Roundup 25 – Favorite Dog Stories of the Week
Did You Celebrate National Mutt Day?
After seeing all of those irritating stories about Hulk (the world’s largest Pit Bull) this week I was feeling a bit miffed. I knew I had to find a way to chill out. So to celebrate National Mutt Day (yesterday) I took Laika on a field trip.
I took her to a nearby beach for a nice swim, but when we arrived there were no less than 50 people there. And although watching Laika strut her stuff, trying desperately to get all the pets from everyone was tempting, I decided to take her elsewhere.
Yes, Laika whines and grovels up to strangers for attention. It works 99% of the time.
So instead of the lake we ended up at the next best place – a good old, smelly swamp. Her favorite swamp game is “leap through the air trying to catch 3 ft long pieces of grass,” so we played that for awhile.
The best part about swamps? Long grass acts as a really nice cushion for dogs with arthritis.
Here’s my picks for this week’s favorite dog stories, deals, and videos. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Have a great weekend; and remember if your dog has arthritis the swamp (or beach) is a great place to play.
Favorite Dog Stories of the Week
A Dog Will Come Running When His Boy Calls Rape
Nothing short of amazing; this is one of the most powerful, honest, touching, & courageous blog posts I’ve ever read. It left me in complete awe, and even a week after reading I still can’t find the right words to describe the impact it’s left.
Why Are Dogs So Insanely Happy to See Us When We Get Home?
All of our dogs have a certain ritual they perform when we arrive home, and without our intervention it’s usually filled with a bunch of yipees & jumping for joy. But why exactly are our dogs so darn excited when we return home? Is it just because they miss us so much?
Choke, Prong and Shock Collars: Why They Don’t Belong On Our Dogs
Excellent article on the numerous physical effects these sorts of collars can have on our dogs. Also goes into why these aversive techniques often lead to dogs just suppressing that behavior, rather than providing opportunities for them to learn.
Of Dogs, Faith and Imams
Amazing personal essay about facing some common perceptions and beliefs when you own a companion dog in Pakistan.
A popular hadith about dogs says that angels won’t enter your abode if there is a dog in the house. Apparently, the angels don’t mind if the dog is out on the lawn or playing in the courtyard. Which basically leads you to the conclusion that angels don’t much care for believers living in small apartments or houses without big lawns.
Entrepreneur Finds Pet Microchip Problem Unsolvable
Depressing article on the sad state of our current microchip program. Before reading this post I knew there were a lot of issues with individual tracking companies, but I didn’t realize how widespread the problems were.
Detroit Gets First No Kill Dog Shelter
I’m extremely happy to announce that Detroit Dog Rescue was able to officially set up their shelter in Detroit. They’ve been rescuing dogs since 2011, but before this week they weren’t licensed to run a shelter in the city.
Detroit Dog Rescue, initially formed in 2011 as a foster-based operation, opened its shelter on Harper on the city’s east side in May of 2014 and has now secured a permit from the state sanctioning the operation.
Best Dog Deals of the Week
- Beefy Bliss Grab Bag 25% Off – Best Bully Sticks
- FURminator DeShedding Tool for Dogs 49% Off – Amazon
- Kyjen Outward Hound Dog Backpack Blue/Medium 46% Off – Amazon
- Kong Rubber Extreme Ball Black/Medium 38% Off – Amazon
This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I’ll earn a small commission.
Favorite Dog Videos of the Week
Best sneeze ever.
Rescue dogs getting a taste of the good life 🙂
New way to play tug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfZW3nsrMNE
Lindsay Stordahl says
I’m reading through all these now and enjoying them, drinking my coffee! These inspire me to be a better writer.
Lauren Miller says
So many amazing articles this week! We did celebrate National Mutt Day! 😀 I also agree with you about the stupid “giant” pit bull thing, too.
Kimberly Morris Gauthier says
This is such a great line up. I visited most of the posts and completely got thrown off my blog reading schedule – LOL. I was planning on catching up on BlogLovin’ – instead I found more blogs to add to the list.
Elaine says
I came across the “Of Dogs, Faith and Imams” article last week too and thought it was really interesting. Lots of great articles, as usual! Thanks 🙂
Sharon Seltzer says
So many great stories, so little time. Thank you for putting the stories in one place so I can catch up.
Mary Haight says
Really good to let people know about the downfalls of coercive methods of “training” — it’s really not training at all, it’s temporary management of behavior. The dog learns nothing and acts completely different without the aversive tool around the neck.
And thanks for the Check the Chip news…wow…I wrote about that woman not long after her quest began and had wondered whatever happened to her! That is very sad to hear how convoluted that whole program is.