Not sure if like me you find it a challenge to photograph your pet. My cat, (Miss) Mia is impossible, unlike dogs who if trained will “sit” and “stay” on command. But even friends and family who have dogs have a difficult time photographing their pooches.

Not sure if you want to upgrade your camera for that “perfect shot” but here are some helpful tips in general:

1. Shoot at animal’s eye level.

2. Keep shooting; don’t wait for a shot.

3. To capture a pet’s attention: for dogs have treats, squeaky and patience. And make “meow” sounds.  Miss Mia (my cat) is cringing right now. For cats, make a noise but one must be prepared and quick.

4. Let pets be relaxed and playful for that candid shot.

5. Do not use flash to avoid eye-glow (like red-eye in humans).

6. Shoot off-center and look for unique characteristics of your pet.

7. Good lighting is important; morning light or soft evening light.

Or you can just enlist a professional pet photographer and not fret over whether fido or feline will say “woof” or “meow” for the camera. I will post a photo of the princess, Miss Mia once I have mastered these skills.  Hopefully in the near future.

For further information:

“Expert Tips on Photographing Your Pets”

What type of flea and tick pesticide are you using for your dog or cat?  You might want to seriously revisit and/or reevaluate what you are using on your pet.  Spot-on pesticide treatment products for pets (dogs & cats) are having an adverse affect.

Since April, the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has been investigating treatment products for ticks and fleas due to increased reporting of pets having skin irritations, hair loss and seizures among other negative reactions.  People can also be exposed to the pesticide at an extreme level just by petting a dog or cat.

For your health and your pet’s health please be proactive and research products; read their labeling and application instructions.  Do not apply pesticides for dogs on a cat or on cats for a dog.  Cats in particular are most sensitive to certain insecticides which can be lethal.

Additional Resources:

Beyond Pesticides

TheDailyGreen

LittleBigCat.com

Natural Resources Defense Council

to “Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month” in this month of June.  Petfinder.com and icanhascheezburger.com are collaborating to bring more public attention and awareness of cat adoptions.  Petfinder.com also has listing of cat breeds that are currently available.

Here’s how you can help:

• View any adoptable cat on Petfinder
• Click “Add to Icanhascheezburger.com”
• Write your own LOL-worthy caption

Then visit Icanhascheezburger to vote for adoptable LOLcats!

It is hard to believe that today is the first day of summer with the rainy and cooler temps we have been experiencing at least here in the Northeast.  There is a “Noah’s Ark” feeling for the past week at least. April and May were so beautiful and more summer-like than this current month of June.

All that aside Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there including Animal Planet’s “Top 10 Animal Dads”.

And “surf’s up” to the 1st day of Summer in spite of this rainy day from Life’s “Surfer Dogs”.  It does not look as though the “surfer dogs” in California had the sunniest day either….sigh.  Rain, rain, go away…I will probably start praying to the “sun god” now.

In today’s Boston Globe there is reporting of an abandoned kitten. Pet owners under duress, please do not despair and remember there are many wonderful local, regional and national organizations that can help.  Oprah has been a tremendous supporter and advocate of animal rescue and adoption.  There is donated space in the July issue of O Magazine or go directly to BestFriends.org.  Like BestFriends.org you can get assistance from The Humane Society, Animal Rescue League, Petfinder and the ASPCA.

Certainly during these tough economic times it is a challenge finding employment. But as with previous downturns this too shall pass.  There are so many resources for job searches today.  But, there is only one I know of specifically for “Pet Friendly Workplaces”.  It is a partnership between SimplyHired and Dogster.

Petside.com just listed it’s “Top 5 Pet-Friendly Employers”. And Techcrunch posted a new job search site redditJOBS which lists jobs based on popular vote.

Best wishes to all in job search mode!

In this month’s June issue of Scientific American there is an “In-Depth Report” on cats and dogs: “Scratch ‘n Sniff: A Guide to Cats and Dogs”.  Of the 4 articles in the report, “Veterinarians Unleash Probiotics to Ease Doggie Discomfort” by Coco Ballantyne is of particular interest.  I think gastrointestinal disorders are all too common in dogs and cats. And go unaddressed by their pet owners either due to misinformation or lack of information.

To address this issue some veterinarians as of late are now recommending supplemental probiotics.  The results from a clinical study (yet to be published) by Liam O’Mahony an immunologist,  ”suggest the bacterium helps clear up diarrhea in various canine breeds”.

Hopefully the supplemental probiotics will alleviate this irritation from our beloved pets.

Mark your calendars!  The week of June 22- 26 is “Take Your Pet to Work Week” sponsored by Pet Sitters International.  It is the 10th Anniversary of “Take your Dog to Work” on Friday, June 26th.  I suspect “Take Your Pet to Work Week” was established as to not offend other animal pet owners like myself (proud cat owner).

www.takeyourdog.com provides information you can download to prepare your pet for the workday and the following for your boss:

Top 10 Things to Say to Convince Your Boss to Take Part in TYDTWDay

10. The squirrels in the neighborhood deserve a break.
9. Wagging tails work great when the a/c is on the fritz.
8. With a dog as your passenger, you’ll be able to use the car pool lane.
7. It’s a great way to lick the work day blahs!
6. My dog thinks you’re grrrrrrreat!
5. Meetings end as soon as Rover starts staring at the conference room door.
4. You can blame those missing reports on one of your employees’ dogs.
3. It’s the leash you can do.
2. Finally, someone at your office will actually be working like a dog.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK…
1. Friday, June 26, is Take Your Dog To Work Day®!

But most importantly it is meant to confirm what great companions dogs, cats and pets in general really are. And to help save the lives of homeless pets by “encouraging pet adoption from shelters, humane societies and rescue groups”.

Thank you Pet Sitters International for the great work you do!

If you are a tenant and not a homeowner you can enter the “Roommate of the Year” contest sponsored by www.apartments.com .  ”Purr-fect Pet” category among others is for those tenants who have pets.  Grand Prize is FREE RENT for one year, plus $10,000 cash.  Not bad! But hurry the deadline for entry is Tuesday, June 30, 2009.  Good luck!

I was walking a friend’s dog early this afternoon and saw a couple of folks with their dogs.  As is typical with most people walking their dogs we struck up a conversation while the dogs had their social time as well.  The subject that came up was dog food.  Even though it has been a couple of years since the pet food scare there is still alarm and concern over what is the best food for one’s dog or cat.

Having said that I just read an article on Greenopia (online directory for green, sustainable and socially conscious daily purchase decisions), which provides independent ranking of 30 popular pet food brands sold here in the States.  For further reading on how this list was compiled please check “What’s Really in Your Pets Food (Plus How to find the Healthy Stuff”, by author Stephanie Rogers. Ratings were based on ” both health AND environmental impact”.

Getting back to folks walking their dogs earlier.  Kathleen who had two dogs with her, a Rottweiler and rescue dog, recommended PHD Products. This was based on her experience of another Rottweiler she had who passed away of bone cancer.  She decided to become proactive and discovered PHD Products through her research.  Kathleen made an interesting point during our conversation.  She said that “the old timers always fed their pets whole foods not processed, commercial pet food”.  Very good point I think that all us pet owners should heed.