Pet Lover's Central - Dog and Cat Lovers Join

I'd like to share this beautiful spiritual song my husband wrote: Shining Like You Do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEgHIRptbvA

I hope you'll enjoy it and if you do please share it.

Happy New Year!

I would like to invite you to take a look at our NEW, RE-designed Dog Collar Fancy - Crystal Pet Collars for dogs, cats, and even ferrets! Leashes, custom dog clothing, bling cell phone cases and more...

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I would like to invite you to take a look at our NEW, RE-designed Dog Collar Fancy - Crystal Pet Collars for dogs, cats, and even ferrets! Leashes, custom dog clothing, bling cell phone cases and more!

Plus....

For a very limited time only - Take 40% OFF your total purchase at Dog Collar Fancy.

Just enter coupon code: spring
during check out.

Dog Collar Fancy
http://www.dogcollarfancy.com

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Program pairs reading with children's fascination with animals
January 08, 2011 4:32 PM
By DANETTE M. WATT
For The Telegraph

Lila got kissed - a lot. Ben got smacked in the face a few times. But they didn...

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Program pairs reading with children's fascination with animals
January 08, 2011 4:32 PM
By DANETTE M. WATT
For The Telegraph

Lila got kissed - a lot. Ben got smacked in the face a few times. But they didn't mind because their "assailants" had four legs, wagging tails and wet tongues.

Children and canines mixed it up at the Hayner Library's monthly Bow-wow Pow-wow Saturday in Alton and it was hard to tell which group was enjoying themselves more.

Lila Mack, 9, of Alton, loves dogs and wants to start a dog-walking business.

"She doesn't read to them, she just wants to be around them," her dad, Terence, said. "She made it a point not to shower this morning. She knew she'd get lots of dog kisses."

"She knows all the dogs. She'll ask, 'Where's Homer today?'" Leah Cooper said.

Cooper is a member of Touched by a Canine, a dog therapy group whose members visit hospitals, schools, libraries and nursing homes. Cooper said they hope to add hospices to the list.

Riley, a golden retriever, was happily wagging his tail, hitting Ben Parrish, 6, in the face as he sat on the floor petting Bear, another golden retriever. Meanwhile, Lars Black, 10, of Alton, was reading a book about hurricanes to another dog. And shy 5-year-old Dakota Quartoise of Wood River stayed on grandfather Donald Fuller's lap and cautiously patted one of several dogs brought in by Pattie Gibbs.

The Bow-wow Pow-wow serves three functions, said Gibbs, one of the founding members of the group.

"Kids can just visit with the dogs. If they're afraid of them, meeting with them helps them to overcome their fears, and they can read out loud to them without being afraid of getting criticized if they aren't strong readers," Gibbs said.

"Most kids don't read to them. They come to love and hug them," Cooper said.

Paige Kirby, 12, and her sister, Megan, 13, were there because they missed seeing Honey. The girls used to own Honey, a golden retriever. But when the dog developed diabetes and needed more care than could be given at home, she was sent to live with Gibbs, who also owns Honey's siblings, TC and Bailey.

"I don't know who loves this more, the dogs or the kids," said Kathy Kirby, the girls' mother and Gibbs' niece.

Gabrielle Rose, 3, looked through an oversize book about penguins. When asked which dog she liked best, the girl said, "Gussie Bear," her name for the family's Scottish terrier.

Touched by a Canine was started in 2002 by June Walker after her husband passed away. Walker died in 2007 but the organization is still active and has about 50 members.

Karen Nichols was at the library with Hans, her long-hair dachshund. Her daughter, Kelly, and Kelly's dog accompanied her. The two have been members of the organization since their dogs were in Walker's dog obedience class.

"She didn't have to persuade us (to join Touched by a Canine)," Karen Nichols said. "We were ready."

Gibbs said Bernadette Duvernoy and June Walker started Bow-wow Pow-wow after hearing about a similar program. Duvernoy is the library's assistant director and manager of public relations and marketing.

Shannon Ballard is supervisor for the library's teen space. She was filling in for Duvernoy, who was not there because of a broken leg.

"It's a lot of fun and the kids enjoy it a lot."

Donated by Dawn
Dog Collar Fancy - Where the Classy Pets Shop!
http://www.dogcollarfancy.com

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For those of you looking for the ultimate in health for your pets, there are many alternatives to natural food out there, but to find a perfectly balanced food, you have to do your research. Life's Ab...

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For those of you looking for the ultimate in health for your pets, there are many alternatives to natural food out there, but to find a perfectly balanced food, you have to do your research. Life's Abundance is still the best I have found. I wouldn't feed my little guy anything else.

Click Here for more information

Get a Free Dog or Cat food sample of food and treats here

Questions? Visit Dog Collar Fancy to contact us. We are happy to help!

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The true meaning of friendship - A must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo&feature...

Dog squad: Police train CCTV cameras on owners who don't bother clearing up after their pets

By Jack Doyle and Paul Bentley

Police have ordered a CCTV blitz on dog walkers who let their animals foul the...

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Dog squad: Police train CCTV cameras on owners who don't bother clearing up after their pets

By Jack Doyle and Paul Bentley

Police have ordered a CCTV blitz on dog walkers who let their animals foul the streets, it emerged last night.

Camera operators have been instructed to watch for anyone walking their pet in case they do not clean up after them.

Those caught failing to do so will be tracked down and hit with an on-the-spot fine.

Civil liberties groups and residents attacked the action by Surrey Police, calling it intrusive and a waste of time and money.

They said officers should be focused on cutting crimes such as burglary instead of snooping on dog walkers.

However other forces, including the Metropolitan Police, last night said they could follow Surrey's lead.

The area where the cameras are being used to watch out for dog fouling is the village of Merstham, near Reigate.

It has seen four times as many burglaries than in July last year and the level of violent crime has soared - going up almost 20 per cent since last summer.

Alex Deane of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: 'CCTV operators hunched over monitors for hours, trying to spot dogs doing what comes naturally - can anyone imagine a better example of our intrusive Big Brother society?

'CCTV is often installed on the basis that it's for catching criminals, and then gets used to make money from drivers instead.

'But this is even worse - Surrey Police are wasting their time snooping on dogs and their owners when they should be out stopping crime.'

Student Sarah Nicholls, who lives in the area, said: 'We have people being burgled and assaulted around here.

'They can't watch burglars and dog-walkers at the same time. And even if they see something happening, are they going to send a squad car out to deal with it?'


More...

* Man driven mad by dog's barking plays back recording to neighbour at full blast at 3am

Another resident Liz Baines, 44, added: 'This is a waste of money. Yes, dog fouling is a problem. But I still don't think this is the best way to deal with it.'
Pugh cartoon

A Daily Mail survey found Nottinghamshire Police also admitted to using CCTV to spy on dog owners. As well as the Met, other forces which said they would consider doing so included Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Avon and Somerset.

However, Ministers have pledged to crack down on abuse of such cameras and new rules covering CCTV operators are likely to come into force next year.

Residents could be given a say in where they are placed and how they are used, preventing police and councils using them for snooping.

Despite the massive increase in the numbers of CCTV cameras in Britain, there are growing concerns that they solve few crimes and are being misused. There is now one for every 1,000 individuals in Britain.

Surrey Police defended the crackdown. Sergeant Karen Coyne said: 'The primary objective of CCTV in Merstham remains detecting crimes such as theft, burglary and antisocial behaviour.

'However residents had repeatedly complained about dog fouling. We wouldn't do this if local people had not asked us to.'

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Sleep expert offers pros, cons of sleeping with pets

HOUSTON -- (July 20, 2010) -- When man's best friend wants to hop into bed at
night, there are conflicting opinions about whether it should be allowe...

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Sleep expert offers pros, cons of sleeping with pets

HOUSTON -- (July 20, 2010) -- When man's best friend wants to hop into bed at
night, there are conflicting opinions about whether it should be allowed for
those already having sleep troubles. According to an expert at Baylor College of
Medicine, deciding whether to let a pet sleep in bed with you depends on you and
the pet.

"Many times when you tell someone that they need to sleep without their pet,
they get very protective," said Dr. Mary Rose, assistant professor of pulmonary,
critical care and sleep medicine at BCM. "So it's important to determine what
works best for them to optimize their lifestyle with a pet."
Weigh pros, cons

Rose says that there are pros and cons to sleeping with a dog or cat, and each
individual must weigh these to determine what will help them to sleep best at
night.

Pets can create a sense of safety, security and comfort, and the rhythmic
beating of their heart as well as the release of bonding hormones such as
oxytocin may aid the owner with their own sleep, said Rose.

Assistance dogs may also be useful in the bed or bedroom for those who have
trouble with sleep walking. They are commonly being trained to keep those who
sleep walk safe at night.

For children who have night fears or nightmares, an animal may provide a sense
of security and make the child less likely to wander into other rooms in the
middle of the night and to return to a sense of safety and reassurance more
rapidly after an arousal.

However, there are some other considerations for allowing a pet in the bed.
Good night or nightmare

If the animal provokes allergies, the owner must review the situation with an
allergist to see if it's safe to sleep with the pet. If the pet is not well
trained and wakes the owner in the middle of the night, it would be disrupting
to have the pet in the room. However, this type of behavior can be modified
through training.

Because cats are nocturnal animals, they tend to walk around more during the
night, which can also be disruptive.

Rose says to always have an animal evaluated to be sure it's safe, especially if
the pet sleeps with a child. She also warns that it's never a good idea to have
a pet in the same bed as an infant.

"At the end of the day, use common sense to determine what is best for you and
your pet," said Rose.

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Thank you for the invitation. I look forward to learning about and sharing with all the other pet lovers on SN. What a powerful group we are building! Love and Blessings to each of you.

For all my furry animal lovers, please enjoy this cute cat video, http://bit.ly/cldjK2

Tail wags and purrrrrrs....

Hello fellow animal lovers.
this group comes at a perfect time for my current book project.

As a followup to my book last year “Stress Out, show stress who’s the boss™”, my current book focuses on how t...

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Hello fellow animal lovers.
this group comes at a perfect time for my current book project.

As a followup to my book last year “Stress Out, show stress who’s the boss™”, my current book focuses on how to reduce stress in dogs and cats, as well as how dogs and cats help to reduce human stress.

I am accepting contributions in the form of a short story, testimonial or tip for the book. A short bio will be included.

This is an educational book and a fundraising tool, to be used through shelters, rescues, trainers and groomers. Only two pet stores are being considered as sponsors because my research indicates they do not support puppy mills.

If you want to be considered for inclusion, please let me know.

Tail wags and purrs,

Sumner

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Thank you for the invitation. We have 3 cats and
5 dogs. We have been taking care of 4 of the dogs
(min pins) for many months now. The 5th dog is ours (part rat terrier and beagle). Our dog was from a...

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Thank you for the invitation. We have 3 cats and
5 dogs. We have been taking care of 4 of the dogs
(min pins) for many months now. The 5th dog is ours (part rat terrier and beagle). Our dog was from an animal shelter and when we saw her, we couldn't leave her there.

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Thank you to all who have introduced yourselves. Welcome to the group! Please feel free to talk like crazy about your pets... that's what this group is here for. Have fun everyone! and again.... Wel...

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Thank you to all who have introduced yourselves. Welcome to the group! Please feel free to talk like crazy about your pets... that's what this group is here for. Have fun everyone! and again.... Welcome!

Dawn - Group Moderator and owner of
Dog Collar Fancy
http://www.dogcollarfancy.com

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Hi and thanks for the invitation to join the group.

My wife and I have 5 cats,3 survivors of the 6 we brought with us when suddely forced to move from Zimbabwe to Canada in 2004 and 2 who adopted us ...

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Hi and thanks for the invitation to join the group.

My wife and I have 5 cats,3 survivors of the 6 we brought with us when suddely forced to move from Zimbabwe to Canada in 2004 and 2 who adopted us and moved in. A sad reflection on society is that one of these had obviously been a house cat as he had been de-clawed and it seems that he was dumped on the road near our farm house.

We also have a Springer Spaniel x Border Collie x ??? dog who knows the difference between the truck keys (he gets a ride) and the car keys (no ride).

To complete the menagerie, we have 2 Morgan and 1 Paint horses and board another Morgan every winter.

My story is on my blog http://www.peterwrightsblog.com

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