The Red Dog Inn

If horseback riding is part of your plans this summer, PLEASE wear a helmet!  Regardless of the saddle you ride, please wear a helmet.  Even if you’re only walking, please wear a helmet.

Horses trip. Riders fall.  Protect all that education you have invested in. Please wear a helmet.

Please read what Julie Goodnight, a professional clinician, ranch horse competitor and all-round good egg, has to say about helmets in her brilliant blog: http://juliegoodnightontheroad.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-10th-is-national-helmet-awareness.html#comment-form

BTW… if you’re looking for a QUALIFIED riding instructor, I highly recommend looking one up on www.CHAinstructors.com.

Hiding out from fireworks

On July 4th, Lula took up defensive positions on the couch plastered against my left hip.  Butters became the best foot warmer ever created.  But when friend, Julia, shared this photo of her basset, Barkley, I almost fell off the couch!  Yep, that’s Barkley hiding out from the fireworks in the dryer.  Where does your dog seek cover?

Check out this article about how Duke University’s Canine Cognitive Center is learning how our pet pooches think. 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/04/1544294/the-friendly-brain-of-family-dogs.html

Happy Independence Day! Let's Party like it's 1783!

LIBERTY LOOKS GOOD ON YOU!

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND SUSTAIN YOU UNTIL TIME IS NO MORE.

“Hurrah for the flag of the free.
May it wave as our standard forever
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with mighty endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray,
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.” — Stars and Stripes Forever, J.P. SOUSA

WITH MUCH GRATITUDE & AFFECTION,

SUZI & THE ZOO

Though, Lula’s less than thrilled with that 1812 Overture song.  There are cannons!

Before heading out on your trip with your pet, be sure to visit your vet to ensure that all of your pet’s vaccinations are in order and that he or she is in good health. While you’re there ask if your vet can recommend a vet in the area you’ll be visiting or vets along the way you can use in the event of an emergency.

Review with your vet what constitutes an emergency.

Remember to take along a pet first aid kit, just in case.

Let's Party Like It's 1776! (or 1783, though the hat would've been hip in 1886)

This Independence Day, as we thank every servicemember who’s ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces since 1775, Lula and Butters reminded me that right along side those folks are dedicated canines. And Sizzle chimed in about the horses that served, like George Washington’s horses, NELSON & BLUESKIN.

Spirit Magazine featured an article about how dogs trained in the Puppies Behind Bars program are helping retired servicemembers cope with shell shock — er Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  (We think the late George Carlin was on to something in his critique.)  Grab some tissues and read a touching story about How Mya Saved Jacob here: http://bit.ly/a5n1pm

Read up on all the Presidential Pets: http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/ 

Adopt a Hero:  Check out our blog post from earlier this year about adopting dogs that served!

Tag your pets! Chip your pets!  Dogs may run or hide during the festivities.  A tag will get your dog back home quickly.

Use these links to find dog-friendly accommodations, activities, and venues for your summer trip!

www.dogfriendly.com  — find hotels, restaurants, beaches, parks and attractions

www.bringfido.com  – This is a really well put together site that lists hotels, restaurants, beaches, parks, events and more. Plus, you can call a pet-friendly travel expert to plan your next trip!

www.petfriendlytravel.com — this site is very similar to the others.  Use it to find hotels, restaurants, beaches, parks, events and more.

Some of the locations listed on this site are also reviewed on YELP!, too. Do your research to ensure you and your pet have a pleasant trip!

Butters Loves Huntington Beach's Dog Beach!

I love COASTAL LIVING, and it’s not just because my pal Tracey worked there. I really love the whole vibe of the magazine. The July/August 2010 edition has a list of dog-friendly beaches on page 24 compiled by Sarah Latta.   Sadly, Sarah missed Butters’ favorite beach workout spot – Huntington Beach, California’s Dog Beach (PCH between Seapoint and Goldenwest Streets).

Other Dog-Friendly Beaches Around the U.S. Listed by Coastal Living:

• Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina
• Nags Head, North Carolina
• Fort De Soto Park Paw Playground, Tierra Verde, Florida
• Jekell Island, Georgia
• Ocean Beach, California (San Diego Area)
• Pacific City, Oregon

Lincoln City, Oregon is listed on many of the searches for Pacific City, Oregon Dog beach. Here’s a clever site that lists dog-friendly hotels in Oregon.

For more dog-friendly beaches, please visit www.dogfriendly.org.

Remember to be a good dog person. Clean up after your pet . Many of these venues provide clean up bags, but it’s a good idea to bring your own. If you know your dog is aggressive or unfriendly, only go to venues where dogs are leashed. This way you can control your dog and other folks can control theirs.   For your dog’s safety, be realistic about how well your dog is trained. Bring water for yourself and your dog.

SAFETY TIP: Sand gets hot and can burn and blister delicate paws. Go before it gets too hot or —  and this is going to sound goofy — cover your dogs paws going to and from the water. Many pet stores carry paw protectors.

Now, go hit the beach with your canine!

Cute, but can be really smelly when provoked!

Last night we had a visitor.  Thankfully, neither Butters nor Lula were sprayed, but judging by the smell, somebody got it!  Living where we do, we get all sorts of visitors.  For the most part, the skunks leave things be unless they are threatened.   (They do give warnings by stamping their wee little feet when threatened. Then they raise their tail. This means spray is imminent!)

So, what is it about eau du skunk that makes it stink? There are 7 components to the skunk odor that make it well… stink.  Three are air activated, three are water activated (which is why the smell gets worse with a bath.) the other component, I’m unsure on.

Getting rid of Eau du skunk:

You need to OXIDIZE the chemicals and change them into different chemicals.  How do you do this?  By changing their molecular structure with this handy mixture that you will need to mix each time:

• 1/2 c baking soda
• 1/2 c hydrogen peroxide  (Some folks up the hydrogen peroxide to 1 cup!)
• 2 Tblsp Dawn dishwashing detergent (they use it on wildlife and according to what I heard from Sea World conservationists, it works best.)

Mix these three ingredients into a paste.  Wet your pet (or person) and rub onto your pet AVOIDING EYES AT ALL COSTS!  You can do some damage if the peroxide gets in eyes!

Let it sit for up to 5 minutes.  (You’re oxidizing. But 5 minutes is MAX!!! GOT IT!?)

Then rinse your pet or person and bathe him or her normally.

You need to mix this each time because it oxidizes and expands. It may burst your container if you try to store it. (READ: make a big mess)

NOTE: PEROXIDE is used to bleach hair. YOUR PET OR PERSON MAY BE BLONDER AFTER THIS TREATMENT! But they should smell a darn bit better!

SAVE THE TOMATO JUICE FOR BLOODY MARYS!

The next time someone tells you to bath your skunk victim in tomato juice, toss your head back and laugh at their lack of scientific knowledge. Tomato juice doesn’t eliminate the odor, it just makes a HUGE mess!  Tomato juice doesn’t oxidize the chemical and therefore, doesn’t change the molecular structure. According to the link I’m sharing below, the person who bathes a dog in tomato juice and declares the dog “odor free” is suffering from olafactory fatigue. In other words, the stench of skunk has temporarily numbed their sense of smell.

Source: Get more scientific here: http://www.humboldt.edu/~wfw2/chemofskunkspray.html

Lula goes head-to-head with Simple Green Dog Pet Stain Remover

We received a request from our friends at Simple Green to try a product in exchange for her honest opinion.   Lula graciously accepted.   Lula isn’t a puppy, so if we have an accident it’s because someone (that’d be me) didn’t wake up to let her out or (more likely) she has sought out mud — she is a basset hound, you know!

Well, I’ve been using the product this past weekend and I can tell you this stuff is good.  The product made quick

work of muddy paw prints and a fresh stain. The real test came from an old coffee spill perpetrated by Butters and an old stain.  It’s taking a couple of applications, but it’s working — even on the worked in stain.  It takes a couple applications for the older stain, but it’s working!

It’s easy to use and convenient.  Plus, b

est part, it smells really fresh and doesn ‘t irritate the Bird.

Stay tuned.