I was looking for some fun interactive toys for my furry babies and I came across Gazillion Bubbles!

I wanted to see just how much fun Gazillion Bubbles would be, so of course I searched youtube, check out the videos below. So Cute!

To Buy Gazillion Bubbles visit http://www.amazon.com/Funrise-32417-Gazillion-Bubble-Machine/dp/B000197NXM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286414976&sr=8-1.

The Pros
Sleeping in the same bed has strong emotional benefits for you and your pooch.

1. It’s comforting to both the owners and the animals
2.  It can deepen the bond between dog and owner.
3.  It can give nervous dogs more confidence.

The Cons
From health reasons to relationships concerns, there are strong arguments against sharing the bed.

1. It can intensify allergies.
2. It can amp up human/canine power struggles.
3. Noisy or pushy dogs can keep you from getting a good night’s rest.
4. It can cause arguments between couples.

 A 2007 survey showed that 43% of dogs slept in their owner’s bed, which was up from 34%, if I had to guess I would say that the percentage is even higher today.

All three of our furry babies sleep with us and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would miss them if they slept somewhere else, though sometimes it does seem a little crowded!

 To read more visit http://www.pawnation.com/2010/07/27/should-you-sleep-with-your-dog-the-pros-and-cons-of-sharing-the/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl8%7Csec1_lnk3%7C166718.

 Information courtesy of Paw Nation.

Designer Hugh Hayden has created dog beds out of tennis balls. The beds would drive my dogs insane, but it is a very cute idea. My furry babies would just attempt to pull it apart all day long. Hugh uses used tennis balls for his designs, so not only are his pieces unique, he is using green design principles.

He also has a line of people furniture as well, check it out below! I absolutely love the ball pit furniture, how cute would it be in a playroom?

HEX Tennis Ball Bed $285

HEX Tennis Ball Chair $1200 – $1600

To learn more or purchase Hugh Hayden’s furniture visit http://hughhayden.com/store.html.

We all love our pets, but I know from personal experience the cost of saving an ill pet can become outrageous and the outcomes of veterinary medicine are sometimes unpredictable. About two and a half years ago my furry baby Peanut was bleeding internally, we spent about $1700 trying to save him (he had to have blood transfusions) and we still had to put him to sleep (which was horrible and traumatic). Vet Stem doesn’t have the cost of the treatments offered listed on their website but I found articles estimating the cost of the treatments  between $2000 – $4000 depending on your pet.

Watch the video below!

To find out more about stem cell treatments for pets or to find a vet offering these services visit www.vet-stem.com.

This story is so sad!

I cannot even imagine shipping my dogs or even flying on the plane while they are in the cargo hold and finding out after the flight they are sick or even dead. It is just horrible. They shouldn’t even offer the service if they cannot maintain a comfortable environment for the pets to travel in.

Seven puppies died after flying in the cargo hold of an American Airlines jet.

American said it contacted the shipper who put the puppies on a Tuesday morning flight from Tulsa, Okla., to Chicago, and is investigating further.

Airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said Wednesday the shipper put 14 puppies aboard Flight 851, which was scheduled to leave Tulsa at 6:30 a.m. but was delayed an hour by storms in Chicago.

American said on its website it won’t carry warm-blooded animals if the actual or forecast temperature is above 85 degrees. As the plane sat on the tarmac in Tulsa, it was already 86 degrees before 7 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Fagan said cargo holds carrying animals are routinely kept between 50 and 70 degrees.

Baggage handlers taking the puppies to a kennel area at O’Hare Airport grew concerned because they looked lethargic. Employees tried to cool down the dogs, and they were taken to a vet’s office, but five died initially and two others died later, Fagan said.

Several of the puppies were headed to connecting flights. Fagan declined to identify the shipper or say whether American had taken animals from the same shipper before and, if so, whether there had been problems with any previous flights.

“We don’t disclose information about our shippers any more than we disclose information about our passengers,” she said.

In guidelines to customers, American says it reserves the right to refuse to ship aggressive animals or one that “does not appear fit to travel.” It also says it won’t take dogs or cats that have been sedated. It asks shippers about each animal’s breed, size and age.

Fagan said dogs and cats must be at least eight weeks old. She said she didn’t know the breed or breeds of the dead puppies.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation said short-faced dogs such as pugs and bulldogs accounted for about half of the 122 dogs that died during U.S. flights in the last five years. Veterinarians say those dogs are more likely to have breathing problems.

The department said the deaths were an extremely small percentage of the total number of pets carried by airlines.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends that owners avoid shipping pets in the cargo hold.

“I always hated signing those papers to ship them” in the cargo hold, said Rocky McKelvey, regional medical director in Texas for VCA Animal Hospitals and a veterinarian since 1981. “I’d like to see them in the cabin.”

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Story Courtesy of The Associated Press!

While visiting Petsugar.com with morning I came across an inspirational story about Tyler a boston terrier. Check it out below!

Tyler is our much-loved, 11-year-old rescued Boston Terrier. Badly neglected by a breeder because of eye probs and because he was not  up to breed standards, he was kept in a dark garage while it was “decided” what to do with him.  He was rescued by the breeder’s vet and turned over to Boston Terrier Rescue, from whom we adopted him. Boston Rescue renamed him Tyler, as the breeder had referred to him only by his eye condition. . .

We adopted Tyler when he was eight months old — frightened of men, terrified of the dark and completely untrained.  Quick to learn, Tyler adapted beautifully to our active family and grew into a ball-obsessed, pool-obsessed, happy fellow! Tyler’s eye probs continued, however;  he almost died when he lost his first eye to a staph infection at about seven years old. Our struggle to save his remaining eye was making him even more sick and miserable than the sick eye itself, but putting him down just because he would be blind (contrary to vet advice) was not an option. We chose to remove his remaining eye was when he was nine years old.

Though we are sad that Tyler had to give up the pool and unsupervised, backyard play, he has remained happy and active in every other way, even as he has reached “senior” status and acquired age-related issues. Tyler’s senses of hearing and smell are so strong that he is still a very active dog.  He is still ball obsessed and plays with them daily, “tracking” them by sound and smell and amazing all who watch!  When Tyler plays tug-of-war, he usually wins. As the years progressed, he was joined by an adopted poodle, who has been his buddy for many years. Rosie looks out for Tyler and though he knows the way, we often see her “herding” him as they head outdoors together. Lola, a rescued Boston Terrier-puppy mill-mama, has most recenlty joined Tyler and Rosie, having been abandoned by the puppy mill that had gotten all the puppies they could from her.

Now 11 years-old, Tyler has slowed with age and likes to stay close by my side. My teen daughter and her friends love Tyler and fondly refer to him as Tyler No-Eyeler, which has stuck! As I have begun my vintage lamp business, Tyler has become my constant ”shop buddy.” Still quite happy, he snores away loudly and contentedly even as I write this post.  My famy’s decision to allow Tyler to try life without eyeshas been a good one for Tyler as well as for us!

Tyler’s story is courtesy of www.Petsugar.com!

I came across a line of “Interactive Board Games” for dogs. They look like so much fun!

 My sister is a zoo keeper and she always talking about enrichments for the animals she works with, I sometimes worry that my dogs are not getting enough enrichment.

So I am ordering the Dog Brick game!

Watch Honey play with The Dog Brick below!

You can order the Dog Brick and other similar games at www.fetchdog.com!

You must watch the video below!

Dog owners wanting to donate dog hair to the Gulf oil spill cleanup can sign up with the ExcessAccess program, or inform their local groomers about the program.

Those who sign up wait for email alerts as to when and where hair booms and hairmats are being made. Dog hair donations should be clean and free of trash and debris. 

To learn more about Matters of Trust visit their web site!

http://matteroftrust.org/

I came across a recipe for a natural Carpet Deodorizor and thought I would pass it along.

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup cornstarch

16 drops of your favorite, pet safe essential oils

Below are a  few suggestions for pet safe essential oils.

Sweet Orange

Peppermint

Lavender

 Basically this will replace any powder or spray substance you would apply to your carpet and later vacuum up. My favorite is the Sweet Orange. You can find the oils at most health food stores.

Try it out!

“GREYT SPRING ROO”