First Time Pet Owner

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6 Essential Tips For the First Time Pet Owner

Are you a first time pet owner? There are numerous health benefits that come with owning a pet from less stress to improved heart health to weight control, so it’s no wonder there are millions of people in the United States taking care of an animal. But if you’re considering being a first-time pet owner, it’s essential that you carefully consider your options so you can pick the best pet to fit within your current lifestyle. This is key as one of your responsibilities as an owner is ensuring the health and happiness of your pet. Here are some tips to help you prepare for this exciting milestone in your life.

1. Assess your home and lifestyle to determine the best pet for you. For example, if you work long hours, a dog might not make sense because most dogs prefer to be social and they need exercise. However, if you live in the Charlotte area you can contact See Spot Run Dog Walking and Pet Sitting to ensure your pooch gets plenty of exercise and time outdoors. On the flipside, a pooch could be a great pick if you’re an extremely active person who loves to spend time outdoors. If you have a small home or apartment sans yard, dogs are still a viable option, but a cat, fish aquarium, or bird are excellent choices too. If you or anyone in your family has allergies, get advice from an expert such as a doctor as to what breed might be best for your family if someone in your household suffers from allergies. There are a few non-allergenic dog breeds to consider such as a Portuguese water dog or a poodle.
2. Once you determine the pet, do your homework to figure out which breed works best. Along with considering factors such as activity level, age, size, shedding tendencies and adaptability, it’s helpful to know which breeds get along with other cats, dogs, babies, and people in general, however there are always exceptions. Consider these factors carefully, as you want to make sure you can handle your pet so it doesn’t become one of the 6.5 million animals to be surrendered to a shelter each year.
3. Prepare your home so your pet feels as though it has a place to call its own. A comfortable bed, a variety of toys to stimulate different senses (this prevents boredom), fresh and clean water, food/snacks for those in between meals — usually something dry that doesn’t spoil. If you have an elderly pet make sure the bed is not on a cold floor as the temperature is apt to affect sore joints. Providing he/she is allowed, invest in a few ramps or “dog stairs” to place near couches so your dog doesn’t have to jump.
4. Even if your dog or cat is older, show them right away where the litter box and yard are at your home so you can prevent an accident. Expect that accidents may happen and be patient with your pet if they do. Remember that with training any new pet, consistent training is key for helping them learn and understand what you want them to do.
5. Rescue pets may be particularly nervous at first, so execute caution when bringing one into your home. Don’t let your kids overstimulate the animal and be mindful of shouting and loud noises that could be considered a threat to your pet. The best thing you can do is let your new family member adjust at his/her own pace. Win the animal’s trust by letting them come to you first — no matter how much you want to smother it with love. Let it explore its new surroundings and get acclimated.
6. Once you bring your pet home, you can start bonding with your pet. Regular playtime can keep your pet out of trouble (e.g. chewing up or scratching things), so make sure you make time to engage with your animal on a daily basis, especially right before and after leaving the house. It may take a while to get to know your pet’s personality, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll have a better idea of what makes your furry friend happy.

Owning a pet is a huge undertaking, so make sure you truly commit to the reality — not the fantasy. Playtime, obedience issues, cleanup, feeding times and medical bills all come with responsible ownership. As long as that doesn’t scare you, then you’re on your way to having a great relationship with your new pet based upon love and respect and we wish you the best of luck as a first time pet owner.

This was a guest blog post by Jessica, a dog lover and creator of OurBestFriends.pet. She created the site to offer a place for animal lovers to share their favorite pet photos and stories about their furry pals. Jessica believes dogs are the best creatures on earth. She enjoys writing about and sharing photos of dogs (and other pets!) on her website.

Dog Yoga

Dog yoga is apparently a thing. I've heard of yoga with goats before but not with your dog but it's here, in Charlotte.

I know that yoga can improve my posture (and it certainly needs improving) but apparently it can improve your dogs too. I am sure lots of dogs enjoy it too. I would imagine it might make the class a little more interesting and certainly more entertaining than a regular class.

I love yoga. I might even love it more with Moose.

I think Moose would enjoy dog yoga. He might prefer all of the poses on his back though especially if they included a belly rub.

Check out local craft brewery scene to find their yoga class schedules. A lot of them offer it and I'll bet they even offer dog yoga occasionally!

In doing some research for this post, I stumbled across Work for your Beer. Check them out. I'm sure they occasionally have events that include your dog too.

I don't have any dog yoga photos. I'd like to have some but until I do, the one of Moose above will have to do. Can't you tell by the way he is lounging that'd he'd enjoy it? I think he would.

See Spot Run

Why did I start See Spot Run in 2009? I've always loved dogs. As a kid of course I wanted to be a veterinarian but as an adult I realized that my heart was too soft and I was too thin skinned to become one. After college I ended up in corporate America and it wasn't until 20 years later I started See Spot Run. 

I'd lost my recruiting job in November 2008 when the economy tanked. After much soul searching, I realized my heart wasn't in recruiting. I knew I wanted to do something with dogs but I had no idea what. 

I worked part time at a doggie daycare. I learned pretty quickly that wasn't where I saw myself staying long term. After a few months and talks with the hubby, I went downtown and got a business license for See Spot Run. 

My idea at the time was to offer dog running, hence the name See Spot Run, as well as traditional dog walking and pet sitting. My very first client was a golden retriever named Mojo and I ran with him. However as I aged, as the summer heat and humidity set in and I got busier, the running aspect of the business became harder.

I eventually stopped offering it. See Spot Run is full service dog walking and pet sitting. 

Do you know how great it is to be a lot of dogs' best friend? It's pretty awesome. They are always happy to see me. They always greet me with their tales wagging. That's a pretty great feeling and I'm so fortunate that I've been able to do this for over 9 years.

One thing that has surprised me is how much I enjoy doing overnight pet sitting. I'll blog about that at another time.

Hot Temperatures

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We live in Charlotte NC and that means we have several months of hot temperatures during the summer. When I photograph dogs during these month, I can pretty much guarantee that most of the photos will look like this. The dog will be panting. The tongue will be hanging out of his mouth. 

According to petmd.com, once a dog's body temperature rises, he can't sweat through his skin like we do to cool off. Dogs do sweat through their paw pads, but it's by panting that dogs circulate the necessary air through their bodies to cool down. In really hot temperatures some short nosed dogs like pugs and bulldogs have a very difficult time trying to cool off.

Here are a few pointers to help your dog stay healthy and safe during the hot summer months:

1. Plan to exercise your dog earlier in the day when it isn't so hot
2. Be aware that the pads of their feet can burn on hot pavement. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds. If it is hot to you, it's too hot for their paws.
3. Recognize that dogs can get heat stroke. I know a woman who was running with her lab and he died on the run of heat stroke. She had no idea it could happen. Please educate yourself and others. Seeing people running with their dog this time of year drives me crazy. If the dog is lagging behind on the run with a human, that's probably a sign.
4. Never leave your car in a vehicle. 

As a dog walker and pet sitter, the summer months are busy with clients on vacation. I will opt for shorter walks during the midday hot temperatures and then play indoors. While I am walking, I try to stay in the shade and in the grass. I tend to do longer walks earlier in the morning.

I am overly cautious with my dogs and with my client's dogs in hot temperatures. Safety first!

Dog Friendly Events

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Charlotte has a lot of dog friendly events all year long but SouthPark Magazine wrote an article that could keep you and your dog busy all summer. Here is a link to their entire article. I'm highlighting a few that they mentioned here.

Waggle For Your Beer

Wednesdays at a different brewery in Charlotte. 6-7 p.m.

Meet up with fellow dog owners and help your pup get out some restless energy with free, guided 1.5-mile group dog walks (or runs!) in North End, Villa Heights, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, or South End. Afterwards, owners and their pups are welcome to hang on their patios and take advantage of beer specials.

The line-up:
Wednesday, July 25: The Unknown Brewing Company
Wednesday, August 1: Sycamore Brewing
Wednesday, August 8: Free Range Brewing
Wednesday, August 15: Legion Brewing
Wednesday, August 22: The Unknown Brewing Company
Wednesday, August 29: NoDa Brewing Company

LIVE Under the Lights

Every Thursday night 7-10 p.m.

Sugar Creek Brewing, 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217

Head to Sugar Creek Brewing for live music every Thursday night until Sept. 27 on their newly-renovated, full-service patio. You and your pup can enjoy local bands playing everything from blues to southern rock while you throw back a cold one.

Bark in the Ballpark

Monday, July 16
Monday, August 27

7:04 p.m.

BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

Take your dog out to the ballgame. During special Bark in the Ballpark nights, dogs are welcome to root for the home team along with their owners. Dogs get free entry, but their owners must purchase a game ticket.

Be sure to get your copy of SouthPark Magazine. Look them up and follow them on instagram and twitter too.

Most of the breweries in Charlotte are dog friendly. Do you frequent them? Do you have a favorite?