Can We Talk?

I’ve read lots of articles and blogs about how humans can learn to understand dogs.  Our language is pretty simple and complex at the same time.  We can obviously talk.   My sister Dixie likes to tell long involved stories, which are mostly about me and of course are untrue.   She barks up a storm, going on and on, throwing in a growl or whine for emphasis.   I will tell a story now and then but prefer to use more subtle forms of communicating.

If I back into you, it means I would like you to scratch my back.  If I sit in front of the cookie jar or my bowl it means I would like you to get me a cookie or feed me.  I save my voice for more important things like alerting the family that the mailperson or the delivery person is coming or a squirrel is on our yard.

If humans just watch us dogs closely, they will notice that we use our ears and tails a lot when we communicate.  If they just listen with their eyes and they’d hear exactly what we are saying.

But I didn’t want to talk about how dogs communicate with humans.   Like I said there are lots of articles you can read about that.  I also didn’t want to talk about humans communicating with dogs during training.  Training requires special words and body language.  You can find lots of article about that too.

What I wanted to talk about was simply taking to us.  I love when Mom talks to me.  I’m her business partner so she talks to me a lot about stuff that’s going on with the business.  She asks my opinion about new gift basket designs she wants to add to the line.  Even those that aren’t for the Pet Division, which is my department but for ones she does holidays or is custom designing for a client.  When we ride in the car she tells me where we are going and what we are going to do.  When she is going in the car by herself, she tells me where she is going and when she is coming back.

When she started working from home, she talked to me lots more than when we were in the shop and people came and went all day long.  She doesn’t talk baby talk to me or talk in a sing-songy voice either.   She talks to me like an adult, which I am.  I’m a good listener and very good at keeping secrets.   She says I’m a good sounding board for ideas and the best therapist, whatever that is.  

I love to hear the sound of her voice, except when Dixie does something wrong, like tips over the trash and she talks really loud.  I like it much better when she talks in her regular voice.  I can sit quietly and listen to her for hours.  I really like when she tells me I’m her best girl or that she loves me a lot. When she talks to me I know that she cares about me and that I am safe and loved and am an important part of her life.  Those things are very important to me.  Even more important than even cookies.

I’d love to know what kind of stuff your human talks to you about.  Unless it’s a secret because I bet you’re a good secret keeper too.  We dogs know that it is better to way our tails, not our tongues.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  If you are listening to your dog, he or she is probably telling you that they would LOVE one of our Puppy Power Gift Baskets.  :)

 

 

Of Mice and Dogs

I was checking up on some of my friends on Dogbook the other day and learned that one of my friends was very, very sick.  She found a dead mouse and, since it smelled really yummy, she ate it.  Luckily, her humans saw what happened and brought her to the vet right away.  She didn’t feel so good for a little while but she is going to be just fine.

Mice live just about everywhere and usually don’t have all that much contact with dogs but in the winter time, mice, like most creatures, like to live where it is warm.  They look for ways to get into nice barns or basements and attics or houses.  For lots of reasons, humans don’t like having mice living in their houses.  There are bunches of different ways for humans to get mice to not live in their houses and one of them is to use this bad stuff called poison.  Poison is bad because it makes the mice died.   I know, I don’t think poisoning animals is right, but humans worry about mice carrying diseases and stuff so they don’t want them in their houses.

When humans put out poison to get rid of mice, most of the time they put it where pets can’t get to it.  That’s a little easier if the pets are dogs cuz they can put it up high in rafters and such but cats are a different story cuz they can climb anywhere.

Some poison comes in packages that pets can’t get into so humans with pets who want to use poison should get this kind.  They also make bunches of things called “traps” to get rid of mice.  Some traps are nasty but there are some that are okay.   Personally, I think if humans don’t want mice to live in their houses, they can use the nice kind of trap that captures mice alive so they can be set free in another place, but that’s just me.

Anyway, my friend found one of the mice that ate some of the bad poison.  Because the mouse had the poison in its tummy, and my friend ate the mouse, my friend got sick.  I understand this doesn’t happen very often to pets, especially to dogs but it does happen. 

When a pet eats a mouse that ate poison and get sick, it’s called “secondary poisoning”.  How sick a pet gets from secondary poisoning depends on a lot of things like how big the pet is and if he or she got any of the real poison or just what the mouse already had in their tummy.  Sometimes, the poison can be the mouse’s mouth so it really strong.  If a pet eats the poison that hasn’t been in a mouse’s tummy where it gets made less harmful, it is called “primary poisoning” which is much worse.   If she had found the packet of poison and ate that, well, she would have primary poisoning and be much, much sicker and maybe even died.

Cats who live on farms and stray dogs are more likely to eat dead mice than dogs who have nice houses like we do.   Cats and dogs who live outdoors don’t have enough to eat so they will eat dead animals.  Pets who have nice homes get enough food so they aren’t hungry all the time. That’s what they tell me but you could have fooled me.  I’m always ready for another meal or treat.

Anyway, please be careful and never, never eat dead mice or any other dead animals.  First of all, it freaks out humans and second, it could make you very, very sick.

Stick to eating stuff your humans say is okay.

Your friends,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Valentine’s Day is almost here so why not get your favorite pet a super Valentine’s Day gift like our Best In Show (dogs) or Cats Rule! gift basket.

Yappy Holidays!

 

I'm so excited!  Christmas is almost here! I know because I heard some dogs on the radio singing Jingle Bells.  I remember my first Christmas.  It was all new to me so I didn't realize the significance of the day until the night before.  That's when I found out that lots of the pretty boxes under the special tree that lit up were for me.  And those boxes were filled with TOYS!!!!  That's when I understood that Christmas is when dogs get lots and lots of toys! So this year I'm ready.  I'm already sniffing the pretty packages but all I smell are clothes.   I hope those are for the humans cuz I don't like clothes.  My cousin Sophie like to wear sweaters and stuff, but I don't.

Although the most important part of Christmas is the toys, and we pets get excited about all of the new things in our houses please remember that Christmas can be a dangerous time for us.  My sister Dixie never had a home when it was Christmas so this is all new to her.  I'm teaching her all about presents but also about things we need to look out for.

We all like looking at the pretty trees with their flashing lights and pretty balls, but the oil in the trees is toxic and the needles don't digest.  The chemicals people put in the water that help the tree live while it is inside are also toxic to pets.
Make sure your pets don't chew on the electrical cords that keep the lights flashing and those pretty balls, if made of glass, can easily break and those little pieces of glass can cut our paws.  Tinsel, is very tempting, but tinsel does not digest either and can get all knotted up in our bellies.  We can die from knotted up bellies.

So please be extra watchful of your pets around your Christmas tree.  In our house we have a very little tree and it stands on a high table so I can see it but can't reach it.  In some of my friends houses, there are gates in the doorways so the dogs can't be in the room with the tree unless there are humans in there too.  Cats are different so gates don't work for cats and cats love to climb trees. So houses with cats need to be extra careful.

So please remember to keep your pet safe during the Christmas Holiday and remember to buy them lots of toys and treats.  If you don't know what to get them, just give me a call.  I helped design all of the pet gift baskets and can help you choose the right gift for your pet.  You'll find some of our most popular ones in the Pet Gift Division of our website.

Merry Christmas everyone.
Your friend,

Zeva

A BONE OR A PHONE

I’ve been surfing the web and choosing the gifts I’m going to put on my Santa Paws list.  There are some really great toys out there!  I know Mom is going to be practical and probably tell Santa we need new Shoo! Tags because Dixie ate hers and we need to be protected against fleas and ticks.  She’ll probably say we should ask for Kyjen tug toys made out of fire hoses cuz Dixie ate all our other toys.  But I’m looking for something really different this year.

I’m a real techie dog so the PetCell really got my attention.  It’s a small bone-shaped phone that attached to a dog’s collar.  Too cute!  I wonder if it comes in pink.  It works just like a human cell phone so your humans can talk to you even when they aren’t around.  How cool is that!!!  It also has a GPS and Geo fencing.  Wow.

I told Mom all about it but she says I’m too young to have my own phone.  I’m three!  And besides, I’m very responsible. I’m putting it on my list anyway cuz Santa Paws knows I have been very, extra, super good this year.

I like when Mom puts kibble inside the Kong and when I play with it, it gives me treats.  I saw some other toys like that on line so I’m hoping to get one of those.  What could be better than playing AND getting treats at the same time?

I have a ball that flashes lights when I play with it.  I like to drop it at the top of the stairs and watch it go down.   It’s a new toy so I don’t know how long it will last before Miss Chews Everything gets it and Mom throws it out.  So I looked and found something called X-Tire Blinky Ball.  It’s a ball that blinks like the one I have but this one is surrounded by two rings that are made out of the stuff car tires are made of.  Definitely going on my list.

Antlers are always a good choice and on Christmas day, after we open all of our gifts, I would like nothing better than to relax and enjoy a fresh marrow bone.  Perfection.

I think that about covers my wish list for this year. After you mail your list off to Santa Paws, drop me a note, I’d love to know what you are expecting to see under your tree.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Seasons Greetings,

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  blatant self-promotion... all of our holiday gift baskets have lots of great toys and treats so if you don't have the time to shop around, check out our website.  It's so easy, just choose the gifts you want and tell me where to send them.  I'll even include a nice card.  Our site is filled with great gifts for pets and the people who love them.  Here's the link to the pet page http://laurelmtbasket.com/index.php/store/category/pet-gifts-and-baskets

Home For The Holidays

The Holiday Season is here.  Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas is right behind it.  OMD!  I haven't written to Santa Paws yet!  Anyway, the holidays are a very hectic time of year for pets as well as for people.

Houses get decorated and big meals get cooked.  Lots of people come to visit.  All of this can be confusing.

Mom and Dad love Christmas and love to make the house pretty with all sorts of decorations.  The biggest decoration is the tree.  They actually go outside and bring a tree into the house.  Imagine that!  Bringing a tree in means that they have to move stuff around which is kind of confusing for a while.

A real tree needs to have water so if you get a real tree in your house you need to remember that you are not supposed to drink the water that is under the tree.  That water is the tree's water.  Also, sometimes people put chemicals in the water.  Chemicals are good for the tree but bad for pets.

Christmas trees are not for chewing.  I like to chew sticks but the kind of trees that make good Christmas trees, make bad chewing trees.  These trees have oils in them that can make your tummy very bad and the little green needles can get into your intestines and, oh boy, it can hurt.  The last thing you want to do is go to the emergency vet.  Your humans will not be happy.

Cats -  As tempting as it is, DO NOT climb the inside tree.  Humans don't like it.

Male Dogs - The inside tree is not for lifting your leg. You still need to go outside to pee.

Having a tree in the house can be pretty but humans take it a step further.  Humans like to decorate the tree with all kinds of stuff.  They wrap the tree in lights and garland, hang pretty round things called ornaments on the branches and even sprinkle shiny tinsel all over it.  None of this is good to eat!

The ornament things are really pretty but you need to be careful because some of them are made of glass.  Glass ornaments are easy to break and you don't want to get any broken glass in your pads.  Tinsel and garland are very pretty too but you don't want to eat them because they make you very sick and again, you don't want to go to the vet.

I'm the curious type so I'm always sniffing the ornaments and poking them to make them move.  That's why Mom puts ornaments that can't break on the lower branches of the tree.  If I poke one or hit it with my tail and it falls off the tree, it won't break which makes Mom happy and keeps me out of trouble.

Be very careful that you don't knock over the tree.  Dixie and I play tag and wrestle so we are going to have to be extra careful around the Christmas tree this year.  Hopefully Dad will put it in a very sturdy stand so that we can't knock it over while playing.

The best part of having a tree is that that is where Santa Paws puts the presents. You just have to remember that not all of the presents are for you and you should not unwrap them or chew the boxes.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and I hope Santa Paws brings you lots of toys and treats.

Your friend,
Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion our Yappy Holidays! gift baskets  is one of my very favorites because it has some yummy stuff for your humans too.

Winterizing your Pets

Winter is on the way and Mom and Dad are getting ready.   The oil man came with his big truck and put oil in our tank and another man is coming to clean the furnace so we will have a nice warm house when it gets cold outside.  We have the storm windows in place and the snow blower has new spark plugs and clean fuel.

It gets very cold in New England and cold weather can be hard on pets so Mom and Dad make sure Dixie and I are safe and can enjoy the winter months.  Winter is especially hard on puppies and seniors so if you are a puppy or a senior, or if you have a medical condition like diabetes, you need to limit the time you spend out of doors.  I know it’s fun to play in the snow but you can get tired really easy, so be careful.

Dogs with short hair also need to be careful and not stay outside too long.  Dixie is a mix of short hair breeds and she has never seen snow so Mom is going to buy her a coat or sweater to wear when she goes out.  This should be fun to see since Dixie doesn’t even like to wear a collar.  Hee, hee.

When playing or exercising outside we need to be careful that the snow doesn’t get in between our toes and turn to ice.  Make sure your humans check your feet when you come inside and if there is any ice, make sure they make it go away.  Some dogs wear boots to keep their feet dry.

Speaking of ice, if you live near a pond or any kind of water, do not go out on the ice.  It can break and you could fall in and get died. 

People don’t like to have ice on their stairs or sidewalks so they put down this ice melting stuff.  That ice melting stuff is dangerous if dogs or cats lick it.   If you get it on your paws, don’t lick it off.  Wait until you are back in the house and let your human get if off with a moist cloth.  There is ice melting stuff that is especially made for households with pets so make sure your humans buy that kind.

Another thing that can make a pet sick or died is called Antifreeze.  Antifreeze is something that people put into their cars so the car works in the winter.  They tell me that Antifreeze is sweet and tastes good but it has a poison called Propylene Glycol in it which is very, very bad.  People can buy Antifreeze without Propylene Glycol in it which is much safer.

I know most of you are house dogs but if you know any dogs that live outside, let them know that they need to be extra careful.  They should have some kind of shelter to keep them out of the wind and snow.  A dog house that is big enough to turn around in but small enough to keep their body heat in is a good choice.  The floor covered with hay or a nice blanket and a blanket over the door helps too. 

An outside dog needs extra food during the winter and having unfrozen water available is a challenge.  There are special water dishes that help keep water unfrozen.

I love coming in the house and cuddling in my warm bed after an afternoon playing in the snow.  I’m looking forward to showing Dixie how to bury her nose in the snow and chase snowballs.

What are some of you favorite things to do in the wintertime?

Your North Country friend,

Zava

 

P.S. Shameless self-promotion.  One of my favorite things about winter is Christmas!  That's when we all get presents.  Our Santa Paws is one of my favorite Christmas gift baskets

Rescue Me

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  According to the US Humane Society an estimated 2.7 million healthy shelter pets are not adopted each year, and only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters and rescues.  Do you know what happens to the 2.7 million healthy pets that are not adopted?  They get euthanized.  Euthanized is a nice word for KILLED.

I know, not everyone can adopt a pet.  There are already two of us adopted dogs living in our house and that is all we have room for.  But there are lots of things we can do to help shelters and hopefully get more pets adopted.

The big word is DONATE.  When people hear that word they automatically think money but there are so many other ways to donate.

Donate your TIME.  Volunteer to work at a local shelter.  You could walk the dogs or stuff envelopes for a mailing campaign.  You could donate your time assisting at a fund raising event.  You could donate your time hosting a collection drive or yard sale to benefit the shelter.

Donate your SKILLS.  Are you an amateur or professional photographer?  Donate your skills and take photos of the pets to be put on the shelter’s website or on Petfinder.com.  Have a way with words?  Help write copy for the newsletter or fund raising materials.

Donate your STUFF.  Donate out grown collars and leashes, crates, beds, or gently used toys your dog doesn’t play with.  Pet food is always welcome.  Donate office supplies, postage stamps, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies (scent free is best) and paper towels.   Your old towels can be used to dry pets after baths and your old blankets make wonderful warm beds.  Donate your olds newspapers.  The shelter can use them to line cages or shred them for litter boxes.

Donate your HOME.  It takes a very special person to foster pets.  Are you one?

Oh yeah…. You can donate MONEY.  Support fund raisers and events designed to help your local shelter or you can write a nice big check.

Several times a year my company donates part of the profits from our Pet Gift Baskets to the local shelter.  It’s easy.

So, now you know you don’t have to adopt a shelter pet to help.  If you know other ways, let me know.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Our To The Rescue Gift Basket has is the perfect way to welcome a new dog into your home.