Sunday, March 29, 2009

Photo of Two Dogs in a Petzip Sports XL Pet Stroller

A nice customer who purchased a pet stroller from us at JustPetStrollers.com sent us a photo in an email entitled, "My dogs love the stroller." Rosana, thanks for letting us know and sharing the picture!

The pet stroller in this photo is a Petzip Sports XL Pet Stroller.


Sunday, March 08, 2009

Loss of a Pet and a Home for a New Friend

My wife and I recently lost our cat of 11 years. His passing was unexpected. As many of you pet lovers know firsthand, it is very hard to lose a feline or canine best friend. While a new pet can never replace one that has left, it does provide a way to channel your feelings of loss into a positive direction. I wanted to briefly share our story.


Sassy was a cat who was living on the street and being abused by neighborhood kids. A friend of ours took him in, but she needed someone to adopt Sassy because her daughters have asthma. The day we picked him up was sad and funny; our friend told her daughters that Sassy was going to a good home and they had to be happy, so they all had big smiles while tears rolled down their cheeks.

For over a decade we provided a good home for Sassy. His time on the street stuck with him; even though he was always safe and secure in our home, he'd run and hide whenever a friend came to visit. (Because Sassy never showed his face around strangers, our friends got to thinking we had an imaginary pet.)


One pleasant surprise was that despite Sassy's nervousness, he actually loved hopping in his pet stroller. We take him onto our balcony, and the pet stroller was perfect for keeping him safe--we never had to worry he'd jump off in pursuit of a bird! He'd sit in his stroller and watch traffic go by, stalk birds, and enjoy the sun. The photo at right is a shot of Sassy in his pet stroller.

One morning we woke up thinking we had a healthy cat, but a trip to the vet revealed he had a large tumor. Just as we were adjusting to this sad news, Sassy feel acutely ill (possibly due to the medication or as a result of the needle aspiration that was performed.) He passed away that night very peacefully in our arms.

It was hard to come home to an empty house, and we were very sad for days. In fact, we remain very sad and occasionally tear up thinking about Sassy. But we also knew we could provide a safe and loving home to another pet, so we visited a local animal shelter. (While we'd love to furnish a home for many pets, my allergies prevent more than one at a time. Heck, owning even one pet requires me to be on medication, but it's totally worth it!)

So now Turtle is a part of our home. He got that name because he's a tortoiseshell cat. Also, when he first got to the shelter, he was very shy but later "came out of his shell."

Turtle is more inquisitive and comfortable than Sassy was. He'll hide when people come to our home, but only for a minute; within 10 minutes he's sitting next to our guests and asking to be pet. We were surprised with how quickly Turtle came to feel comfortable in our home, and loving him has helped with our mourning for Sassy.

We haven't yet taken Turtle out on our balcony in his pet stroller because it'll be winter for another two months in our part of the country. Some people use pet strollers in winter for transportation (which keeps animals' paws safe from ice and salt), but we'll wait for the warmth of spring before Turtle gets his taste of the out of doors from the safety of his pet stroller.

Do you have room in your home for a Turtle or a Sassy? If so, please visit your local shelter or click here to visit Petfinder.com.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

A Cat "Strikes Gold": Adoption and a Pet Stroller!

The Herald Bulletin of Indiana has an article both heartwarming and heartbreaking about adoption. Written by Maleah Stringer, program director of Anderson Animal Care and Control, the article discusses the need for pet adoption and tells the story of a cat named Sandman.

Sandman was adopted by a lady from Scottsdale, AZ because his Petfinder photo reminded her of the 18-year-old cat she had lost the year before. The woman flew from Arizona to Indiana to meet Sandman, and "two hours later she and Sandman flew back to Arizona."

Stringer says Sandman is living the good life. "He has a cat condo complete with a hammock. He even has a pet stroller! He will live a fabulous life. And he doesn’t even have a pedigree. He truly is a lucky little kitty."

Sandman was renamed by their new human companions. He is now called Jamu which is Indonesian for “Medicine.” "They explained that he is their medicine for the heart."

If you need "medicine for your heart," please visit your local shelter or peruse Petfinder. Some needy cat or dog is awaiting a loving home--the kind you can provide!