I am so very excited to announce that Dog's World Blog's World is going to back in action. I have my first topic ready to go (it is about how having a reactive dog changed my life), but I would love to hear from YOU about what you'd like to hear more about. 

Comment here letting me know what kind of things you'd like to hear about (and why)! I look forward to starting this blogging adventure back up, it's been 2.5 years - and so much has changed! I have so much to talk about now! 

Much Love,

​Kelsey

As humans, we know how important it is to carry ID. Without it, we wouldn't be able to drive, buy beer, get healthcare, or be indentified if anything was ever to happen to us. Dog's don't know these things (and dogs can't buy beer), but ID for dogs is just as important, if not more so. Dogs can't speak and tell us who they are, or who they belong to - so it's our job are dog parents to Identify the crap out of our dogs. This isn't because we expect anything bad to happen, this is because we are PROACTIVE. You can be the most diligent person on the world.. but just to give some examples to convince you that you need to use ID for things out of your control.
​
- What if you were in a car, got in an accident, and the dog ran off in a panic? 
- What if you were walking and medically something happened to you and you lost consciousness? 

This isn't about carelessness.. accidents happen and dogs get loose. So we need to equip them with the power to be found. 

Of course, by putting ID on your dog in general - you are taking a step in the right direction. However, this is what I suggest to just totally protect your dog. 

Designate a collar for ID ONLY. 

This collar is never to have a leash attached to it. This is for ID tags, and ID tags only. I personally choose to leave my dogs ID collar on at all times, even when we are at home sleeping. I just think the benefit outweighs the cost (their "comfort"). 

This is because if they slip out of their harness or leash when on a walk, they still have obvious ID on them. Here are 3 examples below of dog's who do this already. Stan wears a cushy harness, but has a collar with his ID. Leroy has an EZ walk, but his ID is on his own collar. Misiu, you have to look carefully, but she uses a martingale collar and has a separate collar for her tags. All perfect examples. Frankie and Sadie both wear Freedom harness, and have a separate collar. 

I will admit, this is a pretty depressing topic. It makes you think of all the what ifs that are out there, and its sad. So, here are some awesome ID tags you can get for your dogs. 

Bad Tags

I found these "bad" boys while creeping around on instagram, and fell in love. I immediately bought Sadie one that says "Shady Bitch" and Frankie the "Lil Fuck" one. The backside is completely customizable and you can enter the text that you would like. Their name, phone number, etc. The shipping does take about a month, though. 

Click here to Shop 

Goodbye my half off princess. Thank you for the unconditional love and memories. Count your life by smiles, not tears.. You made me smile, and I will forever miss you. Give Millie, Buster, Rosey, and Pooshka a kiss for me.

We all love a good party – but sometimes it’s hard to know how to throw the perfect party. You want your party to be unique enough for people to remember it, but not too crazy that planning it drives you insane. Well, stress no more – because I am here to give you some tips to throwing the best PAWrty.
Lets just take a step back – don’t know what a Pawrty is? Well, seeing as we live in Liberty Village, I think you could guess. It’s a party, but for dogs. You might ask ‘why would one throw a party for a dog?’, to which I will counter with ‘why not?’. But realistically, our dogs provide our lives with so much happiness and joy… why not give them a night to celebrate their little tiny lives? Also, since moving to Liberty 2 years ago, some of my closest friends are friends that I met at the park while we were walking our dogs. So really, why wouldn’t you throw a party for your dog?
If you are going to throw a pawrty for your dog, you have to do it right. And that’s what I am here for:
Step 1:
You need a dog. Don’t have a dog? Feel free to borrow my dog, Sadie. She LOVES to PAWrty.

Step 2:
PARTY SUPPLIES. You can’t throw a party for dogs and NOT get party hats. You just can’t. I recommend going to the dollar store right in here Liberty Village. They have an amazing selection, and the prices can’t be beat.

Step 3: 
Invite all your doggy friends. Tell them to bring their party pants. Aren’t sure who your dog’s friends are? Ask your dog walker. As a dog walker, I would be happy to relay the invitation to all your pup’s bffs (as long as I am invited to the pawrty too!)

A facebook invite is a great way to get the word out! 


Step 4:
Get some cake… for the dogs, and for the humans.  As for the humans… Humans are easier to please. I usually just go to Metro and get a slab cake (“usually” I say, because lets be honest, I’ve thrown my share of dog parties). However, if you are feeling fancy – there are some places in Liberty to cater to that. Check out the Golden Apple for example.

Believe it or not, that delicious looking cake is for DOGS. Made by the one and only Brown Hound Pet Treat Company

Step 5: 
It’s time to party. You need to prepare yourself for this one. Having more than 4 dogs in your condo at once can get a little overwhelming. I recommend blocking off the doorway (especially if people are coming in an out). Baby gates work well. I also recommend placing pee pads around the house, as the dogs are going to be EXCITED – if there is an accident, wouldn’t you rather it be on a pee pad? Another crucial part of planning: make sure you have water dishes. The dogs are likely going to be crazy excited and expel a lot of energy, so we want them hydrated. Other than that – you just have to sit back and watch the magic happen. Dog’s are a lot like use humans at party. Shy at first, and hang around with the people they know.. but by the end of it, some unexpected friendships might form. 

Most importantly. Take pictures. Have fun. Remind the dogs how much you love them. We in Liberty love parties, and we love dogs. So why not bring those 2 things together? A dog lives his life trying to please others. Seriously never wishing any harm on you. And all we have to do to earn their love is just be there. They don’t go around expecting something in return. They want you to be happy, and maybe give em a little belly rub.
A dog will listen better than most people will. A dog KNOWS when we are upset, and will tailor to your needs. And most importantly, a dog will be there for you when others turn their backs on you. Ready to be there, and make you happy, and take care of you.
So why not give them a special day in return. Sure. They probably won’t remember it years later, but the humans will. And even though it is silly, it’s something special that we did to the most special creatures in our lives.

​Have some party tips? Be sure to leave them in the comments.

What did I tell you? I said that 2016 was going to be a year of new and exciting things. It's in writing, you can quote me on it. So, I could continue to ramble - but I would rather just talk to you about the AWESOME NEW THING #1:
Bulk Pricing!

When I was thinking of things I could do to make Dog's World Walking even more "professional, affordable, reliable, and adorable", the first thing I wanted to tackle was the affordable section. I mean, we are already outrageously adorable. Even though my prices are some of the lowest in the area - I wanted to offer more than just a weekly discount. Bulk pricing seemed to be the answer. Buying in bulk is always the way to go. I order my insurance that way, and also, my candy. 

You can see the prices above in the screen shot, or by going to my website (http://www.dogsworldwalking.com/bulk-pricing-new.html) But I wanted to elaborate a bit more on how much of a deal each package is! 

$310 for 20 walks (15.50 a walk)

​This gives customers who aren't looking for every day (M-F) walks an opportunity to save. I have a handful of customers who use me 1-2x a week, and have been loyal and are regular customers - so I figured adding a bulk 20 walk package that equated to the weekly rate was a great option! It gives you the ~14% discount that the weekly customers use, but you don't need to have every day walks! This saves you $2.50 per walk (a regular walk with HST comes to $18). That's a chocolate bars worth of savings per walk! THINK OF ALL THE CANDY YOU COULD BUY!

$600 for 40 walks (15 a walk)

​This package gives a great discount for both weekly customers and here and there customers. It cuts the walk to $15/walk, so you are saving between $0.50 to $3 a walk depending on how regular you are. For M-F customers, this saves you $20 every 2 months. $20 that you know you are spending anyway. Over the course of the year thats over $100 of savings! As for the less regular customers, it's obvious savings immediately - and 40 walks will go quicker than I am sure you realize. It's great savings for everyone.

$840 for 60 walks (14 a walk)

This is obviously the best value - as with most things bulk, the more you buy the better the savings. Well, duh, because what is the point in buying in bulk if it doesn't offer any sort of benefit? Anyway. This package is huge savings for the regular customers and irregular customers. 

Regular M-F customers who already have a 14% discount. This adds another ~10% off! Let's put it into numbers. 60 walks is 3 months. So $840 for 3 months of walks. With the regular weekly discount, you are paying ~$930 every 3 months for 60 walks. So in just 3 months you have saved $90. Over the course of a year, you are saving about $360. You can get a flight to Cuba for that much!! 

And again, for irregular customers this package is a bit high. I am sure 60 walks will be used over the course of a year, but the ~$4 savings per walk is nothing to joke about. After just 10 walks you've saved yourself $40. 

I get that shelling out bulk amounts of money at a time isn't feasible for everyone, but it's a new option I am proud of offer! If you are interested, shoot me an email at info@dogsworldwalking.com 

This offer is good for everyone, both new and existing customers!

It's a Dog's World.. We're just Saving Money in it!

Sup humans! Sadie here.. My humom asked me to start blogging when I have extra time. I was like "ha.. like I EVER have time with the raging social life I lead". My mom was like "tru, you are the coolest dog ever..." (paraphrasing), but she said I could do product reviews, so obviously I said yes. I like to think I know what's what in the doggy world, and I want to make sure all the dogs are in the know so they can live lives like mine. I know, so generous. 

I pulled myself off of my leopard bed (the cool thing is to not lay INSIDE the bed but to sprawl across the whole thing), and am now here typing to you humans about winter jackets.. because, even though I am all about being "cool", when it comes to winter: being warm is the coolest. Man I am funny!

So, that's good and helpful - but there are a TON of coats on the market. So I thought I would let you know about the best coat I have ever had. Because I have had a few, and since this one, my mom said she doesn't think she will ever need to buy me a new one again! 

So, it all started with Rupert (what doesn't). He came to the pack one day with this ridiculous bright orange coat. Even though we kind of laughed at him for looking like a pylon.. he was SO warm. His whole body (including his neck) was covered in tight fitting fleece, with a water resistant shell. His belly was warm.. he was warm.. and I was COLD. I had a cheap jacket from homesense, and although that works great on 0 degree days, it was around -15 with the windchill and I wasn't feeling very warm, which as we know, isn't cool. 

My mom started to notice a few dogs in the hood with these jackets as well, and they all looked so content and warm. So she asked a lady at the DOLA where the jacket was from, and the next day took us to Timmies on Queen Street to try them out. They are called Chilly Dogs Great White North Coats,

My mom then noticed the price.. for our 14" coats, the price was $85 each. That was a bit shocking for her. The man at the store explained that is because they are all hand made in Ottawa, and designed for Canadian winters. Fair enough.. and also - no wonder they are so warm! 

According to the website (http://www.chillydogs.ca/index.php/product/index/30) they are designed for temperatures -10 degrees to -30 Celsius. Although it isn't recommended to stay out for very long with these temperatures, it helps protect us so we can play just a little bit longer and not be uncomfortable in the time we do get to enjoy the outdoors!

My mom was sold. She got Frankie the pylon colour to match our bestie Rupert, and I asked for all black. My mom said no, I needed to look like a girl. I asked for Purple.. they don't make it in purple (INSANE), so she got me pink. I must admit I do look adorable in in.  

She then convinced our other best friend, Mulligan, to make his dad buy him one. Mulligan is a beagle, but he was able to get a jacket that fit perfectly too - because they are designed so brilliant. Rupert Allen is like 5x my size and weight (but hes all muscle), and his ALSO fits him perfectly. I don't think many other jackets out there can do that. 

I mean, look how great we look. One - we are the most adorable squad ever. Two, we are warm.. which makes us THAT much cooler. 

Winter coat shopping is hard. I hear it isn't super easy for you humans either. My mom told me that even though $85/jacket was painful to spend on a dog, she equated it to quality. Some of the best winter jackets for humans have a higher price tag. My mom spent the last few years replacing cheap winter coats, and this year finally invested - and now has the warmest coat she has ever had, and it is holding up against dog walking/the cold. So she thought it would be the same for us pups. 

I am not saying this is the ONLY winter jacket out there that is good. Canada pooch sells really nice thick coats with good belly coverage, too. But this one is form fitting for all sizes, fits snug and tight so it doesn't let in those cold breezes, pretty much has a built in scarf (I refuse to call it a turtle neck), and is machine washable.... which is good for my mom, because like i would EVER do the laundry!! 

What do you guys think? Like, I know we look good... but I want to hear if you have a coat that you swear by or thing is top of the line! 

As my mom always says: "It's a Dog's World...", and I am just reviewing products in it!

​Sadie OUT! 

My dogs were always on a combination of Kibble and Wet food. Usually I went with Fromm sweet potato and duck kibble, and merrick wet food (they have hilarious and awesome flavours, like "wingaling" and "thanksgiving dinner"). I felt like I was giving my dogs food they really LOVED... and they did. They gobbled it up in seconds flat. But I noticed their poo was always soft, bordering runny. And when I started dog walking, I noticed theirs just wasn't as healthy as some of the other doggy doodoos I was picking up. 

Side note - how awesome is my job?

As weird and gross it is to talk about, poo is a huge indicator of health.. in humans and dogs. If a human had borderline diarrhea every day, they would go to the doctor and change something. So I decided to change my dog's diet as a first step. There was a huge raw food craze going around, and I had boarded several dogs on a raw diet. What I noticed was that their poo was SO SMALL. SO DRY. SO BEAUTIFUL (well.... for poo). I took this as an indication that they were absorbing so much of the food they were intaking, that there was very little waste left over. Compared to my dogs who had mega waste... I thought, why not. And switched them to big country raw. 

I would be lying if I said they didn't LOVE it. They were getting to eat RAW MEAT. I am sure they felt like their badass wolf ancestors. And they very quickly had bowel movements that were dry and looked healthy... but, overall, I didn't like the results for one main reason: bad breath. Frankie literally began stinking up rooms because his breath was so terrible. He never had this issue before. After talking with Anita, and doing googling, I realized it was because raw food doesn't scrape or help clean their teeth.. so he had a build up of nastiness in his mouth. 

With humans, mouth health is one of the ways to determine overall health. I am sure the same can be said for dogs. I decided to put them both back on kibble.

So anyway. Frankie is 4.5, Sadie is almost 3... and it took me THAT long to figure out their perfect diet. They are having great responses with the vet as well, Frankie is FINALLY shedding some weight. I found their correct diet through trial and error, which I don't totally suggest. Vets exist for a reason, and you can definitely consult them.

It's a dog's world.. It really really is. 

Hi guys, Frankie here. You can call me Frank for short. Or Frankfurter for long. Or Stankles if we are close. You've probably seen me before. I am a small (but mighty) yorkie-bichon mix, have jet black hair with a little white goatee, and my mom owns Dog's World Walking. So I get to hang around the packs a lot! My mom said i HAD to include a picture (moms.. can't live with them, can't live without them), so don't make fun of me too much! 

After talking on the phone to some people, she told me that I was going to go see my favourite Vets in the world - Queen West Vet. When my mom told them that I was anxious, and not eating, they told her it was my way of letting her know I was in pain, and that I needed to be seen ASAP! 

So my mom took me to the vet today. Sadie and Winston tagged along for moral support. The vet told my mom that when a dog is acting like I was (anxious, shaking, panting, not eating, refusing treats) that it is likely one of the following 3 things:

1. My anal gland(s) might be swollen. The vet says this is the most likely and most easy to diagnose and treat. He told my mom it hurts us A LOT, and so dogs with impacted anal glands often react the way I did
2. I could be in pain... this is when my mom started crying. The vet said it is harder to diagnose and pinpoint, but basically they would treat me for pain for a few days, and if I got better - they would know it was pain related and then go from there.
3. Behaviour related. Do dogs get headaches? Do we see ghosts? Do we get mental disorders? These are some questions that are very hard for even vets to answer.. which would make this the hardest to diagnose and treat. 

With that, they took me to the back room.. where my butt would be investigated, and sent my mom to the lobby. I was glad Winston and Sadie were there... Clearly it was my mom who needed the moral support!!!

I am not going to tell you what happened in the back room, but I will tell you it was NOT pleasant. Turns out, my anal glands were the size of quarters. I am a small dude... They should be the size of lentils. Let's just say they took care of them... and they are not longer impacted.

I was so happy that the vet found the issue right away, because I don't want my mom worrying any longer than she needed to. When the vet told her the news she was SO happy she cried AGAIN! Who would have thought impacted anal glads would be happy news! 

I am going to be in pain for a few more days, but by Friday I should be a new man. I am feeling better already though, just knowing that my mom has that peace of mind. 

So anyway, guys, show this to your humans. That way if you have something wrong - and display it like I did, your humans might not worry like mine did. Thanks for reading, and I hope all your bums are healthy :)

As my mom always says, "it's a dog's world, we're just living in it!"

As per my last blog post, I recommend using PAWZ dog boots for the salt in the winter. However, I know putting them on can be a challenge. As I put on literally dozens of booties on dogs a day, I have become a pro. Here is a video showing how I do it, and how easy it can be. 

Thanks to Sadie, WInston, and Frankie for being such great sports!