For the first time buyer selecting a pet door can sometimes be a daunting task,which is why we at Dog Door Store have written this article to help make the process as simple as possible while allowing you to find the right door for your family pet.There are two basic steps to selecting a pet door; selecting the correct door for your needs and determining the correct size. In the article that follows we hope to provide you a step by step guide to selecting the correct size of pet door for your dog, as well as provide a brief overview of the four different types of pet doors there are.

Determine Your Pet Door Type:

There are many models of pet doors on the market but they generally break down into four standard types of pet doors:

1. Wall Mounted Pet Door
2. Door Mounted Pet Door
3. Energy Saving Pet Door
4. Patio Pet Door

Wall Mounted Pet Doors – these doors can generally be installed into most construction types of walls, we always recommend you getting a professional contractor or surveyor to perform a survey before cutting holes into load bearing walls. One advantage of this type of pet door is that it can be placed in most locations where you have an exterior facing wall.

Door Mounted Pet Door – these doors can be installed into either interior or exterior facing doors, some people install pet doors between different rooms or their house and the garage so their pet can go back to their bed that may be there.  Exterior facing doors allow your pet to enter and leave your home at will and they usually come with a locking slide so you can keep your pet either  in or outside when needed.

Energy Saving Pet Door – these doors are designed to be used in regions that have extreme weather changes either very hot in summer or icy cold in winter, also many of these doors are perfect for homeowners that live in windy locations and need the additional energy saving features these door have to help reduce drafts. These doors are generally constructed with additional flaps, some models coming with either double or triple flaps installed.

Patio Pet Door – these are perfect for the homeowner that does not want to cut holes in either their doors or walls, the patio pet door is designed to be installed into a sliding patio door opening, and they have an added benefit that they can be stored way when not needed.

Determine Your Pet Door Size:

Before you even order a pet door the most important thing you will need to do is determine the correct size of pet door to meet you dog’s needs, failure to do this correctly could result in a pet door your dog refuses to use or worse – over time cause injury to your pet. Pet doors generally come in four sizes: Small, Medium, Extra Large and Super Large, but their actual opening size can vary from manufacture to manufacture and sometimes even the type of pet door.

STEP 1 – Determine Flap Width

To determine the minimum flap width needed by your pet to pass through with comfort, simply open a door and have them walk through slowly reducing the open size till they have a minimum of one inch clearance. Measure the gap and this will be the minimum  width of flap width your pet will require.

STEP 2 – Determine Door Rise

To find the rise you need, simply measurement from the floor to the lowest part of your dog’s chest or stomach. With this measurement you can tell you where to  place the “bottom” of your dog door.

STEP 3 – Determine Flap Height

Most experts recommended that the top of the flap be placed at least as high as the top of the tallest point of your dog’s shoulder, so measure from the floor to that point on your dog.

Putting It All Together:

Now that you have the Rise & Height measurement, you can determine the flap height with a little easy math.

Sizing Formula: Door Height – Door Rise = Flap Height

Below Is A Working Example:

Your pet is 23 inch’s tall & their lowest point is 7 inches from the floor- So your flap height size would be: 23 – 7 = 16 inches and the door width you already know from your open door measurement.

Our Closing Comments:

From our many years of selling quality pet doors on the internet we have found and only recommend three brands of pet doors and these are: Ideal Pet Products, PetSafe and Johnson Pet Door. Like everything in life, this is just our company’s view, but we have come to this conclusion after many years in the pet door industry.

And there you have it, using our simple to follow guide you will be able to determine what size of pet door meets your family dog needs. We feel sizing a pet door is very important as it will be used by your pet for many years. We hope you have enjoyed this article and hope you will visit us for all you Pet Door & Dog Door needs in the future.

Copyright & Usage:

We welcome you to use this article on your own website as long as you leave all embedded links in the article intact and you provide a link back to our site:  Copyright 2012 DogDoorStore.com – All rights reserved.

Reverse Crunch

First up is the reverse crunch. It is a excellent exercise that is remarkably easy to execute. You will need an exercise ball to make it rewarding. Performing it without the ball can be done also, but it won’t be as effective. Simply lie on your back and grip an exercise ball between your calves. Focus on not letting the ball touch the ground; try to keep it from touching the ground as long as you possibly can. Use your body to bring up ball up until your legs are above you and your hips are off the ground. There are way too many benefits of this exercise to list here, however the main benefit is that it helps strengthen your core, allowing you to focus your energy on your back and legs, both of which are especially valuable during matches.

Swiss Ball Push-ups

Your HockeyOT Training should certainly include the Swiss ball push-up. Finally, make sure your hockey fitness training program includes the Swiss ball push up. It is used to add stability, helping you exercise your body in a more serious manner. Simply place your hands on an exercise ball and perform push-up movements just like you would regularly do. It’s also possible to reverse the position of the ball to your legs. This exercise enables you to remain stable while playing; it can also help you get accustomed to hitting opponents and getting hit, as well.

The above are just a few of the top exercises for hockey training. They’ll boost your core, helping you develop into a better player. Strength, stability, and shooting are focused on here.

You can tweet via anything you like that are listed on the directory. Posting and Updating new status using cool applications like iPhone, iPad, Android, Twitter, Google and more. You do not need to have the device or applications on your own, you just need to allow your Twitter to access and you will be ready to go. Just type any status you want to post via and press the Tweet button, and you see the tweet updated on Twitter time line.

One of the greatest well-dispositioned lizards is the Leopard Gecko. (Eublepharis Macualrius) These little fellows make great pets and are very gentle and it is very rare if they bite. Unlike their cousins, these Leo’s do not have ‘suction cup” feet. They like to climb and explore but they are not capable of climbing up the tank.

The Leo is a pet that is easy to keep and resilient. They can live 10-20 years so when you purchase your Leo, you can be assured you will have a pet that will be with you a very long time. They enjoy a clean home, heat, a little house and food and water.

The young Leo is banded and boldly colored but it fades as they mature. Adults are 8-10 inches from tip of the nose to tip of the tail. Being nocturnal critters, they retreat into their rock crevices or little homes during the day.

Habitat -

Don’t bring your Leopard Gecko home until you have all you need on hand. Transition can be less stressful if you are prepared. Use a 10-gallon for a single Leo, and 20 for two or more. A “hide” box is necessary for them to sleep in. They are black and plastic which makes them easy to keep clean. Use a piece of screening to cover the tank, which you can get from the pet shot. Your Leo will shed and requires a “moist box” which is easy to make from a empty clean margarine tub where you cut a hole in on the side and fill it with fine grained, moist vermiculate. Smooth the edges around of the hole and 2-3 times a week mist the box avoiding freestanding water. You will need a small water dish. Your Leo may want to hide in the moist box but give him both so he can make a choice.
A few rocks placed where they won’t fall on your pet, placed separately would be enjoyed or a log here and there so they can enjoy some activity.

Lighting and Temperature -

Give the Leo a normal light cycle from an overhead lamp or under tank heat pad. The light should be at one end of the tank and keep the tank at 85-90 degrees F. Make sure the tank is not in a window of direct sunlight or drafty areas. Turn the light off at night to keep his cycle. You can use a reptile bulb, which give off a low light where you can watch him, move around at night.

Substrate and Food

Orchid bark or astro turf for reptiles is the best. Newspaper is ok but not attractive and sank is a no-no for the little ones as they can become impacted. The Leopard Gecko eat insects the most common being crickets which you can “gut load” by feeding them so your pet receives as much nutrients as possible. Leave them live in the tank so the Leo can catch them. Meal and wax worms are good also and you can place them in a food bowl, which must be smooth so this food source does not escape. Use the worms as a special treat.

A common cause of injury comes from the set-up of the enclosure itself. A lizard can be seriously harmed by an unstable accessory that may fall on them. When arranging your “furniture” within the enclosure, be sure that everything is nice and stable. Beardies tend to jump on and off of things, which can easily knock over unstable items. After I am finished arranging everything, I will give them a “jiggle” to see how secure they are.

Another frequent health risk are burns. Many owners do not realize that heat rocks and pads are dangerous. They see them in the reptile section when purchasing their first dragon, and assume they are safe. The truth is, bearded dragons are cold-blooded and thus cannot feel how hot they are getting until they are already burned. Another source of burns are lights that are arranged too close to the pet. If your lizard has a way to get too close to your light, it will. Make sure all lights are at a safe distance and cannot be reached via climbing. There are safety covers available to purchase if need be.

Bacterial growth is also a big problem with these reptiles. Coccidia is a bacteria that usually helps a dragon with breaking down their meals and help with digestion. However, if your pet isn’t performing regular bowel movements each day, the amount of coccidia can grow to dangerous levels and even cause death. Make sure you have proper temperatures, the right size food items, adequate hydration, and proper feeding times to avoid this issue.

There are many more bearded dragon diseases out there waiting to affect our beloved lizards. Remember to observe your pet daily and take note of how they act. Doing this will make it easy to notice when something isn’t quite right, and enable you to take quick action to resolve any issues. Also keep up on your stool, and physical check-ups. A fecal examine twice a year, and a physical once a year will also help to catch any illnesses in their infant stages. These tips along with regular and thorough cage cleaning will keep your pet alive and thriving for years to come.

Amazing Giraffe Facts

* A new born giraffe measures about 6 feet.
* A giraffe is one of the animals who is born with a horn.
* The scientific name of the giraffe is “Camelopardalis.”
* Each giraffe has a unique coat pattern.
* The tongue of an adult giraffe measures 27″.
* Giraffes are vegetarians and live on the leaves of the baobab tree.
* Every step a giraffe takes is 15 feet in length.
* The giraffe is able to grasp objects such as leaves with the help of its tongue.
* Giraffes sleep for no more than 5 to 30 minutes in 24 hours.
* Luckily, giraffes have elastic blood vessels in their necks, this makes it possible for them to drink water from a stream, without fainting.
* A group of giraffes constitute a herd.
* Neck wrestling matches are often held to show authority in their herds.
* A giraffe is the one of the largest, strongest and peaceful animals on Earth.
* An adult male giraffe is called a bull, a female is called a cow and a young giraffe a calf.
* The average life span of a giraffe is 20 to 25 years.
* A large male giraffe can eat up to 100 pounds of food in a single day.
* A giraffes age can be calculated from its spots, as the darker the spots, the older the giraffe.
* Lions and large packs of hyenas, are the giraffe’s enemies.
* A lion can die if kicked by a giraffe.
* A giraffe’s heart is 24 pounds in weight and 2 feet in length.
* Giraffes are social animals, that live in open herds.
* A giraffe seldom lies down, it can sleep as well as give birth standing up!
* Giraffes are silent animals, but, they are certainly not mute. Sounds like the bleating of calves, and the bellowing of cows, have been heard.
* Giraffes can survive for long periods without consuming water.
* Giraffes are blessed with excellent eyesight. This helps them keep an eye on each other from a distance.

How Many Types of Giraffes are There?

As of today, only one species of giraffe is recognized – while the different types that we will be talking about are enlisted as the sub-species belonging to this lone species. As far as the giraffe habitat is concerned, it spans across the Savannah grasslands of Africa, right from Chad in north to South Africa in south. Even though that is considerably large area, each of the sub-species of giraffes are restricted to a particular region in this vast area. So, what’s all this confusion surrounding the types and sub-species of giraffe about? Basically, all this confusion can be attributed to genetic studies which reveal that each of the sub-species which are recognized today are actually individual species belonging to the family Giraffidae. Now, the family Giraffidae is a family of even-toed ungulates which comprises of giraffes, and okapi – which happens to be its closest relative.

Contrary to the belief that only one species of giraffe exists, while all the others are sub-species of this lone species, some studies have revealed that there exist around 8-10 species of giraffe in Africa – each of which differs from the other on the basis of their color and geographical range. This also implies that the alleged sub-species are reproductively isolated i.e. they don’t interbreed as there is no over-lapping of their geographical range. One can also see a significant difference in terms of their coat, with each of these giraffes sporting a coat unique in color. Experts suggest that this color variation has a crucial role to play when it comes to identification and mating – with giraffes belonging to different sub-species – as they put it, refusing to mate even if they come across each other.

What are the Different Types of Giraffes?

At a towering 18 ft – with long neck, angular spots and long legs, it’s easy to picture a giraffe. However, these generic characteristic traits that are quite popular among masses make it equally difficult for them to make a note of the fact that there exist at least 9 different types of giraffes in Africa. As we mentioned earlier, they are classified into different sub-species on the basis of their coloration, coat patterns, geographical distribution, etc. Given below is the list of different types of giraffes found in Africa on the basis of their geographical range.

* The West African Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) – also referred to as the Niger Giraffe or Nigerian Giraffe, which is found in the Sahel regions of West Africa.
* The Rothschild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) – also known as the Baringo Giraffe or the Ugandan Giraffe, which is found in Kenya and Uganda.
* The Masai Giraffe or Maasai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) – also referred to as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe, found in Kenya and Tanzania.
* The Somali Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) – more often referred to as the Reticulated Giraffe, which is found in Somalia, northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia.
* The Kordofan Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) which is found in northern Cameroon, southern Chad, Central African Republic and possibly western Sudan.
* The Thornicroft Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) – also referred to as the Rhodesian Giraffe which is restricted to the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia.
* The South African Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) which is found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
* The Angolan Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) – also referred to as the Smoky Giraffe, which is found in southern Angola, northern Namibia, southwestern Zambia, Botswana and western Zimbabwe.
* The Nubian Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) which is found in eastern Sudan and northeastern DR Congo.

So, what is all this commotion on different types of giraffes about? Why do we even need to classify them into different species – when they are already categorized as sub-species. Basically, the fact that all the existing giraffes are clubbed into one single species blots out the fact that some of these alleged subs-species are on the verge of extinction and need immediate protection.

Even though giraffes – with the estimated population ranging between 110,000 to 150,000, are categorized as ‘Least Threatened’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the fact is that some sub-species of giraffe – like the West African Giraffe and the Rothschild Giraffe, have already become endangered with only a few hundred individuals left in wild. If they are classified into full-fledged species, it will be possible to pay attention to each of them and draft necessary conservation plans to ensure that they don’t become extinct. It’s obvious that the extinction of any of these giraffes will come heavy on the grasslands, after all, this species has a crucial role to play when it comes to smooth functioning of this biome.

Albinism in Animals & Albino Giraffe

Albinism occurs in humans and animals due to the lack of pigment – melanin. Melanin is what gives a person or animal their complexion color. So, if one has a lot of melanin in their body the skin will be darker, and if there is less melanin present in the body the skin tends to be fairer. But, if there is no melanin present in the body at all then the skin, hair or eyes; or all three of these tend to be very light in color. Eyes tend to be red while skin and hair appear white in color. Albinism in animals can be partial albinism or can be total. When it is partial albinism some parts of the body of the animals will appear lighter, while some will appear darker. True albinism means total absence of melanin, such animals will not even have a patch of color on their body, but will appear completely white! The eyes of animals who have true albinism is reddish or pinkish in color.

One of the rare albino animal is albino giraffe. Albino giraffe are not common at all. They are a very very rare sight, and hardly one will be able to see them in wild. There is big disadvantage of being an albino giraffe. Nature has given giraffe a particular type of patchy brown-yellow skin. This is for camouflage purpose, in grasslands this kind of skin helps protect the giraffe in their environment by merging in the environment. Albino giraffe being white in appearance can be very easy to spot for the predators. Hence, the lifespan of albino giraffe is often very less. But, albinism happens every 20,000 births and so albino giraffes are rarely to be seen.

During the year 2005 an albino giraffe was spotted in Tanzania. These kind of giraffes have been spotted in this area many times before. There is also a real stuffed albino giraffe in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium. You can find these albino giraffes pictures on the internet.

Albinism in animals like giraffe can be seen once in a while. Like giraffe there are many strange looking albino animals in the world. There are albino kangaroos, albino snakes, albino dolphin, albino whale, albino alligator, albino peacock, albino zebra, albino gorilla, etc. Just do a quick internet search for images of albino giraffe and other albino animals and you will be amazed to see them!

Russian Blue Cat Information ~ History of the Breed

The Russian blue cat breed originated in the northerly regions of Russia and Scandinavia. There are various names for this breed like the Foreign Blue, Maltese, Spanish Blue and Archangel Cat. The history behind the origins of Russian blue cat breeds is a bit dodgy. However, many believe that it may have originated in northern Russia’s Archangel Isles.

There is one story that says, it was brought to Europe by sailors of Northern Russia in the 1800′s. Some say, the Russian blue cat breeds are the descendant of cats that were owned by the Russian Czars. It was brought to America in the early 1900′s.

Russian Blue Cat Information ~ Appearance of the Breed

The Russian blue cat breeds have a distinctive plush double coat that is dense and fine. This coat as silky, as the fur of a seal. The coat is so soft that it tends to hold an imprint of your fingers, when you run them through it. The Russian blue cat has a bright blue color with silver tipped guard hairs that give it a silver sheen. It has vivid emerald green eyes and a mauve or lavender pink nose leather. Its paw pads are also lavender pink in color. It has prominent whisker pads that makes them look, as if they are smiling. It also has large ears and a muscled lean body and also a lithe, slender and graceful body. It is a robust cat that is very easy to look after. It has long legs and small paws compared to other cat breeds.

The Russian blue cat breeds shed very little when they are given a well balanced diet. However, they tend to shed more in spring and fall, as the feline is changing its seasonal coats. Although, they appear silvery gray in color, the Russian blue are called blue as the coat sparkles with a blue or silver blue tone. Let us now go into the details of Russian blue cat personality.

Russian Blue Cat Personality

The Russian blue cat can be called a ‘true cat’. You will find the personality of the Russian blue cat to be lively, playful, cautious and intelligent. When you bring a Russian blue cat into your family, it will get very attached to the family. It tends to be attached specifically to one or two members of the family. Once you are selected as the friend of the cat, you need to be prepared for the long term devotion from the cat and also be prepared to give lots of attention and care in return.

The Russian blue cat does not show much attention to other people, as long as its needs of love and care are fulfilled by its chosen human. When there are strangers (guests) in the house, the Russian cat personality tends to become reserved and they stay out of sight. However, their curiousness takes over their shyness and they come out to have a closer look at the guests. A few chosen ones may even get a chance to stroke its soft fur. Russian blue cats personality includes a good memory, so the next time the same guest visits he will be accepted by the cat.

The personality of Russian blue cat is rather quiet and soft spoken. It has a very affectionate cat personality. They are gentle and sweet-tempered. They will delight you with their clownish antics. They are very clever and will soon find a way to open your cupboards. The Russian blue cat personality is very demure, quiet and undemanding. If you are sad, be ready to get a pat on your face from the Russian blue in its attempt to cheer you up.