Doggie Bok! Bok!: March 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

All Things Dog Blog

Dog Park Days: Finding the Best Dog Park for Your Pooch

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 01:00 PM PDT

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by guest writer Greg Holsclaw

As a dog owner, you're already familiar with most of the advantages of taking your dog to the local dog park. By going to the dog park,

Your Dog:

- socializes with other dogs

-gets much-needed exercise

-is let off his leash

-is less likely to bark, be aggressive, or be destructive

-is safe from cars and other neighborhood hazards

You:

-socialize with other dog owners

-can get exercise by playing with your dog

-avoid hefty leash-law violation fines

-allow your dog to exercise if you're elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to be active with him.

With all of the benefits a dog park provides you and your best, four-legged friend, it's no surprise that many dog owners take their dogs to a local dog park up to four times a week and regularly drive up to 30 miles to find a good off-leash area. Do you know every dog park within a 30-mile radius of your home? Chances are you don't.

Dog and Dog Park Facts

According to the Humane Society, there are 77.5 million pet dogs in the United States. That's up from 68 million in 2000 (USA Today) – a growth rate of nearly 1 million owned dogs each year. All of these dogs, especially those in urban areas, need a place to exercise, socialize, and be safe off-leash. Enter the dog park. The first dog park was established in California in 1979. Mirroring the growth in dog ownership, the number of dog parks has ballooned rapidly since then. There are currently thousands of dog parks spanning across every state in the U.S.

Find the Best Dog Parks

Dog Park USA and the Dog Park Finder iPhone App have teamed up to index and map all the dog parks in the U.S. and, most importantly, make them accessible to you online and via your mobile device. Dog Park Finder has leveraged the information that Dog Park USA has compiled and vetted since it began in 2007. Together Dog Park USA and Dog Park Finder bring users detailed, accurate information on over 2,000 dog parks and over 3,000 reviews and pictures of individual dog parks across the country.

The Dog Park Finder application features:

hand placed map markers that give the exact locations of each dog park
finds local dog parks near your current location
lets you read user ratings, reviews, and comments on the dog parks you find
allows you to search dog parks by city, state, and zip code
provides detailed information about each park, including park fees, hours of operation, fencing information, doggy amenities (such as swimming areas), and other important notes about the park.

Once you've used Dog Park Finder to locate and visit all the dog parks in your area, you can rave about your favorite dog parks on DogParkUSA.com. Rate your local dog parks, write a glowing review or critique, upload pictures, and email the dog park information to a friend. These features are also available--or will be soon--on Dog Park Finder.

On the Road with your Dog

Don't limit yourself to dog parks in your neighborhood. Use Dog Park USA to find dog-friendly hotels around the country and take a vacation with your dog!

Keep in mind that "dog-friendly" doesn't mean "off-leash". Your pooch will still need to run around at a local dog park for exercise. The Airline Transportation Association estimates that more than 500,000 animals travel by plane each year, which means that far more travel by car. Since dogs are the most common pet to take on a vacation, bringing Dog Park Finder on the road is a great option. Instead of pulling in at a truck stop on your road trip, use Dog Park Finder to get directions to the closest dog park and let your dog stretch her legs too.

Whether you're on a road trip across the country, a weekend drive, or a stroll through your neighborhood, your dog needs to run off-leash. Let Dog Park Finder and Dog Park USA help you find the best dog park near you…wherever you are!

Resources:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dog-park-finder/id362002678?mt=8

http://www.dogparkusa.com/iphone/dog-park-finder

Watch for More, Coming Soon:
Herding up Help: On the Road with Your Dog and Your iPhone

Be sure to visit Adopt a Dog Park to learn
what you can do to help protect our precious dog parks.

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Raise a Green Dog!

It's time for Spring lawn care!

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 05:13 AM PDT

It's that time of year - time to start getting out there and enjoying your lawn!

If you're like us, your lawn and yard are where your pup spends a lot of their outside time - they play there, fetch there, poo there and some even want to eat grass there. That's why it's so important to make sure that your lawn and your yard are free from chemicals, pesticides, insecticides and herbicides; because those things have been proven to be very dangerous for dogs and other pets.

Here are a few articles to bone up on the importance of going green with your lawn and yard:

Even though you may see lots of advertising that those commercial lawn care chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that millions of people put on their lawn throughout the year are perfectly safe for dogs and other pets; the fact is, these chemicals have been linked to grave illnesses in dogs. Just think, if they kill bugs and weeds, what are they doing to children and pets? And secondly, they are not good for the environment.

A respected report and DVD "The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals," funded by Newman's Own Foundation, has a lot of information for you to learn about the dangers and effects of lawn chemicals on your pets.

In addition, BeyondPesticides.org has facts and figures that relate to the use and affects of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and insecticides on humans, pets and children. Their studies find that dogs exposed to herbicide-treated lawns and gardens can double their chance of developing canine lymphoma. And these dangerous chemicals may also increase the risk of bladder cancer in certain breeds by four to seven times. (xvii)

But there is hope for a beautiful, safe lawn for you and your dog. And having an organic lawn is really a lot easier and inexpensive than you may think. Here are our top tips to keep a healthy, organic lawn?

Adjust the your soil pH through amendments (like acidifiers, lime, or kelp, that are organic, natural and safe for your dog
Utilize an organic fertilizer
Overseed and mow high to choke out weeds

It may take time, but in just one year you can have a very nice, safe and chemical free lawn for both of you to enjoy.

There's also a great book on safe landscaping with your dog in mind. We know Tom Barthel (the author). Tom is a Master Gardner and has lots of great tips on keeping your lawn and yard safe. He was even kind enough to include us in his new book, ""Dogscaping, Creating the Perfect Backyard & Garden for You and Your Dog."

So, how do you get started this Spring? Here are our top tips for getting your lawn in tip top, safe shape to enjoy throughout the year:

Clean up all the poo after the spring thaw.
Rake up any leaves and debris.
Mow if needed.
Wait for a good rain, and then pull any unnecessary weeds.
Overseed with a good non-coated grass seed (like K9 Yard Patch) appropriate for your area.
Wait a few days and then spread a good organic fertilizer, like spray Fish Emulsion, or Worm Poo (these fertilizers won't hamper the growth of new grass seed). We like sprays because they are not as attractive to dogs once they have been on the lawn for a few hours. You can also look into a good organic fertilizer that's pellet based, like Lawn Restore, or Espoma Brand organic foods. We don't use these because Gracie likes to sniff them so much, she gets a runny nose. Even if they are perfectly safe for her, we don't want her to have a runny nose :) There is also a product called 'corn gluten' that is safe around pets that helps to prevent weeds in your lawn. If you use it, however, we would recommend that you water in the pellets completely before letting your pet in that area. Dogs are very attracted to eating corn gluten and although not poisonous, in large quantities can upset tummys.
Continue to pull unwanted weeds after each good rain (they are much easier to pull, and you can be sure to get the entire root if the soil is moist.)
If your lawn is in very poor shape, continue to reseed until the hot parts of summer and fertilize with a safe organic fertilizer every 6-8 weeks.
To keep crawling insects at bay in and outside your home, like ants, fleas, rolly poly bugs, spiders and more, sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth in the area (inside or out). We use it a lot. Just be sure to have your pets out of the area and wear a mask when spreading. But once settled it's a very safe form of pest control for humans and pets.
If you have insects (like aphids) that like to eat your plants try some safe eco-friendly dish washing soap, mixed with water and spray on the bugs and plants.

If you follow this method, you should have a great lawn by Summer!

Here are some additional resources:

Mega Green Organic Lawn Food Quart RTS

$19.95

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Sunday, March 28, 2010

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