Category — Dogs

Sixwize.com has some advice for exercising your dog:

Even if you have a fenced backyard, your dog may not be getting enough activity unless he’s exerting himself to the point of panting.

Don’t expect your dog to start out with a 30-minute intense walk, however. You’ll need to condition your pet and work up to more intense activities, just as you need to do yourself if you haven’t worked out in awhile.

A good starting point for most dogs is a 10-15 minute, moderately paced walk. You can work up to 30 minutes, three times a week or, for athletic breeds, up to an hour per session. If you don’t have time to take your dog for regular walks, hiring a dog walker, or taking your dog to a supervised doggy day care, will provide a great alternative.

And for cats:

Cats, especially the indoor variety, can be harder to keep active but a bit of ingenuity on your part will go a long way. Experiment with a variety of toys for your cat and change them often to prevent boredom.

Most cats enjoy catnip-filled toys, such as Nigel the Octopus from GreenerWiener.com or mouse toys like the 100% natural Wooley Bully.

Another simple option to keep cats entertained is a flashlight or laser pointer. Cats will wear themselves out trying to “catch” the light, and SixWise.com highly recommends the Ba-Da-Beam Hands-Free Rotating Laser Chaser from GreenerWiener.com for all cat owners.

And some safety tips:

When exercising your cat or dog, be sure to watch for signs of overexertion, such as excessive panting or lying down. These are signs that it’s time for a break. Also, be especially careful when exercising pets with flat faces, such as pugs, bulldogs and Persian cats, as they are vulnerable to respiratory distress.

Other breeds may also be prone to overexertion or injury, including toy breeds, dachshunds, young puppies and older pets, so always use caution and pay attention to cues from your pet.

You’ll also want to avoid exercising your dog in extreme heat or cold, which can lead to hypothermia, heat stress and over-exhaustion. In bad weather, take your dog to an indoor play park, or teach him to walk (with your assistance) on a treadmill!

Of course, always make sure your pet has access to fresh water during any exercise session.

If you do not have the time or energy to exercise your pet(s), that is one of the services At Home Pet Sitting will gladly provide for you.

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Thanks for the wonderful memories you gave us.

This was Dusty. We fostered Dusty from the SW WA Humane Society in the spring of 2007. Dusty had non-contagious mange and had lost much of his hair. He was the ulgiest dog I’ve ever seen even if he had not lost his hair. Dusty was treated and cured of his mange although some of the hair never did grow back.

During the time we were treating Dusty we found out that this ugly dog had a heart of gold. There was no way that we could give him back to the shelter to be adopted out. We lost Dusty last summer. He is missed much. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

United Animal Nations has a website called My Dog is Cool that provides information about the dangers of putting your dog in your car during warm weather days.  Even though it may not seem hot to you in your car, unlike your dog, you are not wearing a fur coat.  You are not sweating solely through your mouth.  You have the ability to get out of your car and get a drink of water when you are too hot.  Dogs are not designed for hot weather.  They like it cool.   Keep your car cool and keep your cool dog out of it on hot days.

Cody

Not sure who won.

Dog half somersault

We currently have 7 dogs in our household. All of them (except1) were probably unwillingly given to us by their owners either because they failed to fence their dog properly or let them off leash.

Our dog play yard not only has a 6 foot chain link fence. There is also another 6 foot fence behind the chain link and there is another two feet of fencing that is buried underneath the ground.

You see some dogs are what they call diggers and some dogs are what they call escape artists. We have a little of both. Again that is probably how they came to be ours in the first place. But none of them have ever (knock on wood) gotten away from us. And we want to keep it that way.

If you think your dog is safe off leash, here is a story that may change your mind, Missing Fla. dog shows up 1,000 miles away in Ill. It is never completely safe to have your dog off leash outdoors other than in an area that is properly fenced. And it is against the law.

Even if your dog will stay with you 100% of the time, you have no way of knowing if another dog or other animal will come upon your dog and attack him or her.

When I am out walking one of my dogs, who is aggressive towards other dogs, sometimes an unleashed dog will come up to us and cause my dog to go into a fit of rage. A dog that is leashed perceives that he or she is at a disadvantage when being confronted with an unleashed dog and will show more aggression than normal as a way of protecting himself or herself.

Why put your dog or other dogs/animals at unnecessary risk? Always leash or properly fence in your dog whenever he or she is outdoors.

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