I would like to thank those of you who’ve visited and are reading this!

First, let me apologize to my readers for being unable to answer messages for quite some time.  The problem is Tax has monopolized our time searching for his Christmas present.  He asked Santa Claws for a cow.  Since last Christmas, all I’ve heard about is that stupid cow that Santa was bringing him this year.   We went to look at cows: milk cows, steak cows, Longhorns, Angus, black cows, brown cows, spotted cows, striped cows (I’m not sure those were cows…).  Needless to say, we saw a lot of cows.

Christmas morning arrived and Tax did indeed get a cow.  But Tax isn’t as good at written communication as I am.  The cow he got was small and stuffed, which was a great disappointment to him.  He’s complained constantly since and we have spent many hours working to craft his letter to Santa next year.  We decided that perhaps he was too vague in his previous letter.   He just licked the stamp for this year’s Christmas List.  This time he was more specific.

Dear Santa Claws,
It’s me, Tax.  About that cow that you brought to me.  I think there was a big misunderstanding.  I do not want a stuffed cow.  I want a large cow that will live in my backyard.  The cow should moo and make huge piles of business all over.  I suspect that Mom altered my letter and told you not to bring me a real cow.  Mom says that there is no more room in our yard for business, cows or dogs.  If you could see your way to getting me the cow that I asked for next year, you may take Molly away and that will cut down on some of the business in our yard.

Your biggest fan,
Tax

I don’t think that letter will work, but at least it will shut Tax up.

For years, humans have known that smoking is bad for them.  They have known that secondhand smoke is bad for humans that do not smoke.  This also applies to your four-legged friends.  In fact, they can be more at risk for cancers due to secondhand smoke than humans exposed to the same risk.  In fact, it is a “triple threat” for canines and felines that live in a smoker’s home.

The significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets is through oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds.  There is also a strong correlation between secondhand smoke and certain forms of cancer in cats. There are higher incidents of mouth cancer in cats living with smokers over cats living in a non-smoker’s home. Dogs living in a home with secondhand smoke have a higher risk of nasal tumors. This increase was specifically found among long nosed breeds (like me, Golden Retrievers).  Dogs with medium or short noses did not escape, as they showed higher rates for lung cancer!  Typically, dogs affected with nasal cancer do not survive more than one year.

Be aware that animals may also pick up discarded butts off the ground and ingest them. This creates a problem with nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.

Smoking is also a very costly habit.  Do you know how many homeless animals could be fed in one year if just one person quit and gave their savings to a shelter or a rescue?

If you were on Twitter last night, you know that the “#barkhunt” hashtag was flying around like crazy.  Paw Luxury, Best Bully Sticks, Four Legged Media, and I gave away twelve fabulous prizes to the hunters who played the game.  You can prepare for our next one by checking out the rules, take a look at our sweet prizes, and see who won.

I can’t wait for the next one!

Today, we were featured in an article in the Atlanta Dog Examiner, to discuss our site, our side projects, and a little bit about me.  Take a look around at the article, as well as the work that Sandy Weaver Carman does.

Our thanks to her hard work helping to spread the word about what we do.

Yum!  I just finished a bully stick sent to me from friends at Best Bully Sticks.  Tax and Molly are still working on theirs, but I chewed through mine real quick!

Special “bark-out” to them, and a a thanks for their gift.

The folks over at the Clean Water Campaign want everyone to know that as a responsible pet owner, it is your “doodie” to pick up your dog’s waste.

Here’s the scoop on the problem:

• Pet waste can contaminate our rivers, lakes and streams.
• Pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. Coli and fecal coliform.
• Waters that contain a high amount of bacteria such as E. Coli are unfit for human contact.
• A single gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans.
• Pet waste decays, using up dissolved oxygen and releasing compounds that are harmful to fish and other animals that rely on water.
• Pet waste contains nutrients that can cause excessive algae growth in a river or lake, upsetting the natural balance.
• Pet waste left on sidewalks, streets, yards or other open areas can be washed away and carried by rainwater into storm drains to nearby rivers, lakes and streams and cause many problems.
• Whether in your yard or walking your dog, you can easily do the right thing.  Purchase a “pooper scooper” or simply use a plastic bag.  Many parks and apartment complexes provide special posts with “pet mitts” or bags to help you clean up after your dog.  When finished, just place the waste in a garbage can.  Everyone will be happier when you pick up after your pet!

Did you know that in 2001, there were an estimated 6.5 million dogs in the United States?  That is 6.3 billion pounds of poop per year!

It would take a scoop 300 feet wide and 800 feet deep to dispose of all of that poop!

If you have not noticed already, there is now a page of helpful information just below the header wedged between the pages for Spike’s Pack and the Reader Photo Gallery that contains some helpful information for those of you in need of potty training help.  If you do not want to scan for it, check out this link instead.

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, so I thought I would share some of my pal, Lola’s tips for a healthy happy puppy smile.

1. 80% of humans brush their teeth at least twice a day, but very few pet owners brush their pets teeth.

2. Signs of gum disease includes yellow & brown build up of tarter around the gum line, inflammation & bad breath

3. One of the most common dental problems is broken or chipped teeth, some of which is caused by aggressively chewing on hard objects. Older & senior dogs are more prone to have this problem.

4. More then 80% of dogs & 70% of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3, now that’s a big deal in dog & cat years!!

Your local Luv My Pet Veterinary will giving their annual discount rabies vaccines ($5+$2 medical disposal fee) this month.  Luv My Pets’ locations can be found here.  They are usually inside your local Petco store.

Remember, if that rat looking thing sees his shadow, expect six more weeks of winter.

Lucky for us, rain and clouds are predicted for Georgia, so I suspect that we will be smelling flowers soon.

Right, General Lee?