Two Dogs Petsitting

Dog Licenses/Microchips/I.D. Tags

Is your dog wearing the appropriate identification?

A few things we hear often: "Dog licenses are just so the city can get more money from us!" and, "My dog never gets out so what good is a microchip?" and "I don't want my dog to wear a collar all the time." Did you know that if your dog is licensed (wearing the tag) and microchipped and gets out, you raise the chances of being contacted faster by Animal Control (check your city website for information on local Animal Control)? Imagine a tag that enabled a smart phone to scan the pet's information and let's you view dog license number, microchip number and company, all phone numbers, and even a photo of the pet. The BARKCODE I.D. Tag even has a photo of the pet on the tag. Did you know that only about 2% of the pets that go missing are ever reunited with their families. One reason for that dismal statistic is that not all dogs are wearing a visible pet ID tag.

Imagine this scenario: It's raining and thundering, your dog gets scared, jumps the fence, and gets picked up by a good samaritan. What does that person look for first? An I.D. tag. They call the one number that fits on the tag, your home, and you are at work. The next step is usually to take the dog to a local vet to get them scanned for a microchip. Oh, good, microchip found and the microchip company is called. Oops, it's registered under the previous owner because it slipped your mind...dead end for the good samaritan may mean your dog ends up at the Humane Society or local Animal Control. You get home, your dog is gone and you check your voice mail only to find out your dog was handed over to a shelter because the good samaritan couldn't find you.

All that to say, dog licenses help Animal Control identify your dog just that much faster and reunite you with your pet BEFORE they go to the Humane Society...a huge reason to keep a collar with at least a license attached. Dogs get out for various reasons and even if you have older dogs that have never tried to escape, things happen every day that you wouldn't even think would. So, why not pay a small fee (about $20 for a neutered/spayed dog) per year to give your pet an additional safety net...just in case.

Your pet should wear a collar (nylon or similar is best, we do not recommend a "choke chain"*) with I.D. tags at all times, but what if it slips off or breaks in an emergency situation? That's where the microchip** comes in. Microchips are usually offered (sometimes mandatory) to new pet owners by the shelter the pet was adopted from, or by their vet when they are examined for the first time. Microchips act as just one more safety net. Imagine all of the pets that are separated from their families during natural disasters...imagine the reunions that could happen if every single pet was microchipped. That means a lot fewer pets in shelters. It's a win, win, win! A win for you, for your pet, and for the shelter. Microchips are a small fee to inject, only take a moment, and are just like a vaccine (as far as how they are injected) but with a slightly larger needle.

As always, check with your pet's vet to find out what is best for your pet and follow all local pet owner laws...with these two things in mind, you're sure to be an even more successful pet owner.

*Dangers of choke chains and different types of collars (and their uses):
Human Society of the United States
Animal Care & Regulation, Sacramento County
Altamont Veterinary Hospital, PA

**There have been a few claims that microchips MAY cause cancer. Before you decide for or against these claims and microchips, we highly recommend you do a little research and decide what is best for your pet...ask your pet's vet if they have an opinion, if you are still not sure what is best.
Do microchips cause cancer?
Here are a few links to help explain the types of tumors written about in the above link :
Hemangiosarcoma in dogs
Lymphosarcoma in dogs
Fibrosarcoma in dogs

Cutest video alert!

This is a great example of what a dog will do for treats and to please their human. Way to go Heather and Jesse!

Useful Dog Tricks

Awesome Cat-robat Video!

For all cat lovers...you'll dig this!

Human Cat Perch

Tag, You're It! Fun and games with your pup...

Remember when you were a kid and it was too hot to do much except run through the sprinklers or head over for a 25 cent Thrifty's Ice Cream cone (that was a double scoop!)?

Well, that's what's on a dog's mind when it's hot like this...fun and frolic and staying cool. What better game to play than Freeze Tag, only we've renamed it Freeze Dog! It's even better than the kids game, in our opinions.

Here are the "rules", but realize when you're playing with dogs, rules are meant to be broken!

A group of dogs (two or more) gather in a safe, off-leash area. All dog's owners are present and within view. The dogs are prompted to play with each other, toys, or in the sprinklers until someone says "freeze!". Dogs are then asked to "stay" or "wait"...the first dog to move after the command gets a point (or a letter if you want to play like Horse). The dogs are released from their frozen states and continue to play until the next "freeze" is yelled out. You can set how many points, or the word to spell, each dog is allowed to acquire before being sent to the bleachers (that's not a bad thing, just wait). When there's one dog left, he's declared the Big Freeze (instead of the Big Cheese) and gets a special toy to take home.

Each dog that is sent out of the game is rewarded for playing nicely with a Frosty Paws 

 

or other frozen treat (homemade is as easy as filling a Kong toy with your dog's favorite treats and freezing it in advance) and a big drink of cool water from THE stainless steel water bottle for dogs, H2O4K9

 

The main recipe for a successful game of Freeze Dog is safety...the FUN will follow any social, well-trained dog wherever they go. There's not much that compares to having fun with a group of great dogs and their human pals! It's better than Thrifty Ice Cream for us!

Positive redirection of an aggressive dog

 

Victoria Stilwell attempts to curb Sydney's aggression before she hurts another dog.

We love the way Victoria uses 100% positive training techniques. If you were lucky enough to catch this full episode, you would've seen the Jack russell shivering with anxiety the entire time until Victoria started massaging the dog's back and chest. Although no trainer has techniques that work all of the time for all of the dogs, we do like how Victoria holds owners completely accountable and responsible for the well-being of the family pet dynamic. Way to go!