A 3500 square foot indoor-pet park just opened at the Harbourfront Centre in downtown Toronto. Pawsway Pet Discovery Centre offers free general admission and welcomes all dogs. There is a Canine Code of Conduct, which is fairly basic but a good idea to check out before going. The fall hours are listed as Wednesday to Sunday. During the week the centre opens at 4pm, and on the weekend it opens at 11am.
There is a full events calendar that includes off leash times for both big and small dogs, agility, doggy dance fit classes, even special cat-friendly days.
There are also many pet-themed exhibits such as how dogs and cats see, the benefits of pet ownership, pet behaviour, or you can take the healthy hug test. The current featured exhibit is 41 years of the Purina animal hall of fame.
The centre also boasts a Williams Coffee Pub that has a dog-friendly eating area. This is something I would be interested in, since so many times I go out and wish I could bring Elli with me.
On December 5 and 6 the centre will have pet photos with Santa. The sittings will be $10 with renowned photographer Garth Gourlay.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Crates
When I first got Elli I planned on crate training her since I had heard it's a good idea. I got her a crate, guessing which size would be best. There were some things I loved about the crate and there were some things that didn't go according to plan.
I put the crate in the laundry room on the main floor of my house. This was the room Elli would sleep in, or be locked into when everyone was out. I only kept Elli in her crate at night. I heard that you really should put your dog in their during the day as well when you're home to better train them. But, whenever I tried to put her in if I was home she would cry and scratch to get out. So I let her out. I wanted her with me as much as possible.
Having Elli in her crate through the night worked great in that she never had an accident during the night. It was also reassuring to know exactly where she was, and more importantly that she wasn't getting into trouble. I left a nightlight on in her room, and closed the door only part-way.
There were a couple times when she cried a bit at first, but for the most part she slept quietly through the night.
Well, that is until a family member of mine started to go in to see her throughout the night. You're supposed to ignore her cries as you would a child and the dog will settle down again. Or, if the dog really does have to go out, you're supposed to just bring the dog right out and right back in again. Nighttime isn't for playing. But, you can't always control what family members decide to do.
Once Elli learned that she would get attention if she caused a fuss she began getting louder and doing it nightly. This was frustrating for me. Elli was my dog but people weren't treating her how I wanted them to in terms of training.
Eventually the crate moved up into my bedroom because we were painting the laundry room so Elli couldn't be in there anymore. Of course, once in my bedroom Elli did not settle into her crate and I couldn't resist having a cute cuddly puppy snuggling me all night. So that was the end of her official crate training.
I still keep her crate in my room with the door propped open. And, on the rare occasion Elli will go in there to sleep.
Overall I'm glad I did the crate training, although there are some things I would do differently next time. I think I would start the crate in my bedroom right from the beginning so that I could have more control over who interrupts her during the night. I might also do more daytime training, even though I'm still not sure how I would do that.
I put the crate in the laundry room on the main floor of my house. This was the room Elli would sleep in, or be locked into when everyone was out. I only kept Elli in her crate at night. I heard that you really should put your dog in their during the day as well when you're home to better train them. But, whenever I tried to put her in if I was home she would cry and scratch to get out. So I let her out. I wanted her with me as much as possible.
Having Elli in her crate through the night worked great in that she never had an accident during the night. It was also reassuring to know exactly where she was, and more importantly that she wasn't getting into trouble. I left a nightlight on in her room, and closed the door only part-way.
There were a couple times when she cried a bit at first, but for the most part she slept quietly through the night.
Well, that is until a family member of mine started to go in to see her throughout the night. You're supposed to ignore her cries as you would a child and the dog will settle down again. Or, if the dog really does have to go out, you're supposed to just bring the dog right out and right back in again. Nighttime isn't for playing. But, you can't always control what family members decide to do.
Once Elli learned that she would get attention if she caused a fuss she began getting louder and doing it nightly. This was frustrating for me. Elli was my dog but people weren't treating her how I wanted them to in terms of training.
Eventually the crate moved up into my bedroom because we were painting the laundry room so Elli couldn't be in there anymore. Of course, once in my bedroom Elli did not settle into her crate and I couldn't resist having a cute cuddly puppy snuggling me all night. So that was the end of her official crate training.
I still keep her crate in my room with the door propped open. And, on the rare occasion Elli will go in there to sleep.
Overall I'm glad I did the crate training, although there are some things I would do differently next time. I think I would start the crate in my bedroom right from the beginning so that I could have more control over who interrupts her during the night. I might also do more daytime training, even though I'm still not sure how I would do that.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Fancy Dishes
When I first knew for sure I was getting Elli, I was all excited about all the doggy accessories I would have to buy. One of the top things on that list was dishes.
I was surprised at how much they could cost, and by all the variations available. I liked the ceramic dishes, but at the time I wasn't sure if they would break easily. So I ended up buying a pink set of dishes that were in a plastic holder to keep them steady. I paid $20 for these, an average price. I was suprised at how much you could spend on dog dishes.
When I got them home, I wasn't in love with them. They just didn't seem quite right. I ended up returning them. Instead, opting for Elli to use little plastic tupperware dishes for the time being until I found what I really wanted.
This worked great. Well, until Elli started chewing them up, and running around the house with her tupperware on her head like a helmet. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I assume she hurt herself playing this way. Because one day she decided she was scared of her tupperware dishes. I resorted to dumping her dog food directly on the floor for her to eat. She wouldn't go near the tupperware.
I knew it was time to get real dishes.
One Saturday, I went to the Royal Doulton sale with my mom. There we came across a nice set of dog dishes with an elegant rose pattern on it. They were only $25, which is actually quite cheap for dog dishes, believe it or not. So we bought them for Elli. This wasn't exactly what I was imagining for Elli's dishes, but they worked and were quite nice.
She's been using these fancy dishes now for about a year, without incident. It's become sort of a joke now that Elli only eats out of the good Royal Doulton dishes.
I was surprised at how much they could cost, and by all the variations available. I liked the ceramic dishes, but at the time I wasn't sure if they would break easily. So I ended up buying a pink set of dishes that were in a plastic holder to keep them steady. I paid $20 for these, an average price. I was suprised at how much you could spend on dog dishes.
When I got them home, I wasn't in love with them. They just didn't seem quite right. I ended up returning them. Instead, opting for Elli to use little plastic tupperware dishes for the time being until I found what I really wanted.
This worked great. Well, until Elli started chewing them up, and running around the house with her tupperware on her head like a helmet. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I assume she hurt herself playing this way. Because one day she decided she was scared of her tupperware dishes. I resorted to dumping her dog food directly on the floor for her to eat. She wouldn't go near the tupperware.
I knew it was time to get real dishes.
One Saturday, I went to the Royal Doulton sale with my mom. There we came across a nice set of dog dishes with an elegant rose pattern on it. They were only $25, which is actually quite cheap for dog dishes, believe it or not. So we bought them for Elli. This wasn't exactly what I was imagining for Elli's dishes, but they worked and were quite nice.
She's been using these fancy dishes now for about a year, without incident. It's become sort of a joke now that Elli only eats out of the good Royal Doulton dishes.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The night Elli was sick
Last fall I had a terrible scare with Elli.
She was fine the entire day. I took her out for a quick walk around the block because we were going to someone's house for the evening. On our walk it became apparent that Elli was straining to go pee. She kept squatting every few steps. I was concerned, but not really sure what was happening.
We came back in the house, I left Elli for a few minutes and when I returned I noticed a wet spot on the living room carpet. I was annoyed since we had just been out, but at the same time she was still just a puppy at the time. I cleaned up and then packed Elli in the car.
When we got to our friend's house, I set Elli on the grass on the front lawn. She once again looked uncomfortable and tried to pee. Now, I was worried. I put a call in to her vet's office. They were booked and closing in an hour, so I made an appointment for the next day as I tried to hide the crack in my voice.
I still was uncertain what to do. So I picked Elli up and we went in the house. She sat limply on my lap, and soon started shaking. This scared me more than anything. I didn't know what was wrong or what to do. Tears came to my eyes.
My friend looked up emergency clinics as I debated if I should take her or not. I wasn't sure what to do, and I had been told emergency clinics were ridiculously expensive.
We decided to take her, if nothing else then to just set my mind at ease until she could see her regular vet the next day.
As we were on the way out, Elli had another accident on the floor.
Luckily when we got to the clinic we were the first ones there, so the vet could take us right away. I shakily explained Elli's symptoms as the vet did her examination.
The vet told me she thought it was a bladder infection. But, since Elli was so young she was concerned she could have some chronic kidney problem, which would mean she would get sick like this occasionally. The vet gave me two options. She could give Elli some pain medicine that would get her through the night and I could take her to her regular vet in the morning. Or, Elli could stay overnight in the emergency clinic hooked up on an IV, since she was a bit dehydrated, and the vet would run a blood test. The second option would cost over $800.
I decided to take Elli home with me. The medicine she was given made her drowsy, and when we came into our house she just slumped and didn't move. Even her ears were hanging low.
I tried putting Elli in her crate for the night, but she really didn't want to stay in there. So I let her stay in my bed. She must have peed in her sleep. I woke up in the night after hearing Elli jump off the bed, and felt a big puddle. I cleaned everything up and gave Elli lots of hugs and kisses because I could tell she felt really bad.
The next day we went to our regular vet. He put my mind at ease, by telling me it probably is just a bladder infection and they didn't need to do the blood test unless the infection wouldn't go away or happened again. He gave me some antibiotics and I left the office feeling better.
Elli improved over the next few days, and luckily she hasn't had any other infections since.
I think anytime your pets get sick it's scary. You never know how serious it is or what you should do for them. I was happy I took her to the emergency clinic, and that it wasn't something that couldn't be fixed.
When something like this happens it makes you think about how much you would miss your animals if anything were to happen.
She was fine the entire day. I took her out for a quick walk around the block because we were going to someone's house for the evening. On our walk it became apparent that Elli was straining to go pee. She kept squatting every few steps. I was concerned, but not really sure what was happening.
We came back in the house, I left Elli for a few minutes and when I returned I noticed a wet spot on the living room carpet. I was annoyed since we had just been out, but at the same time she was still just a puppy at the time. I cleaned up and then packed Elli in the car.
When we got to our friend's house, I set Elli on the grass on the front lawn. She once again looked uncomfortable and tried to pee. Now, I was worried. I put a call in to her vet's office. They were booked and closing in an hour, so I made an appointment for the next day as I tried to hide the crack in my voice.
I still was uncertain what to do. So I picked Elli up and we went in the house. She sat limply on my lap, and soon started shaking. This scared me more than anything. I didn't know what was wrong or what to do. Tears came to my eyes.
My friend looked up emergency clinics as I debated if I should take her or not. I wasn't sure what to do, and I had been told emergency clinics were ridiculously expensive.
We decided to take her, if nothing else then to just set my mind at ease until she could see her regular vet the next day.
As we were on the way out, Elli had another accident on the floor.
Luckily when we got to the clinic we were the first ones there, so the vet could take us right away. I shakily explained Elli's symptoms as the vet did her examination.
The vet told me she thought it was a bladder infection. But, since Elli was so young she was concerned she could have some chronic kidney problem, which would mean she would get sick like this occasionally. The vet gave me two options. She could give Elli some pain medicine that would get her through the night and I could take her to her regular vet in the morning. Or, Elli could stay overnight in the emergency clinic hooked up on an IV, since she was a bit dehydrated, and the vet would run a blood test. The second option would cost over $800.
I decided to take Elli home with me. The medicine she was given made her drowsy, and when we came into our house she just slumped and didn't move. Even her ears were hanging low.
I tried putting Elli in her crate for the night, but she really didn't want to stay in there. So I let her stay in my bed. She must have peed in her sleep. I woke up in the night after hearing Elli jump off the bed, and felt a big puddle. I cleaned everything up and gave Elli lots of hugs and kisses because I could tell she felt really bad.
The next day we went to our regular vet. He put my mind at ease, by telling me it probably is just a bladder infection and they didn't need to do the blood test unless the infection wouldn't go away or happened again. He gave me some antibiotics and I left the office feeling better.
Elli improved over the next few days, and luckily she hasn't had any other infections since.
I think anytime your pets get sick it's scary. You never know how serious it is or what you should do for them. I was happy I took her to the emergency clinic, and that it wasn't something that couldn't be fixed.
When something like this happens it makes you think about how much you would miss your animals if anything were to happen.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Truth about Petstores
I recently came across a report by CBC's Wendy Mesley for the show Marketplace that details the horror of where pet store puppies are coming from. I think most people have heard that it's not a great idea to purchase a puppy from a petstore. They often have behavioural or health problems. The biggest issue being that you don't know where that puppy is really coming from.
Petstores will mislead consumers saying that the puppies are from reputable breeders, when in fact, they could be coming from puppy mills that are sometimes located in the U.S. One such puppy mill, talked about in the report, produces around 90,000 puppies per year and ships them around the world. These dogs could have been subjected to inbreeding, and come with genetic issues that are not easily fixed.
Canadian standards state breeders need to provide clean drinking water, a clean environment and space to move around freely. It's pretty sad that many puppies are living in conditions that don't even meet this basic standard.
The report also reveals that large petstore chains are paying people to keep quiet about their complaints.
When there are so many lovely dogs in shelters that need good homes, why go to a petstore that will over charge you, lie to you, and provide you with a dog that will have major issues.
Petstores will mislead consumers saying that the puppies are from reputable breeders, when in fact, they could be coming from puppy mills that are sometimes located in the U.S. One such puppy mill, talked about in the report, produces around 90,000 puppies per year and ships them around the world. These dogs could have been subjected to inbreeding, and come with genetic issues that are not easily fixed.
Canadian standards state breeders need to provide clean drinking water, a clean environment and space to move around freely. It's pretty sad that many puppies are living in conditions that don't even meet this basic standard.
The report also reveals that large petstore chains are paying people to keep quiet about their complaints.
When there are so many lovely dogs in shelters that need good homes, why go to a petstore that will over charge you, lie to you, and provide you with a dog that will have major issues.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Dress Up
I have to admit it, I'm one of those people who think it's cute when dogs wear little sweaters. Elli has a small collection of clothing that inlcudes a sweater, a winter coat, Christmas t-shirt, raincoat (she hates this one), and two Hallowe'en costumes. She doesn't often dress up, but every now and then I can't resist.
Last Hallowe'en Elli looked adorable as a bumble bee.
She wasn't thrilled about the hood of her costume, but she wore it to greet the trick-or-treaters. Another shih-tzu came to our door dressed in a homemade costume-very cute. Elli loved seeing all the kids.
Last year I made the mistake of waiting too late to go buy Elli's costume. She is a popular size and there wasn't much left. This year I decided to go two weeks before Hallowe'en-same problem! There was a very limited selection left, although I did get her costume discounted at 50% off. Originally I wanted a cute pumpkin costume, but decided that would have to wait another year until I could get the proper size. So I went with a devil. These are the pictures of Elli trying on her new costume.
This time the hood is seperate from the cape. There is also a devil's tail on the cape that can't be seen in these photos.
Last Hallowe'en Elli looked adorable as a bumble bee.
She wasn't thrilled about the hood of her costume, but she wore it to greet the trick-or-treaters. Another shih-tzu came to our door dressed in a homemade costume-very cute. Elli loved seeing all the kids.
Last year I made the mistake of waiting too late to go buy Elli's costume. She is a popular size and there wasn't much left. This year I decided to go two weeks before Hallowe'en-same problem! There was a very limited selection left, although I did get her costume discounted at 50% off. Originally I wanted a cute pumpkin costume, but decided that would have to wait another year until I could get the proper size. So I went with a devil. These are the pictures of Elli trying on her new costume.
This time the hood is seperate from the cape. There is also a devil's tail on the cape that can't be seen in these photos.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mobile Grooming
It's just about time for Elli to go in for her last haircut before the winter. I originally took her to the local Petsmart for grooming. They did a wonderful job for a fair price. The last time I took Elli to a little petshop with grooming services close to my home. I wanted to support the smaller business. They also did a great job, for the same price. I'm most likely going to take Elli to the small shop near my house for this haircut, but I thought I would look into a business I've seen around my neighbourhood a few times.
It's a mobile pet grooming van. I've always seen it while driving so couldn't really take down the number or even catch the name. It just caught my eye. However, I can't seem to find it on the internet. I tried different searches but I don't think I've come across this particular company, plus there really isn't much choice for where I live. I would really like to see that van again, and this time I'll take note of the name and contact so I can at least post a link here. I haven't heard of anyone using this service but it would be a good idea for owners who aren't mobile themselves. I might try it out one day if the price is reasonable. I just need to find that van again!
*I got Elli her Hallowe'en costume, more details and pictures to come!!
It's a mobile pet grooming van. I've always seen it while driving so couldn't really take down the number or even catch the name. It just caught my eye. However, I can't seem to find it on the internet. I tried different searches but I don't think I've come across this particular company, plus there really isn't much choice for where I live. I would really like to see that van again, and this time I'll take note of the name and contact so I can at least post a link here. I haven't heard of anyone using this service but it would be a good idea for owners who aren't mobile themselves. I might try it out one day if the price is reasonable. I just need to find that van again!
*I got Elli her Hallowe'en costume, more details and pictures to come!!
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