extra comfort from seeing a pet or two or more on screen. "Life's no fun without a good scare" croons the title song of one of my favorite Halloween movies. A Halloween movie that also happens to have a ghostly dog character. In an adventure with pets from the couch, I set out to compile a list of Halloween movies that include dogs or cats in the spine-chilling tales. While not all family friendly, this list of movies frighten but don't sadden; the dog or cat* is not harmed despite the scary film chaos.
Rebecca Jasper may be the original scary movie dog. And even if he isn't, he is awesome. The spunky black cocker spaniel adds a little extra suspense to an already on the edge of my seat Hitchcock classic. Jasper also adds some much needed warm cuddling to Rebecca as well. The Amnityville Horror The Lutz's loyal dog is another family member lured into the supposed perfection of the most haunted house ever filmed. What a lucky water loving dog to have a new home by the river. Wait. Scratch that. No! Not literally. Spoiler alert: What is most horrific in The Amnityville Horror to this dog lover is poor Harry's paws. And just when my throat is sore from shouting "stop letting the dog in the basement!" the dog saves the day. Cat's Eye Cat's Eye is a spooky film of three disturbing Stephen King stories intertwined by a psychic tabby cat eventually named General. Spoiler alert: While there are some scenes where the viewer fears for General's safety and life, the film is a rags to riches story for the brave, clairvoyant kitty. The movie doesn't end as well for Polly the budgie, though. While not a graphic demise, don't add this one to your Halloween movie list if one pet down is too many.
Coraline Coraline not only visually delights and physically frights, but The Black Cat as well as "yapping" and angelic scottie dogs add the extra animal something I love in a film. How can a freaky fun movie that has a scene with woofs as applause not be a Halloween favorite? The Lost Boys Who wouldn't fall for a guy who introduces his dog right after he introduces himself? Thorn is such a sweet video store shop dog. (Yes. Video store. This movie is really, really old.) Then there is the gorgeous family malamute Nanook, who it is safe to say I had a bigger crush on than any of the boys in this movie when I was younger. That is still true today. I often wonder if it's scary movies from my childhood with hero dogs like Nanook in The Lost Boys that have made me the dog-always-by-my-side person I am today. Cursed Poor Zipper just does the usual horror movie dog job of warning his best friend that something is wrong and ends up cursed too. This films golden retriever made me smile from his first scene and was one of the only reasons I kept watching this mediocre fright flick. Aren't movie dogs great that way? Hocus Pocus I don't understand how anyone can be afraid of black cats when there are Halloween movie characters like Thackery Binx in Hocus Pocus. This feisty feline may *not technically be a cat but he is a main character of the film and often steals the show for this pet loving movie viewer. Ghostbusters I may be cheating by adding this one since it arguable The Gatekeeper and The Keymaster aren't really dogs. Yet this movie is a Halloween must see with lines like "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!" and "Our client - the nice lady, who paid us in advance, before she became a dog." Ah-ha! Ghostbusters character Dr. Peter Venkman says those creatures are dogs! No one is more believable than an actor playing a doctor in a super fun ghost movie. The Dog Who Saved Halloween The most scary part of this straight to DVD movie is how bad it is. With talking dogs, cats and even a tarantula it is the kind of Disney Halloween fun a family could enjoy together. Anyone with a dog afraid of thunder, might appreciate seeing the title canine, Zeus, face his one and only fear. Cockatoo Leo's Bonus: The Birds Birds don't fair well in a couple of the other movies on this list so Leo wanted his favorite scary movie added. However, Leo knows this chilling Hitchcock classic, by reputation only. If I ever allowed Leo to watch The Birds it would likely be his favorite movie. Though such a viewing makes me truly afraid as Leo doesn't need any more world domination ideas. Bonus bonus: Director Alfred Hitchcock is seen in the film walking his own two pet dogs.
Share this post: Typist: Bethany Getting my heart rate up everyday is important for my health. It is also paramount to the good condition of fit dogs. However, I am not a runner. I never have been. When Jason and I first started dating I tried to go for a run with him once. Once. Fortunately, the dogs and I can get an excellent cardio workout on a walk. All it takes is to make sure I am exerting myself enough to get my heart rate up. If I am working hard, chances are good that the dogs are too. Here are several ways to be sure to get an elevated heart rate while dog walking: Feel your pulse: I am not a fan of old fashioned feel your pulse heart rate checks because of the methods many variables. Pulse checks can also be very difficult to do while walking one or more dogs. However, pulse checks work for a lot of people and having several methods to choose from is always positive. Learn more about finding and measuring your target heart rate here. Remember to keep moving while you check your pulse and I do not recommend taking your pulse at your neck during exercise. Again, not easy to do while walking dogs. Use a machine: A good heart rate monitor might be an excellent investment for both fit human and dog. Heart rate monitors are an easy way to tell if you reach and stay at your target heart rate. Chances are good that if you are getting your heart rate up so is your dog but there are canine monitors available too. I have only ever used a heart rate monitor in the gym and I have never tried one of the heart rate monitors available specifically for dogs. I must admit that the idea of having one more thing to remember to take on a walk seems cumbersome to me. Self checks: Perceived exertion is my personal favorite method of measuring exercise exertion. I prefer straightforward workouts and the perceived exertion scale is lightweight and free. Quite simply, if I feel like I am working hard, maybe sweating and breathing hard, then I probably am. Having your dog as an exercise partner comes in handy with checking perceived exertion. While on a walk, I talk to the dogs. If I can easily speak a full sentence, then the dogs and I probably aren't getting enough of a cardio workout. If i can only spit out two or three words before a heavy breath, the dogs and I are likely doing our hearts good. Perceived exertion is also the cardio check the dogs uses for themselves and I can check on them this way too. Are they panting? Are their tongues way, way out? I don't let the dogs be tired for too long with out a drink but usually these are signs our walk is good canine cardio. The very best measure of how good our dog walk workout is what the dogs do after the walk. If Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley all pass out asleep almost right away, I know we had a successful fit dog walk. With several ways to know if a dog walk is doing human and dog hearts good, here's simple ways to get heart rates higher while walking: Pick up the pace: Sometimes getting the heart rate of dog and dog walker elevated is as simple as walking faster. And knowing the walk has been faster is as easy as timing it. Work to improve the time a little bit each walk. Go the distance: My preference these days is for long, steady walks. My heart rate isn't super high for these but if it is up a little for four to five hours, eight to nine miles, I get a good workout and so do the dogs. Someday I might get back to marathon training and make these long walks go faster. I know the dogs would be up for it. Going up: Nothing gets my heart beating faster than a brisk walk up a long, steep hill. The dogs workout tongues get way, way out going up a sharp grade too. Stairs provide a great upward cardio workout if there are no hills on your dog walking route. We are so lucky in our neighborhood because we have both! I do recommend only going up stairs and not down, especially for long backed dogs. A little of everything: On interval walks, the dogs and I will pick up the pace to our fastest possible speed, one block of very three or four when it's flat and less often on inclines. When we are in the park or anywhere without blocks to measure our intervals, I sometimes use a stopwatch timer to determine when my faster paced interval will be. Usually, I use perceived exertion to know when to speed up again. The dogs and I pant and pant after an interval and once I catch my breath it's time to speed back up. Intervals don't have to be running. I just pick up the pace to whatever is the very fastest I can go. Big walking strides feel great! Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley absolutely love interval walks and your fit dog might too. If you are like me and prefer walking to running, you don't have to count out getting a good cardio workout for yourself and your dogs. There are so many ways to spice up your dog walk for fun and for fitness. Slow, sniffing walks are still a needed part of every happy dogs life, but smiles on people and pets get larger and last longer with a healthy heart. Getting my heart rate up everyday is easy when I know it is also good for my dogs. And getting an excellent cardio workout is as simple as going for a walk. Always consult a veterinarian before beginning a new exercise with your dog or prior to changing your dogs exercise routine. Always consult with a doctor before beginning a new exercise or prior to changing your exercise routine. Share this post:
to help me if I forget not to pull or am trying too hard to say hello to another dog. If Bethany doesn't have her usual waist belt, SnapLeash can wrap around and be a hands free leash all by itself. Bethany says it isn't very comfortable and my legs get tangled in the leash when it's like that so thankfully she doesn't do that often. The last time I came to stay with the Cascadian Nomads, Bethany started walking me on the one inch wide SnapLeash but the clasp was a bit large for a low rider corgi like me. So I have been using the five eighths inch leash and it has proven strong and durable. A dog can really get used to the versatility of a SnapLeash. The sturdy grommets along almost the whole length of the leash as well as the ability to clip the two ends together (see picture above) make dog walks easier for Bethany. It's nice to feel like less of a fourth wheel when walking with Wilhelm, Brychwn and Huxley. The two different sizes of SnapLeash have even made it possible for Bethany to walk four dogs with just two leashes and one hand. One of this corgis favorite part of SnapLeash is that when all us dogs hang out at the park, we can get comfortably tied to the fence, a pole or bench while Bethany takes cat Amelia for a walk of lets cockatoo Leo stretch his wings. Bethany would never tie us out and leave us alone or out of sight. The SnapLeash people don't recommend tying dogs out unsupervised either. Isn't that great? SnapLeash makes a helpful dog walking product and cares about dog safety. I certainly like SnapLeash... I wonder if Bethany will let me take one home after my visit is over? Cascadian Nomads received complimentary leashes from SnapLeash in exchange for our honest review. We were not otherwise compensated for this post. Cascadian Nomads only shares information that is relevant to our readers and all opinions are always our own. This applies to visiting extended family like Morgan too! Share this post: |
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