All Things Dog Blog

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• #SafeHowlOween Twitter Party Sponsor Profile: @BalancedCanine
• Doggie Doodie: Keeping Our Waterways Clear of Bacteria
• #SafeHowlOween Surprise Drawing Strikes Again!
• K9 Kamp Weekend Warriors
• K9 Kamp Weekend Warriors

#SafeHowlOween Twitter Party Sponsor Profile: @BalancedCanine Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:08 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB My friends over at Dogtipper and I have been putting our email to the test. We're probably at a hundred rounds or more and finally have all the i's dotted and the t's crossed. Maybe. What I am sure of is that we have great prizes and wonderful sponsors. Read on to find out how you can save on as an All Things Dog Blog reader, with our Twitter Party sponsors. Today I'm profiling  one of our Twitter Party sponsors, @BalancedCanine, or The Balanced Canine, the online persona of Dr. Mark Nunez. Dr. Mark is the Ask the Vet columnist for All Things Dog Blog and writes his own blog at The Balanced Canine. He's also an avid student of dog behavior and owns an online veterinary pharmacy. You've probably seen plenty of these sites, but how many of these can you say you're a personal Twitter follower of? You'll find his door always open 24/7 for your shopping convenience at DrMarkNunez.com. I just dropped in on Dr. Nunez to check out his store. I found the CET Chews that Oliver uses to keep his teeth clean. I like these because they are without the same hazards of regular rawhide chews. These chews are treated with an enzyme that not only helps keep his teeth cleaner, but also assists with the digestion process, to assure that Fido doesn't have any large portions passing through undigested. And also important, Oliver loves them! My experience at Dr. Nunez's pharmacy was quick and painless. What did I like best? The search function found what I was looking for on the first try, and I was impressed to see that I can set up auto-ship to assure that I never run out of a product. That's perfect when dealing with important medications that must remain on schedule. I really like this feature. I also love the 15% discount I got for being a Twitter follower. I simply entered the code "fans" in the white box at checkout, and the discount automatically recalculated, giving me my savings on the spot. You can do this too. The discount code "fans" and 15% off continues through October, 2012, as Dr. Nunez's special goes on for his All Things Dog Blog readers. Drop in and see what's there. I'm sure you'll discover something that your pup already uses. Enjoy the savings and we hope to see you at the #SafeHowlOween Twitter Party. Dr. Mark will be doubling as our guest expert at the Twitter Party, answering questions that readers have submitted about Halloween safety for our Fidos. Got a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to TwitterBarkers@gmail.com. Many dogs are lost, frightened, or get sick from snacks that are not meant for dogs on this most-dangerous of human holidays. Join us to learn more about how you can protect your pup on Halloween. Who: All Twitter users What: #SafeHowlOween Twitter Party When: Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 Where: Join us on Twitter.com How: Use the hashtag #SafeHowloween in each tweet to follow along and help others see your posts. Why: Prizes, dog safety information, new followers and friends What do you need to do to join in? Visit the party announcement post to RSVP on the linky list. Get assistance with your RSVP here if you need it. Note: To win prizes or submit questions for Dr. Mark, you must RSVP. Everyone can participate in the discussions. Watch for posts on how Twitter parties work, Twitter tips, and communicating via Tweet. Send your questions about Halloween safety for dogs to Dr. Mark at TwitterBarkers@gmail.com. Show up at 8:30 on October 23rd and check in using the Twitter Party Hashtag: #SafeHowloween, in every post. Prizes will be given out throughout the party. We'll have Terra Paws dog treats, Trick-or-Treat flashlights that double as a dog collar cliplight, Halloween toys, Halloween leashes, and a Grand Prize to include a dog-themed, Halloween tote bag. Watch for my profile of Terra Paws, our second sponsor, coming soon. Dr. Mark will answer Halloween dog safety questions sent in advance. You can ask followup questions for more detail on his comments. Make new friends on Twitter and enjoy the fast and furious pace of fun Tweeting. It's a blast!

Doggie Doodie: Keeping Our Waterways Clear of Bacteria Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:30 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB Be sure to stop by Btc4Animals and thank them for this quarterly awareness day. I hope you'll find time to read through some of the other postings at their site today. Have you read your state or county's website on the water quality of your area's natural waterways? Well let me clue you in. We're in a sad state of affairs. Runoff is our largest offender. Drainage after a hard rain such as last weekend's 20-hour-long deluge in Central Florida carries all manner of pollutants through our drainage systems and right into our lakes, rivers, streams and retention ponds. When tested, these runoff waters have picked up, among other no-nos, fertilizers that cause algae bloom, pest control chemicals that poison fish and waterfowl, and you guessed it--doggie doodie. That means coloform bacteria is carried in small brown packages right into our recreational areas for swimming, boating and fishing. Think again if you're telling yourself you don't live near a waterway. The maze of drainage systems in any developed community--urban or suburban--will amaze you if you look into it. It's like this unseen rat's maze under the streets that carries rain and floodwaters to its final destination in our favorite watering holes. What a shame that some pet owners are contributing so unknowingly to this pollution. It's not too late, though. You can do your part. I'll start with the toughest idea and move toward the easier. Here's a simple plan: Vow to stop using toxic chemicals on your lawn. That's major, I know. I made the switch to organic lawncare in 2007. It has been 4 1/2 years and I still have a full lawn that is lush and green. Sure, I have a few more weeds. But that's mostly because I don't work terribly hard at removing or killing them naturally (Sprinkle yours will baking soda and they'll wither just as good as with weedkiller). You can read more about Eco-friendly lawncare here. Clean up after your dog in your own yard. If you're like my family, our two pups often make their deposits here at home. A bucket and scooper will allow you to quickly collect these daily, to avoid their bacterial runoff with the eventual rainfall. To best reduce pollution, you can dump this waste into your toilet and flush. The sewer systems were created for processing and treating omnivorous waste. That's what you've just collected, so why not dispose of it without making your trash can stink and spreading bacteria? You can find the Petmate Clean Response system here. Use an outdoor disposal option that is Eco-friendly. Rather than tossing your canine's castoff into the trash, drop it into an in-ground biodegrader, without the bag. This terrific gadget called a Doggie Dooley, is inserted into the ground outside. With a flip-open top, it provides hands-free operation when you drop Fido's load into the container, which then proceeds to biodegrade the material and allow it to be absorbed into the soil below. Check it out at the link above.  Follow through with cleanup when away from home. Carry a bag with you when you walk your dog or take him with you anywhere. Better yet, keep a package of doodie bags in your car and in a leash attachment. I love Flush Puppies because they were made to dissolve in water, therefore making them flushable and allowing the contents to be treated in our waste system. Anything is better than putting a lifetime of plastic bags in the landfill, only to biodegrade in a hundred years.  I did the math and was not impressed. Two dogs x 3 bags on average per day at an average of 14 years per dog = 15,330 bags just for my 2 dogs alone. With 40-60 million dog owners in the U.S., depending on which estimates you read, that's a ton of dog poop in landfill. Worse yet, the plastic bags are a nightmare for our environment. Even the so-called "biodegradable" poop bags that are not flushable will take years to biodegrade.  © courtesy pontchartrain.net The point is you do have choices. You can contribute to a cleaner world moving forward, or you can tell yourself it's just one bag each time you put it in the trash. Next time you visit your nearby lake or riverfront, don't be surprised when you see a sign posted " No Swimming. Water Tests Reveal Coloform Bacteria". Need help getting started? Check out my giveaway at Pawsome Pet Poop Prizes! You'll find this link in my center sidebar.  And good luck to you in whatever way you to choose to do your part.

#SafeHowlOween Surprise Drawing Strikes Again! Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:01 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Tanner Guards the Prize (Dog and Candle Not Included) Twitter Party RSVPs have a surprising new perk. When you RSVP, you qualify for drawings from the guest list. There will be two more of these surprise drawings, so be sure to get your RSVP in soon. We'd hate for you to miss out on the great prizes at the party.  And speaking of prizes, today's surprise winner is @GotMutt. Congratulations! Be sure to send your address to TwitterBarkers@gmail.com. We'll get your bag of Terra Paws out just as quick as Tanner can get it packed up and over to the Post Office. He's an excellent pack horse! Here's a few tips for the rest of you who would love to get in on this fun and prizes: Read the announcement post to get all the spooky details about our hosts @Dogtipper and @FidoseofReality,and our sponsors @Terrapaws and @BalancedCanine. RSVP at the linky list. You can get instructions for the RSVP here. Read up on Twitter lingo to get ready for the party. Make sure you also understand DMs and RTs. Follow your hosts and sponsors to be sure you can win prizes. Get your Halloween Safety for Dogs questions in for Dr. Mark. Send them to TwitterBarkers@gmail.com. Before we go, Tanner is wondering if you've entered the Halloween Fido Photo contest.  You can learn more about the prizes and photo submissions here. Hope to see you soon!

K9 Kamp Weekend Warriors Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:01 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Tanner Pulls Toni Through the Pool © Carrie Boyko Splash! Here in Florida the water temperatures are still balmy and the heat remains intense. Swimming is the only real refuge from our hot, humid temperatures. This weekend Tanner and I took to the pool for a bit of canine vs. human racing. Our K9 Kamp assignment was more or less a tag game with our pups, but my modification allows me to give Tanner a good workout. With a gimpy knee, I seem to be doing a lot of modifying.  © Carrie Boyko Tanner Gets His Workout Racing with Tanner requires some strategy. He's pretty fast in the water, but I'm faster, especially after I get a good racing dive in and start out ahead. The downside is that IF he catches me, I'm likely to get scratched by his paws in his enthusiasm. My solution to this dilemma is simply to swim along the bottom. It totally confuses him and he sometimes even turns back and looks for me. When I come up at the other end of the pool his facial expressions are just too funny. I wish I had a photographer to capture these, but all I can share are pictures I've taken of Tanner and my daughter swimming recently when she was home for a visit from college. Our tag games have tuckered us both out and tonight he's looking like an over-fetched snoozer. It's all good. We've had fun and we managed to get our time in over the weekend while things were not as hectic.  By this time next month I won't be willing to swim; I'm a total sissy when it comes to cold water. It needs to be 80 for me to swim without a wet suit. Go ahead and laugh. I'm a warm sissy!  © Carrie Boyko Bonding Time K9 Kamp has been a lot of fun for us. Our hosts Koly and Kelly have asked us to share something we learned from this experience. My answer to that is probably not what they want to hear. Unfortunately I've learned that it's time to get my knee looked at. I've been telling myself it would heal, but 10 months after the injury, I'm still finding it difficult to run, so I guess I need to drag myself to the orthopedist for a good once over. I've also learned that athletic events are not Oliver's forte. He loves to chase me in a good run, but he's pretty clueless about tug. I guess that could be a safety mechanism; after all, he only weighs 10 lbs. so what chance would he have against me?  We did determine that no matter what rambunctious activity I'm doing with Tanner, Oliver wants to be there to watch. He keeps his distance if we get splashy, but he doesn't want to miss a thing. He ran up and down the pool deck while we swam, occasionally barking as if to tell us we were nuts! He's probably right but that's okay. We had fun. Thanks to Jodi and Peggy for hosting. We'd love to do it again. Happy tails!

K9 Kamp Weekend Warriors Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:01 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Tanner Pulls Toni Through the Pool © Carrie Boyko Splash! Here in Florida the water temperatures are still balmy and the heat is still intense. Swimming is the only real refuge from our hot, humid temperatures. This weekend Tanner and I took to the pool for a bit of canine vs. human racing. Our K9 Kamp assignment was more or less a game tag with our pups, but my modification allows me to give Tanner a good workout. With a gimpy knee, I seem to be doing a lot of modifying.  © Carrie Boyko Tanner Gets His Workout © Carrie Boyko Bonding Time Racing with Tanner requires some strategy. He's pretty fast in the water, but I'm faster, especially after I get a good racing dive in and start out ahead. The downside is that IF he catches me, I'm likely to get scratching by his paws in his enthusiasm. My solution to this dilemma is simply to swim along the bottom. It totally confuses him and he sometimes even turns back and looks for me. When I come up at the other end of the pool his facial expressions are just too funny. I wish I had a photographer to capture these, but all I can share are pictures I've taken of Tanner and my daughter swimming recently when she was home for a visit from college. Our tag games have tuckered us both out and tonight he's looking like an over-fetched snoozer. It's all good. We've had fun and we managed to get our time in over the weekend while things were not as hectic.  By this time next month I won't be willing to swim; I'm a total sissy when it comes to cold water. It needs to be 80 for me to swim without a wet suit. Go ahead and laugh. I'm a warm sissy!  K9 Kamp has been a lot of fun for us. How about you?

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