One major part of my life (after my husband of course) is my dog, Dolly. Dolly is a 4 year old English Bulldog, that we absolutely adore and as I have mentioned in my bio, is admittedly spoiled rotten. Over this past weekend it dawned on me that I haven't really taken the time to write about the one subject I have learned a great deal about over the past four years- dog care! There are so many aspects to caring for a pet, but for today's post I wanted to focus on sharing a few of my favorite products. These items play a huge role in the everyday care of Miss Dolly and have helped to keep both Dolly and my home, healthy, happy and in overall great shape. While this isn't a list of every essential pet care item, these are certainly items at the top of my "Must-have" list and you can rest assured that there will be plenty of future pet care posts coming to the blog featuring more of my favorite products and pet care tips.

Furminator

Do you remember those dated rake pet brushes (the ones you would have to use outside because pet hair would always go flying with each brush stroke)? While the rake brush did remove dead hair from your pet, they were awfully messy and I'm not sure how effective they actually were. Enter the FURminator!....

When we first adopted Dolly, I spent a lot of time researching proper dog grooming practices. During my search I came across this one youtube video on dog grooming that featured the FURminator. After watching the video I was sold and immediately had to have this fantastic grooming tool. The FURminator is a grooming brush that collects dead hair from your cat or dog with each brush stroke. The FURminator can potentially reduce shedding by up to 90 percent and if nothing else, it certainly reduces shedding more than any other grooming tool on the market. The FURminator is offered in a variety of sizes and styles based on the size and hair length of your pet. I absolutely adore this tool and have found it to be extremely effective with reducing shedding and keeping my dog's coat super soft.

Douxo Maintenance Shampoo

Everyone who meets Dolly always comments on how soft her coat feels. I am constantly asked to divulge the specifics of Dolly's grooming routine. Well here it is- we bathe her once a week, FURminate her weekly and use Douxo Maintenance Shampoo. This shampoo is actually a 2-in-1 (shampoo plus conditioner) gentle cleanser that preserves the lipidic film in a dog's coat, while still nourishing, hydrating and cleansing the dogs coat. In addition, this shampoo is hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, making it an ideal shampoo for almost any type of dog.

Nail Clippers & Styptic Powder

Nail care is very important aspect of pet grooming that needs to be maintained even as frequently as monthly depending on the breed. For the first three years of Dolly's life, we would clip her nails ourselves (*note- do not clip your pets nails until you receive proper training from a vet). She has white nails so it was easy to identify the location of the quick and avoid having any adverse experiences (my preferred nail clippers are here and here). Every time we clipped her nails we always made sure to have a jar of Styptic Powder (blood clotting) on hand in case we accidentally clipped a quick. Luckily this only happened once in three years of clipping, but thank goodness we had that powder on hand. Around age 4, Dolly started rebelling against our monthly nail clipping sessions so we now take her to a local groomers at a cost of $18/clipping. She is in and out of there in 5-10 minutes and happy as a clam every time. So honestly, I say it is money well spent!

Rain Coat

Regardless of the weather conditions, a dog still has to go to the bathroom. Hurricane Sandy, Snowstorm Jonas, etc… Dolly still had to go outside to alleviate herself. While a little snow on my dog isn't the worst thing in the world, a rain soaked dog is not fun. Not only does the rain give her that malodorous stench of wet dog, but then she comes inside my nice clean house and shakes off the rain….EVERYWHERE! To minimize the effects of rain on Dolly while out for her "business time," we have invested in a raincoat (and OMG what a lifesaver!). I found this adorable rubber ducky poncho at Unleashed by PETCO for $12.99. Unfortunately Dolly is too thick for the size that fits her length and too short for the size that fits her girth. To remedy this situation since the coat was just so darn cute, I purchased the size that fit her girth and then had it hemmed for $8. I know that sounds ridiculous to have a dog's raincoat altered. However, for a grand total of $20.99, I have a raincoat that fits my dog perfectly and keeps her dry when it rains. Totally worth it!

Toys

Dogs enjoy chewing. Some more than others and the degree of chewing power ranges. As you may have probably guessed, Dolly is a very active and powerful chewer. As a puppy, she went through many plush toys and even developed a habit for door stoppers and electrical wires (it was exhausting and had me constantly on edge worrying about her safety). What we found over time was that the more difficult projects (very hard toys) kept her occupied the longest and away from chewing on things she shouldn't. I have to be honest, I have purchased too many toys for Dolly over the years (and am way too embarrassed to show you her ridiculous toy bin). However, through my extensive toy research I have found that the best/safest toys on the market for dogs would have to be the Nylabones and Naturally Shed Antlers. These toys cost more than the average toy, but they last exponentially longer. Giving dogs plenty of projects (high quality toys) will keep them entertained and out of mischief.

The colder days of Fall and soon Winter are upon us, so for today's post I wanted to share a few ways that I am getting my house prepped and ready. These tips are some of my essential check list items for ensuring a warm, cozy, safe and healthy environment during the chilly months.

Have your heating system serviced

Heating and cooling systems should be serviced twice a year, once in the early Spring to make sure your air conditioning is in tip-top shape and then again in early fall to ensure that your heating system is ready to go. This was a lesson that (of course) I had to learn the hard way in the dead of summer when my AC shut off due to a clog in the condensation drain pipe. I spent the day sitting in an 80+ degree house waiting for maintenance to show up. It was miserable and totally avoidable had I just been on a regular maintenance schedule. Learn from my mistake, it is not worth it to wait until something breaks to have it serviced. Get on a regular maintenance schedule. When you heating/cooling is running problem-free, you will be so happy that you listened to this advice!

In addition to your AC/Heating unit, you should also plan to have your chimney serviced annually (early Fall) as well. As a safety precaution I am a major advocate for Carbon Monoxide detectors. They are inexpensive and most importantly, LIFE SAVING! Every home should be equipped with these detectors, so please go out and get one if you haven't already.

Get a Crock Pot and/or Dutch Oven

Colder weather means that Soup Season is officially here! I am a huge fan of soup during the colder months. In addition to soup being warm and comforting, it can be extremely affordable to prepare. Every soup recipe I make/create starts with a either my Crock-Pot or Dutch Oven. Whether it's a slowly made soup, like my recipe for Slow Cooker Lentil Soup, or a faster soup recipe, like Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup, both the Crock-Pot and dutch oven are kitchen staples/essentials and pieces that I highly recommend for any soup cooking enthusiasts.

Outfit All of Your Sinks with Hand Moisturizer

Last week I had my annual check up with my dermatologist (having grown up in South Florida, annual mole checks are a must). Anyway (sorry, TMI), at the end of the visit the physician's assistant gave me a list of the doctor's "Best Practices for Keeping Your Skin Healthy During the Winter Months." Umm…Brilliant idea! LOVE IT!! One tip from the sheet that I especially loved was keeping hand moisturizer by all of your sinks. When you think about it, this is such an easy tip and seems so obvious, however many people suffer from dried or cracked hands during the winter months. Williams Sonoma makes a fabulous Hand Soap/Moisturizer Kitchen sink caddy that I am a huge fan of using because it not only meets my need for clean and hydrated hands, but they also have the most delicious selections of scents!

Rotate your Wardrobe

Take time reorganize your wardrobe. Pull out all of your spring clothes and store them away for the season in order to create room for those bulky winter sweaters and boots. Since closet space is at a premium in the city, I am a huge fan of using Ziploc Vacuum Seal Space Saver Bags and under the bed plastic storage containers. Not only are they great ways to efficiently use space, but they serve as great forms of protection for your clothes while being stored. **Tip- before storing away your clothes for the season, take time to wash/launder all garments. It will keep them in good shape and ready to wear for the next season.

Winter-Proofing Your Dog

This is actually an area that had been initially overlooked the first winter we had Dolly. It didn't occur to my husband or me how important it was to properly outfit our dog for winter until it was too late. Yes, that first Winter with Dolly, she ended up suffering from some terribly cracked paws. Terribly painful for her and of course Chris and I were beside ourselves seeing her in any sort of discomfort. In a panic, I immediate ran to the pet store and spent way too much money on all sorts of winter gear that was necessarily the best for her either (i.e. like the set of $50 snow boots that she refuses to walk in…see below).

After the initial fire drill with Dolly's cracked paws and trying to figure out how to protect them from any further pain/damage due to street salt and cold weather, I got to researching. One of the most helpful resources actually came from watching this Martha Stewart Show segment (of course Martha would have the answers!). Below is a breakdown of Dolly's list of winter must haves that I would recommend for any dog owner looking for the best ways to protect their pet this Winter.

Pawz Rubber Balloon Boots- these boots are both protective and comfortable.
Musher's Secret- all natural wax-based paw balm that is both protective and moisturizing.
Paw/Nose Balm- don't forget to moisturize your dog's nose! Dog's noses are equally susceptible to chapping/cracking during the winter months if not properly moisturized.
Water Resistant Winter Coat- There are those days where the dog's natural fur coat is not going to cut it. Having a good winter coat that is warm and water resistant is essential for keeping your pet healthy during the cold months.
Bag Balm- a product used for years by farmers to keep livestock from getting chapped skin is also a great product for moisturizing and healing your dog's paws.
Opie & Dixie's Healing Paw Balm- another great healing paw balm that I personally think smells the best (eucalyptus). Very soothing and an excellent moisturizer.

Today's list of winter prep tips are the essentials on my list every year. However, if you are looking to go above and beyond with your seasonal preparation (which I typically do), here are links to Martha Stewart's Fall Homekeeping Tips and Winter Homekeeping Tips. Both are fabulous resources, but of course feel free to email me with any questions not answered in today's post at redefiningdomestics@gmail.com.