Thursday, 30 November 2023

I did not know a dog could ..............................

 



Saw this and thought yeah, this totally resonates with me …
I did not know a dog could bring people into your life that end up meaning the most to you.
I did not know a dog could make the hardest days of your life bearable.
I did not know a dog could teach you to put others first.
I did not know a dog could remind you time and time again that your gut is always right.
I did not know a dog could break your heart.
I did not know a dog could pick you up when you have fallen apart.
I did not know a dog could teach you to dream again, after you thought it was not possible.
I did not know a dog could make you believe in yourself.
I did not know a dog could teach responsibility, work ethic, and dedication.
I did not know a dog could make you believe in something when no one else does.
I did not know a dog could make you learn to forgive and forget.
I did not know a dog could humble you faster than you can say humble.
I did not know a dog could make you a winner.
I did not know a dog could also teach you how to lose gracefully.
I did not know a dog could instill patience in you.
I did not know a dog could make you listen better.
I did not know a dog could give you their heart.
I did not know a dog could change your life.
I did not know a dog could do all these things...
but now I know 🤍

Wednesday, 29 November 2023

"The Raven" BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

 "The Raven" BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more!”
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
• Explore the poems of Edgar Allan Poe








Happy birthday to William Blake (1757-1827)

 

🎂 Happy birthday to William Blake (1757-1827) -- English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. 👇


"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
"A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent."
"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern."
"If a thing loves, it is infinite."
"Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
***




Dog Ear Signals


Is there truly a dog ear language? Absolutely. You just need to know what dog ear positions mean and take in the rest of his body language, too.




This dog’s ears are back, but you can tell from his eyes and mouth that it’s a submissive pose. Credit: Nikilay Gluhov | Getty Images


Our dogs communicate with us in various ways, but the most common ones are through tails, ears, and voice. When trying to read your dog’s body language, you should look at all three—and more.

A 2018 study, published in Animals, from researchers in Italy, says that you should also pay attention to the eyes and mouth when judging ear position communication. We agree. If your dog seems to be showing conflicting emotions reflected in his tail vs. ears vs. voice or more, be safe and assume that dog is not happy.

For strictly dog ear language, the Italian researchers determined that:

Dogs can pull their ears back various degrees according to the animals’ arousal state. Ears can vary from simply “back,” to communicate an appeasement intention, to “flattened” or “pressed back,” in frightened individuals as an agonistic response. In extremely fearful individuals, ears can be pressed back so far on the head that they completely disappear (“seal ears”). On the contrary, ears kept forward are associated with interest, attention, and approach-oriented intentions, while sideward position indicates a conflicting inner state (“airplane ears”).

So, when you arrive home, and your dog runs to greet you with ears up, you can be confident that he is excited to see you, making sure it is you, and happy. As he gets closer, he may drop and/or pull his ears back, still wagging and smiling, and you know that’s because he’s trying to please you.




This dog’s ears are telling you he is intently looking at something. Notice also his eyes. Credit: Alexandre Morin-Laprise | Getty Images



This dog’s ears are back, but you can tell from his eyes and mouth that it’s a submissive pose. Credit: Nikilay Gluhov | Getty Images




It isn’t difficult to note that this dog’s up and forward ears are indicating that he is happy, asking what’s the next fun thing! Credit: Purple Collar Pet Photography | Getty Images



Common Dog Ear Position Meanings


It is easier to read the signals of prick ears than drop or partially up ears, but there are similarities.

Ears up: Your dog is alert and listening. He may have one ear up and the other semi alert, too.

Ears rotated: Ears that seem to be rotated in somewhat in different directions means he may be listening to something coming from one area off to the side.

Ears up and tightly held, almost touching: Your dog is very intense. It could be a prelude to a charge. “Squirrel!”

Ears held back and down: Submission or relaxed. If the ears are tightly down, your dog is likely stressed, which may be through submission or fear—even fear strong enough to become aggressive.

Note: If your dog is showing unusual ear postures, such as one ear held down, tilting his head slightly, or holding a drop ear out from his head a bit, he may have an ear infection or hematoma in the ear. Ears are very sensitive, so examine them carefully and consider making a visit to your veterinary clinic.



Debra M. Eldredge, DVM

Deb M. Eldredge, DVM, is a graduate of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the first recipient of the vet school’s coveted Gentle Doctor Award. Currently retired from clinics, Dr. Eldredge is an award-winning writer and the technical editor of Cornell’s DogWatch. She and her daughter own the Coyote Run Belgian Tervuren kennel. Dr. Eldredge actively competes her dogs in all dog sports and breed shows.


 

Friday, 24 November 2023

Why Do Dogs Lick Each Other?

 

Dogs lick other dog’s ears and faces as a social behavior and to explore the world, although research also points to submission and stomach pain.

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Dogs explore the world using their incredible sense of smell and their tongues. Licking is an established dog behavior, and at least one study has linked it to the release oxytocin, a hormone commonly called one of the “happy” hormones. So, licking makes your dog feel good.

Licking is also an important method of communication. In Psychology TodayStanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC, said: “For dogs, licking can communicate information about relative status, intentions, and state of mind, but it is most frequently a peacemaking or pacifying behavior.”

Why Do Dogs Lick Faces?

We know that female dogs lick their puppies at birth to stimulate elimination and to clean them.

Close-Up Of Dogs

Dogs lick each other as a way of socialization and submission, but physical problems, fear, or anxiety may also need to be considered, especially if the licking behavior increases. Credit: Rachel Haines – Eye Em | Getty Images

But why do dogs, often unrelated, lick each other’s ears, mouths, and faces? Research holds many viable theories. Among the most common beliefs is that it’s a way of appeasement or calming. German animal behaviorist Angelika Firnkes’s 2016 study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior found that licking their own lips may be a way of canine appeasement when greeting another dog or a person.

There may be a physical reason, too. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior found a relationship between dogs who obsessively licked surfaces and internal gastrointestinal disorders.

Dog Licking Behavior

Puppies lick their dams around the mouth to stimulate vomiting up partly digested food, begging for food, and for submissiveness. The overall body language of a submissive dog is a lowered body, ears back, coming up to the mouth. Adult dogs who do a lot of this are often low on the totem pole in the household.

The University of Bristol Veterinary School cautions that an increase in licking activity may be a message that the dog is experiencing anxiety or fear. Look closely at what’s happening when the licking begins to see if you can determine why the dog is licking. If you suspect anxiety or fear, your veterinarian can prescribe medication to help.

Why Does My Dog Lick Other Dogs’ Ears?

As we’ve noted, licking may be a social, or pack, behavior. From the veterinary standpoint, physical causes also may a reason. Some licking may be stimulated by blood due to an injury or the smell of an infection. Oral infections could also attract licking due to the odor, so it may not be just ears.

Of course, licking around the mouth could also be opportunistic if the dog being licked has food residue around his muzzle.

Some veterinarians think dogs simply like the taste of ear wax or discharge. Ear wax is believed to be a little salty, and it includes dead skin cells, dirt, and other debris. If the dog with the wax-laden ears seems at all painful, that dog should be seen by your veterinarian to rule out illness and so you can learn more about cleaning your dog’s ears.

If your dog is licking other dogs as a way of socializing, and you don’t see any indication of fear, it’s OK.  If the dog who is being licked doesn’t seem well, your licking dog may have just given you a heads up to a brewing infection or injury.


Deb M. Eldredge, DVM, is a graduate of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the first recipient of the vet school’s coveted Gentle Doctor Award. Currently retired from clinics, Dr. Eldredge is an award-winning writer and the technical editor of Cornell’s DogWatch. She and her daughter own the Coyote Run Belgian Tervuren kennel. Dr. Eldredge actively competes her dogs in all dog sports and breed shows. 


IF LIBRARIANS WERE HONEST

 




IF LIBRARIANS WERE HONEST
If librarians were honest,
They wouldn't smile, or act
welcoming. They would say,
You need to be careful. Here
be monsters. They would say,
These rooms house heathens
and heretics, murderers and
maniacs, the deluded, desperate,
and dissolute. They would say,
These books contain knowledge
of death, desire, and decay,
betrayal, blood, and more blood;
each is a Pandora's box, so why
would you want to open one.
They would post danger
signs warning that contact
might result in mood swings,
severe changes in vision,
and mind-altering effects.
If librarians were honest,
they would admit the stacks
can be more seductive and
shocking than porn. After all,
once you've seen a few
breasts, vaginas and penises,
more is simply more,
a comforting banality,
but shelves of a library
contain sensational novelties,
a scandalous, permissive mingling
of Malcom X, Marx, Melvile,
Merwin, Millary, Milton, Morrison,
[Hume, Spinoza, Elizabeth Anderson]
and anyone can check them out,
taking them home or to some corner
where they can be debauched
and impregnated with ideas.
If librarians were honest,
they would say, No one
spends time here without being
changed. Maybe you should
go home. While you still can
By Joseph Mills