Blog - Gayle Martz

A Fortunate Poodle Indeed

I am such a fortunate poodle. My Alison has given me a new Shera Bag to snuggle in. Whenever my Alison and I take a trip together, I am always in a Sherpa Bag feeling so safe and comfy but now, my Alison keeps the bag out in our home so I can snuggle in it whenever I want, not just on trips! That means I don’t have to hide or burrow under the couch or the bed because I can feel just as safe inside my Sherpa Bag. No matter if there’s a scary thunder storm, I know I will feel sheltered and secure in my Sherpa. It makes me feel special and I know I am a special poodle — not wanting to boast, but I am the star of my Alison’s new memoir, Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life. Yes, moi, the star because her story is told from my point of view. It should be out in the fall so there is plenty of time to snooze in my Sherpa Bag and get my poodle beauty sleep.

Check out Alison’s website and her first book, A Place Called Grace here.

Huskies Gone Wild!

True, good things com in small packages, but great things come in large ones!

Go, Koko, Go!

Good things come in small packages, and apparently fast ones as well.

The Rainbow Bridge

My dearest beloved KARTU peacefully left for The Rainbow Bridge on Sunday, February 26th. She will be joining SHERPA, SuNae, KIMBA and all the wonderful friends and companions waiting there for her.

KARTU bestowed upon me her unconditional love, joy, and companionship and will always be a part of my heart and soul.

A Cautionary Tale: A pet store in a mall lies about doing business with a puppy mill.

Sandy and her fur baby, Taz.

GM: Thank you for agreeing to tell us your story, Sandy. Can you start by telling us about when you first got your puppy?

Sandy: Sure. I took my daughter to the mall one day. We passed a pet shop when we went in and she saw Taz inside and wanted to have a look because she thought he was so cute. They had had just gotten him and and they said he had to be quarantined when he first arrived so we couldn’t take him out to pet him. But he put his paws up on the glass and stared at her. They had an instant connection.

A week later we were back at the mall because we needed to buy her a phone case. The kiosk with the phone cases as it turned out was right next to that same pet store. She saw Taz again and he saw her and they both got very excited even from a distance. He had been there long enough now to come out and play, so she asked if we could go in and pet him. I said okay as long as you don’t ask to take him home.

GM: But she did?

Sandy: Yes, she did. She said I’ll call Dad and ask. I said, he’ll never agree to buying the dog in a million years, go ahead and call, thinking that would be the end of that. Surprisingly, he said I’ll come down and look at the dog and actually seemed to want to spend the money and take Taz home. I spent a solid hour while she played with Taz grilling the lady in the pet store about where he came from. They showed me the name and address of the ‘private breeder.’ The breeder was in Missouri which I didn’t know at the time was a red flag.

I noticed as enamored with my daughter as he was he seemed a bit lethargic. The lady said he was only nine weeks old and a couple had just been in and played with him for a solid hour so he must be a bit tired. I also noticed he was coughing little bit, but she said that was just a mild case of kennel cough which was nothing worry about and after a few days with Doxycycline he’d be fine. I did some quick research on his bred with my phone. He’s a Bugg, which is half Boston Terrier and half Pug and very cute. He cost a thousand dollars and while I had a feeling this was very spontaneous my daughter was in love and we did buy him.

I had bought him on a Saturday and was to give him the pills and bring him back on Monday to see their vet if he was still coughing. The cough got worse over the weekend so I took him back Monday and their vet looked at him and listened to his heartbeat. He said the dog would be fine he just had parasites. This struck me as odd, because how could he know that from just listening to his heartbeat. I later found out why he said that, in the paperwork of the sale it stated they were not responsible for parasites.

GM: Sounds rather like a scam to me. Read more

Are cats the top dog?

What is the most popular pet? Well, that depends on how you look at it. In the USA dogs are number 1 with about 48.3 million households owning dogs while cats are in about 31.9 million households. However, more people live with multiple cats than dogs so the actual number of felines outnumbers the canines. In Europe cats outnumber dogs by about 25%.

Cats also are more abundant in urban areas as they require much less maintenance, a plus for city dwellers. Its can make a wonderful pet for people who are not easily mobile as they don’t need to be walked and require less maintenance.

So is there any other pet that more people own? Well, technically if you count each one, aquarium fish are the most abundant out numbering both cats and dogs by a significant number. But then how many people do you know that have several dozen cats or dogs?

Well, there was that crazy cat lady down the block…

Whichever you choose, a fur baby will bring joy to your life and has been proven to relieve stress and depression.

30 mistakes you’re making that might be causing your dog to behave badly

#21

Creating a safe, quiet space for your dog — and teaching them to retreat to that space when they’re anxious or scared — is an essential part of training. Without that safe space, your dog might act out when feeling overwhelmed or stressed. “Find a quiet room in your home where you can put a pet carrier, but do not close them in the carrier,” Gayle Martz, animal advocate and founder of the Sherpa Pet Trading Company, tells Bustle. This dog carrier is ideal for bringing that safe space with you while traveling — it works for pets up to 15 pounds and it comes with a foldable food bowl and cushion. “When it is at home, I recommend letting your pet go to and from the carrier as they choose and leave them treats or toys that are always in the carrier for them,” Martz says.

Read about all 30 mistakes at: mic.com.

All You Need is LOVE

I thought it was only appropriate to write on the topic of LOVE while I am in Paris (known as the “City of Love”) during February! I read an interesting article in The Washington Post last month about love that discussed the benefits of friendships, and was perfectly titled “Want to be healthier? Hang out with your friends!”

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it made me think that this holiday should not just focus on romantic love but also on friendships. The article so accurately stated, “Platonic love trumps romantic love in a number of ways. People with strong friendships tend to have better mental health and studies suggest they’re in better physical health, as well. Researchers have found large social networks lower our risk of premature death more than exercise or dieting alone.” I read this multiple times because it sounded vaguely familiar. And then it dawned on me that the familiarity came from many similar studies and language surrounding the benefits of having a pet. If you read my columns, you know I often discuss the human-animal bond, a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals. So, I immediately had to write about this because while I am not currently in a romantic relationship, I do have the love of my friends (who are all over the world) and the love of my beautiful dogs, KoKo and KARTU. I am excited to celebrate those loves this Valentine’s Day and encourage my readers to stop and reflect on their own lives. If you are happily married or in a romantic relationship…YOU are surrounded by love. If you are single and have a few friendships that you so dearly cherish…YOU are surrounded by love. If you have a pet by your side…YOU are surrounded by love. Read more

Do what you Love in the places you Love with the People & Pets you Love

Gayle Martz and her fur baby, KoKo

Everyplace you go and anywhere or everywhere you are, you can learn, enjoy, meet new people and be productive. My philosophy has always been; do what you Love in the places you Love with the People & Pets you Love. My beloved KoKo is with me in Paris, France. We are learning so much on so many things I love. Photography has always been what I do and I continuously keep learning. Apple products are what I am using and learning more about, as technology are the inventions of today!

A travel with your pet checklist

When you are traveling internationally and taking along your dog or cat there are a number of things you need to get in order ahead of time.

Make an appointment with your vet. Make sure your pet is current on all vaccinations and travel with a proof of rabies vaccination. It’s also a good idea to get your pet microchipped and do so prior to the rabies vaccine if possible. This will not only allow your pet to be tracked should they become lost, but the immunization records will be recorded as available information on that chip.
When flying be sure to book your connecting flights if there are any on the same airline. If your pet is for instance, too big to stay in a carrier on the cabin with you and winds up in the cargo hold the airline will transfer the pet to another flight they provide but not to another airline. Also, even when the pet is in an approved carrier, like the iconic SHERPA pet carrier, you may need to have your pet clear customs more than once. Research ahead of time about this procedure and what steps may be needed in the country you are visiting.
Be sure to book a pet friendly hotel, whatever your destination.
Get your pet accustomed to the pet carrier or crate they will be traveling in well ahead of time. Have them use it like a bed if possible and love being in it. If you wait to spring this on them till just before you leave for the airport, they may not like being in the carrier and have a very stressful flight. Also in the future they will associate the pet carrier with a negative experience and be upset when you try to take them somewhere else, like to the vet.
Figure out a head of time how you’ll be feeding your pet once you arrive at your destination. Does the country you are visiting have the correct food? In most cases you can take some dry kibble with you. Moist food is often okay as well, but check ahead of time with your airline about what you can bring along. It might well be easier to get food for your pet when you arrive where you’re visiting, but again research to see what is available where you are traveling. Changing your pet’s food suddenly can cause an upset stomach. The last thing you want when stay in a hotel is a pet that’s having gastrointestinal issues. It also might be a good idea depending on where you are going to buy bottled water for your pet to drink as native unfiltered water could upset their stomach.