Isabella and owner Roseanne Smith, the organizer of the day's event. All photos by Judy Keenan.

By Judy Keenan

What do William Randolph Hearst, E.B. White, Jack Ruby, Andy Warhol, Queen Victoria, Donald Rumsfeld and Pablo Picasso have in common? Surprise!  They were all owners of dachshunds.  The popularity of this breed, which is ranked seventh in registrations by the American Kennel Club, crosses all cultural stratas. 

Lump and Picasso.

A popular breed indeed

Affectionately called Doxies, wiener dogs, hot dogs and /or sausage dogs their unique shape has endeared them to artists from Picasso who painted his pet dachshund, Lump (pronounced Loomp which is German for rascal) onto dozens of his canvasses, to American photographer David Douglas Duncan whose photographs of Lump playing with the great artist/icon at Villa La Californie, Picasso’s hillside mansion in Cannes, circa  1957 became a coffee  table book , Picasso and Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey,  to Gary Larson who devoted a Far Side cartoon book, Wiener Dog Art, to the breed.

Roseanne & Isabella welcome you to Doxie Day

To celebrate the dachshund, Doxie Day (the second annual) was held at Chapin Beach in Dennis on Saturday September 26th.  Roseanne Smith, the owner of Isabella, a gentle black with brown long haired dachshund and also the owner of Prothesia’s, a charming boutique with great clothes and gifts for people and dogs, on Route 6A in Dennis, has owned dachshunds for collectively eighteen years and originated the first Doxie Day last year. Modeled after a similar event held in New York City’s Washington Square Park where Roseanne and her husband Ken lived previously, over two hundred dogs and their owners participated last year in what was deemed a “howling” success. 

Read the story in its entirety on CapeCodPets.com here.

Linda Flynn judges Spaniels in the ring.

Story and photos by Samantha Pearsall

This past weekend Cape Cod Kennel Club (CCKC) and South Shore Kennel Club (SSKC) collaborated for a 4-day dog show event known as the annual Cranberry Cluster. A total of 1,251 dogs from 128 different breeds, from Newfoundlands to Shih Tzsus, strutted their stuff in the show rings at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds. The show was held Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

One of the shows’ chairs, Linda Flynn, who is also the Delegate to the American Kennel Club for SSKC, said “Weekends are always busier than the Thursday and Friday shows, however, it is all weather-dependant.” Saturday was a wash out with few spectators, but Sunday’s warm sunshine brought in crowds who were watching the events and shopping for their own pups.

Read the story (with a lot more pictures) at CapeCodPets.com.

By Walter & Pat Brooks

At two, Shiva was already seeking warm spots to settle upon. This is our kitchen stove's griddle.

Four years ago he was still clowning around. He allowed our grand children to do anything to him.

As a younger cat, Shiva always jumped on Pat's back whenever she bent over to do housework.

The last photo two days before Shiva died.

We first saw Shiva and his womb-mate Rama in their pen at the Rhode Island Cat Show in 1991. His twin won a dozen ribbons that day in the short-haired Oriental class while beautiful, blue-eyed blond Shiva drew a blank. The judges want gray, green-eyed cats in that category.

He got even with his brother over the next 17 years as he was clearly the alpha male of this handsome duo.

Shiva sent both of us to hospital

Shiva had his moments however.

When Shiva was about three he managed to send both of us to the hospital with cat-inflicted injuries.

Walter had a sinus serious enough to have scheduled an operation to drill a hole through his soft palate to relieve the pain and induce a  drug since all the antibiotics had failed to kill the bacteria.

On the day before his operation, as he carried Shiva outdoors to see the birds, a chipmunk scurried by and spooked Shiva who promptly dug his teeth into Walter hand to get released.

To avoid getting "Cat Scratch Fever", Walter went the hospital where a new antibiotic he had never been given before cured his sinus and made the operation unnecessary.

Patricia was next on his hit list

A short time later Patricia was stroking Shiva on her chest in bed one night, when loud sound from the television spooked him again.

This time Shiva literally flew straight up about two feet and came down, claws extended, on Pat's face.

That scratch sent her to the hospital that night.

Lost in the bog and deaf

Shiva was gorgeous, and a little cross-eyed which only added to his charm.

Shiva was most lovable except for those two occasions, and spent countless hours on Patrica's lap - he was, after all, "her cat", while brunette Rama was Walter's.

He also spent his entire life indoors.

This breed is reknown for great curiosity, the kind that does, in fact, kill cats.

The breeder warned us not to allow him or his bro outdoors as this breed would examine one thing after another until they were far from home and unable to return.

We warned workers who came to our house, but inevitably the day came when Shiva absconded and despite our searching, he was missing for a couple days until Walter found him struggling through the puckerbrush next to the cranberry bogs behind our house apparently on his way home.

We will never know how far he roamed, but he was skinny and the bottom of his paws were raw.

Shiva never got out again, which is very fortunate, because a year ago we realized he was becoming deaf. He would now be defenseless against predators.

For the last six months of his life he was stone deaf and stopped "speaking" almost completely, which only meant we gave him even more love and attention.

The day he died

For the last month Shiva's breathing had become more and more labored, and we had been treating a growth in this left ear for the same period which we were treating with antibiotics.

But by last Sunday he was "open-mouth" breathing, and Pat felt we had to do something fast.

Luckily Cape Cod now has an emergency hospital available after the vets all close and on weekends, and Pat and our eight-year-old granddaughter were able to take him to Care Vet, the Cape's emergency center in Dennis which we found on CapeCodPets.com.

The vets there were extremely helpful, and they made the whole horrible process of deciding when to end your suffering pet's life as tolerable as possible, which turned out to be necessary in this case.

While they waited for the end to come, Pat called me and asked that my eleven-year-old grandson and I dig a grave in sight of our home office window, which we did through tears.

We can only be thankful for the support of these youngsters who grew up every weekend with Shiva.

Shiva has a page with other photos, etc. on CapeCodPets.com.

The site was designed to be a one-stop source of information for pet owners and pet business owners, featuring calendar events, feature and news articles, and a business directory with links to more than 125 pet-related businesses and organizations on the Cape. An important part of the site is the social networking application, which allows users to set up profiles for themselves and for their pets. They can form groups, "friend" others, post reviews of businesses, upload photos, and more.

eCape CEO Julie Brooks states, "For various demographic reasons, the pet business is booming here on the Cape, as it is in many parts of the USA, and it doesn't seem to be affected by the current economic downturn. People are still spending money on their beloved pets, and in particular, their dogs. CapeCodPets.com provides an easy and fun way to connect pet owners with each other and with the amazing number of pet-related businesses here on the Cape."

Organizations and businesses are invited to submit their calendar events online for free by posting their information here.  Business owners can submit their link to the business directory for free by filling in this form.  Site users can subscribe to a weekly email with calendar events and recently posted photos and features. Advertising information is here.

"We are pleased to announce that CapeCodPets.com will be the headline sponsor for Cape Cod's first-ever Pet Expo, which will be held October 11, 2009 at the Southcape Village Marketplace in Mashpee.  Local pet-related businesses are invited to exhibit,"  said Ms. Brooks.

eCape, Inc. is a website design and marketing company which develops websites for local businesses and organizations, in addition to operating the websites CapeCodToday.com, CapeCodTravel.com, WeddingsonCapeCod.com, CapeCodKidz.com, and CapeCodPets.com.

If you have further questions, please contact Julie Brooks at 508-385-0003 x106.

Gentle George, Orleans native, dead at 10 from cancer

I am very sorry to report that George the brave, gentle Maine Coon passed away this evening after an heroic battle with urinary issues. He was a rescue cat whose age is estimated at ten years old.

George was rescued by the Animal Rescue League Brewster Shelter in the fall of 2007 and came to my house in November of that year. In the spring of 2008 he developed various urinary problems that escalated over the summer and led to surgery on his bladder in October 2008.

George was a happy, playful Maine Coon. When he "sang" as Coons are prone to do, he had by far the best voice of any of my Maine Coons.

After a very brave recovery, George was very much himself by mid-November. He had a couple of complications from his ordeal which included occasional very painful bladder spasms. Each of these episodes resolved in a couple of days with medication and rest.

This past Wednesday he exhibited some bladder spasm symptoms and we started him on the usual course of medication. George was progressing normally through this episode. He was relatively bright this morning and had eaten well overnight.

When I arrived him this evening, George was collapsed on the floor and breathing with difficulty. I checked on him and visited with him throughout the evening. Despite his condition, he changed locations a couple of times - floor to bed, bed to sofa..etc. He died at 8:45 p.m. We found him at the foot of the stairs, which must have taken a tremendous effort for him to get that far perhaps to be nearer to us at the end.

George was a happy, playful Maine Coon. When he "sang" as Coons are prone to do, he had by far the best voice of any of my Maine Coons. If there was a lap available in the room, George would be in it. He loved human companionship and was the most outgoing of any of the five house cats. He loved to play with toys, especially anything with a rattle or beans inside of it.

The wide sunny windowsills here were George's favorite place to spend the day. If the sun was not out, my bed made the next best place to dream. At night he enjoyed sleeping on the bed with the other cats. If he wanted my attention when I was sleeping I often got one of his big Maine Coon paws in my face (claws retracted). He also liked to wake my by smacking me on the back of the head. George's purr was magnificent, deep and excellent music by which to fall asleep.

George's final year was challenging for all of us. He was very brave and put up a valiant fight to survive.

George is survived by his two giant playmates Tiberius and Misty. There is nothing like the havoc wrought by three large, athletic male cats tearing through the house. Upended lamps, torn screens and many dead mice were left in the wake of the Three Horsemen as they thundered about. George is also survived by Anne whom he adored and Gracie whom he did not. If Grace walked past George he felt that was an invitation to chase her and off they went. The last fun I saw George have was chasing Grace up the stairs as I left for work two mornings before he died.

In the past when one of my cats has died the others seemed relatively indifferent to the body. Not with George! When I brought him out in his bed for the last ride to the crematorium everyone had their moment with him. Tiberius and Anne both nuzzled and pawed gently as if trying to awaken him. Misty crawled into George's bed with him and created a heart-wrenching scene. Grace merely checked to verify he was dead and sauntered away.

George's final year was challenging for all of us. He was very brave and put up a valiant fight to survive. Through all of his ordeal he never once lost his good humor and loving disposition. Even in his final hours he still tried to give head bumps and nose rubs as he clung to the life he loved so much. Though he was only with us for a short time, George touched us all in a special way that will not be soon forgotten.

Farewell to George... George the Gentle, George the Brave, George the Hellraiser and George our beloved friend.

By Don Lewis


This tragic story has been told a million times in books, plays and movies. From Homer's tale of Helen and Paris set in Troy nearly 3000 years ago, to Shakespeare's impetuous Italian teens "Romeo and Juliet" penned in 1597, and Bernstein's musical update relocated to New York City with Tony and Maria in the 1957 "West Side Story," these cross-cultural romances rarely find a happy conclusion. And so it was in the salt marsh of Chipman's Cove one bright spring day when boy from the upland Canine Clan met girl from the brackish Reptile Family. From the first you knew nothing good would come of it.

First Fateful Meeting of Boy and Girl
As the Turtle Journal team censused diamondback terrapins in their mating aggregation on the Outer Cape, along came an energetic canine boy to experience his first encounter with turtles.

You could see his fascination from the first, as he strained on his leash to investigate these wonderful creatures with that exotic "Eau du Marsh Parfum." He couldn't restrain himself as he danced about to the rhythmic cadence of Jets and Sharks.

Love Blossoms
It was love at first sight. He couldn't take his eyes (or nose) off her as she strained in the bucket to flee his native uplands and escape to her more familiar lowland estuary home.

The tragic ending came quickly as boy tried to express his devotion with a sniff and a kiss, and girl rejected his advance with a nip on the nose.

Sadly, it was doomed from the start and could never have worked.

They came from two different worlds that only met on a spring high tide.

On a happier postscript, boy returned to the marsh a week later, perhaps to refresh memories of his puppy love.

Older and wiser, he inspected the new set of bucket girls from afar.

I could have sworn that he rubbed his paw across his nose as he waved goodbye to the new ladies of the bay.

Don Lewis is currently serving as Chief Operations Officer of the National Marine Life Center is Buzzards Bay, where restoring life to the ocean is their mission and their vision.  The National Marine Life Center is building a marine animal hospital on the north bank of Cape Cod Canal to rescue and rehabilitate stranded sea turtles, seals, porpoises, dolphins and small whales for release back into the ocean. Don also maintains the Turtle Journal.

BOSTON – Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Commissioner Scott Soares last week reminded Massachusetts consumers of a voluntary recall, announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of select varieties of Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care dry cat foods and Nutro Max dry cat foods.

Nutro Products is voluntarily recalling some varieties of these cat foods with “best if used by dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010, according to the FDA.  The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten other countries due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium, both of which are essential nutritional supplements added to Nutro cat foods. The recall does not affect any Nutro dog food products, wet cat food or dog and cat treats.

“As the state agency responsible for regulation of pet food sold in Massachusetts, the DAR is urging Bay State pet owners who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue feeding them to their cats immediately and to monitor pets for symptoms that could be related to eating the recalled food - including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea,” said Commissioner Soares, whose agency includes the Division of Animal Health.

Soares pointed out that the FDA also recommends that pet owners whose cats are pregnant or experiencing health issues should contact their veterinarians.

The FDA encourages consumers who have purchased the affected products to return the food to retailers for a full refund or exchange.  For a complete list of the affected dry cat food products or for more information about the recall, call (800) 833-5330, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

The DAR’s mission is to ensure the long-term viability of local agriculture in Massachusetts. Through its four divisions – Agricultural Development, Animal Health, Crop and Pest Services, and Technical Assistance – the DAR strives to support, regulate, and enhance the Commonwealth’s agricultural community, working to promote economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures, and fulfill agriculture’s role in energy conservation and production.

Release courtesy of the MA DAR.

By Walter Brooks

Last year US pet owners spent $43 billion on their animals. Since you are reading this article about pets, you know that you can go into any pet store  on Cape Cod or on the South Shore and find brushes for $60, cat scratchers for $200, and dog beds for as much as $450.

Watch this dog's bark be translated into people-talk.

The problem is novelty instead of practicality. Who needs a device which can translate your dog's barks?

Pet lovers in Japan can understand their dogs better than ever before with a gadget that translates doggy talk into human words. Bowlingual, the new device made by toymaker Takara Co., has dogs saying things like "I'm feeling great!" "It's so annoying!" and "Come on, play with me!" Kids and grown-ups alike are fascinated by the thought of finding out what their canine buddies are really thinking. The $30 device will also perform:

• Bark Translation: Analyzes your dog's barks to determine which of six emotions it is feeling: happy, sad, frustrated, on guard, assertive and needy.The device then provides a phrase matched to the emotion, to represent what your dog might say if only it could speak
• Body Language: A guide to interpret your dog's behavior to help you teach and care for your dog
• Data Analysis: Maintains a record of the 100 most recently analyzed barks for your reference.
•  And has a Home Alone Mode which monitors and records your dog's barks and emotions for up to 8 hours while you're out of the house and your pooch is left alone.
  

See the Bowlingual here.

The smelliest pet task made easier

Ask any cat owner what part of owning an indoor pussy is the worst, and odds are they will say cleaning and emptying the litter box. We wrote "indoor" because no pet owner should leave their pets outdoors with Cape Cod's booming coyote population. If you haven't seen any cats or dogs running free in the past decade it's because they have all been dinner for a coyote.

Plenty of litter boxes claim automatic cleaning, but the Litter-Robot is the one that delivers. A weight sensor marks when your cat enters and when it leaves the igloo shaped devise. The Litter-Robot then counts down from seven minutes and, as long as the sensor hasn't been activated again, the self-cleaning action begins as shown in the video on the right.

The company calls it the automatic self-cleaning litter box that really works. It does free you from the chore of litter box scooping. Pet owners can be sure that your cats have a litter box that is cleaned automatically and reliably, again and again. The large waste drawer holds several days' worth of waste. You can take that weekend trip or leave town for a short business trip without having to worry about your cat's litter box smelling up the house, and all this for $329.

 Let your dog  jog inside your home

Watch this 100 lb. dog set a speed record.

You know your canine doesn't get enough exercise, especially since you started skipping your daily two-mile run or walk. If you have the money, you can keep your pooch fit and healthy while you remain a couch potato watching "Oprah".

That is if you have $1,200 for a doggy treadmill.

Every dog is better behaved and needs exercise to stay healthy. Since both of you are probably working, you're not around as much as you'd like to be to take Fido for a daily beach walk or even toss the ball with your pup in your yard (if you even have one).

But Dog Trotter offers a treadmill designed with canines in mind. Guardrails ensure your dog doesn't escape his workout, and an 11-degree incline is said to provide the resistance needed to build strength and muscle.

Electronic Cat Finder

If your cat is worth $79.95, you should never let it outside without a "Cat Finder."

Loc8tor is a credit card-sized device which can be used to find almost anything when it has a tiny homing tag attached to it - keys, cameras, TV remotes, pets, mobile phones, wallets, purses or even the car. It's small enough to fit in a wallet.

The Loc8tor Lite is specifically for locating and comes supplied with two tags.

Unlike anything else currently available, the Loc8tor's audio and visual cues from the handheld point you in the right direction and will guide you to the exact location of the missing pet (or other item) whether it's two yards away or stuffed down the back of the sofa or left behind in a shop. It will literally take you minutes to find a missing kitty that would normally have you hunting around for hours and maybe never be found at all.