Be Ready for Emergencies and Disasters – A Few Tips

(* = items we sell or can order for you)

Remember – if it’s not safe for you to stay in your home, it’s not safe for your pets. When in doubt, bring them with you. There is a chance that if conditions worsen, you may not be allowed to return to your home to retrieve them later.

Pro Tip: Use the buddy system. If you can, make arrangements with a nearby neighbor to try and helpthe-buddy-system-519x180-500x173 each other if the time comes to evacuate. Trade keys now and give instructions on where your pets and medications/supplies are. If you are out during an emergency event, your neighbor may be home and able to get your pets out when you cannot (and vice versa).

pPETNA-5193963_main_t300x300Containment: One of the most important things to own are crates*, (especially for cats). If your house is damaged, your pets might be very frightened and disoriented, and panicking pets are hard to keep safe. Crate them to protect and transport them. You may also have better chances to find shelter elsewhere if you have a means to contain your pet.

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Pongo Fund Food Drive Update!

Green Dog Pet Supply is gearing up to deliver the second half of our annual pet food drive to The Pongo Fund pet food bank. The Pongo Fund has called this donation “The BIGGEST single store, premium quality pet food drive in America”.

We do a pet food drive every December for the Pongo Fund. We offer a bag of dog food for customers to purchase (at our cost) for donation, and we’ve always matched each of them. Both our distributor (Animal Supply) and the food manufacturer (Nutrisource)  also matched one bag for each 12 sold. This resulted in a VERY large donation this year,  one we had to break into two deliveries to be able to afford to do it, which is why this update comes to you in July.

This delivery brings the total number of pounds of food donated to 15,550 (that’s more than 7 tons of food with a retail value of more than $21,000). Our food drives have always been impressive (last year’s was about 11,000 pounds) but this year, customers donated 183 bags!

We had to break it up into two parts, as this sort of donation isn’t easy. Green Dog is a local independently owned store. We believe in taking good care of our staff – we provide a living wage, and full time staff receive benefits. We have sacrificed most of our advertising budget to help support local pet rescues. The owners make the same salary as our senior employees. We exist to help people keep their precious pets in their lives as long as they can, and we work tirelessly to become the best resource for holistic pet care that we can possibly be. We donate over 200lbs of food a month plus additional supplies (many of which are donated by our fabulous customers) to local rescues and other causes, including Meals on Wheels (for seniors to feed their pets when they couldn’t otherwise afford it), Dignity Village via Safe Dogs by the River, Underdog Railroad Rescue, and Angel’s Eyes Dog Rescue (a small rescue operating on a shoestring), among others.  We think this donation is a very exciting event – we are honored to be able to help the Pongo Fund.

Many cities have a food bank for humans, but a pet food bank of this size and scope is a very unique thingThe_Pongo_Fund_Pet_Food_Bank_Grid7 in this country. There is quite a bit of conversation these days about the homeless situation in Portland, and the things that are and are not being done to help. This amazing service makes a big impact for families facing food uncertainty, both for themselves and their pets. Sharing your only meal with your pet is a sacrifice many people are willing to make. The stories told by Larry Chusid, the founder of The Pongo Fund are always touching, regularly posting stories in his blog of people who have found themselves in terrible situations yet stay hopeful due to the presence of the pets in their lives. His stories do a valuable service, humanizing the people who are homeless or food challenged and reminding us all that this problem is not faceless. The Pongo Fund is critical to help keep pets with their families and out of the animal shelters when their families are homeless or having a Homeless-FB-11-16-13-2-5-14-12-29-15-1175274_694978047197679_731477717_ndifficult time finding the money to feed their pets. People can visit the pet food bank in Portland, but the fund also delivers food to distribution points in other parts of Oregon. They also have an Emergency Veterinary Care fund, (read the great blog post about this fund in this link and a wonderful story about one dog that really needed it here ). He often calls us to help a pet owner with tricky health issues, and we and he both donate products and money to help people get the supplements, etc that they might need. The Pongo Fund also has an Emergency Pet Food Response Team, a Spay and Neuter program, and provides high quality and nutritious pet food directly to many other social service and emergency food organizations that in turn provide that food to their own clients.

We are proud that our customers helped us to make this delivery of what is likely to be the largest ever pet food donation by an independent pet supply store, and proud to support the Pongo Fund in the endless work they do to support homeless and low income pet owners.

Read the super nice article they wrote about us when the first half of the food was delivered!

Reducing Your Pet’s Carbon Pawprint

Photo by Elizabeth Manley

By Christine Mallar.

When we go grocery shopping, many of us have learned to make choices that are both healthier for the planet and healthier for our bodies. We look for organic, locally grown produce, non toxic cleaners, and paper products made with recycled materials. But how many of us realize that we can apply these same sorts of good consumer choices when we’re shopping for our pets?
In the not too distant past, choices for holistic, earth-friendly pet products were few and far between. Food and treat choices were limited to ingredients that were simply waste products from the human food industry – grain fractions and condemned meat made more palatable by the addition of artificial flavors, colors and carcinogenic preservatives. Pests like fleas were only controlled with the use of toxic chemicals. Leashes, collars and beds were often only available from big chain stores and were made of the cheapest materials, with no regard for toxicity, durability, or wastefulness of resources. Many might have asked, what does it matter – they’re just animals, right?

Luckily, times are changing. Our animals have moved inside and become an integral part of our family unit. We respect and depend on the positive roles our pets have on our emotional and physical health; many studies have shown an increase in the quality and even length of our lives through mechanisms like the reduction of our blood pressure when we’re touching them. Greater awareness of global climate change has resulted in a significant increase in the range of available sustainable pet products. Furthermore, the demand for better products for our beloved furry friends has supported a veritable boom in the number of independently owned, holistic-minded pet supply stores. We did a lot of research before we opened, and we believe we’re fairly certain that we were the first environmentally friendly pet supply store in the nation when we opened in 2004! Many other stores have followed suit, and now, though those things I listed above still exist, it is so much easier for people who care about the health of their pets to also make choices that are good for the environment. (more…)

Recycling Tips for Portland Folks

(and some handy links at the end for everyone!) images

 

Happy Earth Day Month!!

We’re continuing with green tips this week to help people find simple ways to live more sustainably.

 

Amp up your recycling!

Portland helps us recover a lot of our waste at curbside. Curbside composting really has decreased the amount of waste in our landfills; in fact, a report released in January showed that more than 63 percent of what businesses and residents threw away in 2013 was recovered through recycling, composting or energy generation, which was a new record. Do you recycle reuse, repurpose, or compost 60% of your waste? Maybe not, but as far as recycling goes, there are good ways to increase the amount of non-curbside waste you can recycle without too much effort – our friends at Whole Foods in Hollywood (who are sponsoring the Fremont Fest Parade again this year) have a wider array of items that can be recycled than you’d expect.

– In the parking garage, there are bins for both “soft clear plastic” and “non-curbside plastic”. Soft clear plastic are things like clean clear (not colored) plastic bags, bubble wrap, shrink wrap and cling wrap. (Crinkly crunchy plastic like potato chip bags aren’t considered soft). It’s important it is rinsed – food contaminates plastic recycling and could make a facility reject and landfill the entire load.
Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 1.19.09 PM
– “Non curbside plastic” are things like clamshells and the flexible lids that come on tubs like yogurt, cottage cheese or deli items. Our curbside only allows plastic tubs (like cottage cheese), plastic buckets (like for kitty litter) or plastic containers with necks (like a water bottle), but these other items are not allowed. New Seasons also has a bin for clean clamshells and flexible lids as well.

– You can also bring hard bottle caps to Whole Foods. They have a little collection bucket in their dining area, or you can bring them to the customer service counter. Wine corks (real cork only) are another thing you can easily recycle there.

– The other interesting thing at Whole Foods is the bin (looks like a dumpster) in the parking garage where you can recycle clothes and fabrics. Wearable items will be donated and unusable fabrics will be recycled. This makes it a one stop solution for many of your household recycling needs, and it’s convenient to drop things off on your way in to do some shopping.

Do you have other things like styrofoam, TVs or other electrical appliances, batteries, or CFL bulbs? Metro will help you find a place to bring them! There are many nearby options (a few right on Columbia Blvd) that will take them for free or for a small fee.
Springtime cleanups are a great way to unload a lot of waste easily.

 

Neighborhood Clean-ups are plentiful this month
shirleysmyth_smThe Cully Cleanup takes place on April 23rd! Check out the list of accepted items as well as tips on where to bring items they can’t take

There are actually over 40 neighborhood cleanup events scheduled around Portland in April and May to give residents a chance to remove unwanted clutter from their homes, basements and garages. Keep your eyes open in your neighborhood for signs advertising cleanups.

You can recycle computers and electrical gadgets at Free Geek – they accept “nearly everything that plugs into a computer or uses electricity (including smart phones, tablets, e-readers, video game systems and any old gadget you can think of) whether or not it’s in working condition. We are happy to accept your printers (including extra ink and toner), scanners, routers, UPS, digital cameras, PDAs, cell phones, and a whole lot more!”  Link here

Things we take or give away at Green Dog:

We save packing materials that come to us (cornstarch and styrofoam peanuts, etc)  and donate them to people who have needs for them. If you have a local business and would like us to call you when we have bags of peanuts or other items you might be looking for, let us know!

Cardboard Boxes – are you moving? Check with us for loads of boxes of different sizes. We normally have a lot of them to give away, unless the recycling truck just picked them up.

Paper Shopping Bags – Bring them to Green Dog! We love reusing clean paper bags with handles.  We don’t mind if it has a logo from another store on it, it just lets people know we like to reuse things!

Good links for folks everywhere:

Recycle your empty pill bottles to benefit this charity

Recycle any old sneakers at a Nike Store! They have a bin labeled “Old soles never die”

Here’s a good list of many ways to recycle common household items that you may not have thought of before. Click Here

Recycling Guide from Earth 911 has even more nifty tips

Apple is doing an amazing job with recycling and other sustainable practices these days. They’ve invented a new robot that can quickly disassemble something like a phone and recover even every tiny screw and recycle or reuse them. They’re growing their own forests for paper as well as other initiatives. Check it out here  (as well as a nifty video of the robot in action).  They often have programs where you can bring your Apple products to the Apple store for recycling and in turn you can get a better deal on a new item.

Note: From now until April 24th, go to the Apple App Store and look in the Featured app section. You can choose from different causes and 100% of the proceeds from those participating apps will go towards that cause.

It should go without saying that the greenest things you can do are to reuse things (the bag that sliced bread comes in makes a good poop bag!), re-purpose things – a jar with a lid makes great food storage, a smoothie to go cup, or transport for bulk foods), or better yet, choose a product that comes with less packaging waste to begin with, and tell that company why you skipped buying it!

Colostrum for digestive health and immune system support

For the first few days after giving birth, all mammals produce something called colostrum in their milk. This amazing substance is critical for the early development of newborns, as it serves as a concentrated source of proteins, growth factors, and antibodies. Its properties have been revered for thousands of years across many cultures, as it is a powerhouse of nutrition and tools for healing and protecting the body.  Many human health benefits have been attributed to bovine colostrum including: increased energy levels, lower risks of upper respiratory illnesses, reduced risk of intestinal damage from anti-inflammatory drugs, increased ability of the body to burn fat and increase muscle, and the acceleration of injury healing. 

It contains:

Immunoglobulins: Immunoglobins in colostrum have specific immune system activity against many common pathogens and viruses such as E.coli, Cryptosporidium, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Rotavirus. These immune boosters  also help to coat bacteria and viruses in the digestive tract so they don’t enter the body.

PRPs: Another of the many beneficial attributes in colostrum is that it is rich in “Proline-Rich Polypeptides” which are specifically designed to modulate the activity of the immune system, stimulating its activity when needed to fight off an infection or quelling its activity to prevent tissue damage once the infection has been defeated. PRPs have also been shown in studies to be potent stimulators of natural killer (NK) cell activity (cancer fighters).

Lactoferrin: This protein is antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal and antiparasitic. It helps eliminate pathogens that trigger inflammation. It also has anti-tumor effects.

MSM:  Methylsulfonylmethane is often in joint supplements. It’s a micronutrient that supports wound healing. It can maintain cartilage and manage pain. MSM is also used in cancer treatments. It has been shown to reduce breast cancer tumors in studies and has helped manage prostate and liver cancers.

Allergies: We have heard amazing stories from users that have been able to get off of medicationslike apoquil after using colostrum. Allergies are an overactive immune response. The PRPs in colostrum help moderate that response. Colostrum also helps manage inflammation that causes rashes, itching, and discomfort for your dog. One of the most important things that colostrum can do is to help seal the lining of the gut. The gut lining (ours and those of our pets) is fragile, and can be damaged easily by the many stresses of life which include a poor diet, chemical exposure, vaccines, medications (especially NSAIDS), and adrenal stress. The lining is naturally permeable to allow tiny nutrients to enter the blood stream, but when the lining is damaged, larger gaps are created, allowing things like toxins, microbes and waste materials to travel into the blood stream. The immune system is designed to spring into action to prevent these things from hurting the body, but when this condition is chronic, it can cause the immune system to become over reactive. This condition is often called “Leaky Gut” or Increased Intestinal Permeability. Holistic vets and Naturopathic doctors believe that it can lead to a host of symptoms, such as seasonal allergies and asthma, skin issues, yeast overgrowth, chronic problems with stool quality, food intolerances, and IBDColostrum has a unique ability to help to seal and heal the lining of the gut and calm and support the immune system. It also helps probiotics to work more efficiently, preventing their loss through that leaky gut, and providing the soil for the seeds of probiotics, so to speak.

Help for Diarrhea: Studies show it can help reduce many different kinds of diarrhea. This includes chronic, acute and even infectious diarrhea.

Supports Oral Health: John Ellis DVM PhD suggests colostrum can reduce the bacteria that cause gum disease. Growth factors in colostrum may also repair damaged tissue.

Colostrum can also be used topically: On the VCA Hospital’s website it says that it’s “useful for accelerating the healing of insect bites, wounds such as abscesses or ruptured cysts, warts, and surgical incisions”.

Canine Flu and Kennel Cough: Colostrum can help prevent upper respiratory diseases. It can also prevent the flu in humans better than flue vaccines. In fact, a 2007 study showed that colostrum was “at least 3 times more effective than vaccination.” A 2013 study found that a lactoferrin-whey protein supplement can cut down on colds. Only 48 of the participants got sick vs 112 in the placebo group. And patients who did get colds were sick for shorter periods. Another study in 2013 showed that dogs’ immune function improved with colostrum. And if he’s vaccinated, the same study suggested colostrum may improve the vaccine response. So, if your dog goes to daycare or boarding, give him colostrum to prevent flu or kennel cough.

Mediate Side Effects from Conventional Drugs: Some drugs such as antibiotics and NSAIDS can have serious side effects and cause permanent damage to your dog’s gut health, including creating or contributing to leaky gut. Several studies show that colostrum can help repair gut damage from pharmaceutical drugs. Keep colostrum in mind if your dog ever needs conventional drugs in an emergency.

Aging: Research shows colostrum can have anti-aging effects on your dog in several ways. It can help preserve lean muscle mass and bone density in older adults. This could mean better mobility and strength as your dog ages. Colostrum also improves recovery from exercise, helping prevent oxidative stress. And studies show it may prevent cognitive decline as well.

Yeast Overgrowth: Lactoferrin and its peptides have strong antifungal activity. Along with colostrum’s immune-boosting properties, it can help fight your dog’s stubborn yeast infection.

Cancer: Immunoglobulins in colostrum help support your dog’s immune system. They also help fight viruses and bacterial infections. Lactoferrin’s anti-inflammatory effects may also help treat and prevent cancer. And the cytokines in colostrum can help the body fight cancer as they activate special white blood cells that can find and kill cancer cells. Colostrum also contains a special protein called Lactalbumin. Researchers report that Colostrum lactalbumin can cause apoptosis (death) of cancer cells … but leaves the healthy cells to thrive.

Lyme Disease: A new study at the University of New Haven has found that lactoferrin, a milk protein in colostrum, can help treat Lyme disease. The study shows it’s more effective than the antibiotic doxycycline, the standard treatment for Lyme disease. Lyme disease comes from the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Previous studies have shown that B burgdorferi often appears in biofilm form. Biofilms are structured colonies of bacteria which hide the bacteria from the immune system and protects them from antibiotics. Studies show biofilms can increase B burgdorferi antibiotic resistance up to 1000 times compared to individual spirochete forms of the bacterium. This makes Lyme disease very difficult to treat. And it’s not just Lyme bacteria.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 80% of human bacterial infections have biofilms.  Lactoferrin lowered the viability of B burdorferi biofilm by 15%. Lactoferrin may work because it absorbs minerals like iron and manganese from biofilms. B Burgdorferi uses manganese for biological processes, so this deprives the bacteria of their essential nutrients. Colostrum has ample concentrations of lactoferrin. If your dog has Lyme disease symptoms (or if you do!), colostrum is a low cost, safe supplement to help fight this stubborn bacterial infection.

The good news is that the benefits of colostrum are not species specific – the colostrum produced by cows is just as beneficial to humans and pets as it is for cows. When cows are born, their needs are met first, as calves will likely die or have serious health issues without colostrum in the first hours of life. Luckily, the mother continues to produce enough extra colostrum that it can be collected for use in supplements.  The other piece of good news is that colostrum has been proven to be safe and therapeutic. Colostrum is food and should be thought of as such. There have been no significant side effects from supplementation with bovine colostrum reported in the abundant literature. It is best taken on an empty stomach with liquid – you could also add it to a small spoonful of food, like yogurt, cooked sweet potato, etc, or even better, added to Answers brand of probotic-rich goat’s milk! When shopping, look for colostrum that is from grass fed cows, ideally organically raised.

We carry Four Leaf Rover’s brand of colostrum, and you might look at their customers’ reviews to read about their experience with colostrum (scroll down on the page). (much of the text above was borrowed from their website and from Dog’s Naturally Magazine’s article on the benefits of colostrum)

Though we doubt you’ll have any problems, with every new supplement, we encourage people to start with a pinch and build up to the full dose.

Play Games With Your Dogs for Science!

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 1.25.08 PMFun idea! You can play games with your dog and contribute data to the science of dog cognition at the same time. Ever wonder how your dog measures up to other dogs in the way they think and problem solve? This program’s evaluation component could be a fun thing to see!
For more info, check out this link

Why we Discontinued the Sale of Retractable Leashes

When I was a trainer teaching classes I quickly banned these leashes from class time, as dogs can suddenly dash into the space of another dog that might have social issues.

This has continued to plague us at the store, as many dogs are reactive on leash or simply overexcited by other dogs. Some dogs are painfully frightened of being in a store to begin with, and being in close space with other dogs nearby can exacerbate this. When another dog on a retractable leash can quickly rush into their space, fights can break out. Stopping a fight is very difficult and dangerous if you can’t pull them out of the situation with their leash, and reaching in to remove the dog on a retractable leash would put the human in danger of being bitten. This also creates an unfair disadvantage for other people that are carefully trying to train dogs with social issues, as their ability to manage their dog’s space to keep their dog comfortable is destroyed easily by a dog that is suddenly 16 feet away from their owner and in that dog’s space. (some retractable leashes even go to 26 feet). It can be a huge training setback for these people who are trying to provide positive experiences for their dog in a place that contains other dogs within sight range.
Another problem for us is that when people are distracted by shopping, they may not notice when their dog is getting into trouble, eating treats on counter displays or marking our antique furniture (old wood is so porous!)
I do think there are some times that a retractable can add to the fun of an outing while still being “on leash” for safety, such as on the beach, or on a hike in areas that are not busy with people and other dogs, but please be aware that dogs leaving a trail at all in some habitats can damage fragile vegetation, etc.

The safety concerns for dogs and people are many when you use a retractable leash in a populated area. Even if your dog is tiny and wouldn’t break a leash, wouldn’t it be terrible if an off leash dog attacked your little dog and it was 16 or more feet away from you when it happened? Please read these ten reasons below before deciding to use a retractable leash. Remember: if you use a retractable leash, keep it retracted and locked so it is as short as or shorter than a regular leash in places with other dogs and people. When you are in an open space, you can give them more room to explore. If you are looking to buy a retractable leash for trips to the beach, find one with a “belt” or “tape” instead of a cord. This can be safer for your skin.

 

 

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

1.  The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.

2. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It’s much easier to regain control of – or protect — a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he’s 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.

These tape and string flexi leashes come with safety warnings. From their website:

  • If the cord runs across your skin, it can cause
    abrasions (like a rope burn) or severe cuts. Cuts and burns are more likely if the cord wraps around any part of the body”.
  • Avoid contact with the cord and never let it wrap around any part of your body.”
    • “Do not allow slack to build up in the cord – you might get tangled in the slack”.
    • “Do not touch the cord if the cord wraps around you. Turn around or pass the handle from one hand to the other to unwrap yourself. (See “Finger Amputation and Fractures”)
    • “If you want to further reduce the risk of cuts and burns, you can wear long sleeves and pants to protect your arms and legs”
  • If the leash or your dog’s collar breaks, or if the leash disconnects from your dog’s collar, the cord and hook can snap back with enough force to cause serious eye damage, broken teeth, cuts, and bruises. If the cord is under enough tension, this can happen even when the leash is locked”.

When the leash is fully extended, it can be very difficult to get your dog back to you safely, as pulling on the cord with your hands makes you vulnerable to injuries. See This link for a photo of the nasty injuries these cords can inflict on your legs/arms

The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. This can endanger the dog, and can also result in an injury to the owner.

Dogs necks and spines can also be injured by the sudden jerk if they run all the way to the length of the leash, hitting the end. Owners should be aware that the bulky handles can be pulled out of your hand when this happens as well, especially if your dog is suddenly running. the sound of the plastic handle bouncing on the pavement can really frighten the dog who is running away, as if they are being chased by it).

Retractables can train a dog to pull on their leashes, as pulling is what extends the leash.

I had a customer who had gotten a nasty injury to her fingers by a cord, and then I was bitten by a small dog whose owner was leaning into her car to get things organized. I was jogging by and the dog dashed after me, the long flexi allowing her to reach me and bite my leg.
After that, I decided it might be time to write this blog post, and encourage the use of extendable leashes be restricted to large outdoor spaces. I would certainly use one on a big uncrowded beach that requires dogs to be leashed. We still will order these leashes for people who want them, but we did decide to take them off of our store shelves.

 

Cat Nutrition

IMG_5020_2By Green Dog Pet Supply

Nutrition can be the key to keeping your kitty healthy, avoiding chronic illness and ultimately saving lots of money at the vet. We might be called Green Dog, but the owners and staff of Green Dog are actually made up of some pretty serious cat people. We know there’s a lot of info in here, but after 10 years of serving the cat community of Portland, our hearts are often heavy from the overwhelming numbers of cats with chronic illness, much of which we feel could have been prevented with better nutrition. Whether you’ve gotten a kitten or an adult cat, we hope that these tips will come in handy for you:

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Happy Halloween – a Few Tips

By Green Dog Pet Supply

Happy Halloween!10626878_10152327038381761_2622935969487730386_n

Halloween can be fun, but there are a few important things to keep in mind to help keep pets safe.

Beware of Toxic Things on Halloween

Don’t forget to be on guard for dogs getting into that Halloween Candy stash! Chocolate isn’t the only thing that’s toxic to dogs; macadamia nuts, raisins, and especially the sweetener xylitol are all on the list of things that can be very poisonous and sometimes deadly to dogs, but the wrappers and other decorations can also cause problems when ingested. Check out this link to other common household items that are toxic to dogs, and what to do if your dog gets into them.

Behavioral Tips

Make sure that if your dog is stressed out by strangers to have him in a secure area of the house where he won’t be plagued by constant scary monsters ringing the doorbell. Conversely, if you’re up for it this is a great time to work on door manners with a dog that isn’t frightened, just excited. The doorbell rings, dog on leash sits, door opens, dog and costumed kid both get their own treats. Lots of repetitions available on Halloween equals lots of chances to practice how to act when people come to the door.

Hints:

-Practice this a day or two beforehand with someone familiar that rings the doorbell, rehearsing the routine 8 or 10 times of sitting quietly before the door opens, and staying calm with the help of treats to keep attention on you and reward the good behavior (the first time is hard, then it gets easier as they’re seeing the same person over and over. This lets the dog get better and better at the behavior because you’ve removed the novelty of someone at the door)
– work on a leash for control, but reward the sitting calmly without lots of yanking. Remember, the familiar person can hang out on the step for a few minutes while you work on achieving a sit or at least calm attention before you open the door.
– On Halloween, have two people work the door, one for kid treats and one for working with the dog
– When the doorbell rings, don’t jump up. Walk calmly to the door, and practice these skills of staying calm while people are greeted.

If you have a new puppy this can be a good socialization exercise: monsters = good treats for puppy! First put on masks or hats several times in the few days before Halloween, but don’t act scary, just be yourself and encourage your puppy to come get treats and interact with you in this strange get-up. Do multiple repetitions at different times until your puppy isn’t reacting fearfully. On Halloween night, encourage them to say hi to the funny monsters, but don’t force them into it – you want socialization exercises to be positive. Offer your puppy really delicious treats like bits of cheese while they interact with the people in costumes, and if you feel like it’s safe, have the monsters offer the puppy some yummy dog jerky or pieces of cheese. Soon the puppy will think people in costumes are a good thing!

Other things to keep in mind:

– Make sure all of your pets are wearing i.d. tags, even your indoor cats. That door is opening and closing many times during that evening, giving opportunities for your pets to slip out.

– Watch out for candle flames – often there are decorations that might be novel to the pet who wants to investigate them.

– Keep indoor/outdoor cats inside for the night – you do hear strange and terrible stories sometimes of cats who are the victim of cruel treatment on this night.

Fun Stuff
check out this link to cute dog breed stencils for your pumpkin carving! Each one can be downloaded by clicking a link under the description

Foods We Carry at Green Dog

Here is a list of the current foods we carry at Green Dog Pet Supply
Last Updated 11/20

Some of our guidelines for pet foods:
Our criteria for foods are that they all be made from human grade ingredients. None of our foods have corn, wheat or soy and are naturally preserved. We also make every effort to evaluate the safety standards of the company that manufactures the foods, seeking transparent companies that have 3rd party inspections with excellent marks for manufacturing safety and quality control. We also want to ensure that ingredients like fish meal are not pre-preserved with chemical preservatives that would not be on the label, and that companies are making an effort at sustainability with sourcing. We try hard to avoid factory farming of meats (especially battery cages for poultry, feedlots (CAFOs) for cattle, and gestation crates for pigs). We are opposed to the use of traditionally farmed salmon in foods and treats, though some new farming operations show promise with practices that earn them 3rd party certification for sustainability and rigorous testing for contaminates.  Our treats and foods contain no chemical preservatives, nitrates, propylene glycol, carrageenan, beet pulp, or artificial flavors/colors. Note: We can often special order foods for you that are not stocked on our shelves.

Raw Food Meals and Toppers:
Answers Foods (dog and cat raw foods, as well as Fermented Goat’s milk, Fermented Cow’s Milk Kefir, Fermented Turkey Stock and Fermented Fish Stock, Probiotic Cheese Treats, fermented chicken feet and fermented pig’s feet)
Green JuJu
Lotus Raw Cat Food

Nugget’s Bone Broths
Primal foods (raw cat and dog food) and bones
Rawr (raw cat food)
Small Batch (cat and dog raw food)
Vital Essentials (raw cat food) and treats (dog and cat)
Frozen raw sardines, turkey hearts, chicken necks, duck necks, turkey necks, tripe patties.

Gently Cooked:
Open Farm Gently Cooked
A Pup Above
My perfect Pet (limited skus)

Freeze Dried/Dehydrated Foods and Toppers:
Honest Kitchen (dehydrated dog foods)
Green Juju

K-9 Natural and Feline Natural (freeze dried cat and dog foods and toppers)
Primal (freeze dried dog foods)
Stella and Chewy’s (freeze dried cat and dog foods and toppers)
Small Batch (freeze dried dog foods, toppers and treats)
Vital Essentials (freeze dried cat and dog foods and treats)

Kibbles (dry dog food):
Farmina N&D Pumpkin (dog) and Prime (cat)
First Mate (cat and dog)
(Grain Free & Grain Friendly, and Kasiks for dogs)
Nature’s Logic (cat and dog)

Nature’s Variety Be Naturals (dog) and Instinct (cat)
Nulo Freestyle (cat and dog)
Nutrisource Grain Free (dog, select flavors)
Open Farm (cat and dog)
Pure Vita (cat and dog)
Stella and Chewy’s Raw Blend, LID Duck and Turkey, and Raw Coated (dog)

Cans:
BFF (cat)
Caru Stews (BPA Free Boxes for dogs)
Feline Natural (select flavors)
K-9 Natural (select flavors)
First Mate (cat and dog)
Hound and Gatos (dog)
Identity (cat and dog)
Koha (select flavors)
Lotus (select flavors)
Nature’s Logic (cat and dog)
Nature’s Variety Instinct (cat)
Nulo (cat and dog)
Open Farm Stews (BPA Free Boxes for dog)
Stella & Chewy’s Stews (BPA Free Boxes, dog and cat)
Tiki (cat)
Weruva (cat, most flavors and dog, select flavors)

Check out our blog posts on how to read a pet food label and learn which ingredients to avoid (and why):

When Vets Tell You to Switch From Grain Free Kibble to Kibble With Grains
Your Bag of Kibble Might Have Pretty Pictures, But Do You Know What’s Inside?
A Discussion of Sustainable Choices in Foods for Pets
Cat Nutrition – Please read this if you have a cat
Tips for New Puppy Owners
Claiming Raw Foods Are Dangerous Isn’t Backed Up With Data
Why Dry Pet Food Isn’t The Best For Your Cat
Carrageenan and our Quest to Change the World One Ingredient at a time
Just Say No to Soy in Pet Food