Tips for cool Tricks for your dog!
“Shake hands” is probably one of our favorite tricks! It’s always so cute to see a dog do this! Our advice is to use our Little Stars Training Treats because they’re only the size of half of a finger nail – so your pup doesn’t really know its coming. This allows for your dog to maintain eye contact and focus on you rather than on the treat in hand!
Start by having your dog sit then say, “Shake hands.” Then take his paw with your hand, hold his paw and say, “Good dog!” Let go of his paw, give him a little stars training treat. Remember to do this a few times every day. When you think you’ve practiced enough, say “Shake Hands” but don’t take his paw – see if your dog will raise it by their self. If they don’t, it’s ok because they’re still learning. Be sure to keep showing your dog what to do!
Here’s a youtube video on how to teach your dog to shake hands – we won’t lie, we picked it because the narrator has an British accent and the dog is just so gosh darn cute!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb18tP34pSY]
Mutt Mitts
Recently, my apartment sent a memo to residents reminding dog owners to pick up after their dogs. People often forget to bring bags down with them and our apartment complex certainly doesn’t offer any amenities if dog owners do forget these bags – so dog waste has become a problem. Picking up properly after your dog is part of being a responsible owner. When in public areas it’s very important to pick up your dog waste as it helps prevent the spread of disease and bacteria.
Dog waste isn’t just a problem at my apartment complex but in most city parks as well. Wet-Noses is located in Monroe, WA and fortunate for us, Monroe offers Mutt Mitt stations for dog owners to pick up after their dogs. Incase you do not know what a “Mutt Mitt” is… it’s basically a fancy way to say a biodegradable dog waste bag. Or if you prefer their tagline, Mutt Mitts are the “pollution solution.” We like Mutt Mitts because they are not only more durable than regular dog bags they are biodegradable as well. They will degrade when exposed to light and/or heat in as little as 90 days.
As awesome as these bags are, they are not helpful to dog owners when the dispensers are not filled. After noticing that these dispensers were not always filled, we did some investigation to find out that due to city budget cuts, the Parks department was having trouble keeping their Mutt Mitt containers filled. Since Monroe is our hometown, we cannot just let this lie… so we are excited to announce our partnership with the City of Monroe. Wet-Noses will be providing mutt mitts for the next 2 years beginning in April 2011.
It is important to us to not only promote healthy nutrition with our dogs but maintaining a healthy environment as well. According to a study that mutt mitts has published on their website, “offering Mutt Mitts to visitors increase doggie doo pick up by more than 95% than those that offer no solution at all” (www.muttmitt.com).
So! If you are a Monroe, WA local or happen to visit, in beginning in April look for Wet-Noses Mutt Mitts throughout city parks!
Bring All Commercial Dog Breeders under Federal Oversight
Dear Animal Advocates,
There is a giant loophole in U.S. law concerning the federal oversight of large-scale commercial dog breeders (commonly known as puppy mills). Currently, breeders who sell to puppy brokers and pet stores have to be licensed by the USDA, while those who sell puppies directly to the public do not.
However, a new bill before the U.S. House of Representatives, the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, will bring all commercial dog breeders in the United States under federal oversight by requiring any breeder who sells or offers to sell more than 50 dogs annually to the public—including over the Internet—to be licensed and inspected. The bill will also require all licensed breeders to exercise every dog daily.
The PUPS Act has been introduced in past Congressional sessions, but has always timed out. We’ve been given another chance at enacting this extremely important humane legislation, which would improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of dogs nationwide. What You Can Do It is vital that members of Congress hear that puppy mill reform is important to their constituents. Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to email your U.S. representative in Washington, D.C., and urge him or her to support and cosponsor the PUPS Act. Thank you for your continued support of the ASPCA and our nation’s animals!
Pets and Celebrities
Celebrities seem to be taking over our news – local or national – they seem to always make breaking news. We won’t lie, we LOVE Ellen and we LOVE that she loves pets. What’s great about all of these celebrities making the news is the impact they can have in bringing animal awareness. One of our favorite dog blogs is teddyhilton.com; Teddy Hilton is the feisty dog of Perez Hilton (celebrity blog superstar). He recently wrote an article about Betty White’s PSA for the Califonia Canine Cuties. The spcLA is overcrowded and the Edmonton Humane Society is in demand for small breed. How was this remedied? They have been flying small dogs from these overcrowded shelters to Edmonton; over 400 dogs have been saved by this program!
Check out Betty White’s PSA here: http://teddyhilton.com/2011-02-17-whats-cuter-betty-or-the-pup/?feat=yes
If you want to adopt a dog or know someone who might, check out your local humane society, which can be found at: http://www.humanesociety.org/. It’s a wonderful feeling to save a life! We know we love it!
