ojai pet friendly

There are  three properties in town in Ojai that are pet friendly. Ojai is widely known for being an active art community, spa retreat and spiritual sanctuary.  Located an easy 90 minute drive north of Los Angeles or a 45 minute drive south-west of Santa Barbara.  Ojai hosts many special events throughout the year, from wine tasting festivals, lavendar, poetry, storytelling festivals and Ojai studio artist tours to music festivals and world-class athletic events. From hiking and camping in the Sespe Wilderness area to boating on Lake Casitas, nature recreation is very much a part of the Ojai Valley.  With its many parks, hiking and biking trails and exquisite natural surroundings, there are many places for you and your dog to explore.

The Lavender Inn — they give doggie beds, treats, welcome package. There is a $35 cleaning fee for guest dogs who can stay in the Topa Room or the Provence Cottage with a private yard. The Lavender Inn is also home to the Ojai Culinary School, which offers hands-on cooking classes hosted by visiting and local chefs. Just outside the front garden is a new, convenient Spa at the Lavender Inn. Gourmet breakfasts are served buffet style in the Dining Room with seating inside, on the Veranda, or privately under the arbor. Fresh orange juice, seasonal fruit, freshly baked items, locally roasted coffee, granola, yogurt, and a frittata or other hot entree are served daily. Herbs and vegetables are picked daily from the organic herb garden.  For more information, visit the website and/or contact Innkeeper@LavenderInn.com P: (805) 646-6635.

http://thelavenderinn.wordpress.com/tag/dogs/

Our pets are part of our family.  Going away for a day or two can add stress to your life and your little furry friend.  No need to worry about them while you are away. Take a day (or two) trip to the Lavender Inn for much needed R & R and truly relax while you have your pride and joy right by your side. Bring your dog, your cat, or even your bird. Not only will they soak up the sun along with you, but will soak up the love and attention from the wonderful staff and guests.

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

doggie room service is strictly five diamond and includes: a gourmet pet menu; your name on the outside of the room; plenty of dog friendly areas to be walked and exercised; and a special turn down service every evening.  $100 per check in. Please let them know when you book your room as an additional fee will apply. Toll Free Reservations 1.888.697.8780

http://www.ojairesort.com/pet_friendly.html

http://www.ojairesort.com/our_community.php

http://www.ojairesort.com/community-wineries.php

Blue Iguana Inn

Dog friendly (upon approval).

• Complimentary continental breakfast served daily.
• Complimentary wireless DSL service.

(805) 646-5277
Email: innkeeper@blueiguanainn.com

Pet Friendly Restaurants

Antonio’s Breakfast Cafe

Deer Lodge Tavern

Full of Beans

Jim & Rob’s Fresh Grill

Rainbow Bridge Natural Foods Cafe

Parks and Trails

Lake Casitas Recreational area allows dogs

Ojai Valley Trail is a great place to walk them on a leash

Cozy Dell Trail is another popular one for dogs

Libbey Park in the center of town, is a great place for people to take their dogs — it’s not a dog park, but a place to go

Soule Dog Park:  Although dogs are not allowed in Soule Park proper, they are now allowed in the newly opened 2008 off leash dog area. There are sections for large and small dogs (under 20 pounds), waste disposal stations, and benches in the shade. General admission is $2 weekdays, $4 weekends, and annual passes are $55 ($25 for seniors).

Honor the dogs

just in case you think that Subway is being unfairly targeted/boycotted… consider this:  I just found this update on the link below that talked about sponsors that canceled but Subwway DID NOT cancel their sponsorship. They sponsored the Michael Vick reality show for the one season that it was on the air and now they “probably” will not sponsor the BET award next year. Meaning, they do not care what we think or how many customers they will lose by sponsoring M. Vick.

JUNE 2011 UPDATE: “The Michael Vick Project” went off the air last year after one season. On June 26, 2011, Vick received the Subway Sportsman of the Year Award at the BET Awards. Although Subway sponsored Vick’s reality show for its duration, a company representative said it was not involved in deciding who won the sportsman award. Due to the large amount of complaints the company has received, the rep said Subway will probably not sponsor the award again next year.

these companies supported Michael Vick’s reality show:  Checkers/Rally’s, hotwire, ford, mcdonald’s, 7up, lysol, subway, buick, KFC, Overture Films

http://www.ilovedogs.com/2010/02/major-sponsors-drop-michael-vicks-reality-show/

Major Sponsors Drop Michael Vick’s Reality Show | i Love Dogs

www.ilovedogs.com

Fourteen companies pulled their ads from BET’s The Michael Vick Project due to the amount of complaints they received.  Subway was NOT NOT NOT on the list of companies that pulled their ads… Subway has said that they are innocent re: BET awards but there is NO backpedaling from this… just saying… I guess they think we’re dumb and cannot read. well, Subway now what you got to say for yourself. Trying to cover up and LYING is worse than the original offense.

Now some people are starting to talk about boycotting all of the sponsors of the BET awards besides just Subway, to be fair, they want to be equal opportunity dog-cotters. Below is the info about the other sponsors of the BET awards (some, like Subway, were going to sponsor a failed M. Vick reality show too).  Is it enough to just boycott Subway? To single Subway out and target Subway? Is it fair to make local Subway shop owners pay for corporate’s mistake? Are you going to boycott the whole list of companies below?  Curious bloggers want to know.

I was going to post this as a note on Facebook but here I have more space.  It seems that team Vick is busy getting sponsorships lined up. Now for me, I don’t drink soda, nor coffee, do not do caffeine, and am not going to buy a Ford or a Nissan, and have issues with Domino’s because of lousy service (although since I complained, they have definitely made an effort at better customer service) so what do you think?  Are you going to boycott all of the companies who sponsor Vick? if so, for how long? Are you going to write/call all of them?

I admit it, I was angry about last week’s debacle in New Jersey where Vick sold autographs for $150 and 150 insane people actually paid for his signature. And what really ticked me off was that the protesters to this event were cordoned off and away from the store. So when I saw the info about the BET Awards, I was livid. Here we go again, oh no, not if I can help it. And now this boycott has snowballed from zero to more than 15,000 folks signing on board the No Way Subway page and almost 2000 on the Boycott BET page.

Yes, I think M. Vick should still be in jail and not lauded nor honored for anything. And I think that sending a message to these companies wallets/bottomline is important to show that WE MEAN BUSINESS and VOTE with OUR DOLLARS.  That if they want to sponsor sub-humans, they are going to pay a big price for it.  I also think that Chris Brown was an inappropriate honoree for what he did to  Rihanna and that violent video games should not be sold period and most especially not to children. And it seems that this could be a full-time occupation, dogging Vick at every turn.  Is that the way you want to spend your time?

For me, I want to honor the dogs… Sweet Jasmine, Ginger, Red, Stella, Cherry Garcia, Handsome Dan, Hector the Inspector, Georgia, Mel, Leo, Lucas, the little red dog, all of the dogs Vick brutalized and/or murdered. I want to HONOR the dogs. And tell the world about them. Seven of the dogs are now therapy dogs.

Jhumpa Jones just got her therapy certificate!

And many have been adopted to loving families and are living harmoniously, peacefully with other dogs, kids and even cats. For me, the dogs are the HEROES and deserve awards.  Also, their caretakers are HEROES, BadRap, Best Friends, Our Pack, Monterey SPCA and the others who loved and took care of these traumatized (often pancaked, too scared to move, eat or bark) dogs who they socialized, trained, fostered and adopted and helped these special dogs to become good Canine Citizens and the best ambassadors for their breed EVER.

VOTE FOR LEO !

Vote for Leo daily for the SPCA’s Hero Dog of the Year Award for Therapy Dogs. http://www.herodogawards.org/view-entries.html#search/leo

Here he is with his toys. For a dog who didn’t seem to really know what they were when we first got him, he’s got a great collection now!

Instead of dogging Vick at every turn, I want to HONOR the Dogs with Good Positive Publicity.

Ta da, the world famous Cherry (Belly) Garcia and his sister Madison were recently HONORED as STARS in Connecticut at the screening of the Beyond the Myth film about pit bulls.  Here is Cherry Garcia with his pal Titan.  Ok, am going to cry again, Cherry was one of the most abused of the bait dogs at Bad Newz and it has taken his wonderful parents and Madson a long time to help him be able to be with strangers so this film screening and being on TV was a BIG VICTORY FOR CHERRY (he has two facebook pages, one Cherry Garcia, the other Victory 4 Cherry).  How could ANYONE WITH A HEART look at that sweet face/eyes and hurt him????  Am soooo proud of this sweetheart of a dog.   He melts my heart. Cherry is the black dog on the left, in case you did not know and Titan is the white dog on the right.

Vick can go you know what, you know where. And he will get his in the end. I believe in karma. you sow what you reap. And he’s reaped plenty of really bad karma and the more accolades being thrown at him, the more money, fame, more awards he gets truly are a curse on him although it may not seem like it.  I gotta make peace with that because spending my time and energy on him makes me ill. I had nightmares before and don’t want to go there again.

So where do you draw the line in the sand? How do you decide who is going to be the next company to withdraw your dollars from? How are you going to spend your life, time and energy and dollars?  Just saying… For numerous reasons, for the most part, I don’t buy supermarket brands. I try to be selective as to who gets my dollars. And like with voting for elections sometimes you just gotta buy stuff you don’t think is the best because you just cannot afford the best. For instance, am going to start juicing and eat more fresh produce for my health. and I know organic is better. I also don’t know if I can get all the organic produce I want unless I grow it myself.  Questions to muse/consider and decide for yourself.

Peace out.  Do good.

dog cott everyone… HONOR THE DOGS…

Let the twittering begin! Follow  @Boycott_BET #BoycottBET #nosickvick

V7 – The Official Brand of Michael Vick – Coming Soon…
teamvick.com

Here is the toll free number for leaving a comment for the BET network 1-800-711-1630…

For more than a decade, the BET AWARDS has reigned as the biggest family event rivaling all top awards shows.

I guess the plan then was as TV entertainment for families, for you and your children, here at BET we honor dog killers and women beaters, so that you can see how great it is to grow up to be psychopaths, too…  You too can make lots of money and win awards just like this one.

Read more: http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/Coca-Cola-Dominos-And-More-Set-As-BET-Awards-11-Sponsors-626-20110625#ixzz1Qdgu5AKZ

the rest of the sponsors include Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Coca-Cola, Ford, and more.

Speaking of car companies, now another group is dog-cotting Nissan.

The Rally Against Michael Vick
Well, another Nissan dealer has partnered with Michael Vick – Lynchburg Nissan in Lynchburg, Virginia. Another reason to boycott all Nissan dealers. Nissan USA told me that they have no control over who their dealers do business with but now at least two Nissan dealers are in bed with Michael Vick. I don’t see any other car companies jumping on the Vick bandwagon, buy your cars from those companies instead.

Jeez, how did I miss this, it was on June 10th. But notice the sponsor was Lynchburg Nissan. When I boycotted Woodbury Nissan in NJ for using Vick in a commercial, the parent company assured me it was just a dealership decision. Now another Nissan dealer has partnered with him. Unbelievable.

Michael Vick – Virginia’s Finest Meet & Greet
www.behance.net
Flyers, posters, and billboard to promote “Virginia’s Finest Meet & Greet”, an event put together by V7/Team Vick, sponsoring CVA Elite Youth Football.

Contact info for Lynchburg Nissan
Nissan Dealer in Forest Virginia – LYNCHBURG VA Nissan dealer BEDFORD VA Nissan dealer MADISON HEIGH
www.lynchburgnissan.com
Lynchburg Nissan Forest Virginia 888-691-9608

Contact info for Nissan USA
NissanUSA.com – Contact
www.nissanusa.com

Press Release I Wrote and Sent about ubout Subway Boycott:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

• $5 FOOT-LONG BOYCOTT BELONGS IN SUBWAY’S MOUTH

You would think that people would learn the lesson by now that the cover-up can be worse than the original mistake. Just ask Congressman Anthony Weiner. But some people and companies apparently have not gotten that memo yet.

Now it is Subway’s turn to learn. The sandwich shop giant contends that they innocently sponsored the recent BET awards and did not know who was being chosen for the Sportsmen of the Year Award (Michael Vick won the award).

Vick was one of five finalists winning out over Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose. Woman beater Chris Brown also won several BET awards.

Subway said this after more than 15,000 now former customers signed onto a Facebook page No Way Subway in a matter of hours vowing to boycott Subway. The dog lovers told Subway in no uncertain terms No Way would Subway get their dollars ANYMORE via email and phone calls.

Just in case you think that Subway is being unfairly targeted/boycotted, consider this:

Subway was one of the companies that supported Michael Vick’s failed reality show:  Checkers/Rally’s, Hotwire, Ford, Mcdonald’s, 7up, Lysol, Buick, KFC, Overture Films were others.

Major Sponsors Drop Michael Vick’s Reality Show

http://www.ilovedogs.com/2010/02/major-sponsors-drop-michael-vicks-reality-show/

Fourteen companies pulled their ads from BET’s The Michael Vick Project due to the amount of complaints they received.  Subway was NOT on the list of companies that pulled their ads. Now what does Subway have to say besides the $5 foot-longs do not contain dog meat.

There is another page Boycotting BET and a petition to get Vick to give back the award.

Ironic that the convicted felon took the honors and Subway got the heat. Not the most well-thought out PR plan for a family food establishment to associate with and pay financial tribute to a well-known dog killer.

Subway Contact Information
Franchise World Headquarters
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06461-3059 USA
Ph: 203.877.4281 -or-
Ph: 800.888.4848

# # #

boycotting BET and Subway and Nike

Chris Durant is the person who had posted about this debacle with BET and Subway in the first place…

http://chrisdurant2000.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/chris-durant-v-michael-vick-an-open-letter-to-subway/

The sandwich shop chain contends that they innocently sponsored the recent BET awards and did not know who was being chosen for the Sportsman of the Year Award (Michael Vick won the award). Vick was one of five finalists winning out over Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose. Subway said this after more than 18,000 now former customers signed onto a Facebook page No Way Subway in a matter of hours vowing to boycott Subway. The dog lovers told Subway in no uncertain terms No Way would Subway get their dollars ANYMORE via email and phone calls.

Did you know that Subway sponsored a failed Michael Vick reality show for the entire season while 14 other sponsors pulled their ads?  Ooopsie, so much for Subway claiming innocence regarding the BET award.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/NO-WAY-Subway/173935239336924

really good article, esp. last line

http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/170095-bet-awards-winners-losers-a-winning-losers

Add Nike to the list to boycott, they just signed Vick and Core Energy too…

Just Do It Boycott Nike

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Nike-for-Signing-Michael-Vick/233317890026111?sk=wall

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Say-No-To-Nike/223640324336619?sk=wall

contact Nike and others info:

https://www.facebook.com/ThePatrickMovementFL?sk=notes#!/note.php?note_id=156742881064859

a few good blog posts:

What Vick calls “mistakes” were actually felonies which could have sent him to prison for much longer than the 18 months he spent incarcerated. The fact is, he spent years torturing and killing defenseless animals.

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-norfolk/convicted-felon-michael-vick-given-award-by-bet-subway

Perhaps Michael Vick was awarded “Sportsman of the Year” by BET because he hasn’t done anything too terrible in the past year. I would like to make some posthumous awards to people who haven’t done anything bad in a long, long time:

Mother of the Year – Joan Crawford
Humanitarian of the Year – Dr. Joseph Mengele
Peace Prize – Adolph Hitler
Human Rights Award – Idi Amin
Husband of the Year – O.J. Simpson

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/should-subway-suffer-because-michael-vick/#ixzz1Qs2W2qZe

http://chrisdurant2000.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/corporate-responsibility-subways-willful-failure/

http://bobdogsandcats.blogspot.com/2011/07/nike-say-it-isnt-so.html

 

There is much to do, take your pick…or be a hero and do them all…

Sign the petitions:

http://www.change.org/petitions/rescind-michael-vicks-election-as-sportsman-of-the-year

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/boycott-subway-until-michael-vick-gives-his-bet-award-back

order a Lost Dog book to send to Subway and/or BET, order it here so % goes to the dogs

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2010/08/jim-gorant-lost-dogs-our-review.html

https://www.facebook.com/BoycottBET?sk=wall

Boycott BET has 2,000 fans

Call/write BET/Subway:  Be factual and professional.

Call Black Entertainment Television (BET) 202-608-2000

https://bet.wufoo.com/forms/contact-us-bet-programming/

Email and/or call and say that you will not be a customer because of their support of Michael Vick, will Vick be doing Subway commercials now?  Boycott.  Thank you.

SUBWAY Restaurant Customer Service Form      Ph: 800.888.4848

www.subway.com    You can also post comments on their Facebook page, be factual and professional. More bees with honey.

Black Entertainment Television (BET) is owned by Viacom, contact Viacom here and let them know what you think about who BET supports:

http://www.viacom.com/contact/Pages/default.aspx

Please do this today and forward this to everyone you know!

There are a number of videos on youtube of black men like the one below who say that BET does NOT NOT NOT represent black people in a positive light and wonders why there are not doctors, lawyers, CPA’s and other black professionals represented on BET.

a good dog is easy to adopt

An interview with comedian Steve Hofstetter

Comedian Steve Hofstetter was scared of dogs until he married a shelter volunteer. A few weeks ago, Steve and his wife Sara adopted an adorable 6-year-old rescue beagle/dachshund mix (named Bea Arthur), and now he is encouraging others to do the same.  He also has been blogging about his dog at http://adoptingbeaarthur.blogspot.com/

bio…

The Thinking Man’s Comic.”
-The Queens Tribune

Author, columnist, and comedian Steve Hofstetter is often called the hardest working man in show-business. With all due respect to the late James Brown. Hofstetter has been on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and E! True Hollywood Story, Comics Unleashed, Comedy All-Stars, Quite Frankly, White Boyz in the Hood, Countdown, and more. His new album reached number 1 on iTunes’ comedy charts, and he is currently developing two television shows.

Having appeared on networks from Boston to Miami to Denver, his local television appearances are too numerous to count, especially if you’re using your fingers. Hofstetter has written humor columns for the New York Times, SportsIllustrated.com, and NHL.com, where he publicly admitted to being a Ranger fan.

I’ve written three books and released five comedy albums. Also, I’ve slept a lot.

Here’s his website if you’d like to know more:

http://www.stevehofstetter.com/

born/raised in NYC?

Yup. Queens represent! Okay, so I’m not gangster enough to say that, but yes, I’m from Queens.

Schools/college?

I went to Columbia. I’ve also been to other schools, but the only one I took classes at was Columbia.

Do you perform in comedy clubs?

Sure. I do 300 live dates a year. 100 or so are colleges, the rest are a mix of clubs, corporate, TV, and private shows.

what do you want to be when you grow up?

I was hoping 31 was grown up enough. Since I’m already living my dream as a comedian, I guess the answer to that question is “alive.”

why did you not like dogs?

When I was a kid, I was chased and almost bit. Then I was chased and knocked over. I didn’t understand dogs. I preferred animals you can reason with. Turns out you can reason with dogs, you just have to learn how to communicate with them.

did you like cats or other animals (birds, fish)?  in other words, did you have any pets growing up?

I had fish for the few days that fish live. We buried them in our yard in a coffin we made of popsicle sticks. We sold our house to a religious group that converted it into a mission. I bet they have no idea about our mini pet cemetery.

where did you grow up NYC? (note: I grew up in Bayside, Queens)

Small world. I’m from Briarwood.

how did Sara win you over to getting a dog as a pet?  was the process slow or did you have a meltdown (of your heart)?

Sara told me how much she loved dogs on our first date, and she says I glossed over it. It was one of those things where I thought, “okay, well, I like you anyway.” But she really won me over with education. She taught me that problem dogs are due to problem owners. When I learned that all but one of the Vick dogs were rehabilitated, that was enough to really teach me that it’s about training and love, not about being afraid of animals.

did you visit a shelter and fall in love with Bea Arthur? or was Bea a happy accident, in other words, did you consciously intend and go out to get a dog or did Bea pick you?  How did you attain her?

We were looking for a dog, and Sara found her online. She always looked at dogs online in the way I look at real estate I can’t afford. It was just a dream. So once we started looking for real, she had a few ideas. Bea was actually a second choice. the first one got adopted before we met her, but the rescue (Stray From the Heart) suggested Bea. I think it was fate, as she’s the perfect fit.

did you have an idea about the breed of dog or size you wanted ?

Yup. Sara and I are pitbull advocates (again, through education). So we wanted one but NYC apartments have a lot of unfair breed restrictions. Also, we thought a small dog might be a better fit for a one bedroom apartment. So when Bea came along, it made sense.

do you find it a big adjustment, being a dog owner or easier than you thought it would be?

I told Sara from the get go that I would fall in love with our dog, and I have. It’s an adjustment, but so is life. I’ve had days where I was running late to a meeting and still had to walk her, and days where I wish I’d gotten more sleep. But when she nuzzles my leg or does something we taught her, it makes it all worthwhile.

what are some of the biggest challenges of having a dog?  what are the best rewards?

The lack of sleep is tough. She’ll wake us up at least once a night. My favorite reward is when she exhibits any human characteristics. A crawl, giving me a paw that stuff always makes me laugh.

what are Bea’s favorite things (toys, foods, places)?

She LOVES baloney and hot dogs. We use them as special treats to crate train her. She’s not a dog that loves toys. she doesn’t fetch, and she doesn’t chew anything other than her bones (which she also loves). Though she is into her kong but only because it contains baloney. We got her a squirrel toy that I insist is named Henry (despite Sara’s objections), and Bea’s bit it twice so far, so that’s a start.

did you pick her name or did she come with it?  If you picked her name, why do you call her Bea Arthur?

We wanted to name her after something comedy related, but all my favorite legends of comedy are men. Carlin, Hicks, Bruce, etc. But my wife and I love the Golden Girls (Bea Arthur especially) so she suggested that and it made sense immediately. Her full name is Beagle Arthur, of course.

besides being chick magnets for single guys. what other reasons can you give people to rescue adorable dogs?

They just make you happy. It’s hard to describe the change she’s made in me, but the overwhelming feeling (aside from love) is that I am a more complete person. Bea gives me a depth that I never had before, partly because my life is a lot less selfish than it used to be, now that I am responsible for another living thing.

do you have any favorite places in NYC to take Bea?

Not yet, she’s still learning. Though she really enjoys pooping at the construction site down the block from our apartment. Maybe it’s because they used to wake us up early, and now that’s Bea’s job. In a way, she’s marking. 🙂

anything else?

I think that covers it. Other than me missing my dog terribly when I’m on the road. Maybe I have separation anxiety, too.

Note from editor:

Adopt don’t shop. Five million dogs a year are killed at shelters across the USA every year. One in 600 pit bulls in shelters finds a good home. There are purebred pets at the local pound, rescues, online at petfinder.com and Facebook. There is no need to feed puppy mill breeders. If you buy a pet at a store, the pet has come from a puppy mill, more than likely, and it will be sickly and have problems. Spay and neuter your pets to not add to the overpopulation problem. And for goodness sakes, if you have difficulty feeding your pet at some point, get help and food from Pets of the Homeless, your local shelter may give out free food, there are pet food banks all over the country and if not, start one.  There is NO GOOD REASON/EXCUSE to starve, abandon, abuse or neglect your pets. If you get assistance for yourself, you can get assistance for your pets, too. There are free and low cost spay/neuter places and even resources if you need help with medical costs for your pet. If you need a trainer, perhaps you can barter with them. You can also foster a pet if you have room in your home and heart. Bottom line, a pet is a LIVE BEING depending on YOU for their survival.  Make a commitment and stick to it.   Your pet will thank you every day.

Action Alert:

Michael Vick received BET Award as Subway Sportsman of the Year. Email and/or call and say that you will not be a customer so long as Michael Vick is associated with them. will Vick be doing Subway commercials now?  Boycott.  Thank you.  SUBWAY Restaurant Customer Service Form      Ph: 800.888.4848
www.subway.com    You can also post comments on their Facebook page, be factual and professional.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/NO-WAY-Subway/173935239336924

https://bet.wufoo.com/forms/contact-us-bet-programming/

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/boycott-subway-until-michael-vick-gives-his-bet-award-back

http://www.seattledogspot.com/2011/06/28/boycott-subway-for-naming-michael-vick-sportsman-of-the-year/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boycott-subway-for-naming-michael-vick-sportsman-of-the-year

tune in: inner peace

This is so true

If you can start the day without caffeine

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment

If you can conquer tension without medical help

If you can relax without alcohol

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs

Then You Are Probably ….

The Family Dog!

 

http://bitsofwisdom.org/2011/04/01/inner-peace/

All in a dog’s work day

Cici won a contest, yay… which is one of the perks of bringing her to work with me every day (at home)… not just on Bring Your Dog to Work Day (today, June 24)…

http://www.hahps.net/

Cici is my muse and amuses me constantly… my side kick, my pal, my furry companion… she helps me work by inspiring me with real life tales, licks, funny poses and her perspective on life keeps this blog real. After all, it’s all grist for the mill, everything that happens in a dog’s day… this is a typical work day for Cici.

Her Bark is my Command.

http://www.doginmypocket.com/

Sleep until 5-6:30 a.m.

Growl, bark, lick, or sit by the door until Mom takes me out to the dog park. Do my business there.

Chow time. Gotta keep the energy up for a hard day at the office.

Sitting on mom’s arm until 10:30 or noon, depending on my mood or mom’s need for my perspective.

The mail is here.

Reading the newspaper for ideas and inspiration.

Hit the dog park or yard. Do I get a choice? Nah, I vote for the park. There I can check out the neighbor’s yards just in case there’s anything interesting I should follow up on. Lick children and babies and neighbors. Gotta keep on shmoozing, good pup lick relations. Do my business eventually.

Chow time around 1 p.m.

Good grooming begins at home.

Working on my dog book page and blog.

Daydream, big ideas, wish I were chasing cats and squirrels.  I could get a REAL job if I put my canine tail to work.  With a little help from my friends.

http://michellelovesdogs.com/dog-beds-how-to-buy-or-make-one/

Hit the yard or the dog park. Sniff sniff sniff. Do my business eventually.

Snacks and relaxation while mom watches TV (research).

Look adorable so that I get my fair share of mom’s dinner.

Lick the kitchen floor clean of any scraps that might have fallen.

Find a good place to think so I can plot and plan and improvise our future together. Am not just going around in circles, spinning my wheels, or chasing the pillow.

Scope out the yard or the dog park. Eventually, do my business in just the right spot.

Snoring? Woofing? Sleeping on the job?  I barked didn’t ?

Here it is, the contest won, at least Cici gets some credit around here.

http://parkerskye.blogspot.com/2011/06/true-story-tuesday-cicis-night-on-town.html

and now she is going shopping….  🙂

and singing whistle while you work…

Nah… Put the Lime in the coconut …Dr. is there something I can take?  Put the Lime in the coconut …

 

 

Every week seems to go faster than the one before… and now once again it is Blog Hop Saturday time, thanks to Life with Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume and grab the code here

patrick’s custody battle goes on

Update:

 

Woo Hoo!! “Nathan Winograd
The Appellate Court turned away the AHS attempt to take custody of Patrick. In a very quick decision, the Appellate Court said the trial correct made the right decision and Patrick should stay at GSVS pending resolution of the criminal case against his abuser. Decision attached

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/linked/affirmedpatrick.pdf”

I feel sick and sad. Cannot believe I have to do another Patrick custody update but according to Nathan Winograd, AHS appealed the court order.  Please pray for our boy and GSVS today.   Below is taken from comments made on Facebook.  There is a bright light comment made at the end.

Nathan Winograd

The Assoc. Humane Society in NJ is appealing a court order that Patrick stay with the veterinarian who saved him and the caretaker he has bonded with pending the outcome of the cruelty case. AHS is continuing its fight to put Patrick on display at its “zoo” so it can continue to fundraise off of him. AHS has a long, sordid history of substandard and neglectful conditions. Will his exploitation never end?

The application for leave to file an emergency appeal (essentially an appeal) was filed June 16 with the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. I’ve uploaded a copy of the filing and posted the link above. But here it is again: www.nathanwinograd.com/linked/ahsappeal.pdf.

Last night the good Capt. posted this:

NJ SPCA
To All : Patrick continues his amazing journey and is a happy and healthy pup. I can assure you that “ain’t nothing or nobody” that is going to move him from his current abode. Still trying to sort out the legal issues BUT Patrick is staying put at GSVS until after adjudication of charges against K. Curtis. PERIOD..Just Sayin.Capt

Nathan Winograd

Here’s the timeline to clarify:

1. On June 16, AHS filed a motion asking leave of the appellate court to turn Patrick over to them pending the appeal.
2. On Tuesday, they filed their brief appealing the decision of the court keeping Patrick with GSVS pending disposition of the criminal case.
3. Today, the City of Newark’s brief in opposition is due.

Nathan Winograd

I think the NJ SPCA, while perhaps good-intentioned, is giving people false information. First, they indicated that it was just rumor almost a week after AHS first petitioned the appellate court for custody of Patrick. Then when I posted the petition, they claim it is “just a petition” even though by that time, AHS got leave of court to file their brief which they did on Tuesday. (The City of Newark’s brief in opposition is due today.)Now, NJ SPCA claims Patrick will definitely stay put. I think it is irresponsible to give people such assurances when they were not even aware of the filing, have consistently misrepresented the state of the filing, and haven’t even read the briefs.

I hope they are right. I truly do. I hope the petition is denied. But I don’t know and NJ SPCA certainly doesn’t know, having been wrong on two occasions about this already. And saying they do is irresponsible bravado.

You can contact AHS http://www.ahscares.org/shop/contactus.asp and tell them what you think. How they should STOP WASTING money and resources and TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE ANIMALS ALREADY IN THEIR CARE.  Given that GSVS has obviously provided great care to Patrick, given that Patrick has bonded with his primary caretaker there, given that his primary caretaker has bonded with Patrick, given that they clearly care about each other, and given that broken bonds are not good for dogs, if money isn’t the motive, why try to pull him away from the love and care, given how much he has already suffered?

Here are photographs and documents taken from state inspection reports of AHS in 2003, 2009, and 2011. Be forewarned they are incredibly graphic: www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/newark.pdf. Their history of substandard and neglectful conditions should GET THEM SHUT DOWN.

A bright spot comment:

I believe that the appeal will fail unless the judge made a serious error, and I don’t believe that he did. I think this is just “lawyerly grandstanding”, and one more example of AHS’ willingness to waste valuable resources, putting their own interest before those of animals in need.

wish I had a better more current photo of Patrick, but this one shows who Patrick belongs with, GSVS.

media blame the dogs

My last semester of college, my professor gave me the choice of taking his course on Broadcast News or doing an Independent Study (and do a project). I chose the latter as I had a very busy and full schedule that summer. The assignment was to choose a topic that was controversial and then find articles in newspapers to see how each of them portrayed the topic (this professor and others in the department taught that the myth of objective reporting is a myth and they set out to prove to us that this is true). That broadcast media, in particular, are too busy, and under such tremendous deadline pressure that they often have NO TIME to report the stories they are given. And that each news media does have bias.

Now in the last ten + years that has really become apparent with Fox News. As Jon Stewart joked on the Daily Show, Fox News listeners are lied to on a regular and consistent basis. Fox news listeners are the most consistently misinformed viewers. Fox News turns into a lying dynasty when PolitiFact checks the news network for false statements

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-21-2011/fox-news-false-statements

Why do I preface this post with Fox News and media bias? Well, two reasons. Over the weekend, M. Vick signed autographs in New Jersey and people actually paid for his signature while protesters outside were cordoned off from peacefully protesting which led 7Live TV to question whether he was punished enough and should be left alone.

7 Live Should Michael Vick be left alone? Has he been punished enough?

Protesters heckle Vick during an autograph signing msn.foxsports.com

Some of the comments made:

No, read the Lost Dogs Book by Jim Gorant

no, for Ginger, Mel, Cherry Garcia, Red, Stella, Handsome Dan, Little Red, the little red dog, Hector, Jasmine, Jhumpa, Jonny Justice, Georgia, and all of the other dogs Vick tortured and injured who still suffer and for all of the dogs he murdered with his bare hands buried on the property.

When Ginger first came to Stacy’s home, she was 28 pounds, would not eat and hid out a lot behind furniture. She was terrified of people and Stacy had a difficult time getting her to cross any threshold. Ginger had door issues. It didn’t ma…tter whether it was a front or back door. Ginger just did not want to go inside. She’d hunker down on the ground. For some reason, a lot of the dogs had issues with doorways. And it took a long time to get Ginger used to new situations and environments. She would just shake and hide.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/sportatorium/2010/06/one_of_michael_vicks_dogs_find.php

Mel was used as a bait dog, due to his small size and mild temperament. He was likely muzzled when he was thrown into the ring with other dogs being trained to fight. He was not one of those that Bad Newz Kennels terminated — sometimes by drowning or hanging. But for the first year of Mel’s life, if he saw a human being, it meant something terrible was going to happen to him.

What kind of punishment has he endured? Others who were arrested for shop lifting paid more than he has. He not only engaged in an illegal activity, he murdered innocent animals. If he had come out as advocate against dog-fighting and became a true spokesman for battle against this abuse, gave up his well-paying career, then maybe he would redeem himself in my eyes. He didn’t just make a mistake, he committed a crime, multiple times and with others.

The point is that he committed a violent crime and still pretty much got away with murder. It sends the message that dog fighting is something you can do if you have enough money for lawyers.

Peace, who also was convicted in the case, said there were times he suggested that dogs unwilling to fight be given away, but that Vick said “they got to go,” meaning be killed. The dogs were killed by shooting, hanging, electrocution and drowning, and in at least one instance, according to one of the witnesses, when Vick and Phillips killed a red pit bull by “slamming it to the ground several times before it died, breaking the dog’s back or neck.

No and No! Unfortunately not enough people know the whole truth about Michael Vick and what he did to those dogs! If they took the time to find out the whole story I would hope that it would make them not want to forgive this man! Yes he is a football star but do you want your son to grow up to be like him, torturing and killing innocent animals, I hope not as far as I am concerned anyone who murders dogs for fun has not place in society much less profiting from his celebrity. Would you want someone like him arouond your children?

Dog fighting goes hand in hand with gambling, drugs, prostitution. Many of us will never let go because that is the whole point. Vick did not get the punishment he deserved and he will remain an example of what needs to change in our society. No, Michael Vick should never be left alone for what he did. Not only did he abuse dogs by fighting, shooting, electrocuting, hanging, drowning them but he gave scandal to many youngsters who look up to him. Thus the plague of abuse to pitbulls or some other breeds …burning, cutting, fighting, etc by youngsters in inner city areas. That will last for generations. So as long as pit bulls are abused he should not be left alone.

@7LiveOnline M. Vick should not be made a hero – he is no hero and doesn’t merit the hype being used to clean up his rep.

The ability to activly cause pain suffering and death is not altered by 18 months in prison. If it was…every seriel killer in the world would be simply reformed in prison and then released. No MV needs to live by what he has done just like everyone else. Fame and fortune should not be part of the package.

The only thing this ABUSER is sorry for is getting caught. While in jail his Spin Doctors began trying to restore his image….all for one reason…to play football again. But Hell…we don’t care to punish Priests for molesting children….animals have NO CHANCE for justice! Has he been punished enough for murdering dogs? HELL NO! (See my current main photo! ) He’s getting off EASY because he is a “sports celebrity”!!!!!! He’s still making millions, as if nothing ever happened!

I don’t think he’s sorry at all. He’s just sorry he was caught. after what he did he feels bad cause he can’t have a dog….obviously someone who learned something!!!! Yeah let us forget and move on so he can get a dog….oh his last pet dog he tortured and murdered. Maybe all his supporters can lend him their dog….didn’t think so.

Vick was no casual lets go watch a dog fight one night kindda guy. He was DEEPLY INVOLVED….which means he KNOWS MANY MORE DEEPLY INVOLVED. If Vick ever has the balls to start naming names because he feels his actions are truly wrong….then that POS may start earning back respect. But he ain’t got the character or BALLS to name names!

Vick was not convicted according the Virginia Animal Cruelty laws. Instead he was indicted in Federal Court and pled guilty to one (1), I repeat, one count of “Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fight Venture”. Vick pled guilty to ONE count of “Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to sponsor a dog fighting venture”.

Hardly worthy of the 11 dogs he and company savagely tortured before they killed them and the others used as bait dogs and fighters. I have seen many people say “they were just dogs”. Yes they were “just” dogs. If Vick and co had done to humans what they did to those defenseless dogs, they would be mentioned in the same breath as Dahlmer, Bundy, Manson and the other who’s whos of notorious serial killers.

And one of Vick’s brilliant fans called me a white female dog name and racist because what else could she answer to the facts against Vick…

a few people responded: this has nothing to do with what color Vick is! I would be against him if he was as white a sheet of typing paper! I do not CARE if someone if black or white or purple! I DO care if they mutilate, maim, torture, and abuse animals and Vick IS guilty of all of that and worse. He is piece of crud and should still be in prison. No, he should not be left alone and he has NOT been punished enough!

Also, this weekend Karen Grace / KENS 5 asked if dangerous dogs (pit bulls of course) can be rehabilitated.

She writes:

Children have died in their jaws and police have shot them in self defense.

(no bias showing here, right)

http://www.kens5.com/news/Pitbull-rehab-Local-rescue-group-raising-money-and-eyebrows-with-shelter-proposal-124326739.html

Of course the photo of the dog does not even look like a pit bull… but hey, for sure Karen Grace has never ever met/seen a pit bull and would not know one if she got licked in the face by one.

http://www.noob.us/humor/pit-bull-viciously-attacks-news-anchor/

I wrote to Karen Grace via email and twitter… kgrace@kens5.com @newzdiva and her cohort who said that Ms Grace looked at the issue @SarahLucero

I will also send them this:

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Double dog dare ya to read and/or print this comment… The real question should be can dangerous people be rehabilitated… animal abusers, for instance. dog fighters, puppy mill breeders, people who are cruel to animals, especially pit bulls… who starve them, throw them down the trash, neglect, abandon and/or torture them…

Animal abusers have a long history of abusing animals and eventually HARM HUMANS… and meanwhile they are not convicted, given a slap on the wrist for horrendous crimes against animals and continue to escalate their crimes.  And 5 million INNOCENT pets die every year for no reason other than human beings are lazy and irresponsible.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine/13dogfighting-t.html

And what about psychopaths like Michael Vick who killed pit bulls with his bare hands, tortured them, drowned and electrocuted them and threw his own pet dogs into the ring as bait dogs

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2008/nov/22/vickcruelgat22_20081122-002203-ar-111079/

http://chrisdurant2000.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/michael-vick-was-wrongly-convicted/

and yet IF YOU READ the Lost Dogs book by Jim Gorant, go on Facebook to their pages, the former dogs/pit bulls of Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennel, deemed to be the MOST VICIOUS PIT BULLS OF THEM ALL have been rehabilitated… some are even therapy dogs and others are living in families with other dogs and cats and kids. Dogs like Handsome Dan, Hector, Cherry Garcia, Mel, Ginger, Jonny Justice, Jhumpa, and others who were so traumatized because they were FORCED to fight for their lives and have the scars to prove it are LIVING  EXAMPLES of pit bulls who are truly heroes.

Why not talk to Richard Hunter, right there in Texas, he and his wife adopted Mel, who lost his bark he was so traumatized by Vick et al and is still terrified of people, doing much better than he was, but making progress every day.  Mel just received his own key to the city of Dallas.

http://www.thephillydog.com/archives/3352

Cherry Garcia was just on TV in Connecticut

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/on_air/gmc_weekend/pit-bulls-and-breed-discrimination

Perhaps you should watch the movie Beyond the Myth

http://www.beyondthemythmovie.com

and/or listen to Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan…“My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’80s they blamed German shepherds, in the ’90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the pit bull.”    Cesar Millan.  “Pit bulls get a bad rap because of irresponsible owners….”

There is No SUCH THING AS A DANGEROUS DOG…

Pit bulls were raised TO BE VERY PEOPLE FRIENDLY and they LOVE PEOPLE… For over 100 years, pit bulls represented America and these dogs were babysitters (Remember Petey, the Little Rascals dog?)

http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=676

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/program-lets-veterans-and-shelter-dogs-save-each-other/2011/06/21/AGvQ1aeH_gallery.html

temperament testing reveals that pit bulls score gentler than 121 other breeds Temperament evaluations by the American Temperament Test Society have given pit bull terriers a very high passing rate of 90.6 percent. The average passing rate for the other 121 breeds of dogs in the tests was only a low 77 percent.

http://www.examiner.com/animal-welfare-in-chicago/pit-bulls-scoring-better-than-121-other-breeds-temperament-are-gentle-dogs

Now what does all of these have to do with one another? Hmmmm… Could there be a connection? Bias in the media related to pit bulls and Vick getting off easy leads to more pit bulls being fought and abused and children learning the lesson that if / when you are rich and famous, you can get away with murder and the media blames the dogs instead of their Killers… more abused dogs, more dog fighting, more banning of “dangerous dogs” (Breed Specific legislation), more media madness, and on and on and on the cycle goes around. we all know how that goes right, blame the victim, why hold the responsible party accountable for their actions ????  In America, money talks/walks and gets away with murder…

the vicious pit bull cycle revealed…

 

and somehow we were woofing around on Wed. and wound up on a Blog Hop, grab the code here

silly is as silly does contest

my polka dot princess Cici in her most memorable poses… can you sense a pattern here 🙂   Does your dog have a favorite pose that you’ve captured on video or photographed throughout the years?  Is your dog spoiled? how do you spoil your dog? Send photos/videos of your spoiled/silly dogs to us and perhaps you will win our silly is as silly does contest.  Don’t worry, you will get a prize. Beeee happy. Email me at prmatchmaker@yahoo.com.

 

 

just her happy, silly, smushy face…

http://bloggers.com/suemagic5

all natural flea patrol

apparently, the most commonly used flea repellants are actually pesticides. what a great idea NOT… pesticides POISON our plants so now let’s POISON our pets… where do they get these ideas??? oh yeah, the companies that produce this are out for MAKING MONEY and do not care about the health and safety of the consumer and their pets. It is as simple as that.

comfortis, the flea preventative, that the holistic vet gave to cici is organic, how nice, an organic pesticide… meanwhile, i did some research and found out that some dogs have taken this product and had seizures or died. talking about the RISKS far outweighing the benefits, aka OVERKILL… not a risk am willing to take… so I gave the six month supply back to the vet and have found a REAL holistic vet in the area, who I will be interviewing and/or she will be guest blogging soon… sheesh…

anyhow, while I was at the pet store getting CIcI some food, the ladies there also gave me some suggestions… for fleas

there is some kind of zapper, uses electromagnetic force to not kill the fleas but keep them out of the pet’s field, sounds kind of strange to me, it is called Shoo tag

The key to shoo!TAG™ is the three dimensional electromagnetic frequency embedded in the magnetic strip. shoo!TAG combines with the body’s electrical field to produce an expanding barrier effect, keeping targeted pests away.

offers protection for your dogs against Flea, Ticks, Fleas and Mosquitoes.

NO Chemicals, is Odor-Free, Waterproof and is safe for pets, people and the planet.

shoo!TAG™’s magnetic strip is encoded with beneficial frequencies and resonances and an electromagnetic charge bearing a polarized energy signature, which when introduced into the bio-energetic field of the wearer produces results.

shoo!TAG™ is calibrated to specific animals and specific insects to repel targeted pests. This is possible because various insects and pests react to frequencies. These frequencies are introduced into the bio-energetic field of the wearer. These specific frequencies and resonances have proven to disturb targeted pests and create a barrier.

they told me that it works… but I don’t know if I am wanting dazed and confused fleas to fall off cici and onto me and then I’d have to wear one of these tags too

http://shootags.com/

costs $20-30 and lasts 4 months or more

the vet has a flea powder, and a flea bath

Dr. Harvey’s has an organic herbal protection shampoo, and spray, no chemicals, and a concentrated dip (so for far less than I spent at the vet, I could have gotten good food for Cici plus all of these products, dang, but hindsight is 20/20 did not think of this until today). This is what Dr. Harvey says about allergies, too.

http://www.drharveys.com/pages/dog_allergies

Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Aloe Vera, Vegetable Glycerine, Organic Chamomile Extract, Organic Stinging Nettles Extract, Organic Sage Extract, Organic Calendula Extract, Organic Hops Extract, St. John’s Wort Extract, Horsetail Extract, Polysorbate 20 (Vegetable Source), Catnip Oil, Erigeron Oil, Neem Oil, Citronella Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Geranium Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Organic Rosemary Extract

http://www.drharveys.com/products/show/53-herbal-protection-shampoo

http://www.drharveys.com/products/show/55-herbal-defense-concentrate

http://www.drharveys.com/products/show/54-herbal-defense-spray

and then there is this flea powder, nontoxic no chemicals and a flea busting shampoo

http://fleabusters.com/Products/Rx_Plus/index.html

http://fleabusters.com/Products/Rx_Shampoo/flea_shampoo.html

Until recently, the only treatments available to treat fleas contained dangerous insecticides. Even though these products are still available, they can be unsafe for some pets and small children. Fleabusters® Flea Shampoo

is a safe and healthy way to kill the fleas on your dog or cat.

It is also imperative to treat your home, otherwise pets will quickly become infested again. Wash your pet’s bedding in hot water, and let it soak in soapy water for at least fifteen minutes. Thoroughly vacuum or steam clean any furniture, rugs and flooring, and dispose of the vacuum bag in an outside trash receptacle (and the water from the steam cleaner away from your home). When vacuuming, pay special attention to base boards, ventilators, under furniture and anywhere else fur and lint accumulate. Before vacuuming, treat your carpets and upholstery with environmentally safe Fleabusters® Rx for Fleas Plus® which, when used properly, will rid fleas for a year. If you still see fleas 48 hours after using the product, vacuum more frequently.

active ingredients are derived from coconut oil, jojoba and hemp

shampoo is $15 and powder is $40

there are also some essential oils, since cici is so sensitive and allergic, she is not able to deal with them… lemongrass is one of the oils that was suggested at the pet store… purification blend has some oils within the compound which can be too strong for cici and may be for your dog too.

Cedar is a natural flea repellent but not sure about putting it on cici. Making a homemade flea collar by sprinkling a bandana with various essential oils and tying it around her neck for a natural flea repellent collar. Have to reapply the oils to the bandana once a week.

Spraying her with a mixture of water and lemon might work for you. Right now, I have water mixed with raw apple cider vinegar to spray her with. She just gets a warning before I spray her. Cici is a real sissy when it comes to anything like this. She gets scared and starts shaking if I actually spray her, so this is not a great option for her to actually get the water mixture onto her.

Planting Tansy, a fern-like plant, around the perimeter of your outdoor pets environment will also help repel fleas. Do not plant Tansy where your pet can eat the plant, because it does have low levels of toxins.

another method is liquid dish detergents can be very effective in killing off fleas, but we specifically recommend Dawn’s dish detergent for washing pets, as that is what many animal rescue organizations use. Bathing your pet, or even your own hair, with Dawn’s dish detergent can be a safe and effective method for killing off fleas. This approach is most commonly used for dogs, but if you think you can handle washing your cat, just be sure to wash off the soap well afterwards. Do not wash your pet more than once a week or else it may be over drying! It was suggested that first you wash with Dawn and then another shampoo that puts the oils back in the fur. Makes sense to me and am going to do this.

Am also giving Cici a splash of raw apple cider vinegar in her water once a day. The vinegar is also supposed to repel fleas. One teaspoon of cider vinegar to 2 cups of fresh water is recommended.

And not sure about garlic. There are mixed reviews about garlic for pets/dogs.

how about you? do you have an all natural flea / bug repellant that you like to use?