pet connection

The latest software upgrade allows the site moderators to stick a post on the top of the blog and leave it there permanently. I’m thinking of writing and posting a very short statement about comments, but I could us some help.

We don’t have posted comments guidelines now. The software is set to moderate the first post anyone makes, and it will also grab for moderation any post with more than two links. This is mostly to catch automated spam, and people who are paid to post links and run.

After someone has had a first comment approved, he or she is generally unmoderated.  Usually commenters stay that way unless they’re banned, which we’ve had to do maybe 20-30 times in the last four years.

The things what will almost certainly earn someone a trip to Automatic Comment Vaporization Land is the persistent inability to discuss the issues. Repeating talking points over and over is pretty much a three-strike-and-you’re-out affair: We give you a couple of chances to catch on and engage your OWN brain, and if you can’t, you get the boot.

It’s not about agreeing with the bloggers here. That’s not necessary at all to get along here. But we do want the discussions to be discussions, not dogma yelps, and we want discussions to advance so everyone can get something out of them.

A couple of people have been thrown out of the game after a single pitch, but as was documented in “Bull Durham,” if you launch profanity-laced inventive at the umpire, you’re gone:

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We need something clear and short. Toss your suggestions into the comments.

I won’t be around here much today. I have picked up a virus or something, and I’m heading back to bed … so toss in your suggestions and I’ll work out something when I feel better.

By the way, I almost certainly will be watching “Bull Durham” today. I always do when I’m sick. :)

By the way, we have almost 57,000 comments on this blog, on some 3,500 posts.

One more point: Sometimes the software has a mind of its own, and snags even our own comments. Usually when comments don’t show up, its because the spam filter grabbed them for whatever tomfool reason its little computer brain has cooked up. Lose a comment? Drop us an e-mail and we’ll fish it out of the spam folder.

One of our regular commentors knows the answer, but is double-pinky-sworn to say nothing.

Tomorrow, we’ll be announcing another new member of the Pet Connection team.

Stay tuned …

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In non-pet-related news: Morgan Ong, our Pet Connection Director of Photography, got married on Monday (but just broke the news last night). I’ve known Morgan for 30 years, consider him one of my brothers. I couldn’t be happier for them both.

Anyone who has seen me covering a convention or trade show has met Morgan, as hasl anyone who has been the focus of a PetConnection newspaper page feature.  We’ve always been lucky to have him around to shoot the occasional assignment. Morgan has a long and storied career as a photojournalist and editor  with stints at a handful of notable newspapers, the Associated Press and at the former Knight-Ridder-Tribune bureau in Washington, D.C.

Look, I know it’s nasty out there.  My part-time “day job” is as a writer-editor with a wonderful customer-owned utility. If you want to know how the economy is doing, don’t ask the dean of the local university’s business school — ask the folks who know who’s paying their electric bill and who’s not. (Hint: Foreclosed houses and bankrupt small businesses don’t use a lot of power.)

The recessiondepression has our finance folks turning grayer, every day. And they’re certainly not alone. Sacramento has a lot of, uh, “challenges” now, more than many other places, perhaps.  The sub-prime “correction” has been rough for the former booming housing market here (my house “appreciated” $130K in 15 months, and then “depreciated” $150K in 10 months), and we sure haven’t nailed the landing yet. (Hello, Captain Sully? Help to ditch this bird? We have a river. And a spare river.) And then there’s the state government, melting down before our eyes and ready to issue IOUs, never a good thing in a “company town” like Sacramento.  But I digress, as my very funny boss is fond of saying (and doing).

Because of all this, I’m highly sympathetic to the folks out there who are being “paid to blog” by writing comments that are somewhat on-topic yet include an “unprompted” endorsement and link to a retail site.

But … we not letting these through, so go find some other blogs to clutter.  Ain’t happening here.

First-time posters are always moderated, as are any posts with more than one link (that’s why some of the regulars’ comments get delayed from time to time). In the last two weeks, I have deleted great many of these “pay to blog” promotion posts, a huge increase, in fact. A few I’ve let go through after deleting the pitch and link because the person who posted had something helpful to say before putting in the “unprompted endorsement.”

We welcome comments. In fact, I have to say that even though I’m one of the “experts” here, I know I have learned as much as I’ve shared, if not more.

Join the discussion if you’re new here, but we can tell the difference between “pay to blog” comments and real ones. Save yourself the time if you’re coming here for the former. They’re not going through.

(Image shamelessly ripped off from Terrierman.)

Following problems in Australia with (surprise!) Chinese imported treats, the FDA says:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to caution consumers of a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats.  FDA continues to receive complaints of dogs experiencing illness that their owners or veterinarians associate with consumption of chicken jerky products. The chicken jerky products are imported to the U.S. from China.  FDA issued a cautionary warning to consumers in September 2007.

Australian news organizations report the University of Sydney is also investigating an association between illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky in Australia. At least one firm in Australia has recalled their chicken jerky product and the recall notification stated the chicken jerky product was manufactured in China.

Here’s the rest.

OK, I’m officially excited.

I never really go anywhere except for business. Now, I love the work I do, but it seems I’m always getting on a plane for a pet-related trade show, veterinary conference or a meeting with editors either at Universal Press or our book publisher, HCI. And since I’m getting on a plane, I’m not taking the pets.

Not this time. We’re going. We’re all going. Well, me and the dogs, anyway. The non-canines will stay behind with the house-sitter and my neighbors Judy and John to look after things.

Drew is going to stay with my parents (they love him like the child they never had, the good-looking one who always does what you ask him to). Pip is going to stay with his foster mom at German shepherd rescue. And all the retrievers are jumping into a Honda Element and we’re off to Oregon on Sunday.

Why? The Flat-Coated Retriever National Specialty, which is kind of Super Bowl just for Flat-Coated Retrievers. Puppy Otter will compete in puppies. McKenzie will compete with the grown-up girls. Woody will compete against other hunt-titled retriever boys.

And Heather … oh, Queen Heather. My darling heart dog, my 11.5 year-old queen of the world (just ask her) will compete in 11-and-older veteran girls. This is special, because she is the Queen here, and because she has previously placed in two national specialties — as a puppy, and as a 7- to 9-year-old veteran girl.

You know what? She has never looked better. But I may be a little biased. I love this girl, and I don’t really care what happens up there. I am just so happy she is still with me, healthy and as full of her own fine self as ever.

We’re going to hang out with lots of other people who love the smell of wet dogs and talk about … wet dogs! Retrieving! And dogs! Dogs!

Even better, Honda just confirmed that they’ll be sending me on the road trip in our 2007 Best In Show DogCar of the Year, the Honda Element. I just ordered stickers to tape on the car, and everyone I meet with an Element will get one for FREE.

Wait … there’s more!

On the way back, I’m doing two book-signings and readings. The first:

An Evening for Pet Lovers
On Saturday, April 12, at the Del Norte County Library, beginning at 7 p.m.

The evening, sponsored by the Del Norte County Library and the Del Norte Literary Coalition, will bring rare, personal appearances by two of the most authoritative and entertaining pet writers working today: Gina Spadafori and Christie Keith.

Gina and Christie will make lively and informative presentations, offer for sale and autograph Gina’s books with additional participation from the Del Norte County Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Del Norte.

You can view complete details of this unique and free event in the attached brochure that you may also download and print.

For those not familiar with California, Del Norte’s county seat is in Crescent City, which is about as far north as you can go and not be in Oregon and as far west and not be in the Pacific Ocean.

The day after, I’ll be a little further down the coast in Arcata, at Arcata Pet for another book-signing.

The books’ll be for sale and signing — we’re just going for $10 a book, to make it easy — but the publisher has sent a couple of cases of FREE bookmarks, and everyone who asks me will get one.

I don’t really like public events. But I’m doing these because Pet Connection readers Russell and Nadine Long and Susan Fox asked me to. And because Christie promises to cut my hair while we’re both in Crescent City.

Of course, I’ll be blogging the road trip. Four dogs and up to a dozen baby chicks (my new pet chickens!). In a car. For a week. Stay tuned.