June 01, 2008
Hard to believe, but yes, The Doggazine is one year old this month...
We hope you've learned as much from reading the issues as we've learned doing the research and writing!!
What's New and In The Works?
We've revamped a couple of Dog Ramps pages:
The Best Dog Ramps are Homemade
Dog Ramps For Cars or Boats
We've also added several pages under Indoor Dog Ramps:
Dod Bed Ramp Materials
Planning to Build Dog Ramps for Beds or Couches
Instructions for Building Dog Ramps for Beds and Couches
Jo is working on a braided collar and leash set for small dogs and a Hawaiian shirt for Comet. Information on other kinds of dog insurance is also in the works. Of course, as has happened in the past, we may end up going on a tangent and coming out with something completely different!
It's Free
If you're a subscriber or become a subscriber to The Doggazine on or before June 15, 2008, you'll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a FREE set of one of our dog ramp plans!
(For more details, see Dog Ramp Plans)
Here's the link to subscribe to The Doggazine. Pass it along to a friend or relative! Winner to be announced in the July 2008 issue.
Here's a FREE recipe for Better Breath Pet Biscuits
- We recommend you leave out the salt and the activated charcoal
- These biscuits are good for when your dog's breath is bad because of eating something smelly, like fish
- They're not meant to be a substitute for taking care of your dog's bad breath due to dental or dietary problems
Kids Stuff: For Kids of All Ages
Father's Day is coming up in June. What better way to show your appreciation than to make a dog card?
Go to Enchanted Learning Crafts Dog Card. The page should say Delightful Dog Card. Just follow the instructions.
P.S. An animated drawing of the dog card is at upper right.
Reader's Write
Do you have a question you want answered? Just Ask Us
We usually respond within two days so if you don't receive an answer, it may mean we either did not get a valid e-mail address to respond to (this has happened several times), or your spam blocker blocked the email. Set your emails to receive from */make-and-build-dog-stuff.com.
Jacli, who lives in the United States, asks:
Hi - I very much want to make bows and barrettes for my shih-tzu puppy but I cannot find the barrette pieces (metal or plastic) anywhere where I live now. I have even tried Michaels and Joanns fabrics (the places I used to buy them from before we moved). Please help!
Here is Jo's reply:
My first suggestion would be to look in dollar, discount, and thrift stores and at yard sales. To make the ones shown on the website, I bought some ready made bows cheaply at a 99-cent store and removed the existing bows from the barrettes.
Otherwise, look online - French Style Barrettes from Minor Details appear pretty inexpensive. Don't know about shipping though...have to put in your email and shipping info before you find out:
Minor Details
Their e-mail is minordtails@yahoo.com
Found another website that sells all sorts of metal and plastic barrettes for a relatively low cost (about $2 for a set of 6). However, they want you to order a minimum of $25 worth, and the shipping for 13 sets was $5.50 so you're looking at around $30.
Here's the link to that:
Bows In Bloom
Hope this helps. Please let me know. (Jacli responded with appreciation for the details and said she'd look into those options.)
Remember, we'd love to hear from the rest of you, anywhere in the wide world - if you have a question, we'll try to find the answer somewhere, somehow...
Jo, Stan and Comet
Reviews
If you enjoy bagging high mountain peaks and bringing your dog along, here are blogs and photos about Steve Bremner and his wolfdog, Sam, who climbed 52 of Colorado's 14K plus peaks: Bagged Colorado Fourteeners
For some basic information about getting a dog used to high altitude climbing and other considerations, check out Traildog
Tips & Tricks
Do you put off starting projects because you feel you don't have enough time? Here's something that may help:
Tip 1:
Take a good look at your typical day. Are there any 5- to 15-minute time segments where you aren't doing any much such as watching a re-run on TV or playing the same computer game over and over?
Tip 2:
If your answer is yes, pick a project you really want to do. Do just one small forward step whenever you have a few minutes.
Tip 3:
Leave your project in a place where it will not be disturbed, or put it in a box to keep your project ready for the next step.
Word Play
To cats, catnip means a green plant that many of them are crazy over.
For a dog like Comet, catnip means what he'd like to do to every moving cat he sees... (Fortunately for the cats, we don't let him!)
To people, Ham it up! means doing some exaggerated acting.
Comet's interpretation of Ham it up! is:
"Give me lots more ham with those table scraps, pleez!"
Summer's coming. Time to get you and your dog in shape so you can go hiking and swimming when the snow leaves the mountains!
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