Take a walk with your dog - it's the perfect time!

By now everyone should know the importance of walking your furry friend. It’s good for your dog's health and it keeps even the eldest dog active. Dogs are great walking companions and can even make exercise fun by forcing you to keep up on running trails and investigating certain scents along the way. It is also one way to clear your mind after a long day at the office.

There are some common sense rules when walking your dog - but must be mentioned again -

Remember to clean up after your pet when you go for a walk: carry a pooper scooper! Most parks and trails require you to clean up after your pet; some even have small plastic waste bags to help with this. After you clean up you should remember to dispose of it properly. Doggie Couture Shop has an entire line of disposable dog waste bags. Doggie Waste bags come in many colors and scents. It's the new thing - and it's the new rule. You could get really high tech and get the bag holder that is lit. YEP - it's the Pet Poop Snoop Lighted Waste Bag Holder.

As important as it is for you to be adequately hydrated after a long run or day outside, it is just as crucial for the health of your pet! Along with carrying your water bottle, bring along a fold-out dog bowl or doggie water bottle so your pet can drink water from so that they can stay hydrated too! Try the Water Rover 3" Bowl, 8oz Bottle it comes in so many colors!

Make sure your dog can be traced back to you. It’s not uncommon for a pet to take off after a squirrel or anything else that sparks its interest along the way. Ensure that your pet is safe in the event that they do run off by making sure they have their proper pet identification tags on their dog collar, and if you want to take it a step further, have a microchip installed. Pet id tags can be so cute - you can even get seasonal ones to match the holidays.

Doing these things will make sure that both you and your pet enjoy the long walks together especially during these beautiful autumn days and nights.

4 Deadly illnesses in pets

With all the hoopla around Halloween and the holidays fast approaching, please do not forget to watch for horrible pet diseases. Many times with the money spent on the holiday feasts and holiday shopping, our pet doesn't get the medical attention that they need.

Mange is a disease caused by mites. Your Vet can perform a physical exam of your pet by taking skin scrapings to determine if he has the mange. You will notice itching, hair loss, dandruff or oozing or crusty skin on your pet. You can keep your dog from getting the Mange by cleaning his bedding often, vacuum furniture and carpets and keep your dog on monthly flea and tick medicine which will also kill mites. There are some great products on the market that will help clean your dog's bedding, or get a new dog bed that is washable.

Disgusting! Hookworms are thick to short worms that are whitish to reddish brown with a hooked front end. These hookworms live in the gastrointestinal tract. These hookworms are passed through fecal/oral contact and at times - from mother to offspring. Complications can be anemia, weight loss, deterioration of the skin and coat condition. At times adult dogs can show no symptoms at all. There are simple ways to keep your dogs from acquiring hookworms; clean up poop in yard, de-worm your puppies and keep dog's on leashes when in parks etc. so that they do not get near other dog's fecal matter.

Roundworms are large worms that usually are tightly coiled when passed through and look like spaghetti. Yuk - right? They also live in the gastrointestinal tract. These Roundworms can be passed through like hookworms, but come from rodent, rabbit or animal ingestion. Same symptoms as the hookworm and same symptoms, so please treat accordingly.

The Tapeworm has got to be the yuckiest of all, with their ribbon like appearance. Most all the signs, treatment and how they are transmitted are the same as the other worms, but you can see these worms in their fecal matter.

Here is the deal, this is all pretty gross, so just take care of your dog, pay attention to your dog and take your dog to the vet. There are many new poop pick up pet products; such as poop pick up bags, and a wide variety of Potty Time pet accessories from Doggie Couture Shop.