Dog Clothing, Products, News and Tips

Boo, a 5-year-old black Labrador Retriever, and his owner, Stephen Meneely, are training for the IAMS Doggy Duathlon World Championships, part of the New York City Triathlon, which takes place July 20.

Meneely and Boo are running the race to benefit the Marshfield Food Pantry and raise awareness about hunger on the South Shore. “It’s all about the food pantry. It’s not about me. It’s not about publicity. It’s not about the dog,” he said. “This is going to affect a lot of people in Marshfield.”

Meneely, a software writer who has done about 100 triathlons, said he found out about the Doggy Duathlon when he tried to sign up for the sold-out New York City Triathlon. “We’ve been looking forward to this day ever since,” he said. “I’d rather do it for a charity and have it focus on the dog and a charity.”

This summer, the two have been training together in Duxbury Bay, sometimes with other South Shore triathletes. They also walk together for several miles a day. “I take him swimming as often as I can, wherever we go,” Meneely said. “He’s come to a lot of local races with me.”

Meneely and Boo will compete with 26 other pairs in the July 20 race, which includes a 10-kilometer run around the northern loop of Central Park. The Doggie Duathlon champion wins The Rembrandt Cup. The race was also supposed to include a 1,500 meter swim in the Hudson River, with the dogs in life jackets, but that portion was canceled this week due to logistics. The day before, Meneely said, he and Boo will run in the Chipotle Underwear Run.

He said the Doggie Duathlon will probably be Boo’s last race, especially with the heat of training in the summer. “He’s getting a lot of white hairs,” Meneely said. “It really takes its toll on a black dog. It’s brutal for him.” For more information on the IAMS Doggie Duathlon, click here.

[Source: The Patriot Ledger]

Swimming seems so integral to being a dog that we’ve even named a stroke after them, the doggie paddle, so you’d assume that’s something that every dog is born knowing how to do. However, not every dog instinctively knows how to swim, and some can’t swim at all, Wendy Diamond, the founder and editorial director of Animal Fair magazine, told TODAY. Dogs’ aquatic abilities are so misunderstood, in fact, that she put together a list of water safety tips for dog owners.

Diamond confirmed that some dogs are born swimmers. It’s a good bet if the dog’s breed includes the word “water,” as in Portuguese or English water spaniel, it takes to swimming like a nursery-schooler takes to finger-painting. For owners of those breeds, the problem isn’t getting the dog into the water, but keeping it on dry land.

But other breeds aren’t as water-friendly. Some dogs have to be taught to swim, Diamond said, and others, like bulldogs, take to the water like submarines take to the Cross Bronx Expressway. For the former, there is hope. For the latter, there are those bright orange canine flotation devices. Among those that can’t swim at all or swim only with great difficulty are basset hounds, bulldogs, dachshunds, pugs, corgis, Scottish and Boston terriers and greyhounds.

And then there are dogs like the Maltese, which are capable swimmers, but which are also susceptible to rheumatism, arthritis and chills that could be exacerbated by taking them in the pool with you. Diamond has a checklist for doggy swim lessons:

Avoid excessive noise: “Take them to an area that’s not so crazy and hectic,” she advised. Like children, dogs can become frightened and confused if there’s a lot of noise and activity around them. The object is to keep them calm and focused on the swimming lesson.

Use encouragement: As when teaching a child, keep your voice upbeat and positive, she said. “Using treats and toys to encourage your dog to enter the water also works quite well,” she said.

Never throw them in: Just as you shouldn’t throw a child in the water and expect it to swim to safety, you shouldn’t do that with a dog, Diamond said. “Don’t force the dog. If they don’t want to do it, don’t force them to do it.” Instead, she told Celeste, “Slowly put them in the water and get their paws used to it.”

Support their weight until they paddle: Even if the dog is wearing a life vest, Diamond said, support its midsection and hindquarters in the water until they start paddling and feel comfortable.

Show them how to get out: Getting a dog in the pool is only half the battle. Diamond reminded pet owners that they also need to be shown where the steps are in the pool so they can easily get out.

Keep an eye on them: Even in the water, dogs can wander off. Dogs that swim naturally and well can jump in the ocean and keep swimming until they’re lost, Diamond said. “You want to make sure, like children, that you watch where they’re going,” she said.

[Source: NBC Today Show]

ABC News’ Lindsey Ellerson Reports: As President Harry Truman once wisely noted, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have suggested that whether or not they live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next year, they will take the former president’s advice.

The Obama family has used the promise of a pet as a bargaining chip in asking their daughters, Malia, 9 and Sasha, 7, for their support during the long campaign season. The American Kennel Club (AKC) took it upon themselves to offer the Obamas some guidance in finding the appropriate canine friend.

The AKC is asking Americans to cast a vote for the best qualified “first pet” for the Obama family, limiting the list of selections to hypoallergenic breeds because of Obama’s daughters’ allergies. The public has been given five solid canine choices including the Bichon Frise, the Chinese Crested, the Poodle, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and the Miniature Schnauzer.

Click here to vote.

It’s important for the public to evaluate several characteristics when choosing a presidential pup. As a presidential pet, the dog will need to be well behaved during its potential interactions with high public officials, a good travel companion, given the busy White House schedule and in the case of the Obama family specifically, small enough that the young girls are able to walk the dog. Thus far, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier has been voted the premier choice, but the public has until August 19 to cast a ballot.

While the Obamas have decided a dog will be a part of their family, the timing is still up in the air. During a May appearance on Good Morning America, the couple was asked whether their two daughters had yet to receive the dog they were promised.

Sen. Obama responded that Malia and Sasha have “a year to test whether they are sufficiently responsible,” but was cut off by his wife who insisted, “They are responsible…we’re getting a dog.”

When Obama replied that he was concerned about who would be the official pet walker, the potential first lady said, “You will. You will all be walking the dog.”

“Okay. All right,” Obama conceded.
[Source: ABC News]
[Picture Source: www.visitingdc.com]

Research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.

Allergy Fighters
“The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided,” says researcher James E. Gern, M.D., a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with “furred animals” — whether it’s a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals — will have less risk of allergies and asthma, he tells WebMD.

In his recent study, Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later. He was looking for evidence of an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment. If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies — 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals — a sign of stronger immune system activation. “Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system,” Gern says.

Date Magnets
Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking — a dog is a natural conversation starter. This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, tells WebMD. “People ask about breed, they watch the dog’s tricks,” Kaslow says. “Sometimes the conversation stays at the ‘dog level,’ sometimes it becomes a real social interchange.”

Dogs for the Aged
“Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home,” says Lynette Hart, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog,” says Hart.

Walking a dog or just caring for a pet — for elderly people who are able — can provide exercise and companionship. One insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening — which often helps tip the scales in their favor.

Good for Mind and Soul
Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. “The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets,” says researcher Judith Siegel, Ph.D. In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.

People in stress mode get into a “state of disease,” in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health. Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.

Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine — nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD. “People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature,” says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado Rockies with his wife and two dogs.

Good for the Heart
Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease — lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels — than nonowners, researchers say.

[Source: MSN.com]