A commercial gets my goat...

Last night Dallas and I were watching the finals of the NCAA tournament. Great game. I was cheering for Butler but I like Duke so it was still good when Duke one. Still, its hard not to feel for any team who as given such a gallant effort and not quite made it to the top. As interesting as the game was, it is not what I wanted to visit with you about this morning. It was a commercial we saw while watching the game that made me sit back and wonder...

.

I'm not going to mention any names but the commercial came from one of our main box stores that starts with the letter L. The whole commercial was about buying pesticides! Like everyone should do it, it is normal and perfectly safe. The commercial focused on dandelions and ants. My last blog was about minimizing and preventing the use of pesticides and here it was big bold and in full color.

.

At our home we have 2 dogs and a cat- Reggie, Sally and Penny. They eat grass every time they get a chance, run and roll everywhere and then lick their paws after they come inside. I'll come clean- we have dandelions on our property. I just think a little yellow flower isn't as dangerous as using a product that kills. I love my pets and I have no intention of bringing pesticides into my home. Plus they aren't good for our environment. I realize this is a total soap box moment but I just couldn't help myself.

.

Years ago, one of our chemical suppliers, who provided us with a disinfectant to be used after a flood, gave us an interesting perspective. Disinfectants and pesticides kill organics... we are organic... as is our pets, kids, bees, lady bugs, birds, fish... always use with extreme caution.

Just a thought to ponder on..

.

Wishing you a healthy and happy home.

Denise

Blue Sky Services- Natural stone, tile and grout care plus a whole lot more...

Top 4 pet tips in designing and caring for your home

Yesterday, I was watching Reggie. He is our 16 year old English Shepard Dog-with very arthritic back legs. He was trying to stand on the hardwood floors in our bedroom. Reggy's back legs were shaking and sliding out from under him.
He reminded me about the importance of our pets as we design and care for our homes.

Here are my top 3 pet tips:

1) Consider your pets when you pick your flooring. Too slick of surfaces may be hard for your pet to get footing. This lack of traction is hard on old hips.

2) Don't leave cleaning residue behind on your floors.
Pets walk on floors and later lick their paws.
On occasion- I have even seen ours licking the floor.

3) Be aware of any pesticide or herbicide used outdoors.

These chemicals often get tracked back indoors.
As your pets run around outside they may nibble on the grass and later lick their paws.

4) Be careful with your toilet cleaning. Dogs love to drink the cool water out of our toilets. Unfortunately, most toilet cleaners are pretty toxic. Use safe cleaners, rinse completely and leave the toilet seat down!

Thankfully, most of our home flooring is slate. Reggie has no problem with the slate floors.
We also don't leave cleaning residue behind and our gardening and lawn care is organic. Now, we just have to take care when he comes back to say hi in our bedrooms with the hardwood floors.

p.s. this info also applicable to our whole family not just our four legged members.

Wishing you and your pets a healthy and happy home.