Are You A Helicopter Pet Parent?

My sister DixieLee isn't feeling so good. She doesn't want to play with me and she is not hungry. DL will eat anything at anytime so when she is not hungry, there is definitely something wrong. DixieLee has an appointment with the vet but not for some days yet. Mom is worried but Dad is really upset.

Mom said he was acting like a helicopter parent. I know that peoples Moms and Dads can be helicopter parents but I was surprised that there are helicopter pet parents too. While helicopter parents have a bad rep in the people world, they are may be the best kind to have in the dog world.

Unlike human babies who grow up to be teenagers and adults, dogs stay as dependent as babies and need close supervision and attention all of our lives.

We found a lists on Google that mention some of the traits of a helicopter pet parent. Although Mom didn't match all of them, she did find lots of things in common with other pet parents. Like:

1. Refusing to board us. Mom and Dad are going to a wedding later this summer and are stressing about having us stay in a kennel. At the other house we knew lots of people so someone would always stay with us if they went away.

2. Having more photos of their pets than other family members. Just check out Mom's Facebook page and guess whose photos you will see most. It could be that I am just so photogenic and DixieLee does such cute things all the time that she can't help it.

3. Avoiding vaccuming because we don't like it. Geez, we are only protecting them from that big, noisy monster.

4. Spending more time shopping for us than for themselves. Of course they do. It's important to choose just the right toy or treat.

5. Being particular about our food. We feel a little deprived in this area. We have friends like Bumo and Miu who get home cooked or raw food diets. We're stuck with dry kibble. Granted, it's high quality but it's still dry food. But, Mom did bring home some fancy canned food to see if she could get DixieLee to eat. Boy, she inhaled that and I did get a taste too.

There were tons more Mom found that described her but there were some that . Lots of dogs like my cousin Sophie who wear sweaters,coats and boots and we have two friends, Bella and Bekka who dress in dresses and all sorts of cute clothes. They, like lots of littler dogs ride in a stroller when they go out.

The bestest part of having a helicopter parent is that they make sure we get the best care all because they love us as much as we love them.

Your friend,

Zeva

p.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  We forgot to mention, buy gifts for their pets.  We recommend Paw Pals Boutique where we believe that pets are people too.

Rain Rain Go Away

Just because I’m part Lab and my ancestors were probably St John’s Water Dogs doesn’t mean that I like to get wet.   I really hate the feeling of water squishing between my webbed toes and bouncing off of my head.  I know that my pretty coat is water repellant so cold water doesn’t get next to my skin but it still gets wet and drippy and I have to shake, shake, shake until it all gets off.

I thought I was the only one who didn’t like to get wet but I found out that lots of dogs would rather not go outside when it is raining.  Some dogs, like my sister DixieLee, will even hold their pee for a long, long time rather than go out in the rain.  I won’t go that far but I don’t waste any time when I do go out.

Most people think that dogs don’t like to go out in the rain because they don’t like to get wet.  Well, that’s only part of it.  Some dogs, like me, don’t want to go out in the rain because rain is noisy.  It’s all splashy and drummy.  Remember, our hearing is better than yours so that pitter patter you hear sounds more like bam bam to us.

Sometimes the rain brings thunder and lightning with it.  Thunder and lightning make rain much worse but that’s a subject for a different blog.

There is another thing that hurts our ears when it rains.  It’s called barry metric pressure.  I’m not sure how it works because it’s about science but when rain comes, especially if it’s a big rain, the barry metric pressure falls down and makes our ears feel funny.

There is one good thing about going out in the rain and that’s coming back inside.  When we come back inside Mom and Dad are waiting for us with big fluffy towels and extra treats.  They wrap us in the towels and scrub us until we are nice and dry.  It’s very relaxing and a cookie makes things like getting wet feet and drippy coats almost worthwhile.

Do you like to go outside in the rain, and if not, what do your humans do?

Your fluffy dry friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion our Puppy Power Gift Basket is filled with lots of toys and treats for playing indoors or out!

Home Alone

I’m a very lucky dog.  We own our own business so my sister Dixie and I get to go to work with Mom every day.  When we aren’t at work, we go with Mom and Dad almost everywhere else so we very rarely have to stay at home by ourselves.  For those times we do have to stay at home by ourselves, it is only for a little while.  Being home alone for a little while is okay cuz we get to nap in our own crates.  I like having my own crate cuz Dixie can be a pain sometimes.

The other day, Mom and Dad went to a family party far away and they were gone ALL DAY.  Napping in our crates is okay but ALL DAY is a very long time to be in a crate.  For long times like all day we have a Pet Sitter.  A Pet Sitter is a person who comes to our house to feed us and take us out to play and do our business.

Finding a good Pet Sitter is serious business.  We had a very good Pet Sitter at our other house but when we moved, we were too far away so we needed to find another one.  Like any busy dog, the first thing I did to find a Pet Sitter was to look on line.  From reviewing the different websites, I could see who lived close by, what organizations they belong to, what training and experience they had and all sorts of other valuable information about them.

We chose a very nice lady.  She has lots of experience taking care of animals and even has a lot of animals of her own living on her farm.  She came to visit and played with me and Dixie so we could get to know her and see if we thought she would be okay.  She gave Mom lots of paper to look at.   Mom thinks things like having special insurance is important for a Pet Sitter to have.  She also likes that our Pet Sitter knows our new vet and knows the people at the emergency vet hospital near by.

She asked Mom lots of questions about us and our routines.  And she wrote down lots of stuff.  The one question that impressed me the most was “Where do you keep the cookies?”.  I was sold.  The lady had her priorities right.

Having a Pet Sitter come to the house is very nice.  We like our neighbors and they would be happy to help but Mom likes to have a "professional" who has special training with dogs.   I never had to stay in a kennel and I hear that some are really nice but I’m not good with change.   I think I would miss my own crate and yard.   Also, with two dogs, a stay at a kennel can be expensive.  And then there’s the whole thing about dropping us off and picking us up.  We’d have to be on the kennel’s schedule, not ours.   Also we’d need to take our blankets and toys and food dishes and food.  And don’t forget our cookies.  What if they don’t have good cookies? Staying at home is much nicer for us and lots easier for Mom and Dad too.

How about you?  Do you have a Pet Sitter come to your house when your Mom and Dad have to go away?  If so, what do you like best about your Pet Sitter?

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  My very special Dogs in Toyland gift basket was designed for that very special dog in your life!