Month: October 2024

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Is a Dog Road Trip in Your Future?

Dogs are social, pack animals that love to be in your company, particularly on a good road trip. Knowing a few good road trip ideas will give you and your pooch the opportunity to bond in a new way.

One way to provide mental simulation for dogs is to take them with you while cruising around town. You don’t need an official road trip planner; just take your pooch with you while running errands and let them keep you company while you belt out your favorite road trip songs. A quick walk at each stop will provide your dog with both physical and mental stimulation. Giving your dog the three S’s – Sniffing, Socialization, and Stimulation – will help him maintain a balanced, well-rounded lifestyle.

Heck, you don’t even need to have a destination; just get in the car and drive around the block. Your dog lives in the moment and enjoys the journey more than the destination. Your dog going on a road trip is like them winning the lottery!

If you must accompany your husband to some dreaded destination like Home Depot, take your dog! You’ll have the great excuse of walking your dog around the parking lot while your husband strolls every aisle of tools and paint. Then, head to Starbucks and roll down your pooch’s window at the drive-through. They’ll get lots of ooh’s and ah’s from the cashier.

Don’t have plans one evening? Have a date night with your dog; plan activities that revolve around your dog’s wellness. Go to a pet store (i.e., Pet Smart) where your dog is exposed to a variety of sights, sounds, and other animals in a safe location. Other stores like Tractor Supply and some Lowes also allow you to shop accompanied by your dog. There are many restaurants where you can eat outside with your dog. All of these give your dog the three S’s which means they’ll sleep much more soundly when date night comes to an end.

If your dog has difficulty moving around the house due to age or arthritis, a dog road trip just might be the ticket for getting them outside to see new sights without putting unnecessary pressure on their joints. If you’re thinking that your vehicle is too tall for your dog to jump into comfortably, there are plenty of options for dog ramps for SUV and car access that make it very convenient for your dog to enter and exit your vehicle. The alternative is that they are just sitting at the house alone when they’d much rather be in your company.

Remember that safety always comes first on doggy car trips. Due to flying dust particles and oncoming vehicles, it’s dangerous to let your dog hang her head fully out the window. But, if it’s safe, roll down the window a bit and let your dog breathe in a little fresh air. There are plenty of options for dog travel crates or dog car seats if necessary. Also, factor in the weather. Dogs should never be left in a hot car while you are shopping. But, cooler days, a favorite road trip snack, and a small water bowl will keep your dog totally satisfied while you’re running quick errands.

So when you’re planning short road trips around town, break out the dog ramp, pack an extra bag for your dog, and invite them to tag along. You won’t have a better co-pilot!

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How to Have a Great Field Trip

Do you remember when you were a kid, excitedly stepping onto a great big bus early in the morning, headed off to a field trip? Field trips mean new and exciting experiences for students, so they can leave long lasting impressions. It is the perfect time to make the subjects they are learning about come alive, and to show them just how fun learning about the world around them can really be. Here are a few tips on how to make your next field trip great.

Be Prepared

Well before the exciting day arrives, do your research and write up a list of everything your students will need to do and know in order to arrive prepared. This list may include suggestions for proper attire, including weather appropriate clothing and footwear that will fit the planned activities, suggestions for lunches to pack, and what is OK to bring and what must be left at home. For example, some trips might be a good time for cameras, but for others, like museums that do not allow photography, cameras should be left at home. Depending on your destination, you may want to give a special talk about the right kind of behavior for the trip as well. Making it very clear what is expected of your students before you are out and about will help to ensure that the day goes smoothly.

Make It Memorable

The best way to ensure that your field trip will really stick with your students is to have them truly engaged in the place that you are visiting. There are some destinations that will create this engagement naturally. For others, however, like a walk through a forest or other natural setting or a trip to an art museum, you may need to help them keep their focus. You know your students best, so plan for what you know will hold their interest. If they are mature and already interested in their destination, a simple worksheet might be enough. For a rowdier or more easily distracted crowd, consider something a bit more exciting, like a scavenger hunt.

Transportation

One last critical step that you need to remember is to secure a good source of transportation. When you are choosing a bus service, be sure to take the time to seek out a reliable company that you can trust to get you and your students where you need to be, comfortably. It can be difficult to feel quite as excited about a trip after you have just made a long, uncomfortable journey. By choosing a bus service that offers climate controlled buses, you can deliver your students to their educational destination feeling fresh and ready to learn.

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Facebook Tips and Tricks

If you are trying to grow your business, Facebook is a great way to do so quickly. Here are ten Facebook tips and tricks to help you get started.

Facebook Tip #1: Fill out all of your personal information, such as your profile picture and your favorite books and movies. It’s important to update your Facebook profile so that people can find you if they are searching for someone with a similar interest as you. People can also get to know you as a person. When you write your biography, make sure you use your personal “story”. Include things that your customer would care about. Don’t go into too much detail unless it is important to the story. You aren’t writing your story just to share your own life dramas. Write it for the purpose of attracting customers. Get specific, because “like attracts like”.

Facebook Tip #2: Add a few friends every day. Be consistent with this. Try to add around 10 per day, and you will gradually grow your customer base. Make sure you are inviting people who would be interested in the product or service you are selling.

Facebook Tip #3: Be sociable. Show people that you are interested in them and they will become interested in you. If you simply send a friend request to someone who doesn’t know you, without somehow showing them that you are interested in them, they may not want to add you as a friend.

Facebook Tip #4: Say something about a potential customer on their wall. Don’t mention your business, but instead show your interest in them and what they are doing. They will be more likely to pay attention to you that way.

Facebook Tip #5: Send a message with your friend requests. Look into the info page of your potential customers and find something that you share in common with them. Then, when you friend request them, you can mention that or ask a question about it. They will be more likely to add you as a friend if they see you are interested in them or share something in common with them.

Facebook Tip #6: Find people in your business niche. An easy way to do this is to enter your business or your product or service into the search bar in Facebook. Then you can click the “People” tab at the left to find your potential customers.

Facebook Tip #7: Find groups and pages in your business niche. Do the same thing as in tip #6, but this time click on “Groups” or “Pages”. Once you find a group or page that fits your business, then go into that page and look at the people who “like” that page or are a part of that group. You can then friend request them using the same techniques as mentioned in tip #5.

Facebook Tip #8: Be a “go to” person. You want to become the only logical choice for people to come to for your product or service. So talk to people about your business in an information giving type of way, rather than in a selling type of way. For example, you could give people tips on how to use your product. Then, when they are ready to buy that product, they will naturally want to come to you to purchase it.

Facebook Tip #9: Find something in common with people and talk to them about it, either on their wall or in a personal message or in “chat.” People love to talk about themselves. Building a trusting relationship with your potential customers is key to attracting them to want to purchase from you.

Facebook Tip #10: Don’t “promote” your business. Let people ask you about it instead of pushing them away with constant “advertisements.” Don’t use your wall as a bulletin board to say “Buy this product!” or “Purchase this service!” Instead, write things on your wall that would be helpful to your customers.

Start using these tips today and your business will grow exponentially. By building relationships with people, you can touch more lives, because when people see your leadership and the value you bring to their lives, they will naturally want to share you with their friends, too.