Preparing For a Car Ride With Your Dog

Guest Post By: Tess Halpren
Community Outreach
The Zebra

Easiest Ways to Pet Proof Your Car

Pet proof before a trip

Most dogs love going for car rides. With their head out the window, ears blowing in the wind, dogs are the picture of bliss when they tag along for the trip.

In reality, though, car rides can be very stressful for even the happiest dogs. Whether going on a cross-country road trip or just down the street, dogs often experience anxiety during a drive. This anxiety is caused by a number of things, including the movement of the car, the sound of the engine, or the possibility of a trip to the vet’s (eek!). If you aren’t careful, you’ll land up with a jittery pup and maybe even a ruined backseat.

The following post from The Zebra gives a collection of tips and tricks for keeping you, your dog, and your car happy on your next road trip. These tips give advice on what to do before, during, and after your car ride to keep your pup calm and your car clean.

pet proofing your car

Renting When You Have a Dog

Contribution from freelance writer Sally Writes

Renting with dogs

Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash

According to The Humane Society of the United States, 72% of renters have pets, yet finding and keeping rental housing is one of the main reasons pets end up in shelters. When you have to move, many renters find that looking for accommodation that welcomes your furry friend is one of their leading anxieties. Here is some advice on renting when you have a dog.

Know where to search

Pet friendly apartments are definitely out there, you just need to know where to look. The key is to start looking early and search smart. Reach out to your local pet community for recommendations, and use pet friendly filters on apartment listing sites.In addition, if you are choosing a new city to live, bear in mind some have a more pet friendly reputation than others. Real estate listing site Trulia researched which areas were most accommodating to animals on their listings and confirmed that San Francisco and Dallas are pet friendly cities.

Open up a dialogue with your potential landlord

Good communication can be the key to finding a pet friendly apartment. Be ready to discuss the good qualities of your dog and consider writing a pet resume to showcase their good qualities. Landlords are human and often open to negotiation. They may be willing to make exceptions even if they didn’t advertise a pet friendly property.That being said, you should never sign a lease that says ‘no pets’ as you then lose most of your legal protection if your pet is asked to leave.

If you are really concerned, some people try to find a landlord from their friends or acquaintances; a family let can be a good solution because your landlord will likely know your dog and its behavior as well as trusting you as an individual.

Service dog?

It must be noted that the rules are different if your pet is a service animal. This is because the Fair Housing Law protects against discrimination on grounds of disability. Your potential landlord can not violate your house rights if you require a dog for your wellbeing. Expect to be asked to verify the need for your assistance dog, so prepare your doctor’s letter.

While renting with pets is undoubtedly more hassle than moving pet free, it is definitely possible to find a place that is both right for you and your dog. Start early, utilize the internet, your connections and communications skills, and your new home will be just around the corner.

Pet Proofing Your Home

Neil Foto, Community Outreach Coordinator for ADTSecurity.com sent us an email to recommend an amazing resource link, an interactive pet safety guide for new pet owners.

I think visitors to your site will enjoy this guide as it offers them the chance to click different rooms of the house and be provided safety concerns that are specific to that room. There is also a checklist for new pet owners and a list of essential supplies they will need.

Please check out this comprehensive guide and add the link to your site as an additional resource for your readers.

Thanks, Neil.  We encourage our visitors to check out this pet safety guide to pet proofing your home.

Pet safety guide

Pet Safety Guide – ADT Security Blog

How an Emotional Support Dog Can Help You Get Through a Tough Day

Guest Post by: Brad Smith, TherapyPet.org

If you have a dog as an emotional support pet, you already know how much affection and fun they bring. However, did you know that dogs also offer powerful physical and mental health benefits? They can greatly minimize anxiety, stress, feelings of loneliness and depression, along with encouraging playfulness and exercise, and even strengthening your cardiovascular health. During the days when you are feeling down, an emotional support dog can help you in the following ways:

Acceptance and Unconditional Love

As much as we know, dogs don’t have prejudices, opinions and critiques. Even if you are reeking of alcohol after a bad day, they will be more than willing to cuddle with you. If your relationship with your friends or family is frayed and complicated, and you don’t really have no one to come home to and vent, your dog will be ever-present as the best antidote to your sadness and stress. They will not judge, nor complain and will certainly not give you advice you don’t want.

Distraction from Your Pain and Anguish

Dogs are just as good as books and movies. They take our minds off the worries and into another dimension, one where there’s only playfulness, clowning around, a wet nose and lots of kisses. This type of distraction is the best type since it makes you forget how awful your day went when you have a furry friend breathing in your face all the time.

More Physical Contact

Touching has undisputedly strong healing powers. Studies suggest that 45 minutes of massage can lower stress levels and enhance your immune system by promoting the growth of white blood cells. Hugging produces a hormone that lowers blood pressure, stress levels and heart rates. The touch of another human or animal can stop certain parts of the brain from reacting to threat clues. Thus, it is not surprising how handling a dog, i.e stroking and cuddling it, can regularize heart rates and lower blood pressure while boosting dopamine and serotonin levels.

Increased Levels of Activity

After a tough day, the last thing you probably want to do is be active. Slouching down and binge eating while crying over your miseries can worsen your physical and mental state. However, if you have a friendly support companion waiting for you at home, you are sure to get some physical activity. Dogs need to be walked, fed and followed which will mean extra physical activity on your part.

More Social Interaction

Dogs are natural icebreakers, which mean they subtly push you towards more social interaction. On a tough day, you may decide to walk your dog and find yourself chatting with other dog walkers and befriending them in the process.

Better Health

Research suggests that dog owners experience protection against heart disease, reduced stress hormones, and increased levels of feel-good chemical present in the brain both while and prior to performing stressful mental tasks. A study with Chinese female participants found that owning a dog can help with better sleep, better fitness due to increased exercise and improved overall health resulting in fewer sick days.

Create a Routine

Having a daily routine helps people fight depression by utilizing their time efficiently. An emotional support dog’s natural routine, i.e. walking in the morning, demanding for food and playtime, can help you direct your attention towards the activities instead of sulking about your day.

These are just some of the ways that your emotional support dog can help you get through a bad day without breaking down.

Is your Paint Pet Safe?

Guest Blogger:  Aedan Kiernan

As pet owners we are all very careful about the food and toys we give to our pets, and what we do around them, which could be detrimental to their health. We are all aware of the dangers of things like chocolate, not many pet owners are aware of health implications that domestic decorating products like paints can have on our furry friends.

The Danger of Paints

Paint might not seem like the most dangerous household substances, but some domestic paints can have serious implications on the health and wellbeing of our pets. These paints are so harmful due to the harsh chemicals that they contain, which includes solvents, heavy metals and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). These chemicals release gases which can cause serious harm to our pets when they are inhaled. Although these gases are most potent while paints are drying, fumes can still be released long after the paint has dried. While the full extent of the damage caused by these chemicals is unknown, symptoms include dizziness, irritation to skin, eyes and air ways and in extreme cases full bodily hair loss.

Paints are not the only decorating product which can cause harm to our pets. Some other hazardous products include varnishes, paint removers and white spirits. The dangers are not just limited to inhalation of these gases and pets can suffer from the same symptoms if they ingest paints or other decorating products. Continue reading

Review: Dogsters Frozen Dog Treats

Would your dog like a frozen treat?

Product Review by:  Julie and Blue Belle Walton
DogBlog: A Dog’s Eye View

Product:  DOGSTERS Ice Cream Style Treats for Dogs

DOGSTERS WEBSITE: jjsnack.com/dogsters
DOGSTERS on FACEBOOK: facebook.com/DogstersHealthyTreats

Dogsters Frozen Dog Treats

Dogsters Frozen Dog Treats

We received a request to review a treat for our dog, Blue Belle, DOGSTERS ice cream style treats for dogs.  They are made in the USA (a key to this dog loving family) all natural, low fat and low calories.  Dogsters says man’s best friend deserves healthy and delicious treats, too.

Who doesn’t love a good treat. BUT, the question on this beautiful fall day is will Blue Belle, the rescue dog, agree that a frozen treat is cool and refreshing and much better than staying under the tree to keep the pesky squirrels out of our yard.

The frozen treats are found in your grocery store alongside the frozen novelties.  But because we are special (ok, we are just dog blogging reviewers, but we think we are special) we received ours at our front door packed on ice.  We received two boxes of these delicious flavors:

  • Mint
  • Peanut Butter and Cheese

Each treat comes in a plastic container with a paper lid, so obviously you will want to keep an eye on your dog and throw the trash away, so they don’t eat up the container.

I think you will agree when you see Blue Belle’s reaction that she thinks they truly are DELICIOUS!