Who: Owners w/their costumed dogs

What: A Halloween parade will be held for all dogs.  A contest will also be held where prizes will be awarded to the dog who is the prettiest, most handsome, scariest, and wearing the most original costume.  An additional prize will be awarded to owners and their dogs who are both dressed to impress the judges.  All dogs that participated will receive dog treats and owners will receive doughnuts.

When: Sunday, October 26th from 2PM – 4PM.  The parade will begin at 2:30PM.

Where: Dogtopia is located at 139 Endicott St. (in Enditcott Plaza behind the Market Basket)

Hosted By: Dogtopia

For more information: Call Dogtopia at 978-777-STAY

Who: Owners and their costumed dogs

What: Owners will lead their costumed dogs through Frankenmuth River Place.  Participating shops will be handing out bags with dog treats.  The dog wearing the best costume will win a prize.

When: Saturday, October 18th at 3PM

Where: 925 S. Main St. Frankenmuth, MI

Hosted By: Raining Cats & Dogs

For more information: 652-8100

Deakin University, in Australia, conducted a study amongst about 1,100 children between 5-12 years old, finding that pet ownership could help children to maintain a healther weight and lifestyle.

These children were found to have a better likelihood of staying fit and not becoming overweight or obese if they owned a dog, even if they didn’t regularly walk the dog.  It’s believed that the interaction (i.e. playing) children have with the dog helps to keep the weight off.  These researchers also found from one of their prior studies that “young girls who owned a dog were more physically active by 30 minutes than those without pets“.

Children who are younger have shown to benefit the greatest – “20% of those who owned a dog being overweight or obese compared with 25% of children who did not live with a pet“.  Also, “30% of 10-12 year olds who did not have a dog suffered weight problems compared with 27% of their peers with a pet“. 

Have you or someone you know physically benefited from owning a dog?

Source: The Age.com.au

Celebrity Dogs Unleashed is a fundraising art project to benefit a non-profit organization called “Green Chimneys” in Brewster, NY.  Green Chimneys, operates as a special education, residential treatment center for children and a farm and wildlife rehabilitation center.  For this fundraiser, celebrities such as: Richard Gere, Kathie Lee Joel, Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Robery Kennedy Jr., Robin Quivers, Clive Davis, and Vanessa Williams have come together to paint 30 life size fiberglass dogs that are to be auctioned off at www.CharityFolks.com through November 1st.  Proceeds from the auction will help benefit the children and animals at Green Chimneys.

To help your dog to live a long life, it’s essential that you feed him/her a nutritious diet.  The AKC recommends feeding your dog the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water to keep your dog healthy. 

Your breeder or veterinarian can also give you advice on what to feed your dog, but only you can be the judge of how your dog is effected by the diet suggested by:

• Assessing your dog’s energy level for his/her breed and age

• Appetite doesn’t seem out of norm

• Skin and coat are healthy and shiny

Tips for keeping your dog looking and feeling his/her best:

• Giving your dog dry food provides a more healthy and balanced diet.  Dry food can be saved for later if your dog doesn’t finish it and can also be moistened with water, canned food, or other supplements.

• Puppies need to consume more calories than adult dogs.  Though puppies need to eat more, keep in mind that they still have small stomachs and can only eat a limited amount of food at one time.  Therefore, for puppies under 6 months, try and feed your dog food that’s formulated specifically for puppies, 3 – 4 times a day.  After 6 months, feed your puppy 2 – 3 times a day.  When you have an adult dog, feed according to their size and energy level needs.  Usually, adult dogs don’t need to be fed more than twice a day.

• Don’t feed your dog table scraps.  Your dog does not have the same nutritional needs as you do.  If your dog manages to “guilt” you into feeding him/her, give a small portion of something healthy such as: carrots, broccoli, or apple chunks.

Source: The Seattle Times

About 223,000 SlyDog retractable dog leashes were recalled due to the metal clasp that connected the leash to the dog’s collar would bend or break when used, causing the leash to recoil back unexpectedly. 

Worldwise Inc., importer of SlyDog retractable dog leashes, received 5 reports of injuries from the product:

• Facial cuts
• A broken tooth
• Displaced eye lens
• and a bruised collar bone

This product was sold in Dollar General Stores nationwide from September 2007 – August 2008.  If you are one of the consumers who purchased these leashes, stop using them and return it immediately to Worldwise Inc. for a refund (including the shipping costs) at 888-296-3807 from 8AM – 5PM Monday – Friday or visit: www.squareonesystem.com.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Is your dog is scared from the sounds of thunderstorms, traffic, house guests, etc.?   According to veterinarian Sue Wagner, music and sounds can be used as a technique for your dog’s behavioral issues. 

Wagner believes that understanding how different noise levels influence the degree of anxiety your dog may experience will help you to reduce their stress levels.  Any type of clatter noises such as buzzing from the clothes dryer or a door slamming can trigger stress.  Recognizing that intense noises from both inside and outside where you live are also influencers will help you to reduce your dog’s anxiety.  If you have no control over the noises, calming music can be used to help – and there is no need for the music to be play loudly.

Guidelines should be taken to ensure your dog has a positive association when using music as a technique for calming your dog.

• Play soothing music when your dog is not feeling anxious, so that when they hear this music, it will remind them of being in a positive state of mind
• After doing this process, apply it when your dog is faced with anxious situations
• If you find your dog is still anxious, stop playing the music and go back to only playing it when your dog is in a positive state and then try at a later point
• Learn the behaviors your dog exhibits when afraid – Ask a dog trainer for help identifying these behaviors (i.e. panting, whining, restless, or pawing at you, etc.)
• When you see that your dog’s fearful behaviors are gone from the music being played, you may then continue using the technique

This process can be applied in several situations to prevent your dog from having anxiety such as:

• Separation anxiety
• Aggression
• Thunderstorms
• Fireworks
• Excitement
• Visitors
• Stressful moments that people near your dog may have
• Boarding
• Driving with your dog

In 1999, Pet Sitters International established the holiday “Take Your Dog To Work Day”, to help raise awareness of pet related topics such as: pet overpopulation or the benefits of animal companionship. 

This year, Take Your Dog To Work Day will begin on June 20th.  A few guidelines need to be set in place first:

1. Check with your company to see if it’s okay to bring your dog to work.  You should be courteous to your colleagues, because some may be allergic or even afraid.
    
2. Doggie proof your work area.  Just like at home, make sure there aren’t any poisonous plants in your workspace.
    
3. Make sure your dog has all of its shots.
    
4. Carry a doggie bag with you.  You will want to be fully equipped with paper towels, pet safe disinfectant, food, treats, toys, etc.
    
5. Don’t force your co-workers to interact with your dog.  You’re still at work, so you don’t want to be distracting others from their work.  You will also want to prevent your dog from having accidents around the office.  Don’t worry, people who are dog lovers, will let it be known that they are and as a result initiate the greeting themselves.

It’s a tough decision for pet owners to decide on what type of pet service to use when they want to travel away from home.  The decision of choosing a pet sitter vs. a kennel can be made a lot easier, by considering your pet’s health and personality.  According to Tonia Evans, owner of The Kitty’s Corner, a Whitman, Mass.-based pet-sitting and cat-boarding business, “kennels are better suited for animals that tend to get lonely”. 

According to Fetch! Pet Care, here are a few things you may want to take into consideration when”

•  Choosing a kennel:
   
  1. Have you toured the facility?  If so, does it meet your expectations?
  2. Does the place smell okay?
  3. Are the dog beds raised off the floor?
  4. Is there good air circulation?
  5. Is the turf of the play area made of asphalt?  If so, it can hurt your dog’s paws.
  6. Have you checked out the kennel’s references?
      
•  Choosing a pet sitter:
   
  1. Are they fully bonded & insured?
  2. Have you checked out the pet sitter’s references?
  3. Do you feel comfortable with the person who would take care of your pet?
  4. Would they be able to accommodate any special needs your pet may have such as diet and exercise?
  5. Have they undergone a criminal background check?
  6. Did they receive relevant training?

The current state of our economy has led to turmoil for many folks – companies have hiring freezes, people are being laid off, houses are being foreclosed.  The housing market collapse has led to more than only people no longer having a home to live in, but some of these peoples’ pets are being left behind, because they don’t have the means to care for them.

Realtors have walked into foreclosed houses and have seen unbelievable things such as a cat that was lying dead in the corner that was left with no food / water and another incident where a dog was still alive in a home, but left with no food / water. 

You can tell these incidences occur more often than you can imagine. Rebecca Strobel, an agent, said that when she goes to a foreclosed house, “you just pray that there’s nothing in there”.  Now, she always carries an arsenal of supplies in the trunk of her car, including dog and cat food, leashes, blankets and first-aid kits.

This is an alarming concern for animal shelters, because some become overcrowded and when they don’t have any more empty cages, they have to euthanize pets. 

Please take into consideration the life of your pet if you’re not able to care for it any longer.  There are options available such as seeing if friends / family / neighbors can take care of it, bringing it to the local animal shelter ( note that if it’s overcrowded, it may be euthanized), etc..