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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Every day is Earth Day at Pet Stuff Resale

One of the reasons I started PSR back in 1997 was to keep so much plastic and metal out of landfills. When cracked plastic crates came in, I would throw away the cracked part and save the good part to reuse when possible. When I moved out into
the country it became possible to burn the plastic. I prefer burning to heavy plastic taking up so much space in a landfill and have lost count of the cubic feet saved in 4 years.

It is common to get in metal crates that are no longer usable; at times it is possible to recycle parts as well as doors from plastic crates. Adding to the reduce, reuse, recycle theme, a man drives by and takes away whatever is on a trailer near my driveway, so he benefits and I don't use up gas.

Part of the green movement is to save money and Pet Stuff Resale is definitely in line with that!

It is still the only business of its kind anywhere in the United States that I can find and of course all items are disinfected.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Update on Buster

That handsome red dachshund in the previous post about extended leads was up for adoption thru CAP. Due to being a little aggressive in his cage he couldn't be upfront on display, which makes it harder to find him a home.
Several of us were spreading the word about him and a nice couple came and adopted him last week. He left the shelter wagging his tail!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Extended leads for dogs-both great and terrible

My first experience with extended leads years ago at a fun run was bad. Someone let a small child hold a greyhound using one. When the child dropped the end the dog bolted near a street which was a disaster. The dog was already in a strange place and with greyhound speed got into even more unfamiliar territory very fast. Every time the plastic base hit the pavement the noise scared the dog even more.
By some miracle she was caught safely, but I swore off extended leads right then.

I don't recommend them in crowded places such as dog parks and busy neighborhoods. One is too far away to protect their dog if a loose dog or aggressive dog on a leash tangles with it or a child approaches it inappropriately. For this reason they are also banned from most dog walks/runs.

My friend and dachsie expert Greta pointed a major advantage; with an extended lead, the leash part (usually) stays above the dog so doesn't get caught around the legs repeatedly, ruining the entire outing! Her precious baby Raleigh the dachshund noted that it facilitates hunting/sniffling
which dachsies are required to do by DNA.

I have been won over about extended leads with SOME small dogs. My chihuahua and poodle expert Rebecca reports that dogs have broken their necks while running after something and I never recommend them with chihuahuas. Thanks to her for correcting me on that-it is an excellent point. I am still not much of a fan with
larger dogs, the control just isn't there if needed.
I do not use them for my personal dogs

Buster in the picture is a 4 year old male looking for a home. He is very sweet when not in a cage
and quite the tail wagger. He is available thru Citizens for Animal Protection in Houston.
cap4pets.org