“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”
Wise words indeed. Loved ones come in all shapes and sizes. Two of mine happen to be my Portuguese Water Dogs Dizzy and Etta. If you’re a pet owner, you know all about the unlimited affection a pet brings. And you may know about the many health benefits our friends bring us as well. Many studies show that walking a dog, or just petting an animal, reduces stress and lowers blood pressure (it does for me!). A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia concluded that walking a dog is particularly beneficial to older people.
Now there are many apps and resources to return the favor to our friends, who give us so much.
- At the beginning of the year, the American Red Cross rolled out a pet First Aid App, its first ever. It provides step-by-step instructions, videos and images for more than 25 common first aid and emergency situations that might involve your pet, including how to treat wounds, control bleeding and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies. It’s easy to swipe back and forth between the “cat side” and the “dog side” of the app. And it’s only 99 cents! It is available for iOS and Android.
- Another app that is a useful tool for pet owners of all stripes is MyPetED from Petcenter. You can create a profile for your pet with all of its vital information, keep track of vet appointments and vaccinations, store your vet’s contact information, and adopt a pet and more. For example, if you’re traveling with your pet and have an emergency, this site can help you find a vet, stat! Membership is free.
- Check out iKibble If you like to give your dog “people food.” (A practice that is generally not recommended by many professionals.) But, if you don’t, and your dog eats people food anyway or helps itself at a neighbor’s barbecue J, you may find this app handy. You can search to find out which foods are okay for your dog to eat and which are not. This came in handy when Etta got into our gardener’s lunch and ate jalapeno peppers! You can search by food or by health ratings. It’s available for iOS devices in free and paid versions on iTunes.
- Petcentric is a free guide for traveling with pets. The app’s home screen has options to browse pet-friendly lodging, parks and beaches, restaurants, pet services and pet-related events. You can do a search in any of these categories using your zip code or city and state.
- From the makers of the MapMyRun app, the MapMyDogwalk is an app perfect for those of us who like to take our dogs on long walks. Use the app for walking suggestions in your area as well as mapping the distances you travel with your dog. The GPS in your smart phone lets you know how far you’ve gone. It’s available for free for iOS and Android. Also, if you’re trying to get in shape or lose weight, you can track your calories and exercise with the app. But that’s just a side benefit!
- The Whistle activity monitor, meanwhile, is an on-collar device that measures your dog’s activities with or without you and gives you a summary of its day. It’s a Fitbit-like device for dogs, and at $129, it costs about the same. I have spoken about this app before and I still stand by the usefulness. One important item I found out is that on every walk or run my dogs actually run double the miles I do because they are sniffing in the woods or following a trail then catching up with me. This piece of knowledge helped me to temper my runs and when doing long runs I now keep them at a heel so they do not over do it.
- If you are considering getting a pet, a good resource to find out which pet is right for you (or your kids!) is Animal Planet’s Pet Picker. Find out which pet might be right for you, from furry to feathery!
I’ll leave you with this quote by Gilda Radner, which sums up my feelings about my canine friends: