In this issue:
- Goodness Gracious!!!!
- How Strong Is Your Bond?
- Social Networking Sites for Dogs!
- Social Sniffing
- Pet Portraits
- Nick of Time
A new local company, Goodness Gracious, located in Marblehead, MA is offering wholesome, handmade, top-quality dog treats! Inspired by Grace and Lula, her standard poodles, named after her grandmothers, Amy Havens has found a way to put love into a treat! There are a variety of flavors, shapes and sizes, from poached salmon cookies (in the shape of a heart), (Rufie’s favorite!) and “Hula Lula” chicken strips, to beef jerky strips and cheeseburger cookies! Pictures of Grace and Lula on the beach, and at home, are on each of the packages. It is pure love in a bag!
Fifty-one (51%) percent of all profits are donated to animal shelters and rescues. Amy says on her packages, “Never has doing the right thing felt so simple and so exquisitely perfect.”
You can find these goodies, currently at the Marblehead Pet Supply on Bessom Street in Marblehead, and online at: http://www.goodnessgracioustreats.com.
I highly recommend trying these treats! Rufus is a picky cookie eater (and I am a picky cookie giver!)…..and he loves the poached salmon cookies! I know I am giving him a wholesome treat made with loveJ
HOW STRONG IS YOUR BOND?
- Does your dog check in with you during walks? Does she occasionally look up at you as you walk or is she at the very end of the leash the entire time? A dog who keeps her pace similar to yours and checks in (looks at you every so often) is acknowledging your presence and participation in the walk. You’re sharing the experience.
- Are you afraid that if your dog slipped out the front door unleashed, she’d take off running and not come home? If you’re going through complicated rituals to make sure that your dog can’t slip past you when the door opens, it’s time to revisit basic training and give some thought to just why she doesn’t wait to see if you’re coming out, too.
- Do you think your dog is “too stubborn” or “too dumb” to learn basic obedience behaviors? The first obedience class was fun, the second was tough, and then you gave up somewhere at the third or fourth week because your dog was the most excitable dog in the room, or the slowest dog in the room, or because you didn’t have enough time to get to class, or you just didn’t enjoy it as much as you thought you would. And now your dog is saddled with a label that she doesn’t deserve
- Does your dog seek you out in new environments (for example, at a crowded dog park)? In the hierarchy of what’s important to dogs, other dogs are right at the top of the list, so it’s no surprise that you’re invisible when you first arrive at the park. However, you should be more than your dog’s chauffeur and gate opener. The bonded dog wants to know where her person is no matter how intriguing the surroundings.
- 5. Are you frequently frustrated with your dog? There’s a degree of frustration in every dog-human relationship, but the word frequently in my question hits at the real problem. If frustration, which is only a few steps away from anger, forms the foundation of your relationship with your dog, how can there be any room left for joyful communication?
Is it ever too late to build a bond? No. The fact is that if you want to strengthen your relationship with your dog, you can. It’s never too late, your dog is never too old and your scenario is never too screwed up to commit to nurturing a stronger relationship. The process will be subtle. You may experience gains that are two steps forward, one step back – which can itself be frustrating – but have confidence in the fact that you’re making progress and your relationship is changing for the better. Both you and your dog will feel the change, and be happier for it.
Social Networking sites for Dogs!
Like those for people, social networking sites for dogs vary in what they offer. Curious? Try out a few and see what works best for you and your pal.
- Doggyspace.com
- Dognamic.com
- Dogpawfile.com
- Facebook.com (Search “dogs”)
- Fuzzster.com
- Meetup.com (Topic: Dogs)
- Uniteddogs.com (International site)
Social Sniffing
The makers of the SNIF tag call it “a window into your dog’s world”, and they may be on to something. This collar-mounted device, developed by a few MIT Media Lab canophiles, not only helps you monitor your dog’s activities in real time while he’s at home, it also tells you what he’s been up to when he’s out and about. And if two dogs wearing SNIF tags come into proximity, the tags swap data, which you can then upload and use to build your dog’s online profile on the SNIF site. So 21st century!
Sniftag.com
PET PORTRAITS!We are proud to present a new offering!!! Kozy Kritters has teamed up with a local artist (oil painter) to offer you a painting of your pooch! This artist has been painting for over 20 y
ears and has paintings in various galleries in Massachusetts. All you need is a favorite photograph of your pet. If interested, please contact me at 617-549-9560. The price is a reasonable $250 for a 12” x 12” oil painting. Rufus’s portrait is shown at left.
I am happy to show you the portrait in person! I LOVE it!!!
Nick of Time:
You don’t have to adopt or foster a dog to save a life, all you have to do is sponsor a dog or a cat through a donation. Nick of Time Rescue (NTR) was set up specifically to pull dogs from high kill Animal Control shelters in rural Georgia. Lee Caswell, director of NTR does not get paid, she does this out of the goodness of her heart, driving hours at a time to save animals from a barbaric death. The animals are then boarded at her state licensed facility until they can be transported to a no-kill shelter or a forever home in the northeast, where homeless pets are welcomed due to strict local spay and neuter policies. The animals that are rescued from Animal Control shelters must be vaccinated, spayed/neutered before they can be adopted or accepted into most no-kill shelters.
Nick of Time Rescue works to save lives in the trenches, but is limited in what can be done without donations. You have the easy part, all it takes is a donation. You don’t have to look into the sad eyes of the animal that is left behind because there is not enough money to pull him or her out. Please sponsor a dog today. You can even give a heartfelt gift to an animal lover by donating and letting the recipient choose which dog to sponsor.
Please note: Nick of Time Rescue is not yet a non-profit so you cannot deduct your donation. If you are interested in helping Nick of Time Rescue with obtaining non-profit status please e-mail Lee Caswell at nickoftimerescue@yahoo.com.
Please give the gift of life for one or more of these dogs and cats in their time of desperation. Please go to the web site: www.nickoftimerescue.org for more information. And, please, if choosing a new companion animal, consider adopting from a kill shelter……
National organization such at The Humane Society of The United States also need our help in continuing their efforts for humane treatment of all animals. Their website: www.humanesociety.org.
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity.
Kozy Kritters
About Kozy Kritters:
Kozy Kritters was established in 2002 by Sue Miller, in Marblehead, Ma. We are insured and bonded, and are a member of Pet Sitters International. Kozy Kritters offers daily pet services such as dog walking, vacation care, and boarding. Kozy Kritters provides high-quality, personalized care for puppies, dogs and cats. We build deep-rooted personal relationships with your dog through daily exercise, personal interaction and affection. We are a very small company, so your dog will either see Sue (owner) or Mark, a part-time helper since 2007. Your dog will also gain precious socializing skills, building relationships with their fellow dog-pals.
We also offer a monthly newsletter, keeping you informed of new food products, healthcare related articles, local new pet businesses, training tips, etc.
Sue’s dog, Rufus, is Kozy kritter’s Founding Member, and Manager! He makes sure all the dogs are safely having fun. He has developed many good pals through daily interaction. He loves his job!
Almost all of our clients have been with us for over 7 years – a testament to our continued commitment towards offering an invaluable service. We are well established and trusted.
I recently adopted a 12 week old puppy from Nick Of Time Rescue of Georgia, owned by Lee Caswell. I had found her on either adoptapet or petfinder…I cannot remember which one. I picked up my puppy at a rest stop off of I95 in Fairfield, CT on 9/24/11. Ms. Caswell had contacted me earlier in the day to let me know that she would be in CT in a few hours and that I will need to bring a towel because the puppy had an accident in her crate and was a little messy. Something told me to bring lots of towels and bottled water. When she arrived at the rest stop, I was appalled at the disgusting condition in which my puppy and the other 10 puppies and a few kittens had been forced to stay in during the duration of the drive from GA to CT. The animals were transported in a catering van, and placed several puppies in crates with no bottoms in tiers of 3. My puppy was on the bottom crate and was completely covered in urine and feces, not just of her own, but that of the upper cages (it just rained on her). My oldest son took pictures throughout the adoption process and caught a small view of the back of the van. When she was taken out of the crate, she was filthy. She is a black lab/pit mix with a white chest and white toes. One of the pictures you can see that the white on her toes was actually dark brown from the feces. We immediately began to clean her off with water and the towels. It was then that I noticed the real condition of this puppy. She was extremely thin, malnourished and dehydrated. We gave her some water to drink and she acted as though she hadn’t had water in days. I also noticed her eyes were irritated and draining but I assumed that was due to the terrible conditions in the back of that van.
I paid Ms Caswell the $250 for the adoption fee, received the envelope with the puppy’s paperwork and brought my new puppy home. It wasn’t until we got home that I realized just how sick my puppy was.
She began with a cough. Then her nose started running and discharging a white mucus. Her eyes were draining more. She was extremely weak, could not stand for long periods of time. Wouldn’t eat. Had severe diarrhea to the point where it was nothing but liquid. Her stomach was so bloated and her ribs and spine and hips were prominent. By 9/25/11 she had become so weak she could not stand to use the bathroom…she did it laying down.
I brought her to an emergency vet near my home on 9/25/11 around 10:30pm where she was seen by a veterinarian. After a few tests, the vet let me know she was severely concerned with her health and was afraid she would not make it through the night. They wanted to keep her over night and for several days to monitor her but unfortunately I did not have the thousands of dollars to do that, so they sent me home with a bag of lactated ringers, a bunch of needles and medicine to start giving her. I already had an appointment with my vet for 9am on 9/26/11 in which I followed through with. My vet took bloodwork and performed several tests. He came to the same conclusions as the previous vet. I had a VERY SICK PUPPY. Her white blood cell count came back at 36,000 when a normal white blood cell count on a dog her age is less than 10,000. She was diagnosed with kennel cough, sinus infection, double eye infection, dehydration, malnourished, an undetermined bacterial infection, and viral infection. She was placed on metronidazole, Convenia, Cerenia and Antirobe and i have to give her 100cc’s of lactated ringers every day. My vet bills for the past two days total over $800 and will go even higher as we have a follow up on this Friday.
I was told by Ms Caswell that I was guaranteed a healthy puppy. Not only did she tell this to me by phone, but also in the 25 emails we had sent each other over the past week and a half. She told me that if the vet felt she was sick in any way the puppy would not be available for adoption. So how is it that I received a 12 week old puppy on her death bed?
I am not asking for a refund of my money from Ms Caswell nor am I looking to return this puppy to her. Our baby is a family member now and we will go to any extreme to get her healthy and keep her that way. I refuse to send this poor animal back to a place where she would die for sure. I am simply warning anyone associated with this person and her so called rescue group to stay FAR away from her. She is not a non profit agency. She doesn’t treat the animals she gets from shelters and pounds with the care and respect they deserve. She also falsely provides you with information that the animal has a 30 day health guarantee. I had called Ms Caswell on 9/25/11 at aprox. 11pm when i made my first visit to a vet. I have yet to have a returned phone call. I have emailed her as well with no response.
Please, save a puppy’s life by removing her from your site. Do not allow such a person to advertise puppies that are knocking on deaths door. I have always rescued my animals from pounds and shelters and i have never in my life come across such neglect and abuse on an animal that was supposedly saved from the gas chamber.
I can let you know that she is showing a slow positive progression with her health. Unfortunately because of how sick she really is, we will not know what her ultimate outcome will be for weeks. I am praying for a speedy recovery, because we had adopted her for my 9 year old son to be used as a therapy dog for his autism.
I just want justice for Kobi.