Archive for November 12, 2009
First aquarium to breed dwarf cuttlefish
Anchored to an algae-covered rock in a 120-gallon tank at the California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium, a cluster of inky-colored cuttlefish eggs is beginning to swellevidence of success for the Academy’s new captive breeding program for dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis. The program, pioneered by Academy biologist Richard Ross, is the first of its kind in a U.S. aquarium, and offers the Academy and other institutions the opportunity to study and display a species that is both captivating andat 2-4 inches in lengthless resource-intensive to keep than its larger relatives. “By establishing a stable breeding population,” Ross explains, “our hope is to make it easier for aquariums to showcase cuttlefish and their remarkable characteristics without impacting wild populations”……..
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalin…
Australian army dog found after a year in Afghanistan
The handler of an army-trained labrador that went missing for more than a year says he never gave up hope for the lost dog.
The black Labrador called Sabi went missing in action in southern Afghanistan, during the battle in which the SAS trooper Mark Donaldson won the Victoria Cross.
You’d think I’d learn my dog would eat that…but you’d be wrong
“Dodger, drop it, damn it!”
Yes, I realize that swearing is not part of a formal obedience command, and saying it to my dog means I will never get the human equivalent of a Canine Good Citizen title.
I realize that it’s my fault when he has something in his mouth that he shouldn’t.
I realize that I am not a tidy person or a good trainer, and that this is a bad combination since he is the only dog I’ve ever had who was tall enough to get stuff off the kitchen counter. Unlike my beloved food hound Fred, Dodger doesn’t need to hop on the kitchen chairs to get onto the table. He just stretches out. For a 42-pound runt, he can stretch pretty darn far.
But damn it, last night he ate a 2-ounce container of walnut oil cream. He ate almost all of it before I managed to wrestle away his prize. He grabbed it off the kitchen table while I was showing a friend my new stash of organic oils, stearic acid, shea butter, witch hazel and beeswax, all of which I am using to make personal care items for holiday gifts this year. Items like walnut oil cream.
So even though I know that nothing in the walnut oil cream — which as I recall contains walnut oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and rosewater — will hurt him, it’s expensive stuff to metamorphose into midnight diarrhea. He also left toothmarks on the nifty little jars I bought online for all the stuff I plan to mix and cook and then smoosh onto people’s skin.
It was so tasty Dodger refused to give up the jar for quite a while. “Drop it” is not his strong point, although he has a mean sit. I won the jar, and the battle, but I feel like I’m losing the war. At least the dreaded midnight diarrhea did not show up.
It’s my fault he got into it, just as it is when I leave my underwear on the floor and he chews through the crotch. While I can’t seem to remember to buy a hamper with a lid, I have to keep remembering to buy new underwear. At least I am sporting new colors, and he hasn’t actually swallowed any lately.
Since he loves to shred paper, I am grateful he’s never touched a book, particularly library books. How humiliating would that be? “Hi, my dog ate these four books. How much do I owe you? No, he’s not a puppy. He’s 5. Oh, you know a good trainer?”
Last weekend I wanted to return something to the hardware store and held the shredded receipt in my hand. Was it worth even trying? I stood uneasily at the cash register and said I would understand if the receipt was unacceptable because my dog ate it. “Oh, your dog ate your homework, eh?” said the clerk. I smiled wanly while he returned my money.
If I was a teacher, I would definitely get one of those “The dog ate my lesson plan” t-shirts. Maybe in view of my tearing around chasing him and his ill-begotten prizes, I should wear one of these “It’s all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone” t-shirts. If I thought I could get him in a dog t-shirt, I’d put him in one that says “I love my mom” to remind me he’s not trying to destroy stuff but to either snack or engage me in play (that’s where most of my underwear goes). The food is about snacking; the socks and underwear are all about engaging my attention. I’m not sure what the coffee drinking is all about – he’s way too hyper enough to need caffeine – but one of these days he’s going to break a mug.
With Fred the food-obsessed Westie-Bichon mix, I used a series of escalating anti-Fred devices, i.e., trash cans with increasingly difficult levels of access. I finally had a winner when I bought a stand-alone wooden kitchen cabinet with a pull-out drawer for the trashy. Somehow, that’s just not going to change Dodger’s accessibility. What works for one dog won’t necessarily work for another.
Fred mostly stole food; Dodger is the only dog I’ve had who enjoys shredding paper. Needless to say all paper has the same lack of value to him whether or not it’s a check, a receipt, the phone number of a new business contact, or my ticket to the theater.
I don’t want to explain to a cop why I can’t find the car registration, and I don’t want to tell my friend my dog ate her wedding invitation, so you’d think I’d learn.
But I don’t.
Oh no no no no I know that noise…dear God, what does he have now?
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/…
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animalsense Canine Training and Behavior – ABC7Chicago.com
animalsense Canine Training and BehaviorABC7Chicago.comOur experience-based dog training service has been coaching, inspiring, and cheering on dog owners throughout the Chicagoland area. …Ask the Dog Trainer – Ready for the HolidaysVero Beach Press-Journal (subscription)H3N8 Canine Flu Spreading, Vets WorriedKFSMall 3 news articles » More: continued here
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Shooby The Mixed Breed Dog
This is Shooby, the 9 month old male labrador Retriever mixed breed dog from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo and donation sent by Amy.
Opie The Cocker Spaniel Dog
This is in memory of Opie, the 2 year old male Cocker Spaniel dog breed from Somerset, Kentucky. Photo sent by Amanda & Ryan.
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Extremeanimallover's Blog 