Cleaner!

Read a book....

'Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.'

- Groucho Marx

 

Have you ever heard of....

....The Carolina Dog?

This breed is extremely similar in appearance to a Dingo, just smaller in size. They are a medium size dog that is very muscular and powerful for their size.
Originating in India, the Carolina Dog is a ‘Pariah Dog’, this is a general name in India for a dog that swarms in every village, and they are owned by no one in particular but will accompany anyone on hunting expeditions. They are one of the only breeds existing today that are truly a primitive dog, being a result of natural selection for survival by nature and not by human’s selective breeding.
The Carolina Dog’s distinct features are valuable for their survival in the swaps and forests of the South and to this day there are still wild specimens to be known so they are not yet completely domesticated though, despite being able to survive on their own throughout swamps, savannahs and deep forests of Carolina and Georgia for thousands of years, the Carolina Dog has been proven to be a highly adaptable breed and able to domesticate, making them an excellent pet.

Guess Who...

'No women, no cry.'

Is Fido in need of a diet plan?

One of the most common health issues our dogs suffer from is excessive weight. 

An overweight dog is an unhealthy dog for many reasons. Particular breeds, especially larger breeds of dog, can be prone to hip and spine issues, any extra weight on them can bring this on earlier in life and even shorten your pets life span. Not only can extra weight cause problems in the hips and spine but it also puts extra pressure on your dog's joints, which can also lead onto early arthritis and cause serious pain for your pet.

A lot of us make the same mistake, we all want to spoil our mates and make them feel like part of the family, but how much is too much?

Dogs are very smart creatures and can work out our routine very quickly.

One of the most common things is;

'He's hungry, he's looking for more food.'

If they know that food is going to be given to them when they display a certain behaviour then they will continue that.

It is a common problem that a lot of us can't give our dogs the amount of exercise they require, all dogs would enjoy one decent walk a day. Weather, work and other factors can come into this and change the routine.

Dogs gain weight because they are feed too much and not burning enough energy to get rid of this excess weight. Whether your dog if fed a dry diet, a raw diet or a mixture of both there are guidelines you should always follow. Most dog food's will have stated the amount your dog requires for their size. If your dog is overweight, speak to your vet about the ideal weight they should be at and feed them to this sizing, not their overweight size.

A lot of doggy owner feed twice a day, which is great, but you must remember to break up their daily requirement into two meals, not two servings of the daily requirement. The best thing you can do is feed a larger serving with their morning meal and a smaller serving overnight. Dogs are a lot more active throughout the day so can burn their morning meal a lot quicker. Generally once they eat their night time meal they will head off to sleep for the night, therefor this meal just turns into fat. Keep in mind that their night time meal should just be something little so they aren't sleeping on an empty stomach.

Exercise is obviously another key factor. If your dog isn't getting regular exercise, not only will they get bored but they will gain weight. Depending on the breed and energy levels will depend on how often and how long a walk they will need, but if for some reason their regular amount of exercised is shortened, then adjust their meals accordingly. You are not starving your dog! Many people worry that because their dog can't tell them what they want that they are doing the wrong thing. Dog's are very similar to humans in many ways, if we reduce our meal sizes safely, our body adjusts and our weight is maintained. Dogs are no different to this.

If your not sure if your dog is at a healthy weight it's best to ask your vet, there are guideline for certain breeds but just like humans, every dog is different. Once you work out a good routine with your vet, stick to it! If your dog is used to getting treats throughout the day and you want to keep this up, that if fine! Just reduce their morning and night meals slightly to compensate.

Below is a dog weight chart that you can use as a rough guide, again if you are concerned the best thing to do is speak with your Vet and work out the right food plan for your pet specifically. 

 

 

 

 Good morning to all our friends! What a fantastic week of weather we've had. The sound of puppy dogs splashing in the pools and chasing the hose can't be beaten!
On a different topic this week, we were quite interested to find that the 'Cat' has now been voted into the Monopoly family, after the dog has ruled the single animal position for many years!
We're more then happy to welcome them to family but come on... the dogs always going win right?! 

 

 

The Scottie dog has a new nemesis after Monopoly fans voted to add a cat to the game and eliminate the iron token. From now on, a cat will round the board in iron's place.

The online contest to change the tokens was sparked by chatter on Facebook, where Monopoly has more than 10 million fans. https://www.facebook.com/monopoly. The initiative was intended to ensure that a game created nearly eight decades ago remains relevant and engaging to fans today.

The vote on Facebook closed just before midnight on Tuesday, marking the first time that fans have had a say on which of the eight tokens to add and which one to toss. The pieces identify the players and have changed quite a lot since Parker Brothers bought the game from its original designer in 1935.

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"We put five new tokens out for our fans to vote on and there were a lot of fans of the many different tokens, but I think there were a lot of cat lovers in the world that reached out and voted for the cat to be the new token for Monopoly," said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president for Hasbro gaming marketing.

The 5 pieces that contested for a spot on Monopoly included a cat, robot, diamond ring, helicopter and guitar. Fans from more than 120 countries voted. The cat received 31 percent of votes for new tokens. The results were not entirely surprising to animal lovers.

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By visiting Monopoly's Facebook page, voters chose which piece they most wanted to preserve in the nearly 80-year-old board game. The eight tokens are an iron, racecar, Scottie dog, a shoe, thimble, top hat, wheelbarrow and battleship and their fates hung on the click of a button.

In the final hours of voting, the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck for elimination. They were each sitting at 8% of the total votes, just a few hundred votes separated your favourite token from the bottom of the list. This sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favourite tokens, and the social-media buzz created by the Save Your Token Campaign attracted numerous companies that pushed to protect specific tokens that reflect their products.

Most of the pieces were introduced with the first Parker Brothers iteration of the game in 1935, and the Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s. The Scottie Dog was the most popular of the classic tokens, and received 29 percent of the vote. The iron got the fewest votes and was kicked to the curb.

 

Now the Cat has finally joined the Monopoly family, he can now work alongside the pooch just like Cooinda Cat Resort & Dogs Country Club.

Must be pretty impressed with that, http://www.cooindacattery.com.au/index.html? 

We'll leave it up to you to decided who's better, the Kitty or the Canine?

Until next week,

Gemma & Frodo

P.S - Dogs RULE!

Dog of the Month - Cocker Spaniel.

As our Dogs of the Month, Joe & Georgia are more than excited to tell you a little more about themselves.

Joe & Georgia are both English Cocker Spaniels, one of the oldest known spaniel breeds. Centuries ago, the spaniels were importuned into England and known as general spaniel type dogs. It wasn’t until the differing breeds became obvious that they were divided. This clearly separated the spaniels into 7 different breed;
English Springer, Cocker Spaniel, the Sussex, the Clumber, the Welsh Springer, Field Spaniel and the Irish Water Spaniel.

Both the Springer Spaniel and the Cocker Spaniel were developed together, being bred from the same litters, the larger pups were Springer Spaniels and the smaller pups were Cocker Spaniels. It wasn’t until 1892 that they were recognised as separate breeds. It was then in 1946 that the English and American Cocker Spaniels were registered as separate breeds also.

Regardless of the different sub breeds, the Cocker Spaniel is a compact hunting dog, able to work through difficult terrain. They are excellent at flushing and retrieving game and are very gentle in doing so. One of the game birds they are well known for flushing is the Woodcock, this is how the Cocker Spaniel was given their name.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a very smart dog, they are extremely gentle, playful and affectionate and are excellent with children. They are very much a family dog and love to be part of the family. Training and plenty of stimulation is highly important for this breed, though they do not require a high amount of exercise their minds need to be kept busy. Males will generally grow to about 43cm and weight around 14kg – 15kg, with females only weighing around 12kg – 15kg and can grow up to 41cm. Regular grooming in essential with breeds having quite an excess cotton coat that is prone to matting. Regular clips throughout the year will help with this. 

Joe, giving us a bit of wink - while Georgia is more interesting on the treat hiding in her bed!

Most importantly, the English Cocker Spaniel has a beautiful nature. They are loving dogs that are willing to please and Joe and Georgia love nothing more than a good cuddle!