Send Thanksgiving Dog e-Cards to Dog Lovers

Check out this cute site which allows you to send free holiday e-cards:

 

http://www.sloppykisscards.com/holiday-ecards.php

 

These cards are great for dog lovers and include many holidays, including Thanksgiving!

 

 

No Turkey Bones About It – Food Harmful to Dogs

Don’t spoil your dog with people food this holiday season.  While a small amount of some foods may have no ill effects, other foods can actually be deadly.  Some harmful foods include raisins or grapes, onions, macadamia nuts, dark chocolate, and turkey bones.

Check out our full post on Thanksgiving food harmful to dogs at our other site, http://www.petautosafetyblog.com/.

Make Homemade Dog Toys for Under $5

Why buy your dog expensive toys (which they will probably chew to pieced in a couple of hours anyway) when you can make your own dog toys?!

Check out this great and informative article by Susan Benson:

Homemade Dog Toys – 7 Toys You Make Yourself For Under $5 – Your Dog Will Love Them

The toys she talks about in this article include a frisbee rope, Mr. Sock, and Swing the Plastic Bottle.

Former Fighting Dogs Rescued – There is Hope

There is a very happy ending for hundereds of the pit bull dogs rescued during a dogfighting raid in the central US on July 8, 2009. A quote from an article at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOzxRaig56fT1Rz5bzRnwB3VAF4wD9BTC77G0 says, “Animal behaviorist Pamela Reid, who was part of the team that evaluated the dogs, said a surprising two-thirds tested well for nonaggression and adoptability.” To read more about this happy story and to see pictures of the dogs visit the link above.

Local News – 25 Puppy Mill Puppies at Wayside Waifs

A puppy mill in central Missouri was shut down and 90 dogs were rescued. 25 of the dogs are receiving care at Wayside Waifs animal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri. These dogs are being treated and are recovering, but it is not known how the other 65 fare. It is possible that they are being treated at other animal shelters in Missouri. For more information visit the article at Fox 4: http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-wayside-waifs-puppy-mill-111009,0,5609770.story

 Or visit Wayside Waifs’ website at http://www.waysidewaifs.org.

 

Wayside Waifs says they will have updates on You Tube.

The Wayside Waifs animal shelter is only a 45 minute drive from where we are located. We have been there numerous times and it is a very nice facility. If you live in the area, please visit and consider adopting a homeless pet. Please also consider making a donation. View their site to see how.

 

Fantastic Dog Segment on the Rachael Ray Show

 

I was just brought to tears of joy from watching the Rachael Ray Morning Show.  She talked about a caring woman named Lisa who is trying to build her own animal shelter for homeless animals.  Lisa has been taking animals into her home for some time and was that if she keeps these animals, she must build a proper facility.  Rachael Ray happily donated money and food in order to help Lisa with her venture.  Congratulations Lisa!  People like you make the world better.

Also featured in this segment were two chow mix puppies (above).  The puppies had a lot of missing hair from an infection and were in sad shape when Lisa rescued them.  The dogs have since received medical attention. Rachael Ray put these dogs on her show this morning and announced that the puppies are going to be just fine.  The dogs are still missing a lot of hair, but much of it is growing back and they are now ready for adoption.

I not only want to honor Rachael for helping Lisa and these animals out, but I also want to honor her for putting these two puppies on the air.  Most people who put dogs for adoption on the air only show “cute” puppies with no defects.  People forget that there are other animals out there who may have special needs and may not fit the ideal “cuteness” as other dogs in need.  Without Rachael and Lisa’s help, these dogs might have languished in a kill shelter before being put to sleep.

Here is a link to the Rachael Ray show and her segment on Lisa’s shelter and the chow mix puppies: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/rach-visit-shelter/

Photo with Caption Too Cute Not to Share

From http://ihasahotdog.com/2009/11/06/cute-puppy-pictures-cavity-searches/

Lots of cute and funny pictures on this site.. check them out!!

Police Dogs Being Adopted From Shelters

The Chicago Police Department is doing a great thing by getting their police dogs from a shelter rather than from an expensive breeder.  This helps give homeless dog a chance at a happy life and proves that an adopted dog can be just as good as a dog purchased from a breeder.  And it saves taxpayor money!

Pantera is the dog’s name and she was adopted from the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League.  Pantera is a 16 month old black lab with a great drive for her job.  She helps to sniff out narcotics and has already succeeded at her job.

Great job, Pantera!  And great job to the Chicago Police Department as well!  Check out more of this story at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk_police_dognov06,0,7894347.story.

A Few Simple Tips To Teach Your Dog Not To Pull You When You Walk

Do you have a big dog who would prefer to walk you than for you to walk him?  I do.  Her name is Maya.  She is a yellow lab with lots of energy and it has been a challenge trying to get her to walk without pulling my arms out of my sockets.  But with lots of time and patience, we are making progress.  I admittedly spoiled her when she was a puppy and did not spend a lot of time making her walk properly on a leash.  So when she got over 70 lbs, I had a difficult time with her. 

Now we walk almost every day.  And every day she makes a little more progress.  Here is what I am doing to help her learn to walk on a leash without pulling:

1. Keep treats in your pocket and give your dog one every now and then when they are walking properly.

2. Give your dog praise when they are walking well.  No need to stop and pet them, just give them the “good” word(s) that you give them whenever they do good.  Or if you use a clicker, give them a click.  (Generally clicks are followed by treats.)  When Maya does well, I say “Good, girl”.

3.  If your dog pulls, stop walking.  You can even take a few steps back.  When you stop and/or take a few steps back, your dog is going to turn around and look at you to figure out what is going on.  Once your dog stops pulling, start walking again.  It may take a long time to get anywhere with this method, but they will get it sooner or later.

4. Try the Gentle Leader or other similar “gentle” product.  It may take some time for your dog to get used to wearing it, but once they get used to it, it works great.  If you buy a Gentle Leader, they have some very helpful tips for helping your dog get used to it.

5. Don’t use one of those retractable leashes when training your dog to walk on a leash.  This encourages your dog to pull.  And don’t use prong or choke collars.  These can do damage to your dog’s neck and throat and they only teach your dog to walk properly when they are wearing them.  Should you ever decide to walk your dog without them, your dog will pull.  Wouldn’t it be better if you could get your dog to walk by your side no matter what sort of collar they wore?

These are just a few tips which have really helped me with Maya.  We still have some work to do, but she is definitely getting better.  Just remember, proper training takes time and patience but it is very rewarding.

Animal Figurine Gifts For Animal Lovers

It’s that time of the year when we start keeping an eye out for great gifts for our friends an family.  So here is an idea for for those who love animals… check out www.AnimalFigurineStore.com.  Not only does the Animal Figurine Store have just about ever AKC dog breed figurine, but they also have an animal figurine of other domestic animals, and an animal figurine of wild animals.