Summer has officially started and it's time for fun family outings, picnics in the park and hiking and biking the trails. For many of us, our canine companions enjoy participating in all these fun activities. But, unfortunately not all our pets enjoy all the festivities as much as we do. The 4th of July can be especially distressing and scary for some dogs (and cats too).

Food allergies are the third most common type of allergy manifest in dogs. Unfortunately, food allergies in dogs are not breed-specific, and thus there are no "safe breeds." They can develop anywhere between 5 months to 12 years of age, though most often they appear between the ages of 2 and 6. An important thing to understand about a potential food allergy is that it develops over time, and a dog can slowly develop an allergic reaction to a food it has safely eaten for months or years beforehand. It is also important to understand the difference between allergies and intolerances

All of my animals are rescued animals, actually. Two of them had a hard time being placed.

Think Hard before desperately taking a pet to a Humane Society or shelter.

We all have times when life throws us a real sharp curve as it derails our lives and puts us in situations where difficult decisions are put before us. Divorce, a change of living arrangements or something else you had no expectation of ever happening. Most often the pets have to be placed somewhere because you may have little time to advertise or search for a great home

Are you concerned when your dog or cat eats grass, then throws up afterwards. You'll probably feel relieved to know that pets eat grass because their bodies need it. Dogs and cats have been eating grass for a long time. In fact, grass is so popular among dogs that one species, dog grass, is named after them. Dog grass is also known as couch grass and quackweed, and it grows in all but the southern-most states