As summertime approaches and people
begin to think about bringing color back to their lawns, I find myself reminding
clients, “When landscaping your yard, please remember that animals are sensitive
to topical parasiticides and weed killers.” Then, they always follow up with the
question about what kinds of pet-friendly sprays they can put on their yard to
keep away weeds, fleas, ticks and other pests.
Summer means it is storm
season. You may not have to check with the weather service to find out if
lightning is about to strike, however. The answer could be curled up in your lap
or resting at your feet. According to a survey by the Associated Press and
Petside.com, more than two-thirds of dog and cat owners say they’ve
received weather warnings from their pets. Even more surprisingly, almost half
report they’ve been alerted to bad news by their animals. Do pets really have
this mysterious "sixth sense"?
Think your pet has a lot of
toys? Chances are they don’t compare to Chaser’s, a female border collie with
more than 1,000 toys… and she can remember the names of all of them!
A
recent study from South Carolina’s Wofford College details an extraordinary
experiment in language comprehension and cognition in dogs. The researchers,
John Pilley, PhD, a retired psychology professor, and Alliston Reid, PhD, a
psychology professor, attempted to see if they could teach a dog (Chaser) not
only to identify over a thousand objects but to learn in a way similar to how
human children learn.
Rabies is a serious illness caused by a virus
that attacks the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). All
warm-blooded animals, including wild animals, dogs, cats and humans, are
susceptible to it. The disease usually spreads through saliva, for example, when
an infected animal bites or scratches another animal or human. With kids out of
school for the summer and more time spent outdoors, families should educate
themselves about rabies and caution their children about the possibility of
exposure.