DogTails

There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring. For that matter, even one hour into the future is a mystery to us. We do know, though, that June is the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season; the tornado season is already in full swing; earthquakes, severe weather, fires, floods—it seems there is always some potential disaster “in season.” There’s no getting around it: disasters happen.

But we human beings have the unique capability of imagining the future. Individually and as a species, we analyze our past experiences and use that information to imagine, and even plan for the future. We can, and do, prepare ourselves and our families to survive disasters.

Spring is a good season to review your family’s emergency plan. Remember to include your dog and other pets in your plan, because in a disaster, they face the same dangers as every other member of your family. Advance planning is the key to their safety in an emergency situation.

Here are five tips for emergency planning for your dog.
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For those of you who are experiencing the change of seasons from the gray and white of winter to the verdant green of spring, you understand how good the transition feels. It’s a good bet that your pooch feels the same way.

Chances are you’re eyeing the flower bed and your garden patch and trying to remember where you last saw your good gardening gloves. The garden centers have stocked up on fertilizer, bags of mulch and those tempting little the seed packets that carry so much promise.

If your dog enjoys spending time outside, he may be happy to get his paws in there to ‘help’ with your gardening, but that might not work out so well for your garden . . .or for your dog. Your dog’s gardening penchant can be dangerous for him because many beautiful plants, and the fertilizers and mulches that we use to nurture a beautiful landscape, are toxic to dogs.
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We’ve all seen dogs on TV and YouTube who perform amazing and entertaining feats. They’re impressive and it looks like the dogs are having fun. Have you ever wished your pooch could learn to do some cool tricks?”  Well, teaching your four-legged friend a few simple stunts is not as hard as you might think, once you understand and make use of his or her natural tendencies.
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It’s almost time to celebrate National Pets Day (April 11)!

April 20 to April 26 is National Pet ID Week. If you haven’t microchipped your dog, this is a good time to reconsider. Most vets can insert the microchip that will assure you of being reunited with your pet should you ever be separated. For more information on this form of pet ID visit the ASPCA website.
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