The fall season is a very exciting time of the year, from the changing of the leaves, the decrease in degrees, and an abundance of fall activities its hard to not love Fall. As you and your furry family prepare for the upcoming halloween weekend we wanted to share our helpful tips to keep in mind when celebrating howl-o-ween with your dogs!

Dogs like trick-or-treating too! We recommend purchasing healthy dog treats to hand out to your furry friendly trick-or-treaters on October 31st. If you're wanting to go the extra mile for your doggy friends we recommend this homemade pumpkin treat recipe from Genius Kitchen!

Safety First! With all the excitement of costumed trick-or-treaters ringing your door bell it is easy to forget that halloween can be scary and overwhelming to our dogs. If your dog is not a people person, or is easily spooked by loud noises its best to set them up in a safe quiet area of the house apart from the festivities. This will help your pup feel safe and keep unsuspecting trick-or-treaters happy!

Candy is not safe for Fido! Everybody knows the highlight of halloween is the mountains of candy you have at the end of the evening.. I mean who doesn't love a year supply of reese pieces, but candy is not to be left out for your dog to dig into after you go to bed! We recommend keeping candy out of your pups reach at all times, if Fido gets jealous you should have special treats on hand! Did we mention homemade pumpkin treats are a good way to go?

There is nothing better than a dog in a costume! If your dog tends to enjoy social outings and loves to interact with new people then halloween is a great time for your pup! We recommend finding the cutest or funniest costume you can find and putting your pup on display for all your dog loving trick-or-treaters to see! Did we mention that the ZenCrate Team is hosting a halloween costume contest this year? That's right! Visit our Facebook page to enter to win ZenCrate swag for you and your pup!

 We hope you keep these tips in mind this Halloween and enjoy the festivities with your pups! Don't forget to enter into the ZenCrate Costume Contest before Tuesday! 

In recent years there have been multiple pet food recalls and questions over the safety and quality of the food we feed to our pets. This has resulted in more and more people going in search of alternatives to mass produced animal foods.

This is the reason that Noah’s Bark was born. We learned that the healthier the food, the happier the dog. And ingredients make a BIG difference.

An all-natural, raw food pet diet usually consists of a combination of raw meat and bones, fruits, vegetables, grains as well as supplements and healthy treats like Noah’s Bark!

If you are considering ditching the kibble for a more whole foods diet approach for your pet, here are five things you should know:

Bye Bye Bad Stuff

Big pet food brands are full of potentially harmful fillers such as wheat, corn and soy, as well as added sugars, salt, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Many also contain animal by-products. Switching to an all-natural diet will remove these things from your dog’s bowl.

Transition Slowly

When introducing your dog to any new diet, it is a good idea to do it slowly. This will help avoid any digestive irritations and give you an opportunity to see what your dog does and does not like. Try mixing their current food with smaller amounts of raw food and increase over time, in turn decreasing the amount of kibble.

Do Not Feed List

Not all natural foods that humans consume are good for dogs. Educate yourself on the foods which your dog should absolutely NOT eat. These include onions, avocado, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, dairy products, gum and others.

Dental Benefits

Chewing on bones can be great for your dog’s dental hygiene which in turn is good for their overall health.

Downside

Feeding your dog a raw diet can be both time consuming and expensive. Before embarking on this change, be sure to calculate exactly how much your dog will need to eat every day and how much that will cost. Planning ahead when it comes to dog food preparation will make the process easier.

While many people love the idea of supporting their local shelter or pet rescue missions, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some easy suggestions on how you can get involved, and make sure that the organization you’re volunteering with is the right fit for you!

Find the shelter that’s right for you.

When you get to know your local shelters, you can make a more educated decision on who (and how) to help. We love theshelterpetproject.org as a resource for this very thing. Not only can you find a pet to adopt, you can also identify thousands of organizations that probably need your help!

Think outside the crate!

While pet rescues are always in need of dog walkers and volunteers to pitch in with cleaning the kennels, they may also be in need of professional services like marketing, plumbing, or construction. If you’ve got a professional service to donate in-kind, you’ll be saving the shelter an additional operating cost that can go to helping pets instead. Use your resources, and get creative!

Get Social.

Help bring awareness to your local shelter or the campaigns of the Humane Society of the United States by sharing their updates on your own Facebook and Social Media Platforms. Use your own audience and help get the word out.

Be an advocate.

Write to your local legislators about changing laws in your county and state. Believe it or not, these letters and emails make a huge difference, especially when they are coming from a concerned (pet loving) citizen!

Get crafty.

Use recycled materials like t-shirts, ropes, and fleece blankets to create DIY toys for dogs and cats in your local shelter. Check out this Pinterest Page for some inspiration!

You’re never too young.

Even kids can help out at their local shelter! We love this article about twin sisters Alexandra and Sydney who give tons of ideas on how to get involved and advocate for animals in need.

If you’ve got a tip about how to pitch in with your local shelter, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!