MORE Interesting Dog Facts

(That lightning is TOO close!)

Hi everyone.

We are having storms today and my nerves are a bit frayed!  Storms don't usually frighten me much but today I'm having a little trouble with it.  So, since I'm not at the top of my mental game, I thought I'd not try to be quick, sharp, and humorous in my blog and just pull out a few of my dog facts for your reading pleasure.  Hope you enjoy!

‘Frito Feet’ is the name of the phenomenon in which the bacteria on a dog’s paws cause them to smell like corn chips. Because a pup’s feet are in constant contact with the ground, they pick up tons of microorganisms in their paws. When dogs cool off by sweating through the pads of their feet, the combo of moisture and bacteria releaces a nutty, popcorn-like aroma. Basically it’s dog B.O.

          I've heard people say that corgis have intense cases of frito feet, but I don't usually have that problem myself.  My beagle mix sister, Lucy, is the frito footer in our house.  I think she smells, well, tasty!

Last time I shared dog facts, I spoke of the chow chow having a black or blue tongue.  Well, here's another bit of trivia about the chow chow tongue.  The Chinese who first bred the chow chow believed that these dogs licked away the clouds and some of the sky was left on their tongues.

          I haven't tasted sky, but I've rarely passed up the opportunity to taste anything, so I'd be willing to give it a go!

Speaking of the Chinese, In ancient China, people used to keep warm by putting dogs up their sleeves.  Just imagine humans running around with a Pekingese up their sleeve.  Haha!  (Some people said the dogs were up there as defense method instead of a way to keep warm.)

          We aren't Chinese; my mama calls us rednecks or even hillbillies.  She says dogs are to keep the humans warm in bed on cold nights.  When my sisters and I climb on the bed to snuggle, mama says this is a Three Dog Night!.

(Lucy has some thin hair and gets cold even when there is plenty of snuggling going on.)

One last Chinese fact: Kublai Khan, who established the Yuan Dynasty of ancient China, had the possession of 5,000 Mastiffs, the most dogs ever owned by a single person.

          Have you ever known a Mastiff?  5,000 Mastiffs would equal an unimaginable vat of doggie drool!!  

I saw a handsome pit bull fellow at the dog park the other day and, despite the rules against it, he had on a spiked collar.  That brought to mind this fact:  Spiked dog collars were used in ancient Greece to protect dogs' throats from wolf attacks.

Final fact on this stormy day:  The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in seventeenth-century England. During heavy rainstorms, many homeless animals would drown and float down the streets, giving the appearance that it had actually rained cats and dogs.

          This is an interesting fact, yet I can't help that it makes me sad.  Imagine those poor doggies (okay, and kitties too) living out on their own and having to fight the elements without a mama or daddy to help keep them safe.   While my human parents sometimes fail to serve me as quickly or efficiently as they should, I am thankful to be part of a family and have MOST of my needs met.  Friends, please remember to give as you are able of your time, supplies, and funds so that stray and abandoned companion animals can have a great life.  Like mine!

Til next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

 (The END!)

  NOTE:   All interesting dogs facts listed in this article were taken from material publicly  posted by various sources on the internet.  I did not actually research or write any of this material myself.

Easter Lookback

(Here I am, supervising the backyard egg hunt)

Hi everyone!  This blog post is a day late--yesterday was Easter and I took the day off to relax and enjoy a family celebration.  My human grandparents and some of my human aunts, uncles, and cousins came to visit; my mama's friend and our favorite dog sitter Vicky also showed up!  I got lots of petting and scratching, not to mention the random scrap of Easter ham and some goodies out of the Easter eggs!  I enjoy a good family gathering and this one was quite nice.

Anytime we have a gathering coming up, my mama spends several days in the kitchen.  She loves to cook, and we are all quite grateful for that!  I try to help her as I am able; my short legs and lack of opposible thumbs limit my culinary abilities, but I'm all over the floor clean-up duties.

(Mama is a messy chef; I work hard to keep the area clean and free from spills and dropped items.)

Easter can be a very disappointing holiday for corgis...it seems the main traditions of Easter revolve around chocolate candy.  Mama and daddy insist that chocolate is bad for dogs; I'm always willing to take the risk and eat a little (or a lot) but my parents just won't allow it.  This year, mama said that even the kids were getting too much chocolate and so she filled Easter eggs with other things like animal crackers, marshmallows, and Mickey Mouse stickers.  That was kind of nice since the humans weren't as vigilant about snatching away the animal crackers and marshmallows when we dogs found any dropped on the floor.  

My beagle mix sister Lucy decided to just help herself and not wait for the kids to drop any goodies from their eggs.  Lucy trotted out in the yard and hunted a few eggs herself.

(Look closely; you'll see an Easter egg tucked away in Lucy's mouth!)

(She also thought it was okay to hunt eggs directly out of the short kids' baskets!)

But the best part of the day came after all the cooking was over, the feasting done, and the eggs all hunted. After that came the time for just sitting around, visiting, petting, scratching and enjoying the company of those we love.  What could be better?

(The little girl on the right is my human cousin whose name is also Lily--she is actually named after ME!)

Hope everyone had a great Easter as we did.  Til next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

Storm Season

(Joplin MO)

I've lived with some wild weather.  Growing up in Oklahoma, I saw my share of severe thunderstorms and the occasional blizzard.  When we moved to west Texas, I learned about dust storms.  In my Arkansas home, I watched an ice storm take out a batch of our lovely trees.  But everywhere I've lived, we've been located in/near tornado alley.

Tornado alley is an area of the US where tornadoes are most likely to form.  The exact location is a bit nebulous but is generally a swatch right down the middle of the country including OK, KS, NE, and TX.  Luckily, large tornadoes are not common, but violent storms also have other dangers:  lightning, flash floods, and hail.  None of these things are good for corgis!

My daddy is a trained storm spotter.  This means he goes to a designated place and watches building storms, reports back to the Emergency Management authorities, and helps keep us informed about the weather conditions.  (This is not to be confused with a storm chaser; those are the guys who go off down the road trying to intercept a tornado...these guys are somewhat insane.)  I feel safer knowing that my daddy is watching out for us, humans and pets.

Let's talk about the things my human parents do to keep us safe during storm season.

1.  Pay attention to weather reports.  People like my daddy who storm spot feed information to the proper emergency authorities who decide when it is appropriate to issue weather watches and warnings.  In many cities (especially those in tornado alley) there are storm sirens which sound when a tornado is imminent...they do not, however, alert us to the other dangers of severe storms.  You should keep your tv and radio tuned to a local station that has reliable weather reports. 

2.  Heed the warnings!  Okay, here is a bit of tattling on my parents:  they both love to watch the clouds and will stand out in the yard while the sirens wail (not uncommon in tornado alley!)  This is, at best, silly and dangerous behavior.  I must say, however, that they usually store us dogs in our storm shelter area BEFORE they go out to watch.  

(Patiently waiting for the humans to move us to the storm shelter.  You can see I look a bit worried.)

3.  Keep your dogs identified.  In case the worst should happen, separating you and your dogs during a storm, you need to be sure you do everything to be reunited with your pets.  Dogs should have ID tags that show their humans' name and a reliable phone number (a house phone may not be reliable in an emergency; most people keep their cell phones handy.)  It is a good idea to have your dogs microchipped as well.

4.  Plan ahead.  If you are paying attention to the weather forecast and hear that a storm is coming, send the dogs out for one last potty break before it gets here.  Dogs shouldn't be outside during pouring rain, lightning, or hail.  A pre-storm potty break can keep nervous dogs from peeing the floor and causing everyone to be upset. 

Before a storm hits, you should already know where you will go for shelter.  An underground storm cellar or basement is always the best choice.  However, if you can't do that, you should have a designated room on the lowest floor of your home, preferably without windows, as near the center of the house as possible.  The idea is to put as many walls as you can between you and the storm.  Blankets or even small mattresses are good for cover while sheltered and can protect you and your doggies from flying debris.  Storing dogs in crates or carriers may also help keep them contained and safe.

5.  Know your canine.  All dogs react differently to storms.  Some dogs, like my neurotic sister Sadie, get so upset they become absolutely frantic.  These dogs need extra reassurance and support during a storm.  They may feel safest sitting in their crate or wearing a thundershirt.  Other dogs, like me and my brother Claude, sometimes get a bit nervous about storms, but we're usually pretty steady.  Claude tends to be more nervous BEFORE a storm; once the storm hits, he's pretty confident that our parents will keep him safe.  And my little sister Lucy poses yet another problem:  she is an epileptic dog and sometimes the stress of a storm can cause her to have a seizure. Be very observant of your doggie if he/she has medical problems.

6.  After the storm.  Be aware of dangers!  High winds and hail can knock down power lines, fences, and tree limbs which could all be a hazard to your dogs.  If you are in an area where flash flooding is possible, be sure your dogs are kept well away from the water; dogs can be washed away in a flood. 

In the event a pet is lost during a storm, you should immediately contact neighbors, vets, and the local dog catcher or animal shelter.  In times of disaster, like a tornado, many animal rescue agencies set up emergency facilities to house found pets so be sure to check with those if you have lost a pet.  And don't forget the power of social media--post that puppy's picture on the internet so people can help you look!

So that's a little about storms.  Right now, during the months of April and May, my area is at highest risk for a storm and we are expected to get some tonight, in fact.  I'm not worried.  My mama and daddy know what to do and have always managed to keep us safe from harm. 

Til next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

(More from Joplin; my mama and daddy were on a weekend trip in a nearby city and drove through the day after the tornado.  I was glad I didn't go on that trip!)

Interesting Dog Facts!

We've been kind of lazy around the old homestead for the past few days so we haven't had any noteworthy adventures.  That has given me a chance to do some surfing on the Internet and I have found some quite interesting dog facts I thought I'd share with everyone.

(Here I am, relaxing and pondering interesting facts.)

The other night I watched the movie "Titanic" with my mama.  Did you know there were actually 12 dogs on the Titanic?  Three of them survived.  (I don't believe any of them were corgis.)

A greyhound can run up to 45 miles per hour.  Obviously, they don't have short little corgi legs.

Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible (Take that, cats!)

Almost all dogs have pink tongues.  Shar-peis and Chow Chows have black tongues.

(My sister Lucy demonstrates the pink tongue.)

Saving us pain and vet bills, dogs do not have an appendix.  (What are those things good for anyway?)

In the US, about 1 million pet owners have named their dog as the primary beneficiary in their will. 

Hmmm...I need to check mama and daddy's important paper drawer.

Ancient Romans believed tail docking prevented rabies.  (So why do I have to get those rabies shots?)

(Corgi butts are especially attractive, don't you think?)

Okay, that's it for this week.  I'm saving the rest of my interesting facts for a later post.  Thanks for stopping by!

Til next time,

Love ya!

Lily the Corgi