Some Puppy To Love

I have said it before many times: when I brought home our black Lab, Django, from North Shore Animal League, it was one definite highlight of my life.  I definitely felt those twinges of puppy love (even wrote a  post with that exact title !). I couldn’t wait to get back home and see her when I was out. I loved to snuggle with her any spare moment I could. Three years later, I love her just as much, if not more. When  we first saw Django,  she had just been wheeled in with a bunch of other puppies after having been seen by the vet, so she wasn’t at the facility for very long. However, some puppies and dogs are at their shelters for a very long time, and some make friends with other animals and people and form a special bond. The puppy in the Budweiser ad airing during this weekend’s big game, has become so close to one very special resident that he keeps running back to the adoption center to see her. This sweet and moving ad, entitled “Puppy Love” is guaranteed to make any pe

Benny with Dad & Mom--his "bestest" friends By Stephen Rusiniak   (for Mom and for her Benny) Dog owners have long since known that unconditional love is just one of the many benefits reaped when a puppy becomes a member of the family. Sometimes, however, the love doesn’t  always happen overnight—or in Benny’s case, even longer than that. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her. It was more like Benny just didn’t care about her one way or the other. Maybe the only reason he paid any attention to her at all was because his best buddy did, and Benny was, after all, a one man dog. Besides, when it came right down to it, she simply wasn’t him. In truth, Benny might have given her a few minutes of consideration around dinnertime. Only then would he acknowledge her presence and would continue doing so right up until the moment his dog tags would clink the sides of the big shiny bowl containing his evening allotment of puppy chow. And surprisingly, she didn’t mind

One of the lovely parts of being a pet blogger is getting a preview on the new pet products on the market. A couple of months ago, I had the privilege of getting the inside scoop on Petco's new product line.  It has everything you could want as a pet lover...warm,cute and fun. Some Puppy To Love is raffling off a beautiful, cozy doggie jacket and some great toys.  The contest is a quickie. It starts today and goes on until January 31st.    One lucky winner will receive  a sassy, red, sequined party coat (size small/medium), a "gouda" gift box filled with stuffed toys, and a squeaky plush in none other than the shape of a turkey!

The Petter, the only planner, calendar and mini-scrapbook designed to keep track of pet’s schedules features fun animal facts, famous pet quotes notepads and a pet family tree. ‘Your pet has a life too’ is the tagline for The Petter – the only planner, calendar, and mini-scrapbook designed specifically to keep track of a pet’s schedule. The Petter, designed by Jeanie Galbreath, features pet family tree pages, animal facts and quotes, notepads, handy pockets for important documents and more.  Jeanie started Task Jeanie LLC, a virtual assistance company, in 2009. Recently she decided to branch out and create a product. “I’ve always loved datebooks and planners. I use one every day,” Jeanie said. “It just seemed logical for me to create a planner. But I wanted to create something that was unique, something that had not been done before.” Once she saw that there were no planners on the market designed specifically for a pet’s schedules, Jeanie decided to create The Petter. “I

When we adopted Hayley, she had been abused and neglected. Her fur was matted and had ticks. She was not potty trained and she would shutter in fear that we would hit her if we made any sudden movements. Furthermore, her teeth were in pretty bad shape. We did the best we could with cleaning them and by feeding her a good diet. The vet recommended that we look into having her teeth surgically cleaned and restored, but frankly at the time, we just didn't have the additional funds to do it. She was much older than her given age and we were working hard on identifying and treating her medical conditions at the time. All the while, we tried our best to brush her teeth and keep them clean.

Guest Post Courtesy of  Lynne Choate,   Pet First The rattle of a bag or the opening of the pantry door and here they come. Does your pet knows the sound and always comes running in hopes of a nibble no matter what it is? And even worse, your dog just finished up what was in their bowl. So why do they always seem hungry? Are you feeding your pet enough? Is their food nutritious? Let’s start with reading the ingredients listed. The first ingredient listed should represent the highest valued food in the mix, but that isn’t always the case. The weight of the food may have been taken prior to being cooked or processed. For example, chicken when raw weighs about 80% more than it does when cooked.  The word “meal” in the ingredient list is something that has been weighed after being processed.  For example, "chicken meal" is chicken which is weighed after it has been cooked and the water has already been taken out, giving you more meat and protein per weight volu

With New Jersey Governor Chris Christie set to take the podium this afternoon to deliver the State of the State address, many political hounds say he will try to divert attention away from the BridgeGate scandal and call new matters into view. For those not familiar with the scandal, the Governor’s top staff members’ emails became public outlining how  they purposely caused mass traffic jams  in Fort Lee, N.J. after the town’s mayor declined endorsing Christie last year during his campaign.  A scene out of Scandal? Perhaps, but one thing is certain, this has not only caused the Governor’s political prospects to come into question, it has enraged citizens, whether they think Christie was responsible or not. And when people get upset, we all know their dogs know it.

My Django, a black Lab, might be considered mute in doggie terms. She never howls or cries. She will bark, quite ferociously upon seeing a stranger outside the house, but that is rare. On most days, she exudes no noise. Our Chihuahua, Hayley is quite the opposite. She will squeal, cry, moan, at any given moment of any given day and every single time the doorbell rings. They are opposites in every way. Still, neither of them attempt to speak the way some dogs do. Vocal prowess is just one of the reasons why I love Siberian Huskies so much.  Mishka  is an all-time favorite. But after seeing the video below, I do believe that this dog might give Mishka a run for her money.

The frigid temperatures around the country are not just inconvenient; they can be incredibly dangerous for our pets. It's important that pets are kept warm and protected from harsh temperatures. Experts say frostbite can set in in less than 15 minutes, and animals are not exempt from this despite their furry coats. While frostbite is bad enough, hypothermia is the most dangerous hazard when the weather gets this cold.  Signs of hypothermia include “violent shivering followed by listlessness, a rectal temperature below 95°F (35°C), weak pulse, lethargy, and coma.” It can become fatal very fast. It goes without saying that every dog and cat needs to be indoors during cold temperatures like these. I would argue, however, that dogs and cats need to be indoors during any cold temperatures. If you are cold, they are cold, simple as that. Outdoors is no place for pets.

There is no better way to start off a new year with new goals and resolutions. I hope to use 2014 to further efforts to help animals through this blog. Here are ten ways we can all help in a post I wrote for Babble Pets today. I hope you'll read it and pass it along. Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and even wild animals like lions, bears, elephants … and every existing living animal in the world are not very different from you and I. They all have the right to live without fear of being hunted, tortured or abused. In our own homes, there is a reason that so many of us animal lovers treat our pets in the same way we treat our children, and why many of us consider them part of our family. Like children, dogs and cats need our protection, period. They are fully dependent on us for food, good health and safety. My hope for our world is that we, collectively as a society realize that animals need our protection and that we work together to ensure that animals are treated with car

Do you have doggie booties? I’ve seen quite a few pups with booties strutting their stuff around New York City. I once said I would probably never get our dosg booties, but you may have noticed this recent Instagram photo . In the past, I doubted that Django or Hayley would keep them on their paws long enough to make it to the end of the block (or even out the door), and I wondered if they were necessary. My dogs only go out for short walks and quick trips to relieve themselves in the yard in very cold weather. I let them in as soon as they do their business. If we are cold, so are they, after all.  No dog should be kept outside for very long when temperatures plunge. I always put a coat on Hayley, the Chihuahua mix, but not Django, the Lab mix. But like I said, I never tried booties until recently. They looked cute, yes and I suppose they gave Hayley some warmth but in today's snow and single temps, they surely wouldn't do much.  Still, I wonder, are booties a necessi