Merry Woofmas!

The Park Avenue Chihuahua Crew wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas! :-)

Dear Santa...

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There are so many wonderful animals in shelters just waiting for loving homes. My puppy dogs are rescues and they are the most amazing and loving dogs anyone could ask for. If you are looking for a purebred then check shelters and specific rescues groups (i.e. Chihuahua Rescues, Golden Retriever Rescues, etc.) as they have so many purebreds available of all ages (young and old). Don't discount older dogs as they are so grateful for a loving home. Even though they are older, they still have many more wonderful years to share with you. Be a hero and save a life!

If you are thinking of getting a pet this holiday season.....please remember don't shop, ADOPT! ♥ 

Traces of Love...

The Best Things In Life....

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Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration

 

Today people all over the world celebrate Day of the Dead (Spanish: Dia de los Muertos). For those who aren't familiar, the holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends, family and loved ones who have died. The celebration is held every year on November 2nd. The common symbol of the holiday is the skull as represented in the masks, jewelry, food, candies and clothing that many adorn on this special day.

To some it might seem like a depressing holiday but it is quite the contrary. It is a day filled with fun and happiness as people go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and/or build private altars at home containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

For those who follow my blog know that my precious fur babies, D'Angelo and Patti Marie passed away this year. We lost Patti Marie on March 18, 2013 and then lost D'Angelo only 5 short months later on August 22, 2013. It has been two and a half months since I've blogged. I just haven't been able to. I didn't even have the strength to do a blog post on D'Angelo's birthday - Oct. 14th. I cry all the time, although the last few weeks have been a little bit better for me. Every time I see a Chihuahua out somewhere, I cry, or if I see a picture of a Chihuahua that looks like my babies, I tear up. It always happens at the oddest times and usually out in public. I can barely show my face in Petsmart, Lowe's or Target because I start crying when I go in there. It's embarrassing to say the least.

I have been so heartbroken. Just when I started getting over losing Patti, I lost D'Angelo. I was so very close to my puppy dogs. They were my world and we were always together. So many people talk about all the adventures they would have if they had tons of money and could do anything in the world. My most favorite thing to do was to snuggle with my fur babies. I didn't want all of the riches in the world. I just wanted to be with my babies and I was. I snuggled with them, sniffed them often (I loved how they smelled) and showered them with thousands of kisses a day. I would dance with them, sing to them, carry them around while they fell asleep in my arms and completely adored them. One thing that I can say is that I cherished every day that I had with them (from the very beginning). I knew that each day was a gift - a precious gift given to me by God and that I wasn't promised tomorrow with them. I thanked God every night before I went to bed that I was able to be with them one more day. There is this quote that has really helped me through the sad times..."Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened" - Dr. Seuss. It is so true. I sometimes think how different my life would have been if they weren't ever in it. The pure, unconditional love that I received from them healed my soul from all of the trauma that I endured as a child and a young adult. Even as I type right now, I am overwhelmed with tears of joy and gratitude that I was so very blessed to share my life with them. Patti Marie and D'Angelo taught me about love and happiness. They taught me that the little things in life are the most important things and that life is meant to be celebrated.

They most definitely were my little pieces of heaven on earth. Most people will go through their whole life and not ever come close to experiencing the love and joy that I was able to with my puppy dogs. They were more than pets to me. They were my children, my heart, my loves and were (and always will be) a part of my soul. I am so grateful that I was chosen to be their Mommy and was able to share my life with the two most gentle and beautiful souls I have ever come in contact with. Today, I celebrate the life and love of Patti Marie and D'Angelo -- how very blessed I am!

 

In Memory of Sweet Baby D'Angelo....

In memory of D’Angelo (a.k.a. - Baby D) - It deeply saddens me to say that our Sweet Baby D’Angelo passed away Thursday, August 22, 2013 due to internal bleeding. He was able to pass at home on his favorite spot (same spot that Patti passed) on the bed with his favorite blankie surrounded by his mommy, daddy and his sisters. A world of thanks to our vet and a vet tech who came to the house at 9:30 pm Thursday night and put him to sleep while we snuggled, rubbed and kissed on him the whole time – until the last beat of his heart. It was so peaceful, beautiful and sad at the same time. D’Angelo was our little man and the love of our lives. Sadie and Macy were able to say their good-byes to him. They were very upset and cried out loud for their beloved brother. We are giving them tons of love, attention, extra walks and treats to help them cope with the loss.

 

The ones that knew D’Angelo knew that he had so many serious health issues – epilepsy, diabetes, cushing’s disease, allergies, liver problems, eye problems, heart problems, etc. I didn’t talk about his health problems to people or blog about it because that wasn’t what I wanted to focus on. I wanted to focus on the positive aspects of life. Looking at D’Angelo, you would have never known that he dealt with all that he did. He was always happy and very loving to everyone. Our Sweet Baby D was the bravest little boy in the whole world. Alex and I devoted our lives to taking care of our sweet boy. We have no regrets at all. We loved him so deeply. He let us know when he was ready to go and now he is in heaven with his beloved sister (and the love of his life) Patti Marie who passed away only 5 months ago.

 

D’Angelo was truly the sweetest, gentlest, handsome, loving and most precious puppy dog in the world – a beautiful soul indeed. He was truly a lover boy! The name D’Angelo means “From the Angels” and that is truly what he was – he was a gift from the Angels and from God. I used to always whisper in his ear that he was my "heaven on earth" and he was -- he was my little piece of heaven on earth. We rescued him from the Greenville Humane Society in 2005. He stole our hearts immediately. We are so very blessed to have had him in our lives and look forward to the day that we all can be reunited once more. Mommy and Daddy love you and miss you so very much sweet Baby D!

♥  D’Angelo Savinelli - October 14, 2004 to August 22, 2013 ♥

Thank you for all the love and happiness that you brought into our lives. We will miss you more than you could ever imagine sweet, precious Baby D’Angelo.

Love Always,

Mommy, Daddy, Macy and Sadie
(The Park Avenue Chihuahua Crew)

IMPORTANT - Pet Food Products Recalled After Salmonella Scare!!

DOG and CAT FOOD RECALL (IAMS and Eukanuba Brands)...YIKES! In case you haven't seen this. Please share!

Below is the article published about the Pet Food Recall. If you click on the Iams "website" link below (in the article) it will give you the lot numbers, UPC codes, etc for all of the recalled food.

Pet Food Products Recalled After Salmonella Scare

The Proctor and Gamble Company is recalling several types of pet food because of potential salmonella contamination, the company said.

The recall is a precaution, and no instances of salmonella have been reported.

The products that have been recalled, according to Proctor and Gamble, include Eukanuba dry dog foods, Iams dry dog foods and Iams dry cat foods.

“Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products,” Proctor and Gamble said in a statement.

Proctor and Gamble said it voluntarily took the bags of food off the shelves after discovering the potential salmonella during routine testing, and the food it recalled amounted to approximately 0.1 percent of annual production.

The Iams website said customers need to match up the product codes and lot codes with those provided by Proctor and Gamble to see if their products have been recalled. If so, they are advised to discard the products and call Proctor and Gamble.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 42,000 cases of salmonella are reported in the U.S. annually, but that number could be grossly underreported. Symptoms in humans include diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramping, according to the CDC.

According to Proctor and Gamble, animals display similar symptoms.

Proctor and Gamble could not be reached for further comment.

The Food and Drug Administration posted Proctor and Gamble’s statement on its website, but did not provide any further comment.

Hopefully, no animal is affected by this. Please share. Thanks! :-)

Sunday Smiles - The Interpet

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Happy Sunday Everyone. This is hilarious! Enjoy! :-)

Wild

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In Remembrance of Patti Marie (Happy Birthday)

Patti Marie

Today would have been Patti's 14th birthday. To those who are viewing this blog for the first time, Patti Marie was my Chihuahua who passed away 5 months ago due to kidney failure. I have such wonderful memories of Patti as we shared our life with each other. Every time I look at her pictures I am reminded of what a beautiful soul she was and how very blessed I was to have her in my life.

Since Patti is not here with us physically, we are celebrating her birthday in other ways. I have taken the pups on a long car ride, made a special meal for them and have donated a ton of stuffed animals/toys for dogs and cats to our local Humane Society in Patti's honor.

I always stock up on dog and cat toys (stuffed animals, etc.) after Christmas when everything goes on clearance for 50% - 90% off. You can get a ton of stuff for a great price. I save these items so I can donate them to our local animal shelters. I also go through all of our dogs stuffed animals at home. I choose stuffed animals that have been gently used and that don't have holes in them to donate to the shelters. I wash them using a detergent that is free of perfumes and dyes (Tide Free and Gentle). It is important to NOT use any detergent or fabric softener that has dyes or perfumes in it because some animals have allergic reactions to it. You would be surprised how much a stuffed animal/toy will lift the spirits of an animal at the shelter. They can snuggle with the toy or play with it. Either way it brings the animal comfort and security.♥

So, even though our beloved Patti is not with us anymore, her memory and her loving spirit will live in our hearts forever. Each year we will celebrate her birthday by giving to those animals that are less fortunate and in need. May they all be as fortunate to find a home as wonderful and loving as the one that Patti had. That is my wish for the animals of the world.....

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Patti Marie! ♥
     

and the Park Avenue Chihuahua Crew

Sunday Smiles

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So True! Haha!!! :-)

The Multi-Scratch

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This is how we roll in our house! :-)

Have you heard...

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Happy Wednesday Everyone! This made me laugh so hard! Too funny! :-)

Kindness...

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Animals Do Speak....

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DANGER! Leaving Pets In Your Hot Vehicle = DEATH!!!

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Hi Everyone. Usually, I have already posted about this subject by now (as I do every year) but life has been crazy busy for me. The summer is here and we still have a few months of really warm weather ahead of us. I am reminded of the dangers of owners leaving pets in vehicles every year and this year is no exception. I just read a horrifying story about two dogs that died a few days ago because an owner left their dogs in the vehicle "for only a few minutes." A few minutes is all it takes to kill an animal in a vehicle. It enrages me and saddens me to hear of these stories as it could all have been avoided. There are a lot of smart people out there that do really dumb things. It is NEVER okay to leave a pet in a hot vehicle....not even for a minute! A minute is all it takes to kill an innocent animal. Please, Please, Please....leave your animals at home if you are going to run errands that require you to get out of your vehicle. I can't stress this enough! I have witnessed, on more than one occasion, where animals have been trapped in hot vehicles. I have also called the police on all of those occasions to report it as you all should do as well if you see this happening. Sadly, by the time the police get there it is too late and the pet has already passed away. Thank goodness that South Carolina (where I live) has finally passed a law that says that you can break a window or forcibly enter a vehicle (if the owner is not around) to rescue an animal in need/danger. So now, more animals can be saved. I think that very strict laws should be put in place for pet owners that do this sort of thing to their pets. Maybe then more people will realize the very real dangers of leaving pet's in vehicles.

Here's a post that I did on my blog a few years back....PLEASE READ and Pass Along!

The "dog days" of summer are here. The heat can be very dangerous and deadly to dogs. I can't stress enough to people the dangers of leaving an animal in a parked vehicle with the windows cracked. A parked vehicle on a mild or warm day (much less a hot day) can reach temperatures of 100 - 130+ degrees in a matter of a few minutes.

If anyone doesn't believe me then test it out for yourself (in the sun and the shade) on a hot day (on you NOT your animal). I did and I was floored at the results. Go to a store parking lot and turn off your vehicle, crack a window slightly (as you would do for your pet) then sit and wait. Sit in the vehicle as long as you can possibly stand it before you feel like you are going to pass out. It won't take long before you get out of the vehicle. Sadly enough, animals can't open the doors and escape like we can.

Dogs don't sweat like we do. They pant to try and cool themselves off (which isn't very effective in a vehicle). We must also take into consideration that animals have fur and we don't, which makes them heat up even faster than we would.

Every year, numerous animals die from being left in hot vehicles as their owners shop, eat lunch, run errands, etc. People don't realize how long they are in a store. The familiar words I've heard..."Oh, I was only in the store for a minute." Sadly, I have actually seen an animal killed by the heat of a vehicle from an owner who said those exact words. I walked by the vehicle after it was too late to save the dog....he was already gone.  It was tragic, heartbreaking and completely unnerving to see.

So many people want to take their animals with them on shopping trips but some stores (most food stores) due to regulations won't allow an animal in the store. The pet owner then leaves the animal in the vehicle sometimes unaware of the dangers. Please do you and your beloved pet a favor and leave them home. They will be much happier. You can always take them for a "joy ride" later on in the day.

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Another option (which I sometimes do) is to bring along a pet stroller for your pet to go in air conditioned stores with you (if allowed). A word of caution, only air conditioned stores. Places like Plant Nurseries or Garden Centers that are outdoors get too hot for animals even in strollers.

If you see an animal left in a vehicle and in distress then please do the following things: take down the car's color, model, make and license-plate number, have the owner paged inside nearby stores and call the police or local humane authorities/animal control. Have someone keep an eye on the animal. If police are unresponsive or too slow and the animal's life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness (or several) who will back your assessment, take steps to remove the suffering animal and then wait for authorities to arrive.

I found a great website that is dedicated to the dangers of animals being left in hot cars. It is called My Dog Is Cool. It has so much wonderful information and tools to help you better understand the dangers of animals and the heat (especially in vehicles).

Please take these few simple steps to insure your pet's safety and well-being so you will be able to enjoy your beloved pet for years to come. Thanks and Happy Summer! :-)