“Owners see a sixth sense in their pets - San Jose Mercury News” plus 1 more |
| Owners see a sixth sense in their pets - San Jose Mercury News Posted: 14 Jan 2011 11:58 PM PST Lassie could always sense when Timmy was in trouble. Black Beauty knew the bridge was out. Now two-thirds of American pet owners say they can relate -- their pets have a sixth sense about bad weather. Forty-three percent say the same about bad news, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll. Seventy-two percent of dog owners said they've gotten weather warnings from their pets, compared with 66 percent of cat owners. For bad news, 47 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners said they've been alerted by their pets, according to the poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. Jim Fulstone says his farm dog, a Pomeranian named Austin, gives warnings about 15 minutes before earthquakes and 45 minutes before thunderstorms. "He'll run around in circles and look at you. If you sit down, he'll sit down with you. If you are outside, he will come up to you, run around, look off, sniff your leg, just kind of be there. He's a lot more active," says Fulstone, 65, of Wellington, Nev. "For the quakes, he was very alert and started barking and doing his runaround routine." The reason? Hard to know. "A sixth sense is something we can't explain but we tend to trust. It's a matter of belief and faith," says Stephanie LaFarge, senior director of counseling services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Scientists have suggested animals sense bad weather because of changes in barometric pressure or other factors, LaFarge says, and dogs anticipate seizures, low blood sugar or other medical problems because of hormonal changes. But they haven't figured out what alerts pets to earthquakes, bad news or other events -- or if it's just in the eyes of their owners. Kay Moore, 64, of Loma Linda says she gets quake warnings from her dogs, Brie, a 90-pound yellow Lab and Great Dane mix, and Lola, a 50-pound basset hound. "They get very, very hyper," Moore says. If a friend or relative comes to the door, Lady, a 4-year-old golden retriever mix, doesn't even bother to get up, says Stacey Jones, 50, of Stone Mountain, Ga. But if it's a stranger, she goes on minor alert, she says. Lady's sixth-sense tendencies are very subtle, says the Atlanta university writer and editor. "I have been awakened in the middle of the night by a dog," LaFarge says. "Very shortly after that, I received some very, very shocking bad news. I was awake when the phone rang. I couldn't explain why I was awake except the dog was next to me nudging me. How did the dog know my father died at midnight?" How do pets convey their concerns? Sixty-four percent of those polled said their pets tried to hide in a safe place, 56 percent said they whined or cried, 52 percent said they became hyperactive, erratic or made unpredictable movements, and 36 percent said they barked or meowed persistently. Often, they use more than one form of communication. The Associated Press-Petside.com Poll involved phone interviews with 1,000 pet owners nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Critter Corner: Meet some matched sets of pets - San Jose Mercury News Posted: 15 Jan 2011 03:47 AM PST Double your pleasure! Double your fun! Double your delightment! I'm not talking about those Doublemint gum commercials featuring twins that have run since the 1950s. I'm talking about adopting a bonded pair of pets. The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA typically has a pair of animals that we would like to place together in one home. In most cases, the bonded pair are siblings who grew up together and were brought to the shelter together. The pair has a deep connection, or one animal is dependent on the other for reassurance and comfort. There are benefits to adopting a bonded pair. These are pets who get along extremely well and can keep each other company while you're away. So, if you were considering a companion animal and have room for two, check out these dynamic duos: • Cucho and Tilico are 2-year-old male Chihuahua mixes. Tilico has lots of energy and loves to play. He is very friendly and curious about his surroundings. Chuco is shy without his brother. Chuco can be playful but mostly is gentle and quiet. They would prefer someone with prior small dog experience. They can get along with other dogs and possibly cats. Children in the home should be 6 and up. • Cali and Patches are 7-year-old altered female cats. Cali has medium-length hair with torbie coloring and white markings. Patches has black and white short hair. Cali is a lovable cat who likes to climb into laps and sleep next to you. Patches is a bit shy but still likes to be combed and petted. They are ready for any pet-friendly home that will keep them indoors only.• Lucky (a lop-eared male) and Chance (a black fur female) are ready to go home with the most fortunate of adopters. They are fun-loving rabbits, enjoying play time in the cottage and snuggling with each other. The shelter is open for adoptions Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and weekends from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 12 Airport Blvd., San Mateo. For information, call 650-340-7022 or visit www.PHS-SPCA.org. Lindsay Reynolds is outreach coordinator for the Peninsula Humane Society. For more information, visit www.PHS-SPCA.org. or call 650-340-7022, ext. 344. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Pets - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment