It’s another new year again and as we go about making resolutions for how we can improve during the year, I’d like us to include ways we can help our 4-legged friends! So here yet again, is a list of suggestions for ways to improve the lives of our dogs.

Love this video! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

One of the biggest issues we as dog owners have is keeping our dogs busy enough so they don’t get into trouble. If you exercise your dog’s mind and body, destructive behavior can be avoided.

I took my dog Beau to the groomer this morning and began to wonder what our dogs think about when we take them to get fully manicured and/or when we outfit them in the latest couture. They are dogs, they probably don’t really care. Do you think they look in the mirror, prance around and admire themselves? I don’t think so! It’s really for us, their owners. We want them to look cute – for most of us, they’re our children.

I read a great article in the Orlando Sentinel the other day entitled “The incredibly growing pet.” The article focused on the epidemic of fat pets in the United States. According to a recent survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half the dogs and cats in the US are overweight or obese. And many people often don’t recognize the fact that their pet is overweight. While there are medical reasons why a pet can become overweight, the article noted the reason often given by owners with overweight dogs – it’s because we love them so much that we feed them all the time!

The holiday season is all about family and friends, including our 4-legged friends. We want our dogs to be part of the festivities, but we also need to make sure they stay safe and stress free. According to many vets, the holidays are one of the most dangerous times of the year for pets. Here are some important guidelines and tips to think about this holiday season.

Can you tell when your dog is frightened or fearful? Do you know how to read his body language, stress signals and calming/cutoff signals he exhibits when anxious or scared?

Today is a special day – 11/11/11, the only time this century the 2 digits for month, day, and year are all ones. At 11:11am today, date and time will be all ones. As a former software engineer, I think about how all programming languages have at their core the basic values of ones and zeros, one means yes, and zero means no. So on a spiritual level, today is a day for “yes.”

I read a great article in the New York Times the other day titled “Dog Massage? Isn’t Petting Enough?” The article talks in part about the controversy surrounding whether pet massage actually helps the animal or whether it is just glorified petting. While many vets may say that there is no science behind pet massage, I’ve seen first hand the positive effects of massage on dogs.

We are the only Orlando dog boarding and Orlando doggie day care center that has an indoor heated pool for dogs. See it for yourself by scheduling a tour!

Rocky's Retreat | 2826 Shader Rd. Orlando FL 32808 | info@rockysretreat.com | (407) 295-3888