Focus on Dog Parks - McLaren Park

For those of you looking for a really nice dog park with wonderful woods, miles of trails and vast open spaces, try McLaren park.

McLaren Park was opened in 1927 and is named for John McLaren, known as the Grandfather of Golden Gate Park.  It is located just off 101 and is nestled at the top of the Excelsior district and contains 312 acres of open land to roam around.

You can reach the park from Mansell or Persia Avenues in the Excelsior/Portola Districts.  The Park is a hidden gem in the City and is the second largest city park in San Francisco, only slightly smaller than the much busier Golden Gate Park.  You'll even find the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, picnic areas, tennis courts and even a lake!

The beauty of McLaren Park is the open spaces.  You'll often find yourself with a trail to yourself and parking is never an issue, even on the weekends.  You'll get majestic views of the downtown area and the bay, open trails and a place where your dog can swim, run, walk or just lounge around with other park lovers.

To find out more about McLaren Park by visiting the SF Parks & Recreation site.

Enjoy the park!
Jesse
Owner, Fetch! Pet Care, San Francisco

Local Rescue Organizations

Hi everyone,
Recently, I have noticed a good number of posts on Facebook related to rescues from people who have, for one reason or another, the need to re-home their pets.  Often, this is due to a misjudgement about how a pet will fit into the home, but there are also instances related to financial or health issues. Whatever the case, owners are often distraught at the thought of what might happen to their beloved pet if they can't be re-home them by a certain date.  This blog post is intended to relieve that angst for many of you.

First, there are several rescue organizations dotted around the country and region setup to help address this issue. These are non-breed specific organizations like the SPCA, Wonderdog, Rocket Dog Senior Dog that can help with re-homing based solely on need and temperament.  The main thing when looking at these shelters is to determine if they are a kill or no-kill shelter, which will hopefully lead you toward no-kill shelters only.    

Secondly, there are breed-specific organizations that concentrate on saving specific breeds.  These are very successful because they are familar with the nuances of the specific breed and can better assess if an owner and pet are a good fit based on the family's lifestyle and the type of pet they are looking for, and if they are familiar with the breed.  

Although this is nowhere near a complete list, these are a few local organizations that I located online. There are many, many more organizations available for different breeds, so I suggest you check for a local rescue organization near you.  Here are just a few I searched for based on my travels around the area.  

German Shepherd:  http://icy.tc/8yow

Jack Russell Terrier:  http://icy.tc/8yox

Norwegian Elkhound:  http://icy.tc/8yoy

Golden Retriever:  http://icy.tc/8yoz

Labrador Retriever:  http://icy.tc/8yo0

Pit Bull:  http://icy.tc/8yo1

Greyhound:  http://icy.tc/8yo2

Rottweiler:  http://icy.tc/8yo3

Best of luck to all of you.  I wish you well in your search.

Jesse
 

 

 

Fun Photos of Pets We Love!

Fun Pet Photos

Vic and Mopey waiting for their treats!

Walter (near) and Maia after one of our walks.

Dutchie, in her usual spot on our couch!  

Drake, just surveying his surroundings.

Finally, Paige Marie in heaven near a space heater!

Our little Maxi Girl - RIP sweet girl, you warmed our hearts every single day.

For Caleb, bath time = roll in the flower bed time... ugh.

Eli, with his soulful eyes

Katie, looking for her next adventure!

4th of July Safety Tips for Pets

Hi Everyone,

With the 4th of July just around the corner, I thought it would be important to provide some information on how to keep your pets safe and calm during all the festivities and fireworks.

This list came from the PetMD website and we encourage you to use their site as a resource for pet related health questions.

Here is their top 10 list:

10.  Keep your pets indoors at all times.  This is the time when pets become scared and can bolt when you're not looking, so make sure they safe, secure and can't escape toward danger.

9.  Don't use non-pet approved insect repellant on your pet.  This may be toxic so be sure to only use items that are approved for animal use.

8.  No Alcohol for pets.  This is an obvious safety tip everyone should abide by.

7. If you're going to see a fireworks display, leave your pet secured at home.  Again, pets can become very frightened and run away at any point, so it's best to keep them in their own familiar surroundings so they feel safe and comfortable.

6.  Make sure your pet's ID tags are up to date.

5.  Keep your pet away from plastic or glow jewelry.  It may look cute, but if a pet chews through the jewelry, it could cause indigestion, intestinal blockage and general discomfort for your pet.

4.  NEVER use fireworks around your pet.  The noise and fire is one thing, but the ashes can also burn their paws if left unattended so its never a good idea to use fireworks with or near your pets.

3.  Don't give your pet table food.  Particularly no beer, chocolate, onions, avocado, grapes, raisins, salt or yeast dough as these items are all toxic to pets.

2.  Lighter fluid and matches are harmful to pets.  Keep these out of your pets reach as these items are very toxic and a pet may get into them just because they're curious, so keep these items safe and away from pets and children.

1.  Citronella is an irritant too.  These items are toxins as well, and can cause severe respiratory illnesses and can also harm your pet's nervous system.  

We hope you all enjoy your 4th of July holiday and that these tips help keep your pet safe and out of harms way.

Jesse
Owner, Fetch! Pet Care, San Francisco

Know your pet sitters!

This is Peter Knudsen.  Peter is a retired gentleman who has been with us for over 6 years!  He loves pets of all types and has been an important part of our staff over the years. Peter is also part of our boarding team who routinely watches our customer's dogs while they're away on travel.  If you are looking for a kind-hearted gentleman to look over your pets, Peter's your guy!

Finding the right pet for you

How do you know?  Well, there are no shortage of people to give you their opinion, but the best person to ask is yourself.  

What do you envision doing with your pet?  Do you want a dog to hang out with once in a while, or a constant companion?  Do you see yourself taking your pet on road trips, or the beach, or are you on the fence about how much time you can spend with your pet?  All of these questions will lead you to the right pet -- dog or cat, fish, reptile; as well as the breed.

Ask yourself what you want to do, and then pick the right pet to suit your lifestyle.  That will ensure you and your pet both get exactly what they need!  

Pet Selector (dog, cat, bird, fish, reptile)  http://icy.tc/jDli

Dog Breed Selector (just dogs!)  http://icy.tc/jDlj

Do your research and you won't be disappointed!

Jesse