Hachikō – definition of dog loyalty

In a previous post about whether dogs feel love, I mentioned a famous Japanese dog known for his loyalty. It turns out this wasn’t just a fable or a myth. It’s actually based on a true story of a dog named Hachikō, an Akita dog.

In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner’s life Hachikō saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno didn’t return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.

Hachikō was given away after his master’s death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. After time, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he didn’t see his friend among the commuters at the station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Realizing that Hachikō waited in vigil for his dead master, their hearts were touched.They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for 10 years, with Hachikō appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

Wow. Talk about loyal. If this doesn’t PROVE that dogs love their owners, I don’t know what is.

There is a movie in Japan about Hachiko, and there is a US remake  in the works. Here’s an extremely tear-jerker preview of the Japanese version:

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

Odd Presidential Pets

In the previous post about Presidential Dogs (i.e. “First Dog”), I linked to a Wikipedia article of all the previous presidential pets. What I didn’t notice after I posted was the odd collection of animals that these presidents owned.

For example, the last president, George W. Bush, had a cow named named Ofelia.

Ok, maybe I’m just a city boy who has no appreciation for the farm life or the abundance of wonderful barnyard animals that people in more farm’ish areas get to see and play with. Maybe it’s a generational gap thing. Or maybe it’s a lack of animal protection in the great ol’ state of Texas.

Whatever it is, I am confused but I’ll accept it. Cow can be a pet. But what about Herbert Hoover? He had two ALLIGATORS. I’m no Crocodile Hunter nor do I work for Secret Service, but I don’t think wild beast/top predator of the jungle qualify as domestic companion pets.

What’s even more bizarre? John Quincy Adams had SILKWORMS as pets. In some countries, that’s food. (Well, but then again, in those countries cats and dogs are food too. Ok, I lost that point.)

Yes, like the Captain Jack Sparrow would say, these presidents don’t make any sense at all. In fact, none of these make sense (note either the animal species or the pet name). Teddy Roosevelt had not just a rooster (odd in itself), but a ONE LEGGED rooster. And John Adams, a president in the 19th century, had a dog named Satan.

But Calvin Coolidge had the coolest pet: two lions.  Not just two lions, two lions named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau. (And you thought TARP was a cool name.)

Here are some more odd names/animals that the US presidents have taken in:

George w. Bush
- Ofelia – Longhorn cow

Herbert Hoover
- 2 Alligators

Calvin Coolidge
- Rebecca and Horace – Raccoons
- Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau – lion cubs
- Ebeneezer – Donkey
- Billy – Pygmy hippo
- A Wallaby
- A Duiker (a very small antelope)
- A black bear

Woodrow Wilson
- Old Ike – Ram
- songbirds
- sheep

Theodore Roosevelt
- Emily Spinach – Garter snake
- Maude – Pig
- Baron Spreckle – Hen
- Josiah – Badger
- Jonathan – Piebald rat
- Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, and Father O’Grady – Guinea pigs
- A one-legged rooster

Benjamin Harrison
- Whiskers – Goat
- Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection – Opossums

Andrew Johnson
- Fed white mice he found in his bedroom

Abraham Lincoln
- Nanny and Nanko – goats
- Jack – Turkey

James Buchanan
- Eagle

William Henry Harrison
- Sukey – Cow
- Goat

Martin Van Buren
- Briefly owned two tiger cubs

Andrew Jackson
- Fighting cocks

John Quincy Adams
- American Alligator
- Silkworms

Thomas Jefferson
- Dick, Mockingbird
- 2 Bear Cubs

John Adams
- Juno and Satan – Dogs

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

In Dog We Trust

Yeap, it’s true. Cat owners, eat your hearts out. Obama has chosen a  DOG for his presidential pet. Not a cat. A dog. *woof*

In fact, they chose a Portugese Water Dog (’PWD’). First I heard that I wondered to myself, ‘why? are they going swimming a lot in the White House these days?’ Is this dog going to be a rescue dog just in case the Obama girls drown in the pool?

Nope. Has nothing to do with water. In fact, White House doesn’t even have a swimming pool. So at least this blogger thinks so based on Google Map satellite images. But then again, this other blog post begs to differ.

It’s simple. Dog allergens.

Apparently, Malia Obama (one of the daughters) is allergic to regular dogs. PWDs are optimal for Malia:

This curly-coated canine was chosen partly because it’s hypoallergenic, meaning it shouldn’t send little Malia into fits of coughing and sneezing.

Throught history of First Presidential Pets, dog seems to have clear dominance over cats. Why? Who knows. My guess is similar to my reasons for choosing dogs over cats. For some reason, men seem to find greater, mystical attraction to dogs over cats. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ll lets the  new dog  sleep in their beds and pretty much do anything. Do cats have that type of assertion over their owners? Who knows.

Here are some of the presidential pets from the past:

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

Do dogs love their owners?

… or do they just do what they do because we give them food and shelter?

The intellectual side of me says that dogs, just like wolves, are beasts. Yes, they were domesticated to serve us in the past so they started living with us. God/Allah/Creator/Universe (or whatever you believe in) created the wolf with a purpose and we chose them as companions. It’s not the nature’s design and the dog is just a wild beast waiting to attack us at our most vulnerable moment.

… and of course, I think to myself, I can’t believe this BS that my left brain has come up with.

As an owner of dogs myself, I’d like to think that my dogs love me as I love them. I go out of my way to find foods, toys, and medications that would benefit them because healthy dog is happy dog owner.

But like most dog owners, I’ve had moments where I wonder if dogs truly feel love or if they’re just happy that their walking refridgerator is always giving them good. This is cynical and probably not a healthy emotion to carry around me but I do truly wonder out of scientific curiosity.

Of course, no one really knows. Not even this Yahoo Q&A. But I did find a very striking answer:

In Tokyo, Japan at the Shibuya subway station there is a statue of an Akita. The statue is of a dog that followed his master to the train everyday and meed him there every night after work. One day the man died at work and the dog returned every evening waiting for his master until the dog finally died of old age. I think this qualifies as love.

Wow.

Similarly, there is a Korean “story” (may be a fable, maybe not) of an old man and his dog. This old man was apparently a drunkard and got drunk frequently. On a hot day he got so drunk that he passed out on a field near a river. (Ok I am not certain of details so don’t ask me how…) A fire broke out but the man was so passed out that he didn’t hear his dog barking to warn him of this imminent danger.  The fire was coming closer but there was nothing to dog could do to wake him up or move him. So the dog jumped into the river, wet himself, and rolled around the fire to put it out. The man eventually woke up, only to find out that the dog died by fire.

Ok, now I know some cynics out there are thinking “PUHLEASE, dogs don’t know how to put out fires” … or “PSSSH, dogs would save themselves and run the hell away.” Maybe that’s true, maybe that’s not. But dogs can do some amazing stuff that most people would not believe, like this dog that pees while doing the handstand.

So do dogs love their owners? Who knows. Even if any “expert” comes up with ‘yes’, that’s debatable:

According to Fred Metzger, a guest lecturer in animal sciences at Penn State and a State College veterinarian, “Dogs probably don’t feel love in the typical way humans do. Dogs make investments in human beings because it works for them. They stand something to gain from putting so-called emotions out there. The more ‘cute factor’ they give us, the more we feel like they love us. This makes it more likely that we will give them more attention, food treats, outdoor access — all based on how much of a show they put on for us.” Metzger theorized that dogs “love” us as long as we continue to reward their tricks and antics with treats and attention.

But who cares? If you love your dog and you think your dog loves you, then that’s love.

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

Owners LOVE Their Obese Dogs?

Are you okay with your dog being obese? According to a lady in Chicago, her dog Tippy, who is 65 lbs overweight, is fine the way he is and she loves him nonetheless.

“I don’t care if people say he’s chubby,” said Tippy’s owner Katherine Mathers, gently scratching the dog’s protruding belly. “So what if he doesn’t look like the dog in the Iams commercial? What’s more important: having a perfect body or being happy? I love him whether he’s 25, 50, or even 150 pounds overweight. In fact, I think he’s the cutest dog in the world.”

Sure, she loves Tippy and I don’t doubt that, but what about his health? Like many people, dogs can have uncontrollable appetites. Like the saying goes, “their eyes are bigger than their stomaches.” Others feel that love is allowing your dog to eat as much as he so desires because it makes them happy. They only have one life, right? Personally, this is not humane to me. It’s like feeding your pet poison, shortening their lifespan. An overweight dog can barely walk, sniff their beautiful surroundings, and play with other dogs or humans without plopping to the ground to huff and puff in a short period of time.

In this case, it’s not about what other people think of your dog, it’s about YOUR dog and his overall well-being and quality of life. People have a tendency to overindulge and pets do the same thing regardless of the consequences. An overweight dog = more expensive vet visits, more expensive meds, a pet that’s in pain but can’t tell you it’s in pain, a shorter life span, the inability to run around and play more, and so on. Do people really think of that as love? Even though I can’t prove it, I bet anything that Tippy isn’t exactly a happy dog. Humans don’t feel the regret till they’ve hit the beds in the hospitals at a much older age, but dogs don’t live as long so they’ll certainly feel the pain a lot sooner than humans.

C’mon people. You making that effort to give your dog a healthy and balanced life will give you a healthier and balanced life. Statistics show the following:

The Numbers

An Estimated 50% of Dogs and Cats in the United States are Overweight or Obese
An Estimated 14% of US Dogs and Cats are Obese
An Estimated 84 million US Dogs and Cats are Overweight or Obese
An Estimated 23 million US Pets are Obese

An Estimated 44% of US Dogs are Overweight or Obese (BCS 4-5)
An Estimated 10% of US Dogs are Obese (BCS 5)
33 million US Dogs are estimated to be Overweight or Obese
7.2 million US Dogs are estimated to be Obese

An Estimated 57% of US Cats are Overweight or Obese (BCS 4-5)
An Estimated 18% of US Cats are Obese (BCS 5)
51 million US Cats are estimated to be Overweight or Obese
15.8 million US Cats are estimated to be Obese

Think about it.

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

Dr. Death – Euthanizing unwanted animals

This is the truth: there are more abandoned animals than there are available resources (such as shelters) for them. What do you do? Even though we live in a world of abundance, there is more abundance of (potential) pets that need our help. “Dr.Death” doesn’t want to do this, he HAS to.

(Warning: very sad and maybe even traumatizing.)

Some startling facts from the Humane Society of the US:

Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
6-8 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600,000 and 750,000—30 percent of dogs and 2-5 percent of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)

Number of animal shelters in the United States:
Between 4,000 and 6,000 (HSUS estimate)

If you’d like to adopt a cat or a dog, try these resources:

http://www.petfinder.com/

http://adopt-a-dog.org/

http://www.pedigree.com/03adoption/Adopt%20A%20Dog/Default.aspx

http://www.animalshelter.org/

http://www.hsus.org/pets/animal_shelters/how_to_find_your_local_animal_shelter.html

Tweet This Post 

Read full story

Pack alpha leader

Yes. I am guilty.

Guilty of letting my dogs run like wild wolves. I even let them sleep on my bed and I’ve confessed to everyone about it. I’m supposed to be the ALPHA leader of the pack.

But as fellow dog owners, you know what I’m talking about when I say I can’t help it (a lot of the times). They look at you with those round eyes, cute button nose, and a tilted head. When you eat, they look at you like they’re some starved animal from a third word country. And when you don’t let them in your bed, you start wondering if they’ll wake up as dog jerkies, cold and stiff because you didn’t let them into your warm bed. Besides, how can a little treat/one time in my bed damage my relationship with my dog? They know I’m the master and they’re the beast. Simple. Right?

Well, depends on who you ask. If you ask me, SURE. If you ask the Dog Whisperer dude or It’s Me or the Dog lady, they’ll probably slap me a couple of times and spit in my face. 

Yeap, I spoil them like they’re my biological kids. Please, put me in prison and throw away the key. I need to be the alpha pack leader but it’s hard to resist. And the worst thing is, I think they KNOW that they have this power over me so they ABUSE it. Those ratty little beasts.

In fact, people gripe when I tell them what I do. They tell me something like this:

Put Yourself First
The Alpha always, always comes first. The first to eat, the first to enter the shelter, the first to choose the softest, most comfortable resting place. 

You, as Alpha, need to establish a routine of being “First”. 

Eat first, then feed your dogs their meal.

Go through the doors of your house first.

Get comfortable in bed first, before allowing your dog to settle.

Be the first on the sofa when relaxing.

*sigh* So I started looking for “alpha” pack leader advices and  I think I broke pretty much every advice dog trainers give on the web.

But I did observe a very interesting from my dogs.

So I have two dogs (well, technically three – you can see pictures here). The youngest and the most energetic dog Cocoa (the blackest dog) is the de facto leader of the three. Why? He has the most muscular/strength, most stamina, loudest bark, and the cutest mannerisms of the three. That and he bothers the other two till they run the heck away from him. 

The story was that there was only TWO dogs before. Lucky (the old looking one – black with white patches) and Brownie (the golden chihuahua). Life was good with the two dogs since I have two hands, I can give them equal amount of petting. Then Cocoa came along and the competition for my attention and hand began.

Brownie got pushed out of the game day 1. He’s a standard chihuahua - wimpy and tiny. Girls love him but I personally prefer tough (or tough looking/acting anyway) dogs. Cocoa managed to bully/out-alpha Brownie early on in the game. But then I noticed this power struggle between Lucky and Cocoa.