Archive for the ‘problem/solution’ Category

Gida is the proud new owner of this baby-blue crate. Under the pee pad (sad face), there is a comfy chocolate-brown pillow.

Yeah, so, sad face. She has peed and pooped enough times in the house during our workday that this became our most viable solution at, um, containing things. So far, it’s going alright.

She had a soft-shell pet carrier similar to these, but no everyday crate. This is unusual, I guess. Well, when she was younger, she had a crate. My hubs picked her up after vacation to find she’d have nothing to do with it — Gida henceforth did not use crates, and we and our Gida-watchers learned an important lesson: do not force them into these things. We’ve enticed her with treats and she seems to have a decent sense of ownership over it. Our worry, though, is that she’s too old to learn this particular new-dog trick. That she’ll pee and poop all over it, and she’ll therefore hate hanging out in this baby-blue toilet.

Or is that old-dog/new-trick thing just baloney? I mean, we could get her some curtains and a disco ball if you think it’ll help, but…

So far, my tricks for teaching this particularly particular lady:

• TREATS in the cage. Treats from the outside into the cage. Treats + crate = good time. Repeat.
• Don’t make noise. Any noise. I sighed a little when she stopped halfway on the way in, and she reacted slightly to even that. Tsk tsk, me.
• The b-o-n-e in there with her really seems to help, as well as a little rawhide chew. I was only half-kidding about the disco ball, because it has to be as dorm-room, this-is-mine as it can get.

My friend Katie has a wickedly charming cat who is a wild thing when it comes to getting his claws clipped. We’re talking full freak out, bunny-kicking, watch out for your eyes insanity. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s springtime! As such, pet-goods retailer Petco cautions us to, between initial sneezes and nose wipes, address pet allergies before they become a real problem.

Your tips for success:

• Grooming (bathing and brushing)
• Proper nutrition (for a healthy coat)
• Fresh pet beds and blankets
• Keeping your house clean (easier said than done, eh?)

Even this low-dander pet owner is committed to the task; our springtime-allergic guests will thank us.

Hey, Sneezy: got a good tip? Share your personal tips for pet-allergy success!

Photo: Candie_N on Flickr

The other day, as baby Fynn and I were walking Milo to our local trail I heard something galloping towards us. I turned to find a giant pit bull type pup running full force down the middle of the street. To make things even more frightening, it was a 35 mph road.

The dog boisterously greeted Milo and continued to follow us up the trail. I thought the pittie must have gotten separated from his owner on their hike and that we’d eventually meet up with them, but as we continued into the redwoods I realized no one was looking for him. After a few failed attempts, I was finally able to corral the big mush and grab his collar to look at his tags. Magnum was his name and to my horror I discovered he lived about a 1/2 mile away which led me to guess that he had gotten away from his owners and run all the way to the hiking trail. Luckily, with some help from some fellow dog walkers we were able to get the phone number off of Magnum’s tag and call his owner who, relieved, met us at the trail entrance to retrieve the big lug.

Read the rest of this entry »