http://www.aginginplace.org/seniors-and-pets/
Adopting a dog (or any pet) should never be a decision taken lightly. Pets are family. They deserve a home with people who are committed to care for them all of their lives. One question people often ask is "should I consider a dog for my elderly family member?" The answer is "it depends". Dogs are a great source of companionship. Caring for a dog gives purpose and the unconditional love that they share is priceless. But who will care for them in the event that the caregiver becomes ill or must change residences? There is a resource available to help you make an informed decision. Aging in Place National Council for Aging Care has a website that explores the pro's and con's of pet ownership, as well as has other great resources for seniors including VA resources, in-home care, and articles dedicated to seniors.
http://www.aginginplace.org/seniors-and-pets/
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Are you looking ahead for a dog-friendly beach vacation this fall or summer? Well if you are going to be anywhere near Rhode Island then Block Island is the place to go! Approx. 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island is a lovely little sanctuary that is accessible by plane and ferry. Your canine companion can even ride free on the ferry. We can ride inside deck on the slow boat or outside deck on the high-speed ferry. This place is so friendly to us that as long as we are leashed we can go to just about any of the island's beaches. In certain locations and a specified times, the leashes can even come off. As always, check before you go to make sure that the ferry's still allow us and what the new rules are. Check out the North Lighthouse as well as the Southeast Lighthouse when you go. I hear they are super cool. According to this website: " Block Island is a haven for dogs. A vast majority of islanders have dogs. If you happen to see a dog without an owner remember: There are no stray, homeless or feral dogs on the island. Island dogs have a knack for appearing hungry and homeless, it's just an act!! http://www.block-island-family-vacation.com/dog-friendly.html Have you heard of this new way to save money, called eBates? Normally, I would never send you links for somewhere to shop. I'm a writer, not a shopper. But this one is too good not to share, especially with the price of pet food and some pet prescriptions. At first, I was SUSPICIOUS. It seemed too easy. But this was how it went: My human entered her name and then all of the places she shops. Macy's, Target, Groupon, and even Ace hardware shows up on this list thing. The pay advertise not just their regularly priced items, they also show all the places that are having sales (which is the kicker) and you get cash back every time you shop, even on the sale! So, you can shop on the store's website and get the same prices but receive nothing back, or shop with the link through eBates and get a check in the mail. Here are some of the pet-listed companies currently on the site: PetCo PetcareRX Petsmart These are only a few on the list. We've belonged for sometime, but wanted to check it all out and make sure its on the up and up before we told you all about it. It really is as it says. You just have to remember to go through their website when you shop. Which I usually remember to do, because I have them send me emails on all sales. *Make sure once you sign up, that you pass it along to your friends so you can get the bonus too! Well O.K not really, I was born in December 22, but I do love a party! So, invite over your friends, and their dog friends, and lets have a birthday party for me. Sort of like a play date for kids. We can have treats and play on the backyard swing set....Okay, not the swing set, but you can make an obstacle course back here for us dogs. Just make sure we can all get along though; too many dogs and we can become a pack. Just one or two of my best buds and their humans. Guess what? You can even buy me a birthday cake at the local dog bakery and then take fun pictures of us to send in to Themetrip. I love getting pictures from my fans! This activity is just like us all getting together at the dog park, but in a more controlled environment where the humans get a chance to visit as well. I don't share very well, so if your canine friend is like me make sure and hide their favorite toys, however, I will run and play with my friends all day. If you are looking for a little bit of adventure with your best furry friend, consider a Dreamland Safari tour. They are located in Kanab, Utah and offer some unique tours including 4 x 4 off-road fun and rock art tours. The Kanub area is one of the most picturesque places to hike and explore. The best part is they have tours that you can bring your dog on. They offer trips from two hours to multi-day journeys. For those into photography, they also have tours set up just for that. What amazing pictures you could get with your whole family including your four-legged family member. I went on their website and spent some time just enjoying the unbelievable photography. If you get a chance, make sure and check them out. One of the tours that I thought would be very interesting to take is the rock art tour. On their eight hour tour you can see native rock art, petroglyphs, and pictographs. So, concerning tours that are dog-friendly... I made sure to quote their website so that you had an accurate description of what they offer. Of course, like always, check with them to make sure that the information is up to date. "Do you offer pet-friendly tours? Can we bring our dog? We do allow 1 dog on any given tour or two if they know each other and get along. The only place we tour that does not allow dogs is Toroweap. If the original booking party books in a dog, then anyone who subsequently joins the tour must accept it. If anyone that subsequently joins wishes to bring a dog then the original booking party must agree. We welcome Best Friends volunteers and their furry pals. Ask for a sleepover dog!" http://www.dreamlandtours.net/ Oh, I love trains! Who doesn't? So, the good news is that Lehigh Gorge scenic trains are showing us pups some love as well. We can ride free with our humans. OK, so we have to be well behaved, but for a chance to ride on a train, I can do that. The train picks up at Jim Thorpe, PA. They have a 16-mile narrated train ride on the retired Jersey central lines. Following the Lehigh River Gorge with a chug, chug, chug, rounding the passes around a beautiful country side, this location is full of sites and sounds. According to their website, there is more to do in this town than just ride a super cool train: "The historic town of Jim Thorpe was formerly known as Mauch Chunk, A Leni Lenape Indian name which means "Bear Mountain." The town is a mixture of Victorian architecture and unique businesses... a graceful blend of yesterday with today. The scenery is breathtaking as the mountains present a new face every season. The steep hillsides, narrow streets, and terraced gardens earned Mauch Chunk the nickname “The Switzerland of America.” For more information visit: Wikipedia http://www.lgsry.com/trains/ There is a new device that hit the market and, depending on your dog, this might be a great device for you. My humans bought it for me for three reasons. The first was that, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm getting a little older and sometimes I have a hard time getting around. They used it to tell them if I was staying in one place or moving around when they were not with me. Darn that arthritis. The second reason was that they wanted to know what I was doing when they were gone. This little device became a tattle teller! That is my big complaint. It was easy for them to tell when I was outside barking. My activity monitor shot up. That made them take action so that I was not driving my neighbors crazy. Really though, it was not my fault. It was that darn dog behind me that keeps tempting me out. The third reason was that it let them know if I did not have enough exercise in a day. The good news was that most of the time I did, but when I didn't, they made sure to make up for it. We waited for a while to post on it because I really thought it was important to give it time to see if it was one of those gadgets I would only use at first. I like this device. It is pretty pricey and I don't find myself using it as much now that they know my schedule and how much exercise I need, but they can use it for the other dogs in our family and check in with them. It is not set only for me. One of my favorite reasons I liked the Whistle company is that they have my handsome face on their website. They realize my potential! Not really, my picture is up there since we bought it when it first came out. It was their way to show their appreciation. I'm the blog dog. Pretty cool, huh? As a side note, because I am hairless and my skin is very sensitive, my Whistle device was placed on my soft collar. It worked much better for me this way. I hear they now have a GPS tracker for the Whistle. I think that was a wise decision for those pups that like to roam. If you're anything like me, you can spend hours upon hours looking up funny dog videos. You might have too busy of a schedule but I'm a dog, so I have plenty of time to browse the internet and find my brethren doing funny things. So, I compiled a few of my favorite sites to share with you for your entertainment. I like to bark at the dogs on screen, so make sure and invite your own furry friend to watch them with you.
Does my breath smell? No? I didn't think it did. That is because my humans know the importance of keeping my teeth nice and clean. Most vets recommend kibbles as opposed to soft foods, since they can aid in breaking up tarter. But kibbles alone cannot do all the work. You need to add in some "treats" that will further break down plaque, bacteria, and painful tarter. I am not one for a toothbrush. In fact, I hate them, as do my humans when they are chasing me around the room trying to stick that non-edible thing in my mouth. So, the next best alternative, teeth cleaning treats. I have a few favorites but I love, love my greenies. I can chew through them pretty fast which might be defeating the purpose, but maybe your friend is not as food-driven as I am. Rawhide treats can also help with reducing plaque and build up and they are a bit tougher to work through, If you dog chews through the teeth treats and rawhides too quickly, consider a Kong treat, they can reduce build up as well. While there is no substitute for teeth brushing, one of my favorite treats I mentioned might help to keep the bad stuff down in between chasing us around with the brush. There are a few places that allow us well-mannered dogs to join our human friends. Usually they have to have an outside patio to stay in health code, but they love us. A few are listed here and feel free to chime on in so the list can grow. As for the humans, make sure and bring us a little bowl with water and at least a treat since we get awful hungry smelling your dinner. Always check before you go to see if they still like us as I don’t want you to get there and be missin' out. Here is an example of a few. Arizona: check out www.happydogphoenix.com San Antonio, Texas: www.pointparkandeat.com San Diego: www.thegatheringrestaurant.com & http://www.regalbeaglesd.com/ Now do me a favor will ya? If you know of any dog friendly but unique restaurants, will you please post them up on comments so my canine friends will know where they are in your area? I sure hope I get to try a few more of them out. Thank you kindly. |
Dog-friendly Tips Tank had been posting about his adventures and recommendations for a many years now. As a senior dog his explorations grew limited. He also battled with Canine Cognative Disorder his last two years. I am saddened to announce Tank took his last walk just two months shy of his 15th birthday. Categories
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