I was recently reading an article in an online news site and happened to check what the most popular stories where….Weezer hurt in bus crash, ( What the hell is a Weezer?),  and Stars Dazzling Red Carpet, and last but not least, “Paris Hilton plotting a come back”…. I didn’t know she had left the room, little did I care, and I sure as heck wouldn’t miss her is she stayed away….
Sorry people, but this is embarrassing.  What is it with today’s people?  When there are so many real issue one should be reading and understanding, why is the media filled with mundane, insignificant, and useless stories?

Are people today so apathetic they do not care, or is there just a growing appreciation towards the artificial and insignificant?
Or maybe……………It’s a conspiracy to keep people stupid…..
I do not know the answer of where we are headed as a civilization, but if what is important to most people is the pathetic and unproductive crap shown on today’s “hip media“, then we took a wrong turn somewhere back down the road.  And no one knows how to turn around….

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One of these companies I have already mentioned, not only for their social and cultural awareness, but also their great products, and the other I have researched with positive results.  Both companies earn an A+ in trying to make this a better world for those they touch.

Better World Books collects used books and sells them online to raise money for literacy initiatives worldwide, while Native American Natural Food’s mission is to is to heal the people and Mother Earth based on the traditional values of Native American respect for all living things, by living in balance with mind, body, and spirit.  Both a noble cause.

It would be very refreshing if more companies would follow the example of these two companies and place as much emphasis on contributing to social improvement as they do for annual profits.    For more information on these two companies, Native American Natural Foods, inventors of Tanka Bars, and Better World Books.

ryeder/rv-visions

Pet health issues plague everyone who has a pet at some time or another. Among other areas of concern, the one that can area that can pose a fair number of problems are ear infections. Ear mites, and ear infections are some of the major problems that can discomfort your pets and can lead to many a sleepless nights for you too. A dog with ear mites is a less common phenomenon than a cat ear with mites but if contracted, it can cause high levels of stress for the dog and the owner.

The one way in which you can ensure that you never have to face issues related to dog ear infections is to adopt good hygiene practices. Once these practices are made into a regular habit, the chances of your dog contracting any kind of ear infection reduce considerably. It is therefore, important to include ear cleaning and examination as part of a weekly ritual. If you use a professional grooming service, make sure that they include ear cleaning along with the regular bath, grooming and styling services.

In case you do not use these services, you can ensure that your dog’s ears are cleaned every week. Cleaning the ears on your own is not really a difficult job. All you need to do is to remember to clean this oft ignored part of the body while giving your dog a bath. Lift the flap and expose the canal. Cover a finger with a soft moist cloth and clean the inside of the ear flap and the exposed area. You can use a homemade cotton swab to clean the inaccessible parts.

Another aspect of dog ear hygiene is concerned with hair growth. Hair can grow in the ear canals in large quantities and this is true especially in the case of Poodles, Terriers and some other hairy breeds. The hairs are mainly responsible for trapping water and creating a warm humid environment wherein the mites and bacteria can breed and grow. It becomes pertinent, therefore to remove excess hair from the inside of the ear to ensure that bacteria and mites do not breed there. A simple procedure that involves the removal of excess hair every fortnight can help maintain good hygiene and save you from many ear infections that may otherwise happen. To remove hair, lift the ear flap, expose the inside and remove the excess hairs that you see on the external ear opening. Make sure that you pull in the direction of the hair growth and remove only small amounts of hair at a time. Make sure that you do not pull any hair if you see some signs of inflammation or infection.

Dogs with ear that droop over are likely to face issues with ear infections and ear mites more than dogs that have ears that are erect. Excessive bacteria and mites can cause ear infections, swelling, inflammation and painful redness if not treated well in time. Some severe cases can also lead to deafness.

Unfortunately many dog owners realize what their pets are going through after it is too late. Symptoms like excessive shaking of the head and scratching ears are often ignored and accepted as normal. Any kind of an ear infection that occurs due to ear mites needs to be referred to a veterinarian. Keeping a check on ear hygiene can help you avoid such an eventuality. And even if your dog does get infected, there are home remedies for dog ear mites that you can explore if you spot the issue in advance.

Get more info on Ear Dr. for dog and cat ear mites and ear infections.

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Addictions come in many sizes.  The larger sizes constitute addictions in the range of drug and alcohol, sex, gambling, eating, shopping, internet, work, and nurturing you personal website.  So, under that definition, I guess I am an addict.  What would my parents think? (Here I am hanging my head in shame and humiliation).

I created rv-visions two years ago and have spent unknown hours, tweaking, adding to, rebuilding, discontinuing, resurrecting, with the final outcome being a mutation that would make SEO a nightmare.  SO, if you want to visit a site that is described as mutated eclectic, drop by and visit for a couple of minutes.

PS  I do take suggestions (sometimes).

80% of all Americans are NOT prepared for a disaster.
Are you one of them?
Survival skills are techniques a person may use for an indefinite duration to survive a dangerous situation. Generally speaking, these techniques are meant to provide the basic necessities for human life: fire, water, food, shelter, habitat, and the need to think straight. Such skills are presented as useful in situations such as storms or earthquakes or in dangerous locations such as desert, mountains, and jungle. Every different situation or location is said to present a different range of dangers. From natural disasters to losing your electricity, you need to be prepared.

1. Humans cannot survive more than three hours exposed to extremely low temperatures.
2. Humans cannot survive more than three days without water.
3. Humans cannot survive more than three weeks without food.

My newest info site offers a wide range of information and many free resources to help you determine if you will be the one who survives, or be part of the ones who are lost.  Your choice….
Survival Quarterly

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Dog aggression can have various causes. The various kinds of aggression observed in dogs are categorized based on what causes it – fear aggression, dominance aggression, territorial aggression and others. Aggressive dog behavior can be induced by fear.

Fear is an emotion that we generally do not associate with dogs. However, it is a reality that some dogs can feel threatened or fearful due to certain specific objects, people or actions. If somebody, regardless of it being a human being or another animal, approaches a dog that is otherwise cringing in a corner with fear, the dog is likely to respond with aggression.

Such dog aggression can be understood in comparison with normal human behavior. Consider this – if you find yourself in a fearful condition and some one is approaching you without clarifying his intention, you are most likely to hit back in defense.

A dog cannot understand human language. In a fearful condition the dog is likely to misunderstand your gestures or body language. This can result in seemingly non-instigated aggression. While most dogs try to attack the source of fear, some resort to escape or show abnormal behaviors like increased fearful activity.

Dogs have evolved and learnt to adapt to life in a family. However, they do have emotions, fears and anger. Loud noises, a flying plane, firecrackers, bearded humans or for that matter, any strange object can induce fear in a dog. Fear induced dog aggression commonly manifests when a dog is in an inextricable situation. It may also occur when a dog owner gives severe punishments to the pet, a prior fearful experience or unpredictable behavior by children in the family.

Maternal aggression and territorial aggression too form a part of fear aggression in dogs. A bitch, like a human mother, wants to protect her offspring. The only manner in which a bitch can protect her children is by being aggressive. It is important to understand that the fear emanates from inherent fear of harm.

Territorial aggression is different from fear aggression and occurs due to a dog’s natural tendency to protect his home ground. It is more related to dominance aggression. However, all dogs are not driven by this trait. Some poorly trained dogs may behave properly with other dogs when they are not in the vicinity of their own home.

However, the same dog may resort to aggression towards the same dogs if they approach their home. Such aggression is a manifestation of the fear that the dog has in relation to his domain. Also such aggression may surface only when the dog is on ‘home ground’.

To understand fearful aggression you should first understand the signs of fear in a dog. Some of the key indications of fearful aggression are a lowered head, tucked tail, flattened ears, panting, salivating, and avoidance of eye contact and sometimes even an attempt to escape.

It is advisable that you do not expose your dog to known fearful stimulus. This runs the danger of more extreme forms of dog aggression like dog biting. At the same time ignoring fearful behavior too is not the right thing to do. Consistent exposure to fear can triggers aggressive behavior in dogs.

Attempts should be made to remove the fear factor. Desensitizing your dog towards the object or person who causes fear is another technique that can be used.

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There are times when the words or the ideas do not come easy.  I can sit and contemplate for hours and fail to deliever anything.  Yet, I have awoke in the middle of the night, and the words came so easy, I did not remember writing them until later on.  It is one of those nights that the words fail me.  I had considered topics on the bloated federal budget, weighed down with greedy little ear marks from politicians who care little about fiscal responsibility, or a short topic on skinning a deer.  This was brought on by a friend who told me to go out back a skin something.  The deer sounded logical.  But unfortunately, nothing comes to mind except…

Have a Great Thanksgiving….

rv-visions.com

I see this title has caught your attention, but for those of you who were anticipating (see previous post) an erotic story, sorry.  I recently received an email from a person who was asking about her pet dog acting different.  One cause may be anxiety, though there could be other causes.

As the several people who actually read the blog can tell you, my posts are eclectic at best, and haphazard and  nonplussed at worst.  Sometimes, I compare what I post here with a box of CrackerJacks.  You really never know what you will find inside the box until you actually open it.  Actually, I really do not plan too far ahead with what I am posting.  That concept should be scary enough for most of you.  The anticipation of not knowing what life brings is also something that can be compared.  There are days when all hell breaks loose and you find yourself wondering how you will ever get through the day…but you do.  Other days, everything you touch turns to gold, everything falls into place with little effort, and it is a glorious day.  It is the same with this blog.  One day the topic is interesting, enjoyable, informative, and one day the topic/writing should have been filed under delete, never to have graced the pages of this site.  That is how life is.  Never knowing what is coming down the freeway of  living until it hits you.

I promise that things will NOT change and the assortment of topics, ramblings, stories and lies will carry on.  Bare with me….it could be worse.

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The first ten week period of a newborn puppy’s life is the best time to teach a puppy that biting is not acceptable. And training your puppy to avoid an incidence of dog biting is crucial.

This is especially because biting comes naturally to them and it is the easiest form of dog aggression that he can resort to in situations that induce fear, anxiety and aggression. And such training is best done before strong adult teeth take the place of small nibbling ones. Curbing aggressive dog behavior among adult dogs is far more difficult than training puppies.

While training puppies, always remember that physical punishment does not work. Punishment is tantamount to making the dog more resolute in his behavior and in such cases aggression is likely to become a permanent concern.

The approach that you take should clearly indicate to the puppy that you love him but hate the biting habit instead. At the same time you must assume leadership as the dog considers you as part of the pack. Unless he perceives you to be the leader he is likely to let go of aggressive dog behavior easily.

Dogs use their mouth to express themselves. A pup also uses his mouth and his tongue for communication. Encourage licking, although not a compatible dog behavior, by offering treats and praise. Give licking a name so that he remembers the activity the next time. If the puppy uses his teeth on you, make an abrupt startling sound (e.g. OUCH) right in his face. His instincts will tell him that he has to stop. Isolate him for five minutes if you feel that the loud sound did not have an impact. Pick him up after some time and see how he responds now. Continue this till the time you feel that the pup has got the idea of what is acceptable and what not.

By the time the pup is six weeks he should have understood that he can use his mouth on you but only for licking. If you have brought an older puppy, you might have to repeat this for some time since he may need more time to adjust to new faces and the new environment.

Expose the puppy to other dogs and humans. The reactions of other puppies and dogs when bitten are likely to make him understand that he should desist from biting. Exposure to humans will remove fear of strangers.

Training alone does not inhibit dog biting. It is also necessary that all those who interact with the dog adhere to certain norms that restrict dog biting.

Children are prone to unpredictable behaviors. This, more than anything else, puts a dog on his defensive. Keep children away from the puppy till the time you are sure that he is trained. It is pertinent to teach children the manner in which they should approach a puppy or a dog and what specific actions need to be avoided.

* Do not play aggressive or competitive games with the puppy.
* Define the areas that are out of bounds and consistently stick to it.
* Never tap on the head. Instead scratch below the chin.

Biting comes naturally to puppies. In a litter, they play by rolling over and biting each other even before they have developed their teeth. A younger dog can cause more harm with his sharp teeth in spite of the fact that his lower jaw is week. By the time he grows up his teeth may become duller but the strength in his jaws can inflict maximum damage. Teaching young puppies that no teeth can touch human skin or clothes always help in the long term.

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