Category Archives: Dogs and Other Animals

This is every story or blog I do as it pertains to dogs and other animals, both in my life and in the world.

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Life is full of lessons if you take the time to learn – HaliPawz

Life is always full of lessons if you take the time to listen, and learn from them. My most recent one is about being judgmental of things I don’t know the full story too.

If you read any of my posts you will know I try to look at things from every perspective. I try to be respectful of everyone. My motto is, and continues to be, as long as what you are doing or who you are does not bring harm to children, animals, others, or yourself…then do you. I’m also human, which means I form thoughts based on information given to me. Sometimes those thoughts may change if given more information. Sometimes my thoughts are so ingrained I forget to be objective.

Over a month ago, a friend of mine said a friend of hers was looking for a new home for their cat because of allergies. I had been toying with the idea of getting a cat but had not acted on it because of Zipper, my Jack Russell. Zip is a lot to handle. He is dog aggressive, he is bratty, and he is just really high energy. I knew I would need a cat who could hold their own if a dog was to go after them. Zipper had been around cats before and as long as they were willing to swat him, he was fine. I could not get one while Bella, my mastiff, was alive because I knew she would be protective of the cat and go after Zipper if he went after the cat. Let’s face it, I didn’t need any more animal drama with those two!

There was something about this cat’s picture and the story that spoke to me. I inquired about it, but at the same time, I was thinking….allergies….that’s no reason to get rid of a pet, just take the shots. I, of course, did not say this out loud because I really do try to be empathetic but I’m also human and my thoughts are just….well…thoughts. So many shelters have older animals in them because they became a “burden” on the owners. I knew this wasn’t the same because she wasn’t going to a shelter, but its difficult to stop thoughts from creeping in based on past knowledge and opinions.

Someone commented on the post my friend shared something along the lines of….would they consider letting her be a barn cat?….and I instantly thought NOOOO she can’t be a barn cat!!! Here I was, already feeling protective of a cat I did not know owned by someone I did not know. I knew there was a reason but I still wasn’t 100% ready to jump in and say yes.

I knew adding to my household would not be easy. I was busy and stressed with work. I am doing physical therapy one to two days a week for a torn meniscus, trying to avoid surgery. I didn’t want to get a cat only to have Zipper terrorize it. I knew all of this but yet, I continued to ask questions.

My friend, tired of being the middle man of back and forth conversations decided to start Facebook messenger group with me and the owner. I received a video and saw Moo Moo, the cat, was a talker. I know not everyone loves a talker but I do. I knew, at that moment, I was hooked. I asked the owner if anyone else had shown interest, because, again, I wasn’t sure I was ready so, in my mind, if someone else was interested then it wasn’t meant to be. No one, outside of passing conversation, had truly expressed interest.

I said give me one week and I’ll give you an answer

The week passed. I couldn’t stop thinking about Moo Moo. I finally reached out and said I would take her. I still didn’t know anymore about why they were finding her a new home. One thing was clear though….she was a loved cat so it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Why is someone finding a home for a cat they love? I still didn’t ask any of those questions. I focused on the questions I needed to know.

Now, for the life lessons….never again will I automatically think someone is being selfish by finding a new home for their older pet. Sometimes, it is because they are so loved, they put the needs of their pet above the emotional toll it is taking on them to find a new, loving home for them. The real reasons behind Moo Moo needing a new home is not my story to tell and I won’t. It is not important. What is important is for her family before me to know I will do everything I can to show her the love and affection she wants. She will live out the remainder of her life in a home where, it might not always be perfect, but I’ll try to get them to get along and she will be loved by me….and maybe terrorized a little by Zipper.

Moo Moo, or Mookie as I’ve already started calling her, is not happy about the change. She made sure I knew it the first night and, had it not been for her carrier, I would have been scratched up! She was SCARY mean sounding and acting. I was never so happy to see such an angry kitty. That told me she was going to hold her own against Zipper.

One Angry Kitty

As I told her previous owner; her growls are ok. The humans know what’s going on, she doesn’t. She has a box right now she is hiding in. She does come out to eat. She has a whole dining room gated off for her. She has dry food, water, a litter box, and some toys in there. I gave her a can of food day one and it was gone by the evening. She ventures out a little but sticks close to her box. It will take time for her to trust me and learn how to navigate around Zipper.

I see a nose sticking out!

As she gets more comfortable, I am sure there will be many antics and stories as I get used to having a cat in the home and Zipper and her settle into sibling rivalry as I know they will.

Zipper in the background wanting to meet his new kitty sister!

As you read this, remember, not everything is black and white. Sometimes decisions are made that might seem selfish to you but are, in fact, true acts of selflessness. You aren’t always meant to know the back story. Be empathetic of others. Be respectful of others. Last, but not least, if a story tugs on your heart in a way you don’t understand, take a minute to try to figure out why. You might just end of with a new member of your family.

Welcome to this crazy home Moo Moo / Mookie / or the hundreds of other names you’ll end up being called! 😂

If you are thinking about adding another fur member, please consider the older ones available for adoption. They need all the love they can get for the remainder of their lives!

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Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray; My Review – HaliPawz

I recently purchased some Dawn Platinum Powerwash to see how well it works. I found it at Sam’s Club and it came with the sprayer and three bottles. I figured if I ended up loving it, then I would be happy with three bottle, if I hated it, then I spent too much. As someone who does not have a dishwasher and has to wash all of her dishes by hand, I am always trying to find ways to get the dishes clean without using a lot of water. I am also limited on counter space so I try to do my dishes often rather than letting them build up.

Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray

Dawn Powerwash states that you are able to spray, wipe, then rinse the dishes. It is supposed to cut down the amount of time you spend washing dishes.

Dawn Powerwash photo courtesy of P&G

Once I was at home, I decided to think about what is something I hate to wash and I wanted to try it. I found Bella’s dog bowl. Since she is a Neapolitan Mastiff and her bowls get dirty quickly. Now I know this isn’t a typical item to wash and is a little extreme, but I figured, why not start here. I will say it has a pleasant odor to it….until it doesn’t. What I mean is, it is pleasant but if you have an exceptionally dirty dish, once it hits that dish, it may mix with the smell of whatever is on it and it doesn’t stay pleasant. It’s not putrid or too intense, but you really smell the change.

Bella’s dirty dog dish

I sprayed the bowl thoroughly

It said for heavily soiled items to let the suds sit for a few minutes. I sprayed the dish and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I figured that would be plenty of time to let the suds attack all of the dirt and grime in her bowl. The suds were completely gone (think foaming bathroom cleaner and how it disappears) when I went back. I took a couple of paper towels and wiped around the edges. I did scrub it a little bit in the heavier areas but with a paper towel, you can’t really scrub too hard.

Bella’s dish after ten minutes and one wipe

As you can see, it didn’t do a lot. It removed a little bit of the grime, but it didn’t remove a lot of it. I sprayed the dish again and let it sit for another 5 minutes. The second time was quite a bit better. More of the grime wiped out but it still wasn’t what I would call “clean”

Bella’s dish after the second spray with regular Dawn dish-soap in it

I decided to fill the bowl up with regular Dawn dish-soap and hot water to see what happened. I forgot to take the picture after the second spray until I had already started to put the soap in it so that’s what the blue stuff is in the picture above.

I let the soap sit in the dish for about 5 minutes and then washed the dish like I would normally. As you can see, it did a lot better job, but in all fairness, this was truly the third wash, so I had an expectation of it being a lot cleaner.

After the third cleaning without scrubbing really hard

I decided to use the product in normal, everyday use to see what I thought of it. I used it on a frying pan and after I wiped it clean with a normal dish cloth and rinsed it, I still felt like it was a little greasy but not bad. Almost like there was a slight film on it, but it was definitely cleaner than if I had just used water.

On lightly soiled things, it worked well. I didn’t feel like there was a film. On silverware and on plates I just used for a sandwich or something like that, it worked OK. I can’t say I am in love with it. I think squirting a little bit of dawn dish-soap on a dish cloth and using a little bit of water would get the same results without a huge difference in water use.

Here is where I will say I like it. It is a great pre-treater and cuts down on water use. I throw my dishes in the sink, including dirty frying pans, etc, I spray them lightly with a coat of the Dawn Powerwash and then after I eat, I will go in and wash the dishes with a little bit of Dawn dish-soap and the water running very lightly. The dishes get clean a lot quicker and I don’t have to rinse as long because I’m not using as much dish-soap on the cloth.

I know it may seem like overkill to use both, but I find it is truly a lot quicker to do dishes and I don’t feel like the dishes still have a light greasy feel.

I mentioned the odor earlier and I have to say I think that was just with the dog bowls and the dirt and grime from it. I haven’t smelled it on the regular dishes as much. It maintains a pleasant smell.

Overall, I would say if you have a dishwasher and you do a majority of your dishes in it, then I wouldn’t bother adding it to your dish washing options. If you are, like me, someone who has to do all dishes by hand, I think you would find it a good product to pre-treat all dishes, especially really greasy ones and you may use it to wash simple things but you still want to keep your Dawn dish-soap handy.

If you have tried the product and you love it, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

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Dog Hair on the Furniture; it’s that time again – HaliPawz

It is that time again.  Shedding season has begun in my household. I know, I know, it’s a year round thing when you have larger dogs, but the excessive shedding has been going on for a few weeks now.  With the weather starting to turn nice, I had my patio door and my front door open at the same time and watched the fallen hair travel all around my hardwood floors.  When you see it on the floor, you know it’s on the furniture too.  I keep blankets on all of the living room furniture to catch the hair, but sometimes Bella decides she wants to do some rearranging and pulls it off to find herself a more comfortable spot.

Bella on the couch with toy

Blankets moved, Pillow flipped down for comfort, Toy in paw

Back in 2015 I created a video showing my technique to removing dog hair from my couch. It was one of the first videos I ever shared.  I did not have any editing skills, still don’t really, but the end result was still OK.  I happened to see it today when I was looking for a different video and thought it was a perfect time to share it again.

How to remove dog hair from furniture

Hope the tip works for you.  Do you have another method you prefer?  Share in the comments.

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Mounted Archery – What AM I thinking? – HaliPawz

Towards the end of last year I made a decision I was going to try Mounted Archery. What the HELL was I thinking?!?! Don’t get me wrong, I think the sport looks amazing and I’m looking forward to trying it, but seriously, me? The one who still competes in the walk – trot division at the fun show? Me, the one who has a panic attack before throwing my foot into the stirrup EVERY time? Now I think it’s smart for me to attempt something where I have to let go of my reins and trust me connection with my horse, trust my ability to balance without falling (yes, I know balance has nothing to do with holding the reins but in my mind it does!), trust myself to do this at any speed faster than a walk? I cannot believe I’m thinking this is a good idea.

I love my horse, Luke. He is an wonderful boy.

I adopted him November 2011 from an amazing horse rescue, Crosswinds Equine Rescue, Inc, and have loved him from the moment he arrived in Kansas City. I took lessons, I worked with him, I try to get him the best feed, I do what every good horse owner should do, except deal with the mental block that keeps me from becoming a better rider. Luke has never done anything to make me feel like he isn’t there for me. Just the opposite really….when I’m in the saddle, he’s different. He’s slower, he’s steady, he seems to sense I want calm, and for the most part, gives it to me. When a stronger rider is on him, he goes into a more spirited version of himself and responds accordingly.

I made a decision last year. I decided I was going to STOP saying “I’m a bad rider” and figure out a way to change it. The first thing is to figure out what I would enjoy doing with Luke. I have learned I don’t truly enjoy trail rides with my friends but I do enjoy the controlled environment of arena work. Now this may be a “what comes first, the chicken or the egg” situation, meaning I might not like trail riding because I’m not confident in the saddle, but if I get better in the saddle, I might enjoy trail riding. Time will tell. The second thing is, I have to pick something or some things to do which will result in me wanting to be in saddle more. I had taken a tracing lesson last year with Brandy Von Holten and truly admire her as a person as well as an equestrian. I saw where she was going to be doing a ground zero archery clinic this spring and my curiosity was piqued. I liked archery as a child, hadn’t done it as an adult, but thought it sounded interesting. A decision was made. I was going to try mounted archery!

I started where every decision seems to lead; the internet. I searched everything I could find on archery, mounted archery, equipment, techniques, etc. I didn’t want to put a lot of money into it in case it wasn’t something I enjoyed and, let’s face it, budget always has to be a factor.

I found a bow for a reasonable price and asked my mom for it for Christmas. Since I’m her favorite daughter (ha ha, now I’ll know which sisters read my blog. I know I’m not her favorite, she loves us all equally….blah blah blah 😂) she, of course, said yes. The bow took a LOT longer to arrive than expected, I won’t go into details but it was ordered the beginning of December for a Christmas delivery and I didn’t get it until February. Once I had it, I needed to find arrows and other items just to get started. I read where real feathers for the fletchings are better but they are also more expensive. I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to shoot this thing! Oh yeah, let’s talk about this bow for a second. Mounted Archery requires you to use a traditional bow, similar to the Mongolian style….with no shelf! It’s bad enough you have to shoot at a target while you are moving, on a horse, but you have to do it with a complicated bow! Again, what am I thinking?

After a long search, I decide to order some arrows off of Amazon. I always make sure to use smile.amazon so a portion of my purchase goes to a rescue of my choice. I have Crosswinds Equine Rescue as my rescue I support. I figure they are too far from me to give of my actual time, so it’s only fitting I give back to them this way. I chose the arrows I did because they were reasonably priced, bright colors, and would be good for basic ground practice in the beginning.

I watched a few YouTube videos to help me understand exactly how to shoot this crazy bow with no shelf. I appreciated BackyardBowyer for his simple approach to teaching how to hold the bow and shoot it. I watched a few of his videos and decided I was going to try the off the thumb method because it made the most sense for grabbing and positioning the arrow while moving. I ordered a leather thumb ring when I ordered the arrows and waited patiently for the to arrive.

My plan was to practice from the ground first before even attempting to add Luke into the equation. Let’s face it, dropping an arrow on my horse would not be a good thing. I found an archery target at Wal-Mart marked down to $8.50 and went to pick it up. I now had everything I needed to attempt to shoot. A friend of mine is also trying this and said we could go out to her dads to try but I was excited so I set the target up on top of my outdoor trash can, walked back about 10 feet (I figured I’d start simple since I live in the city, didn’t want to risk my neighbors) and drew back my first arrow. THUNK! It totally missed my target and bounced off my privacy fence. Oops. Arrow # 2. Repeat of 1. Arrow #3….another repeat. This isn’t looking good for me. Arrow #5 HIT!!! Yes! I could do this! Arrow #6….repeat if 1-4. In total, I hit the target twice. Not a complete fail but not good either. I decided for the sake of my arrows, my privacy fence, and my neighbors safety, I would stop practicing in my back yard until I’m better and find a more suitable place to practice.

I’m nervous beyond belief of this endeavor but also very excited. My archery clinic is in April so I have some time to practice before then.

I’m hoping this is the year I go from “I’m not a great rider” to “I’m looking forward to riding” I’ll still do the fun shows in Oak Grove, MO each month like I have every year. I’ll stay in the walk – trot division this year and I’m ok with it. I may even consider doing some obstacle competitions this year. I just want to enjoy time with my horse ON my horse. I want to focus on moving forward and not letting fear or nervousness keep me from doing something I believe I will truly enjoy.

Have you tried Mounted Archery? Have you ever been nervous mounting? What are some things you enjoy doing with your horse? I’d love to hear your stories. Feel free to share in the comments.

Wish me luck on this new adventure. I’ll keep you posted!

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Stranger Danger! Why a puppy in a window should have you running away

I remember growing up, walking past a pet store window, and going “Awww look at the puppy! I want one!” Much like stores placing candy at the checkout aisles in a grocery store, pet stores who sell puppies rely on the impulse factor to get you to buy one. You see one you just HAVE to have, you go in, you play with them, and you are hooked. I have even fallen under the pet store impulse spell. Back in 1997, my ex husband and I went in “just to look” but we were NOT going to purchase one.  $800+ later, we walked out with Jake, my first dog as an adult.

Jake

Jake

Jake was an adorable rat terrier. The sales associate explained he was UKC registered but not AKC registered and had us convinced how unimportant that was.  Looking back, I have to appreciate how great he was at his job! This was 1997, I didn’t know then what I know now.  I don’t regret buying Jake, he was an amazing dog, but I will never purchase another dog from a pet store.

I may be an advocate for adopting but that doesn’t mean I am 100% against buying a purebred dog also.  I just want everyone to understand the pros and cons as well as clear up some myths or, in reality, some ignorance, about purebred dogs, shelters, rescues, and pet stores.

First, I understand wanting a purebred dog.  It is OK if you want a specific breed. You want a particular look.  There is nothing wrong with it. The first question I would ask is “why?” Why do you want a purebred? Is it the look? Ok. Is it the love of the breed? Ok Is it because they are better dogs? NOT TRUE!

Fact: You can find purebred dogs in shelters and rescues. You can even find AKC registered dogs in shelters and rescues.

Neapolitan Mastiff, Dog, big dog, Blue

@BellaTheMastiff

My Neapolitan Mastiff, Bella, is one. Have I ever sent for her papers? Of course not. (For the record, I never sent in for Jake’s either) I wasn’t going to breed either one of them so why spend the money? Yes, getting a piece of paper that says who their mom and dad is costs money. What are you going to do with it? Tuck it in a drawer just to say you have it.  Just because someone spent a lot of money on a purebred dog doesn’t mean the dog was given a forever home.  They get abandoned, turned in, re-homed, etc., all the time.  Talk to your local shelter about what breed you are looking for and they can give you the names of the ones they work with.  Sometimes if a purebred dog is in the shelter, the shelter will call a local (or sometimes a not so local) rescue group for that breed. The group will take the dog out of the shelter and into a foster home and then they work to find a new family for the dog.  This frees up another cage in the shelter, gets the dog out of a cage and into a home where the foster parent(s) most likely loves and understands the breed, and the rescue group works to find a new family.  Another way to find a breed specific rescue group is to just search the Internet.  Type in the breed you want followed by the word “rescue” and your search will begin.  Like everything, never wire money, make sure the group has their 501(C)3 status, and they are legitimate organization.  Another way is to search “Dog Friendly Events” in your area, especially in the spring and fall, to see what events are taking place where there are a lot of dog friendly vendors and rescue groups.

“I want a puppy”

Fact: shelters and rescues have puppies!!! I am always surprised how many times I hear someone say shelters only have adult dogs.  Puppies are abandoned, dropped off, found, all the time.  Sometimes a dog gets pregnant and the owner doesn’t want to deal with it, so they drop it off at the shelter.  Friends of mine found seven puppies outside of our dog park, with their feral mom and dad running around.  All seven puppies lived, were cared for until old enough to be adopted, and found great homes. The mom and dad were also caught. The dad is super sweet, was adopted and doing great.  The mom is still feral but in a foster home where they are working with her.  Puppies might not be available every day in a shelter, but tell them you want a puppy and they will let you know what they have and when they will be up for adoption.  You might not always SEE puppies in the actual shelter because they might be out in foster homes where they can play, learn, and grow in a better environment than a shelter.

“I want a small dog”

FACT: Small dogs are available at shelters & rescues.  There might not be as many of them, but they are there. Sometimes they are picked up by breed specific rescues like I mentioned earlier.  Talk to the shelter, if they don’t have the size you are looking for, I’m sure they can get you in touch with a local rescue.

“I don’t want a dog with problems”

FACT: A puppy from a pet store is a PUPPY MILL DOG!!! Talk about potential problems.  Let’s start with the fact that mom, you know, the AKC dog the sales person talked about, is kept in a cage and just gets to produce puppies. That’s all she does.  The papers may have a sweet sounding name like “Beautiful Acres Farms” (I made this name up, so if the business exists, it is in no way affiliated with the puppy mill business as far as I know). You want to picture dogs running free, having puppies in the lap of luxury but that is not the case.  These dogs are only good to the owners as long as they produce puppies.  Then, often, they are destroyed when they age out.  The puppy mill owners do not care about these dogs.  They don’t get love, attention.  They don’t get human interaction outside of food and water and shots.  Can you imagine the only time you feel a human hand on you is followed by a needle prick? Until they go to a pet store for sale, where they are handled from one person to another, often by people who don’t even know how to handle a puppy, supervised by people who collect a paycheck & a commission when they sell the puppy….all of this followed by being ripped from the only security they know, their mom, without an appropriate weaning time and transition.  Do you really think this doesn’t cause behavioral problems???

puppy mills, ozarks, dogs in cages

Photo Courtesy Ozark Humane Society

FACT: Like every “business” you have some bad associates, but for the most part, associates and VOLUNTEERS at rescues and shelters are there because they love animals and want to help them.  They aren’t there to get rich, trust me.  They want the animals placed in good, loving, forever homes so they will work with potential adopters to find the right dog for you.  There are dogs out in foster homes where the foster parent will discuss openly and honestly the good and, sometimes, the bad of the dog.  They will tell you if they are good with kids, with other dogs, cats, etc. Their sole purpose is to find a good home for the dog so it does not end up back in a shelter.  Can they get over zealous about ONLY adoption, etc? Yes, they can. But please understand what they see everyday and what they deal with. Appreciate their passion and understand it comes from the right place.

On the flip side, Pet Store clerks have little knowledge of animals and animal care outside what they are trained to say. Let’s be honest, if they REALLY knew and REALLY cared, they wouldn’t be working at a store that sells puppy mill puppies. They WANT you to buy the puppy so they get the commission. What happens after that, they don’t care. The money is in their pocket.  They are off to sell the next one.

Another unknown fact to many is many local animal shelters do not just have dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, but sometimes other animals as well, such as bunnies, chickens, and even a rooster from time to time.  While it may not be as common, any time an animal is picked up or confiscated from an owner, they have to have someplace to go until a new home can be found.

At the end of the day, there are too many GREAT dogs in shelters looking for their “furever” homes.  If you are looking to add a pet to your family and have no plans on entering that pet into the show world where registration papers may be required, please consider visiting your local animal shelter, look on social media for local rescue groups, or, if you’re looking for a new dog, go visit a local dog park.  Many owners there are friendly and usually willing to point you in the right direction.  There might even be someone there who works or volunteers with a shelter or animal rescue.

Do your homework.  If you want a purebred pet, please find a reputable, qualified breeder.  If you just want a loving pet to welcome into your home, please consider adoption over purchase.  You will truly be saving their life and the life of the pet who may be coming in to take their empty cage.

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

 

 

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Hyundai Elantra, my latest Hertz Rental Car – HaliPawz

As my summer with mom draws to a close, it was time for me to head back to Kansas City, Missouri from Port Huron, Michigan. I rented a car from Hertz like I normally do. I wasn’t as happy this time about the rental price, but that is another story. I had picked the group “Toyota Corolla or similar” and ended up with a 2015 Hyundai Elantra.  I have some question about the Elantra and the Corolla being in the same class, but Hertz, like any rental car, is never specific enough to give you an true answer and it wasn’t so far off that I feel like complaining again to them.

Rental Car 2015 Hyundai Elantra

Rental Car 2015 Hyundai Elantra

Let’s talk about this car for a minute. The first thing I want to acknowledge is that it is a nice looking car. I’m really more of an SUV/truck person in general, but I do appreciate a decent looking car at a good value. The car has a nice sleek look to it. When I got in to drive away, I was impressed with the amount of legroom when you put the seat all the way back. I’m 5 foot 10, so plenty of legroom, especially for a long drive, is very important.  I still don’t like how low it is to the ground, like I mentioned in a previous rental review, but again, I’m used to being higher up in my mini suv.

Headed to my moms to pick up my luggage I didn’t have a real chance to check the vehicle out, as it is a straight shot on a normal road. The brakes were crazy intense though! I barely tapped them and the car jolted to a stop!

When I start loading the luggage, I was impressed with the amount of trunk space there was. I am not the neatest packer, especially on car road trips. As long as everything can shove in the trunk I am happy! Because of this, I appreciate ample trunk space. I fit my suitcase, a duffle bag, a baby gate (for the dogs), a 30 pound bag of dog food, two tie outs, the dog’s travel bag, my laptop bag, a pair of shoes, some miscellaneous small bags,  and a big Sam’s Club thermal tote with some food in it.

Hertz, Rental, travel

Hyundai Elantra Trunk filled with stuff

Since it’s a rental, I covered all of the seats in sheets and blankets.  Filled the dogs water cooler and put it in the back, on the floor.  Loaded the dogs up and we were on our way.

Bella asleep in the backseat of the Hyundai Elantra Rental Car

Bella asleep in the backseat of the Hyundai Elantra Rental Car

The backseat must not be too bad, because Bella was not as restless as she was on the trip six weeks ago in the rental car. She only wanted her head out the window for about two minutes and then settled in on the seat and fell asleep. Zipper crashed in his normal place on the floor of the backseat.

When I first hit the expressway, I was a little concerned as the car seemed to want to sway back-and-forth quite a bit. There wasn’t a lot of wind, so I wasn’t really sure what caused it. All I knew was it was going to be a long drive if it continued. After a while, I began to think maybe it was me, because it seemed to get better as we drove along. There is an interesting feature I found on the car, you can choose what mode you want to drive it. The options are normal, Sport, and Comfort. I’m not going to lie, I played with it a few different times on the road, and I honestly couldn’t see that much of a difference. The steering wheel might be a little tighter in sport mode but it was very minimal.

I have to drive from Port Huron, Michigan to Kansas City, Missouri pretty down pat. I usually know where I’m going to have to stop, I know when I’m a third of the way, I know when I’m half way, especially when I’m doing the drive overnight. As I was crossing Michigan, I was on the phone and realized that I had already been on the road about four hours and the gas tank was still at half a tank. I couldn’t believe it!  I made it all the way from My mom’s house, to Kanake, Illinois before I had to stop!  It wasn’t because I needed gas, it’s because my bladder gave out before the gas did. It only took 10 gallons to fill it back up and we were back on the road. I noticed I still had 447 miles to go until I reached my home, and the car was saying I had 417 miles to empty. Had I waited another half an hour, I would’ve only needed to fill the vehicle up once for a 12 hour drive! That is pretty impressive. In looking at the gauges I averaged about 36.8 to 38.4 miles per gallon.  Not too bad.

Hertz, rental, travel

Hyundai Elantra Gauge showing 36.8 mpg

Hertz, Rental Car, Travel

Notice the angle of the edges on the driver’s seat of this Hyundai Elantra

As I have mentioned before, I am not a small woman. The seats were not the most comfortable in my opinion. The edges kind of dug into my outer thighs a little bit so I found myself shifting a lot. Perhaps if I had a vehicle with power seats, it might have been a  little better because I could have raised them up a little, but I doubt it. I found myself sliding down in the seat quite often and then having to shift myself back up. It’s just not comfortable when you’re wearing a pair shorts! Another complaint I had which I have often in cars, is the position of the center armrest and the side armrest; there is no comfortable way for me to rest my arm on it while I’m driving. They were both way too low. I found myself bringing my left leg up and resting my arm on it while I kept my hand on the steering wheel.

For some reason I don’t seem to like the cruise control on this vehicle. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I was constantly tapping my break and shutting it off and then driving with my foot on the gas again. I hit a little bit of rain at one point in the drive, and the vehicle handled it pretty well. I had control of the vehicle at all times.

***A little safety tip… Never ever ever use your cruise control when it is sprinkling, raining, snowing, icy, etc.!  It is not safe.***

Okay, back to the review!

The headlights were weird. I know that sounds strange, but I had difficulty figuring out if my lights were on or not!  I drove at least an hour and a half to two hours with just my parking lights on until it got dark enough for me to realize I didn’t have my actual headlights on. What threw me off was it looked like they came on automatically because the dashboard lit up a little differently when I got dusk but it didn’t look like any lights were on the outside so then I flipped the switch and saw a slight change on my dash and what I thought were lights on the car but then, like I said, it was only my parking lights!  Oops! Oh well I eventually figured it out.

The mirrors on the side are very nice, they are a good size, and the driver side has a little mirror insert in the upper left hand corner so you can see the road from two different perspectives.

The gauge lighting is nice, you have a clear indication of your fuel, you can toggle between your trip Miles, your miles per gallon, how many miles to empty, what your average rate of speed is, and how long you have been on this trip. It was easy to reset each one of them when I  started my trip. As I am a huge fan of the color blue, I was happy to see that most of the lights on the dash were a nice navy blue tone. Accented with white or a lighter shade of blue depending on which one you were looking at.

The steering wheel has a nice assortment of gauges on it including your cruise control your emotions to go between the different styles of driving, your trip information and you can quickly reset it from your steering well. I was surprised to not see any radio controls on the steering wheel, not sure if that is an option that can be added on different models or not.  The one thing I found weird though was that the controls were all on one side, so when you’re driving at night, it just didn’t look symmetrical.  If you have a case of OCD, I’m sure it would annoy you a little!

It has a sunglass holder up near the roof along with nice lights that are easily accessible and easy to turn on for the interior, I know they’re easy to turn on because Bella‘s big head turned them on more than once when she decided to walk around a little bit and try to move to the front seat!  I said try, because she wasn’t successful, but she did hit the light!

You have a 12 V plug along with a USB plug and in auxiliary plug all at your fingertips. The USB plug is a very nice touch. There is a small area to the right of the plug to put a few things. I put my Bolle` sunglass case in it though and it pretty much filled up the area, so it isn’t very big. The center armrest also opens up for additional storage, but I don’t like to put things in there for a rental car because I don’t want to forget them.  There is another 12v plug just off to the right so a passenger could also plug something in.  I forgot to look to see if any were in the back seat or not.

Front Area of Hyundai Elantra Rental Car from Hertz

Front Area of Hyundai Elantra Rental Car from Hertz

All in all, even with being uncomfortable seats, for a rental car on a long trip I would definitely choose it again if given the option because I loved the gas mileage and how little I spent on gas for the trip. I just need to either lose weight, or make sure I’m wearing jeans the next time! LOL

Both Zipper and Bella were able to fit their head out of the same window when we were closer to home!

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Bella and Zipper sticking their head out of the rental car Hyundai Elantra

Hertz, Hyundai, Elantra, Travel

Bella and Zipper happy to be home after 15 hours in a car. You can see the water cooler on the floor behind them.

Would I purchase the car?  No, it would be too uncomfortable for me long term, but for one or two people (or skinny people) renting a car, it might be a good choice.

I hope this review helps you! Share your comments and thoughts if you have this car or have driven one?

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

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The love of an animal -HaliPawz

dogs, neapolitan mastiff, laying down

dog, mastiff, lying down

Waiting for Grandma

This is the door leading to my mom’s room. We had just come downstairs ourselves and I sat on the couch to search social media.  I heard the click of the brake on my mom’s walker so I knew she was up and moving around.

Bella, my Neapolitan Mastiff, must have heard the click as well because all of a sudden I heard the thump thump thump of her tail hitting my hardwood floor.  She gets so excited when my mom is around.  When my mom comes out first thing in the morning Bella does a polite excitement.  I love it.  Her whole body will wiggle, she spins a little.  She’ll mouth my mom’s hand (which is on the walker) softly until my mom says “no”.  She never pushes her or jumps on her like she sometimes does to greet others.  It’s as if she knows she cannot handle it.  Once my mom is seated, Bella will be right in front of her, tail wagging.  My mom will pat her on the head, say “I love ya Bella” and then sometimes the whole interaction is over.  Bella goes on her way.  I don’t even think my mom has realized this daily ritual between the two.

It’s not just the mornings.  Bella will greet her with a toy if my mom has gone into her room to use the restroom.  Bella will wait until she’s seated and bring a toy, usually a long stuffed animal or her long rope toy.  My mom will take it and, with her arthritic hands and shoulders, attempt to throw it.  It never goes very far but Bella doesn’t care. She’ll jump like she’s getting ready for a major sprint and pounce on it, grab it, and bring it back.  It only lasts one or two throws and then Bella, content, will walk away with it and lay on the ottoman.  It never ends that quickly when I’m throwing it for her!

So here we are. My mom will be out soon. Bella is waiting patiently for her. She has moved from being over by me to taking the spot in front of the door. She will be the first one to say good morning!

With Bella’s size, she doesn’t get to interact with my mom as much as Zipper does.  Zipper is small, he can jump up next to her. Bella has found her own way to share time with my mom.  She has found her own way to work into her heart. The love of an animal knows no age or disability.

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

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When the box is more fun than the contents – HaliPawz

Priceless

Spend money on dog toys, dog chooses box instead

My dogs love cardboard.  Zipper, my Jack Russell, will rip open any box he can sink his teeth into in order to see if there is anything in the box for him.  I have ordered toys from the Horseloverz auction for them.  When the box arrived, I put it off to the side and got busy with other things.  I left the house, came home, only to find the box open and two of the dog toys destroyed already!

Bella, my Neapolitan Mastiff, doesn’t seem to care about the toys, instead, she has a love of cardboard boxes.  She will snag any piece of cardboard she can and walk around with it like it’s the best toy she has ever been given.

I love my fur babies.  It is never a dull moment with them around!

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz