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 The Summer swelter is just about to hit and that means...traveling! Beaches, mountains, BBQ’s, and boating. Some of the best summer memories are built around these trips with family and friends. If your pet is lucky enough then your plans might also include them. But before you pack all of Fido’s things here are some travel trips to keep in mind.
Traveling brings anxiety. While the idea of a new place seems like an adventure to you, your dog or cat doesn’t know where you are going or for how long. Even for animals that are used to travel, extended trips can make them uneasy. One thing you can do is ask your veterinarian for sedating and/or anti-nausea medication at a quick check up before your trip. Another way to calm nerves is the bring that special bed or toy that your pet loves to snuggle with so much. This will help him or her feel more at home in the new surroundings. Finally, it’s always best to bring your pet’s favorite play toy for all those rest stops or breaks along the way. Having exciting play time releases endorphins that produce happiness and a sense of well being. It also tires them out for the next leg of the journey. Happy Travels! For months, my partner, Jack, had been insisting that we adopt a puppy. I, of course, was the resistant one, mostly because I like my free time, and I am not a big fan of moving from country to country with an animal. So at the time, I am not in a position to be a good doggie daddy. However, I love animals, and volunteer with Cartagena Paws. Following their Facebook and Twitter feeds is a daily vice for me, and back in early February, I ran across this post with pictures of Beso:
Something about this post got me thinking, “well, maybe we can compromise and get a cat.” They are independent, and not very time consuming. I brought it up to Jack, and immediately we scheduled a time to go visit him, and decided to adopt him. We took him home on February 16th. After a week with Beso, I found myself wanting to make sure that he was socialized well with other animals, and thought it might help him get out some of his energy if he had a friend. Two cats can’t be more difficult than one, right? It was almost as if the timing was perfect, because just before we had adopted Beso, this post appeared:  A post about two kittens (brothers) that needed homes! After meeting them both, the decision to adopt Thor was made. Beso was reluctant to get along with this outsider at first, but after 24 hours together, they were playing together and cuddling each other. After a week with Beso and Thor, Cartagena Paws needed Loki’s foster mom to foster some puppies, and I was asked to foster Loki, too in order to make room. Since Loki would be heading Stateside soon enough, it just felt right to put Thor and Loki back together to grow together and learn from each other. But we would have 3 kittens running around the apartment! How did this happen??? Within a day, everyone got along well, and Loki became very close with Beso, as he had the energy that Thor lacked to keep up with him. Currently, Beso is the strong, peaceful, older brother that keeps everyone in line, while Thor is a shy, sweetheart that just wants his humans to feed and pet him. They both cuddle with us any chance they are given. As for Loki, we call him the spaz! He’s the sneaky, trouble maker that knocks everything off the chairs, tables and couches. But we have grown to love him as if he was our own. He’s the one that meets us at the bedroom door in the morning, and hops up on their tower to greet us, as if to say, “Good morning, human! Now feed me. Please!” Look at them now:
Both photos: Beso, Loki, Thor.
Beso and Thor will be staying with Jack and me in Cartagena. Loki has found a new family in Portland, Oregon, and I couldn’t be happier about it! I am from that area, and just maybe, Beso, Thor, and Loki will reunite someday!
Dogs seem to have an unlimited amount of energy. Well, except for my parent’s dog Kylie. She will only move for food. Literally. Anyway, most dogs have this endless supply of jumps, wiggles, and fetches. Sadly humans do not. After a long day at work and the many other demands of being a human, we are tired. However, most times our pets have had the opposite day, filled with laying around, relaxing, and waiting for us.
This month’s tip is a way to tweak your normal fetch routine so your fur baby gets their energy out quicker so you can both go relax together. Play fetch on a hill. It’s that simple. There are two reasons why this works. First, since you will be uphill, your dog will have to run downhill and then up again. The uphill trot will cause them to exert more energy than flat land due to the slope. Meaning a more quickly tired pup. The second reason is that if you aren’t the best thrower, the slope will use gravity to your advantage and tumble the object further. So you don’t have to throw like a baseball player for your pup to get longer fetches. Longer fetches + uphill climb = happy tired dog and happy doggy parent. Thanks for reading our pup tip of the month! ~Stephanie Hartman Loki & Thor were found and rescued at only 3 weeks of age. They were bottle fed for 1.5 weeks after that and are in the process of being weaned. Both kittens will be available for adoption on March 3, 2018. They are both sweet and snuggly but definitely have their own special personalities! A little about Loki: Loki is both the adventurous one and the cautious one. He is climbing and jumping already (scaring his foster mom half to death)! He loves to explore but also is the first one to be at your feet when you go to look for them. He loves snuggles and the people around him - and especially loves to play with your hair! He isn't so sure of the large monster (dog) that he's living with right now, but he's getting used to her. A little about Thor: Thor is the brave (and hungry) one! He has no problem walking right up to his foster sister (a large golden retriever) and booping her on the nose! He is also the calmer and quieter of the two brothers and enjoys a good game of hide and seek (...aka finding a secret place to take a nap!) Thor is most likely to pass out in your arms and nuzzle your cheek, and there is nothing sweeter than that! From our Founder, Maureen. “I met a wonderful woman this weekend named Kathrin Hausermann. Kathrin and I have been talking for some time on what’s app, and I was finally able to make it out on a visit to her house and see all the wonderful things she is doing for the cats of Cartagena. Kathrin is spending her days taking care of 8 beautiful kittens and a momma cat. We made a plan together to get them all healthy, vaccinated and fixed and then off to their forever homes! One of the kittens is blind and one is blind in one eye. We are determined to help them and get healthy and adopted out.” We have amazing news! Vanda Hale will be adopting Benito next month! She has been following his story for quite some time now and has fallen in love with him. Vanda rescued a dog name Nikko 4 years ago from the streets of Centro, Cartagena and he recently passed away. She has been looking to adopt again and Beni stole her heart (mine too)! We are working hard on getting him healthy and ready for his big flight home. Vanda, you have an amazing heart. Cartagena Paws wants to thank you for never giving up and giving another one of our Colombian dogs a second chance at life! Meet Bongo! Bongo had his head smashed by a wooden pole or stick, so hard that he lost his eye. He was then dumped in a box outside the doors of FRAD to Doctor Ingrid! Dr. Ingrid did surgery on his battered eye and made sure to keep him safe. He was neutered, and had all his blood-work done . We are so happy to announce that he was HW free, distemper negative, and parvo negative. We have sent out all other lab work and got him vaccinated. He will be staying at the Vet Clinic until March 2nd, when a friend of Maureen’s can fly him home with her. Buffalo Cares Rescue will receive him and will help get him into foster and help him learn how to trust again. He greets people with kisses and a hug, but after what people did to him, he gets scared easily and needs time and a loving family! Thank you to Paula and everyone at BCR! |
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