Right now, the best idea I can think of is to keep abreast of the news regarding pet food recalls.

Go to Google News and type in pet food recall (and possibly the brand you feed and want to monitor) and click “Search News”.

The search results are usually presented by relevance, but you can request that the most recent stories be presented first. (Google constantly updates with just-posted news stories.) These options are toward the upper right of the screen.

Please check frequently for updates, read critically and from multiple sources, and please share the info with friends, neighbors and co-workers.

May your pets be well-fed and healthy.

Inexpensive software downloads for your PDA abound.

If you have a Palm PDA, visit Palm Gear and search under the keywords dog and pets. There are programs to organize your dog’s information, and keep veterinary, show and training records. You’ll find games, eBooks, and AKC breed standards for a dozen breeds. There is even a program that simulates clicker sounds, just in case your dog ate your clicker.

Here is a sampling of programs:

• HandyClic Virtual Dog Trainer 1.0 (free)
• PetPal - Dog & Cat Info Organizer (free)
• AKC Dog Pocket Breed Standards (free)
• Good Dog PDA Journal 1.2 (shareware benefits dog rescue)

A Google search will reveal software downloads, such as DataDog: PDA software for the canine sports enthusiast.

Are you busily loading music, games, and video onto a shiny new iPod, PDA, or computer? Why not add some dog-related information and entertainment? Here are some free audio downloads:

• Dogcast radio offers downloads of more than 30 UK-based canine podcasts. You’ll find everything from interviews with well-known experts to topics for kids. Check the subject or episode indices.

• Pet World Radio features interviews with a wide variety of “dog people” from Jean Donaldson to Betty White, and topics like Canine Freestyle and coping with summer heat.

• K9 Cast with Walter and Tara offers more than 60 podcasts covering a variety of canine topics. Search the archives at the upper right of their blog.

A number of dog-related audio books are available for purchase from sites like Amazon.com and Audible.com. An audio version of the classic Don’t Shoot the Dog is available on Karen Pryor’s Clicker Training.com (as well as dog training eBooks which can be read on your PDA or computer.)

Why not find a good audio book and listen to it the next time you’re on the road to a dog show!

Everyone’s talking about getting organized. It’s that time of year. Why not organize your dog’s records?

You may need to access your dog’s records for:

• Veterinary consults
• Kennels, petsitters
• Training classes
• Events (You’ll need basic info to register, and often proof of vaccination.)
• Disaster preparedness
• Travel outside the country
• If your dog is lost or you need proof of ownership
• If you are a breeder, detailed information is appreciated by new owners.

Choose the format that best fits your style. Records can be kept:

• Digitally, on your computer or PDA. Disadvantages; accessibility, power-outages, and not having a hard-copy when you need one. However, having a digital backup of paper records is a great idea.
• In a binder with originals, certificates, and registration papers tucked safely in a file. Disadvantages: paper in binders can tear loose or become dog-eared. Consider page protectors or heavy-weight paper and hole punch reinforcements. You may want to protect your information by using a zip-up binder, or making a pouch to keep it in.
• Loose in file folders or in a portable file pocket.
• In an index card file. Disadvantages: Limited to written information; this format is too small for photocopies.
• In a “My Dog” recordkeeping book (usually found at bookstores) Disadvantages: you cannot add pages to a bound book. Tucking records in the pages is not secure.

I decided to keep Dash’s information in a binder that I can easily take with me. This method has worked very well for us. Here’s how we did it:

• I bought an inexpensive binder with clear pockets on the front, back and spine, and a package of clear, archival-quality page protectors.
• I printed a title sheet for the binder and slipped it under the clear front pocket.
• When I want to add information to Dash’s binder, I slide it into a page protector and place that in the binder. No hole punching necessary!
• I filled out our downloadable dog data sheets, saved them on my computer and PDA, and printed a copy for his book. I can update and reprint Dash’s data whenever I need to.

Here’s to an easy, organized New Year!

Getting ready for the New Year? Why not put together your own calendar of fun dog events in your area? You’ll find events you and your dog can participate in, and others where you can just sit back and enjoy the show.

To find events:

• Local dog clubs or individuals may maintain websites that focus on your area. These can be goldmines. Search for the keywords “dogs”, “events” and “your city” in your favorite search engine.
• Read your local paper
• Contact local dog clubs
• Ask trainers and students at training facilities
• Inquire at animal shelters
• Check for flyers in local dog-related businesses. Talk to the staff.
• Is there a local venue that often hosts dog events? Ask for their event listing.
• Check with the AKC for conformation, obedience, rally, tracking, and agility.
• Are you interested in a particular dog sport? Check the parent organization’s event calendar. Find the organization by querying your favorite search engine with the name of the sport (i.e. “agility”, “schutzhund”, or “flyball”) and “organizations”.
• If you have a breed you’re interested in, check with their parent club for local activities. Often these wonderful events are not widely-publicized. Some examples are:
• Australian Shepherd Club of America herding trials
• Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America carting competitions
• Newfoundland Dog Club of America water rescue tests

Some non-dog events in your town are great to take dogs to. In St. Louis, many locals and their dogs happily make a day of the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. If you’d like to take your dog to such an event, be sure to add it to your calendar. Here’s our calendar, in it’s early stages.

Finally, keep your calendar where you’ll be most likely to update and refer to it. Use the type of calendar that is easiest for you; paper, online, or your PDA.

May you enjoy 2007 with your dog. Happy New Year!

Do you have a special gift just begging for dog-themed wrapping? For small gifts, you can buy 12″ x 12” sheets of scrapbook paper printed with canine designs. Check your local craft or scrapbooking stores. I found more than a dozen different patterns at one local shop for 69 cents per sheet. These stores also have dog-themed ribbon and embellishments if you really want to do it up big.

My next few ideas may be short and sweet. I’ve had a little accident (dog-related) and have been reduced to working only with my left hand.

I really need to teach Dash to type.

Are you looking for just the right gift card or certificate for your favorite dog person? Here are some ideas:

• Dog massage. This is especially great for performance dogs or senior dogs, with veterinary okay. Ask for references from your veterinarian, performance dog owners, or human massage/physical therapists.
• Pet first aid class at your local Red Cross.
• Puppy, obedience, rally, or agility class.
• Playday at doggy day care.
• Set up a credit for your recipient at his or her veterinarian.
• A sitting with a pet photographer

Gift cards or certificates from the services below are always appreciated: 

• Petsmart or Petco
• Dog supply catalogs, such as Sit Stay.com and Foster and Smith.
• Local dog bakeries and boutiques
• Favorite dog groomer or kennel

Do you have airline crates you’d like to mark with your name? I did. Rather than quickly handwrite my name with a marker, I wanted to make it look a little nicer. In an hour, I had two crates, neatly marked with my name and a graphic. Here’s how:

Supplies: craft knife, permanent marker (I used a chisel-point Sharpie), cutting board, tape, paper or transparent sheet, computer, and printer.

1. Wash and dry your crates.
2. Open your word processing program.
3. Type your name in an easy-to-read font. Size it to fit your crate.
4. Add a graphic, if desired (bone, pawprint, dog silhouette, your logo, etc.)
5. Print your name on paper or a transparent sheet (like an overhead projector sheet).
6. With a sharp craft knife, carefully cut out the letters (and graphic, if used). Now you have a stencil you can mark multiple crates with.
7. Tape the stencil securely to your clean and dry crate.
8. Carefully color in the open areas with a permanent marker.
   • You will need to hold the interior of the stencil steady while you mark.
   • For letters with enclosed negative space, like “a”, “o” and “e”, you’ll have to free-hand that area.
   • My crate was textured, so I had to go over the areas a few times to get full coverage.
9. Carefully remove the stencil.
10. Your crate should dry quickly, but let it sit undisturbed for a moment. You can carefully blot with a paper towel to make sure the ink has set.

You’re all done!

Today is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. For the gifts below, you don’t have to fight the crowds or wear the print off your credit cards. All you need is a little time and imagination and you’ll have great gifts to give.

• Do you have a dog friend who is not computer savvy? Offer to give her a tour of the most useful dog sites and introduce her to the online dog community. Set up bookmarks for her to find the sites later.
  • Show her how to join and participate in a dog discussion group (try Yahoo Groups DogZone)
  • Show her how to browse dog photos of her favorite breed or activity on Flickr, and then upload her own photos.
  • Give her great resource sites to refer to, both local and national.
  • Help her find sites that appeal to her interests (such as breed, dog sport, or canine cause sites).

• Make IOU coupons for your favorite dog person for things such as:
• dog walks
• grooming & nail clippings
• baths
• play dates
• pet sitting
• a digital photo session
• helping your friend set up her equipment at a dog show or event.
• a dog-themed movie night (pick up a couple of dollar DVD rentals and bring the popcorn)

• Make your favorite dog-lover a calendar with dog events for the coming year. Include dog shows, pet fairs, televised dog events, her dog’s birthday or anniversary, etc. To find the events, check with your local shelters, city hall, training facilities, dog clubs, dog shops, and the AKC.

• Knit or sew a cushiony dog mat or rug.

• Braid a strong tug toy out of strips of old blue jeans.

• Mix up some dog biscuits for a special dog. There are lots of recipes online. Package them in inexpensive clear treat bags or decorative tins.

• Buy a small table-top tree and tie bone-shaped biscuits to the branches with ribbon.

• Make some unique refrigerator magnets by hot gluing a magnet to the back of a dog biscuit that has been coated with water-based polyurethane. (Keep these magnets out of the dog’s reach!)

While your family is together for the holidays, why not look through old photos for those that include the family dog? You may be surprised how often the family dog appears in your photos, and how cherished they seem to be.

Look closely at each photo. Is the dog the sole subject of the photo? Is he on the furniture? Is the dog sitting formally alongside family members, or is he in someone’s arms? Is there communication between the dog and people? Is the photo humorous?

I found a wonderful family portrait from the 1930s on the day my grandparents adopted their new dog, Foxie. There is a later photo of Foxie posed alone in the driver’s seat of the car, as if she were headed to town. Mitzi, the family German Shepherd, figured prominently in the photo taken the day my grandmother brought my father home from the hospital (above). A later photo shows Mitzi laying beside my father as he slept on a blanket on the lawn.

Sometimes a poor photograph that was saved shows the degree of attachment for a pet. I found a photograph of a white blur, kept for nearly one hundred years, obviously out of sentiment. It is the only known photograph of my grandmother’s childhood dog, Teddy.

Now that you’ve found photographs of the family dog, what can you do with them? Here are some ideas:

• Put together a photo album with captions.
• Create scrapbook pages or an entire album.
• Frame and display the photos as a group.
• Make copies and give to dog-loving relatives. Frame special photos as gifts.
• Display the photos on your website, or a photo sharing site (like Flickr, Yahoo, or Snapfish).

Make sure you choose acid-free materials to preserve your precious photographs.

Our dogs are so important to us today, but often they were just as important to those in our past. Talk to your older relatives. Show them the photos you’ve found, and take notes as they reminisce. Ask about their pets and write down the stories. You may find you come from a long line of dog-lovers.

For wonderful old dog photos, browse the Old Photos with Dogs group on Flickr. You can also join the group and contribute your family photos. Enjoy!