Poor Blackjack

Hello all my furr guardians, how has this awful hot weather been treating you??? I wanted to make sure to wish all my Canadian furr guardians a very happy Canada day, and hope you celebrated it in the true spirit of a Canuck!

Well, before any of you worry about our kitty mascot, Blackjack is just fine, but the hot weather lead me to try something that I never had before...yes, I had Blackjack shaved. The utter embarrassment and humiliation in his face was absolutely heartbreaking for your loyal pet sitter, and although I tried to reassure him that he will be MUCH happier without his thick black coat he just looked at me with this pathetic "I'm ruined" face. It was quite the traumatizing experience for him, as he had to be sedated...well, it was either that or the tech who gave him his trim would have been walking with a sever limp. Blackjack is not one to go for a car ride quietly, in fact he yowled the entire way to Fremont, (yes, my Vet is in Fremont, but he's the best in the world...in my opinion that is) and a few times it was quite the ear piercing howl. My Mom went with me for moral support, so we both chuckled at some of his very strange howls...under our breath of course not to make him feel bad. Not surprisingly he was absolutely quiet on the way home, probably a mixture of the drugs and being exhausted after his horrible day, (he was there for nearly 6 hours). When we got home he was wobbly, but quick to escape the HORRIBLE cat carrier. I'm sure he was feeling so embarrassed, but it was made worse when our other cat Corn hissed at him!!!! We're not sure if it was the Vet smell, or maybe Corn just didn't recognize this no furr kitty in front of him. So, Blackjack wondered the house looking for somewhere, ANYWHERE to hide. He seems a bit better today, but still staying clear of Corn and looking uncomfortable with his new haircut...believe me, I know how he feels! But as you can see in the first photo, he still doesn't mind showing off his gut, and although the Vet said he was "chunky" I still tell him "no you're not, your just "big boned" like your Mom".

I have heard many of my furr guardians complain about the lack of options for pet travel via air, and how most airlines are being super difficult regarding arrangements and most of all fee's for our beloved furr kids to fly with us. Well, I came across a very cool new service that offers furr kids first class air travel! It is SO cool, your furr kid flies in the front cabin, (in a kennel for their safety) which has temperature control and fresh air pumped in. They are monitored by an attendant and get this...NO HUMANS ON BOARD, (well besides the flight staff of course). This is all about your furr kid!!!! You can go online and track your pet, they have a "MyPaws" club that will save you money on flights and pet friendly hotels, and a bunch of great information regarding traveling with your pets! Unfortunately the closest "hub" is Los Angeles, but who knows it might be worth the drive down!

As you all well know, 4th of July can be such a blast for us Humans, but can be HORRIBLE for our furr kids. Here are some tips on how to keep your furr kids safe this coming 4th of July, (supplied by the wonderful Humane Society of the United States.

• Resist the urge to take your pet to fireworks displays.
• Do NOT leave your pet in the car! With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects - even death - in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows DO NOT provide sufficient air, but they DO provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.
• Keep your pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you've removed any items that your pet could destroy or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him/her company while you're attending 4th of July picnics, parades, and other celebrations.
• If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn't leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.
• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

Remember, taking precautions can help your furr kid get through the loud 4th of July without too much anxiety. Fireworks are fun for us, but not so much for our furr kids...especially when you get the M-80's exploding outside!!!!

Well, many of you have been asking, and now we have the answer...YES, we will be doing Bark in the Park 2009! We look forward to this every year, so how could we NOT! So, mark the date because this is one doggy fest you DON'T want to miss! Saturday, September 19th! It will be a blast, and make sure to bring your furr pups to visit their loyal pet sitters.

Well, I guess that's it for now! I hope you all have a wonderful, and SAFE 4th of July. Nanny Carolyn, Katy, Allison, Chandel, Stacy, Maria and Jennifer all sends hugs and kisses to your wonderful furr kids, and we thank you for being a part of the SVPN family!

Where did May go?????

Hello all my furr guardians, how did the month of May treat you? I can't believe how fast the month flew by, and it's going to be June in a few short days!!!!! Did you receive any good Mothers Day gifts for your furr kids? I personally didn't, but Blackjack made sure to wish me a happy day, and that's a great gift in my eyes. :o)

Your loyal pet sitters had one heck of a busy month, and welcome all our new furr kids and guardians. We had a great time at the 13th Street Cat Rescues annual open house, and was very pleased with the turnout! Hershey the chocolate lab kept everyone entertained weaving in and out of all the attendees with her favorite tennis ball in her mouth with eyes beaming with hope that someone would take the slobber injected ball and play with her. Our dear Coco was in his run because he's not as well behaved as his Sister Hershey, but everyone made their way out there to say hello to him.

I was looking at one of my favorite sites, (http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/) and after watching their informational video, (for the millionth time) checked out some of the other information that was mentioned. These are really, REALLY cool sites and ones that I think anyone who is a furr guardian or for that matter just an animal lover should be made aware of.

freekibblekat.com such a great idea, and can you believe it that a 12 YEAR OLD founded it!!! This is her story...

"Mimi Ausland, a 12 year old girl from Bend, Oregon, wanted to help feed the hungry animals at her local animal shelter. "There are 10's of thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal". Say hello to freekibble.com and freekibblekat.com!

Freekibble.com's primary mission is to provide good, healthy food to dogs and cats to those shelters who are working so hard to see that none of them go hungry - they need our help. In addition to providing free kibble to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, we've added 13 new shelters to the program (from Oregon to Florida!) and plan to expand the program to many more! Thanks to everyone for supporting freekibble by playing the trivia game - every piece of kibble counts!

We're happy to say that we're partnering with Castor and Pollux to feed these hungry dogs and cats a very high quality, all natural kibble - a very decent dinner! We also want to make it easy and fun for you to help provide free kibble by playing Meow Trivia - and we hope you learn a few interesting things about dogs and cats along the way. Thanks and enjoy!"

So, basically you go to http://www.freekibblekat.com/, (for cats) or http://www.freekibble.com/, (for dogs) and answer their daily trivia question. This is a daily question, and right or wrong they will still donate 10 pieces of kibble to animal shelters. It takes like one second and you can sign up for daily trivia reminders. I'm always thrilled when children take an active interest in helping out our furr friends, good for you Mimi!

The next site which I found very cool and wonderful is http://www.goodsearch.com/. The following info is edited due to the amount, but it should give you a good understanding what this site is all about.

"We all have a cause we care about - whether it's finding a cure for cancer, saving the environment, finding homes for abandoned pets or so many other worthwhile endeavors. But what we don't all have is the time or money to support these efforts as much as we'd like. So, what if we could raise money for our favorite charities and schools by doing something we do every day - searching the Internet?

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of it's revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers - the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!

In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shipping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user's designated charity or school - averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more."

How totally cool is that! I mean, most of us are on the computer all day long looking up information, shopping, chatting, and we could be using it to help our beloved furr kids, (or any other charity of course).

The weather is getting WARM outside and I wanted to make sure that you have some tips on keeping your furr kids safe and healthy during the scorching summer months:

• Always have a supply of cool, fresh water available for pets.
• Add a few ice cubes to a dish of water for a cool, refreshing treat.
• When on the go, keep a water bottle filled with cold, fresh water for your pet.
• Wait 30 - 60 minutes after meals before taking a pet for its run.
• Walk your dog in grass or keep pavement walks brief. Sensitive paws can quickly burn on hot asphalt; consider paw protectors such as shoes or booties.
• No doggy days at the beach! During extremely hot temperatures, your pet would prefer shade to sunshine. Excessive panting, raspy breath and discolored gums are signs of heatstroke. To treat, get the animal in a shady place, cool it with wet towels and call a veterinarian.
• NEVER leave your animal in a vehicle! Even with the windows open, the temperature in a parked vehicle can reach more than 100 degrees in a matter of minutes.
• Coolant/antifreeze leaks are sweet tasting and attractive to animals. But drinking coolant can be fatal. Use animal-friendly propylene glycol coolant rather than ethylene glycol in your vehicles. Never let your pet drink out of strange puddles.

HELP ON YELP...many of you use Yelp in reviewing local eateries, business, etc, but did you know that your loyal petsitters are on Yelp, and would LOVE more happy reviews! If you're a Yelp, (or Angies List) user please leave a review for us...your furr kids would want you too! :o)

I thought I'd leave you with a "little Nomi" the adorable Yorkie that I'm fortunate enough to visit with twice a week. Until next time, hug your furr kids for me, Nanny Katy, Nanny Chandel, Nanny Allison, Nanny Stacy, Nanny Jennifer and Nanny Maria and we thank you for being part of our family.

Sad month

Hello all my furr guardians, I hope this post finds you all very well. You know, you're probably really tired of hearing me apologize for the delay in getting up a new post, but I feel that this time it is totally warranted. WOW, over a month has past...needless to say I'm very embarrassed by this and really have no excuse besides the fact that it was tax month and I was in an accounting frenzy! Uuuuuugh, taxes...the ONE bad thing about being in business for yourself...at least it only comes once a year!

Besides the tax horror, this was a very sad month, (well April) for your loyal pet sitter having lost three of my furr kids. My lovely Boy Smush who has a video on one of my past blogs moved back to Los Angeles with his guardians...I'm broken hearted since I have been watching him since he was a tiny pup, (see photo). Yes, it was a teared filled last visit which intensified when I opened the gift from his guardians and it was a beautiful full color picture of him in a lovely frame. I wish there was a clause in my contract that restricts my furr guardians from moving away...or at least gives me visitation rights, (one week out of every summer?) but since that's not going to happen I had to say goodbye to my Smushie Wushie, Smushtah Wooshtah, Mushie Mushie, Little Licker, Mushta Mush and it was awful! Not only was it horrible losing my Smush Boy, but I adored his guardians and will totally miss them too. I was lucky enough to be able to get together with his furr Mom for some coffee, (well tea) the day before they left, but it was still sad. I wish Smush and his furr guardians all the luck in the world, and hope the pop by every now and then to say hi.

This was also a sad month for losing two more of my furr kids, and unfortunately not from a move. My furr kid Sidney passed away in April after a very long life with his furr guardian. Sidney was a wonderful quirky Boy who always entertained me! After our visit he would wait for a treat while I wrote his guardian a note and if I took too long he would make this strange sneezing noise! He also wouldn't walk on certain surfaces, so he would jump over the entrance to their elevator, and jump over rail road tracks. He totally hated the rain, and I would have to leave my umbrella outside so he didn't see it, (he knew umbrella = rain). He would always be upstairs on his guardians bed when I would show up, and it was always fun to hear the "thump" after I called him, and then the "thump, thump, thump" and he jolted down the stairs to meet me. He was such a wonderful old Boy and I was lucky enough to be his friend till the very end.

My girl Maya also passed away in April, and FAR too soon for this sweet wonderful girl. She was the funniest Bully Bull I have ever met, and kept me laughing while she rolled around on her back while her big Bulldog lips flapped around. She was SUCH a bulldog...she wasn't thrilled about leaving the comforts of her own chair, and when she didn't want to walk...she didn't walk! I'm telling you, although she was probably only around 40 pounds it was ALL muscle and she was strong! Her guardian loved her SO much and so did Katy and myself, (we were both nannies for Maya). She will always live in our memories as our My-oh-my, myaloo, and maya-angeloooo, and maya-looinski. This was such a shock to hear since Maya was only 5 years old, so make sure you give your furr kids a big hug and kiss every chance you get.
WOW, what a complete buzz kill this blog is! I'm so sorry! I just wanted to make sure to mention these friends of mine and how much I will miss them all! We really become part of your family and truly care about your furr kids so much, and when they "leave" it really effects us quite a lot.

Well, let's try to lighten the mood a bit shall we and nothing lightens the mood like the topic of SHOPPING! This is kind of an exciting thing that I'm planning on launching! My Cousin and his wife own a couple of super awesome doggy boutiques in Healdsburg and Saint Helena, and during our recent visit out there I came across some REALLY cool, very unique items in their store! So, I am going to start featuring about 3 to 4 original items on my website that you can purchase for your furr kids! I have never seen these items in any other store, and when I saw them I actually said "this is the coolest thing I have ever seen". So, hopefully within a month or so you will be able to shop for some unique items that will make all your furr guardian friends will be green with envy!

The next shopping item is something that is near and dear to not only my heart, but the majority of my family, (my Sister, Dad, Brother-in-law, and of course my Husband). I have decided to offer a line of items designed by San Jose State University Art Students. This is in the works now, and we should be offering everything from t-shirts to skate board decks. All of the designs will feature a pet related topic, but it could be anything from a dog collar to a cat dish...who knows, I am giving them the freedom to use their creativity and surprise me! I'm not sure exactly when this will be up and running, but keep an eye out for it.

As most of you have probably noticed I have stopped sending out my newsletter. Although this is heartbreaking for me, and many of you have expressed your sadness on this decision, it was one of necessity. For one, I am trying to reduce my footprint and since my furr guardian count is expanding I was using a lot of paper. So, I tried signing up for Constant Contact, (the e-newsletter service) and I'm telling you, you have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out! So, I will try to keep up with my blogs to let you know all the new news with us. I apologize for the disappointment that some of you have experienced.

One of my wonderful furr guardians sent me the link to the Best of Silicon Valley, and although there isn't a pet section focused on "pet care" it would be awesome if all of my furr guardians could vote for us in the "best pet daycare" section. I know that we're not really a pet daycare, however since there isn't a best pet sitting category I feel it's completely appropriate to nominate us. Maybe next year they will have an actual pet sitting category...who knows.

Anyway, I guess that is all for now...I promise that I will be much more diligent on getting my postings up and apologize again for the delay. Give all your furr kids a big smooch and hug for us and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Bad Rap is a GOOD thing!

Hello all my wonderful furr guardians, have you all "dried out" by now? I must say that I have really been enjoying this beautiful weather and your kids have too! It seems that there are so many good smells in the air for them to smell and sunny places for them to bask in...oh, to be a furr kid with a great furr guardian! Maybe in my next life...you can only hope.

I'm sure you were probably wondering what the heck I am talking about in my title...well, let me introduce the newest non-profit that I'm in love with. The organization is called Bad Rap, (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls) and they are SO fabulous! I know many of you may have mixed feelings about American Pit Bull Terriers, but the bad publicity that this breed gets is really unfair. Silicon Valley Pet Nanny has NEVER discriminated against "bully breeds" and to be honest two of the absolute BEST furr kids that we visit are APBTs! Let me tell you about Samson...the big old goof ball that we were lucky enough to have been chosen to be his nanny back in 2007. Usually when furr guardians call us and have a APBT, they immediately say "do you accept pit bulls", but meeting Samson was a bit of a surprise because his guardian did not let me know prior to our first meeting. I walked into this very, very cute house in Willow Glen, met the guardian and then here came Samson with a huge "smile" on his face. I said "is he a pit bull" and his owner looked at me with a worried face and said "yes, will this be a problem" and my reply..."absolutely not". We sat down in her lovely kitchen and what did Samson do...he put his HUGE cow head right in my lap and looked at me with the most loving look I have ever seen. His guardian then began to tell me the story on how she became Samson's guardian, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes. She said that she went to the Humane Society to adopt a "small lap dog" but as she walked by all the well deserving furr kids she locked eyes on the big galoot with the name tag "Samson". She said that she walked away from him thinking "ugh, it's a pit bull, he's HUGE, and I want a dog that can sit in my lap" but the image of Samson, (Sammy Wammers) was burned into her subconscious...so, what did she do...what do you think, she scraped the small lap dog and brought Samson home.

Bad Rap's home page reads, "Welcome to one of the most "Pit Bull Friendly" spots in the San Francisco Bay Area! This site was created to help American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs) and their people find the support they need to enjoy the best bully experience our home by the bay can offer" and they are NOT KIDDING! Their site is full of wonderful information about the breed, dispelling a lot of the "myths" surrounding APBT's and educating the public on them. They have a wonderful adoption gallery, and some really, really cool branded items you can buy! I knew about this organization, but it was really brought to my attention by one of my furr guardians who recently lost her beloved Boxer Cognac and decided to bring a new furr kid into her pack. After spending nearly an hour on their site, I made a small donation and contacted them to see if there was anything I can do as a business owner to support them. If you get a second, you should really take a look at their site, http://www.badrap.org/ Not only do they seem to be a cool bunch of people, but they are also doing wonderful work! Thank you Bad Rap!

As most of you know, I am always in search of really cool pet related items that I can pass on to all my furr guardians...well, the most recent one blew my mind!!!! Being in this industry I am bombarded with solicitations from start up pet industry companies, and for the most part I'm underwhelmed to say the least, but get a load of this!

http://www.dogpoweredscooter.com/Home_Page.html

Yep, that's right...now you can kick back and have your pooch take you for a ride! I have so many furr guardians who would love to bike with their dogs, but it's just too much of a challenge to keep a good hold on the leash, and hope that a squirrel doesn't dart in front of you to temp your kid to take off after it. Now, you have the best of both worlds!!!! Take a look at this video!

How totally cool is that! I wonder if my cat would be good at this...nah, probably not. The cool thing is that they also have skateboards, folding bikes, BMX bikes and a Trike that will work with this too!!!!! I think the BMX bike idea would be perfect for your "human kids" to exercise them...that way they are BOTH tired at the end of the day!

This is a sad subject for me to bring up, and I'm still getting used to the change. Many of your furr kids have been cared for by Nanny Samantha, and over the past two + years has been one heck of a furr kid care provider. Well, unfortunately for us, Nanny Sam has decided to hang up her nanny hat and will be going back to school full time to complete her degree. This was a horrible shock for me, but after it wore off I realized that this was an awesome opportunity for Sam, and will do nothing more than really help her in her future. "You can always come back to pet sitting" I said, and she replied "you never know, I may miss my furr kids so much I may have to". I want to wish Sam all the luck in the world, and for you furr guardians who have loved and trusted her over the years, don't worry...I have hired on Nanny Stacy and Nanny Maria who will be taking over for her. They both have 5+ years of pet sitting experience, and BOY do they know their stuff!

Well, I guess that's it for now...some happy, some sad, some really cool information and I hope you enjoyed reading this edition. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and give your furr kids a kiss from their nannies!

Here comes the sun...or is it?

Hello all my furr guardians, how are you staying afloat with all of this rainy weather? I lucked out today and found a break in the rain for me to visit my daily dog walks...phew, it was a close one! I wanted to first wish my friend Sidney a heartfelt "get well soon", and I'm looking forward to starting up our walks again very soon! I also wanted to wish Nanny Katy a very wonderful Birthday today, (I'm blowing an imaginary party horn).

You know, sometimes I read about things that I just can't believe and recently I read a HORRIBLE story about a 14 year old Boy who was filmed, (by his Brother) abusing his own family cat "Dusty". He set up the "scene" by appearing with a covered face, and as he walked into his bathroom said "the topic of the day is animal abuse". The video was posted on YouTube and thankfully taken down almost immediately. www.kenny-glenn.net And as I glanced over at my beloved Blackjack sitting on his very own office chair, (see photo) it got me thinking about how absolutely important it is to educate young people, (really from birth) to be kind to our fellow earth roamers, and came across an educational opportunity offered by the WONDERFUL Silicon Valley Humane Society. They offer a variety of programs for children, teens and adults which are highly interactive, student-centered and age-appropriate. They also have a "Compassion in Action" program which allows middle and high school students to explore animal welfare subjects impacting their community, and the "Animal Pals Club" allows 8 to 13 year olds the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of animals. On top of this, they also offer "Caring Communities" classes to Santa Clara County teachers, and K-12 education presentations are also available by request. So, even if you do not have children you should pass this information on to any family members, or even teachers that you think may be interested in this. We really must take an active interest as a community to ensure that our furr friends are respected and well taken care of.

On the topic of the Silicon Valley Humane Society, I also wanted to make sure you all knew that the 2009 "Fur Ball" is being held on Saturday, April 25th. This is a great event that benefits the Humane Society, and yes...it's black tie...and YES...you can bring your canine furr kid!!!! The tickets are $250.00 which includes dinner, desert and some other fun surprises. You can also sponsor a "Top Dog" Table of 10 for $5,000.00. This includes VIP parking, table sponsor name included in the program and The Fur Ball 2009 web site and your table guests receive a special gift! Last years event grossed more than $400,000 for the shelters animals!!! How totally awesome is that! Not to mention that there is a fabulous silent auction that goes on throughout the night. You may just see a great gift package from your friends at SVPN.

The pet sitter NEMESIS is back!!!! Yes my furr guardians, your loyal pet sitters do have a nemesis...no, it's not fleas, no, it's not the squirrels that run in front of us when we walk your pups...it's ANTS! Each year we do battle with these pesky little work horses, and sometimes they win! Ants are one of those inevitable things that none of us can effectively prevent...they live in our walls, in the ground outside, pretty much everywhere and BOY-OH-BOY do they LOVE pet food! It really helps your loyal pet sitters to make sure you have some type of ant bait, spray, etc around just in case as well as either a swiffer wet jet or paper towels for us to clean up their little carcases. If you find yourself doing battle with these little dudes a great tip that your loyal pet sitters us is to place your pets food dishes in a shallow pan of water. The ants cannot swim, so they cannot get into your pets food. Another good thing to do is to make sure your pet food is in a sealed container so they can't get into extra food. I had one situation where one of my clients had a 50 pound bag of dog food left out in the open and I am not kidding...ants were EVERYWHERE even at the bottom of this huge bag...it was the most ants I have ever seen in one setting and took nearly 2 hours to clean up. Your furr kids do not like ant appetizers so they may go a full day without food...a little prevention goes a long way. Don't worry...your loyal pet sitters are always ready to do battle and will fight off these pesky little dudes with all the gusto we have!

Well, I guess that's it for now...I hope you all have a wonderful evening and hopefully enjoy some sun for a change. Give all your furr kids a big kiss from their beloved pet sitters!

Walking doggies in the rain!

Hello all my furr guardians, how is this rainy weather treating you? As the title of this post says, we had quite the walking dogs in the rain type of day. Yes, that and picking up poop are the two downsides to this position, but that's not too bad is it. Just like your nanny friends, most of the dogs we walk HATE being out in the rain, and sometimes it's quite the struggle to get them into the wet weather...and they just don't seem to understand that it's potty time. Like most of you know, if it's REALLY raining we do not actually walk your pups, but they do need to go out and potty. Here is a quick account of my day with four wet doggies.

11:53am - Get to Sake's house just as it starts to pour! Get in to the house, and as soon as he saw my umbrella he got that "oh no, you're not getting ME out in that rain". He was quite hesitant to go out, but after a bribe of a treat or two, or three he finally gave in. Let me tell you, that was the quickest pee I have ever seen and then ZOOM ran right back up to the front door. When we got back inside he looked at me like I had dropped him in the ocean, and he was only a bit wet. Me on the other hand was well on the way to a very soaked pair of shoes and socks.

12:16pm - Pull up to Smush's house, (he lives right around the corner from Sake) and of course, it's raining even harder now! I get my already soaked umbrella out and walk up to the front door. I decided to leave my umbrella out on their stoop instead of getting their floor wet, which in retrospect didn't work out too well. I went upstairs and there was my cute Smush boy all smiles and wags. I thought to myself, "this isn't going to last too long" because Smush HATES being in the rain! I put his harness on, and out we went...or, out we eventually went. First off, my umbrella was whisked up by the wind and there it sat upside down acting like a bucket to catch the rain, and then Smush saw that rain and put on his puppy breaks. I finally got him to go out and we walked under the eaves in front of the garages. Smush stayed bone dry...me on the other hand...not so much. Here is a little video of my Smush Boy just in case you want to see a darling pup.



12:35pm - Get to Sidney's house, and then the anticipation of getting the dog who hates the rain more than any other dog I have ever watched, (well, except for Tuna) started to worry me. I got up to his home and he was thrilled to see me as usual, (he is such a sweet Boy) and I purposely left my umbrella outside the front door so he wouldn't get the chance to dart back upstairs. Once we got out the front door I saw the "OH NO" look on his sweet face...I tried to play it off by telling him that it's just to keep the SUN off of me, but I don't think he bought it. We get to the front door of his building and by now it's not just raining...it's a DOWNPOUR. I had to coax him out the front door, but he would not take a step into the rain, which of course I do understand considering I was nursing a pair of very wet shoes and socks. With a little encouragement he finally went potty, but it was tough!

12:50pm - I get to my "baby's" place, and finally my fear of the rain struggle disappeared. You see, Bolt is a puppy, and basically puppies don't hate much of anything including the rain. I came in and there was my sweet baby dog looking at me with a "yeah, you're here" look. We went out in the rain, he pottied, attacked my shoe, then tried to pick up any goodies he could find on the ground. Unfortunately for him, I have become the QUEEN of stopping puppies from eating things, so he wasn't very successful in his quest.

So, that was my day of potty breaks in the rain...I'm sure the other nannies had very similar days, and nursing wet socks and shoes.

I stumbled upon another wonderful story about a little dog named Babe who was born with only two legs. I always think that we, (humans) can learn a lot from animals, and thought you may be interested in learning about this sweet little girl



Wasn't that the sweetest story!

Does everyone have plans for Valentines day? Have you all bought your furr kids a valentines day treat? I came across this recipe for "Red Velvet PUPCAKES", and I thought maybe this would be a fun treat for your furr pups.

Not only is beet juice the secret behind these pupcake's crimson hue, it is also a source of the ideal fiber dogs need to maintain healthy digestion. Iced with low-lactose cottage cheese, these trendy treats are also a balanced meal.

1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1 Cup applesauce
1/3 Cup beet puree or fresh beet juice
1 1/2 Cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Cup low-fat cottage cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 6 cup muffin tin with muffin cups.
In a large bowl whisk together oil and sugar, stir in applesauce and beet puree.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Slowly stir flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
Spoon batter into muffin cups to three-quarters full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a pupcake comes out clean.
Remove pupcakes from the pan and cool on a rack.
In the bowl of a food processor, puree cottage cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Keep frosting refrigerated until pupcakes are completely cool.
Frost and serve.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Now, we all know that kitties are notoriously picky eaters...especially Blackjack...but I found this fun recipe and thought this could be a fun valentines treat for your kitty.

Catnip Cookies for Cats

1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of wheat germ
2 to 4 Tablespoons of catnip
1/3 Cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
Combine the wet ingredients in separate bowl
Mix the dry and wet ingredients together and work it into a dough
Lightly flour the counter or other work surface
Remove a portion of dough and use a rolling pin to uniformly flatten the dough to a thickness between 1/8 of an inch and 1/4 of an inch
Cut the dough into 1-inch squares using a rolling pizza cutter or a cookie cutter of your choice, (heart shaped maybe).
Place the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp and lightly browned.

This recipe will make approximately 50 medium sized cat treats.

Since these treats are preservative free, they will not last forever, so to extend the life of these treats, store them inside the freezer in several small freezer bags. As needed remove a bag from the freezer and leave it out for several hours to thaw. Once the treats are thawed, transfer into a Tupperware container for easy access and store the treats inside the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Let me know if your furr kids enjoy these treats! I think Blackjack will be enjoying a saucer full of tuna juice as a Valentines day treat.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and please give your furr kids a big hug from their nannies.

Can you believe the weather?

Hello all my furr guardians, how did January treat you. For those of you who are new to this area, I must ask...are you enjoying the weather or what!?!?!? As a native Californian I must caution to not get the idea that this is the way it is every winter, but enjoy it while it's here!

We have had one puppy filled January, and yes, it's as fun as it sounds. Last week I started doing mid-day potty break visits with Bolt, who is a 12 week old Shiba Inu and as cute as they come!!!! He is the new "Brother" to Toshio a handsome 3 year old Shiba Inu, and let's just say...he's not too thrilled with the new addition. Of course anyone would be jealous of a sibling who comes in and tries to play with all of your toys, gets all the attention, and who is a bit rambunctious. When Bolt tries to pounce on or play with one of his toys Toshio will give him a quick growl and either knock little Bolt over or snatch his toy out of Bolts mouth. It doesn't phase Bolt at all...he knows that his Big Brother is there for his pleasure and is just playing "hard to get". The Boys had me rolling on the ground laughing the other day when Bolt continued to lick Toshio's mouth as he was growling up a storm. I think deep down Toshio liked it, but of course could never admit to it!!!! Once Bolt gets the hint that his Brother isn't interested in playing he happily runs back over to me and attacks my shoe laces. Here is a short video I shot showing this cute little Boy and a "not so happy" Toshio in the background. Don't worry...I give Toshio plenty of attention once the little one is back in his pen.



I wanted to make sure that I mention the awesome upcoming fundraising event for 13th Street Cat Rescue! It is the "13th Street Cat Rescue Tea" and it's being held on Saturday, March 14th at 2:00pm. The tickets are $25.00 and this includes a full afternoon Tea at a historic private residence and San Jose Landmark. This tea will have a delicious selection of savory tea sandwiches, mini quiche, scone with butter, jam and lemon curd, petite dessert, handmade chocolate, fresh fruit & nut cup. All served accompanied by a lovely selection of teas. The seating is very limited, so please reserve and purchase your seats early, (should Saturday sell out, they may add another seating on Sunday, March 15th at 2:00pm). They recommend that you place your orders as a group, so that they can ensure you are seated together. This will be really fun, and it will be a chance to not only enjoy this event but also to see myself and Nanny Katy. You can find the information for this event by clicking on this link http://www.13thstcats.org/ If you cannot attend this event, but would still like to donate to this wonderful organization you can do so through the same link. Hope to see some of you there!

I was at PetSmart the other day and came across something really cool that I had no idea existed! I'm not sure if everyone knows, but PetSmart has it's own charity division and they donate to many wonderful causes. I normally donate a dollar each time I make a purchase, but then I came across a display full of pre-paid mail bags. You can grab one of these bags and send them your eligible inkjet cartridges and Digital Cell Phones! There are some restrictions, but I have been sending in my empty ink jet cartridges that normally I would toss out. They also say that if you purchase recycled Inkjet and Laser cartridges through this company PetSmart Charities will receive $2.00 to $5.00 per purchase! Not a bad way to donate, especially if these items would be trash otherwise. The website for this company is http://www.cartridgesandphones.com/ and PetSmart Charities is http://www.petsmartcharities.org/

My Mom gave me the most wonderful San Jose Mercury News article last week! I'm sure many of you read it, but I wanted to mention it for those who like me, who did not get the chance to see it. It was an article about this wonderful woman named Lynea Lattanzio, who founded "The Cat House on the Kings". It's a rescue like nothing I have ever seen! This woman basically converted her home and 6 acres of land to a no kill cat, (and dog) rescue facility. The crazy thing is, that she has around 700 kitties residing in this facility...no cages, no boundaries and they all live in harmony...even with a couple of dogs running about! It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and although she has helpers this organization is relatively unknown. Here is a video about the facility:



If you would like to visit their website you can find it at http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/

If the video of the cats didn't warm your heart enough, I thought I would post the wonderful video produced by my friend Seth Casteel, who owns Little Friends Photography. I know I have mentioned this before, but Seth donates his time and materials to professionally photograph shelter dogs to give them a better chance at finding a forever home. His photos bring out the personality of these pups, and just take a look at their big sweet smiles.



It's wonderful knowing that people like these are roaming the world, and making a difference in animals lives.

Just so you all know, I have been taking videos of some of your furr kids. I have them posted on my YouTube page which you can find by typing in svpetnanny in the search field. I know that I'm not an expert videographer, but I've been having a lot of fun doing it!

Well, I guess that's it for now. I hope you and your furr kids have a wonderful weekend and enjoy this lovely weather! Give your furr kids a big hug and kiss from their nannies!