Hey Ho, Teddy here.  Dog pals, I got big news to share with ya!  Do ya know my pal Luc? He’s one cool dude, here’s his picture…

…Hey!  How come he has a nice car bed and I don’t????  Oh, that’s right, I’m the co-pilot and I have to stand up so people can see how handsome I am.

Anyway, Luc’s mom and the cool folks over at Stunt Puppy made a map.  And you know what, dog pals?  It shows places here in the Twin Cities that like dogs!  Yes-sirree-pup.  It shows restaurants and dog parks!  Now me and Emmie and Luc, we think that’s pretty special.  It doesn’t show mine and Emmie’s dog park, but Mom said she would add it.

View Dog Parks and Dog-friendly Dining in a larger map

So dog pals, tell your humans to add YOUR favorite dog friendly places.  You’ll be doing us all a favor!

I hear the treat jar!  See ya dog pals!

Over & out,

Teddy

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One Nation Under Dog by Michael Schaffer is a great study of 21st Century pet owners, including everything from pet spas, trainers, and even anti-depressants.  The focus is primarily on Schaffer’s family and his dog Murphy, but he also focuses on dogs in general and the way their humans pamper them.

One Nation Under Dog is often very funny and a great read, especially if you have your own somewhat ridiculous dog experiences yourself.  Click here or the icon above to get more information or to buy the book.

Hey Ho, Teddy here! I’m so excited! We have nice weather here in MN and Mom’s been taking me and Emmie to our dog park on a very regular basis!  We love our dog park!

There was a first timer dog pal at the park the other day, so me and Emmie, most especially me, showed him the ropes.  He said his mom and dad were new to dog parks and they didn’t know what to look for in a dog park.  So me and Emmie, most especially me, told him what to tell his folks to look for in a dog park.  From a dog’s point of view, that is.

Here’s the list we came up with:

• Our dog park has a 2 gate entry system so some of us quick dog pals don’t escape accidentally (on purpose!).  And because our dog park is close to a busy highway, those two gates doubly ensure our safety.
• Make sure the park is fenced in, so we dog pals don’t need our leashes. Some dogs, like Emmie, like to run and run and run.  The fence keeps us dog pals safely enclosed, while still letting us stretch our legs and run.  Mom says our fence is 4 foot high, which makes it difficult for most dog pals to jump over it.
• It’s nice to have a special area for small dogs or puppies.  That way the little dog pals don’t get run over or accidentally hurt when we big dog pals are running around.
• Plenty of garbage cans and bags so our humans can pick up the poop after us dog pals.  That keeps the park clean for everyone!
• Hey, from this dog pal’s point of view, the more dog pals, the more fun! But not all dog pals feel the same way about that as I do.  Our dog park has lots of natural hills and valleys so if a dog pal doesn’t want to be with a bunch of other dogs, she can go a little distance away and feel safe.
• A combination of paths and forest, sun and shade.  Me, I like to stay on the paths, because I meet more dog pals there and Emmie likes to chase the squirrels in the forest.  Our dog park has a nice combination of both.
• Enough space so us dog pals don’t feel crowded.  It’s when us dog pals feel trapped and we have no place to escape to that trouble can begin. Our dog park is pretty big, it’s 18 acres! Lots of room to run and play in!
• Access to water for us dog pals.  When we get to playing, we need to be refreshed with water! Our dog park has a fountain at the front entry and people leave bowls of waters around the park for us dog pals.  I even drink out of the mud puddles, HA!

Mom said there are some considerations that humans look for, like a nice parking area, water, areas to sit and watch us dog pals, paths to walk on, but I’m only including that to humor her.

So dog pals, if you got any questions about dog parks, just let me know.  I’m the expert in these kind of things!

I’m off for dinner now.  This is Teddy,

Over & Out!

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.  You know what, dog pals?  I gotta tell ya, and I’m kinda red-in-the-face to tell ya, but my mom’s a wuss.  Yup.  Mom’s a wuss.  She proved it when me and Emmie was at the dog park.

So you know we live in MN.  Great state, has lots of snow, and me and Emmie like playin’ in the snow.  We were at the dog park and it was snowy and it was icy and it was muddy!  It had almost every condition a dog pal could ever want! HA!  And there were LOTS of dog pals there that day, let me tell ya.  So me and Emmie and all the dog pals took off running and playing and jumping.  And dog pals, it was fun being on that ice, cuz I could go scooting down the hill, HA!  But you know what, Mom poked and poked and poked cuz she said she didn’t want to slip and fall on the ice.  I told ya she’s a wuss.  Me and Emmie left her behind in the dust, if ya know what I mean.

But I got to looking for her and I couldn’t find her!  And you know dog pals, how important it is to keep your eyes on your human families at the dog park so they don’t get in trouble.  So I ran back, and there’s Mom – the wuss – still poking along on the ice AND telling other humans to be careful at the top of the hill, how icy and treacherous it was up there!  I was very red-in-the-face, let me tell ya.  I don’t think Mom saw me, so I got out of there as fast as I could.  Ya know, a dog pal’s got to do whatever he can to keep his dignity…

But you know what we saw later on, dog pals?  There were some humans and their human pups at the top of one of the big hills, and the humans would put their human pups on these very colorful board things and the human pups would slide down the hill on those board things! HA! It looked like fun, so I went over to those humans, but they told me to get away!  Can you imagine!

Emmie started chasing after one of the human pups going down the hill on one of the board things, but the humans told her to go away!  Telling a dog to get away at a dog park?

Well.  I was just getting ready to give them a piece of my mind, dog pals, when Mom – the wuss – caught up with us.  And know what?  Mom was not happy to see those human pups on the board things.  She said that it was very dangerous for humans to let their human pups do that at a dog park.  I think she called it sledding, or sliding, or something like that.  She said that one of the human pups was scared when she was on that board thing.  Mom said she could tell because the human pup had their head covered up and wouldn’t look at anything.  And Mom said it was dangerous because dogs like to chase things that run away from them, and the dog pals could hurt the human pups by mistake.

And you know what happened dog pals?  About that time one of the really big dogs started chasing one of the human pups as they rode down the hill on that board thing.  And those humans started yelling at that dog pal to go away and leave their pup alone!  Can you IMAGINE telling a dog pal to go away at a dog park???

Mom told me and Emmie we needed to leave that area.  She didn’t want us to get in trouble just because a human wasn’t obeying the park rules.

Well, it was a big day, I can tell ya, dog pals.  I was covered in mud, beautiful mud!  HA!  When I got home, Mom said I had to have a bath, but dog pals, I was SOOOO tired that I feel asleep as Mom gave me my bath! HA!

So here’s what I decided, dog pals.  Mom might be a wuss, but she’s a smart wuss!  OK dog pals, gotta scoot.

Over and Out,

Teddy

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.

Dog pals, did ya hear that spring is just around the corner?  Me and Emmie, we can’t wait for spring cuz that means we’ll be able to go visit our dog park more!  We haven’t been going too often cuz it’s been cold and snowy here in Minnesota and Emmie’s feet get really cold in the snow cuz she won’t wear her boots.  I don’t blame her ~ what dog pal wants to get caught wearing human feet contraption things???  And Mom’s afraid that I’ll slip on the ice and hurt my hips.  So we’ve been playing in our back yard, which is nice, but it’s not the dog park.  HA!

I heard Mom talking the other day about how nice the dogs and their humans are at our dog park cuz they have dog park etiquette.  Is that a new treat?  Have any of you dogs pals ever had a dog pal etiquette treat?  If so, let me know, gotta do my research with you dog pals.  HA!  And then I heard lots of dogs barking in our house!  So me and Emmie, we helped ‘em bark.  And you know what it was dog pals?  Mom had found something called a video that tells ya about dog park etiquette treats.  They must be good, cuz the dog pals sounded like they were having a good time. HA! Mom said it takes about four minutes to watch the video…does that mean it takes four minutes to eat the dog park etiquette treat?  That must be one special treat, dog pals!

OK, dog pals, gotta run.  I hear Mom warming up the car – we get to go on a car ride!

Over and out,

Teddy

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Ready, set, go!  Mark your calendars and get your animal communication questions ready!

Talk2theAnimals First Friday Forum is this Friday, December 5 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM CS

And what is that all about, you ask?  First Friday Forum is your chance to have your animal communication questions answered.  All you need to do is email your questions to me with “First Friday Forum” as the subject line.  Questions are answered on a first come, first served basis, so take a few minutes and send that email now!

Once I’ve received your question, I will email you the teleconference information.

First Friday Forum doesn’t offer individual readings for your animals, but if you would like to receive an individual reading, let me know and we’ll get it scheduled.  First Friday Forum participants will receive a 10% savings on their reading when it is scheduled before the end of the teleconference!

Looking forward to answering your question at First Friday Forum!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.  Me and Emmie’s hoping all you dog pals had a GOOOOOOD Thanksgiving!

Mom took us to the dog park and there were so many dog pals there!  I made two new friends.  One big white dog, and he was big, bigger even than Emmie.  His legs were taller than my head!  A giant among dog pals, he was.  The other was a Chihuahua who’s not as big as my cats!  HA!  I saw the big and small at the dog park!  The Chihuahua was wearing a coat.  At first I thought it was silly, but then I got to thinking about it….she’s little and she doesn’t have a natural fur coat like me, so I bet she was cold that day and the coat helped keep her warm!

Then I got to thinking about it even more (understand, dog pals, I did my thinking at home, not when I was at the dog park – there were too many fun things going on to think about the quandaries of life there) and I decided it was very smart of her human companion to help her stay warm.

So, dog pals, I’ve got some ideas you can tell your human folks about.  These ideas will help us all during the cold, snowy winter coming up!

I’m giving you four tips, one for each paw! HA!

1. Watch our tails, ears and feet so we don’t get frostbite!
2. Like my new Chihuahua dog pal, we can be kept safe and cozy with coats and even booties!
3. Keep the hair in our toes and footpads trimmed so we don’t get iceballs stuck there.  That’s brrrrrrrrr, cold!
4. Take us outside for a shorter time, but let us outside more often. We do have to go outside to do our business and have fun but we like to be warm by the fire too!

Ok, dog pals, this is a bonus tip.  This one is for your tail – HA!

Tell your human folks to watch out for signs of hypothermia – that means our body temperature is getting low and that’s not good, dog pals!  When that happens our humans will notice us shivering, we can be stiff, sluggish and clumsy, our heart rate and breathing rate will go down, our pupils can become dilated and we can collapse.  Not good, dog pals, not good!  Tell your human if they see that happening to warm you up slowly, like wrapping you in a cozy blanket.  But dog pals, they need to call your vet too, and see what your vet recommends.  Cuz you know what?  Sometimes we need more help than our folks can give us.  So it’s GOOOOD to have a vet handy!

Dog pals, you follow good ol’ Teddy’s tips and you will have a good, safe and fun winter time!

Over and out,

Teddy

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Hey Ho, Teddy here. How’s all the dog pals out there doing? Has your person taken you to your dog park lately to let you run around? If not, dog pals, you have to beg and look pathetic and do whatever you need to do to get them to take you!

So me and my sister Emmie, we got Mom trained really well. She’s taking us to our dog park three or four times a week! That’s cool, huh. I told you I’ve been having some hip problems, but with my new medicine I am doing much better.

Last time we were at the dog park, Mom let us go around the whole park! None of this half park stuff like when my hips hurt. So me and Emmie, we ran off before Mom could change her mind and tell us we could only do the easy half of the park.

Dog pals, there’s a big hill at one end of the dog park, and I like to scoot down it. HA! Well, what I really do is I get going so fast and then this thing, I think the humans call it gravity, just kind’ve takes over. HA!

So while I was scootin’ down the hill, Emmie was running through the woods. Dog pals, you’d think the way Emmie was acting she hadn’t been in the woods for weeks! But I guess if you don’t see your squirrel friends for even 24 hours you miss them.

Hmm…..squirrel friends? Dog pals, I think I misspoke. I think Emmie is after some of those squirrels for a snack!

Meanwhile, I found lots of dog pals to play with. I made eight or more new dog pals that day! Any they were an assortment too: big, little, old, young. But you know what? They were all nice and fun to play with, because that’s what dog pals are all about! Nice and fun!

I was having so much fun I wanted to tell Emmie to come join us. So I went off in the woods looking for her and one of the little dog pals followed me. Dog pals, I gotta tell ya, this dog pal that followed me was littler than my cats at home! His mom got upset when he followed me, ’cause she was afraid he’d get lost. As if! If humans used their noses more they would find out that their sense of direction would be greatly improved.

Well dog pals, that’s all I’ve got to tell you today. I’m going to take a nap now!

Over & Out
Teddy
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Earlier this week I did a post on some of my favorite postings.  It went over so well, I’m going to do it again!   If you like what you read at Talk2theAnimals, sign up for the newsletter!

Respectful Communication with Animals – Conscious awareness of our communication skills

Can You Tell if Your Cat is Sick? – Written by guest blogger Darlene Norris of Cool Cat Care Stuff

Communication and the Dying Process - The story of thoroughbred Will and his passing

Do Deceased Animals Go to Heaven? – Written by guest blogger Nicole Roberts

Your Psychic Ability – Experiencing your psychic ability in the ordinary of your life.

To see more postings, feel free to explore this blog and see what tickles your fancy.  Remember, sign up for the Talk2theAnimals Newsletter to keep up with the latest from Talk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.  Guess what – Mom took me & Emmie to the dog park today!  We had so much fun, there were so many dog pals there to hang out with! Whoo-hoo!

Now dog pals, if you’ve been keepin’ up with my postings, you know that I’ve been having hip problems.  I’m 15 years old, you know.  So Mom was worried about taking us to the park.  She was afraid I’d hurt myself or overuse my hips. Well of course!  Ya gotta use your hips when you’re running and playing and having fun!

We only stayed at one end of the dog park.  Mom was thinking it’s less hilly there, but I think she was just trying to make herself stop worrying about me.

Now don’t tell Mom, but I did hurt my hips a couple of times when I was playing with a much bigger and younger dog pal.  He was so big than when we were playing he knocked me over once, and then one time my hips did go out and I fell down.  OUCH!  That hurt!  But dog pals, I’m a trooper.  I got right up and started playing again.  Just like any good dog pal would!

But I did take it easy when I got home.  I went to my kennel even without Mom telling me, and I curled up and napped all afternoon.  Then when I got up, my hips were stiff, stiff, stiff.

Monday I get to go visit my vet so they can see how I’m doing.  They always have treats for me there – they know how to take care of us dog pals!

OK dog pals, I’m going to hit the sack now.

Over and out,

Teddy

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