Check this out. I was doing a show for Keep Wagging/Nose Prints down in Islamorada and I found a very interesting product that can be very helpful to canine massage therapists. A couple booths down from me was Barbara and Artie - founders of Waglet Works. In the interest of transparency, no, we are not being paid in any way, shape or form by Waglet Works. I'm writing about their product because I happen to think it is an interesting product that solves a few problems. The product is called a Waglet and is a belt based system that you attach the appropriate accessories to.
When I first saw the Waglet belt a light went off in my head! Duh! What a brilliant idea! Professionally, I've watched dog trainers over the years stuffing treats in their pockets and fumbling to get them out to give to their dog. Then they run out and have to go get more treats to put in their pockets. Then they want to give their dog water so they run back....well, you get the point. And personally, I've experienced the same when taking the bullies for a hike. But the beauty of the Waglet is it keeps your hands free. Critical if you're hiking with your dogs or simply training them. You attach their treats, foot, water and anything else you want to bring with you. That's about as simple and convenient as you can make it. And the product is of course stylish, well made and solves a problem.
Check them out their website http://wagletworks.com/ to get more information and see the product. They're good people who do the right thing by their four leggeds. Be sure to read how Barbara and Artie's professional lives provided the inspiration for the Waglet belt. Awesome idea, great people!
Keep Wagging everyone and keep your furkids safe!
Monique
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Dogs and heat stoke: Jeremy Renner loses French bulldog to heat
Okay, I know I sound like a broken record but until I no longer have to run across a headline like this, I won't keep my mouth shut.
I read this morning that Jeremy Renner, a talented actor, lost his 8 month old French bulldog puppy to what sounds like heat stroke. My condolences to Mr. Renner on his loss. Apparently Jeremy Renner had a friend watching his bulldog puppy and there is no easy way to say this but it sounds like better decisions could have been made. First, a very young dog (8 months) is brought out to a field at what is arguably the hottest point in the day. Second, he was a French Bulldog. Smoosh faced dogs are notorious for overheating - it's simply way too difficult for them to cool down because physically, they are simply not built to withstand the heat.
I totally understand that people want to share their lives and activities with their four leggeg family members. I absolutely, totally get it. We want to take Bishop and Big Tuna with us everyone but their health trumps what we want. They are Bulldogs. They would suffer heat stroke in approximately 15 to 20 minutes of being in the heat in south florida and die shortly thereafter. Some of you make think that is an exaggeration. I can tell you that it is not. So their exposure to the elements is very limited.
What pains me most about Jeremy Renners situation (and hell, almost all others) is that it is totally avoidable.
I know how painful it is to lose a member of the family. I've lost four legged friends to renal disease and cancer. I is devastating. But these are things that can't be controlled. Exposure to the heat can be. And that makes it worse. You can read the article here:http://www.eonline.com/news/jeremy_renner_mourns_death_of_his/301619
I also found something in the coverage that bothered me. It sounded like the person responsible for watching the puppy actually left the puppy (presumably with someone else) to get a snack. This strikes me as a bit disturbing. The equivalent would be a baby sitter for a human leaving the baby with someone else while they went off to do something. If I'm having someone watch my dog, the damn well better watch the dog. I'm trusting them with a life that is dear to me.
To reiterate, puppies do not belong out in the heat. If you must have your dog outside and it's hot, you must have water and shelter. And access to a pool or pond. You simply must. One bit of advice. If you choose someone to watch your dogs, make sure they know what they're doing. Either they should be a trained dog sitter, vet tech or someone well grounded in basic safety knowledge.
This is utterly heartbreaking and a very, very painful lesson.
Keep your dogs safe,
Monique
I read this morning that Jeremy Renner, a talented actor, lost his 8 month old French bulldog puppy to what sounds like heat stroke. My condolences to Mr. Renner on his loss. Apparently Jeremy Renner had a friend watching his bulldog puppy and there is no easy way to say this but it sounds like better decisions could have been made. First, a very young dog (8 months) is brought out to a field at what is arguably the hottest point in the day. Second, he was a French Bulldog. Smoosh faced dogs are notorious for overheating - it's simply way too difficult for them to cool down because physically, they are simply not built to withstand the heat.
I totally understand that people want to share their lives and activities with their four leggeg family members. I absolutely, totally get it. We want to take Bishop and Big Tuna with us everyone but their health trumps what we want. They are Bulldogs. They would suffer heat stroke in approximately 15 to 20 minutes of being in the heat in south florida and die shortly thereafter. Some of you make think that is an exaggeration. I can tell you that it is not. So their exposure to the elements is very limited.
What pains me most about Jeremy Renners situation (and hell, almost all others) is that it is totally avoidable.
I know how painful it is to lose a member of the family. I've lost four legged friends to renal disease and cancer. I is devastating. But these are things that can't be controlled. Exposure to the heat can be. And that makes it worse. You can read the article here:http://www.eonline.com/news/jeremy_renner_mourns_death_of_his/301619
I also found something in the coverage that bothered me. It sounded like the person responsible for watching the puppy actually left the puppy (presumably with someone else) to get a snack. This strikes me as a bit disturbing. The equivalent would be a baby sitter for a human leaving the baby with someone else while they went off to do something. If I'm having someone watch my dog, the damn well better watch the dog. I'm trusting them with a life that is dear to me.
To reiterate, puppies do not belong out in the heat. If you must have your dog outside and it's hot, you must have water and shelter. And access to a pool or pond. You simply must. One bit of advice. If you choose someone to watch your dogs, make sure they know what they're doing. Either they should be a trained dog sitter, vet tech or someone well grounded in basic safety knowledge.
This is utterly heartbreaking and a very, very painful lesson.
Keep your dogs safe,
Monique
Heat stroke in dogs
Okay, I know I may sound like a broken record but until I stop reading headlines like the one below, I'm not going to shut up.
I caught a headline that Jeremy Renner, a talented actor, lost his 8 month old puppy who died of heatstroke (or at least sounds like he did). My condolences to Mr. Renner on the loss of his bully. Jeremy Renner had a friend watching his 8 month old Franklin and there's no easy way to say this. There were some bad decisions made. First, a very young dog, regardless of breed, was brought out to a field at what is arguably the hottest point in the day. Second, he was a French Bulldog. Smoosh faced dogs are notorious for overheating - it's way too difficult for them to cool down because physically, they are simply not built to withstand heat.
You can read the heartbreaking article here:
http://www.eonline.com/news/jeremy_renner_mourns_death_of_his/301619
I totally understand that people want to share their lives and activities with their four legged family members. I absolutely, totally get it. We want to take Bishop and Big Tuna every where but unfortunately, they are bulldogs. They would die in about ten minutes out here in the heat in South Florida so their exposure to the elements are limited.
What pains me most is that this scenario is totally avoidable.
I know what it's like to lose a four legged kid. I've already lost too many to old age and disease. I can't image what it is like to lose a family member in a situation that can be controlled. I feel badly for Jeremy Renner and anyone else who loses a pet in a scenario that could have easily been avoided.
Keep your dogs safe,
I caught a headline that Jeremy Renner, a talented actor, lost his 8 month old puppy who died of heatstroke (or at least sounds like he did). My condolences to Mr. Renner on the loss of his bully. Jeremy Renner had a friend watching his 8 month old Franklin and there's no easy way to say this. There were some bad decisions made. First, a very young dog, regardless of breed, was brought out to a field at what is arguably the hottest point in the day. Second, he was a French Bulldog. Smoosh faced dogs are notorious for overheating - it's way too difficult for them to cool down because physically, they are simply not built to withstand heat.
You can read the heartbreaking article here:
http://www.eonline.com/news/jeremy_renner_mourns_death_of_his/301619
What pains me most is that this scenario is totally avoidable.
I know what it's like to lose a four legged kid. I've already lost too many to old age and disease. I can't image what it is like to lose a family member in a situation that can be controlled. I feel badly for Jeremy Renner and anyone else who loses a pet in a scenario that could have easily been avoided.
On a side note, I'm not sure if anyone else picked up on this but it sounds like the dog sitter actually left the dog (hopefully with someone trusted) to get a snack. Sort of like a human baby sitting leaving the baby to grab something while a friend covers for him. If I'm having someone watch my dog, they damn well better watch the dog. I've trusted them with a life that is important to me.
To reiterate, puppies do not belong out in the heat. If you must have your dog outside and it's hot, you must have water and shelter. And access to a pool or pond. You simply must. One bit of advice. If you choose someone to watch your dogs, make sure they know what they're doing. Either they are a trained technician, dog walker/baby sitter or someone who understands basic safety issues. This is utterly heartbreaking to me and a very very painful lesson.
Keep your dogs safe,
Monique
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
To Purchase Pet Insurance Or Not. That Is The Question
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| Our Beloved Bishop |
I read an article the other day about the growing popularity of pet insurance and naturally, I like to read the comments that some people make. Generally the comments that get my ire are those that are misinformed or in general have no experience with what they are discussing. To wit, those who think pet insurance is unnecessary or worst case, that it is a rip off. I can tell you it is neither. My first rescue dog had to have not one, but two knee surgeries within a short period of time. And I thank my collective gods that I had insurance (and they covered the surgeries) because I would still be paying off those two rebuilt knees.
What do you need to know about pet insurance? First, ask a lot of questions. As with insuring humans, there are generally levels of coverage that can be added which can drive up the cost of coverage. And the percentages that are covered vary as well. Keep in mind that some pure breeds and hence, genetic pre-dispositions, may not be covered with some insurance companies but others will cover for an extra fee. Why do pure breeds have more issues you ask? There'll be more on this in a future blog. Trust me.
In short, do your homework and compare policies. And now you have more choices. When we had our first dog, if I recall correctly, there were only two companies offering coverage. Today there are eleven providing varying levels of coverage for your pet. If you can afford it, I would urge you to strongly consider getting insurance for your pet.
Take a moment to watch the video below:
Keep Wagging everyone!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Pet Insurance
I read an article the other day about the growing popularity of pet insurance and naturally, I like to read the comments that some people make. Generally the comments that get my ire are those that are misinformed or in general have no experience with what they are discussing. To wit, those who think pet insurance is unnecessary or worst case, that it is a rip off. I can tell you it is neither. My first rescue dog had to have not one, but two knee surgeries within a short period of time. And I thank my collective gods that I had insurance (and they covered the surgeries) because I would still be paying off those two rebuilt knees.
What do you need to know about pet insurance? First, ask a lot of questions. As with insuring humans, there are generally levels of coverage that can be added which can drive up the cost of coverage. And the percentages that are covered vary as well. Keep in mind that some pure breeds and hence, genetic pre-dispositions, may not be covered. Why do pure breeds have more issues you ask? There'll be more on this in a future blog. Trust me.
In short, do your homework and compare policies. And now you have more choices. When we had our first dog, if I recall correctly, there were only two companies offering coverage. Today there are eleven providing varying levels of coverage for your pet. If you can afford it, I would urge you to strongly consider getting insurance for your pet.
Take a moment to watch the video below:
http://bcove.me/nnke72vk
Keep Wagging everyone!
What do you need to know about pet insurance? First, ask a lot of questions. As with insuring humans, there are generally levels of coverage that can be added which can drive up the cost of coverage. And the percentages that are covered vary as well. Keep in mind that some pure breeds and hence, genetic pre-dispositions, may not be covered. Why do pure breeds have more issues you ask? There'll be more on this in a future blog. Trust me.
In short, do your homework and compare policies. And now you have more choices. When we had our first dog, if I recall correctly, there were only two companies offering coverage. Today there are eleven providing varying levels of coverage for your pet. If you can afford it, I would urge you to strongly consider getting insurance for your pet.
Take a moment to watch the video below:
http://bcove.me/nnke72vk
Keep Wagging everyone!
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