Rabbits love Radishes

We buy our rabbit some radishes when it is on sale in the store. He loves munching on them. Last year, we grew radishes in our garden just so he could have some fresh ones.  It did not last very long but our bunny Wubzy truly loved it!

Showing in the photo is him eating the store bought  radish.

Animal Shelter and Rescue Support

The African continent is home to some of the most beautiful and unique wildlife on the planet. However, the livelihood of some animals is endangered due to human activity such as development, agriculture and warfare. Innocent animals often suffer as a result of intentional human actions. 

Fortunately, there are organizations throughout Africa that are dedicated towards rescuing wildlife that's endangered. For example, there are wildlife sanctuaries that operate for the sole purpose of keeping certain animals contained in a protective environment. National parks are also maintained with the goal of protecting the wild population of certain species including lions, cheetahs and leopards.

In Africa, Chimpanzees are suffering due to activities such as booby traps and deforestation. These unique and intelligent creatures deserve a safe and happy home. Sometimes, orphan Chimps are left all alone to survive in an unforgiving terrain.

There are sanctuaries that house Chimpanzees that have been separated from their families for a number of different reasons. Rescue centers are dedicated towards nurturing these monkeys until a permanent safe haven is found for them. For example, zoos from all over the world may be interested in adopting Chimps that are held in sanctuaries throughout Africa.

Caring individuals can donate now to rescue centers in Africa. Non profit organizations need money to operate facilities dedicated towards sheltering vulnerable animals of the African continent. Charities often rely heavily on private donations rather than any state funding. Individuals can make a difference by giving generous gifts to legitimate animal rescue centers. 

Baby Wild Bunny

This little bunny has lost its way. 

She couldn't find her Mommy

I stopped from my jog 

watch her for  a while and 

took some snapshots.

She was shaking as she stared at me

Seems scared and keep her guard

So after taking photos

I left her alone.

Considering Buying a Dog? Health Care is Important Too!

Owning a pet is a huge responsibility. While a dog can enrich your life beyond all doubt, there are certain responsibilities and considerations before purchasing a pet that one must consider. Being a responsible pet owner should be at the forefront of ones mind before they purchase an animal and take them into their homes and hearts. While the notion of owning a pet is wonderful, it is important to realize that health care costs can be expensive. Food, as well as appropriate bedding and toys, are important but it is vital that one considers the importance of pet health care before purchasing a dog.

Dogs have particularly complex needs, and much like parenting there is no right or wrong way to handle your dogs well-being. There are general guidelines that all responsible pet owners should follow to ensure the health and wellbeing of their pet. For example, all dogs need a balanced diet. This includes a mix of dry and wet dog food as well as plentiful access to clean water throughout the day. Likewise, a dog should be walked at least twice a day. The length of the walk should be considered by the size of the dog. Should you have a larger breed of dog, then the walk will need to be considerably longer than that of a dog of a much smaller breed.

Exercise and diet is critical to a dogs well-being, but there are critical health care checks that need to be carried out to ensure that your pooch is being well cared for.

You need to check daily for any obvious signs of injury or discomfort. As our dogs love to explore they can be hurt along the way by a variety of things. A quick daily once over will ensure that any injuries incurred can be dealt with accordingly ensuring that your pet is not in pain. Should you discover that your dog is in pain, and the cause looks relatively minor, then you self diagnose online using a variety of animal welfare websites. Conversely, if you are unsure of what the problem if, take your dog to your local vet for a check up.

Importantly, you need to consider your animal’s health on an annual basis. Your dog should be taken to the vets on a yearly basis for a ‘health MOT’. Ask your vet for advice about vaccination, neutering, and parasite treatments. Likewise, a wide range of prescriptions can be purchased online via 365 Vet.

If you are still definite that you want to own a dog, then you need to take into consideration certain breeds will have certain health implications. some breeds has physical attributes that can cause suffering if left untreated, whilst others are prone to genetic illnesses. Do your research before buying a dog.

Remember, before you decide to purchase a dog, then you need to consider that certain breeds are subject to certain health and behavioural problems. While the breed is not a sole factor for their behavior, it is important to investigate how the dog has been reared and what environment it has been raised in. 

Woodpecker

When I came home from school a week ago, I was about to let my dogs out but I peeked in our door window first and then saw this woodpecker feasting on the bird's brick food we put in the backyard.

I hurriedf up and get my camera, change the lens so I can zoom a bit more and took some shots.

I love  woodpeckers colors.  I am glad that they are now slowly invading our backyard again.  Which reminds me, I need to buy more seed bricks for them.

According to Wikipedia

The woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts. The Picidae are just one of the eight living families in the order Piciformes. Members of the order Piciformes, such as the jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, toucans, and honeyguides, have traditionally been thought to be very closely related to the woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. 

More recently, DNA sequence analyses have confirmed this view. There are about 200 species and about 30 genera in this family. Many species are threatened or endangered due to loss of habitat or habitat fragmentation. Two species of woodpeckers, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the Imperial Woodpecker, have been considered extinct for about 30 years (there has been some controversy recently whether these species still exist).

Tips to Make Your Cat and Dog Best Buddies

A lot of people talk about the ‘war’ going on between cats and dogs. Although sometimes, cats and dogs do turn into sworn enemies, this isn’t due to ‘nature’. This is due to past experiences they may have had with that species. Plus, dogs and cats do communicate in a slightly different manner. For example, cats swing their tails to show displeasure, while dogs wag theirs to show happiness and excitement. Despite their differences, the two can still become firm friends if treated in the right way. By keeping both pets instincts and interests in mind, you can easily train them to become best buddies:

Tips

• A puppy and a kitten are unlikely to have had any bad experiences with the other, so they’ll get along much easier than grown cats and dogs. If you’re thinking of having one of each, it makes sense to get them when they’re small. If they grow up together they can form a great bond, but you should still supervise playtime as the kitten is always going to be more fragile than the dog.
• Train your dog to chase small toys but not the kitten to make sure he grows up respecting smaller animals. 
• You need to be careful depending on the kind of breed of dog you have/want. You should never bring a cat home if you have a herding dog, terrier, or hound. These dogs naturally see a cat as prey and their instincts teach them to catch and kill prey. 
• Remember that the introduction part will take time; anything from a few days to a few weeks. Cats are territorial so it only makes sense to make the introduction slowly. Make sure you make time for both pets in their own space, and don’t neglect the older pet because of the new pet. The goal is to reassure them both that there’s room for more than one. 
• You can keep your dog on a lead during early meetings with you cat, so that you can restrain him or discipline him should he try anything funny. You shouldn’t allow them to get too close until they are used to the site of the other one. 
• A cat should have their own special place they can go on their own for at least a week. This place should be off limits to the dog. Make sure the cat has everything they need in that room. This will make your cat feel much more secure, just ensure that you don’t like your dog sniff around outside the room as this will unsettle them. 
• Cats and dogs get to know each other by scent first, so get something with their smell on it and introduce it to the other one, then reverse the process before introducing them. This should take a few days.
• Make sure your cat’s litter box is inaccessible to the dog, as your cat can feel threatened and choose to go somewhere else in the home due to this invasion of privacy.
• Visit this website to learn a lot more about cats and dogs in general, and even find the next member of your pet family!

Follow these tips and your cat and dog will be playing and having a great time together very soon!

Image Author: Flickr

Wolf Breed Dog?

We saw this wolf-looking dog staring at us so intently  when we were driving to the museum in Cleveland last year.  I took a picture of him  with his fierce look lol.  He look like he wanted to attack the women with a camera hahaha.  Not sure what kind of breed is this dog, can you tell?  Is this a Siberian Husky?

How I Turned My Garden Into a Wildlife Haven

There was a glut of garden makeover programs in the nineties and noughties that made use of too much hard paving, gravel, and modern water features. I always thought that this style of gardening wasn’t very friendly to the local wildlife. Therefore, after seeing now not to do things, I set off to redesign my own garden to be wildlife friendly.

It’s not a difficult project to take on, as nature will do most of the work for you if left alone. Here are some of the ways I encouraged native species to live, or visit, my garden.

Natural Pond

A natural pond is far superior, in my humble opinion, to the modern features that trickle or spray water. My pond needs no power supply as there is no pump, waterfall, or fountain. It is just a crystal clear, healthy home for the little critters. This is the method I used to create it.

Dig a hole for the pond. Make it as large as possible and at least two feet deep at one end. Half of the pond should have a gentle slope down to the waterline so that creatures can get in and out of the water easily.

Place a layer of sand over the bottom and sides of the hole. Make it two inches thick if possible. This is to protect the liner from damage.

Put the pond liner in place and fill the pond with water. This will help the liner to take shape.

Hide all of the liner edges by building a pebble beach or burying them.

Fill the pond with plants that will give oxygen to the water. Your local aquatics shop will be able to advise you of the best plants to use.

And that is it. The pond established itself over the next year and is now home to a happy ecosystem of its own.

Attract Birds

I love wild birds, seeing them and listening to them. To try and tempt them into my garden, I installed some beautiful bird houses from birdboxkits.com. They were easy to assemble and fit, and I even have a camera in one of them so that I can watch some eggs hatch.

Let Nature Do Its Thing

I have simply left a large area of my garden alone so that nature can move in. Once a year I work it over with a trimmer to keep the weed growth down, and this seems to work well. There is an abundance of butterflies and bees in the garden that are attracted by the flowers on what people categorize as weeds.

Even The Little Creatures Need a Home

There is a small corner of my garden where I have stacked old bricks and wood, making sure that there are gaps between the bricks where insects can make a home. They have immigrated in their millions. Myself and my children placed an old wooden board on the ground and left it alone for a couple of months. We returned to check if there was anything living under it and was astounded at the variety of creatures there. Empty jam jars are put to good use in our house; I can tell you.

Our garden may not be the neatest or the tidiest, but it is home to zillions of little bugs and creatures who are happy that I have designed it that way. So, if you disagree with me, i’m afraid you are out voted by a wide margin. Be kind to our little friends.

Dentastix #Pedigree

I tried to brush my  dogs teeth but they are not comfortable with it so I just buy this Pedigree Dentastix for them to chew and make their breath fresher.  

Our JRT, Champ takes his sweet time when I give him this. I think that the mint  flavor was too strong for him.

Bolt, on the other hand, chewed his right away and was watching  Champ.  I think he was thinking "I would love to have another" lol.

Bolt turned two years old and Champ will be  five years old.  We will soon schedule their annual check up.