My heart races and my stomach drops out every time I read a story about a child or adult being mauled by a dog. Many times the dog has been a friendly, good family dog, so it’s nothing short of shocking and tragic when an attack happens.

How can you stay safe if a dog attacks?  Clutch magazine offers some basics from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,

• Teach your child to read your pet’s body language and identify signs that your pet wants to be left alone. More information is provided in the ASPCA’s “Reading Canine Body Postures” guidelines.

• Teach your child how to protect himself from an overexcited pet by demonstrating the basics of dog bite prevention, such as rolling into a ball, protecting hands and face and calling for help, rather than running or screaming if he’s chased by a dog.

• Teach your dog to respond to the word “Stop” and encourage your child to practice using that word when appropriate.

• Don’t let your child’s friends bring their pets into your home without adult supervision.

• Teach your child to leave your pet alone when she retreats to a bed or crate that you’ve designated as a pet’s “safe spot.”

Teaching a child to roll into a ball is extraordinarily important.  And always… safety first!

(The photo up there is of my little dog Cocoa. She’s the alpha dog!)

At last!  Warm weather!  Birds chirping!  Shade trees!  Outside activities!  … and … FLEAS!  Flea season is upon us again so we must do whatever we can to protect our pets from these little blood suckers. From Pet Health Network, here are some quick remedies to get rid of fleas,

How to prevent and treat flea infestations

* Use one of the many safe and effective flea products. Your veterinarian will help you pick the best choice for your pet.
* Be sure the products you use target more than one stage of the flea’s life cycle.
* Use these products year-round to keep your household a flea-free zone.
* Always follow the product’s instructions. Some products can be toxic and even fatal if used incorrectly.
* Never use a product meant for dogs on cats. Some dog products contain ingredients that can be toxic and even fatal to cats.

And as I was working on this article, I began feeling guilty about waiting for my LAZY kids to change the kitty litter and got up and did it myself. Oy kids.

Photo from Pinterest.

Photo from Perez Hilton.com.

This is some great photography!

Photo by John Spade.

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with a fungus on his face.  The fungus (probably ringworm) was caused by his dogs licking his face. It might tickle your funny-bone to have a dog lick your face, but if you do allow it be sure to scrub with soap and water as soon as possible.  After all, we know what dogs put in their mouths and where else they lick!

Don’t know why the embedded video isn’t working, but here’s a link if you want to see the dog licking video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1J6-RpqkOw

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A friend of mine was recently forced to move out of her home of 18 years and was very lucky to find another place to live. On the downside, her new rental home does not allow pets so she had to leave behind three dogs.  These dogs are quasi-cared for by her ex-husband, so she often goes over to make sure they’ve been fed and have plenty of water.  But their situation is not good.

That’s why I thought the write up by a local blog site about her dogs was wonderful.  From This is La Vergne,

This sweet dog had a rough start in life. As a puppy, he was diagnosed with Parvovirus and his human Mom spent a LOT of money to make him all better. Miraculously he survived and is now a very loving, sweet boy. He is used to living indoors (he is fully house trained, but you might need to give him some time to retrain as he’s been living outdoors with the other dogs for about a month now.). He has been around a newborn and has a positive history with children.

Read all about LT, Angel, and Hershey here. Especially how poor little Angel is not photogenic! And if you know someone who can give them a good home you are welcome to contact the owner through the site’s facebook page.

My friend recently had to move out of her home of 15 years because of an icky ex-husband. While part of her was relieved to go, she leaves behind three dogs – Labrador/Rottweiler mix – with no place to go because she can’t bring pets with her.

Meet L.T. (aka “Little Too”).

If you live in the middle Tennessee or surrounding area and want to adopt this sweet boy, comment below and we will connect you!

Oh my!