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Peace Out, Paddy!

6/29/2019

Sigh, you guys know how much I hate when you move. Why do you keep doing this to me? Last week we had to say goodbye to our dear sweet Paddy boy, as he and his family left Liberty Village. Paddy meant a whole lot to all of us, and was probably one of your dog's best friends - so I thought we would do a special post to send him off in style.

People always say they are jealous of my job, and I get it. It is amazing. I get to hang out with dogs, but even more than that I get to know and understand them. We become a team, a team that works together to make our days better. I fall in love with every single dog we walk. It really is great. But when the dogs leave? It sucks. It hurts, a lot. These dogs are our best friends, we often spend more time with them than our families and actual human friends. So it is really hard to see them go! And when Paddy left last week, that was definitely the case.

Paddy started walking with us over a year ago, and he VERY quickly stole my heart. 1) Those teeth. Come ON! 2) Every single time I picked him up, kisses were mandatory before putting on his harness and collar. Even when his parents were home, kisses were had. 3) He was a trouble maker, and you know how I love me a good ole trouble maker. Paddy was SO friendly, but when you're that friendly - you're likely to be a very exuberant group walker. He always wanted to play, say hi to all the dogs and people we passed, or hump (LOL). Now there is nothing wrong with any of these things, I encourage the dogs to have a good time and foster time for play - but when it is constant, it makes things harder because the flow gets broken up. But lucky for me, Paddy fell in love with me right back. And he and I started to become this unbeatable team. Every SINGLE friggen time Paddy looked up at me, I reinforced that! YES PADDY YOU'RE SO SMART, HERES A TREAT BUDDY! And I would sing songs for him, so he would think that I am just as cool as all his doggo friends. And pretty soon, he did think that. He never lost his friendly and playful side - but he was able to focus and walk & save the play time for breaks. It was pretty magical. His parents noticed it too, when they let me know they were moving they thanked us for making Paddy the amazing walker he is. He's checking in with THEM, too. And this, this is why I do it. To help make a difference in not only the dog's lives - but in their human's lives as well.

When Maddie joined the team, she also fell right in love with Paddy. Because I mean, those teeth. That personality. You couldn't NOT. We were both very emotional on Paddy's last day. He's probably one of the happiest, if not THE happiest, boys I have ever walked, and I am going to miss that magnetic smile every single day. Keep in touch! Maddie literally sends me at least one video of Paddy per week saying "crying", and if that isn't MOOD I don't know what is. We feel very lucky to have known you, and to have been your dog walkers.

And for the rest of you, please don't move. Thanks.

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Cool 4 The Summer

6/28/2019

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Let's take a note from Demi Lovato, and stay cool for the summer! Here is what we are doing for the summer temperatures, and some suggestions for you all to help us keep your dogs as cool as possible during this heat!

What WE do:

Our walks in the summer look a lot different during the mild days. We change our routes so that the dogs don't have to travel long distances. This ensures 1) the dogs don't over exert themselves, and also that if a dog does get too hot - we aren't stuck far from home. But never fear! Our walks aren't boring just because we aren't going far. We like to keep things as enriching and great as possible. Some things we do:

Walk through condos where they are long indoor and air conditioned corridors
Stop, drop, and ROLL! Shady pavement, long grass, shady grass - all great places to roll around and cool down.

Take water, and go hit up some shade. Here we will scatter treats into the grass & do a treat search to enrich those beautiful minds
Visit one of the 3 water fountains that are in our service area (one in Liberty Village Park, one along Western Battery Road in Bill Johnson Park, and one at Massey Harris Park). Note, there is a fine balance here. We do not want dogs to OVER drink either (water toxicity is a real thing).
Stop and snack on the long delicious grass. People often get nervous when their dog eats grass - because it's often associated with puking. But usually when a dog isn't feeling well, they eat grass to make themselves feel better. The grass itself doesn't make them puke! All things in moderation, but it is really fun for them!

We know the signs of over heating & heat stroke - and monitor your dogs closely. For those who aren't sure - here are some of the things to look out for:
- glazed eyes or looking fearful
- dizziness & staggering/weakness/collapse
- excessing drooling
- dark red or purple gums
When dogs are hot, we will apply water to THEIR BELLIES and under necks and faces! Applying water to their backs or top of head/back can actually make them warmer. So we apply it to the cooler and shadier parts of the body.
We will cut walks short when it is appropriate for the dogs!
Most importantly, we aren't in a rush to get ANYWHERE. We take it REAL slow, we take summer safety very seriously.

What YOU can do:

If you have a dog who doesn't have a double coat (husky/samoyed/corgis/retrievers) and you know they get hot fast - you might want to consider getting a cooling vest. These are fairly priced, and quite easy to use. The one from Canada Pooch is pretty amazing, the chest is adjustable so as long as you know the length of your dog - you should be able to order the right size for them! However, you can also check out your local pet stores (or WINNERS even) to see if you can find one that fits well! There are also cooling bandanas out there - and they are pretty great too! But the vests cover more surface. The vests and bandanas generally all work the same way. You get them wet with cold water, ring them out, put them on the dog & the special fabric holds in the coolness and therefore keeps your pup nice and chilled. If you get one, let us know! We are more than happy to put these on your pup!!

Make pupsicles or have a frozen kong that we can give your dog post walk! Check out my post on how to make doggy popsicles. Another easy summer treat is to take a kong, stuff it (for this I would suggest something other than peanut butter because that can make your dog thirsty.. so like greek yogurt mixed with water or broth so its nice and hydrating), and freeze it! If you have anything like this prepared - again, let us know. Post walk we would be MORE than happy to give this to your dog. 1) It's delicious and 2) It will help cool them down even more.
Purchase a cooling MAT for your dog. This is a mat made with special material that stays cooler than the floor, and your dog can lay on it to help cool them out post walk.
If your dog is in a crate, I really recommend leaving water in the crate. I like the idea of dogs having access to water. Of course this doesn't work for everyone, but if your dog isn't one who will just drink it all in one sitting - it is probably a great idea.

Okay guys, that is all I can think of for this post. Please let us know what we can do to help keep your pups cool during the summer. And here is Demi Lovato to help get your Friday going!

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Getting DOGA Ready - Part 1

6/21/2019

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do·ga
/ˈdōɡə/
noun
noun: doga

A practice of yoga, where your dog can come!

Sadie is very good at DOGA

I am very excited to be partnering with Liberty Life Yoga to host Liberty Village's first outdoor DOGA on July 13, 2019 at 10:30 am at the Liberty Village Park To learn more about the event and to RSVP - click here!

This will be a fun Yoga event for humans, but you get to bring your dog. We will also guide you through a little dog massage at the end of our practice. However, bringing your dog to any event can be difficult. Your dog might want to go say hi to everyone. They might want to sniff around. They might bark the entire time (hey frankie... talking about you, son). However, we can prepare our dogs & help make this as fun and non-stressful for them as possible. I thought I would do a series of blogs leading up to the event to help get your dog DOGA ready. This is the first one. And today we will talk about what to bring for your dog.

What to bring for DOGA

A bowl & water (optional). Liberty Village Park has water fountains for both humans and dogs - but I recommend bringing your own bowl and keeping it in your station. This way your dog has access to water the entire session. Also, water for yourself is a good idea too ;)
A leash. This is not a designated dog off leash area (DOLA), which means you legally need to have your dog on leash. We want to respect the by-laws, as well as other dogs. It is not safe to have your dog off leash in non designated areas - for both your dog & others. Please have your dog leashed up :)
A pacifier. No, not a baby pacifier - but the doggo equivalent. Something to help keep them busy while us humans stretch our bodies. I would suggest a frozen kong (tips here). The frozen kong will 1) help keep your dog cool and 2) last a nice long time. Some other options are things like bully sticks/beef tendons/other fun long lasting treats you can pick up at global pet foods.
- IMPORTANT NOTE ON PACIFIERS: It is very important when we give our dog their pacifiers that we keep our dogs away from each other. We do not want our dogs fighting over resources. So bring your pacifiers, but only take them out and give them to your dog when we instruct you to. Also do not let your dog go up to another dog when they are enjoying their pacifier.
Treats! This is different from a pacifiers. You want to be able to give your dog little treats or jackpots for their good behaviour here and there. Oh? You're relaxing and just chilling next to me? Boom! Jackpot! I am a huge fan of ALL THE TREAT (obviously, you should know this by now haha)
A towel or bed or mat for your dog (optional). Some dogs settle nicely on their "place". If your dog has a bed or mat where they know to relax, bring it! I will also do a DOGA prep post on teaching your dog to go to their spot & how to teach your dog to chillax to the max.

Alright! Can you guys think of anything else that might be useful to bring? Leave it in the comments! Stay tuned for most "getting ready" posts.

Look forward to seeing you all on July 13th.

- Kelsey

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Peace Out, Paddy!

Cool 4 The Summer

What WE do:

What YOU can do:

Getting DOGA Ready - Part 1

What to bring for DOGA

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