By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Back to School & your pet

So it’s that time of year again, for some parents the most wonderful time of year when kids head back to school.  But maybe this summer you got a new puppy, kitten or “Hammy” the Hampster, which will no longer get full time love and attention from your children.  Pets can feel depressed and sad when a routine they have become accustomed to suddenly changes.  Parents also want to make sure with schedule changes and extra curricular activities, that your children who begged you for a pet don’t forget their responsibilities.

A few tips to help keep the household running smoothly, pets happy, kids on their busy schedules are:

• Have a child care chart posted for each pet, and each child so they know what day they have responsibility for what pet.
• Hire a pet sitter or dog walker, but don’t tell your child! You don’t want them to slack off knowing the dog may have already been walked that day or hamster or bird cage might have been cleaned earlier.
• Set aside play time each day for your pet.  In other words, make sure your children know at this particular time of the day the pet gets training time, play time, or walked with your kids.  Otherwise neglected pets, especially dogs that were doing great with training i.e. not chewing, or no longer having accidents in the house, may revert to doing so due to lack of attention, not spite.
• Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page as to what their pet care responsibilities are.
• Set a schedule.  Try to keep the pets schedule as much as possible the same as it was over the summer, feeding, walking, etc.  Making some adjustments, earlier wake up time, feeding time, etc. and the pet will quickly grow accustomed to the new schedule if it is done on a consistent basis by all family members.
• Meet with a dog trainer if your dog starts acting out once their is less attention on them.

A responsible, caring and dedicated owner is not that hard to be today.  We are lucky in this day and age there are so many professional pet sitters and pet experts available, pet knowledge at our fingertips, free courses and more, for families to learn about responsibilities of being a pet parent.  Being a pet parent, whether the pet is a family pet or an individual child’s responsibility should be taken seriously and not frivolously. Most children find the experience very rewarding, loving and caring for another living being.  Make the back to school transition easy for all family members, two-legged and four-legged ones easy – have a family meeting tonight!

June 21, 2010
By Pamela Fitzpatrick, of YourDogWalkers, shihtzu58@optonline.net

This Friday, June 25^th, is TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY (TYDTWD). Businesses, pet care professionals, and animal shelters around the work will work together to better the lives of shelter dogs everywhere by participating. Created in 1999 by Pet Sitters International, TYDTWD is designed to celebrate our canine companions and encourage the adoption of dogs from humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups. This annual event allows employers to recognize a special day to promote pet adoptions. If you can, join us in celebrating dogs on their special day!

If bringing your dog to work is impossible, ask your employer if you can organize an off-hours event for the dog lovers in your group.

If you plan to participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day, there are a few steps you need to take to get ready.

1. Get Permission Unless you are the boss, get permission. In all cases, talk to co-workers to make sure that no one is allergic or has issues with dogs. Make sure that there is adequate room for your dog and those of others and that that everyone can get along. Assess your space- can you safely and responsibly keep your pet there during the work day? This is especially critical if you share space with others.
2. Is Your Dog a good Candidate? In order to participate in this event, your dog must be well behaved, socialized with both people and dogs, and able to deal with the stress of an unfamiliar environment. Knowledge of basic obedience commands is a must! Health is another important factor to consider…..make sure your dog is up to date on all vaccines, is in good health and well groomed. Don’t bring a puppy or very young dog. If in doubt……err on the side of caution. (You can always bring photos of your dog if you decide they’re better off at home) If you work close to home, you might want to consider bringing your dog in for a half day the first time to see how things go. Remember that one of the main purposes of this event is to encourage animal adoptions, so you want your dog you demonstrate his best qualities.
3. Be Prepared Make sure you have the right supplies for the comfort and safety of all. Make sure to have a leash and collar, water/food bowls, dog treats, and toys. Don’t forget to bring a bag for waste cleanup.

Hopefully you will have the opportunity to introduce your four legged “best friend” to your co-workers this Friday. For more information on this event, visit the PetSitters International website at www.takeyourdog.

June 20, 2010
By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Pet Insurance Company help saves cats life, owners wallet.

People often ask me about pet insurance, should they get it, what company is best and how it works. Pet owners hesitating on getting pet insurance or looking for a great company need to read the amazing testimonial below about how Trupanion Pet Medical insurance saved this cat’s life and the owner’s wallet.

“A few months ago we adopted brother and sister twin kittens. Being a new pet owner I was new to the idea of pet insurance. I was offered a free 30 day trial of Trupanion and decided to give it a try. Not even two weeks later, I came home to find one of my cats, Roku, extremely sick. He had vomited and barely had enough energy to lift his head from where he was lying. Our vet recommended bringing him into the clinic immediately. After being examined, Roku’s blood pressure was dangerously low and the vet was concerned. To complicate matters it was Friday and the vet clinic was closed for the weekend. At my vet’s recommendation I took Roku to an emergency clinic where they had to perform emergency surgery for a possible blocked intestine. They had strong suspicions that he might have swallowed a foreign object or that he had contracted FIP (feline intestinal paracytosis) which is a deadly disease in cats. So one surgery and multiple tests later, the clinic bill had skyrocketed to over $4000. Not exactly the kind of money you keep lying around. I was freaked out by the bill but knew that I had the Trupanion trial. After submitting my claim, I was reimbursed for 90% of the entire bill, no questions asked. I had the check in my hands before the charge was even printed on my credit card statement. All of this and I hadn’t even made my first monthly payment to Trupanion.

Roku completely recovered from his surgery and is totally healthy today. Who knows how things would have gone if I was reluctant to get the procedures he needed to get better because I couldn’t afford them. Needless to say I have kept my monthly Trupanion service and would recommend their insurance to anyone. I’ve never experienced an insurance company that was easier to deal with. They truly care about pets and pet owners.” Sincerely, Tara Minogue

To find out more about Trupanion and the 30-day trial go to www.trupanion.com, or contact our local Long Island Territory Partner, Thomas Russo via email at thomas.russo@trupanion.com.

Roku & Ikka

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Baby it’s HOT in here!

Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime! Summertiiimmmme! Okay so it may not quite be summer yet, but on beautiful warm spring days that hint that summer is coming, our minds turn to the beach, boating, bbq’s and more. One thing many people tend to forget or not even think of is pet safety and heat. It’s seems like common sense to many responsible pet owners, but there are often people who for some reason disregard pet safety in the heat of the summer or maybe they are new pet owners and just don’t know better.

One major concern is pets left in cars. It amazes me year after year, that I still see people on a warm day leaving the windows open a crack and leaving their very furry dogs in the car – while they go into a store. According to a study done by San Francisco University, and another study listed on www.MyDogIsCool.com shows how quickly temps rise during a heat wave. (One of the thermometers used in a study was an actual oven thermometer – that should tell you something). Not to mention if it is humid outside, it doesn’t help matters.

Why not try it yourself, without the dog or any pet for that matter of course. Next time it is a beautiful 75 -80 degrees, go sit in your parked car crack the windows a bit and sit in there for 10 -15 minutes. Don’t cheat and drink water or put the AC on. Now imagine yourself in a fur coat without the ability to sweat. Are you hot yet?

Pet owners should also know if you are caught doing this or someone reports your car with a pet in it to the police, the police have the right to break into to your car with whatever means necessary, call animal control and have your pet seized. You may be issued a summons, arrested for animal cruelty, or more. So the next time you are running up to the supermarket on a hot day, please, please, please leave your pets at home in the AC!

See our next article in a series on other safety issues and tips to keep your pet safe, healthy and happy during the summer months.