Monthly Archives: August 2011

Pet Word of the Day: Night Owl

Night Owls are humans who stay up late surfing the internet. Good pets for night owls are hamsters, rats, cats, hermit crabs and other nocturnal critters.

Pet Word of the Day: Bird

Everybody knows that the bird is the word! So said the Rivingtons in 1963 with a hit single “The Bird’s The Word”. The song is about a dance, and it’s a great choice to sing and dance with your pet parrot, especially while taking out the Trashmen.

Pet Word of the Day: infundibular cleft

An “infundibular cleft’ is an opening in the middle ear of birds which helps  equalize pressure. High-flying birds need to pop their ears in flight by yawning or chewing gum. (The Valsalva maneuver is too difficult without opposable thumbs.)

Pet Word of the Day: Xylitol

Xylitol is a common ingredient in sugar-free chewing gum, candies, pediatric elixirs and more. Safe for humans; deadly for dogs. One pack of chewing gum can kill a large dog. Read ingredient labels.

Pet Word of the Day: Chiweenie

A cross between a Chihuahua and a Dachshund is a Chiweenie or Mexican Hotdog. Do they want tacos or frankfurters for dinner?

Pet Word of the Day: Litter

Please don’t litter; spay your critter.  We don’t want people to litter (dumping trash inappropriately), and we don’t want your dog or cat to have a litter who might end up dumped at a shelter.

Pet Word of the Day: Smell

We hear this a lot; “my dog smells.” Of course he does and what’s more he smells better than you do, and so does your cat/rabbit/and hamster. If you detect a stench from the litter box, please clean it; imagine how bad it is for your pet with their superior noses.

Pet Word of the Day: Grass

Grasses are technically graminoids and include grains (rice, wheat, barley), bamboo, lawn grass, papyrus, and many more. Pet rabbits and guinea pigs are primarily grass-eaters (graminivores) and need a steady supply of fresh or dried grass (i.e. hay).

Pet Word of the Day: Pet Peeve

A Pet Peeve is something you do that is highly annoying to your pet. Examples of Pet Peeves; your sleeping until dawn, or hogging more than 20% of the sofa, or making it impossible to nap comfortably on a warm keyboard, or your stubborn refusal to dump everything in the fridge/trashcan onto the floor for […]

Pet Word of the Day: Whelping

Carnivorous mammals giving birth is called “whelping”. Where did that word come from? Perhaps from the sounds “mom” would make but she has to be silent to avoid attention from other carnivores.

Pet Word of the Day: Purrjury

You come home; canary’s missing, terrified dog is quivering under the bed, sofa’s shredded, house plants are chewed to nubs. The Cat says “I didn’t see nothing, I was asleep all day”. She’s guilty of purrjury.

Pet Word of the Day: Black and Tan Coonhound

Expecting another wretched dog breed pun? Sorry, a Black & Tan Coonhound is an AKC registered purebred dog and one of few American-only breeds. Heard this one? A  rabbi, a priest, and a coonhound walk into a bar…

Pet Word of the Day: Kitten

The trouble with a kitten is THAT Eventually it becomes a CAT. – Ogden Nash

Pet Word of the Day: Monkey Business

Back in 1950,  Andy’s Pet Shop was engaged in Monkey Business; buying and selling monkeys as part of the retail pet industry. Now the monkey business is confined to Andy’s staff and volunteers enjoying their work a little too much.

Pet Word of the Day: Bich-Poo

Another Artisan or Designer Dog is the Bich-Poo; a cross between a Bichon Frise and a Poodle.  Can you think of a worse name for a companion animal? I’m not making this up, there are many  Bich Poo puppies for sale on the internet.

Pet Word of the Day: Testudines

Testudines (i.e. turtles) are reptiles (cold-blooded, egg-laying, air-breathing) with a protective shell. This includes sea turtles, land turtles, terrapins and tortoises. The oldest turtles existed more than 200 million years ago, which puts our short history into perspective. Turtles live long and prosper. A 100 year old turtle will have the liver, lungs, and kidneys […]

Pet Word of the Day: Dewclaw

Pet Word of the Day: A dewclaw is a vestigial digit on the foot of many birds and mammals. A dewclaw grows high on the leg and is mostly useless. Dewclaw is also the surname of a webcomic family successfully resolving the problems of a mixed marriage (herbivore and carnivore).