A few years ago I was instrumental in helping to start a rescue group called PAAWS, Proving Animals Are Worth Saving. I remember my daughter and I go to the tanning beds and discussing all this. Since she was an attorney, her advice was most instrumental in forming a no kill rescue group.
First we had to decide on a name. We came up with PAAWS, but could not come up with what it would stand for. We headed for the tanning beds and each of us laid there and thought of suggestions, finally it came to us, and we put it altogether.
We rounded up a bunch of friends that were also opposed to the killing going on at the Warrick Humane Society shelter and banded together and brought PAAWS about.
Even though I am no longer in Indiana, I still want PAAWS to remain the great rescue that it has always been. Using foster homes, educating people about spays and neuters and helping those in need with pets is still a priority for me and through my blogs I hope that I do that.
PAAWS is having an online auction from June 20th -25th this year, and I am hoping that everyone who reads this, plus a friend of theres, will visit the auction site and bid. If you don’t see anything you want, you can still make a donation. From gift cards to Harley Davidson items to duffle bags, even a weekend at Casino Aztar, there is something for everyone. If you would like to donate an item for auction, that would also be great.
Just follow the directions on the home page for signing up to get your auction account name. Its simple, easy and fun, but most of all, very important to help save the animals. Without us, they have no one to speak up for them.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
A unique program developed by Dr Thomas Lane, a veterinarian from Florida, has inmates training puppies in a guide dog/ prison program.
Because inmates obviously have a lot of time on their hands, Dr Lane felt they would be a perfect solution for not only teaching the inmates patience and how to be responsible for a life, but also for the puppies who could receive constant attention and learning from the inmates.
Because the need for guide dogs and law enforcement working dogs as well as full trained service dogs to help wounded soldiers has increased so rapidly over the years the Puppies Behind Bars appears to be helping meet this demand.
The way the program works is inmates are assigned a puppy which live with them in their cells for 16 months. They are the primary care giver of these puppies, and must attend the classes administered by Puppies Behind Bars once a week. The puppies are also furloughed to a foster family two to three weekends a month to gain access to occurrences which they would not be exposed to in prison. After their 16 months, they are tested to see whether or not they would make good service dogs and if so, what service would best suit them. If they are deemed suitable, they are then sent on to formal training, if not, they are donated to blind children.
This program has made it possible for inmates to take puppies and turn them into great dogs who are a joy to be around, that listen to commands and are well behaved. In return, the puppies have spread their calming affect and taught the inmates maturity and patience and love.
Naturally with any program like this, funds are in need since they pay 100% of their own costs like medical, food, training, and travel and education supplies.
Glenn Close, actress and co founder of Fetchdog, an online shopping and social site, has teamed up with Vibram, the maker of military footwear to help raise funds for Puppies Behind Bars. Because Puppies Behind Bars is significant in supplying the soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with service dogs, they have created a program called “Dog Tags”. Dog Tags are a chewy shoe that is all natural non toxic rubber and made in the same molds used to make military shoes. Attached to the “Dog Tag” is a lanyard to make playing fetch fun.
With every purchase of a “Dog Tag” being sold at Fetchdog, $2.00 will be donated to the Puppies Behind Bars program to go towards their program for training service dogs for the soldiers.
To learn more about this program, be sure to watch Oprah on Friday, May 15, 2009 on your local station.
Like humans, dogs can have a lot of medical bills. There’s the annual exams, the teeth cleanings, the vaccinations, and of course the altering, all necessary to provide your dog with the best possible health. Then there’s the bills that you don’t count on, you don’t put aside for or even expect to get, the ones for medical problems.
No one wants their dog to ever get sick, but, as natural aging occurs, just like with humans, illnesses happen, and can be very costly. Then there are also the accidents which can occur, especially with puppies.
To help defray these unexpected emergencies, Petco now offers insurance for your pet. Based on your pet’s age, gender, species, breed and deductible you chose, you can insure your pet for little monthly. The only exclusions to your coverage are pre existing conditions and hip dysplasia if the policy is not taken out before the age of one. Routine exams are also not covered. The cost of insuring your pet will not increase with age, it remains the same with the exception of veterinary inflationary costs.
Why not get a personalized, immediate quote online now. It only takes minutes to do. You can choose any deductible you like, in $5.00 increments to compare your monthly costs.
As a good pet owner, make sure that you can give your pet the veterinary care they deserve by insuring them against medical emergencies.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
The Lechuza Caracas team from Venezuela lost 21 horses from an unknown cause just prior to a Polo Match in Wellington, Florida.
The cause of the deaths of the horses is currently under investigation.
Two horses became rapidly ill and as veterinarians and team officials rushed to help them, another 6 colapsed and died. All toll, 21 horses died, some immediately upon collapsing, others lingered for 45 minutes or more.
A neocropsy is being performed on several of the horses at state run Kissemmee Diagnostic Lab to determine just what was injected into the horses to kill them. Veterinarians are fairly certain that whatever had to be injected, not ingested because of how quickly it tooktheir lives.
The horses, valued at $100,000 each, were between 10 and 11 years old. They are used intermittently during the polo match so that one horse doesn’t over exert itself.
The owner of the horses, multi milloinaire Victor Vargas, is President of the Venezuelan Bank Association and Director of the Latin American Banks Federation. He became an avid polo player when he started playing at the age of 24.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
We are rapidly coming up to fleas season in much of the country. Some of the country like florida or parts of Texas and California are always under flea watch. The reason for that is fleas love the 65-80 degree temperatures and in some parts of the country, it stays pretty close to that range year round.
Lets start by examining the fleas life cycle you understand just how quickly they mulitiply and what a hassle they can be. An adult female flea will live on its host (dog or cat) for several weeks. During this time it will live off the hosts blood, sucking on it two to three times a day. During this period she will also lay her eggs. She can lay several hundred over the span of her life. The eggs will then fall off into carpets, yards, bedding, cracks in floors, or lots of places, because they are so small they are pretty well undetected. The eggs will then develop whereever they land and become larvae. These larvae will feed on skin cells, flea feces, and organic matter they find. The larvae will grow, molt twice and then form a pupae. The Pupae can live for a long time just waiting for the perfect time to hatch, or they can hatch in as little as 14 days. When conditions become right for them (temperature and host environment) they then become a flea. Contrary to popular belief, the fleas do not fly, instead, they have extremely strong back legs and jump from host to host. With perfect conditions, tens of thousands of these little guys can be produced.
The fleas then end up on your pet making them scratch ferociously. Some pets are so allergic to flea saliva that only one bite can drive them wild. Secondary infections can result from the itching and scratching and allergic reactions to the fleas. Since fleas do not like light, you need to dig deep to the bottom of their coats to find them. Flea dirt will appear like little pepper flakes on their skin. You can take a wet cotton ball and press on them and you will see a little blot of blood. Cats often scratch around their neck and ear area and have little bumps when they have fleas. Flea allergy can produce a loss of hair, normally starting around the base of the tail and working toward the neck area.
Treating the environment is a neccessity when trying to rid the area of fleas, just like treating your pet. Program is on the best products on the market for treating fleas. This once a month pill for your dogs or cats provides a safe and effective way to control fleas. If you want to kill the fleas immediately on your pet, Capstar will kill all of them within 24 hrs,thought it has no residual affect at that time. Frontline Plus is also another way to treat fleas. When applied directly to the skin once a month, this will kill any of the fleas that bite your pet. I have personally used Frontline with a great amount of luck.
Whatever method of flea control you use, make sure to read the directions carefully and follow them exactly. Sometimes one method works better for your pet and environment then another, so you may need to adjust what you use. Remember to treat the environment also if you see fleas on your pet.
Right now, you can buy your Flea Products on sale at Dr. Fosters and Smith and pay no shipping. Now is definately the time to stock up.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Everyone once in awhile a video appears that makes you smile and remember just why dogs are mans best friend. In this case, the dog is womens best friend. Watching this dog dance just shows the endless accomplishments that we can teach our dogs.
Watch the video and enjoy. I know you’ll be smiling ear to ear just like I did when I watched it.
.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Because dogs, especially puppies like to put everything they can find in their mouths, its not uncommon for them to get something lodged in their throats or choke on something. Gobbling up big chunks of food can also cause this.
If you know that your dog is choking, do not panic.
If your dog is small, you can turn it upside down by its legs and try to get whatever it is out by gently shaking them. If your dog is large, obviously this is not an option. Get a flashlight and carefully pull your dogs tongue forward and look in to see if you can see the object. If you can reach it, stick your hand in and pull it out. If you cannot reach it, you may need to do the Heimlich manuever.
I have done a previous blog on this, but I will reiterate one more time on how to do it.
Put your arms or hands around the dogs chest, depending on their size.
Making a fist out of your hands, place one hand over the other between the dogs tummy and lower rib cage.
Firmly and quickly push your fists into the dog inwards and upwards.
Repeat as necessary. If you dog is not breathing once the object is out, you may need to do CPR. Do not do this procedure unless you are certain that your dog has something lodged in its throat.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Just the other day I was at the beach and it reminded me of what the warm weather and boating is going to mean to peoples pets. Since I live in Florida, I see a lot of boating and even jet skiing dogs. Many dogs love this sport, but, is the owner taking the necessary precautions they need to. Heres a few tips to make boating safer for your pets.
First off, take it slow when introducing your pet to this new experience. Many people assume that their pets will love it since they love water, but the noise of the engines, other people around, the boat rocking can cause anxiety with your pet, and maybe even a jump overboard. Never leave your pet unattended while the boat is moving. If your pet seems overly anxious on takeoff, remove him from the boat, do not stress him out. Take it little steps at a time.
Purchase a Personal Pet Flotation Device for your pet. When buying it, take your pet with you so that you get the exact size and fit. Even if you think your dog is an excellent swimmer, they need to be wearing a life vest. You never know when something may happen in the water, a strong current, your pet getting sick or many things which can inhibit their swimming ability.
Always keep a shaded area where the deck is cool for your dog to walk around on or lay at. Keep lots of water for him to drink too.
Be sure if your pet is out swimming that there are no fishing lines around. Also, jelly fish can be dangerous so make sure you are not in an area where they are. Limit your pets playtime in the water. They can get exhausted too. If you have them on the beach, becareful where they are walking and running since many people fail to pick up their glass bottles and other sharp objects while picknicking.
For more suggestions you can visit Boatus.com/pets online.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
All across the country the fleas are gearing up for flea season. This year even in the south we had some pretty cold weather and they laid dormant for a bit, but as the weather heats up, so do the fleas.
The best way to combat fleas is to avoid getting them. I’ve talked with people that don’t even have pets and yet they have fleas in their home. Thats because fleas will come in on your clothes if you walk through an infested area. Other people will tell me that their pets never go outside, but I have to pretty much disagree if you have a dog. Just because your dog doesn’t stay outside, doesn’t mean he doesn’t go outside, like potty time. Then theres the people that tell me that their pet doesn’t have fleas and they know this because their pet although its scratching, they haven’t had any jump on them. Beware, fleas will not jump on you until they no longer have a source to eat on or if their source if already filled up. When they jump on you, you can bet you’ve got a problem.
So, how do you handle this, one word, prevention. Don’t let the fleas get you before you get them. The best ways to avoid this is obvious. Flea protection for your pets.
Right now, you can make a purchase at 1-800-Pet-Meds and get free shipping on your order of $39.00 or more. Thats a great savings. Plus, if you spend over $300.00, you can save $20.00 online only. To get started, click on 1-800-Pet-Meds and check around the site for some incredible savings. Remember, its easier and cheaper to prevent fleas then to try to get rid of them.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Years ago I was approached by some friends that were involved with Make A Wish Foundation to grant a childs request by letting him ride one of my horses. I was more then happy to accomodate and had the perfect horse for him to ride, but unfortunately, that never came to pass. Horseback riding will always be one of those fun and exciting things that children like to do, and not many have the chance. Not only is it fun to ride a horse, but since the 1970’s, horseback riding has been used in aiding children with disabilities. The practice of children riding and exercising on a horse is called Hippotherapy.
What is Hippotherapy? Hippotherapy uses the many faceted movements of the horses body to aid in specific therapeutic functional outcomes, in other words they are used as mobile therapeutic movement treatment procedures. Because the movement of the horses body is similar to those of a humans, their repetitive movement helps in improving muscle tone, balance, Co-ordination flexibility and strenth in the rider. Therapists will have their little riders lay in different positions, stretching and flexing them, stand in stirrups or even ride without holding on. Some therapists may even have their little ones play catch while on the back of the horse. Whats really interesting too is that some of these children have actually gone on to show these beautiful creatures in competitions competing against other children that do not have disabilities and bringing them into the world fully.
Each therapy program is specifically designed for the child for whatever goals and levels they can reach.
To learn more about children with disabilities, their success stories, how to become a volunteer or a host of other information, visit CVS Caremark.
Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
June 3, 2009 
Posted in Cats, Dogs, Fun, News 
No Comments » 
content rss
Recent Comments