~Canine Capers~

Family Protection Dogs, Food for Thought

2012-01-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Steeler, actually he's smiling or the force of gravity
is pulling his jowls downward!

So, you want a trained attack dog?

Hey, Burt Reynolds has one! So says a site I found on the web while looking up this subject. But he’s Burt Reynolds so he can afford a macho bragging right!

This blog posting has come to mind from months of poor economics possibly contributing to a rise in crime. I believe a combination of both drive people to the sites on the family protection dogs.

I have nothing against guard dogs when used as a tool in law enforcement, or other strategic placing, but when it comes to the family home, well that’s another story. Years ago I might not have thought this way but over time after seeing puppy mills, back yard breeders, and puppy brokers, it makes me wonder, will a new crop of dog advertisements start creeping into the market because of the latest downturn in the economy and up rise in crime?

Most questions to me on this subject come electronically , so you can understand my reluctance to answer them specifically as I do not really know the questionnaire’s character. I can only imagine why one would want such a dog.

Before my ranting starts, I do understand that there are trials and titles for such dogs just as there are for other dog events, but these dogs are for sale on websites advertised for family protection. Again this is probably nothing new, but I am hearing more from the everyday Joe who is looking to purchase a cheaper version. Attached to these more respectable dogs are hefty price tags. I’m talking anywhere from 35,000 thousand to $250,000 thousand dollars. I’ve also seen them for a mere 4,500, still too expensive for the average Joe.

The sites where dogs were on the higher dollar end did look legitimate and that dollar amount made me think they are legit as only a millionaire or big business could afford these dogs. If however new sites spring up and the prices suddenly plummet, I would suspect something rotten in Denmark.

It is true that a well trained dog in guarding will do what is asked of it, I do not doubt that for one second. What I am skeptical of are the people who are actively looking for an already trained, low priced attack dog for protection. This I feel can only lead to trouble.

In my quest to find out more on family protection dogs, most of the sites I visited brought me to pictures of a dog guarding children who were surrounded by a fresh field of flowers with no parents in sight.

I’m sorry, but have people started leaving their children in fields all over the world? And if so, why is it not making the news under child abandonment?

Another site I found had a video of a crime about to happen which I suppose was to show a family protection dog in action. I found this to be an entertaining video of two men talking on a patio in the backyard of the owner’s home with the dog laying about ten feet from them. The next thing I saw was the offending man stepping a half foot closer to who I assumed was the owner of the home, voices were raised an octave and BOOM, the dog attacked. After that, the owner called off his dog, and the other man walked away.

Is that not a law suit waiting to happen? I can see the attacked man saying, “Your Honor, all I was doing was trying to sell this guy some vinyl siding and when I went to walk away the dog attacked me.”

Family protection dogs are touted on the sites I found as: “Protection for the whole family and better than any security system you could buy for your home as they are trained to act immediately on a command or act if the dog perceives the owner is being threatened.”

To me the whole scenario of a family protection dog basically gives me an image of any unstable kid, (and most kids lack common sense, it’s a fact) unlimited access to an attack dog that on command can attack another child! Am I the only one seeing the danger here?

I have to wonder when I watch the training videos, if there are newer, dumber criminals in the world today because the videos show the bad guys waving a long stick and yelling at the top of their lungs! Isn’t the purpose of a crime not to attract attention?

As for my home, there would be nothing to guard here. You will not find the Hope Diamond or a Picasso wall hanging. The only thing worth protecting would be the expensive guard dog I just bought for protection!

Hey, I’ve got a house full of Newfoundlands, hardly a breed you would consider a threat, but they are very loyal so who knows if they might jump into protection mode if they thought I was being threatened.

I once had an Ambulance driver here in the middle of the night trying to get into the house because of a mistaken push on the, “Help I’ve fallen and can’t get up” button, only to be met at the door by big black barking dogs! Needless to say she did not enter. In fact, the public in general does not enter my yard unless invited! The only person that has ever walked through my chewed up 'Beware of Dog' gate uninvited was a minister and I suspect that God was on his side that day!

I know I am putting humor into what is a serious job to others and I get it, really I do. I get it for police work, search/rescue, the military, and bomb detection or if you want the grounds of your mansion which holds thousands of dollars worth Monet’s inside guarded. But please don’t advertise these dogs for the general public to protect their babies, that’s a parent’s job!

And for the adults out there, before you inquire about such dogs when you have six or seven kids in the home ask yourself these questions.

1) Is money not an issue?

2) Are you sure your children are mature enough to only use an attack command against an aggressive stranger and not against an annoying sibling?

3) What are you protecting in the home and is it worth the possibility of a law suit should the dog suddenly turn on the wrong person?

4) How much background do you know about where this trained dog came from and the company/proprietor selling it?

5) Wouldn’t you rather consider a nice new Van instead to drive your children away from these threatening situations or take the money and use it for a down payment on a house in a safer neighborhood?

6) What’s the cost for a course in self protection, some personal mace, and a BB gun?

Keep in mind that a dog can be shot and killed and while the same could happen to that surveillance camera you just installed, the camera would be cheaper and less heartbreaking to replace!

Seriously though folks, my legitimate concern overall which is what put my mind to working in this direction to begin with is that you should watch for bad trainers in conjunction with bad breeders because if there is a money making scheme and a need, they will find a way to sell a cheap, poorly bred, and poorly trained attack dog making money off the unsuspecting public. Customers may believe they have a legitimate guard dog because it cost them a few hundred dollars, which to some is a lot of money. This can only lead to big time trouble.

This is just paws for thought, my own two cents, so take it all or leave a penny!

~Canine Capers~: going a new route

2012-01-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

~Canine Capers~: going a new route

going a new route

2012-01-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

In the next few weeks I will be making a change over from this blog domain to Wordpress. While this site is free and has been easy to follow I may keep the two sites. But because it is a free site in the future should Blogger not wish to continue service then all of my articles will be lost forever:(

For a few pennies it is worth it to me to transfer everything to my new blog site http://www.sallygblog.com/ although at this time it is somewhat confusing for me to use I will eventually get the hang of it!

Patience is virtue eh? In the mean time, I NEED MORE COFFEE!!!

Dog's helping Cats?

2012-01-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings readers. To the right of the page you will see a donation widget, ‘Dog’s helping Cats’ and as Lucy would say to Ricky, “Ricky, let me splain!” Only those who remember the I Love Lucy show will appreciate that line! For you youngins’ I got nothin’!

My mother raised a big family and she raised us to have big hearts to those around us in need but especially to the animal/bug/creature kingdom, heck she wouldn’t even let us kill a spider! So as crazy as I am about dogs, my brother Rob is just as crazy about cats, hence the ‘Dogs Helping Cats’ title. I suppose I could have called it Sister helping Brother, but that just doesn’t have the same spark and I need to light a fire! And keep it lit until at least Jan 31^st!

Each of have chosen different avenues in which we support our critters, and for my brother Rob it is taking in and finding homes for special needs cats and kittens, along with the healthy cats of course. The ill cats which are not adopted, Rob will continue to care for out of his own pocket whereas other rescues would euthanize them. I would surmise that Rob works just to support the cats. This conclusion is made because he makes the plane trip here only once every six or seven years, he travels with only the clothes on his back and a toothbrush in his pocket. He will not leave the ill cats alone for more than a few hours as they need their medication.

At this time he is in need of donations for particular cat named Leo. Leo’s story can be read at the link below and it is being followed by many with updates to come. Please check out this site and if you can donate a few bucks Rob would be forever grateful as would this crazy loving cat named Leo. Donations can be made via pay pal so it is secure and hassle free.

Thanks folks! Once you donate, you can go take a cat nap!

My brood gives four paws up to the efforts of all of you who help to keep our critters healthy and happyJ

click on this link about Leo http://rescuingbaby.chipin.com/house-tiger-rescue-and-sanctuary

Updated lots on dog food recalls/ petrus feed and seed stores

2011-12-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

go to this web site if you buy at Petrus Feed & Seed stores

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm285240.htm?source=govdelivery

IF you suspect your dog has eaten any of this see your Vet.

dog food recalls

2011-12-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

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By Lockerz

The below is quoted from an email I received from the FDA, however when I clicked on the link the page said it had been moved. So I am taking what was directly in my email until I can find out more. Again due to above accepted levels of Aflatoxin.

"Petrus Feed and Seed Stores, Inc. recalls its 21% Dog Food
12/28/2011 11:45 AM EST

Petrus Feed and Seed Stores, Inc. today announced a voluntary recall of its dry dog food – 21% Protein Dog Food in 40 lb Petrus Feed bags. The product is being recalled because the product was manufactured with corn which tested above acceptable levels for Aflatoxin."

The affected dry kibble products were manufactured by Cargill at its manufacturing facility located in LeCompte, Louisiana between December 1, 2010 and December 1, 2011.
The recall only applies to the company’s 21% Dog Food, packaged in 40 lb Petrus Feed bags with the following packaging date codes (lot numbers) 4K1011 through 4K1307.
Updated lot numbers are 4K1011 through 4K1335.

More food recalls

2011-12-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

and the beat goes on..,
check your dog food, voluntary recalls for Advanced Animal Nutrition due to Aflatoxin.

As per their website:
The recall was announced on December 9, 2011 and includes the 50-pound bags of the following three products:

Dog Power Hunters Formula 27-14
Dog Power Adult Maintenance Formula 21-12
Dog Power Hi-Pro Performance Formula 26-18

Site suggests you watch for these symptoms for aflatoxin
If your pet shows any symptoms of illness, including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, yellowish tint to the eyes and/or gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea, please consult your veterinarian immediately.”

Keeping you posted, I suspect there may be more to come and will list them as I see them

More dog food recalls~ same reason aflatoxin

2011-12-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

Cargill Animal Nutrition is doing a voluntary recall of two regional brands of dog food due to aflatoxin levels exceeding the acceptable limit

PROFESSIONAL FORMULA RIVER RUN HI-NRG 24-20 Dog Food, 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN PROFESSIONAL FORMULA 27-18 Dog Food, 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN 21% Protein Dog Food, 40 and 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN Hi-Pro No-Soy Dog Food, 40 and 50 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 24% Protein 20% Fat, 40 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 20% Protein 10% Fat, 40 and 50 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 28% Protein 18% Fat, 40 pound bags

The recall only applies to the above products with the following Packaging Date Codes (lot numbers): 4K0335 through 4K0365, LL0335 through LL0365, 4K1001 through 4K1335 and LL1001 through LL1335.
you can find more here http://www.cargill.com/feed/dog-food-recall/

Again, there may be more to come.

Iam's puppy food recalled!

2011-12-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I was notified by another blogger that a grocery chain (Price Chopper) was recalling food due to a high content of aflatoxin in the Iams dog and cat food. There were some links to the grocery chain mentioned in this article and when I clicked on them the links were mysteriously missing. I contacted the blogger to ask where she had gotten her info as the links she was directing people to had not appeared. She was as perplexed as I was as they had been working earlier.

Today I opened my email only to find that the FDA is making a recall on Iams puppy food of the below products . The other blogger had also listed cat food in the recall and although I see nothing yet on cats I would suspect there may be problems there as well that maybe the FDA has not yet recognized, so beware if you own cats.

This recall is by Procter & Gamble which you can find here http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm282506.htm

Aflatoxin is a mold found in grains which if not caught goes into dog foods that use grains. There are grain free dog foods which you may want to consider as Aflatoxin is a fairly common reason for recall (unlike the melamine recall we had a few years ago).

With aflatoxin toxicity you will find symptoms of lethargy, vomiting, anorexia , melena and hematemesiss (blood in stool) and at time death occurs before clinical signs are noted.

Will keep you posted if more Iams is recalled, but when in doubt throw it out!

Name	Version	Code Date	UPC Code
Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy dry dog food with Use By or Expiration Dates of February 5 or February 6, 2013	7.0 lb bag	12784177I6	1901402305
	8.0 lb bag	12794177D2 12794177D3	1901410208
	17.5 lb bag	12794177K1 12794177K2	1901401848

In memory of Chance a store has opened!

2011-10-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

In Chance's memory I have started a little shop on Cafe Press and I hope to get many pics up of not only Chance but also his family and the Therapy dog friends we have made over the years.
Since I am just starting out I know not what I do, yet! But hopefully that will soon be under control! So give me some time to upload more stuff over the coming weeks. I hope to capture many beautiful breeds and mutts alike from our dog club as long as the owners agree. If you have a pic of your pooch you would like me to consider putting up send it over!
Here is the cafe Press site http://www.cafepress.com/bitsofchance

Chance ~ Feb 3, 2003~ Oct.11, 2011~ Rest peacefully ~

2011-10-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

There are few words to describe the loss of a best friend, a friend who loved you so much that when you walked into a room their eyes were only for you. One who brought such joy and peace to those who had no family or friends in their lives to surround them. One who did not discriminate against disabilities, elderly, youth, color or creed and one who could teach us all how to see the world.

My friend, when you came to me, limp, lifeless, and breathless, I pleaded with God to help me save you and bargained with the promise that if he would help me save this small precious being, a life that we both fought so hard for, that you would not be just another family dog, but a dog with a stronger purpose.

My friend, you may have come into this world breathless but you ended up being a breath of fresh air to all who came in contact with you. You brought smiles to those who were lonely or ill or just needed a hug and you gave us all inner peace with your calmness. You touched so many lives in different ways and even at the end when you thought I did not notice as I sat stroking you, I saw your tongue brush the doctor’s cheek as the he leaned over you, your last unselfishness act given to a stranger. And as you lay on the cool tiled floor with just the two of us in the room, I saw your head tilt to hear me whisper the song I sang so many times to you as a baby. “Hush little puppy don’t you cry…”

While this pain in my heart feels suffocating and overwhelming, I know you achieved what you were put on this earth to do, that we kept our promise to God, and although I knew all along that I could not keep you with me forever, I had hoped some miracle would keep you in my life a little longer than normal.

Rest peacefully Chance my friend, there will never be another one like you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my family, friends, and subscribers, I thank you for your kind thoughts and gentle words. This was a devastating blow and one that will take much time for me to get through, so I hope you are not offended when I choose not to talk about it or when I don’t pick up the phone as I know your hearts are well meaning. Grief is an individual thing no matter who or how the loss. Know that Chance was a precious gift given to me for a purpose, a purpose that he fulfilled with ease and I was lucky to be the tool in his life. He had a big heart but one that in the end weakened and took him from us. I will remember and cherish every moment I had with him as I know you will do the same.

A brief look into chance’s life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32JovcuhfnE

It Flooded Our Towns But Not Our Hearts!

2011-10-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

Water Street Danville

Tree house in Riverside

10th Street Bloomsburg

SART Shelter

Shelter is closing~Coordinator Larry Smith loads food given
by the Red Cross. He is taking it to the Espy
Fire hall for residents.

Some of our team members. Erin Akerman (seated) & Linda Anderson (blue shirt) who stayed day and night with her grandaughter Samantha never going home while the shelter was open. I wonder what her dreams were about when she could finally relax in her own bed! Ruff, ruff! Great Job Team!

“This could be the worst possible flooding since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.” Said a voice from the TV. “Due to a stalled front to the left of us, Tropical Storm Lee to the right of us and this weather pattern of rain already over us, you might see the equivalent of three months worth of rain in three days or less. The stream and river levels will continue to rise and overflow their banks causing flash flooding.”

Wednesday Sept 7, 2011 ~12:30 PM: A forwarded email message is sent via our SART Coordinator from the EMA for our County Animal Response Team to be prepared to open a shelter.

Wednesday Sept 7, 2011 ~8 PM: My work supervisor sends a message that we are closed Thursday.

Thursday Sept 8, 2011, ~9 AM : I drove to the banks of the Susquehanna river to watch its anger as it quickly rose carrying with it anything that lay in its path. People were mulling about on the Danville /Riverside Bridge snapping picture after picture. I parked my car in the lot of the English Garden Boutique near the foot of the bridge and headed toward the bridge’s walkway to do the same with my own camera. The river has not yet caused as much damage as we fear it will in just another 24 hours but pictures of minimal damage are already spreading on Face Book like wild fire.

I walked over the bridge toward the Danville tunnel as the muddy water continued to rise and churn just forty feet at the underside of the bridge’s edge. Debris of trees, tires, barrels, and telephone poles made a safe passage under the bridge and moved swiftly down the river. When I reached the tunnel I climbed to the top and took pictures of both the river and of the levy system Danville had put into place years ago. This man made dam of cement blocks and sandbags closed off one side of Route 11 Danville from the other side of Route 11. We are a town closed in now, roads are blocked, and there is little traffic aside from fire trucks, police cars and emergency vehicles. Volunteers along the street were packing more sand bags making an assembly line as they tossed the bags from one to another, looking very organized and calm in the midst of possible tragedy.

I walked down to the end of Mill Street in Danville to River Park. River Park was born when the old bridge was dismembered and a new one erected several years back. The park is maintained by volunteers who live in the Danville and Riverside area and it sits just on the edge of the Susquehanna River. I mingled with other town folk and there was a feel of nervous anticipation in the air. There was caution tape blocking off part of the park which had already been compromised by the river. After snapping a few pictures I walked over to Water Street. Water Street sits near the edge of the Susquehanna and has not yet been totally evacuated but is in the path of the raging river and will probably be evacuated over the next 24 hours. Other streets further up the Susquehanna River in Danville have been evacuated as the river’s edge had started to make its way over the banks. As I stood near these homes I realized they too will soon be barren. A wooden bench with stone anchors has lost it’s glean as it sits where it has been for years, but now it is halfway under water.

As I looked at the people gathered nearby I saw among them a young familiar face, then another face I recognized emerged from a garage. These brothers had gone to the early educational center where I work. I then see their parents whose home is less than 80 feet of the swollen river and they are watching, hoping, praying that it comes up no further. Next to the children there is an old tree which harbors a very frightened groundhog who is burying his face into the tree’s trunk hoping the humans around him will do him no harm. On just the other side of that tree trunk under a structure of sticks and leaves sits a mouse and a mole. The children have placed this makeshift home atop of them hoping to avert the river’s swallow.

Thursday Sept 8, 2011, ~ 2 PM: Five hours have passed from my first morning’s journey to the river’s edge and I heard that Route 80 is closed from the Buckhorn exit to the Danville exit due to flooding. This main artery’s closing is a first around here, as it has never been closed due to flooding. The river’s statement means business. I strolled down the same streets I did earlier in the morning and snapped a few more pictures. The river’s rise gave way to nothing as the continued onslaught of tree trunks and other debris moved swiftly through the small rapids above the water. The undertow looked immense.

Upon my return home my phone was ringing.

“Hello?” I ask. I am wondering who is on the other end of the phone, although there is a feeling in the pit of my stomach, anticipating what this call will bring.

“Sally?” Amanda asks. Amanda is the Co-Coordinator of our County Animal Response Team (CART). “The EMA wants you to open a shelter in Danville.”

“I can’t!” I answered. “The trailer with the equipment is sitting at Annie’s place in Bloomsburg and I heard that Route 80 is closed.”

There is no passage way for me to secure the equipment that I will need to open a shelter. After many discussions and trainings, what our team thought would never happen, happened. The major artery from our town to the town that housed the trailer of supplies was washed out.

After a discussion with our Coordinator, I realized the best I could do was open my garage as a temporary shelter. I had a few large crates that could house animals , but most would have to bring their own crates and food.

My garage which had been set up appropriately for a weekly garage sale since my home is on the market, now needed to be divided into sections for potential dogs, cats, and ill animals. In this the first full week of September the air is still hot and stagnant so to insure some comfort for potential guests I moved every available household fan and portable air conditioner I could manage into the garage. I placed a sign with the SART Logo and the words Animal Shelter at the foot of the driveway as well as on the garage itself.

Once that was done I found myself back at the river’s edge taking pictures and I made my way toward the groundhog’s sanctuary to see if he has been harmed by the water. This time though the scene was a bit different, a bit more surreal as the National Guard has suddenly been stationed at the end of the road. The groundhog is wet but safe with a piece of bread in front of him and the families I left earlier this morning are still standing outside watching the river which is now just a few feet from their home.

Walking back over the bridge to Ave D &H in Riverside where my car is parked I came across a young lady wrapped in a beach towel, her long blonde hair was wet and tied back in a pony tail. I was standing in front of a quaint little house snapping pictures of a swimming pool that is crystal clear blue but surrounded by muddy river waters.

“Is this your house?” I asked.

“No.” she answered. “It’s my aunt’s house. I just moved back in August and my aunt is afraid she will lose her pool in this flood so she asked me to come over for one last swim. She loves her pool.”

“Does your Aunt have any pets?” I asked her.

“She has a cat.” The girl answered.

I went on to explain who I was and offered my garage as a shelter to the cat if needed.

“Thank you.” She replied. “I’ll let her know.”

Friday Sept 9, 2011~ 8:15 AM: I had heard all day Thursday that the river would crest about 8 AM Friday morning so again I drove to the river’s edge parked my car and started the walk down Ave D & H. My camera’s eye snapped away as I could not believe how high the river had risen. The lady’s pool which granted her one last swim just the day before was indeed gone and her garage was underwater as well. All that remained around the pool was a white fencing and garden trellis which still stood proudly holding itself up atop the muddy water.

The gentleman on the corner of the bridge whose home suffers with every flood was now fighting furiously to pump out the water that had flowed into his home, back out into the muddy river where it belonged. He did not seem defeated yet as he stood talking to a friend or relative, their backs to onlookers. He has been through this so many times, but I do not believe to this extent.

I put my camera away and headed back to my car as shortly I was to meet with personal from the EMA to go on a call. It was at this time that I found out that the river had not crested at 8 AM as previously announced, but was expected to crest at 2 PM! I could not fathom how much higher it could possibly go.

I made it back from the call and to the river’s edge just at crest time and it was indeed astounding. The water seemed to be churning around the underbelly of the bridge like it was getting ready to swallow it whole.

And then it hit me, this is not just a scene from an awful movie; this river has affected my friends, my neighbors, my co workers. I began to wonder how do they stay so strong, how do they laugh, how do they get through a day of work, how do they get through the long nights, how do they hold onto their faith and get up everyday to face it again. And I wondered who will help them and for how long will they get that help.

This is not something I would ever want to see again in this little part of my world.

As for the little groundhog I did not go back to see him as I feared he would be gone, unable to protect himself from the river’s grasp any longer. I’d like to think he made his way to safety.

By Saturday Sept. 10, 2011, Route 80 was again open. The passageway on route 11 however remained closed for several days.

Sunday Sept 11, 2011 ~ 9:00 AM

For all Americans, September 11th has a special meaning, a horrific memory of Al-Qaida’s attack on several prominent buildings, specifically the Twin Towers, and the Pentagon, killing thousands of innocent people for the simple reason that they hate America. So while a nation came together in tears and remembrance, in bravery, and in compassion, many in PA and other states were still dealing with the evacuation of their homes and the raging rivers.

“Go .05 miles then make right.”

“Recalculating.”

“Go 500 feet, then make right”.

“Recalculating.”

By this time my GPS was clearly yelling at me and had no idea where I was headed, but I knew that the route it wanted me to take would be blocked with barricades, police, or the National Guard.

“Go 2.3 miles then make right on Route 80.”

That was it! The road to my final destination which was Annie’s Place at the Bloomsburg University just off Lightstreet Road. Route 80 was the only way to get to our SART shelter from Danville.

Ugh, just a few short weeks ago we were hit with Hurricane Irene and an earthquake which was felt in several states from Virginia to NY, an occurrence I have never been through, either currently living in PA or having grown up on Long Island NY. When I was a youngin’ it was said by my teacher that Long Island would never feel the effects of an earthquake because it is just a mass of rocks.

There seem to be many occurrences or coincidences lately that should not be taking place, yet they are!

Since joining the State Animal Response Team (SART) in 2005, this is the first time officially that the Emergency Management Agency had called upon our specific County for shelter to aide in a brutal beating from a natural disaster. We had been put on notice a couple of times in the past but nothing ever came close to this pounding. It was so wide spread that many of our own members spanning two counties were dealing with their own homes and the pumping out of muddy water or the bringing up of their life’s possessions to higher ground.

As a group, our county SART (Columbia/ Montour) had been through much training, had many meetings and participated in events to raise public awareness of who we were and what our purpose was. But was it enough?

The public over the years began to realize that we were not a shelter to find homes for their unwanted pets but a shelter called out only by our county EMA to house pets during a disaster. Yet like most volunteer organizations, over the years people take an interest and join, but when nothing happens they begin to lose interest and new volunteers are sought out.

This pounding by the Susquehanna River hit an already sparse team square in the stomach with a punch so hard it sometimes left us breathless. That being said, with the few who were able to remain I have to say I am very proud of the way they performed. We have regulars in our group that I call the “Core Team” who attend every meeting and shelter training to ready themselves for just such an occasion and it was these core people and the leadership of our Coordinator and Co-coordinator that made everything run so smoothly. To all of them I take off my hat for a job well done!

As well, let me not forget the public volunteers especially from the Bloomsburg University. If not for them we may have gotten a bit bogged down or overwhelmed. Their spirit was always bright and cheery to do such daunting tasks as to clean a pen or walk a dog. They came back four and five times a day to help with the animals and they always came in with smiles and a fresh outlook. Many became foster parents to these animals they cared for daily when the shelter had to close and the owners were not yet ready or capable to bring their pet’s home. I give a big “Four Paws Up, Way Up” to this group of caring dedicated people as well. I am hoping they will sign on and become lasting members of our team. www.pasart.us

A big thank you also to the Red Cross for keeping the food coming, not only for the people but also the animals!

I will be forever amazed at the public who came together for their fellow townspeople, and I am amazed at the people who are still dealing with the aftermath that are standing strong and undivided. It is said that people are given only what they are able to carry on their shoulders and I find the people who are still carrying this load are strong in spirit and united, and on the occasion when the load gets too heavy and one may fall, the others are there to pick them back up.

This blog article is not just about a horrible disaster or the tragedies as seen both in the moment and in the aftermath, it is about people who worked with what little they had to make the task run as smoothly as possible and to help each other during disastrous times. Surely this disaster will be remembered by many, but let it not be remembered for the destruction of property, let it be remembered for the humanity that rose above the mighty Susquehanna River.

At my youtube site you will find some of the pictures taken by not only myself but others all connected as a community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSLk0qEbrgI

Thundershirts for dogs, do they work?

2011-09-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Marjean's dog Rosie

Marjean's dog Punkin

Thunder phobia is always an interesting topic and I have to say that my dogs seem to handle thunder a bit differently than the dogs whose owners send in questions. My guys become irritated and bark which is annoying, and if I let them out they will continue to bark and run the yard, exactly what I don’t want. I may be wrong, but I don’t see them as fearing the thunderstorm but more like they are annoyed at it. If they are ignored or given commands they stop acting out and eventually settle down. But in case I am wrong and this is another form anxiety type quirk, going on a friend’s recommendation I have ordered a Thundershirt for Crazy Benny. After all he’s the one in the group that gets my other dogs all riled up.

With thunder fear I equate the dog’s fear as humans perceive it, such as hiding or shaking which can be seen in many dogs with thunder phobia. I wrote about this subject a while back but have never had the pleasure of a dog that just wanted to jump into a bathtub and hide quietly upon the arrival of a storm. To me that would be a welcome site over the crazy barking, but I am happy to admit there have been some peaceful middle of the night thunderstorms without a peep from Bentley, but it is a continuous process. I notice he’ll be really good if I allow him to sleep in the bed with me, but surely that is a bad habit to get him into.

When people complain that their dog acts terrified, I suspect they are talking about the shaking, hiding, and pacing, a fear of either the sound or the static in the air.

I do believe that as humans we foster the behavior by acknowledging it with pets or soft words and make it worse over time, but when it becomes worse what do you do about it?

Melatonin or Benadryl can take away some of the nervousness and are better than the meds prescribed by your vet only because with the prescribed meds you have to give them to your dog one hour before a storm’s arrival and basically it’s too late, your dog already knows its coming and has gotten too worked up for them to take notice of that tiny tranquilizer.

Enter the Thundershirt. I had heard about these before and I heard both good and not so good. The Thundershirt is designed to put continuous deep pressure on the nervous system of the dog.

After giving it some thought, I equate it similar to giving a deep pressure massage to an autistic child who is suddenly overwhelmed and beginning to stress out. Temple Grandin had cows being soothed in this similar manner many years ago, so why not give it a try?

The people who swear by them really stand by them and others say they worked at first then stopped working, which made me wonder why it would work the first few times and then suddenly stop. Going just by my customer base, I would say that the majority of them look for fast fixes to their dog’s problems and if there is no fast fix, then it is considered not to be working. With the Thundershirt there are a few steps to take before you just put the shirt on the dog, some may skip those critical steps.

Thankfully I am surrounded by wonderful patient people and associated with a great dog training club, the Susquehanna Trail Dog Training Club, and among us are some superb trainers as well as some very patient owners who know to give things a try before they look for that quick fix. As luck would have it Marjean Krech one of my fellow trainers, happened to buy a couple of the Dog ‘Thundershirts’ as she has two fearful gals herself. Rosie a Springer Spaniel who is an older gal, been around the block in many situations and Punkin a 9 year old Pekingese. Quite a breed difference and size difference between them which I like to see when trying a product.

Here is what Marjean had to say about these shirts to me in an email.

“I got the shirt from Thundershirt.com, it was $36 - I searched for a coupon first and got free shipping. It comes with pictured instructions for putting it on, it's very easy. The one thing they don't mention is that after you've had it on your dog, just undo the body wrapping and slip it over their head instead of undoing the chest Velcro also. They tell you to pair it with food by putting really good stuff right on the shirt and letting the dog eat it off. I used chicken. They do warn that you should not only put it on during storms, and at first I did let Punkin wear it for 20 minutes for a couple of times when nothing was going on. But now when she's scared and she sees me with the shirt she gets a big grin on her face (stressful grin?) and comes running for me to put it on. I think she knows it will make her feel better. Rosie is just sort of a ‘whatever’ type of dog. It calms her during thunderstorms, but usually if the neighbor decides to target shoot, she's behind the couch before I can get it on. She trusts me, too to help her.

One reason I didn't put it on and let them wear it more on a normal day is that it was too hot. They are very nice material, but having a double wrap around their chest and belly would just be too much. The other night when we had thunderstorms during the evening we had 2 floor fans and a ceiling fan in the living room - which also helped with the noise.”

To me, in Marjean’s short paragraph above, I can see the training involved to use the shirt whereas many people looking for the 'Quick Fix' probably did not take the time to train the dog to the shirt or even read the instructions. What they probably did was to put the shirt on when there was a storm approaching and not at any other time, which would explain why the shirt only worked for a short time. When you do that, then the dog associates the shirt with the storms and becomes afraid of the shirt! That was one complaint I did hear via customers, that the dog would run from the owner because it was afraid of the shirt.

From what I see in the ads, this shirt can also help with many anxieties such as riding in the car, fireworks, staying in strange places such as hotels, kennels etc. It gives you a money back guarantee so you can’t really lose in that situationJ

Read the recommendations of use of the product. If your dog is afraid to go in the car and you only use it for car rides then the fear of not only the car will grow but also fear of the shirt.

Since ordering a Thundershirt for crazy Benny we have not had any storms but I did put it on him a few times to get him used to it, this way I am ready when the time comes, assuming of course I don’t put it in that special spot for easy access then forget where that special spot is!

As always you need to see your dog as an individual and we know that not every product works the same for every dog, but with this product you get a guarantee so if it does not work you send it back for a refund. I think it’s pretty neat that the company donates the used shirts to shelter dogs. So either way it’s a good investment!

Here are a couple of sites regarding the Thundershirt

http://www.thundershirt.com/?gclid=CL6p6qrlp6sCFc465Qod4yza0Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X86nP4HYRbQ&feature=pyv

9. 27 .2011. update,

Since receiving my Thundershirt I was lucky enough to get a couple of storms:) Here is my finding for my own situation.

After hearing a crackle of thunder or two this morning before morning coffee and while Bentley (or as we lovingly call him, crazy Benny) lay sleeping I thought, hmmm, I have to leave for work soon, so I grabbed the Thundershirt and quickly put it on him.

Many days have passed since I began to get Bentley used to the Thundershirt via the instructions. Bentley is also used to wearing dog coats and some of my tee shirts so clothing was not new to him as it is not new to any of my dogs, especially after they have been shaved down.

Once I got Bentley up from his light slumber and put the Thundershirt on him he almost immediately had the same reaction he had when wearing it on those days when there was no thunder, slightly calm with a bit more panting than normal. Realizing that leaving the shirt on him while I went to work might not be a great idea given his history of chewing off harnesses; I took the shirt off him and instead tried putting it on Emma who had been out in the yard lying in the rain. Granted Emma had not worn this garb before, but she too is used to wearing tee shirts, sweat shirts and dog jackets that fit snug around the chest and abdomen. Emma’s reaction of panting was similar to Bentley’s even after she had been in the house long enough to become semi calm. However, while the panting continued she did finally sit down and relax a bit. It’s hard to tell if it was the Thundershirt or the mere fact that my usual training of not acknowledging anxious behaviors at this time was the factor. Maybe it was a combination of both. When I came home from work 3 hours later Emma was lying on the floor with her head in the corner, like she was in a Doggie time out.

To be fair and honest just minutes after pulling out of the driveway and heading down the road toward work, as I listened to the radio forecast heavy downpours and more thunderstorms, I turned the car around and headed back home to give everyone melatonin which has worked for me in the past. (Yes Deb, this is why I was late to work!) I was not quite ready to depend totally on only the Thundershirt in my absence.

My opinion on the Thundershirt?

Though I fully respect that it does work for some dogs without additional treatment such as melatonin or training, I did not really see a huge change in my dogs as the movies suggested. As the day progressed downpours continued, more storms erupted and Emma was as antsy as ever trying to get out of the kitchen barricade, while Bentley whom I had worked the hardest with for the last year, was pretty much the same, giving a bark now and then until I interjected.

As for the make of this product, it is fairly strong and stretchy but I found that the Velcro around the neck grasped and pulled at the hair of Emma so maybe on a breed such as a Newfoundland it may not be that comfortable and extra precaution should be taken when fastening.

I have watched both commercials I listed above on the Thundershirt and I have heard from my fellow trainer who still to this day has success with it. There’s no dispute that it does work, I am simply stating like every other training tool, it does not work for every dog, but oh how I wish it did because that would be an easy fix to a nation wide problem!

I do take pleasure in the knowledge that I can send it back to the company if I choose to and since I have used it, it may help a pup in a shelter somewhere.

When it comes to training tools I don’t usually say “don’t waste your money”, well, maybe that’s not entirely true as I did say that about ‘Air in a Can’, so to this product I say waste your money because I do believe that phobias in dogs are as different as they are in people and this may be just the fix you need. There’s nothing to loose!

As for me, I suspect I just have a bunch of whacky dogs whose quirks I played into over the years so it will take years to “un-Quirk” them! Only three of the six act like this and to be honest, this behavior with Bentley and storms formed over time. He did not always get riled up like this nor did the girls. This is why as I sit here in my mud splattered nightshirt having just rounded up 3 crazy Newfoundlands from the pouring rain I suspect I played a major role in their dysfunction!

Oh sure, they always blame the mother!

If you are interested in seeing how this shirt worked for me check out my youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPEOvMeXFMs

Sadly, The Disaster That Made Me Stop and Think

2011-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

The night before Irene came to town. Makes
you wonder how safe that spider felt!

This is a different type of story than what you might be used to reading on this blog and although I am somewhat stressing the importance of being prepared for a disaster not only for yourself but for your companion animals, it is also a story of awakening, for me, somewhat of a sad awakening really.

Friday Aug 26, 2011, I was getting ready for the moving sale we would be having on Saturday. I was also preparing for hurricane Irene by stocking up on dog food, barrels of water, and getting copies of shot records for all of my dogs in case they had to go to a shelter. We had never needed to be evacuated from Riverside before but the way Irene was being described on the news made me feel like I was in the Stephen King movie, ‘Storm of the Century’ only it was not snow. Given the recent earthquake felt in PA just days prior to Irene made me think that for sure anything was possible! Better to be prepared to move out with the family pets. Oh, and mother of course! I got candles, batteries, and flashlights out as well as made a list of medications that my hubby, mom, and I take on a daily basis in case we were knocked unconscious suddenly during the storm. Hey, ya never know! It’s not like a tree never fell in this yard before!

By Saturday, feeling prepared for Irene I set out to get my sale started. Oh sure people coming to the garage sale had to walk around the two huge tubs of water I put aside for dogs, but I was secure in the knowledge that I was prepared for disaster.

Saturday night the rain started, the wind was blowing but it was not a treacherous wind that you would normally associate with a hurricane, more like a bad thunderstorm wind.

Sunday morning, 5 AM: I am awakened to sweat rolling off of me in buckets and this was more than the normal nighttime hot flashes!

What? No fan? No Air-conditioning? But there is a soft light in the bedroom that I would associate with the night light I leave on for the stepping over of dogs during my night sprints to the bathroom. As the fog slowly lifted from my brain I opened my eyes to scour the room. Hmm, the light is coming from a candle!

Slowly I rise and head for the kitchen to grab that first cup of “slap me silly and wake me up Cup O~Joe.”

“No power.” I hear hubby say as he lies on the couch looking at the TV that is not working. “It went off at 4:20.”

Hmm, 4:20? How precise! No power means no Joe! I stumble back to bed to lie down until my head fully sweeps away the cobwebs.

It’s HOT! My mind screams at me. I am not a person who enjoys the heat, nor do I like the cold, but when you’re cold you can always add more clothes, when you’re hot, well, there’s a limit to what you can take off and not be arrested for!

The sun which is hiding beneath the clouds of Irene, is bringing some light to the day’s break and with it a semi cool breeze.

OMG! Open the windows and get some cool air in this house! My mind screams with delight as if it’s a new idea worthy of a Pulitzer Prize!

Whish, whish, whish, whish! Every window shouts as they are sprung upward as far as they can stretch. Outside, the only sound came from the wind and the rain. Everyone is hunkered down and awaiting the ride that might befall us.

The day is long and illness is making it even longer and more boring. Hubby has already called the electric company about twenty times and cannot get through. Finally we call our neighbor to make sure the power is actually out in the neighborhood and not just at our house. Wally’s World as we used to call our home, has been known to have strange happenings but usually these happenings were after hubby decided to try fixing something or improve things in the home. Like the time he cut all those pesky wires hanging down from the basement rafters. He made it look very neat I must say. He has a knack for organizing things for sure. Too bad those wires were our link to the outside world also known as a telephone line! Yes, it did take a week of no calls before we figured it out!

Sunday was a restful day. The rain had stopped by late afternoon, but my illness lingered and kept me sleeping most of the day. By bedtime, which is about 8 pm for me, through my opened windows I could hear people chatting and laughing in the street. I could hear children giggling and dogs barking! Every now and then my own dogs would chime in and give a bark or two. They too must have noticed the voices coming from outside.

Sadly it was amazing to me. A sound I had not heard in a long, long time! Normally the windows are closed leaving only the hum of the air conditioner and the panting of dogs. It was nice actually, those sounds, they brought me back to my youth in my hometown where kids stayed out late on summer nights and played on tree lined streets with little traffic to worry about. Balls being thrown, bikes doing wheelies, and jump ropes going round and round.

Monday morning came quickly and again I heard awesome sounds coming through my bedroom window. Birds of all kinds were chirping and cooing. Serious things were already happening in the critter’s world while I was just opening my eyes.

Still no power to the house, and it was nice to hear the hustle and bustle of the goings on outside through my bedroom window.

Nature. So much of it I have missed over the years, but I had to wonder was it only me? Was everyone else around me up and moving outside while I wedged myself in my home shut in like I was in some airtight cocoon?

By Monday afternoon, with hurricane Irene having left us no worse for the wear, the power was once again restored. The windows were closed and the hum of the air conditioner again became the familiar sound. I snuggled into my bed turned on the electric blanket to take away my chills as Bentley lay beside me in all his glory that he had been allowed on the bed. He was warm after all, and warmth is what I needed.

At 8 PM, I let the pups out for one last time before bed and as I walked out onto the deck with them, I stood there and listened. I listened for the chatter, the laughter, the kids, the dogs that I had heard so clearly just the night before. I looked around at the houses nearby. All the windows were aglow, and I am sure the hustle and bustle was still going on, only each of us was doing it alone, and to me that is not only very sad but also a sign of the times.

Without power there are no electronic games, computers, televisions, DVDs, or movie streaming. Without power eventually we are forced as a species to come together, just like the birds, the squirrels and the chipmunks that gather in the morning. Without power we become united again as humans, as family, and as neighbors.

I hope this experience gives many of us pause for thought, brings us together even if it’s only once a month, a neighborhood meeting, a barbeque, a covered dish, or end of Summer party.

I wonder how much this experience will change me and those around me. Only time will tell I guess.

Hurricane Season has begun!

2011-08-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

copy and paste the pic of the wallet card, keep in you
car or on your person . write meds your pet is taking
on back of card as well as aggression issues
Keep a copy of your pet's shot records with card. Put
in a zip lock bag

It’s the start of hurricane season as we watch Hurricane Irene barrel down the coast line. Obviously this can mean much damage for many. The loss of power, housing, or closed bridges and roads can all hinder your needs for the basics. Be prepared and stock up for yourself and your pets.

While Red Cross will care for humans they cannot take your pets. However if you live in Pennsylvania all counties have a State Animal Response Team to house and care for your pets for you through a disaster.

If you have pets and are expecting Irene, loss of power can mean no water. You will need to have a 3 day supply of food and water on hand.

For dogs, water needed is 1 ounce per pound of the dog's body weight. Cats: 1 to 6 ounces a day. Feeding moist food helps to get some liquid in a cat but is not enough.

Rather than rewrite what I have written previous to Irene I will direct you to sites that will help you know what to pack for yourself and your pets.

Keep in mind that any large tubs can be filled with water to flush down toilets (as can pool water) if the electric goes off. Filled tubs when kept clean can be used to fill water bowls for pets and any filled jug of clean water can be used for humans when it comes to basic grooming. Fill spray bottles of water for your hair as well. Powder can be used to absorb oil from the hair if you are unable to wash it for a few days. Keep carafes that you would use for coffee filled and on bathroom sinks for teeth brushing and washing and double up on deodorant!! Put all your meds in one ziplock bag so you can grab them on the way out if needed also write down a list of your meds and your allergies should you not be home at the time. Keep the list on your person or in your car in a zip lock baggie.

Also be mindful of what your pet is drinking from. Wild animals can carry parasites and protozoa which can be transmitted though drinking sources such as puddles, streams, and ponds so do not let your pet drink from any source other than what you have filled for them.

If possible when it comes to food try to pick up a bag of what the dog normally eats. If you can’t find that food available then know to possibly expect diarrhea for a couple of days while the dog adjusts to new food. If possible mix old and new together.

Any other helpful advice can be posted in the comments section below. Thanks!

Read both pages, information and resources are on page 2 http://www.petplace.com/dogs/help-during-disaster-state-animal-response-teams-sart/page1.aspx

For humans

http://www.readypa.org/

http://www.ready.gov/

For SART TEAMS ACROSS THE US explore the map of the

to see if there is one in your area.

http://sartusa.org/

Dog Drool & Wallpaper Removal,

2011-08-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Job started: Tuesday August 16, 2011

You’re probably wondering why I am writing about such a topic, after all this is a dog blog isn’t it? Well as Lucy would say to Ricky, “Let me splain.”

Living room wallpaper~ which is staying!

When I bought my home many years ago it was apparent that I would always have dogs, and probably many at once. Back then I was a bit more of a stickler when it came to the clean appearance of my home. Oh sure, on occasion stray dog hair would escape me under the fridge or stove, you know, the normal places you would only clean about five times a year, however upon entering my home I wanted that first glance to give the appearance that I did not own as many ‘in house’ dogs as I do. This has worked for me over the years because I buy my home products specifically with dogs in mind, from furniture to flooring. Strange? Maybe to some, but if you keep in mind that some people do this very same thing when they have small children with dirty fingers, it will make sense!

Tools: DIF wallpaper remover at $15.00
a bottle or
Vinegar and warm water? The Aspirin is
for later, goes without saying!

In my efforts to accomplish this first glance semi clean look, I put washable wall paper up in many rooms so that hopefully that clean look would last a long time. Thus connects the wallpaper with the dog blog! (you might remember my blog, Cleaning for company! That article will tell you just how nutty I was!)

Recently I’ve had to put my home up for sale due to a job change and since houses are easier to find than jobs, the decision was clear. Yes it is very bittersweet as I have spent almost 20 years of my life here and made many good, no great, friends which I am very thankful for and who I will never forget.

With the housing market being what it is and every third house up for sale on the block the need to take down much of my style and taste came to a reality, so it was time to take down pictures and knick knacks as well as some of the wallpaper.

I’ve heard that when people come to look at a house they want to imagine their own stuff on the wall not look at your stuff. I am still trying to figure out how to turn that Jesus picture around in my mother’s kitchen without offending her ‘cuz even for me it’s a little creepy!

I am 20 years older than I was when Peter and I put the wallpaper up and just the thought of scraping it off the walls was overwhelming, so I put the word out on Face Book that I needed this job done. Any takers?

A friend replied to this request and came over with all the supplies needed to do the job. Shortly after starting, he realized that it was going to be a long and tedious job and that he would feel like he was robbing me with the amount I had offered to pay. He was indeed, right. Upon taking off the first layer of wallpaper we both realized just how long this job could take and since it is easier for me to take time off work than he, I decided that I would finish what he had started. After all, he had already done his time in this dog house just hauling tons of garbage to the dump for us! His efforts were greatly appreciated and we had great conversations in that time which I will miss while doing such a long tedious job on my own!

The commercial supplies pictured above, which my friend had initially purchased, proved to be time consuming. The wallpaper stripper had to be left on the walls for up to a half hour before scraping and I am a bit too impatient for that nonsense. Once I get going on such a project it must be finished before I lay me down to sleep as I will not be able to move so easily when I awake!

That’s when I reached out to the internet to find the easiest and fastest way to remove wallpaper which I should have done 20 years earlier as I might not have put this particular type of paper up! In my search I found that there are different types of wall paper some are pretty thick and peel right off the wall little hassle which is the paper we came across when we bought the house, but unfortunately we got the washable wallpaper. With this paper you have to scrape off the top vinyl layer and then you have to go back and scrape off the paper backing thus making the job even more tedious. Something to think about if you want to put up wallpaper for that first ‘no dogs live here’ impression!

In my internet search I found that more natural products which I already had in my home might also do the job. The expense of the commercial wallpaper remover purchased at the hardware store alone made trying this home remedy worth it.

The home remedy was warm water and vinegar and I knew I had plenty of both! Peter had recently bought a gallon of vinegar to be used as a safe alternative to commercial grass killer which could be harmful to dogs roaming the yard! Voilà! I was set!

Friday August 19, 2011,

Conclusion:

Well three days later, a few blisters and some more gray hair just from the overall task itself, I have to say that the vinegar and warm water worked very well and saved me lots~O~ Moola! In fact I was able to scrape the wallpaper off quicker after I had scored and sprayed it then I would have if I used the commercial spray.

There were a couple of things I did which may or may not go against the rules of proper wallpaper removal etiquette according to the professionals.

My walls are made of plaster not drywall, so I am not sure if that made a difference or not. But I used hot water and vinegar, not warm water as specified online and I did this because I found that when using warm water it became cold water fairly quickly, so to keep it warm I started out with hot water and vinegar. The spray bottle I used was a small to medium size not a large one, this is because I felt the mixture would not stay warm enough in an large bottle while scraping one or two sheets at a time and putting the bottle aside. So I suggest a smaller bottle, but you will need to refill it often. I did not really measure the amount of white vinegar I more or less just made a mixture of ¾ water to ¼ vinegar. (Really who has time to actually measure out an amount? That would be too much like cooking!) I strongly suggest a plastic scraper especially if your walls are not smooth to begin with like my old plaster type walls. Plaster walls have dips and grooves and a plastic scraper gives way to them unlike a metal scraper which may gouge the walls. Definitely use a Paper Tiger to score the paper before you start, this helps the mixture get under the first layer of vinyl and then again under the paper left behind. The wetter the paper was the easier it was to scrape off so do not give it too much of a chance to dry as you move along the wall and in some spots you may have to spray a bit more.

So in closing, you now know what wallpaper has to do with a dog blog. I would still use washable wallpaper in my next home but might look specifically for one that peels off easily in one piece! Next step, I need to get someone to do the sanding before I repaint the walls!

Dog Drool, yeah, it’s worth the extra effort!

Pet treat recall

2011-08-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

Merrick Pet care is recalling 'Doggie Wishbone pet treats' because of a possible salmonella health risk.

Item # 29050 Lot 11031 Best used by Jan 30 2013 UPC # 2280829050

You can call the company at 1-800-664-7387 Monday -Friday 8-5 Central time.

The company is recalling them for possible health risk of salmonella . being on the cautious side. At this time only one lot is being recalled. Shipped were 248 cases to ten states.

In pets salmonella causes vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea , stomach cramping, loss of appetite, fever. If you see these symptoms in your pet contact your veterinarian.

Keep in mind that people can also be contaminated if they touch the produce and do not wash their hands. Having had this once already know that it seems like you have the flu, but worse! So contact your doctor if you are feeling ill.

Dog Jumping, and not through hoops!

2011-07-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

My dog's do not jump so I am using Miss Bella who gives a good dance!
For my friend, this is for you Kerri! Set em straight!

Many dog owners have dogs that jump up on us and all the while the humans, the intelligent breed, are shouting, “No! Get Down!” only to find that the dog is still constantly jumping up with the next encounter. Hmmm, make you wonder why it doesn’t stop when you continuously tell the dog no?

I will explain why using a child to adult example since toddlers and dogs are a lot alike and I work with children, adults, and dogs.

Example: You see your toddler take a crayon and start to write on your wall and she’s two inches from hitting your Great Aunt Lucy’s highly valued, million dollar picture! (Okay, okay I exaggerated! only worth a million to the family!) You yell, “No, don’t do that!” At that moment the child may stop because of the tone of voice you used, or because that got her some type of attention, and it did not matter if it was good or bad attention, the child stops what she’s doing, puts the crayon down and goes about her business. Two hours later, you catch the child again only with chalk and she is writing on the wall!

Jeeze! You just told her ‘No!’ two hours ago, what gives?

If you’re a reader of my dog blog, you will remember me often using these words in previous articles.

Toddlers and Dogs are alike in many ways. They need to be taught and reminded often.

So in the scenario above, you can hide all the crayons from the toddler but I am sure she will find something else to write with as she did the chalk, but look at the key ingredient in the lesson you want her to learn, what is missing?

You have just told the child “No, don’t do that!” But in the example above did you tell the child what she could do instead? Did you provide maybe a chalk board hooked on the wall and show her she could use that instead of crayons on the wall? No, you did not; you only told her she could not write on the wall when she was using a crayon.

Now, put your dog in a similar situation, the dog is jumping on you, you get irritated and push the dog away or tell the dog no, and shout anything at the top of your lungs ‘cuz you’re sick of being jumped on. But with all the pushing, shoving and yelling, what you have shown the dog is that this behavior will get him recognized! Dogs like instant gratification and if you touch, talk to, or make eye contact at the moment the dog is acting out, you have reinforced that bad behavior.

You should have taught the dog what he could do rather than to jump up to get your attention. Something such as sit and stay until you give a release command. In many situations we are quick to tell the dog to stop doing something out of frustration, but think how frustrating it is for the dog who is only acting on the very behavior you once rewarded? Albeit unknowingly.

Think about it, when the dog was a puppy and he jumped up and licked you all over, you probably thought that was cute, you may have laughed and allowed it to happen a few times which is the dog’s cue that it is okay. Even if only one person in the family allows this to happen, your dog sees it as something he does that gets rewarded.

What to do about it?

The first thing is to ignore that behavior and don’t give the dog the chance to be in that situation. This means you have to spend time teaching the command sit, only then does the dog get your attention as a reward.

Basic obedience training can go a long way and keep your pup from getting into trouble and keep him out of harms way.

Sally? You ask. I did not take the time to train my dog in obedience so now what can I do?

I am glad you asked as life is not over as you once knew it!

What you will need: Patience, A leash, a cup of hot dog slivers small enough for the dog to get down in one gulp without chewing, and a quiet room.

Attach a leash to the dog’s collar, let the other end lay on the ground ask the dog to sit, if he does not sit, hold the hot dog sliver over the dog’s head making him look straight up, eventually he will sit and the minute his butt starts to move to the floor, praise and reward with the hot dog. If there is still a problem and he does not sit, as some dogs will just keep backing up to look at the treat, place the dog near a wall so he cannot back up thereby making him sit as he moves into the wall. Praise and reward. Gradually when you see he understands the command, move him away from the wall and ask him to sit. Praise and reward. Some dogs will try jumping at any cost and here is where the leash comes in handy, just where the leash and the floor meet, take your foot and step on the lead, this will prevent the dog from jumping, give him the sit command and praise and reward immediately when he sits.

As humans, we often do not give the dog the time to figure out what we want from them so we tend to repeat the command. Don’t do that! This will confuse the dog as to when you really want him to sit, the first, second, or third time you ask. Give the command once and wait for him to figure it out. He will! He wants that hot dog! Do not give human food at any other time except for training.

Remember, dogs do not carry over what they learn from one place to another so if the dog sits in a quiet bedroom, it does not mean he will in the living room so it is important that you train the dog in every spot you want him to listen to you in. Also have patience enough to let him figure out what you are asking of him and do not rush it.

Praise and Reward must come immediately while in training. Also remember that ‘down’ and ‘off’ are two separate commands that you will eventually teach the dog and off is what you want to use if you see him jumping on someone.

Here’s some more good news! If you have more than one dog doing the jumping, and you train only one dog not to jump, then bring the two dogs together, the minute that other jumper sees his buddy getting a treat for sitting, he will try a sit too!

For easy step by step instructions on basic positive obedience training using a clicker go to www.clickerlessons.com the clicker costs about 3 dollars in a pet store, pick up a bulk pack of hot dogs, freeze them and defrost for training so there is no waste. Everyone in the home must be on board with your training or they will undo everything you have worked on. So have that family meeting and if all don’t agree, send the trouble makers to the dog house!

Pardon me? Air in a can? The new Pet Corrector?

2011-07-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Picture is from the ad itself which you
can find on the net. It is not my picture
I do not make money off of it, nor
do I hold any copyrights to it.

So as I took my first few sips of morning coffee and began to open my emails, (all 24 of 'em, who knew I was so popular?) there was an advertisement awaiting my finger to click on, so I did. Yes, yes, nothing opens my eyes quite so quickly as a new dog product! But air in a can? REALLY?” Oh, but it gets even better! If you act now while supplies last it will only cost you $9.99! Hey, maybe if you wait another week, you will get two cans for the same price!

I know I have not written anything on the blog in a while as I have been busy packing up the house, but today’s pet product advisor’s newsletter about a product to help correct the behavior of an annoying dog barking set my fast fingers moving like a pianist to the black and whites! What’s wrong with this picture?

The product is called “Pet Corrector” which is basically air in a can, and it claims to stop the dog’s annoying bark by making a hissing sound like that of a snake which will stop the dog from barking, as quoted from the site’s ad below.

“The concept is simple. In nature, snakes hiss to scare off predators. Dogs instinctively know this sound and they stop whatever they are doing when they hear it. The Pet Corrector is a can of compressed air. When you push the button, it releases some of that air and it makes a hissing sound similar to that of the snake. When your dog hears it he will stop whatever he is doing, including barking.”

The advertisement shows a human’s hand spraying the can of air near the dog’s barking mouth and it gently infers that by using this product, magically peace will be brought to your land, both inside the home and between neighbors who complain about your dog’s barking which sometimes causes harsh tempers and law suits.

Really folks, when it gets to that point, you were never good neighbors to begin with, so cut your losses now!

This product, as stated in the ad was developed by a ‘renowned’ British Animal Behaviorist Dr. Roger Mudford and has become the number one rated tool in the

United Kingdom

. (Why do they have animal behaviorist anyway? Isn’t it just a glorified name for someone who has been around a certain animal species over long periods of time observing their habits and mannerisms? Do we really need a title and certificate for this? Does it take good old common sense to determine if such a tool is indeed useful? )

Again I ask, REALLY?

Sadly to me, this product is endorsed by one of my favorite dog sites: Dr Jon’s ‘petplace.com’ the same place that recommended Zero Odor (which I tried and 30 dollars later it was not worth the money!)

For this product I am basing my opinion on common sense and on over 20 years of experience with dog observing and training, granted no doctorate here, but I have studied much dog behavior over the course of those 20 years!

I have not tried or purchased this product, nor will I recommend it based on common sense alone. (I know much of the time my common sense gets me into trouble, but this one I stand firmly on and you can read why below.)

Pros

Will it work?

1) Probably, any noise you use that is foreign to a dog will interrupt the behavior at the time and maybe for a short time afterward.

2) The can is filled with air so it is probably very lightweight.

3) If it does not work, you can use it to clean your computer keyboard!

That’s it folks, that’s all I got!

Cons:

1) You probably need to be near the dog when using this product, this could mean chasing the dog all over the yard just to use it in order for it to be effective! But hey, on the bright side, it might be good for a workout if you need to lose a few pounds!

2) If you are not home to use it, the dog will continue to bark.

3) The can is clearly large and visible in the hand which the dog can see and the dog will eventually pick up on it as being a negative experience. When a negative comes from your hand, the dog learns just to fear your hand, nothing more. Remember those old timers that used to swat the dog with a rolled up newspaper? Same effect. The dog will clearly stop whatever it is doing if you are holding the can and it has been used on him, but do you want the dog to learn to fear your hand? And do you want to carry around a can of air at all times?

4) Inquisitive dogs or breeds that hunt vermin, may actually like the noise and see it not as a deterrent but something to seek out!

Suggestions:

1) Dropping a book on the floor will accomplish the same thing and it’s free!

2) A small hand held fog horn from Wal~Mart will do the same and there’s no shipping charge at a Wal~Mart near you, plus you can hang this on you belt so the dog does not see it in your hand.

3) If you say the word ‘Shit’ a lot, but you leave off the “it” it amounts to the same as Shhhh, just like a snake, again it’s free! Or perhaps you have a gap between your two front teeth that would work too!

4) Your voice is a hands free device and you don’t need to chase the dog around to use it.

5) Training your dog the difference between speak and quiet will have the same effect.

6) Getting a barker breaker instead will stop the dog’s behavior when you are not home as it is automatic.

7) And lastly on a personal note, after watching the commercial on the Pet Corrector website which shows a dog barking when someone has pushed the doorbell, no offense friends, but if you don’t call me first, I want to be alerted to incoming company so I can slip out the back door!

So, the next time you hear these words, “Honey, the dog is barking, find that can of air quick!” hide the remote, cuz there’s just too much time on your housemate’s hands!

That’s it, save your money!

Link http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/mc/pet-corrector-b.aspx?utm_source=ppa_EarlyAccessTuesday_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PetCorrector&utm

Local kennel adopted out parvo puppies

2011-06-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

A few days back one of the kiddos I work with was very excited to have gotten a new puppy, so out of my pocket I pulled a biscuit!

“Here.” I said, as I pulled the biscuit from my jeans and gave it to him.

A huge surprised look came over this kiddo’s face. “Sawee, as only he pronounces my name, wher’d ou get this?” he asked.

“Well, I said, story teller that I am with the kids, Chance & Steeler told me you might be getting a new puppy and they asked me to bring this to school for you.”

His eyes opened even wider. “Weally?” he asked.

Everyone I work with knows Chance & Steeler very well and most know I have been known to find a pocket full of biscuits in my jacket or pants on occasion. Such a cheap thing to delight a child’s face!

“Before you give this to your Puppy, I said, you have to ask your mommy. Don’t just give it to the puppy without asking.”

“Bu ey?” he questioned. His speech for the words ‘but why’ that only those who love him will understand.

“Because some puppies can get sick when they eat a new food.” I said. Then I went on to give an example of his classmate that had allergies.

“My pubby is ick aweady.” he said.

“Really?” I asked. Of course I am talking to a four year old who could have given the dog his hot dog at dinner and the dog threw it back up. That classifies as really, really, sick to a four year old! “Well then, I replied, even more reason to make sure you ask Mommy or Daddy before you give the puppy this biscuit.”

“Otay.” He said. “I pud it in my ubby.”

“Yes, keep it in your cubby until you go home.” I replied.

I hung around until mom came to pick him up so I could tell her about the biscuit.

Sure enough the puppy was sick, severely sick with the parvo viris .

Parvoviral Enteritis is a severe contagious infection that attacks unprotected puppies and dogs whose immune system might be compromised. You will find this virus in crowed kennels or parks where dogs congregate or anywhere in the environment where an infected dog leaves its feces. This virus has been around since the 1970’s and lasts in the environment for several years and because it is air borne, humans can carry this virus to their home on their clothing and shoes.

All who read this now will be brought back to the day when I was somewhat a fanatic when Abby had her puppies, and will understand now why I turned people away from seeing them, and why I was very specific to make sure everyone who entered the house had fresh clean clothes on and left their shoes at the door before entering the house.

Go ahead and ask, how did I know they darned clean clothes? Yep, you got it, I smelled them and gave them the once over. I had never seen so many brand spankin’ new white socks in all my life at one time!

This virus is also why your vet will strongly suggest that you NOT take your puppy out in public until it is safe to do so after all inoculations are given!

With parvo you may see bloody diarrhea (often very foul smelling), vomiting, depression, fever, lack of appetite. If you see these symptoms you have a very sick dog that needs immediate care. Many pups die because treatment is so expensive and lengthy.

Before I get any further into a parvo tangent let me tell you of the local kennel who adopted out dogs with this virus. This pup came from the Danville SPCA. I mention this very strongly because not only did the pups that were adopted out have this virus , but everyone that walked into this kennel to look at the animals had the potential to carry it home on their clothing or shoes!

If you have a young pup that is not fully vaccinated or you have an older dog with a compromised immune system be careful who you let into the home! If you are a dog trainer or run a training class for puppies be careful and be sure to ask your class if they know of anyone who recently adopted from this kennel. Obviously if you run a training class all of the puppies you train will have had inoculations against this, however it does not mean that it is not being carried to the area where you train which can harm others who may pass through.

Here is a site that will tell you about this virus and how to clean areas where an infected pet has been. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canine_parvovirus.html

This morning, I talked to the Danville SPCA and asked about the problem that this parent spoke about specifically because I do belong to a dog club and they do have puppies in for training. The lady at the SPCA said they are doing everything to disinfect the areas with bleach, they are warning people not to adopt at this time. They are observing all the animals for illness, and they have signs up warning you that you are entering at your own risk. As well there is a bucket of insecticide to dip your feet in should you decide to enter. I strongly advise against this and to let them complete the job of disinfecting and observation of all the animals in their care before having to deal with the public. At this time they are forced to stay open because the headquarters in Philly are telling them to, though they stated they would rather shut down and get things under control first.

If you have adopted from there or are thinking of adopting from there it is best to call first and see if they are still giving warnings. 570-275-0340.

Counter Surfing

2011-06-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Emma posing for the camera

Before I begin this article I want to thank all of my readers and friends who kept up with the Steeler kennel saga and sent their well wishes. It meant a lot to me to know that he touches so many people daily, at least enough to make you angry at what happened to him. Know that at this time he seems to be doing fine, but with a little less hair!

Counter Surfing

If you don’t know big dogs, you may not be familiar with the term counter surfing, but any size dog can do it, the smaller ones just need an aid to get up to the counter whereas the larger dogs see the countertop as a wonderful chin rest invented by humans which allows them to suck down all treats the countertop can embrace! It’s like one big doggie dish!

Come on, do you really think your bread is safe in that countertop bread box? Think again! Bread is the number one delectable on a countertop for a dog! Minus that pesky plastic bag of course!

As humans, when we catch the dog on the counter we usually yell, “No!” That works possibly for that second, but they’re smart enough to know the minute you leave the room and they are back at it again!

When it comes to dog training, and yes I too am guilty, I find that the word NO comes out of the human’s mouth much like other nasty bodily functions and with the same bad timing and results!

My girl Abby once flipped her lid suddenly at the age of five years old and grabbed a tasty breakfast roll off the countertop which lead her down the path to a nasty habit, one roll and she was addicted to counter surfing like a moth is drawn to light!

Oh Sally so what? What’s a little piece of bread now and then? Where’s the harm?

Well if you grew up like I did where a piece of toasted raisin bread as your weekly snack or if you’re a fresh fruit hog and keep a bowl of fruit on the counter (namely grapes), such an innocent swipe of a countertop can turn into something deadly because of the toxicity fruits such as grapes and raisins carry for dogs. No one really knows how many of each it takes to kill your dog, nor do they know for sure what is in them that cause such a deadly reaction. So, always better safe than sorry.

If your dog is a counter surfer and you have not been able to curb that habit because lets face it you can’t watch the dog 24 hours a day, take heart in the fact that there are a few ingenious products to keep your counter safe from the long lap of a wet tongue. Thank God for all things sensor activated! Who developed the sensor anyway?

The first item I will mention is what I used for Abby. I did not go out and buy this for counter surfing, rather I happened to have purchased it years before from an ‘As Seen on TV’ store and it was actually a product made to alert you when someone pulled in the driveway. It made a loud siren type noise, but since it went off constantly due to every bird or squirrel that crossed its path the family went nuts and boycotted it! So it was put into a junk draw for no other reason than I had just spent 20 bucks on it and I’ll be damned if I was going to throw it out!

So when Abby spazzed out and made her first few countertop surfs while I was at work I broke out the hard core driveway alarm. I actually set her up by purposely leaving a roll on the counter and then went out the back door around to the kitchen window to lay in wait as a fox watches the hen house.

Abby looked at the door, gave a bark or two, nudged Emma as if she were the partner in crime, eyeballed the roll on the counter, looked back at the door, and then went for it! Eee, Ewe! Eee, Ewe! Eee, Ewe! Went the alarm and Abby bolted for the gated doorway so fast she tripped over her cohort Emma. Success! That was that, the end of counter surfing, the end of even going near the countertop for a long, long time! So if that annoying driveway buzzer is driving your family nuts, try it as a deterrent to places where you don’t want the family dog!

Another product is the scat mat. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this one before although I have never used it. So far, my dogs have been sound sensitive inside the home. The Scat mat puts out a little shock when the animal steps on it. This can be laid on the floor in front of the counter or on the counter itself should Fido be one who uses a chair to reach the goodies. Test it first to be sure it’s working and that the shock is not too much for the dog. Hubby is a good one to test it on, providing he doesn’t wear a pace maker! http://www.petsmart.com/product/include/print/standard.jsp?productId=2752972

There are also alarms made specifically for counters and tables, similar to my driveway alarm but possibly not as loud. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1096

There are spray devices also that are run by sensor and emit a spray when activated.

http://www.petco.com/product/109550/PetSafe-Pawz-Away-Spray-Deterrent.aspx#BVRRWidgetID

Driveway patrol

http://compare.ebay.com/like/150619087312?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

Keep in mind that dogs differ, while some of my dogs are bothered by sound, some are not and you have to find what works best for your dog. Also know that you are trying to keep the dog safe from harm. Many times humans leave dangerous items on countertops without thinking so if an alarm or a slight shock, even though it may be scary for the dog, will stop a dog from getting into something harmful it’s worth it in the long run.

And hey, here’s a sick but fun suggestion. Even if the sound alone works on the dog, get the shock items too and dream of the fun you can have using it on the husband or kids!

Ever crawl into a bed that has a scat mat under the cover? ;)

Until next time, happy training!

the Kennel Saga part 3

2011-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Steeler in his Breast Cancer Awareness shirt.

The Kennel called yesterday AM to discuss the letter I sent them and straighten some of the issues out. They are willing to reimberse me for the vet costs, which is fantastic!

So now I am hoping Steeler stays in good health and his hair grows back quickly for his next event.

The kennel Saga part 2

2011-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Steeler Danville Elementary

Upon my return home I had gathered all the information of the parties involved and then sent this letter to the kennel owner via certified mail. Again the kennel nor their first or last name will be mentioned at this time.

Sally Grottini

Riverside PA. 17868

Kennel

Sunbury PA. 17801-9610

Dear S** and B**,

After talking with B** upon my return home and getting more information on the day’s events, I was disheartened to learn that on the day Steeler collapsed he and Bentley were out in 91 degree heat for at least two hours. This is something I strictly advised against when I made my appointment with you, then again when we dropped the dogs off for boarding, as well, I gave you a paper stating that they were very prone to heat stroke in this type of weather.

I came to your facility because you assured me they would be kept in air conditioning as I strongly made clear in my requests at that time. Had I believed you were not going to follow my instructions regarding this I would not have boarded them with you. As humans, we can’t believe that dogs will judge their own medical condition in an atmosphere where there are new distractions, such as a kennel situation. This is when it becomes the human’s job to understand and protect the dog from harm.

Although you may feel that the roof covering the kennels was enough to keep the dogs cool, clearly for this particular breed it was not. This is why I was adamant about the air conditioning and that my dogs go out for potty reasons only, especially with the temperatures we were expecting that week. As a kennel owner of 11 years you should have known this and if you were unfamiliar with the breed then it was even more important for you to adhere to my instructions.

As a result of your actions and decision to allow Steeler to be in the heat he suffered an ailment which needed immediate attention and supportive care from my vet from the dates of Wednesday June 1, 2011 to Sat June 4, 2011 and again on June 7, 2011 for a blood panel to check kidney function. As well, on the second day of his hospital stay his neck and body were found to be full of maggots which resulted in a total shave down from his face area to his tail.

To make matters worse, upon my return and in talking to B** I was told that Steeler was not eating his normal dry food provided him and he was living on only a ½ of can of dog food a day. This is a 173 pound dog we are talking about who would certainly need more nutrition than that. With the list of contact numbers I had left for you, had you called any one of those people, they would have purchased more cans of food and brought them to you to ensure he was eating correctly, yet you never made a call.

From the time I came home Steeler was not only suffering incontinence but also having problems getting up and down and was wobbly on his feet. During Tuesday’s exam, June 7, 2011, when I mentioned this to my vet upon examination it was found that his back is showing soreness and when pressed on in a specific spot Steeler fell to the floor.

All of the above ailments mentioned were not a concern when I left him with you but became a concern upon my return home.

S**, in talking to you when I called from Bermuda, you stated that Steeler had not been out more than 15 minutes before he collapsed, and I told you that even that amount of time was too long in the high heat and humidity. As well, your statements to me totally contradict the information B** gave not only to my dog sitter, but also to me as well when I called him. His account seems more accurate that the dogs were outside in a run for about two hours before he found Steeler down.

I am sure with such conflicting stories you can understand my confusion as to what really happened and my skepticism at what information you were giving me.

Given all the information that I have learned from you, B**, my dog sitter, and my Vet, I find that you were negligent in satisfying the needs of my dogs which I hired you to do, and because of that negligence I incurred a large vet bill and my dog is now out of commission for the next several months in his duties as a therapy dog. I present to you the the opportunity to make things right by paying this bill for Steeler, of which you will find an attached copy.

At the same time we do acknowledge that because Bentley had made it through this ordeal in your kennel without known problems to us, you should be compensated for the 7 days of his boarding. It is my understanding that the dog sitter pulled him from your establishment the first thing Friday morning once she had been told by my veterinarian about the maggots on Steeler. This means you had Bentley for 7 full days on the dates of: Friday May 27, 2011 until Thursday June 2, 2011 at $12.00 a day.

I will expect an answer from you within 5 days of the receipt of this letter. If you do not respond and this cannot be resolved between us, I will unfortunately have to take further actions which I would rather not do.

Sincerely,

Sally Grottini

The Kennel Saga

2011-06-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

The above is the condition Steeler is normally in

So much to do! So much to do! Pete and I were going on the vacation of a lifetime! Our very first cruise! Bermuda bound!

As it got closer to our departure I sat glued to the TV and monitored the upcoming weather in PA for the following week. UGH, hotter and more humid! Since I would soon be leaving I was hoping the weather would cool down a bit for the dogs. With the knowledge of the hot weather to come I drove my hubby and son nuts by nagging them regarding the remaining AC unit which needed to be brought up from the basement and installed. (Thank you Jason for doing that for me!)

I get a bit anxious when I know my pups are going to be left behind and given the amount of dogs that I have I want everything to go smoothly for the person who will be coming into my home to care for them. If it runs smoothly for the caretaker, then I know that the dogs will be properly cared for and hopefully that caretaker won’t mind watching them the next time I need someone.

Only one week left before we set sail!

1) AC in windows, up and running. ~check

2) Copies of instructions and contact numbers for all involved including the boarding facility where Steeler and Bentley will be. ~ check

3) Food both canned and dry for home and for the boarding facility ~ Check

4) Copies of Shot Records ~ Check

5) Written copies of dog ailments and allergies~ Check

6) Instructions on care and medicine~ Check

7) Automatic water hook up~ check

8) Multiple filled gallons of water throughout the house~ check

9) Towels, drool cloths, extra leashes, and tethers in dog closet~ check

10) Written permission for my dog sitter to seek medical care for any of my dogs if needed~ Check

Whew I am ready!

All Aboard To Set Sail!

Day one: on the ship: Extremely exciting! A trip of a lifetime! The first time I have ever seen the Statue of Liberty! Odd for a former New Yorker I know!

Day Two: Food, food, and more food, variety shows, and Black Jack!

Day Three: Lots of shows, gambling, and smooth sailing, oh and more food, food, food!

Day four: Beach time for some, however for me due to the stitches in my arm, water fun was out, so time to visit the shops and pick up trinkets, but first I needed to check in on the home front now that the boat is docked and we finally have cell phone connections.

Ring. Ring. Ring. The phone echoed in my ear

“Hello?” My mother answered.

“Hi Ma!” I said. “How is everything?”

“Oh, okay, uh, well, oh, she asked, did Jason call you?”

That’s when I knew it, something went wrong. “No.” I answered. “Why, what happened?”

“Uh, well, she said, he’s going to call you anyway, so I guess I can tell you.”

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“Well, um, something happened to the dog.” She answered. She’s stuttering a bit now as she struggled to get it out.

“Which Dog?” I asked.

I could feel her nervousness though this long distance international roaming telephone call.

“Um, oh, ah, …she stammered.

“Chance?” I asked.

“No.” she stammered again.

“Casey? Emma? Abby?” I asked feeling my heart pound with each name I rambled off.

“No, no, um, oh God why can’t I remember his name?” she asked. “The therapy dog, the one in the kennel.”

“Steeler?” I asked.

“Yeah, Steeler.” She answered.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Well, he’s okay now, my mother answered, but he is at the vet.”

“What happened?” I asked again.

“Um..” Again she fumbled, probably because of the nervousness in my own voice. “Well he collapsed, heat stroke. You should call Molly.”

And so I did.

“Ring, ring.” The cell phone echoed again in my ear only this time it had a sound of urgency!

“Hello?” Molly’s voice came over the phone.

“Molly, it’s Sally, I just talked to my mother, what’s going on?”

“Well all my dogs are fine!” She said. (meaning the four dogs she was caring for at my house.) “But Steeler was brought in from the kennel for heat stroke today. I spoke to the vet and he is okay and is on IV fluids. I spoke to the kennel owners as well.
He’ll be at the vets and I’ll be bringing bring him back to your house when Jason comes out.

She then proceeded to tell me the events of the day.

It is my decision to be fair to all involved, that I not repeat verbatim all of what was said between us but the message was clear.

I called the kennel after speaking with Molly to see what they had to say..

To the best of my recollection this is the story I got but again not verbatim.

The kennel owner said that Steeler collapsed; they hosed him down for an hour and took him to the vet. They tried to call the lady whose number I left (meaning Molly) but she did not answer the phone and rather than wait for her any longer they took him to my vet.

I asked the kennel owner if she had gotten a body temperature at the time Steeler collapsed before cooling him down. The answer was no.

I asked how long he was outside for and the kennel owner said, “They (meaning Bentley and Steeler) were only out for about 15 minutes” which strongly contradicted the other kennel owner’s accounts as given to Molly (and myself upon my return home). I again stated my claim over the phone as I did before I left on my trip, that even 15 minutes of any activity in 91 degree heat and humidity for this breed was enough time to cause a problem.

I then called the vet office next and asked them for information and the receptionist, after talking to the doctor, said Steeler was doing okay. I asked why he was brought in and she stated all that she knew from what she gathered by the chart is that the dog was brought in from kennel due to possible heat stroke with a temp near 104. She assured me again that he was okay. I told her from that point on the Molly was the caretaker and had written permission to make medical decisions in my absence.

This was the beginning of the end of my fun in the sun, and my international roaming continued to roam!

Thursday near dinner time in Bermuda, the day after Steeler was brought in to the vet's office Peter called my son Jason to see how Steeler was doing. Jason in the meantime was texting Peter of the day’s events with a text that started out with ,“Dad, don’t tell mom but…"

To me starting a conversation like that is never a good sign!

“Hi Jason, how’s Steeler?” Peter asked.

Jason was so annoyed he was speaking loudly and I could hear him starting to reply.. “Oh he’s a mess!”

“Hold on.” Peter replied. “I’m giving the phone to your mother.”

Peter handed me the phone.

“Hi Ja, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Steeler is a mess and he was loaded with maggots!” Jason replied. “The vet office had to shave off all the hair under his neck to get rid of them. You should call Molly and talk to her. I’ll be at the house by 11:00 and Molly will bring him home to me. She’s gonna’ get Bentley out of the kennel too and keep him at her office until I get home.”

Apparently the day after Steeler was brought in, the Vet tech was tending to him and was going to clean him up when she noticed a particular bad odor. She knew instantly what that odor was. I had no idea that maggots gave off an odor but when the vet tech talked to me on my return home in her words, “He Stank!”

They had to shave Steeler down to the skin due to the amount of maggots she found on his neck and I was shocked when I got home to see he was shaved all the way down to his tail. To me this means there were maggots in many areas.

Molly had told me having seen Steeler after he was brought to the vet’s office, that he was a real mess due to the kennel owner rolling him back and forth as they hosed him down. He was apparently caked in mud.

Needless to say I felt someone at the kennel was not exactly telling the truth as there seemed to be more contradictions than Carter had liver pills, but until I returned home and had time to talk to all parties, I really could not sort it out.

Upon his return home Steeler had excessive thirst for days and often lost control of his bladder inside the home so by Tuesday a blood and urine test were done to test kidney function. Thankfully at this time all is fine in that department. There is a noticeable problem with his back as he was wobbly when getting up and down upon his return home and when the vet pressed a certain spot on his back Steeler went down. Although doing a bit better in that department as well, he is still not 100%.

To date although Steeler is home, his personality is seemingly a tad off. He now is more aware of every movement I make around the home and is very clingy. He has lost weight due to not eating anything more than a half of can of dog food daily for six days at the kennel, hardly enough to sustain a 173 pound dog. My suspicions are that he was outside in the heat often and he was too hot to eat, unless of course it was something delicious that he does not normally get on a daily basis which would be canned dog food. He did eat fine at the vet office according to their records, but he was also kept inside in AC so that would make sense to me.

I have written the kennel owner a letter of my disappointment in the care of Steeler after we spoke upon my return home and I am expecting some type of compensation to resolve this issue between us. I am hoping we can come to a mutual resolution.

Those who know Steeler know that he has done much to raise money for non profit groups and charitable events, and know that he is the mascot for the County Animal Response Team along with his brother Chance. To me his work is not taken lightly.

As well, his duties as a certified therapy dog have found him to benefit the ill or lonely who needed a touch, an ear, a kiss. He was a companion for the local elementary children who sat and read stories to him in the ‘Read to Dogs Program’ and he visited preschoolers to teach bite prevention and dog care.

If you passed through Bloomsburg PA near the month of February 2011 you would have seen his picture on the billboard for his work at the Children’s fair.

I will give the full story as it unfolds and as I am able. I will not at this time name the kennel as they need a fair chance to respond to my letter. Below is what Steeler looked like when I came home.

Steeler after 6 days in the kennel

Event: May 28, microchip and rabies

2011-05-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you Haven2home for providing this very valuable information. Don't miss this event folks, keep your pets safe.

Haven to Home Canine Rescue will host a microchip clinic at Brookpark Pet Supply in Lewisburg on Saturday, May 28 from 10AM until 12PM. resQ brand chips will be administered by Dr. Lindsay of Lewisburg Veterinary Hospital. The fee will be $35.00. Rabies vaccines will also be offered for $8.00. Pets should be on a leash or in a crate. The Haven to Home dogs will benefit from the proceeds of this event.

Why Microchip?

* Because 1 out of 3 pets will become lost at least once during their lifetime.

* Because pets taken to shelters without microchipping or any identification are significantly less likely to be returned to their families.

* Because you care about your pet.

resQ makes it easy! What better way to provide your pet with a permanent safety net than with a resQ microchip? When your pet is implanted with a resQ microchip, you can be assured that your veterinarian is using a system that is safe for your pet, universally recognized, and convenient for you!

As soon as you register your pet on www.PetLink.NET you can travel with them anywhere in the world and if they get lost, a universal ISO-compliant scanner can read the chip and help get them returned home to you where they belong! And, to ensure your registered pet can always find its way home, we keep it simple by offering you NO ANNUAL FEE* to maintain your pet's information in the database!

A resQ® microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted into your pet in a single simple injection, just like a vaccine.
The microchip has a code that is unique to your pet, the way your social security number is unique to you. When a pet is found and scanned, the unique code can be traced back to you through your database registration at www.PetLink.NET allowing you and your pet to be happily reunited.

Haven to Home is a local, all-volunteer, canine rescue that was established in 2008. There is no shelter; foster homes care for the dogs until they are adopted. Most of the foster homes and volunteers are in the Union, Northumberland, and Snyder County area. The 501(c)3, volunteer-driven organization has helped over 460 dogs in need find their forever homes. To learn more about fostering a dog, adopting, or making a donation go to www.haventohome.org or email haventohome@gmail.com

Robin Montgomery, President
Haven to Home Rescue
570-374-0330
Rescue, Rehab, Rehome-----The 3 R's
"Our mission is to rescue dogs in need, rehabilitate them in a quality, nurturing environment, and re-home them in a loving, responsible, permanent home as soon as possible. We will strive to promote a culture of kindness in our community through networking and education."

www.haventohome.org

Oh! Say it ain’t so! More Treat Recalls!

2011-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Talk about déjà vu! It seems like I just posted about this recently on another company! Oh yeah, that’s right, I did! Just 2 short weeks ago! Keep your eyes open folks as there are sure to be more recalls! Just toss those treats now and save yourself the aggravation!

Pig ear treats in my opinon, continue to be recalled way too often for a Salmonella health hazard. Salmonella on treats not only affects dogs but also their human counterparts who touch the treats.

Being an adult (well in my mind anyway!), 99% of the time I remember to wash my hands after giving Fido a new treat, but on occasion I might be too busy or engaged in something else and forget to wash. I’ll admit, working with very young children on a daily basis has made me a bit paranoid to germs and more conscientious of hand washing, but I can say with 100% certainty that 90 % of young children have to be reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet or before eating a meal and 98 % of children need to be reminded to keep their fingers out of their nose and mouth. This non prudence of hand washing by young people puts them further in jeopardy of getting salmonella poisoning. Let’s face it, when was the last time your 5 year old gave the dog a treat and stated, “Mama, I think I should wash my hands now!”

Having been stricken with salmonella poisoning twice in adulthood from eating human food, I can tell you it is not a pleasant illness to go through! It knocks even the healthiest of adults to their knees.

I do admire companies who quickly recall hazardous products. To me it is not only an admittance that something went terribly wrong in quality control, but that they are taking responsibility for it. However, I get sick to death of seeing the same thing being recalled over and over again by many different companies. Who’s paying the doctor or hospital bill of that young child who needs treatment for salmonella poisoning? Not only are children especially vulnerable but so are senior citizens. Anyone with a poor immune system will get the worst of any disease or poisoning.

Companies have to realize that it is not only the ‘compulsive~ hand washing~ germ~ a ~phobes’ like me that handles the family dog’s treats but in the majority of households all people in the family are handling these contaminated treats!

When a human product affects the health of humans over an over again something is done. Regulations are put in place or become stricter and companies are more scrutinized by the media which in turn alerts the public. The media coverage alone on such pet products could put thousands of people on notice and prevent serious illness. Certainly they can reach more people than my little blog ever will. It makes me wonder about our priorities when we hear nothing about a pet product recall that has the potential to cause great illness to many humans, but over the last couple of days we have heard plenty about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s infidelities!

So here I go again!

Seek care from a professional if you notice any of the below symptoms in human or dog.

Symptoms in dogs: (for those of you that missed my last few posts on salmonella poisoning) lethargy, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Keep in mind that infected but healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or people in the home.

Symptoms in people: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Salmonella can cause more serious problems as well such as arterial infection, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract infections.

My advice when this happens time and time again? Well it’s time to stop buying such products!

Companies recalling these treats are:

Boss Pet Products Inc.
Maple Heights Ohio
Contact.: 800- 445-6347
Website: http://www.bosspet.com/

More information here on lot numbers and where they were sold http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm255726.htm

Blackman Industries
Kanasas City KS
913-342-5010

This company is recalling two products, PrimeTime brand 2 and 5 ct. Premium Pig Ears and all KC Beefhide brand 20 count.

Product distribution dates between Jan 4, 2011 and April 29, 2011

Codes and information here http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm255709.htm

Oy Vey, just proof reading this makes me want to wash my hands again!

FDA WARNING ON DOG SHAMPOO AND YOUR HEALTH!

2011-05-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

If you are an asthmatic and have this shampoo at home just waiting to give your pooch a bath, please speak to your doctor before doing so. The FDA is currently investigating the death of an asthmatic women who gave her dog a bath with an unapproved animal drug product “Doux Seborrhea Shampoo” containing 0.1% phytosphingosine. Distributers: Sogeval Laboratories Inc. Of Coppell Texas. Additional information will be made available after the FDA investigates further.

This is a very short read, please read and pass along if you know of anyone with asthma.
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm255384.htm

Dogs diagnosed with seborrhea may have been recommend/given this particular shampoo. http://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/view/douxo-seborrhea-shampoo

toss me a bone?

2011-05-13T16:12:00.001-07:00

Once again the family of newfs have put me on top for top animal blogger on blogger choice awards for 2011, let's toss them a bone and get more votes:) http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/100609?load=comments

Yum… a poop eating party!

2011-05-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was in search on google for a picture
of a dog eating it's poop, then I realized, I have Casey!
The best Golden in the world who will do anything for me!

Ah there’s nothing more enticing than sucking down a cool glass of iced tea on a warm summer day while lazily tossing the ball to Fido when suddenly Fido stops, sniffs the ground like he’s on the trail of small critter, then starts to scarf up the poop he left behind two days ago! And surely the older the poop the better, as it has had time to age like a fine wine! In the summertime, the heat of the sun dehydrates the load making it as crunchy as a bag of ‘Crunch- N -Munch’ and in the winter, well, it’s just like having a Popsicle! Even more enticing! Usually, most people don’t want to admit to another human being that their pooch eats its own feces, lets face it , it makes you sound like a bad parent, like you’re not feeding your dog properly and after all he doesn’t do it all the time! Keep telling yourself, it’s a phase, just a phase!

“Gross!” Is the first word heard by many, followed by, “My dogs eats its own poop!” Or “Gross! My dog eats my cat’s poop!” Cat litter box raids are great examples of party on!

Coprophagia, It’ the 2^nd most embarrassing habit to the dog’s owner, the 1st being a hump on a guest's leg when they arrive for a spot of tea! So what’s the cause? Why do dogs do this?

Well, in some cases it is a learned behavior. If you’ve ever had a litter of pups you will have seen the mother dog eat the pup’s stool, which is her way of keeping her den clean and odor free to keep predators at bay. As the pups grow, as long as they are still in what is considered the den, the mother will eat the stool which in turn teaches the pups to do the same. Generally once they are out of the nest and have gone though their oral stage and are in a new home, that habit goes away.

In some cases it is picked up again later in life and this can be due to a variety of reasons. Dogs that have hypothyroidism may pick it up because they always feel hungry. Illness like diabetes or a vitamin deficiency may also be causes. In other cases it may be considered a compulsion due to being anxious, under stimulated, or attention seeking. A diet that is considered a high protein/ low residue diet can be a cause as well and feeding a higher fibrous food throughout the day (or free feeding) rather than one big meal a day may help. Parasites and inflammatory bowl disease are thought to be other causes as well. It is important to have your dog tested for the above possibilities so they can be correctly treated if it is medical.

There are some over the counter deterrents such as Forbid or Dis~Taste that can be added to the dog’s food which is supposed to make the stool taste bad, not that any of us can imagine that it tastes good to begin with! Some people try adding a bit of 100% of pure canned pumpkin as it has been said that dogs like the taste going down but it is a different story when it comes out again! (or maybe it works because it is a fibrous food.)

I have seen some sites recommend putting garlic on the food, DON’T DO THIS! GARLIC IS TOXIC TO DOGS! I can only assume that the site on which I found this information is old and not up to date on the latest health hazards! There was a time when a little garlic sprinkled on the food was suggested to entice a sick dog to eat, then it was discovered just how bad garlic is for dogs. So be very careful when trying any home remedies you may find online or hear from well meaning friends. If you are unsure, don’t do anything until you speak with your vet.

There is one sure fire method that works every time and that is to watch your dog closely and pick up immediately after he has had a bowel movement!

But Sally, this is not possible, I work long hours and am at times too tired to pick it up!

If you are in the yard with the dog but a distance away and have not had the time to pick up, then teach your dog the command leave it. Get that command down 100% and remember to use it!

Many dogs delight in the cat litter box as well which can be dangerous especially with the new clumping cat litter. What do you think clumping cat litter will do in a dog’s belly once it hits the stomach acids? Yup, clump! So then an obstruction becomes a concern.

Here’s the deal, if your dog’s overall health is fine, then it’s a behavior issue and that needs to be addressed through training and keeping the dog active. Just like some humans, when we’re bored, or have a lack of activity we eat, and many times we eat the wrong things!

I’m an expert at eating the wrong things as I am now looking at moo moos to outfit my next vacation!

Until next time happy training:)

Casey, the best Golden in the world!
At least that's what I tell him!

Treat Recall

2011-05-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Keys manufacturing company has made a recall as of 5-3-2011 on pig ears due to salmonella. Salmonella can not only affect your pet but also the humans in the home if they touch the contaminated treat. Wash hands thoroughly when handling any dog treats that may be contaminated with salmonella.

For dog you may see symptoms of diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, fever, vomiting, and possibly abdominal cramping. Normal temperature taken rectally for a dog is between 100.5 to 102.5.

For people, especially young children or the elderly, watch for vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramping. More serious symptoms might be arterial infections, endocarditis, muscle pain, eye irritation, urinary tract symptoms or arthritis.

These treats were distributed to Pennsylvania, Virginia, Missouri, Illinois, Florida, Iowa Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Texan and Minnesota.

Product was distributed in 100 counts per case shipped between Sept 27- Oct 6 2010, Nov 1-29, 2010 and Jan 3- 25th 20ll.

You are urged to return the pig ear pet treats to the retailer for a full refund.

Customers can call the company at 1-217-465-4001

I Walk Alone

2011-05-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

By: Sally Grottini

I walk through the muddy waters and atop the mounds of broken glass, blunt metal, and wood splinters hoping I do not fall or sink into a dark hole of oblivion. For if I do, I will not be found for weeks, if I am found at all. My hair is long, long enough to hold the mud and debris of the toxic air and long enough for the thorns of a tattered bush to call their home, rendering my every movement painful. My eyes are narrowed and reddened from the infection that plagues them. My voice has grown weaker and my stomach hungry. My feet already battered and bruised from trying to navigate the elements in search of home, my home, which once held such optimism and joy. I feel worn, beaten, frightened, and alone in my journey to find food and shelter, alone in my journey to find my way back home.

In light of the recent disasters across the US I want to emphasize what a difference you can make by giving just a couple of hours of your time.

Please visit http://www.pasart.us/ to help animals in disaster in Pennsylvania.
Local? Visit the Columbia/Montour Face book page for information http://www.facebook.com/pages/ColumbiaMontour-State-Animal-Response-Team/170329226349544?ref=ts

visit http://www.sartusa.org/ to help in other states.
video pics of Alabama tornado disaster: April, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWfGZSuH_0A
and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-_zGSGap-8

Swaddle me baby!

2011-05-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

My groomer wants me to give my dog a sedative before grooming because he hates having his nails cut, can you help?

This is something that often crosses my desk and this particular little doggie was a Cocker Spaniel. I have to say, I gave the normal training answer of touching the dog’s feet and nails while the dog was at rest to get him used to having the feet touched and trimming only one nail at a time so it is not a big fuss. Most dogs do not like their feet touched and it can become a struggle to cut the nails. Many owners find themselves to be too nervous about hitting the quick of the nail that they make the process much worse. Sweat pouring off their brow, the strain in their voice, the hardness of their touch. Not an easy task to say the least!

Trimming the hair between the pads is no walk in the park either!

There are some dogs that you can keep occupied by giving a Nylabone bone or filled Kong to play with so that nail clipping goes a little smoother, but this does not work for all dogs.

As soon as I gave the customer the usual suggestions, he replied, “I have tried most of what you suggested, with no progress, do you have any other ideas?”

Oy, more suggestions? How ‘bout I come there and hit the dog over the head with a rubber mallet! Sorry, sick humor I know.

That is when my mind shot back to the days of Cody, my cocker spaniel, the little black and tan Imp that only one groomer in my area would take on as a client.

One sultry day when I walked into the shop to pick Cody up from grooming, the groomer walked to the half door which separated the grooming room from the store and said, “I just have to do his feet, then he’ll be ready.”

“Okay.” I said, and I meandered around the store portion of the room looking for goodies to buy for a black and tan, one eyed, mean spirited, Cocker Spaniel that only I could love!

That’s when I saw it! My little devil dog was hanging from the ceiling! Well, my mind’s eye was struggling to grasp the concept of what was going on so quickly that I may have thought is was from the ceiling, when in reality it could have been a groomer’s table, but he did look like he was very high up toward the ceiling! I likened this whole picture to a child in a Johnny Jumper! His body was encased safely in a sling like contraption with only his head and four legs coming through the material. He seemed to be resting comfortably, not squirming, not barking or crying, and I just had to ask.

“Kathy, what is that?”

Kathy smiled at me. “Isn’t it great? It’s a grooming sling!”

That was that, I was sold on the idea of such a protective item being between myself and Cody’s teeth making it easier to trim nails, trim the fur between the pads, and trim the face all while he was confined in this contraption. I looked at this idea the same as one would swaddling a baby, it made it seem more humane that way! So my eyes looked closely at how it was made as my brain took notes and I thought, I can make that!

The next day when I went to work right there on the employee free table laid a Johnny Jumper! Two holes down and two to go!

Once the second Johnny Jumper was found all that was left to do was to sew them together and put a handle on it! voi·là one grooming sling! Well, maybe ‘sew’ is too strong of a word; duct tape is more like it! I could hang it from the rafters in the basement ceiling! Simple!

Sadly (and only to me), my little Cody passed on before I was able to put this idea to use, but I was lucky enough to find a site that sells these slings for a variety of dog sizes, the configuration on how and where to hang it, I will leave up to you! But if your small to medium size dog get’s too restless during the nail trimming process, this product may be just what the doctor ordered! For larger dogs you’ll want your contractor to rig up a pulley system!

Grooming slings click here

P.S. I have edited this blog 3 times already, I think google and Face Book have brain freeze today!

Doing the moon~walk? A puppy's take on a collar & leash

2011-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

random image

Your excitement is so overwhelming that you bust out that new credit card and buy the fancy personalized, diamond studded collar, and of course the matching six foot leash that holds the poop bags! If you’re lucky, the leash will also sport a little flashlight on the handle for those nighttime walks because your new little gal will be making her debut! Oh and don’t forget that matching key ring for your car keys that are in the basket at the register! Woops, go back and pick up that sparkly ID tag as well, come on, you know you want to! And while you’re out, pick up some tiny extremely delicious treats, a squeak toy or two, a short clothesline rope and a clip, trust me you will need them all for that special day.

Ah, finally the day has arrived when you can pick up your God’s little grace and bring her home. Of course I would be negligent if I forgot to tell you that you should not take her out in public before she receives the full shot series, no sense in risking puppy diseases that can harbor among the earth’s soil for years.

Now that the pup is safely in your home, you place the beautiful diamond studded collar you purchased around her neck. It’s a struggle, but you finally get it on. She looks beautiful even though she is suddenly lifting her feet high off the floor in a backward motion like she knows Michael Jackson’s moon-walk! She shakes her head from side to side and paws at her neck to get that foreign thing off of her body! What’s going on?

Well, let’s look logically at this before we rush back to the store for a new collar and matching leash!

When pups are with their littermates, it is very rare for a breeder to put anything around their neck especially if that breeder has to leave them alone for any length of time. The breeder may mark a pup using nail polish on a toenail or on a body part if all pups look alike. Thus ,until the time that you came into this little wonder’s world, it had never had anything adorn its neck! The pup does not know that you have just spent wads of moo~la on its jewelry that it will wear for life! At that moment it is a scary intrusion on the pup’s body, especially if you pick a collar that is too heavy for the dog. This is the time to break out those yummy treats and squeak toys I told you to pick up earlier. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to play and treat that puppy to near exhaustion! The more you can keep the little fuzz ball busy after putting on that collar the better and anytime that you see the moonwalk returning, start again with play and treats. Make the treats small and easy to get down. Eventually the pup will get used to the collar. One very important thing to remember is not to put the collar on too loose or too tight. If it is too loose the dog can get it caught around the bottom jaw while struggling to get it off, if too tight, it can do damage to the throat, especially to a small dog. As well, check the collar regularly as the pup grows and adjust as necessary. You should be able to fit three fingers between the collar and the pup’s neck at all times.

There are also collars that are made to come undone should a pup (or dog or cat) get hung up on something. These collars are called brake away collars and if you’re a new pet owner they are well worth the investment. One of my favorite makers of collars and harnesses is Premier. (I get no compensation for mentioning their name, so it does come from my experience with their products that I pass along to you, better to make one good investment instead of many cheaper ones!)

Whew, you made it through the collar fuss, one piece of equipment down and one more to go! The leash adds a whole new meaning to the words ‘let’s go! You may find your pup not only doing a very bouncy moon~walk but also the ‘stubborn as mule’ act may make an appearance and then you will find yourself dragging your little beauty down the porch steps and out to the yard. This is where the clothesline rope and clip come in. Before even getting to the leash stage, you will want to make a ‘meg-shift leash’ out of a portion of the clothesline rope. Why?

1) Because it is light weight

2) There will be no handle/loop on the end to get stuck on objects.

3) It will get the pup used to having a real leash attached to her.

4) If chewed, its cheap enough to make another!

Once the dog gets used to the collar, attach the clothesline lead and let the pup drag that around the house. Again keep your treats and toys very handy as this intrusion may bother her more that the collar did. By allowing the pup to just drag it through the house while playing, eventually she is going to step on it, this in turn puts a little pressure on her collar and neck, which in turn gets her used to the pressure similar to you holding the leash on a walk. If she seems uncomfortable or distracted with it, continue to play until she tires, which thankfully does not take long for a pup. Of course it goes without saying that this is to be taken off when the pup cannot be watched.

Sometimes you have the opposite, the puppy plays and bites the rope or leash when you put it on and you can’t get her to stop. There can be a couple of things going on when this happens and you may see it more with a Golden Retriever type breed, but any dog breed may do it.

When a pup constantly bites and grabs the leash you can try giving the puppy something else to hold in its mouth or spay the leash with Grannicks Bitter Apple. However also take a look at the activities you are offering the dog. Some people work their young pups in a training session for too long a period of a time, the pup gets tired and starts to act out. Grabbing the leash is one way of acting out and once that happens your attention is focused more on the pup and that is what the pup wants. Over time if you don’t change the way and amount of time you work with the pup it will become a “learned behavior” and a hard one to break. If you are too rough with the leash, this may also cause the dog to bite at it which also teaches a learned behavior. Another thing to look at is how often you exercise the dog through the day. Not enough exercise and you will have a problem, too much and you loose the pup’s attention and that puts the pup back into that learned behavior mood.

With pups, as with children, no two are alike and it is very important to look at the needs of each pup as well as how much exercise one can do. Granted this may not be the same need for exercise that you have for yourself. Be honest and objective, expect problems and make adjustments quickly. Once the behavior becomes ingrained as a learned behavior you’re going to have your hands full when the pup grows to be a big dog.

Those who know me, know I often compare a young child’s behavior to that of a dog because the mind set is basically the same, and I happen to work with both and see similarities in behaviors and the reasons for them. It also makes it easier for some humans to understand why a dog may act the way it does during these comparisons.

So let’s compare:

A four year old child spends little time with the parents as both parents work daily, the few hours the child may spend with them may be over stimulating or under stimulating so the child acts out the whole time. Why? Because the child needs guided attention/interaction with the parents and if not given, the child will take any attention at some point. Whether or not this interaction comes from acting in a positive way or a negative way. If the child is acknowledged more when acting out negatively, then the child will continue to do so and it becomes a learned behavior. That learned behavior eventually becomes so embarrassing for the parents that only then do they realize it needs to be corrected and it is tough to do because for the last four years the child has gotten what he/she wanted by acting negativity.

When a dog becomes ‘over cooked’ as I call it, they shut down or act out. Many trainers will train a puppy for an hour in a class, but does this mean that the owner needs to spend a full hour at a time training at home each day? No. The trainer actually uses that hour to ‘show the owner how to train their dog!’

At home, take the advice the trainer has given you and break it up throughout the day in short sessions. The moment the puppy starts acting out and is not paying attention, that is the time you want to stop. Take a break and always end a session with the pup doing well on a positive note, not a negative one.

Until next time, Happy Training!

Premier collars/harnesses click here

Shelter Dogs: Pitfall or Learning Experience?

2011-04-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

the Devine Miss M. & Curly
Dog Trainer/
Therapy Dog Evalauator/
Star Puppy Trainer
and a damn fine human!

General picture of what a shelter might look like.
(Only minus the bedding, this is a company
that sells kennels)

I often run into people throughout the day who stop to ask me this question, “Why is my dog doing that?”

So I am assuming I must have a sign on my back that says, “Ask Me!” Hey, that’s better then having a sign that says, “Kick me!”

Don’t get me wrong, the only time I mind being asked a dog question is if I am on the way to the potty, after all, I am getting older and the bladder is very over stretched! So if I keep moving as you’re asking, don’t be put off, be patient! This leads me to the topic of potty training and patience with shelter dogs.

Eliminating in the house:

One frequently asked question which sometimes turns into a big complaint is that upon taking ownership of a shelter dog, the new owner finds that the dog is not ‘potty trained’ as the shelter had claimed it to be, thus it becomes very frustrating for the new owner. Most new owners are at their wits end, tired of cleaning up accidents in the home after having just taken the dog outside to do its business. Some people even begin to believe that the shelter lied to them regarding the dog being taught potty manners.

I’d like to clarify a few things on this issue as it pertains to shelter dogs. I do not work for a shelter so what I am going to state is my opinion of what may be going on which is based on listening to many complaints over the years and a little bit of Sally’s basic common sense which according to hubby I am full of! (Yeah right! Maybe in my mind!)

First: dog shelters are usually understaffed and overworked. The majority of them thrive on donations, fundraisers, and volunteers to help them. Believe it or not, those volunteers do have outside lives!

Second: a shelter only knows what the previous owner told them about the dog and previous owners have a tendency to embellish their story because they feel guilt about giving the dog up in the first place.

Third: neither the shelter nor the new owner has any idea how the previous owner trained the dog. If trained improperly, the dog may actually be afraid to potty in front of a human thus sneaking around the house when the new owner is not watching. (Potty training 101: See here: http://2ndchance-caninecapers.blogspot.com/2009/05/potty-training-101.html )

Being pack animals, dogs enjoy their dens and do everything to keep them clean. Their den is considered where ever they eat and sleep at that moment in their life. This is one of the reasons mother dogs eat their pup's feces, it keeps the den clean.

In a home situation, a crate, or a certain part of the home if not the entire home, is considered their den. In a shelter situation the kennel they live in at the momnt becomes their den and due to the lack of volunteers those kennels might not get cleaned right away, as well, daily walks to do its business might not be happening. This scenario unwittingly forces a dog to become used to eating and sleeping among its excrement which in turn although it goes against every grain of their being, starts a new way of life which the dog eventually becomes somewhat accustomed to. The longer the dog is in a shelter the longer it may take to retrain as it regards to eliminating outside. This is not to say that all dogs that come from shelters will do this, many will not. But because this is a question I hear often, I feel it is important for this to be addressed so the prospective owner of a shelter dog will know it may require a bit more patience and guidance.
(Kind of like having patience with me running to the toilet with that over stretched bladder! I know, I know, TMI!)

That being said, if urinating in the home becomes a huge problem, do not just categorize it as behavior, but look into a possible health problem. Keep in mind that the shelter may not know there are health issues unless the personal are trained to look for possible problems such as bladder infection, bladder stones, diabetes or ectopic ureter. So have your own veterinarian give the dog a thorough exam if your potty training efforts seem out of the ordinary.

Showing shyness, fear, or being aggressive:

Many people believe that a shelter dog must have been mistreated because they cower, run, or shy away from the well meaning hand that wants to pat them on the head. While some dogs are mistreated, it is not always the case and this falls into another category known as personality!

Like humans, dogs have their own personalities and those personalities were more than likely established at a young age when they were among their litter mates, long before any human ever got their hands on them. In many cases pups are taken from their litter too young so the vital social skills were not learned, and it is at this time that you may see more of a shy personality develop.

Let’s look at this situation using a human model. I do this because there are a lot of similarities between child and puppy and I am fortunate enough to work with both and see the similarities, although I am sure my boss would not want me comparing the two!

Think of taking a young child away from its family at a time the child was being teased or tormented by his siblings and then sending that child to another home to live which also had children. Do you think that child will have carried some of that teasing and torment baggage from former siblings to his new home and not be so trusting of the new siblings? Of course he would, especially upon first entering the new home before he really got to know the new family. The difference is that eventually the human brain will develop as the child grows and the child can be taught the proper way to handle certain situations. Whereas a dog’s brain at some point stops developing or reaches its potential, thus the personality is developed and this can produce a shy dog.

Taking the above dog scenario again with its litter mates and instead of a shy pup, let's make the dog one that leaves the litter at the time when it is the top dog, the tormentor, or the bully, (using human terms). How do you see that dog getting along with other dogs in your home? More than likely that dog will come into your home and try to take over the pack which can lead to much fighting and angst for not only the other dogs in the home but for the humans who are not equipped to handle the situation.

Can a dog’s personality be changed? I believe that in some cases with much training the dog can view humans differently, tolerate them, and bond with them, and in some instances I feel they cannot be changed. In some instances the breed itself may be more of a 'one owner' type of dog and that is ingrained.

Much is going to depend on the breed, the dog’s past, the owner, and how they train the dog. It is my belief that dogs have been so over bred, inbred, and poorly bred that a component /chemical in the brain is missing or out of whack causing such behavior issues that it will not allow the dog to change. This might be why we are seeing more vets prescribing antidepressants and tranquilizers to dogs. Of course as humans, we want a fast fix, not a slow training process, so that can also be a reason for such prescriptions!

Bonding

Bonding is another common problem I hear from new owners of shelter dogs. The owner will often mention that their shelter dog is not responding to them as their previous dog did. (The previous dog being one that has passed on to greener pastures.) For these people I ask them to be honest with themselves. Sometimes people get a similar dog or dog breed as the dog that has passed and then are looking for that new dog to have the same personality traits. It is rare to find this and the human in this situation has to concentrate on the qualities this new dog has to offer, accept that they are different and unique, and then build from there. I will say that daily positive obedience training is a great way to start the bonding process because you learn more about what the dog can do and the dog learns not only to trust you, but also learns what you expect of it and what pleases you.

Personalities are unique to every animal.

I have seen dogs that start out with great personalities and fall to the opposite end of the spectrum, (mostly due to poor training). I have seen dogs with awful personalities that begin anew and become very loving and responsive animals. I have seen or heard of dogs that act out in one home and be the perfect companion in another.

I am not a scientist, I have only years of my own observations and theories but that’s where scientists generally start isn’t it? With observations and theories? :)

Before concluding this article I would like to mention and thank a few organizations in my area that run no kill shelters as well as organizations that find homes for dogs that are being fostered by families (not in a conventional shelter situation) and in need of a new home.

If you are a person who loves animals and want to see them blossom and grow within a new home, please help these organizations pave their path to success either by adopting, donating, or volunteering your time.
Spreading the word about these animals is as easy as posting their sites on your Face Book page or yahoo updates.

Furry Friends
http://furryfriendsnetwork.com/adopt/our-pet-list.html

Haven to home
http://www.haventohome.org/

Mostly Mutts
http://www.mostlymuttsonline.com/

Animal Resource Center
http://www.nokillarc.org/

Of couse if you are located in another state then try pet finder.
http://www.petfinder.com/breeds/

Until next time, remember patience and consistency play a key role in your dog’s upbringing and success. Happy training!

I Can't Teach Stupid!

2011-03-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, doesn't this look comfy to
be in18 hours a day?
Just look at all the room in this thing!

Help! My dog is out of control!

How many times has this been said by the person who wanted a dog, but did not want or know how to invest the proper time needed for training?

I am sure I may have written something similar over the years but it bears repeating, especially when it continues to be an issue with new and old customers. The new customers I kinda get it, but those who know me, know I have made this speech before if it needed to be made.

The Familar Story
A number of years ago a friend had to get rid of her dog and this has only come up now because I ran across this same experience with someone else recently. My friend’s dog was a young Golden Retriever and was acting very unruly during the evening hours when everyone had come home from work. This after being in a dog crate all day. This dog was wreaking havoc in the home and making the human kids unsettled due to nipping and jumping.

( I’m sure all the dog trainers out there know where I’m going with this one!)

At that time, I personally had six dogs living with me and two children so I could not take on another dog and someone else was found to take the dog which we all thought was wonderful at the time, until that person contacted me and told me how unruly this dog was and asked me to come for a visit to talk about training the dog.

When I got to the house and met this Golden, I noticed that it was indeed young, large, and out of control. As I sat on the floor the dog was jumping back and forth over me nipping my arms and legs, tugging on my shirt, and unable to rest or focus for even a second!

As far as I’m concerned, Golden’s are usually a very loveable breed and great for family life, (Just ask my Golden, Casey) however if they are not given the proper exercise and job to do they can be just a tad bit H-Y-P-E-R! What I learned about this Golden during the hour I spent with the new owner is that the dog was kept in a crate all day when the husband and wife went to work, let out for a few hours, maybe walked for a half hour a day, and then put back into the crate when the owners went to bed for the night! (Hmmm, seemingly similar to the original owner!)

Pardon me, but OMG! I would be bonkers too if I were that dog! While I can understand why people want dogs, I will never understand why they can’t be honest with themselves if they don’t have the time and energy to put into dog ownership. Unlike years ago when you brought home your newborn child which did not come with a parenting manual, (By the way, I sure hope that has changed!) there are several books written on dogs and dog training! Hell, there are even classes!

Ten hours a day and eight hours a night in a crate is toooooooo much! I am not saying you can’t have a full time job and have a family dog. What I am saying is be honest! If you know you can’t be home to watch and exercise a dog then hire someone to do it for you, but don’t crate a working dog all day and night and believe it will grow up to be a well adjusted family pet! In the slim chance that it might work, do me a favor and please check the dog’s pulse!

Unfortunately this person who I visited for an hour could not handle the dog and was only willing to pay for one hour of training, as if I could give the ultimate knowledge and wisdom in dog training in an hour! This is why I am so reluctant to do home based trainings anymore, people want a magic cure, as quick fix, a calming pill, they don’t want to take the time needed to actually learn and work with the dog whether it be for potty training or obedience training.
To me this was as much of a lost cause as the person who originally gave the dog up to begin with! I can’t help someone that needs intense training on how to spend time with their dog when they can’t see or admit to the problem and are unwilling to change any of their habits.

I can teach an old dog new tricks, but I just can’t teach stupid! If this sounds harsh, too bad! Maybe that’s why my favorite movie line is from Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

This poor dog went through three families, in a year. Thankfully, he was eventually sent to a farm where he would get plenty of run time and not live his life in a cage. That being said though, just because a dog goes to a place where they are not caged and have acres upon acres to run, they can still be unruly and aggravating to your family and neighbors if not trained. You need to guide them through the talent of which they were bred for, running free is not the full answer, however for this poor dog I was glad it was no longer locked in a crate all day, which was a start.

Like I said, I can’t teach stupid!

Casey doing what he loves most
Retrieving!

Treat Recalls~ Pig ears

2011-03-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

March 9-2011 Jones Natural Chews of Rockford Il. possible Salmonella ~Check here for lot numbers
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm246319.htm

Know that if you touch a treat with salmonella and do not wash your hands thoroughly you can also get it. Watch your kids as well, as salmonella can be brutal on children and seniors.
Salmonella in dogs can show signs of
•Lethargy•Depression•Weakness•Anorexia•Weight loss•Fever•Diarrhea (with or without blood)•Abdominal pain

This can happen to you!

2011-03-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Loveable crazy Bentley

Bentley's alopeica

Boom, boom, boom! My feet thunder as they pound the hallway floor like a sledge hammer banging a pole into the ground.

Slam! Bang! Cry the cabinet doors.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Each boom is exasperated as I head back down the hallway armed with paper towels, rug cleaner and plastic bags.

Hubby sits near his computer with the door slightly ajar. He knows all to well I am being hassled by something, but he is not brave enough or stupid enough to peak his head out of the door and I can’t say that I blame him! (Oh yes, I have a temper!)

##@$***, ##@$***! Just a few choice words emanate from my mouth as I scoop up two huge slimy piles of fully digested food off the carpet left behind by Bentley. This is just the icing on the cake after taking the morning to rake the up the yard of dog poop after a long winter’s chill. So far, this Saturday has been productive, but far from fun.

A couple of hours and one ‘John Lennon’ movie later since the vomit episode and my poor Bentley is not able to relax. Inside, outside, up and down, barking, barking, all around!

Inside, outside, up and down, quiet, quiet, not a sound? Hmm… the clock is ticking at 10:30 PM, late for any of us in this household to be wandering about.

I poke my head out the back door. “Bentley? Here Ben.” I call out and I begin to walk into the backyard with nothing but moonlight to brighten my path.

Bentley moseys around the corner of the shed and walks beside me into the house. Once in the bedroom he finds it hard to stay settled. He can’t seem to lie down and of course I worry about bloat. Even though he has lived through it once and his intestines were sewn in place, there is still a cause for worry. Normally by 10:30 PM we would all be settled in for bed with only the soft sound and glow of the TV playing in the background.

10:45 PM. Bentley is still roaming around the bedroom and wanting to go back outside. I turn on the bedroom light to check on him. Bentley who has been plagued by alopecia (hair loss) since his last summer’s shave down is showing a couple of welts on his back halfway between his fully seasoned hair and the bald spots. But these half dollar size marks are visible to my eye.

10:46 PM. Finally, I put two and two together, the vomiting & the welts!
10:47 PM. I run to the kitchen to grab the Dawn dish detergent and call Bentley into the bathroom and start washing his back frantically.

11:00 PM, I start to shave whatever hair the poor guy has left at the shoulders to be sure I have cleaned all areas, and then I scrub his back again with Dawn. Bentley tries to relax but cannot get comfortable, his breathing seems slightly labored to me, but then again, I am beginning to panic!

11:17 PM, Bentley wants to go outside again. I grab the leash and a flashlight and walk him to his pen and watch him. He attempts to potty then begins digging near the hedge, moving very slowly and awkwardly as he circles one or two times. Suddenly there's a big thud. He goes down hard and smacks the ground as his muscles have lost all control of his body. A deep heavy groan flows from his mouth as his side smashes against the pea gravel that lines his pen. Indeed I am panicked now, as I watch his legs twitch and quiver like he is having a seizure. Then… silence. My heart beats firm against my chest as I run toward the house.

11:25, “Peter? I yelled. PETER!” I yelled even louder as I headed toward the deck that leads to the back door. “He collapsed! Benny’s collapsed!”

“What?” Peter yells. “Where? Where is he, what happened? What do you mean he collapsed?”

“He’s in the pen.” I shouted. “He went down really hard and it looks like he might be having a seizure.”.

Peter and I meet at the back door and together we run toward the pen where Bentley is lying. Thankfully there is no time to cry, we need action and we need it now!

“Bentley? Bentley?” Peter calls to him. “We gotta get him to the ER! Benny, Benny!” Peter calls his name again while shaking him to get a response.

I have already begun my journey into the house to the dog closet which holds the directions and phone number to the ER vet.

Peter yells through the back door. “Sal, I got him in the car, let’s go!”

I jump into the car and see Bentley standing in the back of the van panting, Peter is plowing through the pile of raked debris which was left in the driveway earlier that afternoon and I am trying to type the address of the ER vet into the GPS while dialing their phone number at the same time to tell them we are coming.

11:45 PM: We are nearing the ER and according to the Brittish women on our GPS we have “arrived at our destination on the right.” However in the dead of night with cataracts obstructing my view all I can see in this ‘destination’ is some type of factory and a lumber yard!

“Shit!” Peter said. “Where the F**k is it?” as he pulls the car out of the lumber yard parking lot.

Finally about a hundred feet in front of us we see a building with lights on, and although the signage is not fully lit, Peter is able to make out the word ‘Vet.’

11:47 PM: We enter the building.

“Yes, I said to the lady behind the desk, I just called you about the Newfoundland.” My voice slightly panicked and aggitated.

“Oh, yes, have a seat I’ll be right with you.” She answered.

Have a seat? Have a seat? I don’t want a seat! I want a doctor! My mind is screaming these words on the inside, however, a polite “Thank you” is what passed over my lips as I go to take a seat near Peter and Bentley.

The ER waiting room is a very open area with surrounding windows and is occupied only by a young couple with a small child standing to the side of the reception desk and a gentleman seated on the opposite side of the room from where Peter is sitting.

“Newfie?” The lady, who I am assuming is the child’s mother, asks.

“Yes.” I reply.

“Beautiful.” The lady said.

“Thank you.” I replied only half listening to her.

Across the room I noticed that the lone gentleman seemed to be giving us quite the look over. I was not sure if it was us or the dog he was staring at, but I made no attempt to talk with him. Across from him were a line of doors where occasionally one particular exam room door would open and a beagle would try to escape.

11:57 PM: “I’ll put you in room one now.” The receptionist said. “By the way, beautiful Newfie!”

“Thank you.” I replied. But really in my mind I was thinking that Bentley, in his sad state of hair unrest, is hardly beautiful! But I guess his face says it all!

12:00 AM, I post to Face Book. “In er vet with benny.”

12:05 AM, Peter and I look at each other as we sit on the bench in the exam room. A grin decorates each of our faces as we realize we did not take time to change before leaving the house. Both of us in are in old tattered jogging pants, his being topped off with a golf jacket and mine being topped off with and oversized tee shirt and a zippered sweatshirt, which clearly shows the years of deterioration as only a dog grooming sweatshirt can. The chewed pockets remind me of my dear little Cody who would chew on anything that may have harbored a biscuit. At least Peter looked partially put together, his hair was not sticking out of place, and he needed no makeup, he was just a guy in a non matching outfit! Me? Just call me Phyllis Diller!

12:15 AM. The exam room door opens. “I smell K9 Advantix!” The Vet says.

“Really?” Peter and I say simultaneously. “You can smell it?”

“That’s my job.” Dr Haas replies as we introduce ourselves.

I start to go over the day’s events with the Dr. as clearly as I can remember them when suddenly my cell phone rings.

It’s after midnight, I don’t get calls during normal hours, who could possibly be calling me now?

Peter takes my cell out of my purse, plays with it a bit, while I continue talking to the doctor.
“Well, Doctor Haas says, I’ve got your information, so let’s check his vitals.”

Dr Haas looked at Bentley’s gums for pinkness, then ran his hands over Bentley’s body and gave a squeeze to the abdomen. Bentley gave a grimace of pain. Then with tail lifted high, the Dr. took his temperature.

“Aside from the tender belly, all seems fine.” Dr Haas said. “I am going to go into the back for a few minutes to look on the internet on a site only made available to Veterinarians and see if there is new information on this product.”

As Dr. Hass left the room Peter whispered “I bet he’s online to Just Answer!” Thus easing the tension of the room.

“Yeah, I chuckled, wouldn’t that be funny!” “Who called my cell?” I asked.

“Kyle.” Peter answered. “I couldn’t unlock your phone so I couldn’t answer it, but I’m sure if he’s calling at this time of night, it can’t be good.”

Kyle was to be leaving that evening with some friends to go to Florida for Spring break and we had talked to him earlier in the day. I quickly took out my phone and called him back.

“Hi Mom.” Kyle answered.

“Hi Ky, What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.” Kyle answered. “I saw your post on FB that you were at the ER with Bentley and I wanted to know if everything was okay.”

“What are you doing on FB?” I asked. “Aren’t you on your way to Florida?”

“Nah, he said, we’re leaving in about an hour and I got on line to look up some maps and stuff.”

“Oh.” I replied. “Well, so far Bentley is okay.” I proceeded to tell him the day’s events. “Alright, I said, I’ll talk to you soon, be careful driving tonight.”

“Okay Mom, goodnight.” Kyle replied.

12:35: AM Dr Haas enters the room with paper in hand and seems to be very happy that Bentley has alopecia and he can actually see the welts on the body where I put the flea drops. He reads us the information that he got off the internet and decides Bentley’s vitals are fine, however his abdomen is slightly tender so he is prescribing an injection for nausea to get him through the night.

"I am going to assume this reaction is from the flea drops." Dr. Haas said. "If it were not for the alopecia this may have gone unnoticed with a dog that normally has such a thick coat."

12:47: We pay a whopping bill for the after hours care and head home. We fondly remember our last trip to the ER vet three days after Abby had given birth to seven pups. During that middle of the night run, we had gotten lost in the back mountians of PA on our way home for what seemed like hours and were so overtired by that point that we were ‘punch drunk’ as they say.

1:00 AM. We all go to bed.

Sunday morn 9:00 AM: The sun has broken the barrier of my tightly closed bedroom blinds but thankfully Bentley and I have both slept in. Peter however did his usual Sunday morning grocery shopping at 7 AM, as the girls in the bakery department of Weis would get worried if he didn’t show up for the rolls and muffins they put aside for him each Sunday morning, as would the girl who puts his New York Post and Press Enterprise newspapers off to the side.

As I lay in bed, I thought back to the previous day and what I might have done wrong or what I could have done differently.

So, to spare others a similar experience, here is what I could have done differently to not only spare the possibility of Bentley being hit with the full extent of illness, but also what could have prevented an expensive ER Vet visit.

Don’t misunderstand; I am very thankful that in rural PA we even have an ER Vet!

A) I should have marked each container with the dog’s name in permanent marker and applied only a little bit in one area and waited to see if there would be any negative reaction. When you are dealing with flea drops you are putting a pesticide on the dog’s body. Had I done a test spot, Bentley may not have suffered to the extent that he did.

Sadly, I forgot my own golden rule which is, “Just because something is touted as being safe, does not mean it is safe for all, as everyone, even dogs, are individuals!”

B) I should not have put it on during a weekend even though my intent was that I would be home with them to monitor their reactions to it, I could have saved the expense of the ER vet had I done this during what is considered normal vet hours. Most bad reactions occur within the first few hours of application.

C) Given my memory, or should I say lack thereof, I should have stapled a note to my forehead that reminded me that I had put this medicine on the dogs earlier in the afternoon! Thereby hopefully making 2+2 come together just a little sooner!

While I am not telling you not to use the product, I am telling you to be aware of what's in it. Keep in mind that 5 of my 6 dogs are visibly fine after its use. I also believe that Bentley may have ingested some of the product off of one of my other dogs because like a good papa, he is always kissing them. This could have caused the vomiting and possibly even more serious illness. So, if you have more than one dog you will want to watch how they interact with each other.

It is a shame that we need to use such toxins to keep our dogs safe from the diseases that flea and ticks carry with them. But as the old saying goes, “You're damned if you do and damned if you don’t!”

(See below picture to view welts)
Side effects of this drug http://www.ehow.com/about_5084879_problems-advantix.html
This flea medicine contains Permethrin which you can read about here on the EPA page .
http://www.dogtek.com/eyenimal/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=COOhzcjd5KcCFYbb4AodgjwG9g

Welts just below shoulder blades
from flea and tick drops

Car rides and up~chucks, gotta love 'em!

2011-03-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hurricane and Tuono

Picture it: The sound of cool tunes filtering through your ears, the warm 60 degree breeze streams through the open window as you travel through the back hills to no place in particular, which is followed by the smell of fresh cut lawns and newly sprung flowers waking up your nostrils after a long cold winter. Two more minutes and you’d be seeing yourself single in the fast and easy lane with no in laws! Then it all comes to a screeching halt as a sound from the back seat smacks you back into reality and you hear these words or similar from the person you forgot was with you!

What’s that sound?”

“What sound?”

“Honey, pull the car over!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Emma’s gonna be sick!”

Awwck, awwck, awwwwck! ~ thar she blows!

Grab the paper towels, the plastic bags, the hazmat gear and get ready for a parking lot full of people to be staring at you as the dog is pulled out of the car and your significant other walks into the convince store to buy a bottle of water and some Lysol to further wash the stench from the seat before that long journey home, which let’s face it, might only be 20 minutes, but still pure torture for the dog.

Ah, the dreaded car ride with a dog that constantly gets car sick. How much fun is that? Is there a way to prevent it? And why do humans open the car window to give the dog fresh air? Have you ever smelled the air driving through Jersey?

Well actually, air quality has nothing to do with the dogs stomach upset but the balance of air pressure might, so if you open the window, open more than one to balance the air pressure inside the car. Most people tend to open the window where the dog is sitting which can create more of an unbalance in pressure, so opening two windows just a couple of inches might help.

Motion sickness happens mostly with pups because their ear structure for balance is not fully developed. When you plop a pup in a car and sickness occurs because of it, then that may be what your pup will associate each car ride with.

Do you remember how you threw up after that roller coaster ride? Did you ever want to get on another one after that? It’s pretty similar, bad memories stay with us for a while.

Also if the only time you take your dog for a car ride is for vet appointments then that can create an anxiety which he will associate with the car as well.

In most cases as the pup grows and the ears develop they stop being ill and all is well with the world. But, if illness is associated with the car and remembered by the pup, well let’s face it, he doesn’t know the inside of his ears are now fully formed, he just associates the car with puking and he may never grow out of that.

Don’t dismay though, there may be a way to get Fido used to the car again.

What to do, what to do?

Option 1) You can strap Fido in the front seat with blinders on, and a puke bag around his neck. (That’s what mom and dad did to me, well minus the blinders, and the seat belt!) But of course then you run the risk of getting a ticket for allowing the dog to ride in the front seat.

Option 2) You can take the time to train Fido to see that, car = ride = fun!

I once worked with a customer at her home and the dog riding in the car was a big problem, among other things! I showed her what to do, but my last visit with her proved to me she was not practicing as the dog ran from the car when she opened the door.

Hey, I didn’t say training would be short and sweet! It can take weeks to get a dog used to riding in the car without being fearful or getting ill. These weeks of training are seen as precious time that some owners just don’t want to invest in, but they are the first to complain when they can’t get Fido into the car for a vet visit.

Once the dog has grown, it is not likely that the guardrail whizzing by the window is what makes the dog sick as it does a human with bad equilibrium. In most cases it is the nervousness the dog feels at being in an environment he is not used to, or remembers as being unpleasant.

The different sounds your tires make when they hit the road, the loud noise of traffic, the radio, the horn honking, and your spouse’s bad driving (ride the ass , step on brake, ride the ass, step on break. You know, we’ve all been there!) Any of this can make a dog nervous enough to make him sick.

People might offer up the advice to give the dog rescue remedy, and while it may work for some, I found it to be nothing more than crap in a bottle and an expensive one at that! But I can’t tell you to rule it out either, that’s just my own experience.

In a few cases it may be motion sickness and for those long drives you may want to talk to your vet about Dramamine.

Giving ginger may also help as it is good for stomach upset due to motion sickness. So keep a few ginger snap cookies in the car.

However your goal here is to make the car ride enjoyable for the dog, so for each successful step you want to praise and reward the dog. By success I mean that the dog is not showing fear, if you reward at a time he is acting scared then you are rewarding the scared behavior. Take your time and wait for him to be calm then reward him. Otherwise, ignore the scared behavior. Sometimes changing the car can help as well because the dog may associate a negative with one car but not with another.

Change up the routine each time you are to train. Dogs learn our routines very well and you don’t want the dog acting scared before it even gets to the car. They know when we pack we are leaving, when we pick up our keys we are leaving, we put on a jacket and when we pile a load of crap in the car before a trip, etc. Your dog is more keyed into your routine than you are! We should all be that observant!

Every training step you take will be done several times throughout the day and in short increments, gradually extending the time.

Step 1
Walk around the outside of the car, don’t open the door or go in. Then head out for a short pleasant walk and upon returning to the house walk around the car again and then go into the house. Gradually you will walk around the car longer, open and close the door but never go in the car. When you open and close the door you should be grabbing a treat so that the dog believes good things come from the car. You can wait a bit until through the corner of your eye you see the dog is calm and give it to him then, or you can kind of discreetly brush it out of the car and onto the ground as long as the dog sees it as coming from the car. He may not take it at first and that is fine. The treat may sit on the ground a day or more before he’ll take it.

Step 2
Put the dog in the car, but don’t start it. Keep the sessions short and do them throughout the day.
Step 3
Put the dog in the car and start it, don’t go anywhere, just let it run.

Step 4
Start the car and turn the radio on low and eventually add the wipers and the blinker as they make sound as well.

Step 5
Start the car and go down the driveway and return, unless of course you live in the country and your driveway is a mile long, then you just want to back the car up a little bit and then pull forward.

Step 6

Start the car; go up the block and back.

Gradually you will go farther and farther. Keep in mind that the pavement of the road is sometimes different. On some roads there are noise making ridges off to the side that wake sleeping truckers up before they pound into the guardrail, and it is a good idea to hit one of them (a ridge, not the trucker) briefly with each trip so the dog gets used to it.

Try to find heavier traffic areas and make a quick entrance and exit off of them. A tractor trailer can make quite the noise as it passes and if you can stop on the side of the road where you would be at a slight distance from these trucks such as an off ramp or rest stop it may help the dog to adjust to the noise without that close up and personal, right on the side of you feel!

Tunnels are a difficult place for your dog to handle as well because the sound echoes, so close the windows, turn the radio up just a bit so the sound of the cars and trucks don’t seem so loud.

In some cases dogs feel safer in a crate, which is also the safest way to have your pet travel, and covering some of the opening with a towel can also help. Obviously you would not do this on a hot day when the sun is glaring through the window of the car, as you will want air flow to keep the dog from overheating. If the dog feels trapped and anxious in a crate then try a seatbelt for dogs.

Keep plastic over the seat for easy clean up, that’s a no brainer!
Always end up in a place where you plan to have fun with the dog immediately after you arrive during training. You want the dog to associate fun things happening at the end of the car journey.

Ginger dosing
http://www.ehow.com/how_7854897_give-dogs-ginger-motion-sickness.html
Dramamine: info and dosing . http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/dimenhydrinate-dramamine/page1.aspx

T.A.G.S. ! What Gives?

2011-03-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

Casey is an assistance dog and he
doesn't know it! Hey as long
as he bringing my bra and not
wearing it, I'm okay with that!

Therapy dogs, Assistance dogs, Guide dogs, Service dogs!
What gives?

OMG! You are going to see a sea of blue in this post! There are just too many informative sites not to list for people who need an assistance dog or for those who want to train their own dog for assistance! But hopefully this sea of blue will make it easier for those who need the help!

Recently I had been asked the question about how to get a dog certified for therapy to aide a family member suffering illness. I had explained that the therapy work that my dogs do is different than what they were looking for which was an assistance dog. I did surmise though that I was pretty sure they would probably need a note from a doctor stating that the person would benefit from such a dog.

Yup, sad but true I knew very little on the subject, but thankfully the Good Lord has blessed me with Google!

I have to admit before I got into the field of therapy dogs the difference between the titles did not give me 'paws' for thought. Like most people, my dogs were to love, care for, and be family companions. Back in the day (& back in the day is a polite way to say my age is none of your damn business!), if a dog adorned a badge or odd apparatus it was not to be approached or distracted lest the blind owner step off the curb and get hit by a bus!

Today we hear more and more about Therapy dogs, Assistance dogs, Guide dogs and Service dogs, so what’s the difference?

Therapy dogs work to stimulate and make happy the lives of others at the direction of their handler.
Assistance dogs assist physically or mentally challenged people in everyday tasks
Guide dogs lead the blind through everyday life &
Service dogs are basically the same as assistance dogs.

I personally was not aware of any specific training or testing sites for an assistance dog such as there are for therapy dogs or Guide dogs for the blind. But let’s face it; I am not the keeper of all things dogs! So thus I began my hunt in a different forest.

What I do know is that people who are physically or mentally challenged benefit from dogs that are trained by the owner or by others to assist them in everyday self help skills. But where and how are they tested? These dogs at some point have to be around the public so they have to have manners and be able to handle many situations.

There are websites that will sell you any type of equipment you ask for if paying the price, but that does not lend credibility to the dog if someone challenges the owner or if the dog owner wanted to challenge a business.

For instance, if I shelled out the money I could buy specific equipment to fit any of my dogs, however if I walked into a privately owned business and they wanted to challenge me on this, the equipment would be all the credibility I had!
No point in making a fuss in a courtroom without something to back you up!

Keep in mind that business owners need to think about the safety of all their patrons, so they might not allow access unless they feel you have the right credentials. And who’s to say other than a court of law or statute, what those credentials are? Are you prepared to challenge a business in a dispute if you only have a badge and the special apparatus you purchased over the internet? State Laws also have to be taken into consideration as they may vary. The American Disability Act no doubt has your back, but businesses are run by a diverse culture of people so I’m sure that somewhere someone has been turned away from a business because of an assistance dog.

I also find (which really disgusts me) , is that people who have their dogs registered as a therapy dog sometimes abuse that privilege which can ruin it for the people who really need an assistance dog by their side. Here is a perfect example of what I mean.

Every year I volunteer with an organization at a popular fairground where I give information about State Animal Response Teams in Pennsylvania. I often bring with me one or both of my certified therapy dogs, (Chance & Steeler) to lure the people in because let’s face it, people at a fair don’t want to see an information booth they want to see or buy something special! Hey, everyone needs a gimmick! But in order for me to bring my dogs onto the fairgrounds I had to get special permission because aside from the dogs that are contained in cages for the dog show, family dogs are not allowed on the grounds during fair week.

So, picture it, there I stood, behind the great information table that holds baskets of peanut butter biscuits and other chotchkie items while my dogs sat in front of the table bringing in the crowd. Once the crowd hovers, it is my chance to pounce on them and make that perfect spiel!

But on an unusually warm day standing back looking out at the crowd, I see a man and women briskly walking through the fair with two golden retriever pups, cute as could be, maybe about 5 or 6 months old, and dangling from each dog’s collar were yellow therapy dog tags clearly identical to the group I belong to and test for!

I am suspecting that the gatekeeper of the fair allowed the dogs in because of those tags; however, being an evaluator for this particular organization I knew full well that those dogs were too young to have been tested for therapy work!

Needless to say, this couple really pissed me off and if I had in me the sprint of a 20 year old gymnast, I may have jumped across the table and confronted them on it! (But alas, this older mind asked this older body, what are you nuts? And I let it go.)
This is what I mean by abuse and it is this type behavior from previous patrons that might have a business owner chase legitimate dogs off their premises risking the possibility of a lawsuit.

When the T.A.G.S. thought again filtered through my mind I got to looking a little deeper into this subject and I came across a site called psychdog.org. I don’t know if it is deep enough for all that one might need it to be, but I think it is a good start for anyone who is looking to get a paper trail going for their dog to become an assistance dog. This paper trail serves as the back up file you would need to challenge a business if necessary for denying you access. While I don’t think this happens very often and most businesses will probably accommodate you, it is a good idea to be as prepared as possible.

As stated above a note from your doctor is a good place to start. Second, get a reputable trainer, someone with credentials to help you in training the dog. Even if you have already taught the dog what you need it to do for you, having as much of a paper trail coming from qualified people as you can is a plus. Keep everything documented and in a safe place.

Key things needed to succeed
Do a minimum of four months of basic obedience; get an AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate, & six months of Public Access Training.

The bottom line for success: http://psychdog.org/training_ownerstandard.html
Public access standard http://psychdog.org/publicaccess.html

Pass the Public Access Test which can be administered by any professional dog trainer. http://www.psychdog.org/attach/Public_Access_Standard_Test_Sheet.pdf

I contacted the person of the psychdog website and I mentioned to her the confusion or difference in titles between a service dog and an assistance dog to which she kindly replied..
“One point of clarification, assistance dogs and service dogs are essentially the same thing. Both dog types may be trained by their disabled owners under the law.”

To me this makes sense as any need that a dog can fill whether it is for sight, daily function, or mental stability would basically be providing a service to the owner no matter who trained it.

Another site I came across was Assistance Dogs of America Incorporated (ADAI). It does seem that they are similar to many Guide Dog centers which foster pups out to families then take them back and evaluate them. They also seem to get dogs from pounds and breeders and look for mostly retriever or retriever mixes for this job. Their site can be found here. http://www.adai.org/getinvolved/

The Assistance Dogs International Inc. (ADI) developed a public access test 15 years ago. Although they state that they do not supply or certify the dogs and that Certification is not required in the USA they do have credited members and list the chapters by state and country here. http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/membersstatecountry.php

This site was fairly helpful in how to get started in training your own dog with a qualified dog trainer as well. This site also tells you how to keep a log of trainings.
http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html

The ADI is trying to model a standard law as a template and you can find that here:
http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/modellaw.php

Service dog information for Veterans: http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/ServiceDogFAQ.asp#FAQ1

Law links with helpful information below.

Guide dog laws by state http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=resources_access_statelaw

Assistance /guide dogs by state http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusmnguidedoglaws.htm#s01

PA dog laws: http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/statestatutes/stuspaset.htm

Pa dog Assistance law: http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuspaguidedoglaws.htm

Guide /assistance program in PA Susquehanna Service Dogs
Harrisburg PA Websites below and you can find them on Face Book as well.
http://www.keystonehumanservices.org/ssd ...

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pawsabilities.net%2F&h=615ee

http://www.susquehannaservicedogs.blogsp/ ...

http://www.twitter.com/SSDOGS

After note:

This is a follow up to the above post as it regards to Assistance/Service dogs which came to me about a week after I posted. I was very happy to hear from someone that actually works with ADAI to bring insight to this type of training. This email has helped me to understand so much more of what is involved for training than just having Fido fetch your shoes. It is valuable information for anyone who may be looking for a service dog as well as the information as to why you might not want to use your own dog for such work. I was going to run this on its own rather than adding it to the TAGS post but I did not want to bounce my readers from post to post with this needed information and really how much of me can you take in one week?

My thanks to Marilyn, for getting back to me with such great information and reasoning!

My name is Marilyn Lazarus and I am the Head Trainer for ADAI. If you go to www.assistancedogsinternational.org you can look up the ADI public access test. This is a standard test that all service dog organizations give their graduates for public access. In addition to the public access test, each organization should have their own test that is more specific as to individual tasks that the dog is asked to perform. This can be anything from retrieving a cane to bracing when an individual falls, to lifting legs onto the bed or lifting and putting down the wheelchair footrests, tugging an individual upright or (tugging them) over in bed to loading and unloading, and riding public transportation to whatever else may be asked of the dog.

We used to train some dogs that were privately owned only after a thorough screening and determination was made that the dog was suitable for service dog work, however we stopped doing that. There are a few people that were grandfathered in but I think they too would take a dog from us rather than get one on their own.
Sometimes people get a puppy that will not be suited to them either by size, structurally, or with the temperament needed when they are grown. This would force them to start all over again and what would happen to that puppy they have already raised and come to love? Affordability, family relationships, dog to dog relationships, and housing accommodations have to be taken into consideration when talking about owning more than one dog especially when a service dog is involved.

Many owners do not look at their own dog with objective eyes and don’t understand that their dog may show fear, be unable, uncomfortable, or unhappy doing the work which may be required of it. When ADAI needs to point this out, some owners become hurt and upset by this. Another factor to take into consideration with training one’s own dog is that dogs should not be used for bracing or helping with balance until their bones are fully formed and that is around the age of 2 years old.

It is much easier for us to match a dog with a person. We match the dog's personality and skill level with the individual's personality, lifestyle and needs. While that can take some time and put one on a waiting list, it ensures a better match between human and dog.

We use both puppies and older dogs. We get them from breeders as well as pets surrendered to us, shelters, humane societies, and sometimes rescue organizations.

I think it can be dangerous for an organization to certify an individual's dog as an assistance dog because there is so much involved in that. It is not a question necessarily of whether a dog can do what is on the test but rather if the dog feels comfortable and safe in being around the public surroundings required of it.

Videos of a dog and person in public are valuable to us because we can use them to see if something is not right. It affords us the ability to point out those concerns to the person the dog is with. (Many stores however, do not want you taking video inside.)

I think the most help you can provide to people looking to a dog for physical needs is to contact an ADI accredited service dog organization. When you get on the ADI website that I gave you, you can look under member organizations and see who is available in that area. Each organization should tell you what type of dogs they train, their contact information and what their service area includes.

Unfortunately, there are not organizations in every state and sometimes not in rural areas. It is very difficult to explain to an individual who may live far away why they would not be in our service area. We have to take into account time, mileage, weather, expense, and schedule conflicts of getting to the individual. When they have a problem, and they will eventually, it is hard to help them if we need to take a full day to get there and back. Most of the time, people wait so long that their minor problem turns into a major one that realistically would only take several days of consistently working on the problem to help resolve it.

If someone does choose to use their own dog, I highly suggest a qualified trainer with lots of service dog experience to objectively work with them and be honest as to whether their dog is..

(A) A candidate for such work and

(B) Can help guide and stay with them in proper training until the dog is ready for public access. As well as do follow ups with that client as needed.

The success rate for dogs in service dog organizations, even those selected for the work, is probably less than 50% and from shelters the success rate is much less.

Take also into consideration that not everyone who wants a dog necessarily should have a dog. Some people want to get a dog for their loved

one believing it will help them, but in some instances that loved one does not want a dog or in some instances another caretaker/home owner in that family does not want a dog. In cases like that it probably would not work.

If there is anyone is within 250 miles from northwest Ohio, tell them to give us a call but only if they are not going to be using their own dog. We will do a phone interview for preliminary information and then a personal interview at our facility.

THERAPY DOG WORK

LEADING THE BLIND OR DEAF

Gracie

2011-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Gracie and her buddy Rosie

With all my rants and warnings on puppy mills, back yard breeders, and puppy brokers, I found that I forgot to mention others. The dedicated people who rescue and remove those loving dogs and pups who through no fault of their own would have been destined to a life of no social contact, inbreeding, illness, and made to live in deplorable excrement filled conditions.

One such dog that was rescued from these horrendous conditions was a dog named Gracie. Gracie, with her one blue eye, who was probably deaf from birth, and needed surgery on her spine was a beautiful Dalmatian rescued from a puppy mill and moved into the home of a friend and fellow STDTC club member, Dagny.

Even though Gracie came from such conditions, she was not bitter about her first impression of humans, not aware of her deafness, and never short on love. She gave every ounce of her heart to the people she visited as a working Therapy dog.

I am glad that Chance, Steeler, and I had the chance to meet her and I imagine that in dog heaven she still has plenty of love to give, but we will miss her here on earth.

Twenty-First Annual Children’s Fair

2011-02-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

Steeler & chance
Under the Billboard with
their picture.

Chance (left) Steeler (right)

Yes, yes I know, this is a dog blog! Read on.

Chance and Steeler spent another day charming the public and delighting the children at the 2011 Children’s fair acting not only as the wonderful therapy dogs that they are (brag, brag) but also doing their job as mascots for the Columbia/ Montour County Animal Response Team (CART). The PA State Animal Response Team provides rescue and shelter to animals during disaster situations in Pennsylvania. Each county in PA has a CART in existence. To find the coordinator of your County Animal Response Team in Pennsylvania please visit http://www.pasart.us/ and while you’re there, sign on as a member it’s so easy to do! For other SART states go to http://www.sartusa.org/

What does CART have to do with a Children’s fair?

Well, for those of you that do not know, Chance and I wrote a children’s story several years ago that tells the young child how to put a safety suitcase together for their pet in the event of a pending disaster. This suitcase is something that can be made well in advance and kept up with as pets change over the years. The intent of the book was to give control to the children who so often find themselves in the midst of uncontrollable situations. You can download this book here (free) and not only read the story but the kids can color it. http://sart.cas.psu.edu/ColoringBook6-23-06.pdf This book is given to every child attending a Pennsylvania SART event and is both valuable in information and free of charge.

A big thank you!

So, on behalf of the Columbia/Montour CART, Chance, Steeler, and I would like to thank Beth Cherwinski of the Columbia and Montour Child Development program for inviting us back again this year.

Although my boys have only been a part of this annual occasion for the last couple of years, this event is actually going on its twenty first year of providing the community a place of fun and learning with their children.

Hey, nothing says lovin’ like a warm place to get out of the chill on a windy February day! The only thing missin’ is mom’s chicken soup!

The children’s fair offers parents information, instruction, partnerships, and plain old fashioned fun memories.

While of course I am normally partial to pooches for entertainment, I can’t ignore the fact that there were spectacular child entertainers taking the stage as well.
Singers Woody Wolfe http://www.hearttohandministries.com/ and KJ Reimensnyder -Wagner http://www.kjsmile.com/ were just two of several special guests that delighted both child and adult alike. Having had the pleasure to see both of them in action previous to this event, I know what a delight they are for children of all ages. ( well except for those pesky teens who know it all! ) If you ever get a chance to see either of them, don’t miss out!

So if the next year's cold Saturday in February finds you in PA with your kids or if you plan on moving into the area, check out events that are upcoming and how you can become involved with ‘Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children’ http://paprom.convio.net/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7061&news_iv_ctrl=-1

Check out our video of Chance & Steeler “Big dogs, little people 2”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj_3gRdLJls

Until next time, do something fun with both your kids and your pets!