RAVE: Dogs Have a Sense of Fairness!

I have been married for 33 years, and I have had dogs in my life for 33 years. I believe this need was a result of living in a military family, and never being able to keep a pet while I was growing up. Even as a military wife myself, I took two dogs oversees to Okinawa in addition to every other city of residence.

The progression of my pets has gone from a mutt, to several purebred Shetland Sheepdogs, to a rescue Border Collie, to our latest rescue, an Australian Shepherd. Each breed has been pretty smart, but the next one up the line seemed even smarter. This last one, the Aussie, is extremely energetic and very intelligent. I have been convinced that if he had thumbs, he would rule the world!

Being a dog owner can make the most sane of humans seem downright foolish, in the way we insist on anthropomorphizing our pets. While I have never succumbed to dressing my dogs in designer fashion, I will admit to a bit of baby talk on occasion. Over the years, I kept thinking I was seeing offended dignity, when one of our dogs would be chastised, as the dog would sit between us and the television, back to us, ignoring us. Others would seemingly sulk when something fun was going on and we excluded them. And then there were the once-in-a-while instances of what appeared to be petty revenge, such as a cat receiving a toy and the dog tearing that one up, but not any of his own.

It now appears that what I have witnessed was a reality, according to a recent study.

"It's the same game as teaching a dog to "shake hands."

Those that refused at the start — and one border collie that insisted on trying to herd other dogs — were removed. That left 29 dogs to be tested in varying pairs.

The dogs sat side-by-side with an experimenter in front of them. In front of the experimenter was a divided food bowl with pieces of sausage on one side and brown bread on the other.

The dogs were asked to shake hands and each could see what reward the other received.

When one dog got a reward and the other didn't, the unrewarded animal stopped playing.

When both got a reward all was well."

I guess that my skepticism on my pets 'offended dignity' has some basis! It will be interesting to watch the progress of this study. And I am positive that my dog, who I am sure is accessing my computer in the wee hours of dawn will already know how the study will turn out. That is, if he could ever get those danged thumbs!

RANT: Keeping Your Cool, on Black Friday!

Surviving Black Friday rudeness, from the other side of the counter!

With the advent of Thanksgiving, and thePost-Turkey-Day event known as Black Friday, it is time for my annual rant.

The Holiday shopping season of 2008 may well be one of the most challenging of all, from the perspective of both retailers and consumers. The economy has hit the consumers hard, and the dollar will need to stretch even further than last year. And, while the shoppers are prepping themselves for the Great Hunt (for bargains) by reading the ads, both on line and in the newspaper, the retailers are preparing themselves for a wild day!

This year, the retailers have one of the best job pools from which to choose. However, this does not mean that the stores will have plenty of Happy, Joyful and Excited Sales Associates! Since the economy has taken such a dive, it means that retailers have had to curb their hiring for this season. Therefore, there will be less help. Less help means a greater chance of frazzled shoppers and even more frazzled sales associates clashing, creating a “Perfect Storm” of a bad interaction!

Shoppers will wake up at horrendously early hours, to stand in line in chilly weather, to hopefully grab that perfect gift at the perfect price. When the door opens, or to be more accurate, when the ‘door is busted open’ the mob mentality can create injuries, fights, and anger. While customers wait in line, they realize how tired they are, and the lines are long, and there is a delay in the front of the line, and no one seems happy. And, the money may not be stretching as far as they hoped!

The retail associates have had an equally stressful day. They had to arrive at the store just as early, to get prepared for the day. As the lines form, it becomes more challenging to personalize the sale transaction. Soon, the associate perceives a never-ending sea of faceless bodies. Their feet hurt, because there are no shoes in the world are made to keep feet comfortable when standing in one place for hours. Their back is aching, as they twist, turn and bend to reach and grab to get the purchases bagged up. The customer who doesn’t have the correct change is both a blessing and an annoyance, as the deliberate counting gives you a momentary break, but at the same time it makes those customers in line even angrier. Headaches may start from the stress. Hunger may set in, because the associate arrived to work so early they didn’t get breakfast, or breakfast was hours and hours ago, and somehow or other, they have not had a break.

Here are some tips that will help you, the customer, and the person on the other side of the counter.

• If you are shopping on Black Friday, prepare yourself. Make sure you have snacks and water with you. If you are not hungry, you will be able to withstand the rigors of shopping without being cranky from low blood sugar.
• Know what you want before you leave the house. For many families, pouring over the ads on Thanksgiving Day is the first step to preparing for the shopping experience.
• Better yet, Google ‘Black Friday Ads’ and you will find several sites that already have the ads in place. Some of the sites have ‘shopping lists’ that you can create for the items that you want.
• Many of the retailers will have some of the items ready for on-line shopping as early as 1 AM Eastern on Thursday. In some cases, you may only save $10 to $20 if you forego the online ordering. You should really evaluate what is important to you, time waiting in line or a few ten dollar bills.
• If you are not in the crush of humanity trying to get the loss-leaders at the ‘big box stores’, try your local mall. Most malls open extremely early, as their ‘anchor stores’ hours will dictate the hours of the whole mall. You will find many of the stores are not busy until 10 or 11 AM, and the associates are bright, chipper and ready to help you!
• When you do find yourself waiting in line, keep yourself entertained. Watch people! Strike up a conversation with those surrounding you. Sing sub-vocally to the Holiday Music! Heck, sing out loud! Bring a well-thumbed book with you, and read while standing in line!
• When you reach the cashier, take a moment and smile! Greet them! Trust me…it will make their day! Laugh about the funny part of the day with them. Keep bright and you will receive the same responses back twice fold! And it will make the next customer in line have a better experience…Pay it backwards!
• Surprise the people around you! If you are on a cell phone, break out into song! While most of us don’t want to hear your personal life, if you call someone else who is waiting in line somewhere else, and tell (clean) jokes, the people around you will hear and chuckle! (Of course, HANG UP when you get to the front of the line!)
• Another surprise! One of my best experiences ever, was taking a bag of peppermint candy canes with me. Whenever I had any interaction with any other human, they received a candy cane. The toll booth collector, the retail cashiers, the café workers…anyone who needed a smile on their face!
  

As a customer it is your right to expect quality customer service. Keep in mind, shopping during these trying times may be a case of receiving what you give.

And remember, this is a Season of Joy and Giving. Keep that in mind and don’t let the stress of the economy make this a Season of Anger and Nastiness! Happy Holidays!

RAVE: Lord Dumpling-Genius or Madman?

MYSTIC, Conn. — Energy independence is still only a hypothetical goal for the U.S., but the owner of a tiny island off the coast of Connecticut says he has already achieved that feat and is offering his work as a model.

Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and numerous medical devices, jokingly refers to his North Dumpling Island as an independent nation and himself as Lord Dumpling. Kamen claims to have his own currency and offers visas to visitors to the tiny island a few miles from Mystic, where he is the only resident.

But Kamen, who bought the three-acre island in the 1980s as a retreat, is serious about energy independence and the lessons it offers at a time of volatile gas prices and fears about global warming.

"The rest of the world will eventually catch up if the Dumplonians can get their message out," Kamen said.

Kamen's energy plan began when the Coast Guard recently notified him that it was cutting off electrical service to the rocky island, part of New York state, because it was switching to solar energy to power a lighthouse.

See the rest by clicking here!

RANT: Pets with a Background

One of my "Pet Causes" is "Pet Stores"

Many pet stores are very busy at this time of the year. It is because they are hoping to cash in on people who want to buy a loved one a pet for Christmas.

First off, Christmas is not the time to bring home a puppy or kitten. There is always so much hustle and bustle, that the new pet, already stressed out, becomes a mass of nerves.

Second, you should always think once, twice, three times, or 50 times about getting pets at pet stores. The vast majority of pet store dogs come from what are known as puppy mills. The female dogs are there only to be bred and turn out puppies. They are bred on their first season, and bred every season thereafter. The dogs are usually kept in wire cages, with little to no exercise, and very little human interaction. Quite often, the puppies are taken away from their mothers at the age of 4 or 5 weeks, when the accepted practice of weaning is at 6 to 8 weeks. Those last few weeks are critical for learning socialization skills from their mother and their litter mates.And they are critical, in healthy dogs, to getting the last bit of immunity to keep disease away. Adding in the stress of the travel, and the stress of being in a store, many puppies succumb to illness. They may have so many health issues that you are most likely to have vet bills from the very beginning.

Third, there is already a huge pet population problem in our animal shelters and dog pounds. An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. If you are thinking adopting a pet, remember..you must commit to become a 'forever home' for the new member of your family.

To give you an idea, here is an article about Pet Land and puppy mills. Make sure to take the time to watch the videos in the article. The movies of the puppy mills are very disturbing, as you will see behavior problems of many of the dogs. Also take the time to see the video of Baby, a puppy mill survivor.

If you are thinking of a new pet, please please PLEASE avoid pet stores. If you MUST have a pedigreed purebred, then go to a reputable breeder. Or find a rescue organization for that breed, they can help you the most. And please, don't buy dogs with an eye to breed them and make money off of them. There are too, too many puppies who grow up to be killed at the shelters.

Spay and Neuter! Don't add to the population in shelters!

Don't abandon your pet in your foreclosed home.

Be responsible pet owners.