Andy Sheng gives some great tips on taking more interesting photos of your dog. Check out his work at Otis & Lucy Photography.
DIY: Elevated Dog Bed Like Kuranda
I’ve gotten a bunch of questions about this post—it’s time to update it! Elevated beds are great for dogs with painful joints. And they help keep your pup comfy when its’s hot, if the ground is damp, if there are ground dwelling bugs, etc.
The Columbus Dog Connection rescue group has a spiffy tutorial on how to make your own elevated dog bed out of PVC pipe like the beds listed in this post on how to keep your pets cool. (Be sure to check out the Columbus Dog Connection too!) This would make an incredible project for students, scouts, etc.!
There are plans for small or large beds. It has great tips on sourcing your materials so you save money—like looking for outdoor fabric in the second or remainders section of your fabric store, or checking with local companies that make awnings for businesses or boats to see if they have scraps. There are also invaluable tips to make sure you make a strong, durable bed. Sweet!
The tutorial includes clear instructions on how to sew the cover for the bed. And a spreadsheet for mass production if you plan to make beds to help your local shelter—they often want elevated beds to keep dogs off the cold, hard concrete floors in their facilities.
As an aside, Columbus Dog Connection looks like a remarkable group. Besides generously sharing such a great tutorial, it looks like the group is very busy. Check out the page on beds they’ve made for underfunded shelters—lots of volunteers and so many beds. Someone behind the scenes is doing great work. It takes an outstanding leader to organize so many volunteers and sponsors. Every rescue group should be so lucky!
And now they have a video tutorial! Columbus Dog Connection is awesome!!
Crafting With Cat Hair
This gives me the giggles, but it’s also got some fun ideas. Crafting With Cat Hair, by Kaori Tsutaya has been translated to English. I think I like the finger portrait puppets the best. They’d make cute Christmas ornaments!
Here’s one of the projects—How to make a bookcover with with a cat fur kitty.
(Click to image start slideshow.)
House Rabbits & Amy Sedaris
Who knew?! Amy Sedaris has bunnies and is an active supporter of The House Rabbit Society! (thanks Sharon!)
I have a soft spot for rabbits—they were one of the first animals I got to know. Rabbits are neat creatures with distinct personalities and can make great pets. Have you ever seen a rabbit binky? Did you know they can be trained to run agility courses. It’s called “rabbit hopping”.
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t educate themselves before getting a rabbit and, as a result, there are lots of bunnies who need homes. If you’re thinking about adopting a bunny, the House Rabbit Society’s site is an amazingly thorough resource for taking care of your rabbit. They cover everything from litterbox training to toys good for stimulating play to rabbit-proofing your home. There is an informative article on what it’s like to live with a rabbit—it’s definitely not for everyone. There’s also a good FAQ on common health issues for rabbits.
After you adopt your rabbit, check out this post on how to build a nice looking DIY rabbit palace. Your bunny will thank you!
DIY: Valerian Fish Toy
Here’s an easy cat toy project that uses valerian, so if your cat is one of those that doesn’t react to catnip, this might do the trick. Valerian, like catnip, is an attractant for cats and they respond to it in much the same way. It’s available in the healthfood section of your grocery store and online. The tutorial is from Craft Leftovers where you can find heaps of tutorials, projects, and general cleverness. (In this project, valerian is being used to make the toy smell wonderful to cats. It’s not advocating it’s use as a medical herb.)