Pet Monologues

We are flying from Long Beach on Jet Blue, our first flying experience with the upstart. We flew in from Chicago for a surprise birthday party for a beloved cousin and a long getaway weekend with family and friends. The last night cousin David showed us a six-month effort at digitizing old family photos that went back four generations. Memories came back in a flood of emotion and wonder as we revisited cherished photos and ones we had never seen before. In many of the photos were our pets that in some cases marked milestones in our lives. On the plane I decided to recreate the comings and goings of my pet dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

I was out riding my bike one day, with my chocolate lab Hannah, and this woman came running out of nowhere screaming for her dog to come back, which was steadily at least five feet ahead of her. The woman finally caught the dog and snatched it up by the nape of the neck, quite roughly. I was upset by the treatment of the dog, and stopped my bike to talk to the lady. Once I focused on the dog more closely, I could see she was missing her front right leg. The woman informed me the dog’s name was Tripod. She had come out of a litter of three pups, and she was the only one that was hindered with a birth defect. She had many problems as a puppy, and the former owners were not very concerned with vet care.

This woman made the comment that she was surprised the dog had lived past the first few weeks of birth. Without her leg, she could not pull herself around well enough to fight the other pups for milk. She almost died of malnutrition. The lady informed me that she and her husband were moving to Chicago, and they would be dumping the dog at the Humane Society, because even though it was somewhat cute as a puppy, she felt it was an ugly adult, and a pain to deal with. She said the dog would never come when called. She then asked me if I wanted another dog! Read the rest of this entry »

I have had three guide dogs, and they have all been attuned to my moods. If I am depressed, they seem to be; and if I am happy, they will reflect that, too.

My first guide dog moved with me to Memphis, Tennessee. We didn’t get back home to Nashville very often. Once, I remember, it was three years since we had been there. Yet every time we traveled back to Memphis, my dog would sleep until we were almost there. Then she’d wake up when we got near home! Also, she remembered that we used to live in Nashville, and when we’d go downtown, she’d always still stop at some of the places we used to go when we lived there! I found lots of old friends that way. This never ceased to amaze me how she could do that!

Source: paranormal.about.com

Marco, a large brown tabby cat, stately sits on his haunches outside Venice’s Ospedale Civile, welcoming all who come to visit loved ones at this hospital. Is that a smirk on his face, or do I imagine a smug smile when I notice a sign on the door showing a dog in a circle with the slash symbol through it? Marco is the hospital’s official greeter. “It gives people hope when they see him,” says Gabriella Sanna, secretary of Dingo, a non-profit organization that helps care for some 500 stray cats in Venice and its islands. Venice is but one Italian city where numerous gattare (cat ladies) take care of homeless felines and is the first stop on our 12-day “Cats and Culture” tour from Venice to Rome in October’s perfect weather.

Venetians’ affection for cats dates back centuries because of the feline affinity for rodents. Special Venetian cats even were bred in the 13th Century to go after rats carrying the black plague. About 40 cats — gatti, in Italian — live at Venice’s main hospital, which dates from the 15th Century. “The hospital has many mice, so the cats are welcome here,” Sanna says. Read the rest of this entry »

Our dog, well most dogs, when they are not laying around enjoy taking their naps. At least that is the kind of pooch we like in our house. We had a bird dog once and she did not know what hanging and napping meant. We are grateful our neighbor wanted a companion for a daily run. Here are a couple of photos of the snoozer.

The Freshwater Moray Eel (Gymnothorax polyuradon) is a wonderful aquarium inhabitant that is rarely seen in pet stores. When available to aquarists, it disappears quickly and happy hobbyists rush home with a fish they have no idea how to care for.

There are two main keys to keeping the Freshwater Moray Eel alive. First you have to have an aquarium set up so that the Eel will feel at home, and second, you need to provide a food that the Eel wants to eat.

Providing the food isn’t too hard. I recommend salad shrimp or ghost shrimp. However, if you don’t meet the first condition of making the Eel feel at home, having the right food won’t make any difference. This article is aimed at helping you create a home for your freshwater moray eel so that the two of you can enjoy a long companionship. (I wouldn’t try petting the eel though)

With my first Freshwater Moray, I watched the fish swim incessantly around the tank for 3 months until it slowly starved to death. It was a devastating moment for me. I’ve never wanted to bring a fish home to its death. It’s always been my intent to give any animal I bring into my house the best possible home possible.

When I bought my second Freshwater Moray, I was determined to keep it alive. I did so with the help of a lot of lacerock. This eel, like most others appreciates hiding places. Above all other things the eel wants a narrow area where it feels secure. Though lace rock can help accomplish this it also hides the eel from your view. Since most people, including me appreciate being able to see the fish they buy, I began looking for some way to keep my eel visible, while stile meeting its need to be hidden. What follows is the plan for a tank I created in order to meet both the eel’s needs, and my own.

The tank employs a raised-floor with access to main area of the aquarium. I have included pictures to help illustrate what this set-up entails.

The Set-Up:

This set-up is customized for a 20-gallon “high” aquarium, but you can use the same concept for any size tank. Obviously the first item needed is be a 20-gallon aquarium (24″l x 12 1/2″w x 16 3/4″h). You will also need 9-2 1/4 h” x 1 1/2 d” pipe cylinders. These will serve as the main pieces of support for the raised-floor. In addition, 4 T-Pipes (1 x 3/4″ and 4 x 1″) and one 12″ piece of sprinkler tubing are needed. The 12″ piece will serve as an extension from the raised-floor to a power filter at the top of the aquarium. It is important that this piece fit snuggly into one of the T-pipes at the top of the ‘T’. Since the 12″ piece of pipe will connect the raised-floor to a power filter, the other end of the pipe needs to fit snuggly around the intake pipe of your power filter. In my case I used a pipe with a diameter of about 1″. The interior diameter was about 3/4″ allowing a Marineland Bio-wheel ‘Mini’ filter to fit quite snuggly inside the pipe. Beyond these pieces of equipment, only one more thing is required. You will need a piece of glass cut to the interior dimensions of the aquarium. It is important that the glass be smaller than the inside dimensions of the aquarium. If it’s slightly too small, you will be able to work with it. If it’s slightly too large it will require getting the glass cut again.

The dimensions I provide are accurate, but they may need to be modified based on your tanks actual size. Of particular importance is the amount of silicon joining the corner of your aquarium. If there is too much, it will not be possible to put the sheets of glass in the aquarium. I would recommend cutting double-strength glass into two nearly even halves (11 3/4″l x 11 5/8″w; 11 5/8″ x 11 5/8″) This will allow you to more easily install and remove your raised-floor.

The most expensive part of this project is in fact the glass, since it must have 4 circle cuts made in it. Three of these cuts can be put just about anywhere you want. However, the fourth cut is important as it is where the 3/4″ T-pipe will line up with the overhead filter. For the MarineLand Mini I used, the center of this cut was 8″ in from the left wall and 1 1/2″ in from the back wall. (Note: It is possible to pull of the same set-up using a light plastic instead of glass, though glass is much sturdier) I have succeeded in using plastic intended for a kitchen fluorescent light fixture. Yes, I actually meant a “light” plastic. This type of item is routinely available at large hardware stores.) I would recommend cutting the glass into two even halves. This will allow you to more easily install and remove your raised-floor.

To begin, place the 9 pipe cylinders on the floor of the aquarium in 3 rows and columns. These will be used as the foundation for the raised-floor. I recommend siliconing the 4-t pipes into the raised-floor. However you attach them to the raised-floor, make sure that they stick out above the raised-floor. (They in fact will have to stick out from the bottom unless the cylinders you used were taller than the ones I used) If you do allow the T-pipes to stick out into the main tank, all the gravel from the aquarium will eventually find its way down the T-pipe and will fill sub-floor area, making it impossible for the eel to get from the bottom to the top. Three of the T-pipes (1″) will provide access for the eel to the rest of the tank. The fourth t-pipe (3/4″) is also very important. I will allow the filter to pull its water from the bottom of the tank. If this is not done, you will create a stagnant zone below the raised-floor, which could become lethal. For this reason, it’s very important to make sure that you position the T-pipe that will be connected to the filter in a place that will allow it to be connected to the filter at the top of the aquarium. Put a thin layer of gravel at the bottom of the tank, and then put the glass in. (While this is certainly not required, it does make the tank much more comfortable for the eel) The raised-floor should rest about 2 1/4″ above the actual bottom of the aquarium.

To connect the raised-floor to the filter, first insert a barrier to prevent the eel from swimming up the filter intake valve. In my set-up, I used the intake strainer from the marine bio-wheel to accomplish this. I inverted the strainer and inserted it into the bottom of the 12″ sprinkler pipe. I then inserted the 12″ sprinkler pipe into the back-left t-pipe. When doing this, the strainer should end up in the t-pipe. (The strainer is the aforementioned barrier that keeps the eel out of the filter if you didn’t get all of that)

After the floor is in, you can put some additional gravel down the t-pipes to the raised-floor, but it is sometimes difficult to get it to spread evenly over the floor. Next, you will probably want gravel on top of the raised-floor. When doing this I recommend that you don’t put too much gravel on the floor, as it will probably end up falling down the pipes, as noted earlier.

After doing this, you can decorate as you please, cycle the tank, and you’ll be ready to go. Just add your eel. The “Freshwater Moray” is actually not a freshwater fish. It will live just as well in either brackish or straight saltwater. Though I’ve heard divergent recommendations as to which water environment it does best in, I’ve had equal success with all of these water conditions. I do recommend adding a bit of salt, but a true brackish environment is not necessary.

Keeping the Freshwater Moray Eel

As far as tank mates go, you are somewhat limited. The eel hunts by smell, but if it bumps into a fish it can swallow, it will. Even larger fishes will sometimes show wounds from being bit in the night. I would recommend only using fish that are large and fast moving. Perhaps a scat, mono, or puffer would be a good tank mate if you were intending a slightly brackish environment. Tiger barbs, zebra danios, and other fast moving fish are good freshwater tank-mates. (However, I wouldn’t keep anything too valuable with the eel, even if you don’t think the eel will munch it…trust me on this one)

I hope that you are able to enjoy your freshwater moray even more after constructing this set-up. It allows the eel to be happy while letting you see it and show it off. And let’s face it, there is nothing cooler to show off to friends than a freshwater moray eel.

After purchasing a new puppy, it should be taken to a licensed veterinarian for a total health examination. Owners should make sure the puppy is of good quality, and do all that they can to insure that the puppy is healthy at the time of acquisition. You should find out which shots have already been administered and then set about completing the puppy’s entire series of vaccinations. This will protect the new puppy from diseases and worms.

During this time, it is best to keep your puppy away from strays and other animals, which may not have been vaccinated. Also, keep poisonous substances out of your dog’s reach. Some indoor plants are poisonous to dogs, so don’t let your puppy chew on their leaves or play near them. Ask a veterinarian for a list of hazardous plants and other potential toxins, including insecticides, household detergents, and household plants.

At first, your puppy will need lots of rest, so handling and playtime should be minimized. Your puppy should have a quiet place reserved for feeding and for resting. This area should be a light traffic area, and free from drafts and excessive sunshine. Most importantly, the puppy should feel safe and comfortable in the spot you have chosen. No radical changes in diet should be made without consulting a veterinarian, and you should also refrain from feeding your puppy “human” food because it may upset his stomach.

If you have children or frequent visitors, you should show them how to handle the puppy (i.e. a puppy should never be picked up by its front legs or neck), and focus on properly socializing and introducing the puppy to them.

With consistence and compassion, preparation and patience, your puppy will make a comfortable transition into your family and reward you with unconditional love and friendship.