More Spring Cleaning Ideas
Spring is here. While you're spring cleaning your house, here are some tips and ideas for things to do for your pets:

* Got a dog who digs? Pick up a plastic kiddie pool and fill it with sand. Then bury items for your pup to find. Just make sure to poke some very small holes into the pool so when it rains the water can drain out. If your dog loves water, you might also want to get a small pool for him to play in. (Just make sure to supervise, especially with very small dogs.) Be aware that if you get a pool of water and a pool of sand, your dog may jump from one to the other and get very messy like our pooch Casey does!

* update all shots and check with your vet about anual exams, including dental check-up's and expressing anal glands. This is also a good time to make sure everyone is licensed and that any contact information has been updated with your vet and your national chip ID registration if your pet has a chip.

* time for a haircut/grooming - many pets grow out their coats over the winter to help keep them warm. Nothing says Spring like a new Fancy 'Do, complete with nail trimmings. It's up to you whether you get those little bows in the ears.

* check on flea and tick medication - a lot of people forego flea treatments during the winter. Now is the time to use whatever preventative measures you use to keep those fleas and ticks from becoming a problem this spring and summer.


Pet Food Recall Grows 
More foods have been added to the growing recall list. So far products from MenuFoods, Hills Pet Nutrition, Nestle Purina, Del Monte, and others have been recalled. For a more complete list, see the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association's site. 

Foot Traffic Doggie Dash and Run (or Walk)
333 South State Street
Lake Oswego (503) 635-3577
Every month on the Second Saturday at 9am, come to the Foot Traffic store in Lake Oswego to be paired up with a dog from the Humane Society for a run or walk. Dogs will also be available for adoption. Good for you, good for the dogs.  Go to www.foottraffic.us for more info about this and other Foot Traffic Events. Foot Traffic is AVA-friendly.

Looking for a new way to explore your neighborhood and the surrounding areas? Check out the following activities:

AVA - American Volkssporting Association
AVA has clubs all over the country. This is a non-competitive walking club. Many of the walks are 10k, but some are shorter and some are 11K or 12K. They also plan bike rides and swimming events. Participants may choose to just do the walks or to do the walks for "credit" for which they earn patches. Check out their website at www.ava.org. You can find local clubs and where the starting points for their walks are. Most walks are YRE's - "Year-Round Events" which means you can do them just about any day of the year, by yourself or with others. They also hold special events and many clubs hold monthly or more frequent walks for people to walk together.

Harry, Casey, and Michelle love to go on walks. Here are some pictures through downtown Lake Oswego. Harry and Casey checked out a lot of the artwork.

   

Casey at a Recent trip to Magnuson Farms:  we thought that mud puddle was just water - oops! He had a blast, though.