I’m retired. Moreover, I live in the Philippines. Thus, I have an abundance of time to waste. My loving wife, a live-in niece, and our domestic helper do the bulk of the chores. No, I’m not going to sugar coat it. I don’t volunteer anywhere. In addition, I’m not trying to save the planet or discover a cure for all COVID-19 variants. Frankly, I’m content to produce an article for this website occasionally. Consequently, I have time to do “invaluable” research and come up with posts like today’s offering, “DO EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELDS CAUSE OUR DOGS TO CIRCLE BEFORE THEY POOP?”
The Dirty Kitchen Post Gets a Lot of Visitors
While I do virtually nothing around the house or on our property, I do have a few “chores.” For example, I boil water in the wee hours of the morning in our “dirty kitchen.”
Now that post I did years ago, on “dirty kitchens,” gets numerous hits. Subsequently, I thought it might be because some folks might have thought something “dirty” was going on in the kitchen.
I can assure you, nothing is. One of our eight canines, “Squeaky,” can attest to that. “Squeak,” one of our two “inside” dogs, always goes out with me in the morning to take a pee. He then stands guard outside our dirty kitchen door as I boil water for our two thermos bottles.
Squeaky’s first bath
I boil the water using firewood my hardworking asawa has collected on our property. Why waste a valuable free fuel source and spend extra money using our gas cook stove? In addition, my better half is collecting dead tree branches that have fallen to the ground.
We have an abundance of those, especially after the deadly Typhoon Odette uprooted six trees on our property.
One of the six trees uprooted on our property during the storm
Taking the Pups Out to Pee, Poop, and Eat Grass
Another of my “chores” involves taking two of our pooches out to pee, poop, and eat grass. While our Belgian Malinois “Killer” roams our fenced-in three-acre property, I have to take two of the pooches out on a leash. (That’s “Killer” in the opening photograph.)
“Killer” is territorial. He’s a true “Alpha Male.” He’s attacked most of our other dogs except for his girlfriend, “Cinderella,” aka “Cindy.” Therefore, to avoid any injuries to our dogs, “Bandit” and “Ella,” I escort the two “pups.” I take them out after I boil water in the dirty kitchen. They provide security back up to “Killer” and are stationed at our front porch.
“Bandit,” the male, pees almost immediately. In addition, he doesn’t look around too much to find a place to poop. He usually eats a lot of grass.
According to greencrossvets.com.au, dogs eat grass to add fiber to their diet, to induce vomiting if they don’t feel well, as a distraction from boredom, or to fill a void in their nutrition.
Not all dogs vomit after eating grass, but some dogs eat grass to relieve themselves of an upset stomach, says Dr. Kennedy from greencrossvets.com.au/vets/beenleigh/.
“Sometimes that’s exactly what your dog wants to do – pup feels a bit sick and knows that eating grass could lead to vomiting and a better tummy,” Dr. Kennedy says.
“Prince” is the father of five of our puppies. He had a relationship with “Cinderella,” now “Killer’s” boyfriend
Ella and Cindy Circle before They Poop
While taking our two canines out, I’ve noticed that “Ella” takes quite a lot of time before she even finds a pleasant “pee” place. In addition, she always goes around in a circle when she discovers her particular “poop” place.
Not only Ella, but “Cindy,” “Killer’s” girlfriend, also goes around in a circle before she poops. I’ve noticed the male mutts occasionally circle before they poop, but I’ve find the behavior more prevalent with the females.
“DO EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELDS CAUSE OUR DOGS TO CIRCLE BEFORE THEY POOP?”
I’ve finally discovered a possible cause for the circling, the earth’s magnetic poles. Rover.com, courtesy of Wired magazine, enlightened me on the subject.
According to a study published in Frontiers in Zoology, dogs may prefer to excrete with their body aligned along the North-South axis.
Summarized in Wired magazine, the study observed dogs’ eliminating (both urination and defecation.) The study ruled out other influences such as time of day, the angle of the sun, and speed and strength of the wind.
Finally, the scientists conducting the study were left with compelling evidence that the earth’s magnetic fields might influence your dog’s bathroom habits.
In full disclosure, I don’t know if my bathroom habits are influenced by the planet’s magnetic poles. However, my Comfort Room, CR, habits have changed since retiring to the Philippines.
Our outside CR by our swimming pool. We have four CRs inside our house. I don’t like to wait to use the bathroom
While I used to read a newspaper or magazine while doing my business back in the States, I’ve generally given up that habit in the Philippines.
First, I don’t have a newspaper delivered to our home and secondly, I don’t have a subscription to Time magazine anymore. Moreover, we don’t have any door-to-door mail delivery in our province. On the rare occasion I do have any mail from the States, someone from our local barangay hall delivers it to our home.
I read my news online with a “Marvin the Martian” cup of Good Day coffee in my hand.
Do you want to live the “good life” and quit the “rat race?” Then check out the 2022 version of my best-selling guide on moving to the Philippines, “The 2022 Philippines Expat Advisor.”