We are still experiencing a number of heart-stopping scary moments courtesy of Lula.  She may be playing perfectly happily at our local open space when she suddenly decided to run off in the other direction.  This happens whether she is playing with her ball, or with a group of other dogs.  It is impossible to predict when it will happen, and we always leave her lead attached for ease of catching her.  I have special whistles in my pocket at all times, and sound them loudly as I chase her on one of her escape bids.  All they really do is attract the attention of passers-by, who usually help to stop her.  Sometimes she reaches the garden of our friends whose house is at the edge of the field, but on another occasion she was chasing another dog who was on the way home, and Lula ran across a road in hot pursuit.  It is pure good luck that she avoided being run over by a car.  We have decided some drastic action is needed.  I have heard about some very good trainers at K-9companions.com, who run a boot camp for dogs with all sorts of behaviour and training needs.  The training ranges from one-on-one sessions for a single dog, through group sessions and they even offer a boot camp where the dog stays at the school for more than a fortnight.  The last offering can make a big difference to dogs with extreme issues.  I think we will need a few private sessions, but I remain hopeful that Lula can curb her Terrier instincts.

I am all in favour of review sites, where consumers can post their experiences of a particular product or service.  But there are so many sites where the content is not genuine, and it is difficult to ascertain whether the contributor is genuine or not.  One giveaway is where a forum post is made by a member who has only made one contribution – and these are quickly exposed by other members as a put-up job.  To help car dealers present a genuine snapshot of the quality of their customer service, a new consumer site called Judge Champion has been established.  This will be a website only for car dealers who are committed to customer satisfaction.  It is not a place for glossy PR puff – although good testimonials will be published on the dealer’s website, on Judge Service and shared on social networks.  Judge Service also takes customer data and uses its software to get their feedback to their experience with the dealer’s staff.  This is a good step forward in the car sales and service sector, and definitely one to be encouraged.  Find out more at judgeservice.com

As any dog owner will tell you, there are many occasions when you need help and advice in looking after your pet, especially in relation to your dog’s health. I know that we often turn to the internet petforums when we have some kind of concern about our dog’s behaviour or her health.  For example, there was the occasion when she got hold of a box of chocolates by climbing on to the end of the settee and leaning over to the coffee table.  By using her very flexible neck muscles, she managed to eat at least six chocolates before we realised what had happened.  Theobromine poisoning can be a really serious threat to a dog’s life, but Lula seemed totally unaffected.  Fortunately the chocolates had fillings and the coating was not very high in cocoa content, or the outcome could have been a lot worse.  I read on a terrier forum about other people’s dogs who had to have their stomachs pumped – and worse. More recently we have been looking for help regarding her state of high excitement when she plays with her newest squeaky toy.  When she received the toy as a Christmas present we were really pleased as the squeak mechanism was robust, and she could not break it.  Normally squeaky toys have lasted less than a day, but this one is still fine after four months.  She really likes chasing it, and she can also play with it on her own as she kicks it like a football. But when we take it away from her, she howls like a creature possessed.  Last week I stupidly allowed her to play with it in the evening, and when the time came to go to her crate she was screaming and wailing as she desperately wanted to carry on playing! This is a real problem as we have to get up early in the morning and we did not want to keep the neighbours awake.  The next day I found other dog owners’ experiences on petforums and discovered that we should routinely be taking her toy away so that we are in charge of the start and finish of the game.  Let’s see how far we manage to put that into practice.

All you dogs who are looking for a little extra income should be aware of the power of affiliate programmes to help you.  You could be out at the park chasing your favourite ball and your website is working hard to make you a bit extra, which could pay for your next bath and clipping.  Blue Global Media is one of the agencies where you can sign up for potential extra cash, it is an Affiliate network that specialises in financial products.  Love them or hate them, there are plenty of readers searching for loans online and you may just as well direct them after they have read about your latest doggie cuteness.  By joining a cash advance affiliate program you could help your family raise enough for a few trips to the nearest doggie swimming pool, and maybes a couple of nice big ham bones at the same time.  Just think how grateful they will be no longer can they say it’s a luxury dog’s life – you will be earning your own keep

In our cafe we have a lot of publicity material for other tourist venues, and these can take up a lot of space if you are not careful.  The solution is to use  good quality brochure stands Australia as this is an important piece of hardware.  Brochure displays are the kind of thing that you never really notice unless they are not right.  Think of the times you have been browsing and the stand starts to whiz around too fast, causing you to jump back with a start.  Or, for example, the times you have tried to turn the carousel only to find it creaks and resists all movement.  Or maybe the stands are leaning forward at a a crazy angle, preventing you from seeing the titles of the material that is being displayed.  It really is imperative to find good quality, reliable brochure stands Australia for your business.  If you look out for brochure stands Australia you will spend your cash wisely.

Well it looks as if Mum has decided to find a more dog-friendly business, where I can be with her all the time.  At the moment that is not possible as there is no space in the cafe for me to sit.  So she is on the hunt for a shop, so that she can have a little play pen in the corner for me.  I am sure I will help her to sell more as well, due to my charm and personality.  I have heard her making calls to Business Brokers who can help her in this search. Apparently she met a friend recently who has just negotiated on a Law firm for Sale so Mum said, “I wonder if they can help us, Lula?  Would you like to hold court all day in your own cute little shop?  This is going to be a big investment so she needs to do plenty of research.  At first they offered a Physiotherapy practice for sale but that is not what we are looking for.  A nice shop selling unnecessary – but totally desirable – trinkets is much more up our street. Wish me luck.