Keeping Critters at Bay Wednesday, Mar 7 2012 

Community and Garden and Pets and Tips , , , , , thenononsenseassistant 12:08 pm

I have had raccoons coming in my yard for many years without any problems. Then about two years ago a raccoon discovered my dog door and came inside my house. Luckily I was home when it happened and scared the raccoon away. Since then, I have made sure to always lock up the dog door at dusk and that seemed to work. However, in the last several months I have been awakened in the middle of the night by a tap, tap, tapping at my back door, only to discover a raccoon trying to get in through the dog door.

I have done all of the preventive measures such as keep food, water, garbage and shelter unavailable to raccoons without success. Through some research I found some Raccoon Help and the solution is ammonia. Place a rag in a low, unbreakable container then pour ammonia on the rag, enough to cover the rag (the rag will help the ammonia from evaporating too fast). Next, put the container where you want to keep raccoons away, for me that was outside near the dog door. You can also use this method for keeping raccoons away from a lawn (you will need several ammonia stations for larger areas with multiple access points). Good luck!

 

Love These Dog Treats Thursday, Jul 1 2010 

Pets and Products , , , thenononsenseassistant 11:03 am

I found a great dog treat at Trader Joe’s. I hope they don’t end up discontinuing it. They are Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Sticks. A long name for these semi-soft treats. I use them to stuff the Kong Bone and I also break them into small bits for training. They break easily and don’t crumble. For the Kong Bone, I take two sticks, break each stick in half, then I put two halves together and stuff the ends.

 

The Best Dog Toy Ever! Thursday, Jul 1 2010 

Pets and Products , , , , thenononsenseassistant 10:54 am

If you have a puppy or a new dog you should have at least one Kong. They come in various sizes and shapes and the ones that you can stuff with treats or the dogs meal are great. I use the bone shaped one for my dog when I leave her alone for long periods of time. I take some treats and stuff the treats in the ends of the bone; then I toss her the bone and she spends the next several minutes to hour (depending on how well I stuffed the toy) getting the treats out. This rewards the dog for chewing the toy instead of my shoes, and the dog is mentally stimulated which helps cut down on boredom and negative behavior. Plus my pup isn’t focussed on me leaving, she is focussed on the treats.

 

Pet Adoption Thursday, Jul 1 2010 

Pets , , , , , , , , thenononsenseassistant 10:32 am

Here is a list of local animal shelters and rescue organizations. It is by no means all-inclusive, but will give you a good place to start your search. If you are not ready to adopt, you might consider fostering a pet or donating time, money and/or items. The city animal shelters are in most need. The items they really appreciate are your old towels and blankets.

  1. Berkeley Animal Shelter: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/animalservices/
  2. Berkeley East Bay Humane Society: http://www.berkeleyhumane.org/
  3. East Bay SPCA: http://www.eastbayspca.org/Page.aspx?pid=329
  4. Grateful Dogs Rescue: http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/
  5. Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue: http://www.hopalong.org/
  6. Marin Animal Care & Welfare Services: http://www.marin.org/comres/animal.cfm?qno=23
  7. Marin Humane Society:  http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/
  8. Muttville Senior Dog Rescue: http://www.muttville.org/
  9. Oakland Animal Services: http://oaklandanimalservices.org/
  10. Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA:  http://www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/
  11. Petfinder a directory of different pet adoption organizations: http://www.petfinder.com/index.html
  12. Pound Puppy Rescue: http://www.poundpuppyrescue.org/
  13. San Francisco Animal Care & Control: http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=942
  14. San Francisco SPCA: http://www.sfspca.org/
  15. Rocket Dog Rescue: http://www.rocketdogrescue.org/
  16. Wonder Dog Rescue: http://www.wonderdogrescue.org/

 

My New Friend Thursday, Jul 1 2010 

Pets , , , , thenononsenseassistant 10:08 am

I recently adopted an adult dog from the Marin Humane Society. She has turned out to be the best little dog. She came with basic manners and is house broken. After only having her for two days, I had to leave her alone for 9 hours while I went to work. When I returned home, she and my house were fine.

One trick I do is to take a Kong bone and stuff it with treats when I leave for long periods of time. This helps distract the dog and keep them entertained for a bit. See my Tips on ‘Products’ for the Kong toy and treats I use.

To find your own rescue pet please see my helpful list under Pet Adoption.

 

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