Pepper Street Pets

Pepper Street Pets is excited to announce all clients will now be able to select the weather conditions when scheduling their pet services.

After several muddy adventures, surprise rainstorms, and one very dramatic refusal to walk in wet grass, we paired with our software program to find a solution to weather shenanigans. When booking, simply select your weather preference as an add-on and we'll make it happen!

Options include:

The temperature is between 60–67 degrees
The ground is dry but not crunchy
There is a light breeze but not windy
The sun is out but not too bright
No humidity
No rain
No mud
No visible squirrels
Excellent stick availability
My dog is crazy, one foot of snow

Thank you for choosing Pepper Street Pets, where we continue to provide the highest level of service possible to all our clients.

Happy April Fool’s Day!
(That last line is true - if you're looking for the very best care for your pets and a seamless experience for you, let us know!)

Be smart and be safe in this heat!
- Limit outside time for pets, earlier in the AM or in the evening may be better.
- If midday, keep breaks quick.
- Avoid hot pavement, sidewalks, driveways and stick to shade or grassy areas.
- Do not exercise or cause exertion for them. If your dog usually runs or exercises with you, these next couple days are good to skip. Dogs need time to acclimate to heat and it's not worth heatstroke.
- If your dog has a vet or grooming appointment, keep car cool before they get in and when they're in the car - go straight there or home - do not run errands or risk time in a hot or sun-drenched car. They also may already be stressed from their appointment.
- Provide water throughout the day and evening, an extra bowl can't hurt if they're home alone most of the day.
- Get something frozen in a Kong or enrichment toy for them to play with - helps keep them cool and entertained.
- Bad weather days are great opportunities to stay inside, be safe, and work their brains.

What do you see or notice when your dog yawns?

Language of a Yawn

Yawning is one of the many signals that dogs use to calm themselves or others down when they’re feeling stressed or uncomfortable.

Neuroscience shows that yawning is also triggered during moments of transition from one behavioural or emotional state to another - waking up, falling asleep, moving from being relaxed to alert or from an anxious to a calm emotional state.

Although we may be unaware of it, we also use types of calming signals. Think about the kind of body language we might show when we’re in a situation that doesn’t allow us enough personal space, like getting into an elevator with a group of strangers.

We may instinctively not face anyone directly, look down at the floor, watch the indicator buttons, focus on our phone and avoid any eye contact - these are all “calming signals” that people use to prevent any potential conflict.

If you notice more yawning than usual, or yawning in a specific situation, look into what may be causing this.

A yawn caused by stress is usually longer, more intense, with the tongue curled up at the end.

Sometimes there is so much more to a yawn than we may think.