Friday, March 28, 2014

America's Family PET EXPO at OC Fair Grounds

(originally posted on our sister-blog, socalblog)


It’s A Springtime Petstravaganza as America’s Family Pet Expo Celebrates 25 Years of Fur Flying Family Fun, Returns to the OC Fair & Event Center April 25-27
Thousands of animals, pet products, four-legged entertainment all weekend long
**Please Do Not Bring Your Pets***

It’s the “Bow Wow Wow” and Cat’s Meow for your favorite furry, scaled or feathered friend.  America’s Family Pet Expo (AFPE) returns to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, April 25th – 27th.  Celebrating 25 years, this “spet-acular” event boasts a menagerie of animals including cats, dogs, miniature horses, birds, and exotic reptiles, all on display providing show guests the opportunity to experience these animals in a variety of different ways.  Interactive exhibits, educational shows and demonstrations, as well as the latest in pet trends and products for sale, make America’s Family Pet Expo fun for the whole family. Tickets are on sale now at www.PetExpoOC.org.   AFPE kindly reminds guests that the event is for humans only, pets are not allowed at the Expo.

New to the 2014 Expo is the “Extreme Canines Dog Stunt Show,” a high energy, fur-flying show with stunt dogs soaring for Frisbees, high jump flying through the air, jump roping, and running through obstacle courses.  Executive producer Chris Perondi’s show is not to be missed.
For reptile enthusiasts, Repticon, will offer guests the opportunity to touch and hold snakes, lizards, spiders, and dozens of other exotic reptiles and amphibians through hands-on demonstrations and exhibits.

Returning to the Expo, is Dog Training with Renee.  Renee Jones comes from Alabama to teach show guests how to train their four-legged friends basic and complex commands.  She is a renowned Certified Professional Dog Trainer – “Knowledge Assessed,” and her Southern flair is a winning combination with canines and owners.

Always a fan-favorite, the ever-popular Splash Dogs take to the dock, offering a wet-and-wild canine competition as participating pups compete for the longest jump into the pool!

Interested in how canines are used to protect our communities?   At the Police and Protection Dog Demonstrations watch and learn how these K9 Officers and their pup-partners work and play while gaining a deeper appreciation for these canine protectors in our community.  

Looking for answers on why your feline is finicky? The TICA Cat Show & Presentations allows you to learn about the many breeds of cats and their unique personalities.  Do you like to fly with a different crowd?  Be amazed while magnificent birds fly when The Birdman of Las Vegas soars into the Expo with a brand-new show.  

The Great American Petting Zoo offers several different animals for kids to touch, brush and feed.  Tucker’s Pony Rides, Human Hamster Wheel and Scooter the Mini Horse are some of the attractions and activities kids will love!  Also on hand will be Tickled Pink Face Painting so the little ones can “become” their favorite animal.

At the Kid’s Aquarium Contest, each participant receives a 10 gallon aquarium, heater, filter and water and the kids add their own fish and unique decorations.  The aquariums will be on display throughout the Expo and are judged according to age group and three categories:  Natural and Creative. Every participant is ultimately a winner because after the Expo, each child can bring home their creation.  Children are encouraged to sign up for participation in next year’s Kid’s Aquarium Contest.  School age kids, 5 to 16 years old are encouraged to participate.

Pet Adoptions will be handled on site for those looking to add a furry member to their family.  There will be hundreds of animals hoping to find their “furever home” from local community partner organizations at the Expo.



Ticket info:
General Admission, $13.00; seniors 60 and over, $11.00. Children 6-12, $8.00. 5 yrs and under, FREE. Active and retired military free with ID. 

Show hours:  
Friday 10am-6pm; Saturday 10am-7pm; Sunday 10am-6pm. 

Location:
OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa 92626. Parking is $7. 

Kindly leave all pets at home. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.PetExpoOC.org.
The America’s Family Pet Expo is created, produced and managed by World Pet Association, Inc., a 60-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting responsible pet care.  This year marks the 25th Anniversary of AFPE.


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Ticket giveaway coming soon!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Neutered But Still Humping Everything...What's Going On?



During one of our weekly visits to the local dog park (Hound Town), Gigi made friends with a super energetic dog that definitely kept her on the go. They played, yes, but mostly she had to keep running in order to escape his more than friendly advances. 

The owner apologized profoundly even though we both laughed it off because they are after all, dogs. She explained that she'd only had him for less than a year but he was neutered so she didn't understand his behavior, especially since he'd hump just about anything - not just female dogs.

Turns out, this is pretty normal behavior even after being neutered. According to an article I read, there many factors that could trigger a humping session. 

Newly Neutered - Just because the equipment is gone doesn't mean the high levels of testosterone are too. It can take up to six to eight weeks for your pup to simmer down. Also, if your pup is an older fella it may just be a habit of his to go around making advances. Neutering can reduce and sometimes eliminate many of these behaviors, but it's often more effective on dogs who haven't become sexually mature.

Emotion - It doesn't always have to be about sex, it could simply be that he feels overwhelmed (for positive & negative reasons). Dogs occasionally take on humping as a compulsive reaction to frustration and anxiety...I mean, not everyone can have a therapist.

Power - Feelings of insecurity or feeling threatened can possibly lead to your pup using humping as a power play. Neutering can often curb feelings of aggression and dominance, but it's not a given.

Health - Never make any assumptions as to why your dog might be humping, fixed or otherwise, because it could be health related. Some of the ailments that are frequently associated with canine humping are urinary tract infection, allergies, flea outbreak and incontinence. Mounting can be a symptom of any and all of these problems. Bottom line: talk to Vet about any concerns you have about your dog. Always.

Being Playful - He just wants to play, nothing more and nothing less. This is probably the most common in dogs that didn't receive a lot of interactive play experience as puppies.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

If Gigi Were A Cartoon...


She'd probably look just like this:

graphic credit: mittzy_tj

Super cute, right? Wish I could take the credit for it but I didn't create the graphic. I'm not that good, haha. We've recently made a lot of (dog & dog parent) friends on Instagram and one of them made it for me.

Gotta love internet friends.

By the way, you should totally follow us on IG, it's a lot of fun to see all the random photos I post of G. See, this picture was taken while she was helping me drive to O.C. As you can tell, she didn't care much for being photographed so early in the morning.



What a diva.