5 Simple and Sweet Ways to Say "I Ruv You"

 

Who says you need a significant other to enjoy Valentine’s Day?  The day may be about love but it doesn’t only have to be about the love a couple shares.  Whether you have someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with or not, no doubt you want to do something sweet for your pup, as a token of your love and appreciation.   Here are 5 simple and sweet ideas to show your pup a little extra love.

Take your dog for a nice long walk. All dogs love to go on walks. They love the chance to get out, smell the fresh air, sniff the plants, and check out the neighborhood. You might even walk to a park and enjoy a sunset together.

Enjoy a meal together at a pet-friendly restaurant.  Dog friendly restaurants are becoming more and more common, but mostly in bigger metropolitan areas, so this maybe a bit of a day-trip for you, depending on where you decide to go.  There are truly dog friendly restaurants, like Lazy Dog Café and Park Bench Café- both in Orange County, that have dog menus along with human menus.  Most other places have an outdoor patio where they allow you to sit with your dog while you eat. From LA to Palm Springs, you will find pet-friendly restaurants with a loyal following of dog lovers, so just pick a city and see what yummy food awaits. (Check out this article, 8 Best Dog-Friendly Restaurants in LA, if you're looking to try LA).

Take a special trip.  This trip can be combined with your search for a pet-friendly restaurant; but even if it isn’t, take your pup somewhere new that he or she would truly enjoy.  Maybe it’s a new dog park, maybe it’s the dog beach (since it’s been so hot lately), or maybe it’s a trip to a dog store, boutique, or bakery.  A special trip doesn’t have to be a weekend in the mountains, just a nice trip out of the ordinary.

Celebrate a little early by watching the 2013 Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show tonight, Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11^th and 12^th.  The annual competition will be broadcast live from Madison Square Garden on CNBC tonight and then on USA Network tomorrow night, 8 – 11 p.m. ET.

Bake your pup some sweet treats.  For those who do like to bake, try this Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treat recipe.  And if your aren’t the best baker, stop into your local dog bakery and pick up some special dog treats. 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour                         2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 eggs                                                               ½ teaspoon salt
½ cup canned pumpkin                                 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 F

2.       Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.  The dough should be dry and stiff but workable.  Add water if needed.

3.       Roll the dough a ½-inch thick and cut out shapes using your favorite doggy cookie cutters (if you have any)

4.       Place in the preheated oven until hard, which will take about 40 minutes.

Let the cookies cool before giving them to your pup. You may even give a treat to a friend’s dog or co-workers dog as a valentine gift.

However you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your pooch, keep it simple and sweet.  Your dog will be more than happy to just spend time with you.

As always, please keep all human chocolate away and out of reach of your dog to ensure you have a happy and loving Valentine’s Day.

Mardi Paws this Weekend

Have you always wanted to go to New Orleans and experience Mardi Gras but never made the trip? Well, you’re in luck because Mardi Gras has come to Orange County.  No need to flash for beads at this parade, Mardi Gras OC is a family and dog-friendly event.  There is even an all-day Masquerade Party for those 18 and over, if you’d prefer a little adult time instead.  

This celebration (called ‘Carnival’ in many other countries) starts on or after Epiphany, in January, and ends on Ash Wednesday, in February.   Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, referring to the ritual of eating richer, fatty foods on the last night before Lent, which starts the following day, Ash Wednesday. 

The large celebration in New Orleans was brought over by two French brothers when the Louisiane territory was still owned by the French and included today’s Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.  The first organized celebration was in 1703, in Mobile, Alabama, which was the original capital of the territory.  The capital was moved two more times until it landed in New Orleans in 1723.  

The first formal mystic society, or krewe, was formed in 1711, but it wasn’t until 1803 that the first masked mystic krewe celebrated with a parade.  From there the celebration continued to grow to the Mardi Gras celebration New Orleans knows today, which is the largest in the United States.  The krewes today continue to wear masks and costumes on the parade floats and toss ‘throws’ (usually colorful beaded necklaces) to the crowds.

Mardi Gras is coming to the Orange County Fair Grounds this weekend with fun for everyone, even your four-legged best friend.  Opening Ceremonies commence on Friday at 3 p.m.  The rest of the day features a Youth Masquerade Parade, live music, Parade of Krewes, and an adult Masquerade Party from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Saturday will feature Tykes Masquerade  Parade (kids 5 & under), Parade of Krewes, a Pooch Parade, live music, and an adult all-day Masquerade Party.  Sunday will feature a Pooch Parade, Kiddo’s Parade, Parade of Krewes, live music, an adult all-day Masquerade Party, and then closing ceremonies. 

Saturday’s fun runs from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. while Sunday runs from 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Kids and pups can enter the parades by going to one of the Mardi Gras Gear Booths.  Children are $10 per entry and pups are $15 per entry.

The OC Fair Grounds are located at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. Mardi Gras tickets cost $15 at the door and children under 12 are free.   For more information, including parade times and more on the all-day Masquerade Party, check out MardiGrasOC.com

 

Super Bowl with your Dog

 

Will you be one of the millions of viewers watching “the big game” this Sunday?  Every year Americans devote the first Sunday of February to the final game of the football season, also known as Super Bowl Sunday.  Of Super Bowl XLVI (last year), NBC Sports reported “In all, 166.8 million tuned in for some portion of NBC’s coverage of the game, making it the biggest total TV audience of all time.”  Needless to say, it’s hard not to catch a glimpse of the Super Bowl when the whole nation is watching (even if you just watch the commercials).

Whether you will be watching Super Bowl XLVII or trying to avoid it, there is no reason why you and your dog can’t get caught up in a little of the excitement around the day.

First you can tune into the Animal Planet and catch a bit of the Puppy Bowl IX.  For the ninth year running, the puppy bowl is an adorable takeoff of the Super Bowl where animal lovers get to watch puppies (in a puppy stadium) play and make touchdowns.   This year, Animal Planet boasts of hedgehog cheerleaders, Hamsters steering a blimp, a kitten halftime show, and a slow motion “Cute Cam” for replays.   “The Cutest Sports Event of the Year” is not to be missed.  Kickoff begins on Sunday, February 3^rd, at 3 p.m. on the Animal Planet.

Another appropriate activity for game day would be to toss the ball around in the yard.  You can pick up a football shaped dog toy at any pet store, if you don’t already have one.  And while you play fetch, you can wear your favorite team jersey (and get one for your dog to match).

 

Most homes will be watching the big game with company over.  Everyone loves a good Super Bowl party because it makes the game that much more fun to watch.  Your dog should be able to enjoy the game, and your guests as well, without stress.  To ensure a stress free environment, lay down some ground rules with your guests.

1.       No one is allowed to give table scraps or party food to the dog.  There are many human foods a dog cannot digest such as onions, garlic, avocado, raisins, grapes, mushrooms, and chocolate, all of which can make him or her very sick. 

2.       No one is allowed to give your dogs any drinks.  Caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can make a dog very sick. 

You may lay down any other house rules you already have in place for your dog such as no jumping, no getting on the couch, no barking, etc.  It is also a good idea to take your dog for a long walk or run before any event.  This exercise will help reduce hyper, disobedient, or stressed out behavior once strangers start coming to the door.  

The San Francisco 49ers play the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, February 3^rd, in Super Bowl XLVII. Tune in at 3:30 p.m. PT or 6:30 p.m. ET.

Puppies Predict Super Bowl Winner

Pet First-aid Kit

If a disastrous earthquake hit Southern California, would you be prepared? If you found a tick on your dog would you know how to safely remove it?  From the worst case scenario to the most common occurrence, a first-aid kit can mean a world of difference.

Does your household even have a first-aid kit for humans?  Many people don’t even think about a first-aid kit for themselves, let alone their pets.  But why not?  While some dogs are more accident prone than others, there are no guarantees that your dog will never get hurt.  If you could clean up a cut, wash debris out of an eye, wrap a sore paw, or remove a tick without incurring a vet bill, would you?

What you need in your first-aid kit depends on your first-aid training. The most basic kit for your pet should include the following:

4x4 Gauze Squares- to control bleeding

Rolled Gauze- to secure the gauze squares

Adhesive Tape or self-adhering bandage- to secure the rolled gauze

Styptic powder & Cotton Swabs- to control minor bleeding (like a broken toe nail). Corn starch or corn flour will also work.

Blunt-nosed scissors- to carefully remove bandages or cut anything close to the body

Tweezers- to remove ticks or debris from a wound

3% Hydrogen Peroxide- to induce vomiting and clean a minor wound

Eye Wash or Saline solution- to flush a minor wound and clean eyes

Cold Pack- to aid in heat stroke, cool burns, and reduce swelling

Antibiotic ointment (or diluted 15% tee tree oil or vitamin E gel or Pure Aloe Vera Gel)- to soothe and promote healing of minor cuts, scrapes, and insect bites

Needle-less Syringe or Eye Dropper- to administer medications and other liquids

Digital Thermometer- to check your pet’s temperature.  A dog’s temperature is typically 100.4˚F – 102.5˚F

Other items you can keep on hand for your dog are:

Antihistamine Tablets- for bee stings and snake bites.  The dosage is 1mg per pound of body weight (ex. dog weighs 30 lbs, give 30mg). Double dosage for snake bites.  Any dog with major swelling or difficulty breathing should go to the vet.
Antacid Tablets- for upset stomachs. Administer according to body weight and withhold food for 24 hours.  Pepto-Bismol is ok for dogs but NOT for cats.  Mylanta can be used for dogs and cats.  

 

Electrolyte Replenisher- to rehydrate

Leash- to wrangle a pet in need of help, or can be used as a muzzle if a dog needs to be restrained while being treated.

Towel or Blanket- to treat for shock, help transport a pet, or help restrain a pet

Phone Numbers & Addresses- In case of an emergency, it is always best to leave veterinarian contact info with the first aid kit along with any other important numbers you may need in a hurry.  If your regular vet does not offer 24 hour service, keep the number and directions to the nearest 24 hour vet in your first-aid kit as well.

First aid kits can be expensive but you don’t have to have the biggest and best kit on the market.  You can build your kit over the year starting with things you would most likely use such as gauze, hydrogen peroxide, triple antibiotic, and tweezers.

Maintaining your first-aid kit is just as important as building it.  Be sure to restock after use and check expiration dates each year.  

If you don’t know much about first aid, you can always find plenty of ‘How to’ videos online.  If you are seriously interested in further education and training, you can sign up for a pet first-aid and CPR class.  Check out classes offered by Denise Fleck, owner and founder of Sunny Dog Ink, and an expert on the topic of pet first-aid.  And if you aren’t up to the task of making your own first-aid kit, Denise also offers ready-made pet first-aid kits for sale on her website.

A New Year’s Resolution

We are a little over two weeks into the New Year and, no doubt, many people have already given up on the resolutions they made for 2013.  Have you?  Why not try a resolution that you can stick to and will benefit your four-legged best friend as well?

We all strive to improve ourselves or our situation, and January 1^st is a favorite time to make such a change because the New Year represents a fresh start and a clean slate.  But we often fall short of our new goals because they are extreme or large jumps from our current lifestyles.  Anyone who has ever tried to kick a bad habit before can tell you that success will not come overnight.  It can be a long and gradual process, especially if it is a dramatic life change.

Don’t give up on your resolutions just yet.  Take a look at your overall goal and see how you can turn a large goal into smaller, more manageable goals that will lead you to your desired destination. 

Say you want to start walking your dog every day but you currently walk your dog maybe once a month.  You may have the drive to walk the dog every day for a week, but chances are you will have a rough day where you won’t feel like walking the dog.  That day may turn into two days, then a week, and before you know it you are back to walking the dog maybe once a month.  If you break that big goal into smaller goals you would start with walking the dog once a week.  Once you have done that regularly for a month, you can celebrate your success and then add another walking day, so now you are walking the dog twice a week.

Every month of successful walking will lead to another walking day added the next month.  Every step you reach will be a celebration of success because you are that much closer to your overall goal.  And if you should stumble, don’t let it bring you down or deter you.  If you create a habit of walking the dog three days a week but for some reason can’t seem to be consistent when you add a fourth day, then keep working on four walks per week before trying for five.  You want to set a solid foundation before building on it, so be sure to master your current goal before trying to reach the next.
While you may not reach your original goal overnight, this technique of patience and persistence will get you there before you know it.  Remember the race between the Tortoise and the Hare; slow and steady will win this race. And you have no one to beat but your old self.

If you already have a habit of walking your dog regularly, look to see if there is anything else that you could improve to enrich your dog’s life.  One thing many homes do not have is a first aid kit.  Many people don’t have a first aid kit for themselves, let alone the pets.   If you don’t have a resolution of your own, I challenge you to put together a first aid kit for your family.  It is always beneficial to be prepared for the unexpected, not to mention, being able to care for a superficial wound at home can save you a trip to the vet.   

Bring in a Lucky New Year

Almost every culture has a New Year’s tradition where the people eat certain foods (on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day) that are believed to bring good fortune in the new year.  These certain foods represent money and progress.  Foods like greens (such as kale, cabbage or sauerkraut, and collards) represent money, while legumes (like peas, lentils, and beans) represent coins.  Many cultures eat pork or sausages because the pig is symbolic of progress (in that the animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving forward).  Other traditions include eating fish, rice, grapes, and sweet round cakes (like donuts).   And in some cultures it is tradition to leave a little food on your plate to ensure plentiful food throughout the new year.  

Whatever your family New Year’s tradition may be, you can share the tradition with your dog this year – as long as the food is dog friendly, of course.  The following is a fish dinner recipe from Barbara Laino, interviewed in the April/May ’11 issue of The Bark magazine.  This recipe will make 10 1-cup sized meatballs.  

Midsummer Farm Homemade Fish-Based Dog Dinner

Serving Sizes of Raw Meatballs:
• For a large 50-100 pound dog – three to five 1-cup-size meatballs per day
• For a 20-40 pound dog - two or three 1-cup-size meatballs per day
• For a 1-10 pound dog – one to two 1/2-cup-size meatballs per day
*Remember – this is a concentrated and efficient food source and is power packed. You won’t have to feed as much bulk-wise as with a commercial food; most commercial foods have a lot of fillers.

Ingredients
• 2 pounds of Frozen Fish Fillets
• 1-2 cans of Alaskan Wild Pink Salmon
• 1/4 - 1/2 pound of Beef Liver
• 1-3 Eggs (optional)
• 2 cups of Chopped Veggies (can be any combination of carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cooked squash, green beans, cooked yams, apples, berries, kale, spinach). Do NOT use onions or grapes of any kind.
• 5-10 Cloves of Garlic (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp Dried Parsley
• 2 tbsp Dried Oregano
• 2 tbsp Tumeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Thorvin Kelp Powder
• Optional: 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, barley, or brown rice

Directions:
Alternate putting frozen (frozen items grind much easier) fish fillets, liver, vegetables, garlic, and seeds through a meat grinder. As you grind into a big bowl, add and mix in the canned salmon, eggs, honey, dried herbs, and powdered kelp.

Keep in a well-sealed container in fridge. Scoop out appropriate amounts for your pet.

If you made a very large batch that is more than can be consumed in about 5 days, roll into meal-sized meatballs and freeze.  Then you can just take out whatever number meatballs you need and defrost them a couple days before you need to feed them. Meatballs will last at least 3 months in the freezer.

Enjoy making this special dinner for your dog and have a safe and Happy New Year!

Homemade for the Holidays: Dog Toys

We all know that dog toys can be expensive.  We want the best toys for our dogs, but if you have a rough and rowdy dog, that toy might only last you a week.  All that money spent on the “indestructible” toy, now wasted.  Have you ever considered making your own toy? Maybe your dog does go through toys every week or every month, or maybe you just can’t afford the overpriced toys, or maybe you just want an inexpensive gift for a dog.  Whatever the case, your wallet will appreciate you making your own dog toys. 

Rope Tug Toy

What you’ll need:
            A Tennis Ball (A can of 3 costs approx. $2.50)
            Thread (Dental floss or even a twist-tie will do)
             Masking take
             3 Strand Twisted rope (Approx. $10 for 50ft of rope)
             2 different colored markers
            1 pen or wooden dowel thinner than the rope
             A box cutting knife and a pair of scissors that will cut rope

Because the process of braiding the rope is more easily understood by watching someone else do it, there are no written directions.  For video guided directions, click on this YouTube video on ‘How to make a throwing tug toy’.

Rope Tug Toy Cost

Estimated cost of supplies for 3 toys: $15   Estimated cost per toy: $5
Using all of the rope--Estimated cost of supplies for 15 toys: $35   Estimated cost per toy: $2.33

 Even simpler Rope Tug Toy:  Just buy rope, cut it to the desired length, and knot each end.

 

 Fleece Tug Toy

The fleece tug toy is much simpler to make and can either be done in a simple braid with knots at each end or into a scoubidou pattern (like lanyard).  Your dog may even find the material more comforting to play with.

What you’ll need:

             1 – 3 ft of Fleece fabric (depending on the size of your dog).  Fleece is on sale this time of year for $5 - $11 a yard.
             A rubberband or clip
              Scissors
              A ruler or measuring tape

*Tip: You can hold the strips between your knees while you braid. 

Because braiding is easier to learn by watching someone else, there are no written directions.  For simple braid directions, click on this YouTube video above for ‘Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary’: How to make a fleece tug toy. For Scoubidou (pronounced like Scooby-Doo) directions, click on this YouTube video below for ‘Homemade Scoubidou Tug’. 

Fleece Tug Toy Cost

Will make 4 – 5 toys.  Estimated cost of supplies (for 3 yards at $5.50 per yard): $17  Estimated cost per toy: $4.25

 Stuff-Less Animal Toy

Have you ever felt ripped off for paying for the skin of a toy? Dog toys without stuffing can easily cost $7 and up, which may leave you wondering what exactly you are paying for.  Children’s stuffed animals are often cheaper than that; and they come with stuffing.

What you’ll need:

             An old stuff animal (if you don’t have one, buy one at Goodwill for $1)
             A needle and thread
            Scissors

Cut a small hole in the lining of the stuffed animal, take out all of the stuffing and sew it back up.  You do not even need to sew it back up if you don’t want to.  My dogs will pull a stuffed animal apart, pull out all of the stuffing and play with the remaining skin which used to resemble an animal.  If you would like Whatever you choose to do, you now have a dog toy without stuffing that didn’t cost $7 or more.

Stuff-less Animal Toy Cost
Estimated cost per toy: $1 -$4