Charissa's blog

Wendy Nan Rees and Kristen Hampshire, authors of the Dog Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Living a Rich Life with Your Dog offer this recipe for a basic doggie deodorant:

MATERIALS

2 bowls

1 cup (110 g) arrowroot flour, sifted

1 cup (110 g) cornstarch, sifted

¼ cup (18.4 g) baking soda

10 drops of tea tree oil

10 drops of sage, bergamot, grapefruit, lemongrass, or eucalyptus essential oil (from a natural foods store)

Empty shaker bottle

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Add the oils and stir gently.
3. Sift the mixture into another bowl.  Resift, if necessary, to distribute the oils well.
4. Put the mixture into a jar with a shaker top.
5. To use, shake over dog's fur and brush.

Pampering your pooch has never been easier.  Websites like Frugal Living and Rover's Recipes offer homemade recipes for Flea Repellent and Spray.  Here at Opie & Dixie, we offer herbal shampoos and soothing balms for your pet's paws.  Peruse our store and choose the right type of product to spoil your canine or feline with.

When whipping up a batch of treats, don't forget to sew up a catnip toy or two for your kitty.  Also check out some natural litter box deodorizers recipes.   You'll be thanking yourself later for thinking ahead.  Cats can be very finicky.  You don't want Tabby to turn her back on you completely because you forgot to freshen up her litter box!   A clean kitty is a happy kitty.

Caring for your pet takes time and energy.  After treating your dog or cat to a day of luxury, spend a moment pampering you.  Draw a hot bath, light a few candles, and soak up some much needed rest and relaxation.  Play soft music in the background and reflect upon the moments that make you the happiest.  More often than not, these memories will include your four legged, feathered, and finned friends.

Pet lovers are special people.  To open up your heart and home to an animal in need is remarkable.  Nurturing, caring for, and building a relationship with a pet takes time but is certainly worth the effort.  A little TLC goes a long way.

Grab that empty shaker bottle and get busy deodorizing your doggie and freshening up after kitty.  Your pet will appreciate the gesture and show their gratitude to you by nuzzling your hand or giving you some well-deserved kisses.

Women around the world inherit items from loved ones that they do not want or need.  Many of these items include fur coats and stoles.  Rather than toss these articles out, opt instead to make a tax-deductible donation to PETA. 

In addition to using them in their educational programs and displays, PETA also gives them to impoverished people in bitterly cold climates like Afghanistan.  The coats are then cut into blanket sized pieces and given to refugees who put the fur to good use.

Clean out your closet and send the contents along with your name, address, and an appraisal if you have one to:

PETA Development Department

501 Front Street

Norfolk, Virginia 23510

To learn more about the program and the people of Afghanistan visit PETA's campaign, Fur is Dead.

In addition to helping people, fur coats are actually used in shelters and zoos to keep their animals warm.  The Humane Society of the United States runs a Coats for Cubs Program.  Wildlife rehabilitators use the coats and stoles with their animal patients.  Raccoons, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and bobcats respond better to treatment when snuggled up to a fur blanket.  It reminds them of the comfort they received when being nurtured by their mothers.

There is no need to waste a thing in today's society.  Do a web search and find the type of organization that accepts the types of items that you want to give away.  In addition to receiving a tax deduction, you also get to help people and animals in need.  In my opinion, there is no better gift to give than a gift from the heart. 

You don't have to be financially privileged to make a charitable donation.  In fact, Nicole Bochard Boles' book, How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist: 330 Ways to Make a Difference In Your Home, Community, and World At No Cost provides numerous pages on ways that you can help the animals in your community with your time and unwanted belongings.  In fact, page 67 of the book mentions the Cage Comforter Program which accepts donations of handmade comforters that are in return used to replace the newspaper that lines cages in animal shelters.  A small way to help traumatized animals adjust better to their conditions, the program's website has instructions on how to start your own group in the city that you live in.

Clean out your closet and take pride in knowing that something that is no longer useful to you is extremely valuable to someone else.  In the spirit of the new year, make 2010 one that you are proud of.  Make giving a part of every facet of your life and see how different your life becomes.  "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."