Sign You're Driving Too Fast . . .

I got stopped for speeding the other day.

I thought I could talk my way out of it until the cop looked at my dog in the back seat.

(Courtesy an anonymous soul on the Internet whose dog probably has a big chiropractor bill right about now!)

Pet Food Recall

I hope you've seen the news about the big pet food recall. It's important - animals are dying - so pay attention.

Here's a link to the news story, and here's a link to the recall notice and the lists of dog food and pet food brands involved, so you can read all the details for yourself.

Following is some of the pertinent information from the news story:

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

The company said it makes pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

P&G announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.

Now, go check your pantry. Now!

Obedience Training for Your New Puppy

By: Jim McKiel

Training is usually broken down into two types: obedience and behavioral. We will discuss obedience training in this article.

Obedience training for your new puppy should begin the day you bring him/her home. You should make obedience training fun and incorporate the training with play sessions. It is so easy to train a puppy when they are having fun and the puppy has no idea that they are learning valuable lessons. Please keep the sessions short and reward the puppy when they obey a command on the first call.

Some basic commands are: sit, stay, come and heel. Focusing on these commands with your new puppy is a good start. You should practice with your puppy at least twice every day and more often if you have the time. Make each practice session short so as not to tire the puppy or let the puppy become bored. Remember make it fun for both of you.

After your puppy has completed their vaccination course, you may enroll them in puppy classes. These classes are beneficial for both the puppy and owners. Before you enroll the puppy, stop by the class and observe the instructor during a training class. Is the class fun for both humans and animals? Do you feel comfortable with the type of training? Remember, your puppy's welfare is at stake and you want to be satisfied with the training techniques. Also, make sure the class size is small because you will receive more instructions and individual attention. This class should be fun for both owner and puppy and educational for both. If you feel uncomfortable or you're not happy with the trainers methods you may always find another class and instructor.

Puppy classes are invaluable. Your puppy will learn or reinforce the basic commands you have taught them and will be socialized. Socialization is the foundation of a well behaved dog. A puppy that is accustomed to being around many different people and animals is better behaved and less likely to be aggressive around people or other dogs. Make sure you practice the commands with your puppy at home and continue the socialization whenever you are out with your animal whether it is the park or just a walk around the block. Socialization is so very important during the first five months of the puppy's life. Letting the puppy get use to strange sights, sounds and smells will make him/her a more stable dog as they grow older.

There are many classes your puppy can attend. Some are called Beginning Puppy Classes, Puppy Kindergarten, Puppy Class 1 and so forth. After your puppy has graduated from the first class, you can enroll them in the next class for further training and socialization. There can never be too much socialization or training for your puppy or dog. As the puppy learns new commands and branches out further in his obedience training, he/she will become more self assured and you as the owner will be more confident and allow them more freedom in the home. Training benefits both the puppy and the owner.

As the puppy grows older, you may want to enroll them in a beginning agility class or a Canine Good Citizen class. There are many continuing classes for puppy's and dogs and the only limit is how much time you have to devote to your animal and the cost of the classes. There are many group classes offered that are not expensive and in some communities informal classes are formed by pet owners who just want their animals to play and exercise with other animals in dog parks. Dogs are social animals and are happiest when they can run and play with other dogs or play with their humans.

There are many books and articles on the different types of puppy and dog training. If you are not familiar with certain terms like reward training or Canine Good Citizen, do your research before enrolling your puppy or dog in any class. You want a rewarding experience for both you and the puppy in training class.

Article Source: http://www.articlebazaar.net
Jim McKiel lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife Doris and their pet family members Buddy and Buster. They have devoted their lives to the betterment of pet ownership. For more information, visit Large Breed Family Dogs.

To find a puppy training class near you, ask at your local PETCO or visit the PETCO New Pet Center online.

Fish Make the Greatest Pets

By: Jen Shircel

Aren’t the children always begging for a pet or another pet?

You don’t want a cat – there’s that whole litter box thing. You don’t want to train a puppy, plus what about when you want to go away for the night? Birds make such a mess and can be quite noisy. And then there’s those “rodent” things.

When we found out we were expecting our first child we decided to decorate the nursery in tropical fish decor. Then we thought a fish tank in the room would be perfect for the “white noise” and for a nice little night light. So we bought a 10 gallon tank set that cost about $40 for everything but the fish. We had no clue about caring for fish, so we only got a few fancy guppies that were about $3 each. How cheap!!

Who knew we’d become addicted? Well, me anyways. We learned that guppies are live bearers, meaning that they have “live” babies instead of laying eggs and they can be all sorts of pretty colors. Needless to say, we learned a few things about raising guppies and haven’t spent any more money buying fish (well, except for a few more different colored guppies and a bigger tank to start breeding our own)!

Fish are so easy to take care of and are rather inexpensive to keep. We clean out their tank a little bit each month and spend about $2 on food for them that lasts about 3 months. The kids all love the guppies – their pretty colors and especially watching the babies grow. I love the guppies because they’re cheap, relaxing, neat, quiet and they teach the children about responsibility with having a pet.

So before you jump down their throats about not having a pet, tell the kids to consider some guppies. If you’re looking to do some more research on them, check out guppies.com. There are plenty of tips and people there that are willing to answer all of your questions.


Jen is a mom to 2 wonderful boys and the owner of many websites including MomOnABudget.com- tips for moms. She also owns and operates Find me a work at home job, affordable insurance quotes, where to find cheap web hosting and recipes for making easy cookies.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

Fun Games for You and Your Kitty

by Tara J. Yen

Many expenses have been made on toys for your cats (plastic balls with bells inside, fake mice that move when you pull the tail of the mouse, an remote control mouse, etc.) but did you know that most cats like the most inexpensive toys made out of foil, string/ribbon, wire, dowel rods, milk carton rings, sheets and your fingers?

Here are some simple games that your cats will love:

1. "The Two Way Exercise Game"

Take a small piece of foil and shape it into a ball. Throw the foil ball and watch your cat run after it. If your cat likes to play fetch, he/she will bring the foil ball back to you and the game will go on. If your cat is too spoiled to play fetch, he/she has the pleasure of running after it while you have to throw it, walk over to where it is and throw it again so the game can go on. This can keep your cat busy for quite a while. (Did I say "your cat"? I meant you.)

2. "The String Game"

Cut a piece of string and drag it around the house. Kitty will run after it and try and grab it. (Let him/her get it sometimes so that he/she doesn't feel defeated.) Your cat may grab the string in his/ her mouth and not let go. This can be used as a "leash". Now you can keep your cat occupied and go jogging, just inside your house.

3. "Rainbow Ribbons"

Shape a piece of wire into a circle and bend ends together. (Best with thicker wire, or braided wire.) Cut multiple colored ribbons in six foot lengths and drape on the wire ring and tie so it is doubled. Wave the ribbons in the air and on the ground while your kitty chases them. This is my cat's favorite toy.

4. "The Flicking String Game"

Tie a long string on a dowel rod and at the other end of the string tie a fake flower or milk carton ring. Do the same thing with this toy as you do with the "String" toy and the "Rainbow Ribbons" toy. This toy has an advantage because of the long rod so you have the ability to flick it more affectively.

5. "My Pretty Rings Game"

Simply throw a milk carton ring back and forth like the "Two Way Exercise Game". If your cat likes to play by itself, you can watch him/her as he/she pushes the ring under a rug and then in your shoes. This is my sister's cat's favorite game.

6. "The Exhilarating Sheets Game"

When you are making your bed and your cat comes wandering in, pick him/her up on your bed and throw the sheets over him/her. This can go on and on until Kitty gets tired (I mean until you get tired). If you want to upgrade it a little, tickle your kitty's back with he/she is under the sheets. Your cat may flip over and try it grab it with it's paws. Or slip your finger under the sheets while Kitty is on top of the sheets and move it just enough to drive him/her crazy!
These are games that our cats love, and I hope you and your cats will love them too. Don't buy a ton of cat toys when they are on top of your leftover food (foil), on a gift bag (string/ribbon), on your milk carton (milk carton ring) and in the dryer (sheets).

Have fun playing with your cat!

Tara J. Yen is the youngest daughter of David and Annette Yen, and enjoys making toys and playing games to amuse her happy cat, Scamper, of whom she is the happy owner. She and her older sister, Kathryn, operate HappyCatOwners.com.