Dogs as Pony Show?

Apparently WordPress doesn’t *yet* allow me to imbed yahoo video in my blog, so I’ll have to post this as a link:

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=151797&fr=yvmtf

The talented man featured in the video is Irina Markova’s son Andrey, who is also a dog trainer.  His work lends an entirely new dimension to the sport of canine dressage!

….and possibly the perfect venue for a new ‘breed’ – the PonyDoodle!

Making the Right Kind of Noise

Complaints about canine misbehaviors, such as nuisance barking, are increasing across the country.  This is a disturbing trend for responsible dog owners because, in a backlash effect, many cities, counties and states are passing increasingly restrictive laws affecting pet ownership.  Spay and neuter laws, breed bans, pet limit laws and other restrictions are being passed in a landslide effect across the country.

Why is this happening?  Partly because lazy journalists looking for an simple and sensational story to cover either fail to adequately research stories or mis-state facts and partly because animal rights groups (as opposed to animal welfare groups) who want to end pet ownership are pouring enormous amounts of money into supporting these efforts.

The sad irony is that dogs aren’t the problem – PEOPLE ARE.  People who are, in most cases, already breaking EXISTING laws.  We don’t need more laws, we need better law enforcement.

If your city, county, township or state is considering passing additional laws limiting your right to own and enjoy dogs, please go here: Where there is an excellent sample letter opposing pet limit laws. Make the right kind of noise and use Jim’s letter to let your legislators know that a majority of law-abiding pet owners refuse to be punished for the transgressions committed by an irresponsible minority.

If you have a neighbor who’s barking dogs annoy you, don’t call the police to report them.  Make the right kind of noise.  Instead of filing a complaint, politely explain to your neighbor that his dog’s excess barking is bothering you. If he doesn’t listen (or can’t hear you because of his dog’s barking) look into one of these nifty devices to solve the problem amicably. 

     

If you have a dog – give it enough mental and physical stimulation to keep it from annoying your neighbors.

If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.