I Love My Job

It is so much fun talking with peoples who love their pets so much that they want to get them a special gift. Then we have more fun when we actually put together all the bestest toys and treats that make up the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe.

All of our friends love pets and lots and lots of them work in jobs that involve pets. We have friends who are dog trainers and pet sitters. Other friends who have day care places for pets and even a friend who can communicate with pets and tell their peoples what the pets think or feel.

There are lots and lots of businesses that work with pets. For people who like to bake, a bakery that makes cookies and cakes for pets is a good business.

For people who like to sew, a business as a pet clothing designer would be fun. They could make coats and dresses. They could have more fun making all kinds of Halloween costumes for pets.

DixieLee and I don’t like to dress up but we LOVE wearing different bandanas. We’ve worn handmade collars and leashes that are super pretty.

People who know how to sew also can make toys. One of our favorite toys to put in our gift baskets is a bone made from denim that a lady friend makes.

So many peoples are busy these days that they don’t have time as much time as they would like with their dogs so they hire other peoples to take them for walks. Other peoples who are busy, busy hire peoples to clean up the poop in their yards. Not as glamorous as pet gift basket designer but we understand the money can be pretty good if you live in certain areas.

Peoples who have artistic talents paint pet portraits or are pet photographers. Mom says she admires people who can get a dog to sit cute when they are having their picture taken.

The last time she tried to get a photo of me when I was doing something cute, I jumped off of the couch and all she got was a white blur. I couldn’t help it, that awful commercial with the smoke detector going off came on the TV. Don’t ad peoples know that sound is bad for dogs’ ears?

Most of the jobs we know about are for dogs and cats but one other unusual pet business we know about is tank designer. Big fish tanks are nice in an office lobby and there are peoples whose job it is to make sure the fishes stay healthy and the tank is clean and pretty all the time.

I bet there are lots more businesses where peoples get to work with pets all day. If you work in one, let me know.

Now I have to get ready to order some more dog treats. Didn’t I tell you I have the bestest job!?

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe go to pawpalsboutique.com

'Tis The Season

We love the warm weather, We love the birds and the flowers. But there are things about warm weather we don’t like.

Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes!

We hate having to get medicines put on our skin to keep the bugs off and even when we do wear that stuff, some fleas or ticks or mosquitoes can still get on us. It wouldn’t be so bad except that fleas, ticks and mosquitoes carry littler buggies that can make us sick or even died.

We just read that ticks carry over a dozen different diseases and mosquitoes carry the bug that gives us heartworm.

Our humans could spray our yard with poison to kill the them but the spray is not good for us either. At our house we use plants to keep the bugs away and they seem to work pretty good.

There are many plants that keep fleas and ticks and mosquitoes away and MANY of them are okay around pets. There are some that keep bugs away that should NOT be planted where pets can get at them.

To keep fleas and ticks away from our yard we plant:

Lavender, Marigolds, Cat Nip, Sage, Rosemary and Lemongrass. Chrysanthemums, Chamomile and Citronella are good for keeping fleas and ticks away too but they can be toxic to pets.

I tried Catnip once. I don’t see why some cats like it so much.

Garlic and Eucalyptus are also good for keeping ticks away but they too can be toxic to pets.

Lavender, Catnip, and Rosemary are also good mosquito repellents.

Even though some of these plants are safe for pets, Mom doesn’t want to take any chances. We have big planters that she fills with these good plants and keeps them on the other side of our fence so we can’t eat them or rub them on our fur.

Looks like it's about time to take a tour around the yard to make sure everything is good and the lady in the little truck didn't steal our mail again.

Love

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com

Puggle or Pomsky

Mom was filling out some papers for me and one of the spaces needed to say what breed I am. Like we always do, she said I am a Lab Mix. When we have to fill in the spaces saying what DixieLee’s breed is, we say that she is a Hound Mix.

Mom said in the older days when she was young, they called dogs that were not pure breeds, “Mutts”. She says that all the dogs she has had were Mutts and that they are one of the bestest breeds.

There are still lots of dogs that are “Mixes” (which peoples think is a nicer name than Mutts). Mixes means that their moms and dads are not the same breed. Mixes are so good that some breeders are combining two pure breeds on purpose to create a whole new breed. These newer breeds are sometimes called “Designer Dogs”.

Lots of peoples like these new breeds because they say that the breeds combine the best characteristics of each breed which is a good thing because if dogs are too interbred, they can have bad health problems. Cross breeding hopes to make the good characteristics happen while making the bad characteristics go away.

There are rules about how to be a real Designer Dog. An established kennel club has to look at the ancestry of the dog to see its history and pedigree. There has to be three generations before a new breed can even be considered. If the kennel club says it’s okay then the club registers it and it becomes an accepted “breed”.

I think the bestest thing about Designer Dogs is they have fun names. Here are some of my favorites.

Labradoodle is a Standard Poodle and Labrador Retriever. These dogs are really smart and athletic.

Cockapoo is a Poodle and Cocker Spaniel and is one of the first Designer Dogs.

Peke-a-poo is a small Poodle and Pekingese. This combination gives puppies longer noses so they have fewer respiratory problems.

I’m not sure which I like best, I like Puggles, which are a cross between a Beagle and Pug. Puggle is a great name and Puggles, like Peke-a-poo, they have less breathing issues than Pugs.

I also think Pomsky is a great name. A Pomsky is a cross between a Pomeranian and a Husky. All puppies are cute but I think a Pomsky puppy is the cutest of all the cute.

Anyway, if your humans are thinking of getting another dog to live with you, you might like a Designer Dog or a Mix as your new brother or sister. It’s something to think about.

Right now, I think I will think about getting a snack. Writing a blog is hard work you know.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe go to pawpalsboutique.com

I Am Dog, Hear Me Bark

I’ve been reading about how dogs communicate. Human use their voices to talk to each other and to us dogs and we get pretty good at understanding what they say. Dogs understand about 100 words.

Although we dogs use our voices too, we mostly use body language. We use out tails, ears, eyes and faces more.

How we hold our tails or ears mean important things. Like, if a dog’s ears are raised he could be relaxed or listening.

And not all tail wags mean the same thing. If we wag more to the right, it might mean something positive while if we wag more to the left, it could mean negative feelings.

That’s complicated even for me.

Let me tell you how I communicate with my Mom and Dad.

If I am sitting in front of the cookie jar or lick my lips, it means I want a cookie. I taught DixieLee how to lick her lips when she wants a cookie too. 

It is very effective when I stare and Mom says “What?” and we both lick our lips. There is little room for misunderstanding at that point.

If I am staring at you when you are eating, it means I want you to share your food.

If I am sitting in front of the cabinet where we keep the dog food or look at the clock, it means it’s dinner time.

If I am sitting in front of the door, it means I want to go out.

If I am looking at the leash hanging on the hook, it means that I want to go for a walk.

It I throw the ball at you, it means I want to play.

See how easy that is.

I have to admit it can get slightly more complicated when I bark. 

My barks mostly mean “DANGER, DANGER, DANGER” but Mom or Dad have different ideas about our how dangerous things are.

They don’t think the mail person stealing our mail, or a squirrel eating bird seed is as dangerous as I do.

DixieLee barks way more than I do. 

She barks when she wants to go outside. She also barks when she want to go for a walk or wants to play.

You can tell the barks are different because she is usually standing by the door when she barks to go outside or she has a toy picked out from the toy chest when she wants to play.

I bet you have ways that you communicate with your humans that are easy to understand to. Let us know what they are. They may be easier than how we are communicating and we all want communication to be easily understood.

Right now I am smiling (see photo) because I am done with my work for today and can nap.

Love

Zeva

Blatant self-promotion.  For the bested pet gift baskets in the universe go to pawpalsboutique.com