Animal Insting

The first thing you need to know about killer whales is that they are black-and-white, just like me!  And that makes them very beautiful, also like me!  Most other kinds of whales are a boring grey in color, so I think it's because of the black-and-white color of the killer whales that people like to go watch them swim in the ocean or at someplace like SeaWorld.

Killer whales are also called orcas because their scientific name is Orcinus orca.  They are actually dolphins, and they are the very biggest dolphins of all.  Every ocean on the whole planet has orcas, whether it's a really cold ocean or a really warm ocean.  There are five different types of orcas, but nobody has figured out yet if these five types are separate species or subspecies or races or what.

The different types of orcas live in different places and eat different types of food, so that's how you can tell them apart.  Some of them eat mostly fish such as salmon or herring.  Others eat mostly seals or sometimes walruses and sea otters.  Orcas can hunt together in groups, kind of like a wolf pack, and when they do this, they can kill really big stuff like gray whales and blue whales and sperm whales.  Some orcas also like to eat birds, such as penguins, cormorants, and sea gulls.

Killer whales live much longer lives than dogs do.  The female orcas can live to be 80 or 90, but the average lifespan is about 50 years.  The average oldest age for males is 29, but some get to be 50 or 60 years old.  The female whale is called a cow, even though she doesn't look anything like the kind of cow you might see on a farm.  She doesn't mate and have babies until she is 15 or so.  Then when she gets pregnant, it takes almost 18 months before the baby calf is born, after which the calf nurses for almost two years.  Orca cows have about one calf every five years until they are 40 or so.


Okay, now here's something really interesting about killer whales:  they never leave their moms.  Even after they are all grown up, they stick together in a group with their mom, and this group is called a matriline.  Usually there are 5 or 6 orcas in a matriline, and they stick together all the time because orcas are very social animals.  Then when a couple of matrilines who are related get together, it's called a pod.

There are people who say that it is cruel for humans to keep intelligent animals like whales and dolphins in aquariums or to keep land animals in zoos.  I'm not sure what I think about this question because I can see good and bad things about the argument on both sides.  Which means I am very open-minded, at least on this topic!  But I will admit that it seems mean to keep a great big huge animal like a whale in a place like SeaWorld, because whales like to swim long distances, and they can even go as far as 100 miles in one day.  Also in my research I learned that wild killer whales have never attacked or harmed humans, but sometimes captive killer whales like Tillikum have done that.  So maybe being in a small place can make a whale crazy, just like being in a crate can make some dogs crazy.

Anyway, now there are some whale expert type people who say that maybe Tillikum should be released from SeaWorld so that he can be a wild orca again.   But this is not as easy as it sounds.  Tilly was first captured near Iceland when he was 2 or 3 years old, and now he is about 30.  So he has probably forgotten how to be a wild whale, and he would have to learn how all over again.

Also if Tillikum went out to live in the ocean, he would have to find the pod he used to belong to because another pod wouldn't accept him.  And orcas want to be in groups, like I told you, so Tilly would probably die of loneliness or separation anxiety if he couldn't be in a pod.  Either that or he would come back to humans for companionship, because that is what happened with at least one other killer whale that got released but couldn't find a pod to hang with.

Some people want SeaWorld to set an example of not breeding or capturing any new killer whales, so that after the ones that are there now get old and die, there won't be any more orcas in captivity.  If people want to see orcas, they can go out in boats to see them in the ocean.  This seems like a good idea to me, but the SeaWorld people make a lot of money from orcas, so I'm afraid they might not agree.

If you have been paying attention to Important News Stories About Animals, you will know that an orca whale killed a trainer at SeaWorld a few days ago.  This was a very sad event, and a lot of people don't understand why it happened, so that makes it even sadder.  The trainer, whose name was Dawn Brancheau, had been training killer whales for many years, and she was very good at it.  She knew Tillikum and had taught him tricks and fed him lots of yummy fish.  So she was not just some doofus who was messing around with whales without knowing what she was doing or how whales act.

Mom has been sort of obsessed with watching videos on the internet and reading articles and stuff because she is trying to understand why this whale would kill his trainer.  I told her that only Tillikum knows the real reason why he did what he did.  If he had a blog, like I have, he might be able to explain his actions, but since he doesn't have a blog, we will never know for sure.

Tillikum is a really big whale who weighs 12,000 pounds.  He killed two people before this, so you could say he has a history.  In 1991, a trainer got killed in British Columbia by Tillikum and two other orcas.  And then in 1999, a man snuck into the pool with the whales and he died because the water was really cold, but he also got bitten by Tillikum.

Anyway, since Tillikum had this history, the trainers at SeaWorld were not allowed to get in the water with him.  But he did tricks and stuff by the edge of the pool, which you can see in a video that is on the internet that was taken by a tourist just a few minutes before Ms. Brancheau got killed.  Some other trainers and experts on whales think that what happened was that Ms. Brancheau was lying down in the shallow water with her face near Tillikum's head, and then her long ponytail got into the water, and Tillikum grabbed it because he thought it might be an interesting and fun toy.  So he pulled her into the water with him and he shook her and took her underwater with him, and she got all these injuries, and she drowned.

All the whale shows at all the SeaWorlds were closed for a few days, but they are going to open again today.  But the trainers won't get in the water with the whales for a while until everything gets figured out with Tillikum.  The people at SeaWorld are not going to do anything to punish Tillikum, which is good because that would be stupid.  He was just acting like a whale and not trying to eat Ms. Brancheau for lunch or anything like that.

Sometimes when people get bit by an animal, like by their dog, for example, they say, "She bit me for no reason."  But they are wrong about this because there is always a reason.  Humans may not understand why a dog bites a person, but the dog has a good reason and is just acting like a dog.  Maybe it's just that she's scared or got spooked, or maybe her instinct makes her act a certain way, like when the greyhounds attacked Gabe, which was kind of a pack thing.  People may not think it makes sense, but it makes total sense to the dog.

Well, anyway, getting back to killer whales, I did some in-depth research about them and how the wild ones live, and I will tell you all that Important Information tomorrow because if I try to tell you today, it will make my blog way too long.

Oh, but I just want to say that Mom went to SeaWorld in Orlando one time, and it was probably in 1993.  She saw the show with the orcas in it, and she sat in the Splash Zone, but she didn't get splashed very much, which she was happy about because it was March, and the weather was kind of cool.  Anyway, she can't remember how many whales they had there, but one of them was called Shamu.  Mom thinks that there have been several whales named Shamu.  It's kind of like having several dogs named Lassie.

Anyway, I would not want to meet a killer whale in person because I'm afraid it would eat me in one big gulp.  Those killer whales have very sharp-looking teeth, and I do not want to get anywhere near them.  But one time when Mom took me and Gabe to visit Aunt Cheryl in Texas, she bought us a Shamu toy at the thrift store.  This is the kind of Shamu that I prefer instead of the real one!

Well, after learning all about which dogs are the most popular dogs in America, I got to wondering if people in other countries like the same breeds that Americans do.  So I nosed around a little and came up with some top-10 lists from other places.

I will start with Canada, which is more like just another part of the U.S. instead of a whole other country.  And the list of favorite Canadian dogs proves this, since it's a lot like the U.S. list.  Except for the parts that are different.  This list is from 2007, which is the most recent list I could find.  Anyway, here it is:
 1.  Labrador Retriever
 2.  Golden Retriever
 3.  German Shepherd Dog
 4.  Poodle
 5.  Shetland Sheepdog
 6.  Yorkshire Terrier
 7.  Miniature Schnauzer
 8.  Boxer
 9.  Shih Tzu
10.  Bernese Mountain Dog

In the U.K., the Labrador Retriever is number one again.  Yawn.  But then things get different because there are a bunch of spaniels on the list.  I don't know why people like spaniels so much.  Well, okay, they are kind of cute, but they have that long, curly hair that is always getting tangled up and matted if you don't comb it all the time.  Short-haired dogs such as basenjis are not only cute but are much easier to take care of.  But here's the list, for what it's worth.  It is from 2008.
 1.  Labrador Retriever
 2.  English Cocker Spaniel
 3.  English Springer Spaniel
 4.  German Shepherd Dog
 5.  Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
 6.  Staffordshire Bull Terrier
 7.  Golden Retriever
 8.  Border Terrier
 9.  Boxer
10.  West Highland White Terrier

Here's the 2007 list from Australia, which is kind of like the U.S. and U.K. lists combined:
 1.  Labrador Retriever
 2.  German Shepherd Dog
 3.  Staffordshire Bull Terrier
 4.  Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
 5.  Golden Retriever
 6.  Border Collie
 7.  Pug
 8.  English Cocker Spaniel
 9.  Dalmation
10.  Rottweiler

Okay, I know you're probably getting tired of lists, so I promise that this is the last one.  I just had to prove that there is at least one place in the world where the labrador retriever is not the number one dog.  And that country is Italy!  Here is their 2009 list:
 1.  English Setter
 2.  German Shepherd Dog
 3.  Segugio Maremmano
 4.  Labrador Retriever
 5.  Epagneul Breton
 6.  Segugio Italiano
 7.  Golden Retriever
 8.  Boxer
 9.  Jack Russell Terrier
10.  German Shorthaired Pointer

Anyway, since the labrador retriever is so popular, now I will tell you about a lab who just won a Special Award because he was a very brave bomb-sniffing dog in Afghanistan.  This dog's name is Treo, and he got something called the Dickin Medal, which is an award that the British give to animals in the military. It is kind of like an award called the Victoria Cross, except that the Victoria Cross is for people and the Dickin Medal is for animals.

Treo is 8 years old, and he got this award on Wednesday.  He is now retired from the military, and he lives with his handler, whose name is Sergeant David Heyhoe.  I don't mean any disrespect to Sergeant Heyhoe, but whenever I see his name, it makes me want to giggle.  Except that dogs can't really giggle.  Anyway, if you want to see Treo and Sergeant Heyhoe, you can watch this video: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2010/feb/24/military-animals   Sergeant Heyhoe talks really funny, and I thought he was hard to understand.  Mom says he talks that way because he is from Scotland.  I am just glad that Mom doesn't talk like that because if she did, I would never know what she is saying.

So what Treo did to win the Dickin Medal was he sniffed out some bombs, and this saved the lives of a lot of soldiers.  You can see in the video that Treo is very brave because he even goes into some water, looking for bombs, which I would not be brave enough to do because if I did it, I might drown.  One time, Treo found a whole bunch of bombs that were wired together.  This is called a "daisy chain," even though there are no daisies in it, or any other kind of flower either.


Treo was awarded the Dickin Medal by Princess Alexandra, who is a real, live princess.  Before Treo won the medal, 26 other dogs won it, and so did 32 messenger pigeons, 3 horses, and 1 cat.

I am very proud that a member of my species won this Important Award, but you could never get me to go out there looking for bombs, personally.  I would much rather stay home where it is warm and safe and dry!

Sometimes, when you are just sitting around, thinking about Important Stuff, you have probably asked yourself "Why am I here?" or "What is the meaning of life?" or "What are the ten most popular dog breeds?"  Well, I can't really answer the first two questions, but luckily, I have all the inside scoop on the third one.

The American Kennel Club likes to keep track of lots of Extremely Vital Information, so every year they tell us which dogs are winning the Dog Breed Popularity Contest.  And most years the winners are the same as the year before.  Basenjis never win this contest, but that's okay, really, because it's probably better not to be one of those dime-a-dozen breeds anyway.

So now I will tell you that -- surprise! -- Labrador retrievers were the number one most popular dog in 2009, just like they have been for 19 years in a row.  But guess what!  German shepherds are gaining on them and are now the number two dog instead of yorkies.  And maybe someday German shepherds will be number one again, just like they used to be in the 1920s and in the 1950s.  My brother Barry, who looks a lot like a German shepherd, is very excited about this.  The AKC thinks that maybe German shepherds are getting more popular because they are good at doing police work and security and military stuff, which there's a lot of need for right now.




But anyway, here is the list of the 10 most popular breeds of 2009:
 1.  Labrador Retriever
 2.  German Shepherd Dog
 3.  Yorkshire Terrier
 4.  Golden Retriever
 5.  Beagle
 6.  Boxer
 7.  Bulldog
 8.  Dachshund
 9.  Poodle
10.  Shih Tzu

And these are some breeds that have become lots more popular in the last 10 years:  bulldog, French bulldog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Havanese.  Also people seem to like dogs now that are easier to groom, like mastiffs and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

The Portuguese Water Dog has moved up from 80th to 60th in the last 10 years, which shows that this breed was already getting more popular even before Bo became the First Dog.

It turns out that people in different parts of the country have different ideas about what's the best kind of dog to own.  Here in Kansas City, German shepherds are tied with labs for the very most popular breed, and boxers are next, then bulldogs and yorkies.

I also checked out Houston, my hometown, and the top five breeds there are labs, yorkies, GSDs, bulldogs, and boxers.

In Washington, D.C., labs are first, then yorkies, goldens, poodles, and there is a tie for 5th place between bulldogs, dachshunds, and shih tzus.

One other city I looked at was San Francisco, and I was surprised to find that French bulldogs are 3rd there, after labs and yorkies.  Then goldens are 4th and bulldogs are 5th.

Anyway, if you want to check out the top five dog breeds in your own city, you can go here:  http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=4044

By now you are probably wondering where basenjis rank in popularity.  Of course, we are so darned cute that you would think we'd be Number One.  But apparently people prefer those big, dopey labs.  My own personal theory is that most people just want dogs that are easy to train and that will spend hours chasing a stupid ball and that won't bite their kids when the kids pull the dogs' tails.  Basenjis are too smart and independent for lots of people.  We know there are better things to do in life than chase balls, and we don't like having our tails pulled, so we might bite you if you try to do it.

Anyway, even though I knew we weren't Extremely Popular, I was still shocked, when I looked at the ranking for basenjis, to find out we had dropped to 88th in 2009, after being 69th in 1999.  Of course, we are a long way from being the least popular breed, like the English Foxhound is, but it kind of hurt my feelings to know that people don't like us as much as they used to.  Everybody likes to be popular, after all.  Luckily, Mom still loves me and Gabe, and she says we are the perfect breed for her.  Also Mom says that the AKC won't tell you this, but the very, very most popular dog breed in America is Mutt.

Oh, and if you would like to check on the popularity ranking of your own favorite dog breed, you can go to this website to do it.

Yesterday I had to go to Dr. Patricia's office, and it was a very stressful and unnerving experience, like visits to her office usually are.  As soon as I got in the car with Mom, my back legs started shaking, and I couldn't make them stop.  And then when we got there, my legs were shaking even harder, in spite of the fact that Mom and Nurse Debbie kept giving me treats.

The reason I had to go to Dr. Patricia's office was that I had to get a heartworm test, plus also a fecal test.  And then it turned out that I hadn't had a complete blood panel for three years, so Mom decided I should get one of those, too, even though she is feeling broke because it's the end of the month, and she didn't want to pay for it.  Oh, and I got weighed and had my toenails trimmed, and Dr. Patricia examined me.

Mostly I was pretty good, except when Dr. Patricia was looking in my mouth at my teeth, which she was trying to do even though I was wearing a muzzle.  So I got freaked out and tried to bite her, but I was not successful because of the muzzle and also because Nurse Debbie was holding me.  But otherwise, I was a good boy and did not try to bite anybody.

Finally, when the whole ordeal was over, and Mom and I got to go home.  But I started thinking that it would be useful for a timid dog such as myself to have some sort of protective armor to wear when he has to go to the vet's office.  So I did a little research online to see what I could come up with.

In this photo, you can see the Brewster Body Shield, which was developed during World War I.  It was made of chrome nickel steel, which was apparently very strong, because it could protect a person from machinegun bullets.  I thought maybe this armor would work for a dog, but then I read that it weighs 40 pounds, which is more than I weigh!  So even though I think the Brewster Body Shield would safely protect me from pokes and prods and needles at the vet's office, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to walk around if I were wearing it.


So then I did a search on armor that was specially designed for dogs, and I came up with some good possibilities.  Here's a suit of samurai dog armor that I think would make me look very handsome.


And here's some armor with a more medieval look that would provide good protection, I think.

Now I just have to figure out how to measure myself so I can get the right size.

Recently one of my favorite TV shows, Modern Marvels, had an episode dedicated to dirt. On it they profiled Scott Wade (pictured below), a Texas graphic designer who creates works of art from dust on car windows. So now I tell my wife my car isn't dirty - I'm just prepping it. Anyway, here are several examples of Scott's art, as well as other similar pictures I found on the net...