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People everywhere are gearing up for Super Bowl 2012 where East Coast rivals the New York Giants will face off with the New England Patriots. We certainly love our football in the U.S., and we aren’t afraid to shell out money to support our teams and throw Super Bow parties.

It’s estimated that for Super Bowl 2011, consumers spent over $10 million dollars on the Super Bowl and this year will most likely be an even bigger spend. While many people are investing this money in team jerseys and lavish food spreads, some are spending it to have their furry friends support their favorite teams

Pet parents everywhere are decking out their four-legged friends in Super Bowl glory, too. Some pet stores even report selling out Super Bowl clothing made for Fido and Fifi. In Queens, New York, a group of Giants fans/friends plan to gather together with their doggies for a Super Bowl play date. 

We want to know how you involve your pets in gameday festivities. In fact, we’ve made this week’s Weekend Pets Photo Contest a Super Bowl photo contest. Follow the link here to learn how to submit your pics of your pets enjoying the big game with you!

Even though it is wise to pay attention to your pet’s chompers all year long, February is officially Pet Dental Health Month. President of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters John D’Ariano advises people with pets to schedule yearly dental cleanings and follow regular preventative care throughout the year. Bacteria and plaque can build up on your pet’s teeth, which can turn into tartar. This creates a number of health issues for your pet aside from just bad breath, gingivitis, tooth decay/loss, and receding gums.

Bacteria and plaque buildup can also cause periodontal disease. This is a very painful infection that can spread to the rest of the body and has the potential to seriously damage the heart and other vital organs. The risk of oral tumors and cysts also increases as dental health decreases.

D’Ariano offers these tips for protecting your pet’s dental health:

Develop a Partnership
Work with your veterinarian to develop proper, at-home dental habitssuch as brushing and teeth-cleaning chewables. And be sure to discuss options for scheduled cleanings.

Examinations
Once a week, lift your pet’s lips and examine his gums and teeth. The gums should be pink (not white or red) and there should be no sign of swelling. Also, there should be little to no brown tartar.

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A few weeks ago, we alerted out readers to a petition about shoemaker Skechers and its controversial Super Bowl ad featuring greyhound racing.

Your friends at Tails were just as appalled by the ad as many of you were, but we knew that not all companies featuring pets in Super Bowl ads were bad – so we wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of our pet-friendly picks for Super Bowl 2012 ads.  Read the rest of this entry →

As Trucker walks through my office with a white fleece throw blanket draped over his back, I think of Linus in the comic strip Peanuts.

For Linus, his blanket meant security, and it often displayed magical powers.

Trucker also loves the magical security of blankets – 10 fleece throw blankets now, to be exact. I’ve bought him many since I adopted him two years ago at the age of 5. Three more fleece blankets featuring car and truck motifs cover my car seats during his transport. Other blankets vary from red plaid, to green, to snowmen, to stars and the moon.

He has also seized one of my old comforters, a couple of twin-size bed blankets, a crocheted afghan my mom made, a few yards of Snoopy motif fleece fabric and of course, my bedding on occasion.

My previous dog had an extensive collection of stuffed toys that were haphazardly strewn throughout various rooms in my house. For Trucker I have a stash of “blankies” in nearly every room.

Trucker loves nesting in them, having me cover him up with them, and covering himself up by rolling on one, grabbing it with his front teeth and wrapping it around himself. When he stands to venture into another room, a blanket often sticks to his fur with static electricity, causing him to wear it like a cape. My cats gather quickly to see what foreign object has hitched a ride on their big brother.

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Happy Friday pet lovers! It’s almost the weekend and that means it’s time for our Weekend Pets Photo Contest! The theme for this week’s contest is: Super Bowl Pets! Post your photos of your pets in Super Bowl gear or enjoying the game with you on our Facebook wall and you could win some cool TAILS prizes and be featured on our site!

Are you a Twitter fanatic? You can also Tweet us your Weekend Pet photos using the hashtag #weekendpets.

Good luck! Woofs and wags!

Tamar Geller
Celebrity Dog Trainer

Q: My dog can be a little overly affectionate to guests. There is a lot of jumping and licking. I’ve tried to be stern with her, but I welcome that type of greeting whenever I come home, so I’m sure I am sending mixed messages. 
Any recommendations?

A: I’m so familiar with this situation, as my Jack Russell mix, Cricket, is a love bug who jumps and kisses anyone that comes into my home.

We all—people and dogs—evaluate life based on pleasure vs. pain. So you want to teach your dog that when she jumps on people, it will not be a pleasurable experience, because those guests will turn away from her. Nobody likes to get the cold shoulder.

Begin by calling her to you, and reward her for coming with an amazing treat she does not usually get (like a tiny piece of chicken) and ask her to sit. When she does, reward her with the treat—now that’s a pleasurable experience. The guests merely become the cue for her to come over to you, sit, and get a special treat. Sit, and get a treat. How fun is that? When she again tries to say “Hi” to your guests, repeat the above. Quickly she will realize that going to the guests is “pain,” as she is ignored, and when she comes to you, it’s “pleasure.”

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We are in the midst of award season, so it comes as no surprise to hear the canines of the big and small screen will be up for consideration for the first annual Golden Collar Awards.  However, not long after the nominees were announced, controversy reared its ugly head in the form of one big, giant snub.

Martin Scorcese, Oscar-nominated director for Hugo, was a little upset his pooch performer, Blackie the Doberman, was not nominated for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. Uggie, who has received a lot of press for his appearance at the Golden Globes, was nominated twice in that category for his performances in Water for Elephants and The Artist. That does not sit well with Scorcese, so he wrote a strongly worded letter to the editors of Dog News Daily decrying the decision.

Read what Martin Scorcese had to say about the snub here.

Happy Wednesday pet lovers! We want to see your cute, silly or fun pet photos for Wordless Wednesday! Post your photos on our Facebook wall and you could be featured on our site!

Here is the winning photo from last week submitted by Cate Andreas-Jones!

Trips to various veterinarian, doctors and dentists offices would be a lot more fun if there was a friendly canine waiting for you at the desk to give you your receipt. Now that’s what we call stellar customer service! Woof!