Did you know the maximum lifespan of a domestic cat is estimated to be as high as 25-35 years? Yet their average life span is only about 14 years. And did you know the maximum life span of a dog is estimated to be about 27 years? Yet the reality is that in our society their average lifespan is only about 13 years.

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your pet’s maximum health and longevity is to provide proper nutrition. Yes, genetics is an important factor in longevity, and we can’t do much about that. But numerous studies have shown that proper nutrition plays a vital role in ensuring a long, healthy and happy life for your pet. And that’s a factor you can do something about.

learn more Vitamins and nutrients critical to your pet’s well-being can be destroyed in the manufacturing processes of mass produced commercial pet foods. This can leave your pet lacking in necessary nutrients and endangering its potential lifespan.

In the meantime I had sent emails with a photo of him to every shelter I could think of, to vets in the area, the animal hospitals, I phoned as many places as I could find numbers for and asked them to be on the lookout for him. I placed an ad on Gumtree, placed alerts on all the online sites I could find. And then finally all I could still do was look for him around the neighbourhood.

When Bruno took off, he was wearing a collar with a tag that had his name as well as our cell number on it so I was hopeful that someone would see the tag and give us a call. Alas, it seems he lost the collar somewhere on his journey because when he was eventually found he was not wearing it.

When the call finally did come on the Wednesday after he disappeared, I nearly fainted! It was a man called Mark from the AACL in Epping and he told me that he was almost sure that a dog that he took in on Monday was my Bruno! He said that he received a call from a man called Kent who owns a wine-farm just up the road from us that he had a stray dog on his farm. Kent said he was about to let his horses out when he saw Bruno lying in the dirt road on his farm. He tried to approach him but Bruno, exhausted and hungry and still very scared, growled at him so he decided against it and called Mark who came to pick him up in due time.

About 5 minutes after Mark called me another lady from the AACL Epping branch phoned me and said that it was definitely Bruno that they had there and she recognised him from the photo that I sent them, down to the floppy ear! That phone call was one of the best phone calls I had ever had! We went and picked him up about an hour after we got the call and I was seriously shocked to see him – he almost did not look like my dog! He was scared and tired and his poor paws were raw from where ever he had been running – the pads had been worn off in places and were bleeding. He was also full of burrs and grass obviously from the fields he ran through before he got to the wine farm. I can only think that the only reason he could not go any further and lay down in that path was because he was dehydrated, hungry and in an enormous amount of pain!

We took him to the vet after we brought him home but the vet said that bandaging his feet would do no good – we had to get him to just take it quiet, and give it time to dry out and heal.

You cannot even begin to imagine the joy of having our baby home at last after living in so much panic and fear for his safety for the last 5 days. The first thing he did after I gave him some food and water was to jump up on his favourite place – our bed – and pass out fast asleep! For the next few days he was really hurting to walk and really lethargic but thanks to TLC and proper foodies he has light back in eyes. I see him looking at me sometimes as if he is wondering why I let him go out in the big cruel world out there all by himself – and I have to say sometimes I feel like I did. Hopefully we can put this absolute disaster behind us and move forward.

There are two things I learnt out of all this however, one is I will never leave them alone at home again on any night that there is any possibility of fire works, and if I absolutely have to, they will be locked inside the house.

Number two, never take things for granted – I never thought of looking for him any further than our immediate suburbs – it seemed highly implausible that he would be at a place like the AACL shelter in Grassy Park – but we found him in Epping! Epping is about 45 minutes drive away from us!

The lesson here is to not assume things. People pick up pets and drop them off where it is convenient for them; there can be a million scenarios as to where a pet might land up so don’t just look for your pet locally – get hold of all of the major shelters everywhere in your area! We were fortunate that the email I sent out was circulated to all of the branches of the shelters that received them but if it was not for that email, I don’t know if I would ever have found Bruno because I would never have thought of phoning Epping! Today Bruno is happily reunited with his mommy and daddy, 2 brothers and a sister but we were very fortunate that our story had a happy ending! I truly wish that for anyone else who has lost a pet.

When Bruno was about 6 weeks old we bought him from a bergie at Houtbay. My friends say we are probably the only people who go out to buy fish and chips and then come home with a puppy! To be quite honest with you, when the bergies offered him to us I said no at first because we had 4 kittens at home and I didn’t know how they would react to having a puppy around. However, when they walked away from me and I saw that face, I just knew I had to take him home with me. By the time I convinced my husband that we absolutely NEED that puppy the bergies had disappeared so we set out to look for them. Fortunately I found them about 15 minutes later and R30 later Bruno was ours! He was so small that my daughter Michelle could put him in the front of her jacket and carry him around like that.

The day we got Bruno was the start of many happy and funny days with him. He is a dog with the sweetest nature, full of mischief, very playful, loves cuddles and playing with mommy and daddy. He also adores home cooking! Bruno has absolutely changed our lives and he has taught us about what unconditional love really is.

He has a real fascination with any light reflections and he can run around the garden until he drops chasing after the reflection of a mirror on a wall or on the grass! I call him my “enlightened child” but jokes aside, he has the wise eyes of a very old soul. And anyone who tells you that a dog does not have a sense of humour has never met Bruno!

On November 5 while we were away from home there were fireworks in the area, really loud apparently, and my Bruno got spooked and managed to get out of our yard and disappeared down the road. That started a nightmare of 5 days that I would rather forget. It was the most traumatic time we had been through in a long time and just the thoughts of where he was and whether he was still OK and was he hungry were driving me insane. On top of that the what if’s and regrets of not being home or of doing things differently – it was pure torture!

We looked everywhere we could, drove through the neigbourhood calling his name. The problem with built-up areas though is that they are rather large and you just don’t have a clue where to concentrate your efforts to. Needless to say we did not find him and we spent a very miserable Sunday at home waiting for the print shop to open so we could get posters printed.

We spent the Monday putting up posters at all the places that we could think of that would accept missing dog posters. Most places were actually very helpful about it. We tied fliers to every important stop street at every entrance we thought he might have been seen but we still had no clue as to what direction he had taken.

In the meantime I had also sent out some emails and posted on Facebook about him being missing and so I came into contact with a whole lot of individuals that gave me so many tips and other information on how to go about trying to find him.

On Monday afternoon a kind individual phoned us to tell us that he saw Bruno on Saturday evening on a main road above our house – that at least gave us an indication of what direction he went into. But no matter how we searched it was to no avail. To be continued to the next post

No matter what kind of cat you have, they all have one thing in common – They all like warm places. I suggest that you buy him or her a heating pad or a heated cat bed. One that warms up by itself is best, because cats are attracted to things ALREADY warm, not ones that may BECOME warm. I, myself, have yet to find one that you can plug into a wall and stays warm all the time. I usually use a heating pad, because they are everywhere and easy to find.

Most cats also have a nesting habit. They like to curl up in something that can surround them on all sides. You can make one at home that also has the heat factor by taking a blanket and making a little nest for your cat and placing a heating pad right in the middle. However if you have a cat that will repeatedly knock over your thoughtful resting spot, you might just want to buy one from your local supplier or from me’

Cats aren’t really that picky about where they sleep, so, of course, you can also get a heated DOG bed for your cat, and s/he will love it all the same!!!
This bed is a good choice because it plugs into the wall to safely warm dogs (and cats) as they nap.

All cats are picky about their food, too. My mom’s cat, Butthead (he got his name – I have the scars to prove it), will whine and whine if he doesn’t get his canned food in the evening. On top of THAT, he will only eat it if it’s shreaded or in little bits.

I found that no matter what cat you have, they are all attracted to the taste and smell of fish. When at the store (no, sadly, I don’t shop from my own site), I look for cans that say “Ocean Whitefish”, “Tuna”, or “Salmon”. I usually only buy the Ocean Whitefish or Tuna, but occasionally, I will buy Salmon as well.

Fancy Feast Marinated varieties offer full rich flavor in poultry fish or meat selections Sold in cases of 24 cans

Cats also like your leftovers. If you ate chicken or beef or steak for dinner, it’s OK to give your kitty the leftovers, BUT be sure that you carefully sort through it and make sure that there are NO bones or hard pieces in the meat that the cat can choke on. This is VERY important!!! Be sure to shred up the chicken or cut up the beef into little cubes so that the cat won’t take too big of a bite and choke! This meat is tougher than what you buy in the cans for your cat.
Make sure that you give your kitty your love and let him or her know that you will always be there to pet it and cuddle with it and love it and play with it and… yeah… you get the point. 🙂

Lazy cats like to sit around and sleep all day. And bask in the sunlight and keep warm and be worshipped. Two of my favorite window perches are shown below.

This comfortable supportive cat perch mounts on virtually any window sill Includes all mounting accessories and complete instructions Cover is machine washable! A good choice, even if your cat doesn’t need the support.

Give your cat a bed with a view! This design is a hammock style, that your cat will love as it can position itself how it wants to lay and the bed will curve to the body of your cat!

I’ve also noticed that cats like being up high. Places like on top of the refrigerator, or up on a table, give cats comfort – and, possibly, the feeling of being important. =p Cats are vain animals, you are their servant! If your cat has a nesting habit on top of something, maybe you should put a towel or something up there to make him or her more comfortable. And DON’T forget to bow when you walk by!

Your cat spends so much time being lazy that s/he couldn’t possibly find the time to groom their coat! Cats also get comfort from being brushed, as it is similar to being pet. For short-hair cats, a soft bristle brush adds a glamorous shine to the coat. For long-hair cats, a stiff-bristle brush is almost a must! They don’t usually like it if they have a bunch of knots, but just pet them and slowly comb through their hair. Keep them groomed every day and they will not whine so much from being brushed.

This brush is purrfect for grooming either long-hair or short-hair cats. The bristles are tough enough to grip knots way down in long fur, but short enough not to bother the short-haired breeds. I, myself, use this kind of brush on either dog or cat.

Also, try to keep a heating pad out on low for your cat in a comfortable place so that they can be nice and toasty. It’s not necessary during hot summer days, but from fall through spring, I recommend it! Kitty will love you even more!

Hello and welcome to SpoilYourDog.Net!!! My name is Jenna and I am a 16 year old Junior at SMHS in Southern Oregon and I own and opperate four websites. I am taking a couple AP classes (college level classes) and I am hoping to continue my education when I graduate, but as some of you may know, going to college is expensive, and I have to come up with my own money. That’s why I take pleasure in designing these sites, because I know I am building up for a better future for my family (if I have one) and I. Also I have ENJOYED making these sites and have learned a lot from them.

I am also trying to find a part-time job, but until then, I am continuing to work on my sites and build my knowlege of the internet and HTML coding.
PLEASE help me to build a better future!!!! I’ve worked REALLY HARD!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

The two adorable dogs are Shanti and Tizzy. As you can probably tell, Tizzy is a bit of a camera hog! Shanti is a 12 month old American Bull Dog. You might recognize Shanti from July’s Dog Of the Month, and that’s because Shanti is last month’s dog’s sister! (If that’s confusing, it means that the dog that was dog of the month last month and the dog of the month this month are related! 😉 ) Shanti and Tizzy also have another sister, a 2 1/2 year old Chi who is a little camera shy!

HOW CAN YOUR DOG BE DOG OF THE MONTH??? – When you send a picture of your dog, send a brief paragraph or two telling about the life and hobbies of your dog! No dog will be put up on the main page more than once a month. This is to give ALL the dogs a fair chance. Thank you for submitting your pictures and good luck.

Do you want give suggestions about the page, see my other sites, or talk to me about anything personally? Send an e-mail to my_name @ yahoo.com (put Jenna_Voetsch in place of my_name and delete the spaces. This is to BLOCK SPAM!!!)
Thank you all very much,
-Jenna Voetsch

They are loved, played with and have the best health care possible. Our goal is to find them a happy forever home where they will continue to receive lots of love and attention!

If you are interested in bringing a new family member of the four-legged variety into your home, please look over what we have. We are a short trip from Denver and travel there often, feel free to get in touch with me if you would like to visit with one our puppies on our next trip to Denver.

~ We do accept deposits to hold a puppy. ~ Micro-chipping is an optional service. ~ Puppies are shipped at the buyer’s expense ~ We have several litters available for delivery throughout the year, so please check back with us. ~ All dew claws are done ~ Each puppy has a complete medical history and are up to date on the most recommended care for puppies ~ Each puppy is guaranteed for 1 year for any genetic defects ~

All our puppies are pre-spoiled and loved from day one. We only ask that you continue the tradition! Each of our puppies is carefully selected to meet the needs of our customers. We get many comments on how easy they are to train and how well socialized they are!

We strive to maintain an excellent breeding program and give our dogs the best care in the world! We are very selective about the dogs we use in our breeding program.

You can be sure if you purchase a puppy from MJ Puppy Paws it will be current on all vacinations, wormings and has been given a lot of TLC before going to its new home. We are a USDA and Kansas State Inspected breeder.

Welcome to my website. I hope you find it useful and please do not hesitate to contact me for additional details.

I own and operate Pet-Force which I established in 2013 to assist people in caring for their pets, while they are at work, on holiday, or just unable to manage.

As one of the longest established companies in the area I have built a good reputation and most of my business comes from repeat bookings, personal recommendations from satisfied clients and referrals from the local vets, who know me very well and use me to care for their own pets whilst on holidays.

I live in Southchurch and offer a range of pet care services to suit most needs & budget. All services are provided by me personally as I do not employ casual/part-time labour or use host families for boarding.

As a pet owner for over 30 years, I have a wealth of experience and know what is required to keep your pet healthy and happy. Also, being totally independent I do not have a Franchiser setting me targets or taking 10-15 percent of my profits each month, so I can use these savings to keep my prices sensible.

I have been accepted as a registered member of NARP (National Association of Registered Petsitters) and as such am fully insured for £2,000,000 Public & Third Party Liability.

For your total peace of mind, I have a CRB Enhanced Disclosure Certificate (police check) which is the higher standard, required by teachers/care workers and during my 22 years as a BT Property Manager I had considerable training in security/health & safety, so your home and pets are in capable hands.

I have passed the Advanced Driving Test, accredited by the Institute of Advanced Motorists and was the first company in the area to use a vehicle specifically designed in accordance with advice from the RSPCA and vets to provide for the maximum safety and comfort of your pet, including custom built cages and multiple ventilation aids.

My van insurance also includes “carriage of goods for hire or reward” which is the correct cover when transporting other people’s pets, but often ignored because it adds approximately 350% to the cost a fully comprehensive policy.