How Dogs See Colors — Limited Color Vision, Not Black & White
August 21, 2009
The Puplife.com site has a very good article on canine vision, here. Humans, as you know are trichromats with three channels for processing color information. Dogs are dichromats, having only two. This means that they have limited color vision, not black and white vision as was once commonly thought.
As they say towards the bottom of the article the best ball you could get for your dog’s vision would be colored white and purple for contrast against most backgrounds, especially the green of your yard’s grass, assuming you have some left. I have a three year old Labrador who is ball crazy and her racing, sudden turns and leaps in the air to catch her favorite ball is in direct opposition to a lush green yard.
Below are two examples I’ve created using a program called Sim Daltonism. The image on the left side represents normal human color vision; the right hand image is how your dog would see the same scene. Click on the images for larger size.
Do You Know the 6 Key Factors in Getting Bitten by a Dog?
August 10, 2009
There’s an interesting site run by attorney Kenneth M. Phillips whose entire practice revolves around representing people who have been bitten by dogs.The site is packed with information and I’ve only just begun to read it in depth.
He states there’s an epidemic of dog bites in America today. I’ve read other opinions on this elsewhere yet his position does not surprise me. Consult a divorce lawyer and he’ll tell you: you need a divorce; a bankruptcy attorney will counsel you to file Chapter 11, a real estate attorney will tell you to buy land (they’re not making any more of it, he’ll say).
What I did find fascinating was his list of 6 key factors involved in dog bites. They make a great deal of sense to me. Clearly more effort must be made to educate dog owners (and the general population that comes into contact with dogs) about these six facts.
1. A dog in its own yard, and no master present. In 2008, 78% of the human fatalities were by dogs in their own yard.
2. Pit bull, Rottweiler, Akita or Chow. Most fatal dog attacks are by pit bulls. In 2008, 65% of the fatalities were by pit bulls.
3. The pack mentality. Three dogs are worse than 2, 4 are worse than 3, etc. Docile dogs often become uncharacteristically violent and vicious when they are in a pack. In 2008, 39% of the fatalities involved multiple dogs.
4. Chained or tethered. Dogs that are tied up are dangerous. In 2008, 9% of the fatalities involved chained dogs.
5. Male. Male dogs are several times more dangerous than female dogs. Un-neutered male dogs are the worst.
6. Newness. A new dog in the house is dangerous for the first 60 days, and a person who is new to a household where a dog resides is in danger of attack for the first 60 days. In 2007 and 2008, 20% of fatal dog attacks involved a new person or dog sharing a household for a period of two months or less.
— Phillips, Kenneth M. from the home page of Dog Bite Law. http://www.dogbitelaw.com/ Updated on 6/30/09, accessed on 8/10/09.
This Just In: Domestication of Dogs Location and Date in History Still Unclear
August 10, 2009
Sometimes what we learn is how much we still don’t know. Through the study of mitochondrial DNA, (genes passed along the matriarchal line) we know that domestic dogs are derived from the population of Eurasian grey wolves sometime between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago.
Here’s the logic: the most genetically diverse current dog population today should be found in the location that this gradual transformation first occurred. A 2002 study put this in East Asia. Now a more recent study shows a similar level of diversity in dogs in Africa. Africa itself cannot be where this transformation took place because they are no grey wolves that adapted to this climate.
What this means is the assumption that dogs became ‘man’s best friend’ in East Asia is brought into question. To solve this riddle definitively more DNA studies will be required in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.
For the complete story from the National Geographic, go here.
Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach
August 2, 2009
I was in a lakeside dog park this weekend and ran into a women who is active in the local political scene dealing with the proposed culling of deer in South Western CT.
We spoke for a while about the biased coverage in the local press; hunters are the reasonable ones who want to prevent you from dying when your car strikes an errant deer or contracting Lyme disease. Animal Rights Activists are shrill, un-American crazies who want to take your guns and rights away.
She told me about Gary L. Francione‘s blog Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Francione takes a strict vegan approach to animal rights, here’s part of his mission statement:
The mission of this website is to provide a clear statement of a non-violent approach to animal rights that (1) requires the abolition of animal exploitation and rejects the regulation of animal exploitation; (2) is based only on animal sentience and no other cognitive characteristic, and (3) regards veganism as the moral baseline of the animal rights position.
Now I’ll admit up front that tonight I’m grilling cedar plank catfish and I’m well-known for my orange-ginger pork chops, so I’m not as good a person as Francione. Although I do like the line about vegetarians being people who are too insensitive to hear a carrot scream. Still, I enjoy reading points of view that differ from my own in areas of particular interest. So I plan on delving deeper into Franciones’ writings.
Along these lines I will also point you to Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully which provides powerful arguments against our current practices.
150 Dead Dogs Packed in Freezers in Dearborn, Michigan
July 27, 2009
A mentally ill man in Dearborn, Michigan was taken to a hospital for observation after 150 dead dogs were found packed in freezers in his home. 112 dogs were found living in the house which, as you would expect, was filthy, cluttered and reeking of feces and urine. Crews removingthe dogs needed masks to breath while removing the dogs. For the complete story, go here.
The reason I felt it necessary to highlight this tragic story is to bring up the issue of Animal Hoarding, a topic that today is considered a true psychological disorder. In many cases these are people who begin rationally enough, sheltering or fostering dogs or cats. Then at some point they slip over the line from care to neglect and abuse. There is an absolute limit, a finite number of companion animals that any one individual can safely maintain in a private home or apartment.
There’s some excellent material on the Tufts University website about this issue, here. Also, the website AnimalHoarding.com offers an in-depth look at this tragic issue.
If you know anyone who is approaching or exceeding the limit of responsible care for animals of any type, please intervene before the situation gets worse. The isolation of animal hoarders is the worst thing that can happen to them and their animals.
“Rescue Ink” fights Animal Abuse on the National Geographic Channel in September, 2009
July 23, 2009
You take a look at us, and maybe your first reaction is to cross to the other side of the street. Just remember to look both ways before you do.
We’re not a gang, vigilantes or a social organization, but we do have that certain “in your face” style when it comes to animal abusers.
You may find us hanging out together at a hot rod show, tattoo parlors, or even hitting up the blacktop together on our bikes for a little road trip, but the main thing that brings us together is our love of animals.
We met because we were all doing the same thing on our spare time: rescuing and finding homes for abandoned and abused animals. None of us did it for money; we did it because we cannot stand by while anyone mistreats an animal! — from their website, www.rescueink.org
I’m asking everyone who reads this post to watch this program for two reasons: 1. I love the concept of getting in the face of animal abusers, and 2. Batso is a neighbor of mine.
Please spread the word about this show!
Massive 7 State Crackdown on Dog Fighting Rings
July 23, 2009
Associated Press photo of Humane Society officials removing dogs from a location in St. Louis.
July 9, 2009. Yesterday, authorities seized more than 400 dogs and charged 26 people from seven states in what Humane Society officials are calling one of the largest crackdowns on dog fighting in the United States.
State and federal agents staged multiple raids, charging individuals in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas following a more-than-year-long investigation originally tipped off by the Humane Society of Missouri.
In Missouri, prosecutors said members of a multi-state ring routinely denied the dogs medical treatment and “destroyed” injured dogs who were no longer able to fight by shooting them “in the head, throwing them into the river or burning them in a barrel.”
For the complete article by Amelia Glynn from the San Francisco Chronicle, go here.
India’s Stray Dog Solution: Sterilize 8 Million Dogs over the Next Decade
July 23, 2009
Previously, we wrote about China and their brutal solution to pet over-population and rampant rabies infections (dog beating squads). Now India, which vies with China for having the world’s worst rabies problem, has announced their response: a plan by The Central Ministry of Environment & Forests to sterilize 8 million dogs over the next decade.
For the complete article by Govind Singh at the EcoWorldly site, go here.
We applaud India for taking this humane track in dealing with these twin issues.
Now I guess it’s time for me to forgive them for sending us the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Off Topic Trivia: Did you know that John Lennon’s song Sexy Sadie on The White album was written about the Maharishi? The title and lyrics were changed at the request of George Harrison prior to recording.
After the yogi allegedly tried to force himself sexually on Mia Farrow, the Beatles promptly split from Rishikesh, India. When the Maharishi asked why they were leaving, Lennon is reported to have said, “If you’re so cosmic, you’ll know why.”
Today, there is general agreement by those who were there that such an assault did not take place.
The abrupt departure had more to do with John’s volatile temperament and his dissatisfaction with this particular spiritual path. There is no doubt that the Beatles, as a whole, were phenomenally productive while in India, writing almost all the songs for The White Album during their stay.
Maharishi, what have you done
You made a fool of everyone
You made a fool of everyone
Maharishi, ooh, what have you done
Maharishi you broke the rules
You laid it down for all to see
You laid it down for all to see
Maharishi, ooh, you broke the rules
One sunny day the world was waiting for a lover
He came along to turn on everyone
Maharishi, the greatest of them all
Maharishi, how did you know
The world was waiting just for you
The world was waiting just for you
Maharishi, ooh, how did you know
Maharishi, you’ll get yours yet
However big you think you are
However big you think you are
Maharishi, ooh, you’ll get yours yet
We gave him everything we owned
Just to sit at his table
Just a smile would lighten everything
Maharishi, he’s the latest and the greatest of them all
Ha, he made a fool of everyone, Maharishi
Ha, however big you think you are, Maharishi
New York Times begins weekly column on raising a puppy
July 23, 2009
Jill Abramson has begun a new weekly column, The Puppy Diaries in the New York Times. It is slated to run for the first full year of her new dog’s life. Based on the first entry, I think it will become required reading around here. Click on image for larger size.
“Dog Beating” Squads used in China to Curb Rabies; 35,000 Dogs Killed in Shaanxi Province
July 1, 2009
Another city in China has come under the enforcement of the one-dog per family rule, already in place in Beijing and other cities. This time it is the affluent city of Guangzhou in Southern China. This adds to the previous restriction of size: no dogs over 14 inches. The neighbor who turns you in for having an over-sized dogs receives a reward. This is from reporting by Toby Green in The Independent. For the complete article, go here.
Animal activists world wide predictably, understandably protested.
But the worst is yet to come.
To combat a major problem with rabies 35,000 dogs have already been killed in the Shaanxi Province by “dog-beating” teams. Beating the stray and abandoned dogs to death in the street was determined to be the most practical method, according to a government source. A small, positive note can be heard in the news that 360,000 dogs in the countryside will be vaccinated.
The contradictions here are hard for me to wrap my brain around. A few very elite, extremely pampered dogs wear a fashionable a outfit that changes daily while dog meat is still served at city restaurants.
It’s especially popular in the winter months because it is believed to warm the blood. Again, predictably, the dog’s penis is considered an aphrodisiac. These are classic example of Magical Thinking. It’s the same reason people have long believed powdered rhinoceros horn is Nature’s Viagra. Maybe if you take pills shaped like the Empire State Building . . .
Can you imagine the outcry that would occur if in Boston, MA or Atlanta, GA the city government forced pet owners with more than one dog to get rid of the other members of the pack? Then had teams of men catching and beating to death all the strays and abandoned dogs?
We live in world awash in lethal weapons and lethal chemicals. There are simply better ways, more humane ways to cull a mass of dogs. It’s a display of human savagery in my view. The real long term solution is mandated spay and neuter programs. Of course, America falls short by this measure, too.
I find it odd that we use the world ‘humane’ when we protest animal sadism. It is only we humans who can choose to behave so badly. What must it do to the minds of the presumably young men who take this job? Or the young man who is attracted to this job?
How do you reconcile all these different attitudes towards dogs all existing simultaneously in the same culture? Dogs in high fashion and dog meat on the dinner plate. Pet dogs considered family members, dogs beaten in the street. China seems like two worlds, modern and ancient existing in the same time and place.
I could give you more inane generalizations like the previous one, but suddenly I am run over by a truck!