Whether your family exchanges gifts around a Christmas tree or exchanges gifts each night during Hanukkah, chances are your mind has recently turned to gift giving. For us pet lovers, that often includes our furry family members as well.
Particularly for dogs, the right ‘gift’ can make a huge difference in their happiness and fulfillment day-to-day.
Dogs are pack animals. They’re loyal and socially dependent on their ‘pack’ — which is you and your family! When you aren’t around, they may become lonely or even dreadfully bored! Many behavior problems like crying, barking, chewing, digging and other destructive behaviors can be a direct symptom of boredom.
Recently, while trying to solve a problem for a friend’s dog who is probably one of the world’s most TERRIBLE chewers, I came across a great article on how to keep dogs mentally stimulated. I’ve included excerpts below, as well as a link to the full article. Through the online article, you can further link to “Instructions on how to creatively stuff KONG toys!”, “How to clicker train your dog” and a chart on three common types of rawhide that the author feels are “Good” vs. “Dangerous”, including pictures of each.”
BORED DOGS ARE DESTRUCTIVE DOGS
After you’ve been gone for awhile, your dog quits sulking and starts looking for something to do other than lie around bored in an empty house all day.
Enter destructive behavior. They live for the moment their pack returns. But in the meantime…
They may help themselves to your socks, shoes, or clothing left lying around, your furniture, your kitchen cabinets, your child’s stuffed animals, or whatever they can find to relieve their boredom.
So your dog — who protects you and loves you — now creates frustration when you return home from wherever you’ve been.
What to do…?
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I loved this article, forwarded to me from a friend… It seems I’m not the only crazy pet owner who considers my pets part of the family!
When it comes to pampering pets, the sky’s the limit
BY JEFF SEIDEL
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
When the stock market took a nose dive this summer, Steve Sturn was bummed about the performance of his 401(k). But the uncertain economy didn’t stop him from splurging on Bruno, his French bulldog. Sturn bought a $15.95 bone-shaped cake from Three Dog Bakery in Plymouth to celebrate Bruno’s one-year birthday.
“He loved it,” said Sturn, 31, of Ann Arbor, who works for a mortgage company. “He went at it.”
Sturn, who is engaged, doesn’t have any children, unless you count Bruno and his other dog, Rod, a 10-month-old Boston terrier. “They are like family members,” Sturn said. “This is a special occasion. It’s like a kid’s birthday.”
Despite a weak economy, pet owners continue to spend big money on their pets, pampering them with everything from massages to treats to teeth whitening.
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I’d like to share a terrific “tip of the week” that just hit my inbox from the Whole Dog Journal.
Your Dog’s Drinking Water
The purity of your pet’s drinking water is a serious consideration. In his book Pet Allergies, Alfred Plechner lists contaminated drinking water as a common cause of health problems. The simple act of replacing tap water with distilled, bottled or filtered water can bring surprising, dramatic improvements.
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Time to brighten your day…
The Purrfect Nanny thanks the wonderful parent/dog owner who originally took these photos and uploaded them onto the web. They’ve been circulating the web and emails for a while, but perhaps you haven’t yet seen this fantastic tutorial for dogs!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPERLY HUGGING A BABY
(from a dog’s point of view):
1. Uh, find a baby.
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In recent weeks, the popular micro-blogging site Twitter has received extensive coverage in the media. If you haven’t signed up for an account or have yet to check out the site, it’s helpful to think of Twitter like an enormous pool of instant text messages. Once you join, however, the number of tweets (that’s what the individual messages are called) are restricted to only those you “follow”, or those who you sign up to watch.
While non-users may presume that Twitter simply enables narcissists to become more self-involved, Twitterers praise the benefits of participating in unique communities, without any of the borders of traditional communication. The site has demonstrated particular utility in helping people foster relationships with others who share similar interests.
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For those who watched their companion animals suffer more than two years ago, after the worst pet food recall in American history, the pain is still fresh. A resolution of sorts, however, is near at hand.
Two of the individuals central to the contamination that afflicted thousands of dogs and cats submitted guilty pleas to numerous misdemeanor charges and a single felony charge. The married co-owners, Stephen and Sally Miller of ChemNutra, were originally scheduled for sentencing on June 16th, but that was postponed and, as of the date of this newsletter’s submission for publication, has yet to be rescheduled.
The Miller’s were indicted for their actions of knowlingly distributing more than 800 tons of melamine-laced wheat gluten imported from China in more than a dozen shipments. The couple passed off these tainted goods as high-grade protein ingredients, selling it to several of the largest producers of canned pet food and ultimately resulting in the recall of over 150 different brands of pet food.
While the maximum sentence would be two years in prison without parole and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, those who have wished for a punishment equal to the crime may be disappointed by the upcoming decision. Prosecutors handling the case have signalled their openness to leniency, recommending that the court impose a $25,000 fine against ChemNutra, $5,000 each against the Millers, and sentence the Miller’s to three years of probation each.
It is worth noting that ChemNutra is just one of the 20-plus companies required to contribute to a $24 million compensation fund, the outcome of a class-action lawsuit brought by families affected by the recall. How much ChemNutra paid into this fund is not a matter of public record, and may never be made known.
Shared from the Healthy Pet Net Newsletter
From the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters:
Grateful pet owners from around the country honor their trusted pet sitters this week during National Professional Pet Sitters Week, observed March 1 – 7, 2009. The week-long event recognizes the many contributions of professional pet sitters nationwide for their commitment, hard work, and dedication. Pet owners can thank those trusted
individuals who take such good care of their adoring pets and for the loving care they provide.
Pet sitting has become one of the top 10 professions in the past decade, according to the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS). Pet ownership in the United States is continually on the rise and currently, 63 percent of all American households have pets. The U.S. pet population includes approximately 73 million dogs, 90 million cats, and 16 million birds plus fish, hamsters and other animals, according to the America Pet Products Association.
When choosing a professional pet sitter, owners should take in consideration whether the service provider has commercial liability insurance, references, and literature fully describing services and fees. The NAPPS Web site offers a nationwide referral network as a valuable online resource for locating pet sitters in all areas of the country. Accessible directly from the NAPPS Web site, www.petsitters.org, this free service provides contact information for all NAPPS member pet sitters and pet sitting companies in the area. With one simple search, pet owners can learn all about the services provided, and even details regarding the sitter’s experience and expertise.
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) is a national nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting the concept of in home pet care, supporting the professionals engaged in at-home pet care, promoting the welfare of animals, and improving and expanding the industry of pet sitting. NAPPS provides valuable credibility, networking, and education to help foster the success of their members. NAPPS takes great pride in providing its members with the tools needed to succeed, but also provides the pet owning public with helpful information such as a Disaster Preparedness Plan and guidelines for selecting a pet sitter.
For more information on NAPPS or to locate a professional pet sitter, visit: www.petsitters.org.
We are pleased to announce that The Purrfect Nanny has been listed in Atlanta Magazine as a winner in the Best Pet Sitters category.
Each year Atlanta Magazine has a special Best of Pets Issue. The magazine conducts a survey asking Atlantans to vote for their favorite pet-related businesses and services.
See the winners here.
This announcement coupled with winning the Best Pet Sitter last month on the Fox5 HotList has us geared up for an awesome year!
We are so thankful to you and all our clients for your trust in us, your votes and your continued business!
In addition to the basic needs of food and shelter a dog also needs social interaction, positive attention from their owner, exercise, and mental stimulation. A simple 30 minute walk each day can fulfill these needs and keep your dog healthy and strong, and improve behavior at home through practicing obedience skills.
Social Skills
Dogs are social animals and enjoy the opportunity to socialize with other dogs. They are also pack animals and intinctually need to be with others - dogs or humans. A daily walking routine provides them with personal attention to satisfy this “pack need”.
Walking is a great way to ensure that puppies learn early to appropriately greet and interact with other dogs and people. These positive interactions build skills and ensure they will not act inappropriately when meeting other dogs as an adult.
Mental Stimulation
Dogs love to investigate their territory and seek out news smells and changes to their environment. Walking provides the mental stimulation that comes from experiencing a wide range of odors and scents. Without this stimulation a dogs enjoyment of life is limited and the dog can become bored and unhappy which leads to destructive behavior.
A daily walk is a great opportunity to reinforce training skills which builds self confidence, reduces stress, and makes sure they remember their training at home.
Exercise
Today it is estimated that 40% of American dogs are overweight. Regular exercise improves blood flow to the heart, and oxygen to the lungs, builds strong muscles, increases joint mobility, increases energy levels and helps to control weight.
Exercising your dog can enhance their quality of life, decrease risk of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart attach and strokes and extend their lifespan and the time that you can enjoy them being part of your family.
Exercise also improves a dogs mood, and decreases the risk of dog depression. It is especially important to keep aging pets agile and fit as they may not be inclined to exercise without your encouragement.
Preventing Behavior Problems
Walking relieves boredom that can cause behavior problem such as detructiveness, separation anxiety, and barking. Walking gives your dog a way to channel their energy in a positive way. Active dogs are typcially happy, well-adjusted dogs.
For good health and wellbeing of your dogs, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A regular routine of walking and playtime may be exactly what your dogs need to maintain its health for many years.
If you don’t have the time or energy to walk your dog regularly please consider accepting our offer to help.
When you walk your dog don’t forget to take along a bag to pick up after them and help us prevent pollution of our ground water!
The Purrfect Nanny would like to extend a huge THANK YOU! to you and to all of our clients, friends and family. On Monday, January 12th Fox 5’s HotList for 2008 was released and it lists The Purrfect Nanny 1st place in the Pet Sitter category for 2008!
Atlanta Hotlist Winners
We are so touched to know that so many cared and took the time to vote for us. It is wonderful to receive such great feedback; to know that our clients value us as much as we value them. Without each and everyone of you this would not have been possible. We are grateful to have such loving support from you.
Thanks,
Beate
