It's been a while, but I'm back! Heaven knows I have enough on my plate, with opening, owning and operating my little neighborhood pet supply, but now I have so many things to blog about!

So, last year when the cannibus dispensary on the ground floor of my apartment building got shut down by the Feds, the space became available and having already told my landlord about my idea for a neighborhood pet supply, he generously decided to roll the dice and help me open. It's been a wild ride to say the least!

My idea for the store was that since we had so many pets in the neighborhood, I would have a built-in market and with a small space, just carry what my customers need and my stock would always be turning (one thing I remembered from business classes in college), and if I had events and marketed and promoted (where my skills and experience apply), I thought I would never have to worry about the money and math and retail knowledge! Who knew retail is completely based on math? Not me! I am also not a salesman! I'm constantly killing my own sales, by telling customers how crummy something is or suggesting that they buy peanut butter at the grocery store, instead of buying the expensive Kong filling on my shelf or getting cheap baby wipes at Walgreens, instead of the 'dog wipes' I sell!!!

And I tried to go into the retail pet business, with the same attitude as when I was caring for other people's pets as a sitter and walker. I felt that I was hired to care for their pets, as the owners or parents did, even if I didn't entirely agree with methods or choices (for example, overfeeding overweight dogs table scraps, etc). Biting my tongue about Science Diet nearly killed me! Luckily, they decided to 'reformulate' and took themselves off the market to get in line with the newer grain-free and CORN-FREE ideology in the pet food market. And in the same line of thinking, I tried carrying Pedigree and Purina. Turns out it's cheaper at Safeway, and generally the pet parents using these brands are mostly looking at price and not ingredients or nutrition, so they still go to Safeway and I don't have to feel guilty or responsible for the nasty messes on the sidewalks in the neighborhood.

The store has opened up so many topics in the pet world. It's hard to try to keep up with all of the various products and trends, but I do enjoy learning about any or every aspect of pets' lives, health, recreation and treatment. I want to try to blog regularly about the things I am learning. I have discovered so many products and so much about new aspects of pet care, I look forward to sharing with you!

Not Just Another Dog Walker has taken on a whole new meaning!!

Separation Anxiety

Many dogs, including my own, Coco, suffer from separation anxiety.  There are many remedies and training methods that you can use to bring yourself and your dog relief.  It's not going to be a quick fix, but it does get better if you are consistent.  
Try your local pet store. They have collars and air-freshening type plug-in sprays that imitate the mother's pheromones and help calm the dog down. I have seen a collar that worked fairly well, while I was working in a doggy daycare and I bought the plug-in type for Coco, but I'm not really sure if it helped.

As far as training, you can practice leaving your dog (probably in a confined room), for five minutes at a time.  Prepare to leave as you normally would. Get your jacket, keys, etc., and leave, locking the door behind you.  Don't make a big deal about leaving- no long goodbyes! Just get your stuff say "see you soon" and leave for about 5-10 minutes.  Come back in, say hello, but again, don't make a big deal about coming in. Just put your things down, get a drink, sit down in front of the tv and act like everything is normal, because it is! It's totally normal to come and go from your own home!

Later that day do another 10 minutes and another.  Gradually work up to 20 minutes, try that several times until you are ready to try an hour.  Just make sure that you remain very matter-of-fact about the activities of coming and going so your dog sees it's normal and you will come back!   Definitely don't act overly emotional about coming back!

Don't forget this needs to be repeated quite often. The problem probably won't go away overnight. And consistency is key to training dogs. Even when you are bored and sick of going out for 10 or 15 minutes, keep doing it!  Give him some time in between to relax too!  Training a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll ever have, so stick with it!!

You can also try having your dog sit for a treat just before you leave, to remind him or her that this is a pleasurable activity. 

If you come home to an accident or destroyed property, remember that it was your own lack of planning that caused the problem and do not be angry with your dog. Being angry will reinforce the anxiety. 

I got most of these tips from a good friend, Brittany Magallenas and the book "Little Dogs: Training your Pint-Sized Companion" by Deborah Wood, which is probably available at Amazon.com

Golden Retrievals by Mark Doty (a poem)

Fetch?  Balls and sticks capture my attention seconds at a time.
Catch?  I don't think so.
Bunny.  Tumbling leaf. A squirrel who is , oh joy, actually scared.
Sniff the wind, then I'm off again.
Muck. Pond. Ditch. Residue of any thrillingly dead thing.

And you?  Either you're sunk in the past half our walk,
Thinking of what you never can bring back,
Or else you're off in some fog concerning... tomorrow.
Is that what you call it?

My work?  To unsnare time's warp and woof.
Retrieving, my haze-headed friend, you.
The shining bark, a zen master's bronzy gong,
Calls you here.  Entirely.  Now.


Bow wow.
Bow wow.
Bow wow.

Beware of foxtails!

Since we are in the summer months, I thought it was important to warn against foxtails.  These innocuous looking weeds can be extremely dangerous! I saw so many dogs come in with these when I worked as a veterinary assistant. Here's what they look like:

 Watch out for these! Even if you live in the city, they grow in parks and even in cracks in the sidewalk.  They can get caught in out-of-sight spots on your dog, like between their paws, in their nose, throat or ears, in their butts and other "private" areas.  They usually need to be surgically removed and have a very dangerous bacteria that can cause severe problems including death!  So if you see any of these while walking your dog stay far away from them!

Have any questions or problems with your pet?

Please post your questions in the comments section.  I have had experiences with most of the vets in San Francisco.  I've worked in, interviewed at or brought my pets everywhere in the last 18 years.  I'd be happy to share my experiences and recommend good vets and groomers too!

cats get sick from new food

My stepmother was telling me recently that she bought a new catfood that was on sale and had a problem with the cats vomiting after eating it.  My suggestion:  Buy a small bag of the old food and mix the food about half and half- old and new for a few days, then mix a quarter old and three quarters new and so on, gradually switching the food.  And if that food is not on sale again, gradually switch back to the old food again.  Sometimes a sudden change in diet can cause stomach upset in dogs and cats.

Butt scooching!

So, recently a friend called me and was wondering if he should give his dog some tapeworm meds that he had leftover when the dog was scooching his butt on the floor and biting at it.  My suggestion:  Check his anal glands.  The anal glands are located around the anus and should naturally express themselves when dogs go to the bathroom.  Sometimes these glands get clogged and will fill up and create angry little cyst-like bumps on the dog's butt. Groomers or your vet can "express" these glands for a small fee. Or if you are one of my friends and this is a problem you are having, give me a call.  I have experience and can help you out!  The friend that asked me about this happened to have worked as a groomer and was able to take care of the problem himself, but do not attempt to express the anal glands without experience!!