Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Who would name a dog "Mr. Smith"?

Dogs is DogsImage via WikipediaYou'd be surprised.  You might also be surprised that many of the names people find too silly or stupid are actually BAD for the dog (I'm not talking about names like Lucky, which seems to be cursed):  there's a scientific explanation, which you can read about at WebMD's pet pages.  It turns out that consonants count, according to Roxanne Hawn, because "Certain consonants (k, p, d) create broadband sounds with more energy across sound frequencies that get a pet’s attention. These sounds activate more audio receptors in the brain."  How about that? 
Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, August 5, 2011

New Help from the FDA

Gourmet dog treats produced by dog bakery Nate...Image via WikipediaI'm a couple days late with this, but it's worth noting anyway.  I've written before about the importance of reading pet food labels, and how we really need more information than is there.  Now the FDA has a new pet food initiative that will at least keep track of pet food problems as they occur.  Read their announcement of PetNet, which "is a secure, web based information exchange system that will allow FDA and Federal and State Agencies to share initial information about pet-food related incidents, such as illness associated with the consumption of pet food or pet food product defects."  Sounds good.
Enhanced by Zemanta