DON'T OVER VACCINATE OR UNDER VACCINATE YOUR DOG

Do you ever worry if you're getting the right amount of vaccinations for your dog? Vaccinations for dogs can sometimes be confusing, and often a bit controversial for some pet parents. 


Don't Over Vaccinate or Under Vaccinate Your Dog



There are so many articles, videos, and podcasts that argue for more, or less vaccinations for dogs.  How can you be sure you don't over-vaccinate OR under-vaccinate your dog?

To alleviate my own worry about whether or not my dogs are getting too many or too few vaccinations, I rely on my Veterinarian to advise me on what "core" vaccinations dogs should receive, and we have a discussion about non-core vaccinations like the Bordetella vaccine, which is usually recommended if you board dogs at a kennel or if the dog attends doggy daycamp.

If you have a Veterinarian you trust and can have an honest conversation with, you should feel confident your pet is getting the proper amount and type of vaccines to stay healthy and happy.  I wanted to share a disturbing conversation we witnessed while at PetSmart with our dogs.


The Dog Vaccination Debate



While  shopping in PetSmart I overheard a woman at the Banfield Pet Hospital desk.  She was asking if one of the staff would trim her Chihuahua's nails.  The dog's nails had gotten extremely long and were starting to grow into the dog's paw pads. 

Don't Over Vaccinate or Under Vaccinate Your Dog, Dog vaccinations, Puppy vaccinations, What vaccinations does my dog need
I trust our Vet to ensure Phoebe and Icy get the right amount and type of vaccinations


Since the dog wasn't a patient of theirs, the dutiful staff member asked for proof of Rabies vaccination.  That's when something happened that shocked me!

BEACH SAFETY TIPS FOR DOGS

Summer is beach time!  Time for the sun, the surf... and the blazing hot sand burning your dog's paws.  That's right, in addition to other safety considerations for your dog at the beach, the hot sand can be a big concern.  Sand can get even hotter than pavement when the sun is beating down on it and reflecting off the water! If you bring your dog to the beach, here are some important Beach Safety Tips for Dogs

Tips to Keep dogs safe at the beach.  Canine beach safety tips, Hot weather safety for dogs
Keep your dog safe at the beach

Just Chillin' In The Yard

Today we are just chillin' and relaxin' in the yard.  I think they call that Chillaxin' !


Mama  promised me some frozen peanut butter - banana treats.  Yum!


I'm too comfy to get up and walk to the water bowl.


What are YOU doing today?

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Canine Epilepsy Awareness Event

According to the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Canine Health Foundation, Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic diseases found in dogs.  Epilepsy refers to seizures that occur repeatedly over a period of time.  It is estimated that Canine Epilepsy effects as many as 5% of all dogs!  That is one scary statistic! 

Last weekend we attended the Canine Epilepsy Awareness Expo and Fundraiser in Long Island, New York, an event held to help raise awareness about Canine Epilepsy.


Canine Epilepsy effects as many as 5% of all dogs
These two beauties showed up to lend a paw and help raise awareness about Canine Epilepsy!

Wordless Wednesday: Grandma's Garden

My Grandma's garden is like a giant forest, so many critters to chase!


Sometimes I like to lay down in the Daylily patch and hide.


What is happiness but a dog in a garden?!


This is the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!!


BlogPaws Contest Mania!

Check out all the cool stuff Mama bought us at PetSmart!  She was one of the lucky winners of a PetSmart gift card in the BlogPaws #PetTravelContest on Instagram! 

Look at all the yummy stuff we got! 


How adorable is this PetSmart gift card!?


Mama says we have to give some of these yummies to an animal shelter where she volunteers.  I'm happy about that 'cause that's where I came from, one of the animal shelters mama volunteers at, in Phoenix.  As long as she doesn't give away our DENTASTIX dental chews or our Busy Bone chews we are OK with it!



You can hardly see me in this picture, my big fat sister is photo-bombing me!  Grrr!
Guess what?  Mama says there's still some money left over on the gift card!  I hope she'll buy me a pretty new collar.  I think I deserve it considering how much I help her on the blog, don't you?

How about you, do you participate in the many fabulous BlogPaws photo contests and Twitter chats?  They're so much fun and there are always great prizes to win!  And we love prizes!  Leave us a comment, we always love hearing from you!

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Feed Your Dog Naturally #PawNatural

These days, I'm all about feeding my dogs a more natural dog food.  That's why I'm really excited to tell you about the launch of Only Natural Pet’s® new canned dog food, Canine PowerStew™ !

Hey look! Mama grew these cans of all natural dog food for me right here in our garden!
This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet and the BlogPaws ProfessionalPet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the NEW CaninePowerStewTM, but Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

I discovered Only Natural Pet last year when I was looking for all natural grooming products for my dogs.  I have since been using several of their grooming products such as Pet Wipes with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, and the Safe and Sure Eye Wipes to clean tear stains Phoebe gets around her eyes.  Both products work great!

Feed your dog the natural way with Only Natural Pet dog food
Only Natural Pet's dry Canine PowerFood and canned Canine PowerStew dog food

I love that Only Natural Pet products are made with all natural ingredients.  I can use them with confidence, knowing they are safe for my dogs.  That's why I was delighted to have the opportunity to try their new Canine PowerStew canned dog food.   There are so many health benefits to this holistically formulated natural dog food, I'm excited to share them with you!

Keep Dogs Busy With This Toy!

At the BlogPaws conference in Nashville dog parents received a PetSafe Pogo Plush Bee dog toy in our swag bags.  It's an adorable toy that has a squeaker but no stuffing inside, so it doesn't make a mess! 

Our dogs really like the PetSafe Pogo Plush bee toy.  It squeeks but has no stuffing so there's no mess!
The PetSafe Pogo Plush bee toy we received as a gift at the BlogPaws2015 conference
We tried it out to see if Isis and Phoebe would like it.   Well I think you can see for yourself that they definitely did like this new toy! 

My Husky is hogging their new PetSafe Pogo Plush bee toy
Buzz off Phoebe, this is my Bee toy!


As always, Isis hogged the toy and poor Phoebe didn't get to play with it until later.  Well that's a Husky for you... pushy, pushy, Pushy!

This bee is Mine, all MINE!
Thank You to PetSafe for being one of the sponsors of BlogPaws2015!

Have you tried the PetSafe Pogo Plush Bee toy?  Leave us a comment and let us know how your dog like it!

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Sepia Saturday:

Today we are joining the Sepia Saturday blog hop with a photo taken in a historic cemetery in Huntington, New York. 

A historic cemetary in Huntington, Long Island, NY

This headstone bears the name of a member of the family our street was named after. 

We often see backpackers coming by to visit this old historic cemetery.  Some of them like to do headstone "rubbings".  They place a piece of tracing paper over the engravings on the head stone, and by rubbing pencil across it they create a tracing or rubbing of it. I don't really see the appeal in that, but I've heard some people like to take the rubbings home with them and frame them to hang on the wall. 

Can I Potty On This?

This probably isn't the kind of fire hydrant you can tinkle on.




..... Ya THINK???

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ANIMAL SHELTERS FILL UP FOLLOWING 4th OF JULY

Several years back, I received a plea in an email from my Volunteer Coordinator at the animal shelter I volunteered at. After that, I decided to write about shelters being inundated with lost pets following 4th of July weekend. 

Many Pets will get lost & Animal shelters are full following 4th of July weekend.  July 4th weekend, Dogs go missing on Fourth of July
Animal Shelters Fill Up Following 4th of July. I microchipped Icy and Phoebe as soon as I got them!


TO FIND A LOST DOG AFTER 4th OF JULY, ACT FAST

On Fourth of July more pets get lost than on almost any other holiday.  Like most holidays it's busy and chaotic with potentially dangerous food, decorations, guests coming and going, and travel, especially camping.  It's also a time when the "F" word rears it's ugly head.  The "F" word being Fireworks.   

While fireworks are beautiful to us, for many dogs and other pets they are booming loud noise, bright lights, and the lingering smell of small explosive material in the air.  It's no wonder 4th of July weekend is one of the busiest intake months for animals shelters.  You need to act fast to find a lost dog after 4th of July. Here's what you should do.

Act Fact to Find a Lost Dog After 4th of July. How to find a Lost Dog, Dogs get lost on July 4th
Many dogs and cats are lost on 4th of July.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, AMERICA!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL THE ADORABLE POOCHES AND THEIR PEOPLE!!

Phoebe celebrates our hard won freedom on Independenc Day

LET FREEDOM RING!!

WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO ALL THE BRAVE MEN, WOMEN, AND DOGS WHO SERVED IN OUR NATION'S MILITARY AND SACRIFICED FOR THE FREEDOM WE ENJOY.  AS THEY SAY ON NEW HAMPSHIRE'S LICENCE PLATES, LIVE FREE OR DIE!

FROM WORLD WARS I AND II.....


WW II memorial, Huntington, NY
TO THE KOREAN WAR.....

Korean war memorial, Huntington, NY
TO VIETNAM.....

Vietnam war memorial, Huntington, NY
.... TO THE GULF WAR,  THE WARS ON TERROR, AND BEYOND.  FREEDOM WILL ALWAYS BE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.


Happy 4th of July!  Celebrating Independence Day

WE PRAY FOR PEACE AROUND THE WORLD, BUT UNTIL THAT DAY COMES WE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.

HAVE FUN AS YOU CELEBRATE OUR HARD WON FREEDOM THIS WEEKEND, AND PLEASE STAY SAFE!  GOD BLESS.


We are relaxing in the yard and BBQ-ing today, keeping the dogs inside all night with the TV turned up loud so the fireworks don't scare the heck out of them!  How will you be celebrating our Independence Day?  Leave us a comment, we always love hearing from you!




Wordless Wednesday: Dog Explorer

SUMMERTIME IS THE TIME FOR EXPLORING NEW & EXCITING PLACES!

EXCITEMENT CAN BE FOUND AROUND EVERY CORNER....
 
 UNDER EVERY BIG ROCK...........



AND ON EVERY MOUNTAIN!

What's your dogs favorite place to explore?  Leave us a comment, we love to hear from you!

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