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Thursday, June 9. 2011

Packing Your Dog’s Travel Bag


More and more people are traveling with their dogs these days.

It’s great for the dogs, who otherwise might be sent off to the kennel. But, it does mean more work for the adult trip planners who have to pack the family members’ bags as well as the dog’s travel bag.

A little planning before you and the dog leave home can go a long way in minimizing stress and insuring that you have the dog’s basic needs covered for the time you and the family are away from home.



Start by getting a travel bag for the dog. You want one that is big enough to hold the dog’s food and water bowls as well as the items needed to fill them.

There are a few basic items that should be included in your pet’s travel luggage. First, count the days you will be away and pack enough food to cover your dog. It is a good idea to include a little extra. You never know when something like foul weather may come up and delay your return home.

Be sure to include plenty of treats in the dog’s travel bag. It’s nice to have plenty on hand so that you can reward your dog’s good behavior when he or she sits quietly when the family stops to dine.

You can choose to carry the water and food bowls that you use at home or you can pack portable ones for the trip.

Be sure to pack plenty of fresh water. Bottled water that can be purchased at the store is one option. Another is to carry a large thermos that you can fill with fresh water when you stop for a break. Don’t freeze water bottles for later use. Many of the plastics contain chemicals that are unhealthy to consume.

Don’t forget to pack the leash. You will need it for travel breaks and potty walks.

If your dog is used to sleeping on the bed with you, please think about the fact that other people aren’t going to be happy about the hair your pet leaves behind. It is a good idea to carry a bed with you. If your dog doesn’t like sleeping in a pet bed, at least carry a sheet or blanket that you can use to cover the bedding to minimize the amount of hair left behind.

It is a good idea to carry a basic first aid kit in the event your dog is injured. Roadside stops can expose your dog’s feet to broken glass and a host of other things that shouldn’t have left along the roadside.

If your dog takes medication, be sure to pack plenty. It is a good idea to carry extra. A few pills add very little weight to the travel bag.

Pack at least one towel that you can use to dry your dog or wipe his or her feet. This will help keep your vehicle from getting trashed.

Include a few of your dog’s favorite toys. No matter where they are, dogs like to have some fun and they need to burn off some excess energy. The right toys can help your dog do this is a safe manner.

In addition to the above items, there are some things that it is just wise to carry. Make sure your dog is wearing an identification tag that is easily visible. Ideally, it is a good idea to have two identification tags for the dog. One should include the important home contact information such as the dog’s name, your name, address and phone number. A second travel tag should include information about how to contact you while you and your dog are away from home. If you carry a cell phone, remember to include that contact information.

There are also pet protection services that you can enroll with. These services can provide the latest and most up-to-date information about your dog’s whereabouts.

It is a good idea to carry the dog’s health certificate. Your dog’s veterinarian will supply this and it will include information about vaccinations and your dog’s health. Remember to check that your dog has its current shots before you leave home.

If your dog is used to being in a crate, take it along if space permits. The crate can offer your dog security away from home.

You should research information about 24-hour veterinary clinics in and around your travel destination. Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. If you are staying with family or friends, they may have the information you need. If not, do a little online searching before you leave your home with the dog.

There are a couple of websites that can provide you with helpful travel information. Visit www.dogfriendly.com or www.dogpark.com for a list of parks and dog-friendly stops along your travel route. These sites are a valuable source of information for lots of dog-friendly places and events.

Carry a recent photograph of your dog in the event that he or she becomes lost or separated from you. This can be a helpful identification tool if your dog is lost during your travels. It is also a good means of proving that the found dog is yours.

A little forethought can go a long way in preparing for a problem-free trip. Failure to prepare can have you searching unknown areas for dog food and supplies. If your dog is injured in the middle of the night in a campground, what are you going to do? It can be difficult to find a telephone book these days. Those who have cell phone data programs can access the Internet, but those who have basic plans will not be able to access emergency information. Having the information at your fingertips can mean the difference between a dire situation and an easy solution.

Laura Stauffiger is the proprietor of Laura's Critter Care, an in your home pet sitting and dog walking service in Amherst, and a member of Pet Sitters International and PetSitUSA. For more information visit her website or send an Email..
Posted by
Laura Stauffiger
in Laura's Critter Care at 15:48 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, June 7. 2011

You are cordially invited to The Amherst Paw Park Grand Opening June 11th

You are cordially invited to The Amherst Paw Park Grand Opening --- Do Over!

Saturday, June 11th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
(We got rained out on the 4th, so we'll try again)

Most of the exhibitors who attended on the 4th will be there.
New exhibitors are invited to attend. If interested please contact us at amherstpawpark@yahoo.com
We will host retail and non-profit animal welfare exhibitors

10:00 Lloyd Taco Truck will be selling breakfast burritos (waiting for confirmation)

Pet Supplies Plus will host Hill's Science Diet, Nutro and Purina at their tent. Their products will be in goody bags along with other items. Pet Supplies Plus will have balloons & a groomer who will trim nails for a nominal fee. Discount coupons for dog washing at their locations will also be available.

Exhibitors Include:
A demonstration by a State Police Bloodhound (at noon)

VIP Pet Sitting
Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society & Pet Emergency Fund
Purrfect Paws Animal Behavior Center, LLC
Laura's Critter Care
Corky's Wild Eye Photography (will register attendees for a photo session & will donate 10% to the park)
Dash Dog Running
Magrathea's World
Fisher's Friends Dog Daycare Inc (sending goodies but cannot table)
Amherst Boarding Kennels & Luv on a Leash Grooming
Invisible Fence

See the Amherst Pawpark Web Site for more details http://www.amherstpawpark.com/
Posted by
Laura Stauffiger
in Laura's Critter Care at 20:17 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, June 6. 2011

Why Cleaning Those Dog Bowls Is A Must

The cleaning of dog bowls is often overlooked. Although many dogs would be happy to drink out of the toilet, it is up to us to provide the healthiest environment possible for our pets. Unfortunately, many people let their dog bowls become slimy and coated with yucky film before finally giving them a thorough scrub. We may do this when it seems like our pet’s feeding times never mesh well with our own dish cleaning schedules. This matter of inconvenience can be resolved by having several sets of inexpensive bowls. Give the bowls a quick scrub to loosen up grime before placing the bowls in the dishwasher. Simply put the soiled set in the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes while placing the clean set out during feeding.


Laura Stauffiger is the proprietor of Laura’s Critter Care, an in your home pet sitting and dog walking service in Amherst, and a member of Pet Sitters International and PetsitUSA. For more information, visit her website or send an email. www.laurascrittercare.com or laurascrittercare@yahoo.com
Posted by
Laura Stauffiger
in Laura's Critter Care at 14:30 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, June 8. 2010

Hospitals Should Hire The Man, But Sometimes He Makes Me Sick

Five hours, that’s how long my husband took to power wash our backyard deck. Every single space between the wooden planks had to be flushed out, why I don’t know. Believe me, most dentists don’t drill out the decay in a tooth’s cavity as meticulously. I tell ya, that deck would have to stretch from here to eternity for me to spend that long cleaning it. Which is where he might have landed, in eternity, if he hadn’t finally shut that darn thing off. That machine sounds like a jackhammer and it bores a hole in your scull, so now I have one to match the hole in his head.

“Who spends that much precious cleaning a deck?” I annoyingly asked him.

“Somebody who takes pride in his work,” and he could hardly spit the words out he was so pooped. But wouldn’t you know, he was still able to utter more? Darn. He even struggled to stoop down to hand me the hose.

“ Here, wanna use this thing for the inside of the house?”

“Inside?! Won’t it strip the paint right off the ceilings and walls?” I gasped.

“Along with the dirt,” he sarcastically added. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you spring clean.”

“And you never will, because by your ridiculous standards, I could never do it throughly enough. Much to your chagrin, I’m into cleaning with something bigger than a cotton swab. Who beside you cleans with a Q-Tip? An otologist, that’s who, Stick that in your ear and see how you like it. And by the way, I do spring clean all right, but in the wintertime while you’re so engrossed with your sports on T.V. Haven’t you ever felt me whipping the cushions out from under your rump, and scrubbing the armrest in your chair?”

“Is that why when I get up my pants and shirt sleeves are all wet? I just figured I spilled my beer.”

“And that’s another thing,” I ranted, “if you profess to be so fastidious with everything around here, how can you, a man who uses a fingernail brush everyday, justify wearing the shirt and pants you’re wearing today, wearing them tomorrow, the next day, and possibly the next, and then having the gall to tell me, someone who changes her clothes several times a day, that I’M the slob? That hurts, ya know.”
He surprised me when he sadly shook his head.

“Maybe….maybe I sometimes put you down, so that I can feel good about myself.”

I was stunned. It takes a real man to admit his insecurities. “Do you mean that?” I softly stuttered.

“Hell no! Just thought that’s what you wanted to hear. Quit bawlin’, will ya? If you don’t know by now that I don’t mean half the BS of what I tell ya, we’re never going to make it.”

“I certainly won’t miss our garage that’s cleaner than our house,” I sniffled. “Or those razor sharp creases that you iron into your pant, and when my leg barely touches them, it feels a blade grazing my shin.”

“How about if I only hug you while I’m wearing my boxing shorts? That sounds safe, doesn’t it?”

He always ropes me in with his sweet talk, but so far he’s wearing those should-be-registered-as-a-weapon ironed pants 24/7. Such is married life---our married life.

To read more of Karen’s previously published articles, please visit homegrownharvard.blogspot.com
Posted by
Karen Lewis
in Too Homegrown For Harvard at 10:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, May 9. 2010

Becoming a Lady

Not in a million years did my mom ever think that I’d grow up and become a lady.

By definition, being a lady means not chewing with your mouth open, not airing your flatulence problem in public, or burping, not talking loudly, or fishing out wedgies, to name a few.

These are embarrassing facts, but nonetheless they are true.

You see, I, Nicole M. Gawel, was the epitome of the exact opposite of a lady. Growing up, my mom would be utterly embarrassed to take me out. We would go shopping and as I trailed behind her, I was little mind you, under 10 years old, picking some sort of something on my body.

One of my biggest fetishes was feeling carpets in stores. I liked textures, still do, but refrain from bending down to touch a germ-infested carpet. Thank God I grew out of both of those nasty phases.

There was a time when I knew my mom thought that she would never be able to train me into the lady I should eventually become. It’s even safe to say that she had given up. I’m not sure at what point I learned to grow out of these phases, but I did. And thank God I did because I don’t think if I was still doing the childish things I once did I would have any friends, relatives or potential suitors within 100 feet of me.

For Mother’s Day, I treated my mom to a tea party at a tea house in North Tonawanda. I was proper and I think, to some extent anyway, I proved to my mom that I was well in contention of becoming a proper lady. I would hope, though, to think my mom had already thought this of me upon entering high school.

Something else my mom would have never thought I’d grow out of was probably the most awkward fashion stage of my life. Currently, I take my fashion to the highest level. It is one of THE most important things in my life, but as a third grader fashion was not on my top 10 list, it wasn’t even in my top 100 list.

In third grade, I hate to admit this; I used to wear baggy shirts, 10 times too big with jeans. Gasp! When I reminisce and look back at photographs of my life I cringe when I get to that phase in my life. My grandma and papa used to call my sloppy and that was being kind. I looked like a ragamuffin.

I don't know at one point the transformation took place. Maybe all along I just had to wait to grow up in order to become a lady.

To this day I don’t know how my mom could have stood being seen with me. I was a wreck. My mom must have really loved me. I salute my mom for putting up with my awkward, mean, bratty, etc., etc., etc., stages and loved me for me and I guess because she had to since she was my mother.

Thank you Mom for forming me into a lady that you are proud to share tea with and ask to go shopping with and not fear that I may pick a wedgie or touch the carpet any longer.

Posted by
Nicole Gawel
in Twentysomething at 21:02 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)
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