I must confess, I am not the easiest dog to live with.  I bark at strangers when they come to my home and have been know to bite a few.  Ok, actually twelve total.  I used to have anxiety when someone I didn’t recognize would walk through the door to my home.  Understand, I was only protecting my family.  Lynn and John weren’t very happy with my tactics for home security.

An avid viewer of the Dog Whisper, Lynn began working with me on this not so great habit.  My parents had a dilemma.  Wanting to take my human brother, Lukas, on a trip for spring break they needed a sitter.  Their greatest fear was I wouldn’t let anyone come into the house to care for me.

John went online and researched pet sitters and also boarding facilities.  They visited a few places and I could see the discouragement on Lynn’s face when they came home.  She just wasn’t comfortable putting me in a kennel for four days.  I have confinement issues as well and howl and cry when put into a kennel.

John decided to call Heather Maltz, owner and operator of Precious Paws Pet Sitting.  Heather came to the house and to everyone’s surprise, I immediately fell in love!  I have this weird thing I do with my head when I like you….I rub and push the top of my head into your legs.  Lynn thinks I was a goat in my past life.  It just feels good!  After meeting Heather for about ten minutes, I did the head thing and we were fast friends.  Heather came twice a day to feed me, give me my allergy meds, and take me for my walks.

Lynn was so worried the day they left I wouldn’t let Heather into the house.  She sent her a text to make sure all was well.  Heather sent her my picture with the caption:

Chance is great and I still have all my limbs

She is awesome!  Precious Paws was established 13 years ago and is a member of the The Pet Sitters Association.  Heather is insured and when she takes you on as a client, you get Heather every time.  She’ll even water your plants, bring in your mail, and check on your pool.  There’s no up charge for additional pets either.  You will love her as much as I do.

My parent are leaving me again next weekend and thankfully, Heather is available to take care of me.  I’m looking forward to hanging out with my new buddy!  Check out her website and give her a call the next time you need a sitter.  You’ll be glad you took my advice! 

http://www.preciouspawspetsitting.biz/

I love waking up in the morning, munching down breakfast and hitting the road with Lynn and John for my morning jaunt.  My favorite walk is when they take me to the Reach 11 Trail also know as the AZ Horse Lover’s Park.  This trail is 7 miles long with various routes which gives you options for short or long walks. The trail is perfect for me because I’ve torn both ACL’s on my hind legs and hiking a mountain is difficult for me.  This trail is mostly flat but the path winds and dips in places keeping it interesting.  Mesquite trees create a green shady canopy overhead in areas giving a cool reprieve from the sun.  Spring brings the wild flowers and the cacti bloom in vivid color.

The trail begins off of Tatum just South of the 101 on the East side of Tatum Blvd.  You will see a parking area and directly West is the Horse Lover’s Park with the arena and other horse facilities.   When you enter the area, there is a cement sidewalk for strollers and dogs like me who’s paws are a little sensitive.  John and Lynn always laugh because they walk on the dirt trail and I walk on the sidewalk.  Those rocks sometimes hurt my tender little paws!  I do have hiking boots, but I don’t wear them on this trail.

Bicyclists, horses, walkers, and joggers are all welcome to enjoy this trail.  I saw a horse for the very first time here.  I thought it was a big dog and it really scared me!  There is also a pond in the park with ducks and huge frogs.  You should have seen all the tadpoles that hatched several weeks ago.  This area is also a favorite for photographers.  We’ve seen several photo shoots for bike magazines during our walks this spring.  Lynn and John really love to take photos and here are some of my favorites they’ve taken of the best dog walk EVER:

I had no idea we could also get the flu!  The strain causing the outbreak in the Midwest has been identified as H3N2.  I’s believed to have come from Asia and experts aren’t sure how effective our current vaccines are against this strain.

Symptoms of Canine Flu

• Cough
• Runny Nose
• Fever
• Some dogs may experience more severe symptoms

We can’t give it to humans, but it is contagious to cats.  If you think you’re dog is sick and you have a cat, keep them separated until you have your pooch diagnosed.  Luckily, we haven’t seen it in Arizona.  At this point it’s been diagnosed mainly in the Midwest.  It’s a good idea to keep us home from day care or the dog park if we don’t seem to be ourselves or if you learn that there has been an outbreak in your city.  Instead of kenneling us when traveling, locate a pet sitter that will come to your home.  I have a wonderful sitter who I love and would be happy to recommend.

Be sure to call the vet if you suspect your dog has come in contact with another animal that seems sick or if your baby isn’t feeling well.  Better safe than sorry!

As promised, today I’m going to share some gardening tips for creating a safe and edible environment for your pet.  The first thing I will tell you….PLANT SOME GRASS!  I know you humans don’t always like the extra work, but we love grass.  We love to roll in it, use it for our bathroom, and yes…we also sometimes like to eat it.  If you are going to take on the role of a pet parent, please commit to at least a small patch of the green stuff.

Plants We Can Safely Eat

• Lavender
• Pansy
• Marigold
• Rose Hips
• Young Dandelion Buds
• Roses
• Milk Thistle
• Snap Dragons
• Garlic Grass-  just plant a garlic bulb and it will grow shoots that are safe for us to eat.
• Catnip – they love it!
• Rosemary – smells great.  We can eat it and your parents can use it to cook us delicious treats
• Lemon Balm
• Thyme
• Basil
• Sage

Of course these are just some of the things that are safe for us.  Just check with Google or your vet before you plant to check it’s toxicity to pets.  The safest route, if you have a dog who digs and destroys, is to create a yard within a yard.  Use decorative fencing to fence off a shady part of your yard where you can create your pet’s own outside environment.  This will keep us from tearing up your newly planted gardens as well as keep us safe from eating something poison.  Plant pet-friendly edible plants in our area and this will keep everyone happy and healthy!

Some of us also love to swim.  Arizona is one of the few places dogs can play in water at least nine months out of the year.  You can build a dog pond, let us use your pool, or put out a plastic baby pool.  If you have a human pool at home, please make sure we know how to get out if we fall in or don’t allow us access to the pool area when you aren’t watching us.  I just learned to swim two summers ago.  I was very afraid of the water, but Lynn and John took me in the pool where John held until I felt safe.  They then let me swim back and forth to them.  I still won’t jump in on my own, but who knows?  Maybe I’ll get brave this summer!

Spring has sprung……….

Our Arizona spring weather is the envy of the country and turns our people into weekend gardeners.   I see new plants popping up everywhere when we go on our walks through the neighborhood.  I wonder….do people put any thought into making sure these plants are safe for us?  Do they even know which plants are safe and which can make us sick or kill us?

Oleanders are one of the most prolific shrubs in AZ.  You can’t kill these things but they CAN kill your pets!  I personally, have never been tempted to eat one but some dogs (especially puppies) will dig up and/or eat any newly planted greenery just for fun.  Dogs do like to eat grass from time to time.   With water conservation being encouraged, many people opt for desert landscaping so we’ll sometimes graze on whatever happens to be green.  Don’t leave your pet unattended outdoors for long periods of time or create barriers around plants that can harm us.

Another plant that Arizonans love are aloe.  Great for burns and host of other uses for humans, but toxic to dogs and cats.  When ingested, the aloe plants can wreak havoc on our tummies and make us vomit and have a terrible case of diarrhea.  Let’s be honest….we ALWAYS find the carpet when we need to do either of those!  Below are some of the plants that can hurt us.  Tomorrow, I’m going to share what plants we like and some that even good for us!

 Plants that can harm your pet:

Keep a pet first aid kit and this number handy in case you suspect we ate something harmful:

If you suffer from allergies, then I know you sympathize with your four-legged kids when the itching, watery eyes, red skin and ears show up.  This year has been the worst yet for me!   My vet says there is an allergy epidemic in dogs in recent years and no one understands the cause.  Some experts think it’s the processed food we eat, the vaccinations we’re subjected to, and poor breeding practices.

Some  ways to try to alleviate our symptoms are:

•  give us high potency acidophilus cultures
• add high doses of good quality fish oil to our diet
  
• add fresh milled flax seed to our diets
• frequent baths and wiping our paws with baby wipes when we come back inside
• sometimes we need antihistamines

When you bring home a new puppy, starting them on high-potency cultures of beneficial probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidus may prevent them from developing allergies as they grow to adulthood.  My mom also gives me Organic Coconut Oil.  A tablespoon in the morning and a tablespoon with my dinner helps keep my skin from drying out and gives my fur some sheen.  In the summer, I like it frozen into ice cubes for a cold treat!

Another natural supplement to alleviate allergies is Quercetin which is a mighty flavonoid.  Flavonoids are a plant-based compound which have powerful antioxidant, anit-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties.  It’s been nicknamed “Nature’s Benedryl”. My mom, Lynn, takes it everyday….so if I see her take something I naturally want to give it a taste!  Listen to the video below for some expert advice on natural allergy remedies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OadOOxUMXdI#t=69

Of course, you should talk with your vet before you make any drastic changes to your dog’s diet or give them medication not prescribed.