The Importance of Your Pet Wearing a Collar and Tag
How to Keep Your Pet Occupied with Indoor Activities
Keep Your Pets Safe During July 4 Fireworks

The Importance of Your Pet Wearing a Collar and Tag
Keeping your pet safe is priority No. 1. One of the best ways to do it is by ensuring your pet wears a collar and tag. It can help save you from a lot of heartache.

A collar and tag can literally save your pet’s life by ensuring you get back your pet if he is lost. “Yet a study published in Preventative Veterinary Medicine revealed that only 33 percent of owners keep ID tags on their pets,” according to the article, “Dog Tags 101: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Pet Safe” at Vetstreet.com.

Tags on pets “considerably increase the return-to-owner (RTO) rate if your pet is lost,” the article said. Even if your pet is microchipped, your pet should also wear a collar and tag. It’s like reinforcement and extra protection.

Your pet’s tags should include a phone number so you can be reached any time of the day. You can also include a second tag with the microchip information as well and one for proof of rabies.

There are other important things you can do, according to the article, “Identification Tags & Microchips” at American Humane.

• Have your pet wear a temporary tag if you are traveling, the American Humane article said. Include contact information of someone who can reach you.
• “For cats, use a specially made safety collar that has a short piece of elastic sewn in it,” the American Humane article said. “These collars allow the cat to escape if it gets caught on window blinds, furniture, fencing or other objects.”
• Even if your cat is an indoor cat, ensure he wears a tag as he could slip outside and get lost.

It’s better to be safe than sorry so ensure your pets are protected with a collar and tags.

How to Keep Your Pet Occupied with Indoor Activities
Sometimes you just need indoor activities for your pet. That can happen if it’s too hot outside, during gloomy weather, or rain. It can also be just because you want some quality indoor activities to keep your pet occupied.

When your pet is not active, it’s not good. That goes for humans too. According to the article, “6 Indoor Activities to Do With Your Pets” at Michelson Found Animals, “Too many hours of being sedentary can lead to depression, isolation, or what people in cold climates know as ‘cabin fever’.”

According to the article, the following are some indoor things to do with your pet to keep you both moving:

• Use the stairs! Run up and down with your pet and you’re doing some real exercise and burning some calories.
• Scavenger hunt: Stimulate your dog or cat’s mind. “Hide small pieces of their favorite treats all over your home and watch them run wild,” the article said.
• Get some boxes and build a fort or cat tree. Oh, what fun!
• A good old-fashioned game of fetch always does the trick.

There are more ways to keep occupied indoors when you’re stuck inside. According to the article, “13 Ways To Keep Your Dog Busy When You’re Stuck Indoors” at iHeartDogs.

• Nosework games. Start with healthy treats and place around the room while your dog watches. Command your dog to “Find the treats!” Follow up “and offer lots of encouragement and praise each time she finds one,” the iHeartDogs article said.
• Hide and seek. You can play and reinforce the “stay” command. “It also involves exercise, problem solving, and improves the human-animal bond!” the iHeartDogs article said.

You can always have great activity choices when you’re stuck inside with your pet.

Keep Your Pets Safe During July 4 Fireworks
July 4 is near and while many people love fireworks, there are many people and pets who don’t. Fireworks can be a literal nightmare for many pets.

“On the Fourth of July, many animals become so frightened by the noise and commotion of fireworks that they run from otherwise familiar environments and people, and sadly become lost,” according to the article, “Fireworks: An explosion of fear for animals” at The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Wildlife animals are also devastated from the trauma that fireworks cause. “The sudden bright flashes and sounds can cause wild animals to run into roadways, resulting in more car accidents than normal,” the article said.

According to the HSUS article, the following are ways to keep your pets and wildlife safe:

• Leave your pets home in a safe place with a radio or TV on to block out the noise. If you must have your pet with you, ensure your pet is on a leash and with you at all times.
• For very fearful pets, speak with your veterinarian about medicine and other options to ease the fear.
• Ensure your pet is microchipped, wears a collar and ID tag in case she gets out and lost.

The ASPCA offers additional ideas to keep your pets safe during the July 4 holiday. According to the article, “Fourth of July Safety Tips” at ASPCA.org, you have to make sure your pet doesn’t get into foods that can be a danger.

• Keep alcoholic drinks away from pets at all times. They can be poisonous to pets.
• If it doesn’t say it’s for animals, do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent to your pet.

Make sure your pet is safe July 4 and at other holidays throughout the year. You can both still have lots of fun.

Great Kong Ideas for Your Dog
How to Celebrate National Rescue Dog Day

Great Kong Ideas for Your Dog
At Second Home we know dogs love their Kong toys, especially when they are stuffed with delicious treats or food. The Kong is safe and nontoxic for dogs and provides lots of stimulation.

“When stuffed with food, it provides dogs with a healthy outlet for their natural desire to chew and lick,” according to the article, “How to Stuff a Kong Toy” at Fetch by WebMD. A stuffed Kong can provide a dog some “work” to do so he doesn’t get bored or destructive, the article said.

A Kong can be filled with a variety of food including your dog’s meals of kibble mixed with canned food or even yogurt, cottage cheese, or a mashed banana, the article said.

At Second Home, one of the Kong treats we offer to our dog guests includes rubbing peanut butter on the toy. Sometimes we place little treats in the peanut butter to make it special.

Other times we use pumpkin on a Kong, which is for dogs with allergies. Then we also use canned food for dogs who won’t eat peanut butter or pumpkin.

We are careful not to shove peanut butter inside a Kong and only place it on top or around it to avoid a tough cleaning process.

Please note that Second Home Pet Resort does not use peanut butter with xylitol in the ingredients. While peanut butter is great as an occasional treat for dogs, remember that not all peanut butters are alike. “Xylitol is an increasingly common sugar-replacement sweetener that’s in hundreds of products, including some brands of peanut butter,” according to the article, “What Kind of Peanut Butter is Safe for Dogs?” at Preventive Vet. “It’s an ‘all-natural’ sugar substitute that’s fine for people, but it’s extremely poisonous to dogs and poisons thousands of dogs each year.”

How to Celebrate National Rescue Dog Day
Rescue dogs have a special day on May 20. It’s National Rescue Dog Day and there are many ways to celebrate the special rescue dogs who are out there needing homes.

Founded in 2009, National Rescue Dog Day was meant “to bring awareness to the countless number of amazing dogs waiting in shelters for their forever home and to recognize all the amazing ways rescue dogs impact human lives,” according to the article, “National Rescue Dog Day 2021: What is it and how can you make a difference?” at PetsRadar.com. Additionally, this special day “looks to promote humane education for young children, and to encourage spay/neuter.”

According to the article, some of the things you can do to promote the day include:

• Donate to your local shelter by providing financial donations or even pet supplies needed at the shelter.
• Put together a fundraising event for your local shelter, which can include a bake sale or concert night.
• Make sure to spay/neuter your pets and that your pets wear a collar with ID tags.
• Foster a dog before a home is found.
• Volunteer at your local shelter or rescue.
• Educate young children about “the importance of kindness, unconditional love, and responsible care of all animals,” the article said.
• Adopt a new pet for your family. It’s so rewarding!

When you adopt a dog, remember that they “are dependent on us for food, shelter, medical care, and quality of life, but they definitely pay it forward!” according to the article, “National Rescue Dog Day: May 20th” at MetLife.

Get the family together, do your research, and plan before you adopt and bring home your new best friend.

Dispelling the Myths That Shelter Animals Are Bad

There are so many dogs and cats across the country languishing in shelters. They are in desperate need of homes. Unfortunately, many of them have been deemed unadoptable for a variety of reasons.

Shelters take in about 5 and 7 million homeless animals, according to the article, “Shining a Light on Shelter Myths” at ASPCA.org. And “as ridiculous as anti-shelter arguments are, they reveal destructive myths about shelter animals that need to be called out every time they arise.”

According to the article, some of the myths include:

• Dogs end up in shelters due to being seized in criminal cases or they were deemed too aggressive to safely own. Just because at least half of dogs and cats come to shelters as strays, it doesn’t mean they are aggressive. An animal’s current behavior and health is what’s important.
• Shelter animals are not clean but puppy store animals are. Puppy stores receive their animals from puppy mills where dogs hardly ever leave filthy, wired cages where disease spreads.
• Older cats and dogs do not bond. This is very untrue. “Age is not a determining factor in an animal’s affection toward humans or its ability to bond with them,” the ASPCA article said.

According to the article, “Why Adopt a Shelter Dog? 10 Myths About Shelter Pets Debunked” at Be.chewy.com, “Yes, animal adoption is a big deal—you’re welcoming a new furry family member to their forever home—so you want to make sure you make the right decisions. But that doesn’t mean you should skip the shelter.”

The Be.chewy.com article discusses the following myths:

• Rescue dogs cannot be trained. Any dog who comes into your home will need some type of training. Plus, you can train an adult dog.
• Many shelter dogs are shy or scared. Every dog has an individual personality. Oftentimes a shelter dog you adopt will need time to decompress.
• Rescue dogs are not potty trained. This depends on the individual dog. Either ask a shelter staff member for a potty-trained dog or be willing to help train your newly adopted canine.

Often, people do not believe purebred dogs are available at the shelter. While shelters have a lot of mutts, “about a quarter of the rescue dogs are purebred,” according to the article, “5 Ridiculous Myths About Rescue Dogs” at Petguide.com. For those who want a specific breed, there are breed-specific rescue groups out there. Just do some research.

While some people think rescue dogs are simply unhealthy and sick; that is just another myth. “Dogs that are taken in by shelters are given a complete health exam by a veterinarian before being put up for adoption,” the Petguide.com article said.

Just remember, when you adopt a dog from a shelter or a local rescue, just provide the basics: love, leadership, patience and guidance, the Petguide.com article said. Your newly adopted dog will be happy you did, and so will you. Before you know it, your new family member will be eating out of your hand.