Giving a PAW upI can't believe I haven't written about the amazing services offered by PAWS SF – Pets Are Wonderful Support. The mission of this wonderful non-profit is to provide services to those who need a helping hand (or paw!) so they can continue to keep their pets. I'm a volunteer in their dog walking program which offers walks to clients who, for various reasons, are incapable of exercising their dogs. Additionally, PAWS provides low cost and free distribution of pet food and products to clients who need these services in order to keep their pets. In short, it's an organization that ensures people can keep their best friends - who probably otherwise wouldn't be able to.
Fourth of July Pet Safety TipsThe Fourth of July and fireworks go hand in hand. Humans love to gaze skyward at those nighttime bursts of color. Fireworks seem to bring out the kid in us, no matter our age. Our furry friends don’t always feel the same way. Fireworks are extremely noisy. Because we aren’t detonating fireworks all the time, those blasts, booms and explosions aren’t part of our everyday human soundscape. There aren’t regular opportunities for pets to get used to them. As a result, many critters find firework noise terrifying. 
Happy Hounds Massage in San FranciscoI often hear people say that people shouldn't have dogs in the city – apartment living, confined spaces and all that. I have to say that most of the people I know who have dogs in the city – myself included – go out of their way to make sure their dogs are well taken care of, well stimulated, well exercised and, well, spoiled. Most of the city dogs I know have it better than many suburban canines I've met. 
A Better Way to Walk Your DogThe other day as Vinnie and I waited to cross the street, an out-of-breath woman caught up to us. She had an exasperated look on her face, and no wonder. She’d been hauled to the corner by Mindy, her medium-sized doe-eyed retriever mix. 
Five Stars for The Urban PawEmy at The Urban Paw was recommended by a friend of mine when I started looking for in-home dog sitters for my dogs during a vacation I'll be taking this summer. I didn't want to go the Craigslist route, and I'd been trying Yelp and Sittercity, but was ideally looking for an agency/person that was 1). insured and properly trained and 2). inexpensive. An almost impossible combination in a city like San Francisco. 
Tomorrow is Take Your Dog to Work Day!This Friday June 26, 2009 is the tenth annual Take your Dog To Work Day. Talk about a great idea! Dog lovers know first-hand the countless benefits of having a pooch, but many others don’t. Take Your Dog to Work Day was first celebrated by Pet Sitters International so that employers and other workers to experience the joys and values of pets in the workplace. 
VET SOS Gives Pets of the Homeless A Fighting ChanceWe’ve all heard the expression, “Nothing in life is free.” It turns out some things are. Since 2001, pets of homeless San Franciscans have been receiving much-needed free vet care thanks to a fabulous program called VET SOS. 
Bernal Height's St Mary's Park Fenced-in-Fun Dog ParkI have curious, nose-driven, boundary-challenged beagles. Of course since we live in the city, in a tiny apartment, we often take them for off-leash romps in spite of their tendency to let the olfactory senses lead the way. Needless to say, sometimes I get a little nervous. That's why I love, love, love fenced-in parks. And not fenced in, overwhelming DOG parks – that's too much canine activity for my anti-social pups – but rather parks that just happen to be fenced in.
Warm Weather Tips to Keep Critters CoolSummer . . . That word conjures images of sandcastles at the beach, campfires, and juicy slices of watermelon, and makes many of us eager for long sunny days and balmy nights. While folks like me welcome warm weather fun, rising temperatures can be rotten news for pets, especially dogs. 
The Outrageously Fun, Pet Mayor Contest. Vote this weekend!Politics can get downright dirty. If you think otherwise, I have three words for you: Scandals, Lies, and Flies. Let’s just brush over the first two words shall we, for fear of offending our young viewers. And flies? Well, if there’s one thing Obama should never do in a television interview is swat an innocent little fly. Just ask PETA. Mud slinging paws aside, one race we should all whole heartedly support is a great cause like the Montclair Pet & Wildlife Fund's most popular fund-raising event: The Pet Mayor Contest . This election is outrageously fun – just read some of the candidate’s campaign slogan . |
|
Read In Circle Pets articles in your RSS reader or enter your e-mail address here to have them delivered straight to your inbox. 
|
