Like many Americans, I’ll be taking another road trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. My (doggie) brother will be riding in a crate in the back seat of the car. I’ll be wearing my car harness because I behave better in the car than my brother.

Even a short trip in the car requires some planning when you have pets. Always keep water in the car. And when you have well-watered pets … be prepared to make more stops. Of course when you do stop, make sure all your pets are restrained before you open a car door. Pets should always wear identification tags in case they get lost.

When I go to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house on Thanksgiving, they always have special dog treats for me. But when it comes to sharing the turkey dinner, they are not so generous. They won’t even throw me a turkey bone – they say that the bones can splinter and cause me to choke. The dog treats are good though. Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: Take a Pet First Aid class at the American Red Cross and learn what to do if your pet is choking.

MAX MONDAYS!!
Every Monday I will ask my dog, Max, a question and see what he thinks!

Click Picture to Watch Max in Action

Meet Sparkie, our featured Pet of the Week! Sparkie is a female, 2 year old, German Shepherd, Shar Pei mix. She’s affectionate and loves to play “catch me” with her human friends at Rancho Cucamonga Animal Center.

Sparkie loves being walked and she’s good on a leash. She would would make a great companion for an active person or a family who will give her lots of attention.

She’s had her vaccinations and a microchip implanted so she’s ready to go home with her new family today!

How can you resist this teddy bear face?

For more information on Sparkie, please visit www.scooble.com.

Sparkie’s Id: A625895

Contact Info:

www.RCPets.info
RCPets@cityofrc.com

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Don’t forget your pets while you are enjoying the festive season.

 Pets won’t be so thankful if they munch on undercooked turkey or a pet-unfriendly floral arrangement, or if they stumble upon an unattended alcoholic drink.

Check out the following tips from ASPCA  (US  RSPCA) experts for a fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.

Talkin’ Turkey  -If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don’t offer  raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria. S

Sage Advice  – Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.

No Bread Dough – Don’t spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.

Don’t Let Them Eat Cake  – If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.

Too Much of a Good Thing  -A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don’t allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

A Feast Fit for a Kong  – While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them rawhide strips, Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.

Thanks to the US version of RSPCA – their advice should be followed.

More adorable pets waiting for homes this week at the Tampa Bay Humane Society:

My 5-year-old twins desperately want a pet. They’d love a cat, but they know their father is seriously allergic to any fluff ball. So they’ve settled on a dog. I try to avoid this debate about pets, because the odds are pretty even. When my husband’s home, it’s two against two; when he’s out, we might have quorum but Vivian and William have a definite majority.

"Two legs good, four legs bad"

(cc) Olaszmelo, used under a Creative Commons ShareAlike License

I don’t want a dog because I don’t want more work. I’ve already taught two kids not to pee on the floor: been there, done that. I’m still working on the don’t-lick-your-plate thing, especially when company’s over. To attempt to silence the issue, I’ve used the Distant Future Strategy; in other words, I’ve told them they can’t get a dog until they’re ten years old. I’m banking on them forgetting about it over the next five years. That’s unlikely, though, given that I first informed them about this arbitrary rule last year, and they still remember. About every second day, one of them says, “I wish we were ten, Mom…”

They’ve taken the dog-theme to heart. A couple of weeks ago, I caught them playing fetch with each other. Days later, William barked and licked his sister. (Evidently, I need to expand the don’t-lick-your-plate rule to include people). After being licked on the leg, Vivian responded by saying, “Nice doggie.”

In this relentless pursuit of getting a dog, Vivian and William have adopted a clever marketing tactic: if you can’t close the big sale, go for a bunch of smaller ones.

Today, they harped about fish and hamsters. Their dad said, “I’ll give you half a hamster. If you keep it alive, I’ll give you the other half.”

The kids looked at him, horror-stricken.

Hamster, Part A and Part B

Adapted from (cc) Anita, used under a Creative Commons ShareAlike License

“How would we get half a hamster?” William asked.

“Carefully,” said his dad.

“Dad, we can’t keep half a hamster alive,” Vivian said, “it’d be dead.”

“You’re right.”

SPCA people, he was kidding. I’m almost sure.

Today Lacey was a barker from morning to night.Part of it was due to other dogs in the neighborhood barking.Others were when Aunty Betsy and Uncle Sherman came to check on their plants.We took Lacey outside after putting her leash and collar on to visit with Aunty betsy in the front yard.sure enough that’s what Lacey wanted.She just wanted to say hi to one of her favorite people.Lacey had her first interaction with a dog today.When we were outside we passed by the dog who was on the other side of the wall(our neighbor)and Lacey peaked inside the holes of the gate and looked for a few seconds.The other dog just looked at her also for a few seconds.Of course they sniffed the front of each other(through the open spots of the gated fence)then they went into play mode.There was a few growling from both dogs but then it was time to go back to the front.Lacey also got a rawhide that is flavored from Hartz.I knew that it was one of the healthier brands but I can’t say everything is within health reasoning.Although most of it is.There is no by products of any type in it but there is coloring in the rawhide.Otherwise it’s healthy.We went shopping tonight to get ready for thanksgiving cookings.Tomorrow I am going to make Lacey’s Pumpkin Patch Dog Biscuits for her Thanksgiving treat.Either Tuesday or Wednesday I will make her main meal for Thanksgiving.Aunty Betsy and Uncle Sherman are also going to be bringing over their two dogs.Mom wants to try snap a picture of all three dogs(Ours:Lacey maltipoo:maltese/toy poodle)Emi(Shiba Inu)and Mochi(Samoyed).Lacey is the youngest of all three.Lacey 8 months Emi is about 4-6 years old Mochi is about 2-3 years old.

Lately I’ve been disregardening.

note: the only things growing in my yard are the pile of leaves, the number of dead flowers, and what the nextdoor neighbour’s cat has been daily  ”deposhitting” on the lawn.

double note: it’s the usual suspect  again … and again … and again …

triple note: sorry I haven’t been making my usual rounds … still mildly unmotivated by whatever I have. I think it’s slowly going away … or coming back … depending on what I’m talking about.

.

notes to myself #65

Kraft Dinner never loses it’s magic.

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE — Lungi Airport is on a bay, so the only way to get to the main part of the city is to take a very long drive through back roads, a 40-minute water taxi ride, or a 10-minute helicopter ride.

Teddy warned me about the helicopter ride, but I was still looking forward to it. “How bad could it really be?” I kept saying. I’ve been in a helicopter only once before… At Sikorsky Aircraft in Connecticut, in a completed prototype of an Air Force One helicopter the unit was looking to sell to the government. It was for a story, but it was a plush, quiet ride.

This was no Air Force One copter ride, but it wasn’t all that bad. Getting the ticket and getting all my bags to the holding area was a bit sketchy, but luckily my baggage guy/guide took care of every aspect of the ticketing process. He earned his $20 tip. All I had to do was wait an hour inside a large, airless, cement room for Teddy to arrive from London, so we could fly into Freetown together and meet the NGO vehicle.

The men inside the helicopter waiting area kept offering me water and Coke, but I politely refused. I was still a bit struck about being in West Africa, not to mention extremely hot, tired and hungry. The gentlemen were friendly…sometimes too friendly. They all wanted to know my name, (Kim) and introduced themselves using their first and last names. Well this should make getting people’s names for stories easier.

And there were all these questions about the cat, who was still in the crate, but getting kind of antsy.

It was a little strange sitting there all alone. The helicopter made two rounds and I was the only one in there for a while. Some Beyonce video came on a fuzzy TV screen and the young woman behind the ticket counter turned around to look.

“Do you like Beyonce?” I asked. She shook her head and said yes with a slight smile.

Of course.

Some men from the Canadian military came in and were eventually on our “flight.” I’ve never been so happy to see the Canadian military.

Teddy finally arrived, but seemed to have had a harder time navigating though the airport filled with locals trying to make a buck by either taking your bags or selling you something, or simply ripping you off.

Teddy had already purchased two helicopter tickets, so there was a bit of confusion over the refund for the $80 ticket I had purchased when I arrived in the cement room. After we got that taken care of and our baggage fees paid, our bags were whisked away, and we were loaded onto a little bus. The cat got to ride in front. They call a cat a “puss” here, so I’ll let all of you figure out the comments made by the guys who had just spent an hour trying to talk to me.

The bus took us to the oldest helicopter I’ve ever seen. After climbing inside and taking a seat in the rear, I noticed all of the passengers’ bags piled in the middle of the copter with a cargo net holding it in place. There were little seat belts to strap you in like a roller coaster ride, but somehow I doubted those would save me should this thing take a dive in the water.

Once everyone contorted themselves inside this dark and dirty airborne machine, the ear-crushing noise started. The Canadians were having a good time telling jokes and I gave Teddy the thumbs up and took a couple of photos.

Is this the type of helicopter my dad flew in while doing a tour in ‘Nam for the Air Force? Is this the exact same helicopter? I wouldn’t talk about it either…

I kept wondering if the thing was ever going to make it off the ground… I barely noticed when it finally did. Lots of noise and wind and the woman next to me had a tough time keeping her hijab from flying out of the window. The landing was sketchy, but soon we were off the helicopter and in another small building waiting for our bags. At least this waiting area had some tourist info on a board. I was too exhausted to write anything down, so I took a photo of a sign for a pet store.

A few days later I was speaking with someone in D.C. about the riding in the helicopter. “It’s like one of those old Russian helicopters that should have been retired years ago, isn’t it?” she asked.

Teddy later informed me that the helicopter was an old Russian copter that had been retired….in Russia, but flown to Sierra Leone…

It’s been feeling like time for a change. We can’t move right now, obviously, but we can shuffle rooms around! I’ve been kind of wanting to move our bedroom from our bedroom to the “library” for a while – I just love the log cabin feel of it. (Go ahead and gag over the wood paneling, Adoring Public – I don’t care. It’s not yours, it’s mine, and I like it. )

When we moved into our first apartment, our bedroom was in the basement, and we couldn’t get a box spring down the narrow, twisty stairs. We got two drawered units designed to go under waterbeds, bolted them together, and put particle board on top to create a frame/box thingy. Hey, it works! Plus, under-bed storage!

The library used to be a garage at some point in our 55-year-old house’s life. It was converted into a – what? MIL suite? – much later, and when this house was a college rental was probably used as an apartment. One of the neatest features is this built-in-bookcase, just exactly the width of a queen-size bed. What a perfect headboard, right?

Because we’re now sleeping in a log cabin, a quilt seemed the way to go. Hooray Shopko for putting a pretty (not highest quality, but good enough) quilt set on clearance for $23!

After Ryan ascertained that the mattress still worked, we got Paisley and d’Artagnan to pose on the bed for blogging posterity. d’Artagnan would like to point out that he is a very attractive kitty. He would also like to point out that he is currently tucked under my arm, and that he really doesn’t understand why that should hinder my ability to type whatsoever.

Paisley approves very much of the makeshift bench – it’s a coffee table, with one of my pre-married bedspreads on it! – at the end of the bed. Despite being a poodle with the proven ability to jump chest-high, she has this idea in her head that she can’t get onto our bed. Not any other bed she ever encounters – just ours. Now she can get up on her own,  instead of scratching and waking me up twelve times in the middle of the night.

Cute webcam picture that really sums up d’Artagnan’s favorite hobbies: sitting on my arms while I try to compute, and “petting” our noses when we talk to him. He’s seriously like the most affectionate cat ever – too bad he’s also the shyest, so nobody but us will ever know…

I’m still awake. I did get in bed once around 3 AM. I was surprised when Zeke dog asked to come up, too. Must be he liked being in bed the night before. Aleka cat is jealous. She is used to having me all to herself. As I patted the bed so Zeke knew where to jump up, Aleka went down there to keep Zeke out. She even smacked him on the nose from up above. Children!

Zeke spent most of his time in bed panting so hard that I felt like a boat on a rough sea. He really prefers sleeping in snow! He should get his wish later this week.

I spent the night puttering. I would work a while, sit a while. I organized some shelves and paperwork. I read some new seed catalogs. I looked up recipes for foods I have on hand. This night was about like the one before. GUT DISTRESS. Ugh. Either there is something going around or the drama around here affects me more than I would like to admit. BUT…I also ran out of home-made yogurt. My guts have not been well since the Clindamycin. Sigh……

So you’ve got a new dog and you’re wondering what to feed him. There are two popular types of dog food – raw meat and commercial brands. Naturally, you want to make sure you get the best dog food for your pet, so it is useful to know which route to head down.

Firstly, remember that dogs are omnivores and therefore they require a certain level of meat and fibre in their diets. Every dog has its own nutritional requirements, and the vet will be able to advise about what is best for your pet.

If you choose to feed your dog a commercial based diet, it is very important to choose the best dog food around. Keep your eyes peeled for dog food that contains good quality ingredients like chicken and lamb. An important tip is to refrain from purchasing high grain foods as these will inevitably contain many preservatives.

Some pet owners avoid commercial products altogether and just feed their pets raw food. Typically, the raw food diet contains raw animal bones and offal, as well as eggs. People claim this works wonders for their pets, but this isn’t always the case with every dog, since every pet is different.

The Following Are Some Pros And Cons Of Both Diets:

Remember that people want their dog to be healthy so many trust in the ability of top dog food brands to create the perfect recipe for their pet. In comparison to the raw food diet, there are many reasons why the commercial food is more popular in the UK and the main one is due to ease of preparation, which the raw food diet can be difficult to source and prepare.

Proponents of commercial dog food say that as dogs are omnivores, it is only natural that they require the nutritional benefits of grains. They feel that people who feed raw food are depriving their dogs with essential nutrients.

In contrast to this, other pet owners believe that cooking dog food isn’t good for the immune system of the dog, but to be honest this isn’t a particularly shared view across the pond.

Those that feel that commercial food is the way to go, claim that there is no difference between cooking the animal’s food and cooking human food. All of the nutrients are still active in cooked food providing healthy meals for animals.

Whether you choose to feed your dog the raw meat diet or go commercial by choosing the best dog food brand, it is important to be educated on what a dog’s nutritional requirements are. Always seek veterinary advice if you’re unsure about which diet to choose.

I adore my little kids; my cats around whom my life revolves. I couldn’t possible have loved them more if they were my human kids. They bring me such sheer joy, and love so strong that it actually makes my insides hurt. I think of them sometimes when I am at work and wonder what mischief they are upto and find myself smiling. I can physically remember what they smell like, how they fell cuddled in my arms even when I am not with them.

I get home and these 2 bundles of joy are waiting by the door. Memoll comes purring and tumbles by my legs when I walk in. Nemo generally waits to see if I look for him, so I have to call out and then he comes to me with this little bursting meow. I love coming back after a hard day’s work and waiting to see them. These 2 are definitely my gifts from god.

Then comes the devil’s share of the gift. My socks are strewn all around the house since they see it plainly as cloth mice which need to be destroyed and killed. The neatly bundles up pairs are all mixed and found under the tv, in the balcony, and sometimes stuffed down the drain. The mat is all rolled up as it was used as the tunnel of attack, the dustbin has been destroyed by the cat nuclear weapon (translating to claws in human talk), and tantrums occasionally turn into puddles of pee near the most difficult places to clean. Not a house you want to come back to after a hard day’s work!
Then the god’s side shines through again. Both are well behaved, fawning all over me, asking to drink of the tap (the sight can melt the hardest of hearts), going to the loo like good kids, wanting to be picked and cuddled. This is immediately followed by the devil’s vibes of them suddenly tearing madly all over the house, knocking down everything, insisting they climb into my lap top bag to investigate.

Even the love comes with the good and bad tribute. Like today for instance; the whole of last night I was up worrying myself to death because Nemo was throwing up all night. The morning saw the third world war break out at home with myself on one side, Nemo on the other and the evil bottle cap of medicine in between. Then I left for work feeling like the most wretched and negligent mother in the world. I can’t wait to get back and make sure he is ok and am also dreading going back.

Only kids can do this to you. Bring up conflicting emotions and turmoil about the same topic. Make you burst with love, worry with dread, swell with expectation and cry with frustration all at the same time. But I know one thing for sure; I wouldn’t exchange my place with anyone else in the world and am thankful every single day for being blessed with them.

I am trying Lacey on 1 Tablespoon of Wellness to see how she does.While her bowels are not diarrhea it is on the soft side.I’d hate to take away a favorite food of hers if I can help it…If I mix it she gets soft bowels.If I give her 1/4 cup of Wellness she gets soft bowels(It’s still formed not like literally watered down bowels)Now I am trying combination of 1 T of Wellness + 1 T Solid Gold,1 T Wellness or 1 T Solid Gold..So far she hasn’t eaten since yesterday early morning so I can’t say if it will work or not but we’ll see.
Update:Lacey has ate.Her first bowel was good.the second time it was on the softer side.Yup,I will have to call Wellness today and see what they recommend trying for Lacey.Otherwise back to the drawing board we go.Can’t have soft bowels.I prefer firm instead of soft even through it’s not loose stools.