This chick has some legs on her! Happy dogs!
DIY: Sweet Potato Dog Chews
Sweet potato chews are super easy to make and way cheaper than buying them. And they’re good for your pups—lots of fiber!
You don’t need a food dehydrator for these, just your oven. (Definitely cut the slices thick—Mary & Tim, of the nifty blog, 17 Apart, actually made a 2nd thicker batch that’s closer to what you can buy in stores.) Check out their great tutorial on sweet potato chews.
Store your chews in an airtight container or your freezer. Oooo, these would make a nice gift for other dogs you know. Sweet!
Shameful Day For Belfast City Council
Lennox, 2 yrs on concrete with sawdust & feces courtesy the Belfast City Council
After 2 years of trying to kill him, the Belfast City Council has finally destroyed Lennox the dog. Lennox was removed from his home in 2010 despite having no history of aggression and despite being a companion to the family’s disabled daughter for 5 yrs. He was removed because he fit the physical measurements in the Breed Specific Legislation despite DNA evidence that he wasn’t a pit bull. Physical measurements.
Lennox spent 2 yrs. confined in deplorable conditions while his health suffered & went untreated. His family was not allowed to see him during those 2 years. Further, his family was denied the right to say goodbye to Lennox before he was killed. They weren’t even allowed to see his body. They were apparently told they’d receive “some” ashes in the mail.
Despite many people working to rescue Lennox, including Victoria Stilwell, the Belfast City Council seemed hellbent on destroying this dog. The hired a police dog handler to testify about the dog’s behavior, not an animal behaviorist. In fact, one of the dog wardens who testified that Lennox was dangerous and frightened her may have committed perjury. She was later seen apparently petting and getting licks from Lennox in still shots from a video that was leaked. Another thing noticeable in the still shots, was that Lennox was no longer at a healthy weight. Victoria Stilwell spoke to further video evidence of Lennox’s appalling state of health (start listening at 42:20) including a terrible skin condition and neck pain. (This was from October 2011, so who knows what was the state of Lennox’s health and perhaps this is why they weren’t allowed to see his body.) Finally, I think the clearest evidence that the Belfast City Council was fanatical in they’re drive to destroy Lennox, is that they refused to allow any U.S. animal sanctuaries take Lennox. Beyond shameful.
You can hear Victoria Stilwell and the gutless idiot, Pat McCarthy, the head of Belfast City Council’s (BCC) Environmental Health Committee discuss the case and the killing of Lennox.
Go love on your dogs and hope to hell their breed never ends up on Breed Specific Legislation or that they ever look like a breed that’s banned or that they ever fit some ridiculous measurement of a breed that’s banned.
Keep Your Pets Calm For The 4th Of July
In addition to these suggestions for keeping your pets safe around fireworks, there are a number of things you can try that can help lower your pet’s level of anxiety this 4th of July and during other stressful times. Check out these products & techniques for keeping your pets calm—some of them might be new to you.
1. Try calming supplements like:
- RelaxSaver
- Happy Traveler
- Tranquil Tabs
- Tranquility Blend Drops
- we have used Drs. Foster & Smith Ultra-Calm Bites
- Rescue Remedy
2. pheromone products like D.A.P., Feliway, Pet-Ease, etc. and can come in sprays, diffusers, & collars
3. get an Anxiety Wrap or Thunder Shirt, both of which use pressure to calm your pup—Saffron has a Thunder Shirt and it really makes a difference in all kinds of stressful situations. We’ve also used a child’s t-shirt that fits our dog Saffron tightly.
4. cd from Through A Dog’s Ear—specially arranged music developed by psychoacoustic expert Joshua Leeds and veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner, which I know sounds awfully “woo-woo”, but you can find out more about psychoacoustic studies and the field of psychoacoustics. You can listen to samples. (via FullVetted)
5. try:
6. see your veterinarian for anti-anxiety medication specifically for your pet
Fireworks & Your Pets’ Safety
Unless they just let their animals roam, most people don’t expect to lose their pets. So any lost-pet posters you see and any pets you see running loose who clearly have a family, belong to someone who didn’t think their pet would get lost—meaning those pets belong to someone like you and me, someone who thought their pets were safe & protected. Most of us can probably do more to protect our animals, but this is especially important around holidays with fireworks.
The days following the 4th of July in the U.S. are very busy for animal shelters and tons of lost posters go up for cats and dogs. Some shelters even stay open for holiday so people can retrieve their pets that escape.
Most cats seem to respond to fireworks by hiding, but they are still at risk for bolting in a panic. Dogs are also at great risk of escaping, but they may also respond to their fear with destruction or even aggression.
If your pet panics and runs away, this very thorough article has excellent advice, including putting out items scented strongly with your smells and your pet’s like your dirty clothes and your pets bedding or your cat’s litterbox. Here are more good tips from a pet detective on finding your lost pet. Advice on how to make the most effective posters for your lost pet. Post lost notices on Craigslist, with newspapers, and on your neighborhood blogs. (Unfortunately, Petfinder no longer has a section for people to post notices of their lost pets.) Be sure to watch out for scams.
The first step is to keep your pets safe:
- don’t take your dog to fireworks shows
- keep your pets inside, DO NOT leave them outside, even if you fear they may damage your home
- don’t leave your pets alone
- if you have to leave them alone, do not leave them where they can destroy things and possibly escape or harm themselves
- DO NOT leave them chain or tied anywhere—it can lead to strangulation if you dog panics
- make sure your cats & dogs have on their collar & tags, are micro-chipped & that their info. is current
- close all exterior doors, windows, and pet doors
- take your dog on a long walk early in the day to help expend some energy
- if you have a sensitive dog, keep her on a leash at all times while she’s outside for walks or to potty, even if you’re not near a fireworks show and even if you’re in your yard or neighborhood—panicked dogs can jump over tall fences and burst through gates they normally could not get over or through
- if fireworks go off unexpectedly and your dog panics, get her to any enclosed space
- consider feeding your dog well before evening—food can help make him sleepy
- don’t leave matches/fireworks lying around—it could lead to heavy metal poisoning
- don’t set off fireworks with dog around—it could lead to burns and serious injury
- don’t leave your dog in a car
- if your dog is already crate trained she may feel safest in her crate
- allow your pets access to the inner-most room of your house, provide blankets to burrow under, etc.
- play music or the radio
- remember a terrified cat or dog can behave out of character, don’t push their limits