This issue discusses vision differences between humans and our canine companions, a celebratory at home enrichment activity, and PPC's new Tranquility Room offering!
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Patriot’s Pet Chronicle - Volume 2, Issue 1-January 2025 -how do dogs see color? - Edible “fireworks” and dog-focused tranquility (Page 2) By Mackenzie Howell (Mackenzie Howell has worked in the pet care arena for nearly a decade, with a special interest in pet nutrition and enrichment. She serves PPC as business support, and when not maintaining her pet “zoo,” Ms. Howell loves spending time with her family, reading a good mystery novel, or cooking up something delicious!)
(Page 1) Understanding your pet’s senses can be the key to maximizing their enjoyment! In this article, we dive into what sets your pup’s senses apart! Leading a Colorful Life: How Do Dogs See Color?
Although we humanize our pups on many levels, it’s important to remember that biologically, they are still dogs, and do not perceive their senses the same way that humans do. The most notable (and famous) example of this is the very impressive sense of smell that dogs boast. Dogs have about fifty scent receptors for each one a human has and on average, a 40% larger olfactory cortex. This is why dogs are such impressive trackers and make up a large percentage of American working animals.
Scent isn’t the only differing sense—dogs also perceive vision and color on an entirely different level from their human companions. There’s a common misconception that dogs are fully color blind, which isn’t the case. Although dogs do not see the same spectrum of colors that humans do, they are capable of seeing certain colors in particular.
In addition to rods, which detect motion and light, humans have three types of cones in our retinas. Our cones can detect and see combinations blue, green, and red. Dogs only have two of these cones, which can only identify blue and yellow. This means that all other colors are indistinguishable to our canine companions. Dogs definitely don’t have a disadvantage due to this though—what they lack in cones, they make up for in rods! Dogs have quintuple the number of rods that humans do, which means they can see even the most minute movements from a distance. Their eyes contain reflective cells (this is visible when you take a photo with flash and your dog’s eyes glow!) which project light information through the retina. This means that your dog sees better in lower light.
According to VCA Animal Hospitals, the average dog’s vision is most like a human with red-green color blindness. Yes… this may mean that they did not get the highest level of enjoyment from their red and green holiday toys—but don’t worry! Although blue and yellow are the most engaging and visible colors for dogs, you can still take advantage of that powerful sense of smell to keep your dog enriched and entertained. For example one of the most popular, bestselling dog toys on the market is the Kong Classic, is a wobbling rubber toy… that is bright red. How can this be?
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How can this be? The Kong Classic targets a dog’s sense of smell. This toy is designed with a wide opening, allowing a pet parent to stuff it with their dog’s favorite treats and spreads. Voila! A winning toy!
At the end of the day, understanding the way your dog processes stimuli enables you to better cater to their specific needs and promote their best life. Sure, you don’t need to totally renovate your home in shades of yellow and blue, but maybe you can keep your eye out for toys in these colors during your next shopping trip! By maximizing your dogs enjoyment and enrichment, you’ll have a much happier pet! You live a colorful life by default, so help your pup to live their colorful life to the fullest as well.
Why Us? Tranquility Made Accessible
Leaving your pet at a pet care facility, no matter how reputable, can be stressful, especially if your dog has anxiety to begin with. At PPC, our dog-focused leaders have created an innovative solution to ease the tension your pup may inevitably feel during their stay away from home.
Although each dog can enjoy a variety of hands (and paws)-on activities at our facility which are designed to promote their physical and mental health, we now offer a new solution as well: the Tranquility Room. This space is designed to appeal to all of your pet’s senses, in a low stimulating and safe environment. Every detail of this room has been selected with your pet in mind, from dog friendly relaxing scents to a variety of ultra-comfortable and soft bedding. Even the colors chosen for this room have been selected with canine vision in mind! These elements work in tandem to create an environment where your dog can slow down, breathe, and relax.
This room is available on an as-needed basis, to support our canine clients who may be feeling a bit more homesick or overstimulated. To learn more details about the Tranquility Room, please contact our awesome staff at (803)722-4024!
At Home Enrichment: Edible “Fireworks”
Enrichment is a crucial element of keeping your dog physically and mentally healthy. There is no shortage of options when it comes to providing enrichment for your pet but finding new and innovative methods can sometimes be challenging. Patriot’s Pet Chronicle aims to make this job easier for you: by providing easy, fun, and effective at-home enrichment strategies for you every month!
As we ring in 2025, why not include your pup in the celebration? At home enrichment can be a fun way to spice up their life and add a festive spin to their day!
To Create the Edible Fireworks Activity:
1.) Select a paper plate (any size will do)! If your dog is prone to destructive chewing, be sure to grab a plate which doesn’t have a plastic coating, or upgrade to a ceramic dinner plate.
2.) Grab a variety of spreads! Some client favorites include:
Peanut butter (make sure it’s xylitol free)
Greek yogurt (unflavored)
Pureed pumpkin or sweet potato
Puree or pate wet dog food
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3.) To add some festive flair, you can color your choice of spreads as well! Greek yogurt works the best for this, since its white already. Although food dyes are an option, you can also add fruits or veggies to your spreads to add some color and extra nutritional value!
4.) Using a spoon, create a ring of lines using your variety of spreads, around the center of your plate. Create a variety of lengths and thicknesses and be sure to rotate flavors!
5.) Give your pup their Edible Fireworks! Be sure to monitor your dog while they lap up the yummy and festive spreads to be sure they aren’t ingesting the paper plate itself.
Why is it great?
Other than the fact that this enrichment activity can be fully customized to your dog’s dietary needs and your preferred color palette, it is also a wonderful way to include your pup in what can otherwise be a very anxiety inducing holiday.
While fireworks create a spectacular visual display, they are also extremely loud. The sounds and vibrations emitted by fireworks can induce anxiety for dogs. Luckily, the action of lapping up the various spreads triggers a soothing response, and can help relieve some stress and make the situation more fun.
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