31 October 2011

Quick post with links - Dragonflies Can "Literally" Be Scared to Death

LiveScience is amazing — follow them for great science stories!

Here's one that caught my eye today: "Dragonflies are Literally Scared to Death of Fish." It picks up on science presented in the November 2011 issue of the journal Ecology: "The deadly effects of 'nonlethal' predators."

Both are drawn from a press release from the University of Toronto as well as an article on Futurity.org with a beautiful (stock) photo of a dragonfly.

I am particularly interested in a line from the Futurity.org article, "The findings could apply to all organisms facing any amount of stress — the experiment could be used as a model for future studies on the lethal effects of stress."

Mostly, this study leaped to my attention because it ties into my theme for this blog, as noted in my first post, "... it also relates to the conflicts inside a person, between fear and beauty, ignorance and acceptance."

This post is a dash-off in between doing several chores & as promised, it's short. I'll come back to expand on the topic soon.

05 October 2011

Raising a Puppy - Successes!

Just a quick post. Things are going great with Gem! Amazing! We've been going to class out at Dog Days Training Center in Berthoud, and Gemmie's going to be boarding out there again while I am in Minneapolis at my company's annual meeting. I'm looking forward to seeing what else he can learn.

For now: No biting when we're walking! The corrective collar (called a "good dog collar" although I have nicknamed it the "bad dog collar") has really made a difference, as had the training I have received. I know how to catch Gem at the beginning of negative behavior and "nip it in the bud" rather than react once he's in full "red zone" (well, maybe "orange zone" is a better description) mode.

Gem and I are developing a much healthier relationship. I no longer feel afraid and out of control. He gets to feel successful often and consistently disciplined. We're establishing a pattern and a routine, and we're going on longer walks to new places because I have the confidence that I can handle whatever comes up. We're trusting each other, and enjoying each other.

Next on the list: Getting him to GIVE me whatever he has in his mouth the first time I ask for it. His favorite, big ticket item: plastic bags. Oh, and my nightgown...