Pet of the Month - Pebbles, a very special p(ig)et

By Anna Muggiati

Relaxing like a ...pet!

Happy nap

Pebbles was adopted by a family that really knows how to enjoy his demanding and creative personality. Our star of the month has been featured in our social network, has many adorable photos and can be seen playing with his dog-buddies in the yard on our Facebook page.

So forget all you might previously think about pigs. As Andre, his owner, tells us, a pig can be a very fun pet to have, but also a handful, and in his words, "acting more like a toddler than a pet".  The decision to take Pebbles home was fast but an informed one: "I call it an unplanned adoption. Although we did our home work and knew what to expect wen we decided to adopt him. Educating ourselves on how to properly care for him was incredibly important. ", tells Andre. He is just a great pet all around. He is friendly with visitors. He doesn’t jump up or bark constantly. He like car rides and walking on a leash.  He is smart and silly and definitely has his own personality.

Yes, he's a potbellied pig indeed!

Pebbles, former known as Sherlock Ham has a interesting story behind him. "Pebbles ended up at Helen Woodward Animal Center and since the center is a dog and cats adoption facility, they didn’t really know what to do with a pig. My wife, who works at the Animal Center, always wanted a pig." tells Andre. Fate helped former Mr Sherlock Hams, and he had his lucky day: "So she called me and asked if she can bring him home. I didn’t know what else to say than yes. It was one of the best decisions we made. He is an amazing companion.", says Andre.

Social Pebbles!

Next, they gave the pig a new name, to go along his resident dog friends Betty and Barney. "Although Pebbles isn’t really a boy's name, but Bam-Bam was just too close to Ham-Ham.", says Andre. Very soon Andre and his wife found out about his natural gifts: "Pebbles is definitely different than dogs and cats. He is extremely smart and has figured out how to open baby gates. It took us a day to potty train him and he learns by watching. He saw that the dogs got treats when they sat, so one day he just started to come up and sit next to us when we were giving out treats, in hopes of getting one too."

Dreaming

Besides being a fast learner, the very intelligent pig is also eager to have lots of attention: "He likes to be stimulated with toys and cuddles. If he wants attention, he definitely lets us know by pushing us with his nose. If we ignore him, he can get impatient and he has no problem pulling the phone cable out of the wall if we are on the phone.  He understands when he is being ignored and lets us know he doesn't like it when he wants attention."

So if by now you are almost considering to add someone like Pebbles to your pet-family, here's a little piece of advice: "You do not want a bored pig! A bored pig is a mischievous pig. We give him toys and play games with him. Most of them involve food as a reward. His favorite toy is a busy ball. When he rolls the ball around, food falls out of the smaller holes scattered around the ball. We also built a root box for him filled with pit balls. We sprinkle some food in the root box and he can go dig around. ". So a busy pig is also a fan of comfort: "If he isn’t exploring the backyard, he likes to hang out on the couch buried in pillows and blankets or on our lap.  He also loves belly rubs.", tells Andre.

Yes, he is a toddler!

How are you Pebbles?

I'm so happy!Thank you for choosing me as pet of the month!

What is your favorite activity?

I love rooting around the backyard and smelling the flowers. Sometimes I eat them. The sun feels good on my skin, so I love to take naps outside. My skin is very sensitive, so I really like laying on my side and getting my belly rubbed.

Do you like humans? 

Not your average pet!

Yes I love humans!  I'm a little slow to get to know new people, but I am not afraid to meet them.  I have a very strong bond with the humans in my family.  Every now and then, I get to go to Helen Woodward Animal Center to take part in Critter Camp.  I get to hang out with a lot of kids and teach them about caring for animals like me.  They always have some snacks for me to munch on.

Whose pet are you?

I am definitely a mama's boy. My human mom spends a lot of time with me, so I feel comfortable when she is close.

Do you need a muddy spot to have fun?

No, mud is not important to me. I like to smell dirt and plants and flowers, but I don't roll around in it.  Believe it or not, I like to be clean and I don’t like to go outside when it rains. Cold, cloudy days make me sad and I usually stay inside, bundled up in blankets.

What is your favorite restaurant? 

 Rubios. We go once a week. The manager always gives me my own little bow of tortilla chips.

Here comes the sun!

Water Sign June 22 to July 22

By Pet-o-Sirius*

“Man is rated the highest animal, at least among all animals who returned the questionnaire.”
Robert Brault (rbrault.blogspot.com)

O moon planet that rules you, the Crab pet. It shines its brilliant light infused with luck, and is the
symbol of your past life and your present Karma. It lets you play out the scenario of the pet that seeks control over yourself and your pet parents, but truth be told, you want nothing more than to be taken care of, stroked and patted and pampered.

You do not want to live up to another’s expectations. You just want to be yourself: charming, using emoticons on your keyboard, sensitive, and just a homebody. Yes, you want to travel abroad but at the same time you want to be in your own carrying case.

You love the color silver and anything to do with water. Pet, you know who you are – swimming upstream sideways occasionally imitating oysters. Your favorite gem is the pearl. No schools or pods or flocks for you. You are contemporary: You are a material fish. You are a material bird.

In late June and July you have so much new energy that no obstacles can keep you from declaring your secret crush and that may lead to heartbreak hotel, unrequited love, resolve to fall out of romance, plunging into the depths of despair, turning your nose up at seeds, dry food or even something canned and processed.

This craziness goes right up to September when you return to your normal caring and compassionate nature, settling into more of a valium- ike equilibrium.You want to be there for your loved ones, your pet parents who have had to undergo months of chaos and confusion. They will stop wondering how to get to know you better and concentrate on self-reflection and making pom poms on a loom.

If you are a hamster keep away from fireworks, learn to express yourself, learn to mix and mingle and develop your talents. Expect an auspicious letter before the end of the year.

*Our guest writer's work can be seen at http://valeriekent.com

Presents for a Pet Lover Dad

By Anna Muggiati

Have a dad who loves his pooch? Or a father who can't nap without some feline company on his side? Or someone who is a complete and total pet daddy?

We prepared a list to help you impersonate your family pet the best fashion possible. Just choose your main dad's style (or 2 or 3...), and see our ideas. Then pick a gift and make it look like if it was from your family pet.

High Tech  Dad - You can pre-order a Petzi Connect now through Amazon.com, so that he can be close to his favorite four-legged friend anytime, treating him or her from anywhere.

www.petzi.com

Fit Dad- He probably would love to go jogging with a Fitbit while darling dog would be monitored by Whistle.

http://www.whistle.com/press/

www.fitbit.com

Those would be the perfect pair to make your healthy dad even happier.


Fashionista Dad- He will love to hang out with his dog using a supercool new leash from Zee.Dog or a cool bag to take the cat to the vet.

Zee Dog will bring this cool leash soon at Amazon.com

Architect Dad - Buy him a catio kit so that he spend sometime building a sacred space for his feline friend (s), or a new dog's house plan so that he can remodel his best friend's home.

From http://habitathaven.com/blog/

Intellectual Dad  - Here are two of our favorite books for him to curl up with: Cat Daddy, by Jackson Galaxy or What the Dog Knows, by Cat Warren.

Daredevil Dad - Of course, for this one we will recommend a Go Pro Fetch or an absolutely good looking surfboard so he can teach his pooch to enjoy the beach with him.

http://shop.gopro.com/mounts/fetch-dog-harness

PetziPhotos: Hug Your Cat Day

With relaxed paws: Panda being hugged by F. since he was 2 months old (Photo by Rick Riebhoff)

Pantera: "It's cozy here"(Photo By R. Riebhoff)

Panda and Diogo in a kind of hug (Photo by Rick Riebhoff)

Panda, the soft paw: "Yes, you can't see me now"(Photo by Rick Riebhoff)

How to adopt a cat - or 3, or 4 or 5....(In 10 tips)

By Anna Muggiati

Generation 2014: Panda, Tigre and Pantera (All photos by me)

Dada,  my 14 years old BFF

We are celebrating cat adoption month with a very simple piece of advice. If you are not allergic, have a passion for furry cute purring creatures, and have time and money to be a responsible cat-parent, there is no reason why you should not have a cat. Before you roll your eyes and think that I am a crazy and enthusiastic cat lady, I would like to tell you this: our family of four humans, 2 senior cats just became happier when we adopted 3 kittens last December. Cats are wonderful therapists, friends and companions. You just have to let them show their love, and love them back in return.

Juju, 11 years old, raised by us

Our two first kitties, feral cats rescued from the streets, were our first babies. Dada, who is about 13 to 14 years old, came before everything, in 2003. He was our first family pet ever, even before we became a family:  before the wedding, before the party, and before my son's birth. Our second cat is the mischievous Juju, now a grumpy black lady of 11 years old. She was found by my mother in law in a box. She was a tiny kitten with less than 3 weeks. We adopted her and raised her when I was pregnant of my first son. It didn't take long for white king Dada and black princess Juju to get along. 

Years and countries passed by, and I wouldn't change a line of our crazy relocation stories, carrying cats around flights and airports....During the last 10 years, we lived happily with our two boys growing up and two cats growing older... But we felt that another generation of cats would be a positive change. After our children grew up enough not to be called babies anymore, we were lucky to meet our cat-boys at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. Panda, Tigre and Pantera are the babies now, and  they belong to the former human babies. One of our boys even blogged about them. 

Here are few pieces of advice to help you go to your local shelter and see if your heart will beat faster if you find someow who you would like to have close to you.

1. Be curious: Try to gather as much information about your feline friend before you adopt. Most shelters always have a detailed file and are happy to share their story so you will have the right picture. Make sure to get al the info you need about vaccines etc.

Bonding before adoption at Humane Society Adoption Centre, Dec 2014

2.  Be wise: experience some time to bond with your chosen one at the shelter, before going home. 

3. Be inquisitive: read as much as you can so to make sure you will have all you need to nurture your new friend, baby or senior. Like this Humane Society article, very useful: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/choosing_cat.html

4. Be amazing: adopting senior cat(s) is a wonderful way of having a mellow and fine friend around. Nice advice here: http://cattime.com/adopting-a-senior-cat.html

5. Be cautious: if you are bringing more cats to an already home with cats, follow instructions of how to introduce one cat to the other by the book, like this one here, but also use your intuition.IT can be a stressful process. I got advice of vets and counselors and finally they can even share the same bed (mine). Never introduce cats like if they were dogs (or people). 

6. Be brave: if you are confronted with a nice litter of kittens situation, consider adopting all siblings. We did it and it works:  They are always playing, having fun and make themselves busy. 

7. Be flexible: cats love to change their mind about their favorite food, treat, bed or even litter box. 

8. Be creative: cardboard boxes, regular paper bags, everyday ribbons and a paper ball are sometime their favorite toys. 

9. Be loving: if they happen to be kittens hold them everyday and make them learn to love your lap, your touch and your smell. They will grow to be purring machines!

10. Above all, be patient. Any cat will test your limits to try to customize you to the perfect cat parent.

Count the kitties...Mealtime (almost) together