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Fido, July 4th Fireworks 6 Simple Safety Tips

More pets go missing July 4th through the 6th because of Fireworks. Sadly, on average only 14% are returned to their owners! Here are 5 Simple safety tips about Fido , July 4th fireworks and Fido July 4th Fireworkshow to minimize the trauma. 

  1. KEEP YOUR PETS INDOORS! Preferably with no access to any exterior doors. If your dog is crate trained, this is a great time to crate them. Place their crate in an interior room, turn on music to help drown out the sounds of fireworks, close blinds to minimize the flashing lights.
  2. BRING OUTDOOR PETS INSIDE! At least into your garage for safety. Dogs can and do jump fences and/or dig out. Even if they never have before, there is higher likelihood of them doing so during fireworks.
  3. DESENSITIZE YOUR DOGS. Prior to these events, work to teach them not to be afraid. You can do so by doing obedience training, using positive reinforcement with food. You can download fireworks sounds from the net, play them very quietly at first while you have your dog do simple tasks such as sit, down and place drills (lots of repetition). Gradually (over time) increase the volume while training. Use high value treats, hot dogs, boiled chicken etc. You can actually teach your dog to like the sound because it has a positive association with food. When you get a new puppy, start right away. This can be a life saving training exercise!
  4. MICROCHIP YOUR PETS! But also make sure they are wearing a collar and have name tags. People are much more likely to approach a dog with a collar on because they know it belongs to someone. Without a collar it looks like a stray. Also the tags make it easy for the good Samaritan to act quickly and easily. These days they have dog collars that you can have your phone number and dog’s name embroidered right on it!
  5. LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME! Don’t bring your dog in the car to fireworks displays. They are likely to escape when you enter and exit your vehicle. Follow tip #1 while you are gone to a fireworks display. 
  6. HIRE A PET SITTER! Many people don’t just go see fireworks. They go to parties that last for hours. While you are away enjoying the festivities, hire a pet sitter to come keep your pets company! This can go a long way to minimize the stress your pets feel. Just knowing someone is there can be hugely helpful.

You love your pets so, follow these simple measures to avoid losing Fido July 4th Fireworks.

 

Bring Fido, Dog Friendly Restaurant Etiquette

Bring Fido, Dog Friendly Restaurant Etiquette for Fido

Terie Hansen

 

As the weather warms up, with it comes opportunities to bring Fido along for the ride. Taking your dog out for social experiences is a great way to bond with your dog as well as put into action those commands you’ve been teaching him. When you bring Fido to a dog friendly restaurant, etiquette is a must. Bring Fido dog friendly restaurant etiquette

Picture yourself, hanging out on the patio of a great restaurant, sipping Mojitos while your dog lounges calmly at your side. Nice right? However, if your dog is not well mannered enough for such an experience it can be less relaxing and more stressful for you, your dog and those around you. Just because a restaurant is dog friendly, doesn’t mean any behavior is acceptable.

Proper etiquette to keep in mind if you are thinking of bringing Fido… When you bring Fido, dog friendly restaurant etiquette is a must.

Friendly, Social Dogs Welcome: Don’t bring your dog if they are nervous around other people or dogs. You won’t have a good time, and neither will they. [Read more…]

Pet Disaster Preparedness

If disaster strikes are you Pet Disaster Preparedness planprepared to save your pet? A Pet Disaster Preparedness plan could save a life!

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma fast approaching many pets have been and will be displaced. At this point, they are forecasting Hurricane Irma will affect even those in Atlanta and outlying areas. To what extent, we will have to wait and see. During events like these, pet disaster preparedness is crucial for the safety of your pet.

Many who don’t prepare may be forced to leave their pets behind.

[Read more…]

6 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Your Pet

If you are like me you like to find fun ways to celebrate the holidays with your pet. Here are 6 simple and fun ideas on how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your pet. St. Patrick’s Day Pet .

st patrick's day pet

  1. Take your dog to a pet friendly restaurant to celebrate. At Lucky’s 

Lucky's Burger & BrewBurger & Brew in Atlanta your dog is welcome on the enclosed pup friendly patio. They have water bowls and dog treats for your furry friend.   [Read more…]

10 Important Questions to Ask When Hiring a Pet Sitter

10 Important Questions to Ask When Hiring a Pet Sitter

I’m sure like most pet owners, you feel that your pets are not just animals they are family members. As such you want to make sure that whoever is caring for them ishiring a pet sitter to provide pet care for your dog in your home qualified to do so. As a professional pet sitter, I have heard many horror stories from new clients regarding non-professionals they have used in the past. From pets left for days without food or water, to their pet sitter canceling on them at the last minute, to the person bringing other people, friends or family members into their home, to medications not being administered correctly or at all, to complete no shows and more! These tragedies and more are what caused them to seek out a professional pet sitting service.

There a many pet sitting clearing houses online these days such as care.com, rover.com, sittercity just to name a few. On these sites anyone can sign up and present themselves as a pet sitter. While there are professionals who post on these sites, BEWARE, many are no more than hobbyists or folks who have little to no experience at all.

 

REMEMBER, WHILE CARING FOR YOUR PET, THIS PERSON WILL HAVE FULL ACCESS TO YOUR HOME AND YOUR POSSESSIONS. [Read more…]

The Dangers of Foxtails and Your Pet

The Dangers of Foxtails and Your Pet

Foxtails -A foxtail is a spikelet or spikelet cluster of a grass, that serves to disperse its foxtails (grass awns) seeds as a unit. Thus the foxtail is a type of diaspore or “plant dispersal unit”. Some grasses that produce a foxtail are themselves called “foxtail“, also “spear grass”. – wikipedia

foxtails grass awnThese “foxtail like” weed clusters have barbs that when disturbed, fall and work their way into the ground making it hard for the cluster to come loose from the dirt. The outside part of the cluster also harbors bacteria composed of enzymes that break down cellular matter.  [Read more…]

Dog Walking, We Have No Idea When You’ll Return

As a professional, while dog walking we may meet your neighbors and they may ask “When will she be back?” “I don’t know.” Wait! You don’t know when your clients are coming back from their vacation? You won’t tell a well-meaning neighbor (supposedly) that your client will be back on X day? It’s not like they are going to break in or anything! Sheesh! Maybe they were just making conversation. Maybe they are on Neighborhood watch duty and the Lilburn pet sitter looked suspicious.

dog walking while wearing my logo t shirt

My dog walking logo tshirt can be scary to some people!

I get it. I look totally creepy. While dog walking my jeans and company T-shirt are alarming. Maybe it’s my hair? The [Read more…]

5 Spring Pet Safety Tips

5 Springtime Pet Safety Tips

Spring is just around the corner and with it a host of hazardous things for your pet to get into! Here are some tips on keeping pets safe this spring.

Plants are springing forth and unless you know exactly what’s what, keep your dog poisonous plants for petsfrom eating, chewing and even digging around plants, mushrooms etc. Things like daffodil bulbs, crocus, Lily of the Valley, Hyacinth, Iris and more are all spring blooming and as such pose a threat to your pet. For an in depth poisonous plant list click here.

Snakes Alive! It’s hatchling season and you may have noticed that baby snakes are out and about. Snakes are obviously dangerous for your snakes and petsdog or cat but baby snakes are even more dangerous because they haven’t yet learned to regulate the amount of venom they inject when lashing out to defend themselves against an unsuspecting dog or cat. So typically they inject all they have. Yikes! This can be deadly for your pet. If you suspect a snake bite get your pet to your veterinarian immediately and take a photo of the snake if possible as this will help your vet determine an anti-venom. [Read more…]

Is Your Dog at Risk for Deadly Bloat?

Bloat, otherwise known as Gastric Dilation and Volvulus can happen Bloat in dogswhen a dog’s stomach swells up and/or twists because it is filled with food, fluid or gas. The swelling creates pressure on the surrounding internal area. This can result in difficulty breathing, tears in the stomach wall and loss of blood flow to the heart and stomach. The twisting or “torsion” also cuts off critical blood flow to the heart and body by trapping it in the stomach both of which can send your dog into shock.
[Read more…]

House Training Your Dog in 9 Easy Steps

House Training Your Dog in 9 Easy Steps

House training your dog or puppy can go smoothly if you know what to do and you are consistent. Follow these 9 steps to accelerate the learning process. [Read more…]