Pet Monologues

Interpreting dog barks and noise.

Body language is generally a silent method of communication (with the exception of the play bow), but dogs use their voices, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Young antelope found playing with a dog

GREELEY, Colo. (AP)—A friendly young antelope found cavorting with a dog along a walking path was probably picked up illegally in Wyoming and may be too tame to return to the wild, wildlife authorities say. Read the rest of this entry »

An endangered animal story by Sabina, age 10.

It was a happy sunshine day on the northern coast of Florida, when Sara Hawksbill was told to come out to play with her friends. It is like tropical weather, with its humid climate and fresh smell. When she returned, her mother scolded her because she just finished cleaning the house and now she had more work. She told Sara to go take a bath while she cleaned Sara’s muddy mess.

Sara thought that her mother was just saying this, but with the look on her mother’s face she went anyway. Once Sara got there, she saw her friend, the fisherman, having trouble-catching fish. So she went to him and told him, “I will get some fish for you.” Then she went down in the water and grabbed some fish with her hooked beak. The fisherman was overseeing her with interest because under the water her body really looked like a hawk. She had a patterned shell and beautiful body that had two claws at the front flaps. When she returned and gave the fish to the fisherman, she realized that she had to take a bath. After her bath she came home and saw that mama did not return yet. So she went to get dinner ready for mama, papa, and herself.

Mama still didn’t return. Even though when papa returned home from work, Sara asked him, “Did you see mama while you came this way home?” Read the rest of this entry »

House training a dog. Assuming there is no medical issue—follow this plan, and you should be able to dependably house train your dog within few weeks, max. Read the rest of this entry »

Take this test = reincarnationstation.com/

I am a penguin! What are you? Let us know!

Let’s start with this. If the pit bull terrier ever needed good press (think PR) now is the time to write something positive about this pooch. The reason? Life is about “balance” and there are few “positive” pit bull stories that we are aware of. PM is happy to publish the following article from the Chicago Tribune…

by Gerry Smith, Chicago Tribune

“Trainer aims to reprogram public’s view of pit bulls: Pit bull olympics.”

Head, a 6-month-old pit bull with tattered ears and a passive demeanor, learned to sit on Saturday, a small but notable achievement for a dog once bred to fight.

Photo by Julia Fishkin

On a sidewalk in Humboldt Park, Head was part of a small group of neighborhood pit bulls participating in a dog obedience class taught by Tony Gordon, whose mission is more than just turning around a few hostile canines.

Gordon, a disciple of Pavlov’s theories, said he also hopes to educate pit bull owners and transform public perception about a breed that has been maligned by the media in high-profile attacks on children. Read the rest of this entry »

This week PM was vastly entertained by several couples who are expecting the birth of a child and witnessing the naming process, if that is what it could be called. Naming a child may be more challenging than naming a pet. Or is it? Well, animals may have more options to choose from and maybe an interesting story behind it. It reminds me of a dog named PD which translated into poor dog because the dog had reached what we describe as rock bottom. Now here is an article to kick this can down the road and see if we can provoke more stories…

By Linda Goldston.

A rose is a rose is a rose—but a pet name? That can be almost anything.

Every year, names like Max, Jake and Buddy show up on many lists of Top 10 names for dogs, while Max, Smokey and Shadow make it on the cat names list. Read the rest of this entry »

A “campfire” story taken from writing.com

[Introduction] Greetings!

note: Hooves of Fire! = author, WRITEING = Demon Squirrel

I, Hooves, have risked life and limb to travel to the deepest recesses of evil for this exclusive (and I hope Emmy winning) interview with the one and only Demon Squirrel. Due to the extreme evil of his countenance, I cannot look directly at him. He will be behind a curtain, speaking through the voice of Ercole who has kindly volunteered to channel the horrible demon’s answers to all of us.

This campfire will consist of me asking the questions (one at a time) and His Evilness answering through the Writeing of ercole, keeping his responses to 5 sentences or less if possible.

And now for the first question as soon as the campfire invitation is accepted. Read the rest of this entry »

While searching for “pet stories” it came as a surprise that Sim2 first new companion game is “Pet Stories.” Though Sim2 comes in at #55 on Gamespot.com, this is a popular game—among adults. Craig’s List most popular forums, in Chicago, have huge followings for “romantic advice” and “politics” while “women’s issues” and “pet and animal” are next in popularity, considerably less visited, and evenly weighted. For such a popular adult game to target pets is interesting. The concept of alotting time towards animals but for whatever reason a “virtual” companion, is worth thinking about. Here is just one narrative on the upcoming game…

Based on The Simsâ„¢ 2 Pets, the top-selling expansion pack to The Simsâ„¢ 2, The Simsâ„¢ Pet Stories is the second release in the new product line called The Simsâ„¢ Stories. Train, play with, and care for your Sims’ cats and dogs, and do your best to keep them happy. Count on many unexpected twists and turns in this easy-to-play, laptop-friendly version of The Simsâ„¢. Choose from two different stories in the directed Story mode, taking on a variety of challenges as you compete in a local pet show and learn that even pets have their own personalities. Unlock rewards as you achieve set goals for your Sims and their pets. In open-ended Freeplay mode, create your Sims and their pets, design their homes, and teach your pets tricks. You decide how their stories unfold. Read the rest of this entry »

Abstract

Relationships inevitably develop between humans and animals, regardless of the function or use of the animal partners. The need to recognize the existence of these human-animal bonds, as well as acknowledge the use of the animals, is widespread. Religious memorial services for animals in certain areas of the world provide an historical basis for such acknowledgment activities. The diversity of sacred and secular approaches to memorializing or acknowledging animals is illustrated by representative examples of such events. The need to establish such events, particularly in academic and research settings, is emphasized. The pros and cons of developing and establishing acknowledgment activities in addition to the benefits of implementing such events are discussed. Read the rest of this entry »