Fluffy, Rescue Me!

Fluffy, Viewed from a Window

Playing Favorites

Let's talk about favorites.  My favorite dog ever:  Carla.  My favorite human is my husband, The Handsome One.  My favorite turtle is Malcom.  My favorite snack is popcorn.

These are the ' I like you best' categories of favorites.  While fun to talk about, this type of favoritism is not what today's topic will address. 

We will explore the kind of favoritism that helps maintain order within group of dogs.  Playing favorites can be a handy tool for keeping the peace and exerting control.  In other words, bossing your dogs around.

You see, one of the nifty things about being pack leader is playing favorites is built into the arrangement.  Indeed, if you believe in the theory of pack hierarchy, then you must play favorites.

To review, the hierarchy malarkey goes something like this.  Wolves live in groups known as packs.  Somebody is in charge of that group.  He is the alpha and gets to boss around the other wolves and gets first dibs on the best of important stuff like food, places to sleep and mates. 

Hierarchy is elastic and situational.  Elderly wolves who once were alpha, move down the order as younger stronger wolves move up.  The alpha may suspend his dominance in certain situations, for example, he may let puppies invade his space and even take a nip at him.  


Even if you believe that dogs and wolves follow the same hierarchical rules, what cannot be ignored is that dogs and wolves have different lifestyles.  Dogs live with people and therefore must play by people rules.  I am unapologetically anthropomorphic at times, but this isn't one of them.  Dogs obey people rules for the simple reason that they live with people.  It is in their best interest to go along with the human agenda.  People have the thumbs and thumbs give us the edge in our environment.  So dogs cooperate.  Let the human be the alpha.  Sit up to get a treat.  You do what ya gotta do.  (Kind of like how people work to get a pay check).

Some of you may recall, "It Happened in January", where I began the saga of Carla and Lester and Rose.
http://petsandothercritters.blogspot.com/2012/01/it-happened-in-january.html

There we were, THO, me and Carla.  All was peaceful.  THO and I were boss. Carla complied because we were so darn much fun to live with.  Enter:  two puppies.  Carla was not pleased with this new arrangement.  These new creatures were whiny, needy and all around irritants.  Carla was no dummy.  All puppies are whiny, needy and irritating, which is why God made them cute.

Since we were now a gang of five rather than three, a hierarchy developed.  THO and I stayed on top, of course, Carla got second tier.  It happened naturally when the puppies were young but we reinforced it as they got older.  Why?  Playing favorites. 

"Don't bother the big dog"  became a command.  Whenever Lester or Rose got pushy, or cut ahead in line to the backdoor, they were reminded,  'don't bother the big dog'.  (I like to think Carla appreciated this).  As it turned out, as he grew, Lester conveyed aspirations for a higher spot in our hierarchy.  The 'don't bother the big dog' nipped it in the bud.  Why does that matter?  Because I say so.  Seriously, it's like choosing a manager to run one of your departments.  You pick the one you think is best for the job, some other employee's aspirations notwithstanding.

Through their years together, the three dogs got along just fine, thank you.  After Carla died, a new puppy entered our home and the hierarchy shuffle began anew.  That puppy's name was Lois. 

What kind of favorite she is, is another story for another day.

Breed Profile: Kuvasz

The Kuvasz is a burly dog with a serious attitude and plenty of stamina.  He is polite but not demonstrative.  He is bold, with intelligence and initiative.  Novice dog owners will be in over their heads with this breed.

Also known as the Hungarian Kuvasz, probably because it was there that this breed was developed into the dog we know today.  It is believed that the breed originated in Tibet and was brought to Hungary by nomadic Turks sometime during the Middle Ages. The Kuvasz was owned only by royalty for centuries, serving as companions, guards and hunters.  The dog is large enough to take down a bear, wolf, or  trespasser.  During the reign of King Matthias, in the fifteenth century, the breed was carefully developed.  Indeed, King Matthias was a great lover of the breed.  It is said he trusted no person, only his Kuvasz dogs.

In later centuries, commoners used the Kuvasz to herd and guard their livestock.

The name, Kuvasz is likely a mix of kawasz (Turkish) meaning armed guard of the nobility and kawwasz (Arabian) which means archer- signifying the unexcelled guarding instinct of the breed. 

The plural of Kuvasz is Kuvaszok.




Kuvasz Manifesto

-  I will protect you, your children and your animals.  But other dogs beware! 

-  don't micro manage me.  I am quite capable of determining what needs to be done

-  if you want a really big lap dog, get a Mastiff



The Kuvasz is a sure footed agile dog with good scent ability.  He can hunt and herd, but is most keen to protect.  He has a strong instinct to protect his family.  Owners need to understand this.  Though the Kuvasz is patient with children, he may misinterpret children's play as a threat and intervene unnecessarily.

Kuvaszok are sensitive, the most effective training is done with praise.



Some Kuvasz Facts

- weight:  70-115 pounds
- height at shoulder:  26-30 inches
- litter size 7-8
- life span:  9-12 years
- coat:  white, double with a soft undercoat and a straight or wavy medium length outer coat.  The coat is purported to be odorless!
- skin color ranges from slate gray to black





see some nice photos:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/kuvasz/photos.cfm



Next Breed Profile:  Brussels Griffon!

That Squirrel Takes the Cake

A few days ago I made a simple cake.  It's the sort of cake you might serve for brunch, not too sweet.

Just for fun, here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose-flour

 3/4 cup sugar

 1/2 cup sliced almonds, save a handful to toss on top 

2 teaspoons baking powder

 1/4 cup milk

 1/4 cup melted butter

 2 eggs

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine, pour into 9 inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Scatter the handful of almonds the top of the batter.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.    

This morning a chunk of that cake was still sitting in the cake dish.  Not a fan of stale cake, I flung it out the front door.  In no time, Sparrows, Starlings and a Gray Squirrel had the slice surrounded.

Later, when I peeked out the back door I saw two Sparrows in a tug of war over a marble sized piece of that cake.  Still later, I opened the back door and stepped outside.  A squirrel dashed from the flowerbed located beside the door. 

My dogs joined me outside.  Soon they gathered around that flowerbed.  Remember that chunk of cake, the one with a marble sized piece removed from it?  Well, it was nestled in the far corner of the flowerbed next to the house behind a Spirea bush. 

Now, circumstantial evidence tells us the squirrel put it there.  Why would he put this wonderful find right next to the house, inches from a door where dogs and people come and go?  It seems a foolish hiding place.  But think about it.  That squirrel lives here.  He knows the goings on around here.  It is a brilliant place to temporarily hide such a treasure!  The birds won't go into such a dangerous corner to get it.  And since Mr. Squirrel had acted quickly when the cake first appeared on the lawn, maybe he's the only squirrel who knows about this bounty.  Maybe Mr. Squirrel and those few birds are the only ones who know about the piece of cake.  So he hid it a place that isn't likely to get much traffic from the competition.  Then he waited for a chance to reclaim the prize. 

An hour later when I looked in that flower bed, the cake was gone. 

Thank you http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/mammals/squirrel/ for sharing the squirrel picture.

Fluffy and the Cataclysm

Warning! 

The following comic strip contains shamelessly bad puns and alliteration.  This may be shocking to some readers.  Caution is advised.

Lady Bugs

The insects that most of us call Lady Bugs are Lady Beetles or Ladybird Beetles.  The Lady Bug is found all over the world.  There are some 450 different species of Lady Beetle in North America.

Ladybird Beetles eat aphids, mites, scales, and other pest style bugs.  A pest bug is one that eats plants, particularly plants that humans grow for food or show.  This is why Lady Bugs are considered "good bugs".  A few thousand Ladybird Beetles can control the aphid population on an acre of land.

Typical insects, Lady Bugs have a head, thorax, abdomen and six legs.  The head is usually black, or black with white spots.  The Lady Bug has a pair of eyes and a pair of antennae.  The head is attached to the thorax which is attached to the dome shaped abdomen.  This dome consists of hard wings in red, orange or yellow with an assorted number of black dots.  Under this shell like dome are another set of wings that are used for flight.  The  Lady Beetle has short legs, much shorter than most other beetles.

Some Ladybird Beetle Facts

-  lifespan 2-3 years

-  able to retract their head into their thorax (visualize a turtle)

-  secrete a foul tasking fluid from their joints to discourage predators

-  adults range in size from 1/8th to 3/8th inches long

-  some species eat plants 

Most Lady Bugs lay their eggs in clusters near aphid populations.  The larvae emerge and eat the aphids.  In the typical larvae's 3- 6 weeks they eat up to 5,000 aphids.  The larvae are black and bristly in appearance and are usually found clinging to leaves with a belly full of aphids.  Ladybird Beetles lay several batches of eggs per year.

Why do you sometimes find Lady Bugs in your house?  These insects hibernate in groups, generally in places where aphids live.  Therefore, Lady Beetles hibernate in plant brush, under rocks and in buildings.  If they are in your house, this may mean you have aphids in your house.  Or you did, before the Lady Bugs came in and ate them.

Thank you http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/ladybug/?source=A-to-Z for sharing the lady bug picture.

Fluffy and the Set Up