It’s Bo’s official portrait! This was put out today on the White House blog in the post Bo: The Portrait, the Baseball Card. There’s even this cute baseball card you can download, that features fun facts about our favorite Portuguese Water Dog, including “Goal as First Dog: Make friends with foreign dognitaries.”

The official portrait of the Obama family dog Bo, a Portuguese water dog, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

The full-res version is on the White House Flickr page.

Trying to cut back on you pet product spending? Check out this HUGE list of free pet product samples and discounts you can try out! We see some pluses here – FREE STUFF! and hey, they’re samples! If the products not great, you aren’t the one who had to pay for it.

Just make sure you diligently research and read up on the products before giving any to your pet. Be a smart consumer! Don’t give your dog something unless you understand what’s in it and you are there to supervise.

Read the rest of this entry »

It happens every year about this time.   We get out the suitcases, start to pack up, and across the room our pets are paying close attention sizing up the situation to determine if they are going with. Then just when they are about to wag their tails, they start worrying if this scene means they are about to be left behind with a dog sitter or taken to a boarding facility.  Guilt. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t forget us! We Served too!

Thousands of them have served our military and many have died in action. They served in World War II … they served in Vietnam. They parachuted into war zones. Sadly, most of the 3000 military working dogs were left behind when the troops came home. They work with their handlers and represent every military service. They are deployed worldwide supporting the war on terror. They safeguard military bases, activities, detect bombs and explosives. Their very acute sense of smell goes way beyond that of humans enabling them to detect the most minute trace of drugs or explosives and then in turn, they alert their handlers. The usual breeds for this type of service are Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois. These breeds are very smart, appropriately aggressive and extremely loyal and athletic.

According to experts, the dogs inflict fear in an aggressor and will defend their handlers to the end. The missions they embark upon are very demanding. Historically, the Romans used to put razor-sharp collars around their dogs and send them into the enemy ranks. Working dogs have been used with the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War, initially as pack animals, however now they have become very useful for more advance work. Read the rest of this entry »

The temperature is rising, dogs are playing, and suddenly your dog has overdone it and is not feeling well. Dogs will keep on playing and can experience overheating until it is too late to help them. Would you know what signs to watch for when when that hot day of play leads to problems for your pet? Learn more about the how to keep your dog healthy in the heat. Read the rest of this entry »

Amazing news story with a happy ending! This dog saves his mommy dog who was hit by a car on a New York expressway. Here’s the full story:

This dog diverted traffic! WOW.

Tune in to Oprah today to see Glenn Close discuss the Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) organization. This organization supports prison inmates who are trained to raise puppies to become service dogs for wounded vets. It is thought the inmates then have a sense of purpose learning this worthwhile contribution.

Check out Oprah’s O Magazine’s June edition, on newsstands now. The popular magazine will be investigating the bond people have with their pets. It is being dubbed the “Animal Issue”. Oprah poses on the cover with dogs from Chicago’s PAWS, a no-kill shelter where she found her pup, Sadie. The recently rescued cocker spaniel, who is now recovered from parvo virus, is also featured on the cover.

Save me, I’m scared too! Disaster Preparedness for our pets.

Emergencies can happen at any time.  Victims of the recent Santa Barbara fires in California know all too well how they may be required to evacuate and relocate for either the short or long term and at a moment’s notice.  For this reason,  it is important to plan and be prepared for such an evacuation during an emergency.  Preparing for this includes planning how to evacuate pets as well as people.    It is important to think ahead and consider everything that is required before you are faced with a critical emergency. 

What steps can you take?  The ASPCA makes the following recommendations:

First, get a free Pet Safety Pack with a Rescue Sticker.    This allows rescuers to  see that pets are inside your home (if you are not home and unable to retrieve your pets).    Write down the types and number of pets in your household and the the name of your vet including phone number, along with other pertinent information.   If you actually are evacuating and taking your pets, write “evacuated” across the stickers.  To get a FREE emergency pet pack for your home, refer to the ASPCA website.  You may fill out the online order form for the pack which includes a sticker and magnet.

Next, arrange a safe place for your pets.   Read the rest of this entry »

Up to this point, no cases of dogs having caught the swine flu have been reported. The disease that is currently showing up in various areas, have doctors commenting that thus far, domesticated pets seem immune to the disease. Although the swine flu is able to affect humans, usually human viruses do not affect dogs because of their genetic makeup. It is extremely rare that any type of animal virus is able to be passed onto humans. The problem is that this strain of swine flu going around has managed to mutate so that it does indeed infect humans.

According to NBC’s chief science correspondent, Robert Bazell, this virus that originated in pigs and became capable of infecting human beings, is not one that preferentially affects cats and dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

With Earth Day being celebrated this week, keep in mind that we can help our dogs and cats do their part too! PoopBags.com, a small business based out of Chicago provides a line of biodegradable pet waste products. These pet poop bags meet the ASTM D6400 specification for biodegradability which requires that the material will degrade at a similar rate as an apple would , and that it will leave no large plastic fragments.

PoopBags.com notes that their product is made from a combination of corn and other renewable products, have no chemical additives to enhance decomposition, and biodegrade naturally when exposed to micro-organisms in the soil. They also state that their product “breathes”, allowing heat and moisture to escape. It is this feature that reduces bacterial build-up of collected waste thus reducing odor.

CONSIDER THESE FACTS

• It is estimated that over 4 million tons of dog waste go uncollected annually.
• 25 percent of all pollutants in waterways are attributed to dog waste.
• Plastics are the fourth highest generated waste in the United States. Originating from petroleum, which is non-renewable, plastics do not biodegrade and take thousands of years to break down. A thin plastic bag can sit for 100 years and harm fish and wildlife and plug drainage sewers in cities…along with many other problems. Paper, yard trimmings, and food scraps are the top three categories of generated waste. All of these however, come from renewable sources.
• Plastics are the least recycled with a 6.9% recovery rate. Over 30 million tons of plastic go unrecycled each year.

SOLUTION… Read the rest of this entry »