Giving a Rescued Pet a New Lease on Life

By Amanda

I never thought it would happen to me. With just one look into those baby brown eyes I could no longer resist the urge. It all began when one day when my friend convinced me to go along with her to the local pet rescue. I had never owned a pet before and quite frankly was not interested in ever owning one. But the possibility of pet ownership was appealing to her and thought that adoption was the best way to go about it. So I decided to accompany her on her journey. That’s when it happened – I spotted one of the cutest beings that I have ever seen. She was small, fragile and delicate. She gazed back up at me with a look that only a mother could understand. That’s when I knew – I had to have her. She was the sweetest dog – but she was very different from other dogs. She only had two hind legs – she was born this way and her previous owners did not want her. But for some reason, I had not noticed right away that she was missing her two front legs – It didn’t matter. I fell in love instantly and proceeded to leave with her. I knew immediately that I wanted to name her Angel. She needed special care and I was the one to give it to her. As I led a pretty active lifestyle, I wanted Angel to be a part of it too. So, the next day I went to the vet and had her assessed and they offered to make her custom legs on wheels so that we could go for long walks together. She took very well to them and gets very excited when it’s time for our walks. Angel has really changed my life for the positive and I know I have done the same for her. Taking extra good care of her is my priority. That's why I only feed her holistic pet food from Brandy's Holistic Center and Canine Café. 

Why is Living an Active Lifestyle Important to You?

By George

As a frequent author on this blog, and after reading and commenting on all your posts, I am extremely happy to see that all of you enjoy and see benefit of living an active lifestyle too! I think it’s great that we can share our ideas with each other to help promote the sense of importance and unified community around the subject of living actively with our paws. 

I mentioned earlier in one of my blog posts titled, Can You Run Faster Than Us?, that living an active lifestyle with my labrador retriever, Max, is important for me because, as his guardian, I feel that it’s important to involve him in the process of living an active and healthy lifestyle, since he couldn’t do it on is own. Everyone, human or animal, deserves the joy and benefits that comes from having a healthy body and mind. Not to mention, we are always supporting each other on our runs and diets.

Now, what would really be fun and exciting is hearing why living an active lifestyle is important to you and your paws! Not need to be shy :) Let it be a great way to share our stories. Thank you for participating :)

One-Stop Shopping

by Suzanne

On Saturday afternoon, my boyfriend and I brought our dogs to Brandy’s Holistic Centre and Canine Café, so we could get a coffee (Christina makes a great cappuccino) and buy some nutritious doggy treats.

Gotta love one-stop shopping!!

It was such a beautiful day, and it felt great to finally soak up some sun and enjoy being outside – especially for my dogs, who have a really hard time with the winter weather. They are small, so their bellies are close to the ground (and the snow), and Bella, my min-pin has such short fur that even with her winter coat on she can’t spend more than 15 minutes at a time outside when it’s cold.

We purchased the much-loved Buddy Biscuits and sampled some Laika's Bark dog treats. The dogs really enjoyed munching on them.

I had never heard of Laika’s Bark brand, but they are locally made and I noticed on the package, they use “fresh, whole, unprocessed human-grade ingredients”.

Now that’s a plus! I can feel good because I know it’s all healthy, nutritious stuff.

The week-end bonus - Special talents

By Luisa

Please peak at 2 adorable videos.

Which one do you prefer? Cast your votes on the right side of the blog.

Secret Running Spots in Montreal

By George

Spring is almost here! And for you runners out there, that means revisiting park central areas again to openly run with your furry friends. Forget the snow, the cold, and the slush, from running during the winter season. Bring on the heat, the shorts, and the wildlife, form the joy of running in the spring and summer seasons!

In anticipating the weather changes, I would like to share with you some of my favourite secrets on where the best places to run with your dogs are (but you got to keep it a secret, OK?... I’m only kidding. Share them with other running enthusiasts who like to run with their dogs too).

Secret Spot #1

Mont-Royal Park

Secret Spot #2

Lachine Canal near Atwater Avenue

Secret Spot #3

Bois-Franc Park in Ville Saint-Laurent

Secret Sport #4

Canine Café, Brandy’s Holistic Pet Shop

469 rue Marie-Anne, Montreal, H2J 2A2

514-680-5582

www.brandys.ca

Now that I shared my secrets with all of you, can you think of other great places to run with our dogs? There’s no need to feel shy or embarrassed about your “secret spot” suggestion(s). The beauty of these places and your recommendation(s) are that they may not be for everyone; that’s why they are our “secrets” because they work for us. But maybe they will be a great discovery for someone else too. Remember the feeling you got when you first discovered your favourite place to run with your dog? Maybe you can bring that same excitement to someone else. So why not share them with us? And by getting involved, you too could discover new running spots from other runners. So go ahead, tell us, what’s your secret! 

And thank you for sharing in advance :)

Canine Community Events

By Suzanne

I took part in the 2011 SPCA Dog Walk on September 11, which was great because we raised money for a good cause. 


My dogs and I had such a great time, and it got me thinking: it would be so great to find other outdoor activities in Montreal that we could participate in.

I mean, other than taking them to the dog park, we don’t really have other places to go together. We also attended the SPCA Dog Walk that took place yesterday, March 4.


Does anyone know of any other dog walks or other events coming up in the spring and summer? With the nice weather coming up, it would be fun to organize other activities we can do with our dogs.


And I’m sure many Montrealers would agree!

Another option is to organize our own activities once we generate some interest. We can use Meetup.com as a platform to set this up with a calendar and sign-up sheet.

 

Please comment to let me know if you’re interested so we can get things started!

There's No Better Therapy Than Pet Therapy!

Study Highlights Health Benefits of Owning Dogs and Other Pets

By Amanda

                                                                       

“Pheeew, what a long day! I’m exhausted.” “I got home from one of the worst days at work today and am not in a good mood!” I unlock my front door, groceries spilling out of the bags as I am greeted by the warmest of touches. I look down by my side and find the cutest stare glancing back up at me. “That’s all it took.” My mood was instantly elevated – I felt relieved, energized and happy! I leaned down and scooped up my adorable furball and gave her a great big hug and kiss! “Coconutttttttt, I love you!”

And that’s the plain truth – pets make people happy. It has now even been scientifically proven that pets boost owners’ emotional and physical health. Our pets are a good source of social and emotional support for everyone; not only people facing health challenges.

           

Recent studies show that pets relieve the stress and anxiety of their pet owners. Specifically, pet owners displayed greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extroverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners. Our pets are truly our best friend – they love us unconditionally, listen to us and comfort us when needed. We cherish our pets for all that they mean to us and we want them always at their best – healthy, fit and happy! To find out more on the study, click here.  

Like humans, pets need the right nutrition and exercise to maintain optimum health. Pet owners and pets that play together stay healthy together! You’re eating and exercising right – so should your pet – a good start is natural organic pet food. Coconut really enjoys and benefits from EVO Dogs – Turkey and Chicken Formula Large Bites DryFormula available at Brandy’s Holistic Center and Canine Café. I love having my dog around because I never feel alone. Somehow she makes me feel more comfortable. There is also something uplifting about an animal that loves you unconditionally. Dogs are a lot of fun. I think I have more laughs because of my dog than anything else.

Am I the only one who reaps these pleasant rewards from their pet? Please feel free to share your story.

Quality Pet Food?

By Suzanne

Since adopting Bear and nursing him back to health from kennel cough, he has come a long way! I'm not sure what his past was like, but his fur was so dirty and matted that the SPCA had to cut it all off... not a good sign.

The other thing I noticed is that he didn't know how to "be a dog". He loved going for a walk, but he was strictly on a mission to walk, not stopping anywhere to smell anything on the way, almost as if he was just so excited to be outside that he just wanted to go, go, go.


After we got our second dog, Bella, a few months later, I also noticed that he didn't know how to play with other dogs. He didn't seem to understand it. 

Today, I am happy to say that all his fur has grown in. And I'm really proud of how far he's come because he now sniffs around when we go for walks and he's learned how to play with Bella. 


How rewarding it is to have adopted such a sweet little dog and to have given him a great home! 


Bella is a lot more active than Bear is. It’s been a constant battle to keep him fit. By nature, he is sort of a couch potato. He only moves when he has to. When it's time to go for a walk, Bella is at the door as soon as she hears me touch her leash. Bear, on the other hand, is still in bed, and he doesn't want to move.

Since he’s so small and kind of lazy, it’s easy for him to gain weight. But since he has some residual breathing difficulties from when he was sick, it’s really important to keep him at the right weight.

After my dad pointed out the ingredients in the Royal Canine food I was feeding them, I realized that it is full of filler such as corn gluten meal. This whole time I thought it was a high quality food!

Now, I know I sound like one of those cheesy pet food commercials, but when you care about your pets that much, you just want the very best for them. Thankfully, the owners of Brandy’s provided me with some information on various kinds of healthy pet foods. 

I mean, don’t we all want to eat better and live healthier?

What's She Thinking?

By Luisa

I took Fluffy to Brandy's store last week.
She was soo happy to come!

We walked together in the pet store, then I had a coffee at the Canine Cafe while Fluffy ate a treat.

Later, I took her to the park for a long walk.  
Honestly, we were both having such a great time!

As we were walking, I thought: if Fluffy could talk what would she tell me?

Then, these thoughts came to mind:

 

 

"I am so happy!"

"Again, again!! Let's do another round of the park".

"Can I get another treat? That was so good!".

And obviously..... "I love you!".

Now your turn, if your dog could talk, what would he say to you?

Thanks for sharing!

Check out what Lippo has to say:  ???
             

Moving Day

By Elle

I've lived in a total of five neighborhoods on the island of Montreal, but there's nothing like moving day in Saint-Henri.  It’s incredible how many cats get left behind.  I wonder if it’s partly intentional or if most just get lost during the move.  I mean before Poodle I never understood what the big deal was.  A cat? What’s the point.  But then it happened.  Moving day in my neighborhood.  This is the story of how I a little feline made her way into my heart. 


Here I was, coming home from the market, when I notice this skinny, filthy, black and white ball of knotty fur.  It was just lounging next to my door with this look on her face: “And where have you been?”  The attitude on that cat!  I tried to ignore her, after all she was not mine.  The thing is she was just there. She wouldn’t leave.  I would come out to BBQ, she would be sprawled on the picnic table.  I would be on my laptop, enjoying my coffee on a longhair, she would be grooming herself close by in the shade.  I would come back from work, she would be massaging herself against my Teracotta cactus pots, purring.  Incredible, I hadn’t even feed her yet.


Poodle's timing might have had something to do with how we ended up bonding (that's right, I named her Poodle).  I had just recently broken up with my ex, and it was a messy situation. I found myself lonely and sad.  Kind of like a cat on moving day who returns to her owner’s apartment only to realize that nobody is home.  I was tired of talking my friend’s and family’s ears off about my broken heart, especially because there really was nothing I could do about it.  I guess I just needed to have something to look forward to, some sort of affection or attention.  And that’s exactly what Poodle gave me.  She didn’t judge me or even care about my problems, she just wanted to be around me, hang out.  And that’s how I began reciprocating that affection.  She became my friend, my confident, and just like that we made an agreement: we were gonna live together.  So moving day became “moving on day”.  

When I first started feeding Poodle, she was pretty skinny, after all she had clearly been homeless for a couple weeks.  I wanted to give her something delicious, treat her to quality holistic food.   So I did some research and discovered Nature's Variety, makes a product called Instinct Freeze Dried Raw.  It was recommended to transition cats to raw holistic food and it can be stored at room temperature.  Didn't take long for Poodle reach a healthy wait, plus she loves it!  

Now I get it.  I understand why people get so attached to their pets, because at the end of the day, feels great to have a bond with someone who couldn’t care less about anything else but your presence and cuddles (and maybe her feedings).

5 Signs Your Pet's in Better Shape

By Amanda

1. When’s the last time you caught your cat dipping chips in ranch dressing?! 
There’s nothing better than spending an evening in, eating my favourite chips dipped in ranch dressing watching a romantic comedy, like the Notebook. Or even polishing off a tub of ice cream to myself! Those are my guilty pleasures! I don’t know why I enjoy indulging myself so much and I feed my cat and dog holistic pet foods. Go figure! 

2. I assume your dog doesn’t require two pots of coffee to answer e-mails in the morning!
“Gosh, I’m so tired!” I mumbled to myself as I crawled out of bed. I made my way to the kitchen to put on my regular two pots of morning coffee before opening my emails. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my pyjama pant leg and it was my dog, looking up at me with all the energy in the world. “Are we going to play now?” are what her big eyes were saying to me. I couldn’t for the life in me fathom at the idea of playing right now. “Sorry, but Mommy has business to take care of sweetie – Maybe later!” 



3. How is it that you have your vet’s number on speed dial but not your physicians?!
“I can’t believe that it’s been two years already since I last had a physical exam!” “Now, where did I put my doc’s number?” I can’t believe that I have my dog’s stuff in order but not my own! Why is it that we pet owners take better medical care of our pets than ourselves. My pet gets his vaccinations and vet check ups regularly and actually takes her meds which are hidden in her natural treats! 



4. Why does my dog await anxiously, wagging her tail, at the front door first thing in the  morning, while I’m calculating how many more seconds I can sneak in to sleep?
“Just five more minutes” I grumbled to myself as I hit the snooze button. “What’s all that noise?!” I wondered. “Oh, yeah – it’s Coconut barking and waiting anxiously for her morning walk” I thought. “How is it that she gets that excited to go out and walk this early in the morning??” “I’m not even ready to get out of my pjs!”



5. How come my dog doesn’t have two months worth of roots stemming out from her fur?!
“Wow! Look at these roots” I exclaimed as I looked at myself in the mirror. It has been at least two months since I last had my roots done. I glanced over at my dog and whispered, “You’re so lucky that you don’t have three inch roots growing out of you fur!” “Your fur is nice and groomed all the time; I take such good care of you!”

The Next Level

By Elle

The idea came to me while I was in my boss’s office. He was screaming about some report that was filed under the wrong title or something. I barely bothered listening because this had become his habitual tone of communication. Suddenly, while staring at the wall behind him, I noticed one of those tacky motivational posters. It was a picture of Mount Everest and the caption read “Sometimes risk is what is needed to take us to the next level.” And it just clicked. Alvin and I needed to take a risk, tackle something big, reach the next level.

I had been looking for a while for an activity to do with Alvin. It seemed our weekend walk on the mountain was not giving both him and me the thrill we craved.  Alvin is a Rottie mix. I’m always looking for a way to better my boy’s quality of life. Spending the week at the office, crouched in front of my computer, sedentary. I know Alvin can relate to my hours of inactivity. Poor little guy is confined to my ground level condo during the day.  Meanwhile I’m confined to my boxy cubicle. Needless to say, when Saturday morning rolls around, we wanna get outdoors and play. I needed to find an activity that challenged both of us, something we could share, maybe even with other people and dogs. And that’s exactly what we did. We started hiking together. It took a couple hikes to get the feel of things. By the fourth hike, it was like a natural high.

The hikes have really improved my mood. I started trimming down a little and firming up.  Alvin’s appetite has been full force, not that it's not usually, but it's morphed into beastly.  I needed to adjust his diet to sustain our new hobby.

It started out being just the two of us. But I've started inviting a couple friends and now we have a serious group going. The dynamic and energy is pretty incredible. We started sharing tips on nutrition, equipment and finding new trails to explore. I’ve already got Alvin on  holistic food, Wellness Super5Mix, which I buy at Brandy's Holistic Center and Canine Café.  Since hikes, I find myself avoiding lots of the junk foods I used to crave.  I'm not sure if it's because the summer is rolling around or because the hikes are serious sweat dripping workouts, but I'm really eating better. I want Alvin to feel as healthy and energized as I do, especially now that we're shaking up pretty much hiking every weekend. A couple months ago, if someone would of told me I'd get hooked on this activity, I would of been highly skeptical. It’s hard to believe I can look forward to my weekend hikes as much as my Friday 5 à 7 with my girlfriends. Now at the office, I catch myself thinking about Alvin's little excited face when I'm prepping our gear before we head out.

Any suggestions for trails or amazing scenery in the Greater Montreal area?

Breakups: Who Gets the Dog?

By Luisa

84 year-old, Hugh Hefner and 24 year-old Playboy Bunny Crystal Harris broke off their engagement, and they are now fighting over who will keep Charlie, their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.


Hugh Hefner told the famous bunny that she can keep the +$90K ring and the Bentley, but that he’s definitely keeping Charlie!  What?! Actually, that makes sense, right?


So, apparently, more and more Canadians are faced with this. Ok, let’s face it, probably most of us did not get a $90k ring and a Bentley when we parted ways....


But, what happens when couples break up?
And the big question, who should keep little Charlie? Him or her? ---- Why?!


Can't wait to see your comments!

   

Who will take me to Brandy's ?

Can You Run Faster Than Us?

By George
 

My buddy Max and I both beat our 50-meter dash records today, and we both feel great! The hard work and dedication surely paid off!

Max used to run 50 meters in 6.82 seconds and I used to do complete it in 7.15 seconds. Now, Max does it in 6.12 and I finish at 6.73 seconds.

Max's Profile

Breed: Yellow Labrador Retriever

Age: 6 1/2 years

Weight: 72 lbs

Height: 23 inches

My Profile

Age: 27 years

Weight: 175 lbs

Height: 5’11”

What started off as jogging together to get in better shape, we’re now continuously living a healthier lifestyle. As his guardian, I feel that it’s important to involve him in the process of living an active and healthy lifestyle, because he couldn’t do it on is own. And part of this process is done so by eating a healthy diet. I buy most of my groceries in the organic section of the grocery store. For my buddy Max, I pick up holistic dog food at a pet shop called  Brandy's. They specialize in only the best holistic pet food, and are located in Montreal with free delivery around the greater Montreal area.

Having Max around for support and motivation really helps me focus. And I’m sure that he loves to see me running with him too.

If you and your paws are up for some friendly competition, then share your own sprinting times and stories about running together. Just post your own message and/or reply to this one. 

See you later alligator :P