#dog psa

[kcvulpinestudios]

I made this PSA due to the amount of fireworks going off by now. As a dog owner, I’m concern with it due to how stressful it could be for my dog. So this is the appropriate message to share at this time of the year.

[canidcrazy]

Merle patterning and its associated health issues

alright, let's start with a quick definition

“also know as dapple, merle is characterized by irregular blotches of fur set on a lighter background of the same pigment, such as solid black on gray (called blue merle) or solid brown on tan (red merle).” -American Kennel Club

Merle is a dominant color gene meaning it (almost) always presents itself phenotypically when apart of the dogs genotype even when it is a heterozygous gene. merle is a very popular and desirable color and because of this is often sold by breeders for a higher price, though an ethical breeder shouldn't be charging more for a certain color.

if a merle (Mm) and a non merle (mm) are bred together there is a 50% chance each pup will be merle. if you breed two merle's (Mm) together that chance raises to 75% but, you run the risk of producing a double merle (MM) which have a heightened chance of health issues

The most common health risk with merle dogs is deafness, even single merles (Mm) have an increased likelihood of these issues. Double merles (MM) are at a even higher risk for deafness, one study finding 85% of MM dogs were bilaterally deaf.

On top of the deafness MM dogs often have very small and often non-functional eyes (microphthalmia).

double merle's can occur for a few different reasons

1. in feral/stray populations dogs will be breeding and obviously they don't understand that how genetics works so two merle's can mate producing a double merle. though it's unlikely and deaf and blind dog will survive long without human intervention

2. similar to option one is ignorance on the owners part! it may be an uneducated breeder or an oops-litter but an owner who doesn't understand or know about the dangers of double merle's make accidentally create one.

3. greed! though many double merle's are born infertile if you were to get a double merle bitch (MM) who is able to produce pups and bred her to a regular sire (mm) you would have a litter of all single merle puppies (Mm) which as previously mentioned can be sold for more.

over all, merle dogs are very pretty but you should be aware of the risks this coloring can have especially in double merle's.

thank you for coming to my autism rant, have a good day

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Off-Leash Dog Hot Take?

In general, I’m against having dogs off-leash in public areas. This is especially true in areas such as neighborhoods and parks where you can expect traffic, kids and on-leash dogs. It’s illegal, incredibly inconsiderate of other people and almost always an unsafe situation for the public and your dog. Its not the way to train a dog how to be off leash and it doesn’t make you look like a competent dog owner. It makes you look like a jackass.

But most of the time I’m not going to confront you. If your dog appears well-trained and you make an effort to keep your distance then I’m just going to stay hyper-aware of the situation and probably leave the area. My actions are very clear and both my dog & I wear signs that say we don’t want to be approached. Yelling at you from a distance would only escalate an otherwise neutral situation. I’m not going to do that.

But here’s the thing. If your dog comes towards us, I’m going to prepare myself for a dog attack. I’m going to put my dog behind me and blare my airhorn in your dogs face. I’m going to throw things at them. Kick them. Prepare to use my stun-gun on them if they get close enough. I don’t owe you anything. I don’t have to accept your dog as friendly just because you say it is and I sure as hell don’t have to be humane towards a dog that is assaulting us.

It’s not your dogs fault and I don’t want to punish them for having a stupid owner. But at the end of the day my responsibility in that situation is to keep my dog safe. I’m the only one who is going to protect my dog from physical and mental harm. I’m the only one who is going to protect them from legal accusations if something goes down between our dogs.

So if you’re the kind of person who allows your dog to run loose in public just keep this in mind:

Dogs get hit by cars all the time. A lot of them were frequently off-leash for months or years leading up to their accident. Their owners thought it was fine and that their dog was trained but it only takes one mistake to lose a leg or their life.

Dog phobias, elderly, parents with little kids, pregnant or disabled people. There are many reasons why someone would not want to have to deal with your off-leash dog and even if you have them “under control” just seeing them without a leash is enough to cause a huge amount of distress in someone.

Lots of on-leash dogs are dog aggressive or reactive. Unless legally prohibited due to their bite history, those dogs have just as much right to be in public as your dog does. That said, many of them would love nothing more than to bite the throat of your friendly pet and thrash them until they stop moving.

Service dogs exist. Just because you don’t see them in your area doesn’t mean you will never cross paths with one. Off-leash dogs are a huge liability for service dogs and their handlers. Even if it doesn’t lead to an attack just being a high level distraction to a disabled person who’s trying to go about their day is incredibly ableist.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Highly recommend having your dog on a tick preventative pill PLUS using a spray like Wondercide when you go out. The pill will kill the ticks when they feed but by that time they have already been brought into your car and house. We haven’t had any problems with ticks since keeping a bottle of Wondercide in the car and spraying us both down before going on walks.

I'm trying to write a post about tick safety and avoiding tick bites, but a lot of the info on websites is like "Avoid going in the woods, in plants, and where there are wild animals" and "Activities like hiking and gardening can put you at risk" and I'm like thanks! This is worthless!

As ticks and tick borne illnesses are expanding their range, I think it's important for people to be educated about these things, and I think it's especially important to give people actual advice on how to protect themselves instead of telling them to just...avoid the natural world

Rough draft version of Tick Advice:

Ticks don't jump down on you from trees, they get on you when you brush against grass, brush, bushes etc.

Ticks get brought to an area when they get done feeding from an animal and fall off them. In the USA, the main tick-bringing animal is deer, but I've seen plenty ticks on feral cats and songbirds.

Ticks get killed when they dry out so drier areas with more sunlight are less favorable to ticks.

The above is useful for figuring out whether an area is likely to have lots of ticks, and how vigilant you have to be in that area.

Wear light-colored, long pants outside. Tuck your pants into your socks, and tuck your shirt into the waist of your pants. Invest in light, breathable fabrics idc

IMMEDIATELY change out of your outside clothes when you come back from a tick-prone area, wash them, and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks that might be stuck on.

Shower and check yourself for ticks after coming inside. Hair, armpits, and nether regions in particular. You can use a handheld mirror or rely on touch; an attached tick will feel like a bump kinda like a scab

While you're outside, you can just periodically check for ticks by running your hands down your legs and checking visually to see if anything is crawling on your clothes. Light colors make them easy to spot, and they don't move fast.

Combing through each others' hair to check for creepy crawly critters is a time-honored primate ritual and is not weird. When hiking, bring a friend who will have your back when you feel something on your neck and need to know if it's sweat or a tick

If you're careful, you can usually catch ticks before they bite you, but if one does bite you, it's not the end of the world. Since tickborne diseases are different regionally i suspect this advice will differ based on where you are, but the important thing is remove the tick with tweezers (DON'T use butter, a lit match, or anything that kills the tick while it's still attached, please) and contact a doctor to see what to watch for. Most illnesses you can catch from ticks are easily treatable if you recognize them when symptoms first appear

[spicymancer]

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Dog Girl

[jenny-jinya]

TW: Animal Death / Death

Senior pets have a hard time getting adopted. The likelihood of adoption is only 25% compared to 60% for a younger dog. Unfortunately, this is often due to prejudice. I want to raise awareness with this comic (and also get back to my roots, which I haven't really managed to do yet). But I want to start uploading more regularly again. Thank you for your patience so far.

[sableeira]

And Dazai is like: omg how did he figure it out?!?!?!?

[greenevergreens]

I agree 100% but for a very different reason (not that I necessarily disagree with your reasoning, just that my reason for agreeing is different than the one you give), dogs that aren't service dogs often put service dogs (and either directly or indirectly, their owner/handler) at risk. If a non-service dog (which includes emotional support dogs, your dog isn't special because you fell for a scam) decides to jump at, bark at, or try to distract a service dog, it can literally cause a serious health episode if not death, if the dog isn't paying attention to alert their handler of an upcoming health event.

That's not even mentioning if the non-service dog attacks a service dog, it's not uncommon to have to retire that service dog. Meaning that now, while that service dog may still be able to alert and help at home, it can't often be taken out and about because any run in with another dog, will or can cause it to be unable to focus on it's job as a service dog.

So now this disabled person is once again house-bound, they have to spend the YEAR/S to train their service dog to their specific needs, the hundreds to THOUSANDS of dollars to get a service dog, all while being stuck at home, or risking their heath by going without a proper service dog.

Unless a dog is an actual service dog, for the health and safety of everyone, and ESPECIALLY disabled people, keep your dog inside or in specific spaces meant for dogs.

Also people with allergies to dogs exist, they should be able to exist in public without having to deal with allergies all because you couldn't handle leaving Fido alone for a few hours.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, I have a dog myself, but my love for dogs doesn't supersede my love & compassion for other people who are just trying to go about their day.

I hate hate hate hate how dog friendly everything is in the city now. Barring medical necessity, there is no reason to bring your dog to a restaurant, there is no reason to bring your dog to the grocery store, there is no reason to bring your dog to the nail salon. Dogs do not need to go everywhere you go why am I being forced to be around dogs all the time

[great-and-small]

This is going to sound like common sense to a lot of people but I’m still going to say it because I meet plenty of folks that don’t know- there is a wrong way to pick up your dog. People who don’t have much experience around dogs tend to want to pick them up under the arms like you would a baby, like this

But we humans are primates, with well developed and flexible shoulders built for swinging through trees. Our arms have remarkable range of motion. Dogs are not built the same way, and lifting them this way under the forelimbs (by the “armpits”) is really uncomfortable for them. But you see it all the time! Just looking up “person holding dog” will bring up tons of photos of people using the inappropriate hold

I had a dog owner bring her newly adopted dog in for yelping whenever he was picked up, and when she showed me that was how she was lifting him, it was clear it was just hurting his shoulders by being picked up this way.

When picking up a dog from the ground, it is much better to support them under the chest and lift them from underneath. A proper hold will distribute the dog’s weight, instead of putting pressure on the shoulders.

[satanfemme]

nothing makes me as irrationally angry as seeing Incorrect dog opinions online 🙃

ur reactionary thought processes & poor understanding of animal behavior are showing

[cashthecomposer]

Just so other Americans know, service dogs do *not* need to be wearing gear that says "service animal", nor do they need papers, nor training from any specific entity.

All they need is training to do at least *one* task that serves to aid an individual with their disability. That's it. This training can come from anyone, anywhere, you can even train them yourself, that right is specifically noted by the ADA.

They must be well behaved and 100% under control, and potty trained. If they are at all disruptive to others in either regard, they can be asked to leave, and you must comply, though you can come back without the animal. A fear of dogs or allergy to dogs is not a valid reason for someone to turn you away. Patrons must be accommodated, both those with the dogs, and those with the related issues. You may not be isolated or otherwise treated differently from other patrons.

People working can ask only two questions to confirm that the dog is a service animal:

(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and

(2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.

That's it. If you refuse to answer, you will be asked to leave, and you must comply. These two questions are the only questions that you *must* answer, any others are not allowed: they cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

You will still be charged for any damages caused by the animal.

Hope that clears up the many misunderstandings I see. I have a service dog, and I'm happy to answer any other questions anybody might have about how this whole thing works.

Thanks for reading, here's a sleepy dog tax as a reward for making it this far.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Damn the fine print.

I think I’m going to cancel her MRI appointment. As much as I would like to get answers, I can’t run the risk with how our pet insurance is set up.

1. There is an exception for intervertebral disc “conditions” (Not just IVDD. They could mean any number of problems) It’s not covered if it occurred at any point prior to starting the insurance. Unfortunately, the nature of those conditions means they can argue it is almost always preexisting.

2. If she’s deemed “healthy” by the MRI then we might fall into another trap which says testing done on healthy dogs isn’t covered.

3. The way this (and most other) pet insurance works is if a claim is denied then any future claims connected to it are also denied. I was going into this hopeful that the back pain has already been approved so the MRI should be included in that BUT if we get the MRI results and the claim is denied then all things back-related and potentially even things like future arthritis, etc will forever be denied (they like to say things are “side effects” of the denied condition)

So as of now she has been checked by a Neurologist & Orthopedic Surgeon and they both agree she is fine. The Neurologist would like to rule out things that could be causing back pain but Librela is managing her pain so well and costs $100-$200/month. I can’t risk the MRI being denied AND ruining our ability to manage pain & future issues.

[yuribeam]

With the flood of empty meme-ification of the bigoted violence targeting Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, I had no idea until today that there is actually a Haitian Community Help & Support Center that serves Clark County and surrounding areas.

They were founded in 2023 and help assist refugees and immigrants with a variety of pressing needs, including:

housing

interpreting

job search

welfare assistance

"Through our work and determination, community services must be accessible to people in need of them, regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, or sexual orientation. We envision it as a place where people feel at home when they come for community services and are served with dignity and respect." -HCHSC

They are now navigating the community's fears amid escalating threats, including multiple evacuations due to bomb threats, and violent racism that has exploded after J.D. Vance and Trump's xenophobic fear mongering lies were platformed at the debate.

The Haitian Times and the Hatian Community Help & Support Center organized a meeting on Saturday (9/14/24), bringing together activists from across the country, NAACP leaders, journalists, and local activists in conversation with community members.

The meeting had to be moved online out of fear for residents' safety.

"Some Haitian residents in the meeting shared their experiences in recent weeks and months as the fake news went viral. Participants also shared their fears, concerns and hope for the growing community. Even as they spoke, a ruckus broke out outside the community center from which a few participants logged into the Zoom when a strange truck appeared in the parking lot carrying white occupants acting cagey." - The Haitian Times, 9/16/24

The Haitian Times reports that some parents are keeping their children home from school out of fear for their safety. One woman's cars were vandalized in the driveway of her family home- the attacker used acid and broke a window, while another resident is facing discriminatory eviction from her business location.

White supremacist groups such as neonazis "Blood Tribe" are active in the area and are associated with the origin of the anti-Haitian lie.

Springfield's annual CultureFest, a two-day event that celebrates diversity, arts, and culture, has been cancelled for safety concerns.

"I take my kids to the park usually, I cannot do that anymore. You know, I have to just stay home and just don't go out. We used to just go for a walk in the neighborhood, but we cannot do that anymore," - Jims Denis, quoted in the Columbus Dispatch, 9/14/24

It is especially important to support the Haitian immigrant community during times like these. I hope visibility will shift from unhelpful dunk-on-trump memes to instead focus on the facts of the matter, the actual harm being caused to real communities, and how we can help.

With that in mind, the Haitian Community Help & Support Center takes donations through Stripe and Paypal on their website.

"Your generosity can make a profound difference in the lives of our Haitian community. By making a donation today, you help us provide essential resources, support, and opportunities for those in need. Donate now and be a part of the change. Every contribution counts! Thank you for your support." -HCHSC

(photo from Springfield Flag Day festival, 2023, Springfield News-Sun)

[grimalkinmessor]

Hi welcome to my very tired rant

[tennessoui]

november (and the last) ko-fi: kuwsk!

hello look at me being beautifully almost on time 😇 i have finished and posted the november ko-fi fic on my ko-fi for monthly supporters to read! it was so fun to return to the skywalker-kenobi family in this fic, especially because this one is set after they're together and engaged and in the midst of domestic bliss, which is not a flavor of obikin i generally write (but i should cause they're just silly even when they're ostensibly fighting!!) here's a snippet:

“If you’re seriously upset with me for volunteering to help out with the twins’ school production of a Thanksgiving play, I’m going to need you to say that sentence out loud a couple of times,” Anakin says finally, and Obi-Wan cuts him a scathing look.  “It’s not even going to be historically accurate.” “Baby, you’re not even American.” Obi-Wan sniffs. “That’s besides the point.” “I know you don’t like her, and I’m sure you have your reasons, but it’s for the greater good, yeah? I mean, do you actually trust any of the other parents to build anything else for the twins to stand on or around?” “Michael’s father works in construction,” Obi-Wan points out, raising his mug to his mouth and blowing on it carefully. “And Parker’s mother is an architect.” Anakin shrugs with one shoulder. “You’re sort of intimidatingly neurotic about the twins’ safety, baby. We know this by now.”

so as stated in the title this is gonna be my last ko-fi fic. it has been such a pleasure and a learning experience for me as a writer and y'all have been so supportive during this project - thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed for either a month or the whole year 🙏 i'm going to be deleting my ko-fi account on november 30 because i don't want anyone to accidentally forget to unsubscribe when i won't have a december fic for y'all - so if you've been going back and forth on supporting, do it now and you'll get access to all the fics on my ko-fi (final count: 18 ficlets - and 1 au that's just on ko-fi!!) before i upload them to ao3 in 2025*

and because im deleting my whole ko-fi, i do just want to say thank you to everyone who supported it since i set it up like 3 years ago - y'all are truly just so amazing and i'm constantly happy and content with this lil corner of fandom space in ways i don't know how to articulate even a million words of writing in

*this will be a slow process because of who i am as a writer - if you really want to have continued access to the fics currently on ko-fi, i'd bookmark the google doc they're on because those won't be deleted until the fic is permanently on ao3

[jaybird3756]

Therian PSA:

I’ve seen some people say that they are afraid to wear the Theta-Delta out in public or that some anti-therian people have recognized it or questioned it.

In America, if you are college age or older, you can explain your theta-delta as a collegiate Fraternity or Sorority symbol.

Fraternities and sororities are basically socially accepted cults in colleges that identify themselves with names of two to three Greek letters. Examples: Chi Omega (sorority), Delta Delta Delta (sorority), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (fraternity), Sigma Nu (fraternity).

Fraternities are for boys (or can be gender neutral or co-Ed in liberal universities depending on the fraternity) and sororities are for girls.

If someone questions your Theta-Delta and you are not comfortable telling them you are a therian, tell them that it’s the symbol of your sorority/fraternity called Theta Delta. They will say something like “oh I haven’t heard of that one?” And just tell them that it’s a small fraternity/sorority that was local to the area you went to school.

The people that would not be okay with therians are the same type of people that vibe with fraternities and sororities.