Search Results for: blog neighborhood animals

What Do You Do When Your Child is Obsessed With Animals?

My preschool daughter is obsessed with dogs. Fortunately, she hasn’t taken to eating off the floor on all fours, but I know the thought has crossed her mind. My daughter has big plans to own a real dog one day, but for now she has to settle for being the “mother” of 34 stuffed ones. Yes, 34. No, I’m not proud of that number. And, no, I am not her enabler. That’s my mom’s role. Despite the obnoxious amount of furry four legged friends that take up residence in our home, I’d gladly take them and all of their shagginess … Continue reading →

You Know You Work With Animals If…

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With apologies to that Jeff Foxworthy guy, I saw a list of “how you know you’re a vet tech” today. Some of the things made me giggle; others made me go “huh?” But then, I’m not a vet tech. But I was inspired to start my own list: you know you work with animals if… You pluck shed tufts or pick eye goobers off other people’s pets. I’m guilty of this one all the time. I can’t resist picking those eye goobers! You measure your own pets’ food very carefully. Since I started at the cats-only boarding facility, I’ve gotten … Continue reading →

Teach Your Dog to Leave It: Other Animals

“Leave it” is a very useful command. It can help protect your dog from eating something unhealthy, poisonous, or just plain gross. It can also help prevent an unpleasant encounter between your dog and a strange dog (or other animal). The goal here is to get your dog to focus on YOU, rather than the thing that he wants to chase or investigate. Enlist the help of a friend who has a dog that your dog is familiar with. Friend and dog should walk on the opposite side of the street. (Pick a quiet, low traffic neighborhood if you can.) … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for February 18-24

What sort of things made Aimee and I stop and say, “Hmmm…” last week? It’s all detailed below in your handy Week in Review. Monday, February 18 In honor of President’s Day, I shopped around for patriotic paraphernalia for pets. I don’t always agree with Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame, but what he had to say about Westminster struck a sympathetic chord. It may seem like your pets are fighting like cats and dogs, but Aimee explained it has a lot more to do with their predatory instincts. Tuesday, February 19 I interviewed author Maris Soule about her passion … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for October 22-28

I’m going to try a new format this week in the Pets Blog Week in Review. One fellow bloggers such as Michele Cheplic, Nicole Humphrey, Mary Ann Romans, and Karri Weathers use in their various blog topics. I’ll post the title of articles Aimee and I wrote under the dates and then summarize what the articles were about. Monday, October 22 Adventures with Murphy: Spotting Albino Critters It seems Murph’s a white critter magnet, as evidenced when we spotted yet another albino critter on a walk. This time a white chipmunk in our neighborhood. Tuesday, October 23 Welcoming Puppy: Throwing … Continue reading →

National Wildlife Day: Animals on My Mind

National Wildlife Day, which is today, is a day to celebrate wildlife. Which gives me the perfect excuse for writing about some animals I’ve had on my mind recently. Ones Close to Home At the beginning of the summer I went to Art Pancake’s Tusculum Feed Center. No, it’s not a pancake house. It sells animal and pet food of all kinds, and also rents out various equipment as well as fills propane tanks. That’s why I went. Our tank was empty but we were fixing to grill soon. As I waited in line, the people in front of me … Continue reading →

Killer Cats on the Loose

One of the most popular news stories to break last week was a new estimation of the deaths attributed to domesticated house cats.  We’re not talking people deaths, but the deaths of small birds and mammals; that might seem insignificant, but the number is in the billions.  Researchers from the Smithsonian and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that although the worst offenders are feral and stray cats, one in three domesticated cats also kills animals in its neighborhood.  Those cats average two kills a week. When it’s well-fed, domesticated cats doing the killing, they’re not usually keeping these … Continue reading →

What To Do about Neighbor Cats

I keep going back and forth on whether or not to let my cats outside.  Cole doesn’t have much interest, but Chrestomanci certainly does.  I know he’d be happiest as an indoor-outdoor cat, but I don’t know that I’d be happiest with him as one, and I don’t know that it’s worth the stress.  One day in the summer when we let him out with us, he wandered off.  He came back a few hours later, just as my husband said he would, but by then it was dark and I was very upset until he showed up again. Another … Continue reading →

Family Friendly Volunteering

When you can’t always afford to pay for family fun, you can make your own by volunteering! How Can Volunteering Be Fun? First of all, helping others often puts things in perspective. Benefiting people or even animals that are not as fortunate as you are can make anyone appreciate all that they have. Often it forces even children to look around and start enjoying the blessings they already experience. Volunteering really makes us feel good. It is fun in itself. Studies have shown that people who volunteer tend to me more joyful and happier in life. Isn’ t that a … Continue reading →

Meeting the Neighbor Dogs

I’ve blogged before about my neighbor’s dogs, the ones she lets roam free through the neighborhood. Sometimes I see them in our yard. Yesterday while I was working, I noticed one of them, the tan one, out the window. I went outside to greet it, as I always do whenever I see any of the neighborhood pets. They all, cats and dogs included, run away from me. This dog did the usual, but I thought of something: I called for it to come here. I didn’t think it was a dangerous dog, because our neighbor said he isn’t. He also … Continue reading →