An Airline Just for Pets

We've been reading about a new airline company called Pet Airways, and they seem to have an interesting concept going. They have designed the cabin areas of their planes exclusively for pets, with the seats having been removed to make room for pet carriers, so no human passengers are allowed. These areas are reported to be climate controlled, pressurized, and fully lit, just as with normal airlines, and a pet attendant is present at all times to see to your pet's needs.

Weekly flights are scheduled to begin in July, and will go between New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles, though they claim that other cities will be added as the year progresses. Pet owners will be able to track their pet's travel progress online with their Pet Tracker service.

As a dog owner, I find this to be a great idea. It doesn't take much research to learn how bad it is to have your dog packed into the cargo bay of an airplane, which is what most airlines do with them, and I've never found the concept of stuffing my canine babies in a carrier under a seat for hours on end to be very appealing either (which is the only other option for air travel, IF your pet is very small). However, I'm just waiting to see how things pan out with Pet Airways.

Their site is currently offline, which they claim is due to an overwhelming response to their service, and they have given an eMail address where you can make reservations instead. On one hand, this is understandable, because maybe they just underestimated how many people would be interested. But on the other hand, it shouldn't be taking an organized airline this long to increase their server capacity to allow customer access. Will the website be stable by July, when customers are supposed to be able to use it to track their pet's travel progress?

Another thing that has been at the back of my mind is; has anyone managed to find a picture of one of the cabins of these planes? Maybe I'm just paranoid when it comes to my dogs, but I think I'd appreciate seeing exactly what sort of setting my pups would be traveling in.

Dog Webpage Templates

For those of you who are thinking of starting a dog-related website, we're now offering affordable dog website templates! More will be added soon, and our webmaster has also announced that he can do custom graphics work for those needing it. We also have two freebie website templates for introducing a new puppy into the clan Here.

A Holiday Wish

Tis the season of Christmas and it's our heartfelt wish,
That every dog has a food-laden dish.
And someone to cuddle them and rub their ears,
And give them a home for the rest of their years.
Someone who will praise them and have time to play,
And give them a warm bed on which to lay.
That all dogs have safe yards and a favorite toy,
So neighborhoods will ring with barks of joy.
That no dog will feel lonely or sad with mistrust,
And the rescue shelters will house nothing but dust.
So if you have room, and some love to spare,
Please rescue a dog and give them your care.

The Dog Days of Christmas!

Hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday season so far! We've been busy as usual, putting up the tree and lights and all that goes with it.
Shopping for doggie gifts has been a real challenge this year though, particularly for our Boxer, Jay. He's almost 11 years old now, and has lived a terrifically pampered life, so finding anything new for him for Christmas is almost impossible. He's too old to want to have any interest at all in toys now, so those are out. He already has the best orthopedic dog bed indoors, and a comfortbale lounger for when he wants to sunbathe outside. He has a huge array of warm dog coats, and a plenty of padded collars and harnesses. We have just about every pet travel item that you could use, and his bowls are new. All of our pups get an amply supply of bones and treats in their stockings, but finding that one "special" item just for Jay is the trick.
So it raises a fairly humorous question... "What do you buy for the dog who has everything?"

Respect Pet Friendly Hotels

Like many dog owners, we never take any vacation trips to destinations where our dogs are not welcome, and during a recent trip, we had the honor of staying at a VERY pet-friendly hotel (even their beach was pet friendly!). The owner complimented us on our dogs' good behavior, which then led to a discussion about how challenging it can be for hotels/motels to let pets stay.
He told us about two area hotels that had recently stopped allowing pets, and this got me thinking that maybe some owners weren't aware of what it takes to keep our pet-friendly hotels "friendly".
After passing what we had learned along to a friend, he wrote an informative article for our website which you can find here: Tips for Staying in a Hotel with Your Dog.

Meet Marty!

This is Marty, the newest addition to the Puppycoat Junction family. She's a rescue pup (of course!) and has a great little personality.

For some reason, she likes to walk around on her hind legs a lot, and it's hilarious. She also like to stand on the window sills, so it looks like we have some sort of strange cat in the window!

A Nursing Home for Dogs

Recently, Japan has announced that they are opening the first dog nursing home complete with round-the-clock veterinary care and puppies to play with the elderly dogs. Owners will pay around $800 a month to keep their pets there.

While we can only assume that dog nursing homes will become a trend that will eventually reach the U.S., I have to wonder how many of us will actually use them?

On one hand, I can see how owners whose pets have advanced illnesses may want or actually need the nursing home option for their dogs.
But on the other hand I personally can't imagine ever trusting the care of my own elderly dogs to strangers, and it seems that monthly fee would be beyond the reach of the average dog owner anyway.

What about you? Would you put your elderly dog in a nursing home?

World's Biggest Dog

I got this email yesterday with this photo of a massive dog and all I could think of was WOW! It's a beautiful animal, and the accompanying text said that his name was "Hercules" and that he was in the Guinness Book as being the world's largest dog.
Ok, so I fell for it, "hook, line and sinker" as they say (lol). According to this article though, the photograph is a hoax, but they do go on to tell about the pets who have the honor of being the *real* world's tallest and heaviest dogs.

So I'm gullible. But you do have to admit that the person who created this was *very* good with their photo editing software!

How did you name your dog?

I ran across a 'Net post the other day about someone who had bet $20 on the Kentucky Derby one year and, after winning the bet (on a long shot), they used the money to buy a dog... Thus they named it "Derby".
Then, a couple of days later I met a woman in PetsMart who had an Peekapoo puppy, which she called "Pikachu." She said her kids were crazy about the cartoon and she liked the way the names rhymed.
In our business we run across a huge variety of dog names, but these two really tweaked my curiosity about how other owners name their pups.

For us, Jay, Lance, and Princess Francis were all named by their previous owners and/or rescue center (though we do refer to Princess as "Hurricane Francis" from time to time!), and we didn't want to confuse them by changing their names. Mia didn't respond to any name when we got her from her abused situation, and we literally spent 2 days calling out female dog and human names to her until we found one that made her wag... she chose her own name.

So how did your dog get his or her name?

Little Dogs and Garden Ponds

We had an interesting experience last week that could have turned out badly, and I thought it may be a good idea to share with other dog owners (especially those with very small dogs). We've always wanted a small fountain at the end of our patio so, finally getting a spell of really nice weather, we went ahead and installed one. We used one of those black pre-made plastic pond forms that you bury in the ground and then fill (like you see in the garden centers of most hardware stores), and the one we selected is only a couple of feet wide and maybe a foot deep. It seemed harmless enough, but the morning after we had it filled, our littlest Mini Pinscher fell into it.

We're not even sure why she went near it, since she has no great fondness for water, but nevertheless she did. I scooped her out immediately, and there was no harm done, but it occurred to me then how dangerous even the smallest ponds could be. Though the water isn't even high enough to reach my knees, it's well over her little head. Even worse, most pond forms are very smooth inside (which doesn't allow for traction) and the sides are almost vertical. There would have been no way she would have been ok if she had been outside without supervision. We immediately put a very stout decorative fence around said pond, even though the dogs don't go out alone!

Now I'm sure a some of you are out there reading this and saying "duh!", but when you have a dog that dislikes water and a pond that's just about as shallow as they get, it's easy to feel safe. I post this as a warning to others who have tiny dogs or puppies though... be careful of with your water decorations. Even some of the kiddie swimming pools that are on the market today are deeper that a little dog could handle, and they can apparently pick the oddest times to get curious!

We're Back

Hello fellow dog bloggers. It's been quite awhile since there's been a post here, but a lot has happened in that time. Puppycoat Junction has undergone a complete re-structuring, and we have added and dropped many brands in the proccess. As a matter of fact, we are still adding some of the new things, so the website is changing almost daily.

More importantly though, two of our dogs have had some serious medical problems in the past few months, and we are spending every spare moment with them. One morning in late October we noticed that Jay (the eldest Boxer) was extremely lethargic, and we couldn't get him to eat anything. Since we have dealt with spinal problems with him (which makes him lethargic) and bladder stones (which makes him lethargic AND not eat), we just assumed that he was having a flare-up of one of those problems and calmly scheduled a veterinary appointment. But the following morning he had a high fever and was noticibly dehydrated... and we all panicked! It took two veterinarians and a whole slew of tests to pinpoint the problem, which turned out to be a severe prostrate infection. I'm still boggled as to how it could have gotten that bad without him showing any signs earlier, and at how quickly he went down. He didn't respond well to the first few antibiotics, and it was late November/early December before he started acting like himself again. Now he's severely underweight. If any of you have any suggestions for anything that might put weight on this guy (low sodium and no dairy), PLEASE let us know. We've tried all the top brands of store-bought dog foods, a prescription-only dog food, and now I'm cooking human foods for him and nothing's working. It makes you want to cry to look at him, because every rib and bone in his body sticks out, but we can't think of anything else to try. The vet says he's fine, but that he's just "old" (as if we didn't know that!!).

A couple of weeks after the ordeal began with Jay, Mia (the eldest Min Pin) stopped responding to her heart medications and her lungs began to fill with fluid. Luckily, we caught this *very* early, and the vet was able to adjust her meds accordingly. We have to watch her activities and her diet very closely now, and we have been warned that her age is working against her too.

Both dogs are on quite a few meds daily, and we have learned an interesting thing about doggie meds that may be useful for some of you. Many of these drugs are the same medications that humans take, and the prescriptions for most can be filled at your local Walgreens or Walmart for a fraction of the cost of getting them from the veterinarian's office (we pay less than half price for Mia's & Jay's at the drug store). This may not hold true for everyone everywhere, but it's sure helped us with our pup's needs!

Pet Memorial

Today is National Pet Memorial Day, established by the International Association of Pet Cemeteries as a special day meant for dog owners to honor their lost pets. People do this in many different ways, including having small memorial services, creating memorial scrapbooks of their pet, creating living memorials by planting a tree in their pet's name, or simply discussing the happy times they had with their pet.

We at Puppycoat Junction lost two beloved dogs in less than a year's time, and would like to to honor their memories by writing a little bit about them.

This is Taz, a beautiful elderly Pug whose lovable antics made everyone he met like him. When he wanted to play, he had a funny way of bugging out his big round eyes and flapping his curly tail that made everyone laugh. He loved to go for long walks, and investigated anything new with a funny little "oink oink oink" snort. He liked to give happy "puggy kisses' to you when you were petting him, and he was always ready to cuddle. To know Taz was to love him.
He died at the age of 10 in August of 2004, just one day before we had to leave for our move to Florida. It was doubly hard to get into the car and drive away, knowing that one member of our canine family was not with us.

This is Twister, our lovable giant Rottweiler. Weighing in at close to 130 pounds by the time he was three, his size intimidated most people until they had the chance to know him. Twister was everyone's friend; a big happy teddy bear. He especially loved kids, and was always extra careful when playing with them. His absolute favorite thing was to play in the water, particularly the lawn sprinkler. He would hop and flip and try to catch as much water as he could before it hit the ground. He never realized how big he was, and always wanted to sit on your lap. Twister was highly intelligent, very well-trained, and taught a lot of people that Rottweilers are not always something to fear.
He died in June of 2005, during his second battle with canine cancer. He was only 4 years old.

Both were wonderful friends, and we will always love and miss them.

Dog Bed and Breakfast?

Lately, Mia has taken to sleeping in the larger dogs' bowls. She gets plenty of food (as you can see from her pudgy belly!), and she has a wonderfully soft dog bed of her own, so we're really not sure why she's doing this.
Jay comes running to "tell mommy" whenever Mia's in his bowl, so it's obviously not something that the Boxers find amusing.
Does anyone else have a little dog who has this habit?

Keep Those Hot Dogs Cool!

With forecasts across the nation still predicting record high summer temperatures and humidity, we mustn't forget that dogs are even more at risk for heat stroke, dehydration, and other heat-related illnesses as humans are. Dog's bodies are designed to conserve heat, and are much less efficient at cooling themselves. Below are a few things to consider to help your pet cool down and stay safe.

*Access to fresh water is one of the most important requirements for your dog, even if they stay indoors. Dogs will drink more in the hot summer months, so be sure to check their bowl often. Consider buying a "no-tip" bowl or an automatic waterer.

*Encourage your dog to remain as inactive as possible in the heat, if they haven't already taken it apon themselves to do this.

*Let your dog get wet! A plastic kiddie pool or a water sprinkler in the yard can provide lots of relief. If your dog is very small, you can buy a clean plastic pan (such as the ones they use for draining oil) to serve as a miniature pool for them.

*Give your dog a cool treat, such as an ice cube or a small piece of popsicle.

*If your pet is left alone in your home during the day while you work, prepare ahead of time in case there is a power outage in your neighborhood. Be sure there will be someone available who can at least check on your pets and open some windows if the air conditioning goes out.

* If you have an outdoor dog, consider bringing him indoors during the hottest part of the day, and be sure that his area of the yard provides plenty of shade. Try to use a tip-proof bowl for water, and remember to refill it often. Make sure the water bowl is in the shade, since the sun can quickly make it too hot to drink.

*If you must walk your dog, try to avoid walking them during the mid-day heat, and keep the walks short. If possible, select a route that provides as much shade as possible. Remember that dog's paws can be burned on hot sidewalks, sand, and asphalt: lay your palm on the surface, and if it is uncomfortable to you it will be uncomfortable to them. To avoid hot surfaces, allow your dog to walk in the grass as much as possible, or consider getting them a set of dog boots.

*When traveling in the car, don't forget to carry water and a bowl for your pet, and NEVER leave them in the car, even for a short time. On hot humid days, temperatures inside of a car parked in direct sunlight can rise more than 30 degrees per minute, and rapidly become lethal. Leaving windows down will not help (try sitting in the car for a few minutes after you turn it off--- you'll quickly realize what we mean). If you see a pet that has been left in a car, do take the time to contact the store's security officer or the police; it may just save that animal's life.

*Lots of innovative products are available to help keep your pet comfortable, including cooling bandanas, vests, and water-filled cooling beds.

If you dog begins to show signs of heat illness, immediately move them to a shaded or air-conditioned area. Encourage them to drink water, and apply cool packs to the head, neck and/or belly, or immerse them in cool (not cold) water to begin lowering their temperature. If you suspect your dog has a heat-induced illness, take them to the vet immediately. Some signs to watch out for are: heavy panting, vomiting, fever, excessive thirst, staggering, dark red or purple gums and/or tongue, listlessness, dazed look, rapid heartbeat, refusing to drink.

Our Dog Bath Day Chaos

Bath day in our house of four dogs has always been a bit of an adventure, something a two-human team usually accomplishes, and I recently discovered that this is not a task that one person should try alone.
At the first sight of me gathering our favorite doggie shampoos and towels, Jay and Francis head for the bathroom in anticipation, while Mia and Lance try to become the first invisible dogs in history.
We normally start with Lance, since it seems the longer he waits for his turn the more stressed he becomes. First you have to "find' him though. He's hiding where he always is; under Jay's favorite quilt with nothing but his backside sticking out, and when you pull the quilt away he always looks amazed that you found him. Into the tub he goes, and he begins to vocally "grumble", which gets louder in volume throughout the bath. Jay and Francis sit outside the bathroom door, both whining loudly because they can hear Lance's grumbling; this is what we call "bath time music." He does stand still though, as if he realizes that this will make the "water torture" and sooner, so his bathing goes fairly quickly. He tolerates the towel-drying and then shoots out of the bathroom door at the speed of light and begins his ritual after-bath marathon. He runs from one end of the house to the other as fast as he can, bouncing off the sofas and beds, in non-stop fashion.

Jay loves a bath, but he wants you to leave the faucet running while he takes it so he can drink the water. I'm not sure why this is such a fascination, but if you don't leave it running he will sit in the back of the tub and refuse to move, thus making it impossible to wash all of him. So I leave the faucet on, and he happily laps water as he's being lathered. Unfortunately, this results in his needing to go outdoors for a potty break almost immediately after his bath. I let him out the back door, and avoid a near-miss collision in the hallway with the speeding "Super Lance" as I return to the bathroom where Francis is already waiting for her turn.

Francis is bathed without incident, but she insists that the shower curtain be closed, so we can only assume that she's shy. I dry her, open the bathroom door, and this time we both dodge Lance as he rockets past us through the hallway. Jay is barking to be let back in the house now, so I let him in and then locate Mia, who is sitting in the living room chair trying to figure out why Lance is still flying through the house at breakneck speed.

Mia is a little bit timid in the bath and likes to stand up with her front feet on the side of the tub and her face hidden in your shirt while she's being washed. It makes a bit of a mess, but it gives her comfort so we don't mind. When she's done, she likes to be wrapped in a fluffy towel and carried around for awhile, so the wet bathroom has to wait a bit before being cleaned.

Now comes the "drying rituals." Even though he has already been fully towel-dried, Jay is spoiled and wants to be further dried with the blow-dryer as well, which Francis hates. Mia at this point still wants to be cuddled. So I wind up using the blow dryer with one hand to dry Jay as I hold Mia with the other; and Francis is barking at the dryer the whole time; while Lance is STILL rocketing through the house.

About a half hour later things are much calmer, and I take a much-needed rest before starting to clean the bathroom. But then I notice that now *I* am the one who needs a bath... and I think the dogs are laughing at me!

Sun Protection for Dogs

From Jay D. Dogg: When I was a very young puppy, we found out that the pink spot on top of my nose would get sunburned after only a very short time outdoors. While many dogs never have to worry about it, dogs with thin fur, bare spots or very light colored coats usually do. Even if your pet doesn't go outside, if they like to sunbathe in front of a window or doorway, they are still at risk. We canine kids can get skin cancer and other sun-related skin ailments the same as humans do, so we need our owners to help protect us. While it is not always possible to keep us out of the direct sun, there are still a couple of things you can do.
If your pet likes to be dressed, a dog T-shirt or hat can be very helpful in shading sensitive skin. Just remember to keep the material lightweight so that it isn't too hot.
Using sunblock, like I do, is another terrific way to prevent burns. Most human sunblocks can be harmful to dogs, but dog products have come a long way, and now there are some on the market made just for us! PetsMart now carries Nutri-Vet Sun Defense, which blocks both UVA and UVB rays and is comparable to SPF 15 sunscreens. It in non-scented, doesn't stain, and doesn't feel sticky on the skin. If you look online, you will find many stores selling Pet Sunscreen made by the manufacturer of Doggles, and it is also SPF 15. For dogs that need a bit more protection, you might try MVP Sports Spray insect repellant and sunscreen. It is a waterproof product made with all-natural ingredients, and is safe for both children and pets. It has a rating of SPF 30.
Another thing to consider is your pet's eyes. Long-term exposure to sunlight also increases your pet's chances of developing cataracts, and Doggles make a wonderful array of shatter-proof dog sunglasses to protect them from those harmful UV rays. Their lightweight flexible frames make them comfortable for dogs of all sizes, and the innovative strap system keeps them from falling off. These are particularly useful for dogs who spend a lot of time near water, sand, snow or light-colored concrete, where the reflected sun rays are more intense.

Storms Affect Dogs Too

Hi! My name is Lance, and I'm a hurricane Charley survivor, so I know a bit about storms. Since so many areas seem to be experiencing a pretty rough start to "storm season" this year, I just wanted to remind everyone that when you are getting ready for bad weather, please don't forget us canine kids. Even during a harmless thunderstorm, some of us little guys can get pretty scared, and something as simple staying nearby and petting us a little more than usual can sure help a lot. Sometimes having an indoor crate or something else to hide in helps too. We used to make a little "box tent" with a blanket inside for my sister Mia before we bought her a puppy tent, and being able to hide calmed her quite a bit. Whatever you do, PLEASE don't leave your dogs outside during a heavy storm. Even with a doghouse, there's a lot of things that could hurt your dog (like lightning!).
Really bad weather events can cause you to have to evacuate, and you should definitely have a plan long before you need to go. Here is a pretty good article to read; Hurricane Evacuations for Dog Owners. Even though it deals with hurricane prep, it still has as very good list of items you should think about packing for your dog in ANY kind of evacuation.