Helping Your Pets Cope With Fireworks

.....Poor Casey and Peanut!!!!

• Everytime, when there's loud fireworks and firecrackers .... they will be scared ..... very scared !!!

• They would either hide under the chair, tables or cabinet...... sometimes, they would even hide in their security basket.......

• Usually, during the eve of New Years, Chinese New Years and other celbration where there is loud fireworks, they would be so stressed that they will loose at least 3 to 4 pounds .....

• Poor things ......

Anyways, we did a bit of reading on how we can help our pets cope with the fear ..... and would like to share with our dear readers .....

"Sue Stafford, acting chief officer of the RSPCA, said:

“Fifty-seven per cent of pets are scared of fireworks this means that for more than half of pets, New Year’s Eve will be a nightmare. This is a bad start to 2008 for animals.

“Fireworks can cause a great deal of pain and anxiety to pets because their hearing is far more sensitive than ours. The noise could result in them bolting and becoming lost, hiding, shaking, or becoming destructive.”

What the public can do to help:

• Never let fireworks off near any animals.

• Ensure all pets are kept indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off.

• Bring all small animals indoors (in their normal housing) into a quiet, dark room.

• Close curtains and leave a TV or music on to mask the noise of fireworks.

• Seek advice from your vet before the firework season begins.

• Here are some more practical advices from forums contributors .....

• "is it really normal for dogs to be afraid of fireworks? my pomeranian gets into trouble whenever she hears fireworks, it really makes her shiver and so nervous while my beagle shows only a minimal reaction towards it, but does not show any nervousness or fear. can someone suggest what i can do for my baby pomeranian? "

• "Just be there for her. You can buy desenitizing CDs with the sounds on. You start off by playing it low and gradually increase the volume. When the fireworks go off you will have to act as normally as possible around her. Don´t draw her attention to them at all. Don´t tell her it´s okay...Don´t coo soothingly to her you will just endorse the fear. Be matter of fact, but let her cuddle up to you if that´s what makes her feel safe. "

• "Dogs hearing is very sensitive and being a toy breed she is much more susceptible to anxiety and fear. Your beagle was bred to be a hunter and may have a calmer personality when it comes to loud noises. If you know fireworks are going to be on you can give her some Bach Rescue Remedy ( a natural anti anxiety, safe for dogs) before they occur. Also, DONT BABY HER while she is upset. Act normally and go about your business...if you coddle her when she is frightened or upset it will simply reinforce it to her that there is something to be upset about! You can try to desensitize her by using a tape recording of the noises she is afraid of, turned down very low volume at first and very gradually increasing, this can take weeks or months! The idea being that eventually she will become accustomed to the noise and will no longer be as startled. Again, be sure to ignore her while the noises are happening. It may sound mean to not baby her, but she is a dog, not a human and the psychology is different.good luck "

• "You should not reassure a nervous dog. It only reinforces to her that she should be scared, she feels your worry and does not know it is worry for her and not the noises. Act normally and ignore her, I know it sounds mean but it is not. Dogs are not little children that you can explain why she shouldn´t be afraid to. The calmer you are and the more you just go about your business the sooner she will calm down. She may never learn to like the fireworks but she may eventually learn that they won´t hurt her. You can play some music or distract her with a toy if you like, but no coddling. "

• "It´s ok to let her go where she feels safe, if that is under the bed that is ok, don´t force her to stay with you if she feels safer in a "den" like the closet or under the bed. This is an instinctive behaviour to find safe shelter, like from a storm in the wild. Once she feels comfortable again she will come back to your bed. If you force her she will not enjoy being with you. Let her choose her own path that way. Good luck. "

• "It´s very hard 128 not to baby a small dog. My Phoebe is an absolute delight. I want to wrap her up in cotton wool and protect from the world..I want to protect her from snide comments. I want to protect her from dogs that growl at her. That´s what I want to do, but in reality I let her be a dog. I have one dog who is not keen on fireworks and she will put herself in the narrow gap between the wall and the settee for comfort. We let her stay there. I know you love your dog but please take seriously on board what hooplady has written. Allow your dog to find it´s own safe haven when it´s scared. You force, and who knows, you could get bitten. Yes, if scared enough, your baby will bite you and I would think that would be more heartbreaking than not wanting to share your bed at the moment. "

• ... hope that helps and hope that reassures all pet owners"

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Casey (Shih Tzu) About 2 to 5 months old

Casey at 3 months old. Casey is face to face with her cousin; Apple (3 months old Labrado Retriver)

Casey at around 4 months old

Casey doing her stretch! (4 months old)



Another variation of her lazy stretch (4 months old)




This is Casey's first Chinese New Year 2005. She was about 5 months old.... can you see her red cheong sam out fit which matches her red doggie collar and leash? :)


Hope you enjoy the pictures :)

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Casey Selected For Inclusion In Cutest Pets Photo Book

This is the Photo of Casey we sent for the Cutest Pets Contest

This is the Cutest Pets Around the Globe 2007" coffee table book. (ISBN# 0-9770401-5-1) Cost: USD54.95, International Shipping USD14.00. Total: USD63.95

This is how the Cutest Pets Around the Globe 2007" coffee table book look on the inside.

Additional Optional Walnut Frame: USD49.95

We receive this "Good News" via E-mail this morning. At first , we were very happy because our beloved Casey was chosen as one of the semi-finalist and going into the finals in the Cutest Pet Contest ....

• However, upon furthter reading the e-mail, we are not sure what to feel anymore ..... advice form our dear readers please ...... ?

• Here is the exact transcript of the email:

"Congratulations Des....Your photo of Casey has been selected for inclusion in our newest Cutest Pets Photo Book collection

Your Semi-Finalist Judgling Number is #100299112

• 
  Subject: Your photo of Casey has been selected for inclusion in our newest internationally distributed Cutest Pets Around the Globe photo book!

• Book Title: Cutest Pets Around the Globe 2007Library Of Congress ISBN# 0-9770401-5-1

I also recently mailed a letter by postal mail. If you have already replied, please disregard this notice.

• Dear Des,

• Thank you for recently entering our Cutest Pet Photo Contest. Good News! The judges have compared the other photo entries to yours and have unanimously selected your photo of Casey as a semi-finalist in the contest!

• You have a great chance of winning one of many prizes, including a $1,000.00 Cash Prize! Daniel Hawley recently won $5,000 Cash and Candice Ramsey recently won $1,000.00 Cash.

• You could be our next winner. Your photo has automatically advanced to the final round of judging to take place soon. I'll keep you posted on your standing as the contest progresses and wish you the best of luck.

• Des,
• I'VE GOT MORE GOOD NEWS.....We have chosen to publish your photograph of Casey in the "Cutest Pets Around the Globe 2007" coffee table book. (ISBN# 0-9770401-5-1)

• The book will be a collection of some of the cutest pet photos from around the world and only the best of the best photos are allowed to appear. As you may know, our photo books are distributed worldwide and have won the hearts of pet lovers from all over.

• We get letters every day telling us how much our books are enjoyed. Your photo of Casey has qualified and will be one of our "Featured Pets" in the book. Your photo will bring smiles to pet lovers from around the world.

• In addition, every book will have a special pet "Biography" section. This is a section set up for you to tell the world about yourself and your photo. If you would like to add a biography to the book, there is a small fee to do so but you are under no obligation.

• Many of our readers tell us that they enjoy learning more about the photographs by reading the biographies in the back of the book.With your permission, your photo will appear as one of the best photos in the book scheduled for printing in the Fall of 2007.

• There are no fees and absolutely no requirements to make a purchase in order to win the contest. However, most people want to own the book featuring their pet photo to show off to friends and family! Just so you know, the copyrights to the photo will still be retained by you because the book is being copyrighted as a compilation of photos.

• Pre-Order the book for a 40% Discount

• Of course as a publisher we cannot give the books away for free but we want to make it easy for you to own one. As a token of our gratitude for letting us publish the photo in our newest photo book, we would like to offer you the opportunity to own the book at the pre-printing and contributing photographer discount of nearly 40% off of the retail store price.

• The regular retail price of the book is $89.95, but you are eligible to receive a copy of the book for the discounted price of $54.95. If you decide to order additional copies, you pay only $45.00 - nearly 50% off of the cover price. Makes a great gift.

• If money is tight right now, you are welcome to send a deposit of $30 to hold the special pricing and we can bill the balance upon book delivery. Just type in the amount of $30 to charge to your credit card when ordering.As the current contest is nearing a close, myself and the other judges are frantically debating over the many entries we have received.

• We will notify the winners by Postal Mail a few days after the contest ends.We will be selecting the photographs to grace the cover of the book soon. These lucky photos are referred to as our "Cover Pets".

• If your photo is selected as a cover pet, we will send you an award plaque to hang on your wall for all of your friends and family to see and you will receive another prize from the club. Keep your fingers crossed!

• To reserve a copy of the book featuring your photo of Casey Please Click Here.We will send you a "Publish Proof/Order Confirmation" by postal mail a few weeks after we receive your order to confirm the photo placement and proper spelling.Your Satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed!

• If you are unhappy with the book for any reason, simply return for a full refund. Your satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed! In fact thousands of pet lovers around the world are currently happily enjoying previously printed titles from our club.

• Good luck and we hope you enjoy the book!

Yours Truly,

Rosa Bonbeur

• Unsolicited testimonials from our thousands of satisfied book buyers from around the world

• ..."I received my book and I absolutely LOVE it!! Thank you so much!!" - Whitney Southall

• "Hi, I just wanted you to know that I received my Cutest pet of 2006. It is a great book. People at work want to enter their Pets. Thank You so much, It is a great memory for me with my Dog Dakota. I hat to put her to sleep in the beginning of January. Sincerely, Robin"

• "I just received the book, Cutest Pets 2006. Love it and so does everyone else. Can I get extra copies, and for how much?

• Thanks so much for making this wonderful book." - Terri Coble"I received my book today.

• Thanks!!! It looks Awesome! Very very excited to show my family and friends!! Thanks Again" - Tim Merski

• To see your photo online please visit www.CutestPetContest.com
• 
  To reserve a copy of the book and to take advantage of the pre-publication and contributing photographer discount, Click HereIf payment has already been mailed, please disregard this email notice. You will receive an order confirmation in the mail shortly.
  
  
  International Pet Owners Club

P.O. Box 4470Olathe,

KS 66063U.S.A

phone 913-782-3272

fax 913-782-3979

Our own opinion:

Total Cost to enter Casey into this competition and to buy the book roughly around USD150.00. In addition, this does not guarantee anything!!

Our conclusion,

• Why must we pay money to enter a contest?
• Why should we pay for the book, when the publisher is using our photo and selling them?

We don't' know, that just our humble and honest opinion. To be honest, we feel better publishing photos of our pets and all our featured pets in Casey and Peanut Blog for everyone to see and its free for all.

That's just what we think ..... do comment please, and tell us what you think :)

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Joy Ride to the Vet

Casey enjoys sight seeing when she's going for a car ride but Peanut prefers to just nap. These pics were taken on the way to the Vet for their annual jabs. (Ouch!)

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Fighting Over Grandma's Socks

Brought Casey and Peanut back to "their Grandparents" place during the weekend. Casey and Peanut were so happy to be there.

The moment they got into the house, they would go around every corner to smell for familiar scents, greet all the family members and mostly just run around like a free prisoners.

Later, we all had dinner and left Casey and Peanut out in the living room. When we finished dinner.... this was what we found....

Both Casey and Peanut were playing tug of war with their "Grand Mother's" sock.... hehheh...

Must be those familiar scents and smell again.... just like the smell of a security blanket or even a security pillow... a.k.a the familiar human body smell :)

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Shih Tzu Temperament (Taken From Canismajor & Wikipedia)

Temperament (Taken From Caninsmajor & Wikipedia)
Although he is generally outgoing and friendly, the Shih Tzu definitely has an attitude that cries to be spoiled. If you need help in realizing this fact, the dog will steer you in the right direction with his self-assurance that he should be treated like a king. Indeed, his strong sense of self makes him a poor choice in a household with babies or small children. He is often jealous of babies and toddlers and may snap if bothered by rambunctious children. However, he is a fine companion for older children, particularly those who enjoy combing his hair.
Shih Tzu are active and alert, qualities that make them good watchdogs. However, poorly bred dogs of the breed can be excitable, noisy, and snappy.
Shih Tzu are intelligent, and can be trained for obedience competition and for good manners around the home. They can be stubborn, so persistence and consistency are definite plusses in training methods. Punishment makes this dog shut down, so training should also be low-key and motivational.*

James E. Mumford described the breed in an American Shih Tzu magazine, giving a picture of the versatile character of the Shih Tzu: "Nobody knows how the Ancient Eunuchs managed to mix together…And now here comes the recipe: A dash of lion, several teaspoons of rabbit, a couple of ounces of domestic cat, one part court jester, a dash of ballerina, a pinch of old man (Chinese), a bit of beggar, a tablespoon of monkey, one part baby seal, a dash of teddy bear and the rest dogs of Tibetan and Chinese origin."

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A Girl and Her Accessories

Don't you think she's smilling way too much with those flower clips?

She knows when she's pretty.

(A pair of the flower clips cost almost RM5.00. More expensive than for people..... Amazing!)

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A Different Pose

Dog accessories is a must with all girly dogs!

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Casey in Red Cheongsam

Casey's first Chinese New Year 2005! Doesn't she look sweet in her cheongsam and matching red leash?

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