Posted: 17 Apr 2010 10:21 PM PDT

Slash Got Rid Of Reptile Collection When Baby Was Born

April 15th, 2010 Rocker SLASH parted ways with his famous collection of killer reptiles when his son was born - because he worried the baby would be harmed if a snake or lizard got loose. The former Guns N' Roses star once boasted a menagerie of slimy critters but admits he had enough "close calls" with family pets to realise snakes and babies didn't mix.

April 8th, 2010 KIRSTIE ALLEY's menagerie of lemurs is costing her big - she spends a jaw-dropping $40,000 (£25,000) a year on the animals. The former Cheers star hires two full-time zookeepers to take care of the nine primates at her home because the animals are so high maintenance.

Women ignore men's household work

March 12th, 2010 LONDON - If a new research is to be believed, men do far more housework than they are given credit for. The research by Dove, the beauty brand, also claims that the only problem for the hardworking chap is that his partner doesn't notice the whopping 13 hours a week he puts in doing the household chores.

Midnight Oil's Garrett Demoted

February 26th, 2010 MIDNIGHT OIL rocker-turned-politician PETER GARRETT has been demoted in Australia after his latest energy-saving scheme was deemed a failure. The former Midnight Oil frontman introduced a home insulation initiative as part of his role as Australia's Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, entitling homeowners to free heat insulation improvements.

Average British household watches more than a day's TV each week

February 11th, 2010 MELBOURNE - Brits watch more than a day's TV each week, a new survey has revealed. According to the latest Trends in Television report, the average British household was glued to the telly for more than 26 hours per week in 2009.

Pets 'more attractive' than lovers on Valentine's Day!

February 9th, 2010 MELBOURNE - Many people across the world don't mind spending Valentine's Day with their loved pets, a new study has found. A total of 24,000 people in 23 countries were quizzed in the poll.

Family meals, adequate sleep, limited TV may cut childhood obesity risks

February 8th, 2010 WASHINGTON - Household routines like eating dinner together as a family, getting adequate sleep and limiting television viewing time appear to lower obesity risks in children, says a study. Principal investigator Sarah Anderson, assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, and co-author Robert Whitaker, professor of public health and pediatrics at Temple University, examined the association of childhood obesity among preschool-aged children with the three household routines.

Clever people more likely to own cats than dogs

February 6th, 2010 LONDON - Cat owners are more likely to have a degree than dog owners, a University of Bristol study has found. "The reason for this association is unclear," said Dr Jane Murray of the university's Department of Clinical Veterinary Science.

Married men earn more than single blokes

February 1st, 2010 MELBOURNE - Married men earn seven per cent more than their single counterparts, a new study has found. The survey of 12,000 German men, undertaken by the University of Bielefeld, took into account differences in age, education and experience while conducting the study.

Household driveways could spread toxins

January 12th, 2010 LONDON - Revamping you driveway with a fresh coat of black sealant may no longer be a good idea, for scientists have discovered that homes with black parking lots have surprisingly large doses of carcinogens in their household dust. Barbara Mahler of the US Geological Survey in Austin, Texas, and colleagues, sought to determine the link between high quantities of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment and sealed parking lots.

Average couple has 135 rows a year

January 7th, 2010 LONDON - An average couple has 135 tiffs a year, a new UK study has found. According to the survey by Esure home insurance, couples spend 40 minutes a day on average arguing about household chores.

Cate Blanchett loves doing household chores

November 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - She might be a movie star, but Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett insists she loves doing household chores and raising her three sons. The Oscar winner says she loves doing daily chore of vacuuming.

Beckhams Reward Sons With New Pets

November 23rd, 2009 The BECKHAM household is turning into a zoo - because proud parents DAVID and VICTORIA reward their hard-working sons with pets when they get good grades. Soccer ace David relocated his family from London to Los Angeles after joining the L.A.

Hilary Swank supports pet re-homing drive

September 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Actress Hilary Swank has urged people to support a new scheme to rehouse unwanted pets. The 'Million Dollar Baby' star became an ambassador for the Home 4 the IAMS Holidays Pet Adoption Campaign, which helps animals in shelters find new owners.

Higher earning women tend to do more housework

July 15th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Women who contribute more to the household finances, as compared to their husbands or partners, tend to do more housework, according to a study. Led by Janeen Baxter and Belinda Hewitt, of the University of Queensland, the study showed that women contributing 70 per cent or more of the weekly income start doing more housework rather than less.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Pets 'are household hazards' - Newstrack India

Posted: 17 Apr 2010 10:00 PM PDT

Washington, April 18 (ANI): They are known for providing companionship, but a new U.S study suggests dogs and cats are a lurking household danger, causing all kinds of injuries related to falls.

During the study, researchers found that the accidents took place while people were chasing after them, stepping over them, and other scenarios.

"Certainly pets are wonderful and have many benefits, so we're not saying anything about not having pets," Live Science quoted study researcher Judy Stevens, a senior epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, as saying.

The report comes from a nationally representative sample of emergency department visits to about 60 hospitals from Jan. 1, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2006, finding some 7,456 records were linked to pet-related falls.

From this, Stevens and colleagues calculated the national estimate would reach 86,629 for fall injuries associated with cats and dogs in the United States in 2006.

Though an alarming number, it's just 1 percent of the 8 million fall injuries treated in emergency departments, Stevens said.

The report showed that even though cats are known to follow at your heels, or right beneath your feet, dogs were involved in nearly 7.5 times as many injuries as cats.

That's "mainly because dogs are bigger and stronger, and we do see children and women are most likely to be involved in a fall with a dog."

The researchers also found that girls were more than twice as likely as men to have pet-related fall injuries. And children and the middle-age group were the most likely to end up in the ER after an accident with the fur balls.

More than a quarter of dog-related injuries occurred while people were walking the pet, with the most frequent circumstances falling or tripping over one's dog and being pushed or pulled by the four-legged pals.

As cats are mostly homebodies, it's no surprise most falls involving the bossy felines occurred in or around the house. Nearly 12 percent of these injuries happened while people were chasing cats.

The findings are detailed in the current issue of the Journal of Safety Research. (ANI)

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Dogs aren't perfect - Examiner

Posted: 17 Apr 2010 07:01 PM PDT

Comment

In a sense, the Labradors popularity is also its downfall. Type in, on Petfinder.com, Labrador, and you'll get 1,178 pages of results, in the U.S alone. When you take into consideration, a lot of shelters don't post their adoptable dogs, we have a problem. On each petfinder page, there is an average of 25 pets listed, times 25 by 1,178 and you'll see that things don't look very good.

This isn't to say, the Labrador is better than other breeds; it just means that because they are very common, Labradors and mixes are prevalent in shelters. If Labradors are such a good breed, as we have seen, why are they there, instead of a loving home? This is like asking, why people who abuse children, have children to begin with. We, as sane humans, can't imagine, but beyond our manicured lawns, there seems to be another world that exists, entirely.

Many reasons, Labradors and dogs in general, are at shelters, is because of the economy. Many people can barely afford to feed their own family, let alone a dog. Others use it as an excuse, because, to be honest, they are just plain irresponsible.

People will also start out, sometimes innocently enough, by just having one dog. If not spayed or neutered, that dog now turns into 7, or more; the solution to the average person is just to drop them off at a local shelter.

Another problem is the people that mistake the Labrador, as a near perfect pooch. They get a dog, expecting no work whatsoever is required, why? Well, because they've heard, Labs are a "perfect" family pet. That statement is true, but, I don't see how that says, no work is required to have a, "perfect" family pet. Once the people realize their dog is out of control, they return it, or drop it off at a shelter. The cycle is again repeated, each time the dog getting older, and developing even more bad habits, often times, surrendering its life to euthanasia.

I would like to point out, that all dogs need something to do; whether it is an Akita, Terrier, Retriever, or otherwise, it needs its mind occupied. This is the same as kids, sometimes worse, believe me. Being bred for a specific job and task, Labradors are active, living on the edge, for the moment. It can't be cooped up in an apartment, or even a house for that matter, and be expected to be that "perfect" family dog, without work, that is.

Just as people with wisdom, plan to have a child; people need to plan for a dog. Fully understanding, that it is a responsibility and life they now have to provide for, and take care of. Shelters are run by wonderful people, but, it shouldn't be a last resort, or an outlet to get rid of the burden, you chose to obtain.

What do you teach your children? "Now, Johnny, say Please"- "Amanda, say thank you" - "Elizabeth don't talk with food in your mouth, sweetheart." It is the same with dogs, we have to show them what we want them to do, and how they should behave. Otherwise, how would they know the difference? Their behavior, in the animal world is entirely different from our own. I wouldn't come up and lick you, but a dog would. I most definitely, wouldn't put my mouth anywhere near toilet water, but to them that's heaven, I mean, an endless supply of water, where can you go wrong? We try to humanize dogs and believe me, it just doesn't work. I wouldn't treat you like a dog, so, you shouldn't treat an animal, Lab or otherwise, as you would a human.

Now, I'm not saying, it is impossible to teach your dog not to drink out of the toilet. Instead of saying, 'Eww, that's gross', look at it from a different angle, and then approach it with a training aspect. You also, have to be careful about cleaning solutions in there, so, I personally just keep the lid closed. I mean, look at that, a problem that caused so much ruckus, was now solved in 2.2 seconds. I also know, that even if they decided they were going to sneak one by me, they can't and more importantly, I don't have to take trips to the vet, praying they happen to return home with me.

Labradors and dogs in general, aren't perfect. You shape, train, and develop its future. Think of it this way, when you go into a glass shop, don't take your clumsy two year old, you break it, you bought it. For dogs, it's, you buy it, and you train it, or don't get one to begin with.

Photo credit: Al-van Humane Society, in South Haven MI. They generously gave me the permission to post the picture on this page. Please make adoption your first option. There are plenty of dogs that need loving homes, just like the dog pictured. Either stop in at a local animal shelter, or go to Petfinder.com.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Pets to Adopt - Baton Rouge Advocate

Posted: 17 Apr 2010 10:07 PM PDT

The Animal Control Center, 2680 Progress Road, has plenty of animals that need good homes.

There are all types of cats and dogs at the center, which is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

The center also conducts midmonth Saturday remote adoptions, at locations to be announced.

The center is closed Sundays, holidays, holiday weekends and in special circumstances.

All animals will be spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

Volunteers are sought to foster a dog or cat at home for a period of one week to two months.

Contact Animal Control at (225) 774-7700 or visit http://www.brgov.com/dept/animal/ for details on adoption or what to do about stray animals.

/news|91293569

Your comment appears to contain objectionable content and must be reviewed by a site moderator. If your comment is deemed objectionable, it will not appear on the site.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.