Trick or Treat: Seven Ways to Keep your Pet Safe this Halloween

1.    Be careful with Halloween decorations.  Pumpkins and corn are considered to be non-toxic, but they can create gastrointestinal problems when ingested by a pet. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are swallowed. Additionally, curious pets can easily knock over a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire.

2.    Make sure your pet’s costume is safe. The costume should not constrict the animal’s movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow.

3.    Have pets try on costumes a day or two before wearing them. If the pet appears distressed, has an allergic reaction, or shows abnormal behavior, remove the outfit.

4.    Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small pieces that could lead to a choking incident. Poor fitting outfits can get twisted on your pet, leading to injury.

5.    During prime trick-or-treat hours, keep shy dogs in a separate room. Too many strangers can be scary and overwhelming for pets.

6.    When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, make sure that your cat or dog doesn’t run outside unexpectedly. Always make sure your pet has the proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

7.    Sorry Fluffy, but Halloween treats are just for kids. If you have a pet in the house,  be mindful of the following:

• Tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers are a choking hazard for pets, in worst cases ingestion may cause intestinal blockage.

• Chocolate can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate, and even seizures.

• Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even minimal amounts of xylitol can create a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur. Avoid lollipops and hard candies when you are around your pet.

These Halloween hints for canine safety are brought to you by Camp Bow Wow!

About Camp Bow Wow®

Where a dog can be a dog®

In just 10 years, Camp Bow Wow, the premier doggy daycare and overnight camp, has grown to include over 100 Camps across North America, becoming a $50 million business. The company was recently ranked as the 447th fastest growing private company on the INC magazine 500 for 2009 list.

The Camp concept provides the highest levels of fun, safety and service for its campers, and peace of mind for their parents. Dogs romp together in an open-play environment and pricing is all-inclusive.  New services include Bow Wow Behavior Buddies, an in-home dog training program, which will launch in May 2010.  Since the Boulder, Colorado-based Company started franchising in 2003, Camp Bow Wow has sold more than 275 franchises in 39 states, plus one in Canada, over 41% being women-owned. As Camp Bow Wow grows, our simple philosophy remains the same: It’s all about the dogs.

www.campbowwow.com

www.facebook.com/campbowwow

www.twitter.com/campbowwow

 

American Humane Association Seeking Entries in Smitty’s Shelter Dog Art Contest

American Humane Association Seeking Entries in Smitty’s Shelter Dog Art Contest

Winning Illustration to Appear in the Major Motion Picture Smitty

DENVER, Oct. 4, 2010 – American Humane Association, the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals, is seeking hand-drawn illustrations that showcase the theme “adopt a shelter dog” for its Smitty Shelter Dog Art Contest. The contest is for children ages 8-12 and will be held during the organization’s Adopt-A-Dog Month® in October.

American Humane Association’s Adopt-A-Dog Month is about the importance of adopting dogs from animal shelters, so it’s only fitting that the organization would partner with the major motion picture Smitty. Scheduled for release in 2011, Smitty is a family movie about a lovable shelter dog’s friendship with a young boy. To celebrate both, American Humane Association created Smitty’s Shelter Dog Art Contest.

A digital version of the contest winner’s illustration – along with the winner’s name, age, hometown and state – will be featured in the actual film in movie theaters across the country!

Smitty received American Humane Association’s Monitored: Outstanding rating and coveted “No Animals Were Harmed”® disclaimer. The film stars Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Peter Fonda, Oscar winners Mira Sorvino and Louis Gossett Jr., and BooBoo Stewart from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

For contest rules and information on how to enter, visit www.americanhumane.org/aadm.

About American Humane Association: Since 1877, the historic American Humane Association has been at the forefront of every major advancement in protecting children, pets and farm animals from abuse and neglect. Today we’re also leading the way in understanding human-animal interaction and its role in society. As the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals, American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

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!

 

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.

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