What Happens After Halloween.....

Since I am a last minute holiday shopper (I was at the grocery store at 9pm last night buying Halloween candy) I am always annoyed to see Christmas candy sitting right beside the Halloween candy just daring me to think ahead but I can't just can't do it!

For example, our cats, Henry and Buster, don't get to rest under the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, poor things! Thankfully, they cannot read the calendar or else they would not report me for being a bad cat mom!

Obviously, I am a last minute kinda gal but I think my lack of planning makes life interesting hectic stressful fun, don't you agree? That being said, I simply do not understand how anyone could possibly think about Christmas when Halloween isn't even over with but apparently some people dogs do and their names are:

Frankie Furter, Indiana, Shingo & Molly, and Sprinkles

And guess what they are planning? A Holiday Christmas Card Exchange, that's what!!! Here are the details (and they are coming straight from Frankie's paws, mind, and soul) and not from me....

"Reminder about Holiday Card X-change. We don't want to furget Hanukkah begins Dec. 2nd..



DEADLINE to send your info is NOVEMBER 12th. you will get an emailed list on November 19th..


EAST of the Mississippi to me.... frankiefurter(AT)wildblue(DOT)net


WEST of the Mississippi to Indiana fiestythree(AT)gmail(Dot)com


Outside the U.S. to Sprinkles deedeers30(AThotmail(DOT)com


PLEASE... put Holiday Card X-change in the subject line


Include your Blog Name Your Email Addy ALL the names that should be included and.... your FULL Mailing Addy.

You do NOT have to send a card to EVERYBUDDY ... unless you wish to do so. ALSO NOTE: For those who are environmentally conscious... please.... PLEASE.. feel free to send E-CARDS. BUTT you will STILL need to send us your info if you wish to be included in the list. OK????


Please help Indiana and Sprinkles and me to spread the word about this, by putting a little note in your blog post."

Even though I am not a planner-aheader, I am going to pawticipate and I hope you will too! In fact, I am going to e-mail my home address to one of the party planners TODAY! Shocking, I know, but I am going to give it my best shot! Please join in on the fun if you can!
 
Your friends.....April, Henry, Buster, and Daisy

10 Halloween Safety Tips For Your Pets

Halloween can be a very spooky and spectacular time for humans and animals alike and we hope everyone will keep these 10 safety tips in mind this weekend:  

1. Candy Is Not So Dandy (for pets, that is)! 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. Bewared of Certain Plants! Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be nontoxic but please be careful when walking your pooch by pumpkins at popular pumpkin festivals such as the Keene Pumpkin Festival. 

3. Don't Get Hung Up! 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. Don't Go Up In Flames! Halloween is not complete without a carved pumpkin at your feet, but please be careful if you add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. 

5. Remember: Dress-Up Can Be A Mess-Up! Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it! As you can see, Daisy tolerated last years' bumblebee costume and was willing to wear it for as long as her owners wished! What a sweetie to bee a bumblebee for her humans!

6. Beware of Fashion Emergencies! If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume doesn't obstruct their vision or is unsafe (as you can see, Daisy is not the least bit interested in walking around town as a she-devil).  If your pet seems uncomfortable in his/her costume consider a bandana or let them go "naked" instead! 

7. Don't Allow Your Pet's Costumes Be Too Spooky! Be sure that your pet’s costume does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he or she could choke on.

Our pet sitting client, Garbo, looks like she has a carefully fitted costume on but she certainly doesn't look too interested in trick-or-treating, does she?

8. Be Underwhelmed, Not Overwhelmed! If your pet becomes overwhelmed from greeting trick-or-treaters or if they are alarmed by the sound of the ringing doorbell please keep them in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours.

When our busy bee client, Isabella, needed a break from greeting spidermen, princesses, firemen, etc, she rested in the arms of her parents....indoors!

9. Guard Your Pets With Your Life! When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

Our adventurous kitty, Henry, would rather go out than stay indoors any day of the week so we'll be sure to keep him safe tomorrow night even though he won't appreciate it one bit!

10. IDs, Please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason our Jack Russell client, Max, escapes and becomes lost, his collar and tag will be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he will be returned home!

THANKFUL FUR 3 THURSDAY BLOG HOP - 10/28/10

Welcome to Thankful FUR 3 Thursday Blog Hop! Why did I create this Thursday blog hop, you ask? Simply put, my three kiddos (Henry, Buster, and Daisy) want to meet three or more friends on their favorite day of the week and I thought their idea was pawsome!


This pet friendly blog hop is for every two-legged and four-legged blogger who wants to meet new and old friends alike. If you are not a fan of blog hops and do not wish to add your link below, we invite you to simply have fun, leave a comment (or not), and meet new bloggers who might strike your fancy.

Here are the guidelines of the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday Blog Hop:


1. We love your pawticipation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we are giving today's Google Friend Connect followers, RSS reader subscribers, and e-mail subscribers a chance to be featured in next Thursday's blog post by doing the following:

a) Become a Google Friend Connect follower or an e-mail subscriber or subscribe in a RSS reader and let us know what type of follower you are.

b) Leave a comment letting me know that you want to me to post a write-up for next Thursday's Blog Hop. When you comment please let me know what type of follower you are along with your blog address.

2. To join in the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday, include your link in our list and follow:
 The Teacher's Pets, Feeling Beachie, and Life With 5 Dogs. Remember....If you follow our blogs we PAWMISE to follow yours!
 
3. When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Thankful FUR 3 Thursday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers for pawticipating, and it’s a win-win situation.


4. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog too! Just click “GET THE CODE HERE..." at the bottom of the page!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As promised, let's put our 3 newest blog friends in the SPOTLIGHT! We hope you will make add these fantastic bloggers to your blogroll list today!

1. Joan is the owner and designer of  Linden Line Designs, a fabulous company that caters to the fashion needs of every cat and dog who wants to make a statement whether they are walking down the street or curling up in their favorite window seat. Joan sews harnesses, collars, snoods, Victorian bell collars (modeled by spokespug, Skippy) and a variety of other products that are all made with love. Joan also keeps busy blogging about her newest pug, Jane Eyre, at Peace, Love, and Pugs!

2. Because Jennifer is obsessed with her wrinkly-faced gremlin of a pug, Dylan (aka pig) she decided to draw and design a picture of Pig every day for one year. As Jennifer designs she is determined to learn something new about her skills as an illustrator. If you haven't seen her pug designs you are in for a pug-style treat, I promise!

3. Lacey Blue Days may be a retired greyhound but she certainly isn't lazy! She's spent many hours barking about her life to her human, Bill Hart, for blogging and book writing purposes! With the combined efforts of Bill Hart and Lacey Blue,  Lacey Blue and Friends, a Greyhound Story (fiction) will be available on November 1, 2010! And guess who will be on the cover of Lacey Blue's book? Our greyhound beauty of a pal, Blueberry, from Tales and Tails, that's who!

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin And Brady Show Off Their New Jackets!

I look forward to reading notes from our pet owners especially when they leave notes like the one I read this one yesterday morning:

"Good morning! I hope you like the chihuahua's new outfits!"

 After reading the note I noticed a little pale silver faux fur jacket meant for my equally tiny client, Pumpkin, and then I immediately got her ready for her photo shoot. From afar, she looks absolutely stunning but she looks even better

 close up. Don't you agree?

I just love how the buckled belt accentuates her teeny tiny waist  and how the faux fur makes her look even more glamorous than she already is!

                                              

After Pumpkin's photo shoot I focused my attention on Brady, Pumpkin's brother  baby-daddy, who looked extra tough in his black Harley Davidson sweatshirt.

This sweatshirt suits (pun intended) Brady's personality perfectly because he always acts like he's tougher than he really is when we walk through his neighborhood. 

These jackets were the perfect fit for Pumpkin and Brady and I am sure they will enjoy wearing them furever!

When Four Feet Became A World Record Feat

When Frieda Ireland gave her Maine Coon cat the long name Verismo Leonetti Reserve Red (or Leo for short) she had no idea he would grow up (literally) to measure 48 inches (from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail) and earn the title of the world's longest cat in 2006. Guinness compares Verismo Leonetti Reserve Red to the same size as an 8 year old child and his paw just fits into a size 2 child's shoe. Apparently there's something in the water in Chicago! Leo held the Guinness World Records title for 4 years until....

another Maine Coon owner, Robin Hendrickson finally decided to measure her 5 year old cat, Stewie, after hearing "Wow! What a long cat!" from neighbors and friends. When the measuring stick stopped at 48.5 inches long she was sure Stewie had a chance to be the longest cat in the world and she was right. As of October  2010 Stewie holds the title as the world's longest cat in the Guinness World Records and he hopes to hold onto this title for a long, long, long time!

It might be a bit of a stretch to think that Buster could beat the competition because he'd need to measured in length, not width, poor thing! Maybe I should look for a CATegory that suits Buster purrfectly such as  "Longest Yawn" or "Longest Stare" or "Longest Sleep Cycle" instead! Do you think he could become famous for any of these CATegories?
Do you think your cat has the chops to become a Guinness World Record holder? What world record fits your cats purrsonality?

Why Today's Pug Walk Will Be Bittersweet

Because Daisy happens to live with two professional pet sitters she has been socialized with a variety of dogs in the past year and we know she looks forward to walking with every single one of them. However, the two dogs that she favors the most are her PFF's (Pug Friends Forever), Ace and Fenway.

Over the course of one year my heart would go pitter patter every time they flashed their toothy smiles ....

and my eyes got misty as I watched them share quiet moments on the front lawn ...

and my ears  rang as I heard the little ones fight for Daisy's  attention...

But the one thing my entire body won't enjoy is when I look into Ace and Fenway's eyes at noon today because it will be the last time Daisy and I walk them on a weekly basis. 

I am hoping the economy will turn around so that their mom is able to hire us again but in the meantime we'll look forward to seeing the pugs at the local dog park, etc. Daisy has been their pal for a little over a year but I've known them for 3 years so you can imagine how empty my life will be without them!

 

Please think of us today and please cross your paws that Daisy will be walking with her PFF's again soon!

Thankful Fur 3 Thursday Blog Hop - 10-21-10

Welcome to Thankful FUR 3 Thursday Blog Hop! Why did I create this Thursday blog hop, you ask? Simply put, my three kiddos (Henry, Buster, and Daisy) want to meet three or more friends on their favorite day of the week and I thought their idea was pawsome!

This pet friendly blog hop is for every two-legged and four-legged blogger who wants to meet new and old friends alike. If you are not a fan of blog hops and do not wish to add your link below, we invite you to simply have fun, leave a comment (or not), and meet new bloggers who might strike your fancy.

Here are the guidelines of the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday Blog Hop:

1. We love your pawticipation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we are giving today's Google Friend Connect followers, RSS reader subscribers, and e-mail subscribers a chance to be featured in next Thursday's blog post by doing the following:

a) Become a Google Friend Connect follower or an e-mail subscriber or subscribe in a RSS reader and let us know what type of follower you are. 

b) Leave a comment letting me know that you want to me to post a write-up for next Thursday's Blog Hop. When you comment please let me know what type of follower you are along with your blog address.

2. To join in the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday, include your link in our list and follow The Teacher's Pets, Zona, and Riley the Cattle Dog Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love.

3. When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Thankful FUR 3 Thursday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers for pawticipating, and it’s a win-win situation.

4. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog too! Just click “GET THE CODE HERE…” at the bottom of the list.

--------------------------------

As promised, let's put our 3 newest blog friends in the SPOTLIGHT! We hope you will make add these fantastic bloggers to your blogroll list today! Introducing......

1. I love the description of Winston's blog: "I am a happy pug therefore.... I am a smiling pug"! My mum is called Smilingpug... after me, her beloved pug, Winston. Because of her love of animals and nature, she is a Buddhist and a vegetarian (thank god). She is most inspired by the Dalai Lama. We live on the West Coast of Canada and I share my home with my two older cat sisters Tika and Kizzy. Some of my most favourite things are: playing "chuck-it", going to the beach and my Pug Luvs, Tuni. Of course like most pugs, I love to eat, with liver being my favourite food. Welcome to my blog."

2. This is what Riley's owner had to say about her precious pooch, "Riley was adopted when he was 8 months old from a local shelter. Why anyone would abandon this dog, is beyond me. Riley is a Border Collie X, and he is such a wonderful dog, a handful at times but that's why we love him. He is my main model in my pictures and is very tolerant of always having the camera in his face!"

3. Charli's owner is a a registered nurse (med surg, ortho-neuro, and acute rehab) who is now retired. She spends nearly every waking moment with her husband, family and friends, and with her adorable little schnauzer Charli.  Awwww! Can't you just see yourself trick-or-treating with that little princess?

Why I Am Thankful For Blog Hops

Since tomorrow marks the 13th THANKFUL FUR 3 THURSDAY BLOG HOP I decided to pre-thank all of the co-hosts who helped spread the word since it began on July 8, 2010. Since one of the goals of the blog hop is to attract new followers and then THANK them by featuring the first 3 bloggers who join us each Thursday I forgot to publicly thank the co-hosts! Please pat yourselves on the back for a job well done and if you've never met my 8 friends before please introduce yourselves to:

1. Life With 5 Dogs - My neighbor and friend was there at "the hop" at the beginning stages and we thank her for that!

2. Brian - A dear tabby cat who has helped spread the word about the blog hop several times AND was an active co-host, cheering everyone on at every step of the way!

3. Zona - Our shepherd-hound mix who likes the sitcom "Friends" so much that the title of every blog post starts with "The One With..." Gotta love a gal who keeps up with Jennifer Aniston and the gang, right?

4. Maggie Mae - Here's a blogger who oozes boxer adorableness every single day! Can we all say "awww", everybody?

5. Holly Wags - Holly's blog posts are adorable but my favorite posts are about her trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway where she visits her favorite friend...her rock! Soooo cute!

6. Gardening With Wyatt - Who would ever think a dog could love gardening so much? If you don't believe me, visit this handsome Airedale and you'll understand!

7. Feeling Beachie - Thanks to Hilary and her wise old (and very funny) cat, Alex, we've had gained a lot of new blog friends!

8. Chewy - This shoe loving/man of the house/Alabama fan shih-tzu took time out of his busy day to help us pass the word along about blog hopping and we appreciate it!

And in case you FURgot:

1. The first dog to be spotlighted on 7/8/2010 was a Boston Terrier named Jaymie...what a cutie!

2. The first blog hop only had 7 comments!

3. The most PAWticipants in the hop? 48!!!

4. The FURst time I had a co-host? July 29th!

5. The latest pet to be spotlighted? Ozzie, the orange tabby!

6. Co-hosting is easy. Just read this post for details http://theteacherspets.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-hop-co-hosts-wanted-no-experience.html

7. If you would like to co-host tomorrow (October 21st) please leave a comment and I will add your name to the list of hosts to follow....thank you!

Wordless Wednesday

Who Can Resist A Little Italian?

Hi there! 

My name is Joey and I hope you can tell by my smile that I am very pleased to meet you today! My pet sitter says that my favorite activity is smiling and I think she's right because I just can't seem to stop showing my floppy tongue and my 5-tooth smile to everyone I meet! Lots of "dog people" smile right back but sometimes their smile turns into a .....

laugh because they think my head is much too small for my chubby  chunky body and I don't understand where they're coming from, do you? Since I am part Italian, all I've gotta say is that I like looking like my favorite food of all...the Italian sausage...and the ladies aren't complaining about my physique either.....so there!

And speaking of ladies who find me irresistable, my newest gal pal, Daisy, could not get away from me resist my passionate kisses until....

I heard my pet sitter's footsteps getting closer and closer to us! Yikes! I was so afraid she would disapprove of me kissing HER dog on the first date that I trotted over to my pillow and pretended I was the gentleman that she believes me to be. Do you think I look innocent, everybuddy?

Of course I look innocent, sillies! Why else do you think I am standing here looking up at my pet sitter with that hungry look in my eyes?

Rest In Peace, Tartan!

I wish I could write about Tartan, our 12 year old Sheltie client and friend, in a happier mood but I can't do that because she passed away last Wednesday night (October 6th) after 5 months of fighting against the effects of kidney disease. I think it hurts worse for me than for Amos because I was the first to start visiting her nearly two years ago and I was the one who saw her 5 days before she passed away. 

Of course, the ones who are suffering the most are her owners, Wayne and Cindy, and I can only imagine how lonely they must be without her.

One of the reasons why I suspect Tartan's parents are especially lonely right now is because that girl was always talking about something. In the above picture, I suspect she was told to smile but instead she carried on a full-length conversation about every subject under the sun. Tartan had the gift of gab and she was proud of it!

Tartan's barking often continued on our walks but when it was late at night or early in the morning I bribed her with treats to keep her silent so as not to disturb neighbors.

Tartan beamed with pride every time I praised her for her silence because she knew she had earned the best praise of all...treats!

Sadly, Tartan did not enjoy her walks or her treats in her last few days on earth so she decided it was time to go to Rainbow Bridge where "all the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor."

I take comfort in the fact that Tartan is no longer suffering and is happy and healthy once again. Rest in peace, Tartan! We will miss you forever!

Thankful Fur 3 Thursday Blog Hop - 10/14/10

Welcome to Thankful FUR 3 Thursday Blog Hop! Why did I create this Thursday blog hop, you ask? Simply put, my three kiddos (Henry, Buster, and Daisy) want to meet three or more friends on their favorite day of the week and I thought their idea was pawsome!


This pet friendly blog hop is for every two-legged and four-legged blogger who wants to meet new and old friends alike. If you are not a fan of blog hops and do not wish to add your link below, we invite you to simply have fun, leave a comment (or not), and meet new bloggers who might strike your fancy.


Here are the guidelines of the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday Blog Hop:

1. We love your pawticipation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we are giving today's Google Friend Connect followers, RSS reader subscribers, and e-mail subscribers a chance to be featured in next Thursday's blog post by doing the following:

a) Become a Google Friend Connect follower or an e-mail subscriber or subscribe in a RSS reader.

b) Leave a comment letting me know that you want to me to post a write-up for next Thursday's Blog Hop. When you comment please let me know what type of follower you are along with your blog address.

2. To join in the Thankful Fur 3 Thursday, include your link in our list and follow The Teacher's Pets (no co-hosts today, unfortunately). Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love.

3. When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Thankful FUR 3 Thursday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers for pawticipating, and it’s a win-win situation.

4. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog too! Just click “GET THE CODE HERE…” at the bottom of the list.

--------------------------------

As promised, let's put our 3 newest blog friends in the SPOTLIGHT! We hope you will make add these fantastic bloggers to your blogroll list today! Introducing......

1. Catladyland is the home of Angie Bailey's humorous and sometimes unconventional musings on cats, family, and other assorted silly bits. Kick up your paws and roll around in the crazy...you'll be in good company!

2. Woody lives in Pennsylvania with with two other cat brothers, Ozzie the European Lilac Burmese and Brody the Maine Coon and with their human parents and four human brothers. Since "Java" the human mom is 45 years old (but still looking like she's 20) she calls her blog "Never Growing Old". I think we all wish we could stay young forever, right?

3. Jennifer has been doing graphic design for almost 10 years and it shows! She is handy at Paint Shop Pro and creates signature tags, web graphics, blinkies, and whatever else catches her eye. She's studied HTML and is now able to put all of her fun graphics together to build websites and blogs. From the looks of her blog I would say she could help all us add more bling to our websites, don't you agree?




 

Millie Barks Herself Out Of Storage Unit and Takes A Bite Out Of Crime

Normally I am not one to cut and paste an entire article from the newspaper but when I read this article from our local paper, The Union Leader, I was completely irate and out of time to post any further original thoughts because I had to get to my pet sitting duties. My apologies to the author of this painful-to-read article but I couldn't help myself!

If you are as distrubed as I am by Millie's plight then do me (and Millie) a favor by clicking on the Union Leader link (above) and leave a comment. I am sure little Millie would appreciate your support!

Here's the article....

EPPING – Little Millie appeared to be enjoying herself as she bounced around a pen outside a local animal shelter yesterday.

The environment was much different from the one police found her in last week when they responded to a report of a dog barking inside a unit at an Epping storage facility.

Millie, a 1 1/2-year-old terrier mix, was found sitting in a small cage inside the darkened unit at Epping Storage Place on Route 125. It wasn't a personal item that one would expect to find inside a rented storage unit.

Moments after she was found, Millie was seized by police and the Derry man who was supposed to be dog-sitting was charged with animal cruelty.

Justin Vose, 26, of 23 Fairway Drive, Apt. 3723, faces a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals after police said he placed her inside the unit and left her with no food or water.

Police Sgt. Jason Newman said police were called to the storage facility directly across from State Police Troop A around 4 p.m. on Oct. 7 to investigate reports from other renters who had heard a dog barking constantly while they were there.

With assistance from the storage facility's owner, police were able to open the door to the unit."The dog appeared to be in distress," Newman said.

While Millie wasn't injured, Newman said she was left with no food or water inside the unit without lighting and was placed inside a cage that appeared too small.

"Our concern was, although it was a small dog, the kennel it was being held in was extremely small and the dog really couldn't even move," Newman said.

There was also no way to regulate the temperature of the unit, Newman said.

The owners of Epping Storage Place do not allow renters to store animals in their units, and they had no idea that the dog was there until other customers reported Millie's barks, Newman said.

It appeared that Millie had been inside the unit for at least a day or more, Newman said.

Millie was brought to the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals where she remained in custody yesterday.

Newman said the dog belonged to Vose's friend and that he was caring for her. He wasn't allowed to have pets at his residence so he placed Millie in the storage unit, which was being rented by the friend, Newman said.

Newman declined to identify the friend because the individual was not facing charges.

Vose, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 5 in Exeter District Court.

What do you have to say about Millie, Millie's owner, or Justin Vose? Let's bark about it!