One dogs contem....contemp....con-tem..pla-tions on daily life........oh, stop rolling your eyes already and give me break, I'm a dog, for Gods sakes...

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A dog sleeping between Russian soldiers. (Prague, 1945)


The good boys of the great war.


   


Dogs played a vital part in the first world war, without them, the whole army could not function.

‘Ratters’;
Small dogs used to keep pests under control in the trenches.

Sentry dogs;
Dogs kept at military bases or camps with the job of notifying their masters of unknown presences nearby.

Scout dogs;
Dogs used in the field to scout out enemies.

Casualty or ‘Mercy’ dogs;
Dogs that scouted out the wounded on the battlefield. They carried first-aid kits for soldiers to help themselves. If the soldier was dying, the dog would stay and keep them company in their last moments.

Messenger dogs;
Dogs used to send messages from the front to headquarters and back during the war. All messages had to be physical, since electronic communication was still very unreliable. Dogs were used instead of humans because they were much faster and less vulnerable to sniper-fire.

Mascot dogs;
Dogs that emotionally supported the men trapped in the horrors of the trenches. They reminded them of the comforts of home and gave them hope. Even Adolf Hitler, who served in Belgium, kept a dog at his side at all times.

Playing with your dog is good for your heart, study says



by Melissa Scavelli

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Most pet owners probably already know this, but now a study says playing with your dog can lead to better heart health.
Dog owners are 31 percent less likely than those without pets to die from a heart attack or stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
AHA also said the study showed the people who live with dogs and have prior heart health issues actually had a substantial decrease in risk of death.
Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nicole Schlechter visited dogs at Nashville Humane Association earlier this month to help show that playing with dogs is good for your heart.
Dr. Schlechter said owning a pet is proven to reduce stress levels while improving emotional support and increases physical fitness. She has two dogs of her own, Emma and Junior.




George Washington Loved Dogs So Much, He Wrote To A British General About A Dog Mid-Battle





George Washington showed his loyalty by returning a terrier to it’s rightful owner–even when the owner was the enemy. After the Battle of Germantown, Washington found a small terrier running around the battlefield between British and American lines. It turns out that General Howe’s dog had gotten loose, as it was identified by it’s collar. Washington’s soldiers suggested that the dog be kept as a trophy of the British to weaken the morale of the British General Howe. Instead, Washington took the pup back to his tent where he fed him, brushed him and cleaned him. He then wrote a letter and attached it to the dog’s collar. To everyone’s surprise, he ordered a cease fire and had his aide return the terrier under a flag of truce.

How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog?



 FEB 24, 2020

As with most questions in life, the answer to how often you need to bathe your dog isn't black-and-white — or brindle, for that matter. Although dogs do groom themselves, which helps hair follicles grow and supports general skin health, they still need baths to get rid of the grime.
That said, most people actually bathe their dogs more than necessary. So how often should you bathe your furry friend?
A dog's breed, coat, lifestyle and health all factor into determining optimal bathing frequency. Obviously, if your dog smells or is visibly dirty, it's bath time. Some dogs love bath time, and as long as your dog is healthy and has no special grooming requirements, it is fine to bathe him or her as often as once a week.
Surprisingly, according to Dr. Jennifer Coates, veterinary adviser to PetMD, healthy dogs without skin conditions will be fine with only a bath or two a year, to control "natural doggy odors." And the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends bathing a dog about once every three months, but there are many reasons to adjust bathing schedules.
Breed Matters
There are a lot of dog breeds with different types of coats, so it's a good idea to ask your vet for grooming guidance, including how often to bathe your dog and what products to use. A dog's skin has a different pH level than human skin, and it's more sensitive, so avoid using "people" products on dogs. Although the rule of "more hair, more baths" is generally accurate, there are exceptions, such as hairless breeds like the Chinese crested dog, that are high maintenance and need weekly baths.
Then there are breeds where brushing and combing is often more important than bathing. A breed with double-coated, thick shedding hair — like a Shetland sheepdog — is grooming intensive and needs combing and brushing before, during and after a soaking and moisturizing bath.
Samoyeds, huskies and other arctic breeds need to be brushed at least once a day during shedding season to avoid knots and dreadlocks that can cause serious skin conditions if left in their coats. If these breeds are brushed enough, baths should be kept to a minimum or avoided altogether, so the natural protective oils aren't stripped from their coats.
Short-coat breeds, like pugs, dalmatians and greyhounds, typically need fewer baths, and often a good rubdown with a damp washcloth is enough to remove dirt.
Over-bathing dogs with slightly longer coats — like Labrador and golden retrievers — can disrupt the seasonal insulation process. A bath every four to six weeks or less is fine. But frequent — if not daily — brushing is important. Using an antidandruff shampoo when you do bathe them can also help keep their skin from drying out.

The Dog's Lifestyle and Health
You also need to consider Fido's health and lifestyle when determining how often he needs a bath. Dogs who frequent dog parks and lakes, or those who spend a lot of time outside rolling around in the dirt, obviously need more baths than indoor dogs who primarily go for daily leash-walks in the neighborhood.
If your dog snuggles in the bed or has furniture privileges, you may want to bathe him more, but wiping his paws clean might also be enough.
Some dogs have skin diseases or allergies and may need more or less bathing than other dogs. If your dog has a skin condition, bathing him too often could exacerbate it and cause discomfort, so talk to your veterinarian and heed their instructions regarding how often to bathe him.
No matter how often a dog is groomed, it's best to start a regular bathing routine when he's a puppy. Even if the routine is four times a year or less, a dog who begins baths as a puppy is usually more cooperative than one who does not — and incorporate routine nail trimmings and ear cleanings in the puppy routine, as well.
Plus, it'll be harder to try your patience if you start bathing your dog while he's a puppy and just learning how the world works, mostly because he'll still be so incredibly cute.



Integrative Pet Vet: Oral health is critical for quality of life



Dr. Ron Carsten

Oral health is extremely important for everyone including our pet companions. Since oral health is so critical in animals, February has been designated National Pet Dental Health month. Oral health involves all the tissues in the mouth, but the teeth and gums are most commonly affected. It is estimated that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have oral disease by the age of 33 years and nearly 100% by 5 years. Periodontal disease is thought to be the most common inflammatory disease in dogs and the most common health problem affecting dogs and cats. Oral disease is often a progressive problem involving calculus build up on the teeth, inflammation and infection in the gums (gingivitis and periodontitis), swollen and painful gums, gum recession, tooth root abscesses, and tooth loss. These problems can lead to increased risk of kidney, heart and liver damage.
Body surfaces like the mouth, intestinal tract and skin have a layer of microorganisms that form a microbial biome. These microbes form a complex community through their microbial interactions, and they are influenced by environmental factors like the types of foods ingested and secretions like saliva and bile. Since bacteria in the mouth interact with food to form plaque that sticks to the tooth surface, the composition of the oral microbial biome has important impacts. Plaque hardens into dental calculus (tartar) in about 48 hours. It is the plaque and calculus that contains bacteria and bacterial toxins that trigger immune reactions in the gum tissue. The sulcus is a shallow fold in the gum tissue where it attaches to the tooth. Buildup in the sulcus is less visible than buildup on the rest of the tooth but can be a bigger problem because of the prolonged contact with the gum tissue.
Inflammation and infection triggered by the plaque and calculus can cause damage to the attachment of the gum tissue to the tooth and to the attachment of the tooth to the bone of the jaw. These damaging processes lead to periodontal disease, which includes gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and periodontitis (loss of bone and soft tissue around the tooth). Unfortunately, the damage from periodontal disease is not confined to just loss of teeth. It can progress into formation of a hole between the mouth and the nasal cavity, weakening of bone leading to fractures of the jaw, and bone infection. Bacteria in the mouth can also enter the bloodstream leading to damaging changes in the kidneys, liver and heart.
One study estimates that in dogs there is a 1.4 times increased risk of damage to the heart and kidneys, and 1.2 times risk of liver damage for each square centimeter of periodontal disease burden in the mouth. This can be even more significant when the entire mouth is involved. Another study found that the risk of abnormal kidney blood tests increased from 1.6 to 2.7 as the stage of periodontal disease progresses from 1-4.
It is important to recognize that development of plaque and calculus are inevitable; therefore, efforts to reduce or limit them are important. Teeth brushing is a valuable approach, but it can be challenging to implement. It is reported that less that 1% of pets have regular teeth brushing. Dental chews, dental toys and certain foods are designed to act in a similar way to brushing. Oral flushes and water additives have also been developed. Other approaches include attempts to change the chemistry of the saliva so that the formation of plaque and calculus are reduced. Use of oral probiotics are also showing promise by improving the microbial biome in a beneficial manner.
For the typical pet, even with regular teeth brushing, regular dental cleaning is important. Some dog breeds, especially small breeds like pugs, Boston terriers, Yorkshire terriers, and Chihuahuas are prone to oral disease and need more frequent care and cleaning. Supportive supplements for the mouth include vitamins A and C for the gum tissue. Adrenal support can be beneficial for modulating inflammation.
If you have questions about your pet companion’s oral health, contact your veterinarian.
Ron Carsten, DVM, PhD, CVA, CCRT was one of the first veterinarians in Colorado to use the integrative approach, has lectured widely to veterinarians, and has been a pioneer in the therapeutic use of food concentrates to manage clinical problems. He is also the founder of Colorado Animal Rescue (CARE). In addition to his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, he holds a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology and is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. He practices integrative veterinary medicine in Glenwood Springs.






The Hope And Hype Of Diabetic Alert Dogs



It's a few minutes before services on a Sunday morning at Bethany United Methodist Church in West Jefferson, N.C. The handbell choir warms up and an acolyte lights candles.
Church member Peggy Lynn Gibson walks in with her dog, a stout, cream-colored golden retriever named Rocky. The congregants greet Rocky like an old friend.
"How are you? You're a sweetheart," one man says to the dog. "And so are you," the man tells Gibson.
Pastor Dan Money welcomes the congregation as Rocky, an honorary church member, settles in at Gibson's feet in a pew near the back.
"We love Rocky, right? And we love Peggy," Money says from the pulpit on the day NPR visited.
Gibson, a 67-year-old retired nurse, is one of more than a million Americans with Type 1 diabetes, a difficult-to-manage autoimmune disease. People with the disease face a constant struggle to control the amount of sugar in their bloodstream. If it gets too low, it can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, or death.
And Rocky was there to help. He's a diabetic alert dog specially trained to smell dangerous changes in someone's blood sugar and alert them with a paw or a nudge before it becomes a medical emergency, and he was a gift from the church community. A chili lunch, a silent auction, even a concert by local musicians all helped with his $15,000 price tag.
 Back at her home just outside West Jefferson's picture postcard downtown, Gibson talked about why she sought canine help.
"In these senior years, it became harder to recognize whether my blood sugar was going too high or whether it was going too low. That was partly what prompted me to look into getting a diabetic alert service dog," she says.
But while Gibson obviously loves Rocky, he doesn't provide the service she and her neighbors paid for. Unfortunately, that may be par for the course. The diabetic alert dog industry is unstandardized and largely unregulated. And the science on a dog's ability to reliably sniff out blood sugar changes is, at best, inconclusive.
Hope and hype
Gibson says she was influenced by the online marketing campaign of Diabetic Alert Dogs of America, the Nevada company that sold Rocky.
"They have their stories on there about the dogs they've trained and the people they've placed them with. And, you know, it [seemed] sound to me," Gibson says.
If you research diabetic alert dogs, you'll find a lot of hope for their role in managing Type 1 diabetes. And you'll find a fair amount of hype.
Television news stories about the dogs often uncritically accept their abilities, using words like "incredible" and "amazing." In fundraising campaigns, would-be alert dog owners position them as critical solutions to their disease.
NPR reviewed nearly 500 active GoFundMe campaigns that mention "diabetic alert dog." More than a third used phrases like "lifesaver" or "lifesaving."
Dog training companies make similar claims. Several of them have faced lawsuits or complaints recently from consumers who bought diabetic alert dogs that they say don't work.
In Texas, a group of more than a dozen dog buyers sued a trainer for fraud and won a judgment for $800,000. In Virginia, the attorney general sued a service dog vendor after customer complaints about its dogs, which were marketed as "backed by science" and "100 percent effective."
The Virginia attorney general claimed that the company, Service Dogs By Warren Retrievers, deceived consumers about the animals' abilities and cost, in many cases simply selling "a $25,000 pet." Company lawyer Glen Franklin Koontz tells NPR his client denies the allegations and calls the lawsuit "baseless." He stands by the "backed by science" claim and adds: "A fully trained dog is 100 percent effective."
The reason it might take a lawsuit to fight back against perceived or actual shortcomings in an alert dog is that trainers and dogs generally aren't required by any authority or regulator to perform to any particular standards.
While Rocky was marketed as a "certified" alert dog, the certification came only from the company that sold the dog. Soon after Gibson got Rocky, it was clear to her that he wasn't cut out to be a service dog in public, especially in the windy high country of North Carolina.
Gibson says Rocky is easily frightened by common noises such as umbrellas opening and motorcycles passing, and can't work as an alert dog while he's scared.
"The first day that I had him out on my own, the wind blew up. He got so scared that he couldn't run fast enough to try to hide," Gibson says. "It was just pure fear."
That was in April 2017, right after she had to sign a series of disclaimers as a condition of getting the dog. One document said Rocky "met her expectations as a diabetic alert dog," even though she had only two days' experience with him.
Another document said Rocky has a "free will" and wasn't guaranteed to do what Gibson and her community paid $15,000 for: alert her to blood sugar changes.
"I answered everything because I was so excited that he was there and I was positive," Gibson says. "I was hoping everything was going to be wonderful and then after the dust settled, everything wasn't wonderful."
One paper she signed said Rocky wasn't guaranteed to "perform any specific action at any specific time."
The sweeping disclaimer might sound at odds with an expensive purchase that people trust with their lives. But research on alert dogs suggests it might also be a reality check about the abilities of diabetic alert dogs in general.
What the science says
University of Virginia psychologist Linda Gonder-Frederick tracked the performance of 14 diabetic alert dogs in a 2017 study. Before the study, their owners believed the dogs would prove more accurate than their glucose monitor devices. That didn't happen.
"Overall, they really were not that reliable or accurate," she says.
Of 14 dogs in the study, only three performed better than statistical chance. That's similar to what an Oregon researcher reported in 2016. The dogs in that study detected low blood sugar events 36% of the time. They also had false positives. Only 12% of the dogs' alerts happened during actual low blood sugar events.
 Gonder-Frederick says some dog owners overestimate their beloved dogs' talents, perhaps as they would a favored grandchild.
"People might notice and remember when the dog is accurate much more easily than they would notice or remember when the dog was not accurate," she says. "You find a person who believes very strongly in their dog, when in fact maybe the dog's right half the time."
The psychological process at work, she says, is a kind of confirmation bias.
Her research also contradicted what some believe — or hope — is true: That the dogs can be a good safety net for those who worry about blood sugar dropping as they sleep. Some parents have turned to the dogs to safeguard their children during the night.
"The accuracy just plummeted during the night. Dogs have to sleep too. Obviously, a dog cannot work 24/7," Gonder-Frederick says.
There's not too much other research, but what does exist isn't more encouraging. A study published in 2015 and a 2019 British study did find good performance but involved possible conflicts of interest. Both studies were co-written by the dogs' trainers or suppliers. Authors of both articles tell NPR the arrangements did not amount to conflicts and didn't bias the studies.
A trainer's guarantee
Edwin Peeples, who co-owns Diabetic Alert Dogs of America, says he has trained nearly 700 dogs and more than 9 out of 10 of his clients are satisfied.
He says issues like Gibson's — where a dog can't perform well in public — represent the toughest part of training an alert dog, and that he does his best to train the dog to work in the owner's environment. And for dogs that don't work out, Peeples says he has a training guarantee.
"They can bring that dog to my doorstep right here in Las Vegas," Peeples says. "Our response will be: I will do my absolute best to try to fix it, and if I can't, you get a brand-new dog."
But Jessica Moye, an Ohio mom with Type 1 diabetes, had a long-running dispute with Peeples and now helps run a Facebook group dedicated to complaints about Peeples' company. She says the replacement dog guarantee can mean little when there's a child involved.
 Jessica Moye spent $11,000 on Hachi, who Moye says has not been reliable as a diabetic alert dog. 
Maddie McGarvey for NPR "The child bonds with the dog, and then they have to choose whether or not to send the dog back and start over again, looking for that lifesaving alert," Moye says. "Or if they just let their child go on with life with this dog, regardless of the fact that it isn't working for them."
Moye got her dog, Hachi, in 2016 and paid Peeples' company $11,000 for him. Hachi was supposed to paw her if her blood sugar was out of range.
"Hachi was never a reliable alerter. If I got into his face and asked for the paw, sure, he would give me his paw," Moye says. "But there was never any link to the scent of my breath and whether my blood sugar was high or whether my blood sugar was low."

A book from Diabetic Alert Dogs of America sits in the home of Jessica Moye, who purchased her dog Hachi from the company.
Maddie McGarvey for NPR
When Peeples agreed to refund some of her money, it was conditioned on her signing a nondisclosure agreement barring her from discussing the company with others. He says he required the agreement because he didn't want it publicly known that he was providing a refund. She refused to sign, leaving several thousand dollars on the table.
Now, through the Facebook group, Moye says she's heard from dozens of Peeples' clients. Some have struggled with dogs that are too aggressive or have other problems. Some are happy.
A happy paradox
While researchers have found little evidence that dogs can reliably sniff out blood sugar changes, they have encountered a kind of paradox: People who get alert dogs tend to do better with their diabetes.
"They may just be more engaged with their diabetes," says Gonder-Frederick, the researcher. "They may be checking their blood glucose much more often than they used to. The dog is sort of a pleasant reminder of diabetes."
 Jessica Moye spends time with Hachi in her yard outside Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 30. Moye helps run a Facebook group dedicated to complaints about the company Diabetic Alert Dogs of America.
Maddie McGarvey for NPR
Sitting at her kitchen table with Rocky at her feet, Gibson says the dog has helped her feel less alone with her disease.
That's despite the fact that, she says, he doesn't work well when he's scared from a thunderstorm or some other noise, and doesn't alert her to blood-sugar changes at the rate she says the vendor promised - 80 percent of the time. Also, she complains that he was trained to alert her by jumping on her, and she says he's more than half her weight.
Still, Gibson says: "There will be just times that he'll come and put his head on my leg and just look up at me, — as if he understands in some way what I'm going through. He's always there for me."
But, she says, "I felt sorry that Rocky as an animal was chosen to do a job he wasn't equipped to do. That's not fair to the animal. Neither is it fair to me as the recipient of a $15,000 specially trained dog that isn't capable of doing his job."
She says she plans to try to retrain Rocky herself, and despite his "guarantee," she has no plans to send him back.
Huo Jingnan and Cat Schuknecht contributed to this story.