By Diana Hsieh @ 8:00 AM
Although I regard standard pet food as junk unsuitable for canine or feline consumption, I loved this ad for Pedigree:
As I might have mentioned before, I've been feeding my dogs and cats a prey-model raw diet for nearly two years, with excellent results. Despite my vet's worries about bacteria, I've had far fewer gastro-intestinal problems with raw food than I did with supposedly high-quality wet food and kibble. They're all fit and trim, and their teeth and coats are fabulous. You can learn more here:
Basically, a prey-model raw diet is the diet that dogs and cats are adapted by evolution to eat. And boy oh boy, do they ever love to eat it!
In terms of purchases, my staple is the super-convenient six-packs of good-quality chicken thighs at Costco for $1 per pound. They come four thighs per pack; Conrad eats two per feeding. I'll also buy pork and occasionally beef when on sale, almost always for $1 per pound or less. I like to add chicken backs to the mix, particularly for the cats. Sometimes I'll cut up a whole chicken. Oh, and I feed canned salmon from Costco once per week too.
To prepare that, I spend about thirty minutes cutting up and mixing meat, bones, and organ meats for the beasts while I watch television or listen to a podcast about once or twice per week. My biggest constraint is freezer space when I find some good meat on sale.
If raw feeding seems unworkable for your lifestyle, then you might try grain-free kibble and wet food. However, that's really quite expensive, particularly for a large dog. Also, if you have a carb-addicted dog or cat, the kibble might not be a good option. Our cat Oliver was growing obese on a standard diet, despite my attempts to limit his intake. (He was pretty grumpy about that!) On raw food -- eating as much as he wants -- he's perfectly trim. However, a few months ago, I put the cats on grain-free kibble and grain-free wet food for a few weeks. Oliver got fat rather quickly. Oh, and he'd routinely up-chuck his food in the morning -- on the carpet, of course. So raw is definitely the best option for Oliver. But Conrad and Elliot did fine on grain-free food.
If you switch to raw feeding, I strongly suggest reading a bit about it beforehand. You don't want to feed ground meat to cats, for example, as that reduces much-needed taurine. You want to feed only raw bones: cooked bones are dangerous because they're brittle. You don't want to neglect organ meats or bones. And you might need to gradually adjust cats to raw food, as they're often rather persnickety.
If you've been feeding raw, tell us about it in the comments!
By Diana Hsieh @ 9:00 AM
I'm always amazed that Conrad seems to take an instant liking to some dogs at the dog park, and an instant dislike to others. However, this story of instant love between an oragutan and a dog takes the cake:
Unlike my friend Kelly, I don't think that the video suggests that the orangutan exercises volition. Volition (or free will) is not merely the power to choose between alternatives based on values. It requires reason (in the sense of the faculty of reason); it's the power to focus one's rational mind or not, simply as a matter of will. That's not evident in this video... yet nor can the behavior be explained by vacuous appeals to "instinct." Instead, the orangutan exhibits highly complex behavior, probably largely based on associational learning and imagination. He doesn't seem to have concepts though, and that means no faculty of reason and no power of volition.
I propose that his actions should be described as "voluntary" but not "chosen." As per Aristotle's usage, some action is voluntary if (1) the agent has the power to do or not do the action and (2) he knows what he's doing at the moment of action. To act by choice requires more: it requires acting based on rational deliberation, meaning the exercise of volition.
Aristotle thought that some beasts act voluntarily at least sometimes, and I agree with that. More neurologically advanced animals seem to have the power to act voluntarily on a perceptual level: they can do or not do some action, in part based on their power to direct their own perceptual-level attention. So a dog can voluntarily prevent itself from chasing the cat by directing its attention elsewhere. And animals have the power to know what they're doing, in a perceptual way, as opposed to when they're acting on some kind of mistake. So that dog knows whether he's chasing the cat or playing with his toy. Hence, the dog does act voluntarily but not by volitional choice.
In short, we need to be careful about what we mean by "volition" when attributing that to animals. Also, we must keep in mind that denying volition to animals is not equivalent to claiming that they're deterministic robots. Some more subtlety is needed, I think. And that can be found in Aristotle -- particularly Book 3, Chapters 1-5 of the Nicomachean Ethics.
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:00 PM
Last week, I finally took some pictures of the barn that Dave Brown built for us over the summer and fall. It's huge, beautiful, well-built, and awesome in all possible ways. (As always, click on the photo for a larger version.)
First, here's the overall layout of the barn.
Here's the view of the north and east sides, as seen walking from the house. The stalls faced west on the old barn. That was bass-ackwards: the horses were chilled in the morning, then broiled in the afternoon. Now the stalls face east. That was somewhat difficult to build with the hill; we had to add the retaining wall. It was worth the trouble, however. The horses enjoy warm morning sun in the winter and good afternoon shade in the summer. They're also well-sheltered from our unbearable winds. Plus, I can see the horses from the house, if they're in that east area. That's reassuring, particularly in nasty weather.
Here are the south and west sides. As you can see, Dave still has some grading work to do. The ground froze this winter before he could finish that.
Here's the north side, including the main human entrance.
Here's the east side looking toward the house. You can see the tack room door, then the four stall doors.
Here's one double sized stall, with Conrad. I can divide the stalls if needed with gates to make four 12 x 12 stalls. But for now, I'd rather give the horses the extra freedom of movement.
Here's the other double-sized stall.
Here is the house storage area, then the soon-to-be chicken coop, as seen from the aisle. We have very little storage space in the house and the garage, so I really wanted to put a good storage room in the barn. Now that I have that, I have to organize and transfer the various crap valuable possessions I have crammed stacked in the house closets and garage.
Here's the inside of the soon-to-be chicken coop. I'm going to build a secure outside run, as well as make the whole dry lot reasonably secure from foxes and coyotes for them. I need to get that done so that I can get chickens and guinea hens in the spring. (I might get other livestock too, but I'm starting with the fowl.)
Here's a portion of my tack and feed room. It's something of a disaster right now, with most everything still packed in tubs on the left, outside the picture. At least I have the blankets hung properly! You can only see a few, but they take up about 3/4 of a 12 foot wall.
Here is this year's hay. Each pallet contains one ton of compressed hay. I'm used to hay taking up far more space, but the compressed hay is about half the space. It was super-easy to load into the barn, and the horses love it. Win!
Here's a view of the aisle from the north side looking south. The wide aisle can be used for more hay storage, if needed. It also means that the farrier can pull into the barn in the winter. That makes the whole experience far more comfortable for everyone, particularly the humans.
Also, notice that the tack room on the left is not full height. The ceiling is load-bearing, so we can use the space above for storage... or better yet, I might use it as a greenhouse to start seeds in the spring. The temperatures in the barn are pretty stable, and the clear plastic above the overhang lets in tons of good morning sun. That clear plastic is wonderful: the barn is light and airy, even with the two large doors closed.
The barn was a huge project for me, but I'm so glad that it's (mostly) done!
By Diana Hsieh @ 3:00 PM
My new camera -- a Panasonic Luminex DMC-FZ35 -- arrived today. Of course, I had to take some pictures of doggie Conrad. I love the new camera already, and I'm looking forward to playing around with it. Yup, Miranda Barzey has inspired me to try to learn a bit about the art of photography! (As usual, click to enlarge.)
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:30 PM
I took this fabulous picture of Image yesterday... and somehow managed to snap it while he was closing his eyes.
Horse photography... FAIL!
Notice that Image is totally muddy. He's really taken to being a country farm horse. He loves to lie down in the dirt and mud, and Conrad is often lying down nearby, just like this:
Conrad loves playing the farm dog, and Image is his buddy! That makes me so pleased. Oh and that's Tara on the right, also snoozing. Conrad's not so keen on her, as she's pretty boring and not much interested in him.
Isn't it neat, though, how many domesticated animals like cats and dogs are so accustomed to strange things that humans do to them that they often just accept it as if it were as normal and natural as the wind or rocks and trees?
For animals, most everything simply accepted as metaphysical, as just the way things are. Hence, if you happen to be bouncing up and down on a subwoofer, that's no reason not to attempt to clean yourself. For humans, we constantly wonder what could be otherwise -- meaning, what we could make otherwise. That makes us less accepting of strange phenomena, I think.
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:00 PM
A few weeks ago, I took this short video of Conrad playing with his favorite toy in one of our horse pastures. It's nothing too exciting, but he's awfully cute. He really does love to whack himself in the head with his toys. Unfortunately, that toy -- the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff -- is currently lost somewhere in the snow. And even worse, I managed to throw his other "ball on a rope" toy high into a tree last weekend. Doh!
By Diana Hsieh @ 7:00 PM
Since we adopted our dog Conrad last spring, he has suffered from a strange kind of fit that we're pretty desperate to see somehow resolved. The set of symptoms are very distinctive: he'll compulsively lick and rapidly swallow, and sometimes give a sharp cough. If the fit is particularly bad, he'll attempt to eat anything in sight -- grass or snow if he's outside, but otherwise clothing, dog toys, carpet, his dog bed, etc. (That seems to be a desperate attempt to settle his stomach.) Basically, the symptoms develop based on the severity of the fit: the core symptom is the rapid swallowing -- and to that might be added licking, then the cough, and then, only in the worst cases, eating anything and everything in sight. The more severe the fit, the more upset and agitated Conrad becomes. A fit might last five minutes -- or two hours. They come in waves. So he'll be fine for a few weeks, then he'll suddenly have many of them each day for a few days.
We have not been able to discern any kind of pattern to them, nor any kind of cause. Nothing seems to ease his symptoms at the time. As for prevention, we've varied his food in all kinds of ways, to no effect. My vet recommended putting him on a daily dose of pepcid, but that didn't work. I've even tried Dr. Eades' Protexid, but that hasn't worked.
Conrad isn't unique in these fits. On rare occasion, they're referred to in forums as "the gulps" or "lickyfits." They seem common to certain breeds, albeit not German Shepherds. Apparently, the fits don't lead to bloat, and they aren't due to any anatomical abnormality. However, they're said to be a mystery. I've not seen any definitive account of their cause, nor of treatment.
Conrad has been fine for the last few weeks, but then in the wee hours of the morning, he developed a severe bout. It has recurred many times today. He's pretty unhappy -- and I'm miserable that I can't help him. (I also have to watch him like a hawk, lest he eat something he shouldn't. Worst case, I can put him in his crate without any bedding, as they he can only lick the plastic tray. I hate to do that unless absolutely necessary, however.)
Tonight, I finally captured a portion of a bad fit on video, using my iPhone. Here it is.
Do any of you have any experience with these fits? If so, do you know what the cause might be -- or how to treat it? If so, please comment! Or e-mail me at diana@dianahsieh.com.
Notably, my vet has never seen or heard of these kinds of fits in any dog. She's never seen Conrad with them either; I've only just described them to her. Given their transient nature, I think that trying to get the dog to the vet during a fit would be difficult, if not impossible. Also, I imagine that the anxiety of being at the vet would suppress all but the worst fit. (Oh, and I'm pretty grossed out by the thought of poor Conrad compulsively licking the floor of an examination room, even if just cleaned.) Now that I've got a video of a fit, I could show that to her. And I could take it to one of the specialists at VRCC.
In the meantime, if you have any familiarity with these kinds of fits, Conrad and I would welcome any information or advice.
Update: From what I've read, these fits don't seem to be dangerous in and of themselves. However, I worry about him eating something harmful, as he has shown himself perfectly willing to eat quite a bit of fabric, not to mention foam stuffing from his dog bed, when desperate. For example, last night, he managed to chew off the end of my brand-new coveralls in less than five minutes:
I had to buy those new coveralls because he ate about 1/3 of each leg from my last pair in a prior fit. So I'm deeply worried that Conrad will cause himself serious harm in one of these fits by eating something he ought not.
That exerts a toll on me: whenever he shows any signs of compulsive swallowing, I have to watch him like a hawk. That's a huge drain on my attention and energy. For example, he kept me mostly awake with a fit from 2:00 am to about 3:40 am last night. He was safe in his crate, but I hated to hear him so obviously miserable.
That's why I'm quite desperate for some kind of solution.
By Diana Hsieh @ 5:00 PM
My fabulous new barn is nearing completion, and my horse Tara has returned home. Hooray! I really missed her.
Happily, I was able to find an excellent buddy for her on short notice. His name is "Image." He's a stunningly beautiful, fancy-schmancy show horse. He injured his shoulder a while back, and he seems unable to tolerate the pounding of jumping. However, he's sound on the flat (i.e., not jumping). So the owner is looking to sell him as a dressage horse, but she needs some time to make that happen.
Here he is, fine fancy fellow that he is:
Here are Tara and Image, happy as clams.
Tara and Image fell in love in about five minutes, so they're very content together.
Image is a very sensible and calm horse, although he's basically lived a "city horse" existence in big show barns for all of his life. He's been kept in a stall most of the time, turned out to pasture for shorter periods of time, blanketed and pampered, and ridden in only in rings. Now he's learning the ways of the "country horse." He's out to pasture 24/7, albeit with access to shelter in the barn. He's living among deer, coyote, fox, and other wildlife. Tara is definitely teaching Image how to be a proper country horse. Standing around, nibbling on grass, gazing off into the distance, and standing outside tail-to-wind in storms are her specialties.
Image will be staying with us until the spring, at which point the owner will be looking to sell him. At that time, I hope to buy a new horse. Tara is quite old at 26. She's sound for now, but I won't be able to ride her for too much longer. So I'll need a new horse!
By Diana Hsieh @ 4:00 PM Wow. As Trey Givens said, "This video is amazing. Warning, it is a bit graphic. I found it to be rather tense also." Indeed, it's gooey and dramatic!
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:00 PM
I have been remiss: I've not posted a funny cat video in ages! Yes, I know that the loyalty of my NoodleFood readers entirely depends on my regularly posting funny animal videos and penis jokes deep philosophic commentary. Still, it's time.
Admittedly, that seems like an inefficient way to get a drink of water. But hey, I'm not judgmental!
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:00 PM
I thought that I'd blogged this before, but I can't seem to find it in my archives. Even if I have though, it's still worth watching again!
By Diana Hsieh @ 3:01 PM
As a child, I had some very scary and vivid dreams about being chased by a bear through the woods. Consequently, I'm not too thrilled to discover that the bear will be able to follow me up a ladder in his relentless pursuit of my delicate flesh. Seriously! Go look at the pictures!
By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM
The homeowner's association in our rural-ish neighborhood is fairly benign. We don't have many restrictions on what we can build on or do with our property, although we do have some dumb provisions in our covenants.
For example, our five-acre properties are limited to three horses each, whereas the county would permit ten horses. That's dumb: three horses can be a major nuisance if not cared for properly, while ten horses can be perfectly fine if managed well. Moreover, the three-horse limit means that an ordinary family with three or more riders might not be able to accommodate their perfectly ordinary number of horses. So the restriction doesn't address the potential nuisance, yet excludes many potential home buyers. Its sole virtue is that it's easily enforceable.
Even more strangely, the covenants place no restrictions on the number of livestock animals, except that they cannot be raised for commercial purposes. So I simply must comply with the county rules, namely:
In the ER/RR zoning districts and in the A-1 and LRR districts parcels 2.3 to 8.9 acres in area, the number of animals is limited to 1 animal per half acre for large animals, such as, cows, horses, mules or llamas, and 4 animals per half acre for smaller animals, i.e., sheep, goats, swine, miniature horses, or alpacas.
Since I have just over five acres, I can have two horses, sixteen pigs, and sixteen sheep. Or forty goats. Or ten cows. Or five cows and twenty goats. I could go on, but you get the idea. Oh and on top of that, I can have up to 30 chickens and 50 rabbits. While I do plan to get another horse and some livestock in the next year, once my new barn is finished, I don't think I'll be anywhere near those limits!
Unfortunately, the homeowner association's approval process for my new barn was quite frustrating and time-consuming. The problem wasn't the members of the board or the architectural committee but rather some perpetually troublesome neighbors who thought they had a right to veto my building plans, regardless of the covenants. My barn was approved in the end, albeit after much delay. Yet the process of hearing and appeasing one particular neighbor's irrational demands made my stomach turn. He has no conception of or concern for property rights -- on principle. So he's working with the county to prevent the development of a neighboring ranch because any such development would would mar a small part part of the mountain view he's enjoyed for 30 years. He had the same approach to my property: he'd been looking at my cruddy wood barn for decades, so he had a right to continue looking at it if he pleased, rather than being subject to the sight of a much nicer steel barn. Even worse, the barn wasn't even really in his field of view, as he's on a tall hill to my southwest, facing west. It was absurd -- and deeply offensive. He was just wanting to assert his authority.
Paul and I plan to stay in our current home for the foreseeable future; it suits our needs quite well. However, if we do ever move, we will be sure to avoid a "covenant-protected community" like the plague, even if that means forgoing some benefits we've enjoyed here -- particularly our well-maintained trails and a beautiful sand riding ring. Those benefits are simply not worth the cost of being in any way subject to petty, power-lusting neighbors.
Advocates of free markets often point to covenants as an alternative to zoning and other land-use laws. They're right -- and people should be free to form and promote such neighborhoods if they wish. However, as many people can attest, covenant-controlled neighborhoods can be magnets for the worst kinds of people. Or rather, a few awful people can exert undue influence -- using the threat of lawsuits and the trouble of moving -- to keep everyone in thrall to their petty whims. That's a solution far, far worse than the problem of messy neighbors.
Well, I began this post with the intent of just providing a bit of introduction for this hysterical exchange between neighbors about Devil Worship And Christmas Lights. I must be more bitter than I realized about the barn approval. In any case, go read those e-mails. I nearly died with laughter.
By Diana Hsieh @ 2:16 PM
My mare Tara has done me a solid.
Over the past few years, I've struggled to keep Tara sound enough to ride. She is pretty old at 26, and she was ridden hard as a polo pony in her youth. Consequently, she has various arthritic ailments. This fall, for example, she developed problems in her stifles that I was able to fix with a higher-protein diet, exercise, hind shoes and pads, and bute. (The stifle is the knee-like joint high on the hind leg.) The diet and exercise helped her put on much-needed muscle, while the hind shoes elevated the heels for a better joint angle. The bute -- think aspirin for horses -- decreased the inflammation in the joint.
Early this winter, she must have slipped and fallen on ice, as she suddenly came up lame all over -- in her stifles, her back, and particularly the tendons in both front legs. My vet described her pain in those tendons -- she would pull back and grunt hard when he squeezed them -- as some of the worst he'd seen. He prescribed rest and lots of bute, up to two grams per day. So that's what I've done for the past six months -- without much hope that she'd ever be sound enough to ride again. I figured that she was at the end of her useful life, and that she'd be nothing more than the stable mate of the new horse I'd get after the barn is built. I thought she'd recover enough to be comfortable, but nothing more. I wasn't too happy about that: despite her occasional freak-outs, Tara has been a great horse for me.
Happily, a few weeks ago, I was delighted to see that she was trotting normally in the pasture. So I trotted her out in the ring a bit, and she was still fine. (Sometimes a horse will look sound in the pasture due to excitement about something. So one has to do a controlled test.) Her back was still a bit sore, but nothing like it had been. So I scheduled an appointment with the vet, so that he could take a look, to see what might be done next. However, by the time he came on Friday, her back was basically completely fine: we could not get her to flinch. He was pretty surprised, I think. He said that I could and should start riding her again -- lots of walking and bending, then some trotting. Basically, I'll need to start her very slow and gently.
I can't possibly convey how happy I am about this news! Just the week after I finish my dissertation, my beloved but seemingly hopelessly lame horse recovers! Hooray!
By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM
Not long ago, Paul and I spent a few days camping with my parents, Jamie and Susie, as they travel around the southwest in their small RV with their black German Shepherd Daisy. We brought Conrad with us: he was really quite stellar despite the totally new mode of life.
My parents keep blogs of their travels, so you can see what we did with them. We appear about halfway through this entry on my father's travel log. He has the good descriptions and pictures. And you'll find the funny pictures capturing the essence of our adventures on this entry of my mother's blog.
The dogs got along famously, despite a bit of barking at first. Conrad is a dominant dog, but he learned that he had to play the part of the submissive puppy to get Daisy to play with him. Here's a picture of them playing from my father's blog:
And here's a drawing of them playing with toys from my mother:
Conrad hasn't had much of an interest in toys, but Daisy showed him the true pleasure of the activity. She shredded one of his toys -- a long stuffed squeaky dog -- into bite-sized bits in about three minutes. In return, Conrad was delighted to jump around in the bushes while vigorously shaking one of her toys. It was hugely entertaining for everyone.
Although I did work some during the trip, the break from the usual grind was really, really good for me. I don't think I would have been able to work the monster week that I did last week -- over 70 hours (!!) of writing and editing -- without that.
By Diana Hsieh @ 1:14 PM
Given that my family rescued three excellent big black dogs over the years, I find the idea that they are significantly harder to adopt quite disconcerting. What could make people indifferent to or uninterested in them? Poor doggies!
By Diana Hsieh @ 7:58 AM Yesterday, I had to put down my horse Jackson. He was quite elderly, likely well past his mid-20s. I'd not ridden him for many years, as he was neither as large, nor as athletic, nor as obliging as my other horse Tara. Consequently, he lived an indolent and easy life as Tara's stable mate.
Jackson had not been himself for the last six months or so, perhaps in part because he developed equine cushing's disease. Something was even more amiss these last few days: he was off his feed and lying down more than usual. I was definitely worried about him on Sunday, but I wasn't sure what the problem was, nor whether it was serious. I called my vet early yesterday (Monday) morning. Shortly before the vet arrived late that afternoon, Jackson was somewhat suddenly and very clearly in the late stages of colic. He was in enormous pain -- too much to be controlled by even vast quantities of drugs. He showed no sign of improvement from the standard course of treatment. As the vet was preparing to leave, we realized that the best thing to do would be to put him down immediately, rather than allowing him to suffer for more hours in the vain hope of recovery.
So that's what we did. It was hard, but I'm certain that was the right choice.
Jackson wasn't my favorite horse. In fact, I'd have to say that I didn't like him all that much. Yet he was a reasonably good fellow, and he performed his part in my life quite well. Still, he was my horse, I did love him, and I will miss him. Tara will miss him far more, I fear.
By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM Hooray! I'm so insanely happy to report that Paul and I adopted a dog yesterday afternoon from the Front Range German Shepherd Rescue. He's a one-year-old, 70-pound German Shepherd male. He's low-key, attentive, and affectionate, but inexperienced in the ways of the world. Right now, he's a bit agitated by his unexpected change in residence. Over the next few weeks, he needs regular exercise to build muscle, training in walking gently on a leash, and instruction on playing nice with the cats and horses.
We haven't decided on a name definitively, but we're thinking "Conrad."
As any cat owner might imagine, our cats are not so pleased by the introduction of this interloper to their domain. They're in hiding.
By Greg Perkins @ 10:04 AM
In honor of Darwin's 200th birthday, here's a little evolutionary coolness to make you smile -- and want to go play with a chicken!
Seriously, this is an awesome set of adaptations; just think of the myriad feedback mechanisms at work! Plus, it made me smile... and now I want to go play with a chicken.
By Diana Hsieh @ 1:17 AM
I am utterly desperate for a dog. I miss Kate terribly, and I miss Abby now more than ever. Mostly, however, I miss the presence of a good farm dog in our lives. I miss being a pack leader. I miss being welcomed home by a wagging tail. I miss my faithful companion for feeding the horses. I miss the security of the sharp alarm bark. I miss the diligent licking of plates. I miss the silly games and antics. I miss talking to the best of listeners. I miss having my doggie friend at my side.
Paul and I adopted Kate and Abby as adults from a shelter. This time, I've said that I want puppy. I've also said that I wanted to buy a dog from a breeder, so as to avoid (as much as possible) the kind of genetic problems suffered by both Kate and Abby. (Kate had very bad hip dysplasia; Abby developed degenerative myelopathy. Both diseases are common in German Shepherds, thanks to the AKC's focus on form rather than function.)
In addition to their inherent excellent qualities as dogs, Paul and I found great pleasure in knowing that we had rescued Kate and Abby. Kate was obviously pampered in her previous home, but her orthopedic problems were quite serious. Another family might not have been able to afford the hip replacement surgery and pain management that enabled her to live so well for so long. Abby was not well-treated by her prior owner: she had been pretty seriously neglected by a [something unprintable] only interested in breeding her. She was 20 pounds underweight when we adopted her, and her behavior clearly indicated that she'd only been sporadically fed and watered. So by the kind of life we offered Kate and Abby, we helped them reach their full doggie potential. We saved them. And in turn, they rewarded us with their utmost loyalty. They were truly excellent dogs.
Undoubtedly, I want a young dog. And we're set on another German Shepherd: we like the steady temperament and strong loyalty that characterizes the breed. So perhaps we should aim for a German Shepherd between six months to a year, so that we can test for hip dysplasia before adopting him/her.
The terrible part is that I can't possibly spare the time for a new dog until the dissertation is done. So Paul and I will have to endure life without a dog for a few more months. That won't be fun. However, the prospect of rescuing another dog feels like the right course. It feels like we'll be honoring all that Kate and Abby were to us and all we were to them -- and I like that thought very much.
By Diana Hsieh @ 8:32 AM
CityRag posted a list of the best animal videos of 2008. Here are more of my favorites, both featuring weird cats, with two more to come in a future post:
By Diana Hsieh @ 11:00 AM
This morning, Paul and I had to put our much-beloved dog Kate to sleep. She was diagnosed with an abdominal fatty tumor a few weeks ago. We'd hoped that it was benign and operable. Surgery was planned for a month from now, to allow her to recover sufficiently from an independent problem, namely an infected heart valve. However, late last week, the tumor spread to her spine. Her hind end became totally paralyzed over the course of a day, leaving her unable to walk. Nothing more could be done for her. Still, saying good-bye was very painful for us.
We adopted Kate as a full-grown adult on January 5th, 2000. She was our faithful companion for nearly nine years. She was the easiest dog to live with that I've ever known: her overriding goal in life was to be a good member of the pack. And she did that superbly. In return, we gave her an easy and happy dog's life.
BEIJING (AP) -- A college student in southern China was bitten by a panda after he broke into the bear's enclosure hoping to get a hug, state media and a park employee said Saturday. The student was visiting Qixing Park with classmates on Friday when he jumped the 6.5-foot (2-meter) high fence around the panda's habitat, said the park employee, who refused to give his name. ... He said the student was bitten on the arms and legs. ...
The student was pale as he was taken away by medics but appeared clearheaded, he said. "Yang Yang was so cute, and I just wanted to cuddle him. I didn't expect he would attack," the 20-year-old student, surnamed Liu, said in a local hospital, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Didn't anyone ever tell this kid that pandas are bears?!? Or did he just think that his warm and fuzzy feelings would protect him from the tooth and claw of a dangerous wild beast? The mind boggles.
By Greg Perkins @ 2:32 PM
This is hilarious and cool! But now I can't help wondering if the connection I feel with the dogs I play with is an illusion. ;^)
By Diana Hsieh @ 8:20 AM
I've never wanted to own a sea creature as a pet before, but this octopus seems very, very naughty: "A octopus has caused havoc in his aquarium by performing juggling tricks using his fellow occupants, smashing rocks against the glass and turning off the power by shortcircuiting a lamp." And I do have a soft spot for naughty animals.
Not to worry, I don't plan to take on an octopus anytime soon. However, after I rebuild my barn this spring, I'm going to get chickens and maybe a pig. They won't be pets, however. They'll be sources of food.
By Paul Hsieh @ 7:03 AM
British scientist Stuart Derbyshire recently wrote the following essay defending the right of humans to use animals in scientific/medical research, and attacking the current UK scientific mainstream position against such research.
I thought it was especially noteworthy that he attempted to make his case on moral grounds. For instance, his article is entitled:
"Humans are more important than animals"
Also, the subheading is:
"When it comes to using animals in research, the only moral judgement should be: does it benefit humankind?"
There is very good reason for believing that human beings are special. The sheer staggering scale and richness of human culture are unlike anything in any other species. The development of medicine, industry, transportation, communication, clean water, a stable food supply, and so on, are the discernible signs of culture and progress that are evidently absent from the non-human world. The absence of such cultural development in the animal world means that their experiences are also likely to be wholly dissimilar from ours, both as a cause and consequence of their limited progress.
Arguments in favour of animal research must include an acknowledgement that human beings are special...
Derbyshire is definitely moving in the right direction, although he does not quite make the full moral case. What he lacks is the explicit identification of reason as the source of human "specialness" (although it is implicit in his argument). It is man's capacity for reason that gives rise to and explains the various unique features of human culture and behaviour Derbyshire describes. "Reason" is thus a fundamental characteristic of "man", and is why one properly defines "man" as "a rational animal".
Derbyshire also doesn't quite make the argument that reason is the source of rights and that it is precisely man's capacity for reason (and the volitional exercise thereof) that makes man's special moral status both possible and necessary:
The source of man's rights is not divine law or congressional law, but the law of identity. A is A -- and Man is Man. Rights are conditions of existence required by man's nature for his proper survival. If man is to live on earth, it is right for him to use his mind, it is right to act on his own free judgment, it is right to work for his values and to keep the product of his work. If life on earth is his purpose, he has a right to live as a rational being: nature forbids him the irrational.
This is yet another example of where Objectivist philosophy can help place others' good ideas on a more solid philosophical footing.
Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see a scientist taking a man-centered view of his work, and using benefit to man as his standard of value. I hope we will see more discussion by scientists along these lines. And I also hope that Objectivists will be contributing to this debate.
* * *
I did submit a supportive letter to Spiked, but I'm not completely satisfied with the argument I used. If anyone has ideas for better formulations aimed at an active-minded member of the general public, please offer your suggestions in the comments section. In particular, I am interested in formulations that would fit within the usual LTE word limit of 150-250 words. I also welcome any criticism of what I actually did submit. If I botched my argument or should have taken a different tack, please don't be shy in telling me!
Here is what I submitted:
Thank you for publishing Dr. Stuart Derbyshire's essay, as well as linking to his 2006 piece, "The Hard Arguments About Vivisection".
As a practicing physician, I am blessed to see daily the tremendous benefits that patients reap from scientific breakthroughs resulting from animal research -- such as new "clot buster" drugs to stop brain strokes.
I wish more scientists defended the morality of animal research on precisely the same grounds that Dr. Derbyshire does -- that it is good for people.
Dr. Derbyshire is quite right -- humans are special relative to animals, because they possess the unique faculty of reason. It is this faculty that gives rise to and explains all the manifestations of human culture that he rightly praises in his 2006 essay, such as "medicine, industry, transportation, communication". Animals exhibit none of this complex behaviour precisely because they lack the faculty of reason.
Furthermore it is man's faculty of reason, not his capacity for suffering, that makes the concept of "rights" both possible and necessary. Rights are moral principles defining and sanctioning a man's freedom of action in a social context -- principles which presuppose both volition and reason. Animals have survival needs, but not rights -- we don't say that a lion violates an antelope's "rights" when it stalks and kills the antelope. Nor does a human violate a cow's "rights" when he eats a hamburger.
If humans can morally eat animals for food, we can also properly use them for other purposes that serve human interests, such as medical research.
Thank you,
Paul Hsieh, MD Sedalia, CO USA Co-founder, Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM)
Update: My letter (along with a few others) appears here.
By Diana Hsieh @ 1:18 PM
Here at NoodleFood, we are personally committed to sharing the best in funny animal videos with you. Hence, Fabulous Ninja Fighting Kitties:
By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM
On Wednesday, I received the following e-mail from Mary Fries, the owner of Isle Farms with her husband Rod. I own a cowshare and a half with them, so that I can drink a gallon and a half of their clean, safe, and delicious raw milk each week.
I decided to post it here, with permission, because it highlights the very real evil of blind sympathy for wild animals fostered by animal rights activists. Plus, given how much I love my raw milk, I'd be delighted if others would write a supportive e-mail to the County Commissioner.
Here's the letter from Mary:
Dear Shareholders,
I realized last night that this issue pertains as much to you as it does me, so I wanted to include you and ask for your help.
Yesterday, I was out on the land, checking in on a new calf that was born this weekend. As I was standing in front of the herd, they all started running-straight towards me!-and it was all I could do to spin around one, step, spin again, and end up leaning up again the barb-wired fence. Right behind the cows, at full run, were a pack of wild dogs. One was a pit bull-who headed straight for me. I grabbed an old fence post that was by my feet, and that detoured him from coming closer. He and the other dogs left without further prodding.
This is a good summary of what the news was talking about a few weeks ago, about the dogs here in Ellicott. We personally have been fighting this problem from the get-go. The law regarding wild dogs is this -- you can only shoot them if they are in the midst of attacking your livestock. Many times Rod has gone out there with the shotgun, while the dogs were in the midst of chasing the cows, but by the time he gets in range, the dogs see him coming, and run off.
I phoned Amy Lathen (County Commissioner) almost immediately yesterday. She headed up the plan to finally get these dogs under control, after years of complaints from residents. When I explained what happened, she said she had a contract ready to go with the USDA for the trapping, but they were dragging their feet. Apparently, after the news ran the segment, they got so many emails from not just Colorado Springs residents, but throughout the country, and all the way from INDIA!!, with people berating their efforts as inhumane.
I'm all for animals, but the people emailing do not have any idea of what the farmers and ranchers face when these things happen. For our farm, and many others in the area, this is part of our livelihood. These dogs are WILD, and the situations that are arising, are downright dangerous for both livestock and humans. And humane -- what about the cows? They stress from being chased, and having to fight them off!
I'm asking that all of you take a second and email Amy, let her know that you are behind her effort to help our community keep ourselves and our livestock safe. You can say anything -- a short "we are behind you in your efforts" to "I have ownership in livestock in Ellicott, and support you in helping keep them safe". Whatever you can do, I think she was pretty beat up over this whole thing.
Although -- her final words to me were "That's it. We are going to do this." Here is her email -- AmyLathen@elpasoco.com
Huge thanks to you all, from me AND the cows :o)
One more thing -- after the cows stampeded past me yesterday, they ran in a U shape, and I was trying to figure out why they didn't run VERY far away. Then I happened to notice, surrounded by 18 pairs of hooves, a little head popping up out of the grass -- Baby Dolla :o) They weren't going anywhere with that baby unprotected... what good cows :o)
Mary
Here's the letter that I wrote to the County Commissioner:
Dear Ms Lathen,
I'm a resident of Douglas County, but I have livestock in Ellicott. (I have shares in Mary and Rod Fries' herd.)
I'm very concerned to hear of the wild dogs that have been periodically terrorizing their farm, putting people and livestock at risk. So I wish to express my wholehearted support for the county doing whatever is necessary to neutralize the threat posed by these wild dogs.
Human lives and property should not be at the mercy of dangerous feral dogs due to misplaced public sympathy for them. Human beings and human concerns should come first!
Thank you for your efforts to take care of the problem.
(Please feel free to forward this letter to whomever you please, if that would be helpful to you.)
-- DMH
Please feel free to write your own brief letter of support to the County Commissioner (AmyLathen@elpasoco.com). She needs some moral support for her totally just decision to prioritize humans and livestock over dangerous feral dogs. Basically, it's a good opportunity for a wee bit of activism against the animal rights crusaders. And it could make a great deal of difference to the safety and welfare of the people and livestock terrorized by these dogs.
Now banned in Boston, perhaps because of the risk that they might bring too much happiness to the humans involved.
The Massachusetts House has passed a bill that would outlaw pet rental in Massachusetts:
The bill, filed by Representative Paul K. Frost, Republican of Auburn, outlaws pet-rental companies because of what he called "public health, public safety, consumer concerns, and ethical issues."
"I'm very pleased we were able to get it passed today and engrossed in the House," Frost said. "It's a kind of business model that fosters disposable pets."
Let's unpack that one, shall we?
People presumably rent pets because they enjoy them but have decided they're really unfit to own one. Or perhaps they are unsure whether they want a pet so they want to try it out first. Isn't it better that these people don't proceed directly to pet ownership? And doesn't this create a larger pool of potential owners, as potentially responsible pet owners, originally unsure of their fitness and so abstaining from ownership, learn first-hand that they really would be a great pet owner?
Now, consider the following facts about the pet rental business in question:
All of the pets are rescued animals who have been socialized and trained.
The pet rental company lets you adopt a pet you like.
The pets aren't kenneled, but live in homes when they're not being rented.
After they've passed rental age, they're placed into permanent homes and provided for by the pet rental business -- for life.
Any pet rental company with crazed animals is going to go out of business, after which its owners will be sued into oblivion.
The only way to sell a desirable product -- an enjoyable animal companion, in this case -- is by treating it very, very well.
Read more of the FAQ at FlexPetz and you'll realize just how well those pets are treated. I don't think that the people who are against pet rental have actually read the FAQ and understood how ethically that business operates. It's clear that pet rental is a perfect option for animals in shelters and pounds that no-one is adopting, but who are otherwise adoptable. Would the animal activists prefer that these animals languish in shelters with no human attention for the last miserable days of their lives?
Frankly, I think pet rental will promote pet adoption. And for those pets no-one wants to adopt, at least they'll be treated very well simply because of the profit motive, and because they will never have to spend time with a human who isn't 100% excited to have them around.
None of this is to say that animals, even those humans adopt as pets, have any legal rights. They don't. But it is possible to pass judgment on whether a person's behavior towards an animal is moral or immoral. FlexPetz looks decidedly moral.
For the people opposed to this business, I think happiness is a miserable puppy. Lonely animals on death row in shelters give them something to vent their nihilistic rage about.
E-mail Diana Hsieh
Comments
Over the past few years, I've struggled to keep Tara sound enough to ride. She is pretty old at 26, and she was ridden hard as a polo pony in her youth. Consequently, she has various arthritic ailments. This fall, for example, she developed problems in her stifles that I was able to fix with a higher-protein diet, exercise, hind shoes and pads, and bute. (The stifle is the knee-like joint high on the hind leg.) The diet and exercise helped her put on much-needed muscle, while the hind shoes elevated the heels for a better joint angle. The bute -- think aspirin for horses -- decreased the inflammation in the joint. 
Happily, a few weeks ago, I was delighted to see that she was trotting normally in the pasture. So I trotted her out in the ring a bit, and she was still fine. (Sometimes a horse will look sound in the pasture due to excitement about something. So one has to do a controlled test.) Her back was still a bit sore, but nothing like it had been. So I scheduled an appointment with the vet, so that he could take a look, to see what might be done next. However, by the time he came on Friday, her back was basically completely fine: we could not get her to flinch. He was pretty surprised, I think. He said that I could and should start riding her again -- lots of walking and bending, then some trotting. Basically, I'll need to start her very slow and gently.
Yesterday, I had to put down my horse Jackson. He was quite elderly, likely well past his mid-20s. I'd not ridden him for many years, as he was neither as large, nor as athletic, nor as obliging as my other horse Tara. Consequently, he lived an indolent and easy life as Tara's stable mate.
