Those Paws Are Made for Massage

A friend of mine sent me this video of a cat massaging a dog. I tried to get it uploaded to my blog, but there seems to be technical difficulty -- probably on my part. But how could I possibly resist posting it for all to enjoy? I wonder if that cat is available to massage my aching back?

Make sure your scroll down when you're redirected or you'll miss the video.

Cat Massages Dog Watch it now on StupidVideos!

PUPPY ACTRESS


Those eyes -- the camera is in love with Puppy Actress.

If you have video of your pet you'd like the world to see (or at least a lot of folks in Delaware) via delawareonline.com/pets, post it on YouTube and e-mail me at jfredel@delawareonline.com. I'll find it and get it posted on this blog. I swear.

Do You Use Compund Medicines for Your Pets?

Delaware Pets will be doing a story on compound medicines for pets. If you use them, could you give me a call at 324-2859 or e-mail me at jfredel@delawareonline.com.

Compounds are custom-made medications, often created as creams instead of pills, that can be rubbed into a dog's or cat's skin. That sends the active ingredients directly into the bloodstream, sparing sensitive stomachs the chore of digesting pills. Others are done as liquids or with flavoring added.

Why 'An Inconvenient Truth' Matters

It is a mental image that has stuck with me since Saturday night: Polar bears drowning because they could not swim 60 miles to reach an ice mass. That's one of the consequences that Al Gore ties to global warming in "An Inconvenient Truth." Yes, that Al Gore. The man who would be president save for all those hanging Florida chads.

Gore has reinvented himself as movie star in this documentary, which pairs his passion for the environment with the consequences that he says we already face and will face because of global warming. It's a message that is reaching more and more people. "Truth" made $1.75 million this past weekend -- a juicy amount for a documentary. And its per-screen average of $4,331 was higher than Jennifer Aniston's "The Break-up," the latest installment of the "X-Men" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Enough numbers.

For those thinking how in the world could I possibly spent 90 minutes with Al Gore, this is not "Mr. Lock Box" of the 2000 presidential campaign. He is warm, engaging, funny and self-deprecating, and he seems so real where so many politicians seem so phony. His tech-tech slide show did raise questions, and I wish the audience could have stopped the movie to raise them. It's a conversation we need to have as a global power and as a steward of what we've been given.

In addition to those polar bears I can't get out of my head, this movie raises urgent questions: What if the dire consequences do happen in 25 years or 50 years, President Bush, and you did nothing? What if big swaths of the United States and the rest of the world are covered by water, members of Congress, and you did nothing? What if we ruin this planet for generations to come, and we did nothing? Isn't it as morally responsible to do something about global warming as it is to take on terrorism or hunger or genocide? Why not err on the side of action?

If you want to do something, the movie's Web site has a 10 things that you can do list. It's not that hard to use less hot water or to recycle more of your garbage or to plant a tree in your back yard.

Do it for you. Do it for your grandchildren. Do it for the polar bears.

Did They Really Save the Lobsters?

Let's get this straight: Whole Foods (which is a terrific place to shop -- wish we had one in Delaware) is not going to sell live lobsters and soft-shell crabs in its 180 stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom because they can't guarantee the creatures always will be treated humanely. But they will sell you dead lobsters and crabs that somebody else has killed.

Cheeky Monkey..


Life can be tough out there in your office, at home, at school. Deadlines and commitments. How about a video to take your mind off your troubles and make you crave a cold bottle of soda?

Would You Pay for an Allergy-Free Cat?

Hmmm ... if you have allergies, and one of those allergies is to cats, why would you really want a cat? If you're out there, please give me an earful.

But there must be enough of those folks because a research company says it's come up with an allergy-free cat. Allerca, the San Diego biotech company behind the breakthrough, says it was able to identify the genes that cause less of a reaction in humans and then breed litters over several generations to come up with 20 "super cat" offspring (two are in the photo at right).

All of that science doesn't come cheap. Going price for an allergy-free 12-week-old kitten is $7,000, which includes an expediency fee, shipping and insurance. Now, I love animals of all kinds, but I'd rather plow $7,000 into a trip to Hawaii or a back-yard deck. But that's just me.

P.S. Allerca will refund the purchase price if the new owner continues to sneeze and itch.

A Fish Story with a Happy Ending

With all of the worry about pet evacuations, how in the world do you evacuate koi from your garden pond? You basically don't.

When floodwaters from the Merrimack River in Nashua, N.H., swamped one's family pond, they figured the seven of the 11 that had washed way were dead. The Associated Press reports that there was enough water from the flooding on a nearby country club where the fish ended up that they survived. David Deane, a city alderman and golf course groundskeeper, found them when he was pumping water off the course. He scooped them into buckets and got them into water. The local newspaper did a story, a neighbor noticed it and left a message for the family.

On Tuesday, fish and family were reunited.

Where Pugs Go to Meet

One of the most enthusiastic breed-specific groups I've seen is for pugs. Members of The Philadelphia Pug Meetup Group, which includes Delaware, the Philadelphia area and south Jersey, meets once a month to let their pugs play together, talk about care and to celebrate all things pugs. The site claims 25,293 pug owners/members nationwide.

The pugs partied Saturday at the Rover Romp area at the Talley-Day Park in Brandywine Hundred. It was part of a Delaware, Chester County and Delaware County meetup, and about 100 owners and their dogs attended. In the accompanying photo, Rob Rivera of Aston, Pa., holds 4-month-old Zephram while another dog checks her out.

The next meetup for this offshoot is at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 8. You have to join the group to find out the location, but signup on the site looks pretty painless.

Speaking of pugs, we're going to start an occasional feature in Delaware Pets -- find the latest issue in pet businesses now -- about specific pet breeds. We'll tackle pugs in the Aug. 9 issue.

Pets Rule the Golf World, Too!

Another sign that pets rule the world: In the merchandise tent at the McDonald's LPGA Championship in Havre de Grace, Md., items for sale among the golf shirts, socks, shorts and towels included tournament dog collars, tournament bandannas and tournament pet carrying cases.

At a golf tournament!

But then again, why shouldn't every dog have a McDonald's LPGA Championship bandanna? Maybe Michelle Wie could autograph it.

Lots of Poodles in Salisbury

The poodles are coming back.

And more than 1,000 will compete against each other in the Poodle Club of America's Annual Specialty Breed Show next week in Salisbury, Md. First up at 8 a.m. Sunday will be standards and miniatures participating in working certificate and working certificate excellent tests at Crop-Les Farm in Powellville, Md. These tests measure the dogs' working ability and demonstrate marking and retrieval ability. They also test their willingness to enter the water and to take direction from a handler.

(OK, I did not know that poodles were know for retrieving or wanting anything to do with water. Tell me what else I don't know about poodles.)

On Monday, it's agility trials (7 a.m. until completion), followed by obedience and rally trials on Tuesday (10 am.-9 p.m.), and conformation and breed judging will fill the remainder of the week (8 a.m.-7 p.m.). All events -- free and open to the public -- will be at the Wicomico Civic Center, 500 Glen Ave., Salisbury. See Web site for directions. Judging will conclude with Best of Show. (Pictured above is After The Big Tease, last year's Best in Breed, and its connections.)

Vendors will be at the civic center throughout the week. For those who love poodles, they'll be peddling everything from poodle jewelry and clothing, to dog care equipment.

Important Spay/Neuter Legislation

There's a bill in the House Agriculture Committee that would create a Spay/Neuter Fund. It leans to helping low-income people and low-income commuties with controlling the animal population and reducing Delaware's euthanasia rates. Some animal groups enthusiastically support; others are pushing to make the bill more comprehensive. Here's the synopsis:

"Through the creation of a new subchapter this legislation establishes and implements a mandatory pre-adoption spay/neuter program for cats and dogs and a spay/neuter fund. In so doing, the Bill addresses the scope of compliance, eligibility requirements for participation in the spay/neuter fund program, veterinarian participation enhancements, fiscal impact limitations, veterinarian reimbursement, violations, penalties, enforcement, penalty disbursements, program administration expenses and caps and performance measurements and reviews."

A hearing on the bill is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today in Dover, with Rep. Pamela Thornburg as chair of the ag committe. To contact your legislator, use this link.

Dogs Need Eye Protection, Too

The next issue of Delaware Pets will reach pet businesses beginning Friday, and one of the items that's featured are Doggles. (The URL is incorrect in Delaware Pets. It should be www.doggles.com.)

Why shouldn't dogs have a way to protect their eyes from UV rays, dust and wind? Doggles ($21.50-$21.95) are available at the Web site, or several Delaware locations, including Happy Dog Healthy Dog in Wilmington, BowWow Petique in Dover, Critter Beach and Farmer Girl Exotic Gardens in Rehoboth Beach, and PUPS of Lewes.

Dog Days of Summer Bummer

Our wires got crossed and a photographer did not get to the Blue Rocks game on Sunday to shoot people and their dogs at the Dog Days of Summer event. What a bummer.

We're trying to get photos from the folks at Concord Pet, but if you attended the game and shot pictures of you and your dog (or of other people and their dogs), please e-mail them to me at pets@delawareonline.com. I'll get them posted here or on the Delaware Pets Web site ASAP. Please include caption info.

The Blue Rocks lost Sunday's game 4-2 and we lost a chance for cute photos of people and their dogs. Help!!!!!!

Dogs Day and the Blue Rocks

Baseball, summer and dogs. Can you get any more American than that?

Bring your pooch to the park for Sunday's Blue Rocks game against Salem, a 1:35 p.m. start. It's all part of Concord Pet's Dog Days of Summer event. Carol Pradel, marketing director for Concord Pet, says come early for treats and tricks (pet tricks) and the pet costume contest. Look for the action on the concourse. She has vendors, giveaways and samples planned.

Tickets are available, and are $6-$9.

Check back here Sunday night or Monday morning for photos. They should be cute.