Jahanshah Javid

Yes you have Capt

You certainly have said what you had to say.

Just a friendly request

No reminders please. I said what I had to say. Please adhere to my humble request. I am way too old to be given friendly reminders.

show me your cause, let me see what you stand for, I have already given you the thread to visit...... I am done with the arguments.

Respectfully.

-YT 

Just a friendly reminder Capt

No need to get bent outta shape.

The feminist cause?? Since when does common courtesy translate to the feminist cause?? And in response to your call to 'join' the fight for the cause, please note that I posted that blog the day it hit the news:

//iranian.com/main/news/2010/03/23/washpo...

And I don't support her because she's a woman. That's not what this is about. She is being attacked because she is half Iranian (well at least that's the smoke screen). But it has little if anything to do with her being a woman.

P/S Ms. Holly

If you really feel that you need to defend the cause of feminist movement, I invite you here where a vicious smear campain has been going on in order to discredit an awesomely accomplished and brilliant woman called Mrs. Amanpour, because of her gender and her origin.

See you ladies there

-YT 

Ms. Monda

I have already called our local Zoo and got me-self set. I so appreciate your tip.

Ms. Holly

This OLD MEAN DOG[that is what I am called ] needs no word police. I do not censor you, so kindly refrain from telling me what to say and what not to say. I would really appreciate it since I find it rather childish and unproductive to get into these sorts of things.

Thank you ever so kindly

-YT 

Monda (& Capt)

Monda jan

Unfortunately there are the cases of wild animals who have been taken and kept out of captivity too long or were born in captivity and can not be returned to the wild since they don't have the skills to fend for themsleves. A lot of these become 'homeless' due to various circumstances and have to be taken in. Is the camel perhaps one of those cases? It isn't ideal but it is the lesser of the two evils.

Not sure what you mean by 'Are we desensitized to that piece about more commonly domesticated animals?'

I think Capt knows well what I mean! If he didn't he wouldn't have said 'just kidding'. Right Captain? ;) No big deal to me and I didn't take offense personally, 'just thought it was appropriate to remind given your own (Capt's) recent calls for civility.  Sometimes it's just a fine line.

Capt_ and Holly

A friend who is a chemist and an avid gardener used to drive to the zoo for the pee.  So he'd share small amount, few drops really, mixed with composted top soil for my backyard.

Holly jan it is very heart wrenching to see wild animals in captivity, all these decades.  I don't get which part of Capt_'s comment offended you.

Back to JJ's blog, dogs need space and care too. Are we desensitized to that piece about more commonly domesticated animals?  A friend in NM just got a camel!

Cougar = Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion = Cougar

//www.hickerphoto.com/cougar-animal-6660-pictures.htm

[Among the top predators of Canada next to bears, the cougar is a
powerful animal. Cougars are large, slender cats with large feet and
muscular limbs. It is also known as a mountain lion, panther, or puma.
The cougar is generally a solitary cat and an extremely territorial
animal. Their predatory behavior is similar the domestic cat in that it
conceals itself while stalking its prey for a surprise attack. Adult
male cougars may be more than 8 feet (2.5 metres) long from the tip of
its nose to the end of its tail. The cougar animal fur is short but
course and is gray or brown]

-YT 

Monda

Where on earth do you get mountain lion pee from?? And how do THEY get it? Do they keep mountain lions in captivity so they can collect and sell the pee?? Please say it ain't so.

If any of you live anywhere with a deer problem you can use human hair to discourage them from coming around. Put some in a nylon stocking type or a tight mesh material and hang from the plants. You can always get cuttings from the local hair salon. 

Captain: that 'joke' of yours was in poor taste. Sorry but it had to be said.

Mountain Lion Pee!!

Mountain Lion Pee - You mean Cougar??? [just kidding]

How interesting, I did not know that. Definitely I am going to try that this spring.

Thanks a bunch Ms. Monda

-YT 

capt_jan here's how I solved mine

My dog is half German Shepperd, half Aussi Cattle Dog so tons of energy.  When she was a puppy, in fact chera raahe door beram, until four years ago she used to dig out my flowers and vegetable garden until a friend suggested I added mountain lion pee to my ferilizer.  It worked like a charm, also with the racoons and deers.

Also when I took her on frequent longer runs twice a day, her bad behavior stopped. I guess it has to do with redirecting their anxious anergy.  Good luck with yours :o) 

The only problem

The only problem with large dogs is that they make a mess out of back yard, flower beds and spice garden, not to mention clean up after poopoo.

Last year I ended up putting low voltage electric fence around the gardens. It is perfectly safe[only 12 volts] which is not continuous, and flicks on and off.

Hopefully once she is reprogrammed I will be taking the fence off.

-YT 

Cats v Dogs

Very cute video Monda Jan!

Cats are ok. Most just eat and sleep and walk around looking pretty. But dogs are so friendly and human-like.

JJ how about cats?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeoT66v4EHg

why is it that men in general are not equally fond of cats? 

The best kind of dog is a spoiled dog.

My favorite breeds are German shepards and labs. To be honest, the small dogs are a lot more work. They are very demanding, but worth the time to train and nurture. Dogs are amazing. Great blog Jahanshah. Thank you.

Sky is a way too huge

SKY, our German Sheppard, is way too huge for inside, even though perfectly trained and well mannered,  she is really  bothered[afraid] by thunder that we call her [Sheerdel khanoome E Shahamatzadeh] ;-)

All German Sheppard are so sensitive hearing wise that thunder, sirens and things like that truly hurts them. So she has obviously trained us to let her in anytime the weather starts getting bad.

Ms. YingYang....... I saw your comment before it was deleted. That is a horrible thing to say about single women who have dogs.

-YT 

FB I just noticed your 2nd comment to me

I do appreciate your point on dogs' capacity to attune with humans' emotions. What I was referring earlier is the mirror capacity of bonding or feeling attuned. In your wonderful example of mother and child, neural synapses occur over time with each physical, verbal contact between the two - alongside their similar hormonal activities. What I alluded to in my previous comment was the uncertainty regarding dogs' hormonal functions and their pre-cursers. I'm sure in time we'll know the mechanism more accurately.

Marge, I agree with you

My dog slept with me since we got her at 8 weeks.  I miss her snores and dreaming these days.  Their connection can be as addictive as that of a good human.

FB

Such an interesting fact you shared. Even though we have been dog owner for almost ever I had not noticed that.

One thing that read sometimes ago was their therapeutic effect. There are specialty trained dogs that are taken to retirement homes to visit the elderly. Doctors have monitored the people while petting the dogs and even cats and hove found out that the patients heart beat rate relaxes, and their blood pressure drops.

//www.seattlepi.com/health/293770_pettherapy27.html

EXCERPTS:

[A 1999 study done at State University of New York in Buffalo involved two groups of stockbrokers already taking medication for hypertension. One group had pets, the other did not. Researchers put both groups into
simulated stressful situations. Those who had pets went from 120 to 126 for systolic blood pressure. Those who had no pets went from 120 to about 148.

"Dogs are best because they're so responsive, so in tune with
people," Frei said.]

face="Arial">//www.holisticonline.com/stress/stress_pet-therapy.htm

EXCERPTS:

Pet Therapy

[Research has shown that heart attack victims who have pets live longer. Even watching a tank full of tropical fish may lower blood
pressure, at least temporarily. A study of 92 patients hospitalized in coronary care units
for angina or heart attack found that those who owned pets were more likely to be alive a
year later than those who did not. The study found that only 6 percent of patients who
owned pets died within one year compared with 28 percent of those who did not own pets.

The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients -people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly, and the mentally ill. Unlike people, with whom our interactions may be quite complex and unpredictable, animals provide a constant source of
comfort and focus for attention. Animals bring out our nurturing instinct. They also make
us feel safe and unconditionally accepted. We can just be ourselves around our pets.]

Of course not to mention Rescue Dogs that are used in case of earth quake, or fire, and police dogs specially trained for sniffing bombs or drugs.

-YT 

هوشنگ خان

Here is an idea for a name for your dog from my avatar

اين عكس ِ خدا بيامرز هوشنگ خان گربه سابق ماست

هوشنگ خان بعد از يك مدتى از سرويس ِ خانه من خيلى راضى نبود اسباب هاشو جمع كرد و رفت با خانم همسايه مون همخانه شد

But dogs are more loyal and generally stick around. Another good name is Hachikō which comes from a famous Japanese story about a loyal dog

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

My beloved late uncle used to say

do you know why IR hates dogs?  Because dogs catch thieves.  

Monda, Mirroring ..

I understand the point you were making regarding neural activity and mirroring, but that too is linked to the right brain activity, which is visual and intuitive (as against analytical).  Mothers and babies mirror each other and attune their needs, through this intuitive mostly unconscious right brain activity.

Wolves, like humans are pack animals.  They started their symbiotic relationship with men (man's best friend!) around 15,000 years ago because of their social living and similar diet.  It is believed that in the process of transition to dogs, being social animals, they have had the capacity to relate and so with human being they cottoned on in time that this is how you interpret and interact, you look at the left side of the face!!!  Isn't this amazing?!  Of course, this is not conscious or deliberate.  But this is exactly how human beings communicate non-verbally on that level - the most truthful level of all!!!

Cool fact, FB Thank you!

why did their evolution, or wolfs' for that matter, entail looking to the left side of human's face?  I'll read on it when time allows.  Fascinating.

I was referring to neural activity though, which would precede the behavior. 

Monda, Mirroring ..

Dogs in their process of transition from wolves and living with humans have learnt to look at the left side of human's face which is directed by the right brain, the site of emotions and intuition!  They have learnt therefore to read and interpret human expressions, like sadness, fear, joy, and in my experience even much subtler feelings ..  I love my dog, and yes Marge, he sleeps on the bed and gives my partner and I hugs and kisses in the morning :)

Dogs deserve to sleep in the bed

I believe in having a bigger bed to let the dog fit in. I believe in letting a dog be comfortable. They're amazing animals.

......

The impresson I got is that IRI has no respect for human rights, women's rights, and animal rights! IRI supporters think they are cool, but actually they are very cruel and inhumane!

Thank you, Red wine, MM, Monda, Marge, Divaneh, & Captain for your great posts! I enjoyed reading your posts!

It's their unconditional attention...

that does me in every time I get to bond with a dog. Yeah we condition dogs to be good pets, maybe a cookie here and one there to teach them how to behave for their own good ... but ultimately most dogs that I have met or lived with are so easy to read and behave comfortably around. If you're happy they're happy, you're sad they stay quiet or rub themselves against your leg to comfort you (or get your attention).. they can be amazingly in synch with their owners or loved ones.  I haven't read the research yet but I bet one day soon scientists will prove dogs' neurons capable of mirroring those of their owners (up to certain points perhaps), just like family members' and mates' neurons mirror each other's over a span of time.

Dogs have wonderful therapeutic value because of their capability for strong bonding.  They can help modify/ mediate attachment issues in kids, teens and grownups - depending on their temperament, training and how they are used of course.  

Mocha is just adorable, have fun you guys :o)

Oh and JJ that photo of you is priceless! I don't know how I had missed your blog on Candy in Abadan. It makes me wonder what other crucial material I have missed here! 

dogs, monkeys, rats and pigs are hated in eastern culture

these animals according to scientific DNA analysis happen to have a genome that is closest to humans.  They are actually considered very intelligent animals.

I guess it was in this regards that humans in Eastern cultures despised them the most.  The behavious of these three animals is closest to humans thus making them an "unwanted" animals.  HUmans innately want to be at the top of the pyramid and when they see these animals act "humanly" in some aspects, they have feel "threatened" and have come to hate them.

Pigs are hated for being ugly and dirty- not only rolling in mud to stay cool, but also they are one of the few known animals that eat anything including their feces.

Monkey are hated because they are sneaky little humans that go about and cause chaos.

Dogs other than guard dogs and hunting dogs are animals that are known for their "depravity" trying to pleasure themselves whenever possible and they are "rude" by approaching strangers and barking at them.

Humans like animals that "know their place" and act cute like horses, cats, lambs and doves.

It is indeed very strange when one looks at these hated animals in Eastern culture and realizes how the Western culture has adopted them as pets.

You see movie and movie about dogs.  You see movie about rats, like Tom and Jerry and Jerry is always supposed to be the good guy.  Indeed Mr Hassan Abbasi, a think tank scholar in Iran, said that part of the glorification of rats was due to the fact that Jews were labeled as rats.  Hence cartoons like TOm and Jerry were meant to portray rats as the victims and the good guys and they also gave it a common Jewish name- Jerry.

There have also been many movies about pigs like Babe which also shows him as a cute and innocent animal.

Regarding monkeys, ther have been movies showing monkeys as friends of human as in the cartoon Tarazan.

Meanwhile, pets favored in Eastern cultures like cats are portrayed negatively like Garfield and like TOm in Tom and Jerry.  Indeed, as much as I despise dogs, over 50 % of US population hates cats but loves dogs.  Why do they have to make it a Cat vs Dog fight unless it was a way to fight Eastern culture which shows mercy on cats.

Regarding dogs being loyal, ofcourse that is true.  Dogs as livestock guards and hunting helpers have been very useful for humans and give appreciation for that but as pets- they are not accepted in Eastern culture.

 Imagine for a second, if dogs were the most prized animals in the East and people would go around sleeping and kissing their dogs on the lips, what would Westerners be saying about Easterners. 

Dogs as pets is nothing but a Western phenom.  In the Islamic traditions we read that Yazid had dogs as pets and he was looked down for that- so the issue is not dogs as hunting aids or guards rather as pets. 

Also, even though it is sick some female dog owners have engaged in sex with dogs, mostly oral sex by the dog servicing the woman.  It is a known "secret."  Imagine if a dog owner kisses and sleeps with their dogs, what would keep that owner after years of sharing their life with the dog from trying to have sex with it?  Nothing.

Dogs enjoyed great respect in old Iran

Dogs indeed enjoyed great respect in old Iran and along with Cow and Horse were on the top of the league of good creatures. Beating a dog was classed as a sin and respect for this animal was to the point that Zoroastrians are advised to look after sick dogs like a member of family, even if it's s rabid dog.

In another place in Avesta, giving bad food to a shepherd dog has been likened to giving bad food to the head of a noble family and there are punishments for cruelty to dogs. These punishments are varied depending on whether it is a Shepherd dog, House dog, wild dog, a pregnant dog or just a puppy.

There are more qualified people in this site to provide information on the value of dogs in Iran prior to Islam.

Cat Power

Cat is better than dog .