The Pet Series works every bit as well as your upright, but will vacuum your home up to 7 days a week. Yes, you have to clean the bin and brushes more frequently than your upright, but the time savings is appreciated.  Further, you can program it to vacuum when you’re not home.  Imagine, being able to check a chore off your list so you can spend more time with your pets! 

THANKS, iROBOT!

What every pet home needs -- a robot!

PHOTO STOLEN FROM iROBOT.

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.

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.

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

Click here to getImages &
Orcas Pictures

It’s been a couple exciting days for Southern California boaters, and whale watching tour operators are rejoicing!  The wild orcas are putting on a show!

A few days ago off the Ventura coast, fishermen encountered a playful female orca who really was ready for her close up!! On June 1, Captain Dave from Dolphin Safari in Dana Point video taped an 8-orca pod feeding.  (Thanks, Captain Dave and Fishermen Greg and Richard for shooting the video so those of us who are desk-bound could revel with you!) I’ve included links to the stories below!

It begs the question: Who’s watching whom?

REMEMBER: Keep our oceans clean! Make sure your trash gets into the appropriate cans and keep your cigarette butts off the street!

http://www.whalewatchingtv.com/Orca-LIVE.html

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-orcas-dana-point,0,4262348.story

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/station/as-seen-on/Close_Encounter_With_Killer_Whale_Captured_on_Video_Los_Angeles.html

Nonetheless, it amazes me that people still take their dogs with them on warm days, park under a tree, roll down windows and think that their dogs are safe! Shockingly, even people who claim to be “animal lovers” are loving their animals to death by continuing this practice. 

• Dogs normal body temp is about 101 degrees F.  At 103 degrees, your dog is in trouble.
• Dogs can suffer heat stroke when temps reach 110 degrees. On a 70 degree day, the inside of your car or truck can reach lethal temperatures within 30 minutes!!!   (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7631)
• In California, leaving your pets unattended in a vehicle is illegal (SB 1806) http://www.theanimalcouncil.com/files/CA_PENAL_CODE_SECTION_597.pdf 

Trees don’t help much and cracked windows don’t either.  Here’s a study that illustrates the point: http://www.mydogiscool.com/x_car_study.php 

While we never expect to be detained in a store or a restaurant, you never know. I never expected to pass out at the grocery store and be taken to the ER! Thankfully, my dogs were at home for that incident.

Can we please agree to leave our pets at home? Work through separation anxiety — your pet’s or yours!  But, if you are going to stop for lunch, stop at a pet friendly place or leave Fido at home!   If you love your pet, don’t put them in the oven — er, your car.

BTW… before summer heats up and power outages start, you may want to invest in a battery-powered fan or two — one for humans, another for dogs.  Check these out: http://www.aftproducts.com/Energy_Efficient_Fans_ff474071d2.dept

It’s also a good reminder to prepare for your pets, too.  Add a 5 lb. bag of your critters’ favorite dry food and treats to your emergency kit as well as bowls and water!  Make sure you have extra leashes and tags and collars.  The canines of the RED DOG INN have been microchipped, too.

There’s a misconception about microchipping.  You can have your pets microchipped and then CHOOSE to subscribe to the additional service. The Red Dog Inn dogs were microchipped for about $50 each, which included one year of service.  The chip can always be read!  Ask your vet about this method to get your pets home safely and quickly!

Here are some good resources: bit.ly/9RCqeP and bit.ly/b7Z23

I’m looking for the perfect vehicle for me and my pets.  I think the US Auto Industry could save themselves buy developing pet friendly add-on packages.  According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) — yes, there is such a thing — the pet product industry grew last year (2009) by $2 billion.  That’s $47.7 billion in 2009.  We Americans love our pets! 

So why haven’t Ford and GM caught on to this?  I’ve been developing my wish list.  Here are the features for my dream pet mobile:

• Pet friendly interior fabric
• An integrated ramp
• Optional lift platform for infirm pets or heavy objects
• Automatic lift hatch
• Crate anchors, like baby seat anchors.
• Bowl holders
• Leash tethers for use with halters
• Rear A/C
• Automatic venting when the car temp reaches 70* to create a comfortable and safe environment (Law Enforcement K-9 vehicles are equipped with this type of feature.)
• Interior temperature gauge that’s visible from the outside
• All-weather floor mats for muddy days at the park or stable
• Cargo holders to keep things like buckets, towels and carrot supplies in place.
• Run flat tires
• Incorporate dog parks, vets and pet stores/services into Sync

It looks as if pets are here to stay. We need our vehicles to consider them, too.  I WISH: Ford Motor Company would develop a pet package for their vehicles… specifically the Explorer.  (Butters, Lula and I will gladly test it!)

Urine on carpet – Blot. Lay a few paper towels over the spot and put a weight on top. I take an old metal tray and add a few weights.  This will sop up the urine. To get the SMELL out, mix a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water. Dampen a paper towel with the solution, cover the spot and add weight. In about 30 minutes, pick it up.  The vinegar smell will disapate, and you won’t have soap residue on your carpet. A bonus: Vinegar has anticeptic properties.  Vinegar shouldn’t bleach your carpet.

Fecal Matter on carpet - Hopefully, you’ve been feeding a good diet and all you have to clean are well formed stools from your carpet.   If so, just pick them up and use the 50/50 vinegar solution to disappate any odors. 

If you have a sick pup with loose stools, you’re going to need a little more firepower.   Butters got sick after eating too many biscuits.  You’re going to need paper towel, plastic bags, something you can scrape with that’s disposable may be helpful, too and hopefully a small carpet cleaner.  Clean up what you can with the paper towels and scraper, e.g. paper plate, dust pan, etc. and place in plastic bags. (take those to the trash.) Spritz the remaining stain with the vinegar and water solution, then use the small carpet cleaner to finish the job.  You may want to respritz with the vinegar solution.

An alternative to the last spritz with the vinegar solution is to spritz with water that’s been laced with 20 drops of tea tree oil.  Tea tree oil is an anticeptic, but also has a really nice scent.

Vomit has acids. So proceed with the clean up procedure for loose stools but you may want to mix a baking soda solution to neutralize the acids. 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 cup water dampen a paper towel and weight. Follow up with a spritz of tea tree oil solution and let dry.