Woofalicious Tales

National Love Your Pets Day 2025!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

HHey Woofa’s, Happy National Love Your Pet Day!! I mean as if we don’t love them enough already – RIGHT? As I sit here typing this blog post Billy is on the floor right behind my chair sleeping! He’s so close I don’t think I can move my chair. He does have a bed in this room but he’s chosen to lay right behind my chair. Such loyalty. They give us such unconditional love, how can we not love them back? WHAT IS NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY? February 20th has been the day chosen as the national day designed for pampering your pet with extra love. Because, don’t they deserve it? We have Valentine’s Day on 14th February, why not use February 20 to show our pets how much we appreciate their unconditional love. It doesn’t matter what your Pet is, just pour more love on them today. I can’t seem to find HOW this day actually began, however the national day appears to have been celebrated widely since the early 2000s. SOME PET STATISTICS! According to the WorldoMeter website – The current population of Australia is 26,603,090 as of Saturday, February 17, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Now according to the RSPCA website – there are currently an estimated 28.7 million pets in Australia. If you do the math, there’s more pets than people in Australia!!! Aussies have one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world. Approximately 69% of households in Australia own pets, with dogs being the most common (48%), followed by cats (33%). 85% of owners say their pets have positively impacted their lives. Many pet owners have adopted ‘pet parenting’ behaviours that resemble parent-child relationships – for example, speaking to their pets as though the pet understands what they are saying, and referring to themselves as the pet’s parent. Dean and I definitely do this. Common benefits of pet ownership described by pet owners include: Relational benefits (love, affection and companionship); Improvement of mental health and well-being; Socialisation benefits (e.g., connection to the community and opportunities for human interaction in person or online); Improvement of physical health. The reasons for getting pets differs by species but common reasons include companionship, relaxation and mental health and to rescue the animal. Australian households are estimated to have spent over $33 billion on pet services and products in 2022! Food represents 51% of all expenditure, followed by veterinary service at 14%. Dog owners spent the most, with an estimated average of $3218 spent per animal each year. Cat owners spend an estimated average of $1715 per animal each year. IDEAS ON HOW TO GIVE YOUR PET SOME EXTRA LOVE THIS NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY! Even if you have to work today there are ways you can add some extra love to your pet this National Love Your Pet Day! Play their favourite game. Whatever your pet is, surely you know their favourite game! Billy’s is making us chase him around the house with his ball in his mouth and us trying to get it off him. He thinks this is wonderful. Take your Pet out for the day (if it’s safe). If your dog loves the dog park, take a trip either before or after work and give them a good run around and play with other dogs. Take your Dog to a Dog friendly beach/watering hole. If your dog loves the beach, again take a trip to the beach. We’re still in daylight savings so this can be done after work. Buy your Dog a new toy. I know you can still take your dogs to Bunnings, if your pet is social take them to pick out their favourite toy. And then make sure you spend time playing with them. Buy your Dog their favourite food and/or treat. We get Billy dog friendly chocolate drops from Pet Barn or Pet Stock, he loves them. Take heaps of fun selfies/pics of your pet. My phone is full of dog pics, not only of Billy but many of my Dog Grooming customer’s dogs. Take your pet on a picnic. If you can get out for the day and take your pet with you. Have some food along the way and enjoy yourselves. Or if you’re restricted for time have a bbq or picnic in the backyard or on your balcony. Take your pet out for breakfast/lunch/dinner – if your pet is friendly take them out for a special meal at a Pet friendly cafe. Set up a play date. If your dog has a favourite person or other dog, set them up on a doggy date. Make them their favourite treat. If you’re into cooking there’s doggy cake mixes at pet stores these days, you can make your dog a cake or some biscuits etc. Buy them a raw bone from the butcher, whatever they like. Time. Give your pet extra one on one time. Hang out with them, watch a movie with them, have a nanna nap with them, just give them your undivided attention. Don’t have a pet? that’s fine if you still love pets and want to share in the day, go hang at a dog park, or hang with someone who does have a pet. If you’re truly ready maybe you might look at adopting a pet?? You get the idea, there’s plenty of ways you can pour some extra love onto your pet. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Today 20th February 2024 is National Love Your Pet Day. So spend the day pouring extra love onto your Pet. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOU’RE SPENDING NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY? Happy National Love Your Pet Day!! I mean as if we don’t love them enough already – RIGHT? As I sit here typing this blog post Billy is on the floor right behind my chair sleeping! He’s so close I don’t think I can move my chair. He does have a bed in this room but he’s chosen to lay right behind my chair. Such loyalty. They give us such unconditional love, how can we not love them back? WHAT IS NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY? February 20th has been the day chosen as the national day designed for pampering your pet with extra love. Because, don’t they deserve it? We have Valentine’s Day on 14th February, why not use February 20 to show our pets how much we appreciate their unconditional love. It doesn’t matter what your Pet is, just pour more love on them today. I can’t seem to find HOW this day actually began, however the national day appears to have been celebrated widely since the early 2000s. SOME PET STATISTICS! According to the WorldoMeter website – The current population of Australia is 26,603,090 as of Saturday, February 17, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Now according to the RSPCA website – there are currently an estimated 28.7 million pets in Australia. If you do the math, there’s more pets than people in Australia!!! Aussies have one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world. Approximately 69% of households in Australia own pets, with dogs being the most common (48%), followed by cats (33%). 85% of owners say their pets have positively impacted their lives. Many pet owners have adopted ‘pet parenting’ behaviours that resemble parent-child relationships – for example, speaking to their pets as though the pet understands what they are saying, and referring to themselves as the pet’s parent. Dean and I definitely do this. Common benefits of pet ownership described by pet owners include: Relational benefits (love, affection and companionship); Improvement of mental health and well-being; Socialisation benefits (e.g., connection to the community and opportunities for human interaction in person or online); Improvement of physical health. The reasons for getting pets differs by species but common reasons include companionship, relaxation and mental health and to rescue the animal. Australian households are estimated to have spent over $33 billion on pet services and products in 2022! Food represents 51% of all expenditure, followed by veterinary service at 14%. Dog owners spent the most, with an estimated average of $3218 spent per animal each year. Cat owners spend an estimated average of $1715 per animal each year. IDEAS ON HOW TO GIVE YOUR PET SOME EXTRA LOVE THIS NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY! Even if you have to work today there are ways you can add some extra love to your pet this National Love Your Pet Day! Play their favourite game. Whatever your pet is, surely you know their favourite game! Billy’s is making us chase him around the house with his ball in his mouth and us trying to get it off him. He thinks this is wonderful. Take your Pet out for the day (if it’s safe). If your dog loves the dog park, take a trip either before or after work and give them a good run around and play with other dogs. Take your Dog to a Dog friendly beach/watering hole. If your dog loves the beach, again take a trip to the beach. We’re still in daylight savings so this can be done after work. Buy your Dog a new toy. I know you can still take your dogs to Bunnings, if your pet is social take them to pick out their favourite toy. And then make sure you spend time playing with them. Buy your Dog their favourite food and/or treat. We get Billy dog friendly chocolate drops from Pet Barn or Pet Stock, he loves them. Take heaps of fun selfies/pics of your pet. My phone is full of dog pics, not only of Billy but many of my Dog Grooming customer’s dogs. Take your pet on a picnic. If you can get out for the day and take your pet with you. Have some food along the way and enjoy yourselves. Or if you’re restricted for time have a bbq or picnic in the backyard or on your balcony. Take your pet out for breakfast/lunch/dinner – if your pet is friendly take them out for a special meal at a Pet friendly cafe. Set up a play date. If your dog has a favourite person or other dog, set them up on a doggy date. Make them their favourite treat. If you’re into cooking there’s doggy cake mixes at pet stores these days, you can make your dog a cake or some biscuits etc. Buy them a raw bone from the butcher, whatever they like. Time. Give your pet extra one on one time. Hang out with them, watch a movie with them, have a nanna nap with them, just give them your undivided attention. Don’t have a pet? that’s fine if you still love pets and want to share in the day, go hang at a dog park, or hang with someone who does have a pet. If you’re truly ready maybe you might look at adopting a pet?? You get the idea, there’s plenty of ways you can pour some extra love onto your pet. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Today 20th February 2024 is National Love Your Pet Day. So spend the day pouring extra love onto your Pet. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOU’RE SPENDING NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY?

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Love Is All Around Everyday!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 05:37:13 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, I didn’t do a ‘Valentine’s Day’ post this year because I think there’s too much focus on just one day. I think the world needs a lot of love every day, not on just some commercialized day. Whether you live by yourself, with your dog or with your family – We need to start to spread the love at home. What we really need to focus on is the love for ourselves, our pets and our planet. If we spend time working on loving ourselves and our pets then we can come from love when interacting with other people and the planet. Some of us have a lot of negative self talk going on in our head – things we say to ourselves we would never say to our best friend or our dog. So why is it okay to say it to ourselves? What’s this got to do with dogs? Dogs have, and give freely, unconditional love! We can learn from them how to do this for ourselves, others and our planet – EVERYDAY! WHY SHOULD WE FOCUS ON LOVE? Because it doesn’t cost anything. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind to ourselves, to others, to those around us, to our planet and especially to our dogs. If you don’t want to love on others start by learning to love yourself. And of course love on your dog. It’s so easy to switch to bitching and moaning about everything whether it’s big or small………..the negative way seems to be the easier way. It seems to be the way we’re programmed these days, focus on the negative, stay in a state of anxious fear based energy. To turn this around try to start each day with love in your heart! If your dog is the first one you see upon opening your eyes, focus on the love you have for your dog. See yourself from loving eyes, see your pet from loving eyes (this is the easiest to do), and then see the planet from loving eyes. If we see things from loving eyes then we’ll act from a loving place. The best thing is it costs nothing. In a world where we’re constantly buying stuff and more stuff because advertising tells us we need it………………..try to come from love because it’s FREE! Love is also a peaceful place to come from because there’s little to no fear there. If you feel you have no-one to love you – love yourself! And I can guarantee that your dog loves you and sees you for who you really are – love and beauty. Love your dog, love the planet, love on what you already have……………………depending on what or who you believe in bask in the love of your creator. IDEAS ON HOW TO LOVE ON YOU, YOUR DOG AND YOUR PLANET! Start saying nice things to yourself and about yourself – your inner voice and outer voice; treat yourself to some free time doing what you love; spend time with your dog doing what you both love; take a walk in nature; take a walk along a beach; walk amongst books; walk amongst whatever it is you love; cook something if that’s your thing; stop and enjoy the environment around you; enjoy the beauty of nature; go for a walk in a beautiful garden; do some charity work; read a book; do a guided meditation on self love; try seeing yourself from your pet’s eyes – they adore you; write down things you love about you; write down what you are grateful for; put your phone/device down and spend time out in nature; love on your family, friends, pets and the planet; one small step at a time spread love, come from love and know you are loved. I hope this helps get you started on focusing on loving you, loving your pet/family and loving your planet. Love is all around and it doesn’t just have to be on ONE day, it can be everyday. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Let’s focus on spreading love EVERYDAY! Love is free – it doesn’t cost anything! We don’t need to buy things to spread love. Love comes from the heart. So Love on yourself, your pets, your family and your planet EVERYDAY! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOU’RE SPREADING THE LOVE?

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WATCH OUT – FLEAS ARE ABOUT!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:21:54 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, This summer with the heat, the rain and thunderstorms brings the humidity and with that comes FLEAS! I hate fleas! I have no idea why they even exist! They drive dogs absolutely bonkers. This year in particularly they seem rather rife. I’ve had dogs who never normally have fleas, come into the salon with them everywhere!! Even Billy who never gets fleas, has had them this year. It’s driving us all nuts! WHAT ARE FLEAS? As already stated – I can’t stand fleas and I don’t understand why they even exist except to drive our fur babies crazy!!!! They are tiny black living creatures that can come from places like the grass, the dirt or other animals. Fleas crawl all over your dog biting them in the process and sucking their blood. Yes they’re little blood suckers that drive your dog crazy. They leave a black dirt like substance all over them which is flea lava aka poo and flea eggs. When washing your dog a dark orange to red tinge comes out in the water. For a much more in depth explanation on THE FLEA read the Wikipedia definition here! Click here for images on what do Fleas on my dog look like? HOW CAN MY DOG GET FLEAS? Fleas can come from a few different areas; from the grass; from dirt; your carpet; dog bedding; if your dog has been staying at a kennel; doggy day care; they can come from other dogs; new environments your dog has visited; second hand items; if you’ve been patting other dogs with fleas, they can jump onto you. And the little suckers can jump far. When dogs come into the salon with fleas, they’re bathed and treated and so am I! To make sure I do not pass them onto Billy. HOW TO TELL IF MY DOG HAS FLEAS? There are definitely ways to tell if your dog has fleas – here are a few – your dog is excessively itching more than usual; when you touch your dog it feels like there’s dirt on their skin – bad infestation; your dog will start to bite themselves trying to get the fleas off; when looking at your dog’s skin there maybe small raised red spots – where the fleas have bitten them and sucked their blood; you can see small black things running all over your dog, or one here and there; while brushing your dog’s coat they come off them; you find fleas on yourself; your dog’s bedding and area has fleas; if your dog is infested, which means many many fleas biting and sucking their blood, your dog can become lethargic – check their gums to see what colour they are; take a photo and send it to your trusted Vet if you’re not sure. HOW DO I DEAL WITH FLEAS? There are soooooo many flea prevention products on the market now it can be confusing about what to use. Searching reviews of the products can drive you crazy as well. Some have raving reviews and others will condemn that same product!!!! So frustrating! You’ve got to chose what’s best for YOUR DOG! You can ask other dog owners what they use and you can always ask a trusted Vet. To name just a few product types out there you’ll find – flea shampoos (won’t stop them from jumping back on your dog long term), flea collars, flea sprays, flea combs, flea powders, topical flea products, natural remedies for fleas – apparently fleas also hate sunlight; and oral flea products!!! With the natural remedy path I find you just have to apply the remedy more often (which is fine because it’s not as harsh for your dog). What you use will also depend on whether your dog is covered in fleas or whether they just have a few. To find flea products – you can do a google search and buy on-line, go to your local pet store or check with your trusted Vet. You could also ask around and see what works for other pet owners. What you use on your dog will depend on the level of infestation your dog has. On A Side Note – I would also wash my dog first, to wash the fleas off and then use a treatment. If your dog has long hair, maybe look at having it shaved or a least made a bit shorter as it will be easier to treat. Also treat the surrounding areas such as your dogs bedding (wash their bedding), kennel, carpets and lounges, anywhere your dog has been. I liken fleas on dogs to nits on kids – treat everywhere and everything until you know it’s all gone. Try to keep your own grass mowed regularly and watch where you’re walking while out on a walk with your dog! WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR BILLY? Billy hardly ever has fleas. We noticed him itching A LOT. Because he’s white and short haired it’s easy to see fleas on him. And we know from experience it only takes one flea to drive him nuts because he never normally gets them. I noticed a few on him so I pulled them off him, sometimes with my finger nails and sometimes with a small flea comb. I would also then kill them so they can’t jump back on him. We bathed him and because he didn’t have too many and nor was there any flea lava – poo or eggs we went the natural remedy route. Organic coconut oil worked the best. I did the flea collar thing and it was okay, but the coconut oil massaged directly onto his skin worked the best. The fleas apparently hate it which makes me happy. And it’s good for your dog’s skin so it helps with the itchiness as well. We also washed all our bedding – he sleeps on our bed – and his bedding, the stuff that was too big to go into the washing machine, we hung on the line out in the direct sunlight. However, as I said it’s each time we come back from a walk that I notice a few more on him. So I keep up with the coconut oil, if he’s scratching again or if I see one I put more on him. It’s working for us. BUT again it will depend on the level of infestation as to what you’ll need to use. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? With our Summer heat and storms it makes for a humid environment which fleas seem to love. We need to be aware if our dog has fleas by watching their behaviour! And we need to decide what level of flea prevention your dog will need to keep them flea free this summer. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT FLEA PREVENTION WORKS FOR YOUR DOG?

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Thunderstorms Aren’t Fun For Some – What Can I do For My Dog?

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 23:30:00 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, Our Summer has been lovely and hot but with it has come some afternoon thunderstorms – and night time ones too. I personally love a good thunderstorm. I love the lightening and how it can brighten up the night sky. To me it’s nature putting on a fine show. HOWEVER, not everyone loves a thunderstorm. Namely our dogs! For some dogs it’s a horrifically harrowing time. Dogs can sense a thunderstorm coming way before we can ! Whether it’s through their sense of smell and the change in environmental smells or vibrations through the ground, they can tell. If a dog who is booked into my dog salon for grooming is scared of thunderstorms, and one is on it’s way, I’ll reschedule. There’s no point putting them through grooming AND a thunderstorm as well. It’s too distressing! We want to try and keep our dogs as comfortable as we can during a thunderstorm. If you have a dog that’s scared of thunderstorms, let us know what you do for your dog during that time. HOW TO TELL IF YOUR DOG IS SCARED OF THUNDERSTORMS? Some dogs can show all sorts of different behaviours when it comes to thunderstorms. Our next door neighbour’s Border Collie use to run around in the rain barking at the storm! Some dogs will cower and try to hide in places like wardrobes, behind the toilet, under the bed – somewhere they feel safe. Signs your dog can show when scared of thunderstorms: your dog may start to whine or even howl; the whining may turn into barking; they might start looking for a place to hide; they might urinate in places they don’t normally; tail between their legs; start panting excessively; start pacing around; yawning or lip licking; cowering down, with head down and ears back; shaking; not eating; running in the back yard barking at the storm; they may follow you around more than usual; anxiety ridden behaviour like nervous destructive chewing – Billy scratched through our wall right through to the timber frame during a thunderstorm when we weren’t home!! It’s important to notice the change in behaviour your dog displays when there’s a thunderstorm coming! This way you can note it down and be aware of it. NOTE – it’s important to be patient and understanding. If you’re not home and your dog has become destructive during the storm, be aware the destruction is not from your dog being naughty it’s because of fear. When Billy scratched through our wall the first thing I did was to see if he was okay! Then I noted that where he had scratched was near the front door. The door we walked out of to leave him. It was almost as if he was scratching to get through so he could get out and find us. He could’ve ripped up the lounge or pillows or done anything else but his attention was at the back of the front door! WHY IS MY DOG AFRAID OF THUNDERSTORMS? Dogs are amazing beings, their sense of smell is a gazillion times better than ours so they can smell a thunderstorm coming. Things that can make your dog afraid of thunderstorms: changes in the atmosphere – your dog is more aware of the change before it happens than we are; wind – wind carries many many different smells and with all of them swirling around, it can send our dogs a bit nuts; trees moving around – the constant movement may send your dog into a frenzy; rain – some dogs don’t like the sound of rain on the roof, or getting wet; hail – hard balls of ice falling from the sky can be very scary for some dogs; the sky lighting up with lightening – usually lightening has electricity connected to it and dogs can sense this also which can make for a scary time for them; vibrations in the ground – this can be scary for your dog also; loud bangs – for some dogs loud bangs are enough on their own but add everything else and this is a recipe for a fearful time. We had a tree struck by lightening out the front of our house a few years ago, February 2021 to be exact and I can still remember the loudest of loud noises that made as well as making the ground jump……………it was crazy. It also burnt our tree to a crisp and we had to sadly get it removed because of the big crack down the middle of it! While it was exhilarating for a storm lover, it was extremely terrifying for any dog within close proximity. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS SCARED OF THUNDERSTORMS? With all the different things that can happen in the environment during a thunderstorm, it’s no wonder some dogs are afraid. Different dogs respond to different things so here’s some ideas to try during a thunderstorm: make sure they have a safe comfortable place to go to preferably inside out of the storm. They may prefer under the bed, in a wardrobe, somewhere dark and less noisy. Follow your dog and see where they go during the storm and where they feel safe. Don’t force them out of their comfort zone during a storm, it’s where they feel safe from the storm. comfort your dog but don’t coddle them – it’s great if you can be there with your dog during a storm to offer some comfort, but coddling them too much will reward their scared behaviour. Your dog will then think this behaviour is good to have during a storm. Let your dog know they are okay and nothing bad is going to happen to them but don’t over do it. distract your dog – if your dog is only responding to the storm because there’s no other distraction, then play with your dog. Don’t force them only do this if they’re up for it. This is only if your dog is mildly scared and is up for play during the storm. try to be home when there’s a storm – I know this can be easier said than done because sometimes storms come up and we’re all at work etc. If you can’t get home see if a neighbour or friend or someone your dog trusts can check on them during the storm. let your dog be near you – if you can be home during a storm – just laying on the bed or lounge with your dog might be enough for them. close the blinds/curtains – so your dog can’t see the storm, trying to take the edge off it. turn on the TV or calming music to try to distract from the storm noise – however you don’t want to overload your dog with too much noise either so if it’s not working then obviously don’t do it; cameras if you are out during a storm – we have camera’s throughout the house, so if we are out we can log in and see what Billy is doing. We don’t talk to him through the camera as it can cause him more anxiety. However if your dog is displaying fear during the storm hearing your voice may comfort them during that time. make sure your fences are secure – if your dog is outside or can go outside during a storm, make sure your fences are all secure. So many dogs try to escape during thunderstorms. Make sure your dog can’t escape your yard or house. Items you can use during a thunderstorm for your dog: thunder shirts – these are like a dog jumper but they wrap around your dog – almost like they’re in a permanent hug; anxiety beds – this can give your dog somewhere comfy to lay during the storm; noise cancelling headphones/soft ear muffs – now your dog may hate having something on their head so if this is the case don’t bother, it may make them worse; a happy hoodie – we use these for grooming, they cover the dogs ears in the bath, and will be softer to use than headphones, the idea is to muffle the sound of the storm; essential oils – be very careful here, especially if you’ve never used oils before. Lavender is meant to be a good calming essential oil – however you want an organic oil. There are companies who already have calming sprays made up. DO NOT spray it directly onto your dog, you could spray it on a bandana (not on the side that touches their skin) and place it around your dog’s neck so the smell is enough to calm them. Or spray it around their bed, not directly onto it. Just enough so they can smell it. pheromone products – you can buy these from your pet stores. The idea is they put out the pheromones of the whelping mother and this should comfort your dog as well. medications – depending on your dog’s level of fear and anxiety during a storm, the only option may be medication just for the duration of the storm; calming treats – again, this will depend on your dog’s level of fear during the storm as to whether they will work or not. This will all depend on how fearful your dog is during a thunderstorm. You may need to use a few of the above techniques in conjunction with each other. It’s important to know your dog’s behaviour and find out what works for them. DESENSITIZATION TECHNIQUES TO TRY! Desensitization is when you slowly make the thing your dog is fearful of – no big deal anymore. So for instance we’re talking about thunderstorms. When there is no thunderstorm, you could play thunderstorm noises, low at first and see how your dog responds. Each time they don’t respond you can reward them at first with treats, and eventually with phrasings words like good boy/girl etc. Progressively you would play the thunderstorm noises louder and each time your dog doesn’t respond you reward them. The idea is to try to get them to realize it’s no big deal. However also recognize, thunderstorm music is just a start, because there’s thunderstorm music and there’s an actual thunderstorm. It takes time and patience. There are Behavioural Veterinarians you can seek that can help you as well as trusted Dog Trainers you can try also. To find them just ask on your local community Facebook Page or ask other dog owners. For me – word of mouth is the best advertising because the people you’re speaking with are those who have experienced the services you’re asking about. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Thunderstorms can be so fearful for our dogs. It’s important to be aware of our dog’s behaviour during the thunderstorm and to comfort them during these times but not coddle them. There are many things to try, you just have to see what works best for your dog and their level of fear during the storm. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOUR DOG HANDLES THUNDERSTORMS AND WHAT YOU DO TO COMFORT THEM?

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Can My Dog Get Hives?

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 01:32:25 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, Just before Christmas there was a night there where Billy rubbed himself all over the carpet in our bedroom ALL NIGHT! I hardly got any sleep and vowed to get to the bottom of it the next day. That afternoon I gave him a bath and it seemed to relieve his itching. Although later that night I noticed raised bumps all over him. OH NO – HIVES!!!! It was too late to call a Vet so I tried comforting him with cold compresses. This did a little bit for him but not too much. I was beside myself because he was in such discomfort. The very next morning we called our Vet, he came out and gave Billy some medication and he was back to normal that afternoon. And sleeping, he and I both slept a lot afterwards because we both missed 2 nights sleep!! CAN MY DOG GET HIVES? A big fat yes! It’s not just something humans can get. Dogs can get hives also. And they make your dog extremely uncomfortable. Your dog will definitely need treatment if they have them all over. WHAT DO HIVES LOOK LIKE? The picture above shows Billy’s hives, raised lumps that are hot to the touch. Hives can cause your dog to itch excessively. Hives are areas of the skin that appear raised and reddened. They can appear anywhere on your dog but most commonly on the head, neck, back, stomach and legs. If you want to know what hives look like google – what do hives look like on dogs, they’re not pretty. WHAT CAUSES MY DOG TO GET HIVES? Hives can come from the environment, or be chemical, or from diet. Common causes include: Insect stings/bites (often involving the head and neck) Shampoos or topical agents Medications Vaccinations Toxic plants Food allergens Friction Insects bites, chemical contact, and medications are the most common. My friends staffy use to sit under a tree that dripped sap, this caused him to get hives. I did a process of elimination with Billy and worked backwards. From finding out he had hives I did some investigation in the garden. Billy has a little section in one of our gardens, that on rare occasions he sits under one of our shrubs. When I took a look, there was a massive hole dug there instead! So my deduction is that he’s been digging (which he never normally does) and was irritated from the digging or could’ve been bitten by something. Then that night he’s rubbed himself all over our carpet causing friction and therefore the hives to show up! HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DOG HAS HIVES? If you’ve googled – what do hives look like on a dog – you will know what they look like. Raised bumps on your dog’s skin. Your dog will be obsessively itching, panting and trying to do anything or go anywhere to relieve themselves. Billy was getting under chairs, tables, under the bed, rubbing himself all over! When he did sit it was lucky to be for 5 minutes and he was panting a bit. The cold compresses helped mildly, but only because his were all over him. Around Billy’s face and eyes he was rather red. HOW DO I DEAL WITH HIVES? It will depend on how bad they are, but either way they make your dog uncomfortable, so seek out your trusted vet. Give them a call if you’re unsure if it requires a visit. Treatment may include: Antihistamine (oral or injectable) and a steroid Injectable medications and intravenous fluids (in very serious cases) Cold compresses over the hives or swollen areas to give relief from itching Antihistamines, but only under the supervision of your vet A food trial to find ingredients that cause a reaction and develop specific dietary recommendations Any information you can give to your trusted vet can help as well! Billy’s hives were way beyond treating naturally or just with cold compresses. He was given tablets by the Vet that helped his hives go away, thankfully. ARE HIVES DANGEROUS? According to The Vets website – Dog hives are rarely life-threatening. However, there are a few less common situations where hives can affect your dog’s breathing and become dangerous. Hives in the face, neck, or throat can cause severe swelling that impacts breathing, which can become life-threatening. The presence of hives anywhere may indicate your dog is having or about to have an anaphylactic reaction, which causes constriction of airways and difficulty breathing. 3 Besides hives, other signs of anaphylaxis include vomiting, diarrhea, facial swelling, drooling, blue gum color, and collapse. If you notice that your dog has hives, pay particular attention to how they are breathing and for any other concerning changes in their behavior. If you are concerned your dog may be having severe allergic reactions, take them to the emergency room immediately to rule out a medical emergency. I stayed with Billy all night monitoring his behaviour! Apart from his uncomfortable behaviour and only slight extra panting, he was okay to wait til morning for the Vet. If he was struggling to breathe then yes I would’ve searched for a 24hour vet. WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? Dogs can get hives, just as humans can. It’s important to recognise that your dog has hives, by raised bumps on their skin. Depending on the excess of hives and where they are situated will depend on whether you will need a trip to the Vet or not. Be aware of your dog’s behaviour, and keep note of it. When in doubt definitely seek Veterinary Advice, even if it’s via a phone call. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HAS YOUR DOG HAD HIVES & HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH IT?

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Happy Australia Day 2025!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!! I know for some people they call this Invasion Day or Sorry Day and they want the date changed because it’s not a day of celebration for them. As a Country we cannot change history, you can try to change dates but it won’t take away the fact what happened on the 26th January 1788! We can learn about what happened and we can learn from what happened! With this knowledge we can do better and we can be better, but changing the date will not change our history. Why can’t we celebrate Australia for the Country it is today? I say WAKE UP……………unless you’re a time traveler you can’t change history. The simple thing to do is if you don’t want to celebrate the day, then don’t! But others who want to celebrate the day should be allowed to!!! WHAT IS AUSTRALIA DAY? Australia Day is the official National Day of Australia, celebrated annually on 26 January each year. It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships At Port Jackson, New South Wales and the rising of the flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip. However, to various Indigenous Australians (and those sympathetic to their cause) Australia Day is known as ‘Invasion Day’ or ‘Survival Day’! This is as a protest to what they see as the celebration of an invasion of the continent by Europeans. There always seem to be talks of actually changing the date but for now it’s still 26 January. Compared to other Countries we are a young Country and we get it wrong sometimes. Our ancestors did some horrific things, I’m not condoning that. However, if they didn’t arrive at all most of us wouldn’t exist! All we can do is – Do Much Better and be a UNITED Country. THE STORY OF AUSTRALIA! The message behind the ad is this – This is the Story of Australia – the story of an extraordinary nation. The Story begins 60,000 years ago. New chapters are written every day. On Australia Day, we reflect on our history, its highs and its lows. We respect the stories of others. And we celebrate our nation, its achievements and most of all, its people. We’re all part of the story. WHAT WE DO NEED TO LEARN AS HUMAN BEINGS! NO-ONE owns the land or the planet. I recently read this from a post on facebook – ‘Well, you see, Aborigines don’t own the land, they belong to it. It’s like their mother. See those rocks, they’ve been standing there for 600 million years. Still be there when you and I are gone. So arguing over who owns them is like two fleas arguing over who owns the dog they live on!!’ I believe it’s quoted from the Crocodile Dundee movies! According to Britannica Earth is roughly 4.4 billion years old. Now according to World Atlas humans and their ancestors have been walking the planet for about 6 million years. Homo sapiens, who are the modern form of humans evolved 300,000 years ago from Homo erectus. Human civilizations started forming around 6,000 years ago. Now I’ll let those numbers sink in for a bit. THEN if you do the math no humans own the Earth or any part of it. Earth is and will be here long after humans have become extinct. Fighting over who owns it and what has been done is irrelevant in the big scheme of things. WHAT HAS AUSTRALIA DAY GOT TO DO WITH MY DOG? Well regardless of whether you celebrate the day or not, all Aussies are given a Public Holiday aka a day off! So with the day off and the weather is meant to be good why don’t you do something with your dog? Some ideas to get you thinking about what you can do are: Have an Aussie Day BBQ with family/friends – but cook stuff for your dog too; Go out to a dog friendly place – for lunch; Hang out at a dog friendly beach; Stay indoors and watch Aussie movies, with your dog by your side; Shop online and buy only Aussie Made Goods, with your dog by your side; Read a book by an Aussie Author, with your dog by your side; Go to your local Botanical Gardens, take your dog if it’s allowed; Go on a dog friendly picnic, make sure to pack your dog some food and water too; Head out on a drive with the family/friends or just you and your pooch; Just hang out with family/friends and your dog; You get the idea, do something or do nothing, but whatever you do, do it with your dog and have fun doing it. Also be aware that if your dog doesn’t like fireworks, that someone is home with them if they’re going off in your area! WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Today is Australia Day, whether you celebrate the day or not, do something fun with your dog. It’s as simple as that! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT YOU’RE DOING THIS Australia Day?

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Watch Out – Bindii’s Are About!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 08:00:11 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, I remember when I was a kid, both my father and my Poppa (dad’s dad) had immaculate Lawns. You could confidently run across their front or back lawn and know you would not get one bindii in your foot! It was bliss. They instilled that in me, so I make sure our lawns are the same. In Spring/Summer when bindiis start to rear their spiky heads, I’m there weeding them out!! You can buy weed killer but because I have so many dogs coming to my Dog Salon I don’t like using chemicals. I not only do this so the dogs visiting don’t get bindiis I do it for us and for Billy as well. You want to confidently walk around in Spring/Summer without shoes on knowing you’re not going to get this little spiky thing stabbing into your foot. Same for the dogs, they can get them in their feet as well and it does hurt. WHAT EXACTLY ARE BINDIIS? According to the Yates website – What Does Bindii Weed Look Like? Bindii – also called Jo-Jo Weed or Onehunga – is a low-growing, spreading weed. Fern-like leaves (similar to carrot leaves) are attached to stems which grow from the centre in a rosette form. Plants generally grow 4 cm in diameter and are covered in fine hairs. Flowers are very small (3 mm) and are a greenish-yellow. Seeds are light-brown, flattened and winged seeds with one especially long spine on the end – capable of piercing the skin. And they bloody hurt. HOW DO YOU GET BINDIIS? You generally find bindiis in your lawn. They can be transferred from shoes, clothing, on animals including pets, vehicles and tools such as lawn mowers. They can also be carried and brought in by water. And they do hurt when you tread on them with bare feet. Including your dog’s feet. HOW CAN I TELL IF MY DOG HAS A BINDII? Usually your dog will start lifting up the foot that has a bindii (or more than one) in it. Or sometimes your dog just may stop where they are because they could potentially have bindiis in all feet. When Billy gets a bindii in his foot he’ll lift it up slightly then stop and look at us as if to say, ‘Ouch, I’m not moving until you do something about this thing that’s stuck in my foot!’ WHAT DO I DO IF MY DOG HAS BINDIIS IN THEIR FEET? Tend to the foot they are holding up. Have a look and pull out any bindiis you see. Carefully looking in between their paw pads to make sure none have gotten in there. If your dog has bindiis in more than one foot, do each foot at a time. If your dog is small enough, pick them up and let someone else take the bindiis out. They can be painful if left in your dog’s foot, as each time they walk on that paw the bindii digs into their foot. Same with us. HOW CAN I PREVENT MY DOG FROM GETTING BINDIIS? Make sure there are no bindiis in your lawn. How to do this is on the Yates website! Or you can pull the weeds out of your lawn yourself, as I do! It’s best to get on top of them as they first start to appear. Otherwise they may take over and become too hard to manage without using chemicals. While you’re out walking your dog, try to avoid any grass areas that look like they may contain bindiis. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? In Spring and Summer, Bindiis are about! When you or your dog treads on them with bare feet they dig in and hurt. Avoid them by making sure you weed them out of your lawn! While out walking your dog avoid any grassy areas that look like they are covered in bindiis! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOUR DOG REACTS TO BINDIIS?

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Why It’s NEVER Okay To Leave Your Dog Alone In A Car?

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 07:20:53 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, The temperatures have been hot during our summer, which is to be expected. Some are whinging that it’s too hot and other’s are loving it. The media are constantly saying we’re in a heat wave, but we’re not! The heat we are experiencing is normal summer weather. The reason why people believe it’s soooooo hot is because we’re so acclimatized to air conditioning these days it’s not funny. We live in a temperature controlled environment throughout our everyday lives. We wake up in an air conditioned home, get into an air conditioned car or train and walk into an air conditioned office. Even when we’re shopping we have air conditioned shops, cinemas, libraries etc……..everywhere you go it’s air conditioned air. These days we even have fancy cars that you turn on and put the air conditioning on before you even get in the car!!! We’ve become a soft society!! For those that work outside generally they are the ones actually acclimatized to the environment and can handle the heat more easily. What’s this got to do with dogs I hear you ask? Well our dogs are part of our environment! And most dogs these days are inside with us, therefore they’re inside in our air conditioned houses and cars. I came across this story last year and it’s never sat well with me and I don’t think it ever will. I felt the need to share it with everyone to show even the best of us have stupid moments that have catastrophic consequences!! POLICE DOGS DIE BEING LEFT IN AIR CONDITIONED CAR! This story is about and on behalf of two German Shepherd police dogs named Xtra and Soldier. They had been taken by their handler (a Police Officer) to a developmental day at Lucas Heights and left in a car aka cooling pods for 2 hours unattended on a very hot summer’s day (this is not okay in any weather but hot weather is the worst)! Apparently this is a regular thing that is done by Police as they are working dogs and can be left in cars while on shift for a long period of time during the night!!! SERIOUSLY! The cooling system’s alarm went off to alert ‘someone’ that it was down but no-one was around to hear it!!! OMFG!! So these poor dogs died from heat exhaustion, suffocation etc – they suffered in their death! I would’ve thought Police Officers would have more sense than to leave the dogs in the car, but I get it the dogs are working and need to be stationary until they are required. HOWEVER, being left unattended AND especially on a stinking hot day, someone should’ve been required to do regular checks (every 5 minutes) or stay with them. This infuriates me because if our Police can stuff up this massively, so can anyone else. Here’s the story as reported on Channel 7 News!! What astounds me is that the Police Commissioner says there’s no human error!!! WTF! The human error is – these dogs were left alone in the car full stop for 2 hours on a stinking hot day without being regularly checked on! Did the actually car malfunction? The car did what it was meant to and actually sounded an alert alarm to the fact that the cooling system had stopped working!! BUT there were NO HUMANS around to hear it!!! Ummmm there’s human error right there. There’s actually three human errors – the dogs being left alone in the car (and on a stinking hot day), the dogs not being regularly checked on, and no one around to hear the car alerting to the fact that the cooling system was down!!! How can it be said there were no human errors???? Even more caution should’ve been taken given the hot summers day! WHY IT’S NEVER OKAY TO LEAVE YOUR DOG ALONE IN A CAR? Well for starters, the above story is one of many reasons. It’s so easy to have the dog in the car with you and then think, ‘oh I’m just going to call into the shop really quick to grab something and I’ll be right back!’ You leave the windows down a bit (not too much because the car might be stolen!!!), and tell the dog you’ll be back and they’ll be okay. But soon enough you’re in the shop grabbing other stuff, or you see someone you know and you’re chatting or the line to pay for the item/s is super long and you’re away from the car much longer than you think! In the mean time, your dog is in the car and the temperature is rising in the car (cooling system on or not), or your dog is jumping around the car and has turned off the cooling system, or the hand brake etc. Anything can happen, even if your dog is tethered into the seat belt, they could get excited if someone walks by and get all tangled up and end up strangling or hurting themselves. They could start chewing at your car in anxiety and frustration. Other people (like me) could see your dog alone in a car on a hot day and either smash your car window to remove your dog, stay with your car and dog and give you a mouthful when you return or call the authorities on you. It’s a duty of care to look after your dogs and this is neglect! Same goes if you’re leaving your dog alone in the car and it’s freezing outside, don’t do it! PERIOD!!! WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A DOG LOCKED INSIDE A CAR? According to the NRMA website – During hot weather, we rescue over 100 pets from cars per month, with the majority of calls received by the vehicle owner. You do not need to be a Member to call the NRMA on 13 11 11 in this situation and due to the grave danger involved, we drop everything to respond to these calls which are prioritised. Upon arrival, we provide skills and equipment to enter the vehicle or support emergency services. The majority of these emergency calls are made by the vehicle custodian, where permission has been given to access the vehicle. If you are not the vehicle custodian (e.g., passer-by), try the obvious solution of checking if any doors are unlocked. If the vehicle is locked and the animal is clearly distressed or you believe its life is in danger, you can call NRMA roadside assistance who will send a patrol officer to make an assessment of the situation. Emergency services will also be contacted if the situation is said to be life-threatening. You can also contact the emergency services immediately (000) who may break the window themselves or liaise directly with the NRMA to assist, depending on the circumstances. While most vehicles can be unlocked by following appropriate lock-out procedures, there will be circumstances when breaking a window will be the most reasonable action. Criminal Offence There are specific provisions in relation to ‘Carriage and Conveyance’ of animals in the Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act. In relation to dogs locked in cars, section 5 would apply: “a person in charge of an animal shall not fail at any time (b) where pain is being inflicted upon the animal to take such reasonable steps as are necessary to alleviate the pain”. In relation to the provision of water, Section 8 (1) states that ‘a person in charge of an animal shall not fail to provide the animal with food, drink or shelter etc’. These offences can carry fines of $5,500 and up to six months in jail. If a dog dies as a result of being left in a car, charges include $22,500 in fines and two years jail time for the owner. We encourage all our Members to take the RSPCA Pledge to never leave your dog in a hot car. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Pretty much the last sentence of the last paragraph – NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A CAR UNATTENDED, ESPECIALLY ON A HOT DAY!! You have a duty of care to your dog, and common sense should say, don’t leave your dog alone in the car! Learn from other people’s catastrophic neglect. IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – IF YOU’D HEARD OF THE ABOVE STORY AND WHAT YOU THOUGHT AT THE TIME?

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How To Have A Safe New Years Eve For Your Dog?

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, AND here is New Years Eve! Whatever plans or non-plans you have, one thing I’d like to make sure of is that we all are safe – including our dogs. As much as we all love the pretty fireworks, for our dogs it can be utter torture and confusion. Billy absolutely hates the fireworks. As soon as he hears the loud bangs he’s up and running around barking non stop until they finish!! As he’s getting older though his hearing isn’t as good so we’ll see if there’s a difference this year. Not only do we have local Council fireworks (at 9pm and 12pm) but we also have stupid people letting them off around the surrounding streets!!! To say it’s annoying is an understatement. I am a volunteer for Campbelltown Lost Found and Injured Pets , and we’re estimating that sadly it will be one of our busiest evenings, purely because of fireworks. Dogs don’t like the loud noises and the smell!! While some dogs might be fine, others are petrified and break out of their yards and houses and roam the streets in an anxious state. Doesn’t sound worth it really does it? Anyway, here are some ways you can keep your dog safe for New Years celebrations. HOW TO KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE THIS NEW YEARS EVE! If you’re hosting a New Years Eve Party and your Dog is not social and it hates fireworks! Make sure your dog has somewhere safe to stay for the evening – away from guests. It needs to be in a well ventilated area or room with someone checking on them. With food and water also available to them. If possible, you could send them to someone else’s place for the evening, preferably someone who is staying at home for the night. The importance here is that your dog feels safe. Your dog may want to get patted for a while and then take off to it’s safe area away from people. Guests tend to ignore that the dog isn’t social and still may try to pat them!! If your dog doesn’t want this but people insist on patting them, then unfortunate incidents could occur! Your goal is to avoid this. If your dog isn’t use to being around screaming yelling kids, or kids hitting them, pulling tails etc then your dog could react in a way to get them to stop. To avoid this, separate the kids from the dog by putting the dog in a safe place away from the chaos. Come fireworks time, make sure someone is with your dog. Designate someone to look after your dog for the duration of the party and the duration of the fireworks. The most important thing is to keep everyone safe, including your dog. When you’re hosting a New Years Eve party & your Dog is overly social but hates fireworks! If your dog is overly social and your guests don’t really like that, then have somewhere your fur baby can retreat to. Bring your dog out on a lead to say hello to everyone, and give them a sniff. Then put them in an area so people can eat and celebrate and not have to worry about your dog jumping all over them. It’s also a good way for guests not to overfeed your dog while they’re eating. Your dog might be fine with your kids, but other kids are a different story. Your dog doesn’t know them as well. Other kids don’t know your dog either, and this is where things can go wrong if people aren’t watching them both interact. Again, come fireworks time if you know your dog hates them, make sure someone (if not you) is with your dog when they go off. Put someone in charge of them for the duration of the celebrations. If you’re hosting New Years Eve & Your Dog is fine with people and fireworks! The next thing on the list is, if your dog is wandering around your guests looking all cute, that they don’t over feed them. Your dog could end up sick, so make it clear to everyone not to over feed your fur baby, no matter how cute they look. If your dog is in a no child home and people are coming over with kids, stay on the look out, always have someone in charge of watching the kids and the dog. Read the dog’s body language and make sure the kids aren’t tormenting the dog. Just in case it does all get too much for your dog make sure the dog can escape the noise and people, by giving them somewhere safe to go. Always check on your dog, with people coming and going gates and doors can be open and not closed and our dogs may escape. It’s safe to have someone in charge of the dog for the duration of the celebrations. When you’re hosting and someone else wants to bring their dog! If the dogs already know each other and have interacted before and are fine, then by all means! However, if they haven’t met before, throwing them together amongst a party is not the best way to introduce them. It’d be better to have had an introduction before the party. Take them for a walk together first, then try them at the house the celebrations will be held in. If your dog isn’t use to another dog coming into their territory it could get ugly if not handled properly. This is the last thing you want to be dealing with on New Years Eve. If you’re asked this question, make sure measures can be put in place so EVERYONE can have a good and safe evening. Is there somewhere seperate each dog can go so they’re not in each others face the whole time? Are they food aggressive, you don’t want to be feeding dogs around each other if they are. Ask the question about their dog’s reaction to fireworks! The last thing you want is two dogs going off at fireworks all evening!!! When there’s two dogs or more, make sure each dog has someone taking care of it, looking after it for the evening, especially when the fireworks go off. If one dog is good with fireworks and the other is not, then the one who isn’t good with them may set off the one who is good with them! Before YOU do the asking to take your dog to someone elses place, make sure you’re aware of the situation you’re putting both dogs in. Discuss it with the owner of the other dog before just turning up with your dog. If you’re leaving your fur baby at home for New Years Eve! This goes without saying, make sure they are safe, have plenty of food, water and shelter from harsh weather. If your dog is not good with fireworks, make sure someone is home for them during the times the fireworks go off. Or ask a neighbour who is staying home to check on them for you. If there’s local fireworks going off and your dog is generally ok and you know you won’t be back, make sure your dog has a safe haven to retreat to. The last thing you want is your dog roaming the streets because they’re scared of the fireworks. If you’re looking after someone else’s fur baby at your home or their home for New Years Eve! If you’re going out and leaving the dog at home, read above. Before leaving them home alone though make sure you’ve checked with their owner as to whether or not the dog can tolerate the fireworks. Make sure they are safe, have plenty of food, water and shelter from harsh weather. If the dog is not good with fireworks, make sure someone is home for them during the times the fireworks go off. If there’s local fireworks going off and the dog is generally ok and you know you won’t be back, make sure your dog has a safe haven to retreat to. The last thing you want is the dog you’re meant to be minding roaming the streets because they’re scared of the fireworks. We’re looking after friend’s dogs and I’ve already checked too see if they’re okay with fireworks and apparently they are. If they weren’t I’d make arrangements for them to be in my Dog Salon with me there, or with my parents etc. The whole point of all this is to make sure our dogs are safe during the fireworks. I’m on call for Campbelltown Lost Found and Injured pets and I’m hoping it’s not too bad. My heart breaks seeing a dog confused and scared because loud noises keep going off and they can’t find their owner, or their roaming the streets trying to find somewhere safe to be…………!!! Dean and I will be here with Billy . WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? While most of us love watching the fireworks on New Years Eve, most dogs don’t! We want to keep our dogs as safe as possible during these times. Follow the guide above in order to make sure your dog is safe and secure this New Years Eve! We always stay home with Billy, well actually we don’t mind staying at home at all. Maybe sometimes we use him as an excuse to not have to go out lol!!! FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS, WE HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LOVE TO KNOW – WHAT YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE DURING THE FIREWORKS?

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Holiday & Christmas Time Isn’t Always Fun For Everyone!

jma074@optusnet.com.au — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:35:11 +0000

Hey Woofa’s, For some of us Christmas and Holiday time isn’t always fun. There’s no family to spend it with or the family you do have don’t want to spend it with you or vice versa! Or a family member you cherish is no longer with you to share such a time with : ( There are many reasons why this time of year isn’t always fun for everyone. Even if you have loads of family members to spend time with, that in itself can be stressful!! People say things or passing comments that sit with you for ages……. Others can bring up stuff from the past that just doesn’t need rehashing at all let alone this time of year. Some family members wont turn up because another family member is there! Other family members pick on the way things are set up, food, decorations……things can be picked on, loose lips. Add wine and alcohol to the mix and it seems to be a free for all, no holding back on the comments. For others it can be a really lonely time of year with no family members to spend it with, no friends, just yourself. Some would say that is a good thing but it’s easy to say that when you have a load of family and friends. Spending unnecessary amounts of money comes into it as well, on presents, setting up for the day, making sure everything looks right……….. Or it’s well and truly thrown in your face how much money you don’t have to spend on your kids, food on anything : ( Others may be going away on lavish holidays while you’re here either back at work or just can’t afford a holiday at all. Unwanted dogs/pets get dumped! Some have lost their beloved furry companions and it makes this time even harder to deal with. For some this time of year can be rather shit……………no matter what the reason!! WHO TO CALL? If you’re feeling crap here are a few numbers you can call – Lifeline – 131114 Beyond Blue – 1300 224636 Mental Health Counselling – 1300 659467 R U OK website – https://www.ruok.org.au/findhelp WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE IT MYSELF FEEL BETTER? Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but try to stop focusing so much on what’s causing you to feel this way. Try to find something you do enjoy doing and do that. It could be watching your favourite movies/shows, reading books, magazines, doing puzzles, doing craft, gardening, going for a walk. Play your favourite music really loud and dance around like no one is watching. Sometimes going and helping others, really helps you as well – volunteer somewhere local to you. There’s plenty of animal shelters that could do with an extra pair of hands. Volunteer at the hospital, soup kitchens, ask at your local church or council for places that need volunteers. Try focusing on what you do have – write down what you are grateful for! If you have your trusted furry companion, spend time with them. Dogs give you unconditional love NO MATTER WHAT! Revel in your dog’s unconditional love. Go for a walk with your dog, spend the day or this holiday time just loving on your dog. Only you know you! Only you know what is going to make you feel better, even if it’s for a few minutes or a day etc Do what makes YOU HAPPY!! Know you are not alone, there are others out there feeling the same. Reach out and make a call to someone you trust or an organisation that may be able to help you. Your dog loves you……………… WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Christmas Time, Holiday season whatever you want to call it, can be really tough for some people! It’s not always fun, love and rainbows for everyone. If you’re feeling down there are organisations that can help. Just know that your dog loves you unconditionally! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – ALL ABOUT YOU AND HOW YOU’RE FEELING?

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