Ani-mail Post@ Animal Designs August 2006
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1.  Featured Item
2.  Pet Journals
3.  Top 10 Pet Peeves
4.  Drawing and Fun Stuff
5.  Comments-Questions-Suggestions
6.  How to Unsubscribe


1) FEATURED ITEM
Our all purpose totes are a great choice for those back to school
needs, a lunch
tote bag or for carrying all your essentials.  The totes are made of
cotton with
full nylon lining in your choice of pet or animal patterns. Measures
9" x 9",
is insulated, washable, has a velcro closure and a 30" cloth strap.
If you
don't see the pattern you want, please contact us with your
request.We specialize
in custom orders.
http://www.animaldesigns.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?
Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=animaldesigns&Category_Code=14

2) PET JOURNALS
The litter of puppies snuggled close to their protective mother.
With her nourishment,
they grew quickly.  In a few weeks, they were waddling around,
exploring  their
new home.  They were healthy and happy, but one little guy was
different.  He was
smaller and was developing at a much slower rate.
We called him Chris-T-Fur.  Chris-T-Fur tried to keep up with his
brothers and sisters,
but always fell behind the pack.  He'd run in their direction, but
would slam
into the walls and furniture.  We grew concerned and had him
examined.  The vet
said Chris-T-Fur is blind.  His left eye is totally defective and he
has a juvenile
cataract in his right. He may have a little vision in his right eye,
but it isn't
much.  You need to make a decision."   My wife and I both work with
people
who have disabilities.  She is a physical education teacher for
severely disabled
children.  I work with adults with hearing loss.  Our little Chris-T-
Fur deserved
as much of a chance as anyone.  "Doc, we'll take him home and love
him
as much as our other dogs."  Chris quickly worked his way into our
hearts --
a special kinship was formed.   Chris-T-Fur soon learned the sound
of my car.  He
hears me coming and runs down the driveway head first into the metal
gate.  "Go
back to the house, Chris," I'll tell him.  He turns and runs back up
the
driveway, bouncing off the brick wall, using it as his guide.   On
outings, he runs
with the other dogs, barking at things he cannot see.  He runs into
bushes, trees.
Does it slow him down?  No!   Chris-T-Fur gets up, a little dazed,
and then shakes
it off, and continues the pursuit.  He wants to be part of the
pack.   At night,
I sit to work at my computer.  Within a few minutes, I hear Chris-T-
Fur enter the
room.  He sniffs the air, detects where I am, and soon I'll hear the
familiar
thud, as he bumps into my chair.  I turn, scratch him behind his
ears, give him
a couple of pats on his head, and show him all the love I feel for
him.  He then
wanders off to another part of the house.   At dinner, I purposely
drop a few treats
on the floor and Chris-T-Fur is quick to hear the sound.  With a few
sniffs of his
over sensitive nose, he can locate his treat.  In spite of all his
disabilities,
Chris-T-Fur is a happy dog.    He is friendly and always ready to be
my companion.
He's my hero.  He doesn't have a pedigree, but he's top dog in my
book.
I have a daily reminder that the struggles I
face are insignificant compared to what others deal with.  Chris-T-
Fur knows, if
you get knocked down, you brush yourself off and pick yourself back
up.  He's
taught me how important it is to keep a positive attitude.
www.petwarmers.com
We all  have stories that we like to tell our friends about our
pets, so send us
your favorite "tail",  and we will select one each month to feature
in
our newsletter.

3)  TOP 10 PET PEEVES
#1. Dirty litter boxes. Picture for a moment, your home minus a
clean bathroom.
Your only option: a pungent port-a-potty in the backyard. You find
yourself wishing
for the lung capacity of an Olympic swimmer so that you can hold
your breath and
complete your deed before you need to inhale. Disgusting, right?
Some cats belonging
to delinquent litter box-scooping owners feel the same way.  "Cats
are fastidious
by nature so a dirty litter box is downright disgusting," says Dr.
Moon-Fanelli.
"They deserve a box that is scooped every day ­ and more than one box
if there
is more than one cat in the household."
Solution: She offers a few other feline-friendly gestures: skip the
perfume-scented
litter, lose the lid (for many cats, the hooded boxes trap odors
inside the box,
causing them to gasp or, seek a new place to potty ­ like behind your
sofa.). Win
over your cat by actually cleaning the box and re-filling with clean
litter once
a week. Location is also key. Pick a private, quiet place in your
home ­ not next
to a noisy washer machine or deep in the dark corner of your
basement.
#2. Blaring music. As your cat naps on the sofa, you rudely slip a
CD into your
stereo and crank up the volume until your walls shake. Yowl! Your
cat heads skyward,
lands harshly and then dashes to the opposite end of your home.
Reason: feline ears
are much more sensitive than human ears. They have more hair cell
receptors and
their cone-shaped ears capture more sounds. "Playing loud music
actually may
be painful to them," says Dr. Moon-Fanelli. "I find that my cats are
much
more comfortable when I play classical or jazz music than when on
play rock music
on a high volume."
Solution: Pump down the volume or wear headphones when you want to
blare music.
Or, Opt for classical or jazz radio stations or CDs. Cats seem to
like these musical
styles best, perhaps because they are rhythmical and don't pack
surprise beats.
#3. Tossing and turning in bed. Cats, the Rip Van Winkles of the
companion animal
world, can sleep 15 hours or more a day. One of their true life's
joys is to
snooze uninterrupted through the night curled up on your bedspread.
That tranquility
can be destroyed when you shift feet or flip from one body position
to another under
the sheets. As a consequence, your cat becomes nudged, shoved, or
even worse, airborne.
It would be as if someone roust you awake from a deep slumber by
leaping up and
down on your mattress. No wonder your cat reacts by toe pouncing or
biting.
"Generally, cats that get upset by your movement in bed tend to be
ones that
startle easily," says Dr. Moon-Fanelli. "Also, cats instinctively
want
to attack things that move ­ like feet under a bedspread."
Solution: Sleep on your back and don't move a muscle. Or, more
realistically,
provide a cat bed in your bedroom or leave your door open for them
to leave. If
necessary, protect your toes by wearing thick socks.
#4. Shouting. The human equivalent of cat fights -- yelling and
speaking in loud
tones during a spat with your spouse or your strong-willed teen-
ager -- can cause
cats to flee and often seek quieter places, like under your bed or
deep in your
closet.
"When you fight with a teen-ager or a spouse, cats typically are not
sure what's
going on," says Dr. Wright. "They go from first being alert, to
being
interested, and then to being terrified. Cats love ritualistic
activities, set routines.
They usually don't know how to deal with an upset in routine, like
their people
yelling. The loud voices often freak them out and cause them to dart
out of the
room."
Solution: Try to focus on solving problems in a civil tone, rather
than yelling
and finger pointing. If necessary, enroll in an anger management
class ­ to benefit
everyone in the household.
#5. Super-stressed humans. Cats tune in like four-footed mood
barometers. They know
when you're happy, sad, angry, and bummed.  "Cats read our body
languages
so well," says Dr. Wright. "When we're stressed, our muscles tend
to be tight; our posture rigid and our pupils dilated ­ not inviting
signs to a
cat."
Solution: Recognize that you can't totally control your life and
more importantly,
remember to savor positive moments and events. "When you come home
from work,
try to spend a few minutes with their cats," says Dr. Wright. "Spend
quality
time talking with your pets every night and think of good things
that happened that
day that you can share with your animals. They may not understand
your words, but
they do understand your tone. This activity can help reduce the
stress in you."
#6 thru 10 in September's newsletter
Adapted from the Animal Radio Network  http://AnimalRadio.com.

4)  DRAWING & FUN STUFF
Congratulations to Stan T. the winner of the pawprint visor and
August's drawing
is a paw print cosmetic bag   Congratulations to Fran B., the winner
of the $50.00
gift certificate.  After entering your name, check out the rest of
the fun page
at http://www.animaldesigns.com/trivia.htm   Thanks to Tim Kathy
Michhael and Madison
L... for the photo of  Fletch, already a too cute.   We want to
honor your pet next
month, so send us a copy of their photo either by email or snail
mail.  July's
question was:  Does your pet like to swim? Most of the responses
indicate our pets
don't like the water with  No, can't get them near it (66%), Yes,
loves
the water (31%) and other such as can take it or leave it (3%).

5)  COMMENTS-QUESTIONS-SUGGESTIONS
"I enjoy reading your newsletter.  It contains fun stuff which makes
me laugh.
Keep up the good work."  Regards,  Ellie P.

6) HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE (Sorry to see you go)
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please reply to this email with unsubscribe in the subject line.
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http://www.animaldesigns.com/tell-a-friend.htm
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All the Best,
Jeanie
Animal Designs
www.animaldesigns.com
1.866.468.1739