I call this: Stocking Up For The Summer

While we were out walking the dogs along the creek, I managed to take real nice closeup pictures of Mallards swimming in the creek when, I decided to turn my camera into video mode and capture it swimming and, the Mallard decided to turn it into a sexy shower scene~!

I call this: I’m Too Sexy …

btw - I added music to this last one - from the YouTube upload directly from google (audioswap) - I didn’t know I can do that

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Without naming names and while keeping things mostly light-hearted, I’d like to poke a little fun at my expectations (and the expectations of most newly hired pet store employees) by comparing them to the realities of working at a pet store.

Fantasy vs. Reality: Working at a Pet Store

Expectation: Get to work, hold cute hamster. Talk to some customers. Cuddle cute bird. Talk to some customers. Pet funny lizard. Sweep store. Hold squirmy ferret.

Reality: Employees rarely get to hold the pets for any other reason than to show them to customers or to move them around while cleaning cages. Get caught snuggling instead of selling or cleaning, and most chain stores will quickly find an unpleasant task for you well away from any adorable temptations.

Expectation: Introduce children and their parents to the joys and responsibilities of hamster ownership.

Reality: Introduce children and their parents to the joys of returning a dead hamster to the store three days after it was purchased, because they disregarded your instructions to minimize stress by leaving the poor creature alone for a few days after bringing it home.

Expectation: Give sage training and behavior advice to customers struggling with dog training problems. Sell them some training classes and humane training aids.

Reality: Quietly suggest that most trainers don’t recommend shock collars for puppies six months of age; wake up next morning to boss shouting at you over the telephone because the customer left a long-winded complaint about how judgmental and nasty you were, and demanded you be fired.

Expectation: Ask questions about a family’s lifestyle in order to recommend the pet best suited for their needs, then sell them the necessary supplies.

Reality: Spend an hour discussing the benefits of Leopard Gecko ownership for a household new to reptiles but interested in learning more about them. Build a lovely 30-gallon setup with all necessary supplies for Leopard Gecko. Eight-year-old boy sees Baby Savannah Monitor lizard, convinces parents based entirely on how small it is now that it will never really be four to six feet long, parents insist on purchasing Savannah Monitor with Leopard Gecko setup that it will outgrow within three months. You get shouted at for spending so much time with one customer.

Expectation: Help new fish owners learn all about everything they need to keep their fish healthy and happy.

Reality: Sell ten million betta fish in those teeny plastic cups to people who insist, “My cousin’s college roommate’s sister Sally’s ex-boyfriend’s aunt had one of these and it lived five years in the cup it came in– I won’t be needing a tank or bowl!”

Expectation: Help new puppy or kitten owners pick out a pet food that will meet all of the new pet’s nutritional needs and help it stay healthy for life.

Reality: Store carries over 20 lines of premium puppy food. You hear, “Where’s the Purina Puppy Chow?” more frequently than any other pet food question.

Expectation: Tell new mouse owners all about the intelligence of mice and how easy it is to train them to do a few simple tricks. Encourage purchase of toys and treats for the mice.

Reality: Tell new mouse owners all about the intelligence of mice and how easy it is to train them to do a few simple tricks. Encourage purchase of toys and treats for the mice. Then find out the mouse purchased is intended as snake food.

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Mena is a lucky 9 month old spayed female who was found as a stray in the dead of winter. She was suffering from frostbite– so bad her toes caused her extreme pain. She needed help! Mena was attended to by our veterinary staff and sent to a foster home to begin her recovery. She has done really, really well in her foster home; she is so affectionate and loves being with people. She is best in a home without other pets and one with older children. Mena is very stressed out here in the shelter so we hope to adopt her from her foster home. Mena takes some time to warm up to new people & situations; her adopter will have to be patient with her as she adjusts. For more information please call 982-2035.

Taz 092654

Taz has had too many homes and is in need of his forever home. Taz is such a smart boy! He knows sit, lie down, come and shake a paw; he can even say “I love you”! You will fall in love with this amazing fellow as soon as you meet him. We think Taz would do best in a home with children 12+. As with all dogs, we recommend any potential adopters bring their resident dog(s) in for an introduction before adopting. Taz has been with us since April, he would love to be home in time to enjoy this beautiful weather!

If you would like to adopt one of these pets, please contact:

Judy Dean
Adoption Coordinator

The Winnipeg Humane Society
45 Hurst Way
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3T 0R3
Tel: 204.982.3552
Fax: 204.982.3550
Email: satellite@humanesociety.mb.ca
www.winnipeghumanesociety.ca

Saving just one dog won’t change the world… but it surely will change the world for that one dog

Adoption fees include vet exam, spay/neuter, pet insurance & more! www.winnipeghumanesociety.ca for more information.

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Hairless Rat

Myths About Hairless Rats

You may have heard some of the following claims about hairless rat care:

1. Hairless rats can’t be kept with furred rats

 2. Hairless rats must be kept alone because other rats could scratch them and cause a skin infection

 3. Hairless rats have no eyelashes or whiskers

 4. Hairless rats do not lactate

 5. Hairless rats have inverted nipples

 6. Hairless rats are more likely to develop tumors

 7. All hairless rats will abandon their young if bred

 8. Hairless rats are unfriendly; alternately, hairless rats are more friendly than furred rats

The Truth About Hairless Rat Care

Healthy hairless rats are indeed difficult to find. There are very few hobby breeders working with the hairless gene. However, most of the above myths are untrue, or at best partially true. I’ll go through each of the above myths and set the record straight:

 1. Untrue. Hairless rats can be kept with any compatible, same-sex or neutered/spayed companion rat.

 2. Untrue.  While hairless rats are indeed prone to receive scratches from cagemates, only very severe fighting that would be cause to separate any rats, furred or not, would leave wounds deep enough to require medical attention. The risk of infection is minimal in normal circumstances as most scratches are small, shallow, and heal quickly. The damage done by loneliness when a rat is kept alone is far worse than a few scratches.

 3. Rarely True. Hairless rats without eyelashes and whiskers do exist, but this is a severe fault and would disqualify a rat at a rat show. Hairless rats should have no body hair, but should have eyelashes and whiskers, and may have “peach fuzz” on the face.

 4. Sometimes True. Lactation problems are more common in hairless than in furred rats. This relates primarily to the lack of well-bred hairless rats. However, if you’re a pet owner, you should probably not be breeding your rats anyway.

 5. Rarely True. Hairless rats do sometimes have one or more inverted nipples. The condition is bizarre but benign in a pet and does not seem to have a noticeable effect on the already high chance of mammary tumors in female rats. Furred rats likely also have inverted nipples fairly often, but it’s harder to notice if fur is in the way. Individuals with this defect are generally unsuitable for breeding.

 6. Untrue. Poorly bred rats are generally more prone to develop tumors. There are many poorly bred hairless rats. This doesn’t mean the hairlessness is responsible for the tumor risk.

7. Untrue. Rats are generally excellent mothers, hairless rats included. Rejection of litters is rare.

 8. Untrue. All rats are individuals with individual personalities, and may be friendlier or less friendly than other individuals.

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Wrong. While it’s impossible ever to be really 100% certain of the outcome of a situation beyond your control, it’s possible to take some steps that don’t require independent wealth and which come as close as possible to ensuring your pets will be safe even if you’re unable to continue taking care of them.

Talk to Friends and Family

If you speak with friends and family ahead of time about the care of your pets in the event of your death, long-term hospitalization, or severe disability, you can identify individuals who would be willing to take on responsibility for your pets. It’s a difficult conversation to have.  Nobody wants to be reminded that a loved one could simply be gone tomorrow. However, it’s necessary to discuss these matters with the people closest to you, if you want to make sure your pets will not be harmed if you’re no longer able to care for them.

Try beginning with, “I know this is an unpleasant topic, but since you’re a person I trust and admire, I want to talk to you about my pets. Specifically, I’d like to ask if you’re comfortable with the responsibility of caring for them, should I die or become physically incapable of providing them with a loving home.”

Make sure your designated “pet godparent” knows it’s okay to decline the request and that you’d rather hear an answer in the negative now than have your pets end up with someone who’s not actually willing to keep them for life.

Put It In Writing

If you’ve found someone willing to take your pets if you become incapacitated, see an attorney together and add a clause to your Last Will and Testament leaving your pets to this individual. If possible, also leave a financial bequest of some sort, and talk to the attorney about tying this bequest to the care of your pets. In other words, have your attorney help you say, “I leave this person this amount of money, but only on  the condition that they provide for my pets for the rest of their natural lives,” in a way that is legally binding.

Have a  Backup Plan

If worst comes to worst, even the designated  “pet godparent” may be unable to care for your pets. That’s why you should  also leave a backup plan, in writing. The best option is a second designated caregiver, but if another willing person can’t be found, choose a local no-kill rescue that uses foster homes for the pets in their care. Stipulate in your will and/or living will that if and only if your pets absolutely cannot be taken by the designated  individual,  they may be surrendered only to the specified organization.

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