The Purrfect Nanny & Purrfect Pet Health Blog

To be wary about what is in your wallet.  No, not the rip-off credit card Capital One, but your money.  Scam artists abound during the holiday season more so than any other.  They are looking for quick, high payoffs and ill-gotten gains.

Be wary of of not only emails, twitter messages, and Facebook postings.  If a link looks suspicious, do not click it!  It is harder nowadays with all the URL shortners out there.  Facebook makes it easy most times.  It shows a snippet of the information at a link.  If you do not see that, stay away.  Some of those I have even posted on twitter.  When Facebook picks it up, there is not any info about the link.

Another way for criminals to get into your wallet is your online accounts.  Beyond phishing sites, which seemingly security professionals get wacked by too, your online passwords and usernames should be tough and cryptic.  I hate getting default account names where it has my first and last name together as my username, doh!

A great password checker that I like to use is from Microsoft.  After all the whoopla about their attitude of security was always last in the late 90s and earlier this decade, Microsoft has become security first in everything.  That shows in some of the tools and other things they are putting out like the checker linked below. Lastly, you should change your passwords often and do not use a particular one for more than one site!

Microsoft Online Safety Password Checker

Happy Holidays!

Just found this little tidbit:
North Georgia Honda Dealers will Demo the All-New Dog Friendly Element at Thursday’s Paws for Cocktails Event at The Park Tavern Benefiting the Atlanta Pet Rescue

Check out Honda’s Website for more information on the Honda Element Dog Friendly Accessory Package.

Paws for Cocktails is an event benefiting the Atlanta Pet Rescue.
The event, now in its eighth year, will feature food and cocktails, celebrity hosts including Victoria Stilwell of Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog,” more than 200 silent and live auction items featuring art by internationally renowned artist Marc Tetro, a pet psychic, trivia, prizes and more.

Designed to improve safety, comfort and convenience for dogs
and their owners alike in the EX trim level, the Honda Dog

Friendly Element includes a stowable ramp, pet bed, water
bowl, electrical fan and more-all designed for the safety and
comfort of your canine companion and you. Convenience is also
improved for owners with easy to clean surfaces and a full
suite of matching Dog Friendly accoutrements.

The Dog Friendly equipment package is available now and has a
manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $995.

Where: Park Tavern
Corner of 10th and Monroe
500 10th Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 249-0001

When: Thursday, November 19, 2009
5:30 p.m.
Silent Auction: 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Live Auction: 8:00 p.m.

Cost: A $15 donation at the door includes a food and drink ticket.

Based in Canton, GA, Military Working Dog Team Support Association, Inc. is a non profit organization that works to support Supporting Current Dog Handler Teams, Veteran Dog Handler events/causes, retired Military Working Dogs and the War Dog Memorial.

From their site:
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom dogs work in rugged conditions from the craggy, snowy almost unearthly cold of the Afghanistan Mountains in winter to the hot, desolate, dry deserts of Iraq. MWDs are trained to patrol or search out explosives (weapons caches, IEDs) or drugs. Breeds most often found working in the military include German shepherd dogs, Belgian malinois and Labrador retrievers. Each breed has qualities of intelligence, stamina and special inherent genetic traits which predisposes them to be excellent working dogs.

All dogs receive basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and then are paired up with their handler. In a change from policy during the Vietnam Era, dogs return home with their handlers and at the end of their working life are generally available for adoption to their handlers and, if qualified, to the public. More information and photos about MWDs check out Military Working Dog Support Association’s the web site: www.mwdtsa.org. You can also view a wish list of needed items and find out more about the organization itself.