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Eight Top Books for Pet Lovers

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Introduction

The innocence of pets as they go about their lives in our world designed for humans always makes for a good story. Whether we are rooting for the kitten that just won’t give up, or learning more about how dogs perceive our world, these eight books are some of the greatest reads for pet lovers everywhere.

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love

The book Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, was featured on The Oprah Show. This is a heart-warming story about a dog who has been beaten badly and is missing an ear. The dog just wants attention and he is going to get it – even if it is not in a good way.

Oogy was mutilated because he had been a bait dog for fighting dogs, before he met his wonderful new family after a police raid. This canine has gone through hell and back and still manages to be a great pet. This is indeed a very touching story.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein was published in 2008. This is a novel told exclusively from a dog’s point of view. In the book, readers can follow a story of a race car driver and his dog. The dog is preparing to be reincarnated into a human in its next life. Readers are taken on a journey of the dog Enzo, watching television and learning all he can about his owner’s race car driving passion. This novel was such a big hit, they have made a movie out of it.

97 Ways to Make Your Dog Smile

97 Ways to Make Your Dog Smile is quite a silly book that a lot of dog owners love. The pictures in the book are impressive and the tips work really work. This is a book on how to teach your dogs and how to get your dog to pay attention to you and others. Dog lovers who bought this book raved about how well all the tips and tricks were explained and how easily they were ultimately able to do them.

Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family

Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family is a touching book that will make the average pet lover cry. The book is about a woman who does not really like cats, but her son really wants one after overhearing some kittens were available.

Something tragic ends up happening to the son that wanted the cat right before it arrived. The family was going to send the cat back to the original owner, but the kid’s little brother wanted to keep it.

While the family is mending their broken heart for their lost loved one, this cat provides comfort for the child’s little brother and becomes his best friend.

Readers have said that it is one of the most heart-warming books about a childhood companionship they have read in a long time.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World is a very touching story of a woman who lost her family farm and alcoholic husband. One cold morning this woman found a kitten almost frozen to death and decided to rescue it.

His story made it around the world and there was television documentary made in Japan about him. The documentary showed how one can be in the worst financial crisis in the world and pull oneself up again. This book does not only teach people that you can overcome any problem, but when you do how good it can feel.

Matilda Mae: The Dog Who Needed a Name

Matilda Mae: The Dog Who Needed a Name is a children’s book suitable for ages 8 years or older. This is a tale about a dog who needs help finding a home. Matilda did not look or act like her beagle brother and sisters so they were adopted quicker than she was when she was in the animal shelter.

This book provides the reader with knowledge about animal shelters and pet adoption. This is a great book for children who love animals. Parents of children that have read this book have given it great reviews saying that it taught their child the importance of compassion.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know is a very interesting book about the fascinating relationship between a human and a dog. This is a scientist’s perspective as a dog lover, providing a look at the world from a dog’s point of view.

101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your

101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog is a guide to things you can do with your canine friend. This book is described as one of the best dog training books ever. It provides you with step by step instructions and pictures to teach your dog effectively with frustration wondering if you are doing everything right. This book also offers side notes suggesting other ways of doing different activities with your dog and different ways you can get them to listen to you.

Conclusion

Pet books span a wide range; from pet training to tales of compassion, tales of our furry friends always manage to tear at those heart strings, making these books excellent not just for pet lovers, but for everyone.

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  •  License: Creative Commons image source

Guest Post by Lovereading – Helping you to find your next book.





5 Ways to ensure your Teens are Driving Safely

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Giving a young person the keys to a motorcar can be a nerve wrecking experience, especially the day you have to allow them to drive free of your presence or guidance.


We’re all aware that young people are risk takers; they can make mistakes and are prone to thrills. In a car this can be fun, but also fatal. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to limit the chances of them taking risks and also improve their safety and the safety of others on the road.

GPS Devices

One of the easiest ways to ensure a teen is driving responsively is to purchase a GPS key fob. These are also known as ‘mommy monitors’ and you simply place this GPS powered device on the car key ring. It will then monitor the speed the individual drives at and takes note if they go over the limit, there are any sudden stops and even records distance, so you know approximately where they are going to and have been. It’s also tamper proof and teens can’t turn it off or take out the batteries without you knowing.

Tell My Mom

For the more lo-fi mother, the ‘Tell my Mom’ bumper sticker is the perfect addition. Like the traditional ‘How Am I Driving’ sticker, this is fitted to the back of the car and has the parent’s phone number on it. It’s a low cost and very practical deterrent on the road.

Education

Even if your teen has passed their driving test, they still are novices on the road and the best way to further their abilities is through more education. Advanced driving courses can greatly benefit teens and make all the difference to them in an emergency. They also showcase the repercussions of bad decision making on the road – often enough to put most teens off.

Tests

If you are suspicious that your teen is drinking and driving, or taking illicit substances; then perhaps it’s time to invest in a breathalyser. Kids experiment and that’s a simple fact of life and if you can find out if there is an issue then you can help out. These tests are low cost nowadays and a good way to find out if there is an issue.

Handsfree

Placing a Bluetooth hands free kit in their car or the car they use allows them to make and take calls without being driven to distraction. Many are also portable so you can place them in a rental or car leasing when away. Most kids have a quite hectic social life, especially if they have access to a car. These kits are a great way to lower the chance of an accident and if they’re Bluetooth will also work with your phone too.

Cormac Reynolds writes for car leasing company First Vehicle Leasing who provide car leasing to individuals and business.

Kitchen Design Ideas For Busy Couples

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Busy couples still like to cook and use their kitchens. The best couples enjoy homes with great kitchen design. To reduce the cooking time and functionality of the kitchen, there are some changes couples can make to improve their family lives. Consider the following kitchen design ideas for couples:

1. Couples Need Multi-Functional Workspaces

Couples need multi-functional workspaces to help with their busy lives. The kitchen is not only a workspace for preparing food, it is also a workspace for family meetings, homework and conversations with business partners or friends. Kitchens are meeting spots for many families. Because many people meet in these locations, the surfaces must be durable. Wood surfaces, granite surfaces or marble surfaces are recommended for the best results. Kitchen islands with high bar stools are recommended. Generous counter space and multiple sinks are preferable for cooking preparation.

2. Smart Storage

A cluttered kitchen is not an ideal environment to prepare dishes. Customized cabinets are recommended for storage. The cabinets should be designed so the pots and pans can be situated next to the range. This will reduce walking time in the kitchen and make cooking more efficient. Stepped shelves in the pantry can make finding food in the kitchen easy. Recycling and trash stations inside the cabinets can make it easier to participate in saving the environment. Create vertical cabinets to store baking sheets and cooling racks. This type of cabinet should be placed near the ovens to make your cooking time more productive.

3. Customizable Appliances

Customizable appliances are available and are a must for every busy couple’s kitchen. Customizable refrigerators, freezers, ranges, ovens, dishwashers and cook-tops are designed to increase the functionality of the kitchen. The look and appeal of the kitchen is also improved and can have a profound effect on the mood of your family.

4. Artistic Appeal

Busy couples need visual appeal as a way to relax after their busy days at work. Luckily, beauty and functionality are the focal point of this year’s design. Most refrigerator designs include stainless steel for a modern look or bright colors like blue water, terracotta and slate green. Decorative range hoods are also popular.

5. Eco-Friendly Ease

Eco-friendly is the focus of this current generation. Not only do new kitchen cabinets have pull-outs for recycling and compost, flooring and countertops can also be made from eco-friendly materials. The appliances should also be eco-friendly to save on energy.

Eco-friendly appliances use 50 percent less water and energy. This not only saves the planet but also saves money. Faucet filters are easy to install and reduce bottled water waster. When skylights are added, people can reduce energy needs and add natural light to the room.

Kitchen design ideas can help to make your lives more efficient and to teach your family good eco-friendly values. Every couple can enjoy these design ideas and improve their lives. Consider how changing your kitchen can change your mood and upgrade your family’s lives.

Written by Lachlan G.

Lachlan runs a construction business for his dad. Being a newcomer in the industry Lachlan has quickly acquired some great product knowledge, ranging from choosing the right stainless steel suppliers, stainless steel fabrication, to the latest green technology for building eco homes. Lachlan loves DIY and spends most of his weekend in his workshop.

Winter Troubles That Can Affect Your Home and How They Can Be Avoided

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With temperatures beginning to drop, it is likely that you’ve already pulled out all of your sweaters, socks and mittens out of the box. While you’ve geared up to brave the cold weather, how about your home? Have you prepped it up to survive the possible damages that winter will bring?

With strong winds, freezing temperatures and heavy snow, winter can significantly damage your home. So if you want to ensure that you won’t be doing repairs in the middle of a cold winter night, here are the most common cold-weather dangers that can affect your house and how you can prevent them from ruining your property.

Frozen pipes

Exposure to freezing temperatures can cause water pipes to freeze and burst. A frozen pipe is not only costly to repair; once it cracks, it can waste as much as 250 gallons of water each day. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to prevent this problem from happening.


First, seal small holes or leaks on all the pipes inside and outside your house with a waterproof sealant. Second, insulate them using commercial foams that are made to fit standard-sized pipes. Third, disconnect hoses or shut off the water supply to the faucets outside your home. Once you have turned off the water, open all of the faucets and leave them open for the rest of the winter to prevent standing water in the pipes from freezing.

Falling tree limbs

Falling trees and branches is a common occurrence during winter that can cause significant damage to your house. What makes this even more dangerous is that a falling limb can hit utility lines causing power outage or fire. To reduce the dangers that falling trees may bring, inspect the trees surrounding your house. Take note of how the branches are angled and also check them for cracks or splits. For branches that are hanging above your home’s roof, prune them properly to prevent them from falling. Thinning out the main limbs will lighten their weight, thereby reducing the potential for breakage.

Icy sidewalks, driveway and steps

You can’t do much about snow falling on your driveway, steps and sidewalks. However, you can prevent the damage and possible injury it can cause. Before the snow falls, repair slightly damaged steps or replace some of them if necessary. As for the sidewalks and driveway, seal them properly to reduce cracking.

Ice dam on roof

Once snow and ice hit your roof, the heat escaping from the inside of your house helps prevent the roof from freezing. When the snow and ice melt and find their way on the edges of the roof (eaves) where no insulation is present, they may refreeze and form into damaging ice dams.

To prevent ice dams, clean your gutters and downspouts to ensure that they are draining properly. Equally important is to ensure that your ceiling and attic are airtight so that warm air will not escape. If possible, layer up on ceiling or roof insulation to reduce heat loss.

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This piece of home improvement advice was contributed by one of the writers of McIntyre Masonry. McIntyre Masonry provides a full range of stonemasonry services, which are carried out by some of the best stonemasons in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s.

How to Make A Home With Not Much Space Look More Sophisticated

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Most people would love to live in a vast palace complete with beautifully decorated rooms, a vast dining hall, sumptuous bedrooms, and acres of undulating gardens. Unfortunately this will remain a dream for most of us and so we are obliged to make the most of what we have. A lack of space does not necessarily mean a ugly home that you dread returning to each night, and which you could never invite guests. Here are a few tips on how to maximise your home’s potential and truly turn into the castle that it should be.

In order to add some sophistication to the home one of the first things to try and do is to create the impression that the space is bigger than it actually is. The age old advice of adding a mirror does work, but it also means that everything within the small room is reflected back by that very same mirror. A better way to emphasise size is to take advantage of any windows within the home. Windows add light and depth naturally to any room by drawing the eye beyond the confines of the home.

No home looks sophisticated if it full of clutter. Clutter includes not only things like coats, shoes, and bags which may block up an entrance way but also small unnecessary pieces of furniture. A great way to kill two birds with one stone here is by introducing some kind of built in cupboard to a room. This addition not only then provides an elegant space where things can be arranged more aesthetically but they also make small rooms seems more gracious and substantial by providing vertical interest and some much needed architectural detail.

Colour is also essential. Lighter colours are less oppressive and give the illusion of more space. Any window blinds also need to light and elegant rather than heavy and functional. Another way to add to this feeling of space whilst also evoking sophistication is to hang art or painting on a distant wall, ideally in an adjoining room. The simple trick of taking the eye beyond the room it is in helps to expand the perceived depth of field, naturally adding an “over-there” feeling.

Get rid of any doors that are non-essential. This automatically increases space both in real and perceived terms. Not only doors can be removed but the frames of doorways can be removed and extended all the way up to the ceiling. This is a much more economical option than removing entire walls and really does make a striking difference.

Pic. Table

Once you have managed to maximise the space within the home it is paramount that the furniture you choose to go inside this newly created living environment adds to the theme of sophistication you are looking to create. The designs of tables, chairs, and other essential pieces must be solid in colour but unique in style or texture. Glass is a classic and never fails to add a touch of style and cool surfaces of polished stone and marble continue the theme of space extension more than wood which tends to dominate the room.

It is also important to bear in mind that sophistication does not mean boring. It is easy to become obsessed with subtle simplicity at the expense of character. Look for small things like lamps which can be small and delicate in design but which possess real elegance in their shape and colour. It is the little unexpected and understated surprises that help to define sophistication.

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Guest Post by Tom Faulkner – Designer furniture by Tom Faulkner.

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