Pet Auto Safety

To anyone living in Frederick County, Maryland, please keep an eye out for a small black and brown dog which escape from their SUV after the owner got into a car accident.  Unfortunately, the owner dies of her injuries.  The dog could also be seriously injured and may need medical assistance as well.  To get more information on this car accident, visit http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=96795.

Did you ever wonder why your dog just doesn’t listen? You hear about it a lot with some parents and their children, but with dogs it is a much simpler reason - and a simpler solution. As it sometimes is with children, dogs don’t listen to you because they don’t respect you. You give them everything they could ever want and they don’t have to do a thing to earn it, so what is their motivation for doing what you tell them to do? Not much. But before your use negative motivation like yelling (or worse, physical punishment), try some simple positive actions to earn your dog’s respect.

Watching Good Morning America this morning, I just learned about this awesome group of biker men who not only rescue abused and neglected animals, but they also confront the offenders.  They have a show which is going to premier on the National Geographic Channel on Friday, September 25, 10pm EP. I checked out their Success Stories page and it brought tears to my eyes - tears of sadness that there are people in this world who actually treat animals this way - and tears of happiness that there are people in this world who really care and want to do something about it.

Check out this link on the success stories:  http://www.rescueink.org/success.html.

Pet Auto Safety.com will soon have a certified dog trainer on their staff. Dawn Ross has completed the written course and hands-on course through the Animal Behavior College. All that’s left is 10 hours of volunteer time and a final exam.

Our company has recently moved to Lawrence, Kansas, so she will hopefully be completing the 10 hours at the Lawrence Humane Society. But first, she has to go through orientation which will not be until September 10th. After the orientation, Dawn can train some of the dogs at the shelter in order to help them be more adoptable. She can’t wait to get started!

Be on the lookout for when she is a certified dog trainer. She will be posting some helpful dog training tips. And our company is planning on expanding into dog training products in 2010.

When you travel, you have an emergency first aid kit for yourself, but what about one for your dog?

First and foremost, when traveling with your dog this summer, be sure your dog has access to plenty of water. Also be sure to keep the phone number of your dog’s veterinarian and a 24 hour number to a pet emergency hospital.

The other contents of an emergency dog first aid kit are similar to that of an emergency first aid kit for people. Your emergency dog first aid kit will need bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, antibiotic ointment, and tweezers. The emergency dog first aid kit will also need, sterile saline for the eyes (contact lens solution), latex gloves, and a blanket (especially when travelling in cold weather).

An additional item your emergency dog first aid kit will need, which is not needed in an emergency first aid kit for people, is a nylon leash. Oftentimes when a dog is injured, they will not want you to touch them. In order to help them, you may need the nylon leash to wrap around your dog’s muzzle and to restrain the dog while you tend to them.

Never give your dog Tylenol, aspirin, Advil, or any other medication without first checking with your veterinarian. Before you go traveling with your dog, you may want to ask your veterinarian what sort of emergency medications you can keep in your emergency dog first aid kit. When traveling with your dog, it is always best to be prepared.

As much as we want to take all our loved ones with us when we celebrate our country’s Independence Day, we should really leave our pets at home. Unless we can take them back home before the fireworks, your pet would have a lot less anxiety at home by themselves than they would with the fireworks display.

As spectacular as the big sparkly lights in the sky are, dogs just can’t appreciate the awesomeness of it all. The sounds terrify them and seeing the beautiful resulting display does nothing to appease their fears.

Out of terrifying fear, dogs will try to bolt and run. And if they take you by surprise, you might find your pet’s leash jerked right out of your hand. Hindered by fear, your dog will run far and fast. And they probably won’t pay any attention when crossing streets with oncoming cars.

So please, leave your pet at home this holiday night, and have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Audrey Frederick has the benefit of experience and wisdom when it comes to taking care of pets. She has written a wonderful article which can help you help your dog overcome separation anxiety. Please read this wonderful article below.

Separation Anxiety in Dogs!
By: Audrey Frederick

Also check out her cat and dog website at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com.

Animal Haven is the largest no-kill animal shelter in the greater Kansas City area. Their euthenasia rate was only 8% in 2008 because this shelter does everything they can to reunite lost pets with their owners and to find a happy home for homeless pets - even for homeless pets with health or temperament issues.

I recently made my first visit to the shelter and really liked what I saw. The entire facility was clean. There are volunteers everywhere taking shelter dogs for a walk or socializing with the cats. Animal Haven has large outdoor pens for the dogs to get more play room during the day. (The outdoor pens are only used during the day and during fair weather conditions. The dogs are housed in comfortable indoor pens at all other times.) The area for the cats was also clean and comfortable. During the day, some were let out to wander and play in the cat play area.

Animal Haven has a wonderful veterinary team. They will treat most sick and injured animals rather than euthenize them. Animal Haven has professional dog trainers train the dogs in order to help curb some bad habits or to do basic training. The dog training really makes the dogs more adoptable.

Animal Haven has many volunteer opportunities and has lots of other pet-related services to offer. Check out their website at http://www.animalhavenkc.org.

We love the new Cruising Companion™ Houndstooth Dog Car Seat Covers. Not only are they durable, but they are also fashionable. The Cruising Companion™ Houndstooth Dog Car Seat Covers come in houndstooth patterns of black & white, brown & white, or pink & white. It has two seat belt slots for use with the matching Cruising Companion™ Houndstooth Dog Car Harnesses or any of our other dog car harnesses. The Cruising Companion™ Houndstooth Dog Car Seat Covers are also machine washable should you take you dog to the dog park where the ground happened to be muddy. My dogs go to the dog park all the time and it is often wet and muddy. But the upholstery of my car stays nice and clean.

Poor Maya burned her paw the other day. When we went to the dog park, Maya was so excited that she burst out of the car as soon as I took off her dog car seat belt, but before I was able to put on her leash. I have learned to put on the leash before taking off her seat belt, but only after Maya burned her paw while running around on the hot asphalt pavement of the parking lot. One of her feet blistered and some padding came off. I took her to the vet, but the only recommendation they had was to give her some pain medicine and not let her walk around too much. She limped for three days.

Before you take your dog out this season, be aware that the black asphalt pavement is very hot and can burn your dog’s feet. Try to avoid the black asphalt pavements or try to park in a shaded area. Maya’s injuries were very minor and limted to only one of her paws, but could have been much worse.

Whose Maya?  Check out her profile on the Pet Pals page of Pet Auto Safety.com.