GrouchyPuppy® Blog | Dog Lovers Source

Human Pacemakers Help Save Family Pets

What an amazing time we live in -- human pacemakers can save our family pets. 

via www.knoxnews.com

Dr. Becky Gompf shows a pacemaker donated to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine that will be used for animal implantation. UT performs about six pacemaker surgeries a year, and the center is believed to be the only facility in the state to offer such a service. (PHOTO BY J. MILES CARY/NEWS SENTINEL)

Human pacemakers used to save pets' lives

UT veterinary cardiologists implant human pacemakers into dogs, cats

UT is the only vet hospital in the state certified to implant human pacemakers in animals. Pacemakers specifically made for animals have yet to be developed.

The UT vet hospital outfits about six pacemakers a year in dogs and cats.

Gompf said UT first implanted pacemakers in animals in the early 1980s. She said that pacemakers were first outfitted in animals in the 1970s.

Gompf said that fewer than 400 human pacemakers are implanted in animals — mostly dogs and cats — in the United States each year.

The pacemakers in the UT bank come from several sources.

Some are donated by area hospitals after the pacemakers outlive their shelf life for humans. Other pacemakers are taken from corpses and donated to UT by family members.

Read the full story

 

Celebrate Our GrouchyPuppy Blog Anniversary

Want to know one of the best reasons to having a dog? She keeps you in the moment. So much of my focus is on her, that another year of the GrouchyPuppy blog went by, and I almost missed celebrating. Almost.

March Madness I have a great way to commemorate our time together on this blog. Here is a beautiful photo calendar, featuring 18 months of Cleo for one lucky reader. It begins with January, and continues to June 2013. Each month includes a photo of our beautiful GrouchyPuppy muse.

 

Shamrocks and dog collars

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? I've seen some cute dogs this rainy weekend wearing green coats. The closest Cleo got to green today, was eating some grass on our walk. My dog doesn't like to wear anything, so I made her a four leaf clover -- out of dog cookies.

 

 

Cleo must be a wee bit Irish because I think she was hoping her liver cookie treats..would be Dublin! (Thank you, I'm here all week!)

 

 

Hope you're having a great weekend enjoying the festivities.

Therapy dog Coco lands new job at Hospice

Coco or "Coco Bean" went from a horrible start in life, to being discovered in a shelter by dog trainer Jo Brosius, who saw Coco's "loving heart". With training, Coco is now a helping families with their grief as a hospice care worker. Dogs never cease to amaze me with their ability to love.

via m.richmondregister.com

A ‘rags to riches’ story: Therapy dog Coco lands new job at Hospice

She gets lavished with affection all day, every day. She gets professional beauty care every other week. She has multiple beds in which she may rest from a long night of work.

Some call her “Coco Chanel” but some call her “Coco Bean.”

Whatever they call her, everyone at the Hospice Plus Compassionate Care Center in Richmond agrees it wouldn’t be the same place without her, said Brenna Wallhausser, Hospice community outreach coordinator.

The three-year old chocolate lab is the new therapy dog at the center. She replaced the now retired Annie, a golden retriever that had worked at the center since it opened in April 2008.

Coco’s typical work day includes greeting guests at the door, a job she can do from her usual position under the front desk at the feet of Kathy Bryant, patient care secretary.

“She’s got a pretty posh pad,” Bryant said of Coco’s nook, furnished with a sleeping pillow, stuffed animals and her favorite toy duck.

But Coco’s life was not always so “posh.”

The lab was found at a rescue shelter by dog trainer Jo Brosius of Berea. Authorities at the shelter said they had found Coco living in horrendous conditions.

Read the full story

Finding Joy in Life With a Diabetic Dog

How do you find joy in life when you have a diabetic dog? For the past six years, my dog has taken me on a roller-coaster of emotions. Time with Cleo has been one continuous series of life lessons. It's a good thing that I've always loved learning.

One of our more recent challenges is her diabetes. We were shocked to learn of the diagnosis though apparently diabetes is increasing in family pets. 

Banfield State of Pet Health reports a 32% increase in diabetes in dogs and 16% increase in cats, comparing 2006 to 2010. [Source]

According to WebMD her diabetes should be tied to obesity, but for Cleo it isn't. She has maintained a healthy level weight since we adopted her over six years ago.

Even with diabetes, Cleo makes it easy for us to find joy with her

Long Island German Shepherd Saves Owner's Life

April a 9-year-old German Shepherd dog leapt in as canine nurse, caring for Linda until her husband got home and called 911. Senior dogs rule! Good girl April!

via newyork.cbslocal.com

ROCKY POINT, NY (CBSNewYork) - A German Shepard is being called a hero on Long Island.

Last month, Linda Rubino, who is 49, had a stroke and it was an hour before her husband got home to their Rocky Point home and called 911.

But during that hour, April kept licking Linda’s mouth, making sure she did not choke on her own saliva.

“When the fluid blocks your nose, then that would be a problem. So, she cleared that up for me,” Linda told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall on Thursday.

Read the full story

 

 

Therapy dogs spread joy at senior care center

via lcca.com

Therapy dogs visit often at Life Care Center of Lawrenceville

Life Care Center of Lawrenceville, Ga., is fortunate to have so many pets visiting as part of its pet therapy program.

“These pet visits are a highlight to our residents,” said Sherry Forester, activity director. “It’s as if a family member is here!”

Read the full story

Petition Urging USAF to Reunite Heroic Military Dog With Partner

Let's join New York Senator Charles E. Schumer and sign the online petition urging the United States Air Force to reunite Sergeant Rex, a military working dog, with his former partner, Iraq War veteran Corporal Megan Leavey, with whom he helped identify and disable roadside bombs in Iraq.

via www.wbng.com

 

Schumer Announces Petition Drive to Reunite Heroic Military Dog With Partner

According to a news release from Schumer's office:

Megan Leavey, a former marine, worked with Sergeant Rex to hunt down and disarm improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq in order to keep American soldiers safe.

Leavey and Sgt. Rex were severely injured when an IED exploded, abruptly ending their tours in Iraq and forcing them into rehabilitation. Since returning to the United States, Leavey has attempted to adopt Sgt. Rex, but she was initially turned down in 2007 since Rex was still deemed able to work. But once it became known that Sgt. Rex, now 10 years old, was unable to work and would soon be retired from service, Leavey renewed her efforts. Leavey, who currently works as a dog handler in Rockland County, has yet to be approved to adopt Rex and is still working through the military bureaucracy to finalize the adoption.

Last week, in a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force, Michael B. Donley, Schumer urged him to expedite the process to reunite Rex and Leavey as quickly as possible, particularly because the dog is already 10 years old and in declining health. To further the cause of reuniting these two war heroes, Schumer today launched an online petition drive, dubbed ‘Saving Sgt. Rex’ to generate public support for the effort. Schumer urged New Yorkers and Americans across the country to sign the petition, which can be found at his website, www.schumer.senate.gov.

“The story of Marine Corporal Leavey and Sergeant Rex is inspiring a nation, and it’s vital that the United States Air Force move as quickly as possible to reunite Sgt. Rex with his former partner,” said Schumer. “The ‘Saving Sgt. Rex’ petition will bolster the effort to bring attention to this worthwhile cause, and I am urging all Americans to sign-up and show their support; we asked a lot more of Corporal Leavey and Sgt. Rex, who put their lives on the line for us time-and-again – reuniting them now is the least we can do.”

Read the full story

Mixing Pinterest Photoshop Memes and Dog Faces

Blend Pinterest, Photoshop, memes and dogs together, what do you get? A lunch hour that flies by!

Who needs Photoshop when your dog lets you take a close up like this? One more reason why I love senior dogs. Calm and confident. A puppy would have licked the camera, if they had stayed still long enough to make the attempt.

Dog faces, Photoshopped or not, make us laugh every time..[...]

Dogs Offer Many Health Benefits

Having a dog, or simply spending time with one, has its benefits. Like the author of this article, I am also anecdotal evidence. My dog gets me up and away from my desk each day. Managing her diet, due to her age and diabetes, introduced me to healtier recipes.

via www.theatlantic.com

Live Like Royalty: The Many Health Benefits of Dogs, Man's Best Friend

The young royals, Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, created headlines late last month by revealing the name of their new puppy. Not mentioned in the multitude of stories is how the dog's presence can affect the health of the future King and Queen. The latest addition to the Royal family, Lupo, a four-month-old black cocker spaniel, is an ideal pet choice. Medical studies around the world have concluded dogs encourage better health, and adopting one statistically boosts the life expectancy of the monarchial pair. Not only is a dog man's best friend, but Lupo's presence could be better for you than an apple a day.

Read the full story by Martin Mulcahey

 

Dogs have key anti-terror role at London Olympics

With a dog like Benson on duty, I'd feel very safe visiting London this summer. Will you be going to the Summer Olympics?

 

via worldnews.msnbc.msn.com

LONDON -- Benson’s tail wagged lazily as he weaved through the crowds in London’s St. Pancras railway station.

“Good morning ladies and gents, police dog working,” said the pooch’s handler, Graham Rowlstone of the British Transport Police, as the pair strode beneath a soaring glass-and-blue-steel ceiling. “Just making sure it’s nice and safe for you.”

Some travelers and commuters smiled, laughed and said hello to the black lab. A few petted him. But mostly the pair slipped easily through the concourse.

Suddenly, Benson cocked his ears, lifted his tail and picked up the pace. He trotted in front of a nondescript man in a dark blue fleece, sat down and looked up expectantly.

“Good morning, sir. Where are you traveling today?” Rowlstone asked.

It was a drill to show that Benson’s explosives-sniffing skills were still sharp. The dog passed the test and the man in blue – dog trainer and police officer Paul Saunders – dropped a tennis ball, which Benson chewed enthusiastically.

Read the full story

New movie about the bond between man and dog

Dogs are very good at bringing people together, and bringing out the best in us. I've shared real life stories of volunteers working together to find a lost dog, and firefighters going above and beyond rescuing a stranger's dog. Remember the story a few days ago of Dooley, the Shetland sheepdog missing for 53 days in the Nevada desert? We love dogs.

Dog lovers get ready for a new movie. Darling Companion is Director Lawrence Kasdan's first independent production. The movie explores the bond between a rescued stray dog and his new family, as well as the closeness between family members and friends. "The hunt for the dog in the movie becomes the catalyst for some emotional reckoning among the searchers" Kasdan said.

The stars of Darling Companion

The characters are fictional, but the story - co-written by his wife Meg Kasdan - is based on the true story of the Kasdan's own experience. On a family outing, their own rescue dog Mac was lost in the Rockies. Family, friends and people from the nearby town came together searching for Mac until he was found, three weeks later. Meg’s sister’s dog story was also woven in the movie – she saw a stray dog on a Detroit freeway and had to save him, scrambling up the embankment like Diane Keaton in the movie.  She named him "Freeway."

Iditarod Musher Saves Dog with CPR

An incredible story of a "Mushing Mortician" and an Iditarod dog named Marshal.

via abcnews.go.com

When Marshall collapsed on the Iditarod trail, Scott Janssen did what any good friend would do:  He stopped his sled and gave mouth-to-mouth CPR.

Read the full story

Do you know Pet CPR and First Aid? Wag Hotels offers classes in both of their Northern California locations.

Grateful Dogs Rescue Adoption Event March 11 San Francisco Embarcadero

 

 

Seven ways an older dog is your perfect match

Living with a senior dog has a lot of upside. My dog will still bark at noises outside as a warning signal to all, but she is more choosy about whether the noise is worthy of her getting up. When we go for a walk, she still gets hot and bothered at the sight or sound of the Fed Ex truck, but even if she begins breathing fire, her days of attempting to lunge into the street in pursuit are over.

 

Even with her older dog ailments Cleo is still a big strong dog, which is why I would never hold her leash in my mouth. However, this image did get me thinking about the many benefits to having a senior dog, and I realized we had a lot more in common than when she was younger.