K-9 U (and felines too!)

12/11/2023

Victor Recall expands to other brands

FDA, CDC, and state partners are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Kiambu that is potentially associated with pet food made by Mid America Pet Food.

31/03/2023

Yes, yes I do! 😁✔️💯

11/03/2023

Nestle Purina Prescription Dog Food With Toxic Level of Vitamin D Poisons Dogs. Today Nestle Purina PetCare Purina expanded the recall of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) pre…

19/01/2023

Teaching a LIVE language class in the greater Chattanooga area one night a week. They started with the hard book-work last week and this week we start putting things together. I saw so many furrowed brows AND little light bulbs last week. Looking forward to opening eyes and minds n the coming weeks! Wish me luck!!i

16/01/2023

10/01/2023

The Elkmont Trackless Train Half Marathon in Alabama received a surprise entrant when Ludivine, a two-and-a-half-year-old Bloodhound accidently joined the race after being let out for a p*e. After a p*e-break, Ludivine saw hundreds of people running and thought it looked like a really fun game! Intr...

08/01/2023

Coyotes are famous for being clever and vicious, but the coyote in this post is a different case entirely. He shows us that wild animals are as playful as pets we live with and love. Source: Pamela Underhill Karaz One morning the photographer Pamela Underhill Karaz, who lives in a...

14/12/2022

Chill like a wolf 😎

14/12/2022

New breed! "Yorkupine"!!!

07/12/2022

Complete details of the Purina Pro Plan Vet Diet recall as reported by the editors of The Dog Food Advisor.

17/11/2022

Facebook has not allowed me to post on this page for a few months. Just the spinning wheel of "aint't gonna happen" ... it would appear that i am finally, once again, allowed access to my own page.

Fingers crossed that this continues!

16/11/2022

17/07/2022

Today's recalls: https://www.local3news.com/local-news/stormberg-foods-llc-recalls-chicken-strips-and-chicken-crisps-products-for-dogs-due-to-possible/article_29a4683a-055a-11ed-b379-fbce3ff273c2.html?fbclid=IwAR2McsKg0f0hs-HW6aj9vA0V6K-4hfO3ZPTlP9d-vfaXOAevdg6Xpz8-VKs

Stormberg Foods and NCDA & CS are continuing their investigation into the cause of the problem.

10/06/2022

16/05/2022

Multiple brand names.

Complete details of the 2022 Sunshine Mills Warning Letter posted by FDA and reported by the editors of The Dog Food Advisor.

31/03/2022

Today’s the day! You’ve adopted a rescued ex street dog and you can’t wait to get her home and introduce her to your family, friends and neighbours. Before you do, just stop for one moment and look at things from your dog’s point of view.

If you’ve adopted an ex street dog this might be the first time she’s ever had to enter a house. It’s very common for ex street dogs to be wary of entering narrow doorways, and simple things like changes in floor surfaces (rugs, laminate, carpet) or a wobbly paving slab can be very challenging for your newly adopted dog.

Take a quick look at the photo below. Break things down and you can see there’s a lot for your dog to consider and navigate before she’s even set a paw inside your house!
Your dog’s previous experience of being indoors might have involved a worrying visit to a vet clinic or a frightening overcrowded dog pound.

The clang of your metal gate might remind her of a dog trap. The shape of your nice shiny railings might evoke memories of being brutally captured with a catch pole. The smell of ci******es or your household cleaning products could also elicit scary memories.
Whilst living on the streets she had good reason to be hyper vigilant of anything new or unusual in her environment. Many ex street dogs have experienced significant abuse and trauma.

While you are getting to know each other, please take extra care to take things slowly. Don’t expect too much of her too soon.
We get that everyone wants to say hello, but please ask friends and relatives to be patient and come visit in a few weeks, when your dog has had time to explore your home, to trust you, gain confidence and feel safe.

The neighbours and their kids might be super excited to meet your new family member but introductions can wait a while. Explain she needs time to rest and maybe show them a photo of her instead?

Many people can’t wait to take their dog to the local park, but busy spaces and main roads can be overwhelming for newly adopted dogs. Walks can wait.
Please take things gently and let her explore your home, catch up on much needed sleep and if she is ready you can play gentle enrichment games at home.

Even if you’ve previously cared for a dog, please ensure you learn all you can about canine body language and behaviour so you can be aware of how your dog is feeling and what she’s communicating to you.

If you are patient in these early days, weeks and months you will help give your dog a positive and gentle introduction to her wonderful new life.

©️ Caring for Rescued ex Street Dogs 2017

If you wish to share this post online please use the Facebook share button below 👇🏼 so the text and image remain together. Please do not download and then upload this image as your own.
Thank you.

07/01/2022

People are often quick to exterminate opossums because of the belief that they will destroy a lawn with digging or burrowing. While you may have some lawn damage, and may have opossums on your property, there’s no connection between the two.

Opossums are not digging, burrowing animals. In fact, they don’t spend a lot of time on the ground at all! Opossums are mostly arboreal (tree-dwelling) creatures and tend to stick to tree tops for safety. An opossum’s nails are made for climbing, and not nearly strong enough to withstand digging up lawns.

Opossums don’t damage lawns.
You might have seen an opossum appearing to dig in your yard (or someone else’s) at some point, but this isn’t what it looks like. Opossums will do a little bit of superficial foraging in grassy areas to look for things like bugs and snake eggs, but they do not root deep enough into the soil to actually create damage.

So who’s to blame for those holes in your yard? Depending on their size, shape, and location, they could have been dug by foxes, groundhogs, skunks, chipmunks, raccoons, or even a neighbor’s dog. Often, the best way to deter a digging animal is to use things like noise, motion-activated lights, bitter and spicy repellents, and s**t mats. Trapping an opossum, the wrong animal, isn’t the answer and won’t help.

28/12/2021

🛇 Use your Manners! 🛇
The Sniff test - Stop doing that!
The sniff test - a badly engrained habit that society has been taught, without a clear understanding of what they're actually doing.

🚩When you reach out towards a dog, you are using body pressure AT them, giving them no time to assess whether you are safe & whether they require further investigation to pick up your information. You are forcing an interaction of a relationship that hasn't had time to develop. To some dogs, this is quite rude & the reason a lot of dogs snap at or bite people. This can cause alot of behavioral issues because of layered stress due to forced interactions.

🚩If they are on lead, they have no where to go if they are sensitive to spacial pressure, so can end up shutting down, shying away or snapping at your hand so you back off. This is an example of how a dog is now using pressure to turn off pressure & make you back off so they aren't so stressed.

🚩People think by offering your hand it can give the dog time to sniff to know you're friendly... they can sniff without being forced to sniff your hand.Their noses are far more superior than ours & they don't need close contact forced upon them to smell you.

🚩Some dogs might not want to know you. You have no relationship with them and that's perfectly fine. They aren't your dog so you don't need to touch them or steal pats for your own satisfaction.

🤔 If you are meeting a dog, what should you do?
⚠Ask the owner if you can interact with their dog. Not all people want strangers touching their dogs. Especially strangers who you are unlikely to see again.
⚠Stand up straight & relaxed, with your hands at your side.
⚠Ignore the dog & talk to the owner.
⚠Don't stare at the dog & don't try to force an interaction by going in for a pat. If the dog wants to know you, it will come up to you & sniff around. Usually they will move away & then come back for a second sniffathon. Some dogs will bunt your hands & wag their tails, which are good signs that you're likely an accepted new friend. Give them a few slow pats down their back (NOT THEIR HEAD) & then stop. Is the dog happy? Has it accepted your interaction? This will determine whether you can give it more pats.

🐶This is a more stress free option for dogs & a reason why in consultations we can develop a good level of trust, especially with fearful dogs & aggressive dogs, without a bunch of negative side effects from forced interactions.