Food For Thought

We usually don’t like when that big brown truck comes to our house but we like it when it brings us dog food!

Food is very important stuff.  There are lots and lots of kinds of food.  We like the kind Dad cooks but he doesn’t share it with us.  We get our own special food.  Mom says when we eat food made special for dogs we get all the nutrition we need to be healthy. 

Some peoples think that dog only need meat.  We like meat but grains and fruits and vegetables have stuff in them like vitamins, minerals and fiber that are good for us too. There are dogs who have Moms or Dads that cook food for them.  I bet that food tastes extra good but our Mom is not so good at cooking so we get ours from a store.

Even stores have lots of different kinds of food for pets.  There are foods that come in a bag and foods that come in a can.  There are foods made special for puppies and food made special for seniors.  There is even a food made special for dogs like me who tend to gain weight too easy.

There are so many kinds of food because there are so many kinds of dogs.  DixieLee and I get different food.  She doesn’t have “weight issues” so she gets a different food than I do.  Even so, Mom makes sure we both get a good quality food.

There is lots and lots of information about dog food and not all of it is true.  We talk with our vet about what kind of food we eat.  Unfortunately he told Mom that I am eating too much.  He said that the “recommended” portion they list on the bag is too much for me.  After all, it is the dog food peoples job to sell more dog food.  The more we eat, the more we buy.  Sigh. 

Now instead of measuring with a “cup” Mom measures with this little coffee measuring thing.  I may be a couple of pounds overweight but obesity in pets is a serious issue.   A cat was recently surrendered to a shelter that weighed 35 pounds.  That’s more than three times what a cat should weigh.  That poor kitty. 

Knowing about ingredients is important too.  Mom likes to read.  She even likes to read the back of the dog food bag to see what is inside.  All kibble may look the same but it sure isn’t.

She reads the back of the bag every time we get one to make sure that the company didn’t change what is inside.  She said that she fed the dogs who lived here before us a “high quality” food.  One day somebody bought the company and made changes so that the food was not so good anymore!

All of this research and writing has made me hungry.  Going to see if I can beg a cookie out of Mom.

Bone Appetite!

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant Self-promotion.  For the Bestest pet gift baskets in the universe go to petpalsboutique.com

A New Toy.... Oh Boy!

Today I want to talk about something very important. Toys. You might think that toys are just for fun but toys are very important to a pet’s health and happiness. Toys keep us from getting bored and we all know that a bored pet can be can get into a lot of trouble. Boredom can also lead to behavioral problems and nobody wants a misbehaving pet.

Not all toys are the same and not all pets like the same kinds of toys. DixieLee likes all kinds of toys. She likes to carry plush and unstuffed toys around the house and she likes to play tug of war with our rope tugs. I like to shake plush toys until they are died but I like to play catch the ball the best.

The size of toys is also important. Big dogs should have bigger toys than little dog. Balls are great for playing catch but a ball that is too small for the dog’s size can bet caught in his/her throat and make them choke.

Some pets, if they don’t have real toys, will find things like human socks or children’s toys to play with. If they don’t have good toys to chew on they might chew on furniture or a part of your house that you don’t want chewed. Some human toys are okay but it is best to have toys that are made special for dogs. Some children’s toys have eyes or other pieces that can come off and cause choking. Some dogs like to tear apart plush toys but they should never be allowed to eat the stuffing!

Toys that are broken or have stuffing coming out of them should be fixed or thrown away.

Toys should also be washable.

Lots of people like rawhide but dogs should not be allowed to eat rawhide because it can make their bellies sick and dogs have been died because the rawhide gets in their bellies and can’t get out. We do not put rawhide toys in our gift baskets.

We like hard rubber toys like Kongs instead. Dogs like to chew and hard rubber is good for chewing without letting pieces get broken off and swallowed.

Even when we are playing with toys by ourselves, Mom and Dad make sure we are supervised. The only toys we are allowed to have in our crates when no humans are home are caribou horns.

So if you want a healthy dog with good behavior give them good toys to play with.

Your playful friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self promotion. Just a reminder all of our pet gift baskets have lots of toys in them. See them all at pawpalsboutique.com

Just For You

A few weeks ago I did a blog about how dogs show affection. In it we talked about lots of ways we dogs let their peoples know how much we love them. One of the ways we show affection that I didn’t talk about was giving gifts.

Not all pets give gifts but lots of dogs and cats do. Cats are very proud when they catch a bird or chipmunk. They often bring it to their humans to show what great hunters they are and share their prize with their humans. Cats think a nice bird or chipmunk is a great thing to have so humans must feel the same way.

At Paw Pals Boutique we know all about giving gifts cuz peoples buy our gift baskets as gifts for their furry friends. So we know how happy getting a gift makes someone.

DixieLee is the big gift giver at our house. When Mom and Dad come home from being gone, even for only a little time, she always greets them at the door with a gift cuz she’s happy they are home and wants them to be happy too. Usually she brings them one of the caribou horns because she loves caribou horns and so Mom and Dad must also.  Here is a picture of her bringing her prized pterodactyl to Mom.

She also likes to take Dad’s socks out of the laundry and bring them to Mom. Once Mom notices them she grabs them away and runs to hide them in her crate. I try to tell her that it is not nice give someone a gift and then take it back for yourself. When I bring Mom a gift, it’s usually a nice toy we can both play with, not a stinky sock.

Our Mom and Dad like when we give them gifts. How do I know? I know because they always say thank you, tell us how good we are, tell us how much they like our gift and give us big pettings and ear scratchings.

Our humans make us a nice home and we want them to know how much we love them. Giving them gifts is just one of the ways we can do that.

Do you give your humans gifts and if so, what’s your favorite gift to give them?

Happy gifting,

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For really great gifts to give your furry friends, check out the gift baskets at pawpalsboutique,com