You will need to have proof of your pet’s vaccination and health records before boarding.  Be prepared with our airline approved, passport style health record for cats and dogs.

We won!!

Special savings for our fans on Facebook!

The only way for a dog to lower its body temperature is through panting.  When your dog’s body temperature increasing your dog must pant faster. When exposed to extreme heat for long periods of time, your dog’s body may not be able to keep up with the cooling required to prevent heat stroke.

Just providing your dog with cool water may not be enough.  Do you know the signs of heat stroke? Would you know what to do if your dog is showing signs of distress? Please read this article by Marcia King.

Murphy on the ride home

During the 5 hour car ride home he was an angel. He allowed us to put on his Kurgo Tru Fit Harness without any fuss. This was perfect for keeping him safe during the ride and still allowing me to cuddle next to him on the back seat while dad did the driving. This was the first time I had the opportunity to try out the Kurgo harness and I have to say I was very impressed. The matching Wander Leash came in handy because we had to stop every hour to allow Murphy to relieve himself. The fact that you can unclip the harness from the car seat belt and clip on the Wander Leash made this very easy and very safe for Murphy. Even though Murphy is too young to know how to walk on a leash the fact that we always had him under control when stopping next to bury roads and highways was a blessing.

Another product we tried out was the Kurgo Wander Bowl. It is priced a bit higher than other travel bowls we sell, but we found this one does not leak at all whereas the two other travel bowls we tested leaked within a few minutes. I will not name them since we will not continue to sell them! I guess you do get what you pay for.

So far Murphy has been settling in to life at Brown Dog Treasures with ease. He took well to the crate training and has had less than a hand full of accidents right near the kitchen door. He already knows where he should do his business, sometimes Mom and Dad are just too slow in getting him out there!

We are encountering one common problem. On day 3 Murphy seemed to get the idea that humans were chew toys! We have had quite a hard time trying to convince him that he can not tear pants legs, jump and nip at us. Yes, we know all the usual corrections. We were quite  successful in breaking Guinness of this habit. We have even helped friends and neighbors overcome this problem, but for some reason Murphy is proving to be much more difficult in this area than any other pup we have encountered.

We are going to consult a professional trainer for advice on this and we will pass on any information to you. In the next several weeks we will be reviewing puppy training techniques. So if you need some advice on training your pup check back with us daily.

This man and his two dogs are on quite a remarkable journey. I became aware of this story last year when my chocolate lab Guinness was diagnosed with bone cancer. Guinness lost his fight back in December. Since then I have found out that 1 in 4 dogs die of cancer each year. This is just too many. My heart is with Mr. Robinson, Murphy & Hudson.

Stay cool!

• Please make sure that you don’t leave your dog out in the sun for extended periods of time.
• If your backyard doesn’t contain a shady spot consider adding some type of shade.
• Keep your dog’s water bowl full of cool, clean water at all times.
• Protect your dogs sensitive paw pads from hot pavement or overheated patios and decks.
• Cover fair dogs with sunscreen on their noses and ears.
• Dogs that drink sea water can become very ill. Rinse your dog off thoroughly after swimming in the surf.
• Beach sand can be as hot as pavement. If your feet are burning so are your dogs paws!
• And please, please never leave your dog in the car unattended on a hot day. Even for a few minutes, even if you have left the air conditioning on and the car running. No matter how many times we say it many dogs loose their lives every summer because of this foolishness!
• And the best tip of all…take your dog out for some summer fun. Dogs love summer too!

Guinness November 2009 after 1st cancer treatment.

Last year on this day we spent the afternoon playing with your new toys in the grass and blowing out 12 candles on your cake. We didn’t realize then that our time together would be so short. We miss you more than words can say. We hope that you are happy and can run and play again. Thank you for teaching us that every day is a joy and every moment of life should be celebrated.

As the months have passed, we began to focus on all the joyfull times we spent with Guinness. We talked about how our business started and how Guinness used to try out all the toys, try on all the costumes and try to open all the new deliveries before our staff could get to them. We realized what Brown Dog Treasures needed again was a brown dog! I don’t think Guinness would have wanted it any other way.

We are pleased to announce that we will be adding a new member to our family on Saturday, June 5th.  Our new baby boy’s name will be Murphy.  We will record our trip to Endless Mt Labs in PA. Please join us on Facebook where you will see the first photos and videos of Murphy.

Over the next few months we will share with you our attempts at housebreaking and basic training. It has been 13 years since we last attempted this so we are a bit rusty at it! Those of you who are planning to or have recently become puppy parents, we would appreciate your input.

Something tells me we are going to have our hands full!

Last October, right before Halloween our boy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma  (bone cancer). Guinness was 12 years old and other than some arthritis that is to be expected in labs his age, our Guinness had never been sick a day in his life.

He had begun favoring a front paw back in June of last year. We were hoping that it was just a sprain. The vet passed it off as arthritis and prescribed some anti-inflammatory medications and herbs. The limp went away and all seem well. Then in October it returned and this time there was a noticeable lump on is left front ankle.

Our vet made the diagnosis after x-rays.  His prognosis was grim. As you can imagine we searched everywhere for any possible ray of hope. But in the end we had to face the fact that he was rapidly getting worse. Nothing helped. Medications, herbs, radiation therapy, expensive oncologists, nothing.

Guinness was so brave. He fought so hard. He loved life.

Toward the end of his fight we found a wonderful, kind vet who made hospice calls to our home. Guinness passed peacefully in our arms in December, a few days after Christmas.

Many of our customers were aware of what was going on and were very understanding about delayed packages and failure to return emails quickly. Many of you were a great source of comfort and encouragement. I am sorry it has taken so long to thank you, but this was the hardest thing I have ever had to write.

For a while we thought of closing the business. It just seemed too hard to go on. Then we began to think about all the wonderful people we have met in the past 6 years and all the photos we receive of our costumers and their dogs enjoying our products and we decided that we needed to continue.

We did learn a lot about canine osteosarcoma and I will be putting up a page on this blog soon with a list of resources and publications that may help any one else who might have to face this disease.

Dogs, like children need to be taught how to swim into and exit open water. Not all animals can automatically swim and some breeds of dog actually have a hard time keeping afloat. Never throw your dog into the water! You should get in first and call to your dog.

Even the best swimmers can have a hard time exiting the water. Climbing ladders to exit the water is not automatic. Most dogs have a hard time exiting a pool by ladder because their paws can not grip the rungs. Steps that are below the water are not easily seen by dogs since the stairs are below their sight line. Each year many pets drown in backyard pools. Please consider purchasing a safety ramp for your dog.

While attending the recent Pet Industry H.H. Backer Trade Show in Baltimore we were quite impressed with the Skamper Ramp. This ramp is available in two models. The original Skamper Ramp is excellent for small dogs and backyard wildlife. The Super Skamper Ramp is perfect for larger breed dogs and use on boats and docks.

We are so anxious to have our customers keep their dogs safe this summer that we are offering FREE UPS ground shipping on both models.