When I flew to Louisville, Kentucky to pick up my second Ocherese puppy, I had a layover in the airport for four hours.

I must start this story out saying that I had purchased the cutest “JUICY” dog carrier for my new puppy. (nothing but the best for my new puppy)

As the breeders walked in the airport with her, I was amazed as to how much hair this puppy had; well, she looked like a small panda bear cub with a full winter coat. First thought, how is she going to fit into this designer carrier to go home on the plane! Next thought, who cares, I just want to hold her and get to know her. We met, it was love at first sight for both of us. The carrier? Well not a problem, she was just a lot of hair, but only weighed 4lbs. She fit just fine when the time came to put her in, last minute of course.

While waiting for my flight I started talking with a young man about 19yrs. old and he loved my puppy too.  He asked me “what her name was” and I had to tell him that “I wasn’t sure yet”. After talking awhile, he stated that” Dan Rather, the t.v. anchor man, was just behind us”. I thought I would love to meet him since I practically know him, after all he was in our living room every night for alot of years when growing up and even after I got married we watched him.  I told the young man that “I was going to go talk to Dan”, and he quickly asked “if I knew him?” I said, “I feel like I do, but no, I hadn’t met him”. He said,” he couldn’t believe I would just go up to a celebrity and introduce myself”. I said “well, I am talking to you and I didn’t know you before, and hey, I have a puppy, everyone loves a cute puppy”.  He then nodded his head and saw the light – I think. I got up and boldly walked over to Mr. Dan Rather.

I have to add this important part of the story, I had an extreme allergic reaction to the airport air and had been sneezing basically the whole time there. (no it wasn’t the new puppy, she’s a non-allergenic dog, it was mold spores in the air). Needless to say my blue eyes weren’t very blue after all that sneezing and watery eye thing.

O.k., so I walked up to Dan Rather anyway and he immediately stood up in his tailored trench coat and with great stature. He held himself up tall and with a gentle look on his face.  I immediately stated that” he didn’t have to stand up” and as soon as the words came out of my mouth, he retorted, “I always stand for a lady”. WOW!  That was so kind of him and the friendly grin on his face was so warm and kind that I knew I could have a conversation with this nice man.  He asked me my name and we chatted a bit, I thanked him  for all his years of  great journalism and the contribution he had made to the American news broadcasting system. He most graciously thanked me for the compliment. He then noticed that I was holding a cute fluffy black & white puppy, and inquired about her. Well, I explained that” I had just picked her up from the breeders, here at the airport and was heading to Arizona with her”. He gently reached out his hand and petted her on the head, she in turn licked him as to say thank you.

Mr. Dan Rather asked “what her name was” and I said “I wasn’t  sure yet”. Without hesitation, I followed it up by asking him if “he could help me name her; being a man that had traveled the world and seen so many things and met so many people, I knew he could help  me out with this”. He said “well, a name is a really important thing, it lasts their whole life, I don’t know about that”. I told him “I was very aware of that and would take the risk.”  I tell ya the truth, he stood there for about 3 minutes pondering this little puppy, asking if it was a girl or boy, and finally looked at me and suggested, Katrina – meaning Katherine in french. I was thinking about his suggestion and of course the hurricane Katrina popped into my head so I had a little hesitance in naming my new puppy after a hurricane. He sensed the hesitation and stated “you have something in your head don’t you? I said “it was interesting that he picked a french name, since I had been thinking of  Bijoux meaning” – and he spoke right up – “jewel; oh yes that would fit her perfectly”. I then had to say that “I had some reservations about naming her Bijoux, due to the fact that my husband was a construction guy and I was, well, to be honest, concerned that he would say it incorrectly and not be so politically correct”. Mr. Rather chuckled and then said to me “with those big beautiful blue eyes, I’m sure you can talk him into anything”. Another WOW, I need to remind you that they were more red than blue at the time due my allergic attack, but I did have to ask him “Can I use that line?” He said “sure, it was the truth”.

I said “thank you to him for his help and for taking the time to talk with me and that my new cute little puppy would be named “Bijoux” meaning jewell.

Now you know the story of how my precious Bijoux got her name. She is such a special dog to me, one like I’ve never had before. She is not only extremely cute with her black & white markings, and playful personality, but she is very smart. You see, she has become my Service Dog and is a life saver. Bijoux is one of the small service dogs that  performs her helpful task while I’m sleeping. When my breathing changes (due to severe asthma) she awakes me and I then can attend to it. Cute thing is, she knows she’s special and expects to be with me all the time. Really, she is offended if I leave her and in her cute little dog voice, kind of chews me out so to speak when I come home. A true blessing in the form of a little dog.

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Please take time to read these extremely important PET SAFETY TIPS. They are from “Only Natural Pet Store”. Click on their ad on the right for more helpful natural remedies for our lovable pets. Also, check out their newsletters on various subjects; they are a great resource for us dog lovers who choose natural means to care for our pets.

PET SAFETY TIPS

Every pet has three basic needs: a safe place to live, a healthy diet and lots of love. Sounds simple – especially the lots of love part, but it takes some careful thought to provide the first two. June is pet safety month and we would like to offer some helpful hints to keep in mind when caring for your companion. Only Natural Pet Store is the perfect place to find information about animal safety for your cat or dog!

Keeping our companions safe is typically common sense, but also requires being informed about how many household items or substances may pose potential dangers to our furry friends. Here are a few things all pet guardians should know:

Indoor Cleaning and Air Pollution
We don’t often think about the air in our homes as a source of toxins, but for our companions’ sake it is important to examine our home from a “nose to the ground” point of view. Chemicals in many cleaning products can be highly toxic, especially floor cleaners. Since your companion’s nose is continually close to the floor along with all four paws coming in contact with any residue, then their body is likely having to detoxify every time you clean the floor – which places a strain on their organ systems. Natural alternatives are readily available, and simple home-made products with inexpensive ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and borax clean as well as most commercial products (see links below for more information). Plug-in air fresheners are popular with some folks to help cover up that “pet” smell–but they are a constant source of petrochemicals in the air our companions breathe. Choosing more natural cleaning products and air fresheners will go a long way to limiting the toxins your companion has to deal with on a daily basis. See our Non-toxic Stain and Odor Control products.

Foods
Many a dog owner has been known to affectionately refer to their companion as “the four-legged garbage disposal” as they will happily eat most anything we are eating. (Most cats tend to be a bit more discriminating, thankfully). Some of our favorite foods, however, can be toxic to our companions. It is important to keep these foods in places that are inaccessible to your pet. Following is a partial list of fare that can be toxic to your companion and should be kept out of reach:

* chocolate
* onions
* grapes & raisins
* coffee grounds
* yeast dough
* macadamia nuts
* xylitol – a sweetener found in chewing gum, candy and breath fresheners

Don’t forget to throw away meat wrappers and packaging immediately – and keep the trash in a latched cabinet or container with a pet-proof lid. Keep in mind that it takes a lot less to make a little dog sick, so those with smaller companions must be most attentive to safety.

Medications & Vitamins
Pills dropped on the floor are fair game for the cat – they move like prey when you bat at them! Keep medications and vitamins safely stored – especially your companion’s vitamins since they are likely flavored and smell enticing. Our customer service department receives a call or two a month about pets that have eaten more than their daily allowance of a vitamin or supplement that was left out on the counter or in a lower cabinet that the animal could open. If your dog or cat does ingest human medication or supplements, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA poison control center right away at the number listed below. Many human medications can be highly toxic to animals even in small doses. If your companion manages to consume more than the usual dose of their own vitamins or supplements, you will want to determine just how much they ate. If just a few extra vitamins or joint support tablets are missing, they may just have a bit of a stomach ache and be a little extra thirsty – so keep an eye on them and provide lots of fresh water. If, however, they manage to eat the whole container; contact your veterinarian.

Houseplants
Plants provide beauty and fresh air to our indoor spaces. Your puppy or kitten may see houseplants as toys or an extra snack, but this can prove dangerous depending on the plant. Learn which plants are potentially toxic and keep them high out of reach. Some toxic houseplants include;

* Amaryllis
* Azalea
* Caladium
* Creeping Charlie
* Dracaena
* Dieffenbachia
* Easter Lily
* Golden Pothos
* Mistletoe
* Philodendron
* Peace Lily

(See links at the bottom of the page for a more complete list and further information)

For those companions who like to graze try the Kitty’s Garden.

Pest Control
Insecticides and rodenticides must be used with extreme caution in or around a household with pets. Baits or traps must be located in areas totally inaccessible to your companion. Bug sprays and baits should be used with extreme caution and the area treated should be off limits to your pet for at least several days. Read product labels carefully for toxicity information. Cats, and some dogs, love to hunt and eat bugs and rodents, so be sure they cannot come into contact with bugs or mice that have been poisoned.

Mothballs are very toxic to dogs and cats (and people for that matter). Cats love to jump in open drawers or storage boxes, so use cedar paper or other moth deterrents instead.

Flea control products, even those designed to use on and around animals, can be toxic to our companions over time. There are natural alternatives that work as well or better than conventional chemical pesticide based products. Please see the article The Natural Approach to Flea Control.

Garage
Many of us tend to store a variety of chemicals and yard products in the garage. One of the most dangerous of those is antifreeze. Antifreeze tastes sweet and is attractive to pets, but is highly toxic even in small amounts. With warmer temperatures approaching, be sure to watch for leaks from overheated cars. If you see a bright green liquid dripping from the car, clean it up immediately. Better yet, use the safer alternative antifreeze containing propylene glycol (instead of ethylene glycol as in traditional antifreeze).

If you keep yard and garden products in the garage, be sure they are up high on the shelves or in plastic bins with lids. Bins help keep the fumes from fertilizers and other products contained as well. Paints, paint thinners, glues and solvents stored in the garage should be kept away from pets as well – especially when being used. Spills must be addressed immediately to insure a dog or cat does not step in a paint or solvent – many solvents will burn the skin and paws very quickly, and paints will surely be licked off and ingested.

Yard
The yard is another place to focus on the elimination of toxic exposure for our companions. The ingredients in herbicides, insecticides and soil amendments can be toxic to both pets and children. Chemical fertilizers and other lawn products should be eliminated. There are abundant alternatives available now that are organic and natural and will not add to the burden on our companions’ overtaxed systems. Even organic alternatives need to be used carefully, however. Bone meal, for instance, is a natural source of phosphorus and can be appealing to some dogs. They won’t necessarily lick enough off the ground to make themselves sick, but the box or bag needs to be stored safely out of Fido’s reach. Always read labels carefully, even on more natural products, to make sure you understand exactly what is in the product and if any precautions are necessary around children or pets. Cats are fastidious groomers and after walking across a treated lawn or yard area will surely lick their paws. It may be necessary to limit access to areas of the yard that need to be treated with products that can pose a risk to their health.

Many dogs love to dig in and investigate new mulch and garden areas. Choose your mulch carefully: cocoa bean mulch is a byproduct of chocolate manufacturing and contains the same substances as chocolate that are dangerous for dogs: caffeine and theobromine. Cocoa bean mulch has a lovely rich color and smells great when spreading it around the garden, but it’s not the right choice for a yard with a pooch that likes to dig and sample her surroundings.

The plants in your yard may also pose a threat to a dog or cat who likes to “graze” and taste everything – typically more of a problem with puppies and kittens than older animals. A few landscape plants that are toxic to animals include yew, wild black cherry, azalea, rhododendron, hydrangea, daphne, nandina, oleander, English ivy, daffodil, tulip, lily of the valley, foxglove, hyacinth, rhubarb and castor bean. (See links below for further information). If these are already a part of your yard and you are bringing home a new companion, it is best to fence them off until those tasting and chewing urges subside.

Compost piles and worm bins are quite popular with eco-minded gardeners, but be sure they are inaccessible to your dog who might find the decaying leftovers tantalizing. Dogs who sample the compost pile will likely vomit and/or have diarrhea and can become dehydrated. If your companion is prone to “sampling” garbage, compost or anything else he finds on the ground, we recommend keeping a remedy or two handy to help him recover. Here are a few of our favorites: Fast Balance, Quick Relief, HomeoPet Digestive Upsets, or Love My Pet Tummy-Ease.

Heat
Heat stroke is an emergency that requires immediate care. With summer fast approaching and temperatures rising take all precautions to prevent heat stroke and know the signs so you can treat it quickly.

The best precaution is to leave your dog home on sunny or hot days. On an 85 degree day, the temperature inside your car, even with the windows open a bit, will climb to 102 degrees in 10 minutes! After half an hour, it will go up to 120 degrees or even higher! On a 90 degree day, temps in that car can top 160 degrees faster than you can walk around the block. Even if your dog has separation anxiety when you leave her at home, she is still safer there than in your car. Give her some calming herbs or remedies and leave her where she will be cool.

Symptoms of heat stroke:

* Rapid panting
* Bright red tongue
* Gums will be red at first, then pale as heat stroke progresses
* Thick, sticky saliva, followed by a dry mouth as heat stroke progresses
* Exhaustion OR agitation
* Vomiting
* Dizziness
* Shock

What to do:

1. Get the animal in the shade immediately – or into an air conditioned building.
2. Wet him with cool water (not too cold – you don’t want to lower the body temperature too rapidly or too far). Lower his body temperature gradually using cool water and a fan.
3. Dry him and wrap in towels while you drive to the nearest emergency veterinary clinic – even if he appears to be recovering he may need subcutaneous fluids to prevent further complications such as shock, respiratory distress, kidney failure or heart problems.

The Car
When it is cool enough to take your friend with you in the car, be sure to buckle her up! You may be a very safe driver, but can you say the same about everyone else on the road? Pets left unrestrained can be tossed across the car, or worse, out of the car. Pets are safer in seat belts or crates.

Safe & Healthy Food
Only Natural Pet Store specializes in top quality pet food. Please see our articles about Evaluating Canned and Dry Food and What You Need to Know About Your Pet’s Food.

Following are some additional resources for keeping your pets safe and happy:

Eco-cycle.org for Home-made Cleaning Product Recipes

Safer yard and garden supplies: Gardens Alive Online and Catalog Store

ASPCA – poisonous plant information: 10 Most Common Poisonous Plants and Toxic Plants

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435; As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $55 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card. Be prepared to state your pet’s breed, age, weight and any symptoms. Keep the product container or plant sample with you to assist in identification so the appropriate treatment recommendations can be made.

AVMA Household Hazards Brochure

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With cute and non-shedding small dogs, it is a good idea to feed them the best and most nutritional diet. Benefits for having your small dog eat well, range from healthy coat, healthy skin and overall good energy. Feeding your pet the best nutritional food available is key in leading them to a long, healthy, disease resistant life. This list has been compiled based on experience with my small dogs (Bijoux & Indi) and I have found the listed foods to be the of the highest quality.

• Innova Brand
• Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets
• Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health
• Karma Organic Dog Food
• The Honest Kitchen

To be honest, they all work great, especially if your small dog is very picky.
*To learn more about these high quality organic dog foods just click on the Only Natural Pet Store ad and you can learn everything you would like to know about them as well as how to order them and even have them automatically shipped to your home and save you a trip to the pet store.

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The non-shedding dog needs to be groomed on a regular basis. When purchasing a new puppy it is important to start them out with a short trip to the groomer. They first will introduce the puppy by touching their feet, ears and gently combing them. Getting them familiar with the grooming area is very important and some of the sites and sounds; do not let them actually groom your puppy the first time or they could be traumatized and not want to be groomed again. Their first trip to the groomer should be a fun one to ensure them wanting to keep going back, since this will be an important part of their lifestyle. A well groomed dog is a happy dog.

For serious grooming tips watch this video from the Toronto School of Grooming.

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Hi this is Bijoux and no, its not me, but its one of my closest friends.

As non-shedding dogs we visit the grooming salon quite often. We’re glad though because we feel so good when we are done and our owners just love on us even more because we are so cute and smell good too. My mom started taking me to the groomer when I was a new puppy right after we arrived at our Arizona home. They were really nice to me and gave me alot of treats. Well, that was after I had to get all wet and bathed, but that was all they did and it wasn’t so bad. Did I mention I got alot of treats, yum!

Now I have a groomer that comes to our house and Indi & I get groomed right in our driveway in her fancy clean van. I don’t mind at all because it’s close to home and I don’t have to go in a kennel (I don’t like kennels). And you know what, she gives me treats too!

My mom says that a groomed dog is a happy dog. I think she might be right.

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Have you ever wondered what a true “Service Dog” is? Maybe you own a dog that could become a “Service Dog” either for yourself or someone else. Dogs are so smart that they can do tasks such as helping a blind person walk, carry things for their owner if the owner is handicapped, lift a person if they have fallen due to their disability, have multiple schlerosis, or any other disease that keeps them from living a normal life. Service dogs can detect blood sugar issues ie too low or too high; help people with seizures, high blood pressure, heart problems, asthma and numerous other physical disabilities. Children with physical or learning disabilities benefit extremely from service dogs. Did you know there is a program for children who have difficulty with reading, they can learn to read quicker if they read to a dog instead of a person.
Service Dogs come in all sizes from as big as the largest dog to the smallest small dog. If a service dog is a non-shedding dog they provide a whole other type of service for those who have allergies to dog fur and can only have a dog with hair – truly a definite plus for easy care for a service dog.

Below is some important information on Assistance/Service Dogs, that might be of some help to those aspiring to educate themselves about these special animals that help people.

This information is taken from the website of the

International Association of
Assistance Dog Partners

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IAADP
International Association of
Assistance Dog Partners

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The World of Assistance Dogs

At the founding of IAADP in St. Louis in 1993, the term assistance dog was incorporated into the organization’s name because it was envisaged as a cross-disability consumer advocacy organization. It was assumed that the common factor of partnership with a canine assistant would be the cement holding the group together. Dog-related concerns such as training, public behavior and health care remain central issues to members. Common public experiences such as denials of access and negative public attitudes continue to plague members.

As our membership has grown and the assistance dog movement has matured, an increasing awareness of the expanding role of assistance dogs in their disable partners life has emerged. From its origin, IAADP members partnered with assistance dogs have fit into one of three categories:

1. Blind and visually impaired partners rely on their guide dogs to safely negotiate the unseen environment.

2. Deaf and hard-of-hearing partners rely on their hearing dogs to alert them to unheard sounds in the environment.

3. People with disabilities other than blindness and deafness rely on their service dogs to mitigate the disabling condition in a variety of ways. Service dogs are trained to perform many physical tasks including but not limited to pulling a wheelchair, lending balance support, picking up dropped or requested objects or providing assistance in a medical crisis.

The common experience of those choosing partnership with assistance dogs is that they increase independence, safety and improve the quality of life of their disabled partners.

The Basis of Access Rights

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights bill passed in 1990. Although the term used in the regulatory language developed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) is service animal, IAADP only accepts as partner members those disabled people working with assistance dogs, and therefore uses that term exclusively.

Under the ADA, disabled Americans have the right to be accompanied by their assistance dogs in all places of public accommodation. Three elements define this right:

1. The disabling condition must be severe enough to substantially limit one or more major life activities, such as the ability to see or hear, speak, breathe, learn, work, think or take care of oneself.

2. The dog must be individually trained to do work or perform tasks which serve to mitigate the disabling condition. (Seventh Circuit decision, Federal Court of Appeals in Bronk v Iniechen)

3. The dog must be well behaved and under control. Business owners and other representatives of places of public accommodation have the legal right to exclude any dog who displays aggressive behavior or is out of control. They may also exclude any dog whose behavior disrupts the provision of goods or services, such as a dog barking in a movie theater.

The Expanding World of Service Dogs

IAADP supports the responsible development of new tasks for service dogs. These include alerting people with seizure disorders to the onset of an episode, making contact with a person immobilized as a result of Parkinson’s disease, obtaining help in a medical emergency and a variety of tasks for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

In all these cases, it is the performance of disability related tasks which enable assistance dogs to empower their disabled partners by increasing their safety, mobility and independence. It is how IAADP differentiates an assistance dog from a pet or therapy dog.

IAADP respects the benefits of pet based mental health and physical health facilitation. However, we are not an organization for pet owners or therapy dog handlers. We are assistance dog partners by choice and we take pride in what can be accomplished through teamwork with a trained guide, hearing or service dog. IAADP also recognizes that federal and state laws provide legal rights only to disabled people partnered with assistance dogs.

In keeping with IAADP’s mission to educate the public, health care providers, and future consumers about assistance dog issues, IAADP has posted a report to its web site identifying approximately 30 physical tasks that a service dog for a person with a psychiatric disability could be trained to do. A number of these tasks were suggested by early pioneers of the psychiatric service dog concept. The list is not exhaustive and should be viewed as a springboard for further discussion, research and development.

In addition, a report on traditional kinds of assistance dog work has been prepared for the website. This panoramic view of the the mutually beneficial ways dogs and disabled people work together may be periodically updated as new tasks are brought to our attention. We envision the development of disability specific tasks for an ever widening circle of mental and physical impairments in the years to come. We shall be sharing this good news through our quarterly publication, “Partners Forum,” the annual conference, our website, and future projects.

Cordially,
IAADP Board of Directors

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Check out this very talented service dog performing his tasks extremely well. Amazing!

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Westy Dogs are So Cute! Have fun watching this crafty little guy.

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