“Pet owners see a 6th sense - Beeld” plus 1 more |
| Pet owners see a 6th sense - Beeld Posted: 12 Jan 2011 05:45 AM PST 2011-01-12 15:15 Los Angeles - 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 received weather warnings from their pets, compared with 66% of cat owners. For bad news, 47% of dog owners and 41% 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 Explanation "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," said Fulstone, 65, of Nevada. "For the quakes, he was very alert and started barking and doing his run-around 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," said psychologist Stephanie LaFarge, the senior director of counselling 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 said, 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 California, said she gets quake warnings from her dogs, Brie, a yellow Lab and Great Dane mix, and Lola, a 22kg basset hound. "They get very, very hyper," Moore said. If a friend or relative comes to the door, Lady, a 4-year-old golden retriever mix, doesn't even bother to get up, said Stacey Jones, 50, of Georgia. But if it's a stranger, she goes on minor alert, she said. Lady's sixth-sense tendencies are very subtle, said the Atlanta university writer and editor. But 18 years ago, when Jones was ordered to bed toward the end of her pregnancy, her dog Silver "planted herself next to me and would not leave. She knew something was going on with the baby and it was her job to take care of the baby." "If I have high anxiety, I have pets all over me. All of the pets will come and try to cuddle. It gets a little crowded, but they all do it," said the 37-year-old Kansas mother of two. They are led by Mickey, about 15, a mixed breed terrier she got from a rescue 10 years ago. He can't see her pain, Radley said, because he has gone blind, so she is sure it is a sixth sense. He has always watched over her daughters and if they get sick, he will not only cuddle them, but cuddle them exactly where they hurt, she said. "He warms them up, he's a little heating pad. He's always done that." LaFarge has had similar brushes with a pet's sixth sense. "I have been awakened in the middle of the night by a dog," she said. "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?" Bridget Pilloud of Portland, Oregon, a pet psychic who prefers the title "intuitive animal communicator", is a believer. Strong bonds She has a client who keeps her dog's ear medicine and his dog treats in the same drawer. "When she goes to get the treats, he is sitting there waiting for them. When she goes for the medicine, he's not there. The dog just knows." How do pets convey their concerns? Sixty-four percent of those polled said their pets tried to hide in a safe place, 56% said they whined or cried, 52% said they became hyperactive, erratic or made unpredictable movements, and 36% said they barked or meowed persistently. Often, they use more than one form of communication. If a storm is coming, Emma, 3, a longhaired miniature dachshund, and Bella, a 7-month-old miniature Chihuahua, will mope around, make noise and hide under the bed. When owner Timothy Gilbert, 43, a telephone communications foreman from Texas, gets a cold, "Emma will come lay with me. She can tell when things are wrong. She kept talking to me, letting me know it would be okay." Gilbert believes all animals are born with a sixth sense, and they're more likely to show it if they have strong bonds with their owners. Otherwise, "humans tend to think they have a dumb dog, a lazy dog or a worthless dog", he said. The poll was conducted on October 13 - 20 2010 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1 000 pet owners nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4%. - SAPA 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 |
| A winter checklist for pets - CNN Posted: 12 Jan 2011 06:57 AM PST By Jenn Savedge, Mother Nature Network Be sure wipe down your dog's belly, legs and paws to remove chemicals if he or she has spent anytime outdoors. STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(Mother Nature Network) -- As the temperatures plunge, I do a bunch of things around the house to help my family adjust to the cooler temps -- dig out sweaters and mittens, close the attic vents, and bulk up on soups and hot chocolate for snow days. It's a heck of a lot easier to ride out the cold when you have warm clothes, a warm house and a warm belly. But what about my pets? My 11-year-old black lab/mastiff mix puppy gets special care in the winter months, too. For starters, we keep him inside a lot more (he graces the outdoors to pee and bark at the mail lady) and we bring his water dish indoors to make sure it doesn't freeze. Here are some more tips for keeping pets safe and healthy all winter long: Watch the temp. It is easy to think that their fur coats will keep pets warm in the winter, but in reality, pets get cold outside just as easily as we do. If your pet is sensitive to cold, keep him inside. The Sacramento SPCA recommends that short-haired dogs, cats and puppies be kept indoors when the temperature dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit; all other pets should come in when temps fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. MNN: Study reveals physics of how cats drink Slap the hood. Cats and other critters seek refuge from winter winds wherever they can, sometimes snuggling up to your car's engine to soak up a little warmth. Make it a practice to slap the hood of your car before starting it to give them a chance to wake up and escape. Keep 'em leashed. Animals can easily lose their scent in winter months, especially when snow covers the ground. So keep your dog on a leash when you're in an unfamiliar area. Also, make sure his ID tags are up to date as more pets are lost during the winter than during any other season. Change your antifreeze. Cats and dogs are attracted to the sweet smell and taste of antifreeze, and will often sample it if they find a puddle on the sidewalk or garage floor. Unfortunately, regular antifreeze, or ethylene glycol, is highly toxic to pets. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using a brand made from propylene glycol instead. MNN: How to find a place to board your pet Wipe 'em down. Ice-melting chemicals can irritate and burn the pads of your pet's feet and can cause serious illness if swallowed (or licked). Be sure wipe down her belly, legs, and paws to remove these chemicals if she's spent anytime outdoors. Break the ice. Sure you may have filled up your pet's water bowl in the morning, but did it turn in to a block of ice by lunch? Check your pet's water bowl frequently and break the ice if necessary to make sure he has access to clean, fresh water. Make sure your pet has a warm place to rest, whether she stays indoors or out, as well as plenty of fresh water. That will go a long way towards keeping her safe, healthy and happy all winter long. Want more tips? Get pet information and advice at MNN.com © Copyright 2010 Mother Nature Network 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 |
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