Q: Westies have thick, double coats that needs regular brushing to look its best. This can help keep your Westie’s fur clean and allow his skin to breathe.  Use a brush meant for dogs with thick hair. You can buy a special brush for your Westie at most pet stores or online pet retailers. Go slow and praise your Westie as you brush him. Try offering him a treat after you finish brushing him. You’ll need to clip or strip your Westie’s coat or pay a groomer to do so a few times per year. Regular clipping or stripping will get rid of dead hairs and help keep your Westie’s coat looking shiny. Although clipping and stripping both remove dead hair from your Westie’s coat, they are different grooming processes.  Clipping is when you use electric clippers to trim your Westie’s entire coat. Clipping produces a soft, short coat. Stripping is when you use your fingers to remove dead hairs from your Westie’s coat. This method is more popular with show dog owners. Stripping produces a coarse, wavy coat. If you don’t have the time or patience to care for your Westie’s coat or other hygiene needs, hire a professional groomer for regular grooming sessions. It can be expensive, but may save you time and tears.  Your regional Westie club may be able to recommend a local groomer who is experienced with Westies. The Westie Club of America has a list of local Westie clubs at http://westieclubamerica.com/regclubs/. Make sure to visit any groomer before you take your Westie. This can help ensure the environment will be calm and comfortable for your dog.
A: Brush your Westie every day. Plan to clip or strip your Westie’s coat on a regular basis. Take your Westie to a professional groomer.

Q: Following the occurrence of an event that disrupts normal business operations, you will need to quickly mobilize key personnel in order to successfully execute a BCP. Create a list of internal key personnel and backups --- these are the employees people who fill positions without which your business absolutely cannot function. Make the list as large as necessary, but as small as possible.  Make a list of all key internal personnel with all contact information including business phone, home phone, cell phone, pager, business email, personal email, and any other possible way of contacting them in an emergency situation where normal communications might be unavailable. Consider which job functions are critically necessary to continue every day operations. You should think about who fills those positions when the primary job-holder is on vacation. Remember that key personnel does not just include high-ranking executives. For example, a low to mid-level accounts receivable clerk might be responsible for processing reports that affecting AR loans or collections, which greatly affect the amount of available operating income. The accounts receivable clerk should be considered key personnel, because that person's job functions facilitates the company's access to capital provided by the processing of receivables and the collection of funds. On-site business computers often contain the most critical information that you and your employees must be able to access even when working off-site. You should make a list of critical equipment/data, and create a strategy for secure access in the event of a disruption.Don’t forget software that would often be considered critical equipment, especially if it is specialized software or if it cannot be replaced.  This list should include include passwords, identification data and the location of key files. Some businesses cannot function even for a few hours without a fax machine.  Do you rely heavily on your copy machine?  Do you have special printers you absolutely must have? You should compile all documentation necessary to start your business over again in the event of a fire or other disaster that destroys critical documents located on-site. Make sure that you have alternative copies in physical storage offsite and ways to access critical documents such as articles of incorporation and other legal papers, utility bills, banking information, critical HR documents, building lease papers, tax returns and other critical documents. You should consider what the plan of action would be if there was a total facility loss.  Would you know when to pay the loan on your company vehicles?  To whom do you send payment for your email services? In the event that business operations cannot continue at the regular location, telecommuting from home is a great way for employees to continue doing work as usual. Your employees’ ability to work, even when away from the office, will mean that at least some of the delays in performing work as usual can be avoided. Some people in your company might be perfectly capable of conducting business from a home office.   Find out who can and who cannot work from home because of internet connectivity limitations or other issues, and make sure to provide your employees with the necessary resources for telecommuting.
A: Make a list of key internal personnel. Document critical business equipment. Identify critical documents. Identify who can telecommute.

Q: Dogs can be great family pets as well as great tools for protecting your property from intruders. Some dog breeds are better for property protection than others. With the proper training, quality guard dogs will bark, bite, intimidate, and chase intruders away. In general, the best dog breeds for protection include:  Bullmastiffs Doberman Pinschers Rottweilers German Shepherds Akitas Do not simply purchase the first dog you find. Dogs need to match the personality of their owners and you need to make sure you purchase a dog that you can take care of. For example, guard dogs are very active and need to be exercised often. In addition, they can be aggressive towards others if not properly trained; therefore, it is important you shop around until you find the right dog for you. Additionally, while it is always nice to adopt a dog from a shelter, these dogs often need extra training due to possible emotional and physical problems that arose before you owned them; therefore, it might be a good idea to purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder if you are purchasing a dog for home protection.
A:
Research good guard animals. Shop around.