Rhonda Owen
Stories by Rhonda
Creature feature
posted: 01/25/2012 3:35 a.m. Discuss
I’ve always heard that letting a dog lick a cut or scrape will help it heal faster and that dogs have cleaner mouths than we do. Is it OK to let my dog lick my face? The belief that dogs carry fewer germs in their mouths than we do has been around for who knows how long — in fact, 42 percent of pet owners think this is true, according to Florida veterinarian Jan Bellows, incoming president of the American Veterinary Dental College.
Craftsmen have the angle on how to use whetstones
posted: 12/11/2011 4:53 a.m. Discuss
Honing a knife to a razorsharp edge with a novaculite whetstone isn’t difficult, but it does take time and practice, says Dan Kirschman of Dan’s Whetstone Co.
Making chickens feel right at home
posted: 09/10/2011 2:58 a.m. Discuss
The three things top ping a chicken’s list of needs are shelter, food and water, but within those categories there are many things to consider. Here are a few of them, based on information from a variety of sources.
Building trust
posted: 08/06/2011 4:16 a.m. Discuss
During my 24 years as a homeowner, strangers offering to do repairs, clean gutters, sell me a home security system, wash siding and trim trees have knocked at my door. Most of them I politely — or not — told to get lost, but a couple of times I hired them to clean gutters and trim trees.
Need a contractor?Do your homework
posted: 08/06/2011 4:12 a.m. Discuss
Consumers can take steps to protect themselves against fraud before, during and after a project.
Protect valuables during project
posted: 08/06/2011 4:11 a.m. Discuss
North Little Rock Police Officer Karl Sorrells says homeowners should take steps to protect themselves and their possessions while a home improvement project is under way.
Contract checklist
posted: 08/06/2011 4:08 a.m. Discuss
Before you sign a contract, the National Center for Prevention of Home Improvement Fraud says to make sure it includes: Contractor’s full name, business address (not a post office box), business phone, cell phone and contractor’s license number.
Bigger prizes boost rivalry
posted: 08/02/2011 3:52 a.m. Discuss
Preservation of heritage poultry breeds depends on attracting young people’s interest, so P. Allen Smith was dismayed in 2007 when he learned that youth participation in the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show’s poultry competition was declining.
Guidelines for heritage breeds
posted: 08/02/2011 3:51 a.m. Discuss
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the American Poultry Association define “heritage” chickens by specific qualities that set them apart from “industrial” chickens.
Peck of poultry facts
posted: 08/02/2011 3:50 a.m. Discuss
Let’s talk turkey... and chicken. A male turkey is a tom; a female is a hen. Only tom turkeys gobble. Hens cluck. Only toms can fan their tail feathers, which are 12 to 15 inches long.
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posted: 07/27/2011 3:35 a.m. Discuss
We just adopted an 8-month-old mixed breed dog (Wilson) and want to take him to training to learn basics like walking on a leash without pulling us to the ground and to sit and stay. We also would like Wilson to come when we call his name. We’re new to this and totally confused by all the kinds of dog training. There are so many! Your confusion is understandable given the high profile of celebrity dog trainers like Cesar Millan and Victoria Stillwell and the prevalence of books and DVDs touting wildly different methods of shaping canine behavior.
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posted: 07/06/2011 3:18 a.m. Discuss
Dog owners can often be heard saying they wish their pets could talk. They can’t talk like humans, but dogs do communicate with us through their body language.
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posted: 04/06/2011 3:51 a.m. Discuss
My dog is 8 years old. Is it time to switch Rudy to a “senior” dog food? I looked at the labels on some of the them and can’t really tell how they’re different from the regular foods.
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posted: 03/02/2011 3:22 a.m. Discuss
Is there really such a thing as a “kitten season” ?
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posted: 01/12/2011 3:34 a.m. Discuss
My Sheltie-mix dog has a fascination with used facial tissue. Seriously gross. I try to keep them away from him but he digs in the trash and gets them out, then goes to town with the chewing.
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posted: 12/01/2010 2:43 a.m. Discuss
I saw an ad on TV about alpacas and they are so cute! Now I’m curious about them. What can you tell me about them? I think they look like little llamas.
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posted: 11/10/2010 4:24 a.m. Discuss
We had to give our cat a liquid antibiotic recently and it was totally a mess. Woody didn’t want to take it and that pink, sticky stuff dribbled all over his chin.
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posted: 10/13/2010 4:34 a.m. Discuss
A friend lost his dog recently because of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Could you give me some information about that? Can it be caused by vaccinations? Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, or AIHA, is a disease in which the dog’s immune system attacks itself and destroys red blood cells, says veterinarian Louise Murray. Anemia results when the dog’s body can’t replace red blood cells quickly and in equal numbers to those being destroyed.
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posted: 09/29/2010 4:30 a.m. Discuss
I have a dog that’s part border collie and lately I haven’t been able to walk him every day like I know I should. I’ve heard that dogs can be taught to use a treadmill. I have a treadmill and would like to do that if it’s possible. Is it?
3 strikes and devices are out
posted: 08/11/2010 2:42 a.m. Discuss
Numerous products exist to provide relief for people overwhelmed by their dogs’ barking. Among them are devices that discourage barking by using ultrasonic sound, and collars that produce obnoxious scents, vibration or electrical shock.
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posted: 07/21/2010 4:11 a.m. Discuss
I have a 2-year-old poodle mix and I’m crazy about her. Her name is Bella. I’m worried about her being an only dog and think maybe I should get a second one. But I’m kind of on the fence. Any advice? How many dogs you can handle is a decision only you can make, but there are some tangible issues to ponder.
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posted: 07/14/2010 4:21 a.m. Discuss
Can you tell me some good food treats for my cat? I would like to be able to give him treats sometimes without turning him into a butterball. Treats are a great way to reward pets for doing things our way — for example, staying off the counters, taking their medicine or coming when we call their names. They’re also handy for those moments when we just want to pamper them.
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posted: 06/30/2010 2:47 a.m. Discuss
We have a mixed-breed dog (he’s part fish, I think) that really likes to swim. He jumps into ponds, lakes, streams... just anything with water. We draw the line at our neighbor’s pool. We’d like to know if there are any water safety tips for dogs.
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posted: 06/23/2010 5:02 a.m. Comment 1
I’ve been reading your articles about traveling with dogs, but I have a cat and I’m moving to another state soon. I plan to take Delta with me, but she meows and meows when I’m just taking her to the vet’s office, so I’m worried about her riding in the car all day long.
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posted: 06/16/2010 4:33 a.m. Discuss
When traveling with a dog, it’s a given that you’ve got to stop every two or three hours to let your pet stretch his legs and have a potty break. Depending on where you stop, this can be pleasant or stressful.
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posted: 06/09/2010 4 a.m. Discuss
My husband and I plan to take a car trip this summer and we want our dog, Higgins, to go with us. He is a 5-year-old West Highland terrier and very wellbehaved. He likes to ride in the car, but we’ve never taken him on a drive that lasted longer than an hour.
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posted: 06/02/2010 2:22 a.m. Discuss
My mixed-breed dog bites and licks a place at the base of his tail all the time. He has medium-long hair. The hair is gone from the spot and it’s red and angry looking, kind of oozy. My sister says it’s a “hot spot.”
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posted: 05/26/2010 3:50 a.m. Discuss
My son got a guinea pig for his birthday. We bought a hamster cage at the pet store, but it seems so small. How much space does a guinea pig need in his cage?
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posted: 05/19/2010 4:50 a.m. Comment 1
My cat digs in my potted plants and sometimes makes a big mess flinging the dirt out of the pots. She isn’t using them like litter boxes, thankfully. But how can I keep her from digging? Digging is fun and entertaining, and as long as it remains so, your cat will continue to dig.
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posted: 05/12/2010 3:23 a.m. Discuss
Have you heard about squamous cell carcinoma ? It is a malignant tumor in the nasal area for which cats are particularly prone when exposed to inhaled chemicals, such as cigarettes, indoor use of coal and air fresheners.
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posted: 05/05/2010 3:36 a.m. Discuss
My daughter has a beautiful, huge black Labrador-golden retriever mix. When we keep Ricky for her, he likes to play in our large backyard. The trouble is that he quickly gets out of the fenced-in area, goes immediately to the yard next door and rolls in the worst-smelling something you have ever smelled!
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posted: 04/28/2010 1:50 a.m. Discuss
My cat Sherlock doesn’t seem to drink as much water as my dog does. Of course, Harry is a lot bigger than Sherlock. Do cats need less water than dogs? Cats and dogs have different water needs and dogs generally drink more than cats.
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posted: 04/21/2010 3:33 a.m. Discuss
My son has been begging for a pet rat. Needless to say, I’m not thrilled by having a rodent in the house, but I hear they are OK as pets. Can you tell me anything about them?
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posted: 04/14/2010 3:28 a.m. Discuss
I have a mixed-breed medium-large dog and I want to get him some chew bones, but there are so many kinds that it’s confusing. How do I know what to buy? A good chew bone can keep a dog occupied for hours while satisfying his desire to chew, relieving boredom and even cleaning his teeth.
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posted: 04/07/2010 2:37 a.m. Discuss
We are having the worst time house-training our 8-month-old Yorkie. She refuses to go potty on grass on our walks. We keep her in our kitchen while we are at work and she has a doggy door to our backyard.
Call off the wild
posted: 04/03/2010 2:47 a.m. Discuss
City dwellers are used to hearing certain sounds in their neighborhoods: a school bus’s rattling stops and starts, a trash truck’s rumble-screech-whine, kids laughing and yelling, dogs barking, cats yowling.
Cities offer coyotes reliable food source
posted: 04/03/2010 2:19 a.m. Discuss
Coyotes live in densely populated cities all over the nation, even in that ultimate of urban areas — New York. On March 26, a young coyote was captured by city police officers after leading them on a two-day chase.
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posted: 03/31/2010 5:28 a.m. Discuss
I have new, beautiful hardwood floors. I have three dachshunds that live in my home and they do not harm them in any way. My daughter visits quite often and brings her beloved Bella, who I believe is an Italian greyhound. Bella doesn’t walk anywhere — she dives, gliding across the floor.
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posted: 03/24/2010 3:39 a.m. Discuss
People have long looked to the stars — the ones in the sky, not Hollywood — to explain the nature and vagaries of human existence. Los Angeles astrologer and “intuitive psychic” Tori Hartman says she believes astrology also can be used to understand the dogs in our lives.
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posted: 03/17/2010 5 a.m. Discuss
How can you tell if a dog is overweight? The easiest way is to ask your veterinarian during an examination, but you can also determine if your dog is under, over or normal weight by feeling his ribs.
Wise women
posted: 03/13/2010 6:22 a.m. Comment 1
Grandmothers fall into that category of people who have forgotten more than most of us currently know. They’re founts of wisdom, inspiration and information about everything imaginable — and can be especially helpful resources for advice on keeping the home fires burning.
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posted: 03/10/2010 3:26 a.m. Discuss
Someone dumped a beautiful cat on us. I couldn’t understand why someone would dump such a beautiful cat until I took some food out to her. When you set the food down, she reaches up and scratches you. She’s not mean.
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posted: 03/03/2010 4:05 a.m. Discuss
I watched the Westminster Dog Show this year on TV. Sadie, the little Scottish terrier that won, is a cutie but I don’t understand exactly what the dogs are judged on. They don’t seem to do anything but walk in the ring or just stand still.
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posted: 02/24/2010 3:39 a.m. Discuss
Whenever I open the curtains on a sunny day, my cat, Boris, makes a beeline for the sunny patch on the floor. Boris also likes to nap on the air vents, but only in the winter when there’s warm air coming out of them. Why does he do this?
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posted: 02/17/2010 3:08 a.m. Discuss
It’s too late for this year, I guess, but I’m thinking about getting my dog some of those dog booties to protect his feet in snow and ice.
Surfing safaris
posted: 02/14/2010 6:51 a.m. Comment 1
Having a laptop computer means never having to be confined to an office, whether it’s in a traditional business setting or your home.
Creature feature
posted: 02/10/2010 2:47 a.m. Discuss
My cat has started throwing up just about every day, sometimes right after she has eaten. Could it be her food or something else? Since your cat’s problem sometimes occurs after she eats, it could simply be that she’s eating too much, too fast.
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posted: 02/03/2010 2:57 a.m. Discuss
My dog growls at me when I walk by him when he’s eating at his bowl. How can I stop this? Your dog is doing what animal behaviorists call “resource guarding,” which means simply that he’s trying to protect his food source.
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posted: 01/27/2010 3:40 a.m. Discuss
My beagle-mix just turned 8 years old. My sister says Pogo is now a “senior” dog and may need different food and other things than he did before. What do I need to do now?
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posted: 01/20/2010 3:59 a.m. Discuss
My 7-year-old daughter has been worried about the birds during this cold weather so I’m about to give in and start feeding them. Any advice?
