Poooh Busters Blog

What About Dad?

2011-06-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is this Sunday, so there's still time to find a thoughtful gift for your the dog dad in your life, and here are just a few ideas:

Honor dad's generous spirit with a donation to the Calgary Humane Society or his favourite rescue organization in his name.
Give a dog dad the gift of time: wrap up a custom-made coupon for dog washes or grooming, dog walking, or even a photo shoot.
Celebrate the love of a pup with a framed photo - perfect for the mantle or a dog dad's desk.
Surprise a dog dad with a photo mug or keychain featuring his best friend. Find a website with photo gifts, upload a photo and you're set.
How about a gift certificate from an awesome online pet boutique? Sometimes dad likes to pamper his best friend!
Plan a special outing (you, dad and dog), pack a picnic and enjoy an outdoor day of summer fun.

So don't forget the doggie loving dad's this weekend. They aren't always just about big screen TVs and Surround Sound Systems. Well maybe just a little...

Happy Father's Day! Woof!

Why Can’t We Be More Like Dogs?

2011-06-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Dogs are always true to themselves. They do what they want, live in each and every moment and are completely happy with whom they are.

We as humans however, trudge off to work everyday and face the unbearable monotony of our boring and unfulfilling work day. Why do we do this? In order to achieve all the things we are told we want. House, car, nice clothes, vacations and so on. We work 40, 50 or 60 hours each week to make the money we need to buy these things and most of us are unhappy in the jobs we do. And once we buy all this stuff, most of us are still unhappy and we continue to only see the things that we don’t have. It’s a vicious circle and we spend our lives existing instead of actually living.

Dogs however, take each moment as it comes. Although many dogs experience extreme sadness and despair through neglect, abuse, starvation and loneliness, they still find the good in everything and experience extreme joy once all that hardship passes.

Most dogs living within good families sit at home day after day waiting for us to return and as boring as it may get for them, they are completely happy doing so. They wait patiently for us to return which is the highlight of their day. They really only have one desire, to be our friend and companion. They only want to love and be loved in return. Everything else is either an annoyance or a bonus.

How simple would life be for us if all we cared about was being someone’s friend and wanting to be loved by those closest to us?

This old dog could certainly stand to learn a new trick.

Even Feral Dogs Deserve A Chance

2011-04-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

I have a friend named Patty who recently moved to the Okotoks area and lives in a house with good sized yard. A perfect set up for someone who loves dogs and cats!

After moving there she quickly found an awesome rescue organization based in Okotoks called Pound Rescue. Believing in what they do, Patty ended up fostering a loveable little pup named Charlie who had met with some very bad luck early in his life. Due to his injuries, Charlie ended up losing one of his rear legs. The three-legged dog soon made his way into Patty’s heart and she went from fostering him to adopting him. I always meant to blog on this story because Patty’s dedication to Charlie was amazing as she nursed him back to health, created a loving home for him to feel safe in and eventually making him into the confident, fully functioning dog he is today.

Yesterday, Patty sent me a note on a new Pound Rescue foster she has dedicated her time to, a feral puppy she named Bear. She received this puppy only a week ago, he is only three months old and is believed to have never interacted or even been touched by human hands. He and his siblings were found on April 18th covered in porcupine quills.

Below is an email update she recently sent to Pound Rescue to let them know how Bear is progressing with his rehab into a home filled with love, food and a safe environment. Keep in mind, Bear is a wild puppy and has never known life with humans.

“I picked up the puppy on Thursday, April 21st in the AM, feeling sorry for him from the start when the vet picked him up and he defecated all over himself because he was so terrified. I got him home and into the kennel where he cowered into the corner.

I spent most of Thursday leaving him alone; Charlie and the cats spent lots of time in his room checking him out, I would walk in the room occasionally and just talk to him. Thursday evening I was able hand feed and he even let me crawl into the kennel to spend the night petting and scratching!

Friday I picked up an X-pen, which I set up in the living room by the TV (for people noise), in front of the window (for viewing) and right where he could see the other animals and myself all the time. This allowed me to also sit in the pen with him and Charlie while watching TV and I could pet Bear for hours!

Saturday we progressed to outside in the yard, I felt like the poor guy needed a stretch! I left a leash on him but let him run in the yard and just be a puppy. He came running to me on the deck with Charlie when I held out a treat and called. After that he started to come up to me over and over again to see if and whenI had any more to hand out. Turns out Bear loves the squeaky toys, and runs after this one special dog ball I have in the yard. Saturday night was spent in the pen again, all three of us, getting pets and loving!

Sunday was the best! We went in the yard again, Bear ran and played with toys and with Charlie, and even remember to come running to me to check my hand for treats again. My friend Chris came by with his dog, Bailey. They all three played and played, Chris could not believe his eyes! Sunday night in the pen again (need a bigger pen), Bear enjoyed getting pets until he fell asleep.

Monday I left him in his pen with Charlie roaming free in the house. While I’m at work, they have the window to look out and each other for company and when I get home we'll go outside for more play time.

If you can believe it, he's even started using the dog training, pee pads! Whew!”

This is just the beginning for Patty, Bear, three-legged Charlie and the cats. Patty’s goal is to be able to trust the newly rehabilitated Bear and Charlie with the run of the house in about a month. This is another example of people’s dedication and love for the unwanted and unfortunate. What would we do without folks like Patty and the people who run rescue organizations like Pound Rescue?

Keep it up Patty, we’re rooting for you and Bear! I think she’s actually thinking of renaming him from Bear to Teddy.

For more information on Pound Rescue visit their website at http://www.poundrescue.com/ or "Like" them on their Facebook fan page.

Forget the dog, beware of owner!

2011-04-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

I just can't sit back and let this go by.

On Wednesday, April 20th someone decided to post an ad on Kijiji completely slamming our company, our service rep and our owner, Roland Pearson.

I feel the need to defend ourselves and I’m going to choose to do it here on my blog. I hate to make this public and I’ll apologize upfront when I start getting personal. Because I will…

The ad posted on Kijiji, April 20, 2011 is as follows:

"i just caught an employee of poooh busters going through my mail box not just placing somthing in but rummaging through

apparently this is ok with poooh busters because the owner roland hung up several times when confronted on this issue. he then called my sister and harrased her that he would sue if i posted about this lol here you go Roland Pearson fill your boots thief...

take this for what it is worth... but i cannot recomend Poooh busters

403-462-4351 Roland Pearson @ poooh busters

http://www.pooohbusters.com/guarantee.htm

how about you guarantee me your employees are bonded

a guaranteed piece of SH$# is still a piece of #@&*

Edit thank you for all your replies. yes pooh busters was hired to do two family yards, all accounts are prepaid address is clear and there was no reason to be in mailbox. yes we have contacted police and canada post.

April 21, 2011…yesterdays post got 96 hits and i received many emails of support . You are right we do need posts like this to warn others of shady practices, word of mouth good or bad will have a great impact on people like these..."

As you can see the post was very well written *insert sarcasm here*. Additionally, I have to say the view of this incident from the author’s point of view is completely twisted, much like the author himself.

Our side of the story:

Our long time, faithful and hard working service representative, Shaun visited a brand new client's yard for the first time. She happens to be the mother of another client of ours. She liked the idea of Poooh Busters coming to clean her daughter’s yard so much; she decided to hire us as well for her own yard. You see she has a 30-something, lazy son living a glorious life filled with X-Box and Chitos dwelling in her basement. He seems to think that owning his own dog and living with his mother negates his responsibility to clean up after his own dog. Because his mother doesn’t want to clean up her son’s dog’s crap herself, she’s hired us to do it for him. Unfortunately for her, she’s paying for it. Surprise, surprise…

Shaun arrived at this house for the very first visit, dropped our door hanger in the mailbox and started to follow his normal routine of cleaning the yard. Inside the house Shaun could hear the family dog going crazy because like most dogs we encounter every day, it didn’t like seeing a stranger roaming around its backyard territory. Funny thing is, dogs don’t know any better, and humans do. Most sane people would ask why this person is in the yard. Not this guy.

I assume he was immediately put into a bad mood because with his dog going crazy he was forced to hit the pause button on his very important game to see what the commotion was all about (I have to wonder as a side note, why wasn’t this dude at work?). He had emerged from the basement ready for a confrontation with Shaun. He was immediately very angry and threatening and even threatened to release his dog on Shaun.

Of course Shaun decided this was a good time to leave the backyard and went out the gate to the front. Shaun decided it might be best to check his door hanger card to see if he was maybe at the wrong address. Why was this guy so upset? Shaun went to the client's mailbox to pull out the door hanger card in hopes of confirming he had the correct address. I guess this is where we are accused of “rummaging” through our client’s mailbox.

After it was over and Shaun left, the angry son must have immediately hopped onto our website and grabbed some information off of it, including Roland’s contact information. He called Roland and began yelling and screaming at him, threatening and belittling Roland and our staff. Roland as most people would do hung up on him as it was not a productive conversation. Not to mention he wasn’t even our client, his mother hired us. This maniac barraged Roland’s phone with at least 10 more calls, leaving messages that would make a sailor blush.

Roland could not get a hold of our client so he went to the next person on the file, her daughter, our other client. Roland wondered if there was anything she could to do help us with the situation that was started by her brother. This is where we are accused of “harassing” her. Note: I can spell the word harassed.

We eventually did get a hold of our client and let her know what had happened. We have yet to come to some sort of resolve on the issue and when we do I’ll be sure to place an update to this blog.

It may be unprofessional of me to post this to our public via my blog but we are a hard working, family owned company. I especially work very hard at creating the image of a fun, family-oriented culture for Poooh Busters, so I am taking this attack somewhat personally.

I mean come on, we pick up dog crap for a living, there shouldn’t be this much drama in what we do. Please accept my apologies for the rant but I wanted to make sure our side of the story was heard. We have made mistakes in the past and hope we did our best to correct them. If we were wrong in this case, we'd sit and take our lumps.

We were just doing what we were hired to do. Unfortunately for Shaun, he just happened to come across a gap-toothed, basement dwelling troll who got mad because he actually had to get out of bed before noon.

A Positive Message

2011-04-01T09:44:00.001-07:00

As many of us experience on Facebook, we inevitably find people we've lost touch with over the years. In one case I stumbled across Allison, someone I dated for a few years back in the early 90's. We eventually parted ways.

Some 15 years later Facebook comes along and reunites us in a virtual world. She is happily married and living in Iowa. Back when we dated, I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know her Moms. They were a couple of quirky, happy-go-lucky ladies who travelled the country in their huge RV, and every now and then they would blow into town and stay with us for a few days. One of the things I remember fondly about these wonderful ladies was their love for all animals, particularly dogs. They used to always travel with their dog Jessie, a medium sized mix breed who looked a little like a German Sheppard. I recall Jessie was an incredibly friendly and well-behaved dog. Not knowing much about dogs back then, I did know that this dog was an above average, good and loyal dog with a huge heart...much like their guardians. Jessie has since passed on but the Moms always found room in their hearts and family to care for more dogs since.

Allison recently posted a note about her Moms and their latest experience with another one of their lovable pooches. I was at first saddened to read this story but I soon found it was written with a sanguine message despite the tragedy. With the unfortunate events that sometimes fall upon us as pet parents, it's nice to see that we can take those same events and turn them into something positive.

This is Allison’s note:

“To begin, my moms are the Mother Theresas of the pet kingdom - they have always had multitudes of cats and dogs that have been discarded or mistreated by the masses. The day before yesterday my mom was doing her usual park excursion with their current two pups. During that walk, their eldest dog, Emma, was accosted by a couple young brutish canines. The large alphas were muzzled, which my mother was most thankful for, but the excitement was still too much for Emma to handle. By the time they returned to the van, Emma was in great distress and went into horrific convulsions, biting and swollowing her tongue and suffered a heart attack. My wee little mom (4'10"-71 yrs) had to wrestle this extremely large animal, who had just died before her, into her van. Her other dog, Camilla, watching on in bug-eyed horror. She did it--she always gets done what needs to be done. When she arrived home, shaking still, she popped on Skype to tell me the sad news.

So what is the moral or point of this story? There is no one to hate or be angry with. No injustice to scream about. There is no other outcome to wish for. (Secretly, I will always carry the wish for all living creatures to pass miraculously in their sleep.) She is sad, she is rattled (a diet-breaking vodka was in order), but she is thankful. Emma had become so old and so crippled. She was suffering with the pain of her age -- and in a quick, unexpected moment it was over. Emma is at rest. My moms were saved the heartwrenching decision lurking in the near future to have her put to sleep and out of her daily misery. Those big dogs that made a fuss and went after her--they did not intend to cause her to die. It just happened that way. Life. Life takes over.

But my moms--it is terribly cliche but they are my heroes. Little old ladies kicking life's ass and taking names. Tough as nails. Not falling to pieces when a crisis rears it's head. And yet so giving, such open and welcoming hearts. Emma was alive still because of them. She, and countless wonderful animals before her, had long, well-fed, warm and happy lives because of them. And for as long as they live, any animal in need or distress that crosses their path will get nothing less. Love. Love takes over.”

Allison tells me Emma has been placed in a special place in the country to rest beside her past siblings including our beloved Jessie. Thank you for sharing this story Allison.

Western Canada Weight Pulling

2011-03-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I last blogged. This is definitely a crazy time of year for Poooh Busters, the snow melts uncovering layer upon layer of that dreaded doggie doo. People call us desperate for help and want us to come immediately and we try our best to accommodate!

On top of our crazy season we try to fit in a bunch of other things as well. One of the biggies coming up for us is the Calgary Pet Expo. We are attending with our booth next weekend on March 26th and 27th. We can’t wait and are very excited as always to be part of such a great event. Please be sure to come down and look around. If you bring a donation for the Calgary Humane Society, you’ll get $2.00 off your admission!

The other thing we worked hard to fit in between initial cleans was to attend the Western Canada Weight Pulling event that took place on March 12th and 13th. Poooh Busters sponsored the final event. We also sponsored one of the awards that were given to the top weight pulling dogs. Sleep Rover Doggie Hotel & Daycare sponsored the other one.

This was an incredible and unique experience to say the least. Being a part of the pet industry, we get exposed to a lot of different activities and events for pets but this was certainly one of the coolest ones I’ve seen!

Basically, dogs are fixed to a pulling harness and compete to pull the most weight in the quickest time. Let me tell you, these dogs LOVE their job! They work hard to pull that cart of cement blocks across the finish line and are begging to do it again.

The event we attended was the final one of the season and the top dogs were there competing to be the best. The Poooh Busters team, including Mrs. Big Nate were there cheering on the dogs.

It’s a little known sport and the attendance for each event is up and down. It’s too bad, because I can see this being a really fun and exciting competition for competitors and spectators alike.

To help bring about more awareness, Poooh Busters will be working with organizer, Sean Hammell again for next year’s pulling season. We really hope to help him grow the audience and participation in the future so the dogs who are working hard and competing get the applause and cheers they deserve!

If you want more information on this dog weight pulling sport in Canada, be sure to visit the International Weight Pulling Association (IWPA) website. This is the organization that Sean Hammell’s events are registered through. They have the events listed, the results for the season and the champions. There is some really great stuff to check out.

2011-02-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Calgary PetExpo is

offering CKC Canine Good Neighbour Testing!

The Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) training program embraces both purebred and mixed-breed dogs and is fun, rewarding, and useful. It encourages owners to have a better and richer relationship with their dogs. The program also enhances community awareness of responsible dog ownership and the numerous benefits associated with dog ownership.

To become Canine Good Neighbour Certified you and your dog must demonstrate confidence and control and pass a series of 12 Tests. A registered CGN evaluator will assess and pass or fail your performance.

HOW TO GET YOUR DOG CERTIFIED & TESTED:

The PetExpo is excited to offer 45 Open Test Times during the Show.
A lottery will be held from all e-submissions to fill the available times.
Requests for testing will be accepted until March 15th.
Selected Teams will be notifed immediately.

To Enter - Email pets@canwestshows.com

Be sure to include:

Your name
Your Dogs name
Your Contact information (email & phone number)

All tests will be held at the Show either Saturday, March 26th or Sunday, March 27th.

If you and your dog are selected you will be notified via email and assigned a scheduled time for your CGN Test. All Teams selected will be provided with Free Admission into the Show.

There is a $20 Fee to participate in the CGN Test that is payable at registration.

For more information on Special Requirements - please click on the below:

Going Green Without Even Knowing It!

2011-02-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

With my interest in technology (Apple products specifically), I realized that not only is it fun to have an iPhone, iPad and an iMac, it’s also environmentally more friendly.

We here at Poooh Busters are not only champions of responsible pet guardianship and for supporting Calgary local businesses, we believe in being environmentally responsible.

So I was happy to read an article about how using technology today is helping our environment. This example involves some of my favourite things; books and music. The following is an article from a great “green” website called One Simple Act.

Green Books and Music
Have you ever wondered what the future of the newspaper and books will be in this electronic age? Technology has changed the way we read the written word. There is a plethora of gadgets to make our lives faster and easier and maybe a bit greener. You can read books on computers, electronic tablets, digital readers or e-books, and even some cell phones. And we can listen to music on MP3 players and computers.

Whether you choose a real book or a digital book, they both have an environmental impact. Which is greener? It depends on the number of books you read and the various uses you can get from one electronic gadget.

Each option’s environmental impact is concentrated in a different place. The biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the book industry is from paper production, accounting for almost 70 per cent of the industry’s emissions. For digital readers, the most carbon-intensive step is production of the device itself. The greatest impact of reading online is the energy that it takes to power the computer while reading or listening to music.

Despite the initial cost of electronic book readers and the plastic used to create them, they can have a smaller eco-footprint than paper books. With an e-book reader, you can download books, newspapers and magazines from anywhere so you won’t have to drive to the bookstore to pick up the paper versions. To increase your green points, you can recycle your reader when you're done with it.

If you’re not sold on e-books, there are other ways to be a greener reader. Hopping on your bike and pedaling to the local library will reduce your personal transportation impact. Library books are a much more eco-friendly way than buying a book brand new since it avoids all the costs associated with publishing and transportation. Your local second-hand bookseller is also a good choice for finding reused goods, and websites like Kijiji let you trade your used items with other users and keep more trash out of landfills. Schools, nursing homes, gyms, or shelters may also accept donations of old magazines. Ask first though as there is concern with the spreading of germs.

Carbon offsetting can be used when there are no other green alternatives or along with other green alternatives. Reusing, donating, buying and donating used book and garage sales, freecycling and encouraging publishing companies to print on recycled paper can still be the first alternatives.

One Simple Acts

Switch to iTunes: think of the plastic that won't be used for CD cases; the paper that won’t be used for the CD covers; and think of the CD's that won’t stack and take up space.
At Tunes for Trees, for every 10 tracks you buy they plant a tree for free.
Industrialized nations, which account for 20% of the world's population, consume 87% of the world's printing and writing paper. Try an e-book.

Minimize the environmental impact of your electronics by using it for as long as possible and recycling it at the end of its life.

Good Dog Owner or Bad Dog Owner?

2011-02-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

Do you consider yourself a good dog guardian? Many of us, me and Mrs. Nate included, feel we are exceptional pet parents. We walk our dogs daily, we feed them quality food, and they get regular grooming and vet visits.

Well I found this little quiz on a blog called the Somerville Bark. I enjoyed its “tongue in cheek” approach but carries a very important message that we all need reminding of every once in a while.

Take the quiz and see where you score!

You brush your dog’s teeth once a:
a) Day
b) Week
c) Millennium

You walk your dog on a:
a) Leash
b) Long piece of string
c) Telepathic plane

You bathe your dog when your:
a) Car smells doggy
b) House smells doggy
c) Neighborhood smells doggy

You clean up after your dog:
a) Always
b) When someone is looking
c) When Environment Canada cites you for having an illegal landfill

When your dog is gassy in the middle of your dinner party, you:
a) Quickly light the candles for “ambiance”
b) Sternly order your dog from the room
c) Secretively point to the person to your left and mouth “woo-eee!”

Your dog comes home with orange fur in his mouth right around the time your next-door neighbor’s cat, who is often in your backyard, is missing. You:
a) Bury the fur and rehearse your alibi
b) Apologize to Mrs. Murphy and never let Fido outdoors again
c) Trade your dog in for a cat

When the neighbors in Copperfield complain that your dog’s barking can be heard all the way to Tuscany, you:
a) Invest in “Dog Training for Dummies”
b) Tell them to invest in soundproof windows
c) Trade your dog in for a Basenji

Your black suit is covered in white fur again. You:
a) Decide to trade in basic black for winter white
b) Carry lint brushes with you everywhere and even use them on your dog
c) Trade your dog in for a Mexican hairless

When your pound of chocolate box is suddenly empty and wrappers are strewn in a path to Fido’s bed, you:
a) Follow the plan you have neatly typed out and hanging on the fridge for such emergencies
b) Panic and call your mother
c) Punish Fido — those were your favorite kind of truffles

When your dog gets a little too intimate with the chow at the Southland Off-leash Park, you:
a) Say, “Those rascals,” and walk with dignity to the car
b) Say, “That’s amore,” and look on
c) Don’t notice because you’re on your cell phone

If you answered “a” to most of these, you can pat yourself on the back — you live in a very strange, dog-centric world but try to be considerate of others.

If you answered mostly “b,” this is probably your first dog and with time you’ll come around.

If you answered “c,” you should own a ferret. Owning a dog means more than just picking up after them (and some dog parents even fail at that, so call Poooh Busters).

Luckily, Calgary for the most part is on top of it — but as we all know, there are no bad dogs, just bad guardians.

A Sad Day For The Husky's

2011-02-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

I’m sure most of you have heard of the senseless and inhumane slaughter of the 100 dog sledding Huskys in Whistler, BC.

Outrage and sadness are my initial emotions after reading the news story and watching the coverage on the CBC news website.

After the initial emotions subside and I get a chance to think about it, I start to analyze why this happened, how it could have been handled differently and what could have been done to prevent it in the first place.

After a round of emails with Mrs. Big Nate and our friend Melaina a few things were brought to light. Firstly, some folks might have thought a mass adoption of these dogs would have been the answer. Melaina immediately squashed this idea knowing full well that these particular dogs were not in an adoptable state. They never would be. They weren’t raised in an environment of domestication and would have only posed a harmful threat to the humans who may have adopted them.

So the only answer in this case is to euthanize them. I say euthanize, not slaughter. It could have been done humanly under a vet’s care and supervision. Unfortunately, that costs a whole lot more than a few bullets and a sharp knife. It’s sad to know that the owner(s) of the company that used these dogs for their own financial gain couldn’t at least return the favour of a humane death. After all they wouldn’t have made the money they did without the dogs in the first place!

Secondly, if we as humans would just stop giving these businesses our money, they might go away! It just reminds me of the dolphins. I remember going to Mexico and seeing the “Swim with The Dolphins” attraction. I thought to myself, I didn’t know there were dolphins in Mexico. Then I went to the Dominican Republic and once more saw a similar attraction and again in Jamaica. Turns out most of these dolphins are caught by Japanese fisherman and shipped off all around the world for our entertainment. Wonder what happens to the dolphins that aren’t needed in these cases?

If you want to know more about this subject, watch a movie called “The Cove”. Be prepared for outrage and tears.

The Huskys dog sledding attraction in Whistler, BC is just another example of outright animal exploitation and cruelty. This time it’s sadly right here in our own country.

So let’s end the cycle! Stop buying puppies from a pet store, stop going to the circus, stop paying for pictures with an iguana or parrot. We as consumers and patrons have a huge responsibility to stop supporting businesses that take part in this shameful exploitation of animals and toss them away like so much garbage once they are no longer required.

Are you a Yelper?

2011-01-31T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ever since I got my iPhone, I’ve downloaded dozens and dozens of apps. It’s hard not to be a little addicted to trying out new apps as they are released.

Most of the time, I find the apps I download are not user friendly, some may have bugs or they’re just plain useless. But every once in a while I find an app I simply love and wonder how I ever got along without it.

One such app is called Yelp. If you are familiar with Yelp.ca you know what I mean. Yelp created a wonderful site to help folks find and talk about great (and not so great) businesses.
The one thing I love about a site like Futureshop.ca is that I can read the user reviews before I buy a product. I look for overall score, how many reviews have been submitted and finally I read the reviews themselves. This really helps me determine if I should buy the product I’m thinking about.

Another great site that I use before booking any travel is Tripadvisor.com. This site is simply awesome for reviews. If you want to have a nice holiday in Mexico at an all-inclusive resort, you simply must read the traveler’s reviews of the hotel you are thinking of staying at! Again, the reviews I read make a huge impact on my decision.

Yelp.ca is set up for everyday businesses in your local area. Thinking of trying a new restaurant? Look it up on Yelp, chances are you’ll find reviews from previous diners. Want to know if that automotive place does a good job of fixing your car and at a reasonable rate? Check with Yelp first!

Yelp.ca or your Yelp iPhone app really helps you decide if you should take your chances and spend your hard earned dollars at a business you are thinking of patronizing.

So why am I telling you about this? Well because we at Poooh Busters feel we are a responsible business that provides great value to our clients as well as excellent customer service. We’ve thrown our hat into the Yelp ring and added our business to their listings.

Now people like you (our customers, past and present) can go onto Yelp and provide any kind of feedback about our business that you want others to know. Good or bad, we can take it! A company’s true worth is in its customer’s feedback.

So in order to get the ball rolling we have an offer for our weekly clients. If you as an existing client submit any Yelp feedback, we’ll give you one free week of service! That’s right, one free week for two minutes of your time and your opinion on our service.

So go to Yelp.ca today, create an account and start yelping about all your favourite and not-so-favourite businesses.

Five Star Accommodations

2011-01-17T07:40:00.001-08:00

Do you feel sometimes your pet lives better than you do? What level of accommodations do you provide for your animals?

Mrs. Nate and I have always allowed our pets to have the run of the house. They go where they like, sleep where they like and pretty much do whatever they like.

Some might say we aren’t setting enough boundaries for our “kids” but when it comes down to it, if our pets are happy, we’re happy.When we adopted Burberry from the Calgary Humane Society, one of the staff there was slightly concerned that we were bringing this new member of our family into a home where there already existed two other cats plus two dogs. Our friend, Melaina who works there assured her co-worker, “Don’t worry, their house is like a Five Star hotel for pets.”

Since then that statement kind of stuck with me. When I look at what we provide for our brood of five, Melaina is absolutely right. The entire house is at their disposal and we provide so much specifically just for them. Kitty condos on every floor, area rugsplaced for the purpose of eating on and pet beds in several rooms.

Not only do they have all this available to them, they pretty much play, rest and sleep wherever they wish. Oscar loves to lie on his back in the mornings on our bed, snuggling down deep in our cozy duvet. The three cats sprawl out on our master bath floor as it is equipped with in-floor heating. They LOVE the heat the floor generates and spend much of their time there. Chloe hangs out on the dining room table and kitchen counters. Mojo takes up much room on the couch lying on the pillows; we’ll sit anywhere on the couch but in his spot. Heaven forbid we disturb him! Mr. Goo insists that the fireplace be turned on so he can sprawl out in front the warmth of the fire.There are constantly toys spread all over the house, they all get fed the same time every day and expect it (and there is a treat schedule too).

If dinner or snacks are late, we hear about it! The kitty litter is cleaned every day and the dogs

go for a walk not once but twice daily. Not only are the accommodations plush, they have my wife and I serving them hand and foot with play time, pets and one on one time.

Now I’m sure we’re not the only crazy ones in this world who dote over their pets. I’m sure there are a ton of homes out there where the pets rule and we as the humans sacrifice so they get what they want and when they want it. Aren't there? I hope...

How about you? What do you do to pamper your pets and keep them happy?

Resolutions For Your Dog

2011-01-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

With the arrival of a New Year inevitably comes a variety of New Year’s "resolutions." Mrs. Nate and I don’t really believe in resolutions but we tend to secretly make ones anyway. I personally think if you’re going to do something, you’re going to do it! You don’t need a certain time of the year to begin making a change for the better.

But since we all jump onto the resolution bandwagon every year, I thought a list of resolutions that involve not only our own well-being but the well-being of our pets should be included too! So how may we improve ourselves as pet parents? What New Year’s resolutions should dog guardians consider?

Here are 9 suggestions for your consideration:

1. Provide your dog with the highest quality nutrition possible. This means researching the ingredients in dog food and often, thinking outside the grocery store kibble aisle. It’s easy to research for quality dog foods, or even better, you can ask the experts at Tail Blazers – Health Food Store for Pets. They have very knowledgeable folks working for them and carry nothing but the best food products for all pets.

2. Make it a point to ensure your dog's health through providing adequate and appropriate exercise. This is partly how Mrs. Big Nate and I lost around 90lbs each.

3. Be realistic about your dog's weight. Obesity shortens longevity, dogs, cats and people. If you can't feel your dog's ribs easily, he is too fat. We are guilty for Oscar and Mr. Goo’s obesity problem and are working on it by feeding them a raw diet.

4. Train your dog. Training is not a luxury, it is necessary. Not only will appropriate training make living with your dog more enjoyable for you, it will make life more enjoyable for your dog by providing him with the mental stimulation all dogs need and crave.

5. Make it easy for your dog to succeed. If your dog loves chewing on shoes, do not allow him unsupervised access to shoes. If your dog eliminates in the house, provide him with plenty of opportunities to eliminate outside by giving him frequent breaks.

6. Be appreciative of how wonderful your dog is. One of the biggest elements of successful training is looking for desirable behaviors and reinforcing them with something your dog likes and appreciates - a treat, a butt scratch, a game of tug, the opportunity to go for a walk. Never miss an opportunity to thank your dog for good behavior.

7. Make time for your dog. This may mean rearranging your schedule. It may mean going out in the cold or rainy weather to give your dog a walk. It may mean skipping Wednesday night book club so that you can enroll in the agility class you wanted to take. It may mean spending less time on Facebook and more time playing, training, and exercising with your dog.

8. Be a responsible dog owner - keep identification tags on your dog, renew your dog's annual license, make the annual veterinary appointment, clean up after your dog, respect leash laws, etc.

9. Help a less fortunate dog at least once this year. Remember that not all dogs are as lucky as yours. Not all dogs have regular meals, veterinary care, someone who loves them and will play with them, a home to call their own. There are many ways you can help less fortunate dogs - by making donations of either goods (beds, leashes, collars, food, toy) or cash or by volunteering your time to our local Calgary Humane Society. There are many, many rescues located in and around Calgary that could use our help as well. Our favourite rescues include ARF, ARRCS, and Little Mutt’s Rescue.

Pet Care Subsidy

2011-01-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

My friend Melaina from the Calgary Humane Society posted a link to a Calgary Herald article on her Facebook wall. It talks of how our recent recession has affected pet care right here in Calgary. It’s a sad situation to say the very least.

Her post and the related article are timely. Only two weeks ago one of our past clients who remain a loyal fan of Poooh Busters asked me if there were any resources available for pet owners who struggle with the costs associated with regular pet care. Annual shots and check-ups specifically.

The story posted by the Calgary Herald talks mostly of extreme cases where charges were laid against the pet parent for neglect, allowing their pets to suffer from injuries they sustained or from an illness. They couldn’t afford to get their sick or injured pet the care it required so they just went on letting their dog or cat suffer until it had to be put down.

The person I’m referring to loves her doggies and cares for them as any responsible pet guardian would. Her only trouble is she lives on a fixed income and when these little extra costs for simple shots and check-ups rear their ugly head; she is at a loss to find the funds required. She is a responsible pet parent and didn’t just ignore the fact that her dog’s shots were due; she cares enough about her dogs to take the initiative to seek out and ask about financial assistance to help her cover the costs involved.

Unfortunately after I spent some time asking around, it appears there is no such subsidy in existence. With so many human subsidies in place for people in need, the last thing our municipal, provincial or federal governments are going to do is set aside tax money for general pet care subsidies.

Although the City of Calgary Animal Services did recently open a low cost spay/neuter clinic to help with those costs. This was put in place with hopes that it will decrease unwanted litters and slow the ever-increasing the pet population. But they aren’t able to help with the basic care of annual shots and check-ups.

The only advice I was able to offer was that she try to get her vet to give her a break on his price or at least allow her to make small payments.

So what does one do in this case? It’s a great question and if anyone has any ideas or answers, I’d love to hear them.

Find the Paw-Week Four. Better Late Than Never!

2010-11-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Good Day Pet Lovers!

We are proud to finally announce the placing of the fourth paw in our Pawhaus Pet Boutique Find the Paw Contest. Enter to win on of two $50 Gift Certificartes to spend at Pawhaus’ online pet boutique!

Once again here’s how to play:

Go to: http://www.pawhauspetboutique.com/
Browse the website and search for the Poooh Busters paw logo
Once you find it, click on it
An email message will open
Enter your contact info and hit the Send button
You’re automatically entered to win one of two $50 gift certificates.

Need a clue to get you started?

To find the fourth week paw, you may have to think out of the box!

Still haven’t found the first three paws? Here are all the clues again (pay attention to the words in italics):

Week One Clue: I was on vacation in the Caribbean; it was a real treat drinking my Pina Colada from a coconut.

Week Two Clue: Cesar may not believe in training with treats but your little star might disagree. Say cheese!

Week Three Clue: Good golly Miss Molly! It's starting to get cold out there. I could just stuff myself into a nice, warm bed and stay there the entire winter!

Remember, you are looking for this paw:

Good luck and happy hunting!

When The Cat Decides To Stop Using The Litter Box

2010-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, August 19th, Mrs. Big Nate and I adopted a fifth and final member into our family. We already have two dogs and two cats but Mrs. Nate saw this beautiful two year old cat at the Calgary Humane Society that closely resembled our beloved Monster, who passed away from Renal Failure a few months ago. The resemblance was uncanny and melted Mrs. Nate’s heart immediately.

We met her that night and brought her home right away. Her name at the time was Chanel but we changed it to Burberry, Mrs. Nate’s favourite designer bag.

The introduction of Burberry into our family was actually not that bad and it wasn’t long before everyone was fully tolerating each other.

We feed the cats at the same time. They get a meal of raw meat which Burberry seemed to take to a few days after coming home. There is a kitchen mat that the other two cats, Mr. Goo and Chloe eat on. Burberry eats a few feet away, inside our pantry.

Almost three months later, everything seems to be going along smoothly, everyone has settled into their daily routines. One day last week we could smell urine and discovered someone had pee'd on the mat Goo and Chloe eat their meals on. We instantly blamed our most recent rescue dog, Oscar for the mishap as he has a history of intermittently peeing inside the house. Mrs. Nate washed the mat and we put it back down. Two days later, I stepped onto the mat and it was wet. Like before, there was a pee spot on the mat. Again we shook our finger at poor Oscar and washed the mat again. This time we did not put the mat down, we rolled it up and left the floor bare. The two cats ate in their usual spot but without the presence of the mat.

This was fine until the next day we could smell urine again! Mrs. Nate was given a lovely scarf by her mother who traveled abroad. The scarf was sitting on our counter, on top of the breakfast bar. Mrs. Big Nate picked up the scarf to discover it was very wet and determined it was the source of the pee smell. Now we knew it was impossible Oscar could have done this! He can certainly not get up on the counters. In fact, only Burberry seems to spend any time on the counters. Must be a habit she picked up from her previous pet parents.

So we narrowed the entire ordeal down to Burberry as the culprit for all three urination events. We immediately did some research online to find out why a cat would suddenly do this. I also made a post on the Poooh Busters wall to see if any of our knowledgeable followers had any suggestions. Almost immediately we received some replies, all with they same suggestions as we had read previously during our Google searches. Such smart people we have available to us!

In the end we took Burberry and Chloe (just in case it was her) to the vet to check first for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). We wanted to rule out any physical reasons and narrow it down to behavioral. Turns out Burberry did have a slight infection which we are treating with antibiotics.

We also ran out and picked up three brand new litter boxes to eliminate any past smells that may have turned Burberry off. In addition to that, we thought we’d try out a different type of litter. We have incorporated that by mixing it in slowly with the original stuff for a gradual transition to the new type of litter. Mrs. Big Nate also separated the litter boxes a little further apart in case that might be adding to the problem. Three cats, three litter boxes.

If anything, we are moving to a new house at the end of this month. I’m hoping the change to a new lace will make their new home a neutral environment that they’ve all come to know together as one family rather than someone being brought in and there being territorial issues.

Not sure what else to do but hope we did something right to prevent future occurrences. We’ll cross our fingers and hope it all works out!

Find The Paw Contest - Week Three

2010-11-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

Well we're going into week three of our Find the Paw Contest.

The Pawhaus Pet Boutique and Poooh Busters have teamed up to provide you with this fun and easy contest.

Be sure to take part for a chance to win one of two $50 Gift Certificates! You can use these gift certificates to purchase anything at The Pawhaus Pet Boutique online store.

It’s easy to play and anyone in Canada can enter.

Just look for the Poooh Busters paw logo hidden somewhere Pawhaus’ website.
When you find it
Click on the logo, an email will open up
Enter your name and phone number in the email message
Click the send button

That’s it! You’re entered.

Play every week in November for up to five chances to win. A new paw will be placed every Monday.
Still haven’t found the first paw from week one or the second paw from week two? Here are all the clues again (pay attention to the words in italics):

Week One Clue: I was on vacation in the Caribbean; it was a real treat drinking my Pina Colada from a coconut.

If you’re looking for the Week Two paw, the clue is:

Week Two Clue: Cesar may not believe in training with treats but your little star might disagree. Say cheese!

For this week's third paw, the clue is:

Week Three Clue: Good golly Miss Molly! It's starting to get cold out there. I could just stuff myself into a nice, warm bed and stay there the entire winter!

You want to find this paw!

Happy hunting and if you have any questions about the contest please don’t hesitate to contact Big Nate anytime!

Is Your Dog Allowed On Your Bed?

2010-11-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Reading up on this over the many blogs and articles out there, it seems there is huge support in favour of allowing pets to sleep with their humans in bed. Many arguments have been laid out supporting this practice.

It's hard for me to argue against it myself since I have been sharing my sleep space with pets my entire life. Mrs. Big Nate has as well. At times in her house, she was allowing a monstrous, black Newfoundlander to relax on her bed! So of course, in our house Mojo, Oscar, Mr. Goo, Chloe and Burberry all crowd onto the bed with us as we slumber.

So, how about you? What is your philosophy on the subject?

Some feel allowing the dogs on your bed means you are losing status in your pack and the dog might feel they now have dominance over you and is completely in charge. Others might feel it is dirty and unhealthy.

There are some good things about having the animals sleep with us and there are bad things about it too.

Good Things
They are awesome bed warmers!
Ever heard of the group Three Dog Night? Apparently they take their name from the supposed Aboriginal practice of judging the coldness of an evening by the number of dogs required to keep them warm.

They are great cuddlers and company.
Sometimes it just nice to have these little bodies lying around you with unconditional love. There is just something so comforting about having them there. This is especially true when either Mrs. Nate or I are out of town on business, having to spend those rare nights apart. A cat’s purr is just so awesome!

Bad Things
They affect the quality of our sleep!
Oscar snores, the cat’s run around and lye on my chest and Mojo is a complete beg hog! The wake us up when they hear a noise and start barking or the cats get into into a scuffle and start hissing at each other.

They are dirty.
No matter how clean we keep our house and the animals, they still seem to make our bed messy! They drool, have dirty paws and shed all over the place.

They ruin the mood.
I'm going to leave this one to your imagination.

These are just a few of my experiences with having our animals sleep with us. There are some great arguments for either side of the issue. I personally can not imagine not having our family all cuddled up together every night. I guess it would be different if we owned two Boxers and two large Labs.

I’d love to hear some thoughts and stories from your own experiences!

Find the Paw – Week Two

2010-11-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well it’s the second week of our Find the Paw Contest.

The Pawhaus Pet Boutique and Poooh Busters have teamed up provide you with this fun and easy contest.

Be sure to take part for a chance to win one of two $50 Gift Certificates! You can use these gift certificates to purchase anything at The Pawhaus Pet Boutique online store.

It’s easy to play and anyone in Canada can enter.

Just look for the Poooh Busters paw logo hidden somewhere Pawhaus’ website.
When you find it
Click on the logo, an email will open up
Enter your name and phone number in the email message
Click the send button

That’s it! You’re entered.

Play every week in November for up to four chances to win. A new paw will be placed every Monday.

Still haven’t found the first paw from week one? Here’s the clue again (pay attention the words in italics):

Week One Clue: I was on vacation in the Caribbean; it was a real treat drinking my Pina Colada from a coconut.

If you’re looking for the Week Two paw, the clue is:

Week Two Clue: Cesar may not believe in training with treats but your little star might disagree. Say cheese!

Remember, you're looking for this paw:

Happy hunting and if you have any questions about the contest please don’t hesitate to contact Big Nate anytime!

Pawhaus Pet Boutique Christmas Shopping Contest!

2010-10-30T11:31:00.001-07:00

Yes we all know that Christmas is fast approaching! It seems we're just getting past the summer months and little reminders start popping up everywhere you look.

The first reminder the holidays are fast approaching is that campaign Staples Office Supplies runs every year for back to school. You know the one, "It's the most wonderful time of the year". I seriously think they really play that commercial just to get us thinking about Christmas as early as August.

And I noticed Costco seems to stock Christmas stuff quite early too. Can we not at least get past the September long weekend before any mention of the year-end holidays?

Having said that, what am I writing about today? A Christmas promotion in November!

But it's one where you get free stuff! Our very good friends at The Pawhaus Pet Boutique have generously offered up two $50 Gift Certificates to their online pet store. Fifty bucks towards some cool swag for your pet would make a nice holiday gift I think!

You may be asking yourself, so what do I have to do?

It's a scavenger hunt and here's how the contest works:

Go to the http://www.pawhauspetboutique.com/ website
Cruise the site and look for the Poooh Busters paw logo (shown below)
Look hard, it could be anywhere
When you find the logo, click on it
An email message will open
In the body of the email write your name and a contact phone number
Click send

Look for this image

It's that easy! Each Monday a new paw logo will be hidden somewhere else on the Pawhaus website. Find the new one and click it to enter again. The contest runs the entire month of November so you will have four chances to to enter your name.

The draw will take place on Saturday, December 4th and two names will be drawn to win a Pawhaus Pet Boutique $50 Gift Certificate each.

The first paw has been placed and you can start hunting right away. I'll give you a clue to get you started on the right path.

Clue #1: I was on vacation in the Carribean, it was a real treat drinking my Pina Colada from a coconut.

Poooh Busters wants to thank Amanda from Pawhaus for giving the Poooh Busters clientelle a chance to take part in such a fun and rewarding contest!

Email me at bignate@pooohbusters.com if you have any questions about the contest.

Happy hunting!

What If You Can't Afford The Vet?

2010-10-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

I was crusing my Facebook news like I do every 50 seconds of every day and I saw an update from my friend Melaina. She works at the Calgary Humane Society and she hears all the excuses under the sun why folks surrender their pets to the shelter. Her update this morning went something like this: "Nothing gets to me more than when people email the shelter from their Blackberrys and iPhones saying they need financial assistance to spay/neuter their pet."

I can see her point. If you can afford a cell phone and can pay for a 3G data package, why can't you afford the care required for responsible pet guardianship? Or if you can't afford both, don't have a pet in your care.

Not all folks are this irresponsible though. Some truly do care well for their pets but sometimes things happen that can cause us to face some pretty hefty vet bills. Like the time a friend's dog ate a poisonous plant. Now that was crazy!

It’s necessary for all pet parents to be prepared in case emergencies arise. Knowing your vet and the services they provide is a great place to start. Finding out the answers to the following questions will assist you in knowing what to expect so you can plan ahead:

- What are your vet’s payment policies?
- Are payment plans available?
- Does your vet offer emergency hours at their practice?
- If they don’t, where would you be referred to for emergency care?

The internet is a great source of information, but it’s not the appropriate place to find a cure to your dog’s sickness. Your sick dog will need to be examined and treated as soon as possible. Delaying care can add to the expenses considerably.

If your dog is ill and you’re unable to pay for your vet visit, there are some possible solutions to consider:

Veterinary Pet Insurance
Even though pet insurance has been available for many years, it’s being more commonly used by pet owners today. The best time to sign your pet up is in their early years. It's nice to have comfort in knowing that if an emergency does occur, the expenses could be considerably less.

Pet Emergency Credit Card
Maintaining a pet emergency credit card allows pet guardians to pay the vet bill in full, and make payments on the credit card as able.

Payment Plans Offered Through Your Vet
Many pet parents don’t even bother calling their veterinarian when money is an issue, assuming the vet will refuse them outright. You may be surprised. Many vets do offer some sort of payment plan on a case-by-case basis. It never hurts to ask.

Check Your Local Humane Society or Shelter
Your local Humane Society or animal shelter may be able to offer you low-cost veterinary care or vouchers to use at your vet’s office. But send an email from your smart phone! A phone call might be a better solution.

Veterinary Schools
Many veterinary schools take on unique cases as learning tools. This will usually be at no cost to the pet owner.

The important thing to remember is the quicker treatment is provided to a sick or injured dog, the better. Also, planning ahead will help lessen the stress that an emergency situation brings.

Don’t forget to “paw it forward.” If you’re not in a financially tough situation, consider donating money to your favorite animal charity to help future animals in need.

Is Calgary Going To Vote?

2010-10-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Big Nate and I will be taking time out of our Monday night on October 18th to take part in the Calgary Civic Election. I never used to care much about voting for any type of election; provincial, civic or federal. Like most young people I just never thought it was worth my time, especially since I wasn’t even really following politics in any way. I always had the mind that it just wouldn’t make a difference anyway, nothing ever changes, all politicians are the same, etc, etc.

Now that I’m older, I see the value in taking the time to vote. I still don’t really follow politics and I admit I haven’t really looked at the platforms of those running for the office of mayor. What I do care about is pets and pet care. Unfortunately I doubt animal welfare is a big priority for those looking at the problems of a huge city. Traffic, property taxes, economy, development, education, healthcare, etc, etc, etc. These all take a much more important place over what is going on in the pet world. I know human problems will always be more important than animal ones but I wonder what our candidates would say if we asked them their position on animal rescues and the plights they face each and every day.

What questions would you like to ask our mayoral candidates when it comes to pet care and their well-being?

Ms. Higgins, would you as mayor ever look at using the city coffers to provide some much needed funding to the Calgary Humane Society or the Animal Rescue Foundation?

Mr. McIver, would you as mayor ever consider increasing the budget our city spends on educating pet owners about the importance of registering and licensing their animals or on spaying / neutering their pets?

Without considering our pets as a platform issue, my real dilemma is who to vote for. I’m not a Ric McIver fan and I’m not sure Barb Higgins is the right choice either. In my opinion either Naheed Nenshi or Craig Burrows are good candidates. The problem is if I vote for either one of these guys, I feel my vote is basically a wasted one. I suspect neither of them will come close to Barb or Ric. So unfortunately the reality is it comes down to the two of them. I have to ask myself, of the two, who would I rather see in office?

It’s too bad that most elections always come down to two candidates. Voting for anyone else is pretty much a wasted vote. So my strategy is to put an X beside the name of the one I dislike the least and hope for the best.

What’s your plan? Do you have a strategy and know the platforms? Or are you just going with your gut?

Either way, I hope everyone gets out there on Monday and makes their vote count!

Please note that Big Nate's opinions are his own and not necessarily those of Poooh Busters Inc.

The Black Carts Are Coming!

2010-10-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

I believe one of the very first blogs I ever posted on the Poooh Busters blog was about Calgary's new Blue Bin Recycling Program. I had a little rant about the lack of people using their blue bins in my neighbourhood when they first came out.

Poooh Busters tries its best to be environmentally responsible and every once in a while I'll blog or add some info about environmental issues. It's not always about dogs or pets. We can discuss other things too!

Well as I was cruising around Facebook, I saw a side ad for the City of Calgary Black Bin Program. I had no idea this was happening! Did anyone else know about it? I guess Mrs. Nate and I really should watch the news or read newspapers more often. We are bad for not keeping up on our news.

Anyway, I just wanted to write this quick blog about the Black Bin Program in case there were other folks out there, like me, who were oblivious to this new initiative that our fine City is about to implement. The following is some info I found on their website.

This fall, The City will start rolling out Black Cart Garbage Collection to households across Calgary.

Black carts will improve garbage collection service by reducing litter in lanes and streets, increasing efficiency, and making things safer for collectors and residents.

What is Black Cart Garbage Collection?
Black Cart Garbage Collection uses trucks with mechanical arms to collect garbage from wheeled carts, a lot like the way blue cart recycling is collected now. Homes that currently have garbage collected by hand will receive a black cart. Residents will put their regular household garbage in the cart instead of in a trash bag or can.

Black carts will improve garbage collection in a number of ways:

The carts keep garbage from getting scattered by animals or wind, and keeps neighbourhoods cleaner. Garbage stays in and pests stay out.

Black Cart Garbage Collection is more efficient, because it is collected using one-person trucks instead of two person crews.

The carts are safer for residents and our collectors, because they reduce heavy lifting and contact with sharp objects.

There is no extra fee for Black Cart Garbage Collection, and additional bags will still be collected. The City encourages home owners to reduce and recycle as much material as possible. However, garbage that does not fit in the cart can be put in bags or cans and set next to it.

About the Black Cart Garbage Collection Pilot
Waste & Recycling Services began providing Black Cart Garbage Collection in six communities in the fall of 2008 – Cedarbrae, Citadel, Deer Run, Dover, Huntington Hills and Mount Pleasant. The pilot was very successful. In a survey of residents, 93 per cent said they were satisfied with the service. No garbage collectors involved in the pilot have lost time due to injury on the job. There were over 100 injuries to traditional garbage collectors during the same period. The communities were chosen based on the need to test various combinations of service such as front set outs and back lanes in established inner city locations and suburban areas. Cedarbrae, Huntington Hills and Mount Pleasant were also involved in the successful pilot for Blue Cart recycling in 2005. This pilot gave Waste & Recycling Services the opportunity to test automated collection in various scenarios in order to evaluate the benefits of applying automated collection city-wide.

So there you have it! If you want more info please be sure to visit the City's website. It's got a lot of great tips on what to trash, what to recycle and what to do with your old trash can if you have one.

Do You Walk Your Dog Everyday?

2010-09-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Taking your dog out for a walk is more important than you actually think it is. Here are some reasons why you really should take your dog out for a walk daily.

It keeps your dog fit. Health experts are of the view that taking your dog for a half an hour walk daily is the best way to keep your dog fit. Letting your dog laze around the entire day is something that is certainly not good for his/her health.

It prevents behavioral problems. Dogs who are not subjected to daily physical activity tend to develop behavioral problems such excessive barking, aggressive behavior, irritability and the like. Taking your dog for a walk daily helps prevent behavioral problems.

It gives your dog a chance to be in the outdoors. Like humans, your dogs too can get bored sitting indoors the entire day. Give your adorable canine a chance to thrive in the outdoors by talking him for a walk. Also, outdoor environment is more challenging than the well controlled environment at your home. So, it gives your dog a chance to satisfy his primal instincts.

It is an excellent opportunity for you to bond with your dog. Walks are an excellent time for you to bond with your pet. They give the pet owner and the pet, time to interact with each other.

It helps with weight loss. If your dog is fay, you're not getting enough exercise! Not many of us love to exercise and it is no surprise if your lovely poooch too is reluctant to engage in serious exercising. Taking your dog for a walk daily helps him drop those extra pounds and makes him and you fit again.

Some tips to make your dog walk:

Whilst walking is good for your dog, it is not important that your dog understands the same. Usually, dogs are a little reluctant to go for a walk. Here are some tips that can help you make your dog walk easily.

Using a dog leash is a must. Never expect your dog to walk properly on his/her own.
Reflex leashes are a no-no as they reduce your control over your pet. I admit, I am guilty of this but really...Who's Walk Is It Anyway?!
You could also use a dog walker if you have toy dogs or small dogs such as Chihuahua or a Pug.
Big dogs such as a Terrier or a Bulldog have the tendency to lead when walking. Make sure that you tell them that you are the leader by always walking ahead of them.
Dachshund, Yorkshire terrier and some other breeds have the tendency to stop and sniff whenever they are walking. Make sure that you give them at least one chance to stop at their own convenience. But, ensure that this does not become a habit.

A Poooh Busters re-post, for further information Click Here.

Doggy Safety Tips For Autumn

2010-09-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Fall is a great time for dogs and their owners. These safety tips will help make it enjoyable for all!

1. Don't underestimate how cold it can be early in the day; some shorthaired breeds may need a sweater.
Mrs. Nate loves this part. I really think we need to get her a girl dog. She is always looking at girlie type lothes but I always stop her saying, "We have boy dogs! They're not wearing anything pink!"

Pawhaus Pet Boutique has some great items for fall and winter! Check it out!

2. Reassess your dog's diet.
Working dogs or those that spend a lot of time outdoors may need additional calories to generate body heat. This is not something most of us city-fied folks need to consider but it's still a great tip! I seriously think Oscar is the last one who needs more calories.

While you're at it, it might be a good time to start thinking about switching them to a raw food diet. Tail Blazers has awesome products and they can answer all your questions!

3. Keep your dog away from those newly purchased school supplies.
Crayons, glue sticks, pencils and magic markers can have a way of multiplying around the house once kids get involved with homework and other school projects. While most school supplies are not extremely toxic unless large amounts are consumed, they can cause gastrointestinal blockages and upset if your pet eats them.

4. Watch out for mushrooms as fall is their peak season.
Toxic fungi can be harmful or even fatal. We've seen them here and there in our backyard. I think mostly because of all this damn rain we've been getting. The boys are making a mess of our floors, furniture and bedding to boot!

5. Use Care When Changing Your Car’s Coolant
I used to be my own backyard mechanic and autumn was a common time of year to change my car’s engine coolant. As we all know, ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic to pets. Switching to a propylene glycol-based coolant is a good choice, as although these can still harm pets they are less toxic than other coolants.

Well I hope this helps. Our October newsletter wil be going out in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to include some great tips to help everyone enjoy Halloween in a fun and safe manner.

Do Dogs Get Depressed?

2010-09-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

I've wondered about dog depression on the odd occasion. Mostly because it seems sometimes our first "son", Mojo gets depressed. He looks all pathetic and mopes around the house. He sighs a lot and seems generally unenthusiastic about things.

His favourite thing to do is go for walks, especially if we take him to the doggie park where he can chase his ball. But during his bouts of what I sometimes think is depression, on walks he turns into a big jerk and doesn't listen and can be somewhat belligerent.

I found out that like humans, dogs do occasionally suffer from bouts of depression. They get lethargic, stop eating, and drink only minimal amounts of water, stop wanting to play, and even lose drastic amounts of weight.

I wonder what could cause this in our normally, happy-go-lucky Mojo. Could it be a change of scenery? We moved from his happy home in McKenzie to a new home in Auburn Bay where for a long time he had no yard. Being a new neighbourhood it had no mature trees, grass and bushes to sniff and pee on. But that was almost three years ago now. Although he doesn't know it now, we are looking at doing it all over again in November when we move to Mahogany. Sorry Momo!

Could it be a chemical imbalance, needing medication to correct it? Well I'm pretty sure I would never ask a vet to prescribe doggie Prozac. I'm a strong believer that drugs is never the answer!

Apparently even the weather can adversely affect a normally happy dog! Which is a likely possibility, especially with the past couple of summers we've had.

I really wonder though if it has something to do with Mrs. Nate and I bringing new members into the family. When Mojo came home as a puppy it was only him and our three cats, Sneaky, Monster and Mr. Goo. Since then, both Sneaky and Monster have passed away and we have since adopted Oscar (dog #2) and two more cats, Chloe and Burberry. Everytime we bring in a new pet, it changes up his routine for meal times and walks. I really think he doesn't like the change and he especially doesn't like the new family members taking our attention away from him.

So then is Mojo just spoiled?

Now some people believe dogs are just dogs and we as pet guardians tend to humanize them too much. I know Mrs. Big Nate and I are guilty of this because we do look at all our pets as our children.

So perhaps, we are just causing these feelings of angst in our Mojo by the way we treat him and the other animals in the house.

Don't worry Mojo, you are still Mommy and Daddy's favourite! I know we're not supposed to pick favourites but he is our very first puppy and he really is a good boy!

Do Pets Help or Hinder a Property For Sale?

2010-09-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Big Nate and I are in the process of building a house with Sabal Homes in the brand new community of Mahogany. We love the look and feel of this neighbourhood and can’t wait to move into our new digs!

Currently we are also trying to sell our existing home in Auburn Bay. Selling in this market is no fun and quite scary to say the least! But our realtors tell us we are priced correctly and our home shows very well. I have to admit, the Mrs. and I keep our home in mint condition. Not just because we are selling but because we are two adults with a tendency for cleanliness and organization. We are maybe even a little freakish about it. Yes we are perfectionists and spend a lot of time keeping our place very clean and pet hair free. Many people say they wouldn't even know we owned pets if they weren't standing right there in front of them.

We have had our home listed for over three weeks now and had only three showings so far. Nothing came of the showings, the buyers simply weren't interested and we’re not really sure why. It could be any number of reasons, the main one being that there is so much inventory to choose from right now. We are however, a little paranoid about the fact that we have pets. Could this be turning people off? Are buyers continuing to search until they find a pet-free home?

I feel almost everybody loves pets except the home buyer! We as home sellers who adore our pets have a hard time imagining the negative attitudes others harbor against pets. So, while this might be a bitter pill for Mrs. Nate and I to swallow, we have tried our best to mitigate the signs of our pet’s existence.

I did some research to find some reasons why home buyers don’t like pets. In response to the perceptions buyers have of pets we have done everything we can to prepare our home for sale.

Issues

Nervousness. Pets make some people very uncomfortable. Not everybody grew up with a family pet or enjoys outings at the zoo.

Fear. Real and irrational. It's not only dogs that instill fear in people. All kinds of silly wives' tales and superstitions involve cats.
Our pets aren't their pets. They imagine ours bite, jump, vomit, claw, spit-up hairballs or are just plain hyper and bad.

Our Solution

We take the dogs away during a showing and lock the three cats in the basement (sorry guys). The preferred thing to do would be to relocate our pets while we’re on the market but that just isn’t an option for us nor would we consider it unless we were extremely desperate. Mrs. Nate is excellent at keeping the kitty litter boxes clean and fresh. We put our bedside doggy stairs away, hide the pet beds and move the kitty condo downstairs too. Our house is extremely clean and smells that way. Smell can be the biggest turn off to any buyer regardless of what is causing the odour.

So we cross our fingers and pray to the real estate gods in hopes that someone will buy our little home nestled in the heart of Auburn Bay.

If you or someone you know is looking a house feel free to visit our MLS listing and contact our realtors. We need pet lovers to visit; they won’t mind a couple Mojo nose prints on the window.

My apologies for the shamelss plug!

Whose Walk Is It? Mine or the Dog's?

2010-08-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Quite often, when I’m out walking the boys, I see numerous other guardians with their happy poooches too. It is so great to see how many other folks believe in daily walks for their dogs as well.

Mrs. Big Nate and I walk our two mutts twice a day. I take them for a quick jaunt around the block first thing in the morning. This way they get to burn a little energy off from their sleep and I feel better knowing that they are going to be alone for the next 9 hours while we are at work. And then we both take them for a longer jaunt again in the evening.

I walk them so regularly; sometimes I forget what a walk is all about for my dogs. For them, a walk is about sights, sounds, experiences. It’s about checking “p-mail,” sniffing hydrants and trees to find out where the neighbor’s dog or cat last peed. It’s about shoving their faces down the hole of a gopher and sniffing until they finally pull their faces out, dirty, blissful, nostrils full of the smell of wild animals. It’s about munching a particularly tender blade of grass, saying “hello” to a friendly stranger they’d like to greet, lifting a leg on every fire hydrant, sign, or tree you pass, splashing in a puddle or creek, or chewing a stick for a brief moment.

This is what walks mean to dogs. It’s a chance to investigate and interact with their environment. It’s mental and physical stimulation.

I forget this and tend to approach a walk with the mentality that, “We’re going to walk x route in y amount of minutes whatever that takes. It will be your exercise for the day and you’d better well like it.” Some days it’s a “let’s just get this over with” mentality.

Let’s face facts. For many, many dogs, a half hour leash walk every day barely scratches the surface of their true exercise needs. Mojo, our Bichon Spaniel mix, is a very active dog and he could go for an hour at least, if I’m able to throw a ball even better! A 30-minute walk is a drop in the bucket for him. If I want to really tire him out, we need to go a dog park or on a long hike. For Oscar, he’s smaller and slightly overweight so he doesn’t need much to tire him out.
When we as pet guardians go on a walk, we need to remember we are walking for our dogs. It’s their chance to just get out there and be dogs, to sniff and explore. If Mrs. Nate I want to go on a brisk, no-nonsense, let’s-not-stop-for-anything-power walk, we should go without the dogs.

We shouldn’t insist on perfect obedience either. Sometimes they pull on the leash to meet a stranger or another dog. Sometimes they stop for extended periods of time to sniff something interesting. We have to remember they move faster than we do and think poop is more interesting than we do. I’m not saying I let my dogs pull me around, but sometimes the leash does go tight. So what? Just stop, wait for the tension to come off the leash, and then start walking again.

When it comes down to it, I don’t want robots, I want canines. I want them to have plenty of opportunities to just do the things that they like to do, even if means that they’re sniffing for 30 minutes our of a 45 minute walk and we only make it around four or five blocks instead of walking a few kilometres. Sometimes, I even let the dogs pick the route we take. Something smells good on the right! Let’s go that way instead of going left.

Next time you leash your dog up for a walk; ask yourself, “Whose walk is it anyway?”

True Passion for Animal Welfare

2010-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today I dedicate and write this blog about a very special person who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for close to 10 years now. If you follow the Poooh Busters Facebook fan page and read it every now and then, I’m sure you will have seen the name Melaina Slater. She is a loyal follower and supporter of all things Poooh Busters. She even helped us hand out flyers at our booth the very first time we attended the Calgary Pet Expo in 2006.

I met Melaina a long time ago through Mrs. Big Nate. They used to work together in the insurance industry and we have been lucky enough to stay friends with Melaina and her very, very understanding fiancée’, Patrick. I say understanding for a very good reason which you will see. Pat loves animals too but he certainly must love Melaina even more to support her in her passion for helping animals.

I’m featuring Melaina in this blog because she actually practices what all animals lovers believe, helping those pets less fortunate and in need of love and care. Many of us say how much we love dogs and cats and birds and rodents and reptiles. She truly shows it through her actions. Most of us have been to the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) and consider adopting a new pet. We look at the all poor animals waiting for homes and we can’t help feeling sad or angry. I know I sure do! We tend to say things like, “I would love to help these animals by volunteering but I just can’t do it! I can’t take the emotions I feel. I get too angry or I would spend the whole time crying for them”. That’s all well and good but it still doesn’t help these poor creatures! People like Melaina who love animals as much as any of us, overcomes these emotions and does what is right! Regardless of how angry or sad she gets, she faces it and puts all of herself into actually making a difference for many of Calgary’s most unfortunates.

Melaina’s interest in animal welfare began when she adopted her first rescue, a dog she and Patrick named Jerome (named after Jerome Iginla). This was back in 2005. She then saw an opportunity to help further by volunteering for the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) as an adoption screener. From there Melaina’s love for pets was so great she left her career in insurance and focused on the pet industry. She secured a job with Hill's Pet Nutrition where she would represent the company at various pet stores. Melaina felt this path just wasn’t fulfilling enough. Eventually she ended up at the Calgary Humane Society in 2006. It was here that she found her niche and felt like she was starting to make a difference. It was also where she started to rescue and foster many animals in need. This is part where she is glad her fiancée is such an understanding and loving person.

At CHS her official title is Operations Administrator but Melaina also did Emergency On-call for the Protection Department for about three years. It was here where Mrs. Nate and I would hear some very sad and also very maddening stories about what really happens to many pets in Calgary. We would get so angry hearing about some of the very nasty things that people do to such innocent and helpless creatures. To this day we still hear about all the bogus reasons why people surrender their animals to CHS. Sometimes, people even believe they are helping the CHS by giving them their pets! Can you believe that? They actually think that by giving up their dog or cat, they are providing a source of income to the shelter! Never mind the cost for housing, feeding, vet care and the cost of paying the employee to process each and every pet that comes and goes. Let’s not forget about what happens to most unfortunate ones that never get adopted… (starting to get angry again).

Since 2005 Melaina has adopted/rescued three dogs (Jerome, Taylor and Jasmine), two cats (Harley and Petra), and four birds (Chuck, Milo, Eddie and Joey). Her house is quite full and her life is full as well. She spends time cleaning cages, kitty litter boxes, scooping poop and tending to the welfare of her entire extended family of dogs, cats and birds. On top of all that she has even managed to foster five more birds and a puppy!

About a year ago Melaina became acquainted with Anna from Birdline Parrot Rescue where again she sacrifices much her very limited free time to volunteer for this organization. Poooh Busters recently sponsored a fundraising event for Birdline where they raised over $1600 in much needed funding. Congrats to Birdline on their success!

Melaina found that she has a special place in her heart for parrots. Recently she has been spending a lot of time and money at the vet getting her Goffin’s Cockatoo, Joey nursed back to health. Parrots are a funny creature who tend to self mutilate due to their lack of ability to adjust to being confined.

Of course Melaina isn’t the only person who gives and gives, there are many folks out there just like her who sacrifice so much to provide all creatures, great and small a fighting chance. I am always amazed at how many rescue foundations there are in Calgary and the surrounding areas. They all need our help. So if you can, pick even just one and help them out either financially or by sparing some of your precious time.

What more can I say about Ms. Slater? She is truly a saint to Calgary’s pet adoption and rescue effort. Her passion and giving nature is truly awe inspiring and if everyone was like Melaina, this world of pets would a much better place!

Melaina, please accept a small token of appreciation from the Poooh Busters team. We want to provide you and Patrick with 12 weeks of pooper scooper service at no charge. It isn’t much compared to what you do for the cause but we hope it helps even if just a little.

Poisonous Plants

2010-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention this morning that a long time associate of Poooh Busters recently had an incident where they almost lost their dog to a poisonous plant called the Sago Palm.

Trish Way of Pooches in the Park Pet Care and her dog Gracie had a frightful time recovering from the effects of Gracie's affinity to eating this particular plant. The biggest worry of all is that this plant is available from your local Walmart or Home Depot and there is no warning about the dangers of this plant to pets and humans!

Of course we are all responsible for making sure our pets don't eat things that can harm them but a warning or something might have made the difference here. To be safe, just don't allow your pets to any household plants.

Some general info on the Sago Palm:

Cycad Sago Palm is extremely poisonous to both humans and ani

mals if ingested. Pets are at particular risk since they seem to find the plant very palatable.

Clinical symptoms of ingestion will develop within 12 hours and may include vomiting, diarrhoea,weakness, seizures, liver failure, or hepatotoxicity characterized by icterus, cirrhosis, and ascites. The pet may appear bruised, have nose bleeds (epistaxis), melena (blood in the stool), hematochezia (bloody straining), and hemarthrosis (blood in the joints).
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center estimates a fatality rate of 50 to 75 percent when ingestion of the Sago Palm is involved. The incidence of Sago Palm ingestion by pets has risen by over 200% in the last five years.
If any quantity of the plant is ingested, a poison control center or doctor should be contacted immediately. Effects of ingestion can include permanent internal damage and death. All parts of the plant are toxic; however, the seeds contain the highest level of the toxin cycasin. Cycasin causes gastrointestinal irritation, and in high enough doses, leads to liver failure.
Other toxins include Beta-methylamino L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid, and an unidentified toxin which has been observed to cause hindlimb paralysis in cattle.

At present Gracie is at home and resting. She is still wretching every now and then. The vet has put her on some drugs and she is quite "out of it". Tomorrow she will go back to see the clinic and they will monitor her all day to se if she requires more IV fluids. She just has to make it through the next 48 hours and then she should be in the clear and will pull through without too much permanent damage.

Our thoughts are with you Trish in this difficult and trying time. We wish Gracie all the best and a very speedy recovery!

Traveling With Pets

2010-08-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Holy she's freaking HOT out there today. You wouldn't think so by looking out the window but Mojo, Oscar and I just got back from a walk around the neighbourhood. It was cut short by the afternoon heat.

As we were walking I saw several RVs and Trailers coming and going. Some had dogs hanging out the window, others didn't. This got me to thinking about a road trip with my animals. They've never travelled that far or for very long. How would handle a two day trip to visit my sister in Fort St. John, BC? I started looking for advice on traveling with pets.

I found a great article by Jennifer L. Scott, D.V.M. She is a vet for the Sundance Animal Hospital here in Calgary. Great, helpful tips that I'd like t pass along. Here's some information in point form:

To start, try a few short trips in the car to see how they handle the experience
It may be helpful to put the dog or cat in a solid-sided crate to prevent motion sickness
Solid-sided crates can be hot, so keep them well ventilated and out of direct sun
Freeze water in a plastic container, slip these around the crate to create a cooler atmosphere
The frozen water also melts and creates cold drinking water for your pet
Offer food and water often but don't let them eat or drink too much, upsets there tummy
Sedative are always an option (not something I would use personally), use caution
Traveling to the US will require proof of up-to-date vaccinations (rabies in particular)
Make sure your pet wears ID at all times, microchipping should also be used

Just some interesting information in case you're thinking of traveling anywhere before our summer comes to an end!

Here's hoping the heat sticks around for more than a couple of days!

Mrs. Big Nate and The CHS Dog Jog

2010-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

It's already over two months since the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) held their 10th Annual Dog Jog. For the second year in a row, my wife, Mrs. Big Nate registered as a supporter for this worthy cause.

The CHS reports that this year's event held on June 5th at Fish Creek Park, had over 600 participants and raised a whopping $130,093! Not bad for being such a miserable day for weather to boot.

The first time Mrs. Nate registered was at last year's event where she raised a cool $600 as a fundraising individual. After the jog was over, they announced who the top fundraisers were. Third prize went to a person who raised $700. We weren't even expecting to come close to third but were very surprised to learn that Mrs. Big Nate was only $100+ off from making third place. Either way, it was fun and it was worth the time and effort to help Calgary's top pet rescue.

When Mrs. Nate got the email this year telling us about the 2010 Dog Jog, she was immediately on a mission! She was not only going to register again but was going to go for the #1 spot as Top Fundraising Individual too. This person is the one who raises the most money in donations as a single participant. She was not registered as a business or as a team. She started her campaign right away and began hitting up friends, family and co-workers for anything they would be willing to give.

CHS offered participant donation pages on their website. Participants would have their own donation page with pictures and a story. I immediately created this for her and every now and then, she would share this link on her Facebook updates. It was incredible to witness how giving our friends and family really are! Of course Poooh Busters was the biggest donor for her campaign, we donated $250 on behalf Mrs. Big Nate. Thank you Roland and Erin for that! Also Mrs. Nate would like to thank everyone who made a donation, it was really a heartwarming experience to see such generosity.

So how much did she raise? It's actually hard to determine an accurate number. There were so many things that happened causing the numbers to be mangled. All the cash donations were entered twice, once by me and once by the Dog Jog donation committee. Also there were two or three donations made on her page that never got added to her total. Either way, Mrs. Big Nate raised approx. $1700 for this year's Dog Jog! That's more than $500 above last year's top fundraiser!

So the pets and people that benefit from these donations must be thanking Mrs. Nate for her hard work and effort. I know I'm thankful for her each and every day.

It's Not Just About The Dogs!

2010-08-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

I know we spend a lot of time talking about dogs. We take pictures of dogs, we write about dogs, we shop for our dogs, we walk them and play with them. In fact as a society, in general we are crazy about dogs! We'll even pay someone to come to our yards on a weekly basis, pick up the doggy doo and take it away. Thank goodness!

Anyway, my point is that dogs aren't the only pets out there. People love all kinds of animals and want to take care of them in their homes and as a part of their families. Cats, fish, rodents, reptiles, and even miniature, Pot Bellied Pigs!

But I'm here to talk about Birds. Yes, Birds!

Hands up. How many of you have ever had a bird as a pet? Come on, let's see those hands. Personally, I used to own several White Doves. Long ago, I was a children's magician and performed my shows using live doves and a rabbit.

As a former guardian of birds, I know what is it like to care for birds and how much work it can really be. I truly believe you have to be a special person to care for a bird and keep it as a member of your family. Dogs and cats need lots of work too, don't get me wrong but birds need a different type of energy than other pets.

A great friend and supporter of Poooh Busters approached me about having us sponsor a fundraiser event for an organization called Birdline Parrot Rescue. My first thought was probably the same as yours now...but Poooh Busters is a dog service, we have nothing to do with birds! But you know what? We love all pets and we care that all animals in the world get a good and loving home. So with the Team's agreement we decided to do our part for the parrots out there. Poooh Busters is sponsoring the 1st Annual Birdline Canada Ltd. BBQ Fundraiser! Please check it out on their Facebook events page. It's a real easy and an inexpensive way to help a worthy cause. Just show up to the Whitehorn Community Centre in NE Calgary on August 21, 2010 and drop off a bag of bottles, in return you'll get a burger, chips and a pop! Or if you have no bottles to donate, just purchase the ole' burger combo for a mere $5.00. That's it! What could be cheaper or easier?

I've never really paid much attention to the "bird side" of the pet industry but it's astounding how much is really going on out there when you start looking! First I checked the Birdline Parrot Rescue website for some quick info, they have an extensive site with tons of articles, info on adoption, rescue, health and nutrition and more. This site lead me to the Avian Welfare Resource Centre, these folks talk about conservation and legislation among many, many other things. From there I did some Googling and the results were just crazy! Just type in "Bird Rescue Canada" and you'll see the resources for Canada alone is astounding!

So we decided, birds (Parrots especially) need to be recognized too. After all, Poooh Busters is not just part of the dog industry, we are a part of the pet industry.

Maybe together, we can help make this world a better place for all pets, no matter what their species!

I haven't met a Labradoodle I didn't like!

2010-07-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

I came across this blog on the dogasaur.com website. I always wondered where the Labradoodle came from. I had never heard of the cross breed until my parent's-in-law bought a brother/sister pair, Cole and Lucy. They're are black in colour, large in size and they love to play. They are extremely friendly and maybe a bit hyper. Other than that, these dogs are awesome!

The creator of the popular labradoodle wonders if he was barking up the wrong tree when he came up with the idea for the world’s first designer dog.

The 81-year-old Australian man says he’s not sure he made the right decision to cross a poodle with a Labrador retriever back in the late 1980s. Since then, designer mixed-breed dogs have proliferated, giving pet owners the choice among groodles, snoodles and spoodles, among others.

”Today I am internationally credited as the first person to breed the labradoodle,” 81-year-old Australian resident Wally Conran told The Australian. “But I wonder, in my retirement, whether we bred a designer dog - or a disaster.”

While working for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia in the early 1980s, Conran was contacted by a vision-impaired woman in Hawaii. She needed an allergy-free guide dog since her husband had allergies to dogs. Though no breed is completely hypoallergenic, Conran decided to try crossing a poodle with a lab. Once he found a trainable poodle with a good temperament, he mated it to the lab and three puppies were born. The vision-impaired woman’s husband learned that just one puppy was allergy free.

The new crossbred dog was a good fit for allergy sufferers who were vision-impaired, but the world’s first designer dog didn’t really catch on until Conran came up with a great marketing idea.

“I decided to stop mentioning the word crossbreed and introduced the term ‘labradoodle’ instead to describe my new allergy-free guide-dog pups,” he wrote.

The name caught on and interest in the labradoodle soared, but he began to worry about “backyard breeders producing supposedly allergy-free dogs for profit,” Conran wrote. He felt that he had opened up a Pandora’s box.

“Were breeders bothering to check their sires and bitches for hereditary faults, or were they simply caught up in delivering to hungry customers the next status symbol?” he wrote.

And, Conran added, “It’s not something I’m proud of. I wish I could turn the clock back.”

The Big Switch - Part Four

2010-07-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Wow! Can it really be Day 22 of the Big Switch to a raw food diet?

I've been a little behind in my updates and I apologize to anyone who was anxiously awaiting this next chapter but I have to say I was more than a little disappointed when I weighed all four animals in at Day 14 and discovered not one had lost a single pound!

I titled this series of blogs "Oscar and Goo's Weight Loss" but I think it's probably a good idea to take away such expectations (from myself as well as the kids) and rename these updates with a more appropriate title. After all this is about a lifestyle change, a switch to raw food, not just plain old weight loss. Yes? It has been a big adjustment for everyone!

So over the past week I have stopped concentrating on the "diet" aspect of this raw food diet and more on just getting into a routine and learning more about what the pets like and dislike, portion sizes and supplements. My goal now is to get them to actually like and want their dinners instead of having to bribe them to eat it.

I'd say we've reached that goal and just in the past three days or so! It seems only the past few days now both dogs and both cats really dig into their meals, virtually no coaxing or hesitation occurs anymore. A big bonus! I'm finally getting to the point where I think I'm prepping the food much better. At first it was quite mushy and probably was an undesirable texture for the palet.

I'll continue to plug along and and the dogs and cats will keep eating until eventually it will be just like we were doing it all along. Maybe I'll try another weigh-in again in the next couple of weeks. Next blog I'll talk about the various supplements and oils that we have been trying out.

I also wanted to talk about a product I picked up from Tail Blazers in Copperfield. We were complaining to Holly about the dogs wrecking our lawn with their urine even though they get walked twice a day. She threw down this small paper bag marked "Dog Rocks". Basically it's a certain type of rock that you simply place in your dog's water dish and the minerals these rocks release into the water they drink help neutralize the chemical in the dog's urine that ruins grass. In fact, it actually does the opposite, now it seems your dogs will be fertilizing it! So for under $20, we picked up a package and promptly placed it in their water bowl. We've been using it over a week now and I'm just starting to see evidence of where the grass grows a little longer and little greener in spots. I'll take some pictures and post them, I think this product really works! I can't wait till we've been using about a month and see the real results of no crappy brown spots dotting the landscape!

Visit their website for more info!

Poooh Busters Blog: Oscar & Mr. Goo's Weight Loss Diary - Part Three

2010-06-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well here we are on day ten!

I am happy to report that things have been going very well. All the animals have settled into their new feeding routine and we have started to broaden their horizons.

On the last blog I weighed all our pets in. Mr. Goo coming in as the heavy-weight champion of the world with an astounding 25lbs! This coming weekend on July 4th I will weigh them again to see if anyone has lost a pound or two over the last two weeks of being on their new, raw food diet. Mrs. Big Nate and I have noticed that Oscar seems to have dropped an inch around his chubby, little waist. I can't wait to see if he has indeed lost weight!

We purchased two Wizzer Belly Bands from Pawhaus Pet Boutique a couple of months ago. These are cloth bands that wrap around Oscar's waist to cover his "willy" and keeps him from peeing in the house. These are a godsend! Since we have been using them, we find very little "markings" around the house (only when forget to put them on him). We had originally ordered a small size thinking Oscar is a small dog. We got the Belly Bands and discovered our "little" Oscar was a large size, not a small! So Amanda from Pawhaus was kind enough to exchange them for larges. We just couldn't believe Oscar was a large! Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because lately we found Oscar's Belly Band has fallen off sometime through the night. He must be losing weight because we can't tighten the bands any further to keep them on him. Very excited about this!

So back to the food. Last Sunday we ran out of our original supply of raw food including any samples Holly was kind enough to send home with us. So we visited Holly's store and really stocked up this time. We picked up 8 boxes of various types of meat for both the dogs and cats. The nice thing about Tail Blazers is they give you discounts when you buy more. We have found the animals like Urban Carnivore. The meat comes in easy-to-measure patties of various types of meat.

The girls at the store were also knowledgable enough to suggest a good poweder supplement for the dog's food. It has all kinds of great vitamins to help them get more nutrition from their meals. We also picked up bottle of fish oil to add in as well. This helps with digestion and a few other things too. (I think, Holly can correct me if I'm off here).

A few things I have noticed along the way:

Nobody seems to enjoy the beef much. The cats especially love the poutry types (chicken and turkey). Both the cats and the dogs just turn their nose up at the beef for a while and then eventually tackle it. I usually have to put a little extra "enticer" in to get them to eat.

The dogs are now always hungry. They hover over the cats while they eat hoping to get some leftovers if they walk away without eating the entire dinner. We need to look into what to do about making them feel fuller. I remember Holly suggested adding fibre to their meals, I hope this helps.

The dog's pooops are smaller, darker and harder. It's almost like they're "using" what they are eating more, creating less waste. This is something Poooh Busters could either love or hate! The pooops are easier to pick up but less pooop means bad things for us! LOL

The cats are shedding like crazy! Holly said this could happen as they "detox".

The cost so far has been comparable to what we would have spent for dry food from our vet clinic. We certainly spend more on the food from the vet than from a grocery store or large pet store chain. So for us, the switch to raw food has not been a burden on our pocketbook.

To wrap up, I look forward to blogging again after the weekend to update everyone on the weight of our four subjects.

Thank you for visiting and reading, see you next time!

Oscar & Mr. Goo's Weight Loss Diary - Part Two

2010-06-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well here we are on day three! It is going very well actually, much smoother than we had expected.

The feeding routine is as follows:

The cats get fed twice a day, once in the morning before work and once again around 5:00 after work. The dogs get fed once a day, usually around the same time as the cat's dinner time. So everyone is eating around 5:00 all at the same time.

Day One

The morning of the first day was pretty much a wash, the cats wouldn't touch their breakfast. We left the untouched bowls out all day while we were at work. To our surprise, upon our arrival at home, we found the food was all gone. Not sure if the cats or the dogs ate it.

At dinner time all the animals decided to turn their noses up at the raw food. This was the dog's first exposure to this strange, new meat. To entice them, we added a little bit of kibble in hopes they might just give it a taster. The note that Holly Montgomery from Tail Blazers wrote states we are not to mix dry in with the meat. The simple fact is that the meat digests much quicker than the dry kibble. This causes digestion problems such as gas and indigestion. We weren't sure what to do to get them to eat so we broke this rule right off the bat. It didn't matter either way, they just picked out the dry and left the meat behind. We left the food out for most of the evening but neither of the dogs touched it. I picked up the remainder and put it in the fridge to try again the next day.

The cats didn't touch their dinner either so we added a half can of the Fancy Feast we usually mix with their kibble. This worked beautifully! They ate about half each and walked away. All in all not too bad for the very first day.

Day Two

On day two, things went a little better. Again I added a half can of Fancy Feast to help with the transition. Mr. Goo was probably starving at this point (he is always hungry!) so he gave it his best shot. He got through about half and said that was enough for this morning. Chloe ate some too but threw it all back up and then walked away.

In the evening, we had no trouble with the cats eating their dinner. This time they ate most of it and happily Chloe kept her food down. The dogs again did not really want to eat. We discovered Oscar with his short snout was having trouble picking up the bits of meat so Mrs. Big Nate thought it would be easier for Oscar if we put his dinner on a nice, flat plate. He ate most of his after adding just a little bit of cheese to further entice them both. This also seemed to help Mojo as he actually ate three or four bites before giving up. Mojo is picky at the best of times, he was the one we were worried about most.

Day Three

I'm happy report that this was the day of turn around! The cats pretty much ate all their meals before I left for work in the morning. I think were getting pretty hungry by this point and just wanted to eat something, anything!

When we got home, we fed the entire clan all at the same time. It was like someone turned on a switch or something! All four animals pretty much devoured their meals. We are still adding little enticers to help with the transition but I will start cutting those in half as of day four.

We couldn't be happier with how things have gone so far and I can't wait to start seeing some of the positive side effects that come with this new diet. Namely of course, weight loss!

Here's the stats:

Mojo - Age: 5 - 15lbs (Goal: 13lbs)

Oscar - Age 4 - 19lbs (Goal: 12lbs)

Chloe - Age 1 - 9 lbs (Goal: Maintain Current Weight)

Mr. Goo - Age 9 - 25lbs (Goal: 15lbs)

Oscar & Mr. Goo's Weight Loss Diary - Part One

2010-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

It seems that not only us humans struggle with the never-ending battle of the bulge. Our pets are dealing with this issue everyday too.

Pet obesity is a major health concern. Overweight pets suffer more physical ailments and do not live as long as animals of recommended weight. Obesity often reduces a pet's enjoyment of life. An estimated 25-40% of dogs in the United States are obese. Pet obesity is not an issue involving dogs alone, cats and all domestic pets are at risk from this potentially fatal condition. I wasn't able to find a decent statistic for Canada but I think we can safely assume our overweight pet population is roughly the same as in the States.

Being in the pet industry I get to know a lot of different people with a lot of different opinions. Vets have a completely different view of what a pet should eat compared to dog food reps setting up displays in your local , large pet store chain.

I am very fortunate to have come across an excellent source of information on what a pet should consume to be healthy and to maintain a proper weight. I met Holly Montgomery after becoming involved with Poooh Busters. Holly owns and operates Tail Blazers in Copperfield, SE Calgary. Tail Blazers, "Health Food Store For Pets", is a store where pet guardians can find only wholesome, healthy food and treats, a wide variety of supplements, accessories, knowledgeable staff and lots more!

This store, especially Holly's store has an extremely welcoming and warm atmosphere. It's almost like walking into a store in the middle a very small town. It's casual, fun and very personal. Holly knows many of her customers and their pets by name. She knows what they are there to buy and offers up her expert advice on all things related to raising a well fed, healthy dog or cat.

Mrs. Big Nate and I own four pets. Two dogs and two cats. One dog, Oscar is overweight and one cat, Mr. Goo is what I would call obese! The other two animals are of a healthy weight, which in itself is weird. How can two animals be fat and the other two be fine? They all eat the same things and pretty much the same amounts.

Well, I thought it was about time to use Holly's knowledge and products as a resource to resolve the overweight issues Oscar and Goo are experiencing.

So what is Holly's suggestion to get a fat pet on its way to a lean body?

A Raw Food Diet!

I've heard about raw food from several different sources and even did some research on it over the internet. As always there are arguments for and against the feeding of raw food. So what better way to test this science than by performing my own little experiment. Subjects? Oscar the Japanese Chin dog and Mr. Goo the Long Haired, Blue-eyed Burmese cat!

So the over the next few months I will be blogging our progress and experience. Please be sure to follow along, and you might learn a little something along the way. I sure hope to!

On my next blog, I will weigh in both pets and talk about our first few days of transistioning our pets to their new diet. Stay tuned, it should be interesting to say the least!

Common Dog Behaviour Problems

2010-06-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Another great article from our friends at Dogster...

If you've obedience trained your dog, you have a pooch who is a good listener and a savvy learner. But some dog problems and behaviors cannot be solved with the basic commands such as "Sit!" and "Come!" And a dog who follows every command during a training session can still have behavioral problems.

When the peace and quiet of the home hearth is suddenly disrupted by your dog's bad behavior, it's not time to get frustrated and lament how this can be. You may ask why they didn't cover digging in obedience class or excessive barking or shoe chewing. But you can find the answers to these mishaps right here.
The first step is to analyze the destructive behavior by asking yourself a few questions:

What - What exactly is he doing?

When - When did this behavior start? Does this behavior occur at a certain time of day or during the week?

Where - Has there been any change in my dog's environment, big or small? Does it always occur in a certain room or outside or in a new space?

How Often - Is the behavior consistent or does your dog just misbehave when something is different, such as having guests over?

Why - An analysis of these questions will give you a "why."

Consider ruling out an illness before you begin your strategy. Any significant change in a dog's behavior warrants a visit to the vet. Look at the time the behavior started and tie that into any possible change. Change means something big like a newborn or something small like a change in your dog's routine. If the behavior occurs at a specific time each day, consider what goes on during that time - is it when you leave the house or come in? Or is it when the trash truck comes? Also, consider your dog's environment where it occurs - has there been a rearrangement of the furniture in the living room? Or new sod in the backyard?

Keep notes about the time, place, and activity going on when your dog misbehaves and follow these tips to correct the behavior.

Digging

What - If your dog is digging small holes, it's not a huge problem. If he's digging a crater in your yard, something must be done.

Why - Dogs dig for many reasons. Some dig when they're bored, some dig to bury things, some dig to create a sort of den for themselves, some dig to try to get out and some dig to follow a smell.
Where - Does your dog only dig near the fence? Then he is likely trying to escape? Near the trashcan? Then he's following a scent.

When - If your dog is digging when the sun is high, he's likely trying to cool off.

The Solution: Determine what is going on in your dog's environment outside. If he's reacting to noise or heat or the neighbor's cat slinking into the yard, bring him inside. To cure those who bury things, do not leave any toys or bones out with your dog. To keep a dog from digging to get out, place patio stones along the fence. And to thwart a scenthound, cover areas in cedar to distract his nose.

Barking

What - A few warning barks should not be curbed by a dog owner, However, excessive barking must be stopped.

Why - Dogs bark mostly to warn their humans of some danger. A dog may also bark in response to another dog or a sound such as a siren.

Where - Barking inside bursts your eardrums, outside bursts your neighbors'.

When - If a dog only barks at a certain time of the day, it is likely a sound outside.

The Solution: Unfortunately, we don't have much control over our outside environment. There are a few humane tools we can use, though - the Citronella Collar and the Ultrasound Anti-Barker. Both of these are harmless and can deter barking.

Chewing

What - No chewing of human items is acceptable.

Why - Your dog may be bored or he may be lured by the new pair of boots you bought.

Where - If your dog only chews on things in the kitchen, it may be that those objects are particularly desirable to him. If he runs outside with something, He may be more interested in burying it.

When - If your dog chew things while you are away, it actually isn't some sort of revenge. But it is a sign of boredom.

The Solution: the easiest thing to do is to put everything away. It will mean a more organized house for you and less temptation for your dog. You can spray items with a deterrent such as Bitter Apple or switch his focus from the bad item to a toy. Always leave him durable chew toys when you leave the house.

Jumping

What - No jumping should be allowed.

Why - Dogs jump on people to get attention and/or to assert dominance.

Where - If your dog only jumps on people at the door, it is likely both a greeting and a way of showing who is in charge. If your dog jumps up on people in someplace like the kitchen, it is likely to get that bit of chicken off their chin.

When - Perhaps your dog is not a jumper except when he goes out for a walk. Or maybe he jumps on you only when you wear a hat.

The Solution: The best command to use when a dog jumps on you is "Off!". As you say the command in a firm voice, gently raise your knee into a larger dog's chest or gently move a smaller dog away with your foot. Make your dog sit and reward him. To stop jumping on other people, make your dog "Sit!" and "Stay!" away from the door when guests come in. Have a lead on him so you can easily correct any movement. Another tip is to spray your dog with water when he jumps or use a loud noise to distract him. The key is to firmly remind him that you are the alpha.

Many of dogs' behavioral problems stem from something we do or some change in the environment. Perhaps you didn't know that being a dog owner can also mean being a detective and the code you're deciphering is your dog's mind. But with a little detecting, you can solve your dog's problems easily.

Attack Cat?

2010-05-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

The following story reminded me of the time our two cats cornered my sister-in-law's Chow. Dutchess the Chow is a pretty happy go lucky type of dog who is a bit hyper. When she comes over she bolts in the door and proceeds to run all over the house checking every room. Dutchess sometimes doesn't know when to back off when it comes to cats warning her to stay away.

We had two cats, both who have left our world, Sneaky and Monster. Well they got tired of her abrasive ways and decided to show her that cats rule and dogs drool. Dutchess came running in the house in her usual way and proceeded to our spare bedroom. Both Sneaky and Monster happened to be in there. We wondered all of a sudden where Dutchess was so I went looking for her. There she was backed into a corner with both cats stalking her like prey. They weren't going to let her out and it almost seemed like if I didn't walk in at that moment, they were going attack her! It was a sight, two small cats intimidating a good sized Chow.

This story is from Dogster's blog...

When a dog attacks a cat, it’s not news. But when a cat attacks a dog, it can be. Especially when it happens on a school playground with lots of children around. And especially when the dog is smaller than the cat.

It seems Rosie the Cat was hanging out at a local primary school’s yard in Cruden Bay, Scotland, as she loves to do. The children give her lots of attention, and she enjoys playing with them, according to the Evening Express.

Then a hapless Yorkshire terrier wandered into the cat’s “territory,” and Rosie apparently attacked him. Reports don’t say if the dog was hurt. It seems the dog was probably more frightened (and perhaps embarrassed).

Rosie’s owner, Angela Blanchard, had no idea her cat had been having a hissy fit at a canine when she got a personal visit from an officer from the Scottish SPCA. The officer told her about the incident, and said it’s under investigation.

Blanchard says Rosie does not, indeed, like dogs. “Rosie’s a lovely little family cat, she is very placid, but I suppose she could attack a dog,” she said.

She told the Evening Express it was “ridiculous” that someone reported her cat to authorities instead of coming right to her.

“What bothers me is that he now has to go away and file a report on this incident. The whole thing has been a waste of the Scottish SPCA’s time and money. They do an important and difficult job, and they could do without calls about a cat supposedly attacking a dog,” she said.

Jamaica's State of Emergency

2010-05-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Can you beleive what is going on in Jamaica's capital city of Kingston right now?

I know this has nothing to do with dogs or pets but Mrs. Big Nate and I just returned from our vacation in Jamaica. The whole thing started while we were there!

The country is rising up against the government to support gang leader and drug lord, Christopher Coke. The country’s prime minister, Bruce Golding, announced that the authorities wanted to arrest the gang leader, after a series of coordinated attacks were carried out on police stations in areas of Kingston. In response, the prime minister put troops on the streets and declared a state of emergency in Tivoli Gardens, the west Kingston neighborhood, or “garrison,” loyal to Mr. Coke, who is commonly known as Dudus, and his Shower Posse gang. Apparently this guy was a former political ally!

Anyway, I would suggest staying away from Jamaica for a whille till things settle down a bit. Other than that, we had an awesome vacation and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get away and relax on the beach.

Back to our dog's life now!

May Newsletter and Poooper of the Month

2010-05-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Happy May 2010 Everyone!

With the exception of high winds, blasts of rain, dumps of snow and all around crappy, Calgary weather, I think it's safe to say Spring has arrived in our fair city. The Calgary weather has been sketchy at best. And of course as I write these words there is talk of more snow on it's way.

So again I want to warn our loyal customers that we may end up having to skip the odd day here and there as the weather just won't cooperate enough for us to do a decent job of scooping the poop!

If that happens, we promise to keep you up to date by posting route changes or cancellations on our Twitter feed. The Twitter feed then updates the news on our website's home page in real time. If you don't have a Twitter account, just go the Poooh Busters website you can see the updates right there. If you do have a Twitter account, be sure to follow our Tweets and have them delievered to your cell phone. That way you get the updates immediately! I love this about Twitter. If you use it right, it can be a great way to keep up on things as they happen.

Anyway, the reason for today's blog is to update you fine folks on the fact that our May Poooper of the Month has been posted and our May Newsletter is complete. So be sure to check these things out at your leisure and enjoy all the glory that Poooh Busters brings to your life.

Seriously, where would you be without us?

Join Us At Tail Blazers!

2010-04-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to be a part of Tail Blazers' Customer Appreciation Day! When is it you ask? Why it's tomorrow, Saturday, May 1st!

Twice a year the folks at Tail Blazers Health Food Store For Pets host a customer appreciation day where they show their true appreciation for their patrons. There are so many great things a person who visits Tail Blazers on this day can take advantage of.

Awesome deals, great prizes and fantastic giveaways!

Not only that, yours truly, Big Nate will be at the Tail Blazers Copperfield location from Noon to 2:00 p.m. handing out Poooh Busters flyers and fridge magnets.

We have also offered up some of our own coupons for the Tail Blazers grab bags. These little gems will be handed out to first 30 customers that arrive at each of their seven locations. We are offering 50% off our 12 week package. So if you show up early, you'll get a bag with our coupon and many other great deals inside!

Also if you sign up for Tail Blazer's e-Newsletter, you'll automatically be entered in their prize draw for many great prizes too. Poooh Busters is giving away 12 weeks service free to one lucky winner!

If you want full details, be sure to visit the Tail Blazers Events Page

See you tomorrow at the Copperfield Tail Blazers!

Dog Friendly Gardens

2010-04-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Cheryl S. Smith enjoys beautiful dogs AND a beautiful garden. You can, too, if you know what to do.

Poooh Busters, Poooh Busters, how does your garden grow? If you’re like many dog owners, it might not grow at all, thanks to a certain furry best friend who uses the lawn or garden for a urinal or a digging pit. But there’s hope! Dog writer Cheryl S. Smith, author of Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs, is here to help you with some of the most-common questions and concerns of people who have dogs and gardens. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You just have to have some of her wisdom — or her book — in your pocket.

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Dog-Friendly Garden Tips
By Cheryl S. Smith
When dog people talk about dogs and gardens, a few topics usually arise. Though my book Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs covers garden design with dogs in mind, breed considerations, fencing, training, products to use, plants to avoid, and more, when I’m out speaking, these are the most-asked questions.

Q: How can I keep my dog from making brown spots in my lawn?

A: This one often comes combined with a variety of myths, such as it’s only girl-dogs because their urine is more acidic or if I feed my dog tomato juice (or baking soda or other ill-advised items), it will neutralize the acid.

So, first, the culprit isn’t “acid,” it’s nitrogen. A high concentration of nitrogen, as is found in normal urine, burns the patch of lawn. Because female dogs tend to pee in one place and male dogs tend to mark, and thus spread their urine out more, females may have a greater impact.
In lesser quantities, nitrogen is an excellent fertilizer. So one thing you could do is apply water wherever your dog urinates. The end result will be that the patches of lawn that have been peed on and watered may actually be greener than the rest of the lawn. A researcher actually looked into this and determined that you could apply water as much as 6 or 8 hours after the fact and still effectively dilute the nitrogen.

Of course, that means you either need to know where the dog urinated or you have to water the entire lawn each day. A more practical solution may be to train your dog to use a specific potty area. If you’re starting with a new puppy, it just means going to the same location every time you take the puppy out to do his or her business, rather than wandering around the yard. If your dog is already housetrained, it would require the additional work of re-training to your chosen spot.
Also note that those brown spots may not be your dog’s fault at all. There is a fungal disease called fairy ring that looks amazingly similar to canine urine-created brown spots.

Q: I’ve hard that snail and slug bait shouldn’t be used around dogs, but I’m losing all my plantings to those slimy little creatures. What can I do?

A: Take heart, there is help. Traditional snail/slug baits include metaldehyde, which is extremely toxic. Hundreds of dogs die from metaldehyde poisoning every year. These products should never be used in any area accessible to dogs.

Several years ago a marvelous new product arrived. Based on iron phosphate, the product has no toxic effects on mammals or birds, even if eaten. But snails and slugs are attracted to it, and sicken and die once they consume it. The original manufacturer and product are Monterey Lawn and Garden Products and SluggoTM. Other companies now produce similar products, but I remain loyal to Sluggo in appreciation for Monterey Lawn and Garden bringing this life-saving product to us. You can’t have a more slug-friendly environment than a shady garden in the Pacific Northwest, and Sluggo has proven to be very effective.

You can find a variety of nontoxic products if you look for them. Insecticidal soaps and neem can be effective against insect pests. Lots of natural fertilizers are available. Check out Monterey Lawn and Garden, Sterling International, and Naturally Scientific, or ask your local nurseryperson for nontoxic solutions to your garden needs.

Q: I don’t mind a few brown spots on the lawn, but my dog is digging craters all over my landscape. Help!

A: Some breeds – terriers and Dachshunds – were designed to dig. At one time it was their job to find and kill vermin who often lived underground. Other dogs dig as a recreational activity, or to create a cool spot to lie down. Trying to stop the digging is extremely frustrating for both the human and the dog, and can lead to even less acceptable activities, such as barking constantly. Most digging problems can be resolved by providing your dog with an approved digging location. A digging pit for diggy dogs can save your garden.

You can just choose a patch of ground to let your dog dig, or you can create an actual digging pit. The one in the photograph was created out of leftover decking lumber. It is filled with a mix of sand and dirt, to keep it lose and well-drained.

To entice a dog to dig where you choose, bury some toys and treats. Go outside with your dog, run to the digging pit, dig up a treat yourself, and give it to the dog. Scratch in the dirt and encourage the dog to join in. Play with a toy after digging it up.

Keep this up for a couple of weeks. Don’t let your dog out in the yard unsupervised (this isn’t a good idea anyway). If he or she starts to dig anywhere else, run to the digging pit and entice the dog to you. Reward with a treat or play with a toy. After repetition, the dog will get the idea that this is the most rewarding place to dig, and will start making the correct choice.

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Cheryl S. Smith is an award-winning writer widely known for her dog books and articles. Click here to learn more about Cheryl, her projects, and her dogs. She also has a blog, Dogs in Society, and is an Examiner who writes about travel and events for Washington’s Olympic Peninsula visitors with dogs.

Tail Blazers Customer Appreciation Day

2010-04-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to support and be a part of a local business' effort to show appreciation to the very people who made them successful. Their customers!

Tail Blazers Health Food Store for Pets is hosting their Customer Appreciation Day on May 1, 2010. It will last all day and holds many fun events and prizes for anyone who pops in throughout the day to any of their stores.

In fact, Poooh Busters has made a few contributions to help make their day a success. We have provided 50% off coupons for the first 30 customers to arrive at any of their Calgary stores. If you are one of the first 30 to show up that day, Poooh Busters will provide 12 weeks of service for half price! It doesn't get much cheaper than that to start in on a weekly service of pet waste removal!

Also we have provided a draw prize of 12 weeks free service to one lucky person who wins the draw. In order to be in the draw, you have to sign up for Tail Blazers' e-Newsletter. If you sign up on or efore May 1st, you're entered to win many, many prizes including our 12 weeks free!

In order to get up close and personal with all the fun activities, I will be at the Copperfield location from Noon - 2:00pm handing our brochures and fridge magnets. So be sure to come on down and say hi. I'd love to meet your dogs too!

So, please keep on supporting local, small business in this wonderful pet industry of ours. Nothing says you care more about pets than supporting local business and pet suppliers that don't make it their business to sell animals raised in puppy mills for pure profit!

See you on May 1st!

Who Is Really Responsible For Puppy Mills?

2010-04-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the intensity of this rant...

As dog lovers, we must all, surely, feel a massive twang of pity and regret when we think of those puppies who have been bred for profit by breeders who are interested only in how to produce maximum volume of ’stock’ with scant regard for the welfare, health or temperament of the animals they churn out month by month, year by year.

Puppy mills and backyard breeders are alive kicking. But how? Buy why?

Pet stores, the internet and the people who buy from them!

Puppy farmers aren't the ONLY ones to blame for misery. The people who willingly dig in to their pockets and get their wallets out to hand over cash to the cynical puppies-for-profit breeders. Puppy mills and the pet stores that buy from them couldn’t care less about the fundamental principles of breeding good, healthy, and well balanced dogs.

The puppy farmer only exists because people keep giving them money. In all the coverage given to the puppy farming debate, have we missed the most obvious of points! If people simply stopped fuelling this trade, we might actually get somewhere. We can’t legitimately call ourselves a nation of animal lovers while we allow this to happen.

But the fact is, these puppy mills would be a thing of the past if:
1) People refused to buy puppies from pet stores

2) People refused to buy the puppies they see advertised in the free classified ads, newspapers or websites (this mean you Kijiji and Craig's List).

3) People took the time to educate themselves on the responsible way of obtaining a new pet from rescue societies and reputable breeders.

Seriously, if those three things happened – the puppy farmer is left with no business. No trade. No customers. No money. No motivation to keep producing puppies.

So why do people do it? Some of them are misguided, misinformed. OK, I accept that. But even so, in this year, in this day in age with ALL of the wealth of information that exists about how to obtain a dog responsibly, is it REALLY a valid excuse anymore? And for everyone who accidentally, unintentionally winds up putting money in to the pocket of puppy farmers, there’s certainly more folk who do it and who couldn’t really care less either way.

It is an ongoing disgrace that puppy mills are allowed to thrive and prosper in a country where laws, legislation and enforcement of such establishments have never really been properly crafted to a point where they have been forced out of business, whilst the demand exists – the puppy farmer will thrive. If puppy farming is to be defeated, the first point of action needs to be in changing the attitude and behaviour of the people who are buying their puppies pet stores and off the internet.

How can we change this? How do we push for a culture change? It’s going to be hard and I feel it’s going to take something big. Before considering buying a puppy from anywhere but a rescue foundation or a reputable breeder, just remember these things:

just because a litter of puppies is advertised in a ‘legitimate’ publication, it doesn’t mean the puppy has been bred responsibly

just because a litter of puppies is for sale in a pet shop with a licence, it doesn’t mean the puppy has been bred responsibly

just because a litter of puppies has been bred by a ‘licenced breeder’ it doesn’t mean the puppy has been bred responsibly

If we really want to tackle the blight of puppy farming, puppies produced in dank, squalid conditions with profit as the only motive, then we – all of us honest, caring dog owners – need to speak up, speak out and repeat the following mantra:

“If you buy from a pet store, you’re as guilty as the puppy mill. If you don’t have the knowledge to avoid a puppy farmed dog, then you’re not yet ready to own a dog.”

Pet Expo was a success!

2010-03-30T11:46:00.001-07:00

The Expo was a fantastic two days! We met a ton new people, made some great friends and became aware of a lot of great pet rescue foundations.

I think the thing I learned most about attending the Expo this year was the fact that there are so many resuce societys out there. They all are doing their best to make life a little better for som e very unfortunate dogs and cats out there.

There were so many specialized rescues. They specifically resuce certain breeds. There was one for pugs, one for greyhounds, one for pitbulls, one for Beagles and even one for Ferrets! But my favourite one is the Little Mutts Rescue. They specialize in dogs under 30 lbs.

Mrs. Big Nate almost brought home a little dog named Les. We would have picked him up but we felt we need a female dog to add to our pack, we already have two males. Mrs. Big Nate is overwhelmed by boys!

To do our part in helping this organization, we are going to feature one of their rescue's each month in our monthly newsletter. We might even feature Les in the April issue.

So I'll stop beating around the bush and get to what most people want to know. How was the winner of our draw for 26 weeks of free service

Drum roll please...

Our lucky winner is:

Michelle Conkin and family of Whitehorn in NE Calgary! Biscuit is one lucky dog who get to have his yard serviced once a week for six whole months! Congrats to Michelle, family and to Biscuit. Biscuit will be featured as April 2010's Poooper of the Month. Be sure to check out our website to see the lucky winner!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth and entered our draw. For those of you who added a valid email address to their ballots, we would to like send you a show special rate to say thanks for entering.

Until next year, that's it for another Calgary Pet Expo. It was a blast!!

Calgary Pet Expo Coupons

2010-03-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather. Poooh Busters thanks the snow melting gods. We couldn't be busier. I guess it goes to show that dog owners just don't like venturing out into the backyard in the winter to take care of all that doogie pooop!

That's okay, we'll take care of that for you. And if you hire us for weekly service all year round, you won't have to worry about next year's melt.

Anyway, the real reason for this post is to provide everyone with a coupon for the 10th Annual Calgary Pet Expo. It happen next weekend down at the Big Four. We are counting down the days. Actually we have been so busy, we found it's creeping up on us quicker than expected! But we're still ready for it.

See this picture? You all you have to do is "click the pic", when it opens in it's large size on screen, just go "File - Print" or "Ctrl+P". Print that sucker off and get 2 for 1 admission right off the bat!

Courtesy of Poooh Busters and Big Nate...

with much love...

See you there!

10th Annual Calgary Pet Expo

2010-03-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well here we are again. We always know Spring is coming when the Calgary Pet Expo arrives in our fair city. This is always an exciting time for all pet owners and for Poooh Busters!

We just love attending this show and participating as an exhibitor of the Expo. We relish getting out there and meeting everyone face to face. We mingle with our fellow pet industry peers, shake hands with some new friends and meet up with some of our current clients.

The Calgary Pet Expo is now in it's nineth year here. It seems to keep growing with each new show. The venue and booths get bigger, the workshops and presentations increase in value and quality and the attendance certainly grows as well. We've seen it first hand, this will be our fourth year in a row as an exhibitor.

The Pet Expo is a 2-day consumer tradeshow that is open to the public. At the show you will find hundreds of pets, pet products, service providers, entertainers, clubs and organizations that cater to pets.

The show strives to include all types of pets, anything from dogs & cats, to reptiles and other small caged exotics. All of these animals can be seen on-site during the show for you to interact with!

Participate at our Show & Tell Theatre as well as learn about your pet's needs in our Seminar & Lecture theatre. Ongoing throughout the show these areas will be sure to entertain, enlighten and educate you and your whole family! Pet Expo is a consumer show. That means that it is created for the public (that means you!). The retailers, breeders, associations and service providers are there specifically to meet you and answer your questions.

Check out their website for more information. www.petexpos.com

So... When and Where:
Calgary Stampede , Big Four Building, Lower Level
Saturday, March 27, 2010 - 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 11:00am-5:00pm

Be sure to come by and drop your name in our draw. You could win one of three prize draws for 12 weeks free weekly service.

See you there!

Poooh Busters Team at the 2009 Calgary Pet Expo.

Left to right: Sue, Roland, Erin and Big Nate

Sad Day at Poooh Busters

2010-03-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

We truly love our job! We can really say that our hearts are in this, our job. I guess it's easy when you love dogs and all pets as much as we do. There is nothing better than being greeted weekly by some of the friendliest and happy-go-lucky mutts on our routes.

But probably the hardest part of getting to know the dogs in our daily travels is when we hear that these dear friends pass away.

It is with a heavy heart that we are sad to report, one of our very first customers and certainly one of our most favourite dogs since the beginning has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

Jack the Jack Russell Terrier was suddenly taken away from his family the morning of Thursday, March 11, 2010. Jack was seven years old and will be sorrowly missed by his Mom and Dad and certainly by the Poooh Busters team.

Our thoughts are with them in this very hard time. We wish them nothing but peace during this very sorrow-filled time.

Steal the Deal!

2010-03-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

We want you to Steal our Deal!

Poooh Busters is excited to announce that we have joined up with a new website and business marketing concept in Canada called StealtheDeal.com.

Basically, they advertise a Calgary based business for 24 hours who is offering a wicked, awesome deal to anyone who wants to take advantage of it. Usually the deal involves getting a service or product for half price! Yes HALF price!!

Poooh Busters is being feature tomorrow, Saturday, March 6th. We are offering our 12 week service for $50! Normally our 12 week service for one dog is $108. So for anyone wanting to take advantage of this deal, they will save slightly more than 50% of the normal already discounted price!

Please note that this deal is only available to new customers who are signing up for service for the first time. This offer is not available to our existing customers. But we encourage our existing clients to tell their friends and family about the deal and we'll consider that a referral. All existing customers who provide a referral get four weeks service for free! So even though our current clientelle can't take advantage of the Steal the Deal promotion, they can get some free service for referring others to the deal.

We encourage anyone who wants to take advantage of any deals Calgary businesses have to offer, to be sure to visit this site every day and get 50% off of almost anything. Check out the past deals and you'll see the kind of stuff you can save money on.

Be sure to visit StealtheDeal.com tomorrow, Saturday, March 6th to see the Poooh Busters' deal featured.

So what are you waiting for? Visit the site, set up an account and start saving!

We already have!!

Can dogs relax to music?

2010-02-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

I just had to blog this when I saw it! Music created just for dogs to relax by. What will they think of next? Actually after reading the article and watching the video, I'm considering it!

Lisa Spector, concert pianist and graduate of The Juilliard School is co-founder of BioAcoustic Research & Development, where she presided over the groundbreaking music and canine research conducted with 150 dogs. She is the pianist on the Through a Dog’s Ear music series. If you have a dog who could use a little calming at home or in the car, these CDs are for you.

Lisa has won first prizes in prestigious national piano competitions and performs concert tours internationally, so dogs and people lucky enough to hear her music are in for a treat. Click here for a few free downloads and samples of her calming music for dogs.

With her challenging puppy, she started to notice that when she played certain types of classical music, arranged with the same principles that calmed her human students, he would often curl up and take a nap near the piano. This triggered her curiosity – Would the same concepts that were so effective with people also work on dogs? It was 2003 that she first approached Joshua Leeds, a world renowned sound researcher with this idea.

The book Through a Dog’s Ear, written by Joshua Leeds and veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner, states that the process of hearing is the same in humans and dogs, but there are also important differences. Humans hear sounds between 20-20,000 Hz. Dogs hear a much wider frequency range, especially in the higher pitches. Estimates vary from 40,000 Hz all the way up to 55,000 Hz – depending on the breed. Sound is so important to dogs that their ears move constantly, like a radar dish, tuning in to sounds that we can’t even perceive.

Their psychoacoustically-designed classical music has helped dogs with separation anxiety, sound phobias (thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.) nervousness, fear, excitement with visitors, pre- and post-surgery, and even assisted in euthanasia. It is best to first start playing Music to Calm your Canine Companion when your dog is already calm and relaxed. Playing it at bedtime for a few nights is a good idea (and it will also help people fall asleep). Your dog will start associating the music with a sense of calm. If the music can be combined with something the dog already associates as relaxing, such as a massage, or gentle petting, that also helps. Then start playing the music before the anxiety issue is present. If it’s played for separation anxiety, make sure that the music is played at various times when you are home relaxing with your dog, so that he doesn’t learn that the music is always a predictor of you leaving. Then play the music for about 20 minutes before you leave the house and put it on repeat play. Graduating the amount of time that you are gone also helps.

The research on Through a Dog’s Ear, conducted on over 150 dogs, showed that 70% of shelter dogs and 80% of dogs in home environments calmed to the music and lay down. However, since our products have been on the market, even Lisa has been amazed at the stories people share about how helpful the music is and how quickly it works. They donate free CD’s to shelters. Currently 90 shelters in three countries are enrolled. They hear from so many of them how successfully it is working to calm dogs. In addition, trainers leading classes of shy and reactive dogs have been commenting on its effectiveness of calming the dogs and handlers and keeping everyone more focused.

Watch the video, it's really quite amazing!

OMG! This is actually real?

2010-02-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

I've Tweeted a few stories lately about people getting violent when owners don’t clean up their dogs’ poop. There was the California man who shot and killed his neighbor’s dog for using his lawn as a toilet one too many times. And the man who rubbed poop all over a woman’s head because she didn’t clean up after her dog.

I’m sure that the people behind this "PooTrap" product would love to claim that if the dogs’ owners been using PooTrap, none of this would have happened. This video above — a must-watch — is a real-deal commercial. I thought this had to be something from Saturday Night Live, or a YouTube joke, but apparently the number 888-POO-TRAP is confirmed and this is a real product.

If Mojo or Oscar were to wear one of these contraptions, I have no doubt they would spend their entire walk trying to get it off. If they ran across their dog friends, they would surely be humiliated. They would not be a good candidates for the commercial’s “and your pets will love it, too…makes your walking experience fun!” angle.

It’s amazing that some dogs will tolerate this thing dangling from their hindquarters. (One yellow Lab in the commercial appears well equipped to pass his tolerant genes to the next generation…)

I love the PooTrap FAQs on the company’s site. I think maybe the PooTrap people should revisit this page with a good marketing person at their side. FAQs are meant to educate, and to promote a product, not to make people fall out of their chairs with laughter. Here are a few (all grammar and syntax taken directly from the site):

“Why it’s not as easy as your instruction video to put the PooTrap on my dog?” (Now there’s a big surprise! The commercial does promise “It’s easy to install on your dog.” I’ve never “installed” anything on my dog. I install things on my computer or on my walls, but not on my dog.) Partial answer, because the rest of the answer makes little sense: “…if they have any uncomfortable feelings, usually the uncomfortable feelings will be eased after 5 to 10 minutes.”
“I would rather like to pick up poop by myself?” (They provide no answer for this one. Huh.)
“Do you think PooTrap humiliates your dog when wearing the product?” Answer: “Babies wear diapers and they are truly loved by their parents, hence same applied to the dog owners who use our PooTrap do actually truly love their dogs.”
“Can the dog owner use the PooTrap on the dog at all times when walking them out?” (Oh, please say no! Please say take it off as soon as your dog poops! Please?) Answer: “It is not a problem to keep the PooTrap strapped onto your dog during the entire duration of your walk. It will not bother the dog. When a dog is having diarrhea, or if the owner just doesn’t feel like taking the PooTrap off the dog, feel free to keep the PooTrap on the dog.”

I like the ingenuity and the inspiration behind the contraption (never leave even a smear of poop on your lawn or in the park again) is commendable.

But the implementation is enough to have your dog pinching himself and praying he’ll wake up soon.

What do you think? Would you buy one for your dog?

Cesar and the Puppy Mills

2010-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Nate and I watched National Geographic's Inside Puppy Mills last night. It was part of Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer series.

This was truly heartbreaking to watch. Mrs. Big Nate couldn't sit through the awful puppy mill scenes. Cesar was shocked by the team's investigations into the puppy mill trade. I think the worst part for me was hear that these things are actually legal. At least in the United States they are, I'm not sure about the laws here in Canada but I'm sure it happens here regardless of the laws.

They may be legal in the States but the mills do have to follow certain guidelines. Unfortunately many do not even do that much. They still exceed the limits on the number of dogs they are allowed to have. The limit is 100 and some were found to have as many as 400.

The conditions of the dog's living environment were horrible to say the very least and the health of the animals even worse. I just can't begin to tell you how much this bothers me. The worst part is that there are literally thousands of these places throughout the continent causing neglect and abuse to hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats. It's overwhelming to even think about.

Please go to the National Geographic's website and have a peek at the episode info. If this doesn't make people stop buying their puppies from pet stores, nothing will.

Everyone must learn that purchasing those cute little puppies in the window at the pet store are the main cause of this industry. If everyone just stopped buying those animals it might help to make this "business" less profitable and create less demand. If anyone is ever considering a new pet there are hundreds of places to go without supporting puppy mills and the like.

How about trying to help those who are already in desperate need? All of them right here in Calgary!

These are just to name a very few. This doesn't include all the specialty breed rescues, the cat rescues and anything else you could think of.

Mrs. Nate and I purchased Mojo from a farm just north of Calgary. This may have not been the way to go either. We did not know better at that time. We have since rescued Oscar from a rescue society and our cat Chloe from the Humane Society.

I suggest staying away from ads in the Bargain Finder and Kijiji. Definitely stay away from purchasing any pets over the Internet. Selling puppies online is the next big puppy mill marketing strategy!

So after seeing the cruelty in its true form, at the very least I can spread the word through this blog and implore people to never, ever purchase an animal from a pet store or online! In fact, we have chosen to never support any pet store that sells live animals. We choose to buy our pet products from places like Pet Planet and Tailblazers. These are truly responsible, caring businesses that know about the horrors of selling live animals.

The Five Most Common Canine Physical Ailments

2010-01-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

What are the most common dog diseases and health problems?

In 2008, a popular pet health insurance provider (VPI) evaluated this issue and released the following results, listed in order of frequency:

The most common health problems in dogs are:
1. Ear Infections
2. Skin Allergies
3. Pyoderma/Hot Spots
4. Gastritis/Vomiting
5. Enteritis/Diarrhea

Rounding out the top ten in their survey were: urinary tract infections, benign skin tumors, Osteoarthritis, eye inflammation and Hypothyroidism.

These ten dog health problems accounted for nearly .
Not included in VPI's list but other highly prevalent canine health concerns are: parasites (worms, fleas, ticks), Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus ("GDV") - commonly known as bloat, and obesity.

It is recommended that you make a list of these health concerns (the ten in VPI's survey plus parasites, bloat, and obesity) and bring them with you to veterinary appointments. Ask your vet for more information on common dog ailments and symptoms of each.
Preventative care can significantly reduce or eliminate the risk for many of these health problems. Obesity is best avoided by regulated, measured feedings combined with safe and appropriate exercise. Parasites can be prevented by keeping your dog's immune system strong through a carefully chosen, species appropriate diet, by keeping your dog clean and well-groomed, and through the use of preventatives, which include a wide array of products from flea and tick collars to spot on treatments, essential oil blends, and diatomaceous earth. Ear infections can be prevented or significantly reduced in frequency through appropriate and consistent cleaning of the ears.

While all of the mentioned canine health problems can affect a dog of any breed, some tend to appear more frequently in certain breeds and types. Bloat is most frequently seen in dogs with deep chests, and occurs most commonly in Great Danes, followed by Saint Bernards and Weimaraners. Since bloat is a medical emergency and can effect a dog of any breed or mix, it is worth asking your vet about tips for preventing bloat and how to recognize the symptoms in case, despite your best efforts, your dog bloats.

Similarly, ear infections are most common in dogs with floppy ears and appear more rarely in dogs with prick ears. However, any dog can get an ear infection, so it is well worth every dog owner's time to learn the correct method for cleaning ears, to be diligent about keeping a dog's ears clean, and to watch for symptoms of ear infections (shaking of the head, sensitivity about ears being handled, incessant scratching at the ears, etc.).

Also consider your dog's age - older dogs are more likely to bloat and have arthritis. Certain parasites seem to appear more commonly in puppies than in adult dogs.

Certain health problems on the list may increase the risk factor for other canine maladies, creating a veritable domino effect of dog health problems. Skin allergies and flea bites can both contribute to the development of hot spots. Obesity is a contributing factor in the development of arthritis. Hypothyroidism can contribute to obesity and skin problems. Ear infections, if left untreated, can lead to disorientation and vomiting, bloat can make a dog "dry heave." Diarrhea and vomiting can be symptomatic of internal parasites.

External parasites can cause internal parasites (fleas can transmit tapeworms, mosquitoes can transmit heartworm). Additionally, some parasites common to dogs can be transmitted to humans, like hookworms and roundworms.

Some of the health problems on the list (diarrhea, vomiting, urinary tract infection) are also popular reasons for human vet visits. If you suspect your pet has a urinary tract infection (symptoms include: discomfort when urinating, urinating very frequently, blood in urine, excessive water intake), your vet will likely ask you to collect a urine sample from your dog and bring it to your visit for testing. As with humans, a prescription antibiotic is generally advised in the treatment of UTIs.

Just like there can be dozens if not hundreds of reasons for diarrhea and vomiting in humans, there are a variety of reasons these maladies can occur in the family dog. Your dog may have gotten into the garbage and consumed something that did not agree with her, you may have recently changed her food and she is having difficulty adjusting to the new diet, she may have eaten too much, or too rapidly. Dogs can get diarrhea when they are extremely nervous, or vomit due to carsickness. Vomiting and diarrhea are not illnesses; they are symptoms of another problem.

Plan for Wellness: Work closely with your veterinarian to make a plan for total wellness, which should include a high quality, high-meat content diet, sufficient and appropriate exercise, veterinary visits at least once a year, and mental stimulation in the form of training and play. The happiest, healthiest dogs are in good behavioral and physical condition.

Do YOU Know About Kennel Cough?

2010-01-16T05:47:00.000-08:00

As people who are involved heavily in the pet industry here in Calgary we try to stay well informed about what goes on. Sometimes our customers who use our services tell us about their experiences when using another local business to provide them with services that we are unable to provide.

The folks who wrote the following letter are customers of Canine Correction, our sister Dog Training company. We ask that our trainees write us and keep us up to date as to how well their training home work is going and to coach them along between sessions. Tje following is how it was going for them after they had used trhe kennel services at the Stonehaven Kennels.

"I had been wanting to send you an update on Crimson & Indigo but since coming back from our holidays it has been somewhat stressful at home. Both dogs had to be placed in a kennel - Stonehaven, during the Christmas break; I had to scramble to find someone who could take the dogs on short notice - everyone was booked up and every kennel I called said they had been booked for a couple of months or more. Stonehaven had a last minute cancellation and was able to take both the dogs.

So on Christmas Eve I dropped both dogs off at Stonehaven and felt reasonably ok leaving them behind; they gave me all kinds of reassurances and encouraged me to email or call them regularly. Their stay would include their own dog run, indoor/heated kennel and two 1/2 hour walks each day. I gave them enough food for the entire time they would be there - in fact, exactly enough food, along with some treats, their beds, and a few toys. I called a couple of times over the holiday and was told they were both fine, they didn't really eat the first day which was to be expected but otherwise they were settled in and happy to play outside in the snow. When I picked them up the morning of Jan 2 they were both so incredibly excited to see us - super hyper and flying around the round at lightning speed - it was so funny. I couldn't get over the fact they stunk like dirty wet dogs and was surprised at how much food I got back and again asked if they ate regularly; they assured me it was only the first day and that they didn't really want their can food - which is odd, at home it's the opposite.

We got them home and I noticed both dogs had lost some weight which convinced me they clearly did not eat (or weren't fed?) as often as I was told. By Saturday night both dogs fell asleep very early; I just figured they were happy to be home again and settled. Sunday morning Crimson was hard to get going, he seemed like he had very little energy and just wanted to sleep. Then I noticed his nose was dripping - not mucus like but clear and certainly running way more than I thought was normal. By mid-day he was sneezing and his energy levels were going down; Indigo did not display anything like that - until Monday. I stayed home with them on Monday then Tuesday I took them to my vet; they were due for their updated vaccines anyway but before she did she gave them a thorough check. Our vet said they both had a mild form of kennel cough and would probably be down & out for a few days; I had noticed the day before as well that Crimson's eyes had a discharge coming out of both eyes and then that morning it was very noticeable on both dogs - I had to wipe Crimson's eyes a couple of times in the course of an hour that morning. My vet asked me about the kennel and if they had insisted the dogs be vaccinated for kennel cough - no one at Stonehaven Kennels said anything about this and I had no idea what that was, so wasn't aware to ask about it either. Anyway, she didn't give them anything that day but told me to watch them and if they got worse to let her know.

By Thursday they were both definitely worse; all they wanted to do was sleep - no energy, ate very little and the discharge coming from their eyes increased and turned a puss-like colour. They both ended up having bacterial conjunctivitis and since it turned bacterial there was a good chance the viral kennel cough would too, so they were both put on antibiotic eye cream and antibiotics. They are now back to themselves - which is a real relief; I felt awful and extremely pissed off at the folks from Stonehaven. I did call them to let them know - the lady I talked to is the same one who settled up the bill with me when I picked up the dogs and after telling her everything she seemed really nervous to talk to me and quickly passed the phone over to one of the other owners. After telling her what happened she denied any wrong-doing or any connection to her kennel, she went on and on about the ventilation system there, how often the kennels and dog runs are clean and sanitized, and no one else has called her to say there was a problem with their dog or cat.

When I questioned her about ensuring dogs are vaccinated for kennel cough she said there is no point because the vaccination is developed in the states and similarly to the flu vaccine for humans it doesn't cover all strains so there's no guarantee anyway. I told her both my dogs were very healthy when I dropped them off but they both got sick so quickly after leaving there, that tells me they picked up something from that facility and at the very least she should be contacting the other dog owners to alert them there is a possibility their dogs may come down with something.

It's been a tough trying to get back into a routine again and to get them to the point where they were well-behaved during their walks. Times like this its hard not to get so discouraged. I am somewhat frustrated by all the recent events."

So we wanted to bring to everyone's attention and let you know that if you are ever going to take your poooches to a kennel, doggy daycare or any group type setting, it is esstential that you get your dog vaccinated with the Bordetella vacine. This is what prevents Kennel Cough. Mrs. Nate and I used to get this done for Mojo back when we took him to daycare once a week.

Here is an article that helps explain the cause, symptoms and treatment of Kennel Cough.

Be sure to ask your vet about this. And in my opinion, any place that takes dogs into their care should insist that all owners have their dog's shots and vaccinations up-to-date!

Oscar and Mojo's New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Both Oscar and Mojo promise to be better dogs in 2010. Here are their top ten resolutions!

10. Leave the cat's food alone, both before and after the cat eats it.

9. All shaking will be done before entering the house or car, not after.

8. Neither the carpet or mommy and daddy's bed is a towel for cleaning our faces after dinner or to dry ourselves off after being outside in the snow.

7. Just because dead things on the ground smell good doesn't mean I need to roll on them or sniff for extended periods of time delaying our walk.

6. Mommy and daddy's underwear is not food nor is it a toy to play tug o' war with.

5. My parents have an alarm clock, they do not need us to wake them up five minutes before it goes off.

4. Just because the pantry door opens, it does not mean that that daddy is getting a treat for us.

3. I Mojo, promise not to scoot my bum on mommy's carpet whenever my anal glands are bugging me. I will politely ask to go the vet to get them expressed before I resort to this.

2. Other people who happen to be close by on our walks are not imminent threats that I Oscar to need to guard against and attempt to attack as we go by.

1. It is not necessary to seek out the carpet when we are about to vomit. The hardwood should do just fine.

Happy New Year from the Poooh Busters team and Oscar and Mojo!

Lost Dog?

2009-12-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

The other day Mrs. Big Nate and I were sitting at our local Extreme Pita enjoying a Grilled Chicken Pita with Diet Pepsi. Gee...I wish I got paid for these advertisements!

On the announcement board there was a posting with a picture of the cutest puppy. The title of the poster was "Lost Dog". We both gave a little "awww" and immediately started to feel sorry for the poor owners who had lost this little puppy and they probably haven't even owned the dog for very long.

As we read on to get more details, we saw that the dog was not actually lost but was stolen. I can't remember the exact wording but it was something like "taken from outside the 7-11 in Shawnessey". We both looked at each other and started to get angry.

First of all, the dog isn't lost, it was snatched. Furthermore, it was stolen from outside the 7-11! The owners actually brought this puppy with them to the store and left it tied up outside while they went in for Slurpees and a chocloate bar? Nothing make us more angry than seeing a poor dog tied up outside a store. In almost every occasion where we have witnessed this, the poor mutt always appears stressed out and scared.

Think about it, the dog is tied up so it can't escape from this strange place, it's left alone to fend for itself and has no idea why or for how long. There are always tons of peole coming and going. If it is a gas station 7-11, there are cars and trucks rumbling by at very close range.

Strange people and children feel drawn the poor dog and want to go up to it and pet it. The dog is stressed and may not react normally to people and kids approaching it. Now the owner can face trouble that comes along with a dog biting someone on top of it all!

So now I don't feel sorry for the owner who "lost" his dog, I feel mad that they would do this with a puppy no less! Now I feel like they deserved to lose their dog and hope that the person who took him thinks the same and now the dog is in a better home than where it came from.

These are the initial thoughts and feelings we had at the moment but really we do not wish this on anyone. The owners abviously care about the pooch as they took the time to do up flyers and distribute them around the neighbourhood and local businesses.

Let this be a lesson people! Don't bring your dog to the store and leave them tied up and alone while you go in to get your smokes and bon bons!

Oh The Humanity!

2009-12-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

The humanity of it all!

This snow is driving us crazy!

I'm sure your pets aren't much up for these days either. Mrs. Big Nate and I have had some pretty easy days as of late. Mojo and Oscar just don't seem to want to go for walks much lately. Hmmm...I wonder why? Could it be, oh I don't know...SATAN? (Just a little reference to Saturday Night Live's the Church Lady, but I digress).

Anyway, the snow and cold weather is here in full force and making a mess our city streets. This makes it quite difficult for us to get around, even in mid-day! So every once in a while if we are having a particularly hard time of it, we may either miss your service due to the roads being so bad or to the volume of snow that falls. That especially, makes it hard for us to do a proper job of removing that waste from your yard.

Have no fear, you are not being charged for the missed day and we will resume service the very next week or as soon appropriately possible.

We certainly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and your poooches!

We hope everyone is having wonderful time so far this holiday season. Mrs. Nate and I hope to get some skating in at our community rink. The area is so pretty now with all the Christmas lights up.

Please don't hesitate to contact us any time if you have any questions regarding our winter and cold weather service poilcy.

What's the Deal?

2009-11-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be asking, what's the deal? Where have you been? No new blog posts as of late! Well I have been quite busy over the fall season. Not just with Poooh Busters but with Canine Correction, and a few personal projects. Not to mention, losing weight (planned meals and a fitness regime), rescuing a dog and a cat, my Mom's passing and on and on...

I am happy to report that Poooh Busters has in all this, had a stellar year so far. So much has happened in 2009 it's hard to know where to begin. How about a point form list? Apparently, lists are a part of my personality profile.

January 2009

The team started off the year with very bad weather and lots of snow.
We handed out our new complimentary 2009 calendar to our loyal customers.

March 2009

I decide to step forward and become a larger presence on the Poooh Busters Team.
The Team geared up for the annual Calgary Pet Expo.

April 2009

We worked hard at the 2009 Calgary Pet Expo and announced the winner of our pet expo draw for a free year of pet waste removal service.
The field team, Roland and Erin, struggled through more bad weather and snow dumps but provided service with a smile when they could.
I decided to create a blog for the company in order to increase my online presence and as an attempt to keep our customers up-to-date on the happenings of the team.
Mrs. Big Nate and I decide to adopt a rescue dog named Oscar from a crappy and now defunct resue society. Dog good, whole experience, BAD!

May 2009

Me and the Mrs. attend the Humane Society's Annual Dog Jog. We raised over $600 on behalf of the team!

June 2009

I decide to increase the Poooh Busters newsletter from one page to two pages.
The team gets a call from the Federal Government stating that we must now start collecting GST...booo, hisss!
I decide now is the time to get in the online game and create a Twitter account and a Facebook group.
Our family loses our beloved cat, Monster. We still miss her dearly.

August 2009

Poooh Busters launches their first month of collecting GST and becomes a truly recognized, small business.
Roland asks me to start looking into how we can provide enhancements to our website allowing clients to pay online.
My wife and I adopt a little kitten from the Humane Society. Chloe is a handful and we love having her in our family. Well everyone except Mojo.

September 2009

We launch our first crack at online payments through Paypal.ca. It was a bit of a learning curve at first but we found it to be very beneficial to our customers.
Poooh Busters and Canine Correction strike a deal and aquire Pet Ala Mode. This company provides personal dog walking and professional dog sitting services. All business is handled through our company but Caroline provides the service. Welcome aboard Caroline and Cam. Here we GROW again!

October 2009

I worked very hard to set up online payments with a company called BeanStream.com. We were aboe to integrate our site into their payment system so payments are now seamless. No more Paypal in your face! And with that we were also able to implement Interac Online. The only drawback is that it is still very new and not all banks are online with it yet. Currently only BMO, TD, RBC and Scotia participate. If you bank with another company like CIBC or ATB, you're stuck using Visa or Mastercard.

November 2009

The field team buy a new house and move head office to SE Calgary! Roland and Erin are very excited to have purchased a home together and are moving there as I write these words. Congratulations!

Well it has been a very exciting and eventful year so far. Still another 6 weeks to go. We are already planning for the 2010 Pet Expo and we are getting close to producing our complimentary calendars. The calendars feature the Poooper of the Month for each month in 2009. We love this little project and hope everyone finds the calendar fun and useful.

I'm going to try and keep up on my blogs and updates more frequently. So till next time, take care!

No excuse not to spay and neuter your pets!

2009-08-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Alright I have to get on my soapbox today. It was brought to my attention that an incident occurred recently where there are two small dogs living together in the same household. One attacked the other and cause severe damage and injury to the other one. Guess why? At least guess why the onwers though it happened.

They blame it on the fact the attaking dog is a bitch in heat. Something triggered the attack but the root cause is because the bitch is not her normal, tolerant self while in heat. The vicitm dog is fine and recovering nicely but at what cost to his or her mental stability towards the other dog, not to mention to the owners who had pay a hefty sum to their vet to repair the damage and provide mediciations?

What's the lesson here people? Spay and neuter your animals immediately upon receiving them or as soon as safely possible depending on their young age. This incident just another reason to get this responsible act done!

Let's see what other reasons could there possibly be?

1. Health risks with pregnancy and birthing

try watching a birthing video first and see if you still want to go down this road
the mother may need a cesarean section

2. Even one litter sounds like a good idea until considering what adding 12 new puppies to your family really means

you and you alone are responsible for the entire litter
can you guarantee quality home for all the puppies/kittens?
if not are you prepared to own more than one dog/cat afterwards?

3. The cost of the extra veterinary care

check ups, shots, and deworming-for 12 dogs
the puppies may need substantial veterinary care

4. The state of current dog and cat overpopulation epidemic

one female dog and her offspring can produce more than 4,000 offspring in only 7 years.
for cats, that number is more like 400,000
only one puppy or kitten of every nine born will find homes, the rest will likely be euthanized

5. Offers several key health benefits for the animal

spaying your pet before her first estrous cycle, or "heat," greatly reduces her chances of developing breast cancer and eliminates the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers
neutering your male can increase your dog's longetivity; why did Spot cross the road? He loved the ladies on the other side.
80 percent of dogs hit by vehicles every year are unneutered males
testicular cancer and prostate problems commonly afflict unneutered male dogs
neutered males are far less aggressive because they are less territorial (apparently so are female dogs)

There are really not many excuses to not spay your pet. Any shelter and most reputable breeders will require that you agree to have the dog spayed or neutered. Even if your have an older adult dog or cat, it is never too late to spay or neuter. The health benefits decrease the longer you wait, but a little benefit is better than none at all.

So to those who say "it's not natural" or "I want to breed my dog ", I say grab a brain, get realistic and be a responsible pet owner...NOW!

Pardon my venting but I'm quite passionate about this subject and the recent news of this attack has really made me feel the need to get this message out to anyone who will read it.

Taking Online Payments Sooner Than We Thought!

2009-08-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Things moved a bit faster than I expected! I was able to create a payments page on the Poooh Busters website and add a few links to get to it throughout the site.

So if you are a customer of Poooh Busters and wish to make a payment using your credit card, please be sure to visit our Payment Page and start using our very convenient online, credit card processing.

As I stated before, we are using Paypal to process our payments for us so it is very secure and we never see your credit card number or personal information. Just please be aware that when going to our customized payment site on Paypal, it may appear as if you need a Paypal account to continue but you don't. Just click the "Continue" link beside the credit card symbols. See example.

Poooh Busters wants to thank all it's loyal clients for the conitnued support and patronage!

Taking Online Payments Soon!

2009-08-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well Poooh Busters is moving into another new era of online technology. We are going to start using the Paypal online payment service to process payment transactions!

We are doing this for a couple of different reasons but the main one is for the convenience of our customers. It's always easy to get on our computers and fire off a payment while you're thinking about it. It's fast, convenient and immediate!

Right now when payments are due, our loyal clients are asked to do crazy things like leave a cheque (or even cash if they prefer) in the backyard somewhere, the BBQ, the mailbox, etc. This is not really a safe thing to do. The envelopes get lost, stolen, blown away, rained or snowed on, or chewed up by the dog (yes that has really happened). Not to mention, our customers have to try and remember to leave the envelope out on pickup day. That can be a difficult thing to do given our very busy lives and schedules. And you have to dig up an envelope in the first place. I know I don't always have one lying around when I need one!

So Roland and Erin at Poooh Busters asked ole' Nate to come up with a way for our customers to easily make their payments without the risk involved with leaving cheques or cash stashed away in the yard somewhere. I looked into a few options and Paypal seemed like a good idea for present moment and situation. Poooh Busters is still not big enough to get into accepting credit cards just yet. There all kinds of hoops to jump through as a business to get to that point as well as the fees involved when processing transactions. Also our business account at the bank does not allow for personal email money transfers, so that option is out too.

Paypal.ca allows us to process credit card transactions immediately without any hassle. As we move forward, we will also be able to accept interac online but we're just taking this first step for credit cards until we get our feet wet and test the waters.

Well there you have it! Our latest news is exciting and we can't wait to give it a try. Once everything is finalized and I get a new payment page added to our website, we'll announce it here, on our news page and in our monthly newsletter. Probably throw it up on Twitter and Facebook just to be safe.

How far would you go for your dog?

2009-07-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

We all love our dogs. Usually that means putting up with any problems they may have either physically or mentally. For every dog their is a "thing" that we as owners must work at managing. Some bark, or get into the garbage, or runaway, some jump up and are so energetic they are hard to control. Some dogs tear up furniture, walls and floors, or dig up the yard. Some even have serious aggression issues with their food, towards people and other dogs. Some aggression issues have been so intense that they have even killed other dogs.

In my house, our dog Oscar, pees in the house. He's not marking, he just doesn't think to ask to go outside when he gets the urge to relieve himself. He'll happily go outside but only when told to. So we manage this by crating him at night and during the day when we are at work. If we go out for an hour or two, we just make sure we let him out and 9 out of 10 times the house is still pee-free when we get home. It's just something we have to deal with. He came to us this way and we must take the bad with the good. There may be some training we could do I'm sure, but it's impossible to catch him in the act. He's very stealthy when it comes down to it!

My point is, I am impressed with how far some people will go when dealing with their dog's problems. My dog's problems are nothing compared to someone with a dog who gets out of the yard, happens upon another dog walking with their owner and a confrontation ensues where the poor innocent dog on his happy walk gets killed. Can you imagine? I love walking my dogs every day but I don't know what I would do if this happened to me.

Let's look at it from the other side. Here is an owner that has a dog with serious aggression problems. They love this dog. He is a gentle, loving animal that played as a puppy, grew up in front of his owners eyes and is as loyal to them as the day is long. This dog has toys and loves to run and jump and play. But for some reason, when he is around other dogs, the owners have to watch their loving dog turn into an uncontrollable monster they don't recognize. So what do they do? They try their best to manage their dog's behaviour, they love their dog and they aren't going to just throw him out like so much garbage because he has issues. They fight for him.

As many of you know, the owner and operator of Poooh Busters is Roland Pearson. Well you may or may not know that he also is an expert dog trainer who runs a company called Canine Correction. I invite to visit his site and you'll see what a wonderful service he provides to people who face the kind of situation as I just described. He helps people who on their last hope at saving their beloved dog's life. Those dogs that seem hopeless, especially after having just killed another dog.

I want to share with you a story of one of Roland's recent training clients. The folks that contacted him were at their wit's end. Their dog had so many issues they were having a hard time managing everything. This dog cam with many challenges:

barked at the doorbell,
would run away when it time to clip his nails,
would jump at and eat any food that even came near the floor,
would nervously growl and bark whenever strange noise would occur around the house,
wouldn't stay to save his life,
leads and pulls his leash when on a walk,
excitedly jumps on visitors the come to the home,
would shake and quiver when his owner would chew gum
and eventually got out, happened across a small dog and inadvertantly killed it

It was very quick and happened in a blink of an eye, a simple grab and shake. I'm sorry to paint such a gruesome picture but I want to make the simple point that every dog has a fighting chance to become a good, respectful and well-behaved dog if we fight for them and give them the chance.

The owner called Roland following the incident, after he found the Canine Correction website and knew Roland could help. He generally wanted to save his dog's life knowing that his dog is not the monster that comes out in him around other dogs. Roland agreed to help him and they together have been working with the dog since mid-July. It has been only two weeks of Roland providing the owner with the know-how and tools to train his dog and recognize him as a pack animal that needs leadership. Now this dog is almost a completely different animal.

As part of the training program, Canine Correction asks the owners to take time and write an email every now and then to update them on their progress. This particular owner writes, "Just wanted to give you an update as to my progress with our homework training. There has been significant changes around the house with less tension, fear, and worrisome which I used to feel. We trained for a couple hours yesterday and a few hours today. Well, today I had the leash on him and later I took it off but he was still following me around the house and sitting next to me and just starring at me like he is waiting for me to tell him what his next move should be. He hasn't barked when the door bell rings, or goes crazy when I chew gum." The client goes on to say, "I've had friends come over and they tell me he is a different dog."

So let's give this tragic story the attention it deserves. An owner who saw potential in his "last chance" dog and didn't give up on him. Instead of giving up, he got Roland's help and in return saved his dog's life.

Big Nate ain't so big no more!

2009-07-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say? It's been a long road but we're getting there!

Mrs. Big Nate and I decided one year ago this month that it was time to do something about our health...well, our weight to be more specific. More about this in a minute but you might wonder why do I call myself "Big Nate"?

I got the nickname Big Nate from my friend and yours, Roland. He and a few of our co-workers at the time gave me the now infamous nickname, Big Nate when I was tipping the scales around 260 lbs. The name comes from the NFL football player, Nate Newton. I don't follow NFL but apparently this guy is huge. Well, see for yourself, here he is in all his glory! I guess he also is famous for being busted a couple times for possession of large amounts of marijuana. I'm talking like 175 to 213 lbs worth. Looks like Nate Newton does everything big! But just to get the record straight, I got the nickname due to my size and not because of any type of involvement with narcotics.

Anyway, the nickname stuck and I have taken advantage of using it for my alias as writer of this blog, the Poooh Busters newsletter and as webmaster of the Poooh Busters and Canine Correction websites.

But the point of today's blog is to say that I had allowed myself to creep even further up the scales where I reached 284 lbs. I dread to think about where I would have been if my wife and I had not brought Mojo home 4 years ago. We were dedicated in walking him almost every day and I hate to think how much more I would have weighed if we had not been walking the 30 to 60 minutes every night. So for those of us who have dogs, be sure to use them to help you increase your activity levels and healthy lifestyle. They don't mind...really they don't. If fact they need it as much as we do, if not more.

As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I decided to take some serious action towards our goal to lose weight. Mojo was helping to keep us from getting completely out of hand but we needed even more to get us to our goal. We signed up for a boot camp last July and it was the best thing we ever did! It started us on the road to a healthy, active lifestyle that we are still following today. The pic of us here on the right was taken in Mexico a couple a years ago. We were well on our way to becoming the heaviest both us has ever been in our lives! I was wearing XXXL shirts and size 48 to 50 pants. I couldn't do a flight of stairs without getting winded and I pretty much refused to run for my bus. Screw it, I'll catch the next one! Mrs. Nate was into size 22 and was purchasing 3X clothing from stores like Additionelle and Pennington's.

I won't kid you, boot camp was the hardest and most physically challenging thing I ever attempted. The first day we were told to run a kilometre and time how long it takes. Right! A 284 lb, 41 year old man who has never run for anything is now going to attempt a one kilometre run as part of a fitness test. It was the longest 7 minutes, 31 seconds of my life. Well after six weeks at three nights a week, I had lost almost 30 lbs and completed my one kilometre run in five minutes, 50 seconds! After that, we joined the Running Room's Learn-to-Run clinic, where we learned to run properly and at the end of that six weeks, ran a 5 km race. I finished the five k's in just under 39 minutes. After that, we started to sign up for cardio classes, body sculpting classes, step classes, and even dusted off our bikes to go for hour long bike rides. We started eating better and eating less. It just got easier and easier the longer we kept it up.

Of course during this whole time, we were doing our nightly walks with both Mojo and Oscar to add to all the other activities we were doing. So to keep this long story from getting longer, so far we have both lost approx. 70 lbs each. It has taken a year to get here but we made it without having any heart attacks or sustaining any major injuries. We still have a ways to go yet, I would like to lose another 45 lbs to get to the doctor recommended weight of 165 lbs for my height and age. Mrs. Nate has about 30 lbs to go. But we'll get there as we have given in to the process and plan to keep our healthy lifestyle well into our senior years!

It can be done if you really want it bad enough. And your dogs will love you for it! Not to mention your loved ones will be happier knowing you might live just a little bit longer.

Dealing With A Death

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

I think the worst part of owning a pet is the inevitable passing of our fur-friend. Nothing can be done to stop it, it's just a fact of life and something that we all have to go through.

Mrs. Big Nate and I just recently lost our cat, Monster. She was my wife's first pet and it was devastating to her and to me. Monster was a curious and slightly eccentric cat, she was extremely

playful even at her very mature age of 12 years. Her loss was great to us and I'm feeling pangs of hurt as I write these words.

Monster started to show signs of not being herself for a few days. She was still eating and using her litter box but we noticed she was drinking excessivley and wasn't her usual, playful self. She wasn't sleeping in her usual spots and seemed very lethargic. We decided to take her to the vet where they instantly told us that she was extremely sick and directed us to take her to the emergency facility. The "doctor" at our usual office was disturbingly harsh saying that we were neglectful and irresponsible for not bringing her in sooner. This upset my wife immensely! I could get into this more but I won't. Needless to say we are not longer patients of this vet clinic! Anyway, she took Monster to the emergency hospital where we were told that Monster had contracted Chronic Renal Insufficeincy. Check it out here: http://www.felinecrf.com/

The last thing we expected was to leave her there for treatment. Then to make the decision the very next

day to let her go as she wasn't responding to the treatments. It's the worst feeling in the world to tell the vet to euthanize your very best friend. My wife was strong and we decided to be there for it. She held Monster while she passed peacefully without any further pain or discomfort. We stayed in the little room holding her and cried.

But what about those of us who have extreme difficulty dealing with the loss of our beloved dog, cat, bird, reptile, fish, rodent or what have you? Some pet lovers have a much harder time dealing with the loss that others. After all, many of us look at our pets as members of the family, as kids. We hold their lives and well-being in our hands and they rely completely on us for love, care and attention. They in return give us unconditional love and loyalty.

I did some research and found something I'm sure most people could find with a few choice search words in Google. It's a great site and has many helpful ideas to help those of us who have trouble getting over the unexpected loss of our fur-kids. I wanted to share it: http://www.pet-loss.net/index.html

Be sure to check out the 10 tips to coping with loss portion of the website. They have some great ideas for memorial products. Things like this may make things a little easier to deal with.

As for Monster, we are glad to have had her as long as we did. She brought much joy to our lives. We will miss her dearly and she will be forever in our hearts.

Last Chance Father's Day!

2009-06-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Only one week left!

If you're stuck and don't know what to get Dad on his day, give him the luxury of a clean yard without having do the dirty work!

A nice 12 week package should do it...

Order your gift certificate today!

Poor Oscar

2009-06-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've already elaborated on our story of adopting our new addition, Oscar in the June edition of the Poooh Busters newsletter.

http://www.pooohbusters.com/Newsletters/2009-06%20Newsletter.pdf

I hate to dwell on one subject with so many things to talk about but I really need to talk about this.

On Friday my wife was taking Mojo and Oscar for their daily walk and noticed that Oscar just wasn't as excited to head out the door as he usually is. For the first part of the walk he is always full of energy and pulling to walk faster. This day he was lagging behind right from the start. About two minutes in, he promptly laid down on the sidewalk and did not want to move. Mrs. Big Nate picked him up to make sure he wasn't injured or tangled in the leash. All appeared fine and she was able to coax him into continuing. A few steps later he laid down again, refusing this time to get up. Now she knows something is not right and decides to take him to the vet hospital immediately.

After about two hours with the vet, an x-ray and $170, we found that Oscar has developed sever arthritis in his right hip. This, the vet speculated, is resulting from an injury he sustained earlier in life that was never dealt with properly or at all. The bone that connects into his pelvis (similar to a human femur bone) is two times larger than normal. There is extreme swelling and it does not connect to the socket correctly. This causes Oscar to experience anywhere from discomfort to pain depending on how much he uses it.

The X-ray shows the difference between the normal left side and the enlarged right side.

Oscar's X-Ray

Now this would have never come to our attention if we didn't walk Oscar as much as we do. We always wondered why he slowed down so much near the end of our daily walks. We thought he was out of shape or too over-weight but really it was because his hip started to bother him more and more the longer we walked. Poor little guy!

He is going to require surgery where they will shave the enlarged bone down so it will fit correctly into the socket once again. After some recovery time he should be good as new again. Until then, the vet tells us we can't walk him anymore, he must not use his hip more than required. It is really weird for us to NOT walk our dog and it's really unfair to him. He has gotten used to his routine and looks forward to taking his daily walk with Mojo. Anyway, my wife will be taking him in to see our usual vet this morning to see if he can give us an idea of the cost involved and when we can get this done. I'll keep you up to date.

I really have to wonder what life was like for Oscar before he was surrendered to the Furever After Rescue Society. I really have to assume that he was neglected and was very low on the family's priority list. Well they surrendered him, I guess that says it all! Did he injure himself at one point and they did not get him any kind of care or treatment? And I also wonder about the rescue society's practice of doing full checks on their rescues before allowing them out for adoption. To what extent do they go in their initial examinations?

We love Oscar and will do anything for him but I feel a little like we bought a used car and found that it needs a new transmission. I'm not talking an oil change here, this is a very serious and expensive thing!

His situation is a little different than the usual when it comes to how he ended up at Furever After. They normally rescue dogs from high kill shelters, Oscar was surrendered to the foster mom directly as she knew these people who owned him in the first place. So I have to assume that this may have added to the Rescue's oversight.

Anyway, the question is, should rescue societies do a full and extensive exam on their rescues before releasing them? I'm talking all out x-rays, blood work, everything! Or is it just too expensive and unrealistic to expect that much pre-screening?

God knows I had to prove myself worthy before they would even look at me as a qualified pet adopter, should I have not gotten the same consideration from their side?

Great Movie!

2009-06-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

The other weekend Mrs. Big Nate and I took some time for ouselves and actually sat down long enough to relax and enjoy a movie. This was much needed as we are both very busy and active. We used the Shaw Video on Demand feature. We haven't stepped inside a video store in so long, we've forgotten what it's like to rent a DVD.

Anyway, the movie we decided to watch was Marley & Me. You know, the one with Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and a crazy golden lab called Marley? I am so glad we got to see this movie! It was a wonderful, feel good story about a guy and his dog.

Here is a perfect example of people thinking it's easier to get a puppy than it is to have a kid. I might agree a puppy is WAY cheaper than having a kid but I certianly don't agree that it's easier. Now I say this assuming that those who get a dog are taking care of it in a responsible way. Not just throwing it in the garage or a dog run and forgetting about it.

When my wife and I moved into our first house together we thought it was time to get a dog. I remember having several dogs throughout my childhood and thought, "Having a dog was no big deal then, we can handle this!" So not knowing where to go to get a dog (except that you DON'T go to a pet store), we picked up the Bargain Finder of all things and found a little farm just north of Airdrie that had Bichon/King Charles Spaniel puppies. We drove the 45 minutes out of town to see what we could see. Upon arriving at the farm, we saw dozens of dogs of all kinds wandering around the grounds ready to greet us as we exited the car. We went inside and found two puppies left. One male and one female. The male had more spaniel qualities and he was the one Mrs. Big Nate fell in love with. So we parted with $400 and immediately went home to figure out what all was needed to make a happy, comfortable home for our new "son", Mojo.

Fast forward a few of months. We are both loving our new addition but he has caused us both to lose a ton of sleep, completely upset the routine in our lives, cost approximately $3500 in supplies, toys, vet visits, puppy training courses, doggie daycare and food. We had no idea what were getting into! We did not plan ahead or research our decision before acting. On top of all that, we had three cats at the time, one did not adjust to the new family member. So much so she stopped eating, developed fatty liver disease and passed away a month after Mojo came home. This was extremely difficult on us as we felt her death to be our fault by bringing home the dog. We still feel guilty to this day. RIP Sneaky...

In the end, it was all worth it. Mojo is a wonderful dog who loves us as much as we love him. He fits us like a glove and we couldn't be happier. We've had him over four years now and can't even imagine our lives without him.

Marley & Me captured the one thing I believe most in, sticking by your choice to have a dog! These people went through hell with this dog and no matter how bad it got, they never gave up on him. I won't go into the ending in case you have never seen this movie and plan to, but suffice it to say that Marley & Me hits very close to my home when it comes how we feel about our dog and the other dogs in our lives that we love so much.

I want to post a quote from the movie and you'll see what I mean.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A wate- logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if your rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

What more can you say about a dog?

Dog Jog a Success!

2009-05-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well we attended the Calgary Humane Society's 2009 Dog Jog.

It was a blast! We couldn't believe how many people and poooches were there. We arrived at Fish Creek Park around 11:30 and the place was buzzing. There was every kind of dog you can think of.

The thing I found was that the atmosphere was surprisingly subdued. Most dogs were very well behaved and the dog owners quite calm. The weather was perfect, no too hot or too windy. I think though, a lot of the dogs found it to be quite warm half way through the walk. It was a pretty open area with little or no shade. I know our Oscar was panting most of the way and Mojo was pretty beat by the time we finished the 5 kms too. So this may have had something to do with the general feel of the event. I loved every minute of being there but I expected it to be more exciting and crazy with so many dogs in one place. I'm not saying this was a bad thing, it just wasn't what I was kind of expecting.

As a registrant, both my wife and I received a gift package that included a box of treats for the dogs, a dog jog t-shirt, bottled water, granola bar, beef jerky, poo bags and various coupons and brochures from local pet businesses. It was a pretty good haul for the $25 fee.

The Humane Society reports the event was a success in raising the much needed funds to help them continue the good work they do for our city's pets in need. THere were around 400 registered participants and there were prizes awarded to the four top pledges. $1025, $740, $685 and $600. We raised $520 so we weren't far off. Actually I should clarify, Mrs. Big Nate did most of fund raising so the thanks should go to her for taking the time to hit up our friends and co-workers for their generosity.

We certainly will be attending again next year.

Thanks again to all our friends, family and co-workers that supported us in this great cause for Calgary dogs!

Father's Day

2009-05-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

All my life I've had the impression that Father's Day is not as important or at least held in the same light as Mother's Day. I always thought that Dads got the shaft every June. I'm not sure what it is but we seem to take Mother's Day more seriously.

As a kid I was guilty of not putting in the same kind of thought or effort into my Dad's gift as I did for my Ma. Dad always got a crappy ashtray that I made myself or the proverbial tie. Mom got breakfast in bed or a nice brunch, along with a gift and even some flowers.

Now I'm no father, I've never had kids of my own. I'm not sure how things go these days for dads but I'm sure we are all still looking at Father's Day as a far off second to Mother's Day. Mrs. Big Nate and I still celebrate these days for each other as we look at Mojo, Oscar, Mr. Goo and Monster as our very own fur-kids. So gifts are presented from the dogs and cats.

As a responsible pet owner there are some things that I would certainly appreciate as a gift. The biggest thing being the gift of time. In my house I am responsible for walking our dogs, feeding the cats and cleaning up the poooh from our back yard. Now if I was a father who also had children and had to deal with all the responsibilities that came with that, I know I would love a Father's Day gift of Poooh clean up and dog walking. This would save me quite a bit of time each week to do other things I enjoy...like blogging.

So if you are looking for a great gift to give your Dad this Father's Day, don't go out buy him some crap tie that he won't wear, get him a Poooh Busters gift certificate! It's the gift of time and it a gift that shows you care.

Visit www. PooohBusters.com or call 403-462-4351 today and contact us for your gift certificate. Your Dad and his dog will love you for it!

Calgary Blue Bin Recycling

2009-05-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well I knew it wouldn't be long before I posted my first rant!

The Calgary Blue Bin Recycling Program has begun in my part of the city. I live in Auburn Bay, SE and we received our blue bins approximately 3 weeks ago. Since then I have been anticipating the day when I get to put my bin out for collection. Proudly showing that Mrs. Big Nate and I recycle everything we are able! Today was the day I put my bin out for the first time.

Now, I walk Mojo and Oscar every morning from 5:00 to 5:30...ish. I get to see what my neighbours are throwing away every Thursday morning. Sometimes I am appalled at the large amounts of garbage that folks put our every week for pick up. But I thought, when recycling begins, everyone will have much less garbage in their bags. Wrong!

As I was walking the boys this morning, I was very disappointed to see that maybe 20% of the homes in my cul-de-sac actually put out their bins for collection. We have had these bins for over three weeks and I have seen some homes where the bin is still sitting out on the lawn, untouched and unused. Anyway, of the 20% I saw, over half were not placed correctly according to the directions provided with the bins. So these folks must have pulled the instruction pamphlet off the lids and immediately discarded it in the recycle bin itself. Good for them, they're recycling already! But now I have to wonder what they are recyclying? If they didn't read the instruction pamphlet on proper bin placement, they obviously didn't read what you can and cannot place inside the bin to be recycled!

Come on Calgary! The city has provided us an opprotunity to be responsible citizens of the Earth. They couldn't have made it more easy either! No separating items like in the old days, no storing all your recyclables in the garage for weeks till you get enough to warrant the trip to the recycling depot. Just throw your items in the bin and put it out once a week with your garbage. What could be easier? All we have to do is pay the bill (in which we have no choice anyway) and read the instructions on how to do it. That's it! Just read the instructions to make the poor guy's life easier who has to pick this up from our streets.

In defense of Calgary on a whole, I was driving through McKenzie Lake on my way to catch the morning bus to work and saw at least 80% of the homes in that neighbourhood had put out their bins. At least 90% of those bins were placed correctly. So people in McKenzie Lake know how to read instructions! This makes me feel better as I know that not all of Calgary is following the example set by my fellow Auburn Bay residents.

We have been provided the tools to do the right thing, now let's get off our disposable society butts and take part in showing the future generation how continue this legacy of caring for our environment!

For more info visit the City of Calgary website on the Blue Bin Recycling Program.
http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_780_237_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Waste+and+Recycling+Services/Recycling+Information/Residential+Services/Blue+Cart+Recycling/Blue+Cart+Recycling+FAQ.htm?f=FromFlashPage

Welcome to Poooh Busters' first blog!

2009-04-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

The intent of this blog is to provide up-to-date information on the happenings in and around Calgary regarding pet events and care. I will also provide our recommendations for quality pet care, services and products.

I may use this blog from time to time as a forum for my own rants on what bothers me when it comes to issues that I have a passion for. Two are pet care and environmental issues. So please bear with me as I ramble on these things every once in a while.

Stick around and check back often. Especially if you are a Poooh Busters client. There will be lots of great information regarding route changes and service announcements.

Be sure to visit our site! http://www.pooohbusters.com/

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On to our first official announcement and sign of support for a worthy Calgary cause!

One the major events that happens annually in our fair city of Calgary is the Calgary Humane Society's Dog Jog. The goal of this yearly event is to raise much needed funds for the shelter.

The Dog Jog consists of pet lovers registering themselves and their dogs to participate in a 2 km or 5 km walk/run. There are tons of other fun activities and prizes for everyone who attends. Pet photography, caricatures, dog pedicures and massages, contests and more. This year the event will be hosted by CTV's Karen Owen! The contests are for dogs who show a unique talent, sing, dance and those who dress up to compete as look-a-likes.

It's a ton of fun and the sights are hilarious. You must come down and support this very worthy cause! Join us at 11:00 am on May 24, 2009 at Fish Creek Park, Glennfield Group Area. Areas A& B. Visit http://calgaryhumane.ca/ for further info and a map to the venue.

See you there!