Radiant Rachel Reflecting on Ruby, Rails, Righteous Rants and Random Rubbish
Pets
To Pet Owners
January 14, 2010
in Pets
I found this on MyCorgi.com on someone else’s blog and I just had to share:
The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.
Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years – canine/feline attendance is not required.
The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.
Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:
TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don’t.
(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don’t smoke or drink,
(7) don’t want to wear your clothes,
(8) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children …
With it being so damn cold this winter, the thing about the bed hits close to home since Izzie has taken up jumping on the bed to sleep with me again. She, of course, demands the prime position on the bed, usually at the foot of the bed on MY side or crawls on to my lap to sleep. The other night we got into a growling match because I picked her up and moved her to the other side of the bed so I could stretch out. Um, dog! Who do you think gives you your food? It doesn’t just appear out of nowhere!
NYC’s Laws Against Large Dog Breeds
September 23, 2009
in Pets
I was stunned this morning when I read this news on the New York Times website: Large Dogs in Public Housing Are Now Endangered Species. The law restricts the breeds in which a resident of public housing may keep and forces residents to forfeit their dogs or be evicted. Some breeds affected are pure-bred or mixed bred pit bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers and any dog with an expected adult weight over 25lbs. Residents with an outlawed dog had until May 1, 2009 to register their dog. The man identified in the article attempted to register his dog but was rejected because he exceeded the previous weight limit of 40lbs (which his dog was.) many other residents were also unable to register before May 1, 2009 and are left with the difficult decision of whether to forfeit their dog, find another residency or try to hide under the radar.
When the country as a whole already has severe problems with abandoned and forfeited dogs and cats, I am literally dumb founded how a progressive city like New York would put in such a ludicrous law that will make that problem worse and overwhelm the already struggling shelters and rescuers that work day and night to find and save abused and neglected animals.
The article cites that 113 dogs have been given up because of the ban. Of the 113, 49 dogs were euthanized either because of their illness, temperament or overcrowding of the shelter.
Those were 49 dogs that because of this ban were taken from loving homes and euthanized. Completely. Unnecessary. I find this to be completely unacceptable and disgusting. Why couldn’t those pets be grandfathered in? When Adam and I were looking at apartments and condos a few weekends ago in New York City a few places no longer allowed pets but we still saw a few running around who had been “grandfathered” in.
It’s more distressing to me because Pembroke Welsh Corgis, like my Isabella, are on average about 30lbs at their adult weight and she is 32lbs as of now. She is the sweetest angel and she would never bite anyone! I don’t know what I would do if I were faced with the horrible decision of either giving up my best friend or losing my home. Luckily, she came from a breeder and she can always go back there, but most dog owners don’t have that luxury.
It’s also distressing that the stereotype of pit bulls and other “bad” dogs are being singled out. Sure, the incidents of a pit bull attack are more common than other dog attacks but it’s the owners that choose whether to raise their dog as vicious or with bad behaviors, not the breed themselves. I’ve seen plenty of aggressive poodles over the years, but they aren’t singled out! There is a pit bull that lives in my complex and he is the sweetest little pup!
I’m hoping that with the complaints from the ASPCA and other human societies will help New York City either repeal and look at dogs on a case by case basis rather than a blanket law. However, I feel that most of the damage has already been done and those 49 dogs can’t be brought back. 
1 Year Checkup
I was hoping to make a post about Izzie and how much she has grown in the short time I’ve had her and come back from the vet with a clean bill of health, but unfortunately not!
I got Isabella from her breeder last June, so now Izzie and I have been best buds for more than a year now. She was due for her yearly checkup and rabies and parvo yearly vaccinations. I had told the vet that she has been bitten by a lot of ticks since we moved into our apartment and that I wanted the Lyme disease test done on her just in case.
The test he did checked for four tick borne diseases (ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease.) After a few minutes (the test was to take at least 10) he already started to see in the test that it was coming up positive for anti-bodies responding to a A. phagocytophilum infection (part of the ehrlichiosis test.)
This bacteria causes lethargy and joint pain in the dog. Luckily, Izzie hasn’t shown any of those symptoms yet, but the vet said that if left untreated should could be put in a lot of pain over the years. Why do that to my best friend? The next step was either to watch and wait, do more blood work to see if it is indeed a large infection ($200-$300) or hit her with the antibiotics anyway ($30.) I think you already know which one I chose. I am not sure why my vet would even suggest more costly blood work when a simple, cheap, antibiotic will clear it right up. :-p
So, I throw in 1 1/2 pills into some peanut butter once a day for her and I’ll have to do it for a month. Hopefully, she’ll be A-OK. But now what am I supposed to do about the crazy amount of ticks around my apartment? I talked to some of the other dog owners in the apartment complex and they have all been complaining about the amount of ticks around. We all use a flea and tick treatment on our dogs but we still see them. One lady called up the manufacturer and complained and they responded that the treatment is 99.99% effective. If the dog is getting ticks it means that you have an INFESTATION of ticks in your complex. UGH.
I think I am going to have to formally complain to the management today and see that they spray around the entire complex and not just around your own apartment. Apparently they only spray bug killer if you request and only around your apartment not the whole complex. Too bad for us owners that walk our dogs all over the place!
The Story of Izzie and Minty
August 14, 2009
in Pets
A baby Izzie and Minty
When Isabella was a baby and i first brought her home, her breeder sent her off with a small mint-colored stuffed squeaky bear. We named him “Minty.” He immediately became Izzie’s favorite toy.
Before Isabella started to fill into her adult body, her baby bark was very shrill and could be heard through the whole house. My dad was the most irritated of all and would bark back at Izzie and tell her to stop.
Shamed, but not to be outdone, Izzie would grab Minty in her mouth and instead of barking, would squeeze Minty repeatedly from under the kitchen table. While we ate dinner all we heard was… “squeak squeak squeak squeak… squeak squeak!”
Unamused, but defeated, my father decided this irritation was better than broken ear drums.
The friendship lasted for months until Izzie had figured out how to rip the innards from Minty’s bowels and was sad to realize that he no longer squeaked. Being the good mommy I am, I went a-searching on the intar-webs and found a store online that sold these silly squeaker toys for under a dollar each. Not only that, but for each one you bought you got one for free.
Suffice it to say, I now have a large collection of “Mintys” for Izzie to play with.
Every few months she’ll get bored with just squeaking the damn thing and decides it’s time to play doctor. She’ll rip him apart and pull all the stuffing out and rip each stitch out like a trained professional.
Izzie and What's Left of Minty
Eventually, for the safety of her stomach (and my carpets) I’ll take his corpse and dispose of him in the nearest trash receptacle. I’ll wait a week or so later again, and then I am the hero once more when I “resurrect” Minty, all well and unscathed, for Izzie to squeak once more.
She runs down the hallway squeaking and giddy, gets to the bedroom and throws Minty into the air and catches him only to quickly tear into him and rip his poor little ear off. And the cycle continues…
Today is Pet Fire Safety Day
July 15, 2009
in Pets
What happens to me in an emergency?
Yes, it seems every stupid thing out in the world has its own holiday, but today’s “day” made me think.
I subscribe to the American Kennel Club newsletter and was alerted that today was “Pet Fire Safety Day.” What does it mean to have a Fire Safety Day? For humans, it’s easy. We teach kids to feel doors and door knobs to see if they are hot before you open a door and to crouch low when there is smoke, but how do we protect our fury friends who (as far as I can tell) are lost on the finer details of the English language.
I’ve thought about it before whenever I first moved into my own apartment almost a year ago. I’ve been good about keeping Isabella in the front room in her kennel so as to not let her wander around while I am gone until she is a bit older (she likes to chew on things and I have this fear she’s going to chew a wire and electrocute herself if left alone.) I also keep her leash right next to the door so I always know where it is, especially in the case of an emergency. I will now have to see about getting myself one of those nifty “Rescue Pets Inside!” stickers for my front window (I remember having something like that on my bedroom window when I was a kid.)
AKC.org posted a nice page on their website dealing with some of the helpful things owners can do.
- Extinguish Open Flames – Pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.
- Pet Proof the Home – Take a walk around your home and look for areas where pets might start fires inadvertently, such as the stove knobs, loose wires and other potential hazards.
- Secure Young Pets – Especially with young puppies, keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home.
- Keep Pets Near Entrances – When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.
- Practicing Escape Routes with Pets – Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or firefighters need to rescue your pet.
- Affix a Pet Alert Window Cling – Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. You can obtain a free window cling here or at AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Days events.
- Keep Your Information Updated – Firefighters are familiar with pet alert window clings so keep the number of pets listed on them updated. Knowing the accurate number of pets in the house aids rescuers in finding all of your pets.
- Use Monitored Smoke Detection Services – As an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms, smoke detectors connected to a monitoring center help save pets who can’t escape when left home alone.
Since I know many of the blogenning bloggers have dogs and/or cats, I thought this would be helpful information. 
