How To Keep Your Dog Cool This Summer

The Summer sun is scorching and the heat is becoming unbearable each day. From sitting in an air conditioned room to wearing our lightest clothes outside, we are taking those steps to feel as cool as possible. Summers are also hard on our furry friends though they can't do much about it. So, here are a few tips to beat the heat this summer and keep it cool for your dog.

1) Leave a fan on somewhere in front of which he can sit when he feels like. If he sits in a particular room, leave the air conditioner on.

2) We know your dog looks fashionable in his new shirt, but keep clothes at bay in the summer. Their natural coats are more than they need. 

3) Dogs drink more water in the summers. Keep the bowls full all the time and make sure it is fresh. Cold water is good too.

4) Look up online for some pet friendly summer treats that you can make at home. Some vanilla ice cream, now and then, won't do any harm. If nothing else, ice cubes are refreshing, too.

5) Limit his walks to early mornings and late evenings. This is when the sun's heat won't warm up the ground and cause your pet's paws to burn.

6) Take him swimming! Find out about local pet friendly pools or take him to a pet friendly beach. Most dogs love to swim and this is the perfect season for it.

7) If your dog has a thick or long coat, trim it. It will make him feel much lighter and therefore, more comfortable and active. 

8) Don't leave your dog inside your car, even for a few minutes. The temperatures inside closed cars can prove fatal to them.

9) Watch out for heatstroke. Symptoms include panting, lethargy, drooling, vomiting and collapse. If you think he is showing these signs, contact your vet ASAP. 

10) Summer usually means staying inside the house and under a fan all day, but it doesn't have to be so. Take your dog to a park in the evenings where he can run loose and play. Mud is comforting and cooling, though messy once he's back home.

Hope you found this helpful. Don't forget to leave comments and feedback! :)

Cute Calico kitten looking for a home!

Calico cats are also called Tortoise shell cats and are distinguished by their orange/brown and black/grey patches. These cats are almost always females.

This cute little Calico kitten is all of a month and half.

And she is playful and is litter trained, too!

                  And obviously, she has beautiful eyes and looks way too adorable.

She is waiting to have a family to cuddle with.

You think you can be the one for this precious little one? 

Call 9324699829 to adopt or even foster her. :)

Adorable BUNTY is looking for a home!

At only two and a half months old, Bunty, a white Indian puppy, has gone through a pretty hard time. He was run over when he was a month old, but with timely medication and some TLC, he recovered gracefully.

Here is his journey to recovery -

From a maggot wound to broken leg and ribs, this cute puppy has endured it all and come out even stronger! 

Look at him now!

All fine, absolutely healthy, vaccinated and dewormed and oh so adorable! He loves to play and loves to cuddle. All he doesn't have now is a forever family.

Can't resist that adorable face? Think you can shower him with love for a lifetime? Call 9324699829 to adopt, or even foster him for a few days. :)

Why Should You Get A Pet? No, Why Shouldn't You Get Two! - By Eden Dias

Kito and Scooby are my furry four-legged additions to my family. Kito is a 3 year old tuxedo cat and Scooby, a 5-6 years old Tibetan Terrier cross dog. They are both adopted rescue animals, meaning, they were both found on the streets. Since there are hundreds of homeless animals looking for shelter, my family and I decided to save them instead of opting to buy them.

Of course, as any pet parent would tell you, having a pet at home is delightful and fun; they make your boring Saturday afternoons enjoyable even if it’s just watching Marley and Me together. And having two pets? That’s double the advantage! To start with, you always have two cute, cuddly, happy babies to hug and squeeze whenever you’re bored and thus get your clothes covered in cat and dog hair but I bet you, you will find it even on the top you wore last Christmas and haven’t seen since. They’re always excited to see you and greet you even if you just went out for 15 minutes (well at least the dog is!), you get to click loads of adorable pictures of them and Instagram them – no amount of cat pictures is too many on Instagram, trust me, and your social life receives a boost when people want to start meeting you, if only for your cute pets. Oh well.

You can celebrate their birthdays and as an excuse, put on a birthday hat on them, click embarrassing pictures of them and gorge on the food yourself. 

You can replace that stuffed teddy bear you sleep with at night with an actual living animal, but only for as long as they don’t get sick of you trying to hug the life out of them.

 They are more than glad to have anything off your plate, it doesn’t even take their almost-hypnotic puppy dog eyes for you to share some with them, and if it’s something you are not fond of, they are excellent at under-the-table tricks. Shh, Mom doesn’t have to know. 

 The thing about writing about your pets is that once you start, you just can’t stop, because one event you think of reminds you of another and it just – Did I mention bath time? Bath time is the most tragic happening in the life of a pet. Bath time to pets is what dooms day is to humans. Even saying “bath time” so many times sets off their danger alarms and run-for-your-lives mode is activated. They will get into the deepest nooks of your cupboards or the farthest space under the tables, cling onto anything their claws will support and fight even after the bathroom doors are shut, trying to climb on the door while you chuckle an evil laugh at their futile attempts. 

All the boldness and “dadagiri” they might possess outside the bathroom vanish inside. Suddenly, they transform into timid mice, running around the bathroom, faking shivers when the water is warm and giving you those hypnotic eyes again, in the hope that you will melt and open that door. 

But even when the bath is done, it doesn’t end there. Personally, what I do when Scooby is done with a bath is signal all my family members from inside the bathroom. The doors to all the rooms are then shut, except one, where we can trap him and dry him, because God forbid if you don’t, you have a wet dog on the loose! He will run at full speed in whatever direction he finds first, slip on the floor because his paws are wet and consequently create a water slide there, he will roll on the floor, jump on your beds, and that’s not the worst; the wet-dog shake is.

 One shake and your room is destroyed, and if your laptop is lying open somewhere close to him, well then too bad for you, I hope it survives. Wet-dog shakes are really, really not as fun as they look on TV. Giving a dog a bath is an experience in itself, everyone should at least once in their lifetime. Cat baths are not as bad, but not much better either, their sharp claws and smaller size makes it difficult to catch them and dry them. Smart that they are, they believe licking themselves is the best way to do it. 

Having these super adorable, mute siblings comes with a price too. You love talking to them so much about abso-fricking-lutely anything all the time, even if they’re sleeping or if you realize a little late that they’ve already left the room, that sometimes you wish they could understand your words. Throw in a piece of advice sometimes or just laugh at your jokes because no other human would. Tell you what they’re thinking about when they lie on the floor and just look at nothing, what they’re saying when they bark at other dogs or mew at odd times of the night, what they’re feeling when they tremble out of fear of the loud fireworks. 

But then you realize, maybe the reason they make for such loving companions is because they wag their tails more than their tongues. Family vacations are never convenient because leaving your pet behind is just too tough for you. After a difficult decision, you leave him with your friends or relatives for a few days, and every day you demand to be whatsapped pictures and videos of him. “Oh my shonu, must be missing his mama so much!” When in fact, your pet is quite happy with his temporary family, and you’re the one missing him terribly and tearing up at any sight of a dog that doesn’t even remotely look like him. 

You thought you hated pigeons? Your dog definitely hates them more. Don’t be surprised if sudden, thunderous barks disturb your afternoon siesta. It’s just the pigeons. He will chase them off like they were a life threat to his beloved parents. You’re out of mid-evening snacks for them? Never mind that, they’ve got the flies and the moths. And once they’ve got their eyes on one, there’s no stopping them. They’ll jump, they’ll run, they’ll skid and snap. But they will not give up.

But after a year and a half of having two pets together at home, you reach a point where you get past just enjoying them to learning from them, and it may not seem like two harmless, naïve creatures could teach you more than which Instagram filter suits them best, but they really do. The first thought that comes to peoples’ minds when they hear that I live with a dog and a cat is how do THEY live with each other?! 

When we decided to adopt Scooby, we had our doubts as well. How would Kito deal with a new dog that’s thrice, maybe four times his size? But we kept our faith and so did they. They kept their hearts open to each other and in a few months, they adjusted perfectly. 

They remind me each day that no matter how different somebody is from me or how much society thinks the two of us might never get along, if I just keep trying and never judge, I might prove them all wrong. They taught me compassion and co-existence.

 When my grandmom sits to cut some vegetables, Kito will come to inspect them curiously. If it’s something like French beans, he will go crazy. He’ll paw at a couple of them, drop them off the table and it’s time for football. He will lift it up, kick it away, chase it, pounce on it, attack it, kick it again. He doesn’t fancy those pet store toys. Even the cardboard roll that is left after the toilet paper is over is enough for him, yarn or pens are good too. He reminds me that I should just be happy with what I have, what I find around the house. If you don’t need something, don’t buy it, it’ll just be waste. Be satisfied and content. 

No matter how many times you trip over them, step on their tails, shout at them or hit them (not beat them, of course), startle them awake, push them away when you’re not in the mood for their licks, even after you give them that horrific bath!, they find a way to forgive you. It’s like you never did anything to upset them at all. How is it that they never run out of second chances? They’ll come right back to you to be petted and will give you a chance to apologize though they don’t need it, allow you to forgive yourself for being mean to them. They teach me to be forgiving and never hold grudges. 

Scooby has been to four homes before mine, all in the hope of having those families forever. If it were me, by my fifth house I’d be a total rebel and would hate all the families and people I ever came across till now and all the people who transferred me from one house to another, one family to another without asking me what I’d like to do. But I’m a human.. Scooby is a dog. I am amazed by his ability to forgive everyone, to forget everything, to pardon everyone that failed him and still accept my family and me like we are his first family. He doesn’t treat us like sinners or demand justifications for the way he was treated. He’s always there with his broad grin and bright brown eyes, welcoming us home. Fat though he may be, he will run to the living room to greet us, sniffing us and our bags…sniffing our bags a lot… Hmm, now that I think of it, maybe that’s just in the hope that we brought him something tasty, who knows. 

But he teaches me. That people do bad things but that doesn’t mean that they’re bad people. Sometimes good people need to do bad things; we should look for the good in them too. Forgive and move on. 

You’re home late from college, their dinners are delayed and their walks are delayed. They don’t complain. They’ll watch you hurriedly freshen up and cook their food, sitting at the entrance of the kitchen, waiting for their bowl to be kept down. Patience. Once you start petting the dog, you don’t simply stop. He will nudge your arm, tap your knee, lick your fingers till you continue. Never give up. On hugging your dog, you find dead flowers and dead insects in his fur too sometimes. His hair has started to knot and become greasy. He teaches me that postponing that bath for too long might prove hazardous. Who knows what he’ll bring home in his hair next time. Altogether, they teach me what it is to love unconditionally.

But the most valuable lesson your pets can ever teach you – No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that shit and move on.

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[After realizing that I was capable of churning out 2000 odd words about my pets, ‘crazy cat & dog lady’ with 72 cats and 67 dogs seems like the most likely occupation for me later on in life. And I don’t mind it one bit. ;) ]

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This article is written by Eden Dias. Photos of Scooby and Kito are clicked by her, other images sourced from Google.

Smallie, Indian puppy up for adoption

Smallie is a beautiful Indian puppy up for adoption.
Call us on 9324699829 to adopt her.

Pictures by Manaswini Shetye

Animals of Yellowstone National Park

An interesting article in the Times of India about the animals of Yellowstone National Park.
It goes on to make us think about the deep bond that animals have with nature and how easily they read the signals and signs.
The running animals could just be a migratory pattern as explained in the article. It is important to observe not just one species at this time, but multiple ones to make an inference about the fleeing behaviour.
If some substantial evidence can be found about the migration characteristics of certain animals and then be compared with their current behaviour, there might be a possible solution to this which can emerge.

Check out the article here - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Yellowstone-animal-exodus-Did-they-detect-something-deadly/articleshow/33243031.cms?intenttarget=no

The content is also posted below with a link to the video -
LONDON: Videos of lines of bison and other animals 'fleeing' Yellowstone National Park in the US have raised fears that the supervolcano underneath the park is preparing to erupt, but how much truth — if any — is there to this claim?

The clip in question was uploaded to YouTube with the title "ALERT! Yellowstone Buffalo Running for Their Lives!" and quickly circulated around online blogs with one commentator, a survivalist named Tom Lupshu, offering a typical assessment that the animals had detected "something vast and deadly." "The Yellowstone supervolcano is the only thing there that would fit the bill," says Lupshu.

But is the supervolcano really that scary? Well, in theory, yes. After asteroid strikes, supervolcanoes are the "second most globally cataclysmic event" that can affect the Earth, and in the past they've been responsible for mass extinctions and 'volcanic winters' lasting for year.

The Yellowstone supervolcano itself is an active hotspot, it has a massive magma chamber (scientists estimated last December that it was 2.5 times bigger than previously thought) and given what we know about its history, it erupts on a roughly 700,000 year cycle - with the last major eruption occurring some 640,000 years ago.

A cataclysmic eruption from the supervolcano some 2.1 million years ago is thought to have killed off thousands of prehistoric animals and covered nearly half of North America with ash and dust. In a nutshell, the fear is that Yellowstone is overdue — and that the bison are the first to figure it out.

However, Yellowstone Park authorities have stepped into the breach to clear up the muddle, with Public Affairs chief Al Nash calmly pointing out that the video of the bison 'fleeing' actually shows normal migration patterns.

"We do have bison, elk and other animals that have moved outside the park recently, but they're doing that because it's the depth of winter. Food is a little hard to find in places inside Yellowstone and they tend to migrate at this time of the winter outside of the park to lower elevations where they think there might be something to eat that's easier to get at," explains Nash in a video on YouTube.

"When the snow melts off and things start to green those very same animals will walk straight back into the park," says Nash, who also points out that although the park has been hit by some large earthquakes in recent weeks, none of these are beyond the bounds of normal seismic activity.

For online rumour-mongers though, the fact that the bison's "flight" occurred at the same time as the earthquake is extra evidence that Yellowstone is about to blow. However, this just raises another question: do animals really have a sixth sense that can detect this sort of cataclysmic event?

The answer is not as clear cut as you might think. Although there's a wealth of anecdotal evidence describing animals behaving bizarrely in the hours or minutes leading up to an earthquake, there's no scientific agreement as to what forces might actually be in play.

The most widely-accepted theory is that the movement of underground rocks prior to an earthquake generates some sort of electrical signal that is only perceptible to animals, but reports of which animals are affected and in what circumstances are so varied that it's impossible to offer a single, conclusive explanation.

One case-study from Italy in 2009 suggested that toads that fled an area prior to an earthquake had done so because of changes to the chemical composition of the groundwater, while a recent project linking the movement of bats and birds with earthquakes suggests that it's the animals' ability to detect magnetic fields that gives them advanced warning.

Most of these explanations are linked to the generation of some sort of electrical signal underground, but exactly how and why this ends up tipping off the animals is still not fully understood. We may know what's causing the Yellowstone bison to move but there's still a lot about this phenomenon we don't understand.