Protect Your Pet this 4th of July

This is an excerpt from the Linda Blair Worldheart newsletter. Linda graciously granted me permission to re-post these important tips for keeping our pets safe this year. Thank you, Linda!

You can read the entire post here. 

Please go see their website and learn more about the incredible work they do for animals and how you can help!


Protect Your Pet this 4th of July

Follow these precautions to ensure a SAFE and HAPPY 4th of July:

• Resist the urge to take your pet to fireworks displays.If possible, stay with the animal during the majority of the fireworks. They often react more intensely to loud sounds and flashes of lights when humans are not around.
• Keep your pet indoors! Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn't leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.
• Do not leave your pet in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects-even death-in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but they do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stole
•  If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
• Always keep proper identification securely fastened to a dog's collars in case it gets out. Consider talking to your veterinarian about implanting a universal microchip.  Make sure your veterinary hospital and animal shelter have your correct contact information in their database.
• Keep them away from the front and back doors. They may be under significant stress, which could result in unnecessary injury to others or cause them to dart out the door and become lost.
• Create a special area or "den" in your home where dogs can feel safe. A properly introduced crate or kennel can be a calming refuge.  
• Some dogs become destructive when frightened. If you don't use a crate, be sure to remove items from the room that they could destroy or would hurt them if chewed.  
• Keep windows and curtains closed to reduce noise and bright flashes.
• Turn on a TV or radio at normal volume to distract them from loud noises. 
• Consider hiring a pet sitter to stay with the animal while you are away from home.

Jury Finds for Veteran in Service Dog Employment ADA Lawsuit

A federal jury ruled in favor of an Iraq War vet who sued his former employer by violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to allow him to bring his service dog to work for six months after he requested the “reasonable accommodation” and then treated him like dirt once they approved his request.

It is thought to be the first lawsuit of it’s kind in the U.S., but it is certainly not the last.

You can read more about it here and here and here.

Insomniacs and People Who Sleep Think Differently

I’ve noticed that there are two completely different ways of thinking for people who sleep through the night and people who don’t. I’ve noticed it a lot over the years, but most recently it struck me when I was reading this article about morning routines (which I was led to on this very excellent blog).  

It’s good advice, but WOW! This is written by someone who “sleeps” very differently to me. It’s a 24 minute routine, consisting of 6 steps, to set you up for a great and productive day. What really struck me were steps 1 and 2, in combination. Step one is to brush your teeth because saliva production reduces while you sleep and that lets bacteria grow wildly in your mouth. Then step two it to drink water.

That’s all good stuff, but the author notes that he prefers to drink water after the mouth cleaning because he doesn’t like the idea of pushing all that bacteria through his system. And that’s where things get a little silly for me.

Not that I disagree with the ick factor, but that it implies that you haven’t been sitting up and drinking water throughout the night! I keep a glass of water on my nightstand, and it’s not unusual for me to drink the entire glass, sometimes two or three glasses, between the time I go to bed and the time I get up in the morning.

I get up and do other things, too. I have to get up to pee several times most nights, even on the nights that I don’t drink much of the glass of water. Sometimes I need a snack. And I’ve learned that it’s better to go ahead and have that snack than to lay in bed unable to sleep for hours due to the anxiety brought on by low blood sugar.

In fact, I read that keeping a bit of cheese on your nightstand so you can roll over and eat it before you’re totally awake, can help you get right back to sleep and possibly avoid long bouts of sleeplessness. So of course I tried it, and it really did help, but it’s a bit complicated when you sleep with cats and/or dogs.

Another thing that boggles my mind is the bedtime routine. First of all, the very idea of a bedtime is absolutely ridiculous to someone like me. Second, performing a set of tasks immediately before trying to sleep is the most counterproductive thing I’ve ever heard of!

Why? Because I have to slip into sleep, trick myself into sleep, or just fucking pass out! My best chance is reading myself to sleep, and even that can take hours if I’m not sleepy to begin with.

Here’s how it works. I do whatever I’m doing, whether it’s email, blogging, or (rarely) watching TV, until I feel myself getting sleepy. Then I move myself to the bedroom with as little activity as possible, so as not to wake myself up any more than absolutely necessary. I slide into the bed, and read until I start dozing off. At that point, if I’m lucky, I turn off my book and slide it under my pillow without waking myself up so much that I can’t keep drifting off. If I’m not lucky I have to get up and go pee, then read some more until I start drifting off again.

No matter how exhausted I am, the entire process of going to sleep can take hours. And then the actual sleeping part may not last very long before I wake up and have to start the process over again.

At least I’ve figured out one thing. If I want to implement a “bedtime routine” I have to shift my thinking and call it an “evening routine”. Something to be done and completed long before I start the process of actually getting into bedtime mode.

The Natural History of the Cat - Alley Cat Allies

Did you know that just 60 years ago, few cats lived entirely indoors at all? In fact, for more than 10,000 years, cats have lived outdoor lives, sharing the environment with birds and wildlife. Understanding cats’ place in history and human evolution reveals how very recently domestic cats came indoors and how millions of this species—feral cats—continue to live healthy lives outdoors today, as all domestic cats are biologically adapted to do.

Please read more at:



The Natural History of the Cat - Alley Cat Allies:



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Petition · Stop harassing war vets with service dogs. · Change.org

Please take go take a look at this petition:



Petition · Stop harassing war vets. · Change.org:

My PTSD service dog Gander and I have been shooed out of at least 5 different Starbucks in the past year. This is not only humiliating, its illegal. I want Starbucks to educate their staff about the American with Disabilities Act regulations and stop harassing war vets and others with disabilities who need service animals...

I'll never get it. Why don't businesses train their employees about service dogs? Besides the basic moral decency issue, it's a legal issue, not to mention huge PR problem to refuse to allow a service dog.



And why do the individuals who work in these places get all worked up and rush to kick them out? Maybe they think they are going to get in trouble for letting a dog in? Maybe they're not sure if they really qualify under ADA rule?



Personally, if I were trying to "err on the side of caution" I would rather take the chance of wrongly allowing a dog who wasn't legit than possibly kicking out a service dog.



But the blame here falls on the businesses that do not bother to learn the law or don't bother to train their employees.

For more on the service dogs and the law you can view my post Service Animals: Yes You Do Have to Let Them in Whether You Like it of Not. You can also see what the ADA says about service dogs.


You might also enjoy checking out Veteran Traveler and Gander the Service Dog's Facebook page.





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Coffee With Cats: America's First Cat Cafe Opens In Oakland

This is so cool! All of the cats at the cafe are up for adoption. Go see the pictures of the cafe...



Coffee With Cats: America's First Cat Cafe Opens In Oakland:

Cat lovers can now celebrate with the opening of the first permanent cat café in the United States. On Saturday, Cat Town Cafe in Oakland, California opened its doors to feline loving customers who want to spend quality time with cute kitties while sipping a hot cup of coffee.

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This 9-Year-Old Built A Nonprofit, No-Kill Animal Shelter Out Of His Garage To Help Stray Animals

This 9-Year-Old Built A Nonprofit, No-Kill Animal Shelter Out Of His Garage To Help Stray Animals:



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This is the kind of thing I dreamed of doing at that age!

Ken, 9, has grown up dreaming about someday having a shelter to help the stray animals that live near his home, but he never dreamed he could reach his goal so soon.

Ken did his best to help the local stray dogs and cats he came across near his home in the Philippines, he frequently spent time with them and offered them food, but he longed for the funds to open a no-kill shelter where he could really help his furry friends, according to The Happy Animals Club website.

Then, a few months ago, photos of Ken with three strays made their way onto the Internet, and people from all over the world began to donate money....