Interesting Facts About Monkeys

So do you think you know everything about monkeys? Did you know that monkeys don't catch cold? Or, that a monkey was the he only animal judged and convicted in a trial? Here are 10 interesting facts about monkeys for you to discover.
Monkeys can be classified into three main groups with important differences between them. Primates or anthropoid monkeys are chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons. In the second group we find the so-called Old World Monkeys, meaning different species of baboons, mandrils, or macaques, with tails, and inferior to those in the first category. In the third group, that of the New World Monkeys, we find monkeys in the Central and South America, including the most primitive species.

• The male of the howler monkey in Amazonia is the loudest creature on the planet and its howl can be heard as far as 16 kilometers. Howler monkeys are the laziest monkeys spending 80% of their life sleeping.
• The rarest monkey in the world is the Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) that still lives in two forest regions near the Brazilian town of Sao Paulo. It is a reddish orange to golden brown in color and it was first listed as endangered in 1982, rising to critically endangered in 1996, and today, researchers estimate that there about 75 individuals.
• Chimpanzees are the only monkeys that can drink water using a “glass” made from a leaf. Moreover, chimpanzees can immediately learn how to use a “real” cup or glass. Also, they wash their teeth just like people do.
• The smallest monkey is the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), adults growing to a height of 11 to 14cm, with a tail of 17 to 22cm length, weighing 75 grams. Pygmy marmosets come from northern South America. They are extremely agile and they eat tree sap, but also small insects and fruits.
• The largest monkey is the Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), which is a relative of the baboon. The male mandrill averages 25 to 35 kg and a body length of 81-90cm, while females, 11 to 14kg and 55-66cm in length. An unusually large male can weigh 50kg.
• The largest anthropoid monkey and the largest of the living primates in the world is the gorilla. In 1920, a gorilla male of 1,88 meters and 260kg was shot in Zair. The biggest gorilla of all times was a male Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), called N'gagi, that died at 18, at a zoo in San Diego, in 1944. N'gagi weighed 310 kg. Researchers believed that it turned obese due to captivity and food abundance, which probably caused its early death.
• A monkey was the only animal judged and convicted in a trial, in the last century, in Alabama, United States. The monkey was accused for having smoked in public
• Monkeys are worshiped in India being considered as the manifestation of the monkey god Hanuman. In the mythology of Hinduism, Hanuman is he monkey commander of an army of monkeys. In the great Hindu Sanskrit poem "Ramayana" (“Romance of Rama”), Hanuman helped Rama, an important Hindu god, recover his wife, Sita, from the demon Ravana, king of Lanka. As a sign of recognition for his services to Rama, Hanuman is upheld by Hindus as a model for human devotion, and monkeys are, by extension, considered sacred.
• Monkeys in Africa and Asia always have 32 teeth. Due to the fact that they are more primitive, monkeys in Central and South America have 36 teeth.
• From 1973, only in United States, over 60.000 monkeys of different species and types have been tortured and killed during lab science experiments, while in the European Union, only in 2004, about 10.000 monkeys became victims of experiments made in the name of science.

How To Train Dogs For Law Enforcement Officers?

Dogs are our greatest companions. They come in all sizes, from small and cuddly to large and lumbering. Most people keep them as pets, and they gradually become trusted friends and even members of the family.
In many cases, dogs are used as service animals. Originally, some of the larger dogs were specifically bred and trained as pack animals. Dogs have been used for centuries to track animals and hunt game. These days, just about everyone is familiar with seeing-eye dogs.
Dogs have also taken part in the effort to solve crime and ensure safety for citizens. Law enforcement officers are lucky to have these dogs.
Police Canine Breeds
Such a tough, dangerous job takes a certain breed of animal. While most dogs have the instincts to hunt and track, only a handful of dogs are well-suited to help law enforcement officers. A few of the most common are German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, and bloodhounds.
The main attributes that a police dog requires are aggression, intelligence, physical strength, and sense of smell. Most importantly, these dogs must be easy to train, whether it’s housebreaking with a UgoDog indoor dog potty or training to track specific scents. German shepherds feature all of these attributes, making them a well-rounded dog for all K-9 duties.
Labradors are also incredibly intelligent, strong, and active. However, Labs are mainly trained to sniff out drugs and other illicit substances.
Bloodhounds are highly intelligent and were originally used to track and hunt game. Known to have amazing noses, bloodhounds are probably the best trackers in the canine world. This reliable breed is commonly used to track missing persons or objects.
Police Dog Training
As with regular canine training, training to become a police dog occurs at a very young age. By the time a dog is ready for police K-9 training, it has received proper house training with the UgoDog indoor dog potty.
· First, all police dogs must go through basic obedience training. They have to obey their handler’s instructions immediately and without hesitation. This helps keep the dog’s aggression in check and allows the officer to control the amount of force the dog uses
Dogs trained in Europe are only given commands in their “native language.” Although many would assume this is a means of deceiving suspects, it’s actually just how the dogs are trained. A police dog trained with Dutch or German instructions will only understand Dutch or German commands.
· Police dogs also have to pass basic endurance and agility training. Climbing stairs, jumping over walls—a police dog should be able to do it all. K-9 dogs also have to acclimate to city life. After all, they should be comfortable around people.
· Once the dog has received basic training, he will proceed to specialty training, which is where they learn to sniff out drugs or weapons, track missing persons, enforce public order, or perform other K-9 duties.
Police Dogs: Drug Training
It’s often assumed that drug sniffing dogs seek out drugs as food or are themselves addicted to that drug. In actuality, drug sniffing dogs are wholly uninterested in drugs, as food or otherwise. When looking for drugs, these dogs are actually seeking their favorite toy. During training, the dog learns to associate the toy with the smell of drugs.
To begin the training, the handler essentially just plays with the dog and its favorite toy—which is usually nothing more than a white towel. A towel is just the easiest to use for this specific training; besides, dogs seem to love playing tug-of-war with a towel.
During training, the towel itself has been washed to remove any possible scent. Soon, the handler rolls up a bag of marijuana into the towel. After some time, the dog starts to recognize the smell of marijuana as the smell of his toy.
Once the dog has made this association, the handler hides the towel with the drugs in various locations. When the dog catches a whiff of the drugs, he will proceed to dig and scratch in order to get to his toy. He soon learns that sniffing out the drugs leads to a reward of playtime and tug-of-war.
As training progresses, different drugs are placed inside the towel until the police dog can successfully recognize the scents of numerous drugs.
Police dogs might have to go through more rigorous training than your average pup, but for them, it’s all in a day’s work. And don’t worry—they get plenty of love along the way.

What Should We Do If Blood in Dog Stool

Passing trace amounts of blood in the stool is considered quite normal for dogs. But when you see a heavy discharge of red or fresh clots of blood in your dog's stool, it can be a serious cause of concern. Clinically, the condition is known as 'Hematochezia'. In such cases, the animal discharges bloody stool and sometimes, has to make a great effort while defecating. Generally, bloody stool in dogs is an important sign of gastrointestinal problems. But blood in the feces may sometimes be indicative of serious disorders in the body. Below we have detailed the causes and helpful remedies for curing bloody stool in dogs.
Causes
Apart from gastrointestinal disorders, there can be numerous reasons for blood in dog's feces. These are some of the major causes of the disorder
Bacterial infections like 'Clostridium' and 'Salmonella'
Certain allergies from food additives, emulsifiers or fats
Contraction of the anus or colon, due to cancer, trauma or inflammation
Different intestinal parasites like whipworm and ringworm
Disruption of colon or rectum, due to fractures in the pelvis area
Inflammation in the anal sacs or 'Anal Sacculitis'
Inflammation of the colon (Colitis) or the rectum
Overeating or ingestion of sharp things (bone, plastic, needles)
Presence of benign and malignant tumors in the abdomen
Presence of protozoal agents like 'Coccidiosis'
Sudden change in the dietary plan or consuming food meant for people
Viral infections such as 'Parovirus' and 'Coronavirus'
Other bleeding disorders in the body
Home Remedies
Treatments may vary according to the causes of Hematochezia. Listed below are essential home remedies that you can adopt to stabilize and cure the problem.
Avoid giving commercial or packaged food to the animal.
De-worming is necessary in the case of parasitic problems.
Give him 4-5 small servings, instead of two large servings.
Include white rice, cottage cheese and boiled potatoes in the diet.
Provide a bland and hypoallergenic diet with high fiber content.
Specific Cures
Here are some of the treatments that can be undertaken with proper medical supervision or guidance.
Certain drugs can be administered to control the rate of movement of food through the intestines
Cleansing enemas or local surgeries are required to extract foreign bodies like bones and needles.
Corticosteroids can be taken to cure immune-related Colitis.
In severe cases of vomiting and diarrhea, intravenous fluid and electrolyte treatment becomes necessary.
Masses of colon or rectum can be removed with the help of surgery.
Suitable antibiotics with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties can be provided orally or injected into the body.
Sometimes shock treatments are undertaken when there is severe breakdown of the animal or it gets very weak.

Dog And Child At Home

While we see gorgeous photos of children hugging dogs, cats and horses and pets loving children by licking them or staring at them lovingly, it is not so harmonious relationship at home. Especially when the child enters the toddler-hood and learns to crawl and walk, pets may look at your child differently. While natural hunting instincts of a large or medium-sized dog may lead him to think that the small moving creature is a prey, smaller dogs may be afraid of the child. They tend to run away from the children. Parents should train the dog to sit or stay near them, while the child is on the prowl by rewarding him with caresses and pats. Trained dogs normally never hurt the child until it is for self-defense but still supervised interaction between your child and dogs is necessary to make them both comfortable with each other.
Teach your child to respect your dog and not to tease it too hard or too often. Keep your child away from exploring your dog's possessions such as its toys, food or water bowl and its litter box and they should know that biting or kicking the pet may hurt it. Discourage them to twist or pull your dog's ears and tails, pinching it and poking fingers or other sharp objects into its eyes. Small and toy dogs often suffer in the hands of the children who like to kick them off or scream in its ear and do not let it sleep properly. Thus, special should be taken to save it from children's tricks. Children need to be taught that pets are not toys and that they feel the hurt too and that they can hug them and pet them gently but should not cause them pain.
It is important that a dog should know its place in the family hierarchy. Dog may feel rejected with a new arrival in home or may like to lick the child and be licked in return. But supervision is always a must when your child and your dog are together. If it is not possible, you may place the child in the playpen for the short period when you are not around. By the toddler age, child is old enough to learn the acceptable and non-acceptable behavior with the dogs and how to interact with them. Dogs may be allowed to enter the nursery but they must be taught to hold a down-stay. Kids find dogs as funny playmates while dogs take them to be littermates. Though, your dog may tolerate a little bit of pulls and yanks, too much of naughtiness may set him against the child. Teach the child and the dog to play together interactive games such as 'Fetch' and 'Hide and Seek' that does not involve rough play.

Concern California Sea Lion

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are pinnipeds, which is derived from the Latin words "pinna" meaning wing or feather, and "pedis" meaning foot. They are warm-blooded coastal dwelling mammals that glide easily through the water with their torpedo-shaped bodies and propelled by their "winged feet." There are 30 species of pinnipeds and sea lions are the fastest, swimming up to 25 miles per hour. Sea lions get their name from a thick mane that grows along their necks, a feature California sea lions do not have.
Size: Adult males are often between 6.5 and 8 feet in length and weigh anywhere between 400 to 900 lbs. Adult females are more slender-bodied, ranging between 5 and 6.5 feet in length and between 110 and 250 lbs. Newborn pups are usually about 30 inches long and weigh between 11 and 19 lbs.
Life Span: Between 15 and 25 years in the wild, and over 30 years in captivity.
Color: When wet, sea lions are sleek and appear black in color. When dry, their course hairs take on a velvety feel, and they range in color from a light tan or golden blonde in females to a chocolate or dark brown in males.
Continent: North America
Range: The western shores of British Columbia, Canada, the U.S., and Northern Mexico.
Habitat: Rocky and sandy coasts. Large groups of sea lions on land are called colonies. In water, small groups are called rafts.
Food: Sea lions are opportunistic feeders, eating what is abundant and available including squid, octopus, hake, northern anchovy, opaleye, herring, Pacific whiting, rockfish, and when available salmon, lamprey, and benthic fishes. A sea lion needs to eat about 5-10 percent of its body weight each day.
Reproduction: Mating season is primarily May and June and gestation is 11 months. But sea lions have delayed implantation of 2 to 3 months, which allows pups to be born during the summer when food is more abundant. Males become sexually mature between 5-9 years; females at four to six years. Litter size is normally one pup, but twins are born occasionally. Pups are born with their eyes open and can swim (though awkwardly) right after birth. They can vocalize, too, which helps mothers and pups recognize one another.
Fun Facts: Sea lions are often mistaken for seals, but they are different in many ways. Sea lions have small external ears, while seals have pinhole ear openings. Sea lions use their powerful forelimbs to propel themselves, while seals use their hind flippers for propulsion.

Tips To Caring for Your Pet Hamster

Hamsters make for great pets for young children as they are friendly, cuddly and easy to look after. However, it is still important that your hamster is provided with the right living conditions in order to make them a happy companion.
Common sense
Like with most things in life, caring for a hamster only requires a little common sense and as long as they have enough food, water, attention and a clean cage then they will be happy.
Light and dark
The first thing you need to know about hamsters is that they are nocturnal, which means they are awake at night and sleep in the day. With this in mind, you need to put your pet somewhere where it can sleep and not disturb you and where you can sleep and not be disturbed by it. If you feel that that place is your bedroom remember: hamsters like to go on their exercise wheel when they are awake so always be sure to keep the wheel well oiled to prevent it from squeaking!
Feeding time
Unlike many other rodents, hamsters are not vegetarians. They don't eat exposed meat rather specially prepared meat that is mixed with all their other food. Although it is possible to prepare your own hamster meals, hamster food is readily available from most pet shops. You can also treat you hamster to some honey sticks, which, perhaps more than anything, will make it happy. But too many treats can cause stomach problems and can lead to operations, so be careful.
Water
Always remember to make sure your hamster has clean drinking water as dirty water can be fatal for some hamsters. The container must also be cleaned, if not then the water might get contaminated.
Play time
Toys are a must! With a variety of toys around your hamster will be extremely happy. The classic favourite 'the hamster ball' never fails to bring your pet joy, and it's a great way for them to explore without getting lost!
Weekly clean-out
Your hamster lives in a cage, which can sometimes get a little on the dirty side and therefore needs to be regularly cleaned out. Clean the cage at least once a month and the beddings too. Cotton and newspaper shredding are a great and cheep way to bed your pet's cage.

Dog Health Advice

When caring for a dog, there are many different pet care procedures that are necessary for your dog’s health. While most of pet care can be accomplished through common sense, there are several bits of advice that will greatly help you in providing the best possible care for your dog. Maintaining your dog’s health is the most important part of pet care, since it will help prevent potentially serious medical conditions.
NUTRITION
One of the most important parts of caring for your dog’s health is to ensure that they are receiving proper nutrition. This is more difficult to accomplish than it initially appears, since many of the commercial dog food formulas available on the market today contain ingredients that are not designed with your dog’s health in mind. For example, some pet nutritionalists recommend avoiding any dog food that contains corn, since corn is not easily digested by a dog’s system. Corn is usually added to dog food formulas as a filler ingredient, especially in dry kibble formulas. Many dog owners have made the choice to switch their dog to a completely grain-free diet, since this more closely emulates the diet of dogs in the wild.
VITAMINS
Highly nutritional dog food can be relatively expensive, so it is important to shop around. If you have to settle for a less expensive brand of dog food, try to include vitamin supplements in your dog’s diet as an additional source of nutrition. However, do not exceed the recommended daily allowance of vitamins for your dog. Some dogs may have adverse health effects if given too much of certain vitamins.
WATER
Another important part of caring for your dog’s health is fresh, available water. This is actually ignored by many pet owners, and some dog owners may even refill their dog’s water dish only once per week. In reality, it is much more beneficial for your dog’s health if you provide fresh, clean water on a daily basis. Though this will require daily maintenance of your dog’s water bowl, it can actually go a long way in maintaining good health for your dog.
REGULAR VETERINARY VISITS
Perhaps the best piece of advice for caring for your dog’s health is to schedule regular visits with a veterinarian. A veterinarian will usually be able to identify any potential health problems in your dog during their early stages, which usually results in a higher treatment success rate. Even if your dog does not appear to be sick, it is generally a good idea to bring them to the veterinarian on a regular basis.
There are many different things you can do to help your dog to stay happy, healthy and disease-free during most of their lifetime. Remember, owning a dog involves a significant amount of responsibility. Don’t neglect to pay close attention to any changes in your dog’s health, since they could potentially signify a medical condition that requires treatment. If you use your own common sense, and follow this dog health advice, you will be able to provide the best possible care for your dog.

Advice For Take Care Of puppy

I had a fun day today working with Boise Bully Breed Rescue at a local Petco to raise awareness and educate the public on all things dogs. One thing that was troubling to me, however, was the number of people I saw with VERY young puppies in the store. I saw a handful of well-intentioned new pet owners with little tiny pups under 8 weeks of age. This is concerning on two very serious levels.
The first, and simplest, is that puppies so young have not had their second round of shots and are therefore very susceptible to Parvo. Parvo is a HIGHLY contagious disease that affects almost exclusively puppies, but anyone or anything can carry it. It can be on your shoes, your ten year old dog, a grocery cart and many other places. It can be deadly, is always painful, and is expensive to treat. It is just not safe taking a puppy out before they have had their second round of shots. Ask anyone who has dealt with Parvo...it is very scary and you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.
The second, and this is what bothers me the most, is that every person I spoke to said they got their puppy at around 4-5 weeks of age from a breeder. PLEASE, please, believe me, that any breeder willing to sell you a dog before 8 weeks of age is not a person you should get a dog from. Do not walk, RUN if someone ever offers you a pup that young. No reputable breeder who knows what they are doing would ever give a pup away so young. Most of the time there are behavior issues down the road.
Why? Because the mother provides nourishment until around 4 weeks of age, then she begins to ween the pups...but her job is far from over. One person today told me their breeder told them the mother stopped nursing at 4 weeks so that's why she was selling them so early. That is a huge red flag that the "breeder" knows little to nothing about a dog's development process.
In the process of weening her pups the mom teaches them boundaries that they just don't learn fully any other way. Between 6-8 weeks they learn bite control and body language from their mother and litter mates. Let me be clear... THE MOTHER AND LITTER MATES ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN TEACH A DOG THIS THE WAY NATURE INTENDED. Yes, you can do some of it with another dog or yourself, but you will NEVER be able to replace those crucial weeks fully.