Keep electrical cords tucked away where they cannot be reached and chewed. Place household cleaners and chemicals on a high shelf or in a locked cabinet. Avoid houseplants and landscape plants that may be toxic to your dog. Pick up small toys or other objects that may be a choking hazard. The safety of your dog is your responsibility!

PawLux.com is a leading provider of all natural and eco-friendly products for dogs. Feel free to read our blog at http://www.pawluxury.blogspot.com or follow our popular Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/pawluxury.

Proving legal ownership requires showing that your name is on the following paperwork: Adoption application or breeder sales contract, veterinary records, city licensing forms, and microchip documents.

If you’re not able to do this, legal experts say it’s best to negotiate early on with the other party – before tempers begin to flare – to come to a mutually agreeable solution. To help with those talks,consider hiring a professional mediator.

Maryann Mott is a pet journalist and author. Her books and articles can be found at Petwriter.com and you can follow her on Twitter here.

Many of today’s paint manufacturers, including Benjamin Moore, Dutch Boy and Glidden, produce washable flat finishes in a wide array of attractive colors that keep their original appearance even after scrubbing.

Maryann Mott is a pet journalist and author. Her books and articles can be found at Petwriter.com and you can follow her on Twitter here.

Even with safe products, it is best to keep them away from your dogs and avoid spraying around them. But a sneeze from Fido because you used too much Mrs. Meyers around his bed is much better than a trip to the vet because of Clorox ingestion.

Kelly is a dog columnist and pet writer. She lives in the Boston-area with her three pit bulls and one neurotic cat.

The significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets is through oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds. There is also a strong correlation between secondhand smoke and certain forms of cancer in cats. There are higher incidents of mouth cancer in cats living with smokers over cats living in a non-smoker’s home. Dogs living in a home with secondhand smoke have a higher risk of nasal tumors. This increase was specifically found among long nosed breeds (like me, Golden Retrievers). Dogs with medium or short noses did not escape, as they showed higher rates for lung cancer! Typically, dogs affected with nasal cancer do not survive more than one year.

Be aware that animals may also pick up discarded butts off the ground and ingest them. This creates a problem with nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.

Smoking is also a very costly habit. Do you know how many homeless animals could be fed in one year if just one person quit and gave their savings to a shelter or a rescue?

1) Bring your dog’s carrier or bed and take them to their “place” while you eat.


2) Don’t feed your dog from the table or from your plate.

3) Don’t let your dog lick from your plate.


4) Feed and exercise your dog before you arrive to help it be more restful and less hungry.


5) Bring a juicy treat or bone for your dog to entertain itself while you all eat.

1) Even though you’re with your crowd, don’t refer to yourself as your dog’s mommy.

2) Make a playdate for your pets if you have an interest in another dog owner – and “my pet has a headache” is an easy out should there not be animal attraction.

3) Don’t wear black to the party as it shows more fur/hair.

4) You may talk about your dog, but be sure to ask them questions too.

5) Hold back from smooching your pooch in front of a new prospect until at least the third date!