Quote of the Day

Posted by Barbara Techel

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  ~Marcel Proust

On Sunday Frankie and I went to our friend, "Daniel's" funeral to say our final good-bye.  I chose this quote in memory of Daniel because I am grateful to have met him.  It brought me such joy to know we brought him joy when Frankie and I would visit each month.  And my soul blossomed even more because of him and prompted me to write another Frankie book, which expands on the human-animal connection. 

Daniel had Alzheimer's, but died from cancer.  I met his wife once when I was visiting.  When Frankie and I went to the funeral home, I thought I would have to introduce who we were and explain how we knew Daniel.  To my surprise, they all knew Frankie already and knew we had visited with Daniel and they knew how Daniel loved Frankie. In that moment my heart blossomed even more and to know Frankie made a difference in Daniel's life will be something I treasure always.

Cocoa Mulch Warning for Animals

Posted by Barbara Techel
With spring and outdoor work upon us, I wanted to send out this warning once again this year.  Thank you to my friend, Katie for the reminder with this notice.
 
WARNING!!
 
PLEASE PASS IT ON ~ EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A  PET, YOU SURELY KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES. 
 

Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.

   
Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk . Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'

This Snopes site gives the following information: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ' Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Chasing the Grumpies Away

Posted by Barbara Techel

A fun, new fast-growing website has emerged and we think you just might like it!  Puppies are Prozacwebsite says this, "A daily Dose of cute, funny animal photo's to chase the grumpies away, paired with informative pet care articles that support the human-animal bond and responsible pet-ownership."

I was excited to learn about this fun, yet very educational website recently.  After e-mailing Jen, the website owner Frankie's story, I was thrilled she shared our story with her readers, along with a couple of photo's that will hopefully make her readers smile.

Jen, before becoming a mom was a professional dog-trainer, sport horse competitor and animal behavior consultant.  She also discovered something very special while being a volunteer for Delta Society, which she already knew to be true, but the science behind it put even more proof to this truth:  ANIMALS CAN BE VERY GOOD FOR YOU.

With this in mind, Jen goes on to say, "Spending time with animals reduces stress, improves health and increases happiness.  And it leaves you with hair all over your clothes– at least the hairy ones do.  It's all good, really."

So be sure to check out Puppies are Prozac and sign up for your for your free daily lift of your spirits… and as Jen says, "I dare you to not feel better."

I ALWAYS feel better when I get my daily dose of cuteness from your site, Jen!  Thanks for featuring Frankie!!