The Dog Movie that made me cry - Hachiko

Over the years, dogs are continually stealing the spotlight in movies. In some films, they even take center stage.

In the precedent decade there have been loads of movies about dogs. I remember watching heaps of Lassies Adventure and Rin Tin Tin but the best vintage dog movie I liked most is Old Yeller. This classic motion picture is just among the best dog movies I’ve seen, including Love Leads the Way mixed in with bigger blockbusters such as Marley & Me and My Dog Skip. All these films  relate to the story of life-long friendship and loyalty.

But here is my most recent film I watched and really made me cry, the best of the best I've seen so far . A tender tale with a huge box office potential, Hachiko: A Dog's Tale is a tearful and wonderful film based on a true story that epitomized the remarkable bond that develops between one man and a dog. Loyalty, faithfulness and unconditional love are qualities that have earned dogs the title of "man's best friend". One particular Akita dog named Hachiko or Hachi took these qualities to such an extreme; he has earned a place in the hearts of all people, and has kept that place for over sixty years!

This is a must see film. The movie is an American adaptation of a legendary Japanese tale.

The real story took place in Tokyo, Japan. The dog became a national treasure and a monument was even erected to honor him. The Bronze statue of the Hachiko still stands at Tokyo's Shibuya Station.

Hachiko may be gone but he will never be forgotten. The story behind the statue is one that has endured and continually warms the hearts of locals and tourists alike.

Read more about the real story of Hachiko

http://www.timyoungonline.com/japan/hachiko.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachi

How Old Is Your Dog?

Every afternoon I bring my dogs to the park, it’s a good place for them to play and socialize not only with other dogs but with people as well. It is where I get the chance to relax and meet new friends too. And as always we begin talking about dogs and more often they will ask this question “How old is your dog?” Followed by “How old would that be in human? Tough question to speculate, but lucky for me I did my homework. And this is what I learned from Dogster.com

The well-liked delusion is that a dog gets 7 years old each year; others think it's even 10. But the thing is canine aging is quicker during the first 2 years of its life. After the first 2 years the ratio settles down to 5 to 1 for small and medium breeds. For large breeds the rate is 6 to 1, and for giant breeds the rate is 7 to 1.

Example, at 10 years of age a Great Dane would be 80 years old while a pug would only be 64. (Please refer to the Chart)

But what if you've taken a dog whose age is unknown? Well, Vets have other ways to estimate dog's age like checking on their teeth, muscle tone, eyes and coat. You can read more about it at Dogster.com

The Legend of the Dog

Here is a very beautiful tale that is really worth telling our children. A story that will definitely open each one's mind and heart about the wonderful things that dogs do or did for us. We often take them for granted, and its about time we make a difference, by loving and taking care of them, making our dogs feel how important they can be to us.

(Photo via www.safeheaven.us/SafeHeavenGems4.html)


THE LEGEND OF THE DOG
by Elizabeth Hensley

It came to pass when Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise, they left behind many friendly beasts who felt sorrow at their banishment. In those days before the full effects of The Fall were felt, the beasts could speak with humans and the humans with the beasts. All said farewell to the two, each in their own speech, but Wolf was more sorrowful than all the rest. He was so sorrowful to see them go, to never feel the friendly hand of Man upon his neck or to hear Eve's gentle words, that he brought himself before God's Throne and made an incredible request.

"Lord I wish to go with them."

God looked down at His creature with surprise. "My Wolf, do you not like it in my paradise that you should wish to leave?"

The Wolf bowed his head, his golden eyes filled with love, "My Lord, I love your garden very much, but I fear for what will happen to the Humans outside the Garden. How will they find food? Who will protect them from demons and the terrors of the night? When they multiply upon the face of the Earth, who will watch to keep them safe,one from the other? Who will sing with them in the times of the night so that they may not forget the Awe that is in your Creation? Who will be their friend? Who will remind them that You still love them? I want to help them, God!

God put a gentle hand on Wolf's head and told him: "Before you decide to do this thing I must show you what your future will be and what will be the future of your descendants. Here is what humans will do to you and your seed:

They will not let you mate with the she wolf of your choice, Instead they will select your mates for you and they will breed many strange and twisted kinds of creatures out of your seed.

They will take away your freedom by chaining you up and fencing you in. For many ages they will forget how to understand your language. They will forget that I made you as I made them.

They will practice their medical techniques on you. They will often hurt you very badly.

Some Humans will kick your kind. Some will eat them. They will use your name and the name of your she wolf as an insult, and they will consider you unclean.

When a she wolf has a litter that the humans do not want, they will often kill them rather than find them good homes. Many will operate on you so you cannot have offspring. Some will torture you out of pure meanness.

They will put their collar and tags around your neck and deny you the very right to live should you lack one.

When they first go out into space, they shall send your kind up first, and they shall not bring them back down again alive.

All through history they will love you but they will also abuse you very badly. Think very carefully, Wolf, before you make this decision!"

As God told Wolf of these things, the vision, sound and smell of each torture passed before him so that he knew in his deepest heart of hearts that God was right, and there were tears in Wolf's eyes. "Lord it's horrible! But it is in me to follow them. I must go!

And there were tears in God's eyes, "Such loyalty I have not found in any other of my creatures upon the Earth! I will grant you your request and from this day forward I will also give you a new name. Because your loyalty, your endless love and your ability to forgive mirrors My Own loyalty, My Own endless love and My Own ability to forgive, I will give you a Name that reflects my Name. From now on your name will no longer be "Wolf" but "Dog." the opposite of My own Name, and in the time when all fallen creatures are allowed by my blood to reenter Paradise, you shall go forward and reenter before all others."

And then the Dog left the Throne of God and the Paradise of the Beasts and he followed humanity over all the Earth and to the ends of the stars. He loved them for all Eternity.

The Beauty of Hybrids aka Designer Dogs

Image via Wikipedia

Have you seen or heard of a Goldendoodle, Pug-Zu, Goberian, and Alusky? Sure sounds like names of strange animals but if you’re not seriously in to dogs, you wouldn’t even know what they are. Well, those animals are Designer dogs or Hybrid dogs. It’s a cross between two purebred canines.

A Hybrid or Designer Dog is different from a mutt. Generally, a mutt is a mixture of multiple breeds of uncertain ancestry while designer dog has recognized purebred descent, and one knows precisely what it is. When you breed two different types of pedigree dogs, you can get a combination of any of the characteristics found in either breed. It’s similar to making a cocktail drink when you mix pineapple juice with vodka you create the taste of bitter sweet liquor.

Cross breeding is like customizing, you want to create a mixture of your choice breed, so all the good qualities you admire from each dog would likely appear in your Hybrid canine. However, it’s not a guarantee that all the best characteristics you expected would emerge. Just the same with genetic health issues that comes with the package. It may or may not solve the inherited health problems that came from the stock. Although, Some people believe that the percentage of hybrids being healthier is pretty much higher than that of the purebreds.

And so, if you’re thinking of owning a dog, you might want to check the pack of Hybrid first. Who knows? It could just be the perfect dog you’re looking for.

Here are some of my favorite Designer dogs:

(Photos courtesy of Dogbreedinfo.com)

GOLDENDOODLE

Cross between Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle

BOWSER

Cross between Basset Hound and Mini Schnauzer











BULLMATIAN

Cross between Bulldog and Dalmatian

















CHIMATION

Cross between Chihuahua and Dalmatian















BERNEDOODLE

Cross between Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle

From Service Dog to SURFice Dog

Have you seen the inspirational YouTube video "From service dog to SURFice dog" yet?

Most people have shed tears while watching. They said that "it's one of the best inspirational YouTube videos ever, this is what YouTube videos should be, what a wonderful story, heartwarming, it's a tear jerker, have your kleenex ready, touching. It seems each person finds an individual message in it, and it touches them on many different levels.

And this is what dog blogging is all about, creating awareness, and inspiring more people. Thank you to www.surfdogricochet.com for sharing this video.

Here's the link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGODurRfVv4

Meet My Padawan Siberian Husky - "ROWDY"

Meet my new Padawan “Rowdy” a 4 year old Top Notch Siberian husky owned by a very dog loving family whom I got the opportunity and trust to handle and give their handsome canine a refresher course in obedience training. Perhaps you’re wandering, why is he taking the training again? Did the dog forget what he learned? Or it is something else?

Dogs don't really forget, they just have a short attention span. Kind of like a young child. They are doing something one minute, and then something else gets their attention and they forget what they were doing before. Dogs have a great sense of smell, and that triggers a lot of memories. Dogs recognize people and their experiences with them because of that powerful sense, you just need to consistently remind them. However, there are cases that dogs tend to forget which can be a medical problem, because dogs can get something like Alzheimer's disease when they age, just as humans do. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome, as it is called in dogs, produces a cluster of symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer's patients, including disorientation and confusion, memory loss and personality changes.

I know what you’re thinking, but definitely that is

Image via Wikipedia

not our case. In fact, Rowdy is a fast learner and remembers the new things I just taught him. He is the kind of dog that every owner and handler would love to have and be proud of. Siberian Huskies are loving, gentle, playful, happy-go-lucky dogs who are fond of their families. Keen, docile, social, relaxed and rather casual. They are dogs with so much energy. Good with children and friendly with strangers, they bark little and love everyone, not a good quality for a watchdog though. Huskies are very intelligent and trainable, yet, they will only obey a command if they see the human is stronger minded than themselves. If the handler does not display leadership, they will not see the point in obeying. It takes patience, consistency and an understanding of the Arctic dog character to make training effective for the Siberian Huskies. If you are not this dogs 100% firm, confident, consistent pack leader, he will take advantage, becoming willful and mischievous. These dogs should not be left alone for a long period of time without a great deal of exercise beforehand. A lonely Husky or a Husky who does not get enough mental and physical exercise can be very destructive. And this is really the main reason why Rowdy has to undergo training again, to release all his stress, mental & physical energy that have been stacked for quite a long while. He needs to experience long hours of walk, giving him the liberty to explore what surrounds him, letting him play yet setting boundaries, limitations and still having full control of the situation. Obedience training is one of the best things we can do for the relationship between us and our dog. Obedience training needs to be looked at as a foundation to problem solving, and will teach you how to resolve most issues with our pet. Communication can be increased through obedience training, and enhanced communication is a necessary step towards having our dog abides by what we want. Teaching Rowdy the Basic Obedience Commands is not only a very good physical and mental exercise for him, but such activities will also redirect his natural animal behaviors to a socially more accepted manner.

Remember that the Husky is a sled dog in heart and soul. Siberian Huskies can make wonderful companions for people who are aware of what to expect from these beautiful and intelligent animals and are willing to put the time and energy into them.

Thanks to http://www.dogbreedinfo.com for the vital piece of information about Siberian Huskies

Related articles by Zemanta

• Born to pull (sports.espn.go.com)
• Blind sled dog set to retire (cbc.ca)
• Dogsleds Provide Adventurous Mountain Tours (abcnews.go.com)
• I am not a coyote! (magnoliavoice.com)

NEED YOUR VOTES- 2010 DOG BLOG AWARD

To everyone who visits and supports my dog friendly blog, I just like to express my sincere thanks for giving me the inspiration and enthusiasm to write about our four-legged friends, one of the best living creatures that we should love, and care about. I always believe with what Josh Billings said that “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” And because it’s so true, writing and thinning out the good things about them is a small favor they truly deserved.

Finally, the greatest news that I would also want to share is that… the small favor I rendered came out to be my golden ticket to the Best Dog Blog Contest - TrainPetDog.com 2010 Dog Blog Award. It is the first time in the history of the Internet that a contest is being held to identify the 20 best dog-related blogs on the web, and pawsandbones.blogspot.com is one of the lucky sites that has just been invited to participate.

So, once again I’m wishing for your support by voting for my blog. Simply go to www.TrainPetDog.com homepage and enter my voting code which is 5tbrJ in the voting box and click on the Submit button.

Vote my blog and help me propagate my dog advocacy. Mahatma Gandhi once said that “the greatness of a Nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” and our best friend "Dog" is one of them.

Please visit http://www.trainpetdog.com now and vote.