I learned I could not bring my Poppy's homemade, raw diet into Canada. I would have to substitute a product that is "commercially packaged and sealed with ingredients listed in English."
They cover all the basic information you will need and include an important section on breed-specific regulations you must know about if you plan to travel to Ontario or Montreal.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photos: screenshot courtesy of Go Pet Friendly.
I learned I could not bring my Poppy's homemade, raw diet into Canada. I would have to substitute a product that is "commercially packaged and sealed with ingredients listed in English."
They cover all the basic information you will need and include an important section on breed-specific regulations you must know about if you plan to travel to Ontario or Montreal.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photos: screenshot courtesy of Go Pet Friendly.
Duchess Poppy Whitehead here! (Once we're friends, you can call me Poppy.)
Every year around this time, I find myself "sniffing-up" with a lot of new members of my Boston Canine Court. So every year I try to let them, and the rest of the dogs who are new to Boston, know what they should put on the to-do list of their human servants.
License
Just like you have to make sure your chauffeur has a valid driver's license, you have to be sure one of your human staff members gets you a Boston dog license (if Boston is your main residence and you are more than six months old).
Please don't come running up to me on one of those long, thin, dangerous strings with a pulley. I'm a bit shy and I don't trust those things. You'll make me stamp my little paw down!
Boston's leash law is clearly stated on the city’s site, “When your dog is off your property, it must be on a leash.” City ordinance calls for a leash of 10-feet or less. That makes most retractable leashes technically illegal in Boston. If a person tries to attach one to you, growl at them.
One more interesting aspect of Boston’s dog rules is that while out with you, your retainers, if asked, must be able to show that they are carrying something to pick up dog waste. This makes city dog walks a prime reason to attach a roll of pick-up bags to your leash.
Even if your people use recycled bags to do the majority of clean ups, the roll will give them a back up supply if you are stopped after your business is done, but the walk isn’t.
Sir Felix is one of my special knights. He prefers a leather leash or halter when he escorts me around the pond.
Dog Parks
I must admit, I'm not much of a dog park dog. I prefer a nice chat on a park bench or a picnic lunch under a shady tree.
But, for those who like to romp, the legal exceptions to the leash law are: the “official off-leash hours” on the Boston Common, and inside the fences at dog parks like Peter’s Park in the South End, DeFilippo Park in the North End, and Ronan Park in Dorchester.
Emergency Services
The one bit of guidance you must be sure your humans note is that Angell Animal Medical Center Emergency Services are available, as they say, “… every day of the year, 24 hours each day.” My people have their number on all our cell phones in case of an emergency. And it can't hurt to have your chauffeur practice a drive to the location so he or she will know where you are going in a stressful time. You don't want to be giving the driver directions if you have an upset tummy.
Questions?
If you have questions about living in Boston, have your people send them to my people and I'll try to dig out answers. (I do love to dig.) Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email.
Get to know all of the wonderful Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Duchess Poppy Whitehead here! (Once we're friends, you can call me Poppy.)
Every year around this time, I find myself "sniffing-up" with a lot of new members of my Boston Canine Court. So every year I try to let them, and the rest of the dogs who are new to Boston, know what they should put on the to-do list of their human servants.
License
Just like you have to make sure your chauffeur has a valid driver's license, you have to be sure one of your human staff members gets you a Boston dog license (if Boston is your main residence and you are more than six months old).
Please don't come running up to me on one of those long, thin, dangerous strings with a pulley. I'm a bit shy and I don't trust those things. You'll make me stamp my little paw down!
Boston's leash law is clearly stated on the city’s site, “When your dog is off your property, it must be on a leash.” City ordinance calls for a leash of 10-feet or less. That makes most retractable leashes technically illegal in Boston. If a person tries to attach one to you, growl at them.
One more interesting aspect of Boston’s dog rules is that while out with you, your retainers, if asked, must be able to show that they are carrying something to pick up dog waste. This makes city dog walks a prime reason to attach a roll of pick-up bags to your leash.
Even if your people use recycled bags to do the majority of clean ups, the roll will give them a back up supply if you are stopped after your business is done, but the walk isn’t.
Sir Felix is one of my special knights. He prefers a leather leash or halter when he escorts me around the pond.
Dog Parks
I must admit, I'm not much of a dog park dog. I prefer a nice chat on a park bench or a picnic lunch under a shady tree.
But, for those who like to romp, the legal exceptions to the leash law are: the “official off-leash hours” on the Boston Common, and inside the fences at dog parks like Peter’s Park in the South End, DeFilippo Park in the North End, and Ronan Park in Dorchester.
Emergency Services
The one bit of guidance you must be sure your humans note is that Angell Animal Medical Center Emergency Services are available, as they say, “… every day of the year, 24 hours each day.” My people have their number on all our cell phones in case of an emergency. And it can't hurt to have your chauffeur practice a drive to the location so he or she will know where you are going in a stressful time. You don't want to be giving the driver directions if you have an upset tummy.
Questions?
If you have questions about living in Boston, have your people send them to my people and I'll try to dig out answers. (I do love to dig.) Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email.
Get to know all of the wonderful Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Our Sunday Dog feature today is a report on something new we learned recently about dogs and licking.
Any odd licking should be reported to your vet the same way you would report a change in unusual eating or elimination symptoms. The study reported that 74% of Dogs doing excessive licking of surfaces had some form of a gastrointestinal disease. Here is a summary of the study from Science Dog.
We knew that allergies and obsessions were reasons for licking, but this study sheds a new light on the importance of this symptom for diagnosing other issues.
Our Sunday Dog feature today is a report on something new we learned recently about dogs and licking.
Any odd licking should be reported to your vet the same way you would report a change in unusual eating or elimination symptoms. The study reported that 74% of Dogs doing excessive licking of surfaces had some form of a gastrointestinal disease. Here is a summary of the study from Science Dog.
We knew that allergies and obsessions were reasons for licking, but this study sheds a new light on the importance of this symptom for diagnosing other issues.
We all make some bad decisions in life, hopefully learn from them, and move on. However, when a decision impacts another living creature, we have to be far more careful. Animal adoption is a lifetime decision that will impact the future for everyone involved.
The outrageous number of dogs and cats in shelters and in the rescue system is, in part, because people don’t think things through or take advantage of opportunities to pre-test their decisions.
Try Before You Buy or Adopt
September is a big move-in month in Boston. We have students settling into their first homes-away-from-home and young professionals moving into their first post-grad apartments. For some, it’s their first opportunity to have a companion animal. A few may have carefully selected a building and/or landlord where dogs and cats are allowed.
My suggestion to anyone embarking on a new life as an animal guardian is to test the waters first by sharing responsibility with a friend or family member who has a dog or cat. Even taking care of an animal for one or two weeks will give you a better idea of how guardianship affects your life.
Tricky was fortunate to be living in a foster home when the prince of a man (she is now totally devoted to) visited. Here she sits and waits by a door for his return.
Become a Foster Home
You could also sign up with a rescue agency or shelter as a foster home. I’ve also suggested this to people who ask me about adding a second or third animal to their family. Try it first.
Both the MSPCA and Animal Rescue League of Boston have foster home programs (these links will take you directly to the foster program pages). My husband and I have done home visits to review foster homes for specific rescue groups where we are volunteers. If you are interested in a specific type or size of dog or cat, contact the appropriate rescue group and ask about fostering opportunities.
You could be the one getting kisses like the woman in the MSPCA photo below.
There have been times when we're doing a home visit for someone who would like to adopt a dog, when we suggest they consider fostering first. It might be that they have too little experience with dogs or that they have unrealistic expectations for a rescued animal.
On the page for the MSPCA Boston Foster Program, they have good information to consider when planning to foster.
“Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience that requires a real commitment. The emotional aspects of fostering are difficult and should be discussed with all family members. It is easy to fall in love with any animal especially one that has depended on you. Oftentimes it can be difficult to see them leave your home for their new forever home. The wonderful part of fostering is knowing that you played a tremendous and extremely crucial role in getting them there!”
There is a lot to consider. In rescue circles, we talk about flunking fostering. That happens when you decide to keep the animal you set out to foster. Sometimes this is possible, but not always.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Bet you have a large collection of photos of your dogs and cats on your phone. We certainly do.
However, I recently reviewed a study on dogs who are doing a lot of licking and it sparked a far more important use of my phone as a way to provide my veterinary team with vital information to help them with a diagnosis.
Take a Video of the Problem
The next time your dog or cat is limping, licking, gagging, or showing any other visible symptom that makes you think about a trip to the vet or a behaviorist, take a video of the symptom or behavior. If you upload the video to an Internet-based site, you can send a link to your vet or play it during your visit.
We all laugh about the number of times a symptom magically disappears when the cat or dog is on the examination table. If that occurs, you can present the video as a part of your report to the doctor.
Take Progressive Photos
In some cases, a close up photo might work better to help you determine if an issue is getting worse or getting better. Taking a photo a day of an injury or problem can be a sure way for you and your vet to assess progress.
We did this recently when Poppy was under treatment for an irritated paw. Each day, after I cleaned and treated her paw, Ed would hold it as open as he could and I’d photograph the area. Looking at the photos together assured us the treatment was working and her paw was healing. You could do the same thing with videos if that works better.
Tips For Photo & Video Communication
Practice your photo video taking skills before you need them.
Set up an online account with services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Youtube and learn how to use them to upload your photos and videos, send links to them by email, and show them on your phone.
If movement is part of the symptom, try to take videos with the animal walking towards you, away from you, and across the screen to give the doctor more points of view.
Create an album for specific ongoing issues. For example, if your dog is showing signs of seasonal allergies with goopy eyes, take photos of them for a few days and after treatment is underway.
Do your best in stressful situations. We don’t know if we would have been great videographers when our first Westie Sassy was having seizures. However, it would have been wonderful to have been able to show the veterinary team exactly what her seizures looked like.
Ask your veterinarian if they would like to be sent a video of a symptom prior to a visit and what they would charge for that type of consultation.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Bet you have a large collection of photos of your dogs and cats on your phone. We certainly do.
However, I recently reviewed a study on dogs who are doing a lot of licking and it sparked a far more important use of my phone as a way to provide my veterinary team with vital information to help them with a diagnosis.
Take a Video of the Problem
The next time your dog or cat is limping, licking, gagging, or showing any other visible symptom that makes you think about a trip to the vet or a behaviorist, take a video of the symptom or behavior. If you upload the video to an Internet-based site, you can send a link to your vet or play it during your visit.
We all laugh about the number of times a symptom magically disappears when the cat or dog is on the examination table. If that occurs, you can present the video as a part of your report to the doctor.
Take Progressive Photos
In some cases, a close up photo might work better to help you determine if an issue is getting worse or getting better. Taking a photo a day of an injury or problem can be a sure way for you and your vet to assess progress.
We did this recently when Poppy was under treatment for an irritated paw. Each day, after I cleaned and treated her paw, Ed would hold it as open as he could and I’d photograph the area. Looking at the photos together assured us the treatment was working and her paw was healing. You could do the same thing with videos if that works better.
Tips For Photo & Video Communication
Practice your photo video taking skills before you need them.
Set up an online account with services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Youtube and learn how to use them to upload your photos and videos, send links to them by email, and show them on your phone.
If movement is part of the symptom, try to take videos with the animal walking towards you, away from you, and across the screen to give the doctor more points of view.
Create an album for specific ongoing issues. For example, if your dog is showing signs of seasonal allergies with goopy eyes, take photos of them for a few days and after treatment is underway.
Do your best in stressful situations. We don’t know if we would have been great videographers when our first Westie Sassy was having seizures. However, it would have been wonderful to have been able to show the veterinary team exactly what her seizures looked like.
Ask your veterinarian if they would like to be sent a video of a symptom prior to a visit and what they would charge for that type of consultation.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
The past month, everyone has had the same question when they see us out walking, "Have you met Skye, yet?" There is nothing like a new puppy to generate excitement among the neighborhood dog walkers.
Then one day, we spotted this adorable Westie puppy and asked, "Is that Skye?"
Skye and her person must have been on the other end of the questioning because when we introduced our girl, "We know all about Poppy." was the reply.
Skye spent a few minutes asking Poppy some questions and trying to get our little Duchess to play. As usual, her highness declined but did allow a round of sniffs.
Skye was in one of those adorable, one-ear-up-one-ear-down phases. But she was talkative and a little cuddle bug. After Penny was given permission, this little sweetie was picked up for a good snuggle. Then Poppy took notice! (Hey, no stealing my people!)
She was named for the Isle of Skye off the coast of Scotland and we look forward to learning more about her as this little neighbor grows up under the watchful eyes of her fan club.
Here is our Poppy at Skye's age with her favorite Kong toys!
We ran into Skye again and her person said that Ms. Skye is now a fan of goat cheese in a Kong Extreme! Poppy recommended this for times when a dog girl has to stay home alone and might get bored enough to HOWL! We wrote about that toy in this post:
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! Poppy recommended this for times when a dog girl has to stay home alone and might get bored enough to HOWL! We wrote about that toy in this post: