By: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager
Taking your pooch to the dog park is not only good for pet health, but it can also be entertaining for the pet owner.
Have you ever noticed all the creative pet names? Sometimes they’re not only funny, they’re downright bizarre.
“Here Nigel Butt-Sniffer, come here boy!”
These days, it seems pet owners are becoming much more comical when it comes to naming their pets.
I’ve compiled a list of the funniest names I’ve heard here at Pets Best Insurance, on the web, and though our families and friends.
1. Captain Naughty Pants- This unfortunate cat actually responded to his name when called by one of my former roommates. I always wondered if cats could be embarrassed, if so, this “captain” surely was.
2. Salvador Dagi- Pronounced “Salvador Doggie,” this Great Dane was named as an homage to the highly regarded painter (best known for his images of melting clocks.)
3. Fluffy Butt- When I began working at Pets Best Insurance, I loved hearing the hilarious, very creative names our policy holders came up with for their pets. Fluffy Butt has been my favorite, thus far.
4. Turkey Lips- I found this name on cat-dog-names.com and couldn’t help but snicker.
5. One-Hung-Lo- From the same website at above, the family who opted for this dog name explained that as a puppy, their Pekingese’s tummy dragged on the floor. The breed also originated from ancient China, and so One-Hung-Lo stuck.
6. Sir Coconut- I found this funny name on the website noted above. The owners of Sir Coconut said they call their pooch “Nutty” for short.
7. Burnt Marshmallow Crème Puff- Received his doggy name because his owners thought their black and white dog looked like a burnt marshmallow.
8. Princess Petunia Red Tipped Banana Fanny- Who also commonly goes by the alias of “Tippy” was named by the owner’s grandson.
9. Ja Lue Grum Doo- My best friend’s Schnauzer, whose actual name is Juliet (quite the stretch) started responding to the funny names my friend dubbed her, and this one stuck. She will also respond to “Gwub-ed,” and “Gwubbie.”
10. Your Mom- Also from the same website as above, Your Mom’s owner has quite a sense of humor, as you can tell. He wrote that his favorite thing to tell people is “Your Mom was licking my ears this morning.”
Does your dog or cat have a funny name? Visit us at www.facebook.com/petsbestinsurance and post it to our wall!
By: Dr. Jack Stephens, DVM
Pets Best Insurance President
The warm season will soon be upon us, and if you live somewhere with long winters (like I do) then you’ll be ready for it! However, if you often travel by vehicle with your pet, then you need to be aware that leaving your pet in a car with the windows rolled up can be very dangerous for pet health. In the summer months, cars heat up incredibly fast. Even leaving your pet in a car briefly can be deadly.
Of course we all know that cars warm up in the sun, but some pet owners do not realize just how hot it can become. As a comparison, try wearing a light coat or sweater. Roll up your windows and sit in your car. This is what it feels like for our pets when they’re left behind on a hot summer day. It becomes unbearable much more quickly than you would think.
In the summer Torrey, my miniature Chihuahua, has to stay home more often as I run daily errands to the grocery store, the hardware store and other weekend jaunts. Although Torrey is not happy about being left behind, I take comfort in knowing she will be safe upon my return.
It’s also important to remember that if you leave your dog outside during the day, you should ensure they have proper shade and plenty of cold water. Allow for sun shifting throughout the day, and plan to keep your pet in an area that always has adequate shield from the sun no matter the time of day. Pets do not perspire; they lose heat by panting and on a hot day your pet can lose a lot of body water which needs to be replenished. Long haired and large dogs are even more susceptible to the heat. Keep all these tips in mind, and your dog or cat will be in prime pet health.
By: Dr. Jack Stephens, DVM
Pets Best Insurance President
For years I have been promoting the power of pets for human health and well being. Although I knew even as a child that pets had a strong effect on our feelings, it was not until 1979 that I witnessed it first-hand as I watched a sick child interact with a therapy dog.
Over 30 years later my wife and I still believe in the “power of pets” as depicted by the photo of my wife and her mini-horse “Dandy,” visiting challenged students at a local high school.
My wife, her therapy dogs and Dandy visit classes on a regular basis and practice the power of pets as they interact with the children.
This type of interaction makes us feel good about ourselves as it floods our bodies with feel-good hormones, lowers our blood pressure and improves nerve conduction in our brains by increasing neurotransmitters.
If we feel good about ourselves, we are able to achieve more and relate better to others. Teachers who have experienced student’s interactions with animals often say it builds self-esteem and that it’s a great social lubricant in getting them engaged with others—simply put, “pets break the ice and get us talking to one another.”
Even more remarkable is how pets can positively impact reading skills in young children. At a local school, children in the first grade who could not read and certainly could not write are transformed when they know the mini-horse will be coming to their class. Something magical happens when the students are assigned to write a story and then read it to the animal. A student with a severe reading impairment is often able to read their story to the mini-horse near flawlessly when prior they struggled and stumbled over the words.
Perhaps the students’ reading abilities are higher with the animal present because the students have a non-judgmental listener. The animal’s presence alone seems to remove all peer or public pressure allowing the students to achieve something they could not do in a normal classroom setting. This achievement, as reported by first grade teachers, seems to give students confidence in their reading and writing abilities.
The lesson: Never underestimate the power of pets to provide a positive impact on a human’s life and well-being.
By: Drew Mayes
Guest Blog
Growing up as an American male you learn that bigger is better. When we’re kids, we want a bigger piece of cake than our buddy (even if it’s his birthday party). And by the time high school rolls around, we want a big truck and even bigger muscles. That’s what we believe will get us the girl.
When it’s time to go to college most of us will take out a big student loan hoping it will lead to a big job, all-the-while doing anything we can to appear like we’re the big man on campus.
You’d think by the time adulthood rolled around we would’ve learned our lesson, but we haven’t.
Instead, we prove our manliness by buying a big house we can barely pay for, a big SUV with a gas tank we can’t fill, and a big barking dog to complete the modern day Marlboro Man myth. If that doesn’t make us feel like manly men than what will?
What they don’t tell you as a kid, is that the aforementioned usually results in nothing more than big debt, big veterinarian bills and big dog poop in the yard. So the question still remains – is bigger better or not? Now I’m confused.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think everything has to be big to be manly. Take a waistline for example. I’d take a small one over a big belly any day (and so would my fiancée).
So what about when it comes to dogs? Do the same rules apply to mini breeds versus larger pooches? I tend to think so, although before I moved in with my girl and her miniature Chihuahua I probably would’ve been singing a different tune— because a dog that could fit in your glove compartment isn’t a real dog… is it?
Take a stroll through any large dog owner’s backyard (be careful where you step) and invariably two things will happen: one, you’ll get a whiff of something rank and two, you can expect to kiss those expensive-man-shoes goodbye.
Little dogs leave little messes while big dogs come with big smells and even bigger messes… and to be honest, no one looks manly when they’re picking up poop. Even if it is big.
Bigger dogs also come with a big expenses, like food. It’s a lot cheaper to feed a 3-pound miniature Chihuahua than it is to feed a hungry Doberman. Paying $35 for a 40-pound bag of dog food isn’t as cool or easy as only spending $5 a month on a 3-pound bag of dog food that fits neatly in your manly eco bag with the rest of the groceries.
So what about when it comes to guard dogs—are bigger dogs better protectors? While Bullmastiff and Pit Bulls sure do look scary, I don’t think they’re any more likely to alert you to a potential intruder than the vicious bark of a Weiner dog. Would a Scottish Terrier put its life on the line for its beloved master the same way a Rottweiler would? I think so.
With superior cleanliness, greater affordability and solid protection, (not to mention they’re darn cute) I’m proud to say choosing a small dog was a smarter choice for me. Even if my fiancée did help me come around to the idea.
That being said, the only time I think a bigger dog is better is when it’s at the ball park with extra mustard and relish, paired with my favorite manly beer.
By: H. R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager
Pet owner Julie Fukuhara, of Palo, Alto, CA, said her dog Turbo (a “Puggle” who is a crossbreed between a Pug and a Beagle) began acting strangely one evening.
“He was walking a little wobbly,” she said of her floppy-eared-pooch.
Although she was initially worried about Turbo, Julie knew if she had to take him to the vet, she wouldn’t have to agonize over finances because she had insurance for Turbo through Pets Best Insurance.
When the dog’s condition worsened, Julie decided it was time to take him to the doctor.
“He was walking really gingerly and tenderly,” she said of her usually-energetic dog.
After leaving the pet hospital with a clean bill of health, both owner and veterinarian scratching their heads, Julie took her beloved Turbo home to rest.
“By the time we got home, he had completely lost the use of his legs . . . in the morning he couldn’t move at all, so the doctor told me to go to the surgery center.”
An MRI later revealed Turbo had ruptured a disk and that fluid had begun to collect around his spine. Doctors recommended the dog go into surgery immediately.
“I said ‘go ahead—do it,’” Fukuhara said of the costly procedure.
Even when the pet hospital gave her a jaw-dropping estimate of the cost beforehand, she had no reservations when it came to saving the life of her dog.
“I remember . . . in the back of my mind I was really relieved I had the insurance,” she said. “I submitted the claim and they sent me a check right away.”
Julie said she received a reimbursement check from Pets Best Insurance before her credit card statement (which she used to cover the expense) even arrived in her mailbox.
“This would have been a really bad time to deal with more expense,” Julie said. “If we didn’t have insurance I would be so upset. I feel so lucky that I made that decision when he was a puppy.”
