Pet First Aid Awareness Month is almost over.

April has been Pet First Aid Awareness Month. As the last few days of April wind down we wanted to remind you that having pet first aid tools at your fingertips can be the difference between panic on your part to actually saving your pet in an emergency. Here are a couple of things you may not have yet. For mutts and all pets!

There is an App for everything right? Yes there is and one is a PetTech Pet Saver App for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and Android is here and it's only $4.99. While not a replacement for your Vet or a Vet Tech, this app covers things like what to do in emergency situations, heat stroke, snake bites, CPR, choking, shock, bleeding protocols, how to restrain and muzzle, how to transport an injured pet, the snout-to-tail assessment and more with instruction and video.

Another must have tool is a Pet First Aid Kit. We have one in our car and another in our house. We like the Wag 'n Enterprises first aid kits. They come in two sizes (Well Fed and Skinny) and a portion of their sales goes to donating specially made Pet Oxygen Masks (02 Fur Life®) to Fire Departments. In the interest of full disclosure, Wag'N Enterprises is a friend of ours located right here in Herndon, VA. 

If you think this post is interesting,  Reba would be barkin’ happy if you would share it on Facebook, Twitter, Stumble or Pinterest. It helps her gain more followers for her blog.

Don't forget to enter my UpCountry Inc Contest and/or my The Honest Kitchen Giveaway at the top of the page!

Apologies, What Your Dog is Saying About You, Want To Be a Pet Detective? and Zumba!

First of all I want to give a big barkin' apology to my readers and sniffers for the long dry water bowl since my last post. Mommy and I had to go away for a week to take care of human stuff...... WTD? You mean it's not ALL about us pets??? Well I can't do everything by myself so I had to wait for opposable

thumbs to help me out. So here are some fun things to know.


What Your Dog Says About You

Have you ever thought that you and your dog have similar personalities? Or that friends have dogs that have personalities like them? Maybe it's happenstance or maybe personalities merge as you settle in together or maybe it's training. But a new study by  Dr Lance Workman shows that there is a reason a person's choice in dog breed is indicative of their personality. See if you and your furbaby match up and let me know!

Are You an Ace Ventura? Want To Be One?

The Animal Planet channel has some great shows on it. In fact we have that channel on about 50% of the time in our house. The show 'Pet Detectives' is about various pet mysteries, lost pets and pet detectives. One such detective is, Kat Albrecht, a former police officer who has been applying what she learned on the force to tracking down missing and lost animal companions since 1997. And she could train you, too! If you want to reunite pets and families and bring hope to pet owners – or apply Albrecht's expertise on behalf of your local shelter or TNR program –the goal is totally within reach. Albrecht is launching a volunteer pet-detective academy this June; it lasts five days, and will teach trainees to track missing pets on their own. Here you go to find out more.

Here is a link to the 'Missing Pet Partnership' to find a pet detective in your area and to find pet detective scam alerts. 

Creative Fundraisers

This economy has negatively affected a lot of people, animals and not for profits. We are seeing more and more requests for donations from shelters large and small. With virtually no budget for advertising small rescues depend on the goodness of local vendors (printers, newspapers and the like) to get the word out about their needs and the number of pets  available for adoption. Creativity is a key to getting more attention and raising more money. 'Pet-nuptiuals' and 'Zumba' are two fundraisers we found that will certainly raise the big bucks. If you are involved in fundraising perhaps these creative ideas will help you!

Date Ideas for Dog Lovers

Before doggys can get to 'pet-nuptiuals' they have to meet and greet. Here are 5 date ideas for single pet pawrents and their pooches!

Don't forget to enter my monthly contest for an UpCountry dog or cat collar or lead of your choice.

Do We Love Our Pets or What?

Source: frugaldad.com

Dogs of the Titanic - the Survivors!

The Titanic. Next week is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. We've heard a lot about human survivors over the years yet little is known about another group of survivors from this ship, the Dogs of the Titanic. A dozen dogs were aboard (photo). We never knew about this until today when we found this article about 3 survivors. Two were Pomeranians and the third was a Pekinese, all tiny dogs so people probably didn't notice that they were being taken aboard the lifeboats.

This little Mutt feels so sad about the dogs who perished. We thought you would find this information interesting as it includes a mama Cat with a possible premonition. The entire article here.

Consumer Pleas, FDA Warnings Ignored by All Major Retailers

The difference between humans and pets.......... please take the time to read this article from Susan Thixton, the Pet Food Safety Advocate. This is unconscionable and not to be tolerated!

In 2009, the FDA issued a warning to consumers about Zicam Intranasal, a human product. The FDA warning stated they received "more than 130 reports" of loss of sense of smell associated with the product. Retailers, out of concern for consumers, removed the Zicam product from store shelves. The manufacturer voluntarily recalled the product. But with dog treats?...Two years later (November 2011), the FDA issues its third warning about a dog treat that was linked to serious illness and death. The FDA told Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) more than 600 events of pet illness or death has been reported since November 2011. Not one national retailer has removed the dog treat from store shelves. Not one jerky treat manufacturer/importer has voluntarily recalled the treats.

The entire article here.

What can you do as an individual? Write to each of these companies. Admonish those companies who have done nothing.  Congratulate those companies that have taken action.