Diane Rose-Solomon | dianerosesolomon

Since When Can Dogs Come to School?

My son, now in middle school, attends a wonderful independent school. The academics are top notch, the athletic program is competitive, the arts program is really well done, and the technology is state of the art.

But my favorite program they offered students this year was a therapy dog day during mid-terms. Studies show how being around animals is good for our health, and can be calming during times of stress. All around the country, universities and hospitals are implementing therapy dog visits to help students and patients.

I was thrilled and delighted that my son’s school introduced the program this year. Apparently it was so popular that the line out the door to interact with the dogs was so long, my son didn’t get a chance to pet them.

He said “that’s ok- we have our own dogs at home. I’ll go pet them.”

I contacted the school staff to ask them more about how the program began and this is a paraphrased version of what I learned:

“A 9th grader, who has a therapy dog at home, brought the idea to my office earlier this year after visiting college campuses that offer “Furry Fridays” and other programs meant to connect their students with animals. This student and her family work with a program at the airport where they take their therapy dogs to comfort travelers. The student and I then worked together to connect the therapy dog program and the airport travelers program so we could bring the program to school. We will be bringing the dogs back at the end of the school year!

It was a thrill to watch our students engage with the dogs and their handlers. We are attempting to bring twice the number of dogs in May and also find a larger space, as now we know that everyone is interested!”

So it looks like my son will be able to pet one of the dogs during finals!

I let the school know how delighted I am that they continue to be on the cutting edge. Sometimes cutting edge means high tech, and sometimes… it’s a dog!

What I Saw While My Dogs Were at the Groomer

Our last dog groomer, who is wonderful, could no longer cut my dog Gonzo’s nails so I’m in search of a new groomer. I had my dogs bathed at our local dog food store in the interim. (They can’t cut his nails either, but my dogs needed a bath.)

My dogs go to the back in the bathing area and I can’t see them. But the dogs in need of grooming and fancy hair cuts are in front on display while getting coiffed. Remarkably the dogs are well behaved (most of the time). They stand there patiently on an elevated stand so the groomer can use their scissors artfully and carefully.

But this time, some doodle puppy was going bananas up on the platform which at best makes it difficult for the groomer and at worst could injure the dog.

Fortunately, the head groomer was there. It turns out that he’s a bit of a dog whisperer too. He approached the puppy, put his finger up in the air, gave the dog a look and the puppy stopped. The puppy started in again, the head groomer did the same finger in the air and look and that was it. The puppy calmed down and was able to be groomed safely. It was remarkable to watch and reminded me that some people just have a gift.

We all know people in life who have a gift. Some people are using it in their work or home life, and some people are unaware that they even have this gift. Many of the people I know in the dog world have a gift, an understanding of dogs, a fluency in “dogese” if you will. The human bond with animals is undeniable. Sometimes it’s the dog listening and to our need and offering comfort, and other times, we can intuit their needs. I continue to find it fascinating and beautiful to watch!

Would You Put Lipstick on a Pug?

Lipstick on a Pug Book Cover_TK blog post

Now why on earth would someone want to put lipstick on a pug? The thought would never have entered my mind, but I sure am glad it entered Laurren Darr’s. Her children’s book, Lipstick on a Pug is a charming story about her first experience with an abandoned dog, and, as it turns out, dog fashion.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Laurren’s story. It brought me back to my childhood when we saved a cat and I fell in love with him. I remember that feeling of knowing we were supposed to be together.

I love how creative Laurren was with Tuttie the pug. What a good-natured dog she was to let Laurren dress her up, and parade her around. Laurren’s creativity endures with Lipstick on a Pug because she also created an accompanying coloring book so that young readers can tap into their own creativity.

Lipstick on a Pug has been added to the Team Kindness book club and you can find copies of the paperback and coloring book online at Amazon.

How Many Petitions Did You Sign Today?

How many petitions do you receive in your email inbox daily? I’ve stopped counting. There are so many issues that I’m now aware of because of the petitions, so kudos to the people who are making some noise. These petitions bring many topical subjects to the forefront of people’s awareness and often create positive change.

According to the Washington Post: “Change.org has emerged as one of the most influential channels for activism in the country.”

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How many petitions do you sign daily? I think I’ve stopped counting that too. Change.org is only one of many organizations that supports people take action. I certainly don’t sign as many as I receive and then I feel like I’m playing Sophie’s Choice with important issues.

Hence, I’m torn.

While I’m so grateful to the people and groups petitioning, it is time consuming even glancing at each petition (I receive a ton!), then making a value decision whether it’s important to me to read further. If I read and sign all the petitions I received, I could probably just do that all day long. And with each petition I sign, I find myself on a new petition list.

So how to choose? As you may imagine I sign many of the animal related petitions, like shutting down horse drawn carriages, or petitioning airlines to stop flying endangered animal parts, and then I watch to see how much impact each one has. And sometimes, with all this new awareness comes ethical decisions.

For example, I learned a few months ago that Victoria’s Secret has decided to do business in China. The Chinese government requires that all cosmetic products be tested on animals prior to being sold in China. Thus, Victoria’s Secret will now engage in animal testing because they sell cosmetic products.

In my attempt to intentionally NOT support companies that engage in animal testing, I now have to find a new undergarment supplier.

Or, another petition I signed awhile ago was against the Gap clothing company because some of their brands sell fur.

Then I completely forgot about it and accidentally shopped at Old Navy and then felt terrible that I was supporting a company that sold fur.

There are many more examples, but these are two major brands that impact many people.

While there are plenty of other stores, these brands sure do make shopping easy and easy is our way of life these days. But it’s the principle of making a statement with our wallet and then sharing this information with others who can then also make an informed decision how they wish to shop.

I will continue to read about and sign as many petitions as I can that make sense because I do believe they make a difference. Whether it’s an issue that I’m already aware of, or something new to me, I’m happy our voices can be heard allowing better treatment of animals, people or our environment.

Would You Like to Join Me on My Adventure in Costa Rica?

Have you been to Costa Rica? If so, I bet you are excited to go back. If not and it’s on your list, you are in luck because I recently returned from a fantastic adventure, teeming with exotic flora and fauna, a variety of climates, landscapes, and a few minor but literal bumps along the way. Join me as I share some of the highlights.

We started in La Fortuna in the Arenal volcano region where natural hot springs abound. It rained on and off every day adding to the lushness of the area. On our first day we relaxed in the hot springs to wash away our travel weariness. (Those photos are in the underwater camera we got and I still haven’t developed.)

Our second day started with a walk around the hotel where I discovered a bunch of these mischievous animals. They are called Cuatimundi and are related to raccoons.

Later in the morning we began our class 2/3 white water rafting trip- my first rafting trip ever. After basic safety instructions, we scampered into our boat and off we went. In addition to the guide in our boat, there was a guide taking photos plus another guide in a kayak prepared to pluck us from the water should we fall out of the raft.

I admit I was a little nervous when we first started out, but our guide was fantastic and I had a smile on my face in every photo.

We saw many birds on our journey down the river and even a sloth sleeping high up in a tree! Lunch was included in our tour and we drove to a farm for a simple but filling spread. After lunch we were offered coffee (ALL the coffee we drank in Costa Rica is amazing) which we learned was grown, picked, processed and roasted on the farm!

Not only was the coffee grown right there, but the milk was from their cows and the sugar from their sugar cane! We got a short tour of the farm followed by a presentation of how sugar cane is pressed to make sugar cane juice. The cane is pushed twice through a press and the juice flows freely into a pitcher. We tried fresh sugar cane juice and then sipped home made moonshine rum. This rum is not made for sale, as alcohol is regulated by the government, but farmers are allowed to make it and enjoy it with family and friends.

Day two we hiked right by the Arenal volcano (you can’t hike too close because it is still active and erupted not that long ago.) We learned about air roots that trees shoot down to support them, saw an orchid type plant that only blooms for 24 hours, scampered up lava rocks and then made our way down as the skies opened and it began to pour.

In the afternoon, my adventurous daughter, Jamie, and husband Andy, had a blast on an ATV tour while my son, Zander and I walked around the hotel grounds marveling at the flowers (well I marveled, he nodded in agreement) and then swam (his reward). The birds in Costa Rica come in so many brilliant colors and in La Fortuna we saw some yellow and red beauties.

Before setting out for our next stop, we drove to a local waterfall that requires walking down 420 steps and then, yes, you guessed it, back up the 420 when you are done. It was worth it though. Powerful and majestic and a little exercise thrown in too.

Our next stop was Monteverde, a cloud rain forest and we stayed at the simple hotel El Bosque with the loveliest proprietors. While it did at least drizzle most of the time in Monteverde, we had less rain there than in La Fortuna. Soon after we arrived we joined the group on the night hike. On the night hike we were able to see some of the animals as they slept (including birds like the Tennessee Warbler who hold on to a branch real tight and tuck their head under a wing), others, like the Mexican Hairy porcupine who lived in a tree, and many many insects like, Shrimp Bugs, Katydids, white moths, black moths and tarantulas (which we learned aren’t nearly as poisonous as people think.) We even got to see a sleeping Hummingbird which is rare simply because they are so tiny!

The next day Andy and I were up before the kids and we went out searching for monkeys, which are apparently plentiful in that area. Within moments he said “look up” and right there was a Capuchin monkey flying through the trees. There was a little restaurant on the property and they must have known it was breakfast time because there were a ton of monkeys all around that area. The woman working in the restaurant gave one of them a banana and he found a place where he could enjoy it in relative peace. By this time we had woken up our kids so they could see the monkeys too and Jamie spotted a mommy monkey with a baby on her back. She also watched and videoed one of the monkeys sneaking into the restaurant and stealing a piece of bread. Silly monkey!

At the restaurant where we had breakfast, they put out banana pieces on a perch to attract the birds and we saw the most beautiful colored birds. More yellow ones and a few incredible bright blue birds.

That afternoon Jamie and Andy went on a zip-lining tour (remember they are the adventurous two) and Zander and I went on a hanging bridges tour. It was another opportunity to hike in the forest, but this time in daylight. We saw butterflies that camouflage, an Agouti that looks like a cross between a rat and a rabbit (but bigger) and learned about some of the oldest mushrooms and lichen in the forest that I believe dates back millions of years.

There was a hollowed out tree that Zander scampered up inside and then the guide told me it was my turn. I didn’t think I could do it but he and Zander encouraged me and Zander coached me all the way to the top where I found the landing for the bridge. I admit, I was fairly proud of myself. We also saw an armadillo foresting by the road that night.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is the street dog population in Costa Rica. It is significant and heartbreaking to witness. At dinner in Monteverde the restaurant owner shared that most of the dogs in town have owners but they are smart and find the tourists who give them handouts. I was somewhat relieved to know that they had homes, though it is of course distressing that they are running around in the streets all day. The dogs in the touristy areas are more likely to have a chance though we did see some in more rural areas who looked in worse shape. You can expect to hear more about this from me in the future as I returned with a greater resolve to make a difference at home and spread it world wide.

The next day we left the rain and bumped our way for a few hours on unpaved roads through lush and green terrain, narrow one-way bridges, past goats and chickens and cows and sheep in the streets. Our destination was Nosara, a beach town known for the fantastic surfing and yoga community. We rented a house there, which was an adventure in itself. I didn’t realize that our very large, gated house with a pool did not have air conditioning. Almost all of the other houses in that price range did and I obviously overlooked it when I rented. Oops. The bigger problem was that only the bedroom doors were screened and to get any air flow the windows had to be opened which meant we had TONS of bugs and lizards in the house.

Zander no longer has a fear of common house spiders because they pale in comparison to the insects he bunked with. Moreover, every time we went out we had to shut, lock and alarm the house and it was a big house! The next time I return to Nosara, I will be staying in a hotel. ☺

We had a couple of house iguanas (one in a tree and another on our pool deck) much of the time, along with a snake sighting, and some noisy birds that I rarely saw. We expected to see Howler Monkeys which are plentiful in that area but we never saw one. Andy surfed every day and the kids joined him most days and either surfed or boogie boarded in the warm Pacific. A highlight for me in Nosara was the three fantastic yoga classes I enjoyed in beautiful indoor/outdoor settings at the Nosara Yoga Institute and Harmony House Hotel.

I wanted to try Stand Up Paddle boarding and we hired Cacho of Cacho’s Surf Lessons and rentals to take us on the river at sunset. It was fantastic and we not only saw a variety of large birds but we also saw a crocodile! Cacho is awesome and if you go to Nosara- rent your surfboards and take lessons from him and his staff! They are the closest surf shop to Guiones beach making it very convenient to carry your board.

Our last full day was a bit of a bust as we decided to go snorkeling (my idea,) The last time I went snorkeling it was in Hawaii in very clear calm water but that wasn’t the experience we had this time. The snorkeling wasn’t bad but suffice it to say we were in very choppy water on a boat and my tummy didn’t feel so good.

When we got back to the house I kind of passed out by the pool until I was well enough to stand up and take a shower. Jamie came in from the guesthouse where she was staying and announced that there was no water. We called and found out that when the water levels get low they just shut it off. Yikes! So Andy and the kids went out and picked up food for us all and we had a picnic in the house. Yes, the next time I return to Nosara I will definitely be staying in a hotel! (Though I have to say, we did get some sweet sunsets from our pool overlooking the Pacific.)

On our drive back to the airport the following day (I did get a shower in the morning when the water came back on) the only thing I lamented (other than acquiring a little bit of tourista stomach bug right after the seasickness) was that we hadn’t seen any howler monkeys. We really had seen so many other animals, just not the one I expected to see. Andy said ”well it’s not over yet” and sure enough he and Jamie spotted black monkeys in the trees above the road! We stopped the car so I could get a better look and was so excited and declared my trip and adventure complete.

If you would like more information about my trip, hotel, flight and various other recommendations, please feel free to contact me.

How Are You Celebrating These Family Friendly Pet Holidays?

Now that the traditional holidays are over, our attention turns back to the many pet holidays celebrated each month. The first pet holiday I’m celebrating right now is “Walk your Pet Month.” Walking your dog is a great way to stay healthy for you and your pup. I know my dogs not only love getting out for exercise, but they go bananas in the house when they don’t get out. I incorporate dog walking into my daily routine so that it is exercise for my dogs and me!

My 15 year old daughter, Jamie, is big and responsible enough to walk them by herself, so when she’s around (rarely… she’s a teenager!) she helps out with the dog walking. Sometimes, however I see young children walking the family dog. While they might be physically capable of dog walking, situations can occur with other creatures (canine, feline, human, SQUIRREL!) during the walk, so make sure your child is mature enough to handle the unexpected.

Excerpt from Award Winning Book **JJ Goes To Puppy Class**

And walking your dog dovetails nicely with the other January holiday I love which is “National Train Your Dog Month.” How much more fun is it to walk your dog when he walks nicely on a leash rather than pulling you along?

Plus, there’s a huge safety benefit to having a trained dog when he’s going to be around kids. I recommend checking out Stop The 77 website for videos and how to keep kids safe around dogs.

When we first adopted our dog Gonzo, he was a puppy and my kids would come to puppy class with me. They got to learn the commands too and we would practice together at home. It was fun family time. Our favorite was teaching the emergency “come when called” word. We chose “Now” as our emergency word. We would practice the “Now” command by having Gonzo on a long leash with someone holding the leash handle far away and another person dangling a piece of cookie in front of him. Then the far away person would call him and he would come running over and sit in front of you for the treat. (OK, maybe he didn’t get it on the first try, but he’s pretty smart and got with the program quickly.) Another bonus was that my kids got to see all the other cute puppies in the class, making the whole experience pleasant for everyone.

Training and walking your dog is a great recipe for a happy healthy dog and family experience. To celebrate National Train Your Dog Month, when you buy a copy of JJ The American Street Dog, you get JJ Goes to Puppy Class FREE and shipping is included too. This offer is good now through January 31^st at www.dianerosesolomon.com

Why I Stopped Using Swiffers

Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of Swiffers. Easy clean up of all my dog hair, then simply throw it away in the garbage. So why would someone who isn’t thrilled with doing housework in the first place make life any harder that it has to be?

Well, there are a bunch of reasons. The first is (and I’ve known this for awhile) that despite the ease of use, it is not eco-friendly to throw away the cloth after each use. They just end up in a landfill.

Second, since they’re disposable, that means constantly purchasing refills.

But most important to me is the fact that the company that manufacturers Swiffer (Proctor and Gamble) is NOT CRUELTY FREE.

I learned this when I went to the market to get a refill and it dawned on me to find out whether they were cruelty free or not. I’m already mindful of the cosmetics and cleaning products in my home. But I hadn’t thought as much about other household products that aren’t ingested or used on our skin.

I recently downloaded the Cruelty Cutter App created by Beagle Freedom Project. This free app allows you to scan barcodes and in a flash it registers whether the product is cruelty-free or not!

Beagle Freedom Project’s mission is rescuing and finding homes for beagles used in laboratory research and they created this app to help consumers choose cruelty-free products. According to their website,”Beagles are the most popular breed for lab use because of their friendly, docile, trusting, forgiving, people-pleasing personalities. The research industry says they adapt well to living in a cage, and are inexpensive to feed. Research beagles are usually obtained directly from commercial breeders who specifically breed dogs to sell to scientific institutions.”

I am not okay with Beagles, or any other animal, being used for research, so I pulled up my handy dandy Cruelty Cutter app, hovered it over the Swiffer Barcode and this is what it showed.

I immediately put the Swiffers back on the shelf.

I then scanned the bar code on the dry mop next to the Swiffers, and FORTUNATELY O Cedar brand IS Cruelty Free.

So that’s what I use now. While it does require pulling the wad of dog hair off and then washing the reusable cloth (really not that difficult), there’s no cloth winding up in the landfill, I don’t have to keep purchasing the product and the manufacturer does not test on animals! Yippee.

There are many reasons why animals live caged in a laboratories, ostensibly for our benefit. Many vaccines, household products and cosmetics companies require animal testing prior to being used by humans. The shame is that the majority of the time, the testing is all for naught because the results on the animals don’t translate to humans and according to Beagle Freedom Project, “106,000 people die yearly from drugs tested safe on animals.”

But there is good news.

First of all, there are now viable, often preferred alternatives to animal testing.

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Secondly, there are thousands of known benign ingredients that don’t require testing, that cruelty-free minded companies can and do use in their formulations. Thus, more and more natural cosmetic companies, for example, don’t test on animals. These companies are eligible for the Leaping Bunny certification- a third party endorsement that “promotes a single comprehensive standard… to help make shopping for animal-friendly products easier and more trustworthy.” (Note: the Leaping Bunny designation does not mean that their product is Vegan. It relates only to whether the product and ingredients were tested on animals). So you can look for the Leaping Bunny logo on your favorite products to see if they qualify. If they don’t, download the Leaping Bunny APP to find the list of companies that manufacture Leaping Bunny certified products.

Finally, this week I attended another program hosted by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. (I attended a HSUS program last month on worldwide animal cruelty like dog fighting and puppy mills. Here’s a link to that blog.) They shared what they are doing to end animal testing worldwide and it’s a LOT. Granted they are not the only organization championing laboratory animals (BFP and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine are a couple of examples of other organizations). But the Humane Society is enacting new legislation, developing and sharing alternative methodologies with companies and governments domestically and internationally.

There are many countries, including the US, that have NOT yet banned animal testing. There is still a lot of work to be done, and some countries that are not progressive with human rights, much less animal rights are thwarting some of this progress.

The good news is that the EU and some other developed nations are already on board. The goal of Humane Society is to have a worldwide ban on animal testing within the next few years so that we don’t even have to think about which products are approved and which aren’t. It all sounds very promising to me and I look forward to celebrating victories for animals around the world.

How Do You Teach Kindness to Kids?

I just love learning about organizations that teach kids the importance of being kind to animals.

American Pit Bull Foundation has a program called The Positive Pit Care School Program. According to APBF, the curriculum is “geared towards teaching compassionate canine care to high school students.”

The course covers topics in depth such as:

Responsible Breed Ownership
Canine Diseases & Preventions
Dog Bite Safety
Breeding & Overpopulation
Positive Alternatives to Dog Fighting
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The fabulous people at APBF have also been reading JJ The American Street Dog in local elementary school classes. I was thrilled and delighted when Sara Enos, the founder of APBF contacted me last week to see if I would like to help support their Positive Pit Care School Program and educational outreach.

Heck yeah I want to participate!

They are putting together a holiday program and JJ The American Street Dog will be included!

The American Pit Bull Foundation and their Positive Pit Care School Program are making a huge difference in the lives of Pit Bulls and children, and I can’t wait until the kids in the holiday program see the books.

This is exactly what Team Kindness is all about!

Did you know that we’ve got FREE coloring pages, word searches and crossword puzzles for kids at Team-Kindness.com?

Please share and enjoy!

How Do You and Your Pet Celebrate Halloween?

How is it Halloween already? Not surprisingly, I don’t have a costume yet. I usually grab some kitty or devil ears and call it done. My kids have their costumes (they are way more clever and creative than me) and plans for parties and a little trick or treating too. (As a kid, I was all about the candy and I think I threw a sheet over my head and was a ghost most years.) I LOVE other people’s costumes, spookily decorated homes, and parties. Just not the dressing up part.

And my dogs? Well, we aren’t a dress your dogs up kind of family. (There may be a correlation between me not being big on dressing up and my dogs not dressing up.)

But some people love it and dog costumes can be as much fun as people costumes.

My friend and colleague, pet fashion blogger Jody Miller-Young, was on the scene at the Tompkins Square Pet Parade in NYC and took several amazing photos of some decked out dogs.

Photo courtesy of www.barkandswagger.com

And… drumroll please…my other friend and colleague, Amy Cox, won Best in Show! They pulled out all the stops.

The parade was last week but this Saturday is the big night of festivities for the rest of us. Halloween is one of those holidays where fun is expected and safety is paramount… safety for our children walking around in the dark and of course safety for our pets.

At my house, when the trick or treaters come to the door, my dogs will be in their crates. The doorbell ringing is just too overwhelming for them.

In my newest children’s book, JJ Goes to Puppy Class, I show a scene of Maya’s family opening the front door and JJ trying to escape. The solution is either a crate, or possibly a baby gate. We err on the side of caution.

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And here’s a sneak peek Halloween tip from my upcoming book, What to Expect When Adopting a Dog.

“Halloween can be really fun for kids and families but potentially dangerous for your dog. Most candy is toxic to dogs, so keep it locked away. Having strangers come to your door over and over can be stressful for your dog. Be sure he is in a safe and comfortable environment, either in a quiet room or in his crate during festivities. Here is a complete list of Halloween safety tips.“

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

How Are You Celebrating Pit Bull Awareness Month?

Image courtesy of Tara Metzler/Pigdog

National Pit Bull Awareness (October 27^th, 2018) “is a day of appreciation and education designed to change perceptions and stereotypes about Pit Bulls and their responsible owners.” Pit bull Awareness has been going on all throughout October!

I happen to love me some Pit Bull and wanted to share in the celebration. Let’s look at some of the positive ways Pit Bulls are getting attention…

Pinups for Pit Bulls is a fabulous calendar, raising awareness about these awesome dogs. My friend Maggie Marton (well really her dog, Emmett) is Mr. November 2015!

Pit Bulls and Parolees is a hit TV show on Animal Planet…

And perhaps you’ve seen Animal Farm Foundation’s, “The Majority Project” which “shines a spotlight on the majority of ‘Pit Bull’ dog owners – everyday people – and helps us put an end to stereotypes and discrimination.” Watch the short PSA on their page. It’s great.

The reason why all of this education needs to take place is because Pitties get a bad rap and sadly breed discrimination still exists in dozens of towns.

In an article about Blue Nose Pit Bulls:

…”Their reputation for being dangerous comes from the fact that these dogs are sometimes used in dog fighting rings in which they are brought up by criminals who teach them aggressive behavior. It’s this behavior and these people that cause these dogs to become very unpopular. They’re a kind of dog that are often found in kennels and pounds simply because too many people are afraid to give them a chance as a pet in their own home.”

According to the Washington Post: “Change.org has emerged as one of the most influential channels for activism in the country.”

Interested in learning about What to Expect When Adopting a Dog? Great! You are in the right place.