Happy Halloween!

Hello all my furr guardians, how did October treat you? Are you all prepared for Halloween? I'm SO glad it's not going to rain, but make sure to bundle up because it's going to be a chilly night!

SUNNYVALE HOWL'OWEEN PET PARADE AND FAIRE
I must admit that I wasn't too sure how this faire would turn out, but WOW was I happy with the way it did! What a blast we had, and by the end of the day my face hurt from smiling non-stop. I couldn't believe all the fun costumes, and the variety of pets that were in attendance! We saw everything from dogs and cats to chickens, snakes, goldfish and turtles! It was so great to watch the parade and to see all the furr kids and their guardians enjoying the day together.


I was thrilled to see my darling Penny Wenny all dressed up in her adorable Lady Bug costume. There were SO many other adorable costumes, I think two of my favorite were the "Bully Burrito" and the weenie dog that was dressed up like a Lobster being carted around in a huge Lobster pot on a wagon decorated in flames...tooooooo cute!



We were lucky enough to be set up next to a WONDERFUL animal rescue organization called GEPDA, (group education to protect and defend animals). We had a great time talking to their Vice Director MaryAnn Lima, and met the SWEETEST doggy I have ever met...who by the way is up for adoption! Her name is Crystal, and she's a 3 1/2 month old small mixed breed. I couldn't believe how mellow she was for being a puppy, and how absolutely sweet she was. All Crystal wanted to do is to give us kisses and be around people. She was even so patient while MaryAnn dressed her up in this sweet Sacajawea costume, which took quite a while to get it on. It was a surprisingly warm day, so the costume didn't stay on very long, but she looked darn cute while it was on!


If anyone is looking for a wonderful lap dog, who is great with kids and other animals and is sweet as they come you couldn't go wrong with Crystal.

If you would like information on Crystal you can contact MaryAnn Lima at (408) 309-2667, or visit http://www.gepdaus.org/.

Let's find Crystal a perfect forever home where she can love and adore her guardians and live a happy life with people who love her.

HALLOWEEN PET SAFETY TIPS

• NEVER give your pet chocolate!
• Keep your black cats/dogs INSIDE! There are sick people out there and unfortunately black animals are targets for abuse around this time.
• Watch out of candy wrappers! These can get stuck in your pets digestive track and make them ill or cause death.
• Watch your pets tails around lit Jack-O-Lanterns! Not only is this important to prevent a burned tail, but also to prevent a house fire if the pumpkin in knocked over.
• If you're having a party remember to keep your pet in a quiet room with the door closed. Even the most social pet can become stressed out and scared around a room full of dressed up strangers.
• When opening the door for trick-or-treaters make sure your pet isn't able to dart out the door.
• Remember that many people are afraid of dogs, so you may want to keep you dog away from approaching trick-or-treaters.
• And lastly, be kind to your furr kid...if you're dressing your pet up make sure the costume is comfortable, not too warm, not too confining, and not to bulky.

HALLOWEEN PET TREATS

Just because you can't give your furr kid(s) some of your yummy Halloween treats doesn't mean that you can't give them their own special treats.

TASTY CAT CLAWS

makes 18 treats

1/4 cup warm water
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons soft margarine
1 tablespoon cod liver oil
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup soy flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Combine water, cheese, margarine and oil.
Add flour and form a dough
Roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cooker
Bake at 300 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 - 25 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden.

TRICKY TREATS FOR DOGS
makes 14 treats

2 cups water
3/4 cup applesauce
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup oats

Preheat oven to 350
In a bowl, mix water, applesauce, vanilla and egg thoroughly
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon stirring well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well
Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling each cup completely and bake for about 1 1/4 hours.

Note: all recipes are for special-occasion treats for your pet. They should not replace meals and should be offered sparingly. If you pet has food allergies or special dietary requirements, check with your veterinarian before offering them.

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK REMINDER
We have MANY new furr kids who have joined our family since last Christmas, and we don't have photos of the majority of them. If you are a new furr guardian please feel free to email me a photo of your furr kid(s) so they can be included on our 2009 Christmas in the Park tree.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Have a fun and SAFE Halloween, and make sure to give your furr kid(s) a big hug and kiss from their nannies. Oh, and don't forget to make your holiday reservations SOOOOOOOOOON!

Bark in the Park was a BLAST!

Hello all my furr guardians, and happy October to you all! My apologies for the lapse in time since my last blog, but there has just been so much going on!

THE BARK IN THE PARK

Well, what can I say, this years Bark in the Park was AWESOME! It seemed to be much larger this year, and the turnout, well lets just say it was amazing! I saw lots of our furr kids, which is always great and met a lot of future SVPN furr kids throughout the day! We had an exciting raffle prize worth more than $250.00, and included a ton of dog and cat treats and toys presented in a very nice pet carrier. We had more than 100 entries and after picking the winner out of a hat we ended up choosing one heck of an animal lover! The winner has two small doggies and two kitties, so the prize fit her pack perfectly! She was very excited and followed up with an email letting me know how thrilled her "kids" were and how much they enjoyed all the their new toys.

We raised close to $150.00 for 13th Street Cat Rescue by accepting donations in exchange for a pair of dog ears and nose, or a really cool paw print bracelet! We also had a hit on our hands by providing fresh water for the doggies, and couldn't have done it without Jimmy trekking across the field to refill the water container...4 TIMES!!!!! We had some thirsty visitors!

This year I was accompanied by Nanny Katy, Nanny Jennifer and Nanny Samantha, along with the honorary SVPN nannies, Nanny Linda, (my Mom) "Manny" John, (my Dad) and of course my wonderful Hubby Jimmy. Jimmy normally is in charge of taking photos, but this year we thought we would switch it up a bit and video some of the day. I hope you enjoy this short video, and hope to see you all next year!!!



BLACKJACK COSTUME CONTEST
Well, as you can probably guess I decided to "torture" my beloved kitty Blackjack with a few Halloween get ups. I was hoping that some of my furr guardians might be able to choose what costume you feel best suits my friend, and will give the winner three days of free pet sitting.!!!! Just take a lot at the photos, and send me your choice for the winner. I apologize for the quality of some of the photos...do you know how hard it is to make a kitty sit still with different outfits on!!!!!!

What do you think? I'm a bit partial to the red devil...describes him to a TEE! We put the chicken hat on him last night, and he actually wore it for quite a while...but the wigs...forget about it!

PET PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!!
While attending this years HSSV Furr Ball my Sister bid on and won a pet photography session for my "niece" Fozzy. You should SEE the final product!!!!! WOW! Talk about some wonderful shots, they even wrote a song about Fozzy which we all now sing. They are planning another trip up here from Southern California, and accepting photo session bookings. If you want some great shots of your beloved furr kid(s) please make sure to book with her early!

Saturday, November 14th
Kim Rodgers
Bark Pet Photography
http://www.barkpetphotography.com/
kim@barkpetphotography.com

HOWL'OWEEN PET PARADE & FAIRE!
Now this is going to be a BLAST!!!! This is the second year that Downtown Sunnyvale has put on this event, and I am SO excited to be participating this year! If you love Halloween, or heck even just animals you should make it a point to pop on by, (you can even take Caltrain and they drop you off a block or so away!).

Here are some of the highlights of the day:

Best Pet Costume
Best Human Costume
Best Combo Costume, (so funny)
Best Group Costumes
Best Float, (all floats must be "foot power" floats)
Pet Talent Show
Pet Lover Village
Kissing Booth, (woooo hooooo)
Dog Treat Stacking Contest

Now remember, this is for ALL pets, not just doggies and kitties! I saw a picture of someone pulling a wagon with their tarantula in it!!!!!

So, mark this on your calendar right now! Just imaging how much fun your kids, (furr or human) will have! And, after all the festivities you can also enjoy the fantastic shops and restaurants downtown Sunnyvale has to offer!

2009 Sunnyvale Howl'oween Pet Parade and Faire
Sunday, October 25th, Downtown Sunnyvale
Parade Hours 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 PM
Pet Faire Hours 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
http://www.downtownsunnyvale.com/petparade/

PET POISONS!
While on the ASPCA's website, (which is awesome by the way) I came across a list of the top 10 pet poisons for 2008, and to be honest...I was quite surprised by some of them!!!!! Did you know that raisins, grapes and avocado can be VERY harmful to your furr kid!!!!! And of course the
worst offender is chocolate which if ingested in significant amounts can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination, hyperactivity, and in sever cases abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures!

Others include Human medications, insecticides, rodenticides, Veterinary medications, Plants, chemical hazards, household cleaners, heavy metals and fertilizer.

If you would like to read the entire article just click on this link.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/top-10-pet-poisons-of-2008.html

GOODBYE TO A FRIEND
I wanted to send out a heart felt goodbye to our beloved friend and furr kid Oscar who passed away this morning. He was a wonderful little guy, and will be dearly missed by not only his furr guardian, but by myself, Nanny Jennifer and Nanny Samantha.

Until next time, please give your furr kid(s) a big hug and kiss from me, Nanny Katy, Nanny Chandel, Nanny Laurel, Nanny Samantha, Nanny Jennifer, Nanny Stacy, and "Manny" Ryland.