Don't Leave Pets Behind!!!

Ok, here we go.... Hurricanes are linin' up.
There's only ONE RULE for people with animals:
Be safe and never leave animals behind.
Yes, that is ONE RULE.
Prepare to stay.
Prepare to leave.
Whatever you do, do with your animals included.
Human children are a pain in the ass and you don't leave them behind sayin', "I'll be right back sweetie... soon as this weather passes..."
Be responsible.  They are yours.  They depend on you.
Not the sheriff, not the fire department, not the humane society, not the local high school shelter... YOU!
Don't whine, don't cry, don't blame anybody for not rolling out some magical red carpet for you!
They are your responsibility and if you can't take care of them.......
You know you live in Florida.
California has earthquakes.
The desert has scorpions.
New Orleans floods.
Minnesota has snow.
And Florida has gators, sharks and hurricanes....
If you're not prepared to live in the natural environment that surrounds you, then it may be wise to change environments.
I currently have a recovering large dog in my family.  Getting him around ain't easy!  But there is no option.  Where I go, he goes.  No matter what.  I know this ahead of time, and I will be prepared with whatever means I have. Period. The End.
Don't leave animals behind.
You have plenty of warning and plenty of time to find solutions that are good and right.

If you need assistance, here are some resources:
http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/petpreparedness.htm

PFS means Pet Friendly Shelter
http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/pet_shelters
http://www.floridapetfriendly.com/pet-friendly-hurricane-shelters.htm
http://www.spcaflorida.org/community-resources/disaster//

Be Safe and Never Leave Animals Behind!!!

Dog Groomer

As many of you head off to your corporate grooming salon this weekend, remember one very... VERY important thing - All groomers are NOT created equal!!!
REQUEST by name, or by records, a previous groomer if you liked the groom and if your dog was happy!  
All groomers, especially in a corporate salon, are NOT good!  It's just that simple.  They are poorly hired (not fit to work in a salon) and then poorly trained, IF they're trained at all!
Being in many different salon settings over the years I've seen how "bad" dogs mysteriously become good when matched with a good groomer.  I've also seen pet parents absolutely amazed at how good the dog or cat looks after they've been groomed properly and thoroughly by a good groomer, after years of not knowing how the animal was supposed to look, feel and smell after a professional groom.
If I were you, I'd be terrified to leave my pet with a groomer!  
Which is why the best grooming advice I can give you is to find that good groomer, and take good care of them!  Tip generously for their extra, expert attention.  Tell everyone about this groomer.  Tell management how much you love this groomer.  Mention this groomer by name on Yelp, or fb, or any other online rating service.  And DO NOT settle for a substitute if your groomer is not available, unless that groomer has personally told you the name of another good groomer.
Lots of these kids in grooming salons are very sweet and personable at the front check in. They are very sweet to the dogs.  But then they ignorantly scare them by shooting water into their faces during the bath, filling their noses, filling their ears and marring the experience forever for the dog.  Then they turn a HIGH VELOCITY  blow dryer on them (think leaf blower, not hair dryer) and blow that across their face and ears.  These dryers can bust ear drums ok......  That terrifies them yet again.  THEN its time to do the nails....  Jesus help us.....  This caps off a very horrible experience for a very helpless animal.  And all the while the untrained idiot performing these services remains kind and loving.  No, the corporations do NOT teach their employees how to groom correctly because.... ITS A CORPORATION.  There are no highly qualified professionals in charge of teaching new hires how to groom or how to handle and treat dogs!  They teach their "students" about corporate policy in "grooming academy" and how to shave a dog.  That's not grooming folks!!!
It takes a skilled, and in my opinion gifted, professional to groom an animal correctly. Correctly doesn't mean just remembering to wipe the ears and give you some report card (that's usually filled with BS).  It means more than knowing the technicalities of breed specific haircuts... That's the least you should worry about!  A proper groom means grooming the animal with an intuition that doesn't terrify the them!!!  
I've rehabilitated MANY dogs that were ruined by ignorant, bad groomers.  
Dogs, and cats, can LOVE the groomer!  
I see stupid trusting people every day.....  Don't be fooled by the front counter routine. They're all sweet!  Really!  And they mean well.  But they have no gift for working with animals, or they've not been trained correctly.  And they never will be unless they happen upon a master who takes their craft seriously.
Grooming is not a job!  It is a skilled profession.  
Regulating the industry and mandatory certification means nothing when you can pay any grooming school thousands of dollars and you get a certificate whether you know what you're doing or not!  Don't look for certificates.  Pay attention to your gut feeling. 

Pay attention.......  
I'm tired of seeing your dogs suffer when I KNOW it isn't necessary.
No I mean I'm really, reeeeeally, sick of it!!!!!