Fido helps children learn to read

Children struggling to learn to read make gains in literacy when they start reading aloud to specially trained dogs and their handlers, according to Jennifer Scarlett, co-president of the San Francisco SPCA.

She says the dogs help the students overcome the reticence they might feel around a teacher, and adds, they also don't correct the way you talk or correct your pronunciations. Many of the students were speaking English as a second or third language or were considered at risk students.

Scarlett writes: "The third- and fourth-graders studied showed progress in so many ways: their confidence grew, their anxieties diminished, and there were fewer classroom outbursts or pupils who had to be excused in the middle of class time. Some ADHD children seemed to get better at just sitting still. Best of all, the students who read with the dogs showed an interest in practicing reading and began to look forward to it."

Study: People with pets are happier, healthier

A recent study revealed that pet owners fared better, both in terms of well-being outcomes and individual differences, than non-owners on several dimensions," said lead researcher Allen R. McConnell of Miami University in Ohio.
"Specifically, pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extroverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners."

Puppy Cake Mix

Check this out, a cake mix for dog cakes....Puppy Cake Mix. 
Just ordered a couple to test them out on our two dogs, they sound and look delicious!

Chia Pet wins the Howl-o-ween reader photo contest

A Boston Terrier named Echo won the readers choice award by winning in his Chia Pet costume and the Paw Print Post Contest. He finished with 34% of the vote.  Echo wins reader photo contest

Mel B the Nor-witch terrier finished second (14%) and Dexter the Pirate and Batman and Robin finished tied (9%), followed by Remy the puppy bumble bee (8%).

Influence

Drop a pebble in the water,
And its ripples reach out far;
And the sunbeams dancing on them
May reflect them to a star.

Give a smile to someone passing,
Thereby making his morning glad;
It may greet you in the evening
When your own heart may be sad.

Do a deed of simple kindness;
Though its end you may not see,
It may reach, like widening ripples,
Down a long eternity.
Salesian Missions

Trampolines aren't safe in Idaho

 Who says you can't buy a trampoline for five bucks?

Rescue dog and 3-legged cat win top ASPCA awards

Heart warming story about abandoned dog and cat who rose above their adversity and won top award: Dog and cat win top ASPCA award