petsr4us

Valentine’s Day is in a little over a week.  How about getting your sweetheart a pet related gift that also helps the ASPCA? They have some really cute things, such as a sterling silver pawprint pendant.  Or how about a coffee mug, t-shirt, key chain, tote bag, or other item that will help the ASPCA?  I know the standard gifts are chocolates and flowers, but a sweatshirt will last longer.Personally, I am planning on donating money to the ASPCA and my local animal shelter in honor of my husband for part of his Valentine’s Day present.How about you?  What are you going to do? For gift or donation ideas, visit http://www.aspcaonlinestore.com/index.php

Do you have a favorite pet?  Out of all of your pets that you have or had, which one is your favorite and why?

My favorite right now is Chimi.  She is a small long-haired Chihuahua who is gorgeous.  She has so much energy and a zest for life.  Chimi is about 8 months old and weighs a little less than three pounds.  How can such a small dog get into my heart?  It must be her endearing spirit and her love of life.  She will gladly kiss anyone she meets and I don’t think she knows what a stranger is.  She has fun riding in the car and is good at the vet’s office.   I guess the biggest part of my love for Chimi is that she is so lovable herself.  She is huggable, kissable, and just plain CUTE!

Who is your favorite?

A friend sent me this in a chain email about pets… I had seen it before but I always laugh so I thought I’d share it with you:

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
 
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.
 
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.
 
The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Do you have any funnies or humorous articles to share?  Let me know, I’d love to post more humor.  Laughter frees the soul.

I received an email from the ASPCA talking about making Valentines Day safe for pets.  From their information: “Two common holiday hazards to stay alert to are chocolate and lilies, warn our poison control experts. In the week prior to Valentine’s Day 2008, cases involving chocolate ingestion increased by 74%—a number comparable only to cases seen during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. And bouquet senders and receivers alike are often unaware of the dangers of lilies.”

I was aware of the dangers of chocolate but not of lilies.  How about you all?  Other dangers are rose thorns, open flames in fire places, some sweeteners in candy, ribbons, etc.  Do you know of any other dangers we should be worried about for Valentine’s Day with pets?  If so, please comment and let everyone know.

Visit the ASPCA’s website at http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/valentines-day-tips.html for more tips for a safe Valentine’s Day for your pets.

A friend recently sent me a few jokes that were pet related; more specifically relating to dogs and cats.  The following joke made me chuckle and I hope it does the same for you.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they

(1) eat less,

2) don’t ask for money all the time,

(3) are easier to train,

(4) normally come when called,

(5) never ask to drive the car,

(6) don’t hang out with drug-using people;

(7) don’t smoke or drink,

(8) don’t want to wear your clothes,

(9) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,

(10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college, and

(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children

Please send me your jokes or humorous stories and I can share them.

Recently peanut butter and products with peanut butter have been recalled.  Have you checked your pets treats to see if they need to be thrown out?  If you want to check out the list of recalled items, you can visit the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/.  There is a link on the website to see what items are on the list.  The following is listed on the site: “Product recalls now include some pet food products that contain peanut paste that was made by PCA. While the risk of animals contracting salmonellosis is minimal, there is risk to humans from handling these products.”

Have you checked it out?  I have and none of the items we feed our pets are on the list.

Many times throughout the years, I have had an opportunity to introduce a new cat or dog to the house.  This can be such an interesting process.  My usual steps are to isolate the new pet and make introductions slowly and supervised.  Whether the new pet is a cat or dog, they will have to meet all the other household pets.  I prefer to do this one by one and then in a group setting.   I choose to make this a slow process, sometimes lasting more than a week.  I have found that my furry critters often take a few weeks before they are truly accepting of a new pet in the family.

How do you introduce new pets to your house?  Do you have tried and true method for making introductions?  How about for getting your old pets to accept the news ones?  

There is a discussion amongst my Chihuahua Group about the topic of how young is too young for an adoption to take place.  The majority feel that puppies shouldn’t be adopted until they are at least 12 weeks of age.  They feel that a reputable breeder will want to ensure the best possible chance for the pup and to do so requires some time aging.  They also feel that a reputable breeder will provide the first set of shots and worming.  A person in the group had just adopted a 6 week old Chihuahua and the breeder had not given shots or worming.  The member was asking when she should take in her young pup to see the vet.  A resounding RIGHT NOW was heard through the group.

What are your thoughts?  I know that personally, I’ve adopted puppies at 8 weeks of age and a kitten at 6 weeks.  They are more difficult to care for in the beginning and require a watchful eye.  What are your adoption stories?  How young did you adopt your puppy or kitten?

I received the following email text from the ASPCA to make me aware of legislation that was introduced into Washington state:

Dear Washington Animal Advocates,State Senator Craig Pridemore and State Rep. Brendan Williams have introduced Senate Bill 5329 & House Bill 1406, companion bills in the Washington State Legislature that would create targeted spay/neuter programs for pets of low-income residents and feral/free-roaming cats. The bill does not make spay/neuter mandatory, and the fund won’t take money away from other programs.

What You Can Do
The Senate Agriculture & Rural Economic Development Committee is expected to hold a hearing on SB 5329 before the end of the month. Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online to personalize and send a letter to all the senators who serve on the committee that urges them to vote in favor of SB 5329.Thank you for your help, Washington.

You can visit them at ASPCA.

A good friend of mine lost one of her beloved furbabys recently after fifteen years.  Losing a pet is so very hard and it takes time to heal.  Sometimes well meaning people will tell you to go out and get a new pet right away.  I would caution anyone and tell them to wait for a while and grieve for the one that they lost.  Grief is a process and each person goes through that process in their own way.  Allow yourself the time to properly mourn the loss of your pet.  In time, you can always add another to the family.

I wrote an article on how to cope with losing a pet and you can find it here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4713478_cope-loss-pet.html

Is there a special way you have learned to cope with the loss of your furbaby?  If so, leave me a comment so we can share about what has worked for us.