Exploring St. Louis: Historic Kimmswick

A few months ago, I realized that an errand was going to land me about 10 minutes away from Kimmswick, MO, so I decided to turn it into an opportunity to visit this historic town for the first time. Kimmswick is only 1/4 square mile just south of the St. Louis...

Fostering Rescue Dogs: Karen’s Foster Dogs

A while ago I shared the story of adopting Milo and how that got me involved in fostering other dogs, so I'm not going to repeat myself explaining all of that again. If you are interested, click through on these links to read all how I got started and some of my...

Odus the Foster Dog Needs a Home

After almost a year without fostering dogs, I jumped back into dog rescue with a new group, Senior Dogs 4 Seniors. I chose this group because they focus on small dogs and they don't shy away from older dogs. It breaks my heart to hear of an 8 or 12 year old dog that...

6 Green Moving Tips

I've moved a lot of times in the last 25 years but my move last month was the first time I've done a green move. Now that I'm unpacked, I'm wanted to share my 6 moving tips to make your move more environmentally friendly. 1. Plastic Crates Instead of Boxes Most people...

Milo Settles into Our New Home with #AlpoDogBiscuit

I was afforded this opportunity because I am part of the BlogPaws Professional Blogger Network. The Alpo dog biscuits were provided by Nestlé Purina. Future Expat only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. The opinions in this post are my own. Last...

Lessons from My 4000 Mile Road Trip: Meal Tips for Traveling with Dogs

Traveling with your dog can be a lot of fun, but it's important to be prepared for the challenges you will face. While locating dog friendly hotels was the first thing I focused on when I planned my 4,000 mile road trip across 9 states earlier this year, I discovered...

Milo’s Closet: Keeping Your Dog Warm in Cold Weather

I'm not one of those dog owners who dresses up my dog in clothes just to make him cute, but I do think it's important he is warm enough outside in cold weather. Milo owns 3 pieces of cold weather clothing. He has a raincoat (that doubles as a lightweight coat), a...

Lessons from My 4000 Mile Road Trip: Hotel Tips for Traveling with Dogs

Before you pack up your car for an overnight road trip with your dog, you need to carefully consider the hotel where you will stay. Will the hotel allow my dog to stay with me? Where will my dog go to the bathroom? What will I do if my dog barks at night? These are...

10 Ways to Use Tiny Dog Treats Besides Training

When most people think of dog training treats, they think of using the tiny treats to teach dogs commands and tricks. Initially, I used training treats to teach Milo to sit and stay. I also rewarded him with a treat every time he went potty outside. I hadn't bought...

10 Adorable Dog Halloween Costumes

  There is a video that has gone viral on Facebook of a dog wearing a spider costume. It got me thinking that maybe I should buy Milo his first Halloween costume this year. When I started looking at the options of Halloween costumes for dogs, it really is hard to...

What is the Best Flavor for Dog Training Treats?

When you go to the pet store to pick up some training treats, you are confronted with dozens of options. Picking a brand and a flavor can be overwhelming. The first thing you need to decide is which brand of dog treats you want to buy. If you are looking for training...

Road Trip with Dogs – Choosing Pet Friendly Hotels

When I decided to take a road trip with dogs a few months ago, the first thing I focused on was finding dog friendly hotels. This vacation was my first trip with dogs and we stayed in 6 hotels over the 2 week trip. I learned a lot about what worked and what didn't on...

Dog Pool Party at the Kirkwood Pool

St. Louis really loves their dogs, so it's not surprising that so many of our municipal pools have end of summer doggie pool parties. All of the parties are pretty much the same. You pay a small fee for each dog and their person, with proceeds usually going to a...

Shopping Cart Solution for NO PAWS ON GROUND Puppies

Everyone in the rescue world is familiar with the concept no paws on ground. Puppies need 3 rounds of shots before they are fully protected from diseases that they can pick up from other dogs. Until the puppies have had at least the first 2 rounds of shots, they could...

Create a Dog Potty Garden on Your Deck

When I decided to adopt a dog, my plan was to teach my new dog to use washable pee pads in my condo's laundry room. It didn't work. I quickly learned that Milo needed a tree or plant to stand against when it was time to do his business. We would sometimes walk for a...

VIDEO: Milo Really Loves The VetIQ Treats

Like most dogs, Milo loves treats. When I took Milo to the Blog Paws conference a few months ago, he got to sample a lot of treats from the Expo Center. The VetIQ team was there, and it became clear that their treats are more than just a tasty snack. So when I was...

Road Trip ~ Grand Canyon Visit with Dogs

As soon as I decided to drive from St. Louis to Las Vegas for the Blog Paws Blogging Conference, I knew I had to stop at the Grand Canyon. I did my research and found out that dogs are welcome on the Rim Trail, but can't hike down into the canyon at all. That's fine...

Road Trip ~ Sante Fe Stop Worth the Detour

My original plans were to try to share a blog post every night during this cross country road trip. Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Here we are, in the car again as I type this...on day 4 of the road trip from St. Louis to Las Vegas and back...and I'm only...

On the Road to Vegas…with Dogs!

After a crazy week of real estate work in preparation of leaving town for 2 weeks, we finally hit the road yesterday morning. My dog Milo and I are going to the Blog Paws Conference in Las Vegas next week, and my Mom and her dog Lexi decided to join us for the road...

Road Trip Planning for Blog Paws Conference

In 2 weeks, I'll be jumping in the car and starting a 3,500 mile road trip. As soon as I saw this video, I decided that I had to attend the Blog Paws pet-blogger conference. And I had to bring my dog Milo. The first dilemma was how to get there. Milo weighs 22 lbs and...

Wordless Wednesday ~ Milo Walks the Line

Milo is a city dog. He's used to walking along sidewalks for his potty breaks. Even when he is off leash, he is a creature of habit. Last week, we went over to Forest Park to enjoy the spring weather. Milo found the soccer line in the middle of a huge field and walked...

Wordless Wednesday – Fostering Jodi the Chihuahua

Somehow the winter got away from me and I never posted any pictures of Jodi. Jodi was one of the foster dogs I've taken care of this past year. I adored her and if I was in the market to adopt a 2nd dog, I would have kept her. Milo even liked this one. He growls at...

Wordless Wednesday – Don’t Blame the Dogs

I should know better than to leave the house with mail sitting on a chair. Milo loves tearing up paper. It was junk mail, so I didn't really mind. Paint, on the other hand, is not as easy to clean up. Again, this was my fault. I knew my foster dog Teddy had a habit of...

Wordless Wednesdays – Milo Goes to the Vet

Milo patiently waiting for our vet to come give him a lepto shot. Clearly also overdue for a haircut. Milo communicates by looking at the thing he wants, holding his gaze there for a few seconds, then he makes eye contact with me and gives me a prolonged look. If I...

The Perfect Dog Owner’s Towel: Shandali UltraSport Travel Towel

When I recently discovered an opportunity with Tomoson to receive a free Shandali towel in exchange for writing a blog post about it, I jumped at the chance. I'm going to be doing more sponsored posts here on Future Expat, but I plan to be very selective on what I...

Wordless Wednesdays – Life with Dogs

I know this is called Wordless Wednesdays, but since this is my first one, I wanted to share why I'm starting this new weekly series (gulp...I'm really bad at doing anything over and over and over). When I first adopted Milo, I posted tons of pictures on Facebook. So...

My Dog Milo Went Kayaking and Rafting

Every summer, I try to go on at least one float trip. I adopted my dog Milo last December, so this was his first time joining me on the river. The first float of the summer was rained out. We were planning on kayaking on Friday and rafting on Saturday, but the river...

Take Your Dog on a Missouri Raft Float Trip

Life jackets for dogs One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go floating with friends. Now that I have a dog, I want to take him with me when I go floating. You can float with a dog in a canoe anywhere. But, it is hard to find a river outfitter that will...

My Road to Becoming a Rescue Dog Foster Parent

Yesterday I found out that I was approved to become a rescue dog foster parent. I'm really excited and can't wait to bring home my first foster rescue dog. So why am I doing this? Humor me a moment and let me start from the beginning. Adopting a Rescue Dog Changed My...

How to Find Out the Breed of Your Dog

For many people who adopt a shelter or rescue dog, knowing the breed of the dog just isn't important. We love our dogs regardless of what breed they are. But that doesn't mean we don't wonder, spending hours looking at pictures of dogs online trying to figure it out....

Does Your Dog Need to be Vaccinated for Lepto?

When I adopted Milo from a rescue group a couple of months ago, I was told that he was up to date on all vaccinations. Little did I know that he hadn't been vaccinated for a Lepto, potentially serious disease. The rescue group provided me with a record of all of...

Milo Takes a Bath

Milo had a bath the day before I adopted him (December 28) and again about a week later when I took him to a groomer. After about 6 weeks, he definitely had that doggy smell and I knew it was time for a bath. Today was a snow day and we were hanging at home, so I...

The Joys of Adopting a Rescue Dog

Milo staring at me, totally confused with why I had walked him up to the tree and then stood there, waiting.  I recently told you that I was looking for a rescue dog to adopt. Meet Milo: After meeting a half dozen dogs who were sweet, it was love at first sight when I...