Mighty Texas Dog Walk

Furrr — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:41:37 +0000

I know the Mighty Texas Dog Walk happened a month ago and I’m behind on my blog post (what else is new) but I wanted to share the cute pics I captured from the event and tell you about all the fun we had!

JenniFurrr’s Pet Services was a co-sponsor for this year’s Mighty Texas Dog Walk that took place April 17th and we were so proud to be a part of this great event! So, we planned well and were ready to rock and roll and the damn weather report was a bummer- rain, rain, and more rain! All week we struggled with grey skies and rain and were expecting to get soaked during the walk. So we all crossed our fingers and paws and did our best Non-Rain dance the night before the walk to keep things dry. Then the morning of the event- like 6:30 am when the JPS team arrived at the 1st street bridge to set up shop we got drizzled on but I remained hopeful!! I am the rock of this organization so I had to stay perking and strong for the team!! As the sun started to rise the grey skies remained and the wetness went away- yeah!! As the walkers and their furry friends started to arrive on the bridge and line up for the walk all was great with mother nature (I think some of my old dog buddies up in heaven were looking out for us!)

Our Pink booth standing proud!

Our green banner

The prettiest booth at the MTDW!

So, now that the weather wasn’t a hot topic we carried on with our mission to spread the Furrr Love and put a blue JPS bandana around the neck of every pup participating in the MTDW- and so we did, I think we dressed about 500 pups that day. Wow!

JPS Bandanas!

Baby in a Bandana

Erica dressing up a pup!

We did some other fun stuff at our pretty pink booth too- we handed out cookies to hungry pups, gave out our flyers, gave out some belly rubs and the coolest thing we did was have a “Guess what’s in the poop” contest! All the guessers entered for a chance to win a cool JPS goodie bag full of treats and coupons to local vendors and some neato JPS doggie swag. I think it was one of the coolest prises up for grabs during the walk- well besides the car that was being offered across the bridge (JPS can’t compete with that!)

JPS Swag Bag!!

The JPS crew said hi to a ton of cool pups and got to meet the neat people that brought them to the walk. I personally had a blast! I’m a dog freak so seeing all those little furry butts dressed up and wearing their happy faces just made my day! JPS had a few walkers participate in the walk too- we want to raise money for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs too! Our walkers chatted with other folks walking their pups and reported back to me all the fun stuff that happened at the water stations and the cool dogs they met since I had to stay back at the booth and hold the fort down.

Gorgeous Great Danes

Our client Mishka and his dad Dmitry hanging out at the booth!

Longhorn Fan!

My boy Puck and our client Seiko- they're in love!

Jeff and Brandon walked with Puck and Seiko- Real men were Pink!

Our walker Zoe and her family escorted Echo

Our clients Hula and Pauli walked with their moms Keely and Dannah

So, by the end of the walk things were going great but as the last few stragglers crossed the finish line and strolled down the bridge to grab some goodies from the vendor booths the skies opened up and the nastiest rain storm ever in history of dog walk rain storms happened right on top of the 1st street bridge! We scurried to tear down our booth and tried to keep our furr dry- with no luck. My cute green rain coat didn’t work with this kind of wicked rain- I was soaked to the bone! I would’ve probably been drier if I had just jumped into Lady Bird Lake ; ) And I have to tell ya the rain was actually kind of refreshing crazy as that sounds… I had worked so hard to prep for the event and was working on a teenie bit of sleep that it was just too perfect how the rain held off for the entire walk and then once it did rain it was the biggest ugliest storm ever!

So, we finally got our soggy butts in our cars and were happy we lived to tell about our adventure : )

I’m so glad we got to participate in such a history making cool-ass Austin event and I can’t wait for next year’s Mighty Texas Dog Walk!

Erica and Myself (Furrr)

How to kiss a kitty

Furrr — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:37:03 +0000

This is an easy one but incase you need some help I’ve come up with an easy 2 step system to help you kiss your kitty.

1. Grab a kitty (any size shape or color of kitty will work, just make sure you like the kitty!)

Caramac- a willing kitty

2. Pucker your lips and lean in for the smooch. And that’s it! You’ve kissed a kitty! If you have any questions or need a personal tutoring session I will be happy to help. Just call the office to set up an appointment 512-291-5366 (operators are standing by!)

Kitty Kissing 101

Gracie was bored.

Furrr — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:33:41 +0000

Gracie's couch! before a walk with JenniFurrr- ouch!!

After a walk with JenniFurrr!

My kitty is a nighttime terrorist!

Furrr — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:55:58 +0000

Fin Kitty- waiting to attack toes!

I love my kitty Fin, I really really love my kitty but he is such a butt head at night when we’re trying to sleep! Fin Kitty has this toe fetish- he attacks mine and the hubby’s toes while they’re under the covers. Being a proud hunter kitty that he is he will pounce on our toes and bite and claw at them until they are dead like a mouse. Fun for him, not fun for us! It was cute at first when he was a youngin’ but now it just really hurts and makes sleeping with him a nightmare! Because of his bedtime antics my love for him turns into “I’m gonna dump you off at the city shelter if you don’t quit attacking my toes under the covers, Damn kitty!” Since I would never dump him anywhere I’ve found a few ways to help make bedtime a safer time for our toes. ; )

The ASPCA suggest the following tips…

What to Do If Your Cat Keeps You Awake at Night

To prevent your cat from disturbing you while you sleep, try the following suggestions:

Schedule a few interactive play sessions with your cat during the evening. Try using toys that can mimic the movement of mice and birds, such as toys that dangle and wiggle. Games with ping-pong balls, soft balls and furry mice toys are great for cats who like to fetch. Play until your cat seems tired.
Feed your cat a main meal just before your bedtime. Cats tend to sleep after a big meal. If your cat continues to wake you during the night for food, purchase a timed feeder that you can fill and set to dispense once or twice during the night. If your cat’s hungry, he’ll learn to wait by the feeder rather than bother you while you’re sleeping. Make sure you reduce meal sizes so that your cat doesn’t gain weight.
Incorporate a variety of enrichment activities to keep your cat busy during daylight hours. The more active your cat is during the day, the more likely that he’ll sleep at night. Please read our article, Enriching Your Cat’s Life, to learn about ways to enrich your cat’s life.
If your cat is social with other cats, consider adding a second cat to your family. If the two cats are compatible, they’ll probably play with each other and leave you alone at night. However, romping cats can make quite a racket, which might disturb your sleep just as much as one cat trying to wake you!
Playful cats sometimes unintentionally injure their sleeping owners. For instance, your cat might notice your eyes moving under your lids as you sleep and swat at your face in play. If your cat tries to play with you or wake you while you’re sleeping, you might need to shut him out of your bedroom at night. If he cries and scratches at the door, you can discourage him by placing something in front of the door that he won’t want to step on, such as vinyl carpet runner placed upside-down to expose the knobby parts, double-sided sticky tape, aluminum foil or a Scat Mat™ (available at most pet supply stores or through online pet supply sites). Alternatively, you can set a “booby trap” outside your door. Try hanging your blow dryer off the bedroom door knob, or placing your vacuum cleaner five or six feet away from the door. Plug the dryer or vacuum into a remote switch (available from Radio Shack). When your cat wakes you by meowing outside your door, you can hit a button on the remote to turn on the appliance. Your startled cat probably won’t return to your door after that!
If you need help, don’t hesitate to call in the experts. Please see our article, Finding Professional Help, to locate a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB).

What NOT to Do

Unless you suspect that your cat is waking you up because he’s hurt or sick, don’t get out of bed and attend to him. If you get up and feed your cat, play with him or even interact with him, you will have inadvertently rewarded him for waking you. As a result, he’ll try harder and harder to wake you each subsequent night. Even getting out of bed to scold your cat won’t work well, because negative attention from you may be better than no attention at all.

So, I plan on trying a few of these tips to see if they can help keep Fin Kitty and myself happy through the night. If you have any other suggestions on keeping my toes safe at bed time please pass them along!!

~Furrr

Prep work

Furrr — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:26:04 +0000

I have bribbed my friends with beer (Shiner Bock and Lonestar of course) and pizza to help me put together the zillion or so doggie cookie bags JPS plans to pass out for the Mighty Texas Dog Walk this coming Saturday (4/17). I am so proud of my helpers and think they’ve done a wonderful job!

A big shout out to Laura, Shawn and of course Brandon. Y’all Rock!!

A little help from my friends and Shiner Bock

Puck- in charge of quality control

Mighty Texas Dog Fun!

Furrr — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:52:34 +0000

Austin is just the coolest city in the world for dogs!

Austin has dog friendly restaurants and bars, dog friendly parks and tons of cool doggie events every year! It’s to the point now that when I think of springtime I don’t think of easter bunnies, I actually think of happy dogs! There are several events going on this month that are raising awareness for local rescue organizations and such but one group i’m really excited about is The Texas Hearing and Service Dogs. This group rescues dogs from shelters (and certain death) and trains them to assist people living with hearing or mobility problems. I think that’s very cool! Anyway, every year The Texas Hearing and Service Dogs host the annual Mighty Texas Dog Walk in South Austin. This year is their 12th year and is expected to be bigger than ever! All the dogs that participate in the walk and that are registered will be counted towards a Guinness Book World Record- very cool! Right now the Brits hold the record with over 10,000 dogs. Austin Texas has to take this title- we’ve got to! So, my Texas fighting spirit has come out in full force and I’ve rallied an army of dogs and their handlers to participate in the walk. Of course my team will be wearing pink JPS t-shirts, but more importantly they will be helping Austin win the world record and raise money and awareness for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs! JPS will also have it’s own booth so you can stop by and say hi, play our guessing game, and win some free doggie swag! We’ll be under the Pink booth- that’s my favorite color ; )

So, come out next Saturday and visit our booth and have a great time walking your dog!

http://www.servicedogs.org/dogwalk10/

Fat Foot

Furrr — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:05:14 +0000

Another foot update, because I know you’re just dying to know how my toes are doing!

Well, we’re officially at week 7.5 of recovery and this has been my favorite week of this entire process. I hit some major milestones that make me so proud of myself! All the cool things my foot has accomplisheed this week are below but first… how ’bout a foot picture to wet your appetite?

Pretty sexy, right!! Well, not completely sexy but we’re getting there! So, on to the milestones…

-Tues 3/30- I stopped using my crutches and walked up and down the stairs without crawling!

-Tues 4/6- I actually got to play with some of my favorite clients- Hula and Pauli. We played an intense game of frisbee and they rocked!! Being with those girls made me remember why I started my business in the first place. I love them and it’s so great to play with them again!

-Wed 4/7- I stopped wearing my freakishly large boot and moved onto my ugly shoe (which is appropriately pimped out- a girl’s still gotta look good!)

-Today 4/9- I had another checkup with Dr. Golf, he yanked around on my toe and said that my Crocs would be cool to wear now. No more Ugly Shoe!! Hells Yeah!!

I never thought I’d be so excited to wear Crocs, but in this life I’ve learned to take the little victories and soak them up. The foot is still in pain and is fat and ugly and my skin is pealing off really freaky, but at-least now I don’t have to look so handicapped. Crutches, boots, and ugly shoes really mess with a gal’s sense of style. It’s bad enough feeling like shit but looking like shit is just not cool for me. I also got to visit some kitty clients this week too and that was awesome. Making those kitties purr and having them rub all over me just melts my heart. I’m just so glad to be partially back to work. Anyway, wanted to share my happy news!

~Furrr

Still waiting…

Furrr — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:10:34 +0000

Just wanted to give y’all a quick update on my Frankenfoot. Well, I am happy to announce that the foot is still attached to my leg and hasn’t turned blackish green or fallen off or anything cool like that. It is however still a ‘pain in my ass’ and reminds my of it’s presence everyday- with piercing stabs of pain between my toes and achy soreness too.

It’s been 6 weeks since my surgery and I’m still on crutches and hobbling around like a weirdo. I fall down regularly and stumble quite a bit! I think the dogs are actually starting to enjoy my handicap- they always seem to have little looks in their eye like “HaHa, I beat ya down the stairs mom!” Anyway, I thought I would be back to my old routine by now but apparently I’m a slow healer (my doctor’s words, not mine). In my mind I healed 3 weeks ago and somehow I am stuck in a bad dream with a foot that doesn’t work. So, it may be another few weeks before I am cleared by the doc and feeling better to get out and romp with my clients.

But just so ya know I’m not letting my slow progress get me down- I’ve actually been very productive considering that I’m stuck in the house and on most days stuck on the second floor. I won’t bore you with all the details but let’s just say I have gotten my fill of office work and can’t wait to be back outside with my doggie friends. I miss all your furry faces!

Keep your paws crossed for my speedy recovery!

Counting down the days…

~Furrr

This dog walker is sidelined : (

Furrr — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:08:26 +0000

It’s been a while since my last post and I apologize to all my loyal readers. I blame my absence on several things but all worthy excuses.

-The Holiday season (it’s the busiest time of year for the pet sitting industry)

-Vacation (Jeff and I took a week and half off to recover from our busy holiday season)

-Foot surgery (Just happened on Tuesday- ouch!!)

But the last excuse for my blog-less-ness will actually free up my time in the near future to catch up on my blogging- this girl is stuck in bed for at-least 2 weeks and will be on recovering for at-least 6 weeks. (Bunion surgery has such a long recovery time, which I hate) I am freaking out about this mandatory bed rest because I’m not one to lay around. Don’t get me wrong I love my couch time and I love watching movies and snuggling with my kitties, but only on my terms and not when I am forced to do so. Luckily, right now my foot is screaming in pain and I am adequately hopped up on pain pills so laying in bed is all I really want to do anyway. But I know the second my foot starts to feel better I will want to jump off of this island of foot hell (that’s what I’m calling my bed right now) and get back to work playing with all my sweet puppy pals. (Isn’t it crazy that my job is to play with dogs and cats- I’m such a lucky gal) This is probably the part I will miss most about being mobile. I LOVE all of my clients and I’m going to miss them terribly- walking with them, running around chasing squirrels with them and having them bounce around me with joy when I walk in their front doors.

I’ll be back soon enough and better then ever to play and romp just in time for spring. Love you all!!

~Furrr

Dos and Don’ts for safe pets during the holidays

Furrr — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:40:30 +0000

I love the holidays!! My dogs and cats love the holidays too, because there is so much going on around the house. The cats go crazy for all the wrapping paper and shiney things hanging around and the dogs go nuts for all the great smells coming out of the kitchen. But I’d like to share with my loyal readers a few things that will keep your furrry kids safe this holiday season.

Below is a list of Dos and Dont’s for you to follow to avoid those expensive trips to the emergency vet. Because going to the emergency vet is not fun for anyone!!

Don’t

-Feed table scraps (besides the upset stomach Fido will get from the richness of human food he can also be poisoned by all the garlic and onions in those taters!)

-Leave tinsel or ribbon laying around (kitties will eat this stuff and can get major intestinal blockages, ouch!)

-Over feed your pets (Just because we tend to stuff our faces during the holidays doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for Fido to.)

-Leave town without having a responsible person (i.e. Professional Pet Sitter) check on your pets.

-Leave your dogs or cats outside when it’s really cold (sure they wear fur coats, but if they don’t have access to proper shelter from wind and snow they can freeze and die!)

-Leave a metal water bowl outside (the water in a metal bowl can freeze and they will be left with ice cubes to drink, do you like crunching on ice when it’s cold outside?)

-Tie up the cords from all of your interior holiday lights (this will avoid kitty strangulation.)

-Keep your pets from all chemical spills such as anti-freeze (don’t let them drink out of puddles on the street- you have no idea what’s in that puddle!)

-Give your cats and dogs pet friendly snacks (give Fido a special bone while you’re eating your holiday meal so he’ll still feel like part of the family.)

-Put all candy and chocolates out of Fido’s reach (chocolate is poison for dogs!)

-Hire a pet sitter if you are leaving town (no matter how independent your cat is she still needs fresh water daily and her safety to be checked.)

-Bundle up your temperature sensitive pets (if they are older or have little to no fur to protect their skin or if they walk on icy surfaces outside)

If you follow these simple things then you and your pets will have a safe holiday season!

~Furrr