Dog-Friendly Travel - Theme Trip

Thunder Shirt

10/27/2014

Have you heard of these canine contraptions called Thunder Shirts? Well, for those of you pups who get a little spooked by noise or actually anything that is different, this shirt really helped calm my little cousin Guinness. It is not that she is skittish, but she is not real fond of sudden movement. Her human uses it when they travel and it makes life so much easier for both of them. It is quick to slip on and keeps her nice and snug, sort of like a great big hug for her. According to their website "80% of dogs show improvement." They also have these for your feline friends as well, but I don't know too much about that. What I do know is that everyone likes an extra hug now and then!

http://www.thundershirt.com/

Treating Dog's Insect Bites and Stings

10/10/2014

I would normally post a picture of me with this write-up, but I am a bit embarrassed that my face is so swollen. My ruggedly-handsome face has one heck of a bite or sting on it and it is making it hard for me to take a decent picture. Since I am so vain, I posted a cute dog picture instead to make you smile. I hope you like it.

Back to me... I mean, my topic on stings and bites. This is pretty common for all animals since we love to chase things that move and pick them up with our mouths. My bite is right on my nose. Ouch! So, my worried human parents did what every good dog friend does and called my favorite Vet. They were told that Benadryl was OK for me since I tend to have allergic reactions to insect bites. Make sure and check with your own Vet for advice and dosages. After two rounds of Benadryl, there was still not much luck with the swelling and I had developed a lump in my neck. So, off to the vet I went. My Doc is an awesome guy and he knows just how to handle me. I'm a bit of an Alpha, so he handles me with kindness, but is firm so I know he is the Alpha.

So, I want to pass on some of his advice if you find yourself in the same situation. Call your veterinarian first, as some of us dogs can have a pretty bad reaction. Ask them for advice on Benadryl and if they feel you should give it. My humans put ice on my bite, and I did not mind it since I really did not feel that well. I decided to check into a few websites that offer advice on pet emergencies so you can have it on hand in case of your own emergency. I also found an awesome app on pet first aid that you can download directly to your phone.

Dog symptom checker app: Itunes has a great app called dog-symptoms you can download.

Online vet questions: Check out http://web-dvm.net/askthevet.html They do charge for services, but they are upfront about the individual question asked and answered costs.

ASPCA Pet Care App

9/11/2014

The ASPCA has launched their pet care and disaster-preparedness iTunes app! I have been waiting for this to go live for a while and kept checking back with them, so I am so excited it is finally available.

It offers things like making a flyer digitally for a missing pet, critical advice on what to do with your pet during or after a big storm, they even came up with an easy way to manage our health records. For the kids in the family, they can enjoy the cute pet pictures on the site.

If you have a dog that is a wanderer or an escape artist, this is a must-have app. The quicker you can get the information out about your pet's last location with a detailed physical description, the best chance you have for a good outcome. We may act all tough heading out the door like we can take on the world, but once we are actually out there, we get scared and realize that we are not the wild, untamed beasts we pretend to be in our own minds.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/aspca-launches-mobile-app-pet-parents

Website for Dogs (and their friends)

6/6/2014

What a fun website I found! Dogster is a website about all things canine. From advice about our health and well-being, to jokes and tips. If you are having pet problems that you can't find answers to, they have a knowledge network that allows you to ask questions about your concerns. You can browse the website, enter contests, watch humorous pet videos, and even find out about available adoptions. If you enjoy being part of a pet community, they have individual featured groups that represent different breeds, including cats, that you can join.
For those of you that don't already have a pet companion, check out their online test to help you decide who your next best friend should be. Hopefully they have hairless terriers on there. We make great friends.

Paws up to this wonderful website.

Follow A Dog's Book Blog: Frenchie's

5/2/2014

I am so excited! I found this awesome book about a tween who may be just as cool as I am. O.K maybe I am pushing it, but he might be the cool human version of me. In this book, Frenchie's Blog, Ethan, who is a 13-year-old boy, by the way, starts a blog to coerce his overworked mom into allowing him to get a French Bulldog.

That word "Coercing" might just be familiar to you if you have kids at home. I know that is how my human sibling got me. Begged, pleaded, and even wrote a paper on why she should have a dog. Lucky me.

What I like the most about this book is that it would be a great influence on tweens and their caring for their pet. So, I contacted the author, the lovely Mrs. Mary L. Laudien, (who was a principle so she probably knows a thing or two about tweens) to ask her all about it. Guess what? She not only writes super cool books, but she also visits schools to inspire kids about writing.

This book can actually be a three-for-one activity.
1). Your tween reads a funny story about a boy who wants a dog so badly he is willing to do what ever it takes to get one, which can be a great message on being willing to work for something. Plus, your tween keeps up on their reading skills.
2). Kids are encouraged to take good care of their favorite best friend.
3) Then, they can try to write their own blog or maybe be inspired to write a comment on Frenchie's blog site. On the author's website, kids can review the novel, share their own humorous pet stories, or write about a personal connection they made with the novel.

This is a triple score. Two paws up!

Mrs. Mary also gave me some ideas for tween readers to do once they read the book. Lets call them inspiration and maybe a fun summer family activity.

"Think of a time when you wanted something so intensely, that you would do
absolutely anything to make it happen. What was it? (e.g., a pet , a ticket to an NHL game, a ticket to a Justin Bieber concert, a special video game) What did you do to make it happen? (e.g.., hounding, whining, acting out, helping out, persuasiveness, etc.) Were you successful? What worked for you? Write about it."

About the Author: Mary Laudien lives in Nanoose Bay with the deer and occasionally, her DEAR (husband Ryan). Her days are spent scooping up Bambi pellets and replanting shrubs the deer have feasted on as nightly appetizers. But most significantly, as a dog-sitting grandma expert, she has a blast writing novels of puppy chaos and love.

You can follow the author on her blog @ http://twocandobooks.wordpress.com

Which Plants Are Toxic To Dogs

3/28/2014

Nothing is more fun for us dogs than roaming the wild, exploring the jungle and its unique plants. Well ok, I know that I personally don't actually live in the jungle, but I can certainly pretend when I am out on my own. The problem, sometimes, with my exploring is that I am always tempted by the colorful plants I come across. Lucky for me, my humans found an app that lets them know if a plant may be toxic to me. Make sure and download it on your device so you can have it on hand in case of an emergency.

Puptox download current price is $.99 We hear the ASPCA is coming out with their own app soon called pettoxins so we will be on the lookout for that!

Looking for a New Best Friend?

2/13/2014

Hello, my very favorite peeps! I know that you come to our site because you are the most awesome family a dog can have. Someone that loves and nurtures your canine family member, so you come looking for ideas to have fun with us. Thank you, thank you.

But, if you are someone that visits us to look up ideas for a pup friend that you are looking to get soon, there are a few of my friends that would love for you to consider them to be part of your forever family!
All these handsome guys and gals are looking for just such an opportunity. You can click on their website to get the full information on each one of my brethren. If your home is full with loving canines and you wish to help, please contact Sachi Rescue on their website.

Thank you again for being you! You make our lives so much better, and we hope we show our appreciation with lots of slobbering licks and by only stealing a little of your food off the kitchen counter. Unfortunately, Sachi Animal Rescues can only adopt to California families but most states have rescues that would love to hear from you.

No Don't Go!

12/19/2013

With a lot of people traveling this week, I thought I would offer a quick reminder about how we feel when you are running around getting ready for your vacation. We want you to have lots of fun (and bring us back a present) but you probably noticed that we get a bit upset when you humans start packing. There is nothing worse than the anticipation of wondering if we get to go with you, or even worse, if you are ever coming back. So, do us a big favor and try to keep your packing in your closet where we don't see it sitting around. Keep the routine as normal as possible for me since I can get visually anxious. I bet you did not know this, but us Hairless Rat Terriers can also howl, and I do; loudly and often to show my discontent. Make sure we have some of our toys around us so that I can see you are not going anywhere right away and keep my food and water sitting out. Be aware that, at times, when we are most stressed, we will head out the door, if possible, when you are putting your stuff in the car with your hands full. So watch us. I really do not want to live anywhere but with my own humans and I am sure your canine feels the same.

It's My Birthday!

12/13/2013

Well, it goes without saying that all dogs love their treats. My humans decided that I deserved a bit of spoiling considering how much writing I have been doing lately for my brethren and the ThemeTrip crew. So, they ordered me a cake for my birthday. Yep, I just got delivered my very own slice of heaven.

They ordered from My Best Friend Specialty Pet Bakery in California and they said it was super easy to place the order and upload my picture to the site. Actually they are kinda worried, since I can work a computer now, that I might just go on it and order for myself. Now, if I can just get a hold of their credit card...

So, on to the cake. The order was placed to be delivered right online and then the friendly crew at My Best Friend Pet Treats made a follow up call on the date to confirm the colors. My cake came in, shipped, to me 3 days later. The package was secure and the presentation, well, let me just say that I look phenomenal! The cake they ordered was my favorite, peanut butter, and I gulped my portion right down. I think I will be checking the mail from now on around my birthday and hoping I get a glimpse of that cute little pink box inside.

Quick Travel Harness and Car Buckle

10/25/2013

So, when my favorite humans went to San Francisco without me (I know, ridiculous right?), they knew they had to bring me back something special. So they looked up unique pet stores around town and decided to check out this pet boutique at Ghirardelli Square called the Yap Store. Lucky them, because when they went there to check it out, they got to meet this cool pup named Pronto and her super-friendly dad.

Pronto was enjoying her day hanging around the shop and my humans noticed that, besides the fact that she was very well-mannered, she had on this interesting harness vest. This special harness, it turns out, is a special vest made in the USA called a Yap Harness which not only helps keep dogs from sweating (which is very important to us hairless dogs or those that tend to overheat) but the harness also had a quick attachment to snap into a car seat. Brilliant idea! I am not one for hearing the snap of anything close to my body, and my current harness has one of those "click" things that always make me jump. This super awesome harness they bought me, a bright orange one that makes my eyes stand out, and, by the way, is very manly on me, has Velcro instead. Seriously, this is so much nicer to use and super easy to put on. The best part of this harness is that you can attach a quick leash, buckle us in safely, or pick us up quickly in case another big dog heads our way. I'm not afraid of them, mind you, but my human gets a bit skittish. This is my new favorite harness to wear around and go for walks in. So, once my humans were sure they loved it on me as much as I loved it, they chatted with the Yap crew for more details. Sure enough, you can either check out their ultra cool store where you might get to meet Pronto and have a nice chat with his dad Liy who knows everything Yap or, if you don't happen to live in San Francisco, you can get one online. Score!!

By the way, there is a great add-on product they sale, the seatbelt. I love this because it easily clips to the top of the harness and then buckles right into your regular seat belt. Super easy and helps my humans to not have to loop the seat strap around my harness and I have a little more room to sit comfortably.

Photo: Pronto is an adorable, and very loved 7 year old Italian Greyhound. She enjoys long walks, and being pampered. Her favorite foods are carrots and salmon. She was also awarded the best mannered in her obedience school and now works as a super model for Yapstores. We think she makes a wonderful model.

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.

For those who are his fans, know that he was always spoiled and loved. His explorations with us are our fondest memories.

Make sure to browse Tank's extensive archives for tons of ideas to enjoy with your best friend.

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