Holding the distinction of being the only spotted breed, the Dalmatian is a medium-sized dog possessing a big reputation! Many people know this breed because of its Disney fame, admiring its symmetrical body, superior endurance, and lean, clean lines. Its short, dense coat is pure white with black or brown spots randomly scattered all over it.

Dalmatians are sharp, alert and full of vim and vigor. Because they served throughout history as a working and sporting breed, they are great performance dogs, but they also make wonderful family pets. They are not overly territorial, nor are they excessively aggressive and they are pleasant to be with and are very loyal to their masters.

This sturdy breed does not need a lot of maintenance in their day to day upkeep. They should not be ignored or left by themselves in a yard chain for long periods of time”they are best kept in a household environment. They love people, and enjoy being cared for and bask in the affection of their owners.

Although the exact origins are uncertain, the Dalmatian is associated with Dalmatia, a Croatian region”and spotted dogs have popped up throughout history in Asia, Europe, and Africa, credited with a dozen nationalities and as many names. The Dalmatian has done almost everything”he has been a dog of war, a draft dog, ratter, firehouse mascot, shepherd, bird dog, trail hound and retriever! Most importantly, he is the one and only coach dog, his kinship with horses a natural instinct as his urge to follow and guard the horse-drawn vehicle remains.

The Dalmatians expression is alert and intelligent, indicating a stable, outgoing temperament and belying his fun-loving, people-oriented nature. They are a high-energy breed, capable of great endurance and speed, and they should have exercise every day. The Dalmatian is very trainable, to a high degree of obedience, and will do well with a firm owner and consistent training patterns.

Strong leadership and plenty of romps are needed by frisky young Dalmatians. They will calm down after a few years, however, if they are properly shown who and how to obey. Handlers or masters who keep them after their active years will be pleased they did.

If you would like to adopt a Dalmatian, make sure you have the time, energy and are authority-driven enough to handle them! If not, they might become high strung, destructive, and hard to manage. If you lead a healthy, fit and active lifestyle, however, and you know what it takes to be a pack leader, then the Dalmatian is just perfect for you!

How much time do you spend on picking your dog food? Do you understand how to read the labels and do you know what each ingredient really is?

The reason I started to research dog food was my six year old dog started to have seizures.. The facts about what goes into dog food is sickening and I decided I needed to help educate pet owners about this danger.

Relax I’m not going to try and sell you some upscale dog food, but I am going to show you how you should be choosing your loved ones food.

What would you say if I told you that just by feeding your dog correctly you could add over eight years to its life? Just think, that means eight more years of tongue kissing, tail wagging unconditional love

After many hours of research I finally found a resource that explained how to read the labels found on dog food. Believe it or not even thought the FDA regulates dog food labeling, it does not hold commercial dog food labeling to the same requirements as it does for people food.

The regulations for dog food labeling seemed to be written to help the industry hide certain ingredients they use to enhance flavor and prolong shelf life. Not to mention just plain deceive the pet owner by allowing the commercial pet food industry to play with words in their labeling.

If a dog food is named Turkey dog food it would have 70% turkey 9of some sort) compared to a food named Turkey flavored that would have 0% turkey in it..

Other ways the FDA’s regulations allow them to fool the pet owner is if you see the words Nugget or Dinner in the name of the dog food it only has 3% of that ingredient in the food.

The truth is the dog food industry has been allowed to deceive the pet owner into thinking they are purchasing quality ingredients, when the truth is we are purchasing ingredients not fit for human consumption.

Some companies in the commercial pet food industry are adding waste leftovers from human food processing plants to add protein to their dog foods. We could not eat these by-products so why would we want to feed it to our dogs?

The dog food labeling regulations our written so poorly that they allow the industry to make toxic ingredients sound like they are healthy. One would think that when they read Dried Egg Products as an ingredient in their dog food, that that would be a good thing. In reality this ingredient is a waste by-product of the egg industry first marked unfit for human consumption before it is sold to the dog food companies.

The problem is there are hundreds of ingredients listed on dog food labels that seem to mean one thing when in reality they mean something completely different.

Once I found out what was really in most commercially made dog food, I switched my dogs to a homemade diet. This does take some work and I understand that not everyone can do this, and that is why it’s so important that you learn how to read and understand a dog food label.

If the UK have the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Staffie), the US have its American counterpart, the American Staffordshire Terrier. The US version, also called Amstaff, is of terrier and molosser bloodline and its ancestry links back to the bull-baiting history of the 1800s England. It is a second cousin to the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), a breed that has a notorious bull-baiting reputation.

The bull-baiting breeds came to the US when bull baiting was illegalized in Britain and Ireland. It was the English and Irish immigrants who brought them here in the hopes of continuing their fighting legacy but this time in the forms of dog to dog fighting. When they arrived in the US, however, the fights weren’t as fancied as in the UK and so they continued to breed these dogs as a form of companion dogs.

Together with the immigrants, the Amstaff worked in newly established communities, farms and ranches. They became farm helps, pigs and bear hunters, guard dogs and companion dogs. Presently though, the Amstaff is more of a companion dog and competitor of various dog sport competitions.

The Amstaffs are hardworking, agile, docile and quick learners. They can learn tricks quite easily and are sensitive to the master’s orders therefore they excel at competitions. Most times, you will see Amstaffs joining obedience and agility competitions and tracking and conformation games.

At home, Amstaffs make incredible companion dogs as they are obedient and sensitive to the orders of their masters. They can pick up all forms of behaviors and tends to emulate them. This is good and bad in a sense that if the master show good actions, the Amstaff will tend to be good but if a negative behavior is displayed, the Amstaff will tend to act unfavorably, too.

The stance of this breed is an obvious demonstration of great power, high endurance and regality that they tend to appear unapproachable. On the inside, the Amstaffs are courageous, intelligent, and determined at the same time friendly, loyal and intensely devoted. This breed makes an outstanding watchdog and guard dog, too, since they are sensitive to the slightest kind of noise.

The Amstaff’s body is short and stocky and it possesses a powerful, strong head. The coat is short, tightly wraps its body, glossy and rough to the touch. Its colors may appear in any solid, patched or parti shade except all white, black, tan and liver which are not well- encouraged.

Some people are still confused as whether the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and American Staffordshire Terrier are the same. In truth, they are two differing breeds and they have different body build and they’re bloodlines have been separated by various breeding. However, the AKC allows double registration of the breeds therefore the Amstaff can be APBT and Amstaff at the same time, and vice versa.

I have a different point of view when it comes to funerals. When I attend a funeral, which is not very often, I always wonder what actually goes on in people’s minds. Do they really feel sad or do they just pretend. Does the spirit of the dead person move around the moaners like in the movies?

Why can’t people remember that the person has gone onto a better place? Although they have left our world, they have gone onto a new one. We should think of it as a time of new experiences for the deceased, like a graduation.

I often sit and plan my own funeral. I know my friends and family think I’m insane for doing this. I can’t understand why. We plan other major events in our life, why not our own funeral? It’s one more journey we are going on, and it should be carried out to our wishes.

I know I’m going to a happier place. I want those around me to treat my funeral as such. It can be exciting to plan the event.

I want my coffin to be the shape of a guitar. Now I am not sure how they’re going to fit my body into it, but it is my dream coffin anyway. I want the strings to be carved on its upper surface and painted gold. So that I have a black and gold guitar shaped coffin looking just like my present guitar. This will definitely cheer people up.

The music should be fun and cheerful. My favorite song is Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss”. I definitely want someone to sing that. Hopefully my husband or boyfriend.

I want my mother to serve wine that she herself makes because that is my favorite wine and I know for sure people will love it too and will talk about the wine instead of talking about how I died and how sad it is and what a terrible loss it is.

These are things I think about, but the truth is, once someone’s dead, he probably has no idea what is happening around him, probably has nothing to do with his memorial service and it probably is a whole big drama. People go shopping for the best funeral clothing, shoes to match, a hat, the best choir, the best priest etc. But does it make a difference? Well, fortunately I really don’t know yet.

Having the correct knowledge of what to feed your dog can be very confusing. Every expert out there has his own favourite canine diet and there is such a vast selection of dog food available that it can be quite overwhelming for the first time dog owner to decide what to feed.

In fact lets be honest even us long time dog owners get caught up in all the different opinions and information and who knows what is what? Think of it—-Fresh, tinned, dried, vacuum-packed ..the list is never ending. Obviously a puppy has a different food requirement from an adult and older dog so make sure that you feed the puppy the correct puppy diet from the choice of food available.

The majority of pet shops and many vets will probably advise feeding your new puppy or dog on a complete dried food which is considered nutritionally balanced. Some will suggest tinned food or vacuum packed meat products. These types of food are many and varied and are advertised as suitable for most dogs. In fact most of the advertising will suggest that it is the only way to feed your dog if you want him or her to have a long and healthy life. To discuss each and every type of manufactured food product would be a major book in itself so lets look here at another choice…the Natural diet.

This diet is structured on what your dog would eat in the wild and what wolves eat in the wild today. It is a diet based on raw meaty bones and what most people fed their dogs until the dog food manufacturers got hold about 30-40 years ago. It is the diet that your dog is designed to eat. They have the teeth to tear,shred,rip flesh and crunch bones and their stomachs are designed to digest both raw meat and raw bones. Remember that dogs are carnivores and their diet would be mostly meat and bones. They may eat the stomach contents of prey ,that is the vegetable matter but it is not a vital part of their diet and they do not need it.

Most vets will recommend one of the commercial diets as the instructions are on the packet and they do not have the time in a normal consultation to go into the benefits of natural feeding and the quantities needed. Some vets sell dried dog food and so will recommend it. Some pet food manufacturers sponsor Vet colleges so therefore the alternative ways of feeding are not given priority or even discussed and veterinary students do not learn them.

In fact to be honest many dog owners are told that raw uncooked bones are bad for their dogs. The ease of opening a tin,or scooping out a couple of mug fulls of dried food is simple, requiring little or no thought which suits the busy lives that many owners now lead. The fact that there is now a massive multimillion pound industry which effectively tells dog owners that they the owners couldn’t possibly work out how and what to feed their dogs on their own,has lead to increasing numbers of dog owners accepting that the manufacturers must know best and being drawn into buying commercially prepared food and artificial bones.

All tinned and processed foods have been cooked and the resulting changes in the structure of the food means that the dogs digestive system has to work much harder as it was designed to digest raw ingredients. Then there is the major effect that cooked processed food has on the dogs teeth. The majority of dogs fed on an artificial diet will have to have their dirty teeth and infected gums attended to by a Vet several times through their lives.The processed food gets stuck in the teeth causing infection. Just take a look at at your own teeth after you have eaten dried food like a biscuit…..that’s what your dogs teeth look like after eating dried pellets. Even using artificially produced teeth cleaning products will leave a deposit on the dogs teeth.! Bacteria enter the body through the diseased and infected gums and teeth and this can set up chronic infections which later may result in liver,heart or kidney problems.

Cleaning your dogs teeth is not going to remove all the gunge and honestly who is going to clean their dogs teeth twice a day! ..imagine it? By eating raw bones the dogs floss their own teeth naturally in the ripping and shredding action. The only teeth that need to be artificially cleaned are the canine teeth which are the teeth designed for killing the prey and are not involved in the ripping and grinding motion. Try cleaning your dogs teeth with an electric toothbrush…believe me it works! If you start when they are a puppy I can assure you they will get used to it.

Pet medicines for dogs, cats and other household pets are far cheaper on the internet than from any other source. Not only is ordering pet medicines cheap, it is fast and convenient. Specialty medicines can be found online quickly.

Non-prescription as well as prescription drugs are offered by pet medicine websites for many types of animals. Medicine to ward off ticks and fleas are also offered and is essential for your dog or cat. The life cycle of a flea is swift and eggs are laid very quickly which may result in your home being infested if you don’t act early.

Spot on flea treatments are a popular flea treatment for both cats and dogs. It’s less messy than powders and more effective than flea collars.

Many topical medicines may not work for dogs that like getting wet. Pet shops and vets have many flea control products to offer.

“Bombs” that kill fleas in your home are effective but there are still many ticks and fleas just waiting for your dog or cat outside. Your pet still needs some kind of tick and flea medicine most of the year.

Shop around and visit veterinarians and other pet pharmacy stores to find out medicine prices. Then you will get the best deal and save yourself some money. There is quite a difference in what you would pay at the veterinarian as opposed to stores on the internet.

The quality of pet medicines is similar to prescriptions given to people. Generic medicines are much cheaper than name brands but are generally just as effective. Find out if generic pet medicines dog alternatives are a viable option for your dog or cat. Watch for offers or coupons for pet medications. Discounts or offers for free shipping can help save you money.

Be on the lookout for seasonal and special offers. Discounts and even free shipping offers may help you to save money on your pet meds. Don’t ignore the veterinarian to help diagnose problem conditions.

Fleas are a headache and can be dangerous to the health of your dog. Flea remedies would be unnecessary if pet owners would just use some all natural flea control techniques. People are always looking for natural healthy ways to treat fleas. The best and easiest way to deal with fleas is to prevent fleas. The best way to prevent fleas is to use natural flea control methods.

All natural flea control techniques are safe and easy to accomplish. Pet owners often use a citrus repellent. To create this type of repellant for your pet, cut up a lemon and place in a 2 litre pot. Cover the lemon pieces with boiling water and let them soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. After the lemon pieces have soaked for enough time, transfer the citrusy water into a spray bottle. You now have an all natural flea repellent for your pooch. Spray your dog all over remembering to pay special attention to around his neck and ears, around the base of his tail and under each leg. Be careful of spraying around your dog’s head as citrus spray can sting.

You can also use an aromatherapy repellant for your dog. Use 10 ml. of sweet almond oil as your base and add 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of cedarwood. Shake the mixture well and spread 1 or 2 drops over the skin. Repeat this treatment as needed or at least twice a week. Admittedly, these ingredients are typical household ingredients but this really does work.

Lastly, an all natural flea collar can be created by rubbing a few drops of citronella, lavender eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, or geranium essence on to your pet’s ordinary rope webbing or rope or cloth collar. A bandanna would also work. Re-apply the oil at least twice per week.

Another very simple and common sense suggestion is to reduce your dog’s overall exposure to fleas. You can begin by reducing the dog fleas immediately outside of your home. One method to reduce fleas outside is to install a Purple Martin bird house. Purple Martins like to dine on dog fleas, thus controlling the outdoor flea population. A failure to deal with these fleas will result in your pet continually getting infested.

Remember, fleas make your loved pet uncomfortable and they are no picnic for the dog owner. The best cure is an ounce of prevention. The best all natural flea remedy is to use an all natural flea control techniques.

When I was young our schnauzer had a form fitted black and red plaid coat. The fabric was rough. It always looked a bit dirty and the under the belly buttons were difficult to access and the buttons seemed to large for the button holes. As a result we only managed to wrestle the coat on to the unwilling dog once or twice at the start of each winter and for the balance of the winter the poor dog was cold.

In current times there are hundreds of dog coat options ranging from the plain and simple to the extra-fancy, from the reasonably priced to the super expensive. There are water-proof coats and insulated coats and light weight coats. There are coats more suitable to short haired dogs and coats more suitable to longer haired dogs. There are coats that your dog can step into, coats that wrap around, and coats that are similar to a cape with a waist fastener. Some of the models designed for larger dogs have pockets for owners to carry items such as newspapers, magazines or a small amount of groceries.

These coats are available in a wide range of colors, fabrics and styles. There are so many different dog coats on the market that it sometimes can be difficult to choose the right coat for your dog. A few things to keep in mind should make choosing a dog coat easier.

1. Climate. Is the coat intended to protect your dog from the elements or is it more of a fashion statement? If you live in a temperate climate and the temperature rarely goes below freezing then you needn?t worry too much about the insulation factor of the coat. However, if you live in an area that has severe winters then you must really be careful to choose a coat that will protect your beloved pooch. Look for a coat that is both insulated and wind proof. You may also want to find a coat that is also water proof. Many coats use gortex and thinsulate and these coats work well.

2. Washable. Dog coats can get awfully dirty during the course of a winter and especially during the spring thaw. I would only consider getting a dog coat that is machine washable. The amount of washing will depend on your dog and the areas in which you allow your dog to play and exercise. On average you should expect to wash her coat in the mid-season and again before you put it away for the summer.

3. The ease of putting the dog coat on your dog. If the coat isn?t easy to put on then you won?t use it. If you don?t use it then there is no point in buying it. Look for a coat with good quality Velcro fasteners as these seem to be the easiest. Also look for a coat that fastens at the back or side of the dog.

4. How big is your dog? What size dog coat should you buy? Before you start searching for the perfect dog coat you need to take a few measurements. Measure around the broadest part of his chest and add two centimeters. Measure again the circumference of the neck and add two centimeters. Lastly, measure your dog from the start of the tail to the base of the neck. Keep these measurements handy when you when shopping for a new dog coat.

Making sure your pond is ready for the coming seasons should not take you more then a weekend to complete, and will ensure that you have a successful water garden for the remainder of the year.

The maintenance needed on your pond will largely depend on what happened during the previous winter. If the previous winter was hard, chances are you will need to perform more changes, so it may be a good idea to start as soon as you start noticing the weather changes. However, some spring maintenance will have to be completed every year, no matter how harsh or how mild the previous winter was.

Ascertain the quality of the water.

Although the water in your pond may appear to be clear and clean this does not mean that you do not still need to work on the pond. Very often the water will appear to be clean at the start of spring, however once spring has turned into summer you will find that you now have to handle problems that could have been avoided.

Naturally, leaf letter, silt, and other kinds of debris will land up in your pond during the months of fall and winter and that is unavoidable. But the problem arises when the organic materials actually release nutrients into the water. As the days get warmer and the organic materials decompose, algae starts to grow and the level of oxygen in the water decreases.

Because the water is clear you can use this to your advantage as it will make it much easier for you to remove any of the debris that is in the pond. There is more than one way of accomplishing this and they are:

1.Your first option is to hire the services of a pond professional. He, or she, will have everything they need in order to remove most of the debris in the pond. If your local pet store does not render this service then they might be able to put you in contact with a professional. It is obvious that hiring a pro will not be cheap but it does carry with it the satisfaction of knowing that the job is as close to thorough as possible.

2.For some people hiring the services of a pond professional is not an option. If that is your situation then you might want to try using a fine mesh net. Although it will be helpful in scooping out the larger bits of debris it will not be much good when it comes to getting the silt out. You will find that the net actually does not do much more than stir it up and make the problem worse.

Once you have removed unwanted debris, you must then test your water. Winter seems to cause the pH levels to change. At the start of Spring, your pH level should be an 8. This can be achieved by topping your pond off with treated tap water which is buffered to be slightly alkaline by your local water company.

Caring for your fish.

During the colder months your fish hardly eat and are not very active. Come spring and their immune systems are much weaker. Unfortunately, this makes them susceptible to infections, diseases, etc, which are caused by fungi, parasites, bacteria and a number of other organisms. To prevent your fish from succumbing to illness it is necessary that you treat the water using a number of preventative treatments. As the days get warmer you should repeat the whole array of treatments. By now the fishes will have stronger immune systems to help them fight off any disease causing organisms that might somehow survive your treatments. Provided you put in the required effort your Koi, pond, and water garden will do just fine.

Choosing the right type of birdcage is not always an easy thing, especially if you’ve never owned a cockatiel before. Cocktatiels need some specific things that will allow them to live a happy life. I have provided you with five tips to help you pick the right birdcage for your cockatiel.

1. Appropriate Living Space for Your Cockatiel - When you’re thinking of buying and cockatiel birdcage, it has to have the right amount of space for the bird. The bird has to have plenty of room to stretch and flap its wings. You also need to consider the height of the cages you don’t want your cockatiels tail to drag on the floor or get hung up on anything.

2. Cage Size - When making the decision of the size of caged you need, you need to think about what kind of items you’re going to put in the cage. Having items in your cage such as perches, toys, and such items can take up quite a bit of space, so you need to not clutter it up too much.

3. The Distance Between the Bars - The next thing you need to make sure when buying a cockatiel birdcage is that the bars are close enough together that the cockatiel can’t get its head through. As a standard the spacing shouldn’t be any more than 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.

4. Bar Layout - Your cockatiel loves to climb so you need to make sure that the cage you buy has bars that run vertically as well as horizontally. Don’t go buying any cage that doesn’t have verticle bars on it.

5. Easy to Clean - One thing that’s really important when you have a birdcage is that it’s easy to clean. This is not only good for you it’s good for the birds health as well. Having a cage with a removable plastic tray on the bottom is a really good idea. Anything that makes the cleaning of the cage easier is a good thing, for you as well as for the bird.

Having these steps should allow you to be a limit to proper decision when choosing which cockatiel birdcage you should buy. Besides these simple tips there are a lot of different shapes and styles of cockatiel birdcages and in the end it will boil down to what you like, and what you can afford.