Brandy and Val

We never know when life will throw us a curve ball.  Is your dog sitter/walker available at the 11th hour?  If not, what will you do?  Of course, stuff like this happens more often that we’d like and hopefully, you’re prepared to handle this.  But what if another Hurricane Katrina happens or you can’t get back to your home to retrieve your pet in case of an emergency like a flash flood, or wildfire or…..? Who could foretell that the the homeowners in the area around the World Trade Center would not be able to retrieve their pets immediately following 9/11?  Since Katrina, 5 years ago this August, laws have been passed and towns and local municipalities have been working on provisions to ensure that in a natural disaster emergency, pets and their families will have places to go together, that retrieval efforts will be made available should a separation occur or that there are local places that pets can be dropped off where your animals will remain safe and secure until you can safely return.

However, the onus is on US, the pet parent, to HAVE A PLAN and know, in advance, what options are available.  The plans should range from simply designating a friend in a nearby town as a “go to” person or having pet photos and tracking chip numbers on your phone or laptop to more elaborate plans like ensuring that pet carriers are at the ready along with some food and any medications that might be needed.  Know which shelters in your area will take pets if need be. I just discovered PetFriendly Travel.com which has links to great emergency preparedness sites along with listings  and numbers of pet friendly shelters, by state.   Ready.org offers a downloadable guide for pet owners to help us all plan for the unexpected. Another downloadable brochure is offered by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)  and is quite extensive covering animals of all types–horses, livestock in addition to our run-of-the-mill pooches and kitties and birds.  They really mean it when they titled it, “Saving the Whole Family.”

Of course, I always think I would NEVER leave my pets behind and I don’t ever, ever think I would or even could, but sometimes, one has to think of the unthinkable.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  Don’t let what happened to Val right after Hurricane Katrina happen to your beloved furry friend.

Val, upon adoption by us

A happy & healthy Val, 2010

Brandy and Val are two rescue dogs who are now very fortunate pooches.  Our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed” and it is through the sales of our children’s books, Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales, and toys that we aim to improve the lives of sheltered, abused and abandoned animals.  It is through our pet therapy that we hope to benefit the lives of children and their families.

Yes!  There is such a thing and, as it turns out, Brandy and Val both LOVE to get their teeth brushed.  Various reports estimate that by the age of 2, 80% of dogs have some form of periodontal disease.  You brush your own teeth at least twice a day, why neglect your pets’?  Daily brushing is best, but even once a week will help curb the onset of “doggie breath” and gum disease.  In fact, with regular good brushing–remembering to get those back teeth!–your pup may never have to have professional veterinary treatment for teeth cleaning.  Think of all the money you’ll save!  If you have a puppy, start the brushing process immediately so they get used to it.  If you have an older dog, ehow.com has a great article on tips on how to acclimate your pet to the process.  In fact, from that article, there are several nifty articles linked to and videos on taking care of your pet’s teeth and gums.  Another great site and source of information is the AVMA and they too, have an informative video on dental health care for pets:

AVMA video on dental care

As far as toothpaste is concerned, there are several flavors out there:  chicken, peanut butter, beef, malt, vanilla-mint to name a few.  So experiment until you find the one that your pet will crave and teeth brushing will become a fun activity for both of you.

As we wrote about previously, Brandy and Val is supporting the animal relief effort in Haiti by donating $5 from every sale of our children’s books and toys now through the end of February.   Our donations will be made to Best Friends Haiti Animal Relief, a member of ARCH, the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti. ARCH is an international organization, created by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.  The American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA,  has also joined forces with ARCH to help out.  See our blog post from January 20.

For continuing coverage and video, check out the ASPCA who is providing field reports along with the AVMA

AVMA video

Don’t think Haiti’s rebuilding much matters to the world or to the U.S.?  Think again!  Read insightful articles recently written for Newsweek by President Obama and Former President Bill Clinton.