KENNEL LIVING HAS ADVANTAGES
There seems to be some disagreement about the best living accommodations for our dogs. Some boast, very sure they are doing the best for their animal, that fido lives in the house all the time, and others just say they do not have kennel dogs. Which implies the inferiority of the dogs out in the garage or barn, and even impinges the quality of the pups born in less then a wading pool
in the basement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Another assumption is that house dogs are socialized with people all the time, whereas kennel dogs are alone for hours, maybe even a lifetime, without the love and nurturing of a human being. And this isolation will be detrimental to these dogs and render them unable to adjust to living as a pet in a home situation, or even being a working dog or a show specimen.
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There is truth in these beliefs. Certainly the temperament is influenced in the first twelve weeks of the pups life and socialization with humans is critical. It is also very necessary that the pup has interactions with other dogs so that he knows dog talk and bonds with his own species. I think it is so sad to see a dog that “thinks he is a people” Such neurotic actions are probably because of his lack of socialization with dogs. It is a fact that pups that have two 20 minute sessions a week with humans will bond easily to a human family, and also that pups need their mother and siblings 24/7 for the first 8 weeks of their life, and that no person ( experienced and knowledgeable albeit) can substitute satisfactorily in that need. In fact, I wonder if any person that wants the pup early could possibly be knowledgeable and experienced.
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If we take a close look at the dogs life that lives in the house all the time, we find most of them crated in the garage, basement or laundry room while the people are gone ( at work, grocery shopping, etc. ) If they have the run of the house or even a dog proofed room, it is still a confinement that does not give them interesting options to explore or exercise, and they spend many hours sleeping. If their people are home the dog is still unable to exercise in the house. Even the dog that rides along is still just a spectator without any activity to stimulate or enrich their life. The dog may choose a ride to staying home, and I don’t blame them. Boredom is very hard to adjust to. Housedogs are also usually overweight and out of condition. And their general health is usually affected for the worse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There seems to be an alarming increase in diseases that affect our dogs, - cancers, auto immune problems, allergies, spinal deterioration and resulting lameness, sterility. All these problems were unheard of 25 years ago. Many vets are saying these are inherited problems, and that makes me laugh. Those problems weren’t there 25 years ago and I believe it has to be there to be inherited. Of course I will concede that there might be damages to the DNA that will make it possible to inherit it now. It sounds pretty simplistic - and I like to think in simple, logical steps. So my next step is what has damaged the DNA?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you ever heard of the “sick house syndrome” ? You have probably heard of people getting sick from the air coming from the air conditioner at an office building? There is a buildup of mold in that air conditioner and it blows mold all over, causing many flu like symptoms. Isn’t that what legionnaires disease is also? There can also be mold within a single family residence, in the air conditioner, in the bathroom, in the basement, in the living room carpet, in the kitchen. In newer homes the air tight building holds moisture in and mold grows everywhere. There are several different types of mold, and as many different types of symptoms of illness, and it is a common problem , and most insurance companies will not insure you for mold damage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radon is a very serious problem that probably causes lung cancer and assorted breathing difficulties. It seeps into basements and if there isn’t a very good air circulation system, it stays in the basement and keeps exposing you to its carcinogenetic properties forever. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then the sub floors, the cupboards and walls in newer homes all give off formaldehyde, a gas used to embalm deceased persons, and also a gas that probably causes cancers. It is used in the glue of plywood. It is also used in fiberglass insulation and carpets and all synthetic fabrics
( cloths, drapes, ) It also causes allergies and asthma.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All plastics, give off gasses/molecules, and paints, solvents, detergents, pesticides all say to use in a well ventilated area, well, how ventilated is the cupboards? Poor ventilation is common and the exhaust fumes from the furnace, and our own breathing creates carbon dioxide, which isn’t good for us. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electromagnetic fields are suspect in many leukemia type cancers and any house that has electricity has them. The computer has them. Cell phones also. Certainly a dog sleeping near the fuse box would be seriously exposed to a health risk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My favorite gripe is the herbicides used on the yard to get rid of dandelions. You know that dandelions don’t kill you, but herbicides very well may. So you keep that yard free of any little yellow flower and then wonder what happened to your dog. A recent study has revealed that dogs exposed to 2,4-D are dying of cancer at twice the normal rates. About 600 million pounds of 2,4-D are spread on American soil each year. And non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, malignant lymphomas, and soft tissue sarcomas are the fastest growing cancers during the past 15 years. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You understand that the sum total of each individuals exposure to conditions in the house determine if they get sick The air inside the house is 2 ½+ times more polluted then the air outside. The dog is probably in the house more then anyone else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now if the dog is out in a kennel while you are away, his exposure should go way down. Also he can exercise, without a worry for the house and possessions. And stimulation in the form of birds, cats, rabbits, bugs, etc. makes for an exciting day for him, plus fresh air and sunshine. A Royal Canine study says that dogs need 14 hours of sunshine each day, or enough broad spectrum lights or vitamin D to be equivalent to 14 hours a day). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The use of plants to help clean the pollutants in the house is an easy way to help combat indoor toxins. Plants can help eliminate some of the benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. Have one plant for each 100 sq. feet of space. Here is a list of plants that may help: Corn Plant, Spider Plant, Bamboo Palm, Golden Pothos, Potted mum, are some that would help with formaldehyde found in foam insulation, plywood, carpeting, furniture, paper products, cleaners.
Then Dragon Tree, Potted Mum, Ribbon Plant, English Ivy, Peace Lily for Tobacco Smoke, Petroleum Products, Synthetic Fibers, Plastics, Inks & Dyes, Rubber Products, and Detergents.
And Dragon Tree, Potted Mum, Peace Lily, Gerbera Daisy, Ribbon Plant are good for Dry Cleaning, Inks & Dyes, Adhesives, Varnishes, Lacquers & Paints. You will have to do some research on what plants are toxic to dogs??? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The top ten toxic plants for pets is: Yew, Casterbean, Oleander, Easter lily, Sago Palm, Cyclamen, Kalanchoe, Azalea, tulips, marijuana. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, there are other problems that contribute to the unhealthy dog: Diet is one very big concern. The prepared, packaged dog foods are full of all sorts of questionable things. Even the food saying they are organic, are now suspect. For our dear politicians are drafting legislation that will let the manufacturers put several ingredients into the food, that was not allowed a couple of years ago. And the GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) are one of them. This is a VERY serious problem. Some tests over there( in Europe) have all the rats dying and other tests have fertility problems in 2nd and 3rd generation survivors. Most of Europe has banned GMO’s. I‘ve heard that Monsato is buying up several small seed companies. I wonder if we can expect our little backyard gardens to be full of GMOs . Metals are another problem. ( natural pop makes me laugh and cry at the same time, but hopefully it isn‘t fed to our dogs. Aluminum and carbonation are suspect in Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis, even if they are “natural” ) . Many metals go to the ovaries, uterus, prostrate, testes, and the regulatory organs, they cause a lot of fertility problems, even though they are “natural”. You have to be aware to protect your dog.
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Vaccinations are another concern. There is a growing body of people sure that vaccinations cause allergies and cancers. Either/both of these subjects are probably contributing factors in the overall health of our dogs and something we need to research. There is a study being done to determine if our dogs need shots every year, or how long is the shot good for? This is very costly, have you contributed. See Jean Dodd‘s web site. ?Our manufacturers don’t test their products any more then the government requires, which might not be long enough, and then they say ’there are no studies to indicate this product is harmful’ - which doesn’t mean it is safe. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And air and water pollution are serious problems also. Here in N. Iowa last December, we had 21 days with warnings for dangerous air pollution. I think the coal burning ethanol plants cause a lot of that problem. We have a lot of problems to overcome, but these problems are not so overwhelming that you should give up, get busy, support a group that is working towards fixing these problems, make healthy changes.
The indoor dog would probably benefit from being out side as much as possible during the day. By just cutting down on exposure to indoor pollution would help maintain the dogs health and also the exposure to sunshine would benefit the assimilation of vitamin D and calcium. The opportunity to exercise that is possible by a kennel situation would stimulate all bodily organs and benefit overall health.
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Footnotes:
http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#overview http://www.air-zone.com/sickbuildingsyndrome.html http://www.loc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/sbs/sb04.htm http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/control04_25/b3888112_mz070.htm http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/at_home/article/O,HGTV_3221_1373956,00.html http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/index.html http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/powerlines-cancer-FAQ/toc.html http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/Children&LawnChemsDontMix.pdf http://www.colormegreenco.com/NASA/nasa2.htmhttp://www.lifetechnology.org/blog/index.html
Myrna Giles, German Shepherd Dog Owner for over 40 years
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