Lara O'Keefe's Blog

Don't count on it. Tail wags have lots of different meanings, some friendly and some not.

You have to look at the body posture of the animal and everything else it's doing. Is the dog growling or bearing its teeth? Is the fur standing up rigidly on its back?

How is the tail wagging? Stiffly, tucked and wagging, nice and flowing, is the whole body wagging? That all has to be taken into consideration.

Some signals to consider:

• Relaxed, comfortable dogs generally have a gently wagging tail held horizontally or slightly lowered.
• Confident dogs carry their tails up.
• Dogs with their tails down may be stalking prey, feeling cautious or indicating friendliness and respect to the one they're greeting.
• Together with a lowered head, direct stare, closed mouth, ears held back and eyes wide open, a lowered tail is a clear warning to back off.
• A tucked tail indicates anxiety, avoidance or caution.

The biggest lesson is, never approach a strange dog unless you are sure that it is friendly. It's just safer that way!

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

A healthy pet has fresh breath. Just as in people, bad breath is a sign of a serious health problem.
Periodontal disease is the number one most commonly diagnosed problem in veterinary medicine.

By having good oral health, pets can live up to 15 percent longer, which is an average of two years.
Brush your pet's teeth regularly, making sure to use a toothpaste that's intended for your dog or cat. Daily is best, but even weekly is better than nothing.

Now eating something disgusting and coming over to you and burping does not count as this kind of bad breath!

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

Nope, they're just connoisseurs of the green stuff, says Marty Becker, DVM, author with Gina Spadafori of The Ultimate Dog Lover and The Ultimate Cat Lover.

Pets love the taste and texture of grass. The newer shoots with a little water on them from the sprinklers or rain is even better.

It's like an all-you-can-eat salad bar buffet!

Sometimes dogs will consume large amounts of grass, which then propels food through the intestinal system, either back up or out the other end, so that may be the source of the myth.

They even sell living "pet grass" at the pet food chains!

My dogs just eat the back yard variety. I try to limit the amount they eat because they do tend to throw it up when they eat too much of it!

Be careful that they do not ingest poisonous greenery. My dog once ate Poison Oak at the dog park and it made him very ill and covered in hives! 

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

The rumor that Dr. Brazelton helped repopularize goes like this: Families with infants should get rid of their cats because the animals will harm the baby by sucking its breath or lying on it and smothering it.

But experts say this tale probably began because cats, attracted to soft, warm bedding, probably curled up near babies who died from other causes. Because they were found near the babies, the cats got the blame for the death.

Some suggest that millions of women for thousands of years have had healthy babies and lived with cats. The only danger of a cat around a baby is that cats like to snuggle next to warm things in small areas, and a cat will not know if this position is dangerous for the baby.

The best advice is to keep cats out of the room where the baby sleeps. If the cat is used to spending time in that room, start restricting its access at least a month before delivery, and don't allow it to nap in the bassinet.

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

When it comes to pizza, Kung Pao chicken and onion rings, it's true; you shouldn't be sharing high-fat, spicy or potentially toxic foods with your pet.

But cantaloupe, crunchy raw or lightly steamed vegetables, and meat with fat and gristle trimmed off are favorites of many animals and shouldn't be off limits. For instance, baby carrots, apples and popcorn are excellent low-calorie treats for dogs.

And as long as you're using high-quality ingredients and a good recipe that meets a pet's nutritional needs, "people food" is perfectly healthy as a regular meal for your dog or cat.

Vets say that the biggest concern with feeding pets ‘people food' is that most people feed too much and create an unbalanced or incomplete diet. It should only account for about 10% of their total calorie intake.

Of course, there are some foods you should never feed your pets:

• Chocolate
• Onions
• Grapes
• Raisins.
• Yeast dough
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Marijuana
• Moldy or spoiled food
• Wild mushrooms
• Large amounts of raw fish
• Potato, rhubarb or tomato leaves
• Large amounts of raw liver
• Large numbers of macadamia nuts
• Fruit pits
• Corn cobs
• Avocados

But feeding a dog or cat from the table? That's definitely a no-no, experts agree. It takes only one time to create an obnoxious beggar. Trust me, I have two of them at home :-)

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

DOG DICTIONARY

LEASH:
A strap which attaches to your collar, enabling you to lead your person where you want him/her to go.

DOG BED:
Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.

DROOL:
Is what you do when your persons have food and you don't. To do this properly you must sit as close as you can and look sad and let the drool fall to the floor, or better yet, on their laps.

SNIFF:
A social custom to use when you greet other dogs. Place your nose as close as you can to the other dog's rear end and inhale deeply, repeat several times, or until your person makes you stop.

GARBAGE CAN:
A container which your neighbors put out once a week to test your ingenuity. You must stand on your hind legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with margarine wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume and moldy crusts of bread.

BICYCLES:
Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards; the person then swerves and falls into the bushes, and you prance away.

DEAFNESS:
This is a malady which affects dogs when their person want them in and they want to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction, or lying down.

THUNDER:
This is a signal that the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling uncontrollably, panting, rolling your eyes wildly, and following at their heels.

WASTEBASKET:
This is a dog toy filled with paper, envelopes, and old candy wrapper. When you get bored, turn over the basket and strew the papers all over the house until your owner comes home.

SOFAS:
Are to dogs like napkins are to people. After eating it is polite to run up and down the front of the sofa and wipe your whiskers clean.

BATH:
This is a process by which the humans drench the floor, walls and themselves. You can help by shaking vigorously and frequently.

LEAN:
Every good dogs response to the command "sit!", especially if your person is dressed for an evening out. Incredibly effective before black-tie events.

BUMP:
The best way to get your human's attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

GOOSE BUMP:
A maneuver to use as a last resort when the Regular Bump doesn't get the attention you require... especially effective when combined with The Sniff. See above.

LOVE:
Is a feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction. The best way you can show your love is to wag your tail. 

AUTOMATIC DOGGIE DOOR: 

A place to sit in front to let out all the warm air during the winter and cool air during summer. This entry courtesy of Lydia Lamoreux

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek. 

This is one of my all time favorite posts, so I just had to share it!

Here are some fun facts about the head strong ram...

Traditional Aries Traits:

Adventurous and energetic

Pioneering and courageous
Enthusiastic and confident
Dynamic and quick-witted

Competitive and Chivalrous

The sign of the born leader

The Shadow...

Selfish and quick-tempered
Impulsive and impatient
Foolhardy and daredevil

Difficulty finishing tasks

Relating...

Aries are headstrong, impulsive, and passionate. Therefore, they are quick to initiate social contact. They fall in love at first sight then get bored quickly. They make friends easily and are very quick to defend their loved ones. At best, they are warm, dynamic, and affectionate but can be possessive. Arians love a challenge they can rise to and thereby define themselves as conquerors. They are quick to dismiss obstacles and press their limits in constant exploration. Arians encompass the classic fairy-tale images of knights in shining armor and the King Arthur archetype. They are desperately competitive and assertive and it is not by accident they are the ram... think particularly of the battering ram!

Arian Loves:

• Action
• Coming in first
• Challenges
• Championing Lost Causes
• Spontaneity
• Passion
• Witt

Arian Dislikes:

• Waiting
• Admitting Defeat
• No Opposition
• Tyranny
• Advice
• Fear

Famous Arians:

• Sara Braden
• Betty Ford
• Pat Robertson
• Aretha Franklin
• Sandra Day O'Conner
• Diana Ross
• Eric Clapton
• Reba McIntyre
• Vincent Van Gogh
• Doris Day
• Booker T Washington
• Colin Powell
• Adolf Hitler

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.

Who says money buys you taste or class?  Not me.

Recently, William Gallas, a professional athlete, decided to buy himself a Mercedes McLaren, the fastest production car in the world. 

William Éric Gallas is a French international footballer who currently plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League.

And what if I told you that while some people think that chrome rims are ostentatious, especially on a McLaren, Gallas believes that chrome rims aren't ostentatious enough. 

Gallas decided to chrome his entire McLaren! Yes, the entire car is chromed out. It’s got to be joke, right?

Is it even street legal to drive a chrome covered car? Something tells me that anything that comes within a half mile of that giant mirror on a sunny day will be blinded for life. 

By the way, the car's base price is almost $500,000. Who knows how much it cost to dip each piece of the car in chrome. It's got to be around $600,000 when it's all said and done. 

Glad to see that pro athletes are buckling down during these tough economic times. Rumor has it that Gallas originally intended on buying a 45-foot solid gold yacht but instead settled for this little toy. That might have been even classier!

For more information please contact Lara O'Keefe at 972.838.9156 or visit Hunter's Creek.