Happy Multiple Pet Day! This is a day to celebrate all things about life with multiple pets. Today is for those who currently or have in the past shared their lives with more than one pet. First off, I salute you! Pets are awesome. My life has involved more than one pet since I was six years old so I know that caring for multiple pets isn't always easy but it is forever rewarding. Second, I must ask, are we crazy? Why do we put ourselves through the difficulties of training, grooming, feeding and exercising so many pets? Why?!? Oh yeah. It's that rewarding part I mentioned earlier. And those rewards last a lifetime even if, sadly, our pets do not. Anytime I think of any sort of "happy place," it involves more than one pet by my side. The best part of our month long Multiple Pet Mania celebration has been learning that I am not alone. Every pet blogger who joined on our month long blog hop shared a story that is similar to something I have experienced. All of the entries in our Multiple Pet Day photo contest were familiar scenes from my life. The results of the Life With Multiple Pets survey also clearly exhibited the similarities multiple pet enthusiasts share. The majority of people who responded to the Life With Multiple Pets survey have lived with multiple pets as long as they can remember and believe the best part of life with multiple pets is a full heart. It is comforting to me that people who completed with survey with as many as six dogs, fifteen cats, four birds, a few sheep and goats, a couple of rodents, rabbits and turtles as well as dozens of fish and horses have so much in common. The types of pets we choose to keep may differ but the struggles we have to keep a balanced multiple pet budget and find vacation pet care remain the same, according to the survey. What I found most interesting about the survey results is how few respondents chose "very difficult" for any of the life with multiple pets challenge options. That must be the extremely rewarding part of sharing life with pets shining through again. Oh, lucky, lucky us!
Typist: Bethany
Happy Multiple Pet Day! This is a day to celebrate all things about life with multiple pets. Today is for those who currently or have in the past shared their lives with more than one pet. First off, I salute you! Pets are awesome. My life has involved more than one pet since I was six years old so I know that caring for multiple pets isn't always easy but it is forever rewarding. Second, I must ask, are we crazy? Why do we put ourselves through the difficulties of training, grooming, feeding and exercising so many pets? Why?!? Oh yeah. It's that rewarding part I mentioned earlier. And those rewards last a lifetime even if, sadly, our pets do not. Anytime I think of any sort of "happy place," it involves more than one pet by my side. The best part of our month long Multiple Pet Mania celebration has been learning that I am not alone. Every pet blogger who joined on our month long blog hop shared a story that is similar to something I have experienced. All of the entries in our Multiple Pet Day photo contest were familiar scenes from my life. The results of the Life With Multiple Pets survey also clearly exhibited the similarities multiple pet enthusiasts share. The majority of people who responded to the Life With Multiple Pets survey have lived with multiple pets as long as they can remember and believe the best part of life with multiple pets is a full heart. It is comforting to me that people who completed with survey with as many as six dogs, fifteen cats, four birds, a few sheep and goats, a couple of rodents, rabbits and turtles as well as dozens of fish and horses have so much in common. The types of pets we choose to keep may differ but the struggles we have to keep a balanced multiple pet budget and find vacation pet care remain the same, according to the survey. What I found most interesting about the survey results is how few respondents chose "very difficult" for any of the life with multiple pets challenge options. That must be the extremely rewarding part of sharing life with pets shining through again. Oh, lucky, lucky us!
All of the Multiple Pet Day photo contest entries made the judges smile. I mean, who doesn't like photos of pets? Okay. I know those people exist. So a more appropriate question is who doesn't like photos of pets and if reading this blog? Wait! Don't leave. Maybe the winning #MultiPetDay photos will help to change any disliking pet photo ways. First prize, $75 PayPal cash, goes to Crystal Lynn Kamm (@clkamm) for the creatively framed photo of her dog and guinea pig. Second prize, a $40 Only Natural Pet gift card, goes to Linda Szymoniak (@urdchan87) for her photo of two dogs tugging one watched. Jan from Wag n'Woof Pets put it best "that's how it is around here. Two dogs playing and one left out just watching!" Here too, Jan and Linda. Here too. Third prize goes to Beth (@eedevore) for her laugh out loud photo of the beginnings of a cat and dog playtime. I just love Beth's fur family. It reminds me so much of my own and I don't think that it's just because of the similarity in our name.
Keeping multiple pets is an amazing and immersive hobby. I have had a lot of hobbies in my lifetime but none that I have been so passionate about for so long and definitely no other that is so rewarding. I knew all of this before Multiple Pet Mania month began but what had never occurred to me before is that fellow multiple pet hobbyists have more in common than any other hobby I have. There is something about sharing the struggles and triumphs of caring for and loving pets that unites us. I never imagined that I could love my life with multiple pets more than I already did but I now do. The rewards of happy, healthy pets and the rewards of sharing commonalities with so many amazing people also keeping up a multiple pet lifestyle makes my heart even more full.
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This 1924 Model T belongs to Jason's Grandfather and the flag flies high in the World War II, nonagenarian's yard. On Father's Day, Jason's Grandfather taught Model T driving lessons to his son, grandsons, granddaughter and great-grand son.
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This post is sponsored by petMD Reptile Center and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Reptile Ownership, but Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. petMD and PetSmart are not responsible for the content of this article.
Typist: Bethany
On a routine visit to the pet store for the usual pet supplies, I fell in love. Rocking slightly on her branch as she stared at me from her cage on the counter next to the cash register, the perfect spiral of her tail was the same soft green with blue and reddish brown speckles as the rest of her fabulously bumpy skin. The bright red "Sale" sign taped to the cage bars clashed with the peaceful scene of plastic plants, wooden branches, water fountain and viridescent chameleon it contained. I brought this chameleon, her cage and all it's contents home on an impulse. I had cared for dogs, fish, rodents, snails, insects, cats and birds as pets, so I thought to myself, how much different could reptile care be? Yeah. In my defense, I was a young college student just beginning my journey as an adult pet owner. But there is no excuse for taking reptile ownership or any pet care lightly. Everything about this chameleon impulse purchase set me up for failure. Among those was that the pet store sold me the wrong enclosure for the environment this pet needed and I had no idea what I was doing. It is in honor of the chameleon who I failed to properly care for that I am writing about responsibly caring for reptile pets. When I did my best and failed at caring for my chameleon, there was no easy access to information on how to successfully care for a snake, turtle, bearded dragon, lizard, tortoise or chameleon. I want anyone and everyone who falls in love with bumpy skin, beady eyes and cold blood like I did to never have to experience my heartbreak.
With the fantastic information I have found on the petMD® Reptile Center the type of reptile I started with is not an appropriate reptile for a beginner. There are so many things I wish I had known that before that fateful impulse chameleon purchase but that one fact alone would have been extremely helpful. I have always known that taking any pets lifespan, housing, feeding and veterinary needs into consideration are of the utmost importance. But I learned the hard way that reptile care also involves detailed knowledge of the ideal environment for the reptile. All it took was one weekend away from my chameleon for her health to deteriorate beyond repair. The friend who was watching her mixed up which lights were supposed to be on when and my chameleon didn't experience the cold she needed at night. I took her to the vet, followed all instructions and did the best I could for her but it wasn't enough. Even though this chameleon was not the right pet for a new reptile owner, she was a lot of fun. Enjoying her slow, rocking walk up my arm, watching her swing from her tail, her change of skin color for camouflage while hunting worms and crickets and when that tongue came out to eat, oh what a fun pet she was! Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to have reptile pets again. Thanks to petMD I know where I should start and have the resources to properly care for what ever reptile I carefully and thoughtfully choose.
Are you considering a reptile ownership?
Have you had a reptile pets that would have had a better or longer life if you been more informed about proper reptile care?
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A Human, A Dog, A Box & Special Time Together: Human-Canine Bond Enrichment On #BarkBoxDay6/23/2015
This post is sponsored by BarkBox® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about BarkBox but Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. BarkBox is not responsible for the content of this article.
Typist: Bethany
When I was a child, I eagerly watched out the window for the mail truck and skipped excitedly to the mailbox to see what had arrived. That same elation about the mail carriers ascent up our porch steps every day lives on in my dogs. Well, two of my dogs. Wilhelm and Brychwyn love to say hello to the mail carrier and are happy dogs when they see whatever he or she leaves, even if it isn't for pets. Huxley exuberantly greets any delivery person but when it comes to what they have left behind, he is less enthused. Of course, I think it is wonderful that Huxley is such a people puppy but I yearn for him to gain enrichment through the wonder of opening what the delivery people bring. So I seized an opportunity to have a BarkBox® delivered in hopes of teaching Huxley that a box on the porch means more than greeting whoever left it.
As our family shepherd, Huxley gets a little nervous when the entire family is not together. He excels at job of keeping us all safe and together but everyone needs a little time off. After greeting the mail carrier, I sat down on the floor with the box and waited patiently for Huxley to settle down my side. It was finally time to see what was inside the BarkBox but at this point it didn't matter to me what had come. I was elated to be enjoying this one on one time with my youngest dog and that he was allowing himself a break from his family duties.
When given his choice of do with the enrichment items in the box, Huxley began by scooping up, squeaking and shaking one of the toys about joyfully. He then loudly crunched a dog cookie before savoring a turkey chew on his bed across the room. Huxley now knows that a delivery isn't just about greeting the person bringing the box. Pushing myself up off the floor, I noticed that my cheeks were tired from smiling. BarkBox day was not just an enriching experience for Huxley but for me as well. I learned that the different items BarkBox sends each month are often not available in the pet store and if my dogs don't like any item that is inside, the BarkBox team will fetch something else for the pups. Proudly watching handsome collie Huxley relaxing on his bed, surrounded by his new treasures, I found myself wishing a new BarkBox would arrive more often than once a month. BarkBox day was more fun than I had ever imagined and from where I was standing it looked like Huxley agreed.
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