruction requiring surgery. Therefore, after opening gifts, quickly dispose of all wrappings, ribbons, and bows that can be easily swallowed by curious cats and determined dogs. "Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly…" With so many Christmas plants that can cause harm to your pets the best practice, instead, is to use artificial plants made from silk or plastic. Lilies, holly leaves and berries, poinsettias, amaryllis and mistletoe can be extremely hazardous to both cats and dogs. Another holiday hazard is candles. Not only can they cause burn injuries to pets, but also overturned candles can cause a fire in your home. Never leave lighted candles and unattended pets in the same room. Accidents can still happen, no matter how hard we plan. Therefore, keep your local veterinarian's telephone number close. In addition, the ASPCA Poison Control Center can be reached at (888)4264435 and the Pet Poison Helpline is available at (800)213-6680. A few precautions during this season can assure you and your pets have a safe, enjoyable holiday. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, or Happy Holiday. Ronnie Casey is a volunteer with Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter. You can read her blog, Mutts & Moggies, at redbluffdailynews.com. Mike Pound: Squirrels, your days are numbered By Mike Pound The Joplin Globe, Mo. (MCT) Dec. 07--Since the dawn of time squirrels have been the mortal enemy of dogs. In case you're wondering, the list of dog enemies goes like this: No. 1: Squirrels. No. 2: Rabbits. No. 3: Cats. No. 4: Mailmen. No. 5: "Dancing with the Stars." The ongoing contest between squirrels and dogs goes like this: Dog sees squirrel. Squirrel sees dog. Dog chases squirrel. Squirrel remains still thereby convincing dog that maybe this time dog will catch squirrel. Then, at the last second, squirrel runs up nearby tree and laughs down at dog. Dog, humiliated and angry, scratches self and forgets the whole thing. But now some folks in New Zealand are doing something that may tip the scales in the squirrel-dog battle. They are teaching dogs to drive. Think you're fast, squirrel? Try out running a border collie behind the wheel of a Maserati (of course, a liberal dog will drive a Prius). Why else would a dog bother to learn to drive if not to chase squirrels? For the record, the folks in New Zealand who are teaching dogs to drive have not said anything about the canines using their driving skills to chase squirrels. So far, the driving has been limited to a fenced-in field. But the first time one of the driving dogs spots a squirrel in the field, I'm pretty sure havoc will ensue. I have to admit that when I first read about the driving dogs I was a bit skeptical. But then I dialed up "driving dogs" on Google and checked out the video, and sure enough -- to paraphrase the great comic strip B.C. -- "dogs got cars." What the folks in New Zealand did was, over a period of about eight weeks, teach dogs how to drive specially, modified cars. The dogs first learned how to operate a gear shift, then they learned how to accelerate, brake, steer and parallel park. OK, they didn't learn how to parallel park. At least not yet. All three of the driving dogs -- named Monty, Ginny and Porter -- were either abandoned by their former owners or abused by former owners, and were taught to drive by trainers with the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in an effort to show people that rescue dogs are intelligent and make great pets. I think they proved their point. The whole idea of driving dogs makes me smile. Years ago I had a border collie by the name of Shadow who I often let ride in my car with me. While I drove, Shadow would stare out Christmas Special Reflections December 13, 14 & 15 All Gift Items 50 % off 50% off with coupon expires 12/25 COUPON Gift Certificates Scarves, Jewelry, Hair Care Product & Gift Items Clarks Floral inside Clark's Drug Store 2126 Solano St., Corning 824-3502 Bonnie Burlison • Grace LeBaudour Candy Harman • Kathy Reed Kathy Hiebert • Chaunda Jensen Susan Williams 527-5557 • 848 Johnson Street, Red Bluff the window looking for squirrels. If she saw one I would slow down so Shadow could bark and threaten the squirrel. Sometimes, I would drive around our block several times just so Shadow could hunt for squirrels. At the time, I figured I had the only border collie who hunted from a car. But now, dogs may soon do all of their hunting from cars. The fact that Monty, Ginny and Porter can drive is pretty amazing, but the more amazing thing to me is the fact that they drive without sticking their heads out of the window. According to a story on the Time magazine website, the dogs have been accompanied by humans when they drive "just in case they get distracted." I can see that. Our German shepherd Shilo gets distracted yawning. But next week Porter is going to drive solo for a New Zealand television show. Porter has said his solo drive will be, "One small step for dog, one giant leap for dogkind." Squirrels everywhere will weep. ups FedEx 859 Washington St., Red Bluff • (530) 529-2777 Shipping Wrapping Packing Make sure presents arrive on time!