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Celebrating Birthdays or Gotcha-Days

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When it comes to pets, birthdays are just as big a deal around the Floofins & Co. staff as our human friends and family’s birthdays. Well, maybe we go a tad more over the top for our pets, but why not? 

July 10th marks the 11th birthday for the original Floofins: Portia and Priscilla, aka “Prissy”. The girls will be celebrating, as they do every year, with a personalized liver cake from Happy Dog Bakery in Downers Grove. 

For the rest of us out in Floofins-land, birthdays (or gotcha-days for those of us who have rescues without official birthdays) are an opportunity to do something new and unusual or just a comforting ritual for your pet.  [Read more…] about Celebrating Birthdays or Gotcha-Days

Dog Days at Cantigny Park

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Floofins & Co. will be hitting the road once again to participate in Dog Days.

Visitors can bring their dogs into Cantigny Park in Wheaton for one day each year. The event is a great opportunity to explore all the grounds at Cantigny with your furry family members. And what would a Dog Days event be without Floofins & Co. and lots of great vendors and demonstrations?

The event kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 29th, at the Parade Field. Entry is free with a $10 parking fee and allows you to stay until the event ends at 4 p.m. According to Cantigny’s website the events will include: [Read more…] about Dog Days at Cantigny Park

Microchipping Your Pet

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In the chaos of moving from a house in the suburbs to a condo in the city, I realized that I had missed one very important step in the hundreds of updates, decisions, and changes that relocating can involve. I hadn’t updated the contact information registered to my dog’s microchip. 

When adopting from a shelter, microchipping isn’t even a consideration in most instances. Pets are generally microchipped at a shelter.  However, if you haven’t microchipped your pet you might want to consider doing so. It is a great way to ensure identification of your pet in the event a collar breaks, your pet panics and runs away during fireworks, or if your pet is lost during a natural disaster.

Further, most shelters and veterinarian offices have a universal scanning tool to check a pet so that they can find information on the owner. Which means, like myself, you need to remember to update the data when you change addresses or phone numbers.

According to the Blum Animal Hospital in Chicago, the microchip generally has a 25-year life span, so once your pet is microchipped it is normally good for their entire life. While microchipping is a personal decision, Blum points out that only 22 percent of non-chipped dogs make it back to their owners, and even fewer non-chipped cats find their way home. 

While there are no guarantees, a microchip can be another tool in your kit to help keep your pet protected and more likely to be returned to you in the event they get lost. Reach out to your veterinarian for specific questions on microchipping options and whether it is the right choice for you and your pets. 

National Pet Preparedness Month

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June kicks off the official start to summer. And with summer weather comes the threat of weather-related emergencies that could impact you, your family, and your floofins. 

No one likes the idea of planning for an emergency situation, but various groups have quick and easy checklists, videos, and articles available to make creating your personal plan simple and complete. 

No one can forget the images from Hurricane Katrina when people had to either make a decision to leave a cherished pet behind or remain with them and potentially perish. Things have changed in that many more shelters will allow people to bring their pets in the event of a natural disaster and evacuation. But, that doesn’t mean that every shelter and every situation will accommodate you and your floofins.

In addition to making an emergency plan for your family, ready.gov recommends that you also include your pet in that plan. Other factors they recommend you consider for your pet when making plans for a natural or man-made disaster scenario include: emergency kits; evacuation plans; shelter information; and identification. 

Consider using the resources available at ready.gov/pet-toolkit or view their YouTube video to be ready for any emergencies that might occur. And be sure to have all of your information, including emergency contacts, up-to-date in your profile for your Floofins & Co. account.

30th Anniversary Hinsdale Pet Walk Festival June 8th

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Floofins & Co. will be part of the 30th Anniversary Pet Walk Festival June 8th in Hinsdale. The fun begins Saturday at 2 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit the animals of the Hinsdale Humane Society.

The event is family friendly and consists of two groups of activities: daytime and evening.

Daytime events run from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. A short Pet Walk will take place during this time period. Additional activities include a DJ, kids’ corner and raffle, a small mammal area, and pet demonstrations.  In addition to a nose work demo and Therapaws Team meet and greet, there will also be a vendor shopping mall and food options for purchase. 

Evening events begin at 5 p.m. and run until 8 p.m. The Millennials will begin a live concert at 5:30 p.m. Guests should bring chairs and their own drinks for the concert.

Attendees can also participate in a silent auction that will close at 7:30 p.m. and can participate in a cash raffle. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased online and the winner does not have to be present to win.

Don’t forget to stop by the adoption center and consider adding a floofin to your family. Information on the raffle and tickets to the event can be found at https://www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/events/pet-walk-festival.

We hope to see you Saturday!