Puppy?! How to Prepare for Bringing a Dog Home

black and brown short haired puppy in cup

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Puppies could easily be the cutest things ever! They are so adorable, soft and cuddly. Often when we think puppy we envision an overly dramatic scene, like telenovela style, with emotional music in the background and a slow mo hug but that is not the entire tea sis. Taking care of a puppy is much more than that and I hope that by the end of this blog you can easily identify the essentials necessary for bringing a puppy home.

Like any living creature puppies require lots of attention. The key to establishing a positive experience for everyone right off the bat is to recognize that getting a puppy will require a lot of love, commitment, and patience. Here are 15 essentials needed for the puppy’s arrival:

Chewey.com

Crate/Containment: Most experienced dog owners recommend crates that are wire, have dividers, and are properly sized. Wire crates make it is easier to clean up after potty accidents and dividers are key to making the space in the crate more comfortable and suitable for your puppy. Dividers are advantageous because they provide a smaller space and in doing so discourage your puppy from pooping inside their crate. However, it is still important that you buy a crate bigger than your dog, so you do not have to constantly buy new ones as he or she grows. If the idea of a crate doesn’t appeal to you make sure you pick a designated room or area you plan the puppy to sleep in and make it adequate.
Play Pen + Baby Gates: It is important that you immediately set boundaries and ensure safety for your pet and the best way to do that is by purchasing play pens and baby gates. You cannot supervise your dog 24/7 so you need to provide them a safe environment where you know they can move around without getting into trouble.
Photo by Emily Hopper on Pexels.com
Blankets + Towels: In the hype of preparing for the new puppy, new dog owners make the common mistake of buying a dog bed, although this could be useful in the future it is not applicable in the first few months. Since the new puppy is most likely not trained, the bed will end in shreds or pooped on, to manage with this use blankets or towels (locate inside crate or designated area) at the beginning so that if accidents do happen, you can easily wash and rotate the towels and blankets. Micro-fiber towels work best because they absorb the most.
Stain + Odor Removal: This is one of the most essential tools for bringing a new puppy home. Since they are not yet trained, puppies are bound to poop and pee everywhere and it is important that you are ready to handle this. From all my sources, Nature’s Miracle was recommended the highest and claimed to have worked wonders for everyone.
Photo By Amazon.com
Poop Bags / Poop Scooper: Your dog is going to poo and you need to be prepared to clean it up. There are a variety of poop bags, ranging from organic to plastic, but the choosing process is based on what is most comfortable for you.
Food: Dogs like us need to eat and it is a good idea to set a meal plan to have a healthy puppy. When you pick your dog from the breeder, shelter or store, make sure to ask what food they are accustomed to eating so that you can give them that same food at home. Some places are generous enough and will give you a small bag with your puppy’s food. If you would prefer to use a different food meal because of personal preference or because you feel another option is much healthier, this can be done by slowly mixing the new food with the old food until the puppy is fully on the new food. If you were to swap the food the puppy eats from one day to another, the pup will get an upset stomach and we want to avoid that. However if you do want to change your puppy’s food wait at least 2-4 weeks before transitioning them into their new diets. Save yourself a trip to the store and check out Petflow.com for your dog food.
Photo By Natural Pet Warehouse.com
Treats: You may be thinking, well food and treats are the same thing right? Although their purpose is, their use is not. Treats should be highly used for training and rewarding your dog. Different options can include Orijen, Hare of Dogs, etc.
Food Bowls: Only get stainless steel and/or ceramic. Never get plastic bowls! Not only does the plastic wear down quicker, but is also much more difficult to clean. When dealing with the height of the bowls, get regular bowls that are placed on the floor. Eating from a raised bowl is not healthy for a dog because it is not a natural position to be eating from. Dogs actually eat best from the floor, but of course we don’t have time for that mess so regular, non standing bowls work best.
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
Harness + Leash: Dogs, especially little or young ones have fragile necks so you want to avoid collared leashes and buy a harness instead. To ensure the greatest comfort, you can figure out your dog’s measurements to get a harness that will fit them the best. However figuring out the puppy’s exact measurements is not necessary and an estimation can work just as well. The best type of leash, especially for training is an old fashioned one. Try to avoid bungee leashes or anything that could accidentally snap and revert back or jolt suddenly until your puppy is more trained. Unless your dog is super tiny, clasps and width of the leash don’t matter and can be based on your preference. Whichever leash you decide to use, make sure to stay consistent while you are training your puppy.
ID Tags: You want to be contacted if your dog ever gets lost so getting one of these is a very good idea. You could get them done at any Pet Co or Pet Smart near you. Here is a link that can locate a shop near you: https://www.petsmartcharities.org/petsmart-stores/search
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Toys: You may think that this is an extra step, but this is just as essential as buying your puppy anything else. Puppies 8 weeks-6 months old have their teeth growing in so like a human baby they will need something to chew on. Buy your pup some toys unless you are totally okay with seeing your house get destroyed. Make sure to buy a variety of toys to fit all of your puppy’s needs and prevent them from getting bored. Get tug a war ropes, fetch toys for inside and outside (frisbees), plushies and bones (plastic or real). If you are unsure of the sizes for a toy remember that bigger is always better to prevent choking.
Photo by nishizuka on Pexels.com
Puppy Shampoo: Your puppy is curious and will get into just about anything even if you are supervising so you will need to buy doggy shampoo. There are a couple different options that can be found in the link (https://www.chewy.com/b/shampoos-conditioners-358). Avoid using human products! Even hair dryers though not physically applied should not be used. Dogs have different skin then we do so our products if applied will cause their skin to become very dry and that can lead to issues and discomfit. Conditioner or any kind of spray is optional, but make sure that you have the supplies needed to bathe them.
Photo By Amazon.Com
Brush: 1 1/2 inches is the universal length for the teeth of your puppy’s brush or comb. Length or size of the actual utensil is left for your personal preference. There are different types of brushes ranging from slickers to undercoat rakes. If you don’t know which brush is best for your pup then pick out a simple one and make your life easier.
Toothbrush: Get your dog accustomed to this procedure and do it to avoid dental issues in the future. It will go a long way for you and your puppy.
Photo By Chewy.com
Nail Clippers: Your puppy’s nails will grow quickly so you will need to buy clippers to cut them often. Buying blunt end scissors to finish the grooming process is also a good choice. If you are not comfortable with doing this yourself you can take your dog to any grooming service near you, whatever you decide to do, make sure that your dog is being groomed and taken care of.

Of course these are not the only things necessary when you get a puppy, but these are great starters. Each dog is unique and each person is different so take the time to know your new companion or companions and make sure that you are providing them with all they need and they will do the same in return. Along the way you will have to make changes and try different things, but that is all part of the experience. Now like I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, if you find that your dog is not as cuddly as you thought it would be and only wants to spend time alone, don’t be discouraged. Give it some time and dedication and you will see that by the end of it all you would have formed a loving, and caring relationship with your pup! Last, but not least it is important to know that I am not a professional and the information I provide is based on what I researched, to get professional help make sure to check out a Veterinarian nearest to you.

Before parting from you living legends, posted at the bottom are a few videos that might be beneficial to your knowledge. Thank you so much for your time and until next time.

A Place Called Home

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Have you ever been to a place where you’re welcomed and loved at the drop of a hat? Everyone values, takes time for you and believes in you regardless of who you are? Can you even imagine a place like that exists? This blog post is going to be more personal and sentimental and don’t worry sis, if you are not a big fan of this kind of content it won’t be often that I will detract from the YouTube content I plan to write about in the future.

Located in Lake Hughes there is a wonderful camp called the Painted Turtle. From a distance it doesn’t seem like much, figuratively and literally, hidden away by trees and easily passed on the road. This camp however is life changing.

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

I was born with biliary atresia, a disease where bile flow from the liver to the gallbladder is blocked due to the narrow bile ducts outside the liver that are abnormal and damaged by a progressive inflammatory process. The cause of the disease is still unknown and it only affects 1 in 10,000-15,000 of infants in the United States, in other words its uncommon. Within two weeks of my birth my mother noticed that my skin was very yellow, referred to as jaundice and a symptom of liver failure, so she took me to a doctor and was told the issue was minor and that it could be because of her breast milk or because I was premature. Time went by and sensing something was wrong my mother refused to accept that everything was alright and took me to my pediatrician. There at 2 months old I was diagnosed with biliary atresia. I did not gain weight, had an abnormally large stomach for my age/wanted to be constantly eating, was yellow, and had constant stomach pain. At 2 months and prior to my liver transplant I had a Kasai Procedure, a surgery to reconstruct bile ducts, where my liver was connected to my intestines to lengthen the time I had to wait for a donor. After going through two false alarms of an available liver I finally got my transplant at UCLA Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. I was 1 year and 8 months old. To this day I must take medication in order to prevent liver rejection and ending up in the hospital.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The reason for going into this reserved part of my life story is so that my love for this camp I want to share with you all can have background knowledge and sense. My first time attending I was 9 and tremendously scared of being away from my mom for too long, however in one particular doctor’s appointment it was suggested that I go to the Liver Transplant/ Inflammatory Bowel Disease session. It took some convincing on my mother’s part, but eventually everything was set and I was to leave on a school bus the following week. I packed my suitcase, which like usual I over packed by a gazillion pounds and drove with my mom to a park in Los Angeles where I waited to be picked up.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

We got there, checked in, and I was on my way. I was extremely nervous, it was my first time and I had no clue of what to expect. I boarded the bus and the very first thing I felt getting on that bus was happiness. It was not entirely my own, but that of those on the bus. It was a crazy sensation that I cannot begin to describe. It was just there. I glanced at other kids on the bus and they were at ease, carefree. All of their problems seeming to have evaporated. Seeing that caused my own stress and nervousness to drift away and I buckled in for the long drive. At first all I could see were fast food advertisements and the highway but soon all around was nature. Trees, bushes, a lake, and huge boulders. In this moment, the experience began.

Photo from The Painted Turtle Website

We arrived to multi colored letters that read The Painted Turtle and people with paint splattered all over their faces taking attendance. I was amazed. This place seemed so cool and I had not even gone in! I was put into a group and we got off the bus where we were immediately greeted by Puns and Pops, the life and party of camp. They began speaking to us as if we were lifetime friends. Counselors and kids nearby approached us and began to ask us questions. Everyone wanting to be everyone’s friend. I was astonished, never in my life had I encountered an atmosphere so welcoming, positive, and loving. Even in tight knit relationships like family, you feel judged or not accounted for, but not here. The feeling was tangible. Once I was formally checked in I went to my cabin and got to meet all of my mates, we all instantly bonded.

Photo from The Painted Turtle Twitter

Now I will not pretend to remember the specifics of that time I attended. I have about the same memory capacity as a goldfish to be honest, and if I can’t remember what I did yesterday than let alone years ago, but I do remember the emotions that passed through me that summer. At The Painted Turtle you feel immensely cared for and supported, and important! It is a magical experience for both the camper and counselor. People who had been strangers to you days, moments ago are now your best friends. People who you would have never met become your closest pals. It’s life changing. People from all over the world, Australia, Ireland, and Canada to name a few, come to attend and be part of this amazing and beautiful camp.

Photo from The Painted Turtle Website

As a child this was the best thing to have happened to me. A place where I belonged, where I wasn’t the only one on daily medication, where I wasn’t the only one with a huge scar across my belly a reminder of the switches that once stood there, where I wasn’t the only one who felt abnormal, constantly sick. It was a place where I belonged and was finally not the only one. (Jessuz I be getting emotional up in here as I’m writing this). This is a camp where you are not the only one regardless if you have a chronic condition or have never had to worry about your health, it’s a place to be yourself and happy. Now as a teenager this is a place to escape the world. As I’ve grown and experienced more, I have a place to call home and escape reality. It does truly feel as if you stepped out of the real world and hopped into a magical dimension where all dreams come true.

I ask of you, if you got this far into the post to look into The Painted Turtle and become a part of it. If working with children is your thing join, if spending time and making new friends is your specialty join, if you are looking into getting involved join, if being part of an incredible staff and family is what you want then come and join! This is in no means an advertising blog and joining does not enlist needing to pay or being paid but I am spreading the message from the bottom of my heart because I want everyone to have the opportunity to experience such a magical experience like I’ve had the privilege to. This does not include everything there is but here is an overview of the variety of activities available and experiences possible:

Ropes Course (includes zip line)
Photo from The Painted Turtle Website
Horse Riding
Photo from The Painted Turtle Website

Arts and Crafts
Fishing
Talent Show (where my cabin mates and I went up and literally quoted vines as our skit)
Silly Olympics (you get messy with oatmeal and paint + the firefighters bring their truck and hose everyone down while you dance and have a good time)
Dancing after each meal
Eating amazing food (the food there is the absolute best! Anyone who has been to camp can tell you the same. Tasty spaghetti with garlic bread and a glass of lemonade, fresh salad with whatever condiments you prefer, a delicious burger, pasta, or fries!!!!)
Whale shaped pool
Lake for boating/canoeing
Photo from The Painted Turtle Website
Archery
Photo from The Painted Turtle Website

All and everything is done here! I had the best time at my last session that took place this summer of 2018 and now I look forward to becoming a counselor so that I could give other children what was given to me. If you want to get to know the camp experience here is a video (of the session I attended 2 years ago!) https://vimeo.com/242831610 . If you want the professional details check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSo-uOZgZTw . The video is blurry and was published in 2014, so to get all the current information go to their website http://thepaintedturtle.org/. Again thank you if you stuck through and read this entire thing. Next time I will write about something that more of you skinny legends can relate to. Adios until next time!

Need Some Traveling Tips?

person pointing at black and gray film camera near macbook pro

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

I have sometimes wondered about traveling the world. Celebrities and movie/book characters seem to do it so easily. Many times they leave their old lives in the past and start new ones out on the road. I want to experience this freedom too. I would want to be able to go out into the open road filled with possibilities and risks and live them! I am very family orientated and though I plan to travel alone I will find a way to incorporate my family in my future plans so that I can always come back to them and maybe even encourage them to start a traveling lifestyle.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I know that traveling requires preparation because it’s not a thing where you can drop everything at a given moment and go, however through some extensive research through YouTube travel bloggers, I have found that traveling is not as difficult as it is made to seem. Even though I am not oblivious to leaving the country which I’ve done on my countless trips to Idaho and Mexico, I still know very little about traveling since every time I have been someplace it has never been alone and always from the same destination. Since I’ve been getting older I have been trying to find easier ways to gain independence and I might just have found it. Every single video I watched on traveling, if not mostly all mentioned all these tips listed below:

Plan/save
Be flexible
Get Started!

The key to successfully backpack trekking is to plan. Now this one sounds like an obvious one, of course you need to know where you are going, how much transportation to the location costs, and a rough idea of the prices at the country you want to go to, however researching deeper and budgeting can go a long way. An important tip given by The Vagabrothers, YouTube personalities and travelers was, figuring out what type of traveler you are. Everyone has different taste. Do you like to go high class and fine wine? Or are you willing to go with the bare minimum? Hitchhiking? Collecting leftover food? Camping? Or somewhere in the middle? Once you figure that one out then you can look into the other three steps essential to traveling:

Transportation $
Accommodation $
Entertainment, food, etc $

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

For transportation consider looking into sites that can save you money. Momando, Skyscanner, and Google Flights are all amazing cost saving options. There you can find prices for great deals at your local airports. However when looking into these sites, make sure to go incognito or clear your browser cookies since websites track if you’ve looked at prices and increase them if you did.
Accommodation is important. You want to have a place to rest your head for the night and if you are having a hard time figuring out where that will be check out Hotels.com, Hostel World, Kiwi.com, or AirBnB. These will work miracles for you. You can search and find a place to stay anywhere near you. Sorelle Amore, a photographer, YouTube personality and travel vlogger/expert, highly recommended checking out dorm or hostels whether that be mixed or large to cut back on cost. However, hostels, dorms, or hotels, find what works best for you.
Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Entertainment + food is a tricky one because how do you know exactly want you want so that you can plan ahead of time. Come up with an outline of things that you would like to do and set prices on that to help you plan your expenses. If you still cannot get a clear picture browse BugetYourTrip.com for an easy and affordable way to organize. If you still don’t know or don’t think you can afford your trip, volunteer! Visit WorkAway.com or GreatAupair.com to find multiple international work opportunities. Make money by doing farm work at WWOOF.com. Move around, work different temporary jobs to save up.

Be flexible. If you want to travel on a weekend, but the weekday is cheaper do that if possible. If you want to go somewhere, but transportation is expensive be willing to go on buses, trains or even hitchhike. Once you are at your location give up a few luxuries. Don’t go about bars, restaurants, and buy excessively all the time. Cook and walk when you can. Of course from time you can but remember that traveling is just as much about meeting people as going to different sites.

people drinking liquor and talking on dining table close up photo

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

And last but certainly not least, get started! This goes for myself as well, if you never go out there and do it, it will never happen. From Tomislav Perko to Eric Conover, both travel experts, all you really need is enough courage to begin. There is so much technology that traveling has never been easier before.

I also know that depending on the person, every individual’s person’s experience is different. Like Shayla, a full time traveler, discussed there is no one way of traveling or saving money to travel. People save differently, some decide to hold steady incomes until they depart for their travels while others like to do random, short jobs for the time necessary to raise the money that they need. Either way there is no one way to doing something and like I stated above you can do volunteer work or work in exchange for staying somewhere, common in hostels. Do whatever it takes for you to reach point A to B.

But I can’t figure out how to start. Since I’m still living with my family and going to school, dropping everything even if it is for a while is much easier said than done and in my situation, who knows if even possible.

woman stands on mountain over field under cloudy sky at sunrise

Photo by Victor Freitas on Pexels.com

Even so I will always strive to accomplish my goal and use all the information I gave to you guys and that I myself learned. I truly believe that with determination, patience, and consistency, I can be backpacking around the world. Here I am pretending to be an expert when I have literally little experience but if you want the real tea sis, I will provide all of the YouTuber’s information down below as well as their social medias so that you can hop on the train and check them out. Links for various apps and airline sites will be listed down below. And of course like I said before in no way am I an expert so if you have any thoughts and experiences share them down below!

Feeling overwhelmed? Check out these YouTubers and sites to find out more!

Erik Conover

Travel Films and Vlogs

http://bit.ly/1uNAdLQ

https://www.wfacebook.com/erikbconover/

https://twitter.com/erikconover

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7vmHGAshi8

Vagabrothers

https://www.instagram.com/Vagabrothers
https://www.facebook.com/Vagabrothers
https://twitter.com/vagabrothers

Tomislav Perko

http://tomislavperko.com/en/

Samelle Amroe

http://www.twitter.com/sorelleamore
http://facebook.com/sorelleamore
http://www.sorelleamore.com

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxroOyuiyoU

Shayla: Living One Way

http://www.youtube.com/livingonaoneway
http://www.instagram.com/livingonaoneway
http://www.facebook.com/livingonaoneway

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B-loum1L0E

Flights + Accommodation Bookings :

Welcome!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hi welcome again (: ! This will be a place to discuss YouTube personalities and content or more specifically content that fits my cup of tea. The variety of topics can range from music, YouTubers, celebrity news, traveling, cooking, reactions, book reviews, movies, and pretty much about anything. I’m new to this type of media and I hope that this platform can be a place where I can share my ideas and opinions with you all and in turn receive feedback as well. I look forward to seeing where this takes me on a personal agenda and having fun. As the YouTube comments would say, “I hope that whoever is reading this has an amazing day!” Good-bye peeps, until next time.

The Tea Sis

The Tea Sis

Puppy?! How to Prepare for Bringing a Dog Home

A Place Called Home

Need Some Traveling Tips?

Welcome!