2007_10_01_archive

Dog Names: The Cultural Differences

I've never given much thought to naming my pets--the names just seem

to come out then stick. I've had cats named Strider (yeah, I'm an LOTR

fan) and Chowder. For years, my daughter said, "When we get another

cat, I'm going to name it [insert weird name here]", but she decided

on Meeko when the time finally came.

When I was growing up, we had dogs named Melody and Tammy (a samoyed,

similar to the dog in the pic). I've no idea if those two names were

ever popular, but they don't come close to making today's list. Here

are the top ten dog names in the US and UK. Searched for a Canadian

list, but to no avail:

United States

Max

Bailey

Buddy

Molly

Maggie

Lucy

Daisy

Bella

Jake

Rocky

United Kingdom

Max

Ben

Buster

Tyson

Lady

Jack

Sam

Charlie

Molly

Tara

When it comes to naming pets, it appears most of us aren't all that

original. Both lists feature strong male names and feminine female

names. There are Maxs and Mollys on both sides of the pond, and the

only difference I can see is that there are more male dogs in the UK

than in the US. And despite its popularity, I've never met a dog named

Rocky.

Posted by Lynn Sinclair at 11:10 AM 10 comments Links to this post

Labels: Dogs, Pets

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Cat Trivia

I remember when my daughter first started feeding herself--what a

mess. By the time she was finished eating spaghetti, the floor looked

like it was covered in red shag. But honestly, she had nothing on my

cat. Meeko lifts the food from her bowl, and eats from the floor.

Sometimes, she even carries food into the family room--sort of like

T.V. dinner for cats.

Although I'm sure Meeko gets a big kick out of watching me clean it

up, I figured there must be other reasons for her behaviour. I've

checked the Internet, and this is what I came up with:

Cats don't like their whiskers to touch the sides of a bowl.

I'll start giving her food in a larger dish, and report back. In my

search for answers to this and other deep questions, I discovered that

there's lots of weird and wonderful things about cats:

A cat doesn't meow at another cat.

I know this was true of my cat, Chowder. She saved that sound just for

me--at 4:00 in the morning, when she was hungry and I was sleeping. I

feel very special.

25% of cat owners blow dry their cat after a bath.

As amazed as I am by this fact, I'm more amazed that people even

attempt giving their cat a bath. I tried this once, and discovered it

would be far safer to fling myself into a pack of hungry lions.

A cat that bites you after you have rubbed his stomach, is probably

biting out of pleasure, not anger.

This is good news--my cat must be deliriously happy.

To determine if your cat's collar fits properly, make sure you can

slip two fingers under the collar, between the collar and your cat's

neck.

I have a confession to make: I always check the collars of other

people's cats. If I feel they're too tight, I loosen them when no one

is looking. I feel a bit like a guardian angel, though if I was caught

in the act, I'm sure the owners wouldn't agree.

Posted by Lynn Sinclair at 3:22 PM 6 comments Links to this post

Labels: Cats, Chowder, Meeko

Monday, October 1, 2007

More Than A Lap Warmer

I've always been fascinated by tales of pets saving families from

impending doom, so when fellow Backspace member, Sandra Kring related

this story, I asked if I could include it on my blog. Since I could

never do the story justice, she kindly permitted me to copy it here.

Take it away, Sandra:

I had a dog for years. Well, my son was supposed to have a dog, but

considering that the poor thing would have starved to death had he

stayed glued to that master, he decided that I would be his master

instead. He was a HUGE golden, 145 lbs, and lazy as the day is long.

My son clocked him once--he stood for seventeen whole seconds.

The dog never barked when inside. If he wanted something, he'd whine

(mildly), and if he REALLY wanted something, he'd rock (slightly) from

side to side while he whined. Mute inside or not, it's not like you

can ignore the fact that you have a 145 lb appendage stuck to your

side. When I'm writing and have to get up, I make tracks! Not easily

done, when you have to wait for a fat pumpkin to roll out of your way

first. I bought him a bed in the hopes that he'd keep to his own side

of the room, but sooner or later (usually sooner) he'd lumber out of

it and flop down at my side. I can't count the times I landed on the

floor because I hadn't heard him join me, and I tripped over him when

I got up quickly. The dog was so quiet that he could even vomit

without making noise. He barfed up a whole squirrel at my feet once,

without a peep. Unfortunately, I leaned down low to see what it was,

since my eyes hadn't yet adjusted from the brightness of my monitor,

to the dimness of the room. Man!

Pesky or not, that dog saved my life. Literally! I was feverishly

writing the first book I'd sell, and I had tunnel vision. I sent

everyone off on their merry way to work and school, and dug into my

story. After a couple of hours, Buppa started whining. He'd already

had his breakfast and his morning bark-fest outside, so I told him to

go lie down. Up and down he went, in my room, out of my room, staring

at me, whining, rocking, and finally, barking. I got up then and

followed him. He moved like a bowling ball tossed by The Hulk to the

other end of the house, barking at the smoke that was rolling out from

under the basement door. I let the dog outside, called the fire

department, and then hurried to my room to gather my writing.

The firemen got the fire out before the whole house went up, and other

than smoke damage that required all new curtains and fresh paint, and

melted pipes that needed to be replaced, all was well. Seriously, as

oblivious as I am when writing, that whole house would have gone up in

flames and I wouldn't have noticed until the smoke got too thick for

me to see my monitor.

Buppa died two springs ago at the ripe old age of sixteen--so much for

obesity and inactivity causing early deaths! He was a pest, but I miss

that fat, rocking pumpkin.

___________________________________

Sandra, thanks for sharing your wonderful memories of Buppa (pictured

above). He was truly a heroic pumpkin. Stories like Sandra's prove

that pets are much more than simple lap warmers and eating machines.

In the news:

Earlier this year, a 14 year old Indiana cat awakened the family when

carbon monoxide leaked into the home.

In August, a family dog protected four children after a bear wandered

into their Vancouver yard.

Just today, my cat chased off a rather large and scary grasshopper.

We see lots of "Dog Saves Owner" headlines, but there are "Owner Saves

Dog" stories too. In Hong Kong, Catherine Leonard rescued her dog from

becoming a 15 foot python's main squeeze. Catherine doesn't recall

exactly what she did to free her beloved pet, but once the adrenalin

kicked in, nothing was going to stop her.

I'd like to believe that our pets are similarily motivated, but who

knows? When pets smell poisonous gas, they might just be thinking,

"Holy crap, I'd better wake up the hairless, two-legged being, or I'm

gonna die!"

Next time your at the bookstore, be sure to look for Sandra's books

The Book of Bright Ideas and Carry Me Home: A Novel

Posted by Lynn Sinclair at 3:27 PM 4 comments Links to this post

Labels: Dogs, Pet Safety, Pets

Cats, Costumes and Claws

In my Dapper Dogs post, Devon implied in her comment that it might be

difficult to find any stupid cat products. She was absolutely right.

I've come to the conclusion that cats have far too much common sense,

but that doesn't mean humans share that trait:

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A boon for lazy cat owners. I mean, who really enjoys cleaning out the

kitty litter? But do cats wipe the seat and flush once they're done?

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This poor guy must've been tripped out on cat nip when he allowed his

owners to dress him up for Halloween.

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This is a waste of money because...

...cats will sleep wherever the hell they want.

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These are called Soft Paws and fit over a cat's claws. I've no idea

how hygenic they are, or how practical, but I'll bet they're near

impossible to put on. So unless you're willing to walk around with

bloody ribbons hanging from your shoulders instead of arms, I'd steer

clear of these.

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