10 Hot Products to Keep Your Pets Cool

Pets love to be outdoors in any season, but summers are especially dangerous times for them. Dogs and cats, especially, are not physiologically equipped to handle hot weather, as they can only sweat through their footpads, mouths, and noses. Here are ten innovative pet products to keep your pets cool during the dog days of summer:

(via)

Rescue dogs aid Italy beachgoers

Scores of specially trained dogs have been deployed as lifeguards on Italy's busiest beaches this summer.

The dogs, mostly of the Newfoundland or Labrador breeds, are trained to jump out of helicopters and boats and swim to the rescue of struggling swimmers.

They are credited with having saved several lives by taking lifebuoys to swimmers and towing them to safety.

(via)

Dog Housebreaking Blues

I’m the youngest of two kids, and my mom always told me that I was so high maintenance that if I was born first, she probably wouldn’t have had a second child. I’m starting to feel that way with my puppies. Our first dog, Rocco, was a breeze to housetrain. He picked up on things fast and had very few accidents in the house. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with Kelso.

I think the main reason is that Rocco was only 4 months old when we got him. He went from the Breeder, to a store, to our home. He hadn’t developed many bad habits yet and caught on right away with our dog litter box training methods.

Kelso, however, has had a different life. He’s 7 months old, and has gone from breeder, to pet store, to his first home (where he was somewhat neglected), to a second home (where he wasn’t compatible with the other pets) and finally to our home. Along his travels, I’m sure he was housetrained a different way in each home. He’s a confused little pup and he doesn’t know what is OK. He has this habit of only doing “his business” on the rug when no one is looking, which leads me to believe he was punished in some way for going on the rug, which is why he basically tries to hide when he has to “go.”

Over the last week, he has shown some improvements. He’s getting more comfortable living in our home, but still has his share of accidents. The most frustrating thing is that he really doesn’t signal before he has to go. With our first dog, Rocco, there is a whole routine he goes through when he needs to relieve himself. He runs wild, sniffs, and circles. Plenty of time for us to know his intentions. Plenty of time during training where we could bring him to where it was OK to “get busy.” Kelso, on the other hand, just stops and “flops.” No barking, no running, no sniffing, no circling. No advance notice.

However frustrating it has been, he’s come a long way in the last week and starting to run over to the litter box on his own first thing in the morning. The evening, on the hand, is a totally different story. So, we just take a deep breath, get out the stain remover and the carpet steamer, and clean the mess. Just part of the housetraining blues.



Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Pirate's Cove, Stuck On Stupid, The Random Yak, Allie Is Wired, and Big Dog's Weblog, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
dogs, housebreaking,

"Silver Dollar" Fish Pic

This fish is commonly referred to as a silver dollar due to its shape and color.
I have two of them in my community tank.

About the Silver Dollar:
Habitat/Care
Silver dollars prefer subdued lighting, dark substrate, plenty of room to move about as well as some good hiding places. Because they will eat live plants, it’s advisable to use plastic plants, or very sturdy live plants. Although not fussy about water conditions, they do best in soft moderately acidic water.

Diet
These fish are mostly vegetarians. Among their favored foods are vegetable flakes such as spirulina, lettuce, watercress, and cooked romaine or spinach. They will also eat cooked vegetables such as peas and squash. When feeing any fresh food, take extra care to remove any uneaten portions promptly, as it will foul the water.

Even though the Silver Dollar prefers a vegetarian diet, they will eat meaty foods as treats. They are especially fond of bloodworms, mosquito larvae (glass worms), and brine shrimp. If the Silver Dollar is in a community tank, watch them at feeding time to ensure that more active and aggressive fish don’t get all the food. Silver Dollars can be rather timid in a crowd, and can end up underfed as a result.

Beetles go head-to-head in boxing face-off

Rhino beetles, which have been likened to mini-tanks with a horn - are popular pets among Japanese boys, who like collecting and breeding them.

Now tournaments are being held in Japan featuring Rhino beetles going into battle with each other. A race is held to eliminate the weaker specimens before the 15 strongest are entered into a boxing ring for the final competition.