Preparing for Spring and Summer

Happy Spring! The birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees are a buzz and a bloom exploding with fragrant color! Thank God for all the rain this winter! It has made for a beautiful spring!

And, although the new birth of spring brings with it all the beauty of a waking world ready for a new season, there are also dangers to beware of! The rattlesnakes will be coming out of hibernation soon! I hike with my favorite pal Pepper, my English Spring Spaniel, off leash on the Aqua Caliente trail. This year he is going to get rattlesnake avoidance class so I know he will be safe if he ever encounters a snake on the trail. These classes are VERY effective and remain so for many years afterwards. You can even have your dog retested. You will be pleasantly surprised at how well the training sticks! The best places in Tucson for these classes are the Humane Society (my first choice so the class fee supports them), Garvin's and Asso. Pet Plaza and also Jimmy Dog Company all offer these classes that range from $65-75 per class.

Also, please make sure you stay current with all your dog's vaccinations, most importantly their 3 year rabies (needed for keeping their dog license current) and also the 7 in 1 annual vaccination that covers all the really nasty bad stuff like Parvo, Distemper and the doggie flu!
Bortadella is a nasal spray vaccination for kennel cough, otherwise known as the doggie cold.
Keeping your dog current on these vaccinations protects them from getting sick with life threatening diseases, some of which are very difficult to treat. In fact, rabies is 100 % fatal and completely avoidable.

In Arizona, there is an epidemic of rabies in the wild. If you ever see a nocturnal animal like javelina, coyote, skunks or rodents during the day that don't seem to be afraid of you, seem drunk, or are swerving when they walk STAY far away from them and report that siting to animal control immediately! That animal most likely has rabies and is extremely dangerous!

The desert does pose some threats for us to beware of so be careful out there and yet enjoy being out there exploring, hiking, camping, and living life. Afterall, life is short so wag more, bark less!