Do Wolfdogs Make Good Pets?

Keona is a Wolfdog Companion

Check out the below article on wolfdogs. Some say wolfdogs can make a good companion, but not a good pet. Others say that trying to tame a wild animal is dangerous.

Click Wolfdogs as Companions to read more on this topic and share your thoughts.

Beware of Frozen Ponds

Every year, people and their pets die from falling into a frozen pond. A pond may look frozen, but don’t take a chance. Don’t walk on a frozen pond, lake, or stream. And don’t let your dog run loose around a frozen body of water.

Below are a couple of articles about dogs being rescued from frozen ponds. The video above is from the second article from The Daily Tail. This is a video of a dog being rescued from a frozen pond. Luckily, he was a Pyrenees dog breed with a thick coat and was able to survive for a long time in the frozen water before rescuers got there. Generally, people or dogs only have minutes before deadly hypothermia sets in.

Depending on the dog breed, a dog could survive in ice cold water longer than a person could. So if your dog falls through an frozen pond or lake, call for help immediately. Don’t try to rescue a dog from a frozen pond by yourself as you could get trapped as well.

Please be safe this winter!

Click to read – Andover Firefighters Rescue Dog from Frozen Pond

Click to read – Border Guards Rescue Dog from Frozen Pond (The story which goes along with the video above.)

Another video of a dog being rescued from a frozen pond below:

Favorite Dexter Christmas Dog Videos

Christmas Dog Video – Dog’s Christmas Morning (Dexter)

Christmas Dog Video – Jingle Dog Rock (Dexter)

New Christmas Dog Video – 12 Dog Days of Christmas (Dexter)

Plus one more dog Christmas video on our Pet Auto Safety Blog. Click HERE to visit the Pet Auto Safety Blog.

Two Great Christmas Dog Videos

Christmas Dog Video – A Doggy Christmas Surprise

Christmas Dog Video – CodyCam: How to Wrap a Dog for Christmas

Check us out on Christmas Day for more great Christmas dog videos from our favorite doggy star – Dexter!

Dog Christmas Cookies Recipes

Dog Christmas Cookies

While you and your family are munching down on Christmas goodies, it is tempting to share some with your dog. He is part of the family, after all. But it is not a good idea to give your dog something with a lot of sugar and fat. It may upset his stomach. Or in the case of something like chocolate, it could be dangerous to his health. So here are a couple of websites with some great dog Christmas cookies recipes:

Click here for recipes from PawLuxury Blogspot.

Click here for recipes from Best Dog Treat Recipes.

If these aren’t to your liking, you could probably modify any simple dog treat recipe into a Christmas treat. Try adding bits of cranberry and/or turkey to the below recipe from AllRecipes.com and using a Christmas-themed cookie cutter:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup water

Mix, roll onto floured surface, cut with cookie cutter, place on non-stick cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

This recipe can be modified in many ways. Add more protein by adding chicken baby food and a little less water. Or use applesauce or unsalted broth instead of water. Add bacon bits to the recipe. Use oatmeal (not instant) instead of cornmeal. The possibilities are endless! Just make sure your dough is not too sticky. If it gets too sticky, add more wheat flour, oatmeal, or cornmeal.

What Are You Going to do with Your Dog this Holiday Season?

Are you taking your dog with you this holiday season or are you leaving him behind? If you can’t take your pet with you, read our article from our Pet Auto Safety blog titled, “Where Will Your Dog Stay This Holiday Season?” This article considers pet sitters, friends, and boarding kennels.

Please note, if you haven’t thought about who is going to care for your pet this holiday season, it may be too late to hire a pet sitter or make reservations with a boarding kennel. These places are generally fully booked for the holidays weeks or months in advance.

Cute Dog Photo – Bailey Gets in the Trash

A friend of mine sent me this cute dog photo of Bailey. It was too cute to keep to myself. Enjoy!  :0)

To this day, Bailey proclaims his innocence despite the evidence.

Do you have any cute dog photos you’d like to share? Feel free to email us at naturebydawn@aol.com.

Practicing Pet Safety for the Holidays

There is so much going on around Christmas time. Things may even get a little chaotic. But don’t forget about your dog or cat. Be sure to practice pet safety for the holidays by being aware of and reducing certain dangers.

Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree itself probably isn’t much of a danger. Just be careful your dog or cat doesn’t knock it down. Cats may like to climb the tree. The ornaments on the Christmas tree could be an issue with your pet. If you have a pet, it is probably not a good idea to have food like popcorn string decorating your tree. If your dog likes to chew, keep tinsel, ornaments, and Christmas lights out of his reach. Be especially careful of glass ornaments. Cats and dogs alike may try to play with them and hurt themselves.

Holiday Decor
Plants like poinsettia, holly, and mistletoe are poisonous. Consider imitation plants instead or keep the plants out of reach of your pets. Other holiday decor which could be dangerous is candles. A dog with a wagging tail may accidentally knock over a lit candle and a cat may accidentally walk by a lit candle and catch his tail on fire. Also be careful of holiday decor which may be enticing to your pet as a toy. Cats love to play and although there may not be much danger in that, some decor can get broken and cut someone. Small children may pick up what your cat knocked over. Dogs may mistake some decor, such as stuffed snowmen or santas, as chew toys.

Christmas Presents
Keep small Christmas presents out of reach. Cats may play with them and unintentionally break the gift. Dogs may chew them. Especially keep stockings with candy and small toys out of reach. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and other candy may upset his stomach. Small toys may be mistaken as chew toys. Your dog may accidentally ingest one and choke or get it lodged in his intestines which may require an emergency surgery to remove it.

Christmas Dinner
Much holiday food is not good for your pet. Do not give your dog turkey or ham bones. Other holiday foods may have spices and fats which will upset your dog’s stomach. Cookies and other sweets could also upset your dog’s stomach. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and macadamia nuts may be as well. Also, if you serve hors d’oeurves for a Christmas party, be sure all the toothpicks are picked up and thrown away. Or don’t use toothpicks at all. This could be very bad for your dog if he tries to chew one. And one last thing about holiday food – be sure to throw leftovers and bones in the outside trash or in a trash can which your dog can’t get into.

Holiday Visitors
The people you invite to your home probably are not a danger to your pets. Otherwise you wouldn’t have invited them, right? But with all the visitors going in and out, they may not be used to pets and may accidentally let them out. Or they may accidentally leave a door open. It only takes a moment for a pet to slip through and go outside to explore. Be sure your guests are all aware of where the pets are and are not allowed. Let your guests know about any issues, such as a dog liking to bolt and not coming when called or a cat being sneaky and squeezing out the door. If you know that one of your pets has this issue, consider keeping him confined to certain areas of the house only. For example, use a pet gate to keep him away from the entryway to the front door. Also make sure your pets are wearing their collars and id tags for in case they do get out.

Young children may also be a danger to pets and vice versa. Make sure children and pets are supervised. Young children may not understand that they are doing something to hurt your pet. If your pet growls or gives warning, a child may not understand what that means and it could lead to the child being bitten.

So for a quick re-cap, beware of holiday items which your pet may break, chew, or knock over. Be careful about your pet eating poisonous holiday plants, candy, or other holiday foods. And make sure your pets are secured indoors and are supervised with children. Puppies and kittens can be especially vulnerable since they have not had much training yet and may be enticed by all the new things and new people around.

Be safe and have a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Dog Lovers

Yorkie Dog Figurine

If you are like me, you have a lot of friends who also love their dogs. So what better gift to give this Christmas than a dog-related gift? Here are some great gift ideas for dog lovers:

Pet Travel Products
If you have a friend who loves to pamper their small dog, consider a stylish pet car seat. Other pet travel products include a smart dog car harness or durable pet barrier.

Dog Breed Figurines
If your friend has a purebred dog, consider a dog breed figurine. They are cute and relatively inexpensive.

Dog Pooper Scooper
Have you heard your friend complain about what a hassle it is to keep the dog poo picked up in their yard? Consider this great product, Scoopy-the-Poo.

Books About Dogs
There are lots of great dog stories out there. Check out our Dog Lover’s Book Store for some great ones!

Dog Bed
I don’t know about you, but I have a dog bed in almost every room of my house. This is because my dogs follow me around wherever I go and like to be in the same room that I am in. Here is a review on the Caddis Corner dog bed for large dogs. Other dog beds are available at our Amazon.com a-store, The Quality Dog Bed Store.

Dog Sweaters
Dog sweaters are needed now more than ever, especially for small dogs. And there are so many different colors and styles to choose from. The Protective Clothes for Dogs Store, an Amazon.com a-store, has a few dog sweaters, dog boots, dog hats, and raincoats for dogs to choose from.

Dog Brush
Perhaps your friend already has a number of dog brushes for their dog. But perhaps they have also told you that nothing seems to work. Have they tried the Furminator or ShedZilla?

Walking Harness
My dog Maya is a very energetic Labrador Retriever. If you have ever had a Lab, then you know what I mean. And you also know how difficult it can be to walk a Lab because they are so excited. Nothing seems to work. That is, until the Pull No More dog leash/harness. Check out my review on this great product. I can promise you that it has done wonders for Maya.

Dog Toys
We just wrote a blog post a few days ago about our dog toy reviews. Check out Great Christmas Toys for Dogs for more information.

Dog Movies
There are so many great dog movies out there. There are the classics like, Lassie Come Home, Old Yeller, and The Incredible Journey. There are also some adorable modern dog movies like Cats & Dogs, Hachi, A Dog’s Tale, and Snow Dogs. Find these and other great dog movies at our Amazon.com a-store, Movies About Dogs.

Great Christmas Toys for Dogs

Maya and her Tuffy's Dog Toy

Christmas is coming and we dog-lovers can’t help but to give gifts to our beloved four-legged family members too. I’ve already gotten my dog Maya some great dog toys. And some of those I couldn’t wait until Christmas to give to her.

Revisit some of our blog posts about dog toys reviews.

Tuffy’s Dog Toys
The smaller star-shaped Tuffy’s dog toy I had bought Maya some time back didn’t last but a few days. But I got her the larger purple octopus a few months ago and she still has it! It has a few hole punctures but the squeaker in the octopus head and all eight squeakers in the arms are still there!!!

Kyjen Puzzle Dog Toys
Maya loves the Kyjen Puzzle dog toys. But she does chew them to pieces if I let her. By only giving her the toys when I am able to supervise, they have lasted a few months.

Bottle Buddy Dog Toys
Maya still hasn’t chewed one up completely. I’ve replaced the plastic bottle inside several times but the plush bottle buddy dog toy is still in decent shape. It shows some obvious chewing and I have washed it a couple times, but otherwise it has easily lasted her several months (with supervised play only).

Kong Dog Toys
The Kong dog toy has lasted years. I loved the classic red Kong so much that I also bought the Kong Flier. There is not a single dent or chew mark on the Kong dog toys even though Maya plays with them all the time.