HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs

In rec.pets.dogs, mdw@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh) writes:

> My Ambiguous Bumper Sticker Award of the Week:
> Seen last night, walking downtown:

> 	"A dog is for life,
> 	Not just for Christmas!"

> I want an explanation. Now.

Matt,

Seems obvious to me.  
People think puppies are cute.  They make a lovely gift (Xmas).  But,
many don't consider the commitment required to maintain that lovely
pet.  They might easily become overwhelmed with the responsibilities
and lose sight of the love and companionship that they thrived on
initially.  They only see that they have to feed it, walk it, pick
up its poop.  They get tired, and turn the dog over to the Humane
Society where its fate is questionable. 

Think first before giving a pet to someone.  They must really really
really want it - forever, not just for Christmas.

Lou
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: belinda@searchtech.com (Belinda Hoshstrasser)
Subject: Re: What human foods should dogs not eat (besides chocolate)?
Organization: Search Technology, Inc.
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 19:02:10 GMT

I learned the hard way that you have to be careful with milk
products and dogs who are on _any_ medication.  My dog ate some 
cheese (not much) and shortly there after had an Ascriptin for
her lupus-like disease.  She began vomiting every 5-10 minutes
and it would not stop.  We had to take her to an emergency vet
clinic for a shot.  She was absolutely miserable for several
days!

The vet told us that many dogs have problems with milk products
in general -- not one of their natural foods -- and especially
not to mix milk products and medications.

-- Belinda

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| Belinda D. Hoshstrasser 		     belinda@searchtech.com |
| Search Technology, Inc. 		     404/441-1457           |
| Atlanta, Georgia						    |
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: mike@nowaksg.chem.nd.edu (Michael George Buening)
Subject: I goofed :-)
Followup-To: rec.pets.dogs
Organization: University of Notre Dame
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 15:48:13 GMT


Hi again,
	I was out of town for just a few days but as an exercise
in UNIX stuff, I tried out the program, vacation.  This program
supposedly sends a message saying I was out of town to anyone
who emailed me while I was away.  Now the goof part.  I have a
short list of people who I think tried to mail me while I was
away because they showed up in a .vacation.pag database file.
What I don't have are any of the actual messages they must have
sent :-(.  So, if you mailed me something and got a message saying
that I was gone until Monday, then I didn't actually get the 
message and I would most appreciate it if you would send it again.
My deepest apoligies to anyone who this troubled.  Maybe the
program wasn't supposed to save the messages?  Oh well, live and
learn.

Mike
-- 
| Michael Buening	    We are not inheriting the earth from our |
| mike@nowaksg.chem.nd.edu  parents, we are borrowing it from our    |
|		 	    children" -- Saw it on a shirt, author   |
|					 unknown		     |
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: betsys@cs.umb.edu (Elizabeth Schwartz)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Help! Howling Doggie Upstairs.
Date: 7 Nov 92 16:45:59 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Boston

My landlords, who live above me, have a one-year-old cocker spaniel.
He's a nice friendly dog, but when they leave in the morning, he
HOWLS. I'm talking two or three SOLID HOURS of 
  "arOOOOOO, pat pat pat, EEEYUUUUUH, pat pat pat, AROOOOOOAAAAAAH" 
(Can you tell that he is doing it as I type?) 
  I'm not sure whether he has always done this, because my hours have
shifted a bit, but it's definitely gotten LOUDER. It's not just the
noise level; I feel sorry for the dog. I once tried going upstairs and
talking to him through the door but he just barked, like a good
watchdog.
   The landlady works about a thirty-hour week, locally, so the dog isn't
left alone for extremely long periods.
  Please send any suggestions and I'll summarize. I made two
suggestions to the landlords; a crate and a radio. They are
sympathetic, but don't seem to understand how nerve-wracking this is.
   Finally, will he grow out of this or will it just get worse?
Thanks, Betsy

PS  My apologies if this is a FAQ; The FAQ didn't go into detail on this.
--
System Administrator                  Internet: betsys@cs.umb.edu
MACS Dept, UMass/Boston               BITNET:ESCHWARTZ%UMBSKY.DNET@NS.UMB.EDU
100 Morrissy Blvd                     Staccato signals
Boston, MA 02125-3393                      of constant information....
From: michael.hagerty@nitelog.com (Michael Hagerty) 
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Restricting Pool Access
Date: 8 Nov 92 07:18:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Nitelog BBS - Monterey, CA - 408-655-1096
Reply-To: michael.hagerty@nitelog.com (Michael Hagerty) 

On the subject, recently discussed, of restricting pool access...

We lost our first basset to a pool which could not be separately fenced.
This was a tragic event of horrific proportion as it happened when I
was out of town; my wife found the ever-sweet and kind Rinkles floating
in the pool.

Once I returned, we introduced a new rule:  each of the other two dogs
would get two supervised (and enforced) swims per day for a month.  We
believed that Rinkles drowned because she could not find the steps and just
ran out of energy (she had never been in the pool before) trying to stay
afloat.

So, twice a day, we would pitch the dogs into the pool.  At the beginning
Donna (my wife) would stand by the steps and call them while I was in the
pool in case something happened.  We made it into a game...  After three
days the response was automatic; head for the stairs, get out and try it
again...

Rosie, an older basset, had this strategy which defied our ability to
understand.  Regardless of where we tossed her in, she would swim (her
back legs just kinda floated along) to the nearest edge, make a right
turn and follow the edge around to the stairs.  The stairs were about
3-4 feet wide and the dogs could sit comfortably on the top step with
their heads well out of the water.  It was a tiny pool, but watching
Rosie go all the way around was indeed comical...

Nonetheless, we moved a couple of months after the tragic event from
Phoenix to Carmel where we have no pool (only an indoor spa with a cover
and a gate restricting access).  If we had a pool though, the dogs would
go in for a swim until I saw that they were completely drown-proofed...

Regards, Mikey (michael.hagerty@nitelog.com)

 * JABBER v1.3B1 #B042 * Laziness as the source of innovation is no vice.
From: en01@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (EUGINA M. NOVAK)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Attn: Rich Durant
Date: 6 Nov 92 15:15:54 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

Hi, Rich!
    Sorry I had to contact you this way, but when I try to send you email
    directly, it comes back to me saying I cannot send the message for three
    days or host unknown.  So, I'm contacting you this way.

    Remember me?  I wrote to you a few times about my deaf dalmatian, Seurat.
    I'm sorry you have to get rid of your new girl--I know how hard that must
    be for you.  I wanted you to know that if you absolutely have no takers in
    the Oregon area, keep me in mind--I'm in PA.  Maybe we could split the
    airline cost or something.  I'd love another dal and I don't mind the hand
    signals and the chasing after her.  I'm not actually in the market for a
    new dog at the moment (I'm getting married in 5 months), but I wouldn't
    turn down giving a good home to a needy animal.  So, if you honestly get
    stuck, let me know.

    You might be interested in a funny story about my deaf dal...
    Last weekend, I was out late Saturday night.  I came in the house without
    waking anyone (my dog that can hear, included).  When I was in the
    bathroom next to my bedroom, the dal for some reason woke up and came
    digging at the door--she knew her mom was home!  It was the funniest
    thing--the deaf dog was the only one to know what time I rolled in (I
    think my other dog knew I was home, but just didn't want to crawl out from
    beneath the blankets on my bed).  So much for sneaking around on the deaf
    one!

    Good luck finding a new home for the little girl.
    Take care.

    --Gina Novak
      (en01@lehigh.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Subject: Re: shelter puppies
Reply-To: jpk@Ingres.COM (Jon Krueger)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 14 Nov 92 04:05:23 GMT

Robbin Huls writes:
> for those who have volunteered at shelters *and* have
> pets at home...Has [transmitting diseases from shelter pets
> to owned pets] been a problem or concern

A concern, yes.  So I'm careful to keep my pets up to date on their
vaccinations.  This is the main line of defense against diseases from
all sources anyway.  I also shower at the shelter and change clothing
before going home.  If I'm short on time I'll wash my hands at the
shelter and shower at home.  And I use different shoes at the shelter.

But a problem, no.  I've never transmitted a disease. And other
volunteers of 10 years standing, who have pets at home and who don't
take the same precautions I do, have never transmitted a disease.  It
could happen, sure.  But it's not common.  Shelter pets have about the
same health as the population at large.  Your pet is more likely to
catch something from direct contact with another pet.

> Is this only a concern for really young puppies?

It's a valid concern across the board.  But young animals have less
developed immune systems.  So get started with those first shots!
It's your pet's protection against a variety of sources.

-- Jon
--
Jon Krueger  jpk@ingres.com  
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: jxwomac@pbseps.sf180.PacBell.COM (Julie Womack)
Subject: DOG IS SICK
Originator: jxwomac@pbseps.sf180.PacBell.COM
Organization: Pacific Bell - Financial Management
Distribution: ba
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 16:20:50 GMT



My brother's 11 yr. old dog(some kind of terrier breed) has suddenly 
in the last month started vomiting a yellow substance and has diarhea. 
He has also stopped eating.His stool is black which the vet says is 
caused from internal bleeding. 
Can anyone give me an idea of what the problem is??? My brother is thinking of
putting him down.
From: ljb@parkcity.dr.att.com (BLO54620-BonhamLJ(DR2194)240)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Abuse
Date: 10 Nov 92 00:37:29 GMT
Distribution: rec.pets.dogs, rec.pets.cats, rec.pets

Take this to .talk.animals!  

Animals have no rights, but people have responsibilities!
From: shoran@mtroyal.ab.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Cracked Tooth, what to do?
Date: 12 Nov 92 20:11:58 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta

In article <1992Nov10.195611.7729@digi.lonestar.org>, trsharp@digi.lonestar.org (Tracy Sharp) writes:
> Hi Netters!  This is my first post so please bear with me.  I am having a
> hard decision and could use some help, advise, and maybe experience stories.
> 
> I found a hole in my dog's upper canine molar.  After seeing a specialist, the
> options open to me are extraction or a root canal.  The root canal being
> almost 3x as much in cost.  My dog is 10 1/2 and is expected to live another
> 4-8 years based on his parents health.  If he were much younger, I would
> definitely go for the root canal, but at 10, I am confused, how much does he
> really need this tooth?  Am I being cruel thinking that we can take care of it
> by just pulling the tooth?  
> 
> Has anyone had root canals done on their dog's teeth?  If so, how did it turn
> out and how old was your dog when you had it done.
> 
> thanks for any help on this,
>  tracy, mom to                        trsharp@digi.lonestar.org
> 
>  Petey, aka Chosen Patient Jubilation, CDX   ......tri-factor sable sheltie
>  Bonnie, aka Carson Texas Bluebonnet         ......blue merle sheltie

Go for the extraction.  It's hardly likely your dog will miss it, and purely
from a cost point-of-view, paying for a root canal to save a tooth on a dog of
10 1/2 doesn't make sense.  I imagine that going through a root canal would be
much more traumatic than a simple extraction too - why put him though it?
The only experience I have had on dental work with my dogs is an extraction of
a pre-molar that had abcessed on one of my bitches.  Simple surgery, and she
recovered within hours.

Stef
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: pdsmith.mitre.org (Pat Smith)
Subject: best food for dog on diet
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 22:34:27 GMT

my siberian was neutered in april 1992 and has developed a fierce appetite for
dog food.  He has also been found eating cat food and scolded.  His weight
has gone from a suitable 53 pounds to 76 pounds since the summer.   Some of
the problem was that he was on steriods for allergies and that does increase
his appetite.  He is also a bit more confined due to his insistance on breaking
out of a fenced in yard.  He now has a smaller fenced area under our deck and
also has access to the deck but he is not running as he once was.  When he
dug out of our yard he presumably ran miles.  So considering he is more 
contained, what can we do to get his figure back? He is 5 1/2 years old and
eats 4 cups of dry food a day.  The dog food bag says to feed more but he
has always done fine with 4 cups/day.  What kind of diet food is recommended 
and in what quantity?  Thanks in advance.
From: dgm@garnet.berkeley.edu (D.G. Meads)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: How do you fight a race track?
Date: 11 Nov 1992 17:53:42 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu

>
>Where do you get your information that racing Greyhounds are abused?
>I have a friend that has racing greyhounds, these dogs are pampered,
>well fed(they are given a special diet that includes dry kibble, meat
>and cottage cheese) and in excellent health. He pays top dollar for
>these dogs and when he breeds the stud fees are in the range of $10 to
>$15,000. You don't put out that kind of money to abuse a dog. Yes, you
>willl have the occasional person that is crazy enough to abuse the dogs,
>but they would be doing that anyway because they are crazy. But for the
>most part the people that have these dogs, love them.
>If you want to see what goes on, find a tour group, talk to the trainers
>and the owners. You might just go away with a different oppinion.
>There are several Greyhound Rescue Groups, talk to those people. They
>would not be placing abused dogs. People that adopt these dogs are very
>happy with the dog they are getting, if the dogs were abused they
>would be a uproar from the new owners.
>
>Kathleen Brewer@cutting.hou.tx.us
>---
> . OLX 2.1 . As I said before, I never repeat myself.
>                                                                                   

I can see this is going to be an interesting thread.  I think we have to
remember that the spectrum of people involved in the racing of greyhounds
is quite varied.  Your opinion is that they are pampered my opinion is
that they are given minimal care/food to run.   Both of us are correct but
neither opinion can be true of ALL people in this industry.

I promise to bring in the articles about the drugs that are now commonplace
in the after-race winners (read cows that die on medication and their 
meat fed to dogs)  some numbers on the dogs breed/registered
by the NGA and other disgusting examples of the dark side of human nature.

I don't think dog racing will ever go away but there is definetly a need
for more humane practices in the industry. 

Last night when I went home I just hugged my two little monsters and thanked
the stars for them...I know its mushy, but I just couldn't help it after all
this talk about the racing industry and my belief that there are so many
dogs destroyed that the statistics and newspapers will never report.

May kharma reign.

Debbie Meads
Tyre & Sidon (wow mom, why are you hanging all over us crying and sobbing? 
does this mean we get our rawhides early tonight????)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Distribution: jadpc2
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 11:17:07 -0800
From: ELAINE_GALLEGOS@f703.n202.z1.fidonet.org
Subject: City Parks - We can walk there now!!!!
Comment-To: shazam@f703.n202.z1.fidonet.org
Reply-To: ELAINE_GALLEGOS@f703.n202.z1.fidonet.org
X-FSC-PATH: 202/703 701
X-FSC-PID:  RA 0.04

  Congratulations on being allowed to use the park you are paying
taxes on.  One recommendation I have is to use a couple sheets of
newspaper for emergency cleanups as opposed to the plastic bag- way
less gross!
  You are very responsible to clean up after your dog.  As I mentioned
another time, I lived near an unofficial dogs park where owners would
drive in only long enough to send the dogs out to take a dump on the
lawn, then drive off, leaving the mess for children to trip on.
--- FMail 0.92
 * Origin: HILLCREST COMMUNITY BBS, SAN DIEGO. HST 619-291-0544 (1:202/703)
From: kkeating@acsu.buffalo.edu (Kelly Anne Hinkle)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Airline crate for sale
Date: 8 Nov 92 16:58:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: acsu.BxEptJ.3My
Organization: State University of New York at Buffalo/Comp Sci

In article <1613@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> mjohnson@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Marget Johnson) writes:

>Kelly: Is the crate plastic or wire or wood? Also, what are the dimensions? 
>If a Varikennel, you can use their model numbers (200-700) to indicate size.
>FYI, empty airline crates can
>be shipped, UNBOXED, by UPS. I routinely return puppy shipping crates this
>way, and am charged by weight...very cheap for an empty plastic crate. 

It's a hard plastic.  Dimensions...oh brother, let me think...about 18 in.
wide by about 2 ft high by about 3 ft long, I think.  It fit a slightly large 
Sheltie with room to move around freely, put it that way.  :)

Kelly
From: liza@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Liza Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Don't leave your dog in the car!
Date: 11 Nov 1992 20:42:25 GMT
Organization: Stanford Univ. Earth Sciences
NNTP-Posting-Host: pangea.stanford.edu
Keywords: uh oh

In article <1992Nov11.162131.27925@pixel.kodak.com> rhuls@liebnitz.ssd.kodak.com (Robbin Huls) writes:
>Yet another reason not to leave a dog or dogs in a car alone.  Besides
>the fact that they could knock the gear shift into neutral and God only
>knows what the car could run into or over...like a cliff or a kid, OR
>someone could easily break into the car and steal them, OR in as little
>as 10 minutes they could die from heat exposure (even on a cool day if
>the sun is hot enough), OR they could freeze in the winter as they can't
>heat the entire car with their body heat as they could a dog house or
>cave (this for the person who wanted to leave the yellow lab puppy in
>the car while snow mobiling)...there are any number of things that could
>cause harm to them.
>
>So if you can't take them with you, leave them at home!  Please.

Robbin has some good points here, however, there is also no point in going
to the opposite extreme.  Dogs can be very safely left in cars if you think
ahead and use some good judgment.  In the winter, you need to be sure that
the dog has a blanket to keep warm with.  Anytime it is sunny out, you need
to be sure to park in the shade and keep the car adequately ventilated.
The dog is safest if in a crate or confined in some way.  As to someone
stealing the dogs, many dogs are very protective of their cars and a
potential thief would have to be pretty brave to put their hand in the car.
Again, crating the dog is less likely to draw attention to it and cause
someone to want to steal it.  I think it is all a matter of thinking things
through.  If I am running errands, I often take a dog along for company.
But, if I am going to be somewhere for hours, then the dogs stay home.  My
mother takes her dog everywhere and he waits in the car as happy as can be.
Sure, she has to walk farther to ensure he's in the shade, but he prefers
to be along for the ride.  

Just think about it before you do it.

-=lizalee

--
Liza Lee Miller         My dogs are labradorable!     liza@pangea.stanford.edu
Cibola Labradors            Field * Show * Fun                    415/326-5309
Cibola's Misty Mountain Hop--Hopper                   Mistypoint Kashmir--Kash
	            Campbellcroft Cibola Rosette -- Rosie
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: dean@sweetpea.jsc.nasa.gov (Jack Dean)
Subject: Re: Stopping greyhound track
Organization: McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company
Date: 11 Nov 92 09:51:11

I am the owner of two adopted retired racing greyhounds, yet I have
strongly ambivalent feelings about dog racing.  On the one hand I
enjoy going to the races and watching the dog run.  I believe that the
racer, kept at the track, are not mistreated.  And the dogs are
clearly doing what they were bred to do and obviuosly enjoy running.

As a volunteer with a greyhound rescue group, I have also known many
breeders who were responsible and caring owners.  They went to great
lengths to find homes for their retired hounds.  I know one breeder
that not only donates all the dogs that we can take, but also makes a
cash donation for each greyhound that we adopt out for him.  He has
also had orthopedic surgery performed on one of his dogs which had to
be retired due to a broken bone, so that that dog could find a home.

On the other side, the racing industry unfortunately attracts a lot of
sleazoids who think they can rich quick by getting any old breeding
pair of greyhounds, then scrimp on the care and feeding of their
hounds.  The kennel of course fails after a few years, but not without
the needless suffering and loss of many, many greyhounds.

Finally, one distinction between hors racing and dog racing is the
number of breeding pairs that you need to keep in order keep a
breeding program going.  A horse has a single foal at a time.  A
greyhound bitch might have a litter of 8 or 9 pups. 


Jack Dean                         dean@sweetpea.jsc.nasa.gov




>>>>> In article <1992Nov10.201940.25720@newshost.lanl.gov>, crs@beta.lanl.gov (Charlie Sorsby) writes:

 Charlie> OK, That's two posts that consider dog racing to be disgusting or
 Charlie> words to that effect.  I'm unfamiliar with the sport.  Educate me.

 Charlie> What is disgusting or undesirable about it?  Are the dogs
 Charlie> mistreated?  If not, what is the problem with permitting a dog to
 Charlie> do what it was bred for?  Granted, that, in a sense, this is an
 Charlie> artificial version of what they were bred for, of what the breed
 Charlie> was developed for, but not much more so than field trials for bird
 Charlie> dogs.

 Charlie> Let's have some specifics from those of you who are saying that
 Charlie> there's something wrong with dog racing.  Tell those of us who
 Charlie> don't know specifically what it is.  Thank you for your
 Charlie> indulgence.


 Charlie> -- 
 Charlie> Best,

 Charlie> Charlie "Older than dirt" Sorsby				"I'm the NRA!"
 Charlie> 	  crs@lanl.gov
--
Jack Dean                         dean@sweetpea.jsc.nasa.gov


Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
From: mdw@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh)
Subject: Re: Short Shameful Confession
Keywords: smirk, sexual
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 01:27:55 GMT

andrewc@spider.co.uk (Andrew Cannon) writes:

>I talk to strangers and pet strange dogs.

I talk to strange dogs and pet strangers.

mdw

-- 
Matt Welsh    mdw@tc.cornell.edu        +1 607 253 2737
Systems Programmer, Cornell Theory Center
  "She's like jelly roll, like sculpture!"