Dum dum da dum, dum dum da dum…

The traditional wedding march with the bride walking down the aisle is still a staple at many weddings, but what’s new at weddings is the inclusion of pets in the ceremony.

Celebrities have been doing it—you can see pictures of the pets included in the last few years in the weddings of Adam Sandler, Gene Simmons, Miranda Lambert, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston and others—and other people have been catching on to the idea too. Earlier this year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Puli Sheepdog, Beast, walked bride Priscilla Chan down the aisle at the couple’s surprise wedding.

It’s one of the most important days in a person’s life, and because pets are important to people also, they are being included in that most important day. In a time when many weddings end up blending human families together, pets are also a part of that family blending.

If you want to include your pets in your wedding, we are here to help you. Our new wedding service will help you to plan out how to get your pets to and from the wedding, and even give them a little pampering of their own.

Having your dogs as part of your wedding celebration can be great fun for everyone—just don’t let them drink the champagne. 

Back to School Tips For Your Pets

The hurried rush of back-to-school and shorter days means families are spending more time focused on school work and active schedules.  As a result, the change in routine can be confusing for pets. Instead of going for walks and playing in the yard, their companions suddenly head out the door without them.

Dogs especially are creatures of habit and it is important to establish clear rules and a set schedule.  With the help of North Shore Animal League of America, Dr. Ernie Ward and Pure Life 4 Pets, we've provided the best tips to ensure your pups will be happy and well adjusted. 

Avoid Anxiety. Changes in routine can also lead to anxiety in many dogs. Following some of these tips may help alleviate the stress caused by the changes that happen when it’s time to go back to school.

Transition Time. About a week before the kids return to school, begin getting your dog used to their absence: 

• Leave your dog inside early in the morning to simulate school time. You only need to leave them for thirty minutes or so. Let them know the long, lazy summer mornings are coming to an end! 
• Start getting out the lunchboxes and other items your dog associates with leaving for school in the morning. The idea is to desensitize them to any anxiety-producing cues prior to school starting. 

Set a Routine and Responsibilities. Work with your children to set and follow a daily routine that works for your family’s lifestyle all year long. 

• The schedule should include: 
• Feeding 
• Walks to one spot for bathroom business 
• Walks around the neighborhood or at the park
• Appropriate play at approximately the same time every day

Some routine ideas may include:

• Exercise and play in the morning before the kids leave the house. 
• Extra attention and play when they get home from school. 
• Exercise and “family time” in the evening

Establishing a routine your pet can depend on will help them deal with the changes. This not only ensures your pets get the attention and love they deserve, but will also help your children learn how to be responsible and caring pet owners.

Turn on Some Tunes. During the summer the house is full of sounds!  When the kids go back to school many of these sounds will suddenly be cut off for the majority of the day.  Whenever your dog is left alone, the sound of human voices or music can be soothing. Try leaving slow (50 to 60 beats per minute) and relaxing music playing when the house is empty.

Enrich the at Home Environment. When your pets’ favorite play buddy heads back to school their day can suddenly feel very empty. Rotating a selection of toys helps your dog or cat feel at home when he’s alone. 

• Leave interesting and interactive toys and food puzzles out during the day helps your pets stay occupied
• Hide favorite pet treats around the house for your pet to discover while you are away. 
• Rubber Kongs or hard hollow bones can be stuffed with a little peanut butter or cream cheese and can even be frozen for a long lasting treat! 
• Save a special toy that your pet really loves and have your children take it out just before they are ready to go out. Put it away again once the children come home so it remains the "special toy.”

Doggy Daycare.  Consider letting your dog socialize and play at doggy daycare some days while the house is empty. This will allow your dog to expend some energy, while being in good care and the company of others.  If your dog does not enjoy playing with other dogs, doggy daycares like Morris Animal Inn offer private daycare where your dog can play his favorite games one-on-one with a staff member.

Quality Time. It is important to re-connect with your pet at the end of a busy week. With school back in session, your dog may not get as much time playing with your family as during the care-free days of summer. Remember that even though your pet wasn't at work or school all day, he still needs time to unwind. Consider activities like:

• Long walks at the park, 
• Lounging around on the couch
• Daily walks, even as the days get shorter
• A weekend picnic
• A weekend hike
• A visit to a restaurant or establishment that allows dogs
• A special weeknight brushing 

Getting back into the school mentality is never easy for humans or dogs!  It is a gradual process that requires patience and consistency.  Considering the above tips will help all of your kids (the two and four legged ones) transition back into the school year smoothly.

Source: North Shore Animal League of America, Dr. Ernie Ward & Pure Life 4 Pets

Tips to Remember When Bringing Home a New Dog

Adopting a dog as a new member of your family can be a great experience, but also an overwhelming one. Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. and PetFinder provide these initial tips to help smooth the process of bringing a new dog into your home.

Patience, patience, patience. Just because a dog isn’t a puppy anymore, doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t have a lot to learn about you and your family. It can take over a year for a dog to truly settle into a new home. Have patience! If there are some rough moments during the transition, don't panic! Compassion, training, and patience usually smooth things out.

Immediately start reinforcement. Train your dog from the first moments at home. Take time to create a vocabulary list everyone will use when giving your dog directions. This will help prevent confusion and help your dog learn commands more quickly.

Re-house train. Just because a dog is house trained in one house doesn't mean that is the case in your home. Treat all dogs, no matter how old, like puppies for the first couple of days. Take them out to potty often and give them instant praise for doing so in the appropriate place. Keep a careful eye on your new dog for quite awhile—just because they didn’t chew on someone else's couch doesn’t mean they won’t chew on yours!

Remember your dog has a past. If your dog came from another home, objects like leashes, hands, rolled up newspapers and magazines, feet, chairs and sticks are just some of the pieces of “training equipment” that may have been used on this dog. Words like “come here” and “lie down” may cause a reaction other than the one you expect.  If your dog led a sheltered life and was never socialized to children or sidewalk activity, this may also contribute to a never-ending series of scrambled communications and unreal expectations that will require patience.

Keep calm. For the first few days, remain calm and quiet around your dog, limiting too much excitement (such as the dog park or neighborhood children). Not only will this allow your dog to settle in easier, it will give you more one-on-one time to get to know each other and your dog's likes and dislikes.

Three is the magic number. Your dog will adjust slowly, so remember the power of threes. Repeating “three days, three weeks, three months!” is a wonderful way to remind yourself that most dogs are in shock the first three days in a new home, need three weeks to begin to show you their true personalities, and three months to begin to understand the family rules.

Source: Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. and PetFinder

Moving Day: How to Prepare Your Pet

Do you think your pet can tell when you’re preparing for a long trip? From cats crawling into suitcases to pups pouncing on the clean laundry pile, our pets sure seem to know that packing means something different is going on.

If you are packing for something bigger, like a move, your pet is bound to be curious about the process and, ultimately, the new place. Follow these tips for making the moving process, from pre-move packing to adjusting in a new home, easiest for your pet.

Visit your vet. Get a copy of all your pet’s records and make sure that all tags and vaccinations are up-to-date. If you are moving a great distance and need to find a new vet, ask your current vet for any recommendations or research your target area online.

Pack and prepare slowly. Begin packing belongings as early as possible so the transition is not as surprising and drastic for your pet. If you plan to crate your dog at all during the moving process, begin crate training early on as well and give your dog lots of encouragement.

Plan ahead for moving day. Pets appreciate familiar surroundings, so it will be easiest for them to adjust if your furniture and belongings are already in place once they arrive at the new house. Consider scheduling a lodging or daycare appointment for your pet on moving day, so they do not need to be a part of the move-in process. Morris Animal Inn is happy to provide pets a comfortable, secure environment while you are in transition. If your pet will be in the house on moving day, make sure they are secure in a single room or carrier, and pay them plenty of visits to keep their feeding and bathroom schedule as regular as possible.

Settle in. Once you are officially moved in to your new place, it will take some time for your pet to adjust. If your pet seems overwhelmed, consider designating a specific room or area for your pet with all their toys, bed and belongings until they start to feel at home.

Explore together. Your pet trusts you! If you are positive and encouraging about your new surroundings, your pet will feed off your comfort levels. Go for a walk around your new neighborhood, pay a visit to your new vet and spend time relaxing together.

Soon, you will both feel right at home!

Sources: Trips With Pets, The Courier of Montgomery County

Introducing Pets to Newborns

Which came first – the baby or the pet? If your pet-focused family will soon be exposed to a newborn, preparation and gradual introductions are key to a healthy baby-pet relationship.

There are few things more heart-warming than a child-pet relationship, but these connections don't always happen instantly.

SheKnows Pets & Animals blog and the ASPCA offer tips for introducing your newborn to your cat or dog. Advancing with these four steps once you are expecting can help make the transition easier for you and your pet

Step 1: Start preparing your pet early. Cats in particular do not often respond well to sudden change. Use your time wisely and as you prepare for baby, let your pet do as well. Establish off-limits areas, like the baby’s room, early on so that your pet can become accustomed to giving the baby space. If you need to move feeding areas or litter boxes, do this as early as possible.

Step 2: Familiarize your pet with new smells and sounds. Using baby powder or lotion prior to adding a baby to your pet’s environment will help them get used to what a baby will smell like. Acclimating a dog or cat to the sounds of a baby may be one of the most important steps. You don’t want a crying baby and a crying pet at the same time! Consider playing an audio recording of a crying baby on occasion, and gradually increase the volume.

Step 3: Don’t force introductions. First impressions are important, which is why they should be done when all parties involved feel comfortable. Stay calm and relaxed when making the introduction, so your pet does not pick up on your nerves. Have treats handy and reward brief, positive interactions. If your dog seems nervous to investigate, praise them in a positive and reassuring tone.

Step 4: Encourage politeness and quiet time. It can be difficult to care for a baby with a pet constantly underfoot. Training your dog to obey an “away” or “quiet” command can help make caring for both a much easier task. Reinforcing basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “come” will also come in handy. Consider scheduling your dog a visit to Morris Animal Inn for our Manners Training program to help solidify these skills.

If you’re expecting a new baby, you have nine months to prepare. Spend some of that time preparing with your pet, too, and you will all be ready for the wonderful new addition to your family!

Source:  SheKnows Pets & Animals & ASPCA

Behind the Scenes at Morris Animal Inn

At Morris Animal Inn, we love to talk about all the fun your pets have while staying with us. Just as important, however, is making sure they stay safe and healthy. We encourage owners to always consider their pet’s well-being, which is why our facility is specifically designed for your pet’s safety.

Take a tour behind the scenes of our state-of-the-art facility to learn more about what sets us apart, and what we do every day to ensure the best quality care for your pet.

Cleaning: We use the safest cleaning products to disinfect all suites and surfaces throughout the facility. Lodging staff ensures that each pet has a clean and comfortable area to call their own during their stay.

Emergency Preparation: The sun never sets on Morris Animal Inn! We have total generator backup just in case the power goes out, the latest sprinkler systems for fire safety and around-the-clock video surveillance. To make sure that our guests are resting comfortably and feel right at home, our staff also performs bedtime checks on each and every pet.

Training: Our excellent safety record and the quality care that pets receive at Morris Animal Inn are possible thanks to our many devoted pet technicians. Our staff members are some of the best trained in the industry; they are always looking to learn and continue to study best practices. We are incredibly proud of the number of staff who have earned multiple levels of certification through Outstanding Pet Care Learning Center, as well as our staff who are Pet First Aid and CPR certified.

Family: Perhaps the most influential part of Morris Animal Inn’s background is the four generations of family members behind it. Our staff is proud to be part of a business that has been family owned and operated for over fifty years, and we care for pets each day knowing that we are doing our part to further that legacy.

There are many steps we take to ensure your pet’s safety, but perhaps the most important is what you can do before bringing your pet to visit us. We require current vaccinations for all pets in our care in order to make sure they stay happy and healthy. Visit our website for detailed information about required dog vaccines and cat vaccines, and feel free to call us at 973-539-0377 or stop by for a tour to see for yourself the love, detail and attention that go into caring for pets every day at Morris Animal Inn.

Efforts to Help Pets in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy

When Hurricane Sandy made landfall, it left much devastation in the New Jersey/New York area. Homes were left shattered and in the dark, and families were left with the painful task of having to put the broken pieces back together of what was left of the destruction. With many homes still deemed unlivable in the wake of the clean-up, homeowners are being forced to find alternate residences. Already having to leave their homes, the idea of finding a new place to live is an added burden for these families who have lost so much.

With everything that has happened, some families are also facing the reality of not being able to care for their pets during these trying times. Temporary living situations, lack of resources, and tight financials are impacting pet owners all over the area and they need our help. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is taking huge strides in trying to provide for these families and animals while they try to rebuild. For thousands of families, pets are the only thing they have left and the ASPCA has responded in the best way. By providing food, cat litter, temporary shelter, and other supplies for these pets, they are eager to find all the help they can get.

Longtime pet lover and celebrity chef Rachel Ray recently donated $500,000 to the ASPCA to help the animals affected by Sandy. A true philanthropist, Ray is setting an example of just how much help these victims need.

If you would like to contribute to the cause and help out these poor animals, every cent counts. Donate here and help make the lives of these families a little easier.

Another example of an organization that has taken great strides to help families and their pets is the The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA). They have an urgent list of items they need for their Pet Pantry Distribution Center as they continue to help those affected by Sandy. Click here to view this list.

We are pleased to have Vin, as a contributing writer for If They Could Talk. Vin is a passionate dog owner. We look forward to sharing his contribution on interesting and educational pet topics.