Pet Industry Defies Current Economic Hardship; Pets in Nursing Homes; Children w/Dogs Have Fewer Colds

Pets affect so many areas of our lives. Today we are bringing some examples of that.

Pet industry defies general economic hardship, report suggests. In other words we are not spending less on our furbabies! A national survey of pet owners found that 75% haven't reduced spending on their pets despite financial constraints, and 32% said they'd pay more for pet care than family member care. Some 25% put their pet's health needs ahead of their own. This survey echoes an American Pet Products Association report showing that Americans spent a record $50 billion-plus on pet services and products in 2011. To read the entire article click here.

As Americans get older they do not want to have to give their pets up. There has been an increased movement to allow pets in assisted living facilities for seniors. Consumers want pets in nursing homes. Nursing homes, assisted living facilities are increasingly adopting pets or allowing residents to have their own animals live with them, in part because it brings in business. "More and more, we have families indicating up front that [allowing pets] is a must-have criteria," said Tami Cummings, senior vice president of A Place for Mom, the largest senior living placement company in the U.S., which reports that 40% of people ask about residences' pet policies when calling for information. It's a money thing and business is business. As more Seniors demand pets living with them, then they will get what they want! He who has the gold rules! Woof woof! Meowwwwww!

Children who live with dogs may have fewer colds. A study shows that children living with dogs decreases the susceptibility to respiratory syncytial virus, which causes the common cold and bronchiolitis, as being around dogs "trains" children's immune systems to resist asthma, according to research from the University of California, San Francisco. Doctors have long recognized the decreased incidence of asthma in children with dogs, but this study is the first to identify a contributing factor. Click on link above to read the story.


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Laundry Pods - Keep Away from Children

We have things to post about our favorite subject, Dogs, for the Saturday BlogHop but thought this information should get in your hands ASAP.

For those of you who have kiddies in your families please read this information from the Poison Control Centers about the appeal of these little pods to young children.

WINNERS for the Up Country Inc Contest

Congratulations are in order for The WINNERS of the 1st Quarter of 2012 for an Up Country Collar or Lead (dog or cat):

The Winner of the January Giveaway is: Coffee Dog!

The Winner of the February Giveaway is: SCRAPPY of Yorkie Tails!

The Winner of the March Giveaway is: Nancy Bateman!

The Winner of the April Giveaway is: LucidEnigma!

Winners have 5 days from the date of this post to respond to Reba (rebamjr@yahoo.com) to send in their choices. Please be sure to put in the subject line of your email "I am the WINNER for the month of _________."  Orders will go in to Up Country on May 15th.  Go to the UpCountryInc Catalog to choose your pattern.  Make sure you are giving us the correct neck size as we are ordering collars just for you. Also make sure you give us the collar width you want. 

If you have any questions please send an email to: customerservice@DoggyPaddleProducts.com

NEW Disturbing Study - Toxic Chemicals in Thousands of Household Cleaners

Sometimes we want to protect our humans from bad things just as they protect us.  So I, Reba Messina, was pawing through some light reading the other day from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the same organization that publishes the 'Dirty Dozen' list of foods with the highest level of pesticide residue in foods.

EWG is now compiling a list of common household cleaners (2000 products / 200 brands) that are toxic to our humans!  If these are toxic to our humans then you know who gets the toxins next, or first, it's us pets!

Now here's the kicker..... There are even so-called “green” products that hide hazardous ingredients!  We've known about some of these products but did you know that among the worst offenders are:

• Mop & Glo Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner contains DEGME which can damage the unborn child... 
• Tarn-X tarnish remover contains up to 7 percent thiourea which can... 
• Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner claims to be “non-toxic” but contains ... 
• Mystery mixtures such as Target’s Up & Up and Walmart’s Great Value brands...

You'll want to read more about this 'Hall of Shame'  and sign up to receive the full report that will be released in the Fall of 2012. See how this new information may be affecting little ones in your house both human and fur as well as yourself!




Don't forget to enter my 'Honest Kitchen' Giveaway for free food, $10 in coupons and rewards program!  

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