Happy Easter from the Crazy Beagle!  I hope you and your families have a wonderful Easter with your love ones.

The Crazy Beagle also wishes that you be extremely careful with your dogs around this time.  The following article details the ways you can look out for your dog’s safety:

http://www.petsugar.com/Easter-Basket-Items-Dangerous-Pets-22492315

The Crazy Beagle says watch out for Hurricane Irene is a threat to the United States East Coast.  Please share the following information from PETA, which could help save the lives of cats, dogs, birds, and other animal companions who need to be included in disaster preparation plans:

• During a flood, never leave your animals outdoors, tied up, or confined in any way, as they will be trapped and unable to flee rising waters.
• In the event of an evacuation, never leave your animals behind to fend for themselves.
• Know your destination ahead of time. Although human shelters often refuse animals, motels in the area will probably accept dogs, cats, and other small animals in an emergency. Do not plan to leave animals unsupervised in a car; they can suffer from heatstroke once ambient temperatures rise above 70 degrees, even if water is provided and the windows are slightly open.
• Place small animals in secure carriers and keep dogs leashed. Frightening sounds and unfamiliar surroundings may make them bolt. Take water and food bowls, your animal’s favorite toy or blanket, a towel, and enough food for at least a week.
• Have your animals microchipped, and put secure, legible ID tags on them.
• Watch for other animals in need, including strays and animals who are left behind by neighbors. If you see an animal in distress and are unable to help, note the animal’s condition and location and call authorities for help as soon as possible.

This is Sonic the Crazy Beagle wishing all my beagle, dogs, pets, and their owners a safe stay during Hurricane Irene.

It’s Tuesday and a beautiful day to go out in the yard the play. Remember, there are several possible hazards that can create problems for your dog. Here are some pet safety tips for making your yard safe for your dog and pets:

• Fertilizer in grass (If your dog is prone to eating grass)
• Limbs falling off poorly maintained trees (This limb almost wiped me out!)
• Sharp nails or wires on fencing
• Loose fence boards or areas where pets can sneak out, around or under
• Trash tossed or blown into the yard that may be chewed on or ingested
• Improperly stored toxins such as rodenticide, slug bait, fertilizer or antifreeze

Make your yard as safe as possible for your pet and especially for us dogs.

New Year’s celebrations come and go without incident. It’s pretty easy to forget about the needs of your pet dogs during the New Year’s activities. The following are some potential pet hazards and general guidelines for petting your pet beagle happy, healthy, and safe during your New Year’s celebration: 

1. Don’t leave your pet dog outside – Your pet dog can easily become scared by the New Year’s celebrations. Many times your neighbors will set off fireworks not realizing the dogs are extremely scared by this noise. Your dog’s reaction may escape the yard and dart into oncoming traffic. To be safe, keep your dog inside. 
2. Don’t leave your pet unattended in a car – I know you may be use to taking the routine precautions and leaving your pet in the car during routine shopping trips, but New Year’s day is not a routine day. With all the noise that comes with New Year’s Day, your pet could panic and cause damage to your car and injury to your pet. Plus with the additional factors of winter, the cold temperatures and stress can intensify the effects of hypothermia and shock.
3. Put your pet in a calm environment – Put your pet dog in a quiet place in your house where they won’t hear and see the fireworks. A good place for this is the laundry room or bathroom. Include a favorite blanket, leave on the lights, and play music. This crazy beagle can testify that classical or smooth jazz works well to calm me. Make sure you check on your pet dog on a regular basis to make sure everything is all right. I used to chew on the door frame when I was scared so regularly check on your pet.
4. Walk your pet early in the day – Take your pet dog on an extensive walk in the early daytime hours and again in the evening, the earlier the betters. That way your pet dog will still get their needed exercise before the fireworks come out.
5. Watch what you feed your pet - With the holidays comes plenty of food. Though these foods may be delicious for human, the same foods may be deadly for dogs. Remind guests, family, and friends that you have a pet dog and please do that feed your pet any food. Foods such as chocolate, onions or onion dip, certain candies can cause sickness and death of your pet. Also leaving candy wrappers around can cause your pet dog to choke if eaten.

Bonus Tip:  Make sure your pet’s identification is updated – As for the Fourth of July, Halloween, and other noisy, high activity holidays, make sure your pets carry proper and up-to-date identification should they escape..

Sonic the Crazy Beagle suggests that you always think of your pet during the holidays, especially during New Year’s. By taking these extra safety precautions for your pet, your dog will also have a fun, safe, and healthy New Year.

It’s 68 degrees, sunny, and another beautiful day in Virginia Beach! This beagle can’t wait for the “Little Gal,” my nickname for my owner’s daughter’s, to come home so that we can go for our walk around the neighborhood a couple of times.

While being outside, we dogs need to be extra careful of the outdoor dangers. This is the second part of my ongoing series on toxic foods, plants, etc. that can harm us dogs.

We will continue with the following outdoor plants that are poisonous to dogs:

• Azaleas
• Daffodils
• Foxglove
• Ivy
• Morning Glory
• Nightshade
• Oak
• Green Potato
• Rhododendrum
• Wisteria

Be wise and stay away from any outdoor flowers. It is better to be safe than sorry. I want my fellows beagles to bark loudly for a long time.

Come back tomorrow as I share with you what outdoor plants are toxic for us dogs.