Author Captures the Courage and Dedication of the Dogs of War

Clayton, CA – Nicole Arbelo became a dog lover when, as a child, the family German shepherd took a near fatal bite from a rattlesnake that was meant for her. In the early years of the Iraqi war, she discovered a special website where she read about fallen soldiers. She also learned that she could “adopt” several K9 handlers and their military working dogs (MWDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the stories that impressed her was about Sgt. Adam Cann—a K-9 dog handler who died in a suicide attack that killed 58 people in Iraq in 2006.

Sgt. Cann was from her hometown of Davie, Florida.  Bruno, the dog survived.  She decided to track down Bruno’s new handler, Corporal Justin Granado and she began writing. His story is one of dozens of stories of military dogs and handlers that she ultimately captured in her new book K9 Heroes; Together We Protect, Defend, and Conquer As One.

Sgt. Adam Cann and Bruno.

 

K-9 Heroes is a heartfelt and galvanizing collection of true stories about courage and duty, love and loss, as told by the men and women serving with military working dogs. Sgt. Cann and Cpl. Granada are among the nearly 30 elite marines and soldiers who are featured. Each story relates describes the experiences the handlers had and how their dogs are fearless, loyal and protective partners during missions and loving companions and that relieve stress and boredom when times are slow.

Military dogs have long been used in combat, but since 2001, the number of dogs has increase from 1,300 to 2,800. They are used to scout, search, and rescue. Some are trained to detect explosives. Others are used as sentries, mascots, attack dogs, and guards. General David Patraeus stated that their skills “cannot be replicated by man or machine.”

All are ready to lay down their lives for their handlers.

K9 Heroes, By Nicole Arbelo

List $ 14.95, ISBN: 978-1-4327-4475-5

Format: 6 x 9 paperback, published by Outskirts Press.

It is available at bookstores online. For more information visit www.outskirtspress.com/K9Heroes

K9 Heroes is illustrated with more 100 photographs that support the touching and often heart-wrenching stories of soldiers and their dogs. Arbelo also has a following of over 6,000 on Facebook—“K9 Heroes”—where she posts the latest news in the world of MWDs, police dogs, and Search and Rescue dogs. She also recruits generous people who develop friendships with deployed K9 handlers and their military working dogs and continuously send care packages.

Visit K-9 Heroes on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/K9-Heroes/276347852850?v=wall

 

About the Author: Nicole Arbelo has a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Human Development. She began working with special needs students in elementary schools in 1998, and now is involved with deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students. She is working to become state certified in American Sign Language to be an Interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing. She lives in Clayton, California.

Hero Dogs: We Salute You

via HomeAgain Newsletter

Although the exact date of the origin is disputed, there is no question that the 10,000+ years of the human/dog relationship has been of significant benefit to human beings. Over the years, dogs have made their way into our lives as fearless hunters, skillful herders, best friends, and helpful heroes. Our focus is on the latter, selfless hero dogs that bravely protect and rescue human beings on a daily basis.

Boldly going where we can’t. One of the key ingredients in the make-up of a hero dog is the ability to chart dangerous terrain and squeeze into tiny and cavernous places. Dogs have the right blend of lithe, stealth, and agility that enables them to accomplish extraordinary athletic feats. The hero dog also has the cognitive focus and discipline required to stay calm in a precarious situation. Search and rescue dogs accomplish amazing tasks and are a true asset when disaster strikes and tests the limits of what people can do.

The evolution of the search and rescue dog. Let’s imagine the first dog rescue took place thousands of years ago. Perhaps a lonely and tired shepherd slipped on a rocky slope and was injured and trapped at the bottom of a steep ravine. Night fell in the village, and only the dog returned home, antsy and barking. The villagers sensed, through the dog’s distressed state, something was wrong and followed the dog into the night. The loyal and clever animal led the people to his master, and the shepherd was pulled from the ravine, alive and very grateful.

This is pure speculation, but it was certainly instances like this that inspired us to begin breeding and training dogs to fulfill this valuable search and rescue role—a role that comes quite naturally to them. In modern times, search and rescue dog training involves a specialized focus on specific types of rescues:

• Wilderness
• Disaster
• Cadaver (Human Remains Detection)
• Avalanche
• Drowning

Search and rescue dogs are a vital part of nearly all emergency response teams and having specific training and field experience is one of their biggest on-the-job assets.

What’s in a nose? The constantly twitching and cold-to-the-touch nose of a dog is a very busy and very powerful organ. Beyond its remarkable capabilities to alert a dog, mid-slumber, that there is a sandwich nearby, a dog’s nose can detect and discern among hundreds of scents in its environment. In fact, most of a dog’s brain function is devoted to smelling, and dogs have olfactory bulbs as large as four times the size of humans. Equipped with super-sniffers like that, it’s no wonder search and rescue dogs can hone in on accident victims trapped underneath feet of rubble and debris.

Scent-training begins in puppyhood and typically involves a kind of game-like training where puppies are taught basic retrieving skills that evolve into scent-tracking skills. The most common dog breeds trained for air-scenting and tracking are German and Belgian Shepherds, Border Collies, and Golden or Labrador Retrievers. For these dog breeds, it’s the size and shape of their nose that makes them a natural choice—longer and larger dog noses are generally more discerning and powerful.

Remembering the search and rescue dogs of 9/11. Every September now marks the somber memorial of the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks. It is a sad time, as we mourn the loss of our family, friends, and fellow Americans who were the victims of the national assault and the brave protectors who were called to support the rescue efforts. Their sacrifice, bravery, and heroism does not go unforgotten or unappreciated.

This year, as we honor the memory of bravery and selflessness that constitutes heroism, don’t forget the extraordinary accomplishments made by the 9/11 search and rescue dogs. These dogs also bravely answered their call to duty and tirelessly canvassed the rubble and wreckage in search of survivors. Over 300 hundred search and rescue dogs were called in to assist the rescue efforts, and amazingly, none of the dogs perished in the line of duty. These dogs worked hard to save lives and brought to the rescue team a much needed sense of inspiration and camaraderie in what will always be considered one of our nation’s darkest hours.

Everyday dog heroes. Some dog heroes spend their day-to-day life pursuing the hero’s quest. Better known as service dogs, these dogs fulfill a valuable role in our society assisting those of us who need it most: the blind, the deaf, the developmentally challenged, and the elderly. Service dogs protect and serve their owners by keeping them safe and making daily life challenges a little easier to manage.

Service dogs for the blind are the most common and almost everyone has seen one of these guys on the job. They are trained to lead their owner around safely by avoiding obstacles and are keenly aware of traffic signals and safety protocol. Please remember that service dogs really are working dogs. When you see them out with their owner, they are on the job. Refrain from petting these gentle friends because those kinds of distractions can be a danger to their owner.

Celebrating the hero dog in your life. Not every dog needs to save a small child from a burning building to be considered a hero. For most of us, it’s the everyday feats of love and loyalty that make the biggest impact in our lives: enthusiastic welcome-home greetings with vigorous tail-wagging, cold-nose nudges that remind us of our four-season commitment to after-dinner walks, and an uncanny cuddle-response to our bad-day stress and anxiety. These are the kinds of heroic feats that are the endless rewards of owning and caring for a dog. Take the time out each day or, as needed, to celebrate the shy puppy, clever mutt, or happy hound that is the true hero dog in your life!

 

Big Think Releases Four-Part Ultimate Survivor Stories Series

To what lengths would you go to survive in the face of death? Could you amputate your own arm to free it from beneath a boulder? Could you survive 10 weeks in the harsh Australian outback, subsisting just on grasshoppers, frogs, and leeches? At what point would you give up? In its Ultimate Survivor Stories series, Big Think speaks with four people who faced this very question and survived to tell their stories.

Every day this week, Big Think will present a video interview with a different survivor — ranging from journalist Jere Van Dyk, who spent 45 days held captive by the Taliban, to Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who clawed his way through the front window of a cab despite having been shot repeatedly by mafia gunmen, to Stanley Alpert, a former federal prosecutor who was mugged and kidnapped and used his wits to convince his captors to release him.

Big Think’s Survival Stories series began Tuesday not with an individual survivor story, but rather with an expert on the limits of human survival. Laurence Gonzales is the author of the bestselling “Deep Survival,” which takes a scientific look at why some people make it through extreme situations while others with the same resources do not. After surveying many cases of extreme survival, Gonzalese has concluded that there are 12 traits of good survivors, including persistence, organization, being well informed, and most importantly the ability to stay calm in the face of possible death.

All of Big Think’s survival stories will show that learning how to be a better survivor can actually help with everyday life, because ultimately survival is about how you think and make decisions. “Reason and emotion work like a seesaw: the higher the emotion, the lower your ability to reason,” Gonzales says in his Big Think video interview. “In a high state of stress, you literally can’t remember your own phone number.” So whether your business is going bankrupt, you’re going through a divorce, or you’re being diagnosed with cancer, learning to deal with stress while remaining calm will lead to clearer thinking and better decisions from mundane to life-and-death situations.

Big Think is a global knowledge network that showcases the cutting-edge ideas of leading experts in a variety of fields. Big Think has interviewed more than 1,500 thought leaders, including economists Paul Krugman and Muhammad Yunus, futurist Ray Kurzweil, biologists Rickard Dawkins, E. O. Wilson, Paul Nurse and Anthony Fauci, filmmaker Ken Burns, novelists John Irving and Paul Auster, business leaders Meg Whitman and Richard Branson, investors Peter Thiel and George Soros, journalists Arianna Huffington and David Remnick, US Poet Laureates Billy Collins and Rita Dove, US senators John McCain and the late Teddy Kennedy, particle physicists Freeman Dyson and Michio Kaku, and artists Chuck Close and Jules Feiffer.

Review, Orvis 2011 Calendar

I’ve taken a peek into the new year and it looks incredible!

I was recently offered an opportunity to review the 2011 Orvis Dog Calendar and based on the gorgeous dog pictures, 2011 is going to be fabulous!

This year, The Orvis Company has teamed up with the Morris Animal Foundation to raise money for canine cancer research. Dylan, the goregous golden retriever on the cover of this year’s calendar, was a cancer surivor himself, and is now the spokesman for the Orvis Canine Cancer Campaign. The generous donations they’ve received have helped fund research and treatments aimed at curing canine cancer within the next 10 to 20 years.

Warm your heart all year long with this gorgeous hanging calendar, knowing that the proceeds are benefitting a company that is working hard to help the animals you love. To find out more about the campaign, donate, or enter your own doggy photo in the next contest, visit orvis.com/coverdog.

The Orvis Company has been outfitting its customers with outdoor apparel, hunting and fishing gear, dog accessories, and distinctive home furnishings since 1856. In 2010, they teamed up with the Morris Animal Foundation to help fight canine cancer, and have now raised over $200,000 for breed-specific strains of cancer. Visit orvis.com/dogs for the finest leads, crates, beds, collars, gates and toys, as well as innovative solutions for travel and home.

Dancing With OUR Stars, event 2010.10.01

SPECIAL INVITATION       

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Fancy Footwork, Food & Fabulous Auction Items

Intercontinental Hotel – Milwaukee

5:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Featuring OUR Dancing Stars

Anna Opgenorth, Historic Milwaukee

Will Pangman

Alysha Schertz, Biz Times

Carrie Stuckman, Candid Carrie

Joe Woelfle, Blatz Liquor

OUR Celebrity Judges

Tim Harty, 360 Direct

Tiffany Ogle, Morning Blend

 

Join Us for a Fabulously Fun Evening in Support of

Our event needs you!

Please become a Corporate Sponsor today.

Select the sponsorship level that best suits you:

 

Spotlight Sponsor – $2,500

2 Tables of 8, Premium Seating

Full Page Ad in event program, Premier logo placement

 

Tango Sponsor - $1,000

1 Table of 8, Premium Seating, Full Page Ad -  5.5 w x 8.5 h

 

Foxtrot Sponsor – $250

2 Premium Seats, Quarter Page Ad – 5.5 w x 2 h

Individual Tickets – $75

 

To become a Corporate Sponsor or Purchase Tickets

for this event, please click HERE .

 

Questions: debra@margaretannsplace.org or call:  262-515-1472

www.margaretannsplace.org

 

Special THANKS to our Volunteer “Stars” and the

Dance Professionals who are teaching them!

Fred Astaire Dance Studio – Mequon

10394 N. Port Washington Road

262-241-1221

Elke Mischke

emischke@fredastaire.com

MargaretAnn’s Place was founded in 1998 through the efforts of one family’s experience with the sudden death of their infant daughter and sister, MargaretAnn Smith Jones. From their first humble beginnings in Kenosha, WI, the organization has become the largest multi-site bereavement program serving children and their families in southeastern Wisconsin. Our mission is to provide hope and healing to grieving children and their families through peer support/education groups, outreach, education and awareness. 912 N Hawley Rd | Suites 219-221 | Milwaukee, WI 53213

 

Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race, 09/10/10

Who: Streetza Pizza (Twitter, Facebook, website)

What: Vote now for your favorite food truck. Food truck nominations are in from across the country. Now it is time to cast your vote as your favorite races to become the highest vote getter and win $10,000 and the opportunity to appear on the next season of The Great Food Truck Race. Plus with every vote you cast, you’ll get a chance to win a trip to the Food Network New York City Food & Wine Festival.

Frequency: Online daily, text daily.

Link: http://foodtrucks.teamdigital.com/?vty=foodtrucks#page_top Once you enter your initial vote, you are asked if you would like the remaining nine votes to go to the same food truck.

Text: Another option is to text FT66 to 66789.  Once again, you can vote up to ten times daily.

Fact: It is difficult to believe that Milwaukee’s Streetza Pizza isn’t in the top ten! Let’s fix that right away. You’ve each got twenty votes a day with voting ending on 09/10/2010.

 

 

 

six fun tips for a fit familiy

The new school year is quickly approaching, which means less downtime for kids and more stress for parents. To make matters worse cutbacks in physical education, increased academic pressures, and ever-growing portion sizes in restaurants and at home are making families increasingly overweight. But who says you can’t make more time for the family and squeeze in a decent workout? The trick is to do both at the same time.

Tara Zimliki, fitness expert and founder of Tara’s Boot Camp in Branchburg, New Jersey, teaches people every day how to maintain healthier lifestyles, no matter what their age or fitness level. Using her own family as an example, she helps families improve both their health and their confidence. “By making a commitment to family fitness, you can strengthen bonds and get yourself in shape, too,” says Tara. There’s also the added benefit of setting your kids on the right path for later in life, when being fit will lessen the risk of diabetes, some cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression.

Try these strategies to get your family moving – this fall and all year-round:

• Start young. Tara advises parents to get kids moving early in life which will promote healthy development and keep sedentary habits at bay. Even your toddler needs at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity every day, and should not sit still for more than an hour at a time.
• Set realistic goals. Not all children are star athletes. But keep in mind that your child may have never been given the chance to shine. You can help by being realistic about your child’s physical ability. For some kids, even a jog around the block can seem intimidating. “Running ability is mostly mental,” says Tara, “it’s important to keep your child motivated by breaking down each goal, step by step.”
• Get animated. Running doesn’t have to be boring! Get creative with your workout. Form a conga line and play follow the leader. Flap your arms whenever you see a stop sign. Try running while hopping, pumping your arms, playing air guitar — whatever you and your kids can dream up!
• Be a cheerleader. A recent study of 200 students in grades 2 through 11 showed that kids of all ages want their parents to help them stay active. Cheer them on frequently and show your child that activity is a priority every day. Tara says to make sure your children know that you would never be disappointed with their performance. “Remember, this is both a workout and a bonding activity,” says Tara.
• Use community resources. Your family run doesn’t have to be confined to your block. Keep it interesting by visiting different parks or neighborhoods other than your own. You can also check out whether your child’s school, or a local university or community center, offers an indoor or outdoor track for public use.
• Be vigilant. Although a family jog provides a convenient way for you to get out the door and run, the advantages don’t come without risks to your child. Try to avoid running at night when visibility is limited. “Your exercise should be satisfying and safe for both you and your new companions,” advises Tara. Also, leave distractions at home – including the iPod and the dog. Make this time simply about you and your kin.

Tara is a Certified Personal Trainer through The American Council on Exercise (ACE), and a Boot Camp Instructor. She has competed and trained with top athletes at the University of South Carolina where she was awarded a full cross-country scholarship. Tara has a B.A. from Rutgers University and specializes in fat loss and nutrition. She is passionate about helping people change both body and mind, believing positive results stem from positive attitudes. She helps clients maintain this attitude with fun, challenging and rewarding workouts.

Tara’s love of fitness started as a child when she began running at the young age of 7. She played numerous sports but running was her passion. Tara enjoyed it so much that she continued running right up until she had children, completing the New York Marathon 8 months pregnant and even ran 1 mile the day she gave birth to her first daughter and 3 miles the day she gave birth to her second daughter. Tara has completed 15 Marathons and hundreds of races worldwide. In addition, she has won many 5Ks and placed top in many long distance runs. In 2008, Tara placed in the top 500 women for the NYC Marathon. Recently, she won the USATF New Balance Long Distance Grand Prix for women 34 & under for the 4th consecutive year. Tara’s practices what she preaches in all aspects of fitness and health and for this reason she is a trusted trainer that produces results.

For more information on Tara’s Boot Camp, including registration details and full schedule, visit www.tarasbootcamp.com.

Review, Wordlock

According to research conducted by the National Council of Middle Schools, the biggest fear of new students is forgetting their locker combination. I’ve never outgrown my fear, any time I need a lock I’ve always purchased one that would include a key. Needless to say I was anxious for the opportunity to review , the secure Wordlock® padlock!

Offering 100,000 word and letter combinations, the secure Wordlock padlock (www.wordlock.com) is easy to read, easy to set, and makes it possible to have an easy to remember personal word combination. Wordlock padlocks are available in a variety of colors. Wordlock also offers their unforgettable word-based personal combinations on luggage locks, bike locks and cable locks.

Students will no longer need to remember long numerical locker combinations and can instead select easy-to-remember four- or five-letter words that have meaning and reflect personal interests such as: T-W-E-E-T, D-A-N-C-E or best friends’ names, like B-A-R-B or K-A-T-I-E.

Wordlock have a suggested retail price ranging from $8.99 to $18.99 and are sold at retailers nationwide including Target, Sears, Kmart, Ace Hardware, and also through leading on-line retailers such as Amazon.com.

Seventeen magazine listed Wordlock padlock as a back-to-school must have!  Obviously my fourth grade son couldn’t agree more!

Have you got just a few more seconds? Click here for a Wordlock commercial that is guaranteed to make you smile. Well, it made me smile!

 

PawsOff Protective Bed Cover

If I’ve written about it once, I’ve written about it a hundred times, pet hair. I’ve actually purchased comforters and sheets to match my pets in hopes that the hair wouldn’t show.

Needless to say, I “pounced” on the opportunity to receive a complimentary PawsOff Protective Bed Cover in exchange for an honest review.

This unique cover is the last thing to go on your bed in the morning, right over your comforter and pillows to protect your linens from fur, odor, germs, slobber and stains. Fitted corners give a snug fit and the four elastic garters make sure the cover stays on the bed. This was a very important feature for me because my giant dogs like to take a running leap and dive on the bed which can send covers and pillows flying everywhere. Not any more!

There is an adorable commercial at pawsoff.com where you can see the PawsOff Protective Bed Cover stay right where it was put.  No matter how much digging and clawing my pets gave the The PawsOFF Protective Bed Cover, it hung tight and stayed put.  When I remove the cover at the end of the day I have a nice clean place where I could make my nest.

The PawsOFF Protective Bed Cover is available in the most common bed sizes: twin at $29.99, full at $39.99, queen at $49.99 and king at $59.99 and comes in three neutral colors: Sand, Chocolate and Charcoal.

The PawsOFF Protective Bed Cover’s patent pending design has revolutionized the way owner and pet co-exist, providing a solution for many pet lovers across the country. There is no other product like this on the market and is available exclusively through their website. Proceeds from each cover sold goes toward selected animal sanctuaries. For more information on this company visit livewellpetproducts.com. This fabulous product was recently featured in PeoplePets.com and PawNation.com.

 

toad urine

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