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Keep your pets safe this Halloween with these tips from the ASPCA:

• No Chocolate: Even if your pet has a sweet tooth, ingesting chocolate—especially baker’s and dark chocolate—can be dangerous for dogs and cats, possibly causing vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity and even seizures.

• No Sweets for the Sweet: Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures.

• Dangerous Décor: Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

• Don’t Play with Fire: Keep your pets away from jack-o-lanterns with lit candles inside—knocking the pumpkin over can easily cause a fire. And curious kittens can get burned or singed by candle flames.

• Costume Caution: Please don’t put your pet in a costume unless you know that he or she loves it. Costumes can cause skin irritations, obstruct a pet’s vision or impede his breathing.

- ASPCA Website

Click to read the ASPCA’s more detailed, full-length article on Halloween and pets. Print it out, even, for handy reference and to get your family on board with the plan.

The holidays can be a very, very bad time for our beloved pets! It’s up to us, their mommies and daddies, to be alert and make sure our holidays are pet-friendly. Keep your furry kids safe each year.

I have been watching the election news with interest. While I don’t think this is the forum for me to discuss my views on the political candidates, I DO want to urge you all in California to get out there and vote YES on Proposition 2 and take a stand against cruel factory farming techniques.

Here is the Prop 2 press information on this important matter of simple consideration for the lives of the animals we eat:

Dear California Animal Advocates,

When you go to the polls to cast your vote for U.S. President, don’t forget to vote YES! on Proposition 2 for California’s farm animals!

On November 4, you will have the opportunity to take a stand against some of the most cruel and unnecessary aspects of factory farming. If passed, Prop 2 will end the practice of keeping veal calves, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens in cages and crates so small that they cannot turn around. This law will not only prevent cruelty to animals—it also will improve food safety and reduce the devastating environmental impact of factory farms.

Join the ASPCA and more than 150 other animal-protection organizations, more than 700 California veterinary professionals, and over 100 elected federal, state and local officials in supporting Prop 2!

What You Can Do

Click here to visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to learn more about Proposition 2 - and send a note to fellow California animal lovers asking them to vote YES! on Prop 2.

This is cute - get your fix of puppydom with these cute dog photos at The Daily Puppy.

Their description: “your source for cute puppy pictures, videos, articles and supplies. Browse pictures of the puppy of the day, create a profile for you and your puppy and connect with other puppy parents. Don’t forget to check out different dog breeds, our puppy related articles and videos too!”

They also have an active dog forum that I am planning to join and share my knowledge about dog care with.  They have creative photo contests, info about adoptable animals, behavior issues, health, breeds and dog-friendly places. You can submit your dog picture to the “Pupfolio” and have people vote how many biscuits your little one is worth.

Beware of this site - it’s a GREAT way to get lost online!

I am working on a new line of couture dog collars - these are my own design, as all things - called WatchDogs Dog Collars. These are available online through custom orders via this website, or at the Lake Arrowhead Grooming Salon in Blue Jay, CA.

The idea is that there are lovely collars out there with jewels, but how many have a watch? How often do watches show up on dogs? Probably never. Well, here they are! WATCHES FOR DOGS! On Collars.

These are now for sale at the Lake Arrowhead Dog Grooming Boutique and Spa (which is in Blue Jay, CA, just before Lake Arrowhead Village).

These are also available as custom orders online through this website. I was so excited to see these purchased the day I placed them in the shop in Blue Jay. These are going to be huge, and the best part is, each one is unique, and handmade with love.

Here is a brand new puppy, purchased from the Lake Arrowhead Dog Boutique and Spa, wearing one of my first WatchDog Collars. Actually, one of my favorites - a rich red collar with a heart shaped watch face, surrounded by white rhinestones.

This puppy was so sweet and so darned cute. As you can see, the WatchDog collar is adorable on her. Very feminine and even a little diva-like.

I do have another order lined up for this same collar, but I only have so many of this one style. So if you want this one or something like it, let me know!

Pretty much all of my works are unique, one or two of a kind. Some will even feature vintage watch faces. I have 1950s and retro watch faces ready to create for your pets. More fun, cool and absolutely lovely designs to come.

Really. You won’t see these things just everywhere.

More “WatchDog Collars” news later. I am very excited about my new couture dog collars and will let you know when more designs come online.