Games of Chase

Do you have a dog (or cat) who loves to run and chase? My Lally likes to chase and be chased. If you want to play some running games with your pets, try one of these. Dog-chases-human. This one is quick and easy — just get your dog’s attention and run away from her. Stop when she’s within a few feet and reward her with praise and/or treats. Why stop? Because that will prevent chase from turning into “nip at the human’s ankles”. That’s always a good idea. Hide and chase. My brother’s dog Lily LOVES this game. The idea … Continue reading →

Oops! I Did It Again!

(With apologies to Brittany Spears for tweaking her title!) Today was spontaneously declared Toenail Trimming Day. I’ve only done the dogs’ toenails once since we moved back in the beginning of January… so those little piggies were long overdue for some snipping. You’re lucky my camera batteries died, or you’d have pictures of the horribly long clippings. My dear, sweet Moose is almost always the easier dog to do, so I did him first. He was sprawled out on the floor in front of the couch, so I stretched out next to him and grabbed a foot. Moose played along … Continue reading →

Building a Kitty Condo: Day One

The dog/cat negotiations around the apartment are somewhat stalled. My roommates’ cat Shiro (who we expected to be the chicken of the pair) has been venturing out into the hallway, but will back off once my dogs appear at the baby gate. The other cat, Kachiko, will observe from afar but won’t go past the doorway. It’s been like this for a few weeks now. The dogs have learned to be reasonably calm at the gate, thanks to lots of treats and praise and everyone keeping a watchful eye on them. Once in a while — especially if one of … Continue reading →

Skin and Coat Care for Senior Pets

Did you know that the skin is the heaviest organ in your pet’s body? It can account for an average sixteen percent of your pet’s total weight! What does the skin do? Prevents water loss Allows us to perceive touch Allows swelling after injuries Protects against impact and friction injuries Protects against damaging UV rays Helps regulate body temperature Acts as the first line of defense against germs, bacteria, parasites, and other disease-causing organisms. Skin and coat care is important for pets of all ages — but especially for the senior pet. Taking care of your aging pet’s skin and … Continue reading →

Grooming: Drying Your Pet

My dog Moose is in need of a bath. He’s the kind of dog who needs a bath every few months to keep dander down and coat grease-free. He’s generally good in the bath; I’m not worried about the bath itself. What I’m worried about is the aftermath: drying off. While the temperatures outside are above freezing at the moment, it’s still cold enough that I don’t want to take him out to potty when he’s wet. And it tends to take him a few hours to air-dry. The way I see it, I’ve got two options: Bathe him at … Continue reading →

The Dogs vs. the Laser Pointer

My new roommates just picked up a new laser pointer for playing with their cats. Let the hilarity ensue! The two cats are pretty entertaining when the laser pointer is out. They chase the spot around the room, stare at it in horror when the red dot is on a paw, and go skittering into the bathroom (and onto the tile) at full speed in pursuit. Since it was such fun and great exercise for the kitties, we decided to try it on my dogs Moose and Lally. My roommate M. was in control of the laser pointer; I sat … Continue reading →

Bronner’s: A Good Place for Pet Ornaments

A couple months back, when the deluge of catalogs started assaulting my mailbox, I received one from Bronner’s. Located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, they claim they’re the world’s largest Christmas store. If they are or not, I don’t know, but they certainly have quite the collection of ornaments in their catalog. Pet Ornaments They have ones with messages like “Loving Friend/Loyal Companion” or “Pets Leave Pawprints on Your Heart!” that you can also personalize with your pet’s name. They have bone-shaped ones that can also be personalized, like the glass dog bone or the one with an attached dangling heart under … Continue reading →

Picking Halloween Pet Toys

Yesterday I wrote about how it was I decided I needed to buy Halloween pet toys for Murph and his best friend Tucker. Today I’m going to tell you how I ended up picking the toys I did. (You may be thinking that sounds a little humdrum, but bear with me. There’s a method to my madness.) Decisions, Decisions As I left off in yesterday’s blog, I explained how I’d decided to buy Halloween pet toys from Doctors Foster and Smith. Here are the toys I was deciding between: 1. Halloween Witch of Devil Loofas. 2. Halloween Pumpkin Puzzle. 3. … Continue reading →

Why I’m Shopping for More Pet Halloween Toys

I know in another blog I admitted that one way I could ease my worries about the economy and its affect on my pocketbook would be to cut out buying toys for my pets. But I had to make an exception for Halloween. See, a couple of weeks ago Murphy’s best friend Tucker came for a visit when his parents had to come through town on their annual trek to Indianapolis for the pet shoot they do up there every year. Since Murph’s down and out with his cast, he wasn’t able to play with Tucker. (Not because he didn’t … Continue reading →

Halloween Costumes for Cats

Last year I wrote about Halloween costumes for dogs, Halloween food goodies for pets, and Halloween toys for pets, which included a tub full of toys for cats, but I didn’t specifically cover Halloween products for cats. So this year I thought I’d shake it up and write about Halloween costumes for cats. Halloween costumes for cats? Really? Unless my two were sedated (heavily I might add) there’s no way they’d let me dress them up. Especially not in most of the costumes I’ve seen which all seem to include head gear as part of the getup. But if your … Continue reading →