Fireworks on and around the 4th of July can scare dogs and cats causing them to run off. Shelters are flooded this time of year with lost dogs and cats due to the fireworks. These 4 simple  tips can help keep your pets safe this 4th of July.

• Keep dogs and cats inside your home.
• Turn on the radio or TV to muffle noise.
• Have proper pet identification on your pet (their collar with tags and consider a microchip as well).
• Distract your pet by playing with them.

Wishing you a safe and fun 4th of July!

Schreib Insurance Group

www.schreibinsurance.com 

253-365-6466

Proudly serving the insurance needs of Bonney Lake, Lake Tapps, and surrounding areas.

EASTER BUNNY PHOTOS:

Easter Bunny Photos in Federal Way

Pose with the bunny and buy a photo package.

Date: Daily through March 31
Location: Federal Way Commons, 1928 S. Commons, Federal Way
Age: All ages
Price: Photo packages for purchase
Details: Federal Way Commons website

Easter Bunny Photos in Auburn

The Easter Bunny is hanging around at this mall and you can hop in for a photo. Wait in line or purchase a Fast Pass to skip to the front.

Date: Daily through April 1 (pet photos available March 25, 6–8 p.m.)
Location: The Outlet Collection, 1101 Outlet Collection Way, Auburn
Age: All ages
Cost: Photo packages for purchase
Details: The Outlet Collection’s website

EASTER EGG HUNTS:

Bonney Lake Kids’ Easter Egg Hunt

This free community egg hunt put on by the City of Bonney Lake takes place rain or shine. Don’t be late! This hunt takes place following the Haulin’ Eggs fun run listed above.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m.
Location: Allan Yorke Park, 7302 W. Tapps Hwy E., Bonney Lake
Ages: 1–11
Price: Free
Details: City of Bonney Lake website

11th Annual Dog-Gone Easter Egg Hunt

This special event features an egg hunt for kids and their doggies, complete with a dog fashion show, agility demos and face-painting.

Date: Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Location: Regional Athletic Complex, 8345 Steilacoom Road S.E., Lacey
Ages: All ages
Price: Free
Details: Pet Connection website

Uptown Egg Hunt

Meet at the pond ready to hunt for eggs. The Easter Bunny might stop by, too.

Date: Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m.
Location: Uptown Gig Harbor, 4701 Point Fosdick Dr. N.W., Gig Harbor
Ages: All ages
Price: Free
Details: Uptown Gig Harbor’s website

Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza

Hunt for eggs — don’t forget your basket — in age groups in this community hunt put on by Mortgage Master Service Corporation.

Date: Saturday, March 24, 11 a.m.–noon
Location: Morrill Meadows Park, 10808 S.E. 248th St., Kent
Age: 0–12
Cost: Free; preregister
Details: Eventbrite site

KidX Eggstravaganza

At Eggstravaganza, kids can do Easter crafts, watch magic tricks, hunt for prize-filled eggs and see the big bunny.

Date: Sunday, March 25, noon–2 p.m.
Location: The Outlet Collection, 1101 Outlet Collection Way, Auburn
Age: All ages
Cost: Free; RSVP
Details: The Outlet Collection’s website

Fife Flashlight Egg Hunt

Teens get in on the egg-hunting action, with a twist. Bring a flashlight. Preregistration is recommended but you can just show up, too. Find the golden egg and win the grand prize. Good luck!

Date: Friday, March 30, 8:30 p.m.
Location: Dacca Park, 2820 54th Ave. E., Fife
Ages: 11–16
Price: $4
Details: City of Fife website

East Pierce Firefighters’ Egg Hunts

Volunteer firefighters in East Pierce County put on three free community egg hunts. Hop on over.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.
Locations: Sunset Stadium in Sumner (9 a.m.); Edgemont Park in Edgewood (10 a.m.); and Third Street Park in South Prairie (10 a.m.)
Ages: 0–12
Cost: Free
Details: East Pierce Fire & Rescue website

Haulin’ Eggs 5K Fun Run

Collect eggs along the way as you run or walk, then turn them in for goodies at the finish line. The fifth and final egg will be an egg-shaped finisher prize.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 9:15 a.m.
Location: Allan Yorke Park, 7302 W. Tapps Hwy E., Bonney Lake
Ages: All ages
Cost: $20–$30
Details: Hauling Eggs website

Fife Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Bring your basket to gather up eggs in age-group hunts and get your photo snapped with the Easter Bunny. Also enjoy face painting and balloon animals.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 9:30–11:30 a.m.
Location: Dacca Park, 2820 54th Ave. E., Fife
Ages: 0–10
Price: Free
Details: City of Fife website

New Community Church Easter Egg Hunts

Local church invites the community to hunt for eggs in two Tacoma parks. The Jane Clark Park location will include a hunt for kids with special needs.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 10 a.m.
Location: Wright Park, 501 S. I St., Tacoma and Jane Clark Park, 4825 N. 39th St., Tacoma
Ages: 0–11
Price: Free
Details: New Community Church website

Kent Station Egg Hunt and Scavenger Hunt

Kids ages 6 and under can join an egg hunt, searching for thousands of eggs stuffed with candy, small toys and coupons. Kids ages 7–12 may participate in the scavenger hunt (pick up clues no later than 12:30 p.m.) Plus, snap a photo with the Easter Bunny, get your face painted and more.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Location: Kent Station, 417 Ramsay Way, Kent
Ages: 0–12
Price: Free
Details: Kent Station website

Tumwater Easter Egg Dash

Hunt for eggs behind Tumwater High School and pose for photos with the Easter Bunny. Kids hunt in age groups to keep things somewhat fair, but you’ll still want to be quick

Date: Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m.
Location: Tumwater High School
Age: 0–10
Price: Free
Details: City of Tumwater website

Sunrise Village Egg Hunt

Traditional egg hunt for ages 6 and under on the grassy area near Qdoba, plus a scavenger hunt for ages 7–12. You can also take photos with the Easter Bunny, pet real bunnies, get your face painted and more.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 3–5 p.m.
Location: Sunrise Village, 10507 156th St. E., Puyallup
Ages: 0–12
Price: Free
Details: Sunrise Village website

Egg Hunts at Old McDebbie’s Farm

This friendly farm will conduct egg hunts throughout the day; stop on by for Easter and other seasonal farm fun.

Date: Saturday–Sunday, March 31–April 1, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Location: Old McDebbie’s Farm, 4924 268th St. E., Spanaway
Ages: All ages
Price: $8 farm entry; $3 per dozen eggs
Details: Old McDebbie’s Farm website

The Edge Church Easter Egg Hunt

Join a community Easter egg hunt for kids preschool through elementary age.

Date: Sunday, April 1, noon
Location: The Edge Foursquare Church, 3306 Meridian Ave. E., Edgewood
Ages: 3–11
Price: Free
Details: The Edge Foursquare Church website

If you’ve ever had a sick or injured pet, you know veterinarian bills can be substantial. Pet insurance is a fast-growing market that gives pet owners the quality coverage their pets need. From a routine checkup to emergency services companies like Hartville insurance offer well-designed coverage that’s easy to obtain. Only five questions needed to get a quote: 1.) Zip code,  2.) Dog or cat, 3.) Breed, 4.) Age , and 5.) Gender.

Coverage available for:

• Accidents/injury
• Illness
• Hospitalization
• Emergency vet visits
• Surgery
• Vaccinations
• Annual physicals
• Flea prevention
• Dental trauma
• Some alternative therapies
• And much more

Housing markets and rental trends tend to go hand-in-hand. As the real estate markets gain momentum, many Americans are choosing to rent instead of buy.

In this “high demand/low supply” market, we spoke with local realtor and longtime property manager Kira Mcrae about what you can do to set yourself apart from other potential tenants. Below are her comments…

-Email, Call & Text each agent/landlord. This is still a hot market, the agents are often busy and don’t returns calls and emails timely.

– Find out in advance where you can download their application and what else they require to secure the home.

-Keep a log of who you speak with and follow up.

-Show up early to open houses.

-Bring copies of paystubs/proof of income, copy of your current I.D. as well as your prefilled application just in case.

While there’s no guarantees, the above tips will make it easier for agents/landlords to assess your qualifications and hopefully into your next home!

With the recent wildfires in our state some homeowners actually received calls from there insurance carriers offering preventative help in protecting their homes.

Carriers like Safeco and Nationwide have a program called the “Wildfire Defense Program”. Under this program, the carrier employs a 3rd party like Wildfire Defense Systems Inc. (WDS) to assist with items like :

-Emergency Fuel Mitigation (removing overgrown vegetation, fuel tanks, trash etc.)

-Use of temporary sprinkler systems.

-Fire engine operations and/or application of fire blocking gel.

WDS and local firefighting resources work together to identify the properties that are most defensible and determine which steps should be used to protect enrolled homes from wildfire.

For more information about this program and whether your carrier offers it, talk to your agent or give us a call!

As you’ve likely heard by now Washington recently passed a new “Distracted driving Law”.

Under this new law drivers who are deemed ” dangerously engaging in any activity not related to the task of driving that interferes with safely operating the vehicle” can be cited $99 as a secondary offense.

This new law has created a lot of confusion among drivers who want to now things like:

-Can I still enjoy my coffee during that grueling morning commute?

-Is eating still allowed while I drive?

-What if I groom myself  or apply makeup at a stop light?

-Can I drive with my dog on my lap?

The answer, as the law was written, is that you cannot be stopped for doing any of these things while driving.  The caveat to that is that if while participating in these activities you operate your vehicle in an unsafe or unlawful manner, you can be pulled over and cited.

Example: While sipping a hot cup of coffee you spill some in your lap and swerve into the lane next to you.  In this case you could be stopped for an illegal lane change as the primary offense and fined a minimum of $124. You would also likely be cited an additional $99 for distracted driving as the secondary offense.

What hasn’t changed however is the states stance on things like texting and talking on your cell phone using your hands. This has been illegal for quite some time.

Aside from the fines, you also face potential increases in your insurance rates.   A distracted driving offense, unlike driving while texting violations, will be added to the drivers motor vehicle report or (MVR) . This report is commonly run 30-45 days prior to a drivers renewal date on his/her policy. Any new infractions are typically found here and and factored into the new rate the driver see’s at renewal time.

The moral of the story is if you can’t do it and stay fully focused on the road, don’t do it all.