Not all Dog Walkers are the Same

Obviously.  Not all dog walkers are the same.  Not all grocery store clerks are the same either.  Nor are all plumbers or accountants.

Now, what brought on this tirade, you ask? 

Dogs are always on my mind.
Halloween is coming.
An old customer rehired me to walk her dog.

All this brought to mind something that happened a few weeks ago.
I was shopping at my local Farmer's Market, as I do on most Saturday mornings during the growing season.  From across the cavernous room I heard a voice, "hey Lynn!"  There, on the other side of the building, stood my hairdresser. I made my way over there and learned that that morning she was standing in for her sister who sells grape leaves and hummus and other delicious things at the Farmer's Market. (I must confess, I'd never noticed that booth before - probably because I'm always focused on lettuce and whatever berry is in season.)  After we exchanged greetings, my hairdresser turned to acknowledge a woman standing just behind her.  She said, "Poopsie is a dog walker too."  

I smiled at Poopsie and said hello.

Poopsie narrowed her eyes at me and said nothing. 

She then thrust a binder under our noses.  Poopsie pointed to photos displayed on the pages of the binder.  The photos featured dogs wearing reindeer antlers, clown outfits, stuffed pumpkin suits, pirate ensembles and assorted other clothing and accessories.

Poopsie squealed about the cuteness of it all.

My hairdresser and I muttered in unison, "poor dogs."








And now for an important announcement.



When hiring a dog walker, after you've checked references and compared rates and whatnot, please check the Cuteness Factor of that dog walker.   Therein lies a big clue regarding compatibility.



This message brought to by the management of Bad Dog Ranch.

Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 18

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  Since actual Pop Culture often bores me, our question is shall we say, anthropological.  Well, it serves nicely anthropological in our weird little anthropomorphic world.  Anyway, I find it mildly interesting, and our contestants might too- not that that matters to me, of course.

Now, our question.  Why do dogs walk in circles before they lay down?
Fluffy?

To flatten a spot in the grass- it's

 an innate response..

Hostmaster:  that's a popular theory which I deem incorrect.
Cyndi?

 

They're twerking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sigh.  Our pop culture hiatus

 lasted all of 5 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  Too true, Bryan.  That is incorrect, Cyndi.

Molly?

 

 

 

 

 

To smush down or fluff up the area

  to make it more comfortable to sleep on.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  sounds reasonable but is incorrect.

 

 

 

 

You're a bird, how do you know how a dog

 gets comfortable, for crying out loud!

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  don't get snippy with me, sister.  I don't have to know.  I'm running this show.  What I say goes.  Now, back to it.

Bryan?

 

 

 

 

 

They turn in a circle to check

 for danger on all sides. 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  very sensible.  Incorrect.

Fluffy?

 

 

 

 

 

Preferring to sleep with their

nose to the wind, they circle

 to determine wind direction.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  interesting.  Incorrect.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

They turn around to orient

themselves to curl up to sleep.

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  that is an intelligent answer.  I'm proud of you Cyndi.  Still, I say it's incorrect.

Bryan?

 

 

 

 

 

They do it to dig a hole.  A hole is cooler when

 the weather is hot and warmer when it's cold. 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster: makes sense but incorrect.

 

 

 

 

Why don't you just admit that you

 don't know the answer!  Such adaptive behaviors

might remain in a species indefinitely

 and begin from a source we can never determine.

 This isn't something that can be studied to produce hard data.

  It's all theory.  

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  correct.

 

 

 

So ends this round of Pop Culture Frenzy.

 

 

 

Round 18

Fluffy/Molly   8

Bryan/Cyndi   9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of the North American woodpeckers.  Due to his size, he is able to access food in places a larger bird cannot.  For example, from the stalk of a Yucca plant, as seen below.

 

 

This Downy Woodpecker is using his straight chisel-like bill to penetrate and probe into holes, galls and other soft areas of the stalk, plucking out insects and insect larvae.

 

Downy Woodpeckers also eat berries, acorns, seeds and grains.  They enjoy suet and black sunflower seeds that people put out for them.

 

About the size of a sparrow, Downy Woodpeckers are 6-7 inches long.  (Fun fact!  The black and white feather pattern of each individual bird is unique, sort of like fingerprints.)  The male has a red mark on the back of his head.  

 

Habitat:  open woodlands, among deciduous trees, orchards, weedy areas, parks, backyards, found in most of the US and Canada.

 

Though usually year round residents of their territory,  occasionally the Downy Woodpecker will migrate.  Sometimes one of a pair will migrate and the other will not.  The pairs aren't close during non breeding times.  In winter, many Downy Woodpeckers join a mixed species flock. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In spring, the birds pair up.  You'll hear drumming on trees and a whinnying call.  These sounds are the pair communicating with each other.  Indeed, the drumming is not about pecking for food -they don't make much noise doing that- they drum to make noise.  Other courtship activity involves flying between trees together in butterfly fashion.

 

The nest is a cavity in dead trees or in dead sections of live trees.  (It's easier to carve out a nest in soft or fungus-infected wood.) 

 

clutch size:  3-8 eggs

incubation:  12 days

nestling:  18-21 days

fledgling:  up to 21 days

Number of broods:  1  

Breed Profile: Border Collie

Sometime during the 1800's, in the area between Scotland and England, they say a sheepdog named Hemp sired the first litter of what would become the Border Collie breed.

Unlike other sheepdogs who move a herd with barking or nipping, the Border Collie "gives eye".  Through the power of staring, the dog intimidates the sheep into moving.

In addition to the eye, the Border Collie has another distinctive feature:  the crouch.  The dog moves low to the ground in somewhat cartoon sneaking up fashion.  The crouch and the stare and the work ethic of the Border Collie make him very good at his job.

The Border Collie of today maintains that serious work ethic.  Thus, he is still used to herd animals.  For those who don't have any sheep or ducks to herd, the Border Collie's talents translate elsewhere, such as flyball, Frisbee, agility and obedience competitions.

Failure to give a Border Collie plenty to keep his athleticism and intelligence challenged may result in him taking matters into his own hands, so to speak.  He might decide to rearrange the furniture in the living room including moving around the stuffing from the couch cushions.  He might figure out how to open a kitchen cupboard and help himself to a box of mac and cheese.  Worse case, he may take up a neurotic repetitive past time such as pulling all the hair off his tail or pacing till he wears a groove into the floor.

Some Border Collie Facts

-  weight:  42-52 pounds

-  height:  18-22 inches

-  life span:  12-15 years

- coat:  double, yearly shedding.  Brushing a couple times a week keeps the coat in good shape

- coat colors:  pretty much all colors, solid, bi color, tricolor, merle

Border Collie Manifesto

-  if you want a blithe extrovert, get a Golden Retriever

-  if you need some critters moved or a ball caught, I'm always ready.  Now.

Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 17

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  Let's get on with it.

 

Curious about what the people of Easter Island ate for dinner, researchers examined the dental records of some 41 skeletons that had been dug up and stored.  Isotopes in the dentin of dead people's teeth reveal what the people ate before they died.  Accepted speculation regarding the skeletons' diet includes sweet potatoes and bananas.   

 

What did the folks on Easter Island eat for protein?

Molly?

 

 

 

Fish?

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Cyndi?

 

 

Seaweed?

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Fluffy?

 

 

 

Birds?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  that's sick.  And happily, incorrect.  

Bryan?

 

 

 

Each other?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  

Molly?

 

 

 

 

Voles?

 

 

 

 

Correct.  Well, close enough.  It seems they mainly ate rats.  Researchers theorize that early inhabitants may have brought rats with them from other places and then raised them for food, like pigs or cows. 

 

 

So ends another round of Pop Culture Frenzy.  Who's up for a plate of Rat Tartare?

 

 

 

 

 

Round 17

Fluffy/Molly  8

Bryan/Cyndi   8

 

 

 

 

Leonard gets a Pedicure

Yesterday we talked in general about the Spice Finch.  Now, let's talk about Leonard. 

Leonard, a Spice Finch,  lives with Pearl, a Society Finch.  (Interesting tidbit:  both Spice and Society finches are not dimorphic.  In other words, it's hard to tell males from females because they look very similar.)

Pearl and Leonard get along fine.  Better than fine- they are pals- evidenced by the fact that they groom each other, frequently sit close together when perching, and at night they sleep nestled together in their grit cup.

Leonard and Pearl

 

 

One of the necessary husbandry chores required when keeping finches is periodically trimming their nails.  While it is pretty easy to trim a bird's nails, it is not without its challenges. 

 

If the bird has light colored nails, the quick is visible, which helps a great deal in avoiding cutting it.  If you do cut the quick, the bleeding is rarely severe enough to endanger the bird.  Furthermore, dipping the injured nail in a clump of corn starch is effective at stopping the bleeding almost immediately.

 

Birds don't usually hold still to get their nails trimmed.  You have to hold them still.  

 

My method for trimming nails is to do it in the cage.  That way if the bird escapes your hold, he can be easily re caught and the trimming continued.  Some cages have multiple small doors whereby you can put one arm in one door and one arm through the other, your hands meet inside the cage.  You hold the bird with one hand and clipper in the other.  The job can be done in cages with larger doors too.  For that, you shove your arms in the cage and press your torso against the door opening to block the exit.  The cage method is soothing to me because I worry about gripping the bird too hard and crushing his delicate bones, therefore my hold on the bird is very light, thus birds escape my grip with regularity.  Happily, with the bird safely in a cage, when he slips out of my grasp he is contained- not flying about the room into whirling ceiling fan blades. 

 

Which brings us back to Leonard.  A few weeks ago, I trimmed Leonard's nails.  He has sort of beige nails but with good light and reading glasses, the quick can be seen.  There I was holding Leonard gently in the palm of my left hand, with one of his legs between my left thumb and pinkie finger.  Right hand wielded the clippers (There are scissors style bird nail clippers available. I prefer people  nail clippers as they are shorter which I find makes it easier to control the aim of the blade).  Snip snip.  So far so good.  Then Leonard squirmed out of my hand.  He fled to the far corner of the cage. To my dismay, lying in my left hand were his tail feathers!  So much for my light touch. 

 

There's good news, though.  It's been about 3 weeks since Leonard's de tailing.  The picture above was taken a few days ago. You'll notice he has tail feathers!

Spice Finch

Lonchura punctulata, AKA Nutmeg Finch, scaly breasted munia, spotted munia, or Spice Finch is about 4 and 3/4 inches long.  They have a white or lighter coloration on their bellies with brown or reddish brown on the head and wings. 

  

 

 

The wild Spice Finch is found in grassy/weedy areas in Ceylon, India, Indochina, Southern China, Formosa, Luzon, Palawan, Malaysia, Java, Bali, Celebes, Sumatra...

 

 

 

 

 Spice Finches  live in small groups sometimes with other Lonchura species such as the Lonchura striata, or Society Finch (the white bird pictured above).

 

Spice finches eat grass seeds off the ground and maturing rice kernels directly off the plants.  In captivity, Spice Finches eat millet, assorted finch seed mixes, greens, meal worms, eggfood.  (Eggfood is available commercially usually in biscuit form.  Many bird keepers make their own eggfood:  hard boiled chicken egg yolk and just about any cooked grain, mash it with a fork and serve.)

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Spice Finch pairs nest apartment style in bushes.  Nest material consists of grass, straw and bamboo leaves.  Clutch size:  4-8.

 

When keeping Spice Finches, you will notice they are active.  All Finches fly around in their cages, of course, but some species tend to zip about.  Spice Finches, like other finches that come from reedy vegetation environments, tend to be zippers.    

 

 

 

 See a real nice picture of a Spice Finch

Things You Don't have to Teach a Dog

New improved ways to boss your dog around abound.  There's always somebody eager to tout a better way to teach your dog, the ultimate training technique.  I too, have my own best training methods.  Today, let's take a break from micro managing our dog's behavior and celebrate some of the things dogs do without being taught. 

 

 

You don't have to teach dogs which vehicle contains their people.  They figure out the difference between your husband's truck and the truck belonging to the guy who lives down the street.

 

When one of the dogs in the household goes blind, you don't have to teach the other dogs how to help that dog find his way around.  They simply offer a shoulder nudge or the beacon of footfalls.

 

The sound of the dog's bowl being placed on the kitchen counter is in a certain key.  No dog requires music lessons to hear it.

 

You get up from the easy chair and go to the kitchen to refill your water glass. When you return, the dog has taken over the easy chair.  There's a twinkle in his eye.  No, you don't have to teach a dog his sense of humor. 

 

 

Then there is the love and loyalty.  You are busy typing.  You look up, the dog is there on the rug beside the desk.  Simply there, with you.  Nobody teaches the dog how to comfort us just by being present.

 

Your dog's enthusiastic willingness to join you, just hang out with you, regardless of whether you are going for a jog or doing laundry or watching television, that's friendship. You don't have to teach dogs that.  They teach us.