Hunting season's over: Help discarded beagles

For many states hunting season is over. It's a time of year many shelters and rescues dread.

See some hunters, not all, but enough, have this tradition. If the dogs won't hunt, or they are too old to hunt, or they are too old to breed hunters, they turn them loose, or turn them over to shelters.

And the shelters are full.

According to many rescues and shelters, hundreds of hounds and other hunting dogs are taken in. And it's not just in the south (though southern shelters are overrun with hounds), it happens all over.

The great clothes debate: Does your dog need a coat?

It's the question every pet person has heard -- to clothe, or not to clothe your dog?

I admit, before I owned a dog, I came down firmly on the no clothes side. I even wondered if it was some form of abuse. If you haven't noticed, my opinion has softened somewhat.

But I know the question still remains among pet owners -- is dressing up your dog too much?

Now's as good a time as any to have this discussion -- because baby, it's cold outside!

Yes, even here in Florida.

Lows have been in the 40s and 50s every night. They may even get down to the 30s this week. Yeah, I know boohoo, right?

Well, I'm fine, thanks. It's the dogs you might want to be worried about.

They're willing to snuggle, it's so cold!

You see my dogs are southern dogs, and Lulu is a Florida dog. When Lulu and Jasmine are outside it's clear they are not used to the cold. Poor Jasmine especially shivers and whines outside.

Keeping warm and dry in jackets by Jelly Wellies (Lulu) and Buster (Jasmine).

If you have a dog who has short hair, a lean body type, is small or has a health issue, you should really consider getting a coat or a sweater.

What should you look for:

• If you live in a snowy area, you may want to consider a water-resistant coat. 
• You want something that covers the chest. The chest and abdominal area is your dog's core, just like it is on you. If you keep that area warm the heart can better pump blood to other areas of the body and help regulate temperature.  There area also has the least amount of fur.
  (Often in stores you see a coat that covers the back with a piece of fabric that goes across the middle. That's not as helpful when it comes to the cold)
• Something that fits snug around the chest and waist, but not too tight. It should also give a little cover to the neck and down to the tail.
•  Be roomy around the arm pits so the dog has plenty of movement.

If you've ever been to Pets Weekly.com, last year Stacy Mantle did a good write-up on coats for winter. It includes some of my favorite companies, like KumfyTailz and Thunderworks. 

You can find the Jelly Wellies and Kruuse BUSTER raincoats that Lulu and Jasmine are wearing above on Amazon.

So tell us below -- do you think dogs need coats when it gets cold?

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How your dog can have Thanksgiving dinner with the family

How does a dog handle living in a house during the holidays? Most people can't handle all the amazing smells and things. That's why we all gorge ourselves.

Dogs, meanwhile, have more olfactory cells than humans, and beagles moreso. No wonder they beg for food, and not everyone has trained themselves to resist those big sad eyes when they start begging.

So, what do you do?

There's lots of things dogs shouldn't eat during a holiday. HOWEVER, there are some things that you can give your pet so they can enjoy the holiday too.

Presenting the doggy Thanksgiving dinner.

7 ways dogs are the prescription for PTSD, heart health, more

May is National Pet Month!

Seems like the perfect month to celebrate the Human-Animal Bond. And why the science says a pet is a great prescription for better human health. They even have a whole commercial for this medication.

Global Pet Expo: 9 dog products to watch in 2017

Another Global Pet Expo is in the books. We stumbled through over 7 miles of pet products over three days in March. Over 1,100 companies showed off thousands of products for dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, hamsters, birds, chickens, and more. 

Here are 9 of our favorite dog products from Global Pet Expo -- broken up into six trending product areas to watch in 2017.

NEED TO KNOW: We did not get any compensation for this post. We did receive product samples, but all opinions here are our own.

Call your congressman: USDA makes it harder to track puppy mills, animal experiments

Feb. 6 UPDATE: The Humane Society of the U.S. says it is taking steps to sue the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for removing the APHIS database from the government website. Please read the full report here. 

Feb. 7 UPDATE: The USDA now says "adjustments may be made in the decision to remove animal welfare inspection reports from the APHIS website, the Associated Press is reporting.

Read the full story from AP here.

Learn more about why this issue is so important below.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have never been political on this site, and I try very hard not to. 

But if there is one issue we can agree on, it's treating animals well and that was made harder up in Washington.

So now I'm asking that you take a moment to tell your Congressman and Senators that you don't agree with this move to remove USDA inspections and other enforcement information on animal facilities across the country.

Wordless Wednesday: Celebrate your best friend

Happy Best Friends Day! How are you celebrating with your furry best friend?

6 steps to take before you free a pet from a hot car

Summer approaches, people.

Actually, forget it. If you're in Florida, summer is already here. Temperatures are in the 80s and they will only go up from here. So will that wretched heat index.

We are now in that period where leaving your pets in the car is dangerous, maybe even deadly.

In 2016, Florida lawmakers passed a bill that will protect people who damage a hot vehicle to rescue a human or a pet from criminal liability or lawsuits. But that doesn't mean you should just go charging in, breaking windows.

Find out what steps you need to take if you find yourself in this situation.

9 great dog companies we found at Global Pet Expo: Day 1

It's Global Pet Expo week!

Thousands of pet companies from all over the world are showing their new and popular products.

Here are 9 our favorites from day 1 of Global Pet Expo.

Lottery dreams: How to open a non-profit for dogs

Congratulations! You've won the Powerball jackpot! You're a millionaire!

If you're like some of the many dog lovers I've met, you dream of opening a shelter, rescue, sanctuary or some other non-profit for pets. You thrill at the idea of opening all the cages at the pound and piling them into your car and taking them to a new home.


I'm sure you're also aware that it's not as easy as that.

 But if you have the cash to make your dream come true, we have the information to help you get started.

#LetsMovie! 2 films I discovered on TCM with important dogs

Saturday is #LetsMovie Day!

Turner Classic Movies, aka TCM, is hosting a whole day where we share our love of films, especially classic films, with the world! We want you to know why these movies matter and are wonderful.

So I'm taking part in a blogathon, sponsored by The Nitrate Diva! Because I love classic movies and I love TCM! We're supposed to be sharing a movie we discovered on TCM. But since I'm a dog blogger too, my angle is a bit different.

Blair the dog in "Rescued by Rover." (PHOTO/Columbia University Library)

Now, dogs are so important to cinema. For people who think that the world's over-the-top love affair with dogs is a relatively new concept, consider this: the first film to feature a canine film star, "Rescued by Rover" in 1905, was so popular it had to be re-shot twice because so many prints were made from the negatives the negatives wore out!

Irene Dunn, Asta and Cary Grant in "The Awful Truth."

And if you think the idea of custody battles over dogs is a relatively new concept, consider the 1937 film "The Awful Truth," where Cary Grant and Irene Dunne get a divorce, but the sticking point is their dog, Mr. Smith. And Mr. Smith in a way helps keep them together too. Mr. Smith, by the way, was played by Skippy, also known as Asta -- one of the top dogs in Hollywood history, after Rin Tin Tin, Lassie and Toto. 

But neither of these movies are the ones I will talk about (though I did see "The Awful Truth" on TCM! Along with "The Thin Man" movies and "Bringing Up Baby," also movies I discovered through TCM).

The films I'm choosing are not dog movies. The dogs, however, are important to the plots and the characters. And I think they make the movies better.

Grand Hotel (1932)

Grand Hotel is one of the first films to feature an "All-Star Cast." The MGM film featured characters with different story lines that intersect at a posh German hotel in the 1930s. And what a cast! Garbo! The brothers Barrymore! Joan Crawford!

I was just getting into Greta Garbo movies, thanks to TCM. It seemed like an essential film for Garbo because it featured her iconic line: "I want to be alone."

But one character stuck with me more than any other. And now that I'm a dog writer his role has a serious effect on me.

I'm talking about Adolphus the dachshund.

John Barrymore and Adolphus, from Grand Hotel. (MGM)

Adolphus belongs to Baron Felix Von Gaigern, played by the great John Barrymore. We meet him when Barrymore chastizes a hotel employee for not coming to get Adolphus for his walk. But it's the scene above that really endears me to Adolphus.

The Baron is confronted by a dangerous associated in his hotel room, but he deals with it quite non-chalantly. And at one point he looks at Adolphus and says, "Adolphus, this is a peculiar thing for one gentleman to say to another, but as a matter of fact, you're the only thing in the world I really love."

The scene, I think, is what truly endears you to The Baron. Or at least me. Yeah, we see he may be a nice guy. He's witty. But his interaction with Adolphus makes you realize that he has something of a heart.

We learn later The Baron is a black sheep. He's an impoverished aristocrat. He's in with some bad people, and he's been tasked to steal some valuable jewels. And if he doesn't do it he's in trouble.

Adolphus leaves Grand Hotel. (MGM)

In all the world, all Adolphus and The Baron has is each other. So at the end of the movie, when The Baron's story is complete we are left to wonder what will happen to Adolphus. And our heart breaks for both of them.

Many have written about how Adolphus is a tie between the Germany lost in World War I and the Germany to come in World War II and the rise of the Nazis (the dog's name might even give us a hint). I don't know if all that is true. What I see in Adolphus and The Baron is the belief that any person who is on the outs, who might be a bad guy, really can't be all that bad if he has the love of a dog and he loves that dog back.

The Uninvited (1944)

I first saw "The Uninvited" on TCM, and I loved it so much I would periodically suggest it as a movie to put on the schedule for years. Then I DVRed it, and once it FINALLY came out on DVD I bought it... and then never watched. Unless it's on TCM, and then I'll watch it. Isn't it funny how these things happen?

"The Uninvited" is a good old-fashioned good story about a brother and sister who buy a big old house on the English coast only to discover they have a ghost -- or is that two ghosts? Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play city-slickers Rick and Pamela Fitzgerald. Pamela finds the ghost idea fascinating, Rick thinks it's hogwash. But when they question the former owner, he's evasive on the issue. Oh, and the old man's granddaughter is not to go to the house or associate with the Fitzgeralds either.

So the Fitzgeralds are stuck with a very expensive house with a ghost in it -- and it's all Bobby's fault, really.

Rick, Pamela and Bobby the dog in "The Uninvited." (Paramount)

You see, Rick, Pamela and their dog Bobby happened to come upon the house when they first saw it and Bobby, being a dog, just couldn't resist a big, fat squirrel that clearly needed chasing -- into the house.

Once the Fitzgeralds were inside, they simply fell in love. Pamela especially.

Bobby is not liking Windward House in "The Uninvited." (Paramount)

But when the Fitzgeralds buy the house and bring Bobby back, he suddenly refuses to go upstairs. And then -- he disappears. But don't worry, he'll be ok.

Is Bobby necessary to the story? Eh, one could argue the writer could have written around the dog. But Bobby adds a bit of cute excitement. He serves as a catalyst to the plot, and not just in this instance either. The writer weaves certain important points in the story around Bobby. He is the real levity in an otherwise-heavy scary story.

So there you have it -- two great classic movies that I discovered through Turner Classic Movies. But there are so many more!

Want to see what movies they are playing? TCM has a complete channel guide on their website.

SHARE: Do you have a favorite classic film? I want to know! Maybe I haven't seen it.

Help your dog beat the back-to-school blues: Tips to reduce stress

The school bells are starting to ring again all over the world.

And the dogs are unhappily home alone.

Dogs love routine, and they love their families. If they live in a house where kids are home for the summer, they've probably spent the days following the kids around, playing with them, getting lots of love, stealing their fallen snacks, or maybe just laying with them. But they're still there.

And if there are teachers in the home, the separation is worse!

Hey dogs, show us your raspberries!

Tuesday was National Raspberry Tart Day! Amazingly, there's no such thing as National Raspberry Day.

Now when I think raspberry, I don't just think fruit. I think this:

So Tuesday I asked everyone: show me your raspberries! And here they are:

Fat on your dog: Scary new numbers

We skipped E in the A-Z Challenge because we had some technical issues. But we are back on F, with hopefully no more troubles.

F is for fat. And it's a problem, not just because we have an obesity problem among pets, but because pet parents don't seem to realize it!

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention is a group of vets trying to help parents
keep their dogs healthy.

This latest study was released just last month. The numbers are staggering -- 44 million dogs and 55 million cats are overweight and obesity.

But it's the fat pet gap that is the most disconcerting.

Ninety percent of overweight cat owners and 95 percent -- NINETY-FIVE PERCENT! -- of overweight dog owners say their pet is of normal weight.

Now, we have the same kind of problem with humans as well, I guess, but it's worse with dogs. Just a couple pounds in some animals is dangerous, for all the reasons that being overweight is dangerous in humans -- arthritis, cancer, diabetes (at least directly in cats, indirectly in dogs).

“We’re seeing an increasing number of obese pets and the diseases that accompany excess fat,” reports Dr. Julie Churchill, veterinary nutritionist at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. “Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and many forms of cancer are associated with obesity in animals. It is critical pet owners understand an overweight dog or cat is not a healthy pet.”

So, pet parents, here's a handy chart to help you get started on figuring out if your pet is the right weight.

The Association of Pet Obesity Prevention has special charts to help you determine your breed's ideal weight.

They also have an interesting chart that explains the calories in some of the most popular pet treats.

Here are the calorie counts for Milk Bones:

• Original: 10 
• Puppy Biscuits:10 
• Small Biscuits:  20 
• Medium Biscuits: 40 
• Large Biscuits: 115 
• Extra Large Biscuits: 225 

How about Beggin' Strips?

• Bacon: 30
• Cheese and Bacon: 30
• Beef and Bacon: 30

Snausages? 25 calories

Busy bones? A whopping 300 calories for a small/medium bone!

But you could try something else -- veggies for instance are great for dogs. So are fruit.

 There are also some great low-calorie treats out there.

Here's something else. If you are giving your dogs treats, you should also consider how much food you give your dog. If you're going to do a training day, for instance, with lots of high value treats, you might want to give you dog less food.

And don't forget exercise. Not just a brief walk. It's good for you too!

Suit your dog up for battle with handmade pet armor

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa wrapped up at the end of March. Check out what we found.

This is Kodiak, a Great Pyrenees. Kodiak is sporting a full color, beautifully-handmade set of scale armor.

Modern Armour is Michael Jenkins' business. He lives in Spring Hill, Florida, making chain mail and scale mail for humans and dogs. He has an Etsy shop where you can order order in every size. Prices vary depending on what you want, and he can customize it too. The armor Kodiak is wearing is worth thousands of dollars!

Chihuahua in chain mail. From the Modern Armour Etsy site.

Think the armor is too much for a dog? Jenkins' armor is relatively light. The scale mail only weighs about 6.5 lbs. The armor "sheds heat," so Kodiak is able to wear it, even under Florida's hot sun.

16th century war dogs from The Encyclopedia of Dogs.

Dogs have been fighting wars since ancient times. And it was not unheard of that dogs of all sizes would run into battle with their owners in armor or at least spiked collars. They would perform tasks from carrying messages to taking dog war horses.

Dogs are still fighting wars with us. Only now they wear kevlar.

10 Doggy rules for a dog park

Welcome to the Dog Park.

There are lots of rules humans should know about: no violent dogs, no food, all dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations, clean up after your dog, etc.

But the dogs have rules too. Our dogs have come up with some rules you should make sure your dogs follow.

1. To say hello, sniff a butt. This is totally normal, don't be scared.

2. Go potty first and foremost. That way you don't have to stop in the middle of a run.

3. Some parks have dirt spots. These are especially good when it's hot out. You can dig a hole and sit in it and be nice and cool. Just be sure to fill it back up.

4. There are big metal things that water comes out of. Sometimes the humans fill up buckets for us. Those buckets are for drinking water -- NOT TO STAND IN.

5. Sometimes you'll see something on the ground that you'll want to eat. It might smell good, but don't eat anything your human doesn't give you. Some people do bad things, and you don't want a tummy ache or a visit to the vet.

6. But there is lots of smelly stuff. Take it all in.

7. And sometimes, there's stuff smelly enough to roll in! But whether there is or there isn't, be sure to get a good roll in.

8. You'll meet other doggies to play with. But be nice and don't play too hard.

9. And if you see dogs playing rough, it's best to stay outside the fight... and let your human know!

10. And when your human says it's time to go home, be sure to catch up with them.

Have fun!

Concerned about #DogDentalHealth? Get nubbly with WHIMZEES

This post is sponsored by PetSmart, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Dental Health Month, but Life With Beagle only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

Can your dog chew their way to better health?

While tooth brushing is still the gold standard for cleaning doggy teeth, giving your dog a dental chew is a great way to keep your dog from the dentist's chair.
 

Have you ever flipped the lip? It's the best way to check your dog's teeth?

Never thought about dog dental health? You should (especially if you're a beagle parents because, you know, beagles eat ANYTHING). Some 80 percent of dogs have signs of dental disease by the age of three. Dental disease can lead to other diseases in dogs, just like it can in humans.

Plus as dogs get older it could mean teeth cleanings where dogs are put under, or even tooth removal. Talk about expensive! You can avoid all that just by taking care of your dog's teeth now.

What kind of dental treat should you give? Well, in our opinion, it's all about the nubs!

 What are WHIMZEES™?

These treats from Holland are a crazy fun way to keep the tartar in your dog's teeth in check.

There are only six ingredients in WHIMZEES, with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives (top ingredient? potato starch). The treats are colorful, sure, but it's done with natural extracts. The green ones, for instance, are made with alfalfa extract, while the orange ones are made with extracts from the Annatto fruit.

The company comes out with some new styles every year so there's lots to choose from: gators and hedgehogs and toothbrushes and more. And in different sizes too.

And almost all of them have those bumps you see there -- they're nubbly. The nubs and the shape designs actually help to increase blood flow through the gums. And THAT helps prevent tartar buildup.

"Can I eat it now?... How about now?"

Those nubs are great in helping your dog's teeth stay in good shape.

How can you buy WHIMZEES? We went to PetSmart® to check it out.

Take note: PetSmart has a sale for #DogDentalHealth Month!

PetSmart has a display like that one in the stores, plus WHIMZEES in the treats aisle, PLUS single packs on shelves near the registers. 

That is another great reason I love WHIMZEES -- you don't have to buy a big bag. You can buy single treats, so you can mix and match sizes and types. On this trip I bought a bag of toothbrushes, and a couple alligators.

I actually love the alligators best, not only because they are hysterical, but because the dogs seem to chew them slowly. The slower they chew, the better it is for them.

There are lots of dog dental treats available at PetSmart. Make sure which ever one you choose is a good, chewy treat that helps your doggy keep those teeth clean.

Be sure to follow WHIMZEES on Facebook and on Twitter.

10 Dogs who think Valentine's Day is... meh

Saturday is Valentine's Day, that crazy time of year where everyone is all hearts and flowers and chocolate and LOVE and stuff.

And what says love more than DOGS? Especially cute dogs doing Valentine's Day things?

All my fellow bloggers are doing it. I'm seeing all these special Valentine's Day doggy treats, and special arts and crafts and games for doggies and lots of pictures with hearts and flowers and it's all... soooooooooo... CUTE.

Bleh.

I admit I have never been one for Valentine's Day. And the whole making your dog join the lovey dovey stuff is just another way we anthropomorphize our pets because we like them better than humans. Not that I do that AT ALL, said the woman who takes her dog out for breakfast on her birthday, and here's Lulu eating a biscuit.

I love familial love. I love the love of good friends. And I love the love between pet parents and pets. But when it comes to Valentine's Day love, I have to quote the Rock 'N Roller:

Love stinks. Yeah, yeah.

Here are some dogs who might just feel the same way.

1. What this dog thinks of your special Valentine's Day doggy dinner.

"Oh, you bought me the SPECIAL kibble. Thanks."
Courtesy Barkerybath.com

2. What Maymo and Penny think of your Vermont Teddy Bears.

Courtesy Maymo the Lemon Beagle.

3. What this dog is thinking about your special Valentine's Day treat for them.

"I Just get the bone? You couldn't spare me the steak too?"
Courtesy FirstweFeast.com

4. What this dog thinks of that fancy new collar you bought.

"Oh, it's Tiffany box-colored, not actually something from Tiffany..."

5. What this dog thinks of that fancy tuxedo.

"I'm just getting dressed up for this picture?" 

6. What this dog thinks of the Valentine's Day date locale.

"The park again? How unoriginal."

7. What this dog really thinks about being made to pose for this romantic gesture to your significant other.

"You best be replacing this rose with a bone."
Courtesy Rantpets.com

8. What this dog really thinks about this "kiss" lipstick smudge shirt.

"What was wrong with this lady's lips?"
Courtesy Zazzle.com

9. What these dogs really think about these silly hearts.

"We hope you're coming to US for pets because we can't walk with these stupid things."
Courtesy free-pet-wallpapers.com

10. And finally, my own Lulu. I bought her a new toy, a stuffed champagne bottle. I requested it special from the store. I thought it was cute, and Lulu can't resist a squeaker. Plus, every time she walked into a room with it I could quote "Absolutely Fabulous" ("Champagne, champagne for Lulu!").

But, no. Unimpressed Lulu was unimpressed.

Oh well. Happy Valentine's Day to those more romantic at heart.