Friday Fun Video: Drive Thru Doggie Bag
My favorite part of this is how she just calmly hands the dog the sandwich like it’s no big deal, hahaha.
Dog Walking You? Here’s How To Change That
Last week, I wrote a post about the most common pet health mistakes that pet owners make. The top of the list? Letting your dog pull on the leash / letting him walk you. Not only does it hurt your pooch, it can also lead to injuries for yourself! So, do you have an overly eager dog? Regain some control by reading this post by JL Penner at the Frugal Living Mom:
-Feed them a yummy treat when he behaves correctly
-Keep lessons short and sweet
-Play with your dog and tire him out first!
-If he starts to pull, stop and stand still until they cut it out.
-Let them do some sniffing.
Common Pet Health Mistakes
Owning a pet doesn’t sound like a difficult job on the surface. You keep them fed, pick up their poop, and maybe play with them/ help them get some exercise every once in a while. In return, they give you their unconditional love and affection. Or, if you have cats, they give you reproachful glares. Just kidding. I love cats. Anyway, being a pet owner can be much more complicated than feed, walk, play. What happens when the pet has behavioral issues, or health issues? How can you prevent them, and keep your pet happy and healthy? Check out this post by Orange Donkey for the most common mistakes that pet owners make:
-Letting your dog walk you- obedience training is necessary and will help avoid injury for both you and your dog.
-Not checking for ticks- carefully remove any you find with tweezers
-Keeping the food bowl constantly full- this will cause your pet to overeat, which can lead to a host of other problems.
-Forcing cats to be vegetarians- cats are meat eaters, plain and simple.
-Providing too little exercise- be sure to walk with your dog for at least a half-hour each day.
Friday Fun Video: Hummingbird Drinks From Human Hand
Whoever is holding the nectar is clearly a magical fairy princess.
Wordless Wednesday: Swinging Into Spring
Friday Fun Video: Shelter Dogs Eat “People” Food
Not sure why this made me cry. Yes I am. I just want to adopt all the little homeless animals!
What Kind Of Pet is Right For Your Family?
Almost 62% of American families have at least one pet. That’s a lot of furry little animals! And for good reason. Even though pets can be a lot of work, they teach your kids responsibility, independence, and give them even more unconditional love. Some of my best childhood memories include my cats and dog. So, if you’ve decided to adopt a pet for your family, congratulations! I recommend ALWAYS going to a shelter, instead of funding pet stores or puppy mills. But what kind of animal should you get? The most popular, obviously, are cats and dogs. Check out this post by Sarah at Frugal Fun For Boys for the considerations you need to think of before buying cats and dogs, as well as some pets you may not have thought of:
-Dogs- need two vet visits a year, grooming, they chew things up, and need to be house trained
-Cats- allergies may be an issue, vet visits, they like to scratch things, and need to be litter box trained (though some cats already naturally know)
-Reptiles- You may need to feed it live food, so you need a place for the food to live, they need special habitat considerations like temperature and humidity, you must wash your hands after handling them.
-Small animals like gerbils- cage will need to be cleaned once a week, they eat constantly and need to be fed one or two times a day, they are social and will do better with two or more others.
Friday Fun Video: Easter Adorable-ness
Here is a video of a little lamb and a baby duck frolicking together in a meadow. Well, the duck is the one doing most of the “licking” 🙂
Dealing With Doggie’s Separation Anxiety
When we first got our dog, Libby, from the shelter, she had all kinds of issues. She was about one year old, and we have no idea what happened to her before we got her. But, she was extremely sweet and great with us (my sister and I were kids), so we didn’t hesitate to adopt her. But, the first time we left her alone at the house, things got a little weird. We returned from dinner to find Libby asleep in a pile of all our shoes that she had collected from throughout the house. Poor baby! Talk about abandonment issues. Once she knew that we would always come back, she got over it. However, if I had seen this post by Madeline Burry at the Pet Plus blog, I would have been able to help her through it a little better. Here are some tips for easing separation anxiety for dogs:
-Tire ’em out- go for a jog with your dog, or play tug of war. It will help them relax later when you leave
-Distract when you leave- give them a treat before you head out
-Hire a dog walker- they will love the extra attention during the day
-Provide tons of toys- to keep them occupied!