Animal Shaped Buildings! I Love 'Em!

Is it just me, or are these buildings shaped like animals so kitch that they are actually cool?

A recent news article I was reading referred to a beagle shaped hotel in Idaho.

So I thought I would look around the 'net and see what other sorts of buildings are shaped like animals. A quick Google search revealed buildings shaped like rabbits, elephants, fish, snakes and more. Here are my favorites:

Crocodile Hotel in Australia

A sheep shaped building in New Zealand


A Rabbit in Shanghai


A Fish Building in Seattle

If you have a favorite animal shaped building, let me know and we will post some pictures!

VetShop at the Nambour Show!

Recently VetShop was invited to be part of the inaugural Nambour Dog Show. Nambour is a little town situated in west of Sunshine Coast, very close to the Hinterland. It is also the birth place of the current Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.

John Sherri, the Chief Steward, who was responsible for organising the Dog Show approached us to find out if we could lend any support.

We were more than delighted to.

Over 450 dogs flooded the showfield that morning, in all shapes and sizes. It was a rather unique scene on the field which usually host weekly Rugby matches. You will see some samples of pictures of the dog show, but check out vetshoponline photo album for the full version.

It was a perfect morning for any show to be held, bright and sunny. Dr. Mark and I were amongst the first to arrive to set up our marquee which was just next to the stewards' stall.

The show's organiser were surprised with the number of entries received, some came from as far as 200km (120 miles) away.

We gave out heaps of brochures about who we are, products we range, heartworm, flea and tick control educational printed materials.

 

The response that we received was quite overwhelming. Although many had not realised we'  existed or worse, that purchasing OTC pet meds online is possible. We received a lot of entries in the small contest that we held during the show.

I managed to shoot tonnes of pictures and videos of the show. We were particularly keen   in cheering for Sheri and her dogs, Matilda and Uluru. Both are Australian Cattle dogs. Sheri consistently breeds champions Cattle Dogs. Not long ago she received a certificate for a pup that she bred and it won something big in New Zealand. Congrats!

A pure bred Doderman stole the judges' heart and ran away with the Best in Show award. Too bad I did not get the chance to snap a few pictures of finalist competing in the final round.

Overall, we had lots of fun. The feeling to reach out to the community was fantastic.

Watch out for our video which I will be releasing soon. Click HERE for VetShopOnline Gallery

See you at VetShopOnline.

Supporting our Farming Families

We were recently invited to participate in a farm field day raising funds for men's depression support group Beyond Blue.

Having grown up on a farm, we are very aware of the unique pressures that farming families are under. Drought, flood, fire and other factors outside human control cause enormous stress on farming families and of course, farms are businesses with all the pressures that entails.

 Farming men in particular, can find it hard to reach out for help in tough times, and so Beyond Blue has a number of initiatives targeting men in rural communities.

The field day was held in the country town of Kingaroy  about 2 and ½ hours drive from our head office on the sunshine coast.

Traditionally, Kingaroy is the centre of Australia's peanut and navy bean industries and also has a strong agricultural and beef cattle heritage. I travelled to the field day with my father, and we really enjoyed the country hospitality and feeling of community.

As well as taking the opportunity to meet many of our rcustomers from local farms, I particularly enjoyed just walking around watching the families, listening to the country singer, taking a chance guessing the weight of a 3 year old steer, and watching the faces of the small children as the visiting trick horse riders do their thing.

There is something about seeing 4 generations of a farming family strolling through the stalls displaying everything from tractors, cowboy boots, seed and of course discount pet products (that's us!) with great grand dad in a wheel chair, grandad and dad wearing matching cowboy hats, toddler in the in push chair and of course, mum in boots, hat and a baby's milk bottle tucked in to her back pocket!. 

The old saying is true - "you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy".

The day itself was a great success financially, raising over $10,000 for anti-depression initiatives among rural communities. Well done to all the organisers.

Is it Getting Harder to Control Fleas?

Many readers would agree with the view that it seems to be getting harder to control fleas in dogs and cats than it used to.

There are many pet owners reporting that leading products like Frontline Plus, Revolution, Advantage, Advocate (Advantage Multi) and Advantix just don't work like they used to.

So are fleas getting resistant to the products currently available on the market? Are these tough little so and so's developing in to super fleas resistant to Fipronil (Frontline), Selamectin (Revolution) and the other active ingredients in leading products?

Manufacturers on the other hand insist that this is not the case, and that properly used, in accordance with the instructions on the packet, these flea control products are as effective as they have always been - but of course, they would say that wouldn't they?

So who do you believe? I've spent considerable time researching the available data, and it appears that at this time, there is no evidence that fleas are in fact developing a resistance to these types of products. The evidence in support of this includes:

• research (admittedly from manufacturers) which indicate that while it is not that fleas could not develop resistance to these products, there is no clinical evidence that they have in fact actually developed resistance.
  

• Evidence (both clinical and anecdotal) that changing brands doesn't seem to solve flea infestation problems (which it should do, if the flea had developed resistance to a particular product)
  

• Anecdotal evidence that often one pet in a multi-pet household suffers from fleas more than the other - if it was the fleas that were resistant to the products, surely all the pets would have a problem.
  

On that basis, it appears that the best view at this time is that the existing leading brand monthly topical flea control products (including Frontline Plus, Revolution, Advantage, Advocate and Advantix) remain the best form of treatment for the control of fleas in dogs and cats currently available if used properly and in conjunction with taking steps to control fleas in the pets environment. 

Go Team VetShop!

Last Monday, four hardy VetShopOnline.com team members participated in the annual "Race the Rattler" competition in our home town of Gympie, Queensland.

A real family affair, the VetShop team comprised  Dr Mark, our brother  Damien, his wife Suzanna and  one of our other brother's sisters-in-law, Donna.

The competition involves runners (either individually or in teams of 4) attempting to beat the Valley Rattler steam train in a cross country course over 18.5 km (about 11.5 miles).

Each runner in Team VetShop made an enormous effort, with the team placing a decent 48th  (in a field of 59 teams and 170 individuals) with a time of 01:59:23.

Family participation did not stop at the runners, with a cheer squad comprising of grand parents, parents in law, brothers, sisters in law, wives, sons, daughters, nephews and nieces ensuring that our runners knew they had our full support. The supporters got to ride on the train as it raced the runners, and the roar as we passed competitors we recognized almost drowned out the clatter of the old steam train on some occasions!

The train itself came in a close second much to the chagrin of the driver (and my old school friend) Peter. It was Peter's first time driving the train in the race (although he had been fireman for a number of years in the past) and I am sure Peter would have preferred it to have been a case of "machine beats man". Maybe next year Pete!

For train enthusiasts, the train raced, No 967, is a beautiful C17, built here in Australia in 1950 and lovingly restored by the great men and women at the Mary Valley Heritage Railway. For more information about the No 967 and the other Valley Rattler trains, click here . I have travelled on historical and heritage steam trains all over the world, and although I admitted I am biased, the trip down the Mary Valley on the beautifully restored Valley Rattler, is a really lovely way to spend a day for people of all ages.

Please ask your neighbours if its ok to have a dog

As the world most populated country, China is laying down some rules on dog ownership. On its trial run in a small pocket of the city of Shanghai,  any resident who wish to own a dog (as a pet that is), must obtain a license that requires consensus from a minimum of five other neighbours.

"It is a good way to reduce future conflicts caused by pet dogs," said Chen Mingjun, director of the Luwan District branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

You bet!

It is ideal especially when Shanghai cramped up to nearly 14 million dwellers, and rising. Majority of the population live in 1000 square miles urban area - three times the size of New York city.

Unlike Japan, pet owners in most Asian countries are still struggling with the concept of picking up your dog "mess". The result is a dirty, stinky and filthy city. Which reminds me of Paris!

Do you think it is a good idea? 

How Clever Is Your Dog?

The relative performance of dogs in intelligence tests can be quite subjective. I have heard many reports that "such and such" a breed is the most clever. Here is one list I encountered recently prepared in accordance with criteria developed by American psychologist Stanley Coren. The two main criteria of this method are the understanding of new commands (the top 10 respond to fewer than five repetitions) and obedience upon first command (the top 10 obey on first command 95 per cent of the time or better).

For those who are interested in these sorts of things, the list of top 10 clever dog breeds using Coren's criteria is:

• Border Collie
• Poodle
• German Shepherd (Alsatian)
• Golden Retriever
• Doberman Pinscher
• Shetland Sheepdog
• Labrador Retriever
• Papillon
• Rottweiler
• Australian Cattle Dog

Personally, I am not sure if lists like this are really that helpful, and if you feel you have a clever dog, but his or her breed hasn't made this list, I would not be too put out. What I do know is, that as an owner of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, I am not the least bit surprised that this breed never makes any of those sorts of lists!

Too Cute Not To Share

Does your cat have a talent? Can your cat top this David Copperfield act? Riding a bike perhaps? or do Beyonce's dance moves in Single Ladies? If you have any video, send them over so we can match Susan Boyle!. I am gobsmacked to watch what this feline can do. Check it out.