Today's guest post is by Ellie Smith of Pet Pals Direct.

Dogs really do eat anything

I recently read an article about Lola the underwear eating dog, who outrageously consumed three pairs of pants and developed a keen taste for all things unsuitable for a dog’s palate. The next temptation was chocolate brownies as the smell of freshly made, chocolaty delights proved simply irresistible. Lola devoured the whole lot along with the shattered glass of the container. Luckily the recently consumed underwear protected Lola’s stomach from cutting her – things could have been a whole lot worse.

This story actually brought back memories, as my border collie Meg decided to help herself to a whole packet of Nurofen (a painkiller) when she was only two years old. After a couple of hours running around the house like a maniac, my partner spotted the empty packet and panic stations hit. The tablets contained Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal drug that works as a pain relieving as well as an anti-inflammatory drug. When we rushed Meg to the vets we were told that her brain was abnormal from the chemical reaction and this had caused her to behave rather strangely. This reaction is most common when a dog eats slug or snail pellets. After a night of unpleasant surgery at the vets Meg recovered quite quickly but we were told that if she was any older her body may not have been able to cope with the shock.

So why are dogs tempted to everything that is not dog friendly?

• Dogs are scavengers by nature and may eat anything they come across
• A dog who eats something peculiar may be acting out of boredom, anxiety or dissatisfaction
• If your dog is left alone most of the day, he or she is probably bored and lonely

We need to remember the animal system is much more delicate to that of a human and these products can prove to be highly harmful.

The best advice I could give to people is to make sure you put all objects away out of pet sniffing reach and mischievous paws. Make sure you reward your dog on a regular basis and give him/ her lots of treats so that temptation of anything unfriendly is prevented. Regular attention and exercise also ensures your dog remains obedient and listens to your commands.

I would also recommend you cover yourself with pet insurance as immediate help from the vet can be extremely costly. We paid out over £300 (editor's note: the author said that they ended up spending about $1000 in total care) for Meg to have her stomach pumped which was a struggle to pay at the time.

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Today's guest post is by Paul Mann, founder of Fetch! Pet Care, a national franchise of professional pet sitters.

Top Five Signs You’re Too Into Your Pet:

1. Your Christmas card spotlights your cats — not the kids.

2. You formally invited your coworkers to your dog’s annual birthday bash.

3. You pick accessories to match the pet hair stuck on your shirt or pants.

4. You know your neighbors solely by their pets’ name.

5. Your screensaver at work is a picture of your pet.

Tips to Reduce Separation Anxiety

1. When on business or personal travel, leaving your pet behind can be difficult. Consider in-home pet care versus boarding or kenneling. In-home pet sitters can help maintain normal activities and allow your pet to be nurtured in familiar, safe surroundings.

2. All pet sitters are not created equal. Diligently check all of the company’s references – at least three should be voluntarily provided. It’s important to ensure that the pet sitting company is fully bonded and insured.

3. Prior to leaving, make sure your pet has plenty to play with. A new bone or toy will distract your pet from your absence and take their mind off your departure.

4. Leave your pet with an item of your clothing that has your scent to they can remember you and be comforted while you are away.

5. Make sure that you assemble a list of emergency contacts with your veterinarian’s phone number. If your pet has any health issues, inform the sitter of this properly prior to your departure.

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Today we have a guest post from Nicole and your friends at Chazhound, the dog bed store; find cool dog toys.

Dog owners are increasingly realizing the benefits of proper dog training and are becoming more involved in training their dogs. Forget the expression “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, dogs can learn at any age and with the proper patience and skills you can train virtually any dog. The important thing is to be clear and consistent in your training so as not to confuse your dog or puppy. Establishing trust with your dog is also very important as a dog that trusts you will do his best to please you.

Knowing how to handle your dog is very important and you will need to learn how to understand your dog’s behavior and language. You should also research your dog’s breed to understand any characteristics that are particular to that breed. The first thing you should teach your dog is that you are the pack leader or alpha dog in the house. One of the first things you may find yourself teaching your dog is how to be housetrained. Puppies generally get an idea of what’s desirable behavior and what isn’t if you use a lot of praise and reward. Harsh punishments will only succeed in confusing your pup and making him fearful of you.

Once your dog begins to view you as his pack leader, he will do his best to please you, dogs love to please their masters and using a positive reinforcement method of training will be the best way of using this eagerness to please that all dogs seem to have.

If you feel you are unable to train your dog yourself because you don’t have the time or you lack the expertise and knowledge to do so, you may consider enlisting the services of a professional dog trainer. Ideally you should be involved in your dog’s training even if you don’t do it yourself. Being actively involved with your dog while he’s being trained will teach you how to understand your dog and how to deal with him properly. Always do your homework before hiring a dog trainer, ask for recommendations from friends and family who may have used the services of a dog trainer before and always choose a trainer who is certified or licensed. Don’t be shy about asking a dog trainer for a list of former clients. You can talk to these people to see if they were satisfied with the trainer’s services. A reputable trainer will never be averse to providing a customer list that you can use in your research.

Regardless of whether you decide to train your dog yourself or if you use a dog trainer, you should do your research to learn about the best options for your dog. Take some time to consider which training techniques you want to use on your dog and research trainers as well as their training facilities before enlisting their services. Bad training methods or disreputable trainers can cause your dog more harm than good, and an emotionally scarred dog may take a long time to rehabilitate.

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Today's guest post is provided by David Duane Wilson from   Adopt Shelter Dogs

Adopting a dog is a big decision, you must be willing to commit your time and money for at least 10 to
15 years. In other words for the lifetime of your dog. Such a long term commitment may keep some
dog lovers from adopting. One of the best ways to find out if dog ownership is right for you is to
become a volunteer at a rescue club. There are many activities that you can help with such as, training
assistant, dog handler, and fostering.

When a dog is taken in by a rescue organization it is observed by a professional dog trainer and its
behavior assessed. Once in the opinion of the trainer that the dog is ready to start training and
socialization, the position of volunteer assistant trainer comes in to play. Under the guidance of the
trainer, you will begin to teach the dog basic commands and work with him. What an opportunity this
is for you. You get to learn the proper techniques of dog training while at the same time helping the
dog.

As the dog learns basic commands and demonstrates his willingness to socialize, he can be taken to
public functions and shown for adoption. As a handler, you will be responsible for taking the dogs to
public showings sponsored by the rescue club. Another task of the handler is the transportation of the
dogs to and from the vet. Fun for the dog and the handler is the important job of exercise and play.
Becoming a foster home for a rescued dog can be the most rewarding and fulfilling. The rescue club
will have you fill out an application and interview you. They will assess your home and yard and try to
match you with a dog that is right in size and activity level for what you have to offer. Some of the
rescue clubs will supply food, leash, collar, and other basic supplies that are needed. All you supply is
time and love.

You can volunteer for all three jobs or just do what you feel comfortable with. By volunteering you
can find out if dog ownership is right for you at little cost. You do not have to make that long term
commitment up front. In this process everybody wins, the dog is rescued, the rescue club operates at
lower expense and your community's stray dog issue is addressed. You can work with the dogs until
you find the special one that is a match for you and then start the adoption process.

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We give our dogs things to chew on for so many reasons; often we have ulterior motives, to keep them busy and not looking for our favorite sneakers to gnaw or opening the bathroom cabinet and pulling out three rolls of toilet paper to string through the house before settling on the bed to do a thorough job of shredding (don't ask me how I know this), or to keep them quiet for awhile at night when we're trying to sleep and the neighbor's cat is sitting below the window taunting your Terrier. Something deliciously chewy can buy you a few hours of sleep.

Rawhide has held a place in the array of chews we've given our dogs for years, decades even, and most of us have gotten by with it. Truthfully, the rawhide of years past probably didn't have as many potential hazards as it does now, not being as highly processed or treated as the stuff we now see.

First there's the toxicity issue. Nothing has ever been really tested as specifically toxic in rawhide chews, but as we use more chemicals to shorten processing times it surely has to cross our minds that some of that gunk is just plain old out and out bad for our dogs. There have been some scares involving imported rawhides, finding traces of arsenic
contamination. Rawhide chews aren't regulated so contamination is always a possibility, especially with imported products. You may find the product heavily dosed with antibiotics, hormones, insecticides, lead, even insecticides.

The stuff also doesn't digest readily. It can sit in the gut, swelling, not breaking down, getting larger until it creates a painful obstruction and needs veterinary intervention. This is especially dangerous if you have one who tears it off in larger chunks. These bigger pieces cause obstructions more easily, and as hard as the rawhide is, it can even cut the esophagus, the stomach and even the intestines.

A dog that consumes rawhide too fast can also end up with vomiting and diarrhea, there are substances in it that can cause stomach irritation and the stiffness of large chunks
can add that dimension of damaging the esophagus and stomach as they're being jettisoned back out. Choking is also a hazard, whether the rawhide is on its way down or back up.

Pig ears can cause similar problems to the rawhides, except they aren't shaped in solid chunks and therefore aren't as likely to cause obstructions. They can, however, be gastric irritants in many of the same ways as the rawhides, plus more bacterial infections have been associated with pig ears.

Hooves are hard enough to break some dogs' teeth, as well as splintering and posing a real threat of choking and internal damage.

Greenies seem to be more hazardous to small dogs than to large ones, causing obstructions and lacerations, some fatal, especially when they're broken off in small chunks and not chewed.

Some dogs just love stuffed toys, but as a general rule shouldn't be left unsupervised with them for any time. It's too easy to rip fabric or split seams and gut the fluff, even
getting down to the squeaker, which isn't something you want to land in your dog's stomach. If you are going to let your dog play with stuffies, and buy the ones made for dogs, familiarize yourself with the company that manufactures them, making sure they aren't imported from China, since those toys will sometimes be stuffed with small pellets, beads or toxic foam. The safest bet is to buy toys made for human children, since they have to pass rigorous safety tests, are made from safe, non-toxic materials, and won't have things like sewn on eyes that can be chewed off and ingested.

Brought to you by Sherrie Calimen of www.pet-super-store.com: Come to his site for a huge selection of dog beds and invisible dog fence.

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Life Saving Dogs: Two Stories

Eve.  Rottweiler and extraordinary service dog. When her owner, Kathie, a paraplegic with multiple sclerosis realized the used truck she had just purchased was on fire as she drove it home faced a fiery death, Eve ignored every natural instinct to save Kathie's life.

The truck had suddenly begun fishtailing as Kathie was on her way home with it. She got it stopped and pulled over, then realized the cab was filling with black smoke. Kathie pushed Eve out of the cab, then shoved her wheelchair out of the door, but then couldn't find the wheelchair in all the smoke.

Instead of running from the fire, Eve stayed with Kathie, grabbing her ankle and pulling her from the truck as Kathie was about to pass out from the smoke. She continued to tug Kathie farther from danger, ignoring the now raging flames, not stopping until they were in a ditch about ten feet from the truck.

Emergency personnel arrived and, seeing that the fire was about to reach the gas tank, shouted for Kathie to move farther away from the huge blast that was about to happen. She tried, in desperation, but couldn't move herself.

Even with the proximity of the flames, Eve stayed with Kathie. She calmly positioned herself at Kathie's side, putting her collar in easy reach. Once Kathie had a good grip on the collar, Eve dragged her another forty feet to safety as policemen and emergency personnel looked on.

Eve received an award for bravery, well earned!

Miakoda.  44 pound fawn American Pit Bull Terrier. Family pet, nanny dog. Out for a walk — on a leash — with her owner and baby in a stroller in their own neighborhood, on their own street. Children were playing outside on a sunny September afternoon in 2007 when a neighborhood dog, a 100+ pound Labrador mix, over twice Miakoda's size and larger than the woman who owned her, charged out of a front door and straight for the baby in the stroller. He couldn't see Miakoda because she was on the other side of the stroller, out of his line of sight. He wasn't looking for a dog fight, he was after a baby in a stroller.

Miakoda was the only protection they had and she took her position between her family and the snarling dog.

When the Lab mix hit her, she flew up in the air and landed on her back and the dog attacked Miakoda instead of the baby. A couple of people came to help, one grabbing the baby out of harm's way, the other trying to separate the two dogs. Mia's owner told him to grab Miakoda, knowing that she wouldn't bite a human being, then she reached for the Lab mix, but before she could grab him, he bit down on her thigh and shook hard, leaving her with deep tissue bruises and puncture wounds.

When her owner was attacked, Miakoda launched herself at the big black dog again, hanging on for dear life as the dog over twice her size bit and shook her. The Lab mix' owner finally came out and instead of pulling his dog away, he began beating Miakoda, apparently trying to beat her to death. Others came to help, finally pulling the dogs apart and the Lab's owner off of Miakoda, but before anyone could catch their breath, he returned with a shotgun and, in front of a neighborhood full of children, right next to her owner, he shot and killed Miakoda. She screamed and went limp. And died. But the baby she had watched over since even before his birth was alive and safe.

Brought to you by Sherrie Calimen of www.pet-super-store.com: Come to her site and see the huge savings on dog beds and pet crates.

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How to Choose a Halloween Costume for Your Dog

Do you love Halloween but your kids are too old to dress them up for trick-or-treat? No problem! Just pick out a costume for your canine best friend and you’re back in the spirit of the holiday.

Seriously, Halloween costumes for pets have become a big deal. If you think there are just sweaters and jackets to dress up your dog, think again! Check out some of the dog costumes in this list just to give you an idea of the vast array of costumes available:

Little Monkey
Lion
Pumpkin
Shark
Devil
Dragon
Black Cat
Frankenstein
Pirate
Skunk
Bumble Bee
Hot Dog (w/bun)
Prisoner
Witch
Bunny
Hippo
Whale
Dracula

Just like in human clothing, there seems to be more availability and variety of costumes available for small dogs than for larger dogs. Dog owners are much more likely to dress up their small dogs than larger ones. While people who don’t own dogs think it’s pretty silly to put clothes on a pet, those who do it think their little pooches look absolutely adorable decked out in rhinestones or other fashion-savvy outerwear.

Most pet owners who take part in dressing up their dogs in Halloween costumes do it because it’s just so much fun. Dog owners look forward to each year’s offerings waiting to see what new, fun, clever, or outrageous costumes are going to be available. We like the looks and smiles on others’ faces when they see our little loved ones dressed up as another character and treated like a child.

Not just for Halloween, but for all-year round, there are several theories as to why dog owners like to dress up their pets, as per the following list:

1.Just like clothes for humans are an expression of their personality and how they are feeling, so are outfits for our dogs. Pet owners can express their own personalities and that of their pets by selected the clothes that the dogs wear.

2.It’s just so darn cute! Men might not admit it, but both male and female dog owners find dressing up their pup in an outfit is just plain adorable.

3.It’s a way to draw attention to your dog or yourself and be a conversation starter to get to know new people. This way you and your pet can reach out and make new friends.

4.This isn’t a politically correct reason, but some pet owners feel as though their dogs are accessories to their own outfits and use their bows, carriers, clothes, etc. as a fashion statement.

Of course there are some dog clothes that are more functional in nature. Take, for example, hunting dogs. They often wear jackets with reflective colors or bright orange so that they’re easy to find, even at nighttime, and so other hunters don’t accidentally shoot them. Then there are life jackets for dogs who boat or fish with their owners. Dogs in colder climates are often outfitted with warm clothing to protect them from extreme temperatures.

Regardless of why we put clothes and costumes on our loyal dogs, it seems to be a growing rather than a declining trend. So have some fun with it and check out wardrobe and holiday costume opportunities for your pooch.

This article was written by Rebecca Bain of www.pet-super-store.com: visit her site to find deals on orthopedic dog beds and dog car seat covers.

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Five Ways to Keep Your Pet Safe on Halloween Day

Fetch! Pet Care Helps to Promote Humane Halloween

Halloween may be full of tricks and treats for humans, but the holiday does not hold the same appeal for our pet counterparts. In fact, Halloween can be a downright frightening time for pets. Paul Mann, Founder of Fetch! Pet Care, the nation’s largest provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, is devoted to the safety and comfort of pets. He provides the following tips to keep your pets safe this holiday season:

• · Tricks are for kids. While ghouls and goblins provide entertainment, your pet does not understand the person behind that mask is their friend. Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and can easily become frightened, aggressive or agitated by the unaccustomed sights and sounds of costumed visitors. So when the trick ‘or’ treaters come knocking at your door, it’s best to keep your furry friend contained indoors in a quiet, comfortable area of your home. Also, make sure all pets are wearing collars and ID tags in case they get spooked and escape your home or yard.
• Candy is not a treat for our pets. Sweets may look appealing to pets, but candy – especially chocolate – can be downright toxic to animals. Keep your candy bowl out of reach from pets and make sure your children sift through their bags at a table where Fido can’t sneak a piece. Candy wrappers can be just as harmful. Instead, purchase a box of your pets’ favorite treats for them to munch on. If you believe your pet has ingested a harmful item, call your veterinarian or the Animal Control hotline immediately.
• Decorations should shock Trick ‘or’ Treaters – not our pets. Keep all electrical cords and decorations out of reach. One chomp on an electrical cord could have a potentially deadly outcome. Pets can also become tangled and injured by dangling cords or decorations. You can purchase plastic tubing or casing at your local hardware store to provide some level of safety. Keep lit candles and jack-o-lanterns out of reach and on stable ground. Your pet could accidentally bump the pumpkin, resulting in fire damage to the home – and potentially to your pet.
• Costumes are constraining. Yes, your pet may look adorable as a dinosaur or Cleopatra, but pets can feel constrained and uncomfortable in costumes. Many costumes also have loose accessories that could be hazardous if chewed or swallowed. If you must dress your pet, find a costume that has few accessories and is loose fitting.
• Extra care for black pets. Don't let your pet fall victim to Halloween pranks; keep them inside or under supervision during the Halloween season. This is especially important for pets with black fur, since they are a target for pranksters.

As an alternative to keeping your pets at home this Halloween, Fetch! Pet Care has the ability to provide a safe and quiet overnight boarding, day or evening care environment at one of their 5,000 pet sitter’s homes across the country.  As a way to support the cause of pet safety on Halloween and throughout the year at homes and in shelters, Fetch! Pet Care will be donating a portion of their Halloween revenues to Best Friends Animal Society, a partner in pet care and safety. For more information on Best Friends, visit http://www.bestfriends.org.

About Paul Mann

Paul Mann is the Founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, the largest pet sitting franchise in the United States. Founded in 2002 and with over 1,800 service areas in the United States, Fetch! Pet Care is the pet sitting industry market leader – the new face of pet care in the 21^st century.  The company offers a humane alternative to kennel boarding by providing loving, in-home overnight and/or daily care to any kind of pet in the most professional and reliable manner possible. For more information, go to www.FetchPetCare.com or call 1-866-FETCH-ME.

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Apartment Living for You and Your Dog

Of course you can live anywhere with any dog, but when your dog just does not fit into your surroundings it usually ends with disastrous consequences for your dog.  So use your head, and even if you have always wanted a St. Bernhard, if you live in a 500 square foot studio apartment in the center of downtown, you should probably wait just a little longer to get your dream dog.

So the first rule of owning a dog in an apartment is to make sure that the dog can thrive in the environment that you are providing for him.  If you are not sure, then find out.  Talk to professionals, vets, trainers, and even your friends who own dogs to see what types of challenges face you with dog ownership in an apartment.

Here are some things that you might want to consider if you are thinking about going down this path.

• Follow the Rules – Make sure that your landlord allows dogs and be prepared for your landlord to want to meet your dog.  Understand the rules as they apply to your dog and always follow them.  Plan to pay a pet deposit and to sign a pet policy agreement.  Always welcome your landlord to visit you and your dog in your apartment to prove that you are following the building’s policies.  When landlords embrace tenants with dogs they can actually put themselves at an advantage over other rentals that do not allow dogs a couple of different ways.  First of all they increase the size of the their prospective tenant pool, and secondly their existing tenants are more likely to stay put since dogs provide not only companionship but also a sense of security for their owners.
• Keep Records – Have a packet of information about your dog, which includes medical records, including vaccinations, spay or neuter record, licensing, training certificates and letters of reference from vets, prior landlords and old neighbors.
• Respect – In an urban environment you are living in more cramped quarters than you are in the suburbs or in the country.  So be diligent when you clean up after your dog, both inside your apartment and when you take your dog for a walk.  When outside, keep your dog on a leash unless you are in an enclosed dog park.  Tragedy strikes too quickly.  One stray step into the street can prove fatal in the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Then when you are sure that you have the time and the energy to manage the needs of a dog in your apartment give some thought as to what kind of dog would fit your living situation the best.  Some dogs are only too happy to snuggle up on the couch and wait for you to come home.  Many of the toy breeds are small enough to get a lot of their exercise without ever leaving the apartment, but you will still have to take them out for bathroom breaks.  Some dogs have lower energy levels by nature like Cocker Spaniels and Bulldogs.  The low energy breeds do not need a lot of exercise as long as you take care not to over feed them.

Medium energy dogs can do just fine in a larger apartment as long as they get regular exercise and a chance to run and play a couple of times per week.  Dogs like Brittany and Springer Spaniels and Chows are examples of medium energy dogs.

High-energy dogs are really impossible to keep in an apartment unless you have your dog out with you for a good part of the day.  Breeds like Border Collies and Retrievers need a lot of really big exercise opportunities.  A forty-five minute walk twice a day will not take the edge off of the high-energy breeds.

Of course any individual dog may be an exception to his breed, so it important to allow for each individual’s higher or lower energy requirements.  There are also low energy dogs like hounds that are just too loud to hold captive in an apartment.  And again there is always the exception.

When you are considering living in an apartment with your dog, think about how much time and energy you plan to put aside for your dog, and be realistic.  Remember, as you are pondering this question, that this means every day, not just when you feel like it.  If you are not sure that you can handle a dog all of the time, make friends with your neighbors and their dogs, and offer to dog sit.  That way you get the best of both worlds, and you will be the most popular tenant in your building.

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All About Police Dogs

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While most of us think of our dogs as the family pet and ourselves as the people who hold down jobs, some dogs actually do work for a living. Among those are police dogs. Police dogs, also known as K9s (because K9 sounds like canine) are specially trained to work in law enforcement in a variety of capacities, as listed below.

Cadaver dogs – Dogs can be trained to detect the specific odor of a decomposing body, even if that body is underwater. This is often used when there is a hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster where bodies may be trapped under debris caused by the storm.


Tracking dogs – These dogs are excellent for finding missing people or suspects and Bloodhounds are especially good at this because you can let them sniff an article of clothing of the missing person and they can track that specific scent. A dog’s sense of smell is nearly 50 times more powerful (and accurate) than is the human nose. Dogs can catch running suspects faster than can a human and because dogs have strong jaws, they can clamp down on the suspect and keep him there until their human police officer companions arrive to make the arrest.

Drug-sniffing dogs – Some dogs are used to sniff out special things such as drugs or explosives. The specialization is broken down even further as some dogs are marijuana sniffing dogs, some are cocaine sniffing dogs, and so forth. You’ll often see these dogs around the airport sniffing luggage or people. Police use beagles a lot in airports because the larger sniffing dogs, like German Shepherds, tend to scare people.

Public order enforcement dog – This is the dog you see in movies riding around with a police officer who uses him to chase bad guys and even hold them down. Police believe that dogs are a good deterrent against fleeing suspects because suspects won’t generally try to run away if they know a dog is going to be released after them. This is where you’ll see breeds like German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, and Boxers being used. Officers say that just having the police dog there prevents physical confrontations.

Police departments throughout the United States (and in other countries) use police dogs to track criminals, search buildings, and sniff out drugs or other illegal substances. On a daily basis, there are thousands of police dogs on duty to help police officers serve and protect their communities. Dogs in some jurisdictions wear bulletproof vests just like police officers because unfortunately they too are subject to the dangers of police work and many have been shot and killed in the line of duty. Killing a police dog is a felony in some states and some departments give a fallen K9 hero a full police funeral.

Not all dog breeds are meant to be police assistants, so the most common breeds used in police work are German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Beagles. Most police dogs are male. Many police departments get their dogs from people who donate them and then they are sent for a long training program to prepare them for the work they will be doing. Other police dogs are bred and trained in Europe and imported to the United States, but that cost is approximately $7,500 per dog, which is more than most police departments can afford.


Both the officers who will work with police dogs and the dogs themselves are carefully selected because they are expected to be the best of the best. K9 officers are paid more than non-K9 officers, but it’s because they work 60 hours per week instead of 40 because there’s ongoing training and care associated with the human/dog partnership. A police dog usually can work about 5 years before he is retired.

Provided by Abbie Briteman of www.pet-super-store.com: Where you can find great deals on dog gates and dog car seats.

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