August has just arrived, and while our FiveSibes family and many other folks are still enjoying the summer time soaking up the sun and splashing in the water, the thought of school is not that far off. Some families are busy with the annual ritual of back-to-school shopping and physicals, and some kids have already started classes! But if you are in areas where September means back-to-school time, this post is for you! While items such as bookbags, notebooks, and pencils are being added to shopping lists, the transition from summer sun to school-time fun could actually be a stressful one for pets. Here are a few of my FiveSibes "golden rules" to help ease the change for our furry best friends and their human pals: Practice Makes Perfect (Sense)
 Before the first day of school arrives, practice walking to the bus stop or driving your child to school with your dog accompanying you to introduce both your dog and child to the new routine.   Positive Reinforcement
 Whil...

  Labor Day Weekend is here! While it's technically summer until September 22nd, Labor Day weekend unofficially marks the end of summer here and thoughts surround notebooks, laptops, backpacks, and school supplies as next week marks Back-to-School time here in our area! While kids and parents may or may not be ready to get back in the educational swing, the question is, are your pets ready for the change? Here's a helpful FiveSibes infographic with our top tips to help make this time of year less stressful for the entire family ( and some of these tips are applicable to other pets as well! We had a dwarf bunny who would get so excited, he'd get bunny "zoomies" whenever my da ughter came home from school ! ): Click on image to make larger. Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend and have fun celebrating what's left of summer. And for those already in school, and to those about ready to begin, here's to a happy, safe, and successful school year for al...

It's that time again to spring ahead into spring! Sunday morning at 2 AM we welcome Daylight Saving Time (DST) here and in many areas of the world...which means...we will have "longer" lighter days to have more fun doing things outdoors with our pets! Daylight Saving Time is also the time of year I like to reshare with everyone some very important seasonal health and safety tips: PET MEDICATIONS TIME : If your pet is on specifically timed medications (like our furangel Epi-Husky Gibson who was on meds for Ca nine Epilepsy that he had to take 12 hours apart), you can help reset your pet's internal clock for these medications by staggering them by a half-hour starting on Sunday. Example : If your pet had been receiving their dosages at 7:30 AM before DST, then under the first day of the new time, give it to them at 8:00 AM*; then do the same for the PM dosage. On the second day, you can return back to the norm...

  Back-to-School season is here! Even though summer Backpack's on - Bandit's ready to go! is not officially over in many areas for another few weeks, it's time for alarm clocks, homework, and after-school activities. After spending all summer together playing and lazing around the yard, the excitement of back-to-school can translate into stress for our family pets. To help pets adjust to the sudden empty-house syndrome, try preparing them a few days before if you can. Here are just a few tips to help make the transition a bit smoother: "I don't want to get up early!" Let  your dog escort your child with you to the bus stop, the corner, or ride along in the car if you drive your child to school. Keep the mood upbeat. We know how dogs pick up on our moods and energies. Let your children tell their furbaby that they will be back after school to play. They really do understand. Let the radio or TV play...