Posts from — July 2009

Lungfish are ancient fish that can be found in Australia, South America and Africa. The group lungfish contains only a few species and no more than a total of six species are known. This six species can be divided into two different families. One family, Lepidosirenidae, contain five species found in South America and Africa. The other family is called Ceratodidae ad contains only one species, the Australian lungfish.

All lungfish share the one common organ that has given them their name. They have developed lungs which allows for them to survive in water with very low oxygen levels where other fish can’t survive. The lungs also allow them to survive out of the water. The lungs found in lungfish are very similar to the lungs found in primitive reptiles.

Lungfish has been present since the Lower Devonian area which means that they have been around for more than 100 million years. The number of species used to be much more numerous in the past but all but six species are now extinct.

Lungfish are easily recognized on how they look. They have primitive looking snakelike bodies. All lungfish species can grow very big and the African lungfish can grow to be more than 2m / 6 feet long.

They are highly predatory species that eats or try to eat everything that fits into their large mouths. (Including aquarium decoration and heaters) Their natural diet consists of fish,crabs, crayfish and anything else they might find.

The Lepidosirenidae family of lungfish can survive in very little water and the African lungfish can survive without water for up to two years. South American lungfish survives low water levels by digging a hole in the bottom mud where they build a nest. They then wait in the nest until the water returns. The African Lungfish is an even better survivor. They don’t settle for building a nest but also cover their bodies with a secretion. This secretion forms a leather like cocoon that helps keep the lungfish moist until the water returns. They hibernate during the time they wait for the water to return and can as earlier mentioned survive in tried out desert like areas for up to two years or perhaps longer.

The Australian lungfish doesn’t hibernate like some other lungfishes. This makes them dependent on water but can be found and survive in very small water bodies.

All Lepidosirenidae lungfish species builds some type of nest in which they deposit their eggs. The male guards the eggs until they hatch. The Australian lungfish doesn’t build any nest. They just deposit the eggs on the bottom within their habitats.

This was just a short introduction to lungfish. Read more about lungfish.info Lungfish. Another fascinating group of fishes you can read more about is snakehead.info Snakehead

I have found an area that we all could personally or collectively make a difference in our lives while striving to mimic or incorporate one positive characteristic of the cat.

I have noticed my cats pouncing on the sunlit “bright spots” that linger on my carpet or floor on nice sunny days. They see this bright contrast of light as opposed to a nearby shadow, and will move with these “bright spots” as they appear and fade through out the day. The most luxurious of these, of course, are the “bright spots” that are just the right size and stay long enough to bask in and take a cat nap.

I make a point, that if we could seek out the obscure patches and take advantage of the obvious “bright spots”, we would be more thankful for the things we take for granted.

This could be saying hi to your neighbor in passing, starting a new venture or opportunity, cooking and sharing a favorite meal, or creating interactive playtime with your favorite feline friend.
Notice how something or someone on the other end, is sharing or receiving the “bright spot” with you. Everyone benefits; the giver and receiver.

Like our feline friends, we should pounce on and seize “bright spots” as they appear, as these are opportunities that may fade away in time. Cherish them –
large or small. My cats have shown me that it is not the feline nature to mourn or pout over lost “bright spots”, as there is always anticipation for the next one not too far away. Look over your shoulder….;there it is! It’s in front of you or you might be stepping on it. It can even trip you. Pick it up…save it for a “rainy” day.

Not enough can be said for the reward for pouncing on “bright spots”. Even with the dark of the evening, one of my daily “bright spots” is finally coming home to my kittys
at the end of the day. I feel welcomed and appreciated. These purrr-fect “bright spots” end the purrr-fect day. They come in the shape of paw prints and have left a never fading trail to and from my heart.

Please share with me and other visitors the “bright spots” of your day or life.

Thanks so much for visiting me and my 3 cats.

Carolyn bartz has a hobby and passion for felines. she is owned by 3 cats.
her experience and insight can be found in her just published ebook on
cat behavior. Guaranteed to help you improve the relationship with your cat.
You will love it! Friendly website.
VISIT: secretsofcatattituderevealed.com www.secretsofcatattituderevealed.com

The Pet Industry is thieving. The idea travelled from the United States and now Britain’s pet owners are breathing a huge sigh of relief. No more wrestling Kitty into her cat box or marching Rover into an alien environment, where he may be exposed to contagious diseases, sickness or parasites. Granny would also be safe from the constant trips to empty the litter tray and water the roses, and the neighbours wouldn’t need to hide from the annual doorbell when next doors suitcases appeared down the drive!

For committed animal lovers this service is long overdue. It affords your pet the opportunity to continue their regular routine and eating habits, and owners can enjoy their annual sabbatical, in the knowledge that their home is being lived, plants watered, and gardens tended whilst they are away.

But what about the pet sitters themselves? For them it is an opportunity not to be missed. The joy of meeting old friends and making new ones. On four legs and on two! Leaving for work each day and experiencing a job satisfaction that some of us can only dream about. Indeed pet sitters will always concur that they would never do anything else!

True it is strictly a job for dedicate animal lovers, but let us also remember that this work does not stop on a Friday evening, to be returned to on Monday morning. There are no rest breaks to replenish their batteries! When the phone rings at 10 pm on a Sunday evening and its poor Granny who has forgotten her hip operation and is being hospitalised the following day, now panicking about poor Kitty sitting blissfully unaware in front of a roaring fire.

Oh and don’t forget Gertie the Guinea Pig, who has just been violently attacked by the Roger the Rabbit, who has happily shared her enclosure for the previous 2 years. Why have they chosen the first day of your sit to act out the Gunfight at the O.K. Coral?

As if the flood in Mrs Smith’s kitchen last week wasn’t bad enough, and the broken pump in Mr Brown’s pond which left 2 Koi Carp floundering in a couple of inches of water!

Yes, the pet sitting industry is booming, and those pet sitters will continue to whistle as they work, knowing that they really wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world, and that holiday they were planning to take! Well, that will have to wait yet another year!

By Nina Cole – Nina’s Nannies for Pets

by Nina Cole ninasnanniesforpets.co.uk ninasnanniesforpets.co.uk

Are you looking for dog training biting. Dog biting is a serious problem and should not be taken lightly. Dog training biting an aggressive dog requires a lot of patience and effort from you. Every owner wants to give training to his dog. Dog training biting is extremely important, you have to teach your dog not to bite! How can we minimize the danger of dog biting.

Dog training biting is essential for puppies and old dogs. Lets have a look.

Dog training biting is most effective when both you and your dog are enjoying yourselves and having fun. Take a positive approach to your dog training and it will become both an enjoyable and fulfilling activity especially in dog training biting.

Biting and mouthing is a common activity for many young puppies and dogs. Biting might be cute and harmless with a 5 pound puppy, but it is neither cute or harmless when that dog has grown to adulthood. Biting behaviors that are not corrected will only get worse, and what seemed like harmless behavior in a puppy can quickly escalate to dangerous, destructive behavior in an adult dog. Dog training dog, it’s clear that of all the behaviors you try to modify with dog training, dog training biting should be a top priority. What you are really trying to accomplish with dog training for biting is to teach bite inhibition. Dog training for biting should not try to eliminate biting behavior completely. But once we remove them from their natural social structure, we have to complete their dog training for biting. This should begin to teach your dog that painful biting stops playtime. Once your dog training for biting has reached this point, your dog should be doing nothing more than mouthing. Play fighting can only begin on your command, and mouthing is the only biting behavior allowed. There are many causes of dog aggression which result in your needing to learn how to stop a dog from biting and stop puppy biting.

You have to know that dogs often react aggressively to new situations, especially if they are not properly socialized. trainingforyourdog.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank Dog training biting has to socialize him in this point.

Dog biting is the most serious dog behavior problem because of its possibility for very serious damage being done to people. Again, such behaviors as food aggression are natural to the species.

Keep in mind, biting and mouthing is a common activity for many young puppies and dogs. What you are really trying to accomplish with dog training biting is to teach bite inhibition. Biting is a behavior which is natural to a dog in order to establish ranking. But you have to control your with dog training biting. So teach yourself and make sure you can do dog training biting.

If you want to know more about dog training biting then you have to visit this site.There you can get all the stuff you need to handle your dog just go here trainingdog.de trainingdog.de .It is full of techniques and tips.Visit my Blog too and get even more tips trainingforyourdog.blogspot.com/ trainingforyourdog.blogspot.com/

The word ‘Koi’ comes from Japan, but Koi fish originated from China. The koi word means carp, the exact term is the Cyprinus carpio. You probably heard that word: Nishikigoi, this is a more specific term for colorful carp.
Koi has a lot of color varieties and they are related to goldfish. Koi caring and breeding is very simple.

Koi keeping become popular in the 19th century. Farmers working the rice fields noticed that some colored carp, captured them, and raised them. By the 20th century, a number of color patterns had been established. Niigata Koi were exhibited in an exposition in Tokyo in 1914. After that the hobby of keeping Koi spread worldwide. Koi are now commonly sold in most of the pet stores.

You can differentiate the varieties by color and pattern. Koi pond have many different colors: white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. The variations are limitless, breeders determined different categories. The most popular category is Gosanke.

Some example from the koi varieties:

Kohaku: a white-skinned Koi, with a red pattern
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke): a white-skinned Koi with a red and black pattern
Showa Sanshoku (Showa): a black-skinned Koi with a red and white pattern
Bekko: a white, red, or yellow-skinned Koi with a black pattern
Ghost koi: “Hybrid” of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi: Long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.

Kois live in the wild in every continent except Antarctica. Some places in the world Koi keeping is illegal, and some other places people tried to eradicate them. Koi increase the turbidity of the water and it can cause damage to the environment.

This beautiful fish has place in the world and a lot of people has passion for these ponds.

You can find some additional information on Koi Fish at
koifish.mybebo.net koi fish picture site.

When I was young I had a dog named Trixie. I called her Trix-Rabbit for short (why, I don’t know, since that name is longer). The dog constantly amazed me. She was a small dog that had been abandoned by her previous owners. They had taken her into the basement like any other time, locked her in, and then had simply moved. She had to survive down their by hunting anything that she could find. She almost starved. One day, finally, someone just happened to open the door and she got out. She spent a lot of time after that roaming around with a homeless man, until I got her and brought her home.

She was a beautiful, intelligent dog, but she had the visible marks of a very difficult life. She would often walk with her head down and her tail lowered. Whenever we went to the park, or wooded areas, this would change. She was totally transformed as she raised her head, waved her fan like tail, and dashed out across the open fields in regal form. As many female dogs often do, one day Trixie got pregnant. We waited for her to have the puppies. She disappeared somewhere, and then came home thin. Where were the puppies? We discovered them under a porch up the street.

I crawled under the porch, got the puppies and took them home as she danced around with a look of concern on her face. First I took them into the basement. She had been scared to go into a basement since the betrayal by her previous owners. She cared so much about the puppies, that she forced herself to come in. I eventually took them upstairs to the back porch and left them there, where she nursed them. When the puppies were old enough to be weaned we took them to a neighbors house because it was time to go on vacation. My sister stayed home with the dog, but was working, so she couldn’t care for the puppies. Apparently, however, somehow this dog discovered that the puppies were in a house several blocks away and had been making daily visits.

When I got home from vacation, here came Trixie running. Every time I tried to pet her she ran. This happened several times, like on Lassie, until I finally followed. She led me right around several corners to my friend’s house. When I got there he told me that Trixie had come to his house the previous week in the middle of the night and had stolen all of the puppies. He was about to go crazy because he didn’t know what had happened to them. The next day my sister called him and told him she had found them all hidden in the basement of our house.

This dog who had been abandoned in a basement and who would never go into a basement as a result of that betrayal, had hidden these puppies in the basement. She had slid them in through a back window. Could she have been that clever? I wondered. It seemed that her love for these puppies had overridden her fear of abandonment.

When I see things like that and the things that dog went through during its life-time, I wonder about animals and the way human talk about them. We seem to think of them as a series of glands and organs with no souls. I wonder if this could just be part of the “masters of the universe” human mentality that is so prevalent in the age of science. When we speak of animals having feelings we are accused of anthropomorphizing the animals. I think, some times, that what we are really doing is un deifying human beings.

When we think about our own pets and the way that they communicate with us and show us their feelings and personalities, can we honestly sat that they are just a bunch of glands and organs with no persona on the inside? When we look into the eyes of our pets most of us who are sensitive see something more than firing glands inside of them. Why it is so important for human beings to see themselves as the only thinking, feeling beings on earth?

Many people in their theories about the fall of human beings take pride in the fact that humans were supposed to have been the highest of all created beings. I even question that. Who says that human beings were and are the highest of anything? Humans wrote those books. If a dog would have written them God may have barked the universe into existence. If we look at nature and observe animals we can see that they have a certain type of intelligence. They work very well with their environments to live the best way possible. We humans think they aren’t intelligent because many of us have learned to lump them in with the environment and then separate ourselves from it in our heads, and to work outside of it or against the it. In the west nature is even described as an enemy that needs to be conquered sometimes. Perhaps that way of thinking was necessary for a time, though I doubt it. Now I think that it is important for us to reclaim our innate intelligence. It is important to learn how to work with the environment and the earth, and to realize that every being on this earth has the right to survive and has intelligence. It is important also to realize that if there are any such things as souls they are not only the providence of human beings.

The fact is that the name animal comes for the root word animus, which means soul. It is therefor ridiculous to say that something named soul doesn’t have a soul. This, I think, is something to take into consideration. Throughout history before it was acceptable to brutally exploit a person or thing, it was necessary to objectify it and take away all of its sacredness. This, I think, is the reason that we separate ourselves from animals and the environment. Instead of doing this, however, separating so we can exploit things without feeling discomfort, it is time to work with the environment accepting the fact that some things have to die so that others may live, and that we owe a dept to all of the plants and animals that die so that we can live. The debt is to make the world the best it can be. It is to remove all of the necessary pain and suffering of all beings on this earth and enhance their ability to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This is old thinking: thanking the animal for giving its life so that we can live. Even though it is old thinking, it is right thinking. In actuality that is what is happening every day of our lives.

Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Writer, Spiritual Coach, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wellness Consultant. He is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Master Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spiritual Coach living in Costa Rica. For more article like this or similar information, and information on our new Cyber School, visit: www.dswellness.com.

Reunion of Souls, Dr. John W.Gilmore. A book of deep spirituality in Sci-fi form.

Though horses are born to run, there are many that experience the painful problem of having cramps while trying to change speeds. When a horse quickens his gait pace to a gallop, cramping has been an especially difficult problem to deal with. Horses are interesting in their running style because they link their breathing to the rhythm of their hoof beats. When horses run, they just don’t bring in enough oxygen to support their muscles, which constantly tire because of the natural existence of lactic acid that causes pain and cramping. Recently, there have been new findings in the industry that are allowing horses to break through this problem and improve their performance.

Much of the research has centered on how athletes recover from CO2 buildup in the body. Cramping is a huge problem is a number of highly physical sports, so scientists are looking to find links between the recovery of athletes and the way in which horses handle their strenuous activity.

When exercising, both people and horses don’t get nearly enough oxygen and because of that, produce large amounts of lactic acid and CO2. In order to recover from this, CO2 has to make its way through the bloodstream and leave out through the lungs. Lactic acid, on the other hand, has to be neutralized in the body.

Scientists have found that recovering from lactic acid buildup is a momentary response and it becomes much more efficient if the body has all of its systems working at the highest level. Without that high level ability, the body struggles, though.

In horses, there have been some extreme cases which leave horses unable to run ever again. If horses are caused to constantly over-exert themselves, they could suffer from acidosis, which cuts off oxygen flow so severely that long-term fatigue can occur. In some cases, permanent muscle damage has occurred. This has prompted many within the horse world to question training methods among horses and how much activity they are put through.

Scientists put a number of horses through some extensive testing. They placed horses on a treadmill and gave each one a different treatment out of three available treatments. The first group of horses was given the chance to naturally recover from their exercise period. The second group was given carbonic anhydrase inhibitor a few days before they were put through the exercise program. The third group was granted that same inhibitor just a few minutes before hopping on the treadmill. The horses were also outfitted with CO2 masks, which collected the gas. Scientists used special methods to follow the gas’s progression through the body.

Scientists continue to work hard to try to come up with new ways to keep horses in top physical condition. Their findings were somewhat incomplete, though they did discover that when the carbon dioxide left the cells in a timely fashion, normal function was reached much more quickly. Future testing has been planned to discover more ways to improve the recovery time of these horses and allow for greater performance in activity.

Patricia Reszetylo has been a “horse crazy kid” since 1978. She now operates EquineTeleseminar.net, where she interviews other equestrians on a variety of horse health, training and equine business topics “By Request”. Visit EquineTeleseminar.net/free.htm EquineTeleseminar.net/free.htm for your own free copy of a telepak (audio and transcript) from the most popular horse health call of 2006. You don’t want to miss out on this important information!

“Dogs come when they are called: cats take a message and get back to you later”
Mary Bly

Cats are funny and independent creatures to have around. They act sometimes like they don’t care if you are around or not. You call them and they walk right past you without even looking at you. Then you can be sleeping oh so nicely and there is a cat in your face, pawing you because he wants to be petted. Yes, cats are something else.

“As every cat owner knows, nobody own a cat.”
Ellen Perry Berkely

During her productive life, on female cat could have more than 100 kittens.

In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at the age of 18.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.

Cat’s urine glows under a black light.

Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.

“In a cat’s eyes, all things belong to cats.”
English Proverb

32% of those who own their own home, also own at least one cat.

A cat that bites you after you have rubbed his stomach, is probably biting out of pleasure, not anger.

The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1039 just one day after her 36th birthday.

People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.

Cat Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray this cushy life to keep.
I pray for toys that look like mice,
And sofa cushions, soft and nice.
I pray for gourmet kitty snacks,
And someone nice to scratch my back,
For windowsills all warm and bright,
For shadows to explore at night.
I pray I’ll always stay real cool
And keep the secret feline rule
To NEVER tell a human that
The world is really ruled by CATS!

~ Author Unknown

“There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience.”
Allen & Amy Dodd

I run an online pet memorial web site and as you can imagine I come into contact with many people who have lost a much loved pet or animal companion.

Looking through the memorial web sites that pet owners create when a beloved pet passes away has shown my that there are a number of ways that people come to cope with the loss of a pet.

Some people seem to be unsure or even embarrassed about the depth of grief and loss that they feel when a close pet dies. In the back of their minds they may think that others would think “It was just a pet”, “only an animal” and be surprised at how the death affects them.

But the truth of the matter is that we form a very special bond with our pets, they become part of the family and we love and take care of them for many years.

Many people confide in their pets (if my dog could talk I’d be in big trouble.), pets help to take us out of ourselves when things are not going so good in other areas of your lives and they have unconditional love to give us. All of this goes to form a special bond that when broken by the death of our pet, goes to make a substantial loss.

Possibly those who think “it’s just a pet” have never really formed that special human /animal bond, and this brings to mind the beautiful quote by Anatole France.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

It is totally okay to grieve for a lost pet and it is also necessary if you had that special bond with your pet.

Many people find that writing down their feeling helps enormously.

A simple heartfelt verse or poem is a very good way to contact the grief that you feel. Writing down your favourite memories, or an expression of the relationship that you had with your pet will go to help with the grieving process.

Others may want to mark the passing of a pet in other ways with a headstone or other physical memorial.

More and more people are creating online memorials and a lot of the people who do say that it actually helps them to focus on their feelings and memories as well as giving friends and family a chance to better understand the relationship that they had with their pet.

It is well accepted that in order to truly come through a period of loss and grief, one must be able to face every aspect of the loss. Focusing your attention on your pet’s life and what they meant to you will help in that process.

We sometimes have to cry the grief out to allow the joy of our good memories to shine through.

If you are coming to terms with the loss of a pet or animal companion and if you are finding it difficult, try focusing your attention on your pet, try writing a short poem, try writing down exactly what your pet meant to you. Yes the tears will come, but if you continue to look at those memories and feelings soon the tears will go and you will be left with the good memories. But more importantly you will be able to enjoy those memories once the grief has gone.

Dave Watson is the owner of Sadly Missed Pets.com and has written extensively on pet loss and coping with the loss of a pet. There are many article and resources on the web site and many online memorials created by those who loved their pets.
sadly-missed-pets.com/introduction.php sadly-missed-pets.com/introduction.php

mailto:info@sadly-missed-pets.com info@sadly-missed-pets.com

When you come home to find holes all over your lawn, and you have a dog, there may be a correlation there. But don’t bother trying to confront your dog after the fact. Punishment after the fact is widely known as the least effective and potentially most damaging form of dog training on earth. Even if you bring your dog to the spot, hold them by the scruff of the neck, and scold them while you direct their head deep into their handiwork, they won’t have any idea what all the fuss is about.

Instead, take a deep breath, and complete your after work wind-down routine. Then, calmly return to the back yard to locate your dog, with the intention of asking a few questions about their habit of excavating your property.

If you are unable to locate your dog, AND the holes in your lawn are all found right along the bottom of your fence line, then you may not need to ask the first question, which is, “Are you trying to escape?” If your pet is not “fixed” (neutered or spayed), then they may be entertaining their roaming instinct. They will return, and they may even bring a whole family with them when they do.

Another possibility is that your dog is digging to freedom in an attempt to find you. If your dog is near or even somewhere on your property when you return from a period of absence, they may in fact have separation anxiety issues, which you’ll have to treat directly. Once you do, the digging will be an afterthought.

If your dog is there, your next question to ask is, “Are you getting too hot back here when I’m away?” We all know that dogs pant when it’s hot. But they also like to burrow, especially when there is not a spot of shade in sight. So you’ll need to rule this out as motivating factor for your dog’s digging, and make sure they have a place to stay cool.

Lastly, you’ll have to ask your dog, “Are you burying your stuff?” This is simply an old habit that stems from the fact that their ancestors often killed more than they could eat in a sitting. This habit may be tough to break, but changing the range of treats you leave with your dog when away, for instance, a massive juicy bone may be a great treat for your dog when you’re around, but might be something you don’t leave with them when you’re gone.

Nonetheless, you may have to change the dog’s access areas, or fence off an area that you’d like to keep for the kids’ soccer pitch. You can also try setting up a dirt area or sandbox where digging is allowed and encouraged. Many dogs are wild about sand, and you can even attract them to the area by burying treats in the sandbox. I’ve seen this work well.

In the grand scheme of dog obedience problems, however, this should be more of a nuisance than anything. Often I remind dog owners that it’s more than likely their lawn will forgive the dog, and that having a healthy and happy pet sometimes comes with the sacrifice of a perfect lawn.

Martin Olliver has over 12 years experience in dog training and is a proud member of the Kingdom of Pets team ( kingdomofpets.com kingdomofpets.com). For more great articles on problems with digging dogs, visit: kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/digging_dog.php kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/digging_dog.php