Frequently Asked Questions

A: Ulric is Britain's fattest cat and weighs as much as an average three year old child. The Norwegian forest cat has been placed on strict diets and even entered a pet slimming competition where everything he ate was weighed. He still didn't lose any weight.  When his owner realized Ulric was quite good at stealing his sister's food she tried to take him for walks to lose some weight, but he refused to go along with that. What is a cat lover to do? Uric's owner enrolled help from a dog. Dennis is a five month old pug-cross who has turned into Ulric's personal trainer. The puppy chases the cat around the yard, plays, and wrestles, and after three months with the dog, Ulric has lost more weight than in 16 months of dieting. //youtu.be/iJYgo1a-rhc

A: Brazil has undergone large changes during the last few decades, and the quickly urbanizing middle class work more, earn more, and have kids later than previous generations. They also get more and more pets. The population of Brazil is roughly 200 million people. They also have almost 20 million small dogs, and this is more per capita than anywhere else in the world. The total number of dogs in the country is around 36 million, and the average home is more likely to have at least one dog than to be dog-less. Most of these pooches get specialized care - they are blessed by priests, driven in pet taxis, taken for specialized grooming, and bred in dog love motels. The most common breeds are small terriers, shih tzus, and chihuahuas. The top five countries for small dog ownership are: Brazil Portugal Mexico Philippines USA The countries with the least small dogs are: India Turkey Indonesia Egypt Saudi Arabia Egypt only has one small dog for every 5,600 people, and Saudi Arabia one small dog for every 9,400 people.

A: Dog bite force myths need to be debunked. Some people who are afraid of dogs will claim that certain dog breeds can exert over 2,000 pounds of pressure with their jaws. It's an impressive number - and an enormous exaggeration. They bite harder than a human, but not as much harder as one could think. The average human can bite down with a 120 pound force. A grown up man can reach around 150. It's not a lot, but being bit by a human will still hurt and do damage. It is more difficult to measure the exact bite force of dogs, because they won't bite as hard every time, and they will bite harder if they're provoked. The force they can chow down with depends on the shape of the jaw and the size of the dog's head One test measured three dog breeds that often strike fear in those afraid of dogs; American Pit Bull Terriers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers. (If you are afraid of dogs, you should know that all dogs can be good and all dogs can be bad - it depends on the owner and not the breed.) The average dog bite force turned out to be 269 pounds of pressure. The Rottweilers were the strongest and topped with 328 pounds of bite pressure. German Shepherds came in second with a 238 measured dog bite force, and the American Pit Bull Terrier came in third with 235 pounds of pressure. How does that measure compared to cousins in the wild? Dogs are at a disadvantage.  A wolf's normal bite force is around 400 pounds. If it is protecting itself, a large wolf can bite down with over 1,200 pounds of pressure. Large cats are very strong. A Jaguar can reach 700 pounds of pressure, and Siberian Tiger 950. You might not think of Hyenas as strong, but even though they are scavengers they also hunt, and most of the time they chase down their own food. A hyena can bite down with 1100 pounds, and they've been known to chase off lions to claim food. When it comes to our primate cousins, the Gorillas are the largest and strongest. An adult male gorilla can weigh 400 pounds, and bite down with a strength of 1,300 pounds per square inch. Now, that doesn't mean that you should fear gorillas - they are herbivores, peaceful, and shy. Many who visit the south are afraid of alligators, and it is certainly wise to abide by regulations and warning signs. The American Alligator has a bite strength of 2125, sharp teeth, and powerful muscles to hold their prey. This still pales compared to the Nile Crocodile that can close their mouths with a pressure of 5000 pounds. While alligators and crocodiles can run fairly quickly on land,  it's nowhere near what urban myths claim. They can lounge out of water at a fairly high speed, but the land speed record is around 10 mph, and they grow tired quickly when on land. Alligator attacks are extremely rare. The risk of being injured in an unprovoked alligator attack is around one in 2.4 million.

A: The Belgian Malinois is a breed used by police forces all over the world, and they excel at security work, protection, search and rescue, scent detection, and many other things. However, dogs are individuals just like people, and police work isn't for everyone.  Cash is a two year old Belgian Malinois, and he was supposed to join the police force of Cannon Beach, Oregon. While he surely did his best, it was soon clear to the officers that Cash wasn't cut out for the job; the poor dog was afraid of heights, skittish, and maybe even afraid of drugs - he'd bark aggressively instead of sniffing them out. Cash is now returned to his original owner, and will hopefully find a new career. The Belgian Malinois was originally bred to be a herding dog. Many confuse the dogs with German Shepherds, but they are quite different dogs. They are generally quick to learn and eager to please their humans, they have an abundance of energy, and require interaction and exercise.

A: Dog owners know their pooches understand language, and past research has shown that dogs respond to different parts of human speech, making a difference between content and emotional tone. New research shows that dogs process speech in a way similar to humans. Naturally, this doesn't mean that all dogs understand all human words. Dogs must learn our language, and different individuals can retain different amounts of words. The study shows that dogs process words with the brain's left hemisphere - just like humans do. This part of the brain processes syntax and words. Dogs and humans both process emotional tone with the brain's right hemisphere. Does this matter? It helps explain how dogs became man's best friend - they can truly tell the difference between meaningless sounds and words that are important to them. They love us back, see us as their family, listen to what we say, and understand.

A: There are many stray dogs in Ecuador, and up until recently, Arthur was one of them. No home, no family, no name. That is, until he ran into Team Peak Performance - a Swedish team competing in Adventure Racing World Championship.  One of the theme members gave Arthur a meatball. Being a smart pooch, Arthur figure out that if there's one meatball there are probably many, and he decided to tag along on the team's trek. To start with the team tried to shoo him away, because a 430 mile endurance race in the rainforest is not for the faint of heart, and it is no place for a dog. Arthur didn't give up. He followed the team all the way to the finish line. Sweden is located on a peninsula and free from many animal diseases that plague other countries. There is a strong legislation meant to keep harmful diseases away, and bringing an animal there is easier said than done. Luckily for Arthur, his loyalty moved his new teammate into falling in love with him, and they arranged for him to travel to Sweden. Miraculously, the vets gave him a clean bill of health, and he can now enjoy the spoils of Scandinavia.

A: If you have an energetic dog that loves balls, Flyball might be an ideal sport. It's a team sport, and a form of controlled chaos that involves a lot of running and jumping. The dog needs to be able to focus around distractions and in good enough shape to run and jump. Flyball is played in teams with four dogs in each team. One end of the course holds a starting line, and the other a specialized box where the dog will release and catch a tennis ball that is to be carried back to the starting line. In between are four jumps. Each dog in the team must complete the course. That is, run over the jumps, trigger the box to release a ball, catch the ball, and return with it, going over all four jumps. The next dog in line can't cross the line before the dog currently on the course returns. If a dog would run on the side of a jump, or return without the ball, he or she must run the course again. The height of the jumps are based on the team's shortest dog, so everyone wants to have a small dog on the team. Flyball is one of the most athletic dog sports. At a flyball tournament, a team might run between 18 and 24 heats in a day. Add in reruns for starting too early, missing a jump, or some other error, and a dog can easily run 40 times during a weekend. To start training, your dog needs to get used to noisy and busy places. At a competition there will be dogs running around, barking, people running back and forth, balls, and other distractions. Train to stay calm around distractions, and train recall with distractions. You can also train jumping, chasing you, tugging, and building the dog's general strength through swimming and jogging. Search for a club and classes in your area. This is a great sport with a lot of fun, and an opportunity for both humans and dogs to make friends.

A: The big eating holiday is finally here, and odds are tempting smells are pulling both humans and pets towards the kitchen. Yesterday we shared some tips of Thanksgiving foods that are okay for dogs and cats to eat, and some they shouldn't have. Today we'll share some recipes of special Thanksgiving foods for dogs. If you really want to share the holiday spirit and make your furry friends something special, we have a couple of ideas. Pumpkin Smoothie for dogs This is really easy to make, and most dogs love it. Mix equal parts plain nonfat yogurt and canned pumpkin puree. (Make sure it's not pie filling - the cans look quiet similar.) Serve as  a liquid, or freeze for handy, cool treats. Turkey Meatballs for dogs 6 ounces ground turkey 0.5 cup finely chopped carrots 0.5 cup quinoa or oatmeal A pinch of kelp powder Place the carrots and turkey in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add quinoa/oatmeal and the kelp powder and blend some more. Roll into meatballs (it's easier if you wet your hands with cold water) and bake in 400 F on a non-stick cookie sheet. They need around 15 minutes in the oven.

A: Rocky the Rottweiler is a British hero dog who not only saved his family from armed robbers, but also held one of them until police arrived. The thug is now serving a ten year prison sentence. The incident happened when Kasha Marie Weston was five months pregnant, and a gang of hooded and armed men broke into her home. One held a knife to her throat while the others beat her partner. Rocky wouldn't accept this - he broke through a door to come to the rescue. Rocky's fury scared the intruders off, but he wouldn't let it go with that. He followed them outside and cornered one until police came. Afterwards, Rocky would not leave Kasha's side, and he would nudge her baby-bump with his nose as if telling the baby not to worry.

A: Dozer is a well trained German Shepherd who knows how to open and close doors, turn on lights, and many other useful things. When Dozer was stolen from Richard Brower's back yard a year and half ago, Brower would stop at nothing to find him.  The search went on for months, and Brower took help from all his friends - they approached everyone in the area walking a German Shepherd, hoping it would be Dozer. After eighteen months with no sign of Dozer, Brower pulled up his computer and searched for German Shepherd for sale. The first link took him to a website where a photo of his dog looked back from the monitor! Brower sent the photo to family members and got on the phone with the shelter. Luckily, his father was in the area, able to pick up the dog. No one knows what adventures Dozer might have experienced during all this time, but he came home that very day.