It’s getting to be that time of year again when we are preparing for Football season. Flags are being hung outside the house, stickers and license plates and magnets are being put on the cars and menu planning for kickoff is starting. Lets not forget our four legged friends this year when getting ready.

There are a lot of merchants out there that have some great NFL pet gear, but one that I like best is Dicks Sporting Goods. Not only do they have some awesome NFL pet jerseys, but they also have NFL collars and matching leads to go with them. They even have an NFL pet mat to keep your pets food and water area clean.

If you aren’t so much in to NFL, but you’re still a sports fan and MLB, NASCAR, NHL or NBA are more your style, they also have quite a variety of fan items for your pets too. Whose dog wouldn’t look awesome in a St Louis Cardinals bandana and matching collar, or a pink Dale Earnhardt Jr collar for the lady dogs.

So while you are gearing up for your favorite sport, be sure to gear up your pet too. Check out the sports pet gear at Dicks Sporting Goods and get your dog in on the action.

If you had to guess what the most popular family pet dog breed would be, what would you guess? A Poodle, a Cocker, a German Shepherd, a Beagle, nope, it’s a Labrador Retriever. What is it about Labs that have made them the most popular family dog for over 20 years.

Labradors weight in from 60-80lbs and live an average of 12-15 years, unlike most large dogs that do not have that long of a life expectancy. They are extremely energetic and puppy like way into their 4th or 5th year of life, and yet, they are so loveable, intelligent and eager to please. They have a very easy going nature and are very seldom ever aggressive.

Labradors hail from Newfoundland and were used to aid the fishermen in pulling in the nets and catch the escaping fish. After being cross bred with other retrievers, the breed reached its full potential on being a “retriever”.

Not only do they make great family pets, but Labradors are also often used as working service dogs.

Though there is a myth that they don’t shed, they certainly do. However, because they have short soft hair, it is often not seen in the house like dogs that have thick shedding undercoats or long hair.

Having been a former Lab owner, I can tell you that the temperament they have is wonderful however, be prepared to have a lot of excitement in your house for a long time if you have a Lab as your pet, they have way more energy then I could muster up to stay up with them.

Today on the news was a very sad story about a K-9 police dog which died in the line of duty while chasing a suspect. The high heat index across the country is a huge concern for all pet owners for both indoor and outdoor pets, so I wanted to remind everyone about the extreme heat the country is experiencing and precautions that need to be taken with your pets.

For outside pets, make sure they always have a shady area. Not just an area where when the sun is at certain point they will have some shade. It has to be a consistently shady area. Also, make sure they always have plenty of cool water. Loading their bowls up with ice cubes is a good way to ensure that the water will stay cool. Make sure that their food and water bowls are also in a shaded area and not crawling with ants. Pets can become dehydrated very easily. For indoor pets, make sure they too also have access to plenty of water. Just because they are inside does not mean that they can’t dehydrate from going in and out to potty.

Walking your dog is good exercise, but again, in the summer, precautions need to be taken. First off, is the asphalt or concrete too hot on your pet’s feet? They can burn the pads. Also, you might want to think about lessening the walk time so your pet doesn’t get overheated, and slow down the pace in hot weather. Since your pet is closer to the hot ground, they do heat up quicker than you do.

While 50 soldiers slept silently, a suicide bomber on the mission to destroy an entire army camp crept up with the intention of detonating a killer bomb. The plan didn’t fare well for the would be bomber thanks to three stray dogs keeping watch over the camp.  

Two non profit organizations, Roberts Cause, and the Puppy Rescue Mission helped to make the reunion possible between the dogs and their new thankful owners. Both dogs are currently in Georgia reunited with Sgt Duke and his other three dogs until Target heads out to Arizona to be with his new owner.

Several animal rescue  groups will remain in Haiti to continue the Haiti an governments efforts to spay and neuter pets and vaccinate them. Prior to the earthquake, the Haitian government had trained more then 80 veterinarians and  vaccinated over 100,000 dogs and cats in a large scale vaccination and pet population program.

The lives of many animals have been lost and confused, homeless and starving animals are now wandering the streets of Haiti.

The Christian Veterinary Mission has been in Haiti for 30 years, and there were actually two vets on staff when the earthquake hit. They immediately began to help families and their pets. The HSUS has been monitoring the situation along with the AVMA to see where they need to go to be most effective.

Currently, the Animal Relief Coalition of Haiti is on ground in Haiti to help the animals as well as raising money for them.  Organizations that form this group are WSPA,  IFAW, AHA, ASPCA, Best Friends and United Animal Nations.

According to Best Friends website, at this time ARCH is no longer asking for donations to help the animals stating that they have effectively raised enough funds through peoples donations to contain the animal situation. They are gathering up the animals, vaccinating, applying flea control and restoring health to the animal victims.  They are currently seeing between 25 and 50 animals a day.

Scheduled to arrive  today  in the Dominican Republic is a mobile animal unit  which will then go on to Haiti  and should arrive in several days.

Dogs love squeaky toys, and as a parent, we love to watch them play with their squeaky toys. We laugh at their antics and delight in how much fun they are having, but, have you ever stopped to think what could happen if your dog gets the little squeaker out and swallows it.

The squeakers can get lodged in your dogs throat causing them to choke or even be swallowed causing gastric upset or even worse. 

So, now you ask why you should even let them have a squeaky toy. 

You all know dogs are natural hunters and prey on smaller animals. In the wild, the dogs would hunt down their prey, which were hiding and making little squeaky noises. This enabled the dogs to better find their prey and gave them much satisfaction after capturing it. 

To this day, the instinct is still within them, and that is why we think they love their squeaky toys so much. Not only does playing with the toy give them some self satisfaction, it also stimulates their brain and keeps them occupied for quite awhile while addressing their chewing instinct.  

One squeaky toy though that I have found to recommend is the Air Kong Squeaker Donut Toy. The squeaker is hidden. For some reason while dogs are playing with their squeaky toys, they seem to go right for the squeaker and pull it out. With the squeaker hidden, this certainly makes it more difficult and the donut is really pretty tough. 

While no squeaky toy is going to be completely indestructible, some are certainly made to with stand the vigorous exercise workout some dogs and puppies will give them like the Air Kong Squeaker Donut Toy. 

As an added precaution it’s just always best to let them play with their squeaky toy when you are around to watch them

I love football season. Its my favorite time for cooking. With football and the cooler weather, ok, I did say cooler not cold since I live in Florida, I still find plenty of great recipes. But, when we are all sitting around the table eating our favorite foods, and the dogs are watching us with their huge sad eyes, I have to remember they cannot have what I am eating. Instead, I keep a bowl of doggie treats sitting nearby, the kind of treat I don’t normally give them, just to make them feel special. I usually serve raw veggies and dip too, so occasionally I will give them some carrots for pea pods off the veggie tray, and they really love that.

Unfortunately, they cannot eat what is probably my most favorite appetizer dish, my cocktail hot dogs. Its simple and quick and delicious and always a huge hit, however, these dogs, are not for my dogs.

Here it is: Spicy Cocktail Weiners

1lb package of all beef weiners (or little smokies)

2/3 cup of Frenchs Spicy Brown Mustard (or Dijon)

1 1/2 cups of Apple Jelly

1 Chopped up small onion

Dash of garlic powder

Cut each hot dog into 5 or 6 pieces. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the hot dogs. Heat until the sauce has thickened a bit and the hot dogs are cooked. Serve in a fondue part of small warming crock pot to keep warm.

For more great recipes, be sure to check out the Frenchs Cook Off 2009 and be sure to enter also. You could win a $100.00 gift certificate to the grocery store of your choice.

Happy eating, but remember, its just for you, not your pets.

Many times the medicine in your home can be used for pets, however, its best to always check with your veterinarian first. Its also imperative that you use the correct dosage for you pets. I’ve made a list of safe medicines, dosage and what they are for. Remember though, if your pets symptoms persist, you will need to take them to veterinarian. 

Benadryl – Itching, scratching or allergy symptoms

Dogs- ½ to 1 mg per lb, max 2 mg per lb every 8 hrs

Cats – ½ mg per lb every 8 hrs

Buffered Aspirin (Ascriptin) – Pain relief, anti inflammatory

Dogs – 5 mg per lb every 8 hrs

Cats – do not use

Dramamine – For motion sickness

Dogs – 12.5 to 50 mg every 8 hrs

Cats – 12.5 mg every 8 hrs

Hydrogen Peroxide – Use 3% to induce vomiting

Dog and Cats – Use 10ml by mouth, repeat in 15 minutes if no vomiting

Imodium AD – For Diarrhea

Dogs – 1 ml per lb (liquid) or 1 mg per 20 lb of tablet

Cats – do not use

Kaopectate – For Diarrhea

Dogs and Cats – 1ml per lb every 2 hrs

Mineral Oil – For Constipation

Dogs – Up to 4TBS daily

Cats – Up to 2 TBS daily

Canned Pumpkin – For Constipation

Dogs – 2-3 tsp every 8 to 12 hrs

Cats – 1 -2 tsp every 8 to 12 hrs

Pepto Bismol – Gas, Diarrhea

Dogs – 1 tsp per 5 lb every 6 hrs

Cats – do not use

Robitussin DM – Coughing, Hacking

Dogs – 1 tsp per 20lbs every 8 to 10 hrs

Cats, do not use

Any animal lover out there can agree that pet over population is a problem. We can all agree it starts with spaying or neutering your pet. We know that goes along with responsible pet ownership. But, there are times when a pet just can’t be kept any longer. Personally, I’d eat one meal a day to make sure my animals had one too, but that’s just me. Everyone isn’t that way. Then there’s illness that strikes a family, or death or this economy which can sometimes leave the family with no choice as to whether they feed their children or their pets. I get that. What I don’t get is an SPCA that lies to you about killing animals.

In the Tampa Bay paper online today, I read an extremely disturbing article about the Tampa Bay SPCA passing themselves off as a no kill when in reality, they are killing baby kittens, dogs and adult cats at a higher rate then they are adopting them out. Their kennels are not filled, some of their cat cages are empty and volunteers are being asked to sign a confidentiality statement so that they can’t relay to anyone what they see going on there.

My guess is that the 3 million they take in every year from unsuspecting donors would not nearly be that much if they showed their real statistics of euthanasia. Sure, everyone that donates to a shelter doesn’t do so because its a no kill, but, I would suspect that the majority of their donors have also been misled, just like the public and those dropping off pets to be adopted out.

Now, you say, what kind of person drops off pets and should they even have a say if they drop them off. Yes, while I don’t always understand their reason for the abandonment of a pet you’ve had since it was a baby, I certainly can respect the fact that they are attempting to find it a home instead of just leaving it behind in an abandoned apartment or house or letting it loose on the streets like so many others are doing. They are doing so under the assumption that their pet will be given the chance to find another home.

Tampa Bay SPCA says they check the animals for health problems, aggressiveness or cats that won’t use litter boxes. These animals are euthanized. So, you are telling me that someone won’t take a chance on a dog that has a little medical problem or a cat that maybe doesn’t like the litter the SPCA uses? Obviously.

How many other "no kill" rescues are using this same facade to hide behind? It’s disturbing to me to know it’s going on in my hometown or anywhere for that matter.

If these shelters and rescues put as much effort into adopting out the animals as they do in hiding the truth of all the euthanasia, they would have a much higher adoption rate and much lower euthanasia rate. But, from what I’ve seen in the past,  for the most part, that’s not their goal. Their goal is to just run a shelter, dupe the public and hope that a few animals are adopted to at least show their feeble attempts at being a rescue shelter.

The rumors are circulating. Could it be possible that the Six time Super Bowl Champions the Pittsburgh Steelers are even entertaining the thought of signing Michael Vick, dog killer. A man who blatantly killed dogs with his bare hands. What kind of monster does that?

As a long time Steeler fan, I find the rumor to be quite upsetting. Why would such a hard working, moral team like the Steelers even consider this? What could Vick possibly bring to them that they don’t have? Oh ya, controversy. That’s about it. The team’s accomplishments would be so over shadowed by the ill feeling of decent Steeler fans towards Michael Vick that you wouldn’t even remember them for being the best  NFL team in football history.

Why would Tomlin even consider it, not to mention the Rooney’s? Some of the finest, most respected people to ever own a football franchise. Ya ya, forgive and give second chances and all that crap. It doesn’t cut it in the NFL. One strike and you are out. These players are the figureheads that our kids look up to. So, we tell our kids, go out, commit a felony, but that’s ok, cause you can always get a job in the NFL if the local trash company turns you down.

Come on folks, be realistic, not only does Michael Vick NOT belong in the NFL, he for sure does not deserve to be a Steeler. Let some other less fortunate, less talented, less moral team pick him up since the commish decided its ok to reinstate him (with conditions).

If you want your voice heard opposing the Steelers signing Michael Vick, here’s on online petition you can sign.

http://www.petitiononline.com/stlrs09/petition.html