Morning rituals

I miss my old morning ritual with my dogs. (One of my dogs was ill and pts a few months ago.) She had such a zest for life and she made getting up in the morning fun and joyful. I’m not sure if it was me stirring in bed that gave her the notion that it was time to get up, or if it was something else like the alarm clock (that didn’t go off every morning). She started with her large fluffy tail banging on the floor or between the night table and floor – depending on her sleeping position. What a racket! If I didn’t lean over quickly enough to greet her she would sit up and wait for me to pat the bed (her cue) or tell her to go back to sleep. This bed patting was the key to getting the morning started. She would hop onto the bed – everything except her back feet — because she wasn’t supposed to be “on” the bed but leaning on it this way was ok. At first just the front feet were allowed, then the chest, and eventually almost everything else. She would get a good hearty rub all over and smiled and wagged. Sometimes she would kind of roll onto her side (back feet still on the floor!) and get a belly rub, too.  When I was done, she’d jump off and start following me around to make sure she didn’t miss anything that might happen. She loved getting up in the morning and I loved helping her help me to start it off in this fun lovey-dovey and important way. It turns out that it was important to me too. I didn’t think it was. It was a great way to start the day and I really miss her.

Decorating for Dog Owners

I was really pleased to get an article on home decorating when living with a dog (or dogs)! MetroWestDog is on the cutting edge of dog trends and we want you to be a part of it.

As a dog walker, I got to see the insides of a number of homes. From my perspective there are four types of doggie decorating –

1. The entire house that has a dog (or pet) theme is not unusual. There are dog pictures and posters and stuffed toy dogs and dog patterned blankets, tablecloths, towels, dog cards and dog knick-knacks everywhere you look – you get the idea. This household will do just about anything for their furkids.
2. One room is devoted to a dog theme – like my home office – controlled chaos.
3. Dog stuff all over the house is the most popular – a throw cover on the chair or sofa, dog toys scattered on the rug, several dog beds throughout the house and generally a few photos.
4. The hairless, bed-less, toy-less “I thought you had a dog?” house.

Here are some “decorating” tips that I’ve used, and a bunch that I found on the net. Feel free to add your hints and tips via the comment section of the blog. We’d love to hear from you!

My tips:

• Bathroom rugs with the rubber on the bottom used as scatter rugs on the hardwood floor. They don’t slide and help protect the floor. They’re washable, too.
• Leather furniture.
• Bound carpet remnants (as opposed to wall-to-wall carpeting) or just cheap rugs. When it gets too dirty or smelly throw it out and get another one.
• Carpeting on the stairs. It helps the dogs go up and down faster and curbs wipe outs.

From the net:

• In my house I had to ‘happy tail’ proof EVERYTHING! I added decorative shelving, 3’ above the floor level, to place “tchotskes”, movies, books, candles and other breakable objects. Pet-proofing is an important part of decorating!
• I am an interior designer and hate the old saying “if you have kids or dogs, you can’t have nice stuff”. This is so untrue. When I purchase furniture, rugs, or décor my dogs are one of the biggest factors in decision-making. I bring home fabric samples to see how dog hair attracts/blends/shows on a particular color and if I can’t get a fabric already coated with a crypton or protective covering I spray my furniture myself with a furniture protectant that helps deter stains.
• Use leftover upholstery to make dog beds. All of the fabrics then coordinate to create a uniform look and the upholstery is much more durable than the original dog bed fabric.
• Patterns help hide the hair. Carpet color has a lot to do with what will show and what will not.
• Hair is not as noticeable on Berber.
• Carpeting and furniture in the same color range as my dog.
• Flor (www.FLOR.com) carpeting (20×20-inch carpet squares) cleans up easily and when one, or a few squares get soiled just pull them up and wash them or replace them with new. A lot cheaper than a new rug.
• Remove carpet and put in cork, laminate tile and wood flooring.
• Hardwood floors got ruined from scratches but the Pergo still looks great!
• Cover hardwood with a laminate floating floor – no damage to the hardwood that way.
• Cover high traffic areas (including hardwoods) with washable throw rugs. When they wear out you just throw them away and go shopping for new ones.
• Get a large remnant rug that has the edges bound. You can get them professionally cleaned or just toss them and start over with a fresh one.
• Leather cleans very easily and I cover it with blankets so my dogs can lay on it with me. I kept my old couch just for them exclusively.
• I put a large sheet over the couch and chair (where the dogs love to cuddle with us) to protect it from everyday use. When we have company I just fold up the sheet and stow it under the couch.
• The Crypton Super Fabrics (www.cryptonfabric.com), while very expensive, is worth every cent. I did find hair gets attracted to it just like any other fabric, but it wipes clean with no problems when there is a mess.
• Stain-resistant fabrics like Sunbrella Fabrics (www.sunbrella.com) or Waverly’s Sun-N-Shade collection (www.Waverly.com) is easy to care for and is durable.
• Micro-fiber furniture is fantastic. It doesn’t matter what you get on it, it will wipe clean with a wet sponge! Plus it’s very comfortable. It feels like suede.
• Pottery Barn furniture covered in their Everyday suede – even though hair gets attracted to it. Every few weeks just unzip the cushion covers and throw them in the wash.
• Place a sheet or throw over the bedspread during the daytime. Easier to wash than the bedspread.
• Dyson (www.Dyson.com) sweeper works well on the carpets, furniture and hard surfaces. Hair just disappears.
• The Dyson (purple, pet model) is worth its weight in gold. The attachments and spot treatments that come with the pet model are also very useful.
• Bissell (www.Bissell.com) heating rug cleaner, and their pet stain removing products. Add a little white vinegar to the water, and not only do you wipe out the stains, mud, stuck fur, dog drool and food leftovers on the floor, but the vinegar cuts the smell of wet dog.
• A misting room air freshener. It helps minimize odors.
• A room air cleaner works wonders.
• We have Sherwin-Williams (www.sherwin-williams.com) Duration paint on every surface she might drool on or rub against.
• Check out your local yard sales…you can find some great bargains and nice stuff and that if it gets ruined – it’s no biggie.

To dig or not to dig

We’re all spending more time outdoors now that the weather is nicer. So that means your dog is more likely to discover ways to occupy himself outside when you’re not looking. Here are a few tips that might help if you have a dog that likes to dig.

• Blow up some balloons and bury them in the area your dog likes to dig. When he strikes a balloon, the noise of it popping startles your dog.
• If your dog has a favorite spot he likes to dig you can bury some chicken wire about 2-4” under the surface of this area – especially around the fence. When your dog starts to dig he won’t like the feeling of his paws on the wire – and he won’t be able to get under the fence.
• Put some of your dogs’ poop into the hole and cover it with dirt. Most dogs are really put off when they dig into that.
• Some dogs just like to copy what they see their owners doing. So if you’re working in the garden, your dog may be interested in helping. You could let him help you dig a hole for your flowers – or better yet allow him a special spot in the yard just for digging.

As always, we’d love to have your comments and/or suggestions on things to write about.

Helping homeless dogs while shopping

So many of us make purchases over the internet as a regular part of our shopping. Did you know that you can help homeless animals when you shop? You can even select the non-profit (it doesn’t have to be animal related) that you want your money to benefit. Here are just a few that I’ve come across.

www.maatiam.com

www.greatergood.com

www.goodsearch.com

www.igive.com

The Squirrels Know

A funny thing happened at the park the other morning. The squirrels didn’t run when we got close to them. It used to be when I had my squirrel preying dog (she never caught one, btw) – who loved to chase the squirrels after an intense stalking period – that when they saw us coming they’d run for their lives, sometimes even from 30 or more feet away.  Now that she’s no longer with me, the squirrels have noticed and they’re not panicky any more. My recently adopted dog apparently isn’t interested in squirrels, and we were actually standing right next to a tree with a squirrel – at eye level – and it took its time deciding whether to climb the tree or go away. That was so weird! I could almost reach out and touch it – not that I’d want to – but the difference was amazing. I think, though, that I prefer the stalking and chasing. It was much more fun way to start the day – but I’m not a squirrel.

Beware of Batman

If you live in the Framingham/Natick area you may have seen a man carrying a bat while being dragged around (a.k.a. walking) his dog. This is really the only time this hyper untrained dog gets a break from being chained to a tree. Beware of letting your dog get too close or you or your dog could get hit with the bat. I’ve seen it happen. The man, after all, has to protect himself. What’s even worse is that the police as well as animal control allow such behavior. They say this man has a right to protect himself. I guess we should be lucky he’s only using a bat.

Keeping it cool

Too many awesome summer items to pick just one this month.

Orvis has a Cooling Dog Pool for those dogs that love the water but need more than an ordinary kiddie pool. Also available at www.petgadgets.com.

There’s also the Adirondack style outdoor dog bed from Orvis or the one from The Company Store. For the build-it-yourselfers www.gazebos-and-garden-sheds.com has them too.

Summer is a good time for some COOL stuff too. Check out the Outward Hound Cool-It Cooling Bandana and tick/bug repellant wear, Buzz Off Bandana at www.petgadgets.com.

MetroWestDog visits Hopkinton

Today MetroWestDog.com spent time at the BayPath Humane Society fundraising walk. I met a few businesses that were already listed on the website (and were glad they were!) and a few that were thinking about joining. I hope they do! It was a really nice day and the dogs that attended were well behaved – especially after the 3 mile walk through Hopkinton State Park. It was good to get out and meet some people and spread the word that MetroWestDog is a great resource for pet owners — and for people with small pet-related businesses that are looking to enhance their marketing efforts.

Where does your dog go when you travel?

Where does your dog go when you travel?

• Stays home, petsitter comes
  (5 votes)
• Stays home, neighbor/family comes
  (1 vote)
• With family or friends
  (7 votes)
• Goes to boarding facility
  (8 votes)
• Travels with me
  (12 votes)