Weirdness Wednesday

"What do you mean this is a "cat toy"?!"

Simply Sunday and is it Really the Sun?

Memorial day weekend and snow in Vermont?! Yikes what is up with Mother Nature? Not that it's tropical here in New Jersey, waking up to morning temps in the upper 40's! At least the rain has finally cleared out and its sunny once again. Don't worry by next weekend it will be in the 80's!

So here we are with the unofficial start to summer and vacation get aways. Though we already have been down to Florida for several days it would be nice to go somewhere this summer. It would be even better to take Nala with us! I have found a site that has listed all kinds of hotels etc. that are pet friendly called Fido Friendly.com. It has spots all over the country you can vacation and take your pooch with you. I found a sweet little cottage in Nantucket that looks neat. It may be a fun place to go and take our Nala! You would be surprised how many fantastic vacation venues accept pets as guests! Too bad you can't bring your pups into cafe's and restaurants. I mean if they are well behaved and have good table manners why not? Really  I know it's a health matter not to allow dogs but there are some children that shouldn't be restaurants if you know what I mean!

Hoping you have an enjoyable Memorial day weekend and let's not forget the men and women who made the ultimate sacrafice so we can live free and for who this day honors!

 "I think the rain has finally stopped, lets get muddy Mom!"

Finally Friday!

"Seriously?! Rain again!?"

Suddenly Sunday and Please Don' Eat the Daisy's!

May is the month where you visit your local garden center and get some flowers and vegetables to celebrate Spring and beautify your yard. I was wondering what to buy when I realized I should make a list of pet friendly plants to take with me when I go shopping. I found a great site How to plant a dog friendly garden. that spells out what is pet friendly in annuals and perennials and for the different kinds of sun exposure. It also informs you what flowers/plants are poisonous. The list of toxic plants probably holds some that you have right now in you own yard. The innocuous daffodil can give your dog gastro-intestinal problems and even cause convulsions. Tulips and Iris can do a number too on their tummy's too. I was really shocked when I read that Lilly of the Valley was downright dangerous and can cause vomiting, cardiac arrhythmia's and lead to death. I was totally freaked out because we have a section in the corner of our back yard that just bloomed little white flowers that are.....you guessed it Lilly of the Valley! I never new this until now that those pretty little bell shaped flowers were dangerous to dogs. Ozzie never fussed with flora and fawna in the yard though he did have a thing for potted zinnia's ( they are dog safe!) I haven't seen Nala nibbling at anything but we can't leave it to chance! Well I guess they will have to be ripped out and replaced with a pet safe perennial! 

Also use pet safe fertilizer's etc. There are a lot of organic products out there now so ask your garden center or if you have professional landscapers ask them to use pet safe products on your lawn.

Hope this helps when you plan out your garden this season! Have a good week all, and by the way...please don' eat the daisy's! Really! They will make your dog vomit!

Here is the ASPCA's list of toxic plants with pictures and details about each plant.

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants?page=7

Ozzie nibbling on zinnia's

Finally Friday!

"Sunshine on my shoulder, makes me happy!" 

Suddenly Sunday and Avoiding the Puppy Pounds

What a wonderful weekend its been! It's bulldog weather, with the temperatures in the 60's and breezy. Once it starts getting warm and humid the outside activities will have to be curtailed to early morning or in the evening when things cool off!

Speaking of activities there was a segment on Fox news this morning about obesity in pets. The report was saying that 45% of dogs in the US are too heavy! That's a huge number! It all comes down to increase in exercise and decrease in calories to lose weight.. (For both humans and dogs!) It's also shocking to me that some of the well known dog biscuits now add sugar to their list of ingredients! The sugar can then become addictive to our pets Make sure to check out labels carefully on your dog's treats! ( Read the article on "Kibble Crack" for an eye opening expose!)

Nala and I have to practice today some of the things we learned in obedience training. Tomorrow night is our second class and they are going to bring in a wheelchair to desensitize the dogs to equipment they will encounter in hospital settings. I hope Nala does well with this, but I guess we will see then!

"What do you mean this ain't dental floss?!"

Enjoy the weather!
Have a great week all!