Collar Safety Awareness Week

Dog’s Speak Up for Collar Safety

By: Blue Belle Walton, Canine Contributor
DogBlog: A Dog’s Eye View

Dog Collar Safety

Hi there dog lovers, Blue Belle here, canine dog blog contributor, grateful rescued dog, and tail wagging happy member of a furever family.

My family wanted me to talk to you about a very serious issue. Today my mom gave me a new collar. She said that this could actually save my life. What is so special about my new collar? It has a feature that makes it come apart if I get my collar caught, so I don’t get strangled. My new collar is a PetSafe® KeepSafe® Break-Away Collar.  Isn’t it pretty.  I really like it.  My mom listened to a video interview from the women who created it.  She invented this collar after she lost her dog Chinook, to a collar strangulation accident.  How terrible!  You can see the video below.

Information about the PetSafe® KeepSafe® Break-Away Collar

The collar features a patented break-away safety buckle that releases when pressure is applied or it gets caught on something, allowing it to fall off harmlessly and reduce the risk of strangulation or injury to the pet. The KeepSafe collar also has a metal D-ring on each side of the breakaway buckle, which can be used to attach ID tags and can also be clipped together with a leash so pet parents can safely walk their dogs using the collar.

We didn’t even know that this was a risk, but my mom heard about the Educational Campaign to Protect Pets from Collar Strangulation Accidents . They call it Collar Safety Awareness Week. We think everyone should help get out the word. Mom said it is urgent to make everyone aware of this safety issue. So listen up, people. Please pass this along. I know your dog will thank you.

Collar Related Injuries

  • Over 19 million dogs wear collars everyday
  • More than 26,000 collar related injuries happen each year
  • 71 incidents per day
  • More than 50% of pet professionals have experienced a collar related incident in pets

Common Causes of Dog Collar Incidents

  • Play Biting
  • Deck Slats
  • Fences
  • Crates
  • Heating/Cooling Vents
  • Shrubs/Bushes

The first annual Collar Safety Awareness Week, October 18-24, 2015, is being launched to educate the public about the risks of strangulation and dangers of traditional collars as part of National Animal Safety and Protection Month.

PetSafe® Interviews Tenney Mudge, Inventor of KeepSafe Collar

PetSafe® Collar Safety Awareness

Blue Belle’s Message to All Dogs and Their Family’s PROTECT YOUR PET WITH A SAFE COLLAR.

Petsafe Collar Safety Awareness Week Infographic

Petsafe Collar Safety Awareness Week Infographic

Top 10 Ways to Better Care for your Dog

Spending time with our dog at the parkJulie, Murry and Blue Belle recognize the importance of taking good care of your dog. The picture to the right shows Blue Belle shortly after she was adopted. We took her for a walk in the park. She loves to go for walks. Our guest blogger shares ten ways to better care for your dog, including spending time with them.

Guest Writer: Ryean Bishop

We all do what we can to make sure that our pets are healthy, happy and well loved. But could you be over looking something? Here are the top 10 things to do for optimum health and happiness in your pet.

  1. Spend time with them! It is not enough to simply leave them in a room with a toy all day, every day. Dogs need that interaction with you to form a bond, trust you, and respect and take direction from you. They need cuddle time, walks, or play time with you to combat loneliness and feel loved.
  2. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Our pets need exercise to keep them healthy just like we do. Exercise will help keep them from getting more health problems or becoming overweight. It will also help to work off all their built up energy; thus creating a less crazed, well behaved pet.
  3. You are what you eat! Make sure that what your pet is eating is helping out his health instead of causing more problems. Your Veterinarian will be your biggest help in this department-don’t trust what foods the neighbors use, but get professional advice about what is healthy for your pet specifically. Whether they have allergies, digestive problems, or constipation, switching dog food may be the simple answer.
  4. Healthy, Positive Discipline. Mastering this will make both you, and your dog happier. You will be happy because your dog is behaving better and he will be happier because he knows what is expected, right and wrong, and what is allowed versus what isn’t. This sets him up for success more than guessing and trying feverishly to get approval when he doesn’t quite know how.
  5. Vet Visits. The minimum requirement for Vet checkups is once a year for most dogs. Doing this can help prevent future health problems from happening or properly treat existing ones. When a pet is healthy inside and out, it is easier for him or her to fully enjoy life.
  6. Keep Their Brain Active! One of the most common causes of behavioral issues in dogs is that they are simply bored. Keeping their mind active will not only help their overall well-being, but keep your house intact. A dog that is not being challenged mentally by you will make up their own challenges and games, and their ideas you probably wouldn’t like. Having toys with treats trapped inside or training them new tricks are ideas of how to give them constructive challenges.
  7. Gorgeous Grooming. Grooming will not only make your pet pretty, but healthy as well. If fur becomes matted it is unhealthy for the skin, and skin infections may occur. Grooming also helps prevent dogs from getting ear infections, excess tartar on the teeth, and ticks or fleas.
  8. Use Positive Reinforcement. Pets need to be appreciated just like we do. You don’t want the only attention that he or she gets to be negative. Let them know when they are doing something right or being obedient. Give them lots of praise and positive attention when they are behaving well, and they will want to do that more often.
  9. Social butterflies! It is important for dogs to be socialized to other dogs, animals, and humans. Socializing your pet will make it easier to go for a walk, to the vet, or into a pet store without pandemonium. Teaching your dog to maintain his or her manners and remain calm in lots of different situations will help him to be a better behaved and well rounded pet.
  10. All you need is love! Your pet feeling love from you and a secure attachment to you is obviously crucial. However, do not confuse the concepts of love and treats. Throwing the dog a bone is a nice reward, but will not help him to feel the love. Spend the time, and give him actual love instead of just treats.

Add these ideas to your routine and customize them to your pet and your life. There is no cookie-cutter, perfect way to take care of a pet; so do it your way. By following these simple steps, your dog is on its way to being the healthy, happy pet you want him or her to be.

Author Bio– Ryean Bishop is a health and wellness expert for dogs. He is a strong promoter of annual Veterinarian visits. Please click here to learn more about pet checkups and what you can do to keep your pet healthy.

Traveling Dog Project You Can Back

Alexis, Charlie and Zolo Plan Travel through Canada

Alexis, Charlie and Zolor Plan Journey Through Canada

Seattle Family and Their Dog Travel Through Canada

Now this is a project that dog lovers can get behind.  A family from Seattle will travel with their dog, Zolo (who happens to be from Taiwan) through Canada to give you a taste of what life is like in that beautiful place we like to think of as our good neighbors to the north.  Let’s keep in touch with Alexis, Charlie and Zolo and follow their travels and insights while they journey across Canada in their van they have named Vanny with their puppy Zolo, hero to neurotic dogs everywhere.  I’m sure they will greatly appreciate your encouragement and backing.

Online Resources

Information is available at ZoloNeurotico.com and on the Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/10tu9tP.

About the Seattle Family

Alexis, Charlie and Zolo are a family from Seattle, Washington. They’ll celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary somewhere in British Columbia this July. But the star of the show is Zolo, their 27-pound mixed breed rescue who came to live with them three years ago thanks to the magic of Petfinder.

All three are world travelers. Their numerous past trips include a month-long honeymoon in Bali, four months working and living at the South Pole, long trips in Europe and many multi-day, back-country hikes around the Western United States and Alaska. Even Zolo was rescued in the hills of Taiwan and flown here as part of a rescue program.

The KickStarter Campaign

Zolo Neurotico in Canada: A Multimedia Guidebook/Travelogue

Launched: May 9, 2013      Funding ends: Jun 8, 2013

by Charles Redell  ~ We’re gathering material for a multimedia travelogue and guidebook to seeing Canada with a slightly neurotic dog.

Norman the Dog Rides a Bike

What a smart dog.  Norman the Scooter Dog has many talents, and we agree with his view of puppy mills.  Please pay attention to Norman, his goal is to end dogs being bred through puppy mills. He encourages people to rescue a dog from a local shelter or rescue group, then take the time to learn obedience training and have some fun with your pet.

We saw this video this morning, and love it.

Norman Rides a Bike!

Social Networking Goes to the Dogs

My last post featured a Facebook page that encouraged Alaskans to find a lost sled dog.  The dog was a foreigner, belonging to a German musher who resides in Norway.  After much social networking the two were reunited in Alaska, five days after the dog disappeared.

Now I have another story for you.  I received an email from Jon Kolker, co-founder of a new site, wheremydogsat.com – the first ever location-based social network for dog owners.

Jon founded the site along with his friends Kabir Shukla and Gareth Wilson. As dog lovers, they wanted to create a community for dog owners to connect with each other in a new way and discover fun places and activities. The end result is a mobile web app that lets users find, check-in, rate and just have fun with their dogs. They work on iPhone and Droid devices.

Here is What Excited Me

Jon said they are also working on new features that allow users to find rescues and shelters and donate to dog charities and service dog organizations. So when I’m sitting at the dog park with my dog and canine contributor, Maggie, and visiting with the other dog parents, I can pull my iphone out of my pocket, and take a look at wheremdogsat.com.

And, as they say . . . Remember – it’s a dog meet dog world.

Related: Facebook Community Helps Find Missing Sled Dog | BestDogBlog.com Dog Blogs and Websites

Dogblog Says Blog The Change for Animals

Join us blogging the change for animals

Get involved, be the change, tell your friends why animals have changed your life. Can you change the life of a lonesome animal? Here are a few ideas:

  • Buy an extra bag (or can) of food and donate it to your local pet food pantry.
  • Help sponsor the spaying or neutering of a companion animal waiting to be adopted at your local shelter.
  • Thank a local restaurant for allowing dogs to sit on the patio with you.
  • Sponsor a tree to be planted at your local dog park.
  • Bake some dog treats and deliver them to your local shelter.
  • Bake some people treats and deliver them to your local shelter to thank the staff and volunteers for their work.
  • Smile at your vet and thank him/her for their care.
  • Tell your facebook friends to take care of our animal friends.
  • Send out a tweet about Blog the Change for Animals