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Fourth of July Pet Safety

On Friday one of the DJ’s for my local radio station mentioned upcoming Fourth of July celebrations, and she warned dog owners about fireworks. She said that she sees more fliers go up for missing dogs on July 5 than just about any other day of the year, all because of the fireworks noise. It’s something that never occurred to me, but it makes a lot of sense. Depending on where you live and how loud noise from fireworks might be in your yard, Independence Day, while fun for us humans, could prove frightening for our pets. If you keep … Continue reading →

Keeping Pets Safe on Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I think it’s due to many happy childhood memories I have of this season and of this holiday in particular. But it just might be my pets’ least favorite, as a new report calls Halloween the most dangerous holiday for pets. The Baltimore Sun has the scoop from the Pet Poison Hotline. Just hearing the name of the company releasing the report makes it obvious why Halloween is considered so dangerous: chocolate. That’s right; the hotline says that calls made to it go up 12% this time of year. The first step I should take … Continue reading →

Trust and Pet Ownership

It requires a lot of trust to own a pet. Have you ever noticed that? I didn’t understand how much trust is involved in pet ownership until all this stuff with Murphy’s paw happened. Now I realize how many people and institutions a pet owner must trust on a daily basis. Here’s a few to show you what I’m talking about. 1. Trusting Vets We trust our vets to administer the proper vaccinations annually for our pet’s health. We also trust that the vet knows how to do this and that the vaccines they’re administering are safe. When our pets … Continue reading →

Indoor Pet Safety

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Keep your pet away from machinery like sewing machines or workshop power tools. A nose, paw, or tail can get seriously injured! Make sure your home office is safe. Keep staplers, scissors, and letter openers out of your pet’s reach. Store anything dangerous to pets (or kids) in a drawer or cabinet. Don’t leave your paper shredder on automatic! Check appliances before using them. A pet may crawl into the dishwasher to lick leftovers from plates or into the dryer for warmth. Don’t leave the kitchen while you’re cooking. A curious paw could get burned on cooking food; an errant … Continue reading →

20 Ways to Avoid Independence Day Injuries

Nothing extinguishes Fourth of July fun faster than an injury.  That goes double if your young child is the victim of an Independence Day accident. To avoid the physical pain and suffering associated with a holiday mishap and the added agony of paying sky-high medical bills, consider the following safety tips:   Never allow children to ignite fireworks. Adults should be on hand at all times when children are near fireworks. Always follow the instructions printed on the fireworks’ box. Keep fire extinguishers, water hoses or a bucket of water on hand if you are using any type of pyrotechnic, … Continue reading →

DIY Olympic Fun

The opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics get underway in just a few days. However, you don’t need to travel to London in order to get in on all the athletic fun. Kids, who are inspired by the mega-athletes they view on TV, can replicate the record-breaking moves at home. Here are a few ideas to get your children into the spirit of the 2012 Summer Games: Relay Races: Foot races are one of the oldest and most popular Olympic Games. What’s more, they are also one of the easiest for kids to participate in. Simply collect some small … Continue reading →

What’s Best for a Cat: Inside or Outside?

Did you know that attitudes toward cats are almost completely opposite in the United States verses the United Kingdom? Not the entire thought about cats, but whether or not they should go outside. In America a popular thought is that it’s better to keep the cat inside. Conversely, in Great Britain it’s often considered cruel not to give a cat the option of going outdoors. Our neighbors lived for a while in England. They applied to the RSPCA for a cat and were almost denied because they didn’t have a kitty door that would allow the cat to go inside … Continue reading →

Yappy Hours

On-leash food and fundraising events are more common, but the trend is changing Dogs and – alcohol? There’s a new trend going around in parties, often fundraising ones, which combines these two unlikely partners. Meet the Yappy Hour. Yappy Hours are times bars hold that allow patrons to bring their dogs along for some socializing fun. Bars realize they’ll get more dog owners (39% of the U.S. population, if the Humane Society’s statistics are to be believed) to come out to their normal happy hours if they allow them to bring their dogs, and the patrons are happy for the … Continue reading →

Halloween and the Escape Artist

Halloween can be a day with more tricks than treats if you share your home with a four-legged escape artist. Picture it: Halloween 2004. Moose, Lally, and I were living in New Jersey with my grandmother. My grandmother turned out the lights before I even got home from work, signaling trick-or-treaters that we were out of candy. Because we still had candy and I was bursting with Halloween cheer, I turned the lights back on. As soon as I opened the door for the very first trick-or-treater, Moose snuck out and took off. I dropped my candy bowl by the … Continue reading →

Dogs and Cats Living Together: Six Month Update

Wow, has it been six months already? By my calendar, it has. Back in January, the dogs and I moved in with roommates who have two cats. Want to catch up on the story? Introducing the roommates’ kitties, Shiro and Kachiko The first meeting (before we actually moved in) Dogs in residence! Animal body language translates between cats and dogs How each of the animals reacted to the stress of living together Animal behavior isn’t what we expected. I don’t know if the dogs and cats are ever going to be friends — as we’d hoped. Moose and Lally still … Continue reading →