Taking Pets to Nursing Homes

Life as a blogger can be lonely. I spend a lot of time alone in my house. Sure, I have three pets, but when I start carrying on actual half-conversations with my dog or my cats, then I know perhaps it’s time to get out a bit more. That’s why I started volunteering so much in my area. I visit various organizations multiple times a week, the local rescue included, to get out and interact with people. The very first group with which I looked into volunteering when I first moved to my area three years ago was Pets on … Continue reading

Pets and Home Renovations

We’ve had a lot of guests at the cats-only boarding facility lately who are in need of a safe, quiet haven while their homes are under construction. But you don’t have to remove your pets from the house while workers are there — as long as you’re careful. Make a safe room for pets. If you can, keep one room free of the chaos of construction. You can keep your pets safely in the safe room with food, fresh water, and some kind of distractions — a special toy, soft music, and tasty treats. If your pets are unsettled by … Continue reading

Man Locks Self in Kennel to Help Homeless Animals

Over the past few weeks I’ve read a couple stories indicating a possibly growing new trend: humans locking themselves in animal shelters to raise awareness for pet safety and rights. In the first, a woman lived in a small, cramped space for a week, live streaming the whole thing online. The point was to raise awareness for the conditions under which dogs are often forced to live in puppy mills and similar facilities. Then at the beginning of the month, according to the Miami Herald, a man moved into a dog run (a kennel) for a weekend to promote an … Continue reading

Wash Those Hands and Paws: More Salmonella Found in Dog Food

I can’t believe I have to take to my keyboard again so soon on this issue, but here I am. More Salmonella-related recalls have been issued for dog food, and once again they’re from parent company Diamond Pet Foods. This is all just getting so confusing and ridiculous. The problem is that several brands with different names are all manufactured at the same plant, so it’s hard to keep track of what’s safe and what might be infected. Eleven different brands of pet food are all under a voluntary recall for potential Salmonella contamination. They are: Chicken Soup for the … Continue reading

Opportunities To Serve

I recently wrote about children needing to learn to respect their elders. We need to take advantage of all teachable moments. As a single mother there may already be so much on your to do list that one more thing will push you over the edge but we are their first teacher and need to be aware of it. Our children will learn by what they see us do. If we are rude to salespeople, waitresses or telemarketers we are telling our children it’s ok to be rude to other people. It’s hard after working all day, coming home to … Continue reading

A People Dog

My dog is a people dog. She loves people. If she can hear someone, her tail wags and butt wiggles until she’s able to see that person. Sometimes her enthusiasm gets a bit out of control; she jumps, she barks, she rolls around, until she’s able to bask in that much-desired attention. All of this is great, right? Definitely. However, Chihiro’s deep love of people – seriously, I know a lot of families with dogs and I go to the dog park and I’ve met few other dogs as desperate for human attention as Chihiro – seems to come at … Continue reading