PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

Do you picture yourself riding barefoot on your galloping horse with the wind blowing through your hair? If so, you may want to reconsider your riding apparel. Although it may not be quite as comfortable and relaxed as going barefoot and hatless, some riding apparel is designed to keep riders safe so that they can continue to enjoy those refreshing morning gallops.

Whether you prefer to ride English or Western style, you should always be sure you wear boots. In fact, you should wear boots even if you are just going to feed and groom your horse, because having one of those heavy hooves come down on top of your foot when you are wearing sandals or sneakers can really hurt. Of course, although cowboy boots can be quite comfortable, English riding boots can be a bit stiff to walk around in. You may want to invest in a pair of barn boots or hiking books to use for stable work.

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Sometimes the distinction between training and control is too easily lost. Using commands and hand gestures, with leashes or treats, to solicit desired behavior is training. Using choke or ‘no-bark’ collars, electronic fences and similar devices is for control.

Control isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Dogs naturally have and seek a social hierarchy in which one is the alpha (leader) and in any human-dog pair the human has to take that role. The alternative is property destruction, unsafe conditions for dogs and humans, human frustration and a maladjusted dog.

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If I had a better category, I’d might start this post with…

[SHAMELESS PROMOTION ON]

I’m in the process of creating a bunch of “stores” or “product-related-theme” blog under the @ HART Market brand (RSS Feed)

Pets @ HART Market - Affiliate Store

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The halter is the first piece of tack most horses ever wear and usually the only piece they still wear after they are retired to the pasture. Halters are important because they can help horse owners control their animals in any number of situations. All halters basically have the same style. However, you can find halters in a range of prices, from budget friendly nylon to the more expensive leather models.

Since halters are used so frequently, you should have at least two of them. This way, if a halter breaks or if your horse manages to remove his halter, you will be able to use your backup halter. Since most horses have a similar head size, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a halter to fit your horse. This is especially easy because a halter is designed to fit a horse more loosely than a bridle would. However, if the halter is practically falling off your horse’s head, then you should look for a smaller size.

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For most cat owners, one of the biggest drawbacks of owning a cat is the dreaded cat litter box. Few people like to clean litter boxes. After all, they aren’t just smelly. Litter can be quite dusty and people that change litter boxes are more susceptible to some cat diseases that can be caught by humans than people that do not change their cats’ litter boxes.

* Hooded Litter Box

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* The Portable Pet Water Bowl - www.waterrover.com/

It’s our last day on this Labour Day weekend out at the cottage, and it was our “Anniversary Weekend”, so I didn’t do too much blogging (although I did take my laptop here!).

But - we did do a lot of walking with the dogs and we had really nice and hot weather - and I tell you now - this new dog water bowl is probably the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to carrying water for your dog on walks!

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You may be able to ride a horse without a saddle, although it isn’t the safest idea, but few people can control their horses without a bridle. The bridle is designed to connect the bit in a horse’s mouth with the reins in the rider’s hands. This enables the rider to signal his horse to stop or turn.

Since a bridle is such an important part of your horse’s tack, you should be sure that you buy one that is the right style and size for your horse. Luckily, since bridles are almost fully adjustable, few horses have problems with a bridle being too small or too large, so you won’t have to worry about taking measurements unless you have a draft horse or a pony.

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If you want your horse to go where you want to go when you are riding him, then you will need to use one essential piece of equipment, the bit. The bit is basically a metal bar that sits in the horse’s mouth and hooks to the two sidepieces of a bridle. When you tug gently on the reins, the bit applies pressure to the horse’s mouth, so he knows that you want to stop or turn. Of course, there are two distinct bit styles, one for Western riders and one for English riders. Within these styles, there are also different bits, since sometimes a certain bit does not work as well as another one.

No matter which type of bit you decide to buy, you will need to be sure that it fits your horse’s mouth properly. You will need to measure the width of your horse’s mouth at the spot where the bit rests and add a half inch to this measurement to get the proper fit.

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Thursday TUESDAY August 28, 2007 - 7:00pm - Winnipeg, Manitoba

d’oh!

Just a reminder:

Brenda Puttaert owner/designer for Doggie Duds will be the m.c. She is the exclusive designer for Pawsh and will provide the majority of the clothing and all of the doggie models as follows:

Maxxie and Sophie Singer
Duke and Jasper Peck
Sophie and Molly Puttaert
Mallow Dahl
Rowdy Bidewell

* HART (yes that’s me!) .. will be walking down the DOGwalk with Sophie Singer and if you are in the area next Tuesday .. please drop by for the fashion show! It’s for a good cause, as a portion of the sales will go to help FIPPER (see below) .. plus - you may find some neat products over at Pawsh Pet Boutique!

About FIPPER (from the D’Arcy A.R.C. site)

Fipper is a five year old Shepherd-cross who was left outside unattended for three days after receiving chemical burns to nearly eighty percent of her face. She was turned over to Machray Animal Hospital in the third week of August. Fipper was twenty five pounds underweight with her burns infected and covered in bugs and filth.

We owe a debt of many thanks to those who have supported Fipper’s rehabilitation with donations.

We have been overwhelmed with calls from concerned members of the community which we are also thankful for. Here is an update on Fipper:

- she is doing fantastic
- she receives daily dressings
- her face is washed every day with a medicated soap and cream
- she eats 5 times a day, 5 to 6 cans of wet food
- she is gaining weight
- she has very limited exposure to people at this time

Thank you all for your care and concern. This incident is under careful investigation by the proper authorities.
- Staff & Volunteers

By Darren Lintern

The aquarium stores are extremely convenient for any aquarist who wants to keep fish at home or in the office. It is here that you find a wide selection of fish tanks, and at the same time pick up any needed accessories to build a healthy ecosystem. Such necessities available will include fish food, water tester kits, nets, gravel, cleaning equipment, corals and plant life. A few aquarium stores also sell manuals and books on fish keeping that can be very helpful for the novice and experienced alike.

When visiting an aquarium store you will have the choice of selecting from either a clean empty fish tank or the ready to install aquarium. This will depend on the style of fish tank you are after and your intended budget, you can buy aquariums shaped like hexagons, octagons, pentagons and towers. You may even be interested in finding sphere aquariums or half round aquariums, not to mention the highly popular standard glass tanks that are box shaped or bowl shaped.

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