Pet Show Blog » car

Best cars to park your dog in

petblog — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:49:29 +0000

As we all know, getting your pet from the house to any other location can be a hassle.

For cat owners, the trouble is getting the cat from the house to the cat carrier. After that, it’s the hassle of listening to your cat scream about what an awful owner you are all the way to the vet.

For large dog owners, the trouble is making sure your dog doesn’t try to hang his head out the driver’s side window while you’re on the interstate. Or at least that’s the problem in my car with my dogs, even when my window is closed.

Well apparently some cars are safer for pups than others. Bark Buckle Up and Edmunds released their list of Top 10 Safest Cars. Here they are, listed alphabetically:

Dodge Journey
Ford Flex
GMC Acadia
Hyundai Tucson
Jeep Liberty
Kia Borrego
Mazda 5 Grand Touring Minivan
Mitsubishi Outlander
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC70

The safest vehicle of all: the one carrying a well trained dog that stays in her seat.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Pets in the paper – puppy mill bill could change

petblog — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:26:58 +0000

Check out these stories in The Oklahoman today -

Pet bill may face changes. (state capitol)
Despite ransom, no dog. (Oklahoma City)
Agencies strive to increase shelters’ live release rates. (Oklahoma City)
Pet Tales: Guinea pig has own wardrobe. (Choctaw) In case you couldn’t tell, that’s Daniel the guinea pig there on the right.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Injured dog needs home in Burns Flat

petblog — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:34:34 +0000

This pup is lucky, a word not normally associated with a dog in the pound.

But this dog had a lucky turn of events when some kind-hearted people stopped to help her on the side of the highway, said Terri Lynn Fisher, who’s helping to find the dog a home. A driver had hit the dog and left her.

Volunteers are working to help her recover, but she’s in a need of a home fast. Apparently she knows several commands and is a pleasant dog. She likes to ride in the car.

You can check out adoptable dogs in Burns Flat here. Or call Terri at 580-330-1459.

Your pet picture could win you a special travel prize!

petblog — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:22:51 +0000

The holiday season looms like your cat’s next trip to the vet – you know it’s coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. And holidays mean holiday travel to visit loved ones near and far. So, Pet Show wants to celebrate! Send us your favorite pictures of your pet on vacation or on the road, and you’ll be entered in our Holiday Travel Contest! The prize: some super-snazzy car travel gear!

The fabulous folks at CoverKing have given us this awesome Pet Protector Seat Cover. How does it work? You hang it over your back seat and not only does it keep your pet from falling into the floorboard every time you tap the breaks, but it also keeps pet hair off your upholstery! Well, in my car, that would be pet hair, pet smell, pet sneezes and other pet yuckies. Retail value: $50! Your entry: free! Here are the rules:

* Email pictures of your pets to ccoppernoll@opubco.com. The pictures can be anything related to travel – in the car, on vacation, on a hike, visiting a friend’s house, whatever! We need the pet’s name, your name, your address, your phone number and the kind of animal your loveable friend is. (And we’d also like a description of what your pet is doing, if that’s possible. )

* Every person who enters at least one photo will be put in the drawing for the rockin’ CoverKing Pet Protector Seat Cover! (Thanks to CoverKing for providing the prize!)

* Only one entry per person, but you can submit any many pictures as you want!

* The deadline for entry is noon Nov. 21.

* The Pet Show crew will draw the name of the winner at random after noon Nov. 21, just in time to get you your CoverKing before you head out for Thanksgiving vacation!

* The odds of winning depend on the number of entries. The odds of fun while traveling with your pet: 100 percent.

* What happens if you don’t win? Don’t worry! We’ll take all the photos submitted and make a slide show of everyone’s fantastic travel pics. We’ll post it right after we draw the winner.

* Good luck!

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Tough times for Oklahoma City pets

petblog — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:43:10 +0000

High temperatures have lead the deaths of at least four dogs, according to Oklahoma City Animal Welfare. Read the story here.

Listen to one of our podcasts about heat and heat stroke. Our show vet, Dr. Zac Coldiron of Stoneridge Animal Hospital in Edmond, gives great advice about prevention and detection.

Furry friends – just like people – don’t handle extreme heat very well. Even good pet owners could find their animals in danger if we’re not careful. Read on our blog about how to keep your animals safe here and here. You can also read hot weather care tips from the ASPCA here.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Police dog dies in hot car

petblog — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:35:53 +0000

A police dog in Florida died Monday after he was left in a police car with the air conditioning running for more than three hours. The air conditioner failed and started blowing hot air. By the time his handler returned, it was too late.

Leaving police dogs in running vehicles is normal, though officials in this small Florida town say three hours is an unusually long amount of time. Of course no one suspects this was done maliciously, but it’s a reminder how deligent all of us must be to protect our animals from the heat.

- Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Insuring your mobile pet

petblog — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:34:38 +0000

Apparently your animls are covered.

Pets involved in collisons are covered under Progressive car insurance, according to PETA. The company pays up to $500 toward vet bills if you’re animal is injured. The best part: your animals are covered for free. I have Progressive and I had no idea. Kudos to the company for including animals in their policies.

Have you ever made a claim involving your animals? Or do you know if your policy includes your four-legged family members?

- Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Kyle goes extra mile for pups

petblog — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:31:39 +0000

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wants to help rescue dogs in shelters — and he wants his fans to help. He has teamed up with PEDIGREE to launch a new program and online sweepstakes titled “Kyle’s Mile.” Winners could meet Kyle at the Checker Auto Pats 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in November.

To help raise awareness and funding for the 4 million dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations, Kyle’s Miles was created with a goal of raising $100,000 for The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation. From now through October 15, people can log onto www.Dogsrule.com to make a monetary pledge to sponsor miles of any of Busch’s Sprint Cup races during that window. Donations from pledges will directly benefit The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides funding to animal shelters and breed rescues nationwide.

“As the owner of two dogs I know how happy they can make you, so to me it’s really sad that each year four million dogs end up in animal shelters and breed rescue organizations and two million never make it out,” said Busch in a release.

“Kyle’s Miles hopes to raise money and awareness for the dogs that are so often overlooked and I’m excited to be able to do my part to help.”

Anyone who sponsors miles is automatically entered into the sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Phoenix in November to meet Busch and attend the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 9, 2008. Those who’d like to enter the sweepstakes but not sponsor Kyle’s Miles can also do so at www.Dogsrule.com.

- Assistant Features Editor Matt Price

Pet Show – One smart puppy

petblog — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:33:14 +0000

Listen to Pet Show! This week we had some very special guests: our dogs. OK, so our dogs weren’t actually on the show, but their smarts were. We discussed the infamous doggie IQ testand how well our dogs performed. The test challenges dogs to behave, hunt for treats and solve problems. Long story short: our dogs are pretty smart. But like all parents, you know the test doesn’t measure TRUE intelligence – our dogs are all geniuses in our minds. Of course.

Aside from that fun, Staff Writer Dawn Marks had some great Tail Tips about summer fruit. As we enjoy more delicious seasonal fruit, we have to make sure to keep it out of reach of our pets. Here’s an advisory from the ASPCA about what to be weary of.

Staff Writer Bryan Dean gave us some excellent pet news this week:

- An Indiana couple wants to legalize owning skunks as pets. We think the idea stinks.
- A massive snail migration caused a traffic pileup in Germany.
- Elvis the parrotis terrorising Wilsden, England, and residents are fed up.

- Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Hot dogs

petblog — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:05:14 +0000

This weekend kicks off summer time in Oklahoma, when every day fits into one of two categories: hot or oppressive. So during these warm months, pet owners have to be especially mindful of their animals’ health. Reader Johnna Vogel of Oklahoma City called me Wednesday to point this out, and I think it’s a great time of year to revisit the issue. The ASPCA offers lots of helpful tips for summer animal care, and they even have a special Web page that explains all the concepts in a fun way kids can understand. Here are some of their helpful tips:

- Animals can overheat if they stand on asphalt for too long. They absorb heat through the pads of their feet quickly.

- Heat is hardest on the health of older, overweight or snub-nosed dogs. Keep them inside as much as possible.

- Only use sunscreen or bug repellent that specifically says it’s OK for animals.

- Don’t shave your dog’s hair shorter than 1 inch. They could get sunburned.

- Never leave a pet in a car. The temperature in a car rises about 40 degrees within an hour. (That’s pretty dangerous even in 70-80 degree weather.) Opening the windows and parking in the shade won’t improve the temperature enough to be safe. If you have to leave your pet in the car, carry two sets of car keys with you: one to keep the car and A/C running and another to unlock the car door.

Keep an eye on the forecast, especially this weekend, and enjoy the holiday with your pets!

- Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

The photo above shows Kati Gaddis talking to Cheech at the Edmond Dog Park on Wednesday. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman.