Month: July 2015

LOS ANGELES – JULY 20, 2015 – Between six million and eight million homeless pets enter shelters every year. That’s why Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, the original real estate startup founded in 1906, is teaming up with Adopt-a-Pet.com to organize the Homes for Dogs National Pet Adoption Weekend.

 

This nationwide event builds on the success of the “Homes for Dogs Project,” a national campaign hosted by Coldwell Banker and Adopt-a-Pet.com that aims to find homes for 20,000 adoptable dogs in 2015. On August 1-2, Coldwell Banker offices in communities across the United States, along with shelters and rescue groups in the Adopt-a-Pet.com network, will join forces for one of the largest adoption events of the year.

 

“It’s shocking to think of how many homeless dogs enter shelters each year,” said Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “So many of us at Coldwell Banker are dog lovers — that’s why we launched this program. Between our 86,000 affiliated sales associates and the 15,000 Adopt-a-Pet.com shelters, we’re hoping that we can truly make a difference through a major adoption event.”

 

Coldwell Banker Real Estate launched the “Homes for Dogs Project” in February 2015 with the brand’s national television commercial, “Home’s Best Friend,” which aired on the 87th Academy Awards. The ad spot featured half a dozen real rescue dogs, such as Max, who was adopted in 2014 after being spotted on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

 

“We were thrilled when Coldwell Banker Real Estate came to us about this campaign,” said Abbie Moore, executive director of Adopt-a-Pet.com. “Together, we know we can make an impact on communities across the country.”

 

To find a list of pet adoption events, please visit http://www.adoptapet.com/homesfordogs.

 

About Adopt-a-Pet.com

Adopt-a-Pet.com is North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website.  We help over 15,000 animal shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, pet rescue groups, and pet adoption agencies advertise their purebred and mixed breed pets for free to millions of adopters each month.  Sponsored by the pet lovers at Purina, Bayer AnimalHealth LLC, and the Petco Foundation we help homeless dogs, cats, and even rabbits and other animals go from alone to adopted.  But we don’t stop there.  Adopt-a-Pet.com also provides valuable information on the human/companion animal relationship to help keep pets healthy and successfully living in their loving homes.  Visit our facebook page and blog for supportive content and articles, and our YouTube channel for entertaining and informative pet training videos, all produced by our staff of experts in animal training and behavior, as well as human psychology.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services.   Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the oldest national real estate brand and franchisor in the United States, and today has a network of approximately 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 43 countries and territories with more than 86,000 independent sales professionals affiliated with the network.  The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by being the first national real estate brand with an iPad app, the first to augment its website www.coldwellbanker.com for smart phones, the first to create a iPhone application with international listings, the first to offer sellers to tell their stories on property listings through Homeowners Notes and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On Location^SM YouTube channel. Coldwell Banker Real Estate has also harnessed the power of technology and data bringing the two together for affiliated sales associates with the brand’s exclusive CBx iPad application, which details traits and characteristics of a home’s potential buyers. The brand also utilizes Zap to manage leads and help buyers and sellers customize their experience. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® marketing program delivering exceptional experiences for all consumers served.

 

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Dogs love to play outside. Even cats and small furry pets can safely enjoy the outdoors supervised in a pet- and predator-proof enclosure. For those of us who like to keep our backyards green and lush, having pets means having gardens that can accommodate our furry friends while still looking beautiful. Here are some gardening tips and tricks to help you create a pet-friendly yard:

Plants to Include
There are a few plants that dogs, cats, rabbits, and other pets may like to eat and that are safe in small quantities, such as wheatgrass and other grasses. If you have cats, try planting some catnip in their outdoor enclosure. As most cat owners know, many cats go wild for catnip and get very playful around it. Cats may also enjoy catmint. Local gardeners might have more suggestions, depending on what thrives in your climate.

Plants & Toxins to Prohibit
The ASPCA has a list of toxic plants that could seriously harm your dogs and cats. In addition to poisonous plants such as hellebore, this list includes thorny, spiky plants — such as roses — that could physically injure your animals.

There are also types of mushrooms and weeds that contain harmful toxins and seeds. If you find any wild mushrooms or weeds in your garden, remove them immediately. You should always remove weeds from your garden, so they don’t spread, but some seeds can be seriously toxic if inhaled by your dog or cat. Also keep your animals away from the compost pile, and don’t use fertilizers or pesticides.

Other Pet-Friendly Garden Elements
There are many other pieces you can add to your garden to make it friendly to your furry friends. ImproveNet offers a lot of good ideas — like patrol platforms and patrol paths. Depending on how much time and effort you want to put into your pet-friendly garden, you can add:
● Soft mulch: Tree bark or cedar chips are good for the paws and won’t cling to pet fur. Avoid toxic cocoa mulch and mulches treated with chemicals.
● Running area: A pathway is a good place for pets to exercise without trampling the rest of the garden.
● Freshwater fountain: A small pool or fountain offers fresh drinking water all the time.
● Sandbox: This is a good place for diggers.
● Fencing: A 3-foot fence is good for keeping very small dogs in – most dogs require a 5-or 6-foot fence. Adding a screen allows them to see out without feeling trapped. For cats, you can build them a fully-enclosed catio, or in areas without hawks or coyotes, a 6-foot or taller using material (like smooth vinyl fencing) they and predators can’t climb. The cost to install a fence is between $1,400 and $3,600.
● Toilet area: Create a corner for your dogs to relieve themselves. It could be made of flagstone, pea gravel or cedar chips. You’ll have to train them to use it, but it cuts down on mess in your garden. You might use sand for cats.
● Shaded area for shelter: Create a deck or patio area — or a house of their very own — where they can rest while supervising you work in your beautiful pet-friendly garden.

Written contribution by Andrea Davis, Home Advisor.

 

If you’re looking to add a furry family member to your pack, you don’t want to miss the Homes For Dogs National Adoption Weekend, brought to you by Adopt-a-Pet.com and Coldwell Banker Real Estate! All across the country, awesome dogs will be waiting to meet you and find loving adopters to take them home to start their new lives – and it is all happening this Saturday, August 1^st and Sunday, August 2^nd.

To find a location near you, visit www.adoptapet.com/homesfordogs. Mark your calendars and don’t miss the adoption event of the year!

Recall, or coming when called, is an incredibly useful skill for all dogs to have. While it’s often used to keep your pup safe when exploring off-leash, you can also use it when your dog is playing with other dogs to keep the play relaxed and fun! As you can imagine, being able to have your dog come back under any circumstance (which we can teach you!) has many applications.

Start off in an enclosed space like a patio or garage, with your dog on leash. Also, make sure that there are few, if any, distractions. It’s hard to learn when there’s lot of other stuff going on. We want your dog focused on working together with you!

As you’ll see in our video “Coming When Called”, it is important to make being near you awesome. This means rewarding your pup every time she checks in, whether called or not. Use an upbeat, cheerful tone when you call your dog and run backward in an exciting way. Using a low-pitched voice or leaning towards your dog discourages her from coming to you.

Your “Coming When Called” sequence should look like this: call your dog’s name, wait for her to look up, say your recall word (“come”) and then run backwards away from your dog. As your dog catches up to you, click and deliver a tasty treat.

Like the old saying goes, practice makes perfect! So practice often, even on walks when your dog is just a step ahead of you, and you’ll have a great recall in no time!

Contributed by Wagfield Academy, the online dog training school. For more info on Wagfield Academy, please visit https://www.wagfield.com.