Tell Me Your Story

My readers are all so dear to me.  I know each one of you has a great story to tell and share as well as a favorite pet you would love to show to the world.  I would love to help you with doing that.  I encourage all readers of my blog to write a short favorite story of their pet along with a favorite picture of said pet.  Your story can be about anything from rescuing your companion, how your dog rescued you, silly things your pet does, ways your pet helps you, the only limits on the stories are your imaginations.  Any companion pet story is welcome, I am in no way limited to only dogs in my life.  After the stories and pictures are collected I will feature a few of them in my blog. 
Thank you to all who read my writing and wish to learn more about the best way to care for, teach, and co exist with our beloved animals. 

Crazy Pets?

It’s time to become aware, if your pets start acting erratic!

Posted on 09/19/2013 13:01 by Rising Stormclouds Comment

It’s time to become aware, if your pets start acting erratic!

The above statement is truly something one should always try to remember. If you have pets, from mammals, to birds, to fish, pay attention to them. Specifically, their actions. Take note when creatures seemingly act out of the ordinary, or act like they want to get out of the house, cage or aquarium, no matter what.
Animals, birds, and even fish, can sense when major earth changes are about to happen. A dog may start barking for no reason, the hackles raise up along their back or it might start pawing at the door wanting out if it senses an impending earthquake. A horse in a corral might start jumping and bucking or whinnying loudly if it senses changes in the weather. A fish in an aquarium may even jump out of the tank if it senses a change in the barometric pressure.

I don’t know about snakes or spiders doing the same as with the other creatures, because frankly, I’ve never had a snake or a spider as a pet. I would think they would also sense an earth change coming, but seeing that particular reaction, might be really difficult, as compared to all the other creatures.

The animals can sense the micro-tremors of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and probably even if a sinkhole is about to open up. They can even sense the micro changes in the atmosphere before tornadoes come into existence, or lightning storms.
If I was in a city nearby the ocean, and all the birds suddenly left town at once, I would take notice, and get the heck out of dodge. There might just be a tsunami or an earthquake about to hit. Either way I would not want to stick around to find out.

If you only will take the time to notice, your very own pets may one day save your life. Watching wildlife and your pets is a form of situational awareness. This skill can be honed everyday if you just use it and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

This entry was posted in Animals/Pets and tagged animals changes in the weather climate lightning storms micro changes nature

Using your Canine Companion as a gear carrier

• Using your Canine Companion as a gear carrier…

  Posted on 10/24/2013 12:34 by Rising Stormclouds 2 Comments

  Some people might think about training their dogs to be able to help carry gear in a bug-out situation. Besides the fact that dogs make great companions, awesome protectors, great guards, and can help in hunting, they can also eat just about anything a human can. In survival, this factor is a major plus. They can be easily trained to do a great many things, including being able to carry gear, or pull a gear sled behind them. I would not recommend that you make your dog do both, carry a pack and pull a sled. Your dog is not a horse.

  Of course, even after training your dog to do this, it would behoove you to continually have the animal practice, so if the day comes where you have to bug out, the dog will be comfortable in doing so, with no problems arising. As with each family member, each dog should have a pack already geared up and at the ready, and packed in with the rest of the family’s gear bags. Training packs would do well enough for teaching the dog how to handle the weight and the pack itself. Just like the human counterparts, working out takes time, and you will want to do it slowly so the animal doesn’t over strain it’s muscles, or pull tendons.

  *Every dog should be able to carry about 20-25 % of their body weight comfortably. This depends upon the age and health of said animal. Puppies and older dogs carry less, around the 5-10% range. For reference, two liters is about 4.4 pounds.
  The dog’s capability can be hampered by temperature, terrain and weather with sand or uphill travel causing more strain.
  Dogs can pull much more than they can carry on their backs, and they would be comfortable in pulling a sled weighing in at a little under ½ of their own weight efficiently.

  *Recommended backpacks can be found on the web by typing in dog back packs. Make sure each pack fits correctly up over the ribcage. The types listed below have good padding. The straps won’t rub the dog wrong, the chest straps help to keep the pack even between the legs – front and back as well as the sides. They even have an included handle on the back that helps the owner pick the dog back up if the dog falls and needs help back up. In case of traveling in white-out blizzard or ha-boob conditions, it would be wise to connect a leash or tie a line to your dog so that the whole family can stick together and no one including the dog gets lost.

  *The types I like are ….
  Mountainsmith Dog Pack $38-70 .. depends upon size.
  EzyDog Summit Backpack Dog Trail Pack $56
  Kyjen Outward Hound Backpack $31
  These can be found at Amazon, or do searches for dog-packs, or dog back-packs.

  Now, if you would rather have your dog pull a gear sled, then a full body padded harness would work well for the animal, with the drag line attached at the point right behind the head, and in between the shoulders of the dog. This gives them the maximum amount of strength in pulling the gear sled. A sled could simply be a child’s play sled, with gear packs tied on. Make sure however that the heaviest items are against the sled, so as not to make the sled top heavy, or it could fall over on your dog more than you’d like. Your dog is not going to be able to up-right a fallen over sled, so how you pack it is very important. The drag sled should have rounded front runners, so the animal can get the sled over most objects laying on the ground. Small wheels attached to the runners would help the animal in case your walking on hard surfaces such as concrete, because dragging anything over concrete is extremely difficult. The wheels would also make the sled quieter. The weight of the sled itself has to be considered in with the weight of the gear. Don’t over-load your dog, or your dog might just stop and not continue. Taking breaks is also necessary, making sure the dog gets plenty of water along the way.

  There are pros and cons to everything when it comes to survival, and each must be weighed carefully when making decisions that could affect you and your family in bug out situations.

  *This information in this article was given to me by PawEarFull Legacys who is the writer of Chew’in da Bone at http://chewindabone.blogspot.com

  
  

  
  

  This entry was posted in Animals/Pets Gear Bags and tagged Activities Dog Dog sled Family Pet Recreation Weight