Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Happy Birthday Bentley!!

Happy 3rd birthday to my sweet, loving, cuddly and handsome Bentley!! I can't believe that you are 3 already! Seems like yesterday you were a 10 week old little pup and I was taking you home on Christmas day. Thank you so much for bringing so much joy, laughter and love into my life! My life is complete with you and sweet Bailee in it!

So today I am celebrating with Bentley.  He gets to do whatever his little doggie heart desires. So first thing today when I got home from work we went to the dog bakery and picked up his birthday cupcake and a few other little treats. He also got a new squeeky toy elephant that I'm sure his Grandparents are going to just LOVE hearing all the time! Later tonight when it gets cool out we are going to play ball and go on a nice long walk! Bentley LOVES chasing balls. He will find a toy ball hidden ANYWHERE! Just ask his son Ollie's Mom about that!! We also will be baking pumpkin dog treats for the holiday season! Pumpkin is soooo delicious in Bentley's mind! Then the rest of the day will be spent cuddling up and getting lots of love from the family!! Pictures are soon to follow of Bentley's 3rd Birthday!

 Drive to the Bakery
 Bentleys New Toy and Cupcake

 Treats we made Pumpkin and Peanut Butter
 Droppin treats off at the neighbors. What a good sharer


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

GoD and DoG

My Aunt Denise had sent me this link and I fell in love with this Poem. So here it is!
Click the link below to watch the Video or here is the poem...
GoD and DoG

I look up and I see God.
I look down and see my dog.
Simple spelling G O D
Same word backwards D O G.

They would stay with me all day.
I'm the one who walks away.
But both of them just wait for me...
And dance at my return with glee.

Both love me no matter what...
Devine God...and canine mutt...
I take it hard each time I fail.
But God forgives...dog wags his tail.

God thought up and made the dog.
Dog reflects a part of God.
I've seen love from both sides now.
It's everywhere...Amen...Bow...Wow...

I look up and I see God.
I look down and see my dog.
And in my human frailty...
I can't match their love for me.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Few Tips For Your Pup


Bentley Gets a lot of ear Infections so this seemed pretty helpful for me. 


To Prevent Ear Infections:

Try: Johnson's Baby Oil. Too much water in your dog's ears can lead to painful earaches, so before giving him a bath, place a cotton ball moistened with Johnson's Baby Oil in each of your pet's ears to keep out water. Just be sure to remove the cotton balls afterward.
Also pulling out the hair that is in their ears helps keep them clean as well! Its not painful. My pups dont mind at all!!


To Relieve Itchy Paws:

Try: Epsom Salt. If your dog suffers from itchy feet, fill the bathtub with 1 to 2 inches of water (enough to cover his paws) and dissolve 3 cups of Epsom Salt in the water. Stand your dog in the tub for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the Epsom Salt to relieve the itch. Do not let your pet drink the water, since Epsom Salt has a laxative effect. Remove your dog from the tub and gently pat his feet dry.

Remember to also keep the fur between your dogs paws cut short too!!



Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Halloween Safety for Your Pooch!!


Halloween Safety Tips

No Scaredy Cats This Halloween: Top 10 Safety Tips for Pet Parents

Attention, animal lovers, it's almost the spookiest night of the year! The ASPCA recommends taking some common sense precautions this Halloween to keep you and your pet saying "trick or treat!" all the way to November 1.
1. No tricks, no treats: That bowl of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also cause problems. If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, but they can produce stomach upset in pets who nibble on them.
3. Wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations should be kept out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet might suffer cuts or burns, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.
4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.
5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume may cause undue stress.
6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also, be sure to try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behavior, consider letting him go au naturale or donning a festive bandana.
7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.
8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.
9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.
10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increaing the chances that he or she will be returned to you






Feeding your Dog the right way!


1. Invest in a Nutritionally Balanced Diet

Whether it’s a veterinary nutritionist’s recipe or an off-the-shelf commercial formula recommended by your vet, stick to something that’s nutritionally balanced. (It will usually say so on the side of the bag or can.)

2. Add Moisture to Feline Food

This is currently a highly controversial topic in veterinary medicine, but one 2010 study conducted at theWaltham Center in the U.K. found that cats who were fed moistened diets — even if it was just kibble mixed with water — were more active and weighed less at the end of the study.

3. Measure, Measure, Measure

Dog food closeup in bowl
Thinkstock
This is fundamental when you’re trying to figure out how much to feed, so use a proper measuring tool — a mug isn't going to cut it if you want to get your pet's portion just right.

4. Be Consistent

It may go without saying, but you need to make sure the food you give your pet is prepared more or less the same way every time, so, if you home cook, that means being careful about preparing consistent portions. You should also be vigilant about feeding your pet the same formula and brand of food, as well as keeping tabs on the calorie counts of different formulas and brands.

5. Assess if You're Feeding Too Much or Too Little

Here’s where you need to ask your vet to point blank tell you just how fat your pet really is through a body condition score. A high body condition score (BCS) means your pet needs to lose weight.

6. Learn to Titrate

The right amount of food is almost always determined through trial and error. In other words, you may have to increase and decrease food amounts over time until you hit on the right daily portion. For example, you may start with one can of food a day, but your vet says your cat is too fat. So you reduce the food by 1/4 can a day, prompting her to lose weight. After about a month, you and your vet both think she’s getting a tad skinny, so you add back in a tablespoon a day.

7. Don't Forget That Treats Count

Treats are food, too, and they’re usually more calorically dense.

8. Factor in Exercise

Most of the above takes into account a regular amount of exercise (or lack thereof). If your pup is joggingalong with you each morning as you train for a marathon, for example, you may want to increase the amount of food that tumbles into the food bowl — temporarily, anyway.

9. Expect Age-Related Changes

As he gets older, a pet's metabolism (like our own) slows down — and that means a little less food every year. Or try switching to senior dog food, which contains less fat.

10. Keep in Mind That Every Animal Is Different

I have three dogs. The smallest one is half the size of the other two yet he eats twice as much. The moral of the story: Don't let volume sway you; each organism has a distinct metabolism that runs at its own pace.