New Year's Resolutions

I don't often make New Year’s resolutions, but as I was giving Kharma his medicine and getting ready for a walk, I started thinking about next year and what 2011 would bring us “pet parents”.  

2010 has been a challenge, but Kharma has always been there with his smiling face, wagging tail and his never-ending need to wake me up at 6:30 am ... every day. 

Before I go into our New Year's Resolutions, this a little about what's been going on with his health. Kharma recently had some back issues. Right after Thanksgiving, he had trouble climbing into the car. After 24 hrs. of monitoring him, I took him to his vet. After an exam and an x-ray, it was discovered that part of the his spinal discs are moving slightly into his spinal cord. He's on bed rest with little walking and movement. This has been challenging, because his medicine (to make the pain go away) is working so good, that he wants to play a lot. We'll be going back to the vet shortly to follow-up and I'll let you know how it goes. So far, he's doing good.

So, here’s a few that I thought every pet owner should know ...

Exercise - Walk your dog(s) daily or get a great dog walker. PetLover’s Magazine is a great resource. Even with his back injury, is limited right now, but will be back walking a lot ... soon. Walking is great for dog and their owners. Get your cats moving too. They love to play in boxes and love chasing laser lights. Set a schedule and mark it on your calendar. There’s still time to order a “Last Paw Standing” 2011 calendar.

Health Checkups - Get regular health check ups.  Annual exams of teeth, heart/lungs and overall body condition cost then waiting for a problem to develop. Plus, if your pet starts acting very different from their normal routine, that is a sign to watch them closely and if their behavior doesn't recent to normal soon, take them in for a check-up.

Good Nutrition - Know what’s in your pet’s diet. Read the labels on your pet's food. "Real" food should be the first 5 ingredients. If you can't pronounce it ... maybe you should investigate what's in their food. Pets who eat poor quality food just don't have the health reserves than those that a good balanced diet. 

Good Grooming - No one wants to be around a stinky pet. Regular grooming -- bathing, toe nail clips, brushing out coat, parasite control -- not only make the pet more pleasing to be around, it is much healthier for the pet! 



Safety - Keeping pets safe is something most pet owners take for granted. Look at the cleaners in your household. Make sure they’re away from kids (and of course, all children in your household). Use green products whenever you can.  Make sure your pets can’t access these items. Think too about enclosures for pets? Are they secure? "Put Household Waste in its Place", created by the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation.


Have fun - With all the stress of the holidays from shopping, traffic, house guests, etc ... your pets can feel overwhelmed too. Play with them. That will help relieve your stress as well as your pets. 


I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.  
Kharma and I are looking forward to a wonderful 2011!

Thanksgiving Day Dog Treats

Kharma’s Cheesy-Carrot Muffins


Thanksgiving. A time to spend with family and friends, both human and pets. This is also a time for food. My family does a pot-luck meal and rotate locations. That helps a lot ... because the host (for that year) doesn't have to spend hours (or days) cooking and have more time enjoying the day.

Kharma enjoys spending Thanksgiving with the family too. He loves the extra people showering him with doggy massages, playing with toys and, of course, he looks for any food dropped from the table. As most pet owners know, not all “people” food isn’t good for dogs.

This Thanksgiving, I'm bringing dessert for us humans, and healthy dog-treats for Kharma, his famous Cheesy-Carrot Muffins. They're healthy and don’t contain processed items. I spoke to Kharma's Vet and got the “A-okay” for the ingredients. There is wheat flour in the muffins, I recommend and encourage anyone who plans to use this recipe speak with your vet to ensure all the ingredients won't cause any food allergies for your dog.

Looking back at Kharma's start in my Life

October 20, 2007 ... Fires broke out in San Diego County. Growing up in SoCal, I was used to the fall fire. Each October, black and white puffs of smoke in the sky. This day was no different. The following morning the sky darken and the sun couldn't be seen through the haze. The news told everyone to stay home. However, I was working at an Animal Center, located in the middle of the fire zone. I knew that if they had to evacuate, I needed to be at work. I was the Manager of Volunteers and would be needed to organize them.



Arriving at work, we were all worried. More than 350 animals lived at the Center. There were also horses in the Equine Hospital and the Therapeutic Riding program, birds and rabbits in the

Blessing of the Animals

Living with my human, Rita Spiegel, who is Jewish and studying Buddhism, I wasn't sure what the Blessing of the Animals event really is. It is a part of the Catholic Religion and is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's love for all creatures. 

I also wasn't able to attend with Rita. Although she brings me to many events, when she is working, she doesn't have to play with me, so I hung out at home, enjoying a little "alone" time.

From 100 degress to heavy rain

Wow ... it has been a crazy week here in Oceanside, CA.  Last Monday, we had a Santa Ana and the temperature rose to 100 degrees. That is very unusable for the coast, where our temperatures stays mostly in the mid 70s.  Then the high humidity hit us and yesterday, we had heavy rain and thunder and lightning.  Kharma didn't let the rain stop his daily walks.

We headed out for our morning walk and the clouds were stunning. Of course, I was one seeing the beauty in them ... Kharma just looked for his regular "pee" locations and looked for his doggy buddies to play with.

We ended the day with an evening walk at the Oceanside Pier. As with most "ocean" people, the rain and clouds didn't stop us from adventuring outside.  I just had to keep my camera dry and of course ... make sure Kharma put on his rain attire.

I want to Surf Too!

My human, Rita photographed several dogs surfing at Del Mar, CA (Sept. 12).  My questions ... why was I not allowed to come and join the fun. I have doggy issues with this and I'll need to chat with her about it.

But ... she did take some incredible photos.  Maybe next year, she'll let me join in the fun. To learn more about dogs surfing, check out A Dog's Guide to Surfing.

Long Walk ... Good Nap

My human, Rita, decided to jog today. Why?  No idea.  I liked it for a while, but I wasn't able to visit my favorite trees.

She jogged and I ran ... my little tiny legs took over.  I really did like it, but I didn't let on.

So now, it is time for a nap -- across Rita's bed.

Tomorrow, I'm attending an Art Walk in Oceanside, CA and the following week, Rita is taking me to Little Italy in San Diego for another art adventure.  I like these outdoor events.  Dogs, like me can attend and everyone comments on how gorgeous I am.  Tons of butt massages ... life is good!

Rita was given a book on Pomeranians ... of which I am one. There are some interesting facts and I seem to have some of the behaviors, not all.  I do like the photographs that Rita takes of me.  Sorry other dog ... I am the cutest dog on the planet :) woof, woof ... bark, woof!

Search Amazon.com for pomeranian

Yeah!! I'm now walking off-leash!

It's been a while since I've gotten Rita to "type" in my doggy comments. My human, Rita has been working on promoting her dog photography workshops.  We need the money.  Since her day job ended, she works hard on getting business.  She teases me to get a job ... and I am always available to be a doggy model.

Anyway ... As a good dog, I have been working on "off-leash" walking.  She was very concerned about starting it ... because I was turned into the County Animal Control as a stray.  I used to "take off", but now I listen to Rita and pay attention.

We've had great walks.  Although, I love to chase big dogs and cats ... so Rita always has an eye out for them.  Today we saw a few of my small dog friends and I was able to walk (off-leash) and run!!

Well ... more soon - Kharma

Kharma gets a job - Marketing Manager

For dog owners, their pooch is a member of the family; so of course, they need to be part of the family portrait. This workshop gives you tools to create your own individual and special picture of your dog. My workshops are geared for anyone who enjoys taking pictures of their dogs (and family pets) … and you also learn essential photographic skills enabling them to capture their favorite images.



You don’t need to be a photographer. Whether you use your camera phone, a point and shoot, or a SLR; you've learn on how to pose your pet, various “points of view” to take the picture, backgrounds, formal and informal positions, props, costumes and when/how to use treats.

We'll review lighting, composition, the rule of thirds / and depth of field and F-stops. These are important basics of photography. We will cover when to use "the rules" and when to break them for better photographs.

Class Agenda * Photography basics. * How to make your dog comfortable with the photographic process. * Photo shoot with your dog

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