Looking for your dream pup? Gooddog.com can help!

A lot of people ask me where we got Pax and why we picked our specific breeder. I researcher 25+ breeders. NO JOKE. There were very important qualities we looked for such as, how they handled the puppies, how many litters the moms were having, the breeding style, and the breeders personality in general. We had a wonderful experience and will be getting another dog from them in the future.

I’m a research nut and searched high & low for our breeder! Using a platform to help me connect to these breeders would have been super helpful! A website called, gooddog.com, can help dog parents do just that! Whether you are getting a doggo from breeders, shelters, or rescues this website can guide you. The Good Dog team and I recently connected about their new initiative and I thought it was such a good ideaI figured it would be helpful for everyone to learn a bit more! Below is more information about what they do and how they can help you find your new best friend! Take a look!

Gooddog.com

by Kaylin Marcotte

Good Dog is a new organization that helps people find the dogs of their dreams from responsible breeders, shelters and rescues.

Good Dog's mission is to help educate well-intentioned potential dog parents on responsible practices and connect them with good sources to put the bad actors out of business. Well-intentioned prospective dog parents often simply don’t know enough about what to look for and unfortunately end up inadvertently getting their dogs from irresponsible sources, like puppy mills. This not only harms dogs by fueling the broken system, but often results in complications for dog parents such as unexpected health or behavioral issues. Good Dog has pre-screened every member of their community so you can find a dog with peace-of-mind.

Good Dog also makes the process simple and convenient. They have a learning center with answers to questions like are you ready for a dog, how to work with a breeder or shelter, how to get your puppy home, and more. You can browse breeders and see the health tests, enrichment and socialization that they provide for each puppy, then apply directly all in one place.

All dogs deserve happy beginnings and forever homes. Good Dog shines a light on responsible practices and highlights vetted, ethical shelters, rescues and breeders to make it simple to find a dog responsibly.

To learn more:

Follow their campaign by checking out their instagram @gooddog & their website www.gooddog.com!

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The truth behind "take your dog to work day".

I am a researcher of all things. I like to know details and understand inner workings so I can be prepared and confident. This was no different picking our puppy. When we got the call, I went to work. First thing was figuring out how we were going to manage full-time jobs, graduate school (for me), and a packed social calendar. Fortunately, for me, I was working for a company that had a dog-friendly policy, and I was able to bring Pax to work with me every single day. Even luckier, my boss gave me “pawternity” leave where I worked from home for the first 2-3 weeks we had Pax. I have been out of the corporate world for 6 months now and the majority of those months I’ve been recovering from my boating accident. So, with all that said - sounds simple to have a dog at your office right? 

Wrong! Your dog might be totally fine, but people are not. People are the problem (in a greatest possible way). People love puppies. People love teddy bear puppies. Imagine having one in your office! You’d probably do a “sneak by” 36 times in one hour! I know I would. I eventually had to put up a sign that said, “If I’m sleeping, please let me be. I need my beauty rest to look this cute.”  just so people wouldn’t wake him up. While Pax was at the office sleeping peacefully under my desk, I would be on coaching calls and taking finals in graduate school. I absolutely loved having my buddy with me all the time and he was just so great in the office. It took time for him to understand what happened there but after a short while he got it and just slept under my desk most days. Below are the most important things to think about when preparing to take your dog to work with you.

Here is my my bring your doggo to work day checklist

1. Portable water bowl 

2. Is your pup going to be in a crate? We brought Pax’s, but he never slept in it. Are you in a space that can be overwhelming to the dog with all the people that walk by? Luckily, I was in a corner and against a wall so it was quiet and we could hide out there.

3. Potty pads for when they are unable to go outside when your pup hasn’t completed the vaccines!

4. TREATS- I brought EVERYTHING from high value treats to keep his attention, chews/bones/kongs for meetings and back to back calls. 

5. Plan when you will take your pup out throughout the day. Are you in meetings most of the day? The younger they are the more you have to take them out.

6. Talk to your co-workers and make sure they are not distracted 

7. Talk to yourself and make sure YOU’RE not distracted

8. It’s ok to say, please let them be. It is. I promise. 

9. Try to manage less than 8 hours with your dog at the office- I noticed Pax would kinda lose it laying around by hour 6. 

10. I brought tennis balls, towels from home, and CBD goodies for him. 

11. Patience and flexibility. It’s not going to go perfect because your pup is a living breathing thing!

12. Walk your pup if you can before going into the office to get some energy out!

13. HAVE FUN! If your dog is allowed to come to the office make it a positive experience rather than a stressful one.

HAVE YOU TAKEN YOU DOG TO THE OFFICE? I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! COMMENT BELOW AND SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ME! WOOF!

Toxic & Non-Toxic Plants for Dogs

When Pax was a little puppy, we noticed that he kept ripping leaves of our dracaena plant. We would find the leaves scattered around the house. At the same time, we saw he would throw up or have an upset tummy while displaying lethargy. When we went to the vet, they ruled out all parasites and other possibilities. I shared with our vet about the dracaena plant, and she let me know that it is mildly toxic to dogs and we should move the plant.

Luckily I am a black thumb and have a lot of fake plants in my house, but I do have three real ones. A fiddle leaf fig “figgy cent” who has since past (rest in peace), a snake plant, and the dracaena. Once I learned that specific plants could be dangerous for Pax, I began to research the ones we could not have in the house. Also, I just decided that being black thumb suited me and I’ll stick to the fake ones :)

Please be mindful with purchasing new plant babies and introducing them to your furry baby some of them can cause serious effects.

Here are just 12 toxic plants to dogs:

1. Autumn Crocus

2. Azalea flowers

3. Daffodil flowers

4. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) houseplant

5. Tulip (especially the bulb)

6. Sago Palm (extremely poisonous)

7. Dracaena Plant

8. Fiddle leaf fig

9. Snake Plant

10. Ivy

11. Pathos (Devil’s Ivy)

12. Caladium (Elephant’s ear)

IF YOU ARE A GREEN THUMB! Don’t fret! There are dog-friendly plants to fill your house with :) Not all dogs eat plants or flowers so you may not even need to worry. However, just in case, make sure you know which plants are toxic vs. non-toxic and the signs to look for.

Here are some SAFE plants for dogs!

1. Windmill Palm

2. Purple Basil

3. African Daisy

4. Creeping Rosemary

5. Heuchera (Coral Bells)

6. Pineapple Sage

7. Polka Dot Plant

8. Canna Lily

9. Fennel

10. Snapdragons

For more questions take a look at the following links. The ASPCA & Humane Society both have entire lists of toxic plants for dogs. Always talk to your vet and do your research! Below is also a list of dog-friendly options.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list

https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/poisonous-plants-to-pets.pdf

https://www.rover.com/blog/10-safe-plants-dogs-can-add-almost-garden-right-now/

Tips for when you work from home & have a dog!

Working from home has it’s major perks. One of the best parts about working from home is hanging out with my best buddy all day. It also has it’s benefits such as increased happiness, reduced stress levels, increased productivity, more hugs and exercise! But it’s not just as simple as us gazing into each other’s eyes all day. Many times throughout the day I feel guilty about Pax in the house too long or not surrounding him with furry friends all day. So, I make an effort (well, I use to before the accident) to take him on a good 20-25 minute morning walk a 15 minute late afternoon walk and take him to the park in the evening every night to run around with all his little friends. Right now, it’s been tough since I don’t mobility to take him walks and I can tell he gets restless. However, dogs are very intuitive and he’s been sleeping a lot while I’m recovering. When I’m on conference calls or have meetings I don’t have an office with a receptionist taking packages or answering other phone calls. It can get a bit noisy when I’m in my home office and amazon delivers in the middle of the day and Pax decides he’s the man of the house and says hello to the mail man.

Here are some tips that might be helpful! 

• Exercise your pup in the morning- they will then be ready for nap time! It will also be a great way for you to start your morning. 

• If you can try and take a break at your lunch time and take your dog out for a quick walk to stretch both of legs!

• Don’t take yourself so seriously! Your pup might want your attention, bark, walk on top of your keyboard- it’s all OK! Enjoy these moments- they are reminders not to take life so seriously! 

• Hire a dog walker. Even though you are at home and you might feel like you “SHOULD” be able to do everything your job might not allow you the flexibility. This is a great opportunity to hire a dog walker or a friend that has a flexible schedule could help out as well. 

• Try puzzle games to entertain your pup while your working away at your desk. 

• LET GO of the mom guilt. It’s OK to entertain your pup and play a round of tug a war a couple times and give them a big belly rub. 

• It might be easier to let go of guilt to set up designated play times. It is also important for you to stay in charge and not to let whimpers distract you or to give in. 

• You may want to try crate training if your pup is a chewer or provide proper mental stimulation! 

If you work from home and have tips- comment below!