Reflection on Blogging

Out of all the assignments this semester I would have to say that the Research Blog Postings was my favorite. It made it very interesting and fun to be able to write about something that is meaningful and important to you. I also found out a lot about my topic which was Pomeranians. I thought I knew everything there was to know about them because of me having one myself but it was still a lot I didn’t know. I learned a lot about their life spans, how to take even better care of them, and what really amazed me that I found out about in research is how many different kids there are and the different colors they come in. This project also brought on a very different learning experience for me because I have never done anything like this before. I am not really into the networking and social websites so I had never done anything like a blog before. It was really cool to be able post pictures to put to your research to bring it all together. It brought on a very “think outside the box” type of research project. If I wouldn’t have got the chance to do this project I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to experience doing this type of non-traditional online project. You don’t get this chance hardly any in other classes. This project really helped me to expand my horizons in research and broaden my educational imagination.

Therapy Dogs for the Elderly

As a dog owner I never thought of dogs as being a kind of therapy. Sure my dog brings me a lot of happiness and joy on a daily basis, but not until I read this article I came across did I realize how miraculous they can be. Dogs now days are used as therapy for the elderly. There has been a program created that allows dogs to go in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals just to bring the patients some company, joy, and even a little help. A lot of these elderly patients are alone and can hardly take care of themselves. These dogs come in and not only put a smile on their face by the tricks they can do, but they also are trained to help them out around their quarters. These dogs can turn off lights, open the refrigerator, and pick up things that have dropped on the floor for them that they can’t reach. On top of all that they are in a way putting them back in good health because as we all know happiness heals you from them inside and out and cleanses the soul. Just by keeping a person’s spirits high can bring them through times when even a doctor can do no more, and that’s exactly what these dogs go in do for these elderly patients. It really helps you to realize and appreciate all that dogs do for us as humans. They protect and serve us by being K9’s on the police force and also search and rescue dogs. They help to be the eye’s for those who can’t see as Seeing Eye dogs. They have also been known to even detect early signs of cancer and epilepsy. Now they have their own health program that gives the elderly therapeutic treatment. There really are no limits to these remarkable creatures.

Although I have never looked at my dog in a therapeutic sense, I definitely couldn’t see my life without him. He brings me so much joy everyday just with the small things he does. Like if I leave for five minutes and come back maybe for something as simple as I left my lunch on the counter, he acts as if I have been gone for days! He jumps all around and licks my hands like he missed me so much in that short period of time. Or on the weekends when I am sleep and if it gets to be about twelve o’clock, he is pouncing on me, licking my face, and scratching my hands to tell me it’s time to get up and take him outside and to feed him. Times when I am upset or frustrated he will jump up in my lap and lick my tears away as if to tell me it is ok and to let me know he is here. It’s amazing to me how much animals can say without even having to use words.

Sometimes I think like how can one species be so loyal and love another species so much that is nothing like its own species. Dogs have an unconditional love for their owners that can’t be broken by any means. It is almost like the love a child has for their parents and I guess in a sense it is kind of the same because we have to take care of our dogs and teach them the same way as we have to take care and kids and teach them. I don’t have any kids but my dog Romeo comes close enough right now. I have to make sure he is fed and took out to use the bathroom. He has to go for his checkups at the vet every year. Then he has to go get groomed at Petsmart every two weeks. He can be a lot of work sometimes but the happiness he brings to our house makes it all worth it. He is the first face I see when I wake up in the morning and the last face I see when I go to bed and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Citation:
A place for Mom. (n.d). assisted-living.aplaceformom.com. Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://assisted-living.aplaceformom.com/articles/therapy-dogs/.

Health Risk of the Pomeranian

One thing that always scares me is the thought of something happening to my Pomeranian. Dogs, as we all know, have very short life spans compared to humans so during my research I decided to look up health risk that I might encounter as my pom gets older. I was pleased to find that Pomeranians are among breeds that have the least amount of health issues. But none the least they still have some things that you have to watch out for. Some common health problems that they face are Cardiomyophathy, Cerebellar ataxia, and Cryptorochidism.

Cardiomyophathy is when they have an abnormality of the heart. Cerebellar ataxia is when they have a neurological disorder. Cryptorochidism is when one or both testicles descend into the scrotum and it reflects in the dog when they are exercising. Pomeranians also tend to suffer from hernias, high toes or short toes, and Hydrocephaly which is when they have fluid in the brain of the dog. Now there are ways to decrease the chance of the Pomeranian having these problems. By breeding the poms that don’t have these health risks with other poms that also lack these problems will help produce healthy risk-free Pomeranians. It may be hard to find breeders that actually take the time to do this so a good back up plan would be to get a veteran and that specializes in the Pomeranian breed. He can know what to look for and give you helpful advice on how to keep your Pom in good, healthy shape.

To make sure my Pomeranian Romeo stays healthy I take him to the Vet for regular checkups. I feed him a well balanced diet and make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Anything that I see that changes in his normal activities I call the vet to see if the change is normal or if it’s something they may need to look further into. Also make sure to give him his monthly heart worm meds because all breeds are likely to contract heart worms. So far Romeo has not had any health problems and I hope it continues for the rest of his days with me.



Citation:
Health Concerns Facing the Pomeranian. (n.d). OfficialPomeranianGuide.com. Retrieved February 3,2010, from http://www.officialpomeranianguide.com/Pomeranian_Care/Health_Problems_facing_the_Pomeranian.php.

Female or Male Pomeranians?

Most people when they go to buy their pom puppy they look for the females so they can dress them up and fix their hair like celebs are commonly known for. They also assume that the females will be more obedient and easier to train since with us humans it is said that women mature faster than males. But they couldn’t be more wrong! Other than the fact that you can breed females and of course doll them up, males are the better and easier pick. Females are more aggressive, stubborn, and tend to be more independent, which to me makes a lot of sense since the female species are known for having“attitude” problems. You just would never think that the same rule applies to dogs! Like most poms they require a lot of attention but females will come to you for it and once they have had enough want to be left alone. Males on the other hand are sweet, show lots of affection, and are more passive. They crave attention from their owners and get attached very easily to them. Females are less acceptant to other animals while males will be more welcoming. When it comes to training males versus females they are equally easy since Pomeranians are a very intelligent breed. Males are more playful and can be bribed with treats which makes it’s a little less difficult to train them though while females are more serious and just want to be done with. I have also heard that people choose females so they won’t have to worry about the humping and spraying but in fact female poms have the same tendencies. Males are also cheaper to have neutered than females.

Now when choosing a dog I usually go with choosing a male anyway no matter what the breed because I don’t want to deal with the periods and they tend to have to be feisty. I’m glad to know that my preference worked in my favor when I chose my Pomeranian. My mother and sister just got a female and she is difficult in all ways and much different from my Romeo. You can really tell the difference in her being female and him being male in their personalities. But yet in still I would take a female or a male Pomeranian any day over any other breed. They are the best!

Girl or boy Pomeranian puppy. (n.d). Pomeranian.org. Retrieved February 2, 2010, from
http://www.pomeranian.org/girl-or-boy-pomeranian-puppy-.

Pomeranians: So Much Personality!

One thing that I love about Pomeranians is there outgoing, and spunky personalities! They are so sassy and it’s easy to mistake them all as being females. Once you get past there pretty faces you find they are more than what meets the eye. They are very intelligent and are very fast learners. They make great companions to their masters but you have to make sure that you let them know who is boss because Pomeranians are the type of breed that will try to take control.

The “small dog syndrome” it what it is called when your dog thinks he is the master over you and is control. When this happens your pom might become aggressive and often will rebel against your orders and rules. Other than those few negative flaws they are absolutely wonderful. They always seem to have a mind of their own. When I talk to my pom its like he knows everything that I am saying to him and sometimes even talks back.

Another thing I learned is that they get very attached to their owners and are very affectionate and love attention. I see that in my dog a lot and it’s so funny because if you stop petting him he will tap you with his paw to let you know he wants you to keep going. And on the weekends when we don’t have to get up, if you sleep too late he will nudge you with his nose to let you know it’s time to get up to take him out because he is so use to us getting up early in the morning to go to work and he goes outside to use the bathroom. It is amazing how they pick up on routines like that and will let you know when you are off schedule! Another thing I love is how no matter how long you have been gone whether it was an hour or all day, when you come back in that house they make you feel so loved and lets you know how much they missed you. I wouldn’t trade my pom for anything!

Pomeranian. (n.d.). Dog Breed Info Center. Retrieved February 2, 2010, from http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/pomeranian.htm.

Does Color Matter When Choosing Your Pom?

When I first bought my Pomeranian (Romeo, pictured above) I didn’t really I have a preference. I just knew I was looking for a white or tan one. It wasn’t till after I bought him when I began to wonder was his color going to matter? I knew I would want to breed him eventually and I had never given much thought to whether or not different colors were more valuable or a had higher demand. I also wasn’t sure if color determined whether your dog was thoroughbred or not. When I did my research, I found that Pomeranians came in many different colors, and all very of equal value. I also learned that they came is many different colors then other than the basic tan, black, and white. They come in sable, red, orange, cream, brown, tan, wolf sable, chocolate, and shockingly blue and lavender!

Some are solid of the colors I just listed and others are mixed which are called Parti-Colored Pomeranians. In dog shows some breeds of dogs lose points if they aren’t one solid color. With

Pomeranians parti-colored are looked at as unique and stand out just the same. Some are even given extra points for certain unique patterns in the color of the fur. Even though parti-colored is any mixed colored Pomeranian, there are three different kinds of this. There are Irish Parti, Piebald Parti, and Spotted Parti Poms. Irish Parti Poms have white around their necks, chest, and legs which I believe is what my Romeo is. Piebald Parti Poms are half of one solid color and half of another solid color. Spotted Parti Poms, also known as Extreme Parti Poms, have 80% white fur and different color spots of fur on their backs. Another thing I learned is that Pomeranians can change colors too! When they are puppies they might be one color and as they get older they might change to a totally different color. I thought that was very interesting!

So when it comes to choosing your Pomeranian, color really doesn’t matter. Your Pom will have just as much value as any other pom and maybe even a little more depending on its uniqueness. Choosing the color of your Pomeranian is all about your personal preference and choosing the cutest best friend you will ever have!

Image (1) Citation:

Pomeranian Info. (n.d.). BreederInfocenter.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010, from

https://www.breederinfocenter.com/images2/20080606131906_134102_2.jpg

Image (2) Citation:

Doggy Snaps. (n.d). DoggySnaps.com. Retrieved February 7,2010, from

http://www.doggysnaps.com/kennels/pomeraniansrcute/cheristar_pomeranians/cheristar_pomeranians.jpg

Citation:

Understanding Pomeranian colors. (n.d.). PetPom.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010 from

http://www.petpom.com/Pom_Colors.html.

Why are Pomeranians such a popular breed?

Most people think Pomeranian's have just become popular within the last decade or so from seeing them with celebrities and on commercials and the cover of magazines. Really this breed has been popular for centuries. They originated in Iceland and Lapland and were first sleigh dogs that averaged about thirty pounds. In the 1800's Queen Charlotte imported the breed to England which they were loved and welcome but since the wealthy people favored smaller dogs, the breed started being downsized which is the breed we know of today. Later Queen Victoria went to Italy and came back with the smaller size breed of Pom and their popularity soared from there. In 1870 they were adopted by The Kennel Club in Great Britain and finally in the 1900's were imported from England to the United States and were recognized by the American Kennel Club. Since then they have been the popular or the IN breed as I like to call them.



Most people buy them for their cute little faces and their fluffy coats and of course because of them being seen in the media by so many celebs. When I got my pom back in 2007 I chose this breed of dog for the same reason. But as time went on I realized they are more than just something to look at. These dogs are amazing! They are extremely smart and have so much energy and love to give. They truly are the meaning of a man's best friend. I thought for a while maybe it was just my pom but the more people I run into that have them say the same things. How they have so much personality and seem to know everything that is going on around them. I use to prefer big dogs but had an apartment at the time I chose to get a dog so I had to go with a smaller breed. Now I feel I couldn't have picked a more intelligent, energetic, and beautiful dog!