Paw Nation

Thanksgiving Tips for Pet Owners

by Elizabeth Brady (Subscribe to Elizabeth Brady's posts): Nov 26th 2009 @ 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Cats, Pet Health

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and giving, but when it comes to including your pets in the festivities, you should share with caution. Turkey Day celebrations can lead to animal dangers or discomforts, especially when owners attempt to treat their pets too much like "one of the family."

Keep Human Food on the Table
According to the ASPCA, feeding your pet table-scraps is the biggest Thanksgiving Day hazard. They recommend avoiding problems altogether by leaving your pet in the kitchen, yard or elsewhere with a chew toy or snack while the humans eat the good stuff. If you feel an uncontrollable urge to let Fido sample your meal, scale it back to a small amount and avoid food with lots of seasoning, onions, raisins, garlic or chocolate (all of which can cause abdominal pain, complications or even death).

Meats and Doughs
Be sure to not feed your pets any uncooked dough or meat. Salmonella is present in raw eggs and meat, and the ASPCA notes that "when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency requiring surgery." Even cooked meat can be harmful if it is coated in gravy or grease. If you are going to allow your dog to scarf down turkey, make sure there are no bones that could splinter and be harmful to the pet.

Meet the Winner of the National Dog Show and Her Handler

by Rose Martelli (Subscribe to Rose Martelli's posts): Nov 26th 2009 @ 2:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Celebrity Pets, I Work With Animals!

Steve Donahue Photos

Sadie, the four-year-old Scottish Terrier who won it all at the National Dog Show earlier today, says she's too famous to talk to us now. But her handler, Gabriel Rangel of Rialto, Calif., was willing to indulge a few of our post-show questions.

Are you the only handler Sadie's ever had?
I've been her handler for two-and-a-half years. I'm the only handler she's had since then. She earned her championship status through another handler before me.

Besides this win, what other career highlights have you two shared?
When we won Best Terrier [i.e. Best In Group] at the Westminster Dog Show. She performed beautifully there.

When you first started handling Sadie, did you have an instant connection with her?
No, we needed to work at it. Dogs need to trust you, and they need to know what you want from them. Now, after all this time, it's a perfect understanding. I know what she wants and how she wants to do it, and she knows the same about me. There's a great connection between us. She gives me a great show every time.

The Doggy Diaries: Whom Do You Like Best?

by Ben Westhoff (Subscribe to Ben Westhoff's posts): Nov 26th 2009 @ 12:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pet Adoption

Ben Westhoff

Anna and I have found an apartment. Located deep in the New Jersey suburbs, it's the ground floor of a house, actually. It's much bigger than our place in Hoboken, but then again, most people's crawl spaces beneath their staircases are bigger than our place in Hoboken. We've got plenty of space for storage, including ample closets, a basement and, most importantly, our own washer and dryer.

There's even a backyard, if you consider a few unpaved square feet in front of the driveway a backyard. This will come in handy, however, because, despite our previous fears, we found a landlord who is forward-thinking enough to let us have a dog. We think he's going to let us have a dog, that is. According to the terms of the lease, our little canine friend has to be pre-approved, presumably to make sure he or she's not too big or loud.

In any case, we have begun scouring the earth (or at least the Internet) for some fine un-feathered friends. Anna really fell hard for an adorable abused puppy named Raina -- who had a pirate-like black patch over his eye -- but when she called to ask about him he'd already been adopted. Arrrrgh!

We're also keen on this terrier/Labrador-retriever Mix, this wirehaired-terrier mix, not to mention Bo and Burger here. Tell us in the comments which dog you like best. Oh, and don't even think about swooping in and adopting them. At least, not until we've made our decision.

National Dog Show: Show Dogs Looking Like Their Owners

by Paw Nation Staff (Subscribe to Paw Nation Staff's posts): Nov 26th 2009 @ 10:00AM Filed Under: Dogs, Photo Galleries

If it's true what they say -- that dogs look like their owners -- nowhere else must that ring truer than at the National Dog Show, where a premium is placed on grooming, and where looks, though not everything, sure do count for a lot.

We went hunting along the aisles of this benched show (where the dogs and their owners hang out during down time) for some same-looking specimens.

Which pair do you think is the twin-iest of them all? Let us know in the comments!

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Show Dogs Looking Like Their Owners

With their matching baby-blue eyes and frosty-tipped manes, Stephanie Schreyer from New Holland, PA, and 15-month-old Hope, her Cardigan Welsh Corgi, clearly know how to complement one another.

Rose Martelli

Show Dogs Looking Like Their Owners

Nancy Rappaport of Denville, NJ, and her 11-month-old Orpheus, know how to rock a bouffant, as well as how to patiently wait for the show to begin!

Rose Martelli

With their matching baby-blue eyes and frosty-tipped manes, Stephanie Schreyer from New Holland, Pa., and 15-month-old Hope, her Cardigan Welsh Corgi, clearly know how to complement one another.

Rose Martelli

Tousled, jet-black tresses and piercing, dark peepers lend an air of casual confidence to both Loren Marino from Toms River, N.J., and her 8-month-old Cesky Terrier, Katrina.

Rose Martelli

High-maintenance hair is what Candy Carswell from East Killingley, Conn., and her 5-year-old English Setter, Nancy, share: fluffed-up, blown-out and honey-hued! (We think the eyes, noses and mouths also resemble one another, no?)

Rose Martelli

Dashing, handsome and suddenly startled are just three ways to describe both John Merriman of Ocean Grove, N.J., and his 4-year-old Wirehaired Dachshund, Kalinka. And is there a word for "sharing the same distinctive eyebrows?"

Rose Martelli

Dead ringers! Kat Roll from Coatesville, Pa. and her 9-month-old Lowchen, Sawyer.

Rose Martelli

The distinctive side part works on pates and snouts alike, and lends Neil Cassel from Fort Washington, Pa., and his 5-year-old Cesky Terrier, Gunther, the aura of your no-nonsense science teacher from high school.

Rose Martelli

One woman's sporty, on-the-go haircut is one dog's fussy, fancy-follicled, show-ready style. Mollie Stitt of Collegeville, Pa. and her 2-year-old Havanese, Dinoco.

Rose Martelli

Not only do Kristen Koepsell of Phoenixville, Pa., and her nearly-5-years-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Ruba, share the same adorable, photogenic, attractively auburn coloring, they look like they could star on Broadway as Annie and her pooch pal, Sandy!

Rose Martelli

The Best Twitter Accounts for Animal Lovers

by Elizabeth Brady (Subscribe to Elizabeth Brady's posts): Nov 26th 2009 @ 9:00AM Filed Under: Animal Sites We Love

The Quack Pack

Twitter has exploded this year by providing a new platform for the public to rant and communicate about the things they love. And while the 140 character updates can be mundane, they're not all meaningless. Groups like PetMD, PETA and the ASPCA now use Twitter to post useful information for their followers. And naturally, pet owners and "celebrity animals" like Jenny the Stroller Pug have added their tweets to the mix. Search tools and hash tags such as #TwitterACritter are also used to help facilitate animal adoptions.

On behalf of animal lovers on Twitter, Paw Nation did some research to find the 12 most useful and entertaining animal Twitter accounts for our readers to follow:

1. @ASPCA
The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken to the Twitterverse to reach out to the animal-loving masses, and it's working. With more than 14,000 followers so far, @ASPCA brings the latest updates about their campaigns, victories and efforts.

2. @TheQuackPack
No, it's not an afternoon animated series with Huey, Dewey and Louie. The Quack Pack's tweets are deployed by the "parents" of two mallard ducks (named Laylah and Saydee) who are being raised as children. Think "My Monkey Baby," with ducks.