9 Teacher's Pet Sitting Service Cats Who Kept Me Busy This Month!
You may have noticed that I have not been featuring many cats in the last few weeks but I can promise that they have been keeping me busy but I have not had the time to share their pictures with you until now. I hope you enjoy their pictures as much as I have!
The first fella, above is Pierce who shares his home with his sibling,
Rondo.
Next up was my newest pal, Luna, who needed me to see her while mom was on a mini-vacation!
Next up was Music the orange tabby and his sister, Dilly, who dreamed of being outdoors while I visited them but for safety reasons were kept indoors!
My other new buddy, Lily, needed me to feed and give her lots of love while her parents were out of town on an emergency basis.
Abby sees me on irregular occasions so it was good to visit with this old gal once again!
And last but not least were siblings, Bucky, and
Louis who were another set of indoor/outdoor fellas but were kept indoors per the request of their mom!
So there you have it! These are the nine of the many cats who have kept me busy this month!
If you live in the Dover, NH, area and are in need of a trustworthy pet sitter with twelve years of experience and excellent references please consider Teacher's Pet Sitting Service. Your cats will be happy you called!
Winichahanat Veterinary Care Opens Its Doors In Downtown Dover, NH
Hello! I wanted to make everyone aware that a new veterinary practice, Winichahanat Veterinary Care, opened up on 495 Central Avenue in downtown Dover across from Flight Coffee (478 Central Avenue) and next to Thai Cuisine!
Daisy and I took a walk (the novelty of being able to walk to vet appointments is the ultimate convenience!) to see Dr. Hunt and the staff yesterday and we were impressed!
I wish I had thought to bring my camera so you could see how happy Daisy was to get pets, treats, and hugs from the staff but there's always next time, right?
I highly recommend you do a "meet and greet" (I never met the vet prior to appointments with Daisy until now!) in the lobby because it is a great way to see if you are a good fit! He's the only vet there and he said he'd always be the only vet so that he can get to know everyone personally. There are two exam rooms complete with love seats so it's cozy and quaint!
For those who worry about finding parking have no fear because there are plenty of parking spaces! As a complementary bonus, Dr. Hunt said he would give parking tokens to anyone who is in need!
For further information about this veterinary office please visit www.winichahanatvet.com!
Yay! I've Made It To My 1,800th Blog Post!
I'll never forget how exhilarated I was to publish my first blog post on January 18, 2010, because I was finally realizing my dream to write about my passion for animals to an audience of fellow animal lovers. Today as I celebrate my 1,800th blog post I want to thank everyone for encouraging me to continue writing about my Teacher's Pet Sitting Service clients and my own dear pets for nearly nine years! I appreciate your comments and your dedication to animals and I look forward to reading your future posts!
Mojo and Echo's Overnight Care Was Doggone Fun!
Can you tell from the look on Mojo's face that he was just as worried as his sister,
Echo, was when I told them that their mom and dad were going to be away from home for 7 nights and 8 days? Even though they knew me very well they had every right to be concerned!
The original arrangement was that they would keep each other company overnight but by the second night I noticed they were getting increasingly stressed as I prepared to leave so I contacted their parents suggesting I stay overnight with them. After they said yes I packed up my things and kept them company for the remainder of the vacation and the pups were happy about that! Here they are looking relaxed on the bed with me! Isn't that sweet?
They also enjoyed sharing the bed with my coon hound, Daisy, and the three quickly became a tight-knit pack!
I was so glad to be able to provide peace of mind for these precious dogs while mom and dad were on vacation!
If you live in the Dover, NH, area and know your dogs would do better with a human by their side on an overnight basis please consider hiring Teacher's Pet Sitting Service! Your dogs will be happy you hired me!
Why Proper Nail Trimming Is Vital to Your Dog's Health
I think we all know that nail trimming is important for the prevention of scratches on our furniture, carpet, and floors but did you know that proper nail length is an important factor in our dog's health and safety?
The 3 reasons to keep nails at the proper length are as follows:
1) Helps in our dog's ability to comfortably jump and make sharp turns on agility courses or while playing in the backyard.
2) Prevents painful feet: When nails are long, the hard surface pushes the nail back up into the nail bed which puts pressure on all the toe joints or forces the toe to twist to the side.
3) To help geriatric dogs long term health to improve and/or be stabilized by their ability to distribute their weight correctly and not have a slumped back. In other words, if a dog's back nails are too long he will compensate by putting all of their weight in their front paws where their nails are at the correct length.
Dr Leslie Woodcock, a Team Canada veterinarian and owner of Woodcock Veterinary Services, a clinic that specializes in rehabilitation for dogs post surgery or post injury posted an excellent 14 minute informational lecture explaining why healthy nail length is important.
Dr. Leslie suggests that our goal should be to cut our dog’s nails short enough that you CANNOT hear them on your tile floor. In order to get the nails this short without hurting the dog (or making their nails bleed) your goal should be to get the “quick” (or soft bit that supplies blood to the nail) to recede.
Most people when cutting nails try to cut directly across the dog’s nail (as in the diagram below):
However, Dr. Leslie recommends the best way to cut your dog’s nails without hurting them AND get that quick to recede is to cut the sides of the nails on an angle.
By cutting nails this way it becomes easier to get your dog’s nails shorter without hurting them.
Take a look at these before and after pictures of nearly 17 year old Buzz above. On the left is Buzz before a nail trim and on the right is him after his trim. To the right he is distributing his weight correctly and comfortably. You can tell this because his posture in his front and back legs are uniform (all four legs are straight and erect).
Dr. Leslie’s information is a real eye-opener and I hope it will be used as a point of reference when your dog needs a trim in the future!
The Dog Days of Summer Are Doggone Fun at Longhill Dog Park in Dover, NH
Have the dog days of summer gotten you down? Then I suggest you take your dog for a ride to one of the coolest summer and most inexpensive retreat ever; the local dog park.
To keep my coon hound, Daisy, and I cool we headed to Longhill Dog Park located on Longhill Road just minutes off Central Avenue in Dover, NH, near the Somersworth border.
As soon as Daisy was released into the "wild" she couldn't stop talking about how much she appreciated the grassy areas for fetch and the wooded areas for shade. I was also thrilled that picnic tables were available for owners who wanted a comfortable spot to enjoy while overseeing their pooches at play.
Another thing that Daisy loved was that Longhill Dog Park provides kiddie swimming pools for those who need to quench their thirst
or to cool off!
Because Daisy gets in so many walks with her Teacher's Pet Sitting Service buddies she is too tired to get to the park very often but we hope you will check it out for yourself soon!
Car Safety Precautions to Bear in Mind In the Summer Heat
For the past few days four-legged residents of Dover, New Hampshire, have been enjoying the 80-90 weather by taking joy rides which is fun to watch because nothing is cuter than seeing dogs' ears flapping in the wind but what worries me is when dogs are left alone in a heated car while owners run into a store to get a few errands done. As noted in the above picture, there is a huge difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures!
Last year the above picture circulated around the internet praising the owner as the "most responsible pet owner ever" but when I read it I shuddered because the owner was obviously misinformed about the dangers of overheated cars! As noted in the diagram above, temperatures rise significantly even if the air conditioner is running or the windows are slightly open!
I agree that it is tempting to get those errands done while your dog waits for you in the car but those minutes could easily turn into an hour or even longer if the line at the cash register is too long or if you get distracted by a chance encounter with an old friend so the best advice I can give you is if it's too hot for a human being to be in the car then it is too hot for your dog.
But what if you happen to see a dog who is suffering in a heated car for too long? My advice is to immediately alert the store's customer service so they can alert the owner to go to their car quickly.
After you've gone into the store to help locate the owner and there's no response the next step is to call 9-11. If you sense the dog is in immediate danger breaking the car window is recommended but be sure check if it is legal to do so. If you think you are being too nosy or too much of an alarmist, think again! New Hampshire is one of 19 states that prohibits leaving animals in a confined vehicle so don't feel guilty about taking quick action!
Please pass this post along so that these unprotected dogs can remain safe during hot weather! Thank you!
7 Ways to Keep Your Cat Cool This Summer
Have you noticed that your cat has been grooming himself more frequently this summer than he or she does during the cooler months? This is because adding moisture to his fur naturally cools him down but there are seven other things you could do to make him feel even more comfortable:
1) Buy a Fan
Get a small box fan and set it on the floor near your air conditioner or an open window. For extra cooling power during extremely hot summer days place frozen water bottles in front of the fan.
2) Create Homemade Air-Conditioning
Fill a small soda bottle with cold water and leave it in the freezer overnight. In the morning wrap the bottle in a towel and put it in your cat’s favorite lounging spot. Avoid filling the bottle to the top because water expands when it freezes and you could have a mess on your hands!
3) Give Your Cat a Haircut
If your cat has long fur consider getting her a lion cut but be careful not to give this cut to light-colored cats because they could be subject to a sunburn.
4) Limit or Avoid Outdoor Time
When I had my cat, Henry, I only let him outdoors, supervised, on a harness when the heat was not at its peak (before 11:00 in the morning and after 3:00 in the afternoon) but the best idea is to keep your cats indoors during the entire summer.
5) Close Your Curtains
Close the curtains or blinds in your south- or west-facing windows.
6) Avoid Car Rides
I don't know who besides myself with Henry takes their cat on joy rides but if you do never leave him in the car unattended! A closed car can reach temperatures well over 100 degrees in a frighteningly short time.
7) Use Ice Cubes
Drop a handful of cubes into your kitty’s water bowl. Besides the cooling effect of ice cubes they'll also be fun for your cat to play with!
Please remember that if your cat starts panting, drooling, or seems to be losing consciousness get to your vet or the nearest emergency clinic right away. These are symptoms of heatstroke could lead to kidney damage, heart dysfunction, or other potentially fatal problems.
10 Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe at Your Cookout
During the summer my dog, Daisy, loves to sniff around the grill and who can blame her? Getting hot dogs and hamburgers from the grill makes her very happy but I also have to keep in mind that cookouts can be dangerous so I will print this list (and you should too!) to keep her/your dogs safe from harm.
Do you have other cookout safety tips that I forgot to mention that you'd like to add? Please leave a comment below! Thank you!
Max Plays With His Favorite Toys
Because Max has two dog brothers I have the pleasure of returning from their walks on a WEEKLY basis to find this little guy, a rag doll, at my feet waiting for the moment when he can
untie my shoelaces and
play with the leashes! When he grows tired of these "toys" he
waits for me to give him treats!
I feel so lucky to have a curious kitten to play with after my walks are over! I love when kittens make sure they are part of the fun at each visit!
If you live in the Dover, New Hampshire area and would like your kitten to enjoy quality time with a professional pet sitter please consider giving Teacher's Pet Sitting Service a try! Your pets will be happy you called!
