Follow Luna on Instagram!

Yes... I am now THAT girl even more. My dog has an Instagram. I'd like to make excuses for myself like, "Oh well, I wanted to differentiate my dog followers with my people followers," or "I want to keep less of Luna on my real profile," etc... But the truth is, I'm just that crazy. Hey! At least I am not in denial ;)

So if you would like to follow Luna and get updates on cute photos, and maybe vote for her in some contests (she's won 1 contest already!) CLICK HERE!  Or just search for her name "lunavino" and follow :)

Read More

Apologies!

Don't fret! Luna and I are alive! I know I've been really bad lately with posting our adventures and fun things. And I'm not going to use the excuse "I've been busy" because it is literally the most pathetic and lazy excuse known to man kind. So instead, I'm going to say that it's been a weird couple of weeks. Overwhelming, you could say. So again, I apologize for falling off the face of the earth!

To catch you up to speed on the last couple weeks that I've basically taken a hiatus. 

Luna and I have adventured around a couple new places that we don't normally go, or haven't been at all! I've been taking her to the dog park that Drew likes to take her to. And there, she found her new BFF. A 4 month old Siberian Husky named Obi. Such a playful couple. And Luna was very good about being submissive and playing on the ground with the much smaller Husky. I'm quite a proud mama.

We also have checked out 2 completely new places (new to us), around the Bay! The first place was in Niles, CA. A little lake area that you can "hike" around and bring your dog to the dog swim area. (I say "hike" because it was more of a paved walk... not really a hike if it's paved if you ask me). She had a lovely time, and the water seemed a lot cleaner and not as stagnet as Borris Lake in Pleasanton that we usually go to. The only downside to this experience was that Luna lost her decoy toy (it had a hole in it and she didn't grab it fast enough and it sunk. Oh well).

The second brand new place Luna and I visited was a dog park in Danville, called Hap Magee Ranch Park. Let me tell you, it was a fabulous park. It had a huge grass area that was open and not gated (so you had to keep dogs on leash there). Also had a playground and picnic benches for kids and BBQ's. And it even had a sand volleyball court! Plus the dog corrals (1 for little dogs, and another for big dogs). 

Source

The big dog park area was very nice. Grassy, had a lot of shade, and nice benches to sit at. The only thing I didn't necessarily enjoy was the dog owners. Not that I had a particularly BAD experience with one, but they were all kind of... how do I put it... let's just say they weren't as friendly as the owners I've met in Pleasanton and Livermore dog parks. They just seemed to not really talk to new comers, not very outgoing. Not that I am going there to be social, but it's nice when some one greets you and asks what type of dog you have and how old she is. You know, just common dog park etiquette. Well apparently, Danville dog parks you just keep to yourself. 

Source

Not to mention almost every dog there was a purebred, bred to perfection dog. Seriously though, there were 2 purebred Ridgebacks, still "intact" as the owner pointed out, at least 3 standard poodles there, 3 other Australian Shepherds, an Irish Setter, a Newfoundland, a Great Pyrenees, a Bull Terrier (who was a little shit), and some other dogs. There were a lot of dogs there, which was a good experience for Luna, but almost every single one was a purebred. I don't have anything against purebred dogs. I love dogs all the same. But it definitely seemed like the owners were very proud of their purebred perfect dogs that they shopped around for and paid an arm and a leg for. And if you don't know already, I'm more of an advocate of adopting dogs, not shopping for them. But to each their own, at least these dogs have good homes.

These last couple weeks, I have been volunteering a lot with my local animal shelter. It's really a great experience. It's very laid back and you can decide when you want to volunteer and for how long, which is nice to have a flexible schedule. But really, it makes me feel so happy when I am there with the other dogs that need homes. I wish I could do it more often, and save all the dogs in the world, but really, what crazy dog lady doesn't? So I do my part and try to get dogs to find their forever homes. It's definitely a bittersweet moment when you go into the shelter the next week and one of the dogs that you got attached to is gone because they finally got adopted. You're happy they found a home, but you miss their cute little face.

On Labor Day weekend, Drew and I officially were dog parents for a year! That's right, Luna has officially survived a full year in the care of two crazy people. It was a nice little moment, remembering back to when we first took her home and the first weekend being parents. It was definitely exhausting! Making sure Luna was fitting in well in her new home, and trying to figure out how to communicate with her and read her expressions and vibes. To think that a year ago, my little baby was hiccuping herself to sleep, and struggling to jump up on the couch, and fitting in my arms (barely) when I had to carry her up the stairs because she hadn't quite figured them out. So many memories just in this past year, I know I will have so many more to come. As my mom likes to point out that it was a very very expensive year for us because of Luna, I would never change it for the world. I love my little Luna-Bear. 

Our first family portrait :)

Anyways, sorry again for failing at posting our life lately. It's been overwhelming, but we are still alive and happy! Thank you so much to all of our supporters and readers out there (even if it's just 2 of you). Have a splendid day!

-Luna & Britt

Read More

Pedigree Recall!

 

Source

PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food has been recalled! Possible metal fragments in the dog food bags. Thankfully, there hasn't been any reported injuries due to this recall, and hopefully there won't be any in the future. Please take a look at your pet food and make sure that you do not have this dog food. If you do, you don't necessarily have a "bad batch." There are specific bags that have been recalled.

The 55-pound bags of PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food sold at Sam’s Club will have the lot code 432E1KKM03 printed on the bag near the UPC and will have a “Best Before” date of 8/7/15. The affected 55 pound bags were sold between 8/14 and 8/30 at Sam’s Club in the following cities: Comstock Park MI, Muskegon MI, Jackson MI, Roseville MI, Saginaw MI, Kokomo IN, Dayton OH, Holland OH, Lima OH. 

Pedigree encourages customers to call 1-800-305-5206 from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. CST if you have questions about the recall.

Source

Read More

Video of the Day: Canine CPR

I was a lifeguard for 5 years, so CPR, AED, and first aid comes naturally to me. Well, for humans that is. I couldn't tell you where to even find a pulse on a dog. This kind of scares me. What if, God forbid, something happens to Luna or another dog while I am out and about? I am NOT the type of person to just stand and watch. I like to take action! 

When I was a lifeguard at the city pool, I saved 4 children in one summer (they were actively drowning, not at the bottom of the pool or anything). My last summer lifeguarding, I had to backboard a child who dove too deep in the shallow end and ended up with a golf ball size lump on her head. A common accessory for pools are bees and nosebleeds, so you can bet I have mastered the technique of flinging out stingers and pinching nose canals. 

Needless to say, I know nothing about Canine first aid.

I found this video, to help guide me about canine CPR. It's very helpful and informative.

Other things to know about animal first aid:

• Seizures: keep animals away from furniture or things that can potentially hurt them. Time the seizure, DO NOT RESTRAIN THE ANIMAL. Call vet after the seizure stops.
• Fracture: Muzzle your pet, keep on flat surface for support and transfer animal to car on flat surface (board or something) or keep injured limb in a sling while bringing pet to vet.
• Bleeding (external): apply pressure for about 3 minutes to clot the blood. Wrap gauze around injury, apply Neosporin. Call vet, or go to the vet (especially if extreme bleeding)
• Bleeding internally: (bloody nose, bloody stool, coughing blood, etc) bring to vet ASAP, keep animal warm and quiet.
• Burns: apply water to burned area quickly. Call vet.
• Heatstroke: Bring to vet immediately. If unavailable, keep pet in shaded, cool area. Apply wet towel around neck and face (not blocking eyes, nose or mouth)—ring towel out and repeat with new cool water. Pour cool water on dog (not ice water), especially between hind legs and abdomen. Go to Vet ASAP!
• In Shock: keep animal restrained, warm and quiet (for people you often wrap a blanket around them). Call/go to vet

Source

Read More

Weekend Adventures: Volunteer & Sick Pup

I signed up to be a volunteer for Maddie's Fund to help animals in need of a forever home. This weekend there was an adoption event at the Stoneridge Mall (as well as a bunch of other places, like Petco). The nice thing about volunteering for Maddie's Fund is that the coordinator sends out activities for that week that needs volunteers, and you can decide which ones you would like to attend (if any). They are very flexible and understanding of your other commitments, which works perfectly for me.

I decided to help out on Saturday, and I was a one on one volunteer with a Chi-Terrior mix named Brandi. She was the classic lap dog. Literally, all I did was sit in a chair and had her on my lap as people came by to pet her and ask questions. Brandi is such a chill dog. She reminded me of an old dog who is so mellow all she wants to do is sleep. But Brandi was only 2 years old! She, along with another dog (Reggie, a Wire Hair Terrior) and 6 other kittens are in a foster home together, and they were all at the adoption event with a couple other cats from a different foster.

A lot of people were just there to pet the cute animals and look. Some people asked me for medical advice for their dog, and another asked me how to get involved with volunteering. It was a fun day even though only 1 cat got adopted. Hopefully soon these animals will find a forever home.

When I got home on Saturday, Luna and I went to the dog park and had our usual amount of fun. We came back to our apartment and chilled until Drew came home and we made dinner. That night, Luna had the runs so we decided to put her on the "No Food Diet" for 24 hours to try to give her digestive system a break.

Basically, all of Sunday Luna and I were couch potatoes. Not moving around very much, and just relaxing. She slept all day, with the exception of a couple spurts of energy when her dad came home from work. Hopefully her "cleanse" has worked, I guess we will see how she does today. If she doesn't get better I might have to take her to the vet.

Read More

Waking Up to Strange Noises

With Luna's track record lately, she's been getting into a lot of trouble in the middle of the night when Drew and I are sleeping. So when I woke up this morning at 4:30 to weird noises, I knew it had to have been Luna.

On Saturday, at the Ice Cream Social, I bought a knuckle bone from Pet Food Express. Luna has been in love with it! Chewing off the outside layer that looks like it was marinated in something disgusting. Drew can't stand the smell of it (not going to lie, it smells pretty awful).

Now that it's been a couple days, Luna has passed the outer layer and has been chewing off pieces of this knuckle bone. I'm not sure if that's normal and that its just a softer bone so it's easier to actually destroy, but she's definitely been doing it.

Here's a picture of what the bone looks like right now:

Over the past couple days, Luna has been pretty constipated, but still passing things. (Warning this may get slightly gross and graphic—skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read about her poop). When she did poop, it was a weird color and texture. it almost looked like poop that had been sitting there for a couple weeks: dry and really really light in color (almost white). But this wasn't every time she pooped, maybe once a day it looked like that. And I wasn't too concerned because at least she is passing things, she's not clogged somewhere.

After speculating, I came to the conclusion that her knuckle bone that she had been eating was not digesting, and that's what I was seeing in her stool. (Yes, a good dog mom pays close attention to her pup's stool).

So this morning, in the wee hours of the day, I heard strange noises. I've heard these noises before. The sound of Luna's diaphragm convulsing. Not a good sound to hear. I try to figure out where she is and get her onto the tile ASAP! But by then, it was too late. She vomitted under the bed. I woke up Drew so he could keep her back from eating the throw up, but Luna wasn't moving. I think she probably thought she would get in trouble (which she would not be). I got the supplies and picked everything up and cleaned up. I did more speculating, and to cut out some details, I knew it had to do with that knuckle bone.

I think we are going to throw that thing away. Gross.

Read More

Weekend Adventures: Ice Cream Social

On Friday, about 5 people sent me a link advertising a FREE ice cream social of dogs at all of the East Bay Pet Food Expresses. There is one right next to my apartment so I knew I had to show up. 

Saturday, Casey and I decided to check out the ice cream at Pet Food Express. She brought her two pups, Stella and Toby (who was rocking out in his stroller). 

Photo Credit: Casey E.

When we got there, we could choose a flavored ice cream AND what ever topping we wanted! I chose bacon peanut butter ice cream with freeze dried beef for Luna. As I was waiting for the ice cream to be scooped and prepared for Luna, I heard Casey say "Oh! Well, Luna will eat it for you Stella!" I look around and there's Luna, licking her lips with an empty bowl of ice cream. Well, Luna, you don't get to have this one then, you impatient little dog! 

I gave Stella the ice cream Luna was supposed to have and walked Luna away from the scene so there was no way she could slyly chomp down on some one else's treat. Stella liked this flavor ice cream more than her last one, and she carefully licked parts of the ice cream (I think most of the toppings). When she was done and didn't want any more, Casey gave the rest to Luna. And she demolished it. Seriously...Luna doesn't lick ice cream how normal people or dogs eat ice cream. She BITES it, and swallows it whole! She was acting like I never feed her!

After the ice cream, we went inside and purchased a couple new items (I bought a travel water bowl and a knuckle bone). Then we hit the road again (by foot), to downtown Livermore to grab a refreshing adult beverage and some lunch. 

It was a nice and relaxing Saturday. Chilled outside in the nice weather, then went home to take a nap. Sunday was pretty much the same way, relaxing and easy going. Gotta love weekends like that!

Read More