This has to be one of the most surprising TV ads I have ever
seen. This is a commercial made by an energy corporation in Belgium known as
Electrabel. It’s intended to showcase the importance of electricity in the modern
family, but the star performers in this video are some miniature canines.
In the video you are about to watch, you will see a man with
a dog waiting expectantly outside the operating room in a hospital. However, it
turns out that the man actually isn’t the father. When the operating room door
opens there’s a big bundle of surprises in the nurse’s arms.
The essence of the video is to show people how important
electricity is to every household. Along the way, they have also successfully
shown, wittingly or otherwise, how difficult it is to single-handedly raise
multiple puppies. They can be quite a handful.
This Electrabel commercial is supposed to demonstrate the
importance of electricity in our lives by showing how convenient and useful
appliances are for raising a family. The parent dog in the video even utilized
the microwave oven for heating the puppy formula. He also washed the dishes
using a dishwasher, recorded adorable moments using a camera, and provided a
train set that used electricity for playtime.
Our dogs are social creatures and love to eat. So, when your family gathers for dinner,
there’s nothing more that combines a dog’s dual love of being social and eating
your food! However, even though your dog
want to join you in the festivities, there's nothing fun or amusing about a
dinner dominated by whining and pawing from under the table. And if this bother you, it is better to get
the ‘table begging’ under control sooner rather than later.
Table begging can be harmful to your dogs
Table begging is more than just an annoyance. It can be potentially harmful to your dog.
Dogs who are frequently fed at the table can suffer any of the following
problems:
Obesity, choking on bones, hyperactivity and anxiety and
even seizures: A possible result if chocolate, which contains theobromine, is
consumed, and bad behavior.
Table begging needs to end before it begins
Dogs beg at the table because we let them and it only takes
one time for the habit to begin. Unfortunately, attention-getting behaviors
like begging don't have to be indulged often to become a bad habit. The most
effective way to get a dog to stop begging at the table is to completely ignore
him, a task that's often easier said than done. This means not talking to the
animal or even making eye contact. By scolding your dog, it scares them and
engages them. They might not understand the difference.
Teach your dog to go to specific spot when you eat dinner
Try teaching your dog to go to a designated spot, usually a
bed or a mat, and stay there. This skill can be useful in a variety of other
situations, too. If you’re watching a movie with friends and you’d like your
dog to occupy herself for a while, you can ask her to go to her spot and chew a
bone. If your dog jumps up on people when they come to the door, you can ask
her to go to her spot whenever the doorbell rings and wait there to greet
visitors. If you take your dog somewhere with you, you can bring her bed or mat
and have her settle on it when you need her to be calm and quiet. Leave a chew bone or toy there to keep your
dog occupied and distracted.
Your dog’s table begging will get worse before it get better
Expect your dog's begging to get worse before it gets
better. If whining at a low volume doesn't result in food, he'll think he isn't
trying hard enough and turn it up and start howling. As unpleasant as this may
be for a few days, stand firm. Eventually, your dog will realize that his
efforts no longer work.
However, if you train your dog consistently, you should see
positive results within several weeks. Consistency is the key. Even one tiny
snack from the table here and there can erase everything you've worked so hard
to achieve. Even the smallest morsel can turn a trained dog back to a begging
dog! And make sure all family members
and dinner guests understand what you're doing and why you're doing it, so no
one sneaks your dog a treat when they think you're not looking.
Here are a few more tips to stop your dog from begging:
Feed your dog at the same time you eat. If your dog is
enjoying his own food, he can't beg for yours.
Give him something else to do. Try sticking some healthy
treats stuffed in a few Kong toys so he'll have something to play with while
you eat.
If your dog has been crate-trained, place him in his crate
to prevent him from begging at the table. But, the goal is to have your dog
nearby and not begging, so this would only be on a trial basis.
Take your dog for a long walk just before dinner. If the dog
is worn out, the intensity of the begging behavior will decrease. Tired dogs are better behaved dogs.
You can still feed your dog human food at the correct time
Some people worry that feeding their dogs’ human food
(anything except dog food and treats made for dogs) will encourage begging at
the table. But when teaching a dog new skills or treating certain behavior
problems, using treats like small pieces of chicken, cheese or beef can
accelerate the training process. Luckily, dogs can learn very specific rules.
It’s okay to give your dog foods you eat, too. Just avoid feeding your dog from
the table so your pup learns that she never gets human food in that context.
A California sea lion pup was
rescued after it was seen roving around San Francisco on Thursday, giving new
meaning to the term 'trash collection.'
'Rubbish' the pup was saved in
the Marina neighborhood by police and officials from the Marine Mammal Center,
the center said in a news release.
The retrieval took place around
7:00 a.m., after Rubbish was earlier spied hiding under a car, center officials
said.
The Marine Mammal Center's Dr.
Shawn Johnson told KGO 'Luckily the San Francisco Police Department had stopped
traffic around him and was protecting him until we got there.'
According to KRON, the rescue
attempt took around four minutes.
Rubbish was delivered to the
Marine Mammal Center, where Johnson figured out the pup had spent time there
before, center officials said.
Johnson told KGO: 'He was
rescued in Santa Barbara County in February and brought up here for
rehabilitation. He was here at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for nearly
two months.'
The person who first reported
Rubbish gave him his name, center officials explained.
The center said of the pup's
February rescue: 'Rubbish was eight months old and weighed just 30 pounds when
he was rescued.
Veterinary staff and volunteers
at the Center treated him for pneumonia and malnutrition, and helped return him
to a healthy weight.
After gaining 27 pounds, Rubbish
was released at Point Reyes National Seashore on March 23, 2015.
This powerful short film about adoption and abandonment is
so hard-hitting that it really deserves a warning about what irresponsibility
and cruelty can do to living beings. It
is set to music, and is able to tell a story without any dialogue, that will
stay with you forever.
It tells the story of a very normal looking family who adopt
an adorable little red-haired girl. Over time she does “little girl” things
like fighting with her older (not adopted) sister, spilling a drink, making
messes, interrupting when parents are busy.
We watch the parents get angry and less inclusive of this little girl.
She grows more remote and sad, and acts out more. She has a stuffed doll whose insides she
keeps pulling out. The symbolism is
evident.
What happens next is the father takes her for a ride, and
just when you think he is about to give her the attention she so sorely needs,
the “Gift” (as the film is named) takes a very dark turn. It needs to be watched to the bitter
end. I must say that I was shocked and
really moved by this beautiful little film that manages, without words, to say
everything there needs to be said about the responsibility of adopting both
children and animals. We live in a society that has a throw-away
mentality. We have short attention
spans, and often don’t have the patience nor the commitment to deal with life
when it becomes difficult.
This short film is truly a Gift that should be watched and
watched again.
