Comments Off on 10 essentials for a Doggie Beach Day!
16 Jun 16

10 essentials for a Doggie Beach Day ...

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Living on a Island we are crazy fortunate to be able to enjoy many beautiful areas of beaches with our four-legged friends.  It used to be, just bringing your dog to the beach was just that bringing your pup with you.  Now-a-days we are much more conscious about dogs and their needs while enjoying a day at the beach.

You may want to take your dog with you earlier in the day or later in the afternoon, one it’s not as hot or at those times and some beaches have specific beach hours when dogs are allowed.

Here’s my list of what I think you need while your pup is with you at the beach:

1. Fresh cool water – This is pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t think to bring fresh water for their dog while out at the beach.  I have water with me, and a couple extra bottles in a mini cooler in my car so when we get back there I can give my dog a drink.  Dogs get extremely thirsty while having fun in the sun, swimming and romping around, and get dehydrated if you don’t give them fresh water. Bring a Portable drinking bowl – there are many collapsible dog bowls in many different sizes, as well as bottles that sport their own drinking tray.  Bring something with you that your pet will be encouraged to drink from vs. salt water in the ocean.  Be sure to keep your dog hydrated, if they ingest too much salt water it can give your dog the runs or worse.

2. Long leash – Not a retractable leash, but a cotton long lead or leash where you can get at most pet supply stores.  They come in different lengths up to 50 feet.  Your dog may swim perfectly, but anything can happen at the beach – he could decide to swim out farther, perhaps not hear you call, get caught in a rip current, etc.  In my experience is is not worth it for your dog to be loose in the water.  A long lead is a life line literally to your dog.

3.Lifejacket – some dogs need a boost swimming, take for instance my dog Cody, great swimmer but is also not built for swimming in that he is very muscular – and muscle sinks.  So if he were going to be in deeper water – he would 100% have a life jacket on to help him be more buoyant and for him to be safe while enjoying his swimtime.  (He has even wore a lifejacket while swimming in a pool.)  Make sure you get your dog fitted properly when buying a life jacket.

5. Limit the swim time – For my dog Cody I limit his swimming time to no more than 20 minutes.  Due to his breed, his mouth is wider than say a lab or golden and if he is carrying a stick or floating toy while he is swimming more water will go down that wide mouth than with other breeds.  My old dog Max would ingest a lot of water while swimming – so no more than 20 minutes and he was fine.

>> Another good reason to limit the swim time, is that dogs can get tired quickly in the water – and may not show it.  That’s where we as pet parents need to step in and make them come out of the water to take a break and rest.

6. Pet Friendly Sunscreen – you can find this in many pet stores, health food stores and even online.  Apply to the top of your dogs nose, on their snout, not the actual nose, and ears – dogs can get sunburn as well.  If your dog is white or light haired in color and has short hair I would apply it on his back as well.

7. Pet Friendly bug spray – again, you can find many brands of natural pet friendly bug spray that do work and are free from harsh chemicals.  The only time I use stronger bug spray is during a heavy mosquito season or when there are a lot of green flies.

8. Blanket – this may seem like what? My dog is going to get sand all over it – the sand may be hot after a while and you will want to have somewhere to have your pet rest – a great option is the Territory travel blanket which is a bag and blanket in one.  You can carry some of your pets items in it, and then unroll it at the beach.

9. Umbrella – this is really only necessary if you are spending the entire day at the beach – it’s important for your dog to have shade to lay under and not be in direct sun all day.  Same goes for you!

10. Extra waterproof collar – with ID! – My dog likes to go in the water so he wears a waterproof collar while in the water so not to ruin his regular collar. And an Extra regular leash – sand can easily get into the clasp of your leash and jam it making it not effective, you can knock the sand out but if your leash is exposed to the elements often, rust, salt water and sand do NOT make for a secure leash.  Bring an extra leash with you for an added safety measure.

Also you should Monitor your dog always while in the water – I prefer to keep my dog on a long line so he can’t get too far into the water and I can pull him back to me if I see him trying to eat something in the water or on the sand.  Yes, he knows leave it and drop it, but you know how quickly a dog can eat something he is not supposed to.

And Watch for wildlife – in many areas there may be wildlife your dog is not used to seeing, like deer, turtles, sea birds, crabs and so forth and if your dog is not leashed, it will not be a good thing if he takes off after a deer or tries to pick up a live crab!   So keep your eyes out, and in the water too.  If there are lot of crabs or jelly fish – don’t let your dog in the water, getting pinched by a crab or stung by a jelly fish is no more fun for our pups than it is for us!

You will also want to watch your dog and not let him eat anything on the beach. Haha, I know good luck -but there are many scrumptious dead things on the beach often, shells, seaweed, broken glass and sadly on LI, garbage – so train your dog the ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it’ commands!  These commands will come in very handy as your puppy is running with a dead crab in his mouth.  Yuck!

Lastly, it is good to rinse your dog off from the salt water when you get back home and thoroughly check your dog for ticks, and check again! Also look for any scraps or minor cuts, especially on the paw pads, that need attention.

Paw prints in the sand and great days on the beach with our dogs are a big part of island living – get out there and enjoy it with your dog!

Comments Off on 7 Lovely Valentine’s Day Pet Products!
09 Feb 16

7 Lovely Valentine’s Day Pet P ...

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Our list of gifts that you and your pet will LOVE this Valentine’s Day!

Recently I received the Travel Blanket from Original Territory for my dog Cody – and for someone who has been in the pet industry for a while, this is something I have not seen before!  It makes such a great gift for a dog parent because it’s 2 in 1 functions, but also because it’s useful for both you and your dog.  The Travel Blanket starts out as a bag with handles and pockets where you could put items like dog treats, water, sunscreen, bug spray, water bottle, etc. and take it with you on a hike, to the beach or where ever you are going with your dog.  When you get to your location, you can take the items out, undo the velcro holding the bag together and open up and like magic you now have a soft blanket to sit on. The back side is waterproof – so if you’re on a beach that the sand may be wet or the ground on your hike is a little damp – you won’t get wet while sitting on the blanket!  How cool is that.  I can’t wait to use it this spring, summer and fall to bring with me on one of Cody’s Adventures.  The Travel Blanket is available on Target.com – and Original Territory has many other fab pet products that you can purchase for your furry valentine as well. You can see a video from Titus and Hailey about the blanket here and even a big beautiful dog like Bocker the labradoodle fits perfectly on it – check out Bocker’s pictures here.

And don’t forget to get your pup delish dog treats for Valentine’s day – they may not be in the shape of a heart but your dog will love these Made in the USA healthy treats from Kaleb’s Organics.  Your pooch will fall head over paws for Kaleb’s Organics Dog Treats!  Kaleb’s offer wholesome ingredients, great taste, and are USDA Certified Organic and you can even eat them yourself.  Available in a variety of delicious flavors, Kaleb’s are made using all natural ingredients and no preservatives. The ingredients in each treat provide numerous health benefits for our animal companions and are Non-GMO Project Verified.  Your dog may be eating better than you on Valentine’s day!

Your dog will be thirsty after crunching down those yummy treats so why not give him filtered water from the new innovative Torus water bowls by Heyrex Limited.  Pretty to look at with their modern design, these bowls are more than just a pretty face!  Use them at home as your pet’s regular water bowls, but they also have a lock, fill and drink function making it ideal for travel as well.  Holding up to 2 liters of water in their reservoir walls, filtering the water as it automatically dispenses.  Its large capacity means less filling and low profile means less spills.  These bowls come in 2 liter and 1 liter sizes perfect for big and small pets and you have to love all the colors they come in!  To get yours, you can purchase simply on Amazon.com.

After drinking all that water and maybe you’re not home in time to let your dog out – here’s the perfect solution UGODOG, the #1 indoor dog potty training system. The UGODOG is environmentally friendly, keeps paws dry, easy to use, absorbent liners are reusable and biodegradable, we love that!  Plus you purchase one you will get a free training manual with your UGODOG.  This also a perfect solution to pads laying around your house and those days when perhaps the elevator is working in your high rise apartment building.  UGODOG can change the way you think about potty training your dogs and it is also light weigth and portable so you can bring it with you.  To get yours you can simply click here or call 1-888-405-7499 for more info.

Here’s another simple, yet brilliant solution to leaving your sliding glass doors open so your pets can go in and out.  You know what I am talking about!  Treat your dog or cat to an Apartment Pet Door™ by Balcony Pets solves the problem of you having to leave your sliders open.  It is a non-permanent pet door that is adjustable and pops right into the track of your sliding glass doors.  One of those, why didn’t I think of that ideas!  Created by Nancy Carson who didn’t want to leave her doors open all the time yet give her pets the ability to go in-and-out without having to install a traditional doggie door or having to get up everytime her pet was pawing at the door to go in the yard.  It’s simple to put together, snaps together in minutes, installs without tools or expertise from a handy person, drops into the tracks of your sliders and works with any height sliding glass door.  You can take this mobile pet door with you when you move or travel.  You’ll love the convenience and also the energy you save by not leaving the door open!  Check out the video about it here, and to get your own or your sweetheart one for their pet click here.

While your pet is enjoying going in and out, make sure that they have proper ID on them and keep your dog or cat safe and sound with a Twigo LOVE Tag!  Perfect for the furry love you own, Twigo Tags are a fun way to add that ID tage to your pets collar and also not have to hear that jingling either. Pet safety should be at the top of all pet owners’ priority list. A Twigo LOVE Tag is perfect for spreading pet identification awareness in a simple and stylish way this Valentine’s Day. Twigo Tags require no engraving and are instantly personalize-able with a ballpoint pen – simply write, boil and wear. The tags self-attach and are completely silent, ideal for those who dislike the jingling noise and remove their pet’s tags while inside the house.  To get yours click here.

After all the adventures with your pup, the romping in the yard, hikes and playing in the snow – you may notice that your dog is not smelling to lovely!  Time for a bath – and to make his fur super soft and sweet smelling you will want to try ECO Dog Care Pet Products Simply Clean Dog Shampoo.  Recently I got a bottle of this dog shampoo and gave Cody a bath – and not only did he smell great, he was soft and silky and even stopped scratching! (He has some seasonal allergies).  There is also and in-between spray called Simpy Fresh that you can use – and what I love about it is it is environmentally friendly, Made in the USA and with all natural ingredients.  Simply Fresh also naturally repels pests like fleas and ticks so they stay off your dog and out of your car & house – yes, love that!