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Puppy Kindergarten
2008-06-13 10:07:00
Last night Chloe and I went to our second session of puppy kindergarten. At the first session she was terrified of the other puppies. At the class we work on dog socialization and one command. When we got to the Assisted Living Home, where they hold the class, Chloe went up to each of the residents to say "howdy do" and yes you may pet me. I thought we were off to a good start. They introduce the puppies to each other one on one. Well, Miss Chloe was terrified of a 3 pound Shih Tzu named Gina. Gina chased her and chased her. So basically, Chloe flunked the first day of Puppy Kindergarten .On the second day a new dog came to class, a three month old Akita, (beautiful and very large dog). Made friends immediately and played with her. Yahooo. She is gaining confidence! Turns out she is still terrified of the Australian Shepard, the mini Australian Shepard, the Boxer/Shepard mix and of course little tiny Gina.The trainer also referred to Chloe as Snarky when she is upset. Whoaaa! Anyway,...

A Walk on the Wild Side
2008-06-02 06:15:00
Today Chloe and I went down to Boulder Colorado to go for a hike by Boulder Creek with my daughter Katie. It was a perfect day, sunny, around 75 degree and no humidity. Parking was a bit tough, but we found a spot at the Justice Center. I was a bit worried about how Chloe would do around so many dogs and people. She totally ignored the other dogs and stopped to get petted by her admirers. Everybody loves a puppy and she is no exception. We went the whole day without any nipping! Katie and I went to the outdoor patio restraurant at the Hotel Boulderado and shared a Turkey Blt. Chloe got a drinking bowl full of water, had her fill and laid down for a little siesta under the table. I am so happy that she likes to go places. I have a Teafco travellor for her in the car and she just sits there and enjoys the ride.
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Snuggle Puppies have arrived at Prepared Pet
2008-05-28 18:26:00
Snuggle Puppies are in stock!If you are planning to add a puppy or rescue dog to you home, be prepared to comfort and help your baby with a Snuggle Puppy. Help your new puppy sleep through the night with his new Snuggle Puppy which has a heartbeat just like mom and his littermates. Comforts your puppy and helps stop whining, crying and separation anxiety. Keep your adult dog or puppy company while you are away.Each SnugglePuppie? includes: ? Plush stuffed animal (13"l x 8"w x 4"h)? Two 20 hour all natural disposable heaters? 1 terrycloth pouch for renewable heat ? 1 heart with batteries$36.99Snuggle Puppies
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Chloe, My Shih Tzu Puppy
2008-05-28 18:15:00
Chloe, a Shih Tzu, arrived on April 20th. She is a gift to me from my sister Nan Greenly. Chloe gets up every morning at 7:00 am. Being a night person, this has really changed my habits. She was born on Feb. 5, 2008 and is growing rapidly. So far she has had 2 sets of puppy shots and will have her 3rd set in the middle of June. Next after shots will be registration and tags. Chloe is a bit stubborn and will be attending Puppy Kindergarten. Right now she is working on fetch the toy. When she arrived I had a Snuggle Puppy all ready for her. She sleeps at night in her crate with the Snuggle Puppy.
More About: Chloe

Changes Are Coming to Prepared Pet
2008-03-18 06:32:00
Spring is almost here in Colorado. Puppies are arriving and it is time to think about your best buddy and outdoor comfort and safety. For those of you who are uncomfortable with nail clipping, I highly recommend the Quickfinder. Quickfinder will be adding a new clipper for large dogs and those with very hard nails in the coming months.Prepared Pet is going to be making some exciting changes to the line up of terrific products for your dog or pet. I will be adding two brand new carriers, one is fun, and has a whole new look. The second one is a technical marvel. It automatically controls the temperature in the carrier. It cools and heats according to what is needed. This carrier plugs into the cigarette lighter in your car, rv or boat! Additionally; you can purchase a 110 adapter and a battery back up! I was at the Global Pet Expo in February and selected many new items which are practical, well built or just plain fun!In the coming weeks I will be redesigning this website for better...

Off the Beaten Path, Quartzsite, Az.
2008-02-17 03:37:00
On my way to the Global Pet Expo in San Diego, my sister Nan and I stopped off in Quartzsite to visit my sister Maggie, who is a full time RVer. We missed all the winter storms in Colorado and New Mexico and arrived to enjoy beautiful weather in Quartzsite. Quartzsite is home to tens of thousands of snowbirds during the winter. Nan and I hit the flea market and found some great stuff. We had Silly Al's pizza and called it a day. On Wednesday, the 13th, we headed to San Diego on Interstate 8. We had high winds most of the way and it really wore me out. Thursday morning we dressed in business casual with a light sweater and slacks. Turns out the weather folks completely missed a winter storm headed our way. We had to walk 6 blocks to the light rail from our motel in Little Italy. High winds and rain all the way. Interstate 8 was completely shut down with ice and snow. We lucked out that we arrived the day before the storm. People were stranded in their cars for up to 18 hours. I am p...
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Zonked!
2008-01-27 06:24:00
Hello!Attached are pictures of our Olde English Bulldog, Luca, with his Snuggle Puppy.He absolutely loved sleeping with it when we first brought him home! He's already a few months old now, and still carries his Snuggle Puppy into his crate for bedtime. They'll be buddies forever..... Nicole Thank you for sharing Luca with me. It is a lot of fun to see customers of Prepared Pet using our products. If you have any great pictures to share please send them to Jean

Road Trip!
2008-01-23 07:22:00
My sister Nan and I are heading out on a road trip next month. We will be heading down I-25 out of Denver, Colorado. We are headed to bohemian Quartzsite in Arizona. I am really excited. We always have a good time. While there we are going to the San Diego Convention Center for the Global Pet Expo. I hope to find some terrific new products for pets. I really like the Quickfinder and the SnuggleSafe, so easy to use and handy too. We are planning on at least one overnight, maybe two to get there. If you know of any small towns or cities that have a restraurant or motel worth stopping for, please let me know. Usually we hit places on the freeway and I would like to find some of those gems you never see at 75 mph. Keeping expenses down is a must. Any suggestions? As I get closer to the trip I will post updates. If there are any new products you would like me to scope out, let me know.
More About: Trip , Road Trip , Road

Blackout in Longmont
2008-01-11 16:40:00
I spent the early evening sorting two and a half weeks worth of laundry. Ran a load in the washer, put it in the dryer and started a load in the washer. I went into the living room to catch the news. Suddenly, all the power in the house went out. I freaked out. Thought I may have fried the entire house. Grabbed the flashlight and headed for the garage to check the circuit breakers. All of them were okay.....Now what? I went back into the house, looked out the window and found all of Longmont in a blackout. I couldn't believe it. Last time we lost power here was at least ten years ago. I had posted a message to the Freecyle group earlier thanking everyone for their advice and support while I was learning how to fix the dryer. I also, tongue in cheek, said that if the power goes out in Longmont to send help.....
More About: Blackout , Mont

It All Worked Out
2008-01-11 04:55:00
I was able to determine which part was bad, turns out it was the heater assembly. I removed it along with the parts attached to the assembly. I went ahead and ordered the part. Then I decided to leave the front off which was a pain to remove. It was still attached to the door switch assembly, which I never really looked at. That night I walked into the laundry, didn't turn the light on and immediately tripped on the door. As I grabbed for something to hold on, I could hear many little parts skittering across the floor. OK then. I gathered up the pieces and spent an hour figuring out what it was. Next morning I ordered that part. Now the whole idea was to save a lot of money. So far I have purchased an ohmmeter, 1 set of standard wrenches, 1 set of metric wrenches, 1 heat assembly, 1 door switch assembly and a ratcheting hex nut driver.I currently have a working dryer. I put it back together again, and it smelled like something was burning so I turned it off and ran out of the house...

I am an Electric Chicken
2008-01-05 22:01:00
Today's blog isn't about pets and practical tips. It is about an electricity chicken overcoming her fears and getting on with it. I posted to the Longmont Freecycle Community Website, asking for advice and help. I got terrific advice and quite a bit of encouragement.To those of you following my saga, I am now the proud owner of an ohmmeter and I know how to check continuity. The number 1 to the very left of the readout is not good. I can also banter about the phrases Open and Not Open. For an electricity chicken, I have made a major step forward in my life. Turns out the heating element on the dryer is shot, and the thermal fuse is fine. Of course getting those little screws out was the nightmare. My husband took every wrench and socket set, except the pipe wrench with him when he headed out. When I asked him why, he said he wasn't sure what he was going to need. So, I am also the proud owner of new metric and standard wrenches. I think I will hide my new tools. I am going to ord...
More About: Chicken , Electric

I Met One of the Good People Today
2008-01-05 09:53:00
I belong to the Longmont Freecycle group on Yahoo. We have a huge group and recycle everything imaginable. A lot of people outside of Longmont have joined and it gets pretty lively. When you are cleaning out your house or business, you post your item as Offered: *** in the subject line. Then you are contacted by people who would like the item, through your email. Then, if you get a lot of responses, you can post Promised:****. Once your item or items have been picked up you post Taken****. Hopefully; the person who got the item will post Received****with a thank you. Freecycle runs on the premise of wanting to help others, wanting to help the planet and really good manners. You email your address to the recipient and set the item on your front stoop for them to pick up. Pretty simple and since most Freecyclers are avid internet users, posting on the Yahoo Freecycle for your city isn't a lot effort. Sometimes I think the stuff I want to pass on is junk and then I remember being youn...
More About: People , Today , Good , The Good

The Doggie Chronicles
2008-01-03 03:35:00
Early this afternoon I received a call from Alexandra at the Doggie Chronicles in San Francisco. She offered me an opportunity to talk about Prepared Pet, our new products as well as our mainstays. How did our products work, why did I choose these products? Doggie Chronicles is a radio broadcast that can be subscribed to through ITunes as a podcast for your Ipod. Or you can read about their guests, info, product reviews and tips for dog lovers at http://www.doggiechronicles.com/ . I decided I wouldn't do the show. I generally have brain freeze and glitches when speaking. My sister Nan is a natural talker and I called her right up and told her the only way she could refuse is if her daughter Robin was actually in labor. Well Robin was visiting her mom and not in labor, so Nan agreed. We put together some info, I told to her be sure and have a glass of water nearby and thank you very much. Nan called and said it was great and she would love to do it again. Scott and Lisa had Nan do a...

Does your Pet need a Seatbelt or Harness?
2007-12-27 21:54:00
Here in Colorado we are having back to back snowstorms. The roads have become icy and snowpacked. This morning the news was full of one vehicle accidents involving rollovers. I know that we all know that our kids and selves must be buckled in. Why? So they don't go through the window, or out the car door or get slammed into something in the car. A flight attendant told me they call babies held in their parents laps during flight "lap rockets". If the plane loses altitude quickly the parents can't keep a hold of them. What is different about our pets? Not a thing! They need to have us make good decisions for them. I prefer a crate or harness set up over a leash attached to their collar. The harness works the same for pets as it does for small children. It diffuses the impact over a greater area. My dogs have always been family and we need to think of them as such. Many of us are good drivers, but we can't count on the drivers in the vehicles around us. Start when your puppy first ...
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Water Bowls and RV's
2007-12-18 18:23:00
My daughter Katie and I went to Yosemite National Park to visit my sister Maggie. Maggie is a full time RVer who was spending the summer in El Portal near one of the entrances to Yosemite.It had been a long drive from Colorado and I was very tired. Maggie has two dogs, one large and one small. I entered the RV and moved backwards down the aisle, I was trying to make room for Katie who was carrying our luggage. Well, I stepped in the dog's water bowl. My shoe was soaked, the carpet was soaked and the floorboards were soaked. I know that a lot of people keep the dog bowls under the table and out of the way. Maggie kept extra food and supplies there. Not stepping in the water bowl became the challenge. When I got home, I checked into water bowls and found the Lixit No Spill Water boy. I liked the design immediately. It held enough water for two dogs, it wasn't going to slosh water around when the RV was on the road, and the most important aspect of all, I could step on it. I also like...

Voice Control of Your Dog
2007-12-13 04:04:00
It is that very sad time of year when the reports of dogs and their companions falling through the ice on lakes, rivers and ponds come out weekly. Many factors affect ice quality. Ice is subject to variable freezing temperatures from above, and yet subject to constant thawing temperatures from below due to water temperatures in the 40-degree Fahrenheit range. Wind-whipped water, areas where there is any water movement due to either overland runoff or underground springs, and shaded or sunny areas, all lead to freezing and thawing conditions. Snow is another contributing problem, as snow cover acts as an insulator and ice may actually begin to melt despite freezing temperatures. Ice thickness is not consistent. Water currents, particularly around narrow spots, bridges, inlets and outlets, are always suspect for thin ice.Hypothermia, the rapid cooling of a body, can result in death. When it comes to ice, please remember one rule....there is no such thing as safe ice! Do not allow your...
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Little Dog, Deep Snow, Now What?
2007-12-13 03:54:00
I was thinking about 4 little snowshoes, easy on, easy off bindings.....Or you could select an area in your backyard near the door and well lit by the outdoor lights.You can shovel that area after every snow or go out and tamp the snow down by trampling it.The idea is you do not want your little dog to sink into the snow up to her little belly. She needs to be able to relax and do her business quickly and head back inside. Always stay outside with your dog at night or during winter. Don't wait for your little guy to bark to be let back in. If your dog knows they can come right back inside, they'll be more willing to brave the elements instead of your cozy living room carpet. If it is very cold, think newborn baby, bundle your dog up with a warm jacket or shirt and put some easy on, easy off booties on her paws. It is very important that her paws are not packed with snow, or cut with sharp pieces of ice. If you have any great winter care tips please send them to me, Jean, at sales@...
More About: Snow , Deep

What is Wind Chill and Why is it Important?
2007-12-13 03:34:00
Understanding The Wind Chill Factor & Frostbite " Wind Chill" is a misunderstood term. It is not a temperature scale but a measurement of heat loss from the combined effect of wind and low temperatures. Another way to look at the wind chill factor is that it is the temperature a person or pet feels because of the wind. If you've ever used a fan to cool yourself on a hot day, then you've felt the effects of a wind chill. A breeze doesn't make the temperature drop, but it can make it seem as if the temperature is cooler than it actually is. Here's how it works. The basic law of thermodynamics says that any object warmer than its surroundings will lose heat. Normally we have an invisible layer of "still" air on the surface of our skin that acts like a blanket of insulation and slows our loss of body heat. Blowing wind reduces this insulating layer of warm air next to our skin and increases our rate of heat loss. The faster the wind blows, the more quickly we lose heat. Secondly...