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• Here in Tanzania, my professional interest and love for dogs has extended to wild dogs, which interestingly enough are in the family Canidae but in a genus of their own (Lycon pictus).Genetically, they represent a unique line, the loss of which would mean the loss of a unique mammalian genus separated by millions of years of evolution.

Painted Dogs, also known as African Wild Dogs, are unique to Africa and they are among the continent's most endangered species. It is estimated that a mere 3,000- 5,000 remain. The Painted Dog population in Ruaha, Tanzania is one of the last places on earth that wild dogs roam free. (There are also an estimated 450 in zoos across Europe and the Americas.) You might be thinking that 5000 sounds like a decent number, however this number is misleading. The key to survival and prosperity for these unique animals is pack life, and each pack can hold 40 plus individuals. This means that no more than roughly 75- 126 pack remain. This, coupled with decreasing habitat, human persecution and recently predicted drought for all of eastern Africa, paints a grim picture for these carnivores.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has red listed these animals as endangered and currently there are a number of projects in Africa designed to help protect the wild dog.

Want to learn more? There are a number of researchers looking at this problem, some working through National Geographic, others at the Wold Wildlife Fund and still others at Painted Dog Conservation. (www.painteddog.org) You might also be interested in what the World Wildlife Vets are doing: (http://www.wildlifevetsinternational.org/content/Painted%20Dogs)

Be well....conserve your water and be thankful.....for everything!

Lad a Dog, Throughbred in Body and Soul

LAD - early 1900's

Lad: A Dog is a 1919 American novel written by Albert Payson Terhune and published by E. P. Dutton. Composed of twelve short stories first published in magazines, the novel is loosely based on the life of Terhune's real-life rough collie, Lad. Born in 1902, the real-life Lad was an unregistered collie of unknown lineage originally owned by Terhune's father. Lad's death at the age of 18 was mourned by many of the story's fans, particularly children and when I finally read about Lad, me. You can visit his grave stone to this day in New Jersey at the Terhune Memorial Park.

The stone reads :

Lad
Thoroughbred In Body and Soul
1902-1918

If you have not read this story and you are a dog lover, pick up the book and visit a simpler time, a lovely farm, and a chivalrous dog with a knight's heart. I read this book first as a young girl and it fostered my certainty that dogs were marvelous beings. Enjoy.

Halloween, Dogs and Chocolate

I love chocolate and as it turns out so does your dog. I am sure of this without meeting your dog because I have now spent many a dinner-interrupted evening removing said chocolate from the stomachs of a huge variety of breeds. Chocolate, as it turns out, does not agree with man's best friend. Unfortunatly, toxic levels are reached easily, especially if your little luv happens to eat baking chocolate. (And the answer is...yes, he most certainly will do that.) Labradors, the worst of the offenders are by far the most impressive. A bit like Hoover vacuum cleaners wearing fur, they simply inhale food. Once, my very large Lab named Clark Kent ate an entire baking bowl of Halloween chocolate and when I forced him to vomit it up, the wrappers were still intact. He injested over 40 "mini bars" in less than 3 minutes. I still say that that must be some kind of record!

Facts and Tips
1.Chocolate is directly toxic because of the theobromine
2.High doses can cause: vomiting,diarrhea,hyperactivity,seizures,racing and abnormal heart rhythms.
3.Toxic doses of theobromine are 9 mg per pound of dog for mild signs, up to 18 mg per pound of dog for severe signs. Milk chocolate contains 44 mg / ounce of theobromine while semisweet chocolate contains 150 mg per ounce, and baking chocolate contains 390 mg per ounce.
4. If you have watched your dog eat the chocolate or you are sure it was within the last 15 minutes, you can induce vomiting at home with small amounts of hydrogen peroxide.
5. If more time has passed, your dog needs the vet immediately.