Fussy is absolutely the cutest Puggle in existence. Scratch that, she’s the cutest dog who has ever existed, ever. Since her very first puppy sneeze, you knew that she was the most special little canine companion you could ask for.

Everything she does is perfect, funny and touching. She looks amazing in every photo and sounds like she’s singing Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance when she barks. Therefore, the responsibility falls on you, her owner, to share the wonder that is Fussy with the entire world. That’s right, you need to make your pooch a Facebook page. After all, she can’t create one herself!

How To Get Started
As with any Facebook page, you will need to start with an email address. You cannot use your own if it is the email for your Facebook. The easiest thing would be to go to a free email service site, for example: hotmail, gmail or yahoo mail and set up a completely separate account just for Fussy. Once you have successfully created an email account for you pet, like FussyWiggles@gmail.com, you will be able to get her a Facebook page of her very own.

Use your pet’s email to make him or her a facebook page. If you can, use the same password from the email and Facebook account to make it easier for yourself to remember.

You will have to give your pet a full name. This is typically the pet’s name, which becomes his or her first name, and then your own last name. However, sometimes your pets have their own full name. If this is the case, give Fussy her own full name for her profile. You will be able to customize all of her likes, interests, activities and birthday.

Pictures and Videos
The pictures you post of your pet should be clear and of high quality. People who look at your pet’s page don’t want to see grainy cell phone pictures where your dog’s eyes are green from the flash. No one wants to see blurry pictures of paws or tails. Make sure you only post good pictures of Fussy for the world to enjoy. Pictures of your dog and you also always make for good Facebook content.

Fussy wants to put her best foot forward for the world to see. You should also be discerning about what videos you post. A 3-minute video of Fussy barking is probably interesting only to you. A video posted on your dog’s Facebook page should be relevant and serve a purpose. A video chronicling some of your dog’s activities are great. Playing a few good games of fetch, running after your cats, your initial efforts to train Fussy, eating and playing with you would be much better.

Fussy’s Furry Friends
Now that she has a great new profile, who will be Fussy’s friends? If your friend’s pets have pages, add them as your pet’s friends. Otherwise, if Fussy’s as great as you know that she is, your friends would probably love to add her as a friend of theirs. Fussy already has many built in friends in your family members. You can also “like” pages for Fussy of activities and things she likes. Her favorite dog food, cats, dog biscuits, along with activities she loves are great for starters.

Don’ts
Surprisingly, there are plenty of don’ts for having a Facebook profile for your dog. Be classy guy about your dog’s page.
• Don’t list your pet as your child. As much as your dog may be part of your family, typically, this will turn people off because instead of your pup’s Facebook page making her seem cool, it will just make you seem lonely.
o The exception to this is if you are married and already have a pack established.
• Don’t update your dog’s Facebook statuses in “doggie” language. This will usually come across as cheesy and annoying.

Remember, Fussy’s Facebook profile should say something about her personality. Otherwise, what is the point of her having one? Also, to keep from giving the wrong impression to people reading Fussy’s Facebook profile, be subtle. Subtlety is key in keeping your pet’s Facebook fun and not lame. For example, try making Fussy’s smiley faces with their tongues hanging out, like this:

If you are a dog owner whose canine friend has access to the great outdoors, the safety of your treasured animal companion can be a constant concern. You worry that if he leaves the protected environment of your yard he might become lost, stolen, or be hit by a car. At the same time, you would like him to be able to go outside, to be free to frolic in the sun chasing birds and squirrels in the area near your home. You don’t want him to be stuck inside all of the time, nor do you want to put him in one of those horrible pound-style cages that so many people who have outdoor dogs choose to use.

Putting up a fence is the obvious answer. This way Nathan can enjoy the scenery while cavorting in the safety of your (hopefully spacious) front or back yard. However, fences made from metal, wire or wood can be expensive and unattractive, and they often require a lot of work to clean, repair and maintain. Because of this, many people in this situation turn to invisible fencing, which has been advertised as a cheaper, more convenient alternative to the traditional fence.

Invisible fencing, for those who don’t know, is a wire buried underground that connects via radio signal to a special collar worn by your dog. When Nathan comes close to the invisible fence line, an audio warning signal is sent out. If Nathan is feeling adventurous and continues to move forward, when he passes over the wire he will receive a sudden electrical shock, letting him know that it is time to retreat. The manufacturers of invisible fencing are quick to claim that this shock causes the dog no pain; but it is a shock, how can it possibly work if it does not cause some kind of unpleasant sensation? So there is certainly pain, albeit temporary and not physically disabling. But for many dog owners, invisible fencing can seem like the perfect alternative because it is hidden from sight and relatively inexpensive.

However, you should never lose sight of the fact that invisible fencing works through the use of pain. Nathan is supposedly a beloved member of your family; and yet you are planning to use a method of behavioral training that involves the intentional infliction of suffering. It may in fact be relatively mild, but even that assumption is somewhat questionable because we really do not know for sure how other species experience pain.

Even beyond this unpleasant fact, there are other problems with the invisible fencing concept. It is well known by dog trainers that a dog will always associate punishment or pain with whatever he was doing or whatever was happening immediately before receiving the shock. So if a dog moves to the fence in response to friendly calls from a neighbor, for example, he may come to associate the shock with that particular person, or with being called by humans generally. There are even some dog aficionados who claim to have encountered canines with grass phobias based on their experiences at home with invisible fencing. Needless to say, if Nathan develops of fear of walking on your lawn the outdoor experience you crave for him is going to turn into a nightmare.

In addition to this, there are some dogs who develop a tolerance for invisible fencing over time, learning to move past it despite the shocks. And if something causes Nathan to get so excited he runs across the fence some day despite the shock, he will then be trapped outside the fence line without any way to get back into your yard.

Is There an Alternative?
So what is the answer to your dilemma, if you are determined to keep your outdoor dog safe and secure from the threats of the outside world? Behavioral training is the best answer – dogs are very intelligent, and they can be effectively trained to do just about anything you want them to do as long as it does not cause them too much difficulty or hardship. A method recommended by experts to eliminate outdoor wandering involves walking the dog around the perimeter of your property on a leash. When he steps outside your pre-determined safety line, you can then use clearly communicated correcting signals to make sure he knows he has stepped into a no-dog zone. Eventually, you can walk him without a leash, using verbal commands to reinforce the desired behavior, which he will have already learned from your previous training.

Your determination to help Nathan enjoy the wonders of nature is admirable. But if you need to keep him safe, let your love and affection for him guide you to the best training methods available – those based on clear communication and positive reinforcement, not on the intentional infliction of pain.

In scientific circles, there is a continuing debate over the reality of psychic phenomena. On one side of the debate you have parapsychologists and other scientists who go to great lengths to develop airtight tests of psychic ability, and on the other side you have skeptics who perform somersaults of logic in order to come up with any excuse imaginable in order to justify their dismissal of the frequent positive results of those tests. For those who actually live with animals and love them, however, the scientific terms of the debate are not in the least bit interesting. Among this group, it is just the sort of anecdotal evidence that science will not even consider that makes the existence of ESP in animals seem not just possible, but very real.

There is a British biologist named Rupert Sheldrake who has done extensive work with domestic animals studying their apparent ability to know ahead of time when their humans are returning home. The experiments are simple: cameras are set up in the homes of various pets who are alleged to have shown this ability, and their behavior is observed to see if they go to the door, or look out the window more often, when their human companions are still away but in the process of returning home (at varied and completely random times for the sake of the tests). Both dogs and cats have been studied, with positive results for each – although the percentages for dogs are somewhat higher. More than one cat-smart observer has suggested that cats are probably just as good at psychically sensing the return of their people as dogs, but they are too cool to show they actually care.

One area where cats seem to outdo dogs significantly is in the long journey home department. There have been literally dozens of well-documented incidents of cats separated from their owners far from home, only to show up months later on the doorsteps of their shocked and delighted human companions looking bedraggled and half-starved. Even more remarkably, there have actually been cases of cats lost during moves who have eventually found their way to their owners’ new homes – where they had never been before – after traveling distances of hundreds or even thousands of miles. Skeptics have tried to explain such cases as mistaken identity (the owner mistakes another cat for his own), but anyone who has ever had a pet knows how absurd this suggestion is.

Cats are also experts at the detection of impending natural or man-made disasters. Cats – as well as other animals – have been known to act very strangely before earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, sometimes disappearing just before the disaster hits. In China, government-sanctioned attempts have been made to use unusual animal behavior as an earthquake predictor in seismically vulnerable zones, apparently with some success. In London, during the World War II Blitz, cats became famous for knowing when air raids were imminent well before any planes could be heard, and the lives of many cat owners were saved because they heeded the warnings of their furry whiskered companions and headed immediately to shelters.

Examples of these kinds of stories could go on and on; if you own a cat, it is likely that you have experienced moments of connection with your companion that have seemed to transcend the normal rules of time and space. What these kinds of stories and anecdotes seem to imply is that the bonds of love and friendship we form with our companion animals are so strong that they can connect us in some mysterious way that cannot be diminished by mere physical separation. If indeed it is very difficult to prove the existence of psychic phenomena in a laboratory, as even defenders of its reality readily admit, then perhaps it is because things like precognition or ESP need a strong emotional element in order to manifest. If this is the case, then it is hardly surprising that cat devotees everywhere would have some fascinating and intriguing stories to tell that challenge our normal understanding of what is truly possible.

As all pet lovers know, holiday gift giving isn’t just for the people. It’s also a time for our four legged friends to get presents too. While some pooches might get a nice sweater or new chew toy, if you and your beloved pet have more discerning taste (and a significant amount of money in the bank), there are a variety of luxury gift options available. If your precious Bitsy needs to go from dull to glamorous, just read on for some gift ideas that will certainly make Bitsy the talk of the dog park.

To truly set Bitsy in a class all her own, she’s going to need the most incredible dog collar money can buy – provided you do have the money to spend on it. This season’s hot item comes from I Love Dogs Diamonds, and is an Amour, Amour diamond dog collar in a chandelier design. This dog collar contains 1,600 diamonds of the finest quality with a breathtaking 7-carat centerpiece. 18-karat white gold and crocodile leather collar complete this sumptuous piece. This fabulous collar is available to you for a cool $3,200,000. Oh, sorry, is this too pricey? I Love Dogs Diamonds offers other options that will still make your dog look less like a Queen a wee bit more like a Princess. The gorgeous Amour de la Mer dog collar with a stunning sapphire that will make you sit up and wonder if dog collar necklaces might come into style is available for $899,000. Is this still too much? Come on, it’s under a million! Bitsy can still be beautiful for $150,000 in the lovely La Jeune Tulipe collar. That’s more like it, right?

If a simple (and perhaps more reasonably priced) collar will do for Bitsy, you can still glam it up with luxury dog tags from Wags and Tags. These dog tags are designed to be as unique as your pet, and range from $199-$599. Plus, if you and Bitsy want to match, you can get a ‘people pendent’ that is an exact duplicate of your dog’s tag. Speaking of matching, if Bitsy and you want to take a stroll and turn heads, you can both wear clothes designed by Charlotte Taranotla. These doggie duds range from $38-42, and they will put Bitsy on the top of the fashion heap.

If your goal this holiday season is to preserve your pet or someone else’s beloved pooch, there is a luxury gift for that as well. Hop over to Perpetua Life Jewels, and buy a silver, gold plated, or 14K gold pendant with Bitsy’s DNA helix. Available in 12 jewel-toned colors, this one-of-a-kind pendant keeps Bitsy’s very essence close to your heart. Founded by a renowned animal DNA scientist, Perpetua Life Jewels uses a technique that combines your pet’s DNA with botanical DNA, wire and dye to make the colored double helix visible to the naked eye. And Bitsy doesn’t have to be hurt in any way for you to get a DNA sample. If your beloved pet’s blood is being drawn at the veterinarian for testing, ask for a little bit to take home. Alternatively, you can swab Bitsy’s cheek or submit some hair samples. The Life Jewel can also be created using a deceased pet’s ashes, perhaps also combined with your DNA to make an everlasting memorial. Prices range from $75-$225.

If you want to give Bitsy a vacation from her hectic life, send her to the luxury pet resort Paradise Ranch. Here Bitsy can play in the dog water park with geysers, waterfalls and ponds. Following all this exercise, she can relax in a doggy sized cabana on Bora Bora beach. And that’s not all, folks! There’s also a certified massage therapist ready to massage your pet into blissful relaxation while they lie by a koi pond in a peaceful tropical environment. Plus, staff will take your pet on plenty of walks to keep him or her in good condition, and even cuddle up with Bitsy at night if you ask. And what if you want the resort to feed your pet a special diet? All you have to do is ask – and pay for the service – and the resort staff will see to it that your dog gets exactly what you ask for.

If you or someone you know is a discerning pet lover, has a pet that demands the finer things in life, or you just have an incredible sense of humor, there are plenty of gift options available. While those of us with more modest funds might be shaking our heads at these luxury gifts, some people feel it shows love and devotion to their pet and that beloved Bitsy is being cared for to the highest possible standard. Whether or not Bitsy would rather have a $3.2 million collar over a new squeaky toy is up to pet owners to decide for themselves.

Strays are one of the biggest problems that the country faces when it comes to domestic animals. People who don’t spay and neuter their pets then get rid of unwanted puppies are just adding to the problem. Some end up in the aforementioned shelters. So, let’s say you make the smart choice and elect to go to a shelter. Which pup or older dog do you choose? The bright-eyed, tongue-wagging pooch with his tail going like a metronome on speed? Or do you choose the lonely, shy-looking dog who is sitting back in the corner, forgotten? Well, let’s back up. First of all, going to the shelter with the sole purpose of getting a dog isn’t enough. Are you levelheaded? The ‘aww’ factor that these pooches will likely engender in you has made lesser people who are unprepared take home a cute but troublesome dog that they find out they can’t cope with. Invariably this leads them back to square one. Of course this is unacceptable. Doesn’t stop it from happening unfortunately. To get the most out of your adoption proceedings and to make sure your pooch and you are a good match, here are a few tips you ought to follow when going to a good shelter.

• Get your head on straight. Some people can’t cope seeing all those animals in cages, but this is why some shelters have special rooms where you can interact with their charges in a more relaxed, leisurely environment. This links to the next point.
• Go with a levelheaded friend who knows you well. This ensures that you don’t get snared in by those bottomless eyes without considering the ins and outs first.
• It is okay if you go and don’t leave with a new friend. Go when you aren’t rushed and have ample time to consider your choice.
• Carefully observe the dogs you come in contact with. Let them explore you too. While the happy, wriggly types may seem like your first choice, don’t be so hasty. Likewise, maybe the most timid and withdrawn of the lot may call more insistently. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Optimally, dogs who are friendly without being desperate are likely to make the best friends, though this is not always the case.
• Consider the temperament of several dogs. For a good match with your personality, prior to visiting the shelter, do an Internet search to find articles that discuss low, medium and high energy dogs and know ahead of time which style is best suited for you.
• Temperament should actually be considered long before breed. People often have their hearts set on one breed and go to the shelter and fall in love with the Heinz 57 who matches their personalities best.

Be sure to ask plenty of questions, such as:
• Was the dog a stray?
• Was the dog turned in by the owner and if so, why? Bear in mind, however that people often lie about their reasons and so your interactions with this pooch is what should matter most.
• Was the dog abused or did it show signs of it when you got it?
• Have the dog’s social skills been tested? Kids? Cats? Other pet types?
• Does it have any other training if it had a home previously? Sit, stay, etc.
This is just a selection of things you will want to find out. The answers will go a long way to ensuring not only that the dog you want and you find one another, but that you are able to start on the possibly long, yet eventful road to your life together. If the dog requires training or in some cases retraining, be prepared for this. Having the foresight to approach this in the right way will make you both happier in the end.

There aren’t many dog breeds that can claim the pedigree of the Greyhound; often mummified with Egyptian owners and portraits of the beloved pet painted on ancient tomb walls, this breed is from ancient times, and highly honored. For 400 years in England, from 1000 to 1400 BC, a law decreed that no ‘meane person’, meaning servant, slave, or peasant, was allowed to own a Greyhound; they were reserved for royalty only. One of these dogs was worth more than a peasant’s life, and to kill a canine of this breed was to be hanged for murder. They were highly prized for their skills as course hunters, and were employed among the British, Scottish, and Irish for their independent thinking and hunting.

Things have changed somewhat over the years, and Greyhounds evolved from sighthounds, that is, a dog that hunts by sight rather than smell, to track racer or house pet. Its striking, regal figure, and immense speed have caused a few false beliefs about Zippers to crop up, and he’s just getting over these misunderstandings to be seen in the light of what he truly is: a wonderful, low maintenance companion.

The Look
The silhouette of the greyhound is distinctive, graceful, and powerful. They stand between 27 and 30 inches tall depending on the sex, and weigh in at a mere 60 to 88 pounds, very light for the height. Greyhounds are very colorful, and there are over 30 recognized color schemes for them, none being more desired than the other, except perhaps on a personal preference. The large, deep chest hides a heart and lungs with a huge capacity, perfect for sprinting. Zippers is quite a fast doggie when he puts his mind to it, reaching speeds up to 40 miles an hour, but he’s not bred for stamina and can’t maintain the run for long. Zippers has very short fur, does not shed excessively, is a very hygienic dog, and appears very sleek.

The Health Issues
Surprisingly, Zippers is one of the better breeds concerning genetics. Due to his large chest, he may be prone to Bloat, which is when the stomach flips over. This is a very serious problem, must be treated quickly, and can prove fatal. While it’s unknown what causes the condition exactly, it seems to be related to either drinking extreme amounts of water after a small portion of dry kibble, or exercising a lot within a few hours after eating. For this reason, it’s best to give them several small meals during the day, rather than one big one.

They are sensitive to drugs, such as flea collars and a number of anesthesias. Make sure your vet knows about greyhounds before allowing Zippers to be put under for surgery. Greyhounds also have thin skin, which can tear easily. If you’ve ever seen a group of these dogs together, chances are you’ve seen them with muzzles on. This isn’t because they’re biters, but because excited little nips can leave to skin tears. The breed also has thin, light bones, which may be prone to easier fractures later in life. They are also prone to hypothyroidism. Fortunately, hip dysplasia is largely absent in this dog breed.

Attitude and Temperament
Greyhounds are amazing pets, very low-key, calm, and loving. They are not nervous, as many seem to think. They are actually one of the lowest maintenance dogs concerning physical activity. Because they were bred for short bursts of intense speed, they spend upwards of 18 hours a day sleeping, to conserve energy. They love doing this next to their favorite humans. For exercise, while they are content to laze all day, they should be allowed to run around about 3 or 4 times a week. Yes, a week. Remember, Zippers isn’t built for stamina, and will tire more easily than other dogs.

Zippers is a gentle dog, almost all aggression having been bred out of him, making him excellent with other dogs and people, provided he’s been socialized at an early age. Unsocialized dogs may be the fountain from which the nervous rumor comes, as a greyhound will be painfully shy and fretful around strangers if he has not been socialized.
However, greyhounds are very sight oriented and instinct mixed with training forces them to chase smaller creatures, like rabbits, squirrels, and yes, the family cat, unless obedience schooling steps in. Funnily enough, even if the dog has been trained not to chase the family cat indoors, he still may do so outdoors or the neighbor’s cat. It is important, therefore, to keep Zippers on a leash or behind a tall fence at all times. Their sensitivity and great intelligence makes them easy to train, though patience is still needed.

Due to the fact this dog does not need much exercise and that he sleeps most of the day, he actually makes an excellent apartment pet. Zippers is good with children and will tolerate a good amount of prodding and pulling, but like all dogs he has his limits, so leaving him unsupervised with small children not the best choice.

There are two strains of greyhound: the racers, which are often up for adoption when their racing days are over, and the show lines. Show lines are shorter, a bit heavier, and more angular. Both are not overly vigilant and not the best watch dogs. They don’t enjoy rough play as much as other breeds, and because they sleep so much, they are actually ‘lazier’ than most dogs.

Obedience training is key with either racing or show greyhounds, as a dog who knows his place and boundaries is a well-adjusted dog. Racing dogs will often have received some training prior, as they live certain lifestyles before adoption. No matter which line you choose, a greyhound will give you 10-13 excellent years, happy and devoted, with minimum fuss.