Tips on Preventing Pet Accidents When Spring Cleaning and Doing Summer Projects

Spring is here, and it’s time for spring cleaning and summer projects. Whether you’re deep cleaning the house, repairing your lawn, or building a deck in your backyard, this time of year will bring a lot of chaos to your pet’s life.

It’s important to keep a clean house, it’s even more important that you pay attention to how you manage your spring projects so that your pets stay healthy. Here are a few tips  that can help prevent any accidents, and will make your tasks go by much more smoothly.

Most of spring cleaning and home projects are going to be done inside, where there is a huge range of areas that need cleaning, and just as many products needed to address them.  So let’s break things down room by room.

Kitchen and Bathrooms

The kitchen and the bathroom are probably the most heavily used rooms in the house, and they also have the highest likelihood of nasty build up. Even the most diligent can be terrified when they move their stove away from the wall and see the results. Since both rooms require such deep cleaning and disinfecting, you need the most potent cleaners. But be careful.

• Always look for “non-toxic” and “pet friendly” cleaners. Thankfully, most products mark this very clearly on the label.

• Watch out for chemicals like ammonia, chlorine, formaldehyde, carbolic acid, hydroxybenzene, oxybenzene, and perchloroethylene. Most heavy cleaning products have one or more of these chemicals, so aim to avoid them whenever possible. This is especially important to people with birds, who are dangerously sensitive to aerosols.

• Pine oil is found in a number of cleaning products, especially those used to mop kitchen floors, but it is also terrible for cats. They are extremely sensitive to it, so make sure they are far away before breaking out the mop.

• Ant and mouse traps can be deadly for your pets, so make sure to be judicious in your use, and place them where you animals can’t come in contact with them.

• Toilet bowl cleaners are a potent mixture of very dangerous chemicals, so keep the lid down while letting it sit, and if you use a clip on cleaner year round, NEVER let pets anywhere near it.

• Pets can have allergies to dust and mold just like we can, so make sure you remove and/or prevent mold from growing in the bathroom as well.

 Bedrooms and Living rooms

While the bedroom and living room are vastly different in regards to usage, they share many of the same burdens in terms of cleaning. Carpeted rooms can be tough, especially considering how much pet hair can accumulate deep in the fibers. These rooms take a bit of chicanery to get cleaned, so be cautious.

• Beware carpet cleaners! Earlier this year, a powdered carpet cleaner was linked to the death of a cat and bird. While certainly an outlier, the story proves how vital it is to keep pets safely tucked away from the room you are working on.

• If you want to take a break, there are numerous services that offer pet-friendly carpet cleanings! You can take a break and let someone else do the deep cleaning, and you can rest assured your pet will be safe.

• When selecting furniture polish, refer to the list of no-no chemicals above, and make sure surfaces are completely dry before letting your animals back in.

• Make sure any house plants are pet friendly! Lilies are extremely poisonous to cats, while the Sago plant is deadly for dogs. Double check to make sure you aren’t harboring a dangerous plant inside.

Lawn and Garden

Many dogs, and some cats, spend a great deal of time outside, and so do we. Maintaining a lawn and/or a garden can be a huge amount of work, but it’s also one of the most American of traditions. Unfortunately, it can be the most dangerous for animals as well.

• Fertilizers are often bad news! Most fertilizers contain dangerous levels of chemicals, natural or not, that can linger for longer than you think. Make sure you check the ingredients and observe the proper waiting period before letting your loved ones frolic around in the lawn.

• Herbicides and pesticides are another major risk. If they haven’t been rinsed and dried properly, your pets can walk on them, and ingest them from licking their paws. Make sure you find the most animal friendly, and make sure it’s safe before letting them run around.

• Metaldehyde is a chemical found in slug and snail bait, and it is highly toxic for dogs and cats. Make sure to avoid using it, or keep your pets well clear of the bait if you do use it. This is one of the most dangerous items you may be using in your garden.

• Mouse and rat poison are also extremely dangerous for animals, so finding a humane way to fix your rodent problem is going to be the best way to protect your pets.

Of course, there are numerous other safety tips to keep in mind, and this is by no means a comprehensive list. Read your labels, make sure your house is well ventilated, and keep your pets locked up while you’re deep cleaning. But most importantly, enjoy the process! You and your pets will love having a fresh place to play.

Trucker Survives a Medical Emergency Out of Town, Dog Put in Shelter is Finally Returned to Him

Chris Price and his dog, best friend and co-pilot Coco are a “bonded pair” if ever there was such a thing. 

They go everywhere together, even on long haul trips.  One day while at a truck stop, Price had a medical emergency that required extended hospitalization.  Not only was his own life in the balance, but he almost was separated from Coco permanently.

On April 24th, Price was loading his truck for a haul, when he noticed that he didn’t feel well. 

“When I loaded I couldn’t even move, so I took a two-hour nap, and went a couple miles to a truck stop and collapsed,” said Price.

An ambulance was called to the truck stop, and brought Price to the hospital.  The whole time, Price seemed to be more concerned about that was going to happen to Coco.

“911 had to deal with the dog, they can’t take me to the hospital and leave the dog in the truck,” Price said.

Animal control decided to hand Coco over to the KC Pet Project.  They can only hold a dog for ten days, and to call conditions there overcrowded is an understatement.  Someone’s always waiting for an open spot.

“Going to the pound 500 miles away from home, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Price.

When Price found out that he had a staph infection that went into his bloodstream.  This prompted Price to call Stephanie Bell from KC Pet Project, as that hospital stay was going to be a lot longer than ten days.

“You have someone here who’s stranded where they don’t live, with no assistance just because of the nature of where they’re at — out-of-state,” said Bell.  “You kind of empathize with someone in that position.”

The KC Pet Project posted information about the situation with Coco and Price on their Facebook page.  The post got over 6,000 “likes” and was shared almost 1,000 times across the site.

“It’s unbelievable… I tell this story to my friends and they don’t believe it,” said Price.  “She’s just really important to me.”

Both Price and Coco are being transported back to their hometown, and each is doing very well.

Take a Good Look at This Video…Then Think About What You Are Seeing: A Powerful Message That Every Dog Lover Needs To See… A Puppy is Not a Product

This tongue-in-cheek ad by Same Day Pups is to show you that breeders and puppy mills are using impulse shopping to place animals in homes. This ad is not real. It’s absurd and so is shopping online for a puppy like they’re a toy. Shopping online is surely convenient but bringing an animal into your home should never be about convenience. It should be about love. Adding a pet to your family is a real commitment because an animal is a real family member.

Many puppy mills operate online and pull at your heart strings. They have fancy websites and post adorable photos (and even videos!) of available puppies that they can be sent to your local airport (some even next day!). Don’t be fooled. Just because these puppies look pretty in the pictures doesn’t mean they come from a loving environment. Plus, sending these puppies can be so traumatic. These puppy mills are for profit, not for the good of the animal. Adopt, don’t shop! So many wonderful animals are waiting for homes!

Mom Opossum and Her Adorable Babies Take Over Closet in Los Angeles Home

Beverly Grove, Los Angeles -  A woman cleaning out a closet noticed a trash bag moving. Startled she opened the bag and found a mom opossum and her babies.

When she opened the bag the mom opossum was upset and hissed at her. Tara McVicar pulled out her cell phone and documented her close encounter. "That's a terrifying sound, but you're relatively cute," she says to the hissing marsupial.

She's soon won over once she realizes it's a momma possum with her seven babies on her back, nearly melting down: "Omg! it's the cutest thing I ever saw."

McVicar thinks the opossums got in when she left the patio door open for her daughter's pet rabbit, Mustache.

Eventually she's able to get the animals outside when she puts the bag, with a few babies inside, in Mustache's backyard cage. The babies calling out for their mother draw the opossums out. "Just take 3rd all the way to Beverly Hills," she says as she bids the possum family farewell.

Heartwarming Story: Two Teens, Both with Disabilities, Go to Different High Schools and Had Never Met, Until Their Service Dogs… Brought Them Together

Seniors Delaney Johnson and Nick Ackerman, strangers until a few weeks before their high school proms, both planned to skip the big night–that is, until they and their adorable service dogs Troy and Griffin met. What happened next is something you just have to see for yourself!

The two teens, both with disabilities, go to different high schools and hadn’t even met until their service dogs, in a way, brought them together.

Nick, who has a service dog named Troy, was interviewing Delaney, who has a service dog named Griffin, for a school video project on service dogs.

Making small talk, she asked him, “Are you all geared for prom?” When he told her he had no plans to go to his, she volunteered to go with him. He accepted.

With their service dogs along, they attended his school’s prom, then hers.

A Lansing State Journal columnist and photographer went along .

Delaney, 17, goes to Haslett High School, where, before she got her 2-year-old Dutch shepherd Griffin, she would faint or pass out up to 20 times a day due to narcolepsy.

Between medication and help from Griffin, that condition — and a second neurological condition called cataplexy — have been brought under control.

Her dog acts to distract her if she’s experiencing anxiety and, in case of an attack, he’s trained to stay with her, lying on top of her if she becomes incapacitated so that she feels protected.

“Since I got Griffin, I’ve not had any major cataplexy attacks at all,” said Johnson, a singer and songwriter who plans to take Griffin with her this fall to attend Grand Valley State University. “…He’s my own personal little bodyguard.”

Nick attends Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids, where he’s a champion debater. His service dog Troy helps Nick, who was born without arms, do everything from carrying things to zipping up his coat.

Nick, who plans to attend Eastern Michigan University in the fall, met Delaney two weeks ago, when he interviewed her for a class project on service dogs and the subject of proms came up.

On May 2, they went to his prom. Last Saturday, they went to hers.

The columnist and photographer accompanied the foursome — from home, where they posed for family photos, to a sushi dinner and then to the prom itself.

“I was going to stay home and eat ice cream and watch movies,” Delaney said later. “I’m just so glad I went…It was an amazing time.”

Have You Adopted a Pet? Only 4 Days Left to Order Your ‘I Rescued My Best Friend’ Unisex T-Shirt: Only 50 Being Made – Order Yours Today!

Help raise $850 for Animal Allies. Your purchase will help care for homeless and abandoned animals.

Animal Allies is dedicated to rescuing homeless and abandoned animals. They could use your help to care for the animals. Please help by purchasing this great t-shirt for $17. Only 50 being made, so order yours today!

All funds will go directly to Animal Allies of Fairfax, Virginia. 

More about this campaign

Animal Allies, a nonprofit, all-volunteer no kill organization dedicated to the rescue of homeless and abandoned animals. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of VA. Founded in 1984, Animal Allies is devoted to curbing the irresponsible breeding of pets in an effort to end the overpopulation of homeless animals.

Animal Allies volunteers work to rescue lost, abandoned, or stray animals and find loving homes for them if possible. All animals in our system are vetted to check for disease and spayed and neutered to stop the cycle of unwanted animals.

Through a detailed process, we do our best to make sure each animal goes to a suitable home where they can enjoy love and shelter and the necessities for the rest of their lives, and provide their human companions with love in return. Our organization is funded solely through the generosity of the public and countless hours put in by our volunteers.

Ready to order your shirt?

Order here: http://www.booster.com/animalalliesoffairfaxfundraiser

Texas Tornado: How to Help Animal Victims

(EMERGENCY ANIMAL RESCUE) TEXAS — On Sunday, a tornado struck Van, a town in eastern Texas, killing two people and injuring 43. This disaster not only resulted in human casualties, but it also destroyed a large percentage of the land, flattened homes, and led to flooding.

Efforts to recover the tornado victims have been ongoing. Texas Game Wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, along with their K-9s are actively searching the Van area for people and pets who may be stuck under debris or in need of care.

Game Warden John Thorne recently stated:

“It’s very deliberate work in the sense that we’re trying to clear each and every one of these brush piles. There could be a victim in here that we wouldn’t be able to detect without the use of one of these dogs.”

Although search-and-rescue dogs are critical in helping people affected by the tornado, efforts have also been made to rescue animals who were tornado victims. While some families evacuated the area with their beloved pets, other pets were separated from their guardians in the midst of the disaster.

To read more on this story, click here: Texas Tornado:How to Help Animal Victims

Adopt a Golden Organization: Now Accepting Adoption Applications for 36 Golden Retrievers from Turkey Rescue

Dozens of abandoned golden retrievers are adjusting to their new lives in metro Atlanta after a rescue took place in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Adopt a Golden organization helped bring 36 purebred golden retrievers to Alpharetta, Georgia last weekend. This is being called the largest international golden rescue ever.

The dogs arrived at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport late Saturday night. They were taken to Pet Lodge pet resort.

According to Adopt a Golden, the dogs range from 6 months to 10-years-old.

“Our guiding motto is that we never say no to a Golden Retriever in need. These dogs are in need because the novelty of having a Golden Retriever in Istanbul, Turkey, as a status symbol wore off, they were abandoned and are now living in crowded shelters, in the forests or in the streets,” explained Lauren Genkinger, founder and president of Adopt a Golden Atlanta, Adopt a Golden is calling these dogs “Freedom Goldens.” Each dog has been given a patriotic name, such as “Liberty” and “Glory.”

“I want these Golden Retrievers to be happy and have a better life,” explained Yasemin Baban, the lead shelter volunteer in Istanbul who was instrumental in helping Adopt a Golden Atlanta rescue the dogs. “I want them to find love and affection, a home to live in, and a cushion to sleep on,” she added.

The dogs have never heard English and have their own interpreter in Fulton County. The only commands they know, if any, are in Turkish.

"From a behavior standpoint, we didn't really know what we were getting in to," Genkinger told FOX 5 Atlanta. "They're very social though, since they're used to begging for food on the streets."

The dogs will be medically screened, taught to walk on a leash, be housebroken and of course will receive lots of TLC.

Adopt a Golden is now accepting applications for adoption.