Australian-Shepherd-Lovers.com All About Your Favorite Breed. Information and resources featuring sections on Australian Shepherd history, health, genetics, temperament, training and agility with directories of rescue organizations and breeders.
The quality and SAFETY of your dog’s food is paramount to their well-being. Nothing beats their mother’s milk, but puppies eventually are weaned from her. The food/diet you choose for your puppy/dog will determine their overall health and longevity. We all remember the big pet food recall a couple of years ago. But do you know if your pet’s foods are still posing a risk to their health?
Puppies Gathered Around the Food Bowl
As Posted on PetPlace.com:
Current recalls from the FDA:
09/07/2010 The Hartz Mountain Corporation Recalls Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
08/30/10 P&G Voluntarily Recalls a Small Amount of dry cat food
08/29/10 P&G Recalls Small Number of Bags of Cat Food From Stores in Loveland, Colorado
08/13/2010 Merrick Pet Care Recalls Filet Squares & Texas Hold’ems 10oz Bag (Item # 60016 All Lots) Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
08/09/2010 FDA: Salmonella risk from frozen rodents fed to reptiles
08/03/2010 Merrick Pet Care Recalls Texas Hold’ems 10 oz Bag (Item # 60016 Lot 10127 Best by May 6 2012) because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
07/30/2010 P&G Expands Voluntary Limited Recall of Specialized Dry Pet Foods Due to Possible Health Risk
07/28/2010 Evamist Hormone Spray May Cause Illness in Pets
07/27/2010 Mice Direct Recalls Frozen Reptile Feed Because of Possible Health Risk
07/25/2010 P&G Recalls Two Lots of Prescription Renal Diet Cat Food due to a Possible Health Risk
07/15/2010 Feline’s Pride Expands Nationwide Recall of its Natural Chicken Formula Cat Food Due to Salmonella Contamination Salmonella
01/14/2010 FDA Health Alert for Merrick Beef Filet Squares Dog Treats Packaged and Distributed by Merrick Pet Care
After hearing Save-A-Pet’s plea for financial assistance, two very generous donors have come forward and agreed to help Save-A-Pet Adoption Center by way of a Challenge Grant, named after their beloved dog Abby.
These very generous donors have agreed to match all funds collected up to $5,000.
Abby’s Challenge Grant will take place during the month of October only.
Funds collected for this program will be used to pay for the health care expenses of existing canine residents as well as recently rescued dogs.
Save-A-Pet is extremely fortunate and grateful for this amazing offer.
I hope you will find it in your hearts to come forward and support this program.
Date: Friday, October 01, 2010 - Sunday, October 31, 2010
Recycled Rotts, Inc., a local not-for-profit 501(c)(3), specializing in the rescue and adoption of rottweilers, will be holding another Lurecoursing Fundraiser on November 6, 2010 from 10am-5pm!
Recycled Rotts Fundraiser
The event will be hosted by the wonderful Lure Coursing Fanatics in Somers, WI (7725 12th Street, Kenosha, WI 53144just over the IL border).
Please RSVP to RRlurecoursing@yahoo.com with the number of dogs, number of runs, and approximate time you plan on attending (10am-11am, etc.).
They will implement a number system so that there will be NO WAITING IN LINE.
Cost is $10 for the first run and $5 each run thereafter for the same dog. Lunch, snacks, drinks and RR Gear will be available for purchase. You do not need to pay in advance, just pay when you arrive, either cash, or checks payable to Recycled Rotts Inc.
ALL breeds/mixes welcome. Area is fully fenced. Dogs will run one at a time (unless 2 dogs who know each other want to run together, but 2 dogs count as 2 runs). No special training required, any dog that likes to chase toys or plastic bags should love to lurecourse! The event will be held outdoors, so please dress accordingly. There will be a fire pit of sorts to help keep the humans warm.
In the darkest hours of Bruce Sallan’s divorce when he didn’t want to get out of bed, his two dogs were there jumping on the mattress and licking his face. And when his worries kept him awake at night, the big black German Shepherd mix and the Pointer mix with brown and white spots were there then too, lying beside him on top of the covers.
“Petting one of my dogs was almost like a way I’d calm myself down and fall asleep,” says Sallan, a writer and radio host in California. But then he met and married Debbie, who had a dog of her own but suffered from allergies and liked her furniture free of dirt and hair. She was adamant: “No dogs in bed.”
“He would have his dog on the bed and there would be dog hair on my pillow and I’d be sneezing,” Debbie tells Paw Nation. The solution? She spent several hundred dollars on plush beds for all three dogs and ultimately, everyone was happy.
The Stats
Some pet owners may be sheepish to admit it, but Sallan is far from alone. A 2007 survey of more than 2,500 pet owners by the American Pet Products Association found 43 percent of dogs slept in a person’s bed at night, a steady increase from 34 percent a decade ago.
So is there anything wrong with pets in the bed? Like Bruce and Debbie, vets and animal trainers have strong opinions on the subject.
The Pros
Sleeping in the same bed has strong emotional benefits for you and your pooch.
1. It’s comforting to both the owners and the animals. The company of pets have been proven to lower blood pressure, stress and reduce feelings of loneliness. According to veterinarian Ira Roth, director of the Community Practice Clinic at University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, having them close to you at night only magnifies those benefits, whether the animal is at the foot of the bed or under the covers.
Illinois dog owner Jamie Hand agrees with that assessment. “Rocky likes to cuddle, and he always has to be right next to me,” Hand tells Paw Nation, referring to her Jack Russell Terrier mix who is very content sleeping in his owner’s bed. “If I roll away from him, he scoots over so he’s right next to my torso again. This doesn’t disrupt my sleep at all. In fact, it’s quite comforting to feel him snuggling up against me.”
2. It can deepen the bond between dog and owner. New York City dog trainer Sarah Westcott, owner of Doggie Academy, always gave her dogs their own beds. But then she adopted Hank, a lab who kept to himself.
“Out of the blue one day, I put him in bed and he curled up next to me,” Westcott says. Everything changed after that. “Whatever he’s doing, even when he’s a hyper maniac, if I invite him in bed he settles right down.”
3. It can give nervous dogs more confidence. Sherry Bedard, an animal trainer and behaviorist in Montreal and author of “Sherry’s Secret Dictionary, A Guide to your Dog” believes that the assurance boost of sharing the bed with their owners can “help the dog cope with everyday functions such as going out for a walk in public or meeting strangers.”
The Cons
From health reasons to relationships concerns, there are strong arguments against sharing the bed.
1. It can intensify allergies. Your airways are more susceptible to irritants at night, partly because when you’re lying down, you’re closer to the ground, where particles settle. Multiply that by plus or minus 8 hours and that’s a lot of exposure, says Frank S. Virant, MD, an allergy and asthma specialist in Seattle. Plus, pet dander and fur stays on the pillow long after the animal has left the room. If you find yourself sniffling or wheezing, the pet should leave the bedroom, Virant tells Paw Nation.
2. It can amp up human/canine power struggles. Orlando dog trainer Todd Langston, owner of Pack Life K-9 Behavior Solutions believes that giving the dog the highest, most comfortable spot in the house sends the message that he is the leader of the pack. “Many of these dogs will even growl at their owners if they wake them in the middle of the night or snap at them if they try to get them off the bed,” says Langston.
They are really excited about adoptions at the Nevada Humane Society.
According to Paul Ciampanelli a blogger for Pawnation.com, ”last week the Nevada Humane Society rocketed to YouTube fame with their pet-themed take on the JK Wedding video, with their ‘Adoption Entrance Dance.’ So excited are the NHS’s employees when a new pet finds a home, they can’t contain their happy feet.”
Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals hosts the Jersey Shore’s first “fur” ball for people and their pups–supports the work of New Jersey’s neediest animal rescue groups.
Saturday, October 9th, 6-10pm
Ocean Place Resort, Long Branch, NJ
Long Branch (August 30, 2010) – Join the Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals this fall at the Blue Moon Bark Ball, the Jersey Shore’s first black-tie optional gala for people AND their pooches! Hosted by Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, NJ, the “Fur Ball” fundraiser will take place on Saturday, October 9th, from 6-10pm, with proceeds supporting New Jersey’s neediest animal rescue organizations. Enjoy signature “Blue Muttini” cocktails and open bar, surf and turf dinner, dancing with music by East Coast favorite, the Eddie Bruce Band, auctions of unique and luxurious prizes for you and your pet and a King and Queen of the Ball Awards.
Tickets are $200 per person and canine companions are free. Table reservations, journal advertisements, and sponsorships are available. Visit http://www.purrnpoochfoundation.org to purchase tickets online as reservations are limited. Journal advertisements are due by September 17. Contact Event Co-Chair Jean Hager at 732-693-3080 for more information. “The Blue Moon Bark Ball is sure to be a stellar event! Dogs will feast on specially prepared cuisine and dance the two-step with their family and four-legged friends, while raising important funds to help less fortunate animals in desperate need of sanctuary, protection, care, and love,” Jean Hager, Co-Chair, Blue Moon Bark Ball & Treasurer, Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals.
The very “pupular” Eddie Bruce Band features concert quality vocalists and masterful musicians who drive guests to the dance floor. Lead performer Bruce will also showcase his newest cd, “Bruce on Bennett”, a loving vocal tribute to Tony Bennett featuring a jazz influenced singer and piano, bass, drums and guitar. Event Honorary Chairs are Dick and Mary Palazzo of Monmouth Beach and the Bark of the Ball and Honoree is Grace, a German Shepherd recently rescued and rehabilitated by Dick Palazzo and foster owner Chris O’Rourke of Red Bank.
Dick Palazzo, a widely regarded trainer and behaviorist, asked a New Jersey shelter to give a German Shepherd deemed aggressive and marked for death “thirty days of grace” to stay alive so he may restore her trust and confidence in people. He worked hand-in-paw with the rescue, who he later named Grace. This story of hope inspired daughters Koren and Betsy to establish the Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals on the special occasion of the 40th Anniversary of Purr’n Pooch, their father’s luxury boarding and daycare business. To this day, Grace has been wonderful and although happy endings for needy animals are far too uncommon, her story has given the Foundation the same thing Dick gave Grace – hope. “Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone. Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own.” Rogers & Hart, 1934, “The lyrics from this nostalgic love song depict the first meeting of our father and a two-year old German Shepherd marked for death at an animal shelter. The emaciated, yet still beautiful dog had been branded as “aggressive”, but when our father looked into her soft brown eyes, he knew that she was simply misunderstood. This is one of the many stories that have inspired us to found the Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals,” said Koren Spaddavechia and Betsy Palazzo, Trustees, Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals.
The Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals is dedicated to providing financial support and educational resources to non-profit, no-kill animal rescue groups and organizations. The Purr’n Pooch Foundation supports all species of animals, including but not limited to companion pets, farming animals and wildlife. The Board of Trustees include: President Betsy Palazzo, Vice President Koren Spadavecchia, Treasurer Jean Hager, Secretary Maryann Small and Trustee Shannon Gance. The Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Visit http://www.purrnpoochfoundation.org for more information or to make a donation to support the worthy efforts of New Jersey based non-profit, no-kill animal rescue groups and organizations.
Hey y’all . . . here’s a link you might find useful. It’s for dog-friendly motels across the U.S. I have been made aware of its existence through an agility newsgroup that I belong to.
Here is a copy of the email I received the other day:
AgilityDogMotels.comis finally open! It’s FREE and easy and is a labor of love I’ve been working on. Dog owners have unique needs and priorities when it comes to staying in motels. TripAdvisor and other sites are helpful but often don’t have answers to important questions like is there enough grass for your dog to potty and are you going to have to carry those heavy crates a mile from the car into your room. This is a forum where you can review motels you and your dogs have stayed in from a performance dog owners’ perspective. And be sure to check in here before making reservations for your next trial.
It’s FREE (although I hope to eventually sell some minor advertising to make it self-supporting – right now hosting costs are out of my pocket). You do need to register in order to write a review. Registration is EASY. When you register, you’ll receive an email with a link to activate your account (this process helps prevent spammers). If you have any trouble with this process, please email: admin@agilitydogmotels.com and I’ll activate your account. Your first review will have to be approved but after that, your reviews will show up immediately. This process helps prevent obnoxious spam from showing up on our forum. If there are trial locations I’ve missed, please post them in the Add Trial Site forum. There is also an “En Route To” forum in every state for those places you’ve stopped at while you were heading somewhere else. You’ll see How to Post a Review in each forum. Please read this before posting as it will help us all stick to a similar format. Please feel free to cross post and forward this to everyone you know in the performance dog world.
We need your help! The ASPCA is delighted to have been accepted into the Pepsi Refresh Project, an exciting campaign launched in January whereby Pepsi awards up to $1.3 million per month in grants to people, businesses and non-profits for those ideas that will have a positive impact in communities around the United States. The ASPCA has applied for a $250,000 grant which, if secured, would afford us the opportunity to further support the incredible work of our Field Investigations and Response team in rescuing animals from disasters, cruelty and neglect.
The ASPCA would use our Refresh Grant to purchase, equip and operate a second Animal Rescue Transport Vehicle to facilitate the swift and safe removal and re-homing of animals in danger. By supporting this project, you will be a hero for suffering animals who need our help.
Refresh Grants will be awarded to the ideas that receive the greatest number of votes. Only two ideas will win within the $250,000 category, so the competition is tough. We need your help! Go towww.refresheverything.com/aspcarescue to sign in and vote today, and every day, through August 31.Help us spread the word by telling everyone you know by email, Facebook and Twitter so they can join the fight against animal cruelty by voting for us.
U.S. House Votes to Prohibit Sale and Distribution of Crush Videos
On Wednesday, July 21, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 416-3 to pass H.R. 5566, the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010. The nearly unanimous affirmative vote, as well as the fact that 262 representatives attached their names to the bill as cosponsors, makes this a decisive victory for animals—especially considering that the bill was introduced only one month ago.
Representative Elton Gallegly (R-CA) introduced H.R. 5566 in response to the Supreme Court’s April ruling that the original Crush Act, a 1999 federal law banning the creation, sale and possession of materials depicting genuine acts of animal cruelty, is unconstitutional and overbroad in its scope. The Crush Act had succeeded in curbing commercial trade of “crush” fetish videos, which generally depict a woman’s feet as they crush to death small animals such as rodents and kittens. Now, in the absence of any enforceable federal law, this horrific underground industry is on the ascent.
H.R. 5566 amends the Crush Act to prohibit distributing, selling or offering to distribute or sell any depictions of animals being crushed, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or burned where such actions are illegal. Rep. Gallegly reportedly worked with law and constitutional scholars when drafting the bill to ensure that its language is narrowly tailored to be able to withstand strict First Amendment challenges.
Legislation of this kind must pass both chambers of Congress to become U.S. law—and so far, a companion bill to H.R. 5566 has not been introduced in the Senate. Congress will soon enjoy a month-long recess; upon its return in September, the ASPCA will encourage the Senate to take up the Crush Videos Act of 2010. The current federal legislative session (the 111th United States Congress) ends on January 3, 2011, so it is vital that the Senate act with the same speed and resolve demonstrated by the members of the House of Representatives.
We will alert ASPCA Advocacy Brigade subscribers when a Senate version of this bill is introduced, so please join the Brigade today and don’t miss any breaking news about the progress of this and other animal-related legislation.
