COUNTY LIFE
Taking part in National Dress Up Your Pet Day on Jan. 14
This weekend offers an opportunity for pet owners to celebrate their furry friends with a little extra attention and pampering on National Dress Up Your Pet Day.
To make the Jan. 14 holiday a positive experience for participating pets, Harmony Diers, a veterinary technician at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, explains ways to ensure pets are comfortable wearing clothes.
When choosing an ensemble for dogs and cats, owners should take into consideration three things: mobility of your pet in the outfit, clothing materials, and weather appropriateness.
For mobility, owners should look for costumes and clothing items that allow pets to move about freely and see clearly. For example, costumes that are too tight will restrict movement, and costumes that are too loose can cause pets to get tangled or trip.
Diers recommends owners measure their pet’s neck, chest, back, and stomach and compare these measurements to the sizing chart that comes with costumes.
“A costume should fit snugly enough to allow for normal movement and not have dangling pieces that impede mobility,” Diers said. “Typically, if you can slip two fingers between the material and your pet’s body, the fit will be good.”
Clothing can also hide a pet’s body language when reacting to another pet. If you and your pet celebrate with others, it is especially important that pets be able to see each other’s ear position, tail position, and piloerection — the bristling of a pet’s hair when they react to fear, threats or excitement — in order to react appropriately.
“Body language may be difficult for the visiting pet to detect and the costume-wearing pet may not be able to convey proper signals, such as ‘stay away’ or ‘let’s play,’” Diers explained.
After determining if a costume will allow a pet to move, see, and communicate clearly, owners should look at what materials were used to make the costume. Clothing with pieces that can be ingested should be avoided.
“When picking out clothing for your pet, make sure it’s not going to cause any irritation,” Diers said. “If your pet has an open wound, skin infection, or skin allergy, you should consult with your veterinarian before putting them in clothing as this may interfere with any treatment or worsen the problem.”
Additionally, owners should take the weather into consideration when choosing costumes so that their pet does not overheat. Clothing made of breathable fabrics such as cotton or polyester is the better option, as it will keep pets cooler than other fabrics.
Once you’ve purchased a costume, it’s time to dress up your furry friend.
Dogs and cats will show owners they are comfortable wearing clothes through their movements. If a pet is content with wearing a costume, they will move about freely, be excited, and act as they normally would, according to Diers.
“If wearing a costume is a new experience for your pet, it’s a good idea to start out with having
your pet wear the costume for a short period of time,” Diers said. “Owners can then slowly and positively increase the duration of time they wear it.”
Diers recommends owners give their pets treats and praise as encouragement for wearing outfits, turning the experience of costume wearing into a positive one.
Nevertheless, owners should not force their furry friend to wear a costume if they show signs of being uncomfortable. Diers said pets who are uncomfortable will remain still, avoid moving or walking, bite at the costume, or try to remove or shake it off.
As is the preference for many human beings, fashion for pets should prioritize comfort. A comfortable pet will ensure that this National Dress Up Your Pet Day is a wonderful experience for the whole family.
Pet Talk is a service of the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-[email protected].
Nocona is gearing up for the 72nd annual Chisholm Trail Rodeo May 10-11 with lots of traditional rodeo events filling the bill.
Stock for the United Professional Rodeo Association Rodeo is provided by Champion Rodeo Company. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children six and under get in free. Purchase them from any queen or princess or candidate, and at the city office before 4 p.m. Friday.
The association has been working on making repairs to the concrete bleachers but rain has delayed this project. Rock also is being laid in the parking lot and they hope to be finished with that before Friday.
There will be a rodeo parade at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Gates open nightly at 6 p.m. with the rodeo starting at 8 p.m. Sanctioned nightly events will feature bareback riding, saddle bronc, ranch bronc, bull riding, ladies barrel racing, tie-down roping, ladies breakaway roping, steer wrestling and team roping.
The non-sanctioned events are junior barrels for those ages 16 and under. There is $250 added each night with a jackpot nightly. Entry fee is $45. Call 940-841-2044. There will be mutton bustin’ nightly for children age 8 and under. Entry fee is $20 and buckles go to the winners.
A calf scramble nightly will be open for those age 8 and under and 9-12. Buckles to the winners.
Read the full story and meet the rodeo royal candidates in the mid-week Bowie News.
Nominations will be taken through May 24 for the May Yard of the Month award.
The winner will be published in the last paper of the month. Call 872-2247 to make a nomination or email it to [email protected]. If you email a nomination follow up with a phone call to make sure it arrives.
Sponsored by The Bowie News and Beautify Our Bowie, the contest winner gets to show off the brightly colored Yard of the Month sign in their yard during the month. A winner will be named for April, May and June.
The names of nominees may be submitted more than once throughout the contest if they are not a winner. Winners from last season will not be considered to allow for others to have an opportunity to participate.
Independent judges, which include experienced gardeners and some master gardeners, will tour the properties inside the city limits and submit their winning choice. This contest will recognize a beautiful yard which is not necessarily the most fancy or elaborate, but one that shows care and upkeep in their neighborhood. The goal is to encourage all residents to keep their properties clean and looking nice for everyone to enjoy.
Criteria will include ongoing maintenance of the landscaping and the yard. The yard needs to be clean and free of trash, junk or other unsightly objects. Grass and shrubs need to be maintained at reasonable levels. Hardscape also will be considered. Landscaping also will be considered, but should include not only annuals for the season, but permanent items such as shrubs or vines or decorative structures like a gazebo or benches.
Nocona and Saint Jo High Schools will be sending students to the state University Interscholastic League academics meet in Austin next week.
NHS had two students qualify after contests last weekend. Abby Hill, sophomore, placed first in feature writing and fourth in news writing. This was her first year to compete in journalism. Her first place win sends her to state in feature writing where she will compete on May 14.
Isaac Fulumana, junior, placed first in current events, and this also is his first year to compete. He had the highest score across the state on the regional test.
Fulumana placed third in literary criticism and this is his second year to compete at the state level in this category. He will compete on May 15. The school placed 12th overall out of 50 schools at regionals.
The Saint Jo spelling team are the regional champions and will compete at the state UIL contest. Its members include Maxey Johnson, Francesca Voth, Paola Sanchez and Bailie Nobile. Johnson was second place individual.
Other students competing at the Region 3 academic meet were Layla Polk, fifth place in persuasive speaking and Maxey Johnson, fifth in ready writing. Good luck to all of them.
(Pictured top) Saint Jo’s spelling team of Maxey Johnson, Francesca Voth Paola Sanchez and Bailie Nobile. (Right) Nocona’s Abby Hill and Isaac Fulumana.
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