AMERICAblog Pets

Cat attempts suicide after being forced to wear Halloween costume

2010-10-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

Watch the entire video.

Cutest sleeping puppy ever

2010-10-18T18:39:00.001-04:00

When kitties attack, and fail

2010-10-15T18:06:00.004-04:00

Boston Terrier vs Kitten

2010-10-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

Cat long jump FAIL

2010-10-12T21:52:00.002-04:00

Texting while cat

2010-08-31T07:19:00.000-04:00

Sasha meets Big Bird

2010-07-18T12:21:00.001-04:00

Sasha's first swim

2010-07-06T10:34:00.003-04:00

My neighbor Brenda took us to a great dog park in Northern Virginia along a creek. There, people wade into the water with their dogs, and there were a lot of people there last week when we went (temps were broaching 100). I wasn't sure if Sasha would get into it, but there she was, slowly walking into the water... AHEAD of me! She was doing great, even started swimming, until 3 big dogs, all playing together, ran by and scared the hell out of her. The problem wasn't the dogs per se. But rather, since she was swimming, she couldn't do her usual "duck for cover." She couldn't do anything. And it scared her. So she swam over to me and held on to my leg for dear life.

I didn't get any vide of the dog attack, but did get a nice clip of her wading into the water, with not a care to the world. Hopefully next time we go I can find a quieter area, and give her another chance.

Sasha tries to warn the monkeys of impending tiger attack on TV

2010-06-28T10:01:00.003-04:00

I noticed that Sasha was paying a bit too much attention to the nature show I had on. A tiger was getting ready to pounce on a bunch of monkeys. Her ears perked up. Then it attacked, and she flipped out - I swear to God she was warning the monkeys. You have to go about a minute in before she flips out, but it's still fun to watch the first minute where you can see her paying more and more attention to the show.

Cucumbers are the best thing ever

2010-06-25T20:27:00.000-04:00

Sasha's first.

Maggie the cat

2010-06-25T10:41:00.003-04:00

Got a pet you'd like to see on the blog? Send us their picture (preferably no bigger than 500 pixels across) and tell us something about them - something funny or sad, or whatever you like. Send your photos and stories here: ablogphotos@gmail.com

This is Maggie the cat...

She’s actually in charge around here. Defy her at your peril. She’s 13 years old, and the most hated cat at Friendship Animal Hospital. They fear her. She’s generally very sweet but, at certain times, she gets back in touch with her alley cat roots, at which point you realize that she’s 150 pounds of nasty crammed into seven pounds of cat. (She was found as an abandoned kitten at the Blue Plains Water Treatment Plant, so she’s a genuine pedigreed District of Columbia sewer cat.)

Honestly, she’s like the rabbit from The Holy Grail. To everybody but me and Jose. LOL.

All the best,

Chris

Dog seriously not happy about being honked at

2010-06-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

Of course, as funny as this is, these dogs shouldn't have been off leash.

If you like gorillas, you have to see this

2010-06-23T08:05:00.000-04:00

Jojo and I are crazy about Africa and seeing the gorillas is very high on the list. We always thought they were mostly in Rwanda and Uganda but maybe we'll have to look into West Africa. It's hard not to be moved by this particular encounter.

First strawberry

2010-06-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

She never did seem to catch on that it was food.

Dogs dream

2010-06-21T19:31:00.002-04:00

If I didn't catch Sasha dreaming, and trying to bark, then I'm not sure what I caught. Have a look:

Where do you buy heartworm medicine, and tick and flea medicine, for your dog?

2010-06-14T12:16:00.002-04:00

I'm just trying to find the best deal, as both seem to be pricey, especially if you get them from your vet. Any thoughts?

When Sasha met the Irises

2010-06-12T15:19:00.002-04:00

So the dog is acting up, and ends up peeing on the door mat last night (something she doesn't usually do), so I put her out on the balcony for a few minutes. After about 15 minutes, I notice she's nowhere in sight, and start wondering what exactly she's up to. So I go outside, call her name, and as usual after the third time I call here comes Sasha sashaying across the balcony, butt wiggling, tail wagging, like nothing is wrong. And she's covered in dirt.

I go to the back of the balcony and find that she's been digging up my irises. Siberian Irises to be exact. Which, okay, she's a terrier, so I get the digging thing. But I just bathed her two days ago, and now she's covered in dirt. So, we went and took our second shower of the week, this time it went a tad quicker since I'd had experience with it now. At least her fur is absurdly soft now.

Today Sasha took a shower

2010-06-09T20:35:00.004-04:00

Pre and post bath... er, shower.

My sister, and neighbor, have both been urging me to try bathing the dog in the shower. I've been washing her in the kitchen sink, which is quite large, especially for a nearly six pound puppy. But she hates the sink, and I'm in constant fear of her jumping out. So tonight, after a particularly muddy time at the dog park, I took Sasha into the shower with me, and it went pretty well. It was easier to just have her sit on the ground, rather than hold her, but she kept two paws on my leg in any case. Then I just washed her away. She started shaking, as usual, but I think having the shower head instead of the sink spray-thing gave her more water, and hopefully kept her a bit warmer. All in all, it was easier to wash the soap out of her hair with more water, and she was a bit more manageable in the shower. So I think in the future, the shower it is.

Not all cats hate water

2010-06-08T10:26:00.000-04:00

Somehow I don't think Nasdaq or Sushi would be this calm.

The orangutan and the hound dog

2010-06-04T13:54:00.002-04:00

Amazing video from National Geographic of an orangutan who instantly befriends a dog.

How sea otters teach their pups to swim

2010-06-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

Okay not officially a pet. But an adorable video.

Sasha vs the kitchen pot

2010-05-31T19:06:00.002-04:00

I'm suddenly understanding that "socialization" thing. I did a pretty good job introducing Sasha to the world. We take daily walks where she meets tons of people, and lots of other dogs. She's flown on a plane. Snuck into a Starbucks. Gone to friends' houses for dinner. Attended rather large family events for the holidays. And more. But what I apparently never showed my 4.5 month ol puppy was an ordinary old kitchen pot. I took one out yesterday to make her some rice and chicken (her stool is still soft), and boy did she go off on the pot. I grabbed my iPhone, and caught the action.

The bed was made up perfectly so that Sasha would have half...

2010-05-28T11:25:00.001-04:00

When someone tells you their dog is nice, and won't harm your puppy, don't believe them

2010-05-26T13:34:00.004-04:00

One of the things that has surprised me the most as a new dog (puppy) owner is the degree to which people either lie about their dogs, or have simply no clue about their pets' problematic issues.

In the week or so since Sasha finished getting her last immunization, meaning she can meet strange dogs on the street relatively safely, she's been snapped at four times, and bitten in the snout once (it drew blood). All from dogs that the owners first assured me were "very nice" and had no problem at all with a rambunctious puppy who would jump all over them seeking love.

The thing that bothers me is I didn't simply ask "is your dog okay?" I told people that she was a 4 month old puppy who loved everyone and everything and would jump all over their dog in an attempt to play with her, especially jumping at their faces. And I was told "not a problem." Then their dogs snapped at her. And I seriously doubt that it was the first time any of these dogs snapped.

I don't get it. If my dog ever were to snap at another dog, and someone asked me if she was okay with a puppy jumping all over her, I'd say that she's usually very good, but can snap if pushed too far. I'd say it because my dog has never snapped at anyone in her life. She's never even growled - well, only at me once when I tried to get something out of her mouth. It happened once, I corrected it, and it never happened again. So when I say my dog loves everyone, I mean it. Others apparently don't.

So, I'm now triply cautious about my dog meeting other dogs - she's only 5 pounds, and the one dog that drew blood, the mark was about a centimeter from her eye. But it's really frustrating. If you can't trust dog owners to tell you, honestly, whether their dog has any issues with other dogs, then how are you supposed to protect your own dog, when it's much smaller and needs to socialize for its own development?

Oh what a difference a metal brush makes

2010-05-19T22:24:00.000-04:00

I had no idea that different brushes make your dog's hair, or fur, appear totally differently. The groomer came yesterday, and did a great job. Comes to your place, spent two hours, did a great job, and charges $45. I'm almost afraid to give people her name, lest she become too popular and raise her prices! She was recommended by one of the readers, who is also a neighbor - just wonderful.

Anyway, the groomer informed me that a metal brush (with a very soft bristle, since Sasha has fine hair and soft skin) would fluff up her hair more, and not leave it as wavy and Terrier-y. And boy did it. I got a great brush today, and this was the result. Her hair is definitely more Bichon-y than Yorkie-y, and I like it.