No one really knows when Stubby was born. Everyone's best guess is 1916. He was a street dog. Often described as an "uncertain breed", somewhere between a Boston Terrier, or American Bull Dog. He called the streets of New Haven, Connecticut home. Being the highly intelligent dog that he was, he started hanging around the Yale University campus, and made friends with a group of soldiers training in the 102nd Infantry Regiment. One of these soldiers, a young private named Robert Conroy developed a sweet spot for the small dog. He is the one who named him "Stubby" for his size and tail. The group of soldiers even taught Stubby how to salute.
But what role could a dog have on a battle field? TONS! Because dogs have such acute hearing, Stubby could actually warn the men in the trenches when to duck and cover. He could hear the high pitched whistling of artillery shells coming before the soldiers. He also could find wounded soldiers in "no mans land" and help direct medics and others to their location. Also because of his custom gas mask, he could alert when there was an attack. His biggest claim to fame (if the before wasn't enough), Stubby chased down a German spy during the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne. He chased, bit, and dragged the spy back to American lines. Thus, Stubby was rewarded the Iron Cross (taken from his prisoners uniform), and promoted to Sergeant. By the end of his term at war, Sgt. Stubby had been made a custom jacket to hold all of his pins and medals, also including his two wound stripes. When all was said and done and the 102nd Regiment was heading home, yet again Robert Convoy packed up Sgt. Stubby and took him home. After the war, Sgt. Stubby returned a hero. He marched, and led parades all over. He stayed the faithful companion of Robert Convoy. Following him to Georgetown University, and on to the FBI. Sgt. Stubby died in his sleep, in March of 1926. He had an obituary printed in the New York Times. It was half a page long. He was then preserved, and placed in a mount. Robert presented this mount to the Smithsonian in 1956 where it is still on permanent display in the “Price of Freedom: Americans at War” exhibit. As we take this day to remember those who fought for their lives, and ours. We should always try to remember that its not the size of the dog in a fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. Who would have thought, that one little Boston Terrier mix would have made such a huge impact on such a horrible time. He brought companionship to the men and women separated from their family. He risked his life to help those who chose to show him some kindness at a time when he was in need. This little dog was an amazing creature and should never be forgotten. If any of you have CRAVE -- I suggest you take a look at the movie Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero. It's a kid friendly cartoon movie, telling Sgt. Stubby's story. While its more of the warm hearted version, by the end I was still in tears. Definitely worth a watch.
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Dogs have been domesticated, and "Man's Best Friend" for over 32,000 years. It has also become more common for couples to get "Fur Babies", instead of real babies. Every day dogs become more and more apart of families, and less about being strictly used for the work force. Its no wonder we decided to express ourselves through fashion on our pets. It all started way back in ancient Egypt when pharaohs would adorn their pets with leather collars. There have been tombs of dogs found where the collars have actually been engraved. Sometimes with scenes of great battles, that the dog and owner had fought in, or in some cases the dogs name. Fast forward a few thousands years, to medieval Europe. King Henry VIII not only had a lot of wives, but also had a great amount of dogs. Who I am happy to report, after intense investigation, all lived happy lives, and were not beheaded. The king would decorate his dogs in different colours, and different materials, each having a different significance. Used almost like today's military use chevrons. While sticking in Europe, we now move to the Victorian era, where trend setter Queen Victoria not only made certain dog breeds very popular (Hello Pomeranians), but made dressing them very trendy as well. Queen Victoria was known for putting jackets and dresses on her pups, causing clothing for dogs to become so popular that fashion houses for just dog clothes started popping up all over Paris. Over time, dog clothes became less popular as most dogs started joining families of the middle and lower class where a collar was the more practical accessory. But, dogs in clothes were still a hit in higher society, and more functional clothing was introduced to military and police force dogs. But then we enter the 2000's. The land of internet, celebrity, paparazzi, the original "influencer", and the "purse dog". I remember growing up with German Shepherds, and always wanting a "purse dog", I wanted the cute little puppy that I could take with me everywhere, and have coordinating outfits with said dog. Thank you Paris Hilton & Britney Spears. But here lies the resurgence of dressing your dog. Collars became less about practicality, and more about how much bling you could fit onto that thing. If you were wearing a pink dress, your dog had to be wearing a pink outfit. Jackets, vests, overalls, shoes, hair clips. You name it, it was made for a dog. It really is no wonder that dog fashion expanded into costumes. Because we as humans have developed deep attachments to our pets, and they have come to fill an emotionally supportive role we try to continue that bond by dressing them in clothing. It's just as much of an expression of our personality as it is for the dog. Also its biiiiig business!!!! In the United States, Americans spent 52 BILLION (yup, with a B) on just dog accessories in 2020.
So, there we have it, the history of dog clothes. Who knew it was such a long and fashionable tale. From war dogs to pocket pups, our fluffy companions have always held a special place in our hearts. We dressed them to protect them from harm, we dressed them to make sure they were stylish, and to protect them from a harsh winter. And now, we deck them out for Halloween to match our family costumes. Because they are family. No matter what way you look at it. 9/14/2021 4 Comments Welcome to Pumpkin Season
That’s a pretty powerful Halloween decoration. So, if we break this down, vitamin A is an immune system booster. This is going to help your dogs body fight off infections and keep them feeling strong. Combined with the next highest vitamin C, which has been shown to help increase white blood cells, which not only is another immunity booster, but it also helps the body heal wounds faster. Basically, you are turning your dog into a super-pup. Pumpkin is a great source of fibre. This can be helpful if your dog has an upset stomach, as it’s a great tool for soaking up excess liquid in the tummy, and as digestion happens lowers the pH in the intestines. Read: no vomit or diarrhea on the carpets. As we settle into fall, also known as monsoon season in Vancouver, sometimes the walks and the hikes become a little bit shorter. You may notice Fido gain a pound or two over the colder and rainy days. That’s ok, a little winter weight never hurt anyone. But a great way to help prevent, or even stop it from getting out of hand is to supplement with a bit a pumpkin. Because its so nutrient and fibre dense it’s a great way to help your dog feel full, without potentially overeating at dinner.
FROZEN PUMPKIN TREATS Ingredients 1 cup plain yogurt 1 cup pumpkin puree Directions * Mix pumpkin and yogurt together in a bowl. * Portion evenly into ice trays (Silicone trays work best) * Freeze overnight (preferably for 24 hours) * Pop out of tray and store in freezer bags Pumpkin Dog Cookies
From "Love From The Oven" Ingredients 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 large eggs 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 2 tbsp natural peanut butter (avoid any peanut butter that contains sweetener Xylitol) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Directions *Preheat the oven to 350 F. *In a large bowl, mix together eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin, flour, salt and peanut butter. This mixture will become stiff, dry and crumbly really quickly when first mixing. *Add a little bit of water to help moisten the ingredients, then you will be able to work and knead the dough. Only add a tablespoon or so as you go. You want the dough to end up being a dry and thick consistency. *Flour your counter-top and roll the dough out to be about a ½ inch thick. Use your cookie cutters to cut out individual treats and place on a greased baking sheet. You don’t need to separate them a ton, they don’t rise much. *You will have left over dough after cutting out the first batch of treats. Quickly knead and roll out the dough left over dough to make even more! *Bake for about 35 minutes or until hard. Serve to your fur-baby! They will be living their best doggy life! |
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November 2021
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