by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Did you ever think about safety while walking your dog at night?  Now that it is summer time and walking in the evening can be a great time to take your pup for a long walk since it is cooler in the evening.  Don’t forget that while when you leave it may have been light out and on your way back it is dark out.

It amazes me how many people run, bike, or walk their dogs in the darkness of night without any reflective or light colored clothing on them or their pets.

Recently while walking my dark grey (blue if you will) dog, in the late evening, I put an LED color on him knowing it would be dark upon our walk back.  I lit that collar up when it got dark so, even though he was on a 6-foot leash and we were on the sidewalk for 90% of the walk, he would be more visible with the collar on while walking next to me.  Here on Long Island the summer brings out complete idiot drivers, (have you noticed or am I getting old?), especially at night.  People fly around corners, don’t stop at stop signs – and don’t look either way.  So here are some simple tips to help keep you and your dog safe while walking on a beautiful summer night!

1. Get an LED collar, (and leash), for your dog.  They are becoming more popluar and can blink or hold a steady light and make your dog more visible.

Cody walking with me at night.  You wouldn’t see him without that collar!

2. Just because your dog is now visible with his LED collar or leash – don’t let your own common sense fly out the window!  Teach your dog to wait, sit and stay at every corner. I have only had my dog for 7-weeks, (out of the shelter) and he already does this. (Good boy Cody!)  So you can safely cross the street after you looked both ways. AND in case someone is flying up to the stop sign or street corner – you do NOT want your dog out ahead of you! (Same goes for baby strollers, HELLO?  I see that all the time and cringe!)

3. DO NOT USE retractable leashes at night.  If your dog is zipped out 20-feet ahead of you, even if he is up into some bushes or ‘taking care of business’ and you have to get him out of harms way – you will NOT be able to fast enough.  And that skinny little line is hardly visible when you are a distance away, and likely a driver is not going to see your dog.  Enough said, right?

4. Be sure your dog is microchipped and has a proper ID tag on him with proper contact number.  Your cell number is best because let’s face it we don’t often change our cell number’s.  But a back up number or email is a good idea on that tag if you can fit it.

Twigo Tag!

5. Have a yard?  Check your gates!  Maybe you just came back from a walk and decide to let Buster take a romp in the yard, but your husband, kids or landscaper left the gate open – now it is night, dark and your dog is out of the yard.

6. No sidewalk to walk with your dog?  You should have light clothing on and a flashlight and be careful when walking on the side of the road!  Or find a safer area to walk your dog at night that has a sidewalk.

7.  This seems like a no-brainer, but be sure your cell phone is charged fully when you set out to leave for your walk.  Just in case you need it for the flash light, to make a call, etc.

Enjoy the summer evening walks with your dog and just keep these tips in mind.  Do you do anything in addition to these tips? We would love to hear it in the comment section below!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Every dog I have ever had has been a grass eater.  Some more than others – and the old saying, ‘he’s eating grass because he doesn’t feel well’ had nothing to do with why my dogs ate grass.  My doberman Shanna, ate grass daily – and she taught my other dog, my pit bull Max – and he grazed like a cow.  I used to call him Moo Cow – with his coloring it was fitting.

I couldn’t stop them from eating it – and it really seemed like more of a habit than anything else.  I did worry a bit about them eating it, due to fertizliers in the grass and Max did get sick once from eating a brown mushroom in my yard – luckily it was a small one and he was 62 lbs. He was ok, after a visit to the vet and meds, but that made me more diligent about checking to see if there were any shrooms growing in the grass.

My newly adopted dog Cody has started to eat grass a few weeks ago, (and some sticks), with training he is learning to drop the sticks and not eat them – but the grass he still likes to take a bite of.  So what to do?  How do I get him to stop?

When I was at Global Pet Expo in March, one of the booths I stopped at was Pet Greens and I always thought that the grass they had was just for cats.  After speaking with the rep their he told me about the different grasses they had and how dogs can eat them to.  Best part?  Well a few actually, but first they are certified organic and you can grow them conviently at home.  Fun and cool at the same time.  Remember growing sunflowers or seedlings as a kid in school? Kind of like that, and for those of you that don’t have a green thumb – don’t worry anyone can grow this grass.

The grass comes in this super easy ‘Self Grow’ bag – and all the seeds and soil you need.  All you have to do is poke 10 holes in the bottom of the bag, put the seeds about 1/4 inch below the soil and water!

Looks like this after your prepare it.

Cody was inspecting my preparation!

It took about 4 days, which is pretty fast, until I noticed the seeds were sprouting, and probably another four until I had this result.  Now I just break off a handful and give it to Cody, he loves it.  And this grass is Oat, Rye and Barley grass – and organic of course.  You can grow this right in  your window sill or outside near your other seedlings.  I recommend putting a dish or plastic garden container under as you are watering it and did put holes in the bottom of the bag!  It grows pretty quickly so even after you have tore off or cut of the grass, in about 2 days it’s ready to go again.

So now Cody gets a small snipping of this organic grass, probably every 2-days or so.  I have to say he is still eating some grass outside, but it is definitely less than he was.

I really like this product – and for those cat owners out there, they have different varieties of grass you can grow and your cats can safely chew on and eat as well.  What do you think?  Have a grass grazer at home?

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Can you imagine hiking with your dog, your dog doing agility, chasing after a ‘rabbit’ (a plastic bag) during a lure coursing run, swimming with other dogs in a designated doggie pool, ‘Barks and Crafts,’ Yappy hours and much more in the scenic and beautiful Adirondack Mountains.  If you can picture this and you’re thinking about taking a vacation with your dog, there are places that are specificially designed for you and your dog to vacation together, one company run by Janice Costa, is Canine Camp Getaway.  Canine Camp Getaway of NY is held twice a year with the upcoming dates of June 23-27, 2015 and September 18-21, 2015 in Lake George, NY.  If spending a great vacation with your dog and like-minded dog lovers, you have to check out Canine Camp Getaway – and book before they are sold out. For more infomation call 877-592-2674 or click here.

Traveling with your pet in an RV?  Staying on a boat or staying in the city for the summer in a new apartment – and trying to figure out how to get your dog to ‘hold it’ during that 30 floor elevator ride to the ground level or until the boat docks?  Why not make it easy for you and your traveling pet and get a UGODOG Pet Potty where they can take care of business.  UGODOG Pet Potty is an innovative and environmentally-friendly indoor dog potty training system. UGODOG helps keeps dog’s paws dry, your beach rental house, RV or boat clean and your dog healthy, just the way you and your puppy prefer it.  With the easy to clean double grate design, UGODOG Indoor Dog Potty provides all of the benefits of a traditional litter box without any of the mess.  It can also easily slide under a bed or table of your RV or boat if you want it out of sight when guests are over (of course knowing your pet’s potty schedule is recommended if you do store it out of the way). A great option when traveling and your dog may not be able to be taken for a potty break for a while.  It is also the only indoor dog potty awarded 5 Stars and approved by the American Pet Association.

If you’re traveling with a dog that needs to take daily medications – there is a new way that you can give them their meds – Doggables Treats.  The spoon shaped dog scoops are made with 100% human grade, all-natural ingredients that are designed to enhance your dog’s health while on medicine with the best quality ingredients.  You can feed your dog a pill by using the dog scoop as a spoon into peanut butter or their other favorite wet food, and hide the pill in there – while giving them the entire scoop that is a biscuit they can eat. There are no artificial flavors, ingredients, gums, glutons, sugar, etc., and they are made here in the USA.  The dog scoops come in two flavors, Peanut Butter and Pumpkin and large and small sizes. A fantastic idea if you ask me!

Speaking of biscuits, right here on Long Island, Bubbles & Biscuits in Holbrook has many needs you are looking for whether you’re traveling with your pet or need a place to board your pet.  Bubbles & Biscuits have the following services: grooming, training, doggie daycare, boarding, play groups, a self-service dog wash and now a NEW Doggie Fitness Center.  Whether you need your pup groomed before going on vacation, or if you need to board your dog while you’re away, or for a bath after that day-cation at the beach with your pup – Bubbles and Biscuits has a many services that you need this summer. They have a staff of professional animal lovers who’s mission and passion is to work with your four-legged family member to ensure a positive experience.

For additional travel tips and advice, you have to watch the 2 video’s below – both have excellent and different information that any savvy pet traveler should know!

Traveling on a plane with your pet?  Watch Dana’s video below:

Pet Friendly vacations require some homework and pre-planning.  Watch Kathleen’s video below:

Memorial Day weekend has crept up on us early this year, and with the unofficial kickoff to summer, BBQ’s, celebrating with friends, family and of course our pets – please take just a moment to think of, and thank our veterans who protect our country and freedom and keep us safe.  And to those two-legged and four-legged who we remember and memorialize those military who have passed, thank you.

A couple of week’s ago I was fortunate enough to attend a press conference at the Town of Islip Animal Shelter and Adopt-a-Pet Center who recently worked with the Long Island branch of the national non-profit organization Pets for Vets.  Pets for Vets rescued one of the dogs at the shelter, Ariel a Pit Bull, now named Bella to bring into their program. After working with Bella to train and socialize her, and with her very sweet personality, they have already placed her in a forever home with Marine Lance Corporal Robert.

Bella is already providing Robert with comfort, helping him get back out into society – he has to walk her after all – and helping him cope with PTSD that he suffers from.  Robert is very soft spoken, but you can see how proud he is of Bella and how happy he is since having her in his life.

“It is imprerative to ensure that our veterans and our animals are treated with the utmost respect and compassion and we are so proud to be part of theis adoption,” said Islip Councilman Anthony Senft.  “Being a veteran myself, I can fully appreciate all that Pets for Vets is accomplishing and am proud to know that our Town shelter is working towards such an important goal.”

Heidi Hoistad, Head Trainer for Pets for Vets Long Island NYC

I spoke with Heidi Hoistad, Head Trainer for Pets for Vets Long Island NYC and Bella’s trainer, during the press conference about how wonderful it is that they picked Bella, an American Pit Bull Terrier, how wonderful it is for the breed, and for people to see that pit bulls are after all, just dogs.  Heidi agreed and she said they look for dogs that will be a right fit, have great temperments and had a couple of the smaller breed dogs that were at Islip in mind for another veteran.  So it doesn’t matter the size or breed of the dog, but how the dog is going to postively impact a veteran’s, (and his family’s), life.  And a dog being rescued for this is the icing on the cake in my opinion!

Bella and her new family were presented with a basket full of dog toys, treats and goodies, donated by the Islip Animal Shelter’s non-profit volunteer group, Live Love Bark Dog Rescue.  The shelter will also be offereing freed pet adoptions to veterans during the month of May where Live Love Bark will be paying adoption fees for anyoe with military ID.

Bella dove right into to the basket pulling treats and toys out and stealing the show – while we were all cracking up laughing at her sweet antics. What an awesome dog!

Marine Lance Corporal Robert and his wife Mary, with Bella the dog.

Bella is a beautiful, low rider. 😉

Marine Lance Corporal Robert and his wife Mary, with Bella the dog.

To learn more about Pets for Vets please visit their website or facebook page and for info about the Islip Animal Shelter visit their facebook page and to learn more about Live Love Bark Dog Rescue or make a donation so they can continue helping, click here.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day everyone!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

In the late fall of 2014 I visited nearly every animal shelter on Long Island bringing pet supplies or treats for the dogs and cats there.  As an animal lover, of course there was a dog at each shelter that I liked or wanted.  I am sure many of you can relate!

Two days before Christmas I went to the Town of Islip animal shelter to bring a bunch of dog biscuits I baked for them, with the Paw it Forward cookie cutters.  It was a cold and rainy day and there, and there was really no one else looking at the dogs or visiting the shelter to adopt.  It was 2 days before Christmas after all.

As I walked down the row, a few of the dogs started barking and once they heard the crinkle of the bag, they all quieted down and many were wagging their tails, jumping up at their kennel gate, pawing at the fencing – all very much wanting attention. While it is sad, the Town of Islip shelter supervisor, staff and volunteers (Live Love Bark Rescue) do a wonderful job at the shelter, like many of our shelters here on LI – but it is still no place for a dog to live.  For me it was nice that there were not many people in the run aside from a kennel aide – so I could take my time and saying hello to each dog.

While talking to and trying to give equal attention to all the dogs there, this one dog stood out to me.  Maybe it was his goofy expression, or his one ear sticking up, or his eyes bugging out a little – but maybe it was his calm demenor but wildly wagging tail.  Or a combo of everything.  His name was ‘E.T.’ yes like the movie.  I said to him, “what’s up with you goofy?  You’re so sweet.”  Gave him a couple extra treats – told him not to tell the other dogs, and I moved on.

The Holidays came and went and in early January, I asked one of the volunteers about him, what about ET?  Is that goofy dog ET still there?  They said yes he is still there and I saw his picture on their facebook page – but didn’t know too much else.

In early February, I went to the shelter again to drop off some more supplies, and went inside to see if ET was still there, I thought he was – but wasn’t sure.  Sure enough he was in his kennel, leaning on the door, wagging his tail totally chill.   I went over was petting him and asking him what was up, ‘thump, thump, thump’ went his tail.  He was so relaxed in the shelter and didn’t seem to care about the noise, dogs barking, dogs walking by, people coming and going, etc.  I was now more curious about him.  Dogs can often be very stressed out in a shelter, nervous, scared, barking, jumping, but not ET he was super relaxed.

After returning from a business trip to Global Pet Expo in Orlando, I asked my friends that volunteer again, what is up with ET? Do you have any additional info on him? They told me, “he likes cats, has been tested with dogs and is good, but a bit of ‘Marley’ in him.”

I decided to go on St. Patrick’s day to meet him in the meet and greet room.  In the meet and greet room, ET was nuts! It was jail break crazies, hyper, knocking things over, climbing on stuff, stealing stuff of the shelves in there, and just super silly.  I was thinking, “Holy shit this dog is crazy!” But after about 5 minutes he started to calm down.  I did some basic commands, sit (which he knew), stay (which he did not know) and just overall evulating him.  Seemed like an awesome dog to train and mold, he calmed down so much he was sitting in my lap, and just a big pittie smile from ear to ear.

So with that my goal was to help get him adopted.  I posted him on my instagram account, Facebook pages and told people I knew about him.  A dog that is chill in the shelter, good with people, kids, cats, dogs – I thought he wouldn’t last there and would get snatched up soon.   People came to meet him and then didn’t adopt him.  Now sadly, this is not uncommon.  There are millions of other amazing dogs in shelters across the country that get overlooked and left behind.  Some sitting there for years and years.  But I really thought he would get adopted and soon.

Nothing.  He kept getting passed up.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought this would be the perfect dog for me, but wasn’t sure if I could adopt him.  One day in early late March, I went with the animal Shelter volunteers with them for a walk at a local park with ET and another dog.  He proudly wore his, ‘adopt me’ outfit. We told people who stopped to pet him how great he was that he was up for adoption.

I wanted to see how he was out of the shelter envirornment.  In the beginnning of the walk – he was pulling the shelter volunteer and just hyper – but he seemed to calm down and he was so awesome with everyone.  Bikes going by, people running and walking by, other dogs coming and going.  He was pretty much bomb proof.  I was impressed. He needed training and you could tell he was very moldable and looked like he would be fun to train.  And after seeing him out and about, uh oh, now I want this dog!  But again wasn’t sure. And still promoted him to get adopted.

A few weeks later, after going on a long hike with friends, I stopped at a local deli to get a sandwich and the TV was on, it is usually a news channel on – and I looked up to see what that noise was coming from the TV, and it was the movie…ET.  I kid you not.  Really?  I texted a friend who knew I wanted ET – she said, “it’s a sign Nancy” – I said, ‘yep I know it. lol’

Then as I would hear from the volunteers that someone was coming to look at ET to adopt him, I would reply ‘yay that’s great’ – and with that have an internal pang of nooooooo that dog is mine!  And every potential adopter always fell through – the people wouldn’t show or decide not to adopt him.

So that was it my mind was made up and I wanted this dog – and knowing an adoption day was coming up at the shelter and thinking someone would see how awesome he was, I went on April 25 and adopted him, so now that’s ET who is now named Cody’s official ‘Gotcha Day!’  All the signs I was getting to adopt him, you could say ET phoned home… :).  (A little corny but that’s ok!)  If you are ever hesitant about adopting a dog from an animal shelter, you need to, well, get over it!  There are so many amazing dogs just like Cody waiting for a home.  Cody waited for almost 6 months, many dogs have been waiting for a years at local shelters.  Can you imagine your own dog for years in a shelter?

Cody’s transition, I have to say has been pretty easy – I thought it was going to be a lot more work and wasn’t sure how he would be.  He has learned so much and so amazingly fast – and has settled into my routine it’s really incredible.  Cody is about a year or so old, so still puppyish but not with the bad puppy habits.  We have already walked over 50 miles together in just 2.5 weeks – so my added benefit an exercise buddy!  If you have been thinking of a dog you met recently and are trying to figure out if you can, you can. My first week with Cody was also a busy work week for me and I had a couple events in the evening – he did just fine, and has settled into my work schedule so well.

Cody #Day1outoftheShelter (First walk together!)

Check out the video I did of him of his first week’s outings!  More #AdventureswithCody to come.  Go adopt – you will wonder what took you so long. 😉

Photo Credit: Liz Daly Town of Islip Animal Shelter