Shedding

Although I love dogs I must say one thing I could do without is the shedding. Nothing is more discussing than living in  house full of dog hair. Fortunately for people there are hypoallergenic dogs! The difference with these animals is that they have air not fur so the do not shed. On the other hand since they don't shed they do require more grooming. Some examples of hypoallergenic dogs are maltese, Shih tzu, Poodle, and Bishon Frise. When it comes time to picking a dog choose what best suits you!

Keep these food items away from your pet!

I am sure every one has heard that  you should never feed your dogs chocolate. There is component in cocoa powder that is fatal to dogs if ingested in large amounts. The reason why it is harmful to dogs and not humans is because humans can break down this component easily and in a dogs body it metabolizes so slowly that it can build up toxins in their systems.

Second food to keep away from your precious pet is grapes. Although this little fruit seems harmless and healthy to humans it contains a substance that is extremely toxic to dogs. Consumption of grapes can lead to vomiting diarrhea and even kidney failure. So definitely keep this food away from your pet!

Last  but not least, onions! This food can actually be extremely fatal to dogs wen ingested. The enzyme in onions causes a breakdown of red blood cells within the animals body. So all in all to keep you animal happy and healthy keep them away from chocolate, grapes, and onions!

Happy National Puppy Day!

3/23 It's national puppy day! This national celebration might be better than Christmas. Being a dog (puppy) lover I think its more than fitting to have a day dedicated to celebrating puppies. National Dog day is on the 28th of Aug. This day is strictly for puppies so to celebrate lets enjoy some cute pictures of pups.

Picking a dog name

There are so many possible options for names when it comes to a new dog. The number one names for females are Bella, Lucy, Molly, Daisy. For male dogs the top names are Bailey, Max , Charlie, and Buddy. But who even wants a common name for a dog anyways? I think the name you pick for a dog should be indicative of the dogs personality. It is known that dogs respond most easily to words that are one syllable. So when picking a name its best to use a 1-2 syllable names. This link is a helpful quiz you can take to pick out a name for your new pet: http://nameyourdoggie.com. My personal favorite names are unique. When I named my dogs I wanted them to be something that no one else had. So when picking a name make sure to choose something fitting for your pet!

Famous Dogs

I am sure you are familiar with one of the most famous animals, Scooby Doo. Although his character is fictional he is still pup we all loved growing up. If Scooby was a real dog he would be a Great Dane. These are enormous dogs, standing they are about 6 feet tall.

The second famous dog is Pluto! This famous Mickey Mouse character is actually a Redbone coonhound. In real life these dogs are great for hunting, but are also very loving and playful, just like Pluto!

Dogs, where did they come from?

The history of dogs goes further back than you can imagine. If we look back to when dogs became pets it dates back to early societies. It has been concluded that dog domestication most likely occurred in Ice Age Europe, between 18,800 and 32,100 years agoThere are arguments of how dogs became pets. One argument states that they were originally used as slaughter :( others claim that they were brought into homes to help humans with tasks such as hunting. I could not imagine living in a world without dogs as pets or even worse, dogs as food. I am happy that thousands of years ago people brought these animals into their homes so today we can have these loving dogs as pets!

Pure vs. Mixed

There are many views on Pure and mixed breed dogs. Many people argue that one is better than the other but I have no preference. Mixed breeds are typically cheaper and usually you adopt them from a shelter. However there are some very expensive mixed breeds such as golden doodles, and puggles. Mix breed dogs have a lower chance of getting congenital diseases. This is because pure bread mating leaves the chance of creating a defective gene. However, mix bread dogs have the risk of behavior issues because you do not always know the mix. It can also be difficult to know how large or small the dog will grow to be. With purebred dogs there is no questioning how they are going to grow, act, and live in your home. Breeders are also ably to guarantee a puppies long term health because they tested the parent genes before breeding the puppies. Aside from all of the opinions and facts about mixed and pure bread dogs, a dod is a dog and you will probably love it either way.

Golden doodle= Golden Retriever + Poodle (mix breed)

Rotweiler= Pure breed

Dogs with Jobs

Dogs first began working with blind war vets in Germany circa 1920. They were used after WWI to aid the wounded veterans with daily tasks. Since then there are now 20,00+ dogs who help people every day. Dogs can aid people with a variety of needs however, the most commonly known is vision and hearing impairment. To become a service dog, the animal is raised with specific, formal training. Typically you see retrievers as service dogs but there are still many different breeds used for assistance. The dogs can be recognized typically by a vest, or harness.Dogs can provide emotional support for things such as anxiety, PTSD, agoraphobia, and autism. They also can serve as seizure alert dogs or traumatic brain injury dogs. People rely a great deal on these animals and they continue to successfully support individuals in their day to day lives.