The Third National Dog Blog Carnival is Here!

The best part about going to a carnival is that you never know quite what to expect, but you usually come home with plenty to talk about. This month’s national dog blog carnival boasts a wide range of bloggers…among them noted authors, behaviorists, vets, trainers, artists and more! And since this carnival is traveling through cyberspace and is online you have more than just one evening to enjoy it, so take your time, wander through each posting, and enjoy.

Thanks to all who participated in this month’s carnival about the human-animal bond, including the kitty enthusiasts who are always welcomed as well – and be sure to spread the word to all your readers. If you’re interested in participating in or hosting a carnival, be sure to get in touch with Nancy at Way Cool Dogs, (nancy@waycooldogs.com) You can also visit her site to find out where the carnival will be hosted next.

But for right now….Step right up!

First up is Dog Artist Extrordinaire Kim Santini, founder of the Canine Artist’s Guild whose project, Painting a Dog a Day, which she chronicles on her blog has been going for three years strong. (What better way to spend life than painting dogs?) Kim’s entry is about a special dog in Ethiopia looking to come to the United States in search of a forever home. See Kim’s beautiful work and read the story of Suzy Q , the man who wants to save her, and how you can help.

The first author to answer the call for entries was Nadine M. Rosin. Her book, The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood, is described as a journey into the human-animal bond, healing from cancer holistically & senior canine care. It’s an empowering new take on the grieving process
when a beloved animal passes away. And as she states, her blog is about “all things after the book”. Her entry is aptly titled: The Human-Animal Bond.

From author Michelle Bernard who writes a journal of natural rearing of dogs, cats and farm animals, an article on just what the heck Homeopathy is, excerpted from her book Raising Cats Naturally – How to care for your cat the way nature intended. Michelle explains the ins and outs of homeopathy, including its history, how it works, finding a homeopathic vet and choosing homeopathic remedies for your pet ….all in an easy to understand way. Read her Notes on Natural Rearing, as well as her journal Spellcast Border Collies.

We’re also pleased to be joined by Dr. Nancy Kay, veterinarian and author of Speaking For Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Longer Life (and whose interview on NPR can be heard here)
With 20 years of experience behind her, Dr. Kay’s goal is to help people navigate the sometimes confusing world of veterinary medicine. In her post, Nancy explains the best way to remove a tick. Check it out – her method may surprise you!

Nancy Houser, dog rescuer, artist, and founder of the national dog blog carnival has submitted her post about animal communication, including the bond she formed with a cat named Sassy who helped her recover after two painful surgeries.

Sidhusaaheb from India includes a sweet slice of life moment from his blog, titled, I, Me,Myself in which he observes a scenario that plays itself out around the world every day – the dog looking for a treat!

It’s fabulous to have with us world renown behaviorist and trainer Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs, and For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend. Her blog is an ongoing inquiry about the behavior of her two favorite species, humans and dogs. Patricia’s post asks: Can Dogs Get Angry?

Lindsey Hein, positive trainer at the National Academy for Dogs brings up an important point about training methods and asks a common sense question that people who want to train their dogs should be asking themselves…read her blog post to find out about the importance of advancements in training.

Summer’s coming – and so are mosquitos! Mesquite Pete’s post contains information about how mosquito borne diseases can affect your pet.

From the Kitty corner comes an article on the Raising Whiskers site about preparing for Feline Pregnancy and Birth – what to watch for and how to prepare.

Debbie Jacobs’ mission is helping people whose dogs are fearful. She’s written a book, A Guide To Living & Working With A Fearful Dog that was a finalist in the 2008 Dog Writers Association of America, she’s developed a website chock-full if information, created an online forum (which I just joined) and she writes a blog…all about fearful dogs. Debbie’s contribution this month talks about how to be your dog’s best friend - and the importance of it!

This month’s green submission comes from Guffly, a two person team creating eco friendly and fair trade items. Hemp dog toys!

Ralph Sparkson simply writes about why he loves his dog on his blog dedicated to photos of cute dogs and puppy pictures. In his blog, he captures so well how easy it is to fall in love with dogs.

Patricia Turner submitted an article about rearing exotic pets and raises some good questions to consider before shopping for one. The human-animal bond depends on human responsibility. Patricia does a service for exotics by asking her readers to know the facts before shopping!

And Jake, the dog has some simple tips about how dogs learn.

I’ve actually attended a wedding where the dog walked down the aisle – Lucy’s wedding tip blog describes how to incorporate your dog in your special day!

I’m wondering if the dog artists reading this post have anything to worry about – Mad Kane submitted her post about dog artists…not people who paint dogs, but dogs who paint pictures!

I hope you’ve had a great time at the carnival – there may be some stragglers who show up late, so please check back. I’m closing this carnival with my own post, which this time is actually about a cat. It’s my eulogy for Polly.

For Polly

In a snowstorm,
the giant oak next door
fell, knocking down power
lines, the telephone pole
with the streetlight attached
to it, and ripped the electric
box off my house.
My neighbor, who hated the tree
rejoiced. The tree made his house dark,
dropped leaves, and sticks
and made the lawn beneath impossible
to make perfect, like the rest
of his yard, no matter what seed mix
or fertilizer he used. The County
forbade him to cut down the tree,
being that it was one of the largest
in the county, and therefore
somewhat of a natural wonder.
I couldn’t understand how anyone
could rejoice in the demise of such
a thing of beauty. It had been dying
from the inside and no one knew.

I watched snow fall in a column
under the streetlight
that had been once pulled down
by the oak. It swirled like the white stuff
in snow-domes and disappeared
when it blew outside the lamp’s
reach, and other snow blew in
from the opposite direction. I imagine
the snow in the headlights of the car
traveling the short distance
over the hill from Holly Lodge.
It was falling softly, but when you’re driving
through it, at night, and the road is dark
and there are no streetlamps, it looks
like the car is hurtling
through an asteroid storm,
and everything is silent,
except for the sound of the windshield wipers
and the hum of the heater.

My neighbor, not many years later,
was cut down himself. Cancer
of the marrow, probably hereditary.
But he was adopted
and there were no donors
and he was probably dying from the inside
for a very long time,
but nobody knew it. A perfectionist
with clean gutters and glittering siding,
he vowed to beat it. But he couldn’t.

And then, there’s Polly. Riding
in the car on her way to the vet
for the very last time. I’d seen
her that day. Her lips were grey
and she would only take a drop of water
from my finger, her giant marmalade
flecked eyes, now half closed. Her leg
had been bothering her for a month,
maybe more. The vet
couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

Every time I saw her I could tell
by the way she looked at me
that she was trying to tell me something.
But cats talk in pictures, and I couldn’t hear them.
I could only hear the branches knocking
against the window, and when I looked
through it I saw the clouds tearing, silent,
across the December sky.

I picture the headlights before the car,
How they dipped and glided as they followed
the spine of the hill, across Picatinny,
then Bailey Hollow, and then all the way
to the animal hospital, a short journey,
and a long journey, in one.

The eternal being….as it lives
in us, lives in every animal. And
when I look out my window
and I see the snow, I think
how beautiful it is.