GOLDEN RETRIEVER DOG

Know your dog: The Golden Retriever



The Golden Retriever is a large-sized breed of dog bred as gun dogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland gamebirds during hunting and shooting parties, and were named 'retriever' because of their ability to retrieve shot game undamaged. 

ACTIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE
Golden Retrievers have an instinctive love of water, and are easy to train to basic or advanced obedience standards. 
Golden Retrievers are also noted for their intelligence. The breed ranks fourth in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs – following the :

• Border Collie, 
• Poodle, and 
• German Shepherd – as one of the brightest dogs ranked by obedience-command trainability.

The Golden Retrievers' intelligence makes them a versatile breed and allows them to fill a variety of roles – common ones being guide dog for the blind, hearing dog for the deaf,hunting dog, detection dog, and search and rescue participant. 

• The breed's friendly, gentle temperament means it is unsuited to being a professional guard dog, Golden Retrievers were bred to retrieve, which has led to the soft mouth-grip it has today.

WORK ETHIC, ADAPTABILITY TO PEOPLE AND FAMILIES
They are not "one-man dogs" and are generally equally amiable with both strangers and those familiar to them.Their trusting, gentle disposition makes them a poor guard dog. The typical Golden Retriever is calm, naturally intelligent and biddable, and with an exceptional eagerness to please.

***They will work until they collapse, so care should be taken to avoid overworking them.***

Golden Retrievers also are very smart dogs that are loyal and friendly to their caregivers.
Golden Retrievers are well suited to residency in suburban or country environments. Although they need substantial outdoor exercise, they should be housed in a fenced area because of their instinctual tendency to roam. 

The temperament of the Golden Retriever is a hallmark of the breed, and is described in the standard as "kindly, friendly and confident".Golden Retrievers make good family pets, particularly as they are patient with children. 

Any form of unprovoked aggression or hostility towards either people, dogs or other animals, whether in the show ring or community, is considered unacceptable in a Golden Retriever and is not in keeping with the character of the breed, nor should a Golden Retriever be unduly timid or nervous.

Golden Retrievers are family dogs; they need to live indoors with their human "pack," and shouldn't spend hours alone in the backyard. They are not bothered by commotions and noise from children - they actually thrive in such environments. They can however accidentally knock over a child, owing to their size.


APPEARANCE

The Golden Retriever is a large, strongly built breed with a dense, water-repellant wavy coat. 
As a dog with origins in pedigree breeding, and due to its widespread historical popularity, some regional variations have emerged in the breed; therefore, the three subtypes of the Golden Retriever reflect the typical variations in dimensions and coat. However, all Golden Retrievers are blonde, yellow, or gold in colour and all subtypes are susceptible to the same health problems. 

Golden Retrievers have a dense, water-repellent outer coat with a thick undercoat. Some coats are wavy, some are straight. The fur feathers on the back of the front legs and underbody, with heavier feathering on the chest, back of the thighs, and tail.

Golden Retrievers come in all shades of gold, from light to dark gold

Golden Retrievers vary in colour, with a fair-haired dog shown here beside a mahogany one

TRAINING AND HANDLING

Golden Retrievers are exceptionally trainable—due to their intelligence, athleticism and desire to please their handlers—and excel in obedience trials. They are also very competitive in agility and other performance events. Harsh training methods are unnecessary, as Golden Retrievers often respond very well to positive and upbeat training styles.

Typical Golden Retrievers are active and fun-loving animals with the exceptionally patient demeanour befitting a dog bred to sit quietly for hours in a hunting blind. Adult Goldens love to work, and have a keen ability to focus on a given task. They will work until they collapse, so care should be taken to avoid overworking them.

Other characteristics related to their hunting heritage are a size suited for scrambling in and out of boats and an inordinate love for water. 

Golden Retrievers are compatible with other dogs, cats, and most livestock. They are particularly valued for their high level of sociability towards people, calmness, and willingness to learn. 

Because of this, they are commonly used as guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and search and rescue dogs.

The average lifespan for a Golden Retriever is about 11 to 12 years

Call/text/whatsapp +254725733412 for more queries and quotations regarding a vet, surgeon, breeder, vaccine, treatment and grooming, or you wish to adopt or buy a dog or cat...

or email me at mburu.njeri88@gmail.com

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they are about.

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Love and faith....

Love and faith.....

Faith is termed as the belief in that which is unseen.

When someone tells you, "Have faith.." they simply mean that it's high time you believed.
As usual, I will speak on what I have experienced, seen and observed. I will talk about my faith in God.

Hold up....
Now, most of those who know me know that I am not a very religious person. I am not keen on adhering to specific doctrines based on each church (I am a Christian, by faith, atheist by doctrine).
Actually most people think I am borderline atheist.. because I do not understand how you can praise Jesus using six different ways, or get babtized using six different jars.. I mean, the idea is to get to heaven, right??

WRONG!!

If you go to church every Sunday to reserve your one way ticket to heaven then you are in for a rude shock.

I resign to the fact that I will never understand the divisions in the Christian denominations (not to mention all other religions and their sub-divisions..). 

So it beats me how I can be babtized an Anglican, but cannot have a Church burial unless I consent to my husband's Catholic doctrine, or that my Anglican baptism becomes null and void if i get married to a Methodist...
I will not fight these systems. By all means, let them carry on as they have for thousands of years.

Thing is, they will NEVER define my relationship with God!!

I SAY THIS BECAUSE....

I have struggled with the fact that God loves me, simply because I based His love for me on doctrine. I have seen others die in despair when they shouldn't have, because they were not alone, yet they thought they were because of rituals here and there!!!

In as much as righteousness is required of us, it is not the ticket to life. We can fake righteousness!! I have done it. 

It is said that God accepted Abraham as righteous, not because he was Mr. Goody two shoes, but because he had faith!!!(Romans 4:3). So this was the sequence:
1. God called Abram
2. Abram responded and obeyed, even where he was not sure of himself.
3. God is happy, anoints Abram, renames him to Abraham and blesses him for ever.
It is God who taught Abraham to worship and offer sacrifices; Abraham didn't do it how he thought best..

So, to love God, has to come from the heart. Its just like marrying someone. You don't marry then love... You love then marry!! 

Otherwise you will just frustrate your spouse so much, you would have done them a favour and let them be with someone who genuinely wanted to be with them in the first place!!

So, my faith is not based on what I have learned in catechism classes, nor by the bible stories, or the many uncles and aunts who pray diligently. These factors played a big role in helping me understand what it was that I was yearning for.

I believe because I have "seen" His love. Life has not been easy, but I cannot complain because I look at how worse off I could have been had He not come through. There are situations that I thought He should have come through. But, when you rise from the ashes, you truly see how far you have come. If you did not die then, then you are definitely stronger for what is yet to come.

We have to stop being selfish too...

Sometimes, God blesses us so that we are the ANSWER to someone else's prayers!!!
The reason your business is doing miraculously well in a raggedy economy could be because someone asked God to bless him with a source of income so that his family does not starve!!
Maybe the deal went through because someone was on the verge of bankruptcy, and they were on their knees for a miracle... We are not better off because we have earned it. 

There are those who work harder than donkeys yet live in poverty (then you start lecturing them on the virtues of hard work... like, really?)

This is a very diverse topic, but in summary, we are kept alive by God's grace. And as we all know, God graces more those who love Him genuinely.

You cannot earn God's love by mighty works and acting all-holy: You already have it. He already loved you. Just don't treat Him like a fool for loving you.

This is Serenity!!!

**

Recovery of the body: Mind and Spirit
Self appreciation; The journey towards self reconstruction

Burn Out: Are you seriously tired, or Just temporarily fatigued??

armandofitnessexpert.com

Burnout is a psychological term that refers to long-term exhaustion and diminished interest in work. Burnout has been assumed to result from chronic occupational stress (e.g., work overload). However, there is growing evidence that its etiology is multifactorial in nature, with dispositional factors playing an important role (source).

Burn out normally feels like an illness, even though there are no pathogens making you ill!!
Burn out will occur when the body is pushed excessively, either through work, exercise, studying or even a physical illness. “A lot of burnout really has to do with experiencing chronic stress,” says Dr. Ballard, who is the head of the APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. “In those situations, the demands being placed on you exceed the resources you have available to deal with the stressors.”

Left unchecked, burnout can wreak havoc on your health, happiness, relationships and job performance. 

“A lot of burnout really has to do with experiencing chronic stress,” says Dr. Ballard, who is the head of the APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. “In those situations, the demands being placed on you exceed the resources you have available to deal with the stressors.”

Left unchecked, burnout can wreak havoc on your health, happiness, relationships and job performance. In order to catch burnout and combat it early, it’s important to know what to look out for.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS AND BURN OUT

Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and psychologically. Stressed people can still imagine, though, that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.

Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough. Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. While you’re usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don’t always notice burnout when it happens.

Physical signs and symptoms of burnout

Feeling tired and drained most of the time Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot

Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches Change in appetite or sleep habits

Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout

Sense of failure and self-doubt Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated Detachment, feeling alone in the world

Loss of motivation Increasingly cynical and negative outlook Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

Behavioral signs and symptoms of burnout

Withdrawing from responsibilities Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done

Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope Taking out your frustrations on others Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early

The power of Purpose!!

Recovery of the body: Mind and Spirit

Nutrition and healthcare

TEST BOOSTERS - THESE ARE NOT PERFORMANCE STEROIDS

HEADACHES: migraines, cluster headaches and what they are about.

CINNAMON PEANUT BUTTER CREAM LIQUEUR....

Firework (song by Katy Perry)

Fireworks by Katy Perry

※ Maybe the reason why All the doors are closed is So you could open one That leads you to the perfect road※

Do you ever feel Like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel Feel so paper-thin
Like a house of cards One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel Already buried deep
Six feet under, Screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's Still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta Ignite the light
And let it shine, Just own the night Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

You don't have to feel Like a waste of space
You're original Cannot be replaced
If you only knew What the future holds
After a hurricane Comes a rainbow

Maybe the reason why All the doors are closed
So you could open one That leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt Your heart will glow

And when it's time you know

You just gotta Ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

This is Serenity!!

*******
++ One step at a time
++ You owe no one an explanation
++ Perfect
++ Gratitude: the ingredient in faith that moves mountains

The power of Purpose!!

Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles - Anon

Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists, or to have  as one's intention or objective.

Purpose, I find it equal to power!! When you have a reason to do something, you will find the means and resources to do it. Purpose is the reason people find the strength to move on even when hit hard with life: the reason the widow will resolve to become the ultimate best so that her children do not suffer; the force behind the rescuer who will risk his life to try and save a life; the determination behind the student studying till early morning to earn that certificate, diploma or degree. It is the painkiller that nursed Rev. Timothy Njoya after being beaten to a mushy pulp more than once!! 

Purpose, is powerful.

In my experience, purpose is also a life saver. There are days you will forget all your achievements, and question your worth. These moments can drain you spiritually. Once you start questioning your purpose on this earth, the will to live starts to fade. It is hard to notice this at first, but as it progresses, you feel tranquilized about life. Life or death don't evoke any emotions; progress or stagnation are one and the same... Purpose is lost!!

There are moments when depression will hit hard and all days will seem gloomy while nights will stretch on and on. You can't wait to get out of bed, yet you cannot wait to burry yourself under the blankets... And you will wonder if they truly mean it when they say "Rest in Peace"; because your greatest desire at that time is PEACE!!

There is a very good reason why most medical and psychological therapies involve joining a sport, or engaging in a hobby. These activities will give you a series of goals to reach, and since you are not under pressure to perform, reaching these 'goals' seems really easy. Even when you lose out, you have fun while at it. What your doctor will not tell you is that these activities stimulate your sense of purpose.

It has been observed that senior citizens usually live longer when they have grand children or even a pet that depends on them. Some go as far as adopting children from charities and raise them as their own. 

They forget about themselves and their struggles, and feel that they need to live for the sake of this other person.

This also happens to us. When, for a reason our resolve is tested, we resort to our purpose for doing things; some call it clarity of purpose.

*※ Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles - Anon ※*

Purpose, in my experience is driven by principle. When you lack a pillar, you waiver. Like many people, I knew I had a purpose in life; I just didn't know what it was. I however knew my principles and though I may not have stuck to them 100% of my time, they defined most of my choices. Where I chose to forego my principles, I paid the price!! Slowly but surely, my principles helped mould my passions, and I slowly found my path towards my purpose. I still haven't pin-pointed it, but I am glad that I do have lots to live for. I cannot tell you why God put me on this earth, all I know is that when I wake up in the morning, or draft a plan in the evening, it will not be for nothing. I may not be where I expected myself to be five years back, but I have a PURPOSE that is driving me day in, day out. And as long as my passions are guided by my principles, the epic journey towards "discovering" my purpose on this earth is filled with lessons, achievements, failures and most importantly, fulfillment.

~※ Your dreams are your ballbusters, they aren’t the yellow brick road - Kelly Cutrone ※~

As we all know, fulfillment is the gem that we all look for. The best place to start the journey towards your fulfillment is to start with the One who created you with a PURPOSE. Start with God, whatever else may happen will happen. In the end, you will thank God that you had a life and lived it to fulfillment.

That, I believe is one purpose to live; to be fulfilled!!

This is Serenity!!!

Life is Beautiful!!!

Related articles:
++ Love yourself well
++ Take care of your greatest asset: your mind
++ Self appreciation
++ Getting over addiction - to junk food!!

***

Getting over addiction... To junk food!!

Clean eating is the key to a healthy body, healthy mind and esteem (technically...), and clean eating is a virtue. Why, a virtue?? Because resisting junk food is a feat!!!
Going off soda is a good example.. even when your stomach cannot stand it! The tongue just demands it of us!!

There are many reasons we have to go off junk, key issues being managing a life long diseases like diabetes and hypertension, and when struggling with weight loss. It seems impossible at first, but it can be done.

When we eat, the part of the brain that responds to rewards is activated, and we feel "rewarded". When the food is exceptionally tasty and rare, we feel more "rewarded". This is why food treats are very powerful tools when training animals...including lions and whales!!!
Since a good meal often comes with enjoyable company and a good activity at the time, we associate good food to good feelings. This leads to a system where resisting tasty food is somehow difficult, especially when we feel bad about something.. thus COMFORT FOOD syndrome.

It is common for people who are upset to binge on sweet foods, especially ice creams, chocolates etc.

Healthy foods, well... are known to be bland and tasteless. It is well known that fruit smoothies and salads are an acquired taste (just like good whiskey.. ). To acquire this taste, you may have to force it down your throat for at least a week, twice a day!! Once you "acquire" the taste, you may become a health food junkie (again, just like good whiskey). Processed foods have a way of being sweet or savoury to the extent that we "reward" ourselves when we hit our targets (I often feel ENTITLED to an ice cream after working non-stop for a day!!), its that serious. Then you throw in the possible phenomenon of being addicted to sugar...

As usual, I will back up science with my own weird ways of getting things done. It is possible to wean off junk like French fries. One way is to use the acquired taste theory, ie replace the fries with something else you eat at that time. By the end of the week, the fries stop being so sweet.. (that's a lie, but it worked for me). The other method was to make the fries difficult to access. I convinced myself that the reason my tummy had issues was because the fries I bought were not well prepared.. never mind that I never had a stomach infection (what you put in your mind really does shape your path).

So I decided to be making my own fries. A single plate would take not less that 45 minutes to prepare and cook, plus a mountain of dishes to be cleaned afterwards. By the time I sat to eat, I was too bored to eat the entire plate!!! So fries eventually became a once-a-long-time event, that is when about four or five of us desired fries, and at least one of us was philanthropic enough to prepare the fries!! And that is how I stopped eating fries daily, to eating them once a month!! Similar "lazy-girl" attitudes I have used to overcome the other junk cravings that I experienced daily.

Granted, there are days we cannot help but have a cake or ice cream (the menstrual cycle, pregnancy or even medication can cause strong cravings), it is possible to go off junk food and maintain a clean diet. It however takes time and discipline. Discipline, as we all know is purely a MENTAL thing. It is the will of the mind over the body. When you achieve discipline in just one area of your life, you are better able to adapt to other disciplined lifestyles.

So it is possible to wean off addictive junk food. It all starts in the mind, then you can trick your body into submission. After that, it becomes a lifestyle. Just like a bottle of fine matured whiskey!!!

This is Serenity!!

Related articles:

++ What fat burners are all about ++
++ Take care of your greatest asset, your mind!! ++
++self appreciation: the journey towards self reconstruction ++
++Love yourself well: The art of self promotion++

You can read more on
weight loss
weight gain
health
fitness,
hair care
skin care,
medical,
herbal stuff ,
depression ,
insomnia,
what makes us blue at times
plus all other random helpful stuff in the blog!!

Stay updated by signing up for more posts or bookmarking us and visit our
Facebook page .

Self appreciation; The journey towards self reconstruction

~※ Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or sell out - Paul Kagame ※~

As I mentioned earlier, you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. Self reconstruction is therefore built on this strength. Until you allow your spirit to be lifted, true healing will not come.

There are stages towards healing, and they all start with acceptance. Acceptance, in my view, is as form of being responsible for your actions and decisions.

SELF RESPONSIBILITY

Being responsible for yourself means that there is no route to excuse your decisions or actions. It is by accepting the outcomes that we are able to evaluate and review our actions. .... So I totally screwed up on the test...I will have to accept that I SCREWED up.. then I follow up on how I did it. Did I get distracted from studying? Was I even paying attention to the right material? Or did I exert myself too much that my mind literally went blank on the D-day (it happens..)? If I allow myself to believe that there was no mess, then I lose out on the opportunity to learn from the mistake.

Self responsibility gave me the opportunity to build my self confidence. I was able to accept my role in the events that took place in my life, as well as recognizing what I did not cause. This way, I was better able to understand that what others do to you is THEIR OWN DOING, just as well as MY ACTIONS were my own and blaming others was useless. This meant that I was able to look at myself and FINALLY learn to forgive myself

*(it is impossible to forgive someone who has not accepted responsibility of their actions, therefore, you cannot forgive yourself if you have not accepted responsibility)*

Forgiving myself allowed me to finally silence the voices in my head that would constantly criticize me. I would think, " Njeri, you messed up. That is done, but you can do better..." and such thoughts would give me a kind of courage I initially had found alien. Even if I messed up again, I would finally LEARN from the mistake, unlike before where my failures would crush me. This led me to the path of self reconstruction, which is an ongoing job.

self responsibility = self awareness + self forgiveness + self reconstruction.

Once the reconstruction starts, you will finally learn to treat yourself with kindness. This kindness will inevitably spill over to the people around you. It is known that most cruel people are usually burdened with intense suffering of their own. It is hard to find a kind person who mistreats their own spirit.

I cannot emphasize enough on the self-love factor. You can have it all, but as long as you don't think you deserve it, then it cannot serve you. Even if everyone around you empathises with your situation, their support cannot serve you if you cannot embrace it first. It's like Sir Richard Branson surprising you with a sponsorship for ANY dream you have, yet you have no dream project at all! Even if he left the money in your account, it can never fulfill you. But then, if you have a goal that is driving you, you will appreciate whatever sources of income you can access at the time even though the pay cannot match Sir Branson's by five hundred miles.

Faith helps us move even when we feel too weak to do so. But at times, things may not go our way. The misfortunes that can befall us will befall us. But that is no reason to stop believing. As long as there is breath, faith will exist. As long as we are alive, the spark will always be there, and it will ignite when we need it the most but least expect it. It is that same spark that will ignite the fire in someone else who is dying.

A good analogy is the matchstick and candle story. Unless the matchstick is ignited, it can never light the candle, hence the potential of both the match and candle are not realized. Through friction, the match ignites, and thus passes its energy onto the candle. It is through our experiences in life that we are ignited and lit, and in the process, we pass on the energy to those around us. A single matchstick can light up ten large scented candles; a single experience in your life is hence able to change the lives of ten very influential people around you. 

But as I said, UNLESS YOU EMBRACE YOUR STRENGTH, chances of discovering this potential is close to none. Just like with salvation, you will have to CONFESS and DECLARE then you will REALIZE.

Self reconstruction will only end the day we die. It is an ongoing job and it is as constant as change. But it is one of the essentials in life, for to grow, we must change. To change, we will rebuild and reconstruct.

***This is Serenity!!!***

****
**ONE STEP AT A TIME**
** Love yourself well: Self promotion **
**When lending a helping hand.. **
** Grief: coping, exploring and dealing**