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

Nurse Zeva

Being a big sister is a hard job. Last week DixieLee had a bad belly. She couldn’t eat anything because she would just throw it up. Mom said I had to help by not asking for cookies.

The vet said she should not eat anything for 24 hours! I can’t imagine anything worse than not being able to eat! You could get died if you didn’t eat for 24 hours.

I guess the vet was right. After 24 hours she could eat again and was not sick any more. The bestest part was that she got to eat really yummy stuff like boiled chicken and scrambled eggs. I got to have some too as a reward for being so helpful.

You would think that once she got to eat again everything would be good. Instead of being happy about getting kibble and cookies, she started stealing paper towels off of the counter and paper signs from Mom’s desk. She would rip them and chew them and swallow them.

Mom was not happy. When DixieLee first came to live with us, she would try to eat stuff from the trash and she really like paper towels. Paper towels are NOT good for dogs. They can get caught in the tummy and you can get a blockage. Not sure what that is but it can make you have to get an operation or even get died.

Mom and Dad had to buy lots of different trash cans before they found one she could not get into. DixieLee is very smart. She can’t get into the trash any more so she found different places to get paper.

I understand how she feels. She told me that before she came to live with us, she didn’t have a Mom or Dad to give her food so she had to find her own. There were some days when she didn’t get much so when Mom wouldn’t give her food for a day, she thought she had to get her own again.

Some dogs eat paper and other stuff they shouldn’t because they are hungry. I explained to Dixie that she didn’t have to worry. I saw a big new bag of dog food in the back room so we would have plenty of food forever.

Being hungry isn’t the only reason dogs eat paper. Way long ago, before there was food like kibble that is easy to eat, dogs had to rip and tear their food so that they could eat it. Even though we are now have easy to eat food our ancestor memories can make us like to rip and tear.

Now that DixieLee is eating regular food at regular times again I hope she will not eat paper. Aside from being bad for her, it makes Mom unhappy and I don’t like it when Mom is not happy.

Do you eat paper or other things you shouldn’t?

Love,

Zeva

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

Hi, My Name Is.........

Most of my blogs are about dogs because, well, I’m a dog so I can talk from experience but because at Paw Pals Boutique we make gift baskets for all pet, this blog is about other types of pets.

There was a stray cat that liked our neighborhood so she would come by our house every day. She finally adopted a family that lives on our street. We don’t get to see her much any more because she likes her new family and has turned into a house cat.

DixieLee and I were talking about her the other day. We called her Midnight because she is a beautiful all black cat. We are wondering what her new family named her. The next time Mom sees someone from her family, we’ll find out but in the meantime we searched out the most popular cat names for 2018 to see if she gets one of them.

According to Healthy Paws, here are the top ten:

Stella, Oscar, Gracie, Finn, Daisy, Jack, Chloe, Simba, Mia and Loki.

Nala, Oliver, Luna, Milo, Bella, Leo, Lucy, Charlie, Lily and Max were also really popular.

We have lots of friends who have horses as their favorite companions so we looked to see what are the more popular names for horses.

Saddle Box finds Bella, Alex, Lilly, Alexia, Fancy, Sugar, Lady, Tucker, Dakota and Cash are really popular.

People also like the names Jasper, Misty, Smoke, Cheyenne and Breeze.

We like to know the names of our friends so let us know what your name is and what kind of pet you are.

Love,

Zeva

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

Eau de Stinky 2

I’m in the dog house.  Mom is wearing her not happy face so I think I’ll just hang out where she isn’t.

Everything was going just fine.  We all went for a big walk and, like usual, when we get back to our yard I get to go off leash.  I like when I get to go off leash because I can investigate more places.

Just as I got to the top of the little hill, I smelled something interesting so I ran for it.  Just what I thought, I nice big pile of poop.  I think it was from a coyote.  There are lots of wild animals living in the woods around our town.

I don’t like when they cross our yard but they are sneaky and do it when I am sleeping so I can’t stop them but maybe, just maybe there is a way to catch them.

If I smelled like a coyote, they wouldn’t know it was me and I could sneak up on them and chase them away.  So, I rolled and rolled in the pile until I was covered all over with their scent.

Coyotes might like the smell, but Moms don’t.  Oh boy, was I ever in trouble.

This wasn’t the first time I got myself in this particular kind of trouble so you would think Mom would remember that I told her that it was what dogs have done since early, early days.  We cover ourselves with the scent of prey so that they don’t know it is us sneaking up on them. She wasn’t buying it.

So, just like last time, I got washed and dried and now I really smell yucky.  Mom used some of the stuff we get for our Spot’s SPA Gift Baskets.  Humans like the smell and it makes fur more fluffy.  I guess I’ll look at this as a “product testing” session.

DixieLee loves to roll around on grass and rugs.  She does it all the time but never in poop so she doesn't get in trouble.

Here comes Mom now.  I think I’ll find another room to be in for a few minutes.

Love,

Zeva

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

Camera Shy?

If your Mom is like ours, she is always trying to take pictures of you when you are doing something “cute”. 

DixieLee is okay about having her picture taken.  She is always doing something funny but lots of times she moves too fast to get a not blurry shot.

Me, I prefer my privacy but it is important that your humans have some good pictures of you just in case you go missing or get pet-napped.

Every day we see lots of posts on Facebook and flyers in store windows of pets that have gone missing.

A “good” picture is one that shows lots of you so peoples can get a sense of how big you are and what colors you are all over.  A “good” picture is a recent one.  I know I look way different than I did when I was younger.

A good description of you to go along with your picture is also important. It should tell how big you are, how much you weigh, how old you are (I know, girls don’t like to tell those things but they are important to know) and tell where you were last seen.

Your humans should call the local rescue/shelter and police department.  Sometimes peoples take lost pets to shelters or call the police to say there is a stray in the area.  Getting your picture to the shelter and police is good too.

We hope you never get lost or pet-napped but if you do, having a good picture and having your humans act quickly, will be a big help in getting you home safe and soon.

Smile pretty!

Love,

Zeva

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

It's Not For Everyone

I have read that there are peoples who put leashes on their cats and take them for walks but until we went out for our Sunday walk, I had never seen one with my own eyes.

Now I have nothing against cats. We had some cats for neighbors and I would have tried to be friends but they were kind of stuck up. They mostly sat in the windows in the house across the street and stared at me and DixieLee.

We had a stray cat that hung around our house for a few days. I learned that she adopted the family that lives at the end of the street. Mom liked having a cat around because she said that cats scare away chipmunks and squirrels.

If that is so, I don’t think she was doing a very good job.

The other day Dad saw her eating some of the catnip plants in our garden. Mom said it was okay because although she planted the catnip to keep the mosquitoes away, she is happy the cat is enjoying it too.

Anyway, back to seeing the cat walking on a leash. First of all, I’m used to seeing cats run fast. This cat was walking really, really, really slow. Mom saw her first so she detoured us into the park so DixieLee wouldn’t see the cat. DixieLee thinks chasing cats would be lots of fun.

We had to wait a long, long time for the cat to walk a little way down the street and then turn around to go back home.

The lady and the cat were sitting outside when we went by their house and DixieLee and I were very good. The cat however, got stressed out. I think she wanted to climb a tree where she would be safe but she couldn’t because she was on a leash.

From what I have read, it seems that walking on a leash stresses cats out. Cats are pretty independent and don’t like to have anyone tell them where to go or what to do and like the cat we met on Sunday, if they feel in danger, they want to run away.

Peoples that would like their cats to be able to go outside because outside is nice, should think about getting a Catico. If you want more information about Caticos, here’s a link to a blog I wrote a while back about Caticos.

I would be very interested to hear from any cats or dogs who live with cats and see what you think.

All this talk about taking walks is making me want to go out myself. It’s such a beautiful day. Let’s see if using the stare works today.

Love,

Zeva

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

What to do on a Hot Summer Day

Boy, it’s super hot outside. We love to go outside to play and go for walks but not when it is this hot. I found a spot right in front of the air conditioner. I don’t want to move until winter comes back but DixieLee wants to play and fight. Sigh

Mom says there has to be something we can do to get rid of extra energy that doesn’t tear the house apart. We went looking and found an article listing 101 things to do with your dog. Here are some ideas.

1. Go for a walk. Well, we love this idea but not when it is so hot the pavement would burn our feet.

2. Go shopping in a pet-friendly store. Mom said NO to that one. She says we have bad manners and she doesn’t have enough money to pay for all the cookies we would eat right out of the bins and the toys DixieLee would destroy.

3. Go to a beach or pond and swim. DixieLee likes to swim but even though I am part Lab, I hate water. So “NO” to the whole swimming idea.

4. Make an appointment with a groomer for a nice bath and pedicure. Did I mention that I hate water and I understand baths involve water. DixieLee hates to have her feet touched so, I guess we can cross that one off the list.

5. Sing to your dog. They can’t be serious. Whoever made this list never heard Mom sing or they would never suggest this activity.

6. Dance with your dog. See number 5.

7. Go on a canoe trip. This also involves water but I would pay to see Dad try to take DixieLee out in a canoe. 

8. Blow bubbles. DixieLee actually likes chasing bubbles but then she is easily amused.

9. Play tug-of-war with an old sock. Not a great idea since it took us 4 years to break DixieLee of the habit of stealing Dad’s socks and chewing holes in them.

10. Make Pupcicles or doggy ice cream. Now this is an activity I can get behind. There are lots and lots of recipes on line so we could have a different flavor every day.

Finally, we found an activity that we can do as a family! I think I’ll just sit here in front of the air conditioner while Mom makes up some peanut butter ice cream treats for us.

Stay cool and make sure you are drinking enough water.

Your friend,

Zeva

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