Pet Auto Safety

Are you going out of town this Holiday Season?  If so, what are you going to do with your dog?  You can take them with you or you can have someone else take care of them while you are gone.  If you take them with you, consider airline regulations and/or pet auto safety devices.  If you have someone else take care of them, consider a boarding kennel, a pet sitting service, or enlist a friend to take care of them.

For the pros and cons of each of these options, visit the American Dog Blog.

Pet Auto Safety now has a Facebook page.  If you ever wonder about the people behind the company, feel free to visit our Pet Auto Safety Facebook page.  Here we will post about upcoming dog events, upcoming sales, or just fun stuff.  Feel free to be our friend as well.  See you there!

Our site has a lot of informative information, but wouldn’t you want to have a little fun too?  Talking about pet safety is not always so fun, so we opened a new blog called American Dog Blog.  American Dog Blog has useful information too, but the information covers more than just pet safety and it has a lot more fun doggy stuff.  Visit the American Dog Blog and feel free to post!

One of the many new products we added to our site from Cruising Companion™ include the Cruising Companion™ Quilted Car Seat Covers. The Cruising Companion™ Quilted Car Seat Covers are made from soft quilted fabric and have extra cushioning for added comfort. They come in two colors and two sizes. The colors of the Cruising Companion™ Quilted Car Seat Covers include a satin black and a rich-colored satin blue. You can fit the Cruising Companion™ Quilted Car Seat Covers to the back seat or to the single seat in the front. Please note, however, that if your dog sits on the Cruising Companion™ Quilted Single Car Seat Covers in the front seat, you need to make sure to turn off the airbags. Airbags are designed for adults, not children or pets.

Did you know that Pet Auto Safety.com also owns Animal Figurine Store.com? Animal Figurine Store.com has been an active and successful site for as long as Pet Auto Safety.com (2006). We have recently expanded our animal figurines to include more dog figurines just for our dog loving friends. In fact, we have so many dog figurines available that we had to make subpages for each dog breed group.

Our dog figurines include sporting dog figurines, hound dog figurines, working dog figurines, terrier dog figurines, toy dog figurines, non-sporting dog figurines, herding dog figurines, and miscellanious dog figurines. Miscellaneous dog figurines would include dog figurines which do not fit into any one of the AKS groups or dog figurines which are only representation of dogs, but not any specific breed.

You can get a 10% discount on our dog figurines by entering discount code, naturefriend, while placing your order.

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.

The other day, I thought it would be interesting to see if my dogs could find hidden treats. So I showed them a handful of treats, then made them sit and stay in the hall while I hid the treats in various places in the living room. Then I gave the release command, Okay, and they came running. Both stood in front of me waiting for a treat so I said “Find the treats” and pointed around the room. Maya caught on quickly and started sniffing around while Sephi looked around but didn’t make much effort. Even when Maya found her first treat, Sephi didn’t catch on. But the game was on for Maya! Within 10 minutes Maya found all the treats.

We have been playing this game every day since. Maya loves it. As a lab, she needs both mental and physical stimulation. When weather is bad, I at least can get in the mental stimulation indoors.

I am calling this game “Treat Tracking”. It is a fun way to keep your dog from getting bored. This game is great for dogs who use their noses as well as their eyes. Just don’t forget where you put the treats so you can make sure your dog found them all.

Another important thing for pet owners to remember is to pick up after the pet. This is a very easy thing to do. Plastic grocery bags are great for picking up your pet’s little messes. Simply put your hand in the bag, pick up the mess, then turn the bag inside out over the mess. Tie it off and discard it in the nearest trash can. There are also several pet wate bags on the market. Some pet waste bags are even biodegradable. Your neighbors will appreciate you picking up after your dog. People playing in parks will be grateful as well.

Practice these five pet travel tips every time you take your dog in public. Keep your dog on a leash and keep them under control. Don’t take your pet into places where they don’t belong and never leave your pet unattended. Be sure to pick up after your pet. These practices not only help in making a public experience pleasant for everyone, but they keep your pet safe as well.

Do not leave your dog unattended in a public place, even if they are tied up or left in the car. Not only could this be considered illegal in some cities, but it could also be dangerous. The temperature on the inside of the car can get much hotter than the temperature outside. If your pet is tied up outside, they could get loose and inadvertently run into the street while trying to find you. Your pet could also be frightened without you there to protect them and may try to bite someone. And whether your pet is inside the car or tied up, someone who does not like animals could be cruel to your pet and even hurt them. If your dog is friendly and approachable, someone may steal them.

Do not take your dog into public buildings unless specifically allowed. This includes public park restrooms. Many buildings will have signs specifically prohibiting pets, but not having a sign does not automatically mean that your pet is allowed inside. Pet owners need to remember that many people are allergic to dogs. Taking your pet into an enclosed building could cause severe allergic reactions in people even after your pet has gone. If you are traveling and stopping at a rest stop, please note that dogs are prohibited from all restrooms at the rest stops. Also, rest stops may have designated pet areas for your pet to take care of their business.