The Top Ten Family Dog Breeds

When picking out a Dog for your family, there are more important things to consider than just looks. Ease of training, compatibility with children, dominance traits, and aggression should be your top priorities. I've compiled this list based on the following:

- Which breeds do well left alone at home

- Overall intelligence

- Amount of exercise needed

- Attitudes with children, strangers, and other animals

- Health problems

- My personal experience

- Typical breed standards

- The American Temperament Test results

Small Breeds

Havanese

This breed is the classic lap-Dog. They come from the line of Bichon Frise and Maltese but are more compatible with children. They are generally well behaved, loyal, quiet, and submissive. They're easy to train, hypo-allergenic, and do not shed. They can weigh between 8-13 pounds and live about 14 years. They're perfect for apartment life and are content with indoor exercise. They aren't very athletic, so they need an easy-going family. They are a long-haired breed, so a 'puppy cut' is easiest to maintain (as seen in the photo). If you're looking for an adorable, compact, perpetual puppy, the Havanese is for you.

Boston Terrier

Boston Terriers are small bundles of joy. They live to learn, love people of all ages, are effortless to groom, and require little exercise. They are perfect for indoor life. They weigh from 10-20 pounds and live up to 15 years. They do well with other pets and love to be where the action is. Their coats are glossy and short so they are very easy to groom, but they do shed. Bostons have very short muzzles so they may breath loudly, snore, or drool. Because of birthing difficulties (often by caesarean), I recommend finding your Boston Terrier at a local rescue rather than a breeder. There are several Bostons available for adoption on petfinder.com.

Cockapoo

The Cockapoo is one of my favorite breeds because even though they're small, they're quite athletic. The Cocker Spaniel traits give a robust and hardy quality and a love of sports - frisbee, fetch, swimming, and hunting (to name a few). The Poodle traits lend a dignified and intelligent demeanor unlike other small breeds. Cockapoos are not nervous or skittish, but they do best when around people all day. They're attentive to their masters, very easy to train, and adore children and other pets. They are also hypo-allergenic and do not shed. They can weigh between 6 to 25 pounds, depending on whether or not the poodle parent was a toy or miniature. Life expectancy is about 14 years. They come in many colors and their coats can be shaggy or curly. Some breeders will dock their tails but ask yours not to - they have the most lovely, plume-like tails!

Medium Breeds

Miniature Australian Shepherd

Aussies are extremely intelligent and devoted to their masters. They do best with a medium to large yard and an active family. Because they are herding dogs, they need plenty of exercise or else they become bored, hyper-active, and destructive. About two hours of rigorous exercise a day is ideal. They can weigh from 20 to 40 pounds and live about 13 years. They are a beautiful breed, coming in a variety of colors, and at times may have bright blue eyes. Their coats are thick and they shed year-round, so daily brushing is recommended. Their coats are insulators so they do not need to be shaved - although you may give them a short 'puppy cut' during hot months. They are usually a quiet breed but may bark at strangers. Unless properly socialized as puppies, most Aussies are wary of strangers and visitors.

Keeshond

Keeshonden are energetic and lively dogs who are devoted family companions. Though not as smart as other breeds, they can be well-trained with consistent, firm discipline, and plenty of positive reinforcement. If you like the looks of Huskies and Akitas, the Keeshond is a better choice for children. They weigh 30 to 60 pounds and live about 13 years. They do well indoors but need about an hour of exercise a day. A small yard is sufficient with this breed. They love to 'smile' at people and when excited, they spin in comical circles. Because of their thick coat, they are average shedders and do best in cooler climates. If in a warm climate, they can be given a 'puppy cut' during hot months. Daily brushing is ideal. They are great watchdogs so they tend to bark often, which might upset close neighbors.

American Pit Bull Terrier

The Pit Bull is the most controversial breed of our day and you may be wondering why this breed would show up on my list. But in the hands of a responsible owner, I believe they can be one of the best family breeds available. They are loving, amusing, intelligent, and faithful to the end. As pups, they can be aggressive toward other dogs or small animals, but this can be easily and quickly trained out of them. Pit Bulls are so well-mannered that they are often chosen to be service, rescue, or police dogs. Although their short coat is easy to maintain, they do shed. They can be a bit clumsy indoors, but regular exercise (about an hour a day) and a proper weight can reduce this. Pit Bulls are prone to be overweight, so do not over feed. They can range between 30 and 60 pounds and live about 12 years. It's important to train a Pit Bull to walk properly on a leash at a young age or they may become too difficult to walk when older and stronger.

Large Breeds

Collie (Rough or Smooth Coat)

The Collie is another fabulous family companion. Like the Australian Shepherd above, they are a herding breed, so they are exceptionally intelligent. Eager to please, snuggle, and protect, they are loyal and dignified pets. They weigh 50 to 75 pounds and live about 15 years. They make great watchdogs and are natural 'babysitters' for the children in the family. Rough Coated Collies do not need haircuts - they do fine in warm months, as their coat acts like an insulator from the heat. Although they can overheat if exercised too much during hot months. The Smooth Coated Collies have a shorter coat, so they do well in any climate. Both are average shedders. Collies need about two hours of exercise a day and a large yard. Country life is best for this breed, as they love exploring the world.

Golden Retriever

Happy, fun-loving, and loyal, Goldens are one of the most popular breeds in the United States. They love people, so although they may bark when a stranger approaches your home, they would sooner invite a thief in rather than scare him off. They weigh 50 to 80 pounds and live approximately 11 years. They are average shedders and benefit from daily brushing. Because they are retrievers, they need at least two hours of rigorous exercise a day, either swimming, playing fetch, or running beside you as you jog. Some do not do well left alone and become destructive. Although they are vastly intelligent, they are being bred to have more dominant traits which can make training difficult. With firm and consistent discipline, Goldens can be refined pets, but inconsistent training will lead to an out-of-control dog that will take about 4 to 5 years to settle down.

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador is the most popular breed in the United States. Their friendly, energetic, and loyal dispositions make them excellent family pets. They are wonderful with children and enjoy the water, hunting, fetch, Frisbee - just about anything you love, they'll love! Although their coat is short, they are average shedders. They can weigh 50 to 100 pounds and live about 11 years. Like Goldens, they do well indoors but need two hours of exercise a day or they may become destructive. Without proper exercise, Labs can become overweight, which can lead to joint problems. Because of over-breeding, American Labs are typically hyper-active and rarely submissive. These Labs will be rambunctious and difficult to train for the first four to five years. Since Labs are the most popular breed, they are also one of the most popular breeds found in shelters - so check your local rescue before visiting a breeder.

Please understand that even though I am including Golden Retrievers and Labradors on this list, I tend to discourage families from purchasing them because they are being over-bred due to high demand and popularity. This over-breeding creates unhealthy and extremely hyper dogs, which then results in either: 1) euthanasia due to expensive vet bills, and 2) abandoned dogs at shelters because of hyper (and destructive) activity. There is no question that both breeds can be excellent family companions, but I encourage every family to consider other, equally wonderful breeds before Goldens and Labs. If you must have one, check your local shelter, rescue, or petfinder.com. Please be aware that even the sheltered or rescued Goldens and Labs will most likely be over-bred, so training and tolerance is a must. Together, we can decrease the popularity of this breed and put an end to over-breeding.

Giant Breeds

American Mastiff

For those partial to giant breeds, I recommend an American Mastiff. Calm, dignified, and gentle, these dogs are patient and loving with children. They can weigh 140 to 200 pounds and live up to 12 years. As with most giant breeds, Mastiffs do not need a lot of exercise and do well indoors or with a small yard. But because of their inactivity, they may become overweight. Mastiffs get along well with other dogs but should be supervised around other types of animals. They can be very protective but rarely aggressive unless threatened. As puppies they can be rambunctious and clumsy because they grow rapidly during the first year, but they mature quickly. And even though they are one of the gentlest breeds, their size can be intimidating - so always keep your Mastiff leashed in public.

Remember, there can be exceptions with each litter so make sure you research breeders and always insist on meeting the parents to determine the general temperament of the litter. With adoption, research breed characteristics thoroughly before bringing a dog home. Even mixed breeds can be properly researched - just check out the traits of each breed in their bloodline. For instance, if you're looking at a Labrador/Mastiff mix, a good rule of thumb is to combine the traits from both breeds, so you know what to expect.

Mandy has been a dog trainer and family pet advisor for ten years. She is passionate about matching the right pets with the right families and has fostered countless animals in her lifetime. Currently she is a staff writer for Plugged In Parents, providing parents with family pet solutions and information. Plugged In Parents is also an online resource for up-to-date health and safety, nutrition, and baby info along with recipes, family movie reviews, money and tech tips, and more! Visit pluggedinparents.com today!

The Chihuahua Pomeranian Hybrid Dog Mix

Sometimes called a Pomchi or even a Chiranian, the Chihuahua Pomeranian mix is not a breed itself, but is a mixture of a Pomeranian and a Chihuahua. Mixing these two breeds can make for a pretty darn cute little Dog!

This mixed breed Dog weighs between 5 and 12 pounds and is a short Dog that is intelligent and alert often having the sweet expression characteristic of both sides of its lineage. He has a short body and a rounded wedge-shaped head with round eyes that should not protrude too much like that of some Chihuahuas. The tail is medium in length and is carried in the loop over the back or flat but should never be tucked between the legs.

Since the Chihuahua Pomeranian mix can be the product of a shorthaired or long hair to allow a bit type of coach you may get with this Dog can be varied. The coat could be a double coat like that found on the Pomeranian or it could be a single coat. It is usually at least medium length, although I do see some that have short hair much like a short haired Chihuahua. They usually have quite a furry tail typical of the Pomeranian.

The Pomchi can be any color much like its parent's. Common color variations include party college, sable, solid and merle.

Although each dog is individual, generally the Chihuahua Pomeranian mix will have much the same personality traits of his parents. In general both Chihuahuas and Pomeranians are very intelligent dogs that love to be with their family and are great lapdogs. They can learn tricks very easily, however house training may be a challenge. When training any small dog like this you need to remember that training with kindness is best. These tiny creatures do not respond well to punishment and positive reinforcement is your best bet to get your Ponchi house broken.

A Pomeranian Chihuahua mix that is long-haired will require more grooming than a short haired dog. You will probably need to trim the hair that grows out in between the pads on the bottom of his dainty little feet as well as a little sani-trim under the tail.

Another thing to watch out for in grooming is the gunk that can accumulate around their eyes. You want to be very careful that this does not build up as it can turn into a hardened glob that is nearly impossible to get off and you can actually hurt your dog when trying to remove it. Your best bet is to gently clean around the eyes each night, being careful not to poke your dog in the by, and this will help stop any buildup from accumulating as well as help to take care of any tears staining in the fur around the eyes.

As with many toy dogs, this mix will also have to have a good dental program in place. This includes not only taking him to the vet once a year to have his teeth checked and to have any tartar scraped, but also regular brushing. Bacteria buildup on the teeth is a common problem of small dogs they can be very hazardous to their health so it's worth it for you to get your Pomchi used to having his teeth brushed. If you use a flavored toothpaste that he likes you may even find he looks forward to it every night!

Hybrid dog mixes are becoming more and more popular and the American Canine Hybrid Club has even recognized the Chihuahua Pomeranian mix and given it the name "Chiranian". There is even a special club for this hybrid called the Pomchi Club Of America.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.pomeranian-pages.com where you can learn about caring for your Pomeranian as well as more about the Chihuahua Pomeranian mix.

Baby Penguins

Penguins are a group of flightless birds found only in the southern hemisphere. They are of the order Sphenisciformes and the family Spheniscidae. There are seventeen species of penguins in the world, the largest of which is the Empire penguin, which stands at an average height of 3 feet and 9 inches. Most people think that penguins live only in the coldest places on Earth like Antarctica, but penguins also live in the tropics. A species of penguins live in the Galapagos Islands near the equator.

Penguins are some of the most familiar animals in the planet, although most people have never seen a penguin in the wild. But most people recognize penguins because of the distinct and easily identifiable black-and-white plumage that all penguins have. Penguins, in their natural habitat, are extremely adapted to the aquatic life. The sea is their main source of food, which consists of fish and small crustaceans called krill.

Penguins have a peculiar mating habit; some penguins will mate for life, while others for just one season. Penguin parents usually cooperate in taking care of their baby penguins. But it is mostly the task of the male penguin to incubate the egg until it is hatched. It is amazing how penguins take care of their offspring in the extreme cold and harshness of their habitat. Baby penguins are hatched covered with a grayish down that protects the chicks from the cold.

Throughout the nesting period, baby penguins are confined to the burrow or nest where they are fed by their parents. When baby penguins reach the age where they don't need constant care from their parents, they are often grouped in nurseries where they wait while their parents hunt for food. One amazing trait of both parent and baby penguins is that they recognize each other even in the midst of hundreds of penguins. Once the baby penguin sheds its downy feathers and gets its plumage, it can then start to fend for himself.

Penguins provides detailed information on Penguins, Emperor Penguins, Cartoon Penguins, Baby Penguins and more. Penguins is affiliated with Horse Tack for Sale.

Our Wildlife - People and the Fauna of the American West

(With an emphasis on the Southwest and Arizona's Mogollon Rim, and the significance of these animals to the indigenous cultures of the West)

Part I.)

Introduction:

Throughout the nineteenth century, the American West was the destination of an astoundingly tremendous number of people: The east experienced an economic recession in 1837 that prompted many pioneers to head west, looking for better opportunities and a new life; gold was discovered in California in 1848, and when the rumor spread the following year, the "'49ers" flocked to the goldfields there, in what has been said to have been the largest human migration since the Crusades; then, after the Civil War ended in 1865, many disenfranchised Southerners decided to leave their devastated homelands and head in the same direction as the pioneers and prospectors before them.

It all began in earnest at the beginning of that century, after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the subsequent Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806). This 'Corp of Discovery' was launched to assess and take inventory of this 828,800 square mile tract of United States land newly acquired from France, most of which had not been documented (and also to keep foreign interests such as England from intruding by establishing an American presence upon it). One of the major tasks assigned to them was to record and classify what would prove to be an amazing array of animals previously unknown to science, which then President Thomas Jefferson had a passionate interest in.

The later arrivals were arguably just as impressed by both the creatures themselves and their shear, incredible numbers; the bison herds were especially impressive in the latter sense.

Unfortunately, while the waves of newcomers were indeed awed by these animals, these very same people were actively and rapidly depopulating the wildlife. Many of these populations, such as the bison, beaver and wolf, have never entirely recovered.

Yet these new emigrants were not the only ones to blame for this devastatingly severe reduction in the numbers of these species. In fact, the Native American Indians became involved and were also actively participating in the devastation. Many of 'The People', as they have commonly called themselves, had become increasingly dependent upon trade goods and thus more indebted to the traders; the latter reacted by demanding more pelts and hides from the former, in exchange for debt relief and items the Natives couldn't manufacture themselves nor acquire elsewhere.

Most people usually think of the Great Plains horse culture when they think of the indigenous people of the West. Yet, there are other cultural regions in the American West, each with it's own unique customs, languages, cosmologies, stories, ceremonies, and spiritual practices. Furthermore, within each region is a variety of groups, whose diverse customs were and are similar, but not exactly the same.

In the traditional beliefs and world-views of The People, the animals all around them have been perceived as being spiritually potent, each creature possessing their own unique and individual powers.

The region now known as the American Southwest is rich in both native fauna and the diverse habitats of this wildlife, in spite of the ecological destruction of the past and, unfortunately, also that which continues to some extent into the present. Despite popular opinion, this area is not merely barren desert, but includes a wide variety of different environments; even the deserts aren't the wasteland that people might believe them to be, differing greatly from each other in their diversity. There are, in fact, forests and other ecological zones in the great Southwest.

Interestingly, the largest Ponderosa Pine forest on earth, at over 3.9 million acres, is located in Arizona, the very state with an undeserved reputation of being absolutely nothing but cactus, sand and heat. This conifer forest is found in the North-Central part of the Grand Canyon State, along the base of the Mogollon Rim, which is the southern boundary of the130,000 square mile Colorado Plateau. Geologists say that the Rim was created by seismic uplift 600 million years ago, along with the forces of erosion.

The Ponderosa Pine habitat along the 200 mile long Rim stretches from the vicinity of Flagstaff in the west all the way to the White Mountains far to the east. Within these woods are forests within forests, including the increasingly rare riparian, or stream-side woodland, habitats. There is also the mixed forests of comparatively small Pinyon Pines and Juniper which encroach upon, and intermingle with, the giant evergreens. The predominate, great Ponderosa Pines can grow to an average height of 165 feet tall and four feet in diameter when fully mature. Immature Ponderosas are blackish, but the bark turns to more of a rust color once they reach maturity, which can be up to four inches thick.

Although the Southwest may not be entirely desert, this reputation is somewhat justified. The aforementioned state of Arizona is two-thirds desert, only a third of it comprised of other environments such as the forests described above. The Grand Canyon state itself is the only one in the country where four deserts converge: the Sonoran Desert in the south; the Mojave in the west; the Great Basin Desert in the northwest; and a portion of the Chihuahuan in the far southeast corner of the state, most of which is in present-day Mexico. But whether desert, conifer forests or streams, this all adds up to a great abundance of wildlife habitat, not only in Arizona, but all throughout the entire, immense Southwest.

The term 'animal' doesn't only include fur-bearing mammals, but is used to classify any living thing from an the tiniest insect to a fully mature, male Blue Whale. There are approximately an astounding two million animal species worldwide; Arizona alone has an estimated 900 different varieties of wildlife.

Animals are divided into two main groups. The first are the numerous invertebrates, which lack backbones, and would include anything from a worm to an insect. Vertebrates, then, are the group of animals that do possess spinal columns, any creature from fish to mammals. In total, there are estimated to be only 43,000 species of animals with backbones on the planet. This is a fraction of the life on earth when compared to the various types of invertebrates such as insects.

Mammals, such as bears and us humans, are what most people think of when they think of animals. These two terms are often used interchangeably. But while all mammals are animals, not every animal is necessarily a mammal, since there other types of animals ranging from insects to birds. Typically, mammals are fur-bearing, maintain a constant body temperature (a condition commonly known as being 'warm-blooded'), with the females giving live birth and producing milk for their young. This is unlike, if not the opposite of, other animal groups, such as reptiles for example.

One way to categorize mammals is by their different behaviors and habits. A very common behavioral trait among many mammals is nocturnal activity, meaning that they are primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, active at night. A nocturnal mammal usually depends more on their senses of smell and hearing than sight. These animals have adapted such acute senses not only because of the darkness, since many do actually have night-vision, but also because sounds and scents travel better on the cooler, damper nighttime air. Most mammals are nocturnal, including some of us humans, such as the majority of us living in a college town, for example...

Humans and a few other mammals are diurnal, meaning that they are primarily active during the daytime. These are a minority, however, and in the Southwest would include coyotes, squirrels and chipmunks, the majority of people with the exception of college students, and few if any others. Most birds, incidently, are diurnal too, with owls being the most notable exception.

A third type of behavior is crepuscular, a less well-known but common habit among mammals. This term simply means that the animal is most active at dawn and dusk, which is sensible because temperatures are usually more moderate and less extreme at these intermediate times of day. Many of the Southwestern High-Country wildlife demonstrates this behavior, such as elk, deer and even coyotes sometimes.

Although not an everyday year-round habit like those mentioned above, some mammals hibernate. This winter behavior isn't really sleep in the usual sense, but is more like a very deep sleep or stasis, almost like a coma state; most people are less familiar with the opposite term, 'estivation', a summer stasis practiced by creatures who bury themselves during the hot, dry months, such as the Sonoran Toad. The raccoon is said to be a partial hibernator, as is the first animal to be discussed here. Many assume this creature hibernates throughout the entire winter, but typically doesn't:

Black Bear, Ursus americanus:

'Black Bear' is only this animal's common name; Ursus americanus can be found in colors ranging from blonde to cinnamon to various shades of brown, as well as black. There is even said to be a white 'Black' Bear in Western Canada; this 'Spirit Bear' represents power and prestige to the Coast Salish people of the region.

Approximately five feet long, three feet high and up to 300 pounds or more, the crepuscular Black Bear is actually the smallest of the bears native to North America and the only one now found in the wild Southwest. These other bears include the much larger Grizzlies (up to 850 lbs.), Polar Bears (600 - 1,1,00 lbs.), and Kodiaks, or Alaskan Brown Bears (up to 1,500 lbs.)

Like the Black Bear, Grizzlies have been culturally significant to Native American Indians. The Nootka, or Nuu Chal Nulth, a Northwest Coast people of Vancouver Island, Canada, would personify this bear during their annual Winter Dance ceremony. The Grizzlies once occupied and competed for the same territory as the Black Bear, but Grizzly Bears have been eradicated from much of their former range. It is, significantly, a Grizzly that is depicted on the California State flag, a state where none of them roam in the wild anymore; this is also true of most other western states, with Montana and Alaska being notable exceptions. Black Bears, however, have adapted and survived.

Even at such a relatively large size when compared to many other animals, the Black Bear can run at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour. This is due in part to the fact that these bears are structured much like humans, since their hind limbs are longer than their front limbs, giving them extra torque. This also makes them excellent climbers and better at running uphill than down. Their one-and-a-half inch long claws also help with their climbing ability, not to mention making them rather dangerous. Remember: "If you're too close, it's too late!" Yet despite their dangerously long claws and fangs, these bears are, surprisingly, mostly vegetarian.

The males are known as 'boars' and females as 'sows'. Like some humans, male and female Black Bears only tolerate each other during breeding. Both sexes only partially hibernate, as previously mentioned and despite popular opinion to the contrary. They will spend about three months of the winter in their dens instead of the full six or more, living off of their own accumulated body fat during this time.

In the Athabascan language of the Southwestern Apache, the Black Bear is known as maba. Among American Indian cultures of the West in general, the Black Bear is traditionally believed to have healing powers, or spiritual 'Medicine'. This is probably because of the bear's alleged ability to know exactly which medicinal plants to eat when they are sick. The Zuni of New Mexico, for example, still carve stone figures popularly known as 'fetishes', said to actually possess something of the spirit and characteristics of the animals they depict. The bear is known to the Zuni as 'Clumsy Foot', the animal of the Blue West, whose fetish has been used to promote healing. Among certain Pueblo people, of whom the Zuni are one of many, bear paws would be used in curing rites. The Omaha and Pawnee people of the Plains were known to have had elite Bear Societies, with membership restricted only to those who had dreams and/or visions of bears. These members were not only warriors, but were also said to have been great healers, as one might expect of a group named after the bear.

The Pomo people still reside in the northern coastal region of California, and they were once tormented by 'Bear Doctors'. These individuals were said to be possessed by the spirit of the bear and would wear entire bearskins, complete with the head worn like a hood. Reportedly, they spent their time exhibiting a bear's worst behavior rather than healing others with their alleged powers. However, bear dances which are intended to heal are still performed, and the Ute people of Southwest Colorado have a social dance by this name. Bears are so revered, if not feared, that among certain Subarctic peoples, bear skulls were decorated to honor the powerful spirit of the bear, still said to be residing within it.

[If it seems that these peoples have been preoccupied with treating illness, perhaps it is because they were and for a valid reason. Originally The People of North America had only two domestic animals, namely the turkey and the Dog; unlike the encroaching Caucasians, they had no immunity to the diseases which livestock transmit to humans such as chicken pox and swine flu. It is very likely that their emphasis on healing rituals was a post-contact development due to the spread of epidemics, which they contracted from Europeans and their descendants.]

In the Southwest, the bear paw is a symbol of good luck, which is why this design is found in so much Native artwork, such as jewelry and pottery. The reasoning might be that the Black Bear is said to always know where the water is; seeing their tracks may be considered lucky indeed in the arid Southwest, since it is probable that they could actually lead one to a scarce water source. This may very well be true, because these bears have an excellent sense of smell, which compensates for their apparent nearsightedness. They would be able to not only smell food, but also life-sustaining water, for quite some distance.

Tribal clans have been named after this bear; the Bear Clan still exists among the Hopi of Arizona and amongst other peoples, too.

Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus:

The 'Mule' Deer, or 'Muley' as the animal is sometimes called, has been given this particular name due to their extra long, mule, or donkey, -like ears; these can be up to nine inches long! They are a very common deer throughout the west, ranging throughout a wide variety of habitats, from deserts, to woodlands to high-country forests. Mule Deer will feed on a variety of diverse plant-life in these areas.

The Mule Deer are approximately six feet long, three and a half feet high and can weigh anywhere from 125 to 200 pounds. This makes them a mid-sized ungulate, or hoofed animal, much larger than the little Coues White-tailed Deer (only sixty-five to100 pounds), but a lot smaller than the Elk which can grow up to 1,200 pounds; both may be found in the same areas as Mule Deer. All of these animals grow antlers, which are shed or dropped annually, as opposed to horns, which are an attached part of the skull as with Bighorn Sheep, bison, or 'buffalo', and Pronghorn Antelope. Among Muleys, the antlers are shed in the winter.

[Pronghorn Antelope do shed the outer cover, or sheath, of their horns annually. Horns such as these are to be found in the material culture of The People: Antelope horns were sometimes used in the headdresses of the Southwest's Apache people; designs incorporating horns, found on items such as their shields, were said to provide power to the owner, since horns understandably represent strength; horns would also be used in Pueblo headdresses and masks, and deer antlers are also used in this same manner. The Pronghorn Antelope is, incidently, the fastest mammal in North America, reaching speeds of up to sixty miles per hour.]

Mule Deer are probably the most commonly sighted of the larger mammals of the American West. Visitors to the high-country are especially delighted by a deer sighting, as they are very beautiful animals (hunters are, of course, happy to get the deer in their sights...). Despite their docile appearance, however, deer are still wild animals and can be dangerous, especially when cornered; they will normally give a fair warning by spreading all four of their legs apart in a position known as 'stotting'. But, if you're too close, it's already too late.

Partly because they are so widespread, this species has been especially useful to American Indian peoples throughout the west, and not only for the meat: Leather could be used for clothing, of course, and other items including sports balls used in the popular game known as 'shinny'; the antlers could be made into a variety of different tools; the scapula, or shoulder blade bone, with serrated edges were used as effective plant cutting tools in the Southwest; tendons were used in the manufacture of bowstrings and to reinforce the bows themselves, and also as sinew twine for sewing; and even the brains were used for tanning the hides.

Various parts of the deer have been used not only for everyday utilitarian purposes, but also to manufacture ceremonial items. Dance rattles have been made by various groups by hanging bunches of dried deer toenails, or 'dew-claws', from the end of either a deer bone or a stick. Rattles made from hooves are common among the Pueblo groups. The Zuni and others have used bundles of deer scapula strung together and shaken as a sort of rattle during ceremonies, such as the Kachina, or katsina, dances. This is evidently a very old custom: Scapula with painted geometric designs were found at an archaeological cave site known as Cueva Pilote in northern Coahuila Mexico, apparently for the same purpose; occupation of the site has been dated from 1000 - 1400 A.D.. Among certain Paiute bands of the Great Basin, rattles would be made from two deer ears sewn together and filled with gravel, ready to use once they had dried into rawhide. The Navajo, or Dineh', and other groups of the Southwest such as the Hopi are known to make ceremonial masks from deer-hides. The Kiowa of the plains made deer tail charms known as tatonto. The Uncompagre Ute also utilized deer tails, but merely as one of several items used to decorate their babies' cradle-boards.

To the Hupa, Yurok, and the Karuk people further inland, where the southern Northwest Coast and California regions converge, deerskins have been both practically useful and spiritually symbolic. Unusually colored hides are displayed as status-symbols in annual Deerskin Dances, and very rare ones such as albino, or white-deerskins, are still considered especially prized and valuable to these people (Although part of the larger Northwest Coast culture, the Hupa of northern California traditionally speak an Athabascan language, which they have in common with both the Navajo/Dineh and Apache of the Southwest region; their Karuk and Yurok neighbors have Hokan and Algonquian languages, respectively). Deer dances are also held elsewhere, such as among the various Pueblo villages of the Southwest, like that of Taos and Acoma of New Mexico. Elsewhere in New Mexico, the people of Cochiti Pueblo maintain the yaphashi shrine, composed of a twin set of stone mountain lion effigies, where they leave offerings of deer antler.

Although very useful, the Mule Deer were never necessarily easy to kill. Because of this, the People have resorted to a variety of hunting strategies, including snares and other methods. Dead-fall traps can be created by camouflaging deep holes with branches, sticks and other debris. These were once commonly used in the eastern Mount Shasta region of the Far West; they were so common, in fact, that the name 'Pit River' was applied to both the predominate waterway and the Achumawi peoples of the area who created these traps. If hunting with bow and arrow, individuals might disguise themselves in entire hides including the head, sometimes complete with antlers. Also, various poisons might be added to arrowheads, made from everything from Black Widow or rattlesnake venom to rancid meat, which would reduce the speed of their shot but still fleeing prey.

The People would also seek spiritual aid in hunting Mule Deer. The Southwestern deer dances mentioned above, along with the accompanying songs, were originally intended as a prayer to the deer, asking them to offer their lives so that The People may have them for food (similar hunting rituals would have been done in other regions also). These dances are now performed, it seems, more to honor those deer that fed their ancestors than to attract the deer, although certainly some of these people still hunt for venison. The Zuni paint pottery with a deer motif that has a distinct 'heart-line', a red line running from the mouth to the heart and ending in a sort of arrowhead point (fetishes often have heart-lines, too). Sources say that the very act of painting these deer was once meant as a form of prayer itself. This was intended for good luck in hunting, possibly in the belief that the deer might be attracted to their own image; interestingly, research suggests that, in many cases, creating rock art may have been a similar act of prayer as well.

Elk, Cervus elaphus:

The Elk probably numbered somewhere about 10,000 individuals in what is now known as North America around the time Colombus landed toward the end of the fifteenth century; it is estimated that they are now ten times fewer in numbers, and there are only this many left due to conservation efforts.

Elk are, in a word, huge: males, or bulls, can weigh in at up to 1,200 pounds; females can weigh about 450 or more; a newborn calf weighs approximately thirty-five pounds, which is around the size of a full-grown raccoon. Despite their size, elk are fast, averaging thirty to forty miles per hour; they could conceivably outrun a Black Bear. The antlers of an adult bull can be up to five feet long with as many as six points, or spikes. Like deer and bison, elk are members of the ungulate, or hoofed, animal family, and like deer they have antlers which are shed annually instead of more permanent horns.

They can do some real damage with those antlers, and in unexpected ways, too. The antlers are used both for display and in ritual combat, but before that can occur, they must be polished during the autumn rut. Since antlers are shed, the vessels for growth are on the exterior, forming a fuzzy material known, appropriately enough, as 'velvet'. Small sapling trees are often used for rubbing off excess velvet and otherwise cleaning the antlers. This 'girds' the young trees and kills them, essentially disrupting the flow of nutrients due to the exposure of the inner layer. In the high-country, individual saplings and even entire little groves can be found dead, yet still standing, with their bark stripped, often around the whole circumference. Typically, only one part of the tree below the lower most branches is targeted for this vigorous rubbing, but even this select exposure is enough to kill the tree. As destructive as this seems, some of the conifer forest is overgrown and some thinning might be healthy for the ecosystem. But the dead fuel could conceivably create a fire hazard and possibly an insect infestation. Either way, it is notable that creatures other than humans can have an impact on the environment, even a detrimental one. In the forested high-country motorists must always be cautious and watch for the wildlife, which will appear in the road unexpectedly; this is particularly true of the massive elk. The cross-traffic often has four legs instead of four wheels, and can occur virtually anywhere along a mountain highway, intersecting roads or not. Furthermore, they are brownish animals with an even darker mane on their chests, which are crepuscular but often active at night. This makes even this huge and seemingly obvious animal very well camouflaged and extremely difficult to see. Once one is too close to them while behind the wheel, it can really be too late; the vehicle and passengers often suffer as much damage as the elk, if not more so, whenever there's a collision between them.

Elk have been very useful to American Indian people and continue to be a popular game animal still (A popular joke among reservation people of the Plains, such as the Lakota Sioux, is that they do not poach cattle but have been known to hunt down 'slow elk' instead). Their importance seems to be reflected by the large numbers of elk depicted as petroglyphs, or rock art carvings, throughout the Southwest. Obviously, these animals, like the comparably sized bison or 'buffalo' (at 800 - 2,000 lbs.), would provide people with a lot of meat and hides. However, elk have had other traditional uses also.

The elk antlers were especially useful. For example, peoples such as the Hupa, Karuk and Yurok traditionally had currency with a fixed value in the form of tusk-shaped dentalium shells, Dentalium (Antalis) Pretiosum. In fact, the peoples of California, and arguably the Northwest Coast, were the only ones in all of North America to have had real currency; the well known wampum beads, created from the eastern Quahog clam shell, originally had no true monetary worth. Eventually the value of the currency spread as far as the Dakotas. This particular species of the mollusk was almost exclusively found in Nuu Chal Nulth territory, the shells finding their way south through trade. Thus, they were considered suitably valuable to people like the Hupa due to their scarcity; a small boat was worth an arm's-length strand of these shells, which were strung on Iris fiber cord. But like anyone with money, they would need something to put it in. So, these people would create containers from hollowed elk antler, complete with a slot and removable lid in the top. These antler purses would usually be ornately decorated and some artisans continue to create them even today.

These same cultures used the antler in the manufacture of spoons, which were also ornate, a practice they had in common with coastal peoples farther to the north and also with the Arapaho of the Great Plains. This utensil was used for eating acorn soup by the Hupa and their neighbors. The Pomo Bear Doctors carried a decorated elk antler dagger as sign of their membership, which was manufactured from the tip. Also, the Utes would scrape a piece of elk antler across a notched stick, which was placed on an overturned basket and used as a rasp instrument known as a morache, played during their Bear Dance. Offerings of elk antler, to ensure success in hunting, were once left by the Blackfeet people of the Great Plains near the Yellowstone River; this eventually created a large pile resembling a pyramid.

Prehistoric elk had extra thick, muscular necks, partly to support the two huge ivory tusks which protruded from the upper lip for fighting, like those of the contemporary mammoths. Over time the elks' tusks were reduced in size and adapted more for browsing. These became known as 'ivories', which have been particularly important to the Great Plains cultures. Evidently, people in this area have valued them for centuries: Located along the Missouri River in North Dakota, the Fort Yates archaeological site has yielded elk ivory ornaments which are approximately 530 years old. At birth, Lakota boys would be given an elk tooth to promote longevity, since this is the last part of the animal's remains to decompose. The roots of these elk tusks were typically perforated for sewing and then they were used to profusely decorate the front of women's dresses, usually sewn on in row upon horizontal row. Since each elk only has two of these types of teeth they are relatively rare, so such a dress would be a real status symbol and the teeth would be quite valuable since they are so scarce. For example, a Crow, or Absoroka, groom would have to pay a bride-price of 300 ivories for his bride's wedding dress. Ivories were once such valuable trade items that the exchange rate was100 for one horse. These teeth are still popular jewelry pendents and are worn by some as a symbol of love, apparently because of the following attribute of the elk:

Among these Great Plains groups, not only the teeth, but the elk themselves have also been culturally and even spiritually significant. In autumn, the male bull's loud mating calls are frequently heard. This 'bugling' is audible from a great distance, attracting not one, but several females, or cows, forming what is known as a 'harem'. Young men of the prairies would want to access the spiritual Love Medicine power of the elk, to hopefully attract mates for themselves. They may have enlisted the assistance of a shaman, or 'Medicine Man', specializing in Elk Medicine. The image of the bull elk has frequently been depicted on pouches, shields and other Plains Indian items, evidently for this very reason.

In Lakota the elk is known as hehaka, but they are better known by a different American Indian word: Wapiti, another common name for the elk, is derived from the Shawnee language of the Eastern Woodlands, meaning, appropriately enough, 'White-rump'!

Next: Part II.), Smaller Mammals...

By Lee Littler
Copyright, 2011

About the Author:

I developed an early interest in nature and have learned a lot about it, and it continues to be a major passion and part of my life.
I have a passionate interest in Native American Indian cultures also, a subject of which I am quite knowledgeable, so much so that I can now honestly say that I have forgotten more than most people will ever know, partly because my knowledge is not limited to reading books or the classroom; I have been around these people off and on for about half of my life now, learning and experiencing their culture first-hand, attending many dances, pow-wows, ceremonials, and other events.
I have both vocational and educational backgrounds in anthropology, archaeology, history, and natural history/biology, having worked as a Wilderness Patrolman for the Forest Service on the Angeles National Forest, a Park Aid with the California State Park's Mojave District, and an Interpretive Park Ranger at Mesa Verde in Colorado, America's premiere archaeological park, and I have completed field-study courses in Anthropology of the Southwest, Anthropology and History of the West, Natural History and a short-term course in Geology.

Getting Rid Of Cockroaches By Knowing What They Eat

If a group of cockroaches decides to come live under your roof, they do so for a very good reason. And you probably already know what that reason is; food. The only thing a roach fears more than the bottom of your shoe is a lack of food and water. Therefore it's good to know what they eat if you want to get rid of roaches.

A cockroach isn't picky, unless it comes to where he wants to live. The creeps carefully choose a home with plenty of food and water. If that's yours, you know what to do. A: get rid of the roaches. B: make sure they never come back again.

Getting rid of roaches isn't all that easy. But once you've won the fight, the battle ain't over. Then it comes to eliminating all the things cockroaches love. Therefore it's important to know what they eat, what they drink and where they will most likely find it.

Let's start with the bad news. Cockroaches eat about anything. Soap, paper, clothes, cigarette buts, your favorite book, wood, human hair and nail clippings, leather, feces, fabric and even the glue on the back of wallpaper and stamps. And if they have to, they'll eat each other. They are classified as omnivores, meaning they eat any type of organic food source they find. Like I said: roaches aren't picky. .

Cockroaches are nocturnal by nature, preferring to hide in a dark place during the daylight hours and scavenging for food at night. There is one peculiar exception to this rule. The Oriental cockroach seems to be attracted to light.

Cockroaches locate food and they then communicate to other cockroaches in the community by leaving chemical trails in their feces. Other cockroaches will follow these trails to locate food sources or other cockroaches. That's why a cockroach never seems to come alone.

Roaches' favorite place? Your kitchen. All it takes is for you to make a sandwich and not wipe down the counter afterwards. One trivial, carelessness and you will have unwittingly spread a delicious buffet for the cockroaches in your house.

Once you've got rid of the roaches, you need to take straightforward precautions: put away all (all!) food items into plastic containers that can be sealed tightly. Open water also breeds roaches. A single drop of water will attract roaches so make sure to wipe down the sink and counter before you go to bed. Not just today, but make it habit. There is always a cockroach around looking for food. And the creep never comes alone.

Kenneth Kender is a known publisher and writer. His work is published both offline and online. His latest online project is a website called http://www.gettingridofroaches.net where he helps you to get rid of cockroaches instantly and permanently.

Animal Rights - How We Treat Animals Reflects Who We Are

From a purely biological perspective, no creature inherently has rights beyond that which it has the power to impose. What is able to survive does, what cannot does not. But our world is not just biology. It is ethics as well. "Might makes right" cannot be the operating paradigm in a world where freedom, compassion, humanity, and love are desired. Nor are we removed from consideration of the rights of other creatures just because we are paying somebody else to create drugs, scent a deodorant, or raise our food.

Humans with the ability to use their technology to affect and control the world so widely and deeply are constantly faced with ethical choices. Modern life is not a matter of mere survival as it was when we were in the wild. It is an opportunity to develop and grow as introspective, sensitive, and ethical people. For example, walking in the woods requires no rules, but driving in traffic does. Drinking from a stream is not a problem, but damming the stream and flooding thousands of acres is. Breaking down brush with our hands to make a lean-to for shelter is one thing, but denuding the planet with machines is quite another. Hunting animals in the wild for food using only ingenuity, strength, and speed is a matter totally unlike wiping out whole populations with rifles (for 'sport') or with our urban encroachment. Farming animals to feed a swelling population is necessary, but denying them any form of natural or decent life, or subjecting them to abuse or cruelty is not a right we can claim.

Living in the wild would present few ethical choices. Causes and philosophy have a way of taking a back seat when life is consumed with day-to-day survival. But an advanced society with almost limitless technological capabilities is another matter. Our ability now to practically cage and control every creature on the planet and virtually destroy the Earth's life-supporting environment on an Earth-wide scale requires choices and ethical responsibility.

The first choice to be made, it would seem, is whether we wish to survive here long term or not. Assuming the answer is yes, we must take fiduciary responsibility for the planet and its web of life. But it does not end there, as some humane and green movements would seem to argue. In order to survive we must also take the lives of the plant and animal food we consume. That is a reality we face, and, assuming we wish to survive, it is not a matter of ethics. On the other hand, our management and behavior toward other living things-including our food-do present moral choices. It also creates a mood, if you will, setting the tone for how we treat one another. If we find it easy to treat life with insensitivity, it is a small step to treat one another the same way. If we extend care, compassion, and decency out toward the rest of the world, we are far more likely to treat fellow humans similarly.

Killing animals or plants for fun or just because we have the power to do so is neither rational nor ethical. It is a form of psychopathic behavior that threatens the web of life upon which we depend and desensitizes us to the value of all life.

People who take joy in the pain, suffering, and death of other creatures, or justify it because of dollars to be made, threaten civilization itself. It is not that great a leap for those who behave in this way to extend similar insensitivity to humans. Would we rather live next door to someone who creates habitat for wild creatures in their yard and live-captures house mice to set them free outdoors, or someone who stomps on any bug they see, chains their Dog to a stake in the yard, yahoos about shooting songbirds from their window with a pellet gun, and hunts for trophies leaving carcasses to rot? It is not a coincidence that serial killers often have a history of torturing and killing animals (1).

Creatures raised for food should not be treated as nothing more than production units, confined so as to never see the light of day, and then be handled and slaughtered inhumanely. They should be raised kindly in a free and open environment where they might enjoy the life they have. Arguably hunting should be reserved for the singular purpose of obtaining food, not for the pleasure of killing. If there is opportunity to show compassion, why not take it rather than abuse and exploit just because we have the power to do so?

Scientists and much of the public justify animal experimentation as necessary in order to find disease cures, test toxins, check mascara safety, and so on. I am reminded of an experience in a toxicology class. The lesson for the day was to show how topical products could be screened for safety. For a demonstration, the professor held a rabbit by the nap and put some drops of a chemical in the rabbit's eye. The rabbit squealed and struggled in pain. It was a miserable thing to see. As days went by we were shown the progression of the caustic chemical on the rabbit's cornea. The extreme ulceration that resulted was grotesque and the pain the rabbit was enduring was gut wrenching. To this day I remember vividly and regret that I paid tuition for this needless cruelty-although to show any reaction at the time risked being viewed as unscientific and emotional, a definite no-no in medical schools.

The lesson to be learned from this pathetic display of human insensitivity was that noxious chemicals will ulcerate and dissolve eyes. How profound. There wasn't a student in the class that could not have guessed the outcome before the macabre demonstration was done. The real takeaway was that life could be treated with disregard. If we wanted to be good doctors we needed to suck it up, put aside silly compassion and bravely mutilate life for the sake of the greater good of medicine.

Torture aside, such experimentation is unnecessary and really quite embarrassingly sloppy science. Those who participate in it become desensitized to suffering, lose compassion, and learn to hone the skill of obtuse justification. Medical experimentation upon animals is unnecessary because every species reacts to toxins, drugs, and even surgery differently. For that matter, every individual is different biochemically. What might be true for one goose is not for a gander. So a scientific result from a lab in which thousands of mice, Dogs, or monkeys are tortured does not give certainty about an effect in humans or in other species. Biological differences skew all results (2).

Aspirin causes birth defects in rats but not in humans. Humans and guinea pigs require vitamin C in the diet but most other creatures manufacture it themselves. An opium dose that will kill a human is harmless in Dogs and chicks. Allylisothiocyanate will cause cancer in the male rat, but may not in the female, or in mice. Penicillin will kill a guinea pig but potentially save the life of a person. Most drugs, nutrients, and toxins have a reverse effect: a benefit at one level is a danger at another. Measuring such things is near impossible (3). Even kindness in the lab can alter results as demonstrated by atherosclerosis (the heart attack factor) being reduced by as much as 60% in rabbits that are handled, compared to those ignored (4).

The point is that nobody knows all the variables when conducting such research. They can only control for some, guess at all the others, and then make an extrapolation, a huge leap in faith timed precisely to occur before the budget runs out. This is the reason drugs go through years of FDA trials at a cost of 360 million dollars, and then can kill and maim when introduced to the population.

Nevertheless, such heartless experimentation proceeds in the name of science and the promise of cures. It's a shame. Using a little logic, or other laboratory tools such as tissue culture techniques, could as well have led to the same conclusions gained from animal experimentation. For example, researchers used 24,000 mice to prove that 2-acetylaminofluorene was carcinogenic. Based on genetic context logic, you or I could have told them the result without caging or torturing one mouse. Why would a synthetic chemical such as this not be harmful?

What is most frustrating is that the result of all the animal experimentation is not cures. Rather, there are hundreds of thousands of maimed and killed humans who bought into the faulty science of such 'proven' drugs. Animal research brings us drugs with side effects, dependencies, prescription errors, cross-reactions, and removal of symptoms while the cause of the disease continues. Animal experimentation is a bad idea at its start and a tragic disaster in practice.

The popular idea is that our environment, including all of its creatures, is a mere resource for our exploitation. That is irrational if long-term human welfare is to matter and denies that humans have a higher purpose than might makes right.

(1) Relationship between Animal Abuse and Human Violence. Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, 2007. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.oxfordanimalethics.com.
(2) Gawrylewski, Andrea, 'The Trouble with Animal Models: Trials and Error', The Scientist 21-7 (2007), 45-51.
(3) Qureshi, B. The reverse effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 83 (1990), 131-132.
(4) Rowland, D. The Nutritional Bypass: Reverse Atherosclerosis Without Surgery. Parry Sound: Rowland Publications, 1995.

Dr. Randy Wysong is author of Living Life as if Thinking Matters, Solving The Big Questions as if Thinking Matters, several books on health, nutrition, self improvement, philosophy, and the origin of life. He is a pioneer in the natural health and nutrition movement, and is the first to put the creation-evolution debate on rational footings. His blog, books, updates, mind-stimulating content, interactive forums, and FREE thinking matters video-rich newsletter can be found at AsIfThinkingMatters.com.

Skipping DHLPP Vaccinations This Year - What's the Big Deal?

How does a vaccination for Dogs work? In simplest terms, a vaccination stimulates the Dog's immune system to protect itself against disease. When the antigen or infectious agent enters the Dog's body, it is recognized as foreign and antibodies are produced to bind to it and destroy it. Even though the invader is gone, the cells that manufactured the antibodies "remember" it and will respond more quickly the next time the same agent is confronted.

Rabies (valid from 1 or 3 years, depending on vaccine) Rabies vaccination of Dogs is required by government laws in the United States. Normally the one year vaccine is given to puppies. Once the dog is adult (around 1 y.o. depending on the breed) he can take a 3 year Rabies vaccine.

DHLPP (stands for Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza)

Each of the disease conditions for DHLPP vaccine are broken out as follows:

Distemper (Annual Vaccination) A contagious and incurable viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system. Airborne inhalants are the primary cause of transmission. It's also shed from the infected animal through bodily fluids (watery discharge from eyes and nose), especially respiratory secretions. Contact with urine or fecal material of infected dogs can also result in infection. Boarding facilities used by infected dogs can harbor the canine distemper virus.

More than 50% of the adult dogs that contract the disease, die from it. Among puppies, the death rate from distemper often reaches 80%. Even if a dog doesn't die from the disease, its health may be permanently impaired. It can leave a dog's nervous system irreparably damaged, along with its sense of smell, hearing or sight. Partial or total paralysis is not uncommon, and other diseases, particularly pneumonia, frequently strike dogs already weakened by a distemper infection.

The signs of Distemper are not always noticeable. For this reason, treatment may be delayed or neglected. Frequently it may look like a severe cold with fever, congestion, nasal and eye discharge or discharge from other body openings, weight loss, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, sudden viciousness or lethargy, abnormal lumps, limping, difficulty getting up or lying down, excessive head shaking, scratching, licking any part of the body, difficult, abnormal or uncontrolled waste elimination, dandruff and loss of hair, open sores, ragged or dull coat, foul breath or excessive tartar deposits on teeth.

Hepatitis (Annual Vaccination) - Also called Adenovirus 1 or abbreviated as CAV-1 or A1 Infectious canine hepatitis is an acute liver infection in dogs caused by canine adenovirus. The virus is spread in the feces, urine, blood, saliva and nasal discharge of infected dogs. The virus can be passed through the urine for periods of up to one year. Dogs of any age are susceptible to the disease. Mortality is about 10% and about 25% of the survivors develop a temporary corneal opacity (hepatitis blue eye). Annual vaccination with a modified live virus will give permanent prevention. The causative agent, an adenovirus, is not infectious to humans.

It is contracted through the mouth or nose, where it replicates in the tonsils. The virus then infects the liver and kidneys. The incubation period is 4 to 7 days. Symptoms include fever, depression, loss of appetite, coughing, and a tender abdomen. Corneal edema and signs of liver disease such as jaundice, vomiting and hepatic encephalopathy may occur. Severe causes will develop bleeding disorders which can cause hematomas to form in the mouth.

Death can occur secondary to this or the liver disease. However, most dogs recover after a brief illness, although chronic corneal edema and kidney lesions may persist. The disease can be confused with canine parvovirus because both will cause a low white blood cell count and bloody diarrhea in young, unvaccinated dogs.

Leptospirosis (Annual Vaccination) Leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, and is contagious as long as it is still moist. Rats, mice and voles are important primary hosts, but a wide range of other mammals are also able to carry and transmit the disease. Dogs and humans become infected by leptospires (an infectious bacteria) when abraded skin, eyes or mucous membranes come into contact with infected urine, blood, food, soil or water that has been contaminated by infected animal urine. Also when dogs lick the urine of an infected animal off the grass or soil, or drink from an infected puddle.

There has been reports of "house dogs" contracting leptospirosis apparently from licking the urine of infected mice that entered the house. Leptospirosis is also transmitted by the semen of infected animals. In humans, though rarely, it may happen mostly with veterinarians, slaughter house workers, farmers and sewer workers. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, and may include jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and/or rash. In humans complications include meningitis, respiratory distress and renal interstitial tubular necrosis, which results in renal failure and often liver failure. Cardiovascular problems are also possible. Because of wide range of symptoms the infection is often wrongly diagnosed.

Parvovirus (Annual Vaccination) Canine Parvovirus is a contagious virus affecting dogs. The disease is highly infectious and is spread from dog to dog by physical contact and contact with feces. Most dogs (more than 80%) will show no symptoms of illness within 3 to 10 days. Symptoms include lethargy, vomiting fever and diarrhea (usually bloody). After a dog is infected, there is no cure, but dogs usually recover from the viral infection and symptoms with five days with aggressive treatment. However, diarrhea and vomiting result in dehydration and secondary infection can set in, causing death even in treated dogs. Risk factors for severe disease include young age, a stressful environment, and concurrent infections with bacteria, parasites, and canine coronavirus.

Due to dehydration, the dog's electrolyte balance is destroyed. Because of destruction of the normal intestinal lining, blood and protein leak into the intestines leading to anemia and loss of protein, and endotoxins escape into the bloodstream, causing endotoxemia. The white blood cell level drops, further weakening the dog. Any or all of these factors can lead to shock and death. Survival rates depends on how quickly it is diagnosed and how aggressive the treatment is.

Direct contact with infected feces is not necessary for the disease to spread: viral particles on shoes, clothing, hair, and so on are all that is needed for the transmission. The disease is extremely hardy and has been found to be present in feces or other organic material (eg. soil) even after a year including extremely cold and hot temperatures. The only household disinfectant that kills the virus is a mixture of bleach and water, 1 part bleach and 30 parts of water. A dog that successfully recovers from Parvovirus is still contagious for up to 2 months. Neighbors and family members with dogs should be notified of infected animal so that they can ensure that their dogs are vaccinated and tested.

Parainfluenza, Bordetella, Adenovirus 2 (CAV-2), Kennel Cough (6 to 12 months vaccine protection) Parainfluenza, Adenovirus type 2, Bordetella and Distemper, are all members of the Kennel Cough complex. Kennel Cough is a highly contagious disease. It is known mostly as tracheobronchitis, Bordetella or Kennel Cough. It can be picked up by rabbits, guinea pigs, cats and dogs. It's not contagious to humans though it is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the agent of Whooping Cough. Among dogs it's fairly contagious depending on stress level, vaccination status, and exposure to minor viruses. It causes inflammation of the upper respiratory system. It can be caused by viral infections such as canine distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, canine respiratory coronavirus or bacterial infections such as Bordetella bronchiseptica. It is so named because the infection can spread quickly among dogs, such as in the close quarters of a Kennel.

Both viral and bacterial causes of kennel cough are spread through the air by infected dogs sneezing and coughing. It can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces and through direct contact. It is highly contagious. Exposure occurs in environments where there are other dogs in proximity, such as kennels, dog shows, and groomers. Symptoms begin usually 3 to 5 days after exposure.

It is a serious condition in very young puppies, especially those with a recent shipping history (i.e. pet store puppies) are especially prone to severe cases of infectious tracheobronchitis (frequently progressing to pneumonia). Symptoms can include a harsh, dry hacking/coughing, retching, sneezing, snorting or gagging; in response to light pressing of the trachea or after excitement or exercise. The presence of a fever varies from case to case. The disease can last from 10-20 days. Diagnosis is made by seeing these symptoms and having a history of exposure.

Vets recommend keeping all dogs current on Bordetella vaccinations as you never know when they be in an unexpected situation.

Adenovirus Type 2 serum also immunizes against Adenovirus Type 1, the agent of infectious hepatitis. Vaccination options: intranasal spray or injectable (a good choice for aggressive dogs who may bite if their muzzle is approached).

Corona (Optional annual vaccination) Coronavirus is a virus of the family Coronaviridae that causes a highly contagious intestinal disease. Canine coronavirus was originally thought to cause serious gastrointestinal disease, but now most cases are considered to be very mild or without symptoms. A more serious complication of canine coronavirus occurs when the dog is also infected with canine parvovirus. Coronavirus infection makes it more susceptible to parvovirus infection. This causes a much more severe disease than either virus can separately. However, fatal intestinal disease associated with canine coronavirus without the presence of canine parvovirus is still occasionally reported.

The signs of Coronavirus are similar to parvovirus, so the initial diagnostic tests will likely include a parvo test. The incubation period is only one to three days. The disease is highly contagious and is spread through the feces of infected dogs, which usually shed the virus for six to nine days, but sometimes for 6 months following infection.

Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and anorexia. Treatment only requires medication for diarrhea, but more severely affected dogs may require intravenous fluids for dehydration. Fatalities are rare. The virus is destroyed by most available disinfectants. There is a vaccine available, and it is usually given to puppies, which are more susceptible to canine coronavirus, and to dogs that have a high risk of exposure such as show dogs.

Recently, a second type of canine coronavirus has been shown to cause respiratory disease in dogs. Dogs that recovered from Coronavirus develop some immunity, but the duration of immunity is unknown. Strict sanitation is required, especially if the household contains more than one dog. All animal waste should be disposed of daily, and feeding and watering utensils should be properly sanitized.

Lyme (Optional annual vaccination) Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is passed to dogs through a bite from the deer tick. The tick must remain attached to the animal's skin for at least one day before the bacteria can be transmitted. Quick removal of the tick will also help prevent Lyme disease. Unfortunately, these ticks are very small and easily can go unnoticed. The ticks, called Ixodes or deer ticks, generally are found in specific regions of the United States, where Lyme disease is endemic, such as the northeastern states, the upper Mississippi region, California, and certain southern states.

Without treatment, Lyme disease causes problems in many parts of the dog's body, including the heart, kidneys and joints. On rare occasions, it can lead to neurological disorders. Symptoms are high fever, swollen lymph nodes, lameness, loss of appetite, heart disease, inflamed joints, and kidney disease. Disorders of the nervous system, while uncommon, may occur as well.

To Vaccinate or not vaccinate - that is the question.

There is lack of scientific proof on this matter. When pet vaccinations began to take place, they were only recommendations - not based on scientific evidence. Because of for example a parvo virus epidemic in 1970 that killed thousands of dogs, mass vaccination against the disease was administered in the United States.

In 1988, rabies vaccination started to be mandatory for cats. In 1991, researchers noticed the increased number of tumors in cats. Soon, veterinary professionals began to suspect vaccination risks in various autoimmune diseases. They noticed that, in some animals, vaccines were stimulating the animal's immune system against his or her own tissues, leading to potentially fatal diseases, such as auto-immune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in dogs. They suspected vaccine reaction was causing chronic conditions such as thyroid disease, allergy, arthritis and seizures in cats and dogs. But in 1995 the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association concluded that there was "little scientific documentation that backs up label claims for annual administration of most vaccines", and that the only vaccine tested routinely for duration is the rabies vaccine. Also, they suggested that some vaccines should be given annually, but others only every few years would be sufficient because of potential risks associated with them.

Some Vets prefer to vaccinate only when necessary. They give annual titers, or tests, to check the level of antibodies (disease fighting cells) in the blood, and only then it can be determined if booster vaccinations are necessary. Since vaccinations were recommended by the USDA for many decades, it made opinions very controversial.

Many Vets still believe that it's too early to change the usual vaccination procedure. They believe that until more is known about the immunity conferred to some vaccines, it's best to take the conservative approach. They emphasize that annual vaccinations have been effective in decimating the incidence of former potentially lethal viral diseases such as canine distemper, hepatitis and parvo virus. They claim that while the vaccination issue is a complicated one, non vaccination is a major error. In most cases, the threat to animals health from non vaccination is much greater than the usual vaccinations. The diseases are real, severe and common.

This debate could be settled by more research and information. But while vaccine companies are under no legal obligation to demonstrate duration of immunity, that question may remain unanswered for some time. And there are claims that the problem lies in financial and political issues. A study would have to be made in which viruses would be given to inoculated animals over a period of 5 to 10 years. These animals would have to be kept in a controlled environment for these tests and only drug companies have this kind of money. Some say that for the drug companies, the decision is based on priorities: either more products or immunity studies. Not both.

M Wilson

[ http://www.ubbernews.com ].

The Development of Old Age and Related Issues

In traditional Chinese and other Asian cultures the aged were highly respected and cared for. The Igabo tribesmen of Eastern Nigeria value dependency in their aged and involve them in care of children and the administration of tribal affairs (Shelton, A. in Kalish R. Uni Michigan 1969).

In Eskimo culture the grandmother was pushed out into the ice-flow to die as soon as she became useless.

Western societies today usually resemble to some degree the Eskimo culture, only the "ice-flows" have names such a "Sunset Vista" and the like. Younger generations no longer assign status to the aged and their abandonment

is always in danger of becoming the social norm.

There has been a tendency to remove the aged from their homes and put them  in custodial care. To some degree the government provides domiciliary care services to prevent or delay this, but the motivation probably has more

to do with expense than humanity.

In Canada and some parts of the USA old people are being utilised as foster-grandparents in child care agencies.

SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

What is Aging?

Aging: Aging is a natural phenomenon that refers to changes occurring throughout the life span and result in differences in structure and function between the youthful and elder generation.

Gerontology: Gerontology is the study of aging and includes science, psychology and sociology.

Geriatrics: A relatively new field of medicine specialising in the health problems of advanced age.

Social aging: Refers to the social habits and roles of individuals with respect to their culture and society. As social aging increases individual usually experience a decrease in meaningful social interactions.

Biological aging: Refers to the physical changes in the body systems during the later decades of life. It may begin long before the individual  reaches chronological age 65.

Cognitive aging: Refers to decreasing ability to assimilate new information and learn new behaviours and skills.

GENERAL PROBLEMS OF AGING

Eric Erikson (Youth and the life cycle. Children. 7:43-49 Mch/April 1960) developed an "ages and stages" theory of human

development that involved 8 stages after birth each of which involved a basic dichotomy representing best case and worst case outcomes. Below are the dichotomies and their developmental relevance:

Prenatal stage - conception to birth.

1. Infancy. Birth to 2 years - basic trust vs. basic distrust. Hope.

2. Early childhood, 3 to 4 years - autonomy vs. self doubt/shame. Will.

3. Play age, 5 to 8 years - initiative vs. guilt. Purpose.

4. School age, 9to 12 - industry vs. inferiority. Competence.

5. Adolescence, 13 to 19 - identity vs. identity confusion. Fidelity.

6. Young adulthood - intimacy vs. isolation. Love.

7. Adulthood, generativity vs. self absorption. Care.

8. Mature age- Ego Integrity vs. Despair. Wisdom.

This stage of older adulthood, i.e. stage 8, begins about the time of retirement and continues throughout one's life. Achieving ego integrity  is a sign of maturity while failing to reach this stage is an indication of poor development in prior stages through the life course.

Ego integrity: This means coming to accept one's whole life and reflecting on it in a positive manner. According to Erikson, achieving

integrity means fully accepting one' self and coming to terms with death. Accepting responsibility for one's life and being able to review

the past with satisfaction is essential. The inability to do this leads to despair and the individual will begin to fear death. If a favourable balance is achieved during this stage, then wisdom is developed.

Psychological and personality aspects:

Aging has psychological implications. Next to dying our recognition that we are aging may be one of the most profound shocks we ever receive. Once we pass the invisible line of 65 our years are bench marked for the remainder of the game of life. We are no longer "mature age" we are instead classified as "old", or "senior citizens". How we cope with the changes we face and stresses of altered status depends on our basic personality. Here are 3 basic personality types that have been identified. It may be a oversimplification but it makes the point about personality effectively:

a. The autonomous - people who seem to have the resources for self-renewal. They may be dedicated to a goal or idea and committed to continuing productivity. This appears to protect them somewhat even against physiological aging.

b.The adjusted - people who are rigid and lacking in adaptability but are supported by their power, prestige or well structured routine. But if their situation changes drastically they become psychiatric casualties.

c.The anomic. These are people who do not have clear inner values or a protective life vision. Such people have been described as prematurely resigned and they may deteriorate rapidly.

Summary of stresses of old age.

a. Retirement and reduced income. Most people rely on work for self worth, identity and social interaction. Forced retirement can be demoralising.

b. Fear of invalidism and death. The increased probability of falling prey to illness from which there is no recovery is a continual

source of anxiety. When one has a heart attack or stroke the stress becomes much worse.

Some persons face death with equanimity, often psychologically supported by a religion or philosophy. Others may welcome death as an end to suffering or insoluble problems and with little concern for life or human existence. Still others face impending death with suffering of great stress against which they have no ego defenses.

c. Isolation and loneliness. Older people face inevitable loss of loved ones, friends and contemporaries. The loss of a spouse whom one has depended on for companionship and moral support is particularly distressing. Children grow up, marry and become preoccupied or move away. Failing memory, visual and aural impairment may all work to make social interaction difficult. And if this

then leads to a souring of outlook and rigidity of attitude then social interaction becomes further lessened and the individual may not even utilise the avenues for social activity that are still available.

d. Reduction in sexual function and physical attractiveness. Kinsey et al, in their Sexual behaviour in the human male,

(Phil., Saunders, 1948) found that there is a gradual decrease in sexual activity with advancing age and that reasonably gratifying patterns of sexual activity can continue into extreme old age. The aging person also has to adapt to loss of sexual attractiveness in a society which puts extreme emphasis on sexual attractiveness. The adjustment in self image and self concept that are required can be very hard to make.

e. Forces tending to self devaluation. Often the experience of the older generation has little perceived relevance to the problems of the young and the older person becomes deprived of participation in decision making both in occupational and family settings. Many parents are seen as unwanted burdens and their children may secretly wish they would die so they can be free of the burden and experience some financial relief or benefit. Senior citizens may be pushed into the role of being an old person with all this implies in terms of self devaluation.

4 Major Categories of Problems or Needs:

Health.

Housing.

Income maintenance.

Interpersonal relations.

BIOLOGICAL CHANGES

Physiological Changes: Catabolism (the breakdown of protoplasm) overtakes anabolism (the build-up of protoplasm). All body systems are affected and repair systems become slowed. The aging process occurs at different rates in different individuals.

Physical appearance and other changes:

Loss of subcutaneous fat and less elastic skin gives rise to wrinkled appearance, sagging and loss of smoothness of body contours. Joints stiffen and become painful and range of joint movement becomes restricted, general

mobility lessened.

Respiratory changes:

Increase of fibrous tissue in chest walls and lungs leads restricts respiratory movement and less oxygen is consumed. Older people more likelyto have lower respiratory infections whereas young people have upper respiratory infections.

Nutritive changes:

Tooth decay and loss of teeth can detract from ease and enjoyment in eating. Atrophy of the taste buds means food is inclined to be tasteless and this should be taken into account by carers. Digestive changes occur from lack of exercise (stimulating intestines) and decrease in digestive juice production. Constipation and indigestion are likely to follow as a result. Financial problems can lead to the elderly eating an excess of cheap carbohydrates rather than the more expensive protein and vegetable foods and this exacerbates the problem, leading to reduced vitamin intake and such problems as anemia and increased susceptibility to infection.

Adaptation to stress:

All of us face stress at all ages. Adaptation to stress requires the consumption of energy. The 3 main phases of stress are:

1. Initial alarm reaction. 2. Resistance. 3. Exhaustion

and if stress continues tissue damage or aging occurs. Older persons have had a lifetime of dealing with stresses. Energy reserves are depleted and the older person succumbs to stress earlier than the younger person. Stress is cumulative over a lifetime. Research results, including experiments with animals suggests that each stress leaves us more vulnerable to the next and that although we might think we've "bounced back" 100% in fact each stress leaves it scar. Further, stress is psycho-biological meaning

the kind of stress is irrelevant. A physical stress may leave one more vulnerable to psychological stress and vice versa. Rest does not completely restore one after a stressor. Care workers need to be mindful of this and cognizant of the kinds of things that can produce stress for aged persons.

COGNITIVE CHANGE Habitual Behaviour:

Sigmund Freud noted that after the age of 50, treatment of neuroses via psychoanalysis was difficult because the opinions and reactions of older people were relatively fixed and hard to shift.

Over-learned behaviour: This is behaviour that has been learned so well and repeated so often that it has become automatic, like for example typing or running down stairs. Over-learned behaviour is hard to change. If one has lived a long time one is likely to have fixed opinions and ritualised behaviour patterns or habits.

Compulsive behaviour: Habits and attitudes that have been learned in the course of finding ways to overcome frustration and difficulty are very hard to break. Tension reducing habits such as nail biting, incessant humming, smoking or drinking alcohol are especially hard to change at any age and particularly hard for persons who have been practising them over a life time.

The psychology of over-learned and compulsive behaviours has severe implications for older persons who find they have to live in what for them is a new and alien environment with new rules and power relations.

Information acquisition:

Older people have a continual background of neural noise making it more difficult for them to sort out and interpret complex sensory

input. In talking to an older person one should turn off the TV, eliminate as many noises and distractions as possible, talk slowly

and relate to one message or idea at a time.

Memories from the distant past are stronger than more recent memories. New memories are the first to fade and last to return.

Time patterns also can get mixed - old and new may get mixed.

Intelligence.

Intelligence reaches a peak and can stay high with little deterioration if there is no neurological damage. People who have unusually high intelligence to begin with seem to suffer the least decline. Education and stimulation also seem to play a role in maintaining intelligence.

Intellectual impairment. Two diseases of old age causing cognitive decline are Alzheimer's syndrome and Pick's syndrome. In Pick's syndrome there is inability to concentrate and learn and also affective responses are impaired.

Degenerative Diseases: Slow progressive physical degeneration of cells in the nervous system. Genetics appear to be an important factor. Usually start after age 40 (but can occur as early as 20s).

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Degeneration of all areas of cortex but particularly frontal and temporal lobes. The affected cells actually die. Early symptoms resemble neurotic disorders: Anxiety, depression, restlessness sleep difficulties.

Progressive deterioration of all intellectual faculties (memory deficiency being the most well known and obvious). Total mass of the brain decreases, ventricles become larger. No established treatment.

PICK'S DISEASE Rare degenerative disease. Similar to Alzheimer's in terms of onset, symptomatology and possible genetic

aetiology. However it affects circumscribed areas of the brain, particularly the frontal areas which leads to a loss of normal affect.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE Neuropathology: Loss of neurons in the basal ganglia.

Symptoms: Movement abnormalities: rhythmical alternating tremor of extremities, eyelids and tongue along with rigidity of the muscles and slowness of movement (akinesia).

It was once thought that Parkinson's disease was not associated with intellectual deterioration, but it is now known that there is an association between global intellectual impairment and Parkinson's where it occurs late in life.

The cells lost in Parkinson's are associated with the neuro-chemical Dopamine and the motor symptoms of Parkinson's are associated the dopamine deficiency. Treatment involves administration of dopamine precursor L-dopa which can alleviate symptoms including intellectual impairment. Research suggests it may possibly bring to the fore emotional effects in patients who have had

psychiatric illness at some prior stage in their lives.

AFFECTIVE DOMAIN In old age our self concept gets its final revision. We make a final assessment of the value of our lives and our balance of success and failures.

How well a person adapts to old age may be predicated by how well the person adapted to earlier significant changes. If the person suffered an emotional crisis each time a significant change was needed then adaptation to the exigencies of old age may also be difficult. Factors such as economic security, geographic location and physical health are important to the adaptive process.

Need Fulfilment: For all of us, according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, we are not free to pursue the higher needs of self actualisation unless the basic needs are secured. When one considers that many, perhaps most, old people are living in poverty and continually concerned with basic survival needs, they are not likely to be happily satisfying needs related to prestige, achievement and beauty.

Maslow's Hierarchy

Physiological

Safety

Belonging, love, identification

Esteem: Achievement, prestige, success, self respect

Self actualisation: Expressing one's interests and talents to the full.

Note: Old people who have secured their basic needs may be motivated to work on tasks of the highest levels in the hierarchy - activities concerned with aesthetics, creativity and altruistic matters, as compensation for loss of sexual attractiveness and athleticism. Aged care workers fixated on getting old people to focus on social activities may only succeed in frustrating and irritating them if their basic survival concerns are not secured to their satisfaction.

DISENGAGEMENT

Social aging according to Cumming, E. and Henry, W. (Growing old: the aging process of disengagement, NY, Basic 1961) follows a well defined pattern:

1. Change in role. Change in occupation and productivity. Possibly change

in attitude to work.

2. Loss of role, e.g. retirement or death of a husband.

3. Reduced social interaction. With loss of role social interactions are

diminished, eccentric adjustment can further reduce social interaction, damage

to self concept, depression.

4. Awareness of scarcity of remaining time. This produces further curtailment of

activity in interest of saving time.

Havighurst, R. et al (in B. Neugarten (ed.) Middle age and aging, U. of Chicago, 1968) and others have suggested that disengagement is not an inevitable process. They believe the needs of the old are essentially the same as in middle age and the activities of middle age should be extended as long as possible. Havighurst points out the decrease in social interaction of the aged is often largely the

result of society withdrawing from the individual as much as the reverse. To combat this he believes the individual must vigorously resist the limitations of his social world.

DEATH The fear of the dead amongst tribal societies is well established. Persons who had ministered to the dead were taboo and required observe various rituals including seclusion for varying periods of time. In some societies from South America to Australia it is taboo for certain persons to utter the name of the dead. Widows and widowers are expected to observe rituals in respect for the dead.

Widows in the Highlands of New Guinea around Goroka chop of one of their own fingers. The dead continue their existence as spirits and upsetting them can bring dire consequences.

Wahl, C in "The fear of death", 1959 noted that the fear of death occurs as early as the 3rd year of life. When a child loses a pet or grandparent fears reside in the unspoken questions: Did I cause it? Will happen to you (parent) soon? Will this happen to me? The child in such situations needs to re-assure that the departure is not a censure, and that the parent is not likely to depart soon. Love, grief, guilt, anger are a mix of conflicting emotions that are experienced.

CONTEMPORARY ATTITUDES TO DEATH

Our culture places high value on youth, beauty, high status occupations, social class and anticipated future activities and achievement. Aging and dying are denied and avoided in this system. The death of each person reminds us of our own mortality.

The death of the elderly is less disturbing to members of Western society because the aged are not especially valued. Surveys have established that nurses for example attach more importance to saving a young life than an old life. In Western society there is a pattern of avoiding dealing with the aged and dying aged patient.

Stages of dying. Elisabeth Kubler Ross has specialised in working with dying patients and in her "On death and dying", NY, Macmillan, 1969, summarised 5 stages in dying.

1. Denial and isolation. "No, not me".

2. Anger. "I've lived a good life so why me?"

3. Bargaining. Secret deals are struck with God. "If I can live until...I promise to..."

4. Depression. (In general the greatest psychological problem of the aged is depression). Depression results from real and threatened loss.

5. Acceptance of the inevitable.

Kubler Ross's typology as set out above should, I believe be taken with a grain of salt and not slavishly accepted. Celebrated US Journalist David Rieff who was in June '08 a guest of the Sydney writer's festival in relation to his book, "Swimming in a sea of death: a son's memoir" (Melbourne University Press) expressly denied the validity of the Kubler Ross typology in his Late Night Live interview (Australian ABC radio) with Philip Adams June 9th '08. He said something to the effect that his mother had regarded her impending death as murder. My own experience with dying persons suggests that the human ego is extraordinarily resilient. I recall visiting a dying colleague in hospital just days before his death. He said, "I'm dying, I don't like it but there's nothing I can do about it", and then went on to chortle about how senior academics at an Adelaide university had told him they were submitting his name for a the Order of Australia (the new "Knighthood" replacement in Australia). Falling in and out of lucid thought with an oxygen tube in his nostrils he was nevertheless still highly interested in the "vain glories of the world". This observation to me seemed consistent with Rieff's negative assessment of Kubler Ross's theories.

THE AGED IN RELATION TO YOUNGER PEOPLE

The aged share with the young the same needs: However, the aged often have fewer or weaker resources to meet those needs. Their need for social interaction may be ignored by family and care workers.

Family should make time to visit their aged members and invite them to their homes. The aged like to visit children and relate to them through games and stories.

Meaningful relationships can be developed via foster-grandparent programs. Some aged are not aware of their income and health entitlements. Family and friends should take the time to explain these. Some aged are too proud to access their entitlements and this problem should be addressed in a kindly way where it occurs.

It is best that the aged be allowed as much choice as possible in matters related to living arrangements, social life and lifestyle.

Communities serving the aged need to provide for the aged via such things as lower curbing, and ramps.

Carers need to examine their own attitude to aging and dying. Denial in the carer is detected by the aged person and it can inhibit the aged person from expressing negative feelings - fear, anger. If the person can express these feelings to someone then that person is less likely to die with a sense of isolation and bitterness.

A METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

The following notes are my interpretation of a Dr. Depak Chopra lecture entitled, "The New Physics of Healing" which he presented to the 13th Scientific Conference of the American Holistic Medical Association. Dr. Depak Chopra is an endocrinologist and a former Chief of Staff of New England Hospital, Massachusetts. I am deliberately omitting the detail of his explanations of the more abstract, ephemeral and controversial ideas.

Original material from 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado 83002,

Phone. +303 449 6229.

In the lecture Dr. Chopra presents a model of the universe and of all organisms as structures of interacting centres of electromagnetic energy linked to each other in such a way that anything affecting one part of a system or structure has ramifications throughout the entire structure. This model becomes an analogue not only for what happens within the structure or organism itself, but between the organism and both its physical and social environments. In other words there is a correlation between psychological

conditions, health and the aging process. Dr. Chopra in his lecture reconciles ancient Vedic (Hindu) philosophy with modern psychology and quantum physics.

Premature Precognitive Commitment: Dr. Chopra invokes experiments that have shown that flies kept for a long time in a jar do not quickly leave the jar when the top is taken off. Instead they accept the jar as the limit of their universe. He also points out that in India baby elephants are often kept tethered to a small twig or sapling. In adulthood when the elephant is capable of pulling over a medium sized tree it can still be successfully tethered to a twig! As another example he points to experiments in which fish are bred on

2 sides of a fish tank containing a divider between the 2 sides. When the divider is removed the fish are slow to learn that they can now swim throughout the whole tank but rather stay in the section that they accept as their universe. Other experiments have demonstrated that kittens brought up in an environment of vertical stripes and structures, when released in adulthood keep bumping into anything aligned horizontally as if they were unable to see anything that is horizontal. Conversely kittens brought up in an environment of horizontal stripes when released bump into vertical structures, apparently unable to see them.

The whole point of the above experiments is that they demonstrate Premature Precognitive Commitment. The lesson to be learned is that our sensory apparatus develops as a result of initial experience and how we've been taught to interpret it.

What is the real look of the world? It doesn't exist. The way the world looks to us is determined by the sensory receptors we have and our interpretation of that look is determined by our premature precognitive commitments. Dr Chopra makes the point that less than a billionth of the available stimuli make it into our nervous systems. Most of it is screened, and what gets through to us is whatever we are

expecting to find on the basis of our precognitive commitments.

Dr. Chopra also discusses the diseases that are actually caused by mainstream medical interventions, but this material gets too far away from my central intention. Dr. Chopra discusses in lay terms the physics of matter, energy and time by way of establishing the wider context of our existence. He makes the point that our bodies including the bodies of plants are mirrors of cosmic rhythms and exhibit changes correlating even with the tides.

Dr. Chopra cites the experiments of Dr. Herbert Spencer of the US National Institute of Health. He injected mice with Poly-IC, an immuno-stimulant while making the mice repeatedly smell camphor. After the effect of the Poly-IC had worn off he again exposed the mice to the camphor smell. The smell of camphor had the effect of causing the mice's immune system to automatically strengthen

as if they had been injected with the stimulant. He then took another batch of mice and injected them with cyclophosphamide which tends to destroy the immune system while exposing them to the smell of camphor. Later after being returned to normal just the smell of camphor was enough to cause destruction of their immune system. Dr. Chopra points out that whether or not camphor enhanced or

destroyed the mice's immune system was entirely determined by an interpretation of the meaning of the smell of camphor. The interpretation is not just in the brain but in each cell of the organism. We are bound to our imagination and our

early experiences.

Chopra cites a study by the Massachusetts Dept of Health Education and Welfare into risk factors for heart disease - family history, cholesterol etc. The 2 most important risk factors were found to be psychological measures - Self  Happiness Rating and Job Satisfaction. They found most people died of heart disease on a Monday!

Chopra says that for every feeling there is a molecule. If you are experiencing tranquillity your body will be producing natural valium. Chemical changes in the brain are reflected by changes in other cells including blood cells. The brain produces neuropeptides and brain structures are chemically tuned to these neuropeptide receptors. Neuropeptides (neurotransmitters) are the chemical concommitants of thought. Chopra points out the white blood cells (a part of the immune system) have neuropeptide receptors and are "eavesdropping" on our thinking. Conversely the immune system produces its own neuropeptides which can influence the nervous system. He goes on to say that cells in all parts of the body including heart and kidneys for example also produce neuropeptides and

neuropeptide sensitivity. Chopra assures us that most neurologists would agree that the nervous system and the immune system are parallel systems.

Other studies in physiology: The blood interlukin-2 levels of medical students decreased as exam time neared and their interlukin receptor capacities also lowered. Chopra says if we are having fun to the point of exhilaration our natural interlukin-2 levels become higher. Interlukin-2 is a powerful and very expensive anti-cancer drug. The body is a printout of consciousness. If we could change the way we look at our bodies at a genuine, profound level then our bodies would actually change.

On the subject of "time" Chopra cites Sir Thomas Gall and Steven Hawkins, stating that our description of the universe as having a past, present, and future are constructed entirely out of our interpretation of change. But in

reality linear time doesn't exist.

Chopra explains the work of Alexander Leaf a former Harvard Professor of Preventative Medicine who toured the world investigating societies where people  lived beyond 100 years (these included parts of Afghanistan, Soviet Georgia, Southern Andes). He looked at possible factors including climate, genetics, and diet. Leaf concluded the most important factor was the collective perception of aging in these societies.

Amongst the Tama Humara of the Southern Andes there was a collective belief that the older you got the more physically able you got. They had a tradition of running and the older one became then generally the better at running one got. The best runner was aged 60. Lung capacity and other measures actually improved with age. People were healthy until well into their 100s and died in their sleep. Chopra remarks that things have changed since the introduction of Budweiser (beer) and TV.

[DISCUSSION: How might TV be a factor in changing the former ideal state of things?]

Chopra refers to Dr. Ellen Langor a former Harvard Psychology professor's work. Langor advertised for 100 volunteers aged over 70 years. She took them to a Monastery outside Boston to play "Let's Pretend". They were divided into 2 groups each of which resided in a different part of the building. One group, the control group spent several days talking about the 1950s. The other group, the experimental group had to live as if in the year 1959 and talk about it in the present tense. What appeared on their TV screens were the old newscasts and movies. They read old newspapers and magazines of the period. After 3 days everyone was photographed and the photographs judged by independent judges who knew nothing of the nature of the experiment. The experimental group seemed to

have gotten younger in appearance. Langor then arranged for them to be tested for 100 physiological parameters of aging which included of course blood pressure, near point vision and DHEA levels. After 10 days of living as if in 1959 all parameters had reversed by the equivalent of at least 20 years.

Chopra concludes from Langor's experiment: "We are the metabolic end product of our sensory experiences. How we interpret them depends on the collective mindset which influences individual biological entropy and aging."

Can one escape the current collective mindset and reap the benefits in longevity and health? Langor says, society won't let you escape. There are too many reminders of how most people think linear time is and how it expresses itself in entropy and aging - men are naughty at 40 and on social welfare at 55, women reach menopause at 40 etc. We get to see so many other people aging and dying that it sets the pattern that we follow.

Chopra concludes we are the metabolic product of our sensory experience and our interpretation gets structured in our biology itself. Real change comes from change in the collective consciousness - otherwise it cannot occur within the individual.

Readings

Chopra, D. The New Physics of Healing. 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado 83002,

Phone. +303 449 6229.

Coleman, J. C. Abnormal psychology and modern life. Scott Foresman & Co.

Lugo, J. and Hershey, L. Human development a multidisciplinary approach to the psychology of individual growth, NY, Macmillan.

Dennis. Psychology of human behaviour for nurses. Lond. W. B.Saunders.

http://www.psychologynatural.com/DepressionBroch.html

Dr. Victor Barnes is an Adelaide psychologist and hypnotherapist. He has also had three decades of experience in adult education including serving as Dean of a Sri Lankan college (ICBT) teaching several Australian degrees. His overseas experience includes studies and consulting experience in USA, PNG, Poland and Sri Lanka.