Vivapets Blog

This is FANTASTIC! 

Help support a puppy through its training to help someone with disabilities for just £1 a week!

November 2009:  Canine Partners (Registered Charity No. 803680), who provide specially trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities, is encouraging those who like to give to charity to consider its Adopt a Puppy Campaign - as the ideal Christmas gift.  Costing only £1 a week, the scheme helps towards the cost of training a puppy to become a Canine Partner and change the life of a person with disabilities.

Supported by Purina PetCare, Adopt a Puppy is a demonstration of how giving a little can go such a long way.  Ideal as a gift or for yourself, those signing up to Adopt a Puppy will be kept updated on how their adopted puppy is progressing through the training programme.  You or your gift recipient will receive an introduction letter, personal adoption certificate, glossy photos and a soft toy puppy.

Purina first chose Canine Partners as their Corporate Charity in 2000.  The dog and human partnerships the charity enables revolutionise peoples’ lives – physically and psychologically – and demonstrate just how powerful a relationship with a pet can be. This is why Purina is proud to help facilitate this bond by providing all the food for puppies in training, to give them the best start in life, as well as helping to drive forward campaigns that raise awareness of the charity, such as Adopt a Puppy.

One such person benefiting from a Canine Partner is Rachel Benhamou (21) who has cerebral palsy.  'I love Chudleigh to pieces,' says Rachel. 'He's a little rascal, full of boundless energy, and he does wonders for me. People never believe all the things he can do like picking up things I drop and helping me to undress. I wouldn't be able to live my life as I can today without him.'

Isabel Campbell, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Canine Partners comments, “Adopting a puppy is a great Christmas gift that lasts all year, as well as being a way to regularly give to charity.  We need to train more dogs to help over 300 people with disabilities who are on the waiting list for a Canine Partner.  For only £1 a week, you can help us to continue this work and give people with disabilities the independence they deserve.”

Mary Sharrock,  European External Relations Director for Purina says “Our partnership with  Canine Partners means that we work as one team to understand the charity's  needs and identify where we can best help the organisation to grow and  ultimately to create more canine partnerships in the UK.  This is a clear  example of the way that we do business at Purina.  We call it "Creating  Shared Value".  Our business activities not only benefit our employees  and shareholders, but also create value across society including pet owners,  their families and local communities.  We understand how powerful the  strong relationship and emotional bond that exists between a dog and owner can  be. We also know that when we see and hear from current recipients how we have  helped them to have a trained canine partner which has changed not only their  lives but also the lives of their families it makes all of our employees very  proud our relationship and want to do more.

For further information on Canine Partners, please call 08456 580480 or visit www.caninepartners.co.uk.

Celebrating 50 years as the charity’s patron, Her Majesty The Queen, spent the afternoon at Newmarket’s Animal Health Trust (AHT) on Thursday 29 October.

Doggy doors are a convenient solution for pet owners who are away for hours at a time or are too lazy to tend to their animals when they need to go outside.

But the problem with cutting a hole in your door and covering it with a rubber flap is that any petite burglar or curious animal could crawl their way into your home.

The Plexidor Pet Door is an interesting alternative. After installing the mini door, only pets with the compatible RFID chips attached to their collars can enter. The door opens when it detects a nearby chip, which the company assures is waterproof and shockproof.

We wonder how a dog with prior experience testing invisible shocker fences might react to someone attempting to outfit him or her with this collar device. (Yelp!)

But the product seems like a smart solution to a common flaw with doggy doors. Maybe the best part about it, though, is this line from the press release: "It is like having a personalized garage door and electronic opener specifically for your dogs."

There's just something hilarious about picturing a golden retriever waiting patiently while the door creaks its way open.

-- Mark Milian

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), the UK's leading hedgehog charity, has teamed up with Ernie Hedgehog, lovable icon of cleaning company Spontex, to support the plight of British hedgehogs.

According to the BHPS, hundreds of hedgehogs needlessly die or suffer horrific injuries throughout Bonfire Night celebrations.

A bonfire looks like a 5-star hotel to a sleepy hedgehog searching for the perfect place to hibernate. Most people don't think about checking a bonfire before lighting which can result in the death of all sorts of unsuspecting wildlife and pets asleep inside.

The BHPS offers these simple suggestions:

• Try not to actually construct your bonfire until the day it's to be lit.
• This also stops a bonfire getting soaked should it rain the night before!
  
• Check, dismantle and move stored bonfire materials to another spot just before lighting.
  
• Build it on clear ground and never on top of a pile of leaves
  
• Avoid building it close to pampas grass -this ignites easily and is another favorite spot for hedgehogs to hide under.
  
• Large display bonfires have to be built in advance - encircle the entire construction with one-metre high chicken wire held in place with stakes and sloping outwards to make it difficult for a hedgehog to climb
• Hedgehogs tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet of the bonfire so check by gently lifting the bonfire, section by section, with a pole or broom.
  
• Never use a spade or fork as you might inadvertently stab one
  
• Using a torch will help and listen for a hissing sound - the noise made by a hedgehog when disturbed
• Going to an official, organised firework display is a safer option for both humans and animals.

Ernie Hedgehog has become a cult icon in France - as well as appearing on Spontex scouring products, he has starred in his own TV adverts and there is a huge demand for Ernie merchandise including lovable soft toys.

Ernie will promote the BHPS and its campaigns on the Spontex website www.spontex.co.uk as well as on his twitter www.twitter.com/ErnieHedgehog and Facebook sites.

Commenting on Bonfire Night, Fay Vass, BHPS chief executive, said:

"If you find a hedgehog in your bonfire, take as much of its nest as you can and place  in  a  high-sided  cardboard  box  along  with  plenty  of  newspaper/old towelling.  Ensure there are air holes in the lid which should be firmly secured to  the box to stop the hedgehog escaping. You can offer it meat-based pet  food and fresh water.

"Protect your hands from the prickles by wearing Spontex garden gloves or use an old,  folded  towel. This also stops any human smells being transferred  to  the hedgehog which causes additional stress."

"Put  the box in a safe place, such as a shed or garage, and well away from  the festivities, as fireworks terrify them.  Once the bonfire is completely dampened down, release the hedgehog under a hedge, bush or behind a stack of logs."

For free advice and to obtain the names of carers in your area in advance of bonfire night, contact the BHPS on 01584 890 801 or see their website at www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

This bridge is on the  Old Donner Pass Highway (in Canada).

It has a spectacular view of  Donner  Lake  and  Donner Pass on Route 80.


 
A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge ( Old Hwy 40 at Donner Summit, Truckee) on Saturday when two cars also crossing the bridge scared the bear into jumping over the edge of the bridge.

Somehow the bear caught the ledge (see unbelievable photo, above) and pulled itself to safety. Authorities decided that nothing could be done to help Saturday night so they returned Sunday morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge.
 







After securing a net under the bridge the bear was tranquilized, fell into the net, lowered, then woke up and walked out of the net.





There is a moral to this story you know.
 
This old bear made a wrong move and found he was hanging by his nails.
 
Somehow he was able to pull himself up onto the ledge where he saw he was in a very bad, impossible situation and what did he do?
 
Yep, he took a nap and sure enough the situation took care of itself while he was asleep.

The moral is that when confronted with a bad situation sometimes the best solution is . ... .
 
take a nap. 

From Pets News and Views

Kitty Cookies

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 6-ounce can tuna in oil (do not drain)

1 tablespoon oil

1 egg

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding a little water if dough is too stiff. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with your favorite cookie cutter, or use a pizza cutter to cross-cut into small diamond shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until firm. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Cookies for Dogs

1½ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups unbleached flour

2 tablespoons dry milk

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon dry yeast

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Use your bread machine to mix the dough, or your mixer with a dough hook, or mix by hand. Place all the ingredients in your mixer and set it for the dough cycle. When the dough is done, remove it and roll it into 1/4-inch thick sheets.

Use bone-shaped cookie cutters, or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares or diamonds. Place the dog cookies on a lightly greased pan, and let them rise for an hour.  Bake the dog treats for 45 minutes to an hour, at 275 degrees F.

Turn off the oven, and let the cookies continue to dry overnight in the oven. In the morning, they will be hard and crisp. And they will keep well, stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 30 days.

Article from Petwire

Anyone who remembers the 90’s will remember one particularly squeaky and annoying fad that kept children entertained for hours on end – the Tamagotchi – a cyber pet contained in a little handy, carry-everywhere device. However technology has come a long way since then and we’re now being offered a new generation in cyber pets thanks to the new Sony EyePet.

This new computer game enables players to view themselves on screen with their virtual animal in their living room. Players are filmed by video camera connected to a PlayStation 3 console and can give commands to their creatures simply by moving around in front of their TV.

The animal, which looks a bit like a cross between a dog, cat and monkey (and a cabbage patch doll!), reacts to voices and gestures and can recognise objects, such as toys, that a player puts on screen.

Speaking ahead of the game's launch, a Sony spokesman said: ''By completing daily tasks, you can teach your EyePet brand new games to play.

"The more he learns the more exciting new tasks you'll get to teach him. EyePet is fully aware of people in the room and will play with you and your family in your home. Poke him and he jumps, stroke him and he'll roll over in contentment, tickle him and he'll laugh."

And it’s not just the EyePet that’s set to be big this year. Leading retailers, Argos, have predicted that role-play toys with a technological "twist" are predicted to be the hot trend this festive season. The retailer is tipping Go Go Hamsters - artificially intelligent rodents able to talk and move around their hamster ''funhouses'' – and Lu Lu My Cuddlin' Kitten - an interactive pet which purrs, rolls over and responds to her owner - as two of the top 10 toys for Christmas.

Ian Chaplin, Argos toys trading manager, said: "Role-play inspired products with a technology twist are one of the hot trends for kids this year and 'poopless pets' have become increasingly popular. We have 20 electronic pets in our toy range this Christmas. They're great fun for kids and less mess than real pets, which goes down well with parents."

Now whilst this all seems like fun I can’t help that think the novelty will wear off pretty quickly. Whilst they may be fun for a few hours, maybe even a few days if you stretch it out, are we really ready to trade in our fluffy, four legged friends for the convenience of virtual friends? Maybe virtual pets are taking it too far, but perhaps people are looking for more convenient, low maintenance pets. However, in time they may find that the real thing is much better, despite the mess! Let me know your thoughts!  

According to an article from Press-Petside.com, fifty-eight percent of pet owners  or 63 percent of dog owners and 53 percent of cat owners — would be willing to perform CPR on their pet in the case of a medical emergency. 65% of woman would give CPR to their pets compared to 50% of men

An increasing number of people are taking pet first aid classes and buying pet first aid kits for their homes...

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