March 2025 - Welcoming Spring and Introducing Variety

MAR 2025 Patriot's Pet Chronicle.pdf

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In this issue, we dive into strategies to help introduce variety to your companion's life, as well as helping them safely embrace the spring season!

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Patriot’s Pet Chronicle - Volume 2, Issue 2-March 2025 - spicing up your dog's life - welcoming spring and at home enrichment (pages 2-3) By Mackenzie Howell (Mackenzie Howell has worked in the pet care arena for half a decade, with a special interest in pet nutrition and enrichment. She serves PPC as business support, and when not maintaining her pet “zoo,” Ms. Howell loves spending time with her family, reading a good mystery novel, or cooking up something delicious!) (PAGE 1) It’s no secret, we love variety! From the songs we enjoy to the tv shows we watch, we love to spice up our lives! Your dog has the same craving for variation, especially with their favorite thing: food! Spicing Up Your Dog’s Life: Introducing Variety! - It’s true! Dog’s crave variety. Think about it: if you’ve walked through any pet supply store, you’ve seen aisles upon aisles of offerings. Although your pup may have their one favorite red squeaky ball, or a treat they just can’t live without, there will always be tons more options available that they may enjoy equally--if not more!

There are so many ways to introduce variety into your dog’s life, but we’ll be starting small today with two of the most important ways: through toys and food! By harnessing these strategies, you will be able to help avoid boredom and create a more resilient and curious companion!

New Toys Mean New Adventures! - You know your dog well! You know their favorite toy and the toys that sit, forgotten, at the bottom of their toy bin. Although it seems counterintuitive, I encourage you to look for toys that are outside of (or at least adjacent to) your pet’s comfort zone the next time you’re looking to make a purchase! For example, if your dog goes absolutely crazy for his red squeaky ball, maybe try to bring them home a scented teething bone instead, or an interactive rope toy that you can play with together! Oftentimes, the reason that we grow accustomed to something is simply that we haven’t been exposed to anything else! Just be sure to keep an eye on your pet as they explore a new toy, especially one that may have chewable parts. 

If you’re wary of buying new toys--don’t worry! There’s a secret trick you can use to refresh your dog’s curiosity and interest in the toys you already have at home. Many dogs have accumulated a small pile of toys available for their selection. I highly recommend removing some options and rotating them in later to encourage variety! Gather your dog’s toys and stash them safely in the closet (just don’t lose them!). Take out 2-3 toys for your dog to enjoy that week--and that’s it. You may need to interact and help your dog figure out how to best play with the toys, but in no time, you’ll have one excited pooch! The following week, clean and pack the previous weeks’ toys up, and take out a new selection! This strategy forces your dog to be exposed to more variety and healthy interaction! (PAGE 2) embrace spring with DIY enrichment - Spicing Up Your Dog’s Life Cont’d -Appeal to Your Dog’s Inner Foodie! - If your dog is anything like mine, they sure love their food! Utilize this adoration to add some variety to their day! There are hundreds of combinations of food flavors and textures on the market, as well as fun toppers! Always consider your dog’s allergies or intolerances first, but try picking out something new at regular intervals to rotate into your dog’s diet. Start small and slow, but be sure to introduce your dog to some foods that they may have never tried before. I’m a huge fan of picking up high quality foods from your local pet supply’s discount rack and mixing things up with them! You’d be surprised with how even the pickiest dog may wind up loving a new texture or component!

You can also consider rotating your dog’s treats! Treats shouldn’t make up a huge percentage of your dog’s meal, but can still offer additional enjoyment and interest! Plus, curiosity drives reward value up, so you can enjoy more productive training sessions!

There are a ton of cognitive and health benefits from offering your dog a wide variety of foods (hint: keep an eye out for an upcoming issue...), and even baby steps can make a huge difference! Variety is called the, “spice of life,” for a reason! Help spice up your dog’s life and improve their enjoyment with small but consistent steps!

Why Us? Reinventing the Wheel - At Patriot’s Pet Care, your companion is our passion! That’s why our facility is constantly improving and, “reinventing the wheel,” to provide the best possible experience to your dog. 

Although wheels haven’t made astronomical changes over the centuries, they have been consistently improved for safety and efficiency. The same approach is taken in our facility, where all aspects of our kennels, play yards, and building are regularly evaluated for safety and potential hazards to our staff and pets.

We believe that our canine customers are worth the effort to keep them as safe and enriched as possible! It may not be, “broke,” but we still want to fix it! This winter, we began our renovation of the beloved sandbox in our large play yard to reinforce its walls and refresh its substrate. This project, while still in motion, will ensure that the sandbox is safe for even our largest guests!

At Home Enrichment: Flower Power! - Enrichment is a crucial element of keeping your dog physically and mentally healthy. There is no shortage of options when it comes to providing enrichment for your pet but finding new and innovative methods can sometimes be challenging. Patriot’s Pet Chronicle aims to make this job easier for you: by providing easy, fun, and effective at-home enrichment strategies for you every month!

March 20th, 2025 is the first day of spring! Help your dog enjoy the season with a DIY at-home enrichment strategy. 

Did you know that there are many flowers that are not only edible for our dogs, but contain a great deal of vitamins?

Offering fresh or dried flower petals on your pup’s meal can be a great (and seasonally appropriate) enrichment strategy! Flowers like dandelions, roses, and marigolds are dog-safe and full of health benefits! Just be careful to avoid feeding your dog flowers which have been exposed to pesticides. If in doubt, there are tons of safe and organic flower petals available commercially for you and your dog!

(PAGE 3)- Help your dog welcome spring with safety tips! - Welcoming Spring - Although there are many species of flower which are totally safe for your household pets, there are equally as many plants that will be springing up with the changing of seasons that are not so friendly to your dog. 

While there are hundreds of species that can pose a threat to your dog, some of the more popular are as follows:

• Aloe Vera

• Azalea

• Asparagus fern

• Chrysanthemum

• Daffodil

• Holly

• Hyacinth

• Hydrangea

• Ivy

• Lilies

• Oleander

• Philodendron

• Rhododendron

• Yew

When in doubt, it is always safest to take a cautious approach. Even the most beautiful flowers and plants could be potentially lethal in ingested, so always be sure to thoroughly research any new garden addition that your pup may be exposed to! If you aren’t sure what type of plant you’re looking at, you can try using a visual search engine, such as Google Lens, to properly identify the species. You can then consult a reliable resource, I recommend ASPCA’s guide to Poisonous Plants, to determine the safety of the plant.

In case of a worst case scenario, be sure to have your dog’s veterinarian on speed dial, as well as the number for the Pet Poison Helpline saved:  (855)764-7661.