DOG YEARSGenerally, dogs are considered in the senior stage of life at 7 years old, but how your dog ages will vary depending on what breed he is. The American Kennel Club offers the following tips to help you make your dog's golden years happy and healthy.* Pay attention to change. Older dogs have predictable routines and behaviors, so any change in his behavior, activity, weight, eating and bathroom habits could be a sign that something is wrong.* Make well visits. Since dogs age faster than humans, early detection of age-related problems is key to keeping your senior dog happy and healthy. Have your elderly dog examined by your veterinarian every six months.For more information on responsible dog ownership, visit www.akc.org.Distributed by McClatchy Newspapers
It's not exactly a pet trick, but it WILL have people doing a double take.
Thanks to a revolutionary toilet-training system, cats can be trained to use a human toilet instead of a box of cat litter. The process, depending on the cat, could take about eight weeks. The system was invented by New South Wales couple Terry and Jo Lapidge for their cat, Doogie.
Here's how it works: After the cat's regular litter box has been removed, the Litter Kwitter, a seat device that contains a red plastic disk filled with litter, is placed next to a toilet. The cat will soon use it. After the cat becomes accustomed to using the device, it is then placed on the porcelain rim of the toilet. The cat will hop onto the device.
When realizing this is where he/she is supposed to eliminate, the cat graduates to the next disk, which has a hole in the middle along with room for litter. The next disk has an even bigger hole, without the litter, so that the cat will learn to balance on the seat and use the bathroom.
"It may seem a little quirky at first, but it really works," Jo Lapidge said in a news release.
Bone Appetit Bakery employee Lisa Putney said that though she hasn't seen the Litter Kwitter in use, she did see a recent TV show that documented a cat being toilet-trained via the Litter Kwitter system.
"It worked," she said. "The cat was [video] taped throughout the process."
The Litter Kwitter Cat Toilet Training System retails for $39.99 locally at Petco. Store officials said they have sold "quite a few."