Happy Halloween!!

Do You Have A Dog Biscuit in Your Pants?

The crotch sniffing needs to stop!

The moment of embarrassment: Your having a nice conversation with the new neighbor when out of the blue your dog walks up and shoves her nose into their crotch!  I can feel the heat rise to my head, nervous giggle, turning red, apology.....get me out of here!

Needless to say, the new neighbor does not appreciate the familiarity. It’s not very pleasant when your dog does it to you, either. But why do dogs do it? What makes your dog, shove her nose where it doesn’t belong and try to take a good long whiff like she's never seen you before? 

Well, unlike humans, dogs rely on their keen sense of smell to tell them a great deal about the world. It’s estimated that dogs have 220 million sense receptors in their nostrils. Humans have a mere five million. They can tell a lot more about the world by smelling than we can. When a dog wants to really “know” something, instinct and experience have taught him to smell a thing.

Not only does your dog rely on his nose to know a thing, but canine social interaction teaches him that it’s polite to get to know other dogs from the rear first. If dogs meet face to face for the first time it can be dangerous.That’s where the teeth are. It’s wiser to take things slowly and meet head to tail. So dogs greeting each other for the first time sniff each other’s behinds.This is more than simply being polite. They can tell a lot of information about each other by smelling each other’s bottoms. A dog’s anal glands are located in the rear. Anal glands give off lots of scent for marking. By smelling this scent dogs can get an idea of the other dog’s age, health, sex and other important information. They can tell things like his attitude and whether the other dog is hostile to him. This kind of dog behavior goes right back to their wolf ancestors and it’s very ingrained so it’s no wonder that dogs tend to use similar behavior when they meet other animals and people.They look for the smelliest part of other animals to get an idea of their status and intentions.

Thus, when dogs meet people they see no reason why they shouldn’t go for the crotch and check it out. Your dog is merely behaving the way he behaves around other animals and other dogs. People may not have anal glands but your dog is looking for a place on the body that does contain a high proportion of human scent glands. Your dog can tell a lot about a person by sniffing in such a personal place. It’s no reflection on the person and not any sign that the person is “smelly.” Your dog is just being a normal, nosy dog and looking for personal information. They say that curiosity killed the cat but dogs are probably even nosier. They don’t seem to believe that humans have any right to privacy. They are just checking on you, making sure things haven’t changed since the last time they checked.

Of course, dogs don’t “have” to get so up close and personal to be able to tell a lot about you. It’s more of a bad habit. They are perfectly able to smell all they want about your personal parts from some distance away. You can teach your dog to give a more polite greeting (in human terms). You can teach your dog to sit when he starts to sniff you, or to sniff a hand instead of your crotch. However, you shouldn't try to punish your dog for sniffing crotches. Your dog will probably be confused if you yell at him or punish him for doing something that seems so natural to him. Teaching your dog to do something more acceptable instead is usually a better approach. You can distract them with a noise, a squeaky, or a treat and start teaching them the substitute behavior.

Any comments or funny stories? Leave them below. :)

Information from Wayne Booth, dog training blogger

Agreed!

Soi Dog Movie

This is from 2011:

The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) is pleased to announce the release of the full-length feature documentary Soi Dogs, produced by Environment Films. You may view a 3 minute trailer of the film above. The 66-minute documentary is far from the standard charity campaign film. Although it does give an insight into the day-to-day challenges of the foundation, it is also a human story, one that combines tragedy and compassion with humour and excitement. It is inspirational and involving throughout and is suitable for the entire family to watch.

The documentary enjoyed its premiere screening at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, and received a standing ovation from the capacity audience and is now available for ordering online! (please see ordering details at the bottom of this page). The movie made it's southern hemisphere debut in Melbourne, Australia in January of 2010 and raised over $12,000 dollars in donations. If you might be interested in hosting a regional showing of the movie please contact us at info@soidog.org.

Director Ella Todd describes her time with the foundation as: "A wonderful strain. During filming, we saw dogs that had been shot, attacked by machetes, even set on fire, yet these stoic animals still managed to find trust in people. We saw first-hand what a remarkable charity the SDF is: A charity full of hope and one that is making significant progress and a real difference, not only to the individual dogs but also the bigger picture. Soi Dogs is a combination human-and-animal story and is designed to inspire, not disturb. Had we produced a film that solely depicts the reality of the suffering that the dogs endure, sadly we wouldn't have an audience. We are delighted by the response the documentary has so far received and are confident that having watched it, people will reach out even farther to help those that in Thailand are considered a nuisance but who in the West we consider our best friends.

"Leaving the UK to retire to Thailand sounds like a dream, but a dream can quickly become a nightmare, and paradise can turn on you in a second. Following key members of Soi Dog carrying out their daily responsibilities, this documentary is a testament to their valour, compassion and dedication in helping the estimated 20,000 dogs living wild in Phuket. Faced with horror and inhumanity each day, the foundation's managers battle on regardless, but when adversity turns into incomprehensible personal tragedy, is their will strong enough to fight another day?" 

Thanks Snoopy :)

Sister Mary Mia

Happy Birthday Stinky Princess

Today is Mia's 6th Birthday! I can remember the day I saw her at the Naples FL Humane Society...she was 7 months old and 40lbs and I knew she was meant for me :) For the last 5 years she has been the best part of my day, always making me laugh and constantly amazing me with her unique personality.  She has encouraged my passion for spreading the word about "used" and unwanted pets and adopting shelter animals. "Someone else's trash is another (wo)man's treasure"...isn't that what they say? It's true! She is amazing! Happy Birthday, stinky girlfriend.