Frisbee Inventor Dies

The following is a reprint from Skyhoundz website.

Walter Frederick "Fred" Morrison (January 23, 1920 - February 9, 2010)

Walter Frederick Morrison, 90, inventor of the plastic version of the flying disc, passed away on February 9, 2010. He was 90 years old - or 19 in dog years. Every kid who has ever thrown a disc in a park owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Morrison for his foresight.


But many dogs owe him much more. You see, the ubiquitous flying disc - known to many as the Frisbee - is much more than a toy to millions of eager canines. It is a profound source of joy, an object of desire, and the glue that has cemented the bond between canine and human for decades.


Morrison may not have realized, as he hawked his plastic discs on California beaches, that canines would come to revere the plastic flying disc even more than humans. Today, no person of reasonable intelligence would deny this truism.


Morrison lead an unusual life that is not well known to most enthusiasts of the flying disc. His interest in flying objects was likely accelerated by his experiences as a pilot during World War II. At one point, Morrison was even shot down and held as a prisoner of war for eight weeks.


Although Morrison is often credited with the invention of the flying disc, that credit more properly belongs to students at Yale University who adapted metal pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company for campus throwing games. Morrison plasticized and popularized the flying disc and initiated the fad that would introduce the world to the plastic flying toy that would soon become known as the "Frisbee."

Morrison's 1957 sale of the rights to his plastic disc invention to the Wham-O Toy Company put the toy in the hands of a company with the means to promote the toy worldwide. Thus, the trademarked term "Frisbee" became primed to enter our lexicon and the hearts and mouths of our canines.


In our house the frisbee is without a doubt the favorite toy. We use a soft variety to save on tooth injuries.


Samba loves her frisbee so much that she taught her puppies how to play with it.


She instilled a respect for the toy in each of her pups.


Not all dogs fly thru the air to play frisbee. Some fly thru the water. This is Noah retrieving his disc from the lake.


Competition for the frisbee is alive and well in our household. Thank you Mr. Morrison. Rest in peace.

Get Ready To Smile!

I bet when you think of a Scottie, you all think of a little black dog. Right? Well, would it surprise you to know that Scotties come in other colors? According to the AKC standard they can be "Black, wheaten or brindle of any color".

Here is a brand new litter of wheaten Scottie pups welcomed by Rocky Creek Scotties.


This is their Dad, Piper.


This is Mom, Carrleigh, with her babies.


This is Hamish.


This is Angus.


Meet Dugan.


Introducing Finlay.


This is Henry.


This is Sophie's Scarlett Sage. What a long name for such a little girl.


The blur is Jasmine. I know from experience that this one is going to be a real mover. My Bailey was a blur, too.


Say hello to Ciara.


And finally, meet Snickers.


What a beautiful little family. If you didn't smile looking at all those puppies, you need a good night's sleep.

Meet Our New Sister

This is Sasha. She's a yellow Lab and was once a rescue.


This is Ernie. He's a Schnoodle and he was a rescue, too.

Ernie and Sasha are best friends. Recently their Mom told them that they were going to help her foster a little dog that didn't have a family. They were going to let her live with them and play with them until a new family came along to adopt her.


Then she brought home Chica.


At first Chica wasn't sure how to behave and get along with Ernie and Sasha, but very soon they became good friends. Chica became such an important part of the family, that Mom and Dad decided to adopt her and make her a permanent part of the family.


Now Ernie has a full time playmate.


Chica and Ernie love to race around chasing each other.


And when Chica gets tired of playing, she and Sasha can take naps together.

And then guess what happened? Mom and Dad decided to foster again and brought home Milli.

Milli is looking for her forever home, but in the meantime she's the perfect size to play with Chica. Congratulations to the whole family. What a happy ending for everyone.

New Dog On The Blog

We have a new dog to welcome to the blogging family. Meet Cricket!!


Isn't he a cutie?

When Kathy lost her beloved Huck, she knew she wanted another dog in her life, but it took a while to find the perfect fit. She checked out the shelters, but she didn't make that special connection, till she met Cricket.



What a sweet little guy. I have a special fondness for black dogs, eight of mine are black, but did you know that black dogs are the least adopted from shelters and the most euthanized? The statistics are appalling. Cricket is a lucky boy, he found his safe, loving happy forever home. Congratulations, Kathy, you made a great choice.

Dog Tags

This is a good time to check your pet's ID tags. Are they still attached to the collar? Are they still legible? Have you moved or changed your phone number and forgotten to update the tags?

Maybe you'd like to get your best friend a fancy new tag just because you love him. Dog tags come in lots of materials, stainless, brass, plastic, enamel and others. They come in pretty colors and designs. They're now a fashion statement as well as a safety feature.

I get our tags at Boomerang Tags. They're not fancy, some are stainless and some are brass, but I've found that they are deeply engraved and the writing remains legible longer than any other tags we've used. Several of our dogs have medical conditions and I have those plus their vet's phone number engraved on the backs.


There are lots of other options for the well dressed pet. Here are just a few.
Good Dog Tags has a huge selection of designs. They have animal, nature, abstract, celestial and holiday designs. Check them out.
This is just a small sampling of their designs.




Red Dingo Dog Tags are stainless steel and enamel. They have a large selection of colors and designs. They also have some adorable cat ID tags featuring fish , mice, flowers, etc.


They're perfect for any size dog.


Some of the prettiest tags I've seen come from By Nicola. These are all handmade and are stainless with copper or silver.


There are a number of designs available.



Pet Expectations have a variety of shapes and colors available.

They also have some devices that are perfect for the lucky dog that has several collars.

This handy item is called the Nite Ize Pet Tag Holder. If you like to change your dog's collar with the seasons or to match your outfit, this makes it easy to just snap off the tags and switch them to another collar.


This is the Cetacea Tag It. It also holds the tags and clips onto the collar for easy removal.




Calling All Dogs have a lot of unique designs in various metals and colors. These are just a few of the styles they offer.



Be sure that the tags you buy are engraved and not stamped. The lettering on stamped tags will rub off from constant wear and won't provide the protection you're looking for. Check the tags frequently for legibility.

Even the very best tag won't protect your pet if it can't be read or if the pet loses it. Microchipping offers the best protection. If your dog or cat dashes out the door without it's collar when the UPS man knocks, a microchip can help him find his way back home safely. It's inexpensive and relatively painless and lasts for the life of the pet.

Happy tag shopping. It's like buying pretty jewelry for our pets, with a very practical purpose. Let us know if you have a favorite place to buy tags. We'll share with everyone.

Dogs That Work - Literacy Dogs

There are lots of ways that dogs help people. They see for people with vision problems, they hear for those who can't and they help those who are unable to move around on their own by performing many useful tasks. But do dogs help us read? The answer is yes.



There are several organizations that use dogs to help children learn to read.



One of the organizations is R.E.A.D. Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
It is designed to improve childrens' reading and communication skills by having the children read to a dog.



The idea is that dogs are non-judgmental don't criticize and don't laugh if you make a mistake. Besides, it's fun to read to a dog. Have you tried it?

The program was started in 1999 by Sandi Martin and her Portuguese Water Dog, Olivia (You knew I had to slip that in there), and was the first such program in the country.



R.E.A.D. was so successful that there are now other similar programs all across the country. Reading With Rover is one that began on the west coast.


Handlers take their dogs into schools, libraries, pediatric clinic waiting rooms,after school latch-key programs, hospitals, detention centers and boys and girls clubs. They are also useful in programs where children are learning English as a second language.



The handler sits with the child and dog to assist and assess how well the child comprehends what he or she is reading. This is done by asking the child to explain to the dog what was read.



The results of these programs have been positive. The children become more self confident, they show more interest in reading on their own for fun, reading scores improve and hygiene improves. All in all the children demonstrate higher self esteem.



Reading therapy dogs must meet certain qualifications. They must be registered therapy dogs. You can begin by attending a basic obedience course with your dog. The next step is passing the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test which was discussed on an earlier Dogs-N-More post. Then contact either Delta Society or Therapy Dogs International for specific directions on becoming a registered therapy dog. They will assist you in finding an instructor in your locale.



Once you and your canine partner have fulfilled the requirements, there are many possibilities open to you for making a difference in the lives of others. Most therapy teams find their work not only rewarding, but a lot of fun. What a great way to spend quality time with your dog.