Dining With Zeva

I just saw another post listing names of dog treats coming out of China that may be causing dogs to become sick or even died!  The list is getting longer and longer.

My mom tries to buy only good treats for me, made in the USA, that we can get at the pet food store, not at the supermarket.  We buy my regular food from the pet food store too. Our pet food store is called Dave's Soda and Pet City.  Dave and his people know a lot about pets and they help Mom find the food that is best for me.  Buying really good food at the pet food store costs a little more but, hey, I'm worth it!

Anyway, Mom recently changed my food again and boy, am I glad she did!  I like my old food but I LOVE my new food.  To me, it's all about the taste but to Mom, it's about keeping me healthy.  She recently switched me to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream cuz I have dry skin and she's hoping the good salmon and other omega stuff will help.

Mom reads labels on all the food that we buy, canine and human, and she knows that the first word listed is what is most in the food.  Can you believe Salmon is the first word on the label for my new food.  Salmon is soooooo yummy.  Just ask any bear.

Also near the top of the list is sweet potato (another yummy food).  A little farther down are tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries!  Of course there are the vitamins and mineral stuff too but no grain.  Lots of dogs are allergic to grains and even if I'm not allergic, I would rather have real meat and salmon than soy meal.

Do you know what is in some dog food.  Meat by products.  I looked up what meat by products are and yuck!!!!

Meat by products are anything that is not strictly speaking meat (like liver, spleen, bone, blood, cleaned/washed intestines, brain, lungs, etc.) but does not include questionable items like feathers, hoofs, hair, horns teeth, etc.
I'm glad my Mom gets me food with stuff like salmon and sweet potato in it and not stuff like intestines and brains!

Some day I may get Mom to make food for me at home like some of friends humans do, but for now, I'm totally happy, except I could use an extra cup or two every day.

What dog food do you eat and what do you like best about it?

Bone appetite,
Your friend,
Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion  A pretty dog dish is the "basket" in our To The Rescue Dog Gift Basket! Photo above.

 

Road Trip Safety Tips

Hey Everyone!

Doing a little catch up. My humans and I took a day off this week and drove up to the White Mountains Region of New Hampshire. It was sooo much fun. Before we left, Mom and I made sure I had everything I needed to have a good trip.

Here are some things your humans can do to make sure you are safe and have fun on your next trip.

1. Safety is Number One. It was a long ride but it was so pretty I sat up the whole way looking out of the window. We always drive with the window closed, or only open a little bit so I can’t stick my head out. We don’t want me to get dirt or buggies in my eyes.

Dogs always should ride in the back seat or the way back of an SUV and never in the open back of a pick up truck. Some humans let their dogs sit on their laps while they drive. I’m too big to sit on anyone’s lap but even if you are a small dog, it is a dangerous way to ride.

Crates or seat belts for dogs are also a good idea, especially for active dogs.

Don’t stay in the car alone cuz you could get too hot or too cold depending on what time of year you are traveling. Too hot or too cold could make you sick or died. It was a beautiful day, not hot, not cold but still, whenever we stopped for something, someone stayed with me in the car. I think Dad was happy cuz he doesn’t really like shopping stuff.

2. Do some test drives if you don‘t ride often. Since I help Mom deliver our gift baskets, I ride in the car all the time and we go to lots of places so we know I don’t get car sick. If you’re not used to riding in the car and your humans want to take you on a big ride, they should take you on some short rides first so you can get used to it.

We don’t like to take meds but if you don’t like riding in a car and get sick all the time, check with your vet or someone in at your pet store. There are meds to help you not be sick. Car rides are fun, being sick is not.

3. Like all good Dog Scouts, be prepared. For this long trip, we packed my daypack. It’s a little back pack that I can carry myself. I made sure I had my collapsible bowl and some bottled water, my halter and leash, poop bags and of course extra cookies. I ate breakfast a couple of hours before we left and we were going to be home by supper time so we didn’t take any of my trail meals.

I’m not taking any meds but if I were, we would take them along too.

Mom put my microchip information in her wallet and we made sure I had all of my tags. Mom always has a bunch of pictures of me on her phone but if she didn’t she would bring along a photo. We do all of this just in case my humans get lost. I wouldn’t be able to find my way home without help so we make sure we have everything I need to help me get back home safely.

I had so much fun, I’m ready for our next road trip! How about you? Have you had a good road trip lately?

Your travelin’ friend,

Zeva

Mom's Gone To The Dogs

My Mom took a test today and found out that she is a Dogaholic. 

Here are a few things she found that confirmed she needs help and that I am a very spoiled dog. (Like that's a bad thing....)

1. My crate is in the living room and Dad uses it as an end table.
2. The new living room carpet is gray because gray doesn't show my dog hair or the dirt I track in as quickly as some other colors.
3. My humans bought their 4 Runner because there were two dogs living here back then and they wanted the dogs to be comfortable.
4. All of Mom's jackets have treats and poop bags in the pockets.
5. Mom knows the names of all the neighborhood dogs but not their humans.
6. Some weeks Mom spends more in the Pet Food Store than in the grocery store.
7. My name gets added to all greeting cards we send.

and maybe the biggest one, I have my own business cards.

Is your favorite human a Dogaholic? How can you tell?

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Sales pitch..... Until October 31st, get 20% off any of our Pet Gift Baskets.  Just type "pets" in the coupon code section and we'll take care of the rest.

Driving Ms. Zeva

One of the things I like most about my job is that I get to go with Mom when we have errands and when we deliver our gift baskets.  I ride in the back seat of our SUV right behind Mom.  I have AC and heat so that I don’t cook in the summer or freeze in the winter.  I get left alone for minutes when Mom has to go into a store, but NEVER when it is too hot outside.  In the winter, I even have extra blankets to snuggle in if I want.

I like sitting behind Mom because I can look out the window.  I like smelling the air as we drive.  I can smell the trees and animal as we drive through the wooded areas and even the not so pleasant smells when we drive through the cities.

I like to have the window open so I can smell better.  Mom only opens it enough for me to stick my nose out of but too small for me to stick my head out of, and when I am left alone in the car, the window is only open a couple of inches.

My safety is important to my humans.  And I bet if you are reading this blog, your safety is very important to your humans too.  Obviously, a dog that gets to use to the family computer is very well taken care of.

That’s why I’m wondering why some people think they know better than our humans how to treat us.  Some places have laws that say that we have to wear seat belts.  And now they are trying to say we can’t stick our noses out of the window!  Well, technically, they are trying to say we can't stick our heads out of the window because we could be hurt.  We could get buggies in our eyes or even get smacked by a branch or something hard if our humans aren’t careful.

If we are driving through some states, like New Jersey, my Mom could have to pay the policeman $1000 because I am not wearing a seat belt!?  Yes, if our humans get our car crashed, we could be very hurt or died.  And it probably isn’t safe for a dog to sit in their humans lap while the human is driving.  But come on.

 Isn't it better to let humans know the dangers of letting their dogs stick their heads out of windows or letting them sit in their lap than to make a law?  Look at all of the information that came out this summer about not leaving dogs in the car when it's too hot.  People who didn't know about how bad it is learned and now they won't leave their dogs alone to be died.

Those people who think up these laws mean well I’m sure but why aren’t they working harder to protect those dogs that don’t have good humans taking care of them.  The dogs that are made to be in dog fights, the dogs used as bait to train fighting dogs, or the dogs kept in puppy mills.  These are the dogs that need to be rescued and protected.  Not dogs like me who ride around in nice SUV’s and live with humans who try their best to keep us safe.

I would be interested in hearing about your car riding experiences and how you feel about mandatory seat belts for dogs.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  Here is the sign that hangs on our door.  I think it says it all.  Every dog should have one of these.

Shame On You!

As if many dogs don’t have enough self esteem problems what with breed specific issues etc. , now our very own humans are holding us up to public ridicule!   I’m talking about Dog Shaming.

Being the perfect dog, my Mom has no reason to shame me.  She, however, should get a sign for making me wear that stupid Hawaiian shirt for that end of summer photo contest.  I never did look at the camera so she had to give up on the idea of even entering.

I am speaking out for all of the dogs who have been shamed.  I see nothing shameful about eating a dozen donuts and then the box.  I bet there was a lot of yummy donut guts stuck to that box.  And the poor dog who got shamed because he ate two sticks of butter, half a pound cake and a pan of dinner rolls.  He must have been starving. And whose fault is that I ask you.  Hey you humans grab a snack when you’re hungry, why shouldn’t we?

Maybe the dog that ate the little girl’s ice cream cone in the park went a little too far.  He probably didn’t even get to enjoy it with all the crying, screaming and yelling that must have gone on.  Have you ever heard a little girl cry? I rest my case.

To the dog that ate the $20.00 bill.  Bad move dude.  That $20.00 could have been used for treats or gas for riding in the car.  Next time think.  You may not have been hungry at all, only thirsty.  A drink out of the toilet would have been a better option.

To all the dogs who have been shamed, you are not bad dogs; you’re just misunderstood.  Here are a few of tips to avoid shaming.

1.        Don’t get caught.

 

2.       If you do get caught, blame it on the cat.

 

3.       If you don’t have a cat handy, play on their heart strings.  Look at your human with your most soulful look and for extra points, throw in the head tilt. 

4.      Do Not LOOK guilty, even if you are.

5.      If all else fails and you get shamed, look right at the camera and use your most soulful look again.   It may not work on your humans cuz they are used to it but it will work on other people.  They will feel sorry for you and your humans will feel bad.

 

If you or any of your friends have been shamed, please share your story.  You are among friends here.

 

Your Friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  For all the Good Dogs out there, I have created a gift basket especially for you.  I call it my   Good Dog Spot Gift Basket  and filled it with toys to keep you busy all day long. As we all know, a tired dog is a good dog.

 

 

A Walk In The Park - Then and Now

Today we went for a big walk in a park I never visited before. It’s not a dog park where dogs can run free.   This park has lots of signs reminding people that dogs have to stay on their leashes and to make sure to pick up any poop.  That’s okay cuz it is a very pretty park with lots of different kinds of trees and flowers. There are lots of roads and paths and benches to sit on.

While we were walking, Mom told me a story.  She told me about how different things were for dogs a long, long time ago in the 1970’s.   I like history and this was about dogs so I paid very close attention.   She  said when she was young and working in the city, she lived not far from this park but said she didn’t bring her then dog (her name was Nico) to this park very often.

Mom said back then, the laws about dogs and leashes were much less strict and people were much more dog friendly.  She said she and Nico could  go for walks anywhere, and they didn't have only certain parks where dogs were welcome like they do today.  Nico could even go outside of their house by herself without being fenced in.  If Mom wanted to go into a store for a minute, Nico could sit by the door and wait. Mom didn’t worry about anything bad happening.  Today, she doesn’t let me off of my leash or out of her sight.

It was interesting learning about the olden days and I sort of wish I could run around with my friends any time I wanted, but I’m glad that I have humans who care about me and want to keep me safe.

I’m also glad that more humans, like my Mom and her friends, are getting together to make sure that the rules that get made about dogs are fair for all dogs and that all dogs are treated well, especially dogs who don’t have furever homes with loving humans. 

When people hurt dogs, they need to be punished a whole lot.  It makes me so sad when I see how badly dogs are hurt by horrible people. And the law shouldn’t say a dog is bad and can be killed because of how it looks.

We are lucky to have humans who love us and take care of us but we need to make sure our humans keep looking out for and try to help dogs who aren’t so lucky.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

 

Ready to Help

Happy Wordless Wednesday to all Blog Hoppers.

No matter what day it is, I'm ready to help a client choose the perfect gift basket for that special pet or person who loves them.

Your friend,

Zeva