Thursday, February 28, 2013

Dog Park - Staying Fit and Having Fun


Anyone who follows me on Dogbook knows I love going to Dog Park.  It is a lovely place, over seven acres of fields and woodlands that follow a river.  Dogs can run in the fields and swim in the river or just walk along the wonderful paths with their humans for miles and miles. All filled with such great smells!

I love going to Dog Park because there is soooo much to do.  I get to run free and don’t have to worry about Mom or Dad getting lost.  I have to wear my leash when we get out of the car, although it is a hassle, but our dog park is not fenced in so Mom wants to make sure I am away from traffic before I can go off leash.  It seems like a long time but it is not because most of the property is far away from the road where there are cars so when Mom feels safe, she takes my leash off and I am on my own!

 There are lots of different tails so we, usually Mom or Dad, can decide how long we can stay at Dog Park.  I like the really long one that run by the big hill and then to the swimming hole cuz that’s where most of the dogs hang out.  Sure, we meet lots of dogs along the trails but the swimming hole is where the action is.  On the weekend, you can find 20 dogs and their humans hanging around the big field by the swimming hole.  The humans are all drinking their coffees and talking and us dogs, well; we are having lots of fun!  Nobody cares if we dig holes or run around with big sticks.  Some dogs like to jump in the river and splash around.  In the Summer I will go in up to my knees but even though I’m part Lab, I’m not crazy about water.

Sometimes I meet up with old friends but lots of the times I get to play with new dogs.   I love playing tag and chase and there is usually someone who wants to play.

Even when we go on a weekday and the park is quiet, I still get a lot of exercise so when I get home, all I want to do is nap.  Somebody said that a tired dog is a good dog.  I guess I can’t get into too much trouble if I’m sleeping.   Mom says going to Dog Park is good for humans too cuz they need exercise too.

I love Dog Park but it is not for everyone.  Dogs are social beings and like to be around other dogs.  Living with humans is nice but we need to talk with other dogs sometimes. Just like human females need a “Girls Night Out’ and male humans need “A Night Out With the Guys” Dogs need to be with other dogs sometimes.  If you are thinking of taking your dog to a dog park, you might want to check it out alone first.  Some dogs are really shy and would not like being at a dog park. If you see that your dog is not having fun, be a good human and take them home where they feel safe.

Some parks, like in cities, have supervised play.  I had supervised play when I went to day care and it was nice but we don’t have that at Dog Park.  At Dog Park all of the humans need to watch their own dogs to make sure they are playing nice. Mom almost never takes calls on her cell phone when we are at Dog Park.  She says even she deserves an hour or so away from business.

I try to play nice with all the dogs but I know Mom is always watching to make sure.  Once or twice when she thought I was having too much fun, she called me away and made me sit for a minute until I calmed down.  What can I say, some games are quite intense.

A couple more things:  there are hundreds of dogs that visit dog parks every day and you can’t know where some paws have been so make sure you are up to date on all of your shots.  Also, your humans should be prepared to clean up after you.  My Mom carries poop bags in all of her jacket pockets. It gets kind of embarrassing when she tries to get a business card out of a pocket and a bunch of poop bags come out too.   It's about priorities
Your friend,
Zeva
P.S.  Shameless self promotion ... After a walk in the park I am ready for a snack and we keep my snacks in My Own Cookie Tin.  You can have your very own cookie tin too ....

Monday, February 18, 2013

Who Rescued Who (or is it whom?)


5 to 7 MILLION companion animals (pets) are relinquished (dumped) at shelters every year. 3 to 4 MILLION of these "companion animals" are euthanized (KILLED) within 60 days of being admitted. I was very lucky.  My six brothers and sisters and I were in a shelter in the south where there are lots and lots of homeless dogs.  We were tiny babies when some nice people drove us far away so we could be adopted.  My Mom saw me on line and came to get me.

My Mom would love to be able to take every one of those 5 to 7 MILLION pets home too but she says that is not practical. We don't have lots room or lots of money so in order to make sure I have good food, medical care and other things that make my life good, my Mom and Dad need to watch their pennies. They are trying to convince me that I should have a brother or sister but I am THE DOG and am not looking forward to having to share my family or my toys with another dog. Mom said since I was so against having another dog live with us that we could maybe foster dogs until we found them their own fur ever homes. That could be okay since I would only have to share with another dog for a short time. It would be like having a friend come to visit, not move in.

Mom says there are lots of ways people can help shelter animals in addition to outright adopting them cuz like us, adoption may not be an option. For example, a human could volunteer their time to help out at their local shelter. Shelters need humans to help to do lots of things. A human can volunteer time to walk dogs, play with pets, represent the shelters at events where pets are being adopted or even stuff envelopes or hand out fliers sometimes.

Like everything else in the human world, money is important, so giving money to a local shelter would be great cuz money will help buy food and pay the vet and other bills. But money is not the only thing people can give. Mom collects towels and blankets at tag sales and gives them to our shelter. Toys and food are also good donations to make. When the older dogs that lived at my house went to Rainbow Bridge, Mom took all of their food to the shelter so other dogs could have good nutritional food. It's okay that it was only half a bag and it was for senior dogs... every little bit helps.

Towels, blankets and food are not the only other things shelters need either. Shelters are also businesses and homes so they need business stuff like copy paper and postage stamps and stuff to make the home nice and clean like laundry detergent and paper towels.

I know times are tough but whatever you can spare, time, money or good stuff, it  will be greatly appreciated by your local shelter and can make staying in a shelter a little better until a nice fur ever home can be found.


Your friend,


Zeva

 
P.S.   Shameless self promotion To The Rescue gift basket.
P.P.S.  That's a picture of me when I was ado

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

My World Turned Up Side Down!


My Mom is very excited because we are going to get a new house. We really like the house we have now but it is big and has lots of stairs and Mom says we are going to “downsize“. I guess I am excited too, but it is a little scary.
 
I read somewhere that moving is very stressful for humans, and I can tell you it is very stressful for pets too. It started in the summer when a whole bunch of people came to our house. They brought ladders and paint and climbed all over our house. Then, last month they came back again with their ladders and climbed all over the inside of our house. There we so many of them, I had a hard time keeping track of everyone. By the time they left every day, I was exhausted.

Our furniture got moved around and some of it got taken away. Mom said it is going into a place called storage and we will get it back but it is very confusing for me. She tried not to take too much at a time so I could adjust but I don’t like not having everything where it is supposed to be. Every day I take my toys out of my toy box to make sure they are all there. I am afraid some will go away and I won’t see them again.

Mom and Dad are spending more time with me because they want me to know everything is okay. They are making sure my routine stays the same. I eat at the same times, I go outside to pee at the same times and we play at the same times.

When they went to see our new house, I got to go along and went to see what it was like and what my new yard would be like. One of the first things we are going to do when we go to the new house is put up a nice fence so I can go outside by myself and still be safe.

We will also tell the microchip people that I live in a different place amd we will need to go to the town’s clerk office and get a license with my new address.  I would hate to have Mom or Dad get lost and not be able to tell people where our new house is.

I am going to have to remember where my new outside door is so I don’t have any “accidents” in the house. Mom says she will take me outside lots more than I need to until I get used to it. I hope Mom remembers to take my dinner and water bowls and crate. And all of my toys!!!! and I will have to find new hiding places for my treats. Will there be a Dog Park where I can make friends? Oh my, no wonder I’m stressed!

I guess I am lucky. Our new house is not very far away from our now house. Some pets have to move to places way far away and they have to stop to sleep. I was surprised to learn that lots of hotels in our area allow pets to stay with their humans! That’s a good thing but everybody has to remember how scary it is and be very careful that no one gets separated and lost.

Time to count my toys and make sure they are all still here.  I hope we don't forget and of them or my bowls or crate.  Like I said, I am very excited, but I'm still a little scared.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self  ... for a gift that has tons of toys in it, you have to check out our  Dogs in Toy Land Gift Basket!