On Saturday October 30, 2010 our little Tinkerbell turned 6 years old! She is such a mature middle aged woman now, but she will always be my baby. Last year I wrote an “Ode To Tinkerbell” and figured I said it all best then, so I might as well repost that one to honor her special day!! Happy Birthday little girl!

Everyone deserves that special day to celebrate them being born, and to celebrate all the love that they bring to this world. That is what I want to do today. Today, October 30th 2009 is my little Pomeranian Tinkerbell’s 5th birthday, and today I want to share with you all the wonderful dog she is. Happy Birthday little girl!

I was one of the first of my friends to get a dog. I lived in an apartment which had a “no dog” policy, and had to fight my landlord for over a year to let me have one. Captain Awesome was in law school and I spent a lot of time alone. I knew that I needed a dog in my life to keep me company and to keep me sane. That’s when little Tinkerbell came into my life. It was January 17thwhen I picked her up from the breeder. She was 2.5 lbs, and very scared. We attempted to keep her in a crate, but with in a couple of weeks she was already sharing our bed.(she owned us even then) I call her our little cuddle bug, because she just wants to be near you.

I always call Tinkerbell my angel. My friends laugh at how much I baby my dog, but I am pretty positive that I could never give to Tinkerbell even a fraction of what she gives to me. God couldn’t have sent me a more perfect animal to act as my companion. Some may call her a Diva, but I just say she knows what she wants. She even decides when she deserves treats. My husband says that she owns me, but I say, why shouldn’t she choose when she gets a treat….you and I get to choose when to eat something. He normally just rolls his eyes.

Tinky always finds the best spots to cuddle. She is the best spooner around, and will find the most comfortable crevice to get into between pillows or stuffed animals. When it’s time to play Tinky loves fetch. She will play the game forever!!! The captain is the one who taught her tricks…she can sit, lay down, and turn around. He has tried other tricks but they don’t seem to stick….it’s not that she’s stupid…it’s just that she doesn’t want to learn. Sometimes you tell her to do something and she looks at you and pretty much says “screw you!”.

Tinkyhas been with me for so many ups and downs. She licks away my tears, and dances for joy for all the good things. As you can see in the pictures, she was even part of my wedding day! She wouldn’t leave my side (as you can see her sitting on my dress while the photographer tried to take pictures)

Tinkerbell is a typical only child. Being an only child can go 1 of 2 ways…either the child thrives on being with other children, and gets excited when they get the chance…or that child thrives on being with their parents, and almost shys away from others…Tinkerbell would fall in with the latter…she loves to be with me and The Captain, and could pretty much care less about being around other dogs. I personally think she sees herself as a human. If Tinkerbell could talk I think it would be with an English accent and her favorite saying would be “They are so juvenile!” when referring to other dogs.

So happy birthday my little girl. You are the best dog companion a girl could ask for. Here’s to many more years of friendship!

I always had a dog growing up, but when it came time to get my first dog as an adult I had a lot to think about. There is so much more to getting a dog than most people know. Each breed is different and brings different traits to the table. Every person looking to get a dog should look into what type of traits the particular dog you want brings. Dogs 101 recently did a show that featured Pomeranians. If you want to catch the clip you can see it here. They hit the nail on the head about everything I had learned about Poms when first wanting to get one. What’s great about the show is that it talks about both the positives and negatives of the breed, so that you can see if that particular breed is right for you. 

Here is what it said about the Pomeranian Breed:

• Average 4-6 lbs: When I got Tinkerbell I was living in an apartment. I knew that I couldn’t have a bigger dog, and as much as I would’ve been happy with a dog from a shelter, I knew I needed a dog which was purebred so that I could meet both the mother and father and know how big she was going to be.
• Versatile, can live anywhere
• Bark Excessively: The show says that you need to train Poms early to make sure they don’t bark. I got lucky and my Tinkerbell is not a barker.
• Lives 12-15 years: Thank goodness! Although my Tinkerbell is going to live forever, it’s good to know they have a long life expectancy.
• Prone to Early Tooth Loss
• Constant Shedders: Tinkerbell goes to get groomed every 2 weeks. They make sure she is always looking pretty. If you are allergic to dogs this isn’t the breed for you.
• Happy Dogs and Love their families: This is certainly true.
• Not recommended for families with young children:  Since Poms are so little you need to be careful with small children picking them up.
• Head Strong: This is true. Tinkerbell owns me…she runs this house and does what she wants. But she is just so cute and lovable!

I have heard so many stories where people buy a dog because they like how it looks, only to find out that it’s rowdy, or sheds, or got too big. Then they bring it to the shelter. It’s not the dogs fault, and they should not get punished for your lack of research.  That’s why I think Dogs 101 is such a great show!

So here is my PSA. Take the time to research your dog breed before you go to buy one. It is very easy to get caught up in the emotion of the cute puppy, but that puppy grows up, and takes on the traits of it’s breed, so you should be well aware of what you are getting into. Check your local listings for dogs 101 to see if the breed you are interested in gets featured, or if you look at the Animal Planet website you can find other dog resources.

 One more note….don’t buy ANY dog from a pet store. Check out my post about puppy mills and you will see where that cute little puppy came from.

To find out what other people love stop on over to The Diaper Diaries for Things I Love Thursday!!

In Long Island there is a very large no kill shelter called the North Shore Animal League. They are an amazing organization. I get updates from them regularly and have been trying to spread the word about adopting pets in need whenever I can. They have been involved in the fight to stop puppy mills and have been taking in dogs that have been taken out of their bad  homes. The most recent raid was from the Midwest. 204 dogs were just rescued from 13 different puppy mills. Here’s the Full Story. If anyone is interested in supporting this Animal league or to learn more how you can help you can check out their site.

What exactly is a Puppy Mill you ask? Well the stop puppy mills website defines them as this..

Puppy mills are nothing new. These mass dog-breeding operations have been around for decades. They continue to thrive because they prey on unwitting consumers who are smitten by too-cute-for-words puppies in pet store windows and on fancy websites.

But behind the friendly facade of the local pet shop, the pastoral scenes on a “breeder’s” website, or the neighborhood newspaper ad, there often lies a puppy mill. These canine breeding facilities house dogs in shockingly poor conditions.

Life is particularly bad for “breeding stock,” dogs who live their entire lives in cages and are continually bred for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever becoming part of a family. These dogs receive little or no veterinary care and never see a bed, a treat or a toy. After their fertility wanes, breeding animals are commonly killed, abandoned or sold to another mill. The annual result of all this breeding is hundreds of thousands of puppies, many with behavior and/or health problems

Some people will argue that puppy sales are a business just as people who breed livestock or chickens raise these animals to make money. But I certainly DO NOT see it this way. As a dog lover myself it completely disgusts me to imagine these poor dogs stuck in cages, never to see the light of day. Dogs are animals that give unconditional love, and the only thing they ask in return is food, shelter and a few pets and rubs along the way.

So how can we as individuals help??

1. Get an Education: Whether you’re thinking about getting a dog, want to educate others about puppy mills or just want to learn more, check out more information on puppy mills and puppy buying
2. Stop Puppy Mills on Your Website, and Join Our Facebook and MySpace groups: Add a “Stop Puppy Mills” or “Puppy Buyers Guide” bannerto your website, MySpace page, Facebook page or blog, and start educating visitors about the dangers of puppy mills and pet stores. Join our Facebook or MySpace groups, too!
   We also have a Facebook application that’s benefitting The HSUS! Check it out here, or help dogs on Experience Project
3. Help make your local pet store “puppy friendly.”
   The Puppy Friendly Pet Stores initiative asks dog lovers everywhere to work with their local pet stores to encourage them to develop and implement “puppy friendly” policies by refusing to sell puppies in their store and supporting homeless pet adoptions instead. Stores that already do not sell puppies can sign up to show that they are taking a stand against puppy mills and to “make official” their policy of not selling puppies. Learn more here.
4.  Assist With Ads Help The HSUS place “Stop Puppy Mill” ads in national magazines and on billboards in communities around the country.
5. Forward to a Friend Know someone who is thinking about bringing a puppy into their family? Send them a message with a link to the Stop Puppy Mills website so they can read our puppy buying tips, sign the pledge and learn more about puppy mills.
6. Lobby for Better Laws Contact your federal and state legislators and let them know that you’re concerned about the inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills and want the puppy mill issue to be a priority for Congress. Ask them to expand the reach of the Animal Welfare Act to include kennels that sell large numbers of puppies directly to the public.
7. Speak Up Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper is a great way to get the word out about puppy mills in your community. Write your own version—a short, polite letter is most effective—or download a Microsoft Word version of the template that you can alter.
8. Furnish Your Vet With FlyersDownload and print these flyers and bring them to your veterinarian or groomer’s office: ”Getting a Puppy?” and “How to Find a Good Dog Breeder” are designed to help potential pet owners avoid puppy mills.
9. Donate
   Help The HSUS in our ongoing campaign to stop puppy mills. Please make a donation today.

I think the biggest thing is to be responsible. STOP buying dogs from pet stores, and make sure before you buy your dog that you are buying from a reputable breeder. Check out the American Kennel Club. They have lists of reputable breeders all over the country. And if you can find it in your heart, there are hundreds of dogs out there in shelters that are just wanted to be loved.  So here is my cause people. LET’S STOP PUPPY MILLS!

Diagreements with Professionals

Did you ever see that Friends episode where Rachel gets fired by her baby’s pediatrician? No? Well, Rachel has this baby and constantly calls the doctor asking him questions. Day or night, she’d call him, and eventually he fired her….I have always worried that that would be me when it came to my children, and each passing day shows me more and more that this could be true.

People laugh, but when I was getting married I had a vendor that I was thinking of using tell me that they wouldn’t be “right” for me….pretty much meaning ”Damn lady, you are crazy and I don’t want to work with you!” But you know what? That was fine with me!

My Vet Situation

So yesterday I called the Vet to get Tinkerbell some tick prevention medicine. I had a friend whose dog recently got 12 ticks, and I certainly didn’t want that to happen to Tinkerbell because I was irresponsible. So I called, and tried to order Front Line. Yes I said tried…because the receptionist person decided that she was qualified to tell me that the heartworm medicine I am using would prevent from ticks. I then proceeded to tell her that it was nowhere on the box. She was baffled and had to check. She then told me that it protects from Dermacentor variabilis ticks….I asked if that was what all ticks were called or if this was a certain type of tick….but she couldn’t answer that! So here is my question. Why didn’t this woman just say “I am not sure, let me ask the doctor”. That would’ve been just fine. What if I just went by her first statement and assumed that this medicine prevented from ticks…I’ll tell you where. Back at the vet with ticks on my dog! Finally I asked for the vet to call me back. I should’ve just asked that in the first place.

That vet finally called me back at the end of the day. She told me that my heartworm medicine does not protect against the type of ticks that cause Lyme disease, and that’s what we need to watch out for. She told me I needed a tick collar. Now, have any of you ever in the past 10-15 years heard of a dog wearing a tick collar? I certainly haven’t. My dog doesn’t even wear a collar. I was told when I first got her that small dogs do not wear collars for many reasons. One being that it could displace their trachea, and I learned that Pomeranians are very susceptible to this.

So I told the vet that my dog, after 4 1/2 years, will not wear a collar. She didn’t seem to like that answer. So I asked about Front Line. This is the medicine that every dog I know uses to be protected from ticks and fleas. I just never gave it to my dog because she was mainly an indoor dog. Now that I take her to the dog park sometimes, I wanted her protected. I was told I could use Front Line, but then I couldn’t use my current heartworm medicine…but mind you the kind I use, I just put the liquid on the back of her neck. I had a heck of a time getting her to eat the pills, and she just wouldn’t do it, so this finally works. So I told the vet that. She didn’t like that answer either…so in the end we left it that I’d just continue doing what I was doing, and if she went to the dog park I just had to check her thoroughly for ticks. I am pretty positive that vet hung up the phone and mocked me incessantly. But what am I to do? I probably got a big red mark in my dog’s chart that I am a irrational dog owner. GREAT!

In my opinion it’s ok to ask questions, and it’s ok to be vocal about what you are thinking. I have a feeling I may get fired from many service-type people along the way. Oh well!

Pet Photography for Tinkerbell

A Couple of years ago I found out about this woman who was looking to get into pet photography. Her name is Christine Romano.  She is a seasoned photographer, and already ran a photography business (Christine Romano Photography) but wanted to build her “pet photography” portfolio. So my husband and I brought our Tinkerbell to her first try at being a model. (I think she should be in movies and TV but so far no agents have approached us)  Our friends laughed, but Tinkerbell is our baby, and I have always wanted a professional to capture her in a photo so we can have it forever. So we did. It was such a great experience! Here’s our little girl! Every time I look at these pictures I smile. I of course bought a bunch for myself, these are just a few! Just imagine what will happen when we have our own children!

Pet Photography for Charity

I never really thought much about the good you could do with a talent for photography, but Christine also volunteers her time at an animal shelter, where she photographs the dogs and cats so that they can be posted online. This way, more people get to see these wonderful animals and hopefully take them home. I have a huge soft spot for shelter animals, or any animal that needs a good and loving home, but we can save that speech for another post. I think the fact that this woman’s passion can do some good for these little guys is partly why I love pet photography so much! Not to mention I love when the pictures get posted on Facebook! What it also does it make me want more dogs, but my husband has put his foot down on that one! (click on the image to see bigger)

So there you have it! I LOVE pet photography! Do you have a little fur baby that want to have photographed? Well I am pretty positive Christine would love to hear from you! Let her know you heard about her from After the Alter!

So you can check out other things that people love at The Diaper Diary’s blog site! I’ll be sure to add my post over there too!

So what are some things that you love?

Dog Parks

The ideas of “dog parks” are new to me. Growing up, our dogs were always just let outside to run in the yard, only to return when they were ready. It’s not that they ever left our yard, but we never felt that we had to walk them in order for them to do “their business”, or feel that they needed more exercise. They ran in our yard and that was that.

Fast forward to my first year out of college. My family got a new puppy, and my mom was going to bring the dog to Long Island to visit. It was a beautiful day and we found out about this dog park in our area. Since we have never heard of one we were not sure what to expect. When we got there we looked around and saw a large fenced rectangular area. There was nothing in it. When I envisioned a “dog park” I pictured what I would think of as a park with trails and trees and a path to bring the dog. We said to ourselves, “that can’t be the dog park?!” so we found a wonderful trail to follow with the dog. After our long walk we ended up back to that rectangular pen, and found a few people inside with dogs! So that was the dog park?!  It became somewhat of a joke. “Oh these Long Islanders and their dog parks! How weird!”

Our Dog Park

So now we must fast forward again to these last few weekends. Now I am that Long Islander at the dog park (mind you, you will never again hear me call myself a Long Islander…it was only to be used as a reference in this case!).

The park is right around the corner from our house. They have two pens. One for big dogs and one for small dogs 25 pounds and under. This is the main reason I like this park so much. I would be too worried about the big dogs trampling my little 4 pound Pom to have a good time. With little dogs the worst that could happen is a few nips, and bites. We have been going with our friends and my brother in law with their dogs. It’s like a play date for our dogs!

I think to myself how different it will be when we all have children instead of dogs, but for now, our dogs are our children so we are having a blast. This past weekend my husband’s friends from his office joined us. We had at least 5 or 6 dogs with our group alone! They actually interact somewhat like real children would. Some like some dogs better than others. Some are rowdy and some are shy. My dog is a bit of a diva, but she is getting more and more social as time goes on.

As the weather gets warmer this will be a nice little activity to do on the weekend. As more people hear of our park, the more they want to join us. So what do you think of this idea of “dog parks”? Do they have these where you live?  Is your dog social? If you have pictures of your dog interacting with other dogs send them my way! I’ll post them! If you want to know where exactly this dog park is then you can contact me about that also. I felt it best not to post on this page.