Family Travel Reminders

Many families will travel out of town for the holidays. Some will take the roads and some will go by air. No matter which way you and your family travel, Forbes Living TV shares some reminders to keep handy.

Who will take care of the house, mail and family pets while you are away? Now is the time to reserve the best caretakers for these valuable assets. Be sure to add some buffer time to the schedule to allow for delayed flights or heavy traffic congestion. Add an extra day to the schedule, if needed. Make a list of what needs to be done daily.

Families who are taking flights out of town should consider downloading movies on tablets or digital devices a week or more before the flight departs. Sometimes the download is slow even on a fast connection.  The same applies for adding apps and especially those related for travel.

If special meals, such as a gluten-free one, are needed for family members, place that request when reserving the flight and seats. If the reservation is already made, call the airline and add the request well in advance of the flight.

familykenkel also suggests checking the baggage restrictions for all connecting flights. Your checked suitcase may be too big and heavy for the regional airline connection to the destination point. Know before you go.

With a little advance planning, a family holiday trip can go smoothly. Why leave some things to chance?

Coming Craze of Membership Dog Parks

There are dog parks and then there are the spiffy membership dog parks. These are cropping across the East Coast and soon may be coming to open green spaces near you. Familykenkel takes a look at what these elite walk and play parks have to offer.

In New York City and a few other places, people are buying unused land and turning it into a great place for dogs to walk, run, play and socialize. For a fee. These are membership only parks where dogs are screened to see if they have been socialized and to see if they are aggressive. Perhaps the pet owners should be screened also.  They are paying the fees – which can be as low as $25 per year to $425 a year – to have a private space where they know the other dogs and pet owners. While some of the parks have steep fees, which cover all of expenses they put into it, like insurance and waste removal, other parks are not charging the pet owners for them.

Familykenkel knows that every dog park, whether it is run by the city or privately, will have its share of pet owners who let the dogs run around without any supervision and those who do not pick up after their pets. These members are asked to leave and their membership is revoked. We want to know: would you pay for a private dog park or rather use a free city park?

Offers Signs That Your House Is Run By Your Cats

Familykenkel, along with most of the nation, loves cats.  The little furry creatures are the single most popular pet in the country.  But the age-old question remains:  do you adopt cats or do they adopt you?  And who's really in charge in a household full of felines?  Here are some signs that your home is run by your cats.  One of the primary signs is multiple litter boxes, some kept in relatively unusual or inconvenient spots.  That signifies the home of someone who has surrendered to the inevitable and would rather place a preemptive litter box at the site of a previous calamity, than to be repeatedly cleaning up messes. 

Familykenkel salutes lovers of the feline species who build their lives around their pets.

The Familykenkel recognizes another "tell-tail" sign that the cats are in charge:  they sleep where they want to, you adapt to them.  Whether a favorite spot in the sunlight, a cushion on the couch, the claiming of a part of the bed or your computer keyboard, Cats will snooze where they feel like at any given moment and their well-trained humans will just have to work around them.  Finally, the expensive, designer-fashioned cat tree, purchased so that your felines might spare your fine furniture and other decor, usually dominates the style of your home.  However, usually the scratching post is in a pristine state while the lower sections of the sofa, chairs and even wood furniture are shredded almost beyond recognition.  All of this, we endure for the occasional lap session of petting and a nurturing rub against our legs.  These critters usually know when we're feeling down, and will come to us and brighten our lives when we need it most.  For that, we can grant them the run of the house.

Love Our Pets on Summer

As hot as it is outside for humans, it can be hotter for our pets. Familykenkel takes time to share some summer tips for those of us with a four legged child.

Regardless of whatever is posted on the Internet, there are some hard fast rules for summer when it comes to pets. 

Help pets stay cool by letting them come inside the home during the heat of the day. 

Ice is not harmful to a dog so go ahead and drop a cube or two in the water bowl. 

If the dog seems to be having a heat stroke, place ice packs under his or her front shoulders and massage rubbing alcohol into the paws. Rush the animal to the vet for further treatment. 

Familykenkel also suggests walking dogs in the early morning and early evening when it is cooler outside. If mid day walks are needed, make them short and encourage the animal to walk in the grass. 

Dr. Tina Wismer, medical director at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, notes that the some animal behaviorists recommend freezing toys or treats for dogs to chew on. It is also noteworthy to know that dog ice cream bars are also a favorite goody in the summer. 

Our pets love to be with us when we are inside and outside. Be sure to keep them safe and healthy with access to fresh clean water all day and a cool place to rest that is out of the sun.