The Misadventures of Miss Lee

DixieLee being her silly self

Before my sister DixieLee came to live with us, Mom had to choose a name for her so the peoples who were fostering her could start using that name in training. 

Mom chose DixieLee because, like many other dogs, she was from the one of the Southern States.

Since she came to live with us, Mom said she chose the wrong name. She said DixieLee should have been named “Trouble”.  For some reason, DL can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

One of the latest troubles she got into was drinking out of the toilet.  We always have a big bowl full of fresh, cold water but DL discovered, like lots of dogs, that the water in the toilet is really coldest.

Even though the lids on the toilets in our house are kept closed, DL found a way to open them enough to get to the water.  Mom wondered why she was suddenly hearing a thunking noise coming from the bathroom.

The thunking sound happened when the lid closed after DL was done.  Mom finally caught her red pawed.

Keeping the door shut seemed to be the only way to keep DL out of the room but Mom and Dad forgot more often than they remembered so Mom needed to find another way. 

She searched found a child proof latch that actually worked.

Even though she tried, DL could not open the lid with the latch.

So…. DL found another source of water.  (sigh) Again, we always have a full bowl of fresh water but DL decided that the big jugs of water we keep in the basement for ‘mergencies, were cold too.  She chewed the tops off and spilled the water so she could drink some.

Putting the jugs on a higher shelf solved that problem so…. DL found the smaller bottles of water that we take on walks and tried to do the same with them.  Mom started keeping a really close eye on DL and caught her before she could open any of them.  Moving those waters to a higher shelf is working so far.

I can’t wait to see what she does next to get herself in trouble…. As long as I am not involved, it is fun to watch Mom and DL match wits.  One of these days, I think DL will win.

BOL,

Zeva

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

Happy International Dog Day

Hi Everybody! 

Kids are starting to go back to school, meaning Summer is almost over, so Mom said I have to get back to work writing my blog.

Around our house, we believe that there is something to celebrate every day and today we have a really great reason to celebrate.  Today is International Dog Day.  Today we celebrate dogs and their bond with humans.    Good dog parents make sure that their dogs have a happy and safe life and in return dogs do the same.  We make sure our parents have a happy and safe life.

Mom and Dad make sure that DixieLee and I are happy by giving us lots of toys and treats and a big pen to play in.  They also make sure we are happy by playing games with us and taking us for walks.  They make sure we are safe by giving us good food and taking us to the Vet and giving us a home where we are not abused.

We make sure that Mom and Dad are happy by playing games with them and making sure they get plenty of exercise and fresh air.  We keep them safe by guarding the house against attacks by squirrels, mail peoples and big brown trucks.

There are lots of ways to celebrate International Dog Day, like playing more games or giving more treats but one of the bestest ways is to encourage adoption.  Both DixieLee and I are adopted.  Lots of peoples only want “Pure Breeds” so getting a forever home when you are Mixed Breeds like us, makes it harder to find a good home.

It was especially hard for DixieLee because she lived in a house where she was really abused so she had bad behavior when she came to live with us.  Lots of peoples would have dumped her at a shelter.  It was hard for all of us.  It took lots of time but now she is the bestest sister and really lovable.

We plan on having a fun International Dog Day and I think I’ll let Mom know that I have written my blog and now I deserve a treat.

Happy  International Dog Day from me and DixieLee.

Let us know how you are making today special.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

Good Pet Parenting 101

Staff Brainstorming Meeting

It’s been a long time since I’ve had time to write in my blog.  Since summer finally arrived we have been really busy.

Anyway, I’m back.  The other day while Mom and Dad were working on the yard, I got to thinking what a nice home we have and how lucky we are to have a good Mom and Dad. Most of our friends have good pet parents too but there are some dogs that don’t.  It makes me very sad.

I got to thinking about what makes a good pet parent.  DixieLee and I came up with lots of things so we thought we share a few here. 

We first thought of things like making sure we got lots of treats and toys but then we thought about some other really important things.

1      Getting treats is fine but getting nutritious treats is better.  In our house Mom makes sure we get quality treats and the bestest food. She also makes sure we have plenty of fresh water all the time. 

2     We don’t really like it but Mom makes sure we get regular vet visits. We get vitamins and stuff like coconut oil to keep us healthy.  We aren’t allowed much peoples food but when Dad makes soup or a roast, we always get some carrots.

3      Going for walks and making time to play games with us it important but giving us a space all our own and allowing us time to just sit and enjoy some quite time is nice. We each have our own crate where we can go when we don’t want to be bothered. I like to sit alone on the screened in porch while DixieLee likes the outside deck for chillin’.

4     Mom and Dad consider our feelings.  Sometimes Dad expects too much and Mom reminds him that we are dogs and we think like dogs.  We like when they talk to us, and not baby talk, after all we are adults.  We ‘specially like when they tell us we are good girls and that they love us.

5      DixieLee is still a trouble magnet.  The other day she shredded a paper towel, which was bad enough, but this one was used to wipe up some oil!  Luckily it was a tiny spot or she could have gotten really sick. Even though Mom was angry, she was understanding and told Dad he was bad for leaving it around and not DixieLee for chewing it..

6      Keeping us safe is a big job too.  Never leaving us in the car alone, especially in hot weather.  Making sure that the sidewalk is not too hot when we go for walks and not letting us stay outside too long when it is hot or cold. Making sure that we have a good fenced in yard and keeping our tags up to date, just in case.

I think being mindful of all of our needs and being understanding is what being a good dog parent is all about.

What does your Mom or Dad do that you think makes them a super good dog parent?

Be safe and be good,

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe check out pawpalsboutique.com

Home Alone

Mom and Dad are retired so they don’t have to go to work every day for long times like some of your humans do but they do go out sometimes and leave me and DixieLee alone. We don’t like being left alone because there is nobody to let us in and out when we want and there is nobody at home to give us cookies.

Those are really stressful times.

Also, it is our job to help guard the house and when our humans are gone, guarding the house is all OUR responsibility.  A responsibility we take seriously.

Mom says it’s okay for them to be gone because they will come home soon.  Really?  How does she know that we will not have a Zombie Apocalypse while they are gone?

Here are some of the things we do at our house to make being left alone less stressful.

Get a Good Work Out.  When we are sleeping, we are not stressing.  The bestest way to get a good work out is to go for walks.  We love going for walks but long walks are not always possible especially if you live in a place like we do where yucky weather makes going outside not always fun.

When we can’t go outside, we have exercise by playing tug of war or Fetch Extreme. Playing Fetch Extreme is like playing fetch but you have to run up and down the stairs.  Boy, you can get tired easy when stairs are involved. (Not recommended for dogs who are not as fit as DixieLee and me).

Soothing sounds. We keep the television on all the time, even when Mom and Dad are in other rooms or far away like in the yard.  Some humans like music playing all the time. So, when the television is on, we know that everything is okay.  Rumor has it that there are television stations that play dog friendly stuff all day long. I think that is a great idea!

Puzzle toys.  Another good idea!  When we have something to keep us busy, we forget that we are alone. I like puzzle toys but DixieLee gets frustrated and kills them.

Secure spaces. We love our crates!  It’s like having our own room in the house where it is ours alone.  No one bothers us when we are in our crates.  They are big enough so we can stand up and turn around and have comfy blankets and when we are left alone, we have a caribou antler (or other safe toy) to chew on. 

When we are in our crates, Mom said that we only have to protect that space since we can’t get to other parts of the house. 

Our crates are on different sides of the room but the fronts face each other so if DixieLee and I want to talk to each other we can, if not, we can turn our backs and not be bothered.

Hello and Good Bye. We’re really good at the Good Bye part since we get a treat but we do tend to get a little over excited at the Hello. After all, we weren’t sure we would ever see you again.

It's been days, okay, a couple of hours, who keeps track of time, anyway it is annoying when Mom and Dad ignore our pitiful cries and casually let us out of our crates.  No matter how much we carry on, they act like it’s not a big deal. 

Being left alone is not fun but it doesn’t have to be stressful either.  Think of it as a time when you can just chill in your special place and listen to the blah, blah, blah of the TV guy or the singers on the radio and dream about cookies and squirrels.

Chill,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift basket in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com

Worth Every Penny

Of course we're not spoiled

Mom says it’s a god thing that DixieLee and I are cute ‘cuz we are very expensive to keep.  I never thought about how much it costs to have a pet. 

I knew that pure breds and designer dogs cost lots to get but peoples have to give money to shelters if they want to get a good dog like me.

 DixieLee was a stray that ended up at a friend’s house so we didn’t have to pay to get her but we had to pay to have her spayed, micro chipped and get all her shots.

This month we had our annual vet checks and had to get our town licenses.  I was sick and had to go to the vet again. Tests, medicines, special food, all cost too.

Food, now there’s something we need lots of and don’t forget the cookies. We order huge bags of food and a super big box of cookies that get delivered right to our house.  Mom says that’s because we are spoiled.

Toys are important too. We need lots of toys. And other stuff like collars, leashes, halters, bowls, crates, a fenced-in yard.  Those all cost money.  I didn’t realize I had so much stuff!

I bet you have lots of stuff ‘cuz you’re spoiled too.

We can’t go out to work like Mom does but we work very hard all the same.  It’s our job to make sure Dad knows when the mail person comes or when a big truck drives by our house.  We keep the squirrels from getting close to the house and we watch over the birds while they are eating out of the feeder.

Those are all really important jobs but we have other jobs.  Our most important job is make sure our Mom and Dad have lots of kisses and cuddles.

Mom says we are expensive to keep but that we are worth every penny.

Time to go back to work.  Another important job is napping on the sofa so that no one can steal it.  DixieLee has done her shift, now it's my turn.

Love,

Zeva

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

Leave the Gobbling to the Turkeys

Mom says the sound of a dog vomiting gets a human out of bed faster than any other sound.   One night last week Mom and Dad didn’t get any sleep at all.  I didn’t know my tummy was so full until I was sick four times.

Since I had just had my annual physical and I didn’t have any other signs of being sick, Mom though it was because I had been eating my food too fast. 

She checked with my Vet and sure enough, eating too fast can make air go into your tummy and cause all kinds of problems.

Eating too fast can also make it easier to choke on a piece of kibble or cause bloating which can make you died!

We had to find a way to make it so I didn’t eat so fast.  How could I not eat fast when I am starving all the time.  I suggested extra cookies between meals but Mom wasn't buying it.

Mom looked for other ways.  The best way was to make it harder for me to get so much food in one bite.  She started by putting a toy ball in my bowl.   It was annoying because I had to move it around and couldn’t eat fast.  Dad also forgot to put it in the bowl when he fed me so we needed something else.

If you use the ball in the bowl trick, you want to make sure the ball is big enough so you can’t swallow it!

Some peoples use muffin tins.  They put a little food in each part so you’d have to stop when you went from one little part to the next.

They also make all kinds of “slow feeder” bowls.  Mom bought one kind but the design made the spaces so small, I couldn’t get my muzzle in easily.  DixieLee got one too and she got so frustrated that she tried to paw it over.

When that bowl didn’t work, Mom got a different kind.  This one worked better.  I could get my mouth around the food but had to move from one place to another, which did slow me down about the same as putting putting a ball in my regular dish.

As far as DixieLee was concerned, it was still a stupid bowl and she easily managed to flip this one over.  She said eating off of the floor was much better.

If you are a fast eater, what does your human do to slow you down?

Bon Appetite,

Zeva

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

Turn Sad to Glad

You may not know this but Paw Pals Boutique (my company) has a FaceBook page and I spend lots of time online.  Mom thinks I spend too much time there but I need to keep up with what is happening to all my dog and cat friends. (Like us at Paw Pals Boutique)

Social Media is a great way to get humans to help lost pets find their ways home and for shelters to let peoples learn about the animals that are looking for forever homes.

I read a story about one of Mom’s friends from where we used to live, who drove his car a long way to adopt a senior dog whose human died.  It was sad enough for this dog to not have his human anymore but no body wanted him so he had to go to a shelter and we all know that senior dogs have a harder time getting adopted.

He found a great forever home because the shelter told his story on FaceBook.

DixieLee and I were both adopted because Mom saw our faces on Social Media but this post isn’t about Social Media.  It’s about shelters and pets looking for good, loving homes and what you can do to help.

When Mom sees a dog on FaceBook that needs a good home, she wants to adopt her but we live in a small house that is really full with two humans and two dogs

.

Maybe there are reasons you can’t ADOPT but maybe you could FOSTER. 

Shelters are so crowed, FOSTERING gives an animal a nice place to live while waiting to get adopted.

If you can’t FOSTER, maybe you could SPONSOR.  Sponsoring means giving money to go toward the care of a specific pet until they can be adopted.  Sometimes animals need surgery or expensive medical care and sponsoring can really, really help.

If you can’t SPONSOR, maybe you could VOLUNTEER.  Volunteering means you give your time to a shelter.  It could be helping care for the animals, like walking dogs or cleaning cages or it could mean giving your time stuffing envelopes for a fundraising campaign.

If you can’t VOLUNTEER, maybe you could DONATE. Donating means giving money to a shelter.  It doesn’t have to be lots, every penny helps.  And Mom says that donations are tax deductible, which I guess is a good thing.

If you can’t DONATE, you maybe could EDUCATE.  Educating is what I am doing now.  If you don’t write a blog, maybe you could share this post or you could find good animal pages on FaceBook and other Social Media sites and share their posts.

There are so many animals that need humans to help them find good, safe, loving homes and now you know so many ways that you can help.

Thanks from all the animals looking for forever homes.

Love,

Zeva

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

This Dog's New Year's Resolutions

Hello there.  I know, I haven’t been good at keeping up with the blog. I apologize. It’s been crazy busy this Holiday Season.  I helped Mom while she was making all the gift baskets.  Keeping DixieLee from getting under foot was a full time job.

Now that things have slowed down I can get back to writing regularly.

As a matter of fact, that is one of my New Year’s Resolutions.  I love all of my on line friends and I love keeping in touch with you, sharing ideas and hearing about your lives.  This blog lets me do that. It’s also a way to discuss things that are important to dogs.

New Year’s Resolutions are more of a peoples thing but I think it is important that we pets reflect on our lives and see where we can make them better.

Lots of peoples make resolutions to get more exercise and eat better. I think that is a great resolution and I am going to help Mom and Dad keep that one, even if it’s not one they choose.  I am going to make sure that they get out and take big walks every day.  We may have to wait until the weather gets warmer, but I will make sure it happens.

I will also make sure they eat better.  That’s also an easy one.  Whenever they start eating stuff that isn’t “healthy” like potato chips, I will stare and stare until they feel guilty and put the bag away.

I explained New Year’s Resolutions to DixieLee and she is making resolutions to stop stealing socks and to stop eating paper towels.  Stealing her socks is a good way to get Mom moving in the morning but we decided that throwing a toy works good too.  

As far as eating paper towels, I have tried to tell her that it is bad, bad, bad for her tummy and stealing them off of the counter makes Mom not happy.  She said she was going to try really, really hard to do better.

Have you decided to make a New Year’s Resolution?  Let us know what it is so we can share what is important to the health and well being of our friends.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2019.

Love,

Zeva

P.S.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

It's A Jungle In Here

Always curious DixieLee

You would think that once dogs (and cats) got domesticated and started living in houses that we would be safe from danger. Not so.

There are many dangers to pets in every house.  When DixieLee came to live with us, she was always getting into things.  She was good at getting into the trash which is very dangerous for dogs.  Besides lots of food that are bad for dogs, there are things in the trash like cellophane wrappers, paper towels and aluminum foil that can make a dog super sick or even died.

DixieLee is super smart so it took Mom lots of tries to find a trash can she couldn’t get into.  She also figured out how to open the cabinet door and get into the dog food bag!  Putting childproof locks on the cabinet worked.  She also put locks on the cabinet under the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom where we keep cleaning stuff.

We learned to keep the lid down on the toilet too.  We don’t use that blue stuff but we do clean it with bleach and it’s better to be safe all the time.   If you live in house with a kitten, it’s a good idea to keep the lid down so they don’t fall in and drown.

DixieLee wasn’t a super chewer but she does like Dad’s socks.  All kinds of every day things like wires and electric cords, children’s toys, batteries, coins rubber band are dangerous so it's best to keep them out of reach.  And if your house has valuables like some jewelry, keep that stuff locked away in a drawer.  It would be awful if something got so chewed got ruined!

When we go outside we stay in our pen so we can’t get to dangerous chemicals that Dad keeps in the garage like gasoline, antifreeze, pesticides and car cleaning stuff but he still keeps them high on a shelf.  We also make sure that any lawn stuff and plants are pet safe.

We live where it snows A LOT so we make sure to use a salt that is pet safe.

Be careful when you bar-b-que or use your fire pits too!

Decks and balconies are fun places but a dog can get hurt they slip through or get caught between the railings.

 

Pets, ‘specially young ones, are curious and can get into real trouble so it is up to your humans to make sure they live in a safe home.

Take care and be safe,

Zeva

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

Halloween is too Scary!

Wearing our Halloween kerchiefs 

We like doing tricks to get treats!  I think all dogs do. But not all dogs like when humans do trick or treat on Halloween.

Sure, some dogs like to get dressed up in costumes but some dogs don’t.  DixieLee and I don’t like to be dressed up.  We like pretty collars and even kerchiefs but say no to anything else.

Our job is to protect our house.  We get overwhelmed when lots of peoples come to our house on Halloween night.  And it’s not just that there are lots of them, they don’t look like friendly peoples, some look very, very scary!

And then there are the “treats”.  In our house, we get treats that are sort of healthy.  On Halloween, most treats are not so healthy.  In fact, some of them are so bad they can make a dog died.  Lots of peoples buy chocolate candy and chocolate is poison to dogs!

Chocolate isn’t the only treat that is bad.  Some candy is made with Xylitol, a make believe sweetener.  Xylitol is poisonous to dogs and cats!  Treats that peoples think are healthy, like raisins, can make dogs really sick too.  So if your humans give chocolate or other treat to the peoples who come to the door, make sure they keep it out of reach.  Even though we know certain things are bad for us, they can be awfully tempting.

Empty candy wrappers are also tempting but if you eat them the foil and cellophane can get caught up in your belly and make you so sick you could died or at least have to go to the vet and get an operation.  Everyone knows that operations are not fun so it is best not to eat stuff you shouldn’t.

There are things we don’t eat that are also dangerous for pets at Halloween (and other times too).  Candles make a house look spooky but they can cause a big fire if they get knocked over by a super excited tail.

Childrens like toys called Glow Sticks.  Glow sticks and glow jewelry are fun toys for children to carry on Halloween.  If you live in a house with cats, tell them that glow sticks are really pretty but that they should not chew on them.  The stuff that makes the glow will make you sick!

DixieLee and I going to stay in the bedroom and listen to pretty music on Halloween and let Mom and Dad deal with the scary peoples that come.  We can trust them to do a good job one day out of the year.

Have a happy and safe Halloween,

Zeva

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

Paper and Poop

When DixieLee came to live with us five years ago, I didn’t like it. 

I liked being the only dog.   Mom and Dad thought it would be good for me to have another dog to play with. I loved going to daycare and dog park and playing with the other dogs so having someone to play with all the time did sound like a good idea until I met DixieLee.

Of all the dogs I met, she was the most unfriendly.  I know she had a bad life and I tried to be understanding.  

At first she had to eat in her crate because she thought I was going to steal her food.  I tried to tell her we had more than enough food but she didn’t listen.  Seriously, Mom buys extra big bags of food and the man in the brown truck brings more even before we run out.  It’s like magic!

It’s been five years now and DixieLee and I are totally BFFs.  I teach her stuff and she teaches me stuff.  I taught her how to lick her lips when she wants a cookie.  It doesn’t work all the time but Mom and Dad think it’s cute and if we both do it, they usually give in.

She taught me how to eat paper.  Since she came to live with us, she has stolen paper towels off of the counter or from the trash, taken them to her crate and eaten them.

DixieLee says that paper towels sometime smell like food and so they must be food.

Mom went back to work recently and it gets a little boring around the house so I decided to try eating paper towels.  Still don’t see the attraction but it is something to do.

Mom is not happy. She said that eating things that are not food is bad for us.  Eating paper can mess up our poops and then we would have to go to the Vet and we would not like what the Vet needed to do to make us good again.

Mom told Dad to be more careful and to make sure that the penny can is on top of the trashcan so that we (really DixieLee since I don’t do trash) can’t get into it without sounding the alarm.

Looks like it’s almost time for lunch and I need to get to the cabinet to supervise Dad while he feeds us. 

Being a helpful sister,

Zeva

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

Sweet Dreams

I was having a nice quiet sleep when all of a sudden DixieLee yipped really loud. She scared me awake and I jumped off of the bed. I guess while I was having a good dream about lying on the bed, watching the birds, she was have a bad dream.

I ended up sleeping on the sofa because she was whimpering and shaking. She was moving around so much that she even woke Mom up. It’s a really good idea not to wake up DixieLee (or any dog) when she is whimpering and shaking cuz she just might think you are the bad person and snap at you.

Mom talked whispery to her. She said things like “DixieLee is a good girl” and “It’s okay now” and “Mom is right here” until she settled down and slept quiet.

When I asked her the next morning what she was dreaming about, she said she was sorry she woke me up but she didn’t remember any dream. Dogs are like people like that. Sometimes we remember or dreams and sometimes we don’t.

Scientists did tests so they know that dogs dream because of something called REM (rapid-eye-movement). They said that when a dog’s breathing gets irregular and their legs start to move, they are dreaming.

Puppies and older dogs are more likely to have running legs because of something called pons in their brains. Pons in adult dogs are strong and keep the leg muscles from acting like they are running. All this science stuff is complicated but it is important to know.

The scientists also say that dogs dream the same way that people do. They could even have nightmares. I think DixieLee was having a scary nightmare when she woke me up. They say dogs probably dream about things that happen when they are awake. Like a Black Lab might dream about chasing birds and a German Sheppard might dream about chasing bad guys.

All this talk about dreaming is making me tired. I think I’ll take a nap and maybe dream about sitting in the sunshine.

Sweet Dreams,

Zeva

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

Saving Lives

October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  DixieLee and I and Fox, Dana, Cassie and Nico, the dogs who lived with Mom and Dad before we did, were all adopted.

We have lots of friends who were born at houses where the humans are “respectable breeders” and that’s okay with us.  Sadly, we all can’t be “mutts” (sorry, mixed breeds), so having good and responsible humans who loves a particular breed sell puppies is okay.

We want to encourage peoples who want to share their lives with A DOG, no matter of parentage, to please look to the shelters instead of “Pet Stores” who get heir puppies from Puppy Mills.

I don’t even like to think about Puppy Mills, never mind talk about them. They make me cry. 

“SOME” of the puppies get to go to good homes but some don’t’ and I can’t talk about the Mama dogs.  My heart breaks.

So, let’s get back to Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  How do dogs end up in shelters? Lots or reasons and they are all sad. 

Some are strays, they got lost, ran away or their owners left them on the street to fend for themselves. 

Some are rescued from horrible homes where they were mistreated.

Some had loving families but something happened to the family, like they had to move and couldn’t take their pets or they didn’t have a job anymore so they had no money.

Some are untrained and their owners don’t want to put up with “bad behavior”.

Super sadly, some had their humans die and no one is left to take care of them.

And the super super saddest is that the pet got old and their owners don’t want them anymore.

Please help us spread the word that October is National Shelter Dog Month.

If you can’t adopt, foster, if you can’t foster, sponsor, if you can’t foster, volunteer, if you can’t volunteer, donate, and if you can’t donate, educate.

And don’t forget, cats and other pets end up in shelters too.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

Don't Forget Us

It has been a week since Hurricane Florence made so many people have to run away from their homes.  We are so sad seeing that some peoples left their pets behind.  Thankfully there are other peoples who went in and saved them.

We have talked before about having a Pet Emergency Evacuation Plan.  It’s not super easy but with planning it’s not so hard to take dogs and cats and birds in your car and drive to safety.  We talk about making sure you have enough food and water and other things your pet will need but what do you do about horses or other farm animals?

Not everyone who has a horse or cows have trailers and not many horses will fit in the back seat of a car.  And where would you put all the hay and stuff?

 That doesn’t mean you should just leave them behind.  There are many things you can do to make sure they are safe too.

What to do depends on what the emergency is.  There are “emergencies” that don’t mean you have to leave your house but are still dangerous.  At these times you need to know if your animals are safer in a barn or out in a field.  But, if it is not safe for you to stay, it isn’t safe for your animals either.

The Humane Society website has lots and lots of information about what to do in the different kinds of emergencies.  If you have a large animal or know someone who does, please share the information with them.  No one wants to see their animals hurt but may not know what to do.   Knowing what to do ahead of time can avoid needless suffering.

We hope you never have an emergency evacuation but please take a minute to make sure you know how to protect your pets if you do.

Stay safe,

Zeva

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