I Love Animals

Dogs are a man’s best friend. That has always been the belief ever since. Why not? Because of their care, loyalty and sweetness to their owners, people will have a hard time not loving them.

Unfortunately for some dog owners and some people, the dog becomes their worst enemy. Just imagine the life of the mail man. The mail man has been always portrayed in movies or cartoons as a biting post of dogs. This is not a stupid joke. I have a n uncle who worked as a mail man and got bitten by a dog.

In fact, there are more people aside from mailmen that get victimized by dog bites. Every year there are 4.7 million people that get bitten by dogs. Among the 4.7 million people that get bitten, 17% needs medical attention. Also, 10-20% of tragic bite victims are killed by dog bites.

Since this has been a growing problem, certain breeds have been banned in some U.S. states. Here are the top 10 breeds that cause dog bites in no particular order. Rottweilers, pit bulls, huskies, German shepherds, Dobermans, malamutes, St. Bernards, chow chows, Akitas and Great Danes.

The dog’s behavior of being aggressive or non-aggressive greatly depends on the owner’s responsibility and training of the dog. Here are several steps that the owners can take to make their dog safe around other people.

• Make your puppy have social interaction with other dogs and people after it gets vaccinated. This will help the puppy feel that other dogs and humans are not threatening. The puppy will then learn to be friendlier. Bring the puppy to the park, pet store or even puppy classes.

• Spraying or neutering the dog will greatly help reduce the risk. When the dog is neutered some of its territorial instincts like territorial aggression are reduced. Most fatal dog bites (80%) are caused by non-neutered male dogs. So trying to neuter your aggressive male dog will help keep it safe around other people.

• Always remember to restrain your dog when interacting with strangers or in a public place. You can’t predict your dog’s behavior even though you may say that it’s really friendly. Try to restrain him with a leash when in a public place. Also prevent strangers from interacting with the dog because the stranger might startle him or her. When leaving the dog alone in your yard, remember to enclose him on a fence that will be suitable for its size.

• It is the dog’s nature to bite anything, so training it to not bite anything will greatly help. Distraction will work on a dog when it is biting anyone. Try to make a quick sound such as a clap or saying “ow”. After, make the dog chew the chew toy. It will greatly help in training if the dog is rewarded when biting the right stuff.

• Always watch your dog’s behavior. When the dog is really aggressive and can’t be trained, get help from the vet.

Being able to follow these things can help prevent the risk of your dog to society. Instead of becoming public enemy number 1 it could be America’s sweetheart. So be a responsible owner.

Cat Food Fact #1 Cats must get their Protein

Protein is crucial for your cat’s health, and generally comes from fish, meat or poultry. Advertisers will often say their brand is beef, turkey or mackerel flavoured, but it may not actually contain those products, meaning it may not be rich in protein. Always ensure the food you buy but your cat has a sufficient amount of protein in it, irrespective of the flavour.

Cat Food Fact #2 Cat Food with Taurine

Taurine is an important amino acid for your cat, and you should also check that the food you buy contains this supplement. Cats control their own levels and indicate these with their appetite. If you cat is eating a lot, the food you are buying may not have enough nutrients for a balanced diet. You can watch your cats weight by buying a nutrient rich food as your cat will eat less and you might even save money.

Cat Food Fact #3 Canned or Dry Cat Food?

Cats require a varied diet, including a mixture of canned and dry food. Contrary to opinions that it doesn’t matter, buying only one type of food because of convenience or price is a mistake, and can harm your cat’s health. When the cat is alone or unattended for a period, carbohydrate rich dry food should be left out for your cat with a supply of fresh water. Tinned food is higher in protein due to the meat content, and contains higher water levels. Both are essential for a balanced diet, and a combination of both dry and canned food will keep essential variety in the diet and prevent the cat from seeking food elsewhere.

Cat Food Fact #4 Avoid fillers in cat food

Protein is essential for your cat as part of a balanced diet. Ensure the food you buy is rich in protein, and not overly full of carbohydrates, common fillers used by manufacturers to build out volume. Always read the label, and check for overly high levels of carbohydrate and other by-products in the cat food.

The German shepherd’s pedigree evolves from two bloodlines, work and show. A dog with a working bloodline pedigree possesses high intelligence, a good temperament and is highly trainable. The show pedigree adds a noble appearance to the list. Together, the two bloodlines comprise the ideal dog for any owner’s special requirements and wishes.

Most Shepherds exported from Germany are known as Schutzhun and are primarily show breeds. A show breed is one that is prized more for its appearance, as if a piece of art, than for its ability to perform tasks. Show dogs generally are “”entire”", which means not neutered or spayed. Entire specimens usually fetch much higher prices than those that have been spayed or neutered. A winning show or work breed in Germany is called a Sieger.

It’s easy to tell the pedigree of a German shepherd if you know its ancestry. If a dog’s lineage has a reputation for high achievement, it earns the pedigree of a working dog. Show achievements - such as fine coat, beautiful cream and brown arrangements on the coat, and numerous other attributes - present a show dog pedigree. Pedigrees also have their own titles. A male dog, which is either working or show, has an SchH 3 title and a female, SchH 1. However, if the female has the title SchH 2 or 3, then it shows that that female dog is a working pedigree. The best pedigree is one who has a well-balanced proportion of both show and working bloodlines.

For an Arowana enthusiast, there is probably no more exciting and educational experience than visiting a CITES certified Arowana farm. The owners, employees and affiliates of the world’s top Arowana farms possess incomparable experience, knowledge, and resources. Even a few hours spent among the leaders in the Arowana industry can be an inspirational (and humbling) experience.

The Evolving Role of the Arowana Farm

Perhaps any commercial farm would hold interest to someone intrigued by the stock being bred. Yet few types of farms worldwide can boast the single-handed preservation of a species!

As a result of CITES classification of Arowanas as endangered species on the brink of extinction, innovative Arowana experts began relentlessly pursuing captive breeding more than two decades ago. As slow-maturing, temperamental mouth-brooders sensitive to captivity, this was no simple matter. Through trial-and-error and practical experience, effective breeding practices were eventually discovered. It was the success of captive-breeding that allowed the commercial trade of Arowanas to be reinstated.

Not only were captive breeding techniques developed on Arowana farms, scientific discoveries were made isolating the DNA responsible for prized varieties. This helped ensure and protect the quality of the breeding stock and the long-term survival of the best of the species.

Excellence in Operation

Arowana farms offer visitors a unique opportunity to witness first-hand some of the most innovative and highly profitable fish farming practices in the world today. The care given to maintaining breeding stock, managing breeding pairs, and securing and rearing young fry is difficult to comprehend until it is seen.

Arowana farming involves a painstaking commitment to detail. The fish demand uncompromising water quality conditions every moment of every day. They must be fed quality foods at appropriate times and receive appropriate supplements, as well. CITES certification requirements demand strict adherence to identification practices, micro-chipping, and paperwork. Absolutely nothing can be left to chance if the Arowana are to prosper and the farm is to succeed.

Some farms specialize in more than top quality Arowana production. Many conduct research and develop new and valuable Arowana care products. Commercial foods, vitamin and mineral supplements, water conditioning treatments and filter systems and media are just some of the products developed by farms. Seeing the practice behind cutting-edge technology is yet another advantage of an Arowana farm visit.

In addition to the breeding ponds, growing tanks, and exciting new Arowana care items, visitors to an Arowana farm enjoy a rare, up close look at a variety of Arowanas. Outside of a temporary Arowana contest or exhibition, there is no place on earth likely to house as many quality Arowanas in one place. Most farms specialize in breeding all three types of the Asian Arowana species. With so many on hand, visitors are given a rare opportunity to learn to spot quality as well as prized characteristics of each type of Arowana.

Planning Your Farm Visit

When you’re ready for the trip of a lifetime, take the time to find a quality Arowana farm to visit. Communicate with a representative frequently beforehand to ensure you will be welcome and allowed admission. Discuss how in depth you would like your visit to be and arrive when you can best be accommodated. Remember you are a guest of very busy individuals engaged in an extremely complex operation.

If possible, try scheduling a trip to include tours of more than one Arowana farm. Many farms conduct breeding operations quite differently from each other, and you will benefit from the exposure to more than one expert.

1. Your cat can’t eat the fish.

If you have a virtual fish and a virtual cat, I recommend keeping them in separate hard drives.

2. Virtual fish are very low maintenance.

You’ll be delighted to have something in your life that’s low maintenance. Simply dust the monitor of your aquarium every couple of weeks for a screen that gleams.

3. Virtual fish don’t die.

Have you or your kids ever became attached to a fish just to have it kick the bucket? Never let this unfortunate event happen again—virtual fish have long lifespan. In fact, there has never been a recorded death of a virtual fish, though viruses and spyware have been a threat.

4. Virtual fish don’t smell fishy.

Virtual fish don’t smell at all. Well actually, they do, but the human nose can’t detect virtual smells and as far as I know, dogs can’t either.

5. No more flushing unwanted fish down the toilet.

If you get tired of a virtual fish, simply hit the delete key and vaporize it into cyberspace.

6. No more trips to the pet store.

How many times have you taken your kids to the pet store to purchase a goldfish and came home with a goldfish, a puppy and a gerbil? You can fill your virtual aquarium by simply downloading fish from the Internet. Don’t worry—virtual puppies and gerbils are easy to take care of too.

7. Virtual water-dwellers are less expensive.

Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a few fish; spend a few dollars on hundreds of virtual fish.

8. You can mute a virtual aquarium.

Now you can get rid of that annoying hum of the air pump—just turn down the volume.

9. Keep great white sharks in the house.

Laws prohibit you to have even a raccoon as a pet—you’ll never be able to hide a great white shark. However, you can have a virtual great white, hammerhead, tiger and sand shark. And that’s just in the living room.

10. Virtual aquariums mean no water damage.

Sit a virtual aquarium anywhere in the house, even on that old antique table. Your virtual aquarium will never leak or spill, but it may freeze up now and then.

Aggressive dog behavior can not only take the fun out of having a dog, it can be dangerous too. The last thing you want to see in your beloved canine is aggressive dog behavior.As soon as most dog owners see aggressive dog behavior, they try and do something about it, of course. Unfortunately, what these owners do is yell at their dogs or hit their dogs to try and get control of the canine aggression. With aggressive dogs, it’s easy to make mistakes that can lead to big problems. To make sure you don’t make these mistakes, avoid these aggressive dog behavior training no-nos:1. The first mistake people make with aggressive dogs is keeping the dogs penned up. Not exercising an aggressive dog is a big no-no!A bored dog is far more likely to be an aggressive dog. Most dogs have a lot of pent-up energy. They’re simply designed to be active. When you don’t allow your dog to be as active as he or she wants to be, this can lead to problems. The best way to avoid dog aggression is to work off that pent-up energy. Take your dog on daily, long walks. Play fetch with your dog. The more you interact with an aggressive dog in a playful, fun way, the less aggression you’ll see.2. Another big aggressive dog behavior mistake is hitting the dog. Training aggressive dog techniques require touch, but not hitting! You never want to hit any dog, but certainly not an aggressive dog. Violence will simply encourage aggressive behavior.To correct an aggressive canine, pull at the scruff of the neck or gently nudge the dog. A firm voice and a specific gesture that telegraphs your displeasure will work too. Your goal in correcting an aggressive dog is to surprise and get across your message. You’re not trying to hurt or punish the dog.3. Being a wimp is a big aggressive dog training no-no. Dog training aggressive behavior out of your dog requires you to be the boss! A wimp isn’t going to be affective at dog training aggressive behavior out of a dog.Dogs need guidance. They need a leader. Dog parenting doesn’t simply mean care. It means leadership too. To establish leadership with an aggressive dog, be sure you’re the one in control. Enter a room first unless you give your dog the okay to go ahead of you. Establish that you’re head honcho.4. Dealing with repeated dog biting yourself is a big mistake. Aggressive dog training for dog biting requires the pros. If your dog bites, you need aggressive dog training from a professional dog trainer. Don’t try and deal with a biting dog yourself. The consequences are too dire. If the above tips don’t help control aggressive dog behavior, get some help. Your dog deserves to be well-socialized so he or she can have a happy life. Take steps now to deal with aggressive dog behavior.