Last year, I was so busy, Halloween sort of snuck up on me. I ended up being one of those last minute shoppers frantically searching for a suitable costume (for my dog) at the local grocery store. Luckily I live in a dog crazy area so my local grocery store did carry some dog costumes. Unfortunately most of them were picked through that I ended up purchasing a Batman costume that was too big and I simply used the cape. My dog is an adorable Boston terrier that already slightly resembles a bat so, luckily, everything worked out well in the end.

After my near miss last year, I vow to be more prepared for 2008. I have already begun looking for Halloween costumes online and found some adorable pet costumes! I fully intend to have purchase my little girl’s Halloween costume before the month is out. I just have decide if I want to go with cutie-pie flower look or the cutie-pie monster look.

While I am on the topic, I want to offer just a note of caution. Please only take your dog out for Halloween if s/he has the right temperament for it. If she is afraid of new things, hates loud noises, or can’t stand kids, maybe it is best to leave your fur baby at home while you are out Trick or Treating. Closer to Halloween, I will write a full post on tips for trick or treating with your dog.

The status of pets has come a long way in a very short time. Most pet owners consider their pets to be loveable, furry family members. It is no wonder, then, that pet insurance has become a booming industry. 

Despite the fact that pet insurance is becoming more and more common among today’s pet owners, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the subject. The do’s and don’ts of obtaining pet insurance, shall we say. While I do not by any means claim to be an expert on the subject, there is a few pieces of advice I can offer.

Treat the process of obtaining pet insurance as seriously as you take the process of obtaining any other insurance. There are plenty of online resources and websites dedicated to helping people shop around for pet insurance. Pay attention to deductibles, excluded procedures, and clauses that enable insurers to not pay for conditions that are common to your breed of dog. For example, some pet insurance plans do not cover eye problems found in Cocker Spaniels becuase eye problems are so common to that breed.

The next piece of advice I can give is to not buy more insurance than you can afford. You do not want compound interest from monthly credit cards stacking up because of an issue that your pet may develop.

My final piece of advice is regarding when to purchase pet insurance. This answer is a little more subjective but I have read and heard on more than one occasion that it is usually best to wait until your dog is five years old before obtaining insurance for him/her. Of course, if you rescued a dog, or adopted a dog from a puppy mill (this includes dogs that come from most pet stores, unfortunately), you may want to look into insurance right away because health problems may crop up pretty fast.

It does seem that the main question surrounding pet insurance has evolved from “Should I buy it?” to “When should I buy it?” As the status of our four-legged friends rises, so does our need to sustain and nurture them.

Spring is here and I am sure that my dog is not the only pampered pooch to be completely excited about the lack of cold. The first my dainty cutie pie did when she felt a cool breeze instead of an icy wind was roll around in a muddy garden. Sigh. As soon as I was done taking her home and giving her a good bath, I booked a visit at her Toronto vet.

Spring, of course, brings a few doggy obligations that need tending to.  It is time for the spring season check up! Time to worry about fleas and tics and heartworm, oh my! Luckily we have a great vet and Stella seems to love visiting them.

Toronto animal clinics are in hot demand right now because of the seemingly instant (and completely overdue) change in season so if you haven’t booked Fido’s Toronto veterinary appointment, I would call now and avoid having to wait forever.

We have been having such a ridiculously cold winter this year, I have had to shorten the length of poor Stella’s walks. She loves the snow, as do most puppies, but after romping around like crazy in it for about 10 minutes, I can tell she is cold and it is time to retreat to the warmth of the indoors. This is despite the fact that I have both a sweater and a coat on her. She is a Boston Terrier, her breed can get both over heated and too cold easily.

Yesterday was extremely cold. On our way to the park, we crossed the path of a French Bulldog and Boston pair wearing no coats. They were close to our building, though, so out to quickly do their business. To be honest, I am not sure how susceptible to the cold French Bulldogs are. I do, however, know that Chihuahuas are one of the many dog breeds that should not be out in such extreme weather at all, let alone out without a coat and shoes.

Like Bostons, and even more so, Chiuahuas are susceptible to both hot and cold. Unfortunately at the park last night, I saw a poor Chihuahua without any weather protection at all. The poor Chihuahua did not look at all happy to be out in the cold. With the exception of what had been plowed, the snow was higher than her!

I am going to assume that the owner of this Chihuahua was not out for long before Stella and I arrived at the park; even the most dense puppy owner would have more sense than to take a Chihuahua out for a stroll in the middle of a cold snap, right? After returning home from the park and thinking about it however, I should have talked to the Owner and asked her if she knew about puppy pads.

Puppy pads are a large square of diaper-like material that can be placed on a floor for puppies to do their business. They can also be kept on hand for emergencies like sever weather. There were just a couple of days over the course of this winter when I felt that it was to cold for Stella to go outside. Puppy Pads were a life saver. They are available in the puppy care section of most pet supply stores. If I happen to see a freezing cold Chihuahua in the park again, I will mention the product to the person on the other end of the leash
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