A Pet’s Summer Wish List

A Pets Summer Wish List

1.    I wish you would take me to the vet for a check-up and make sure I don’t have heartworms, fleas or ticks.


2.    I wish you would not take me on walks on hot sidewalks or roads. It burns the pads on my feet.

3.    I wish you would make sure I have plenty of water at all times. Warm weather makes me really thirsty.

4.    I wish you would give me a shady place to lay, or keep me indoors when it’s hot outside.

5.    I wish you would get me a life vest to wear when we go swimming or boating. Accidents happen, you know.

6.    I wish you would never, ever, EVER leave me alone in a parked car, whether the windows are down or not.

7.    I wish you would keep windows closed or screens tightened on them so I don’t fall out!

8.    I wish you would give me a summer hair cut. Wearing a thick fur coat when you’re dressed for summer isn’t fair.

9.    I wish that when you have parties, you make sure I can’t get into alcoholic beverages or foods I shouldn’t eat.

10.    I wish when there are fireworks going off, you put me in a safe place at home. Sometimes they really freak me out!

I wish we ALL have a safe and Happy Summer!

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Happy Mother’s Day!

You feed me when I’m hungry,
You keep water in my dish,
You let me sleep on anything,
Or any place I wish.

You sometimes let me lick your hands
or even lick your face,
Despite the fact I’ve licked myself
In every private place.

You taught me how to come when called
You taught me how to sit,
You always let me go outside
So I can take a sh___, uh, poop :)

You’ll always have my loyalty
up to the bitter end,
’cause after all, it’s plain to see . . .

You are a dog’s best friend.

(Adapted from a card)

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National Spay Day February 23, 2012

By Cindy Becker

National Spay Day is an annual observance created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1994 to draw attention to our nationwide pet overpopulation problem, and to encourage lessening this problem by spaying and neutering animals. 

Spaying and neutering is 100% effective in stopping pet overpopulation. 

Just two cats that breed can be responsible for creating thousands of homeless, unwanted cats within a decade.  They are often trapped and then euthanized, through no fault of their own. Too often they become feral, always searching for food and shelter, and fighting off predators.
Spaying and neutering also has health benefits.

“A spayed or neutered pet does not become fat or lazy. Their metabolism may slow down a bit but all you have to do to keep that trim look is cut back a little on the food. In addition to the obvious advantage of preventing unwanted pregnancies, there are health and behavioral benefits:

1) Spaying or neutering is foolproof birth control that lasts a lifetime.

2) Spaying or neutering provides relief from such hormone driven urges as:

  • Aggression toward other dogs, particularly for males.
  • Territorialism, that is, the tendency to be overprotective of the dog’s home ground.
  • Wanderlust, that is, the desire to escape from the yard and seek sexual adventure in the outside world.
  • Dominance.
  • Marking territory with urine/feces.
  • Unwanted sexual behavior such as riding, sniffing, licking, arousal.
  • Frustration which occurs when the behaviors dictated by hormonal urges cause the dog to behave in a way that is undesirable to the owners.

3) Protection (either partial or complete) from such hormone-induced conditions as:

MALES

  • Testicular cancer
  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia
  • Acute and chronic prostatitis, prostatic abscess
  • Perianal gland adenomas
  • Orchitis (infection of the testicles)
  • Venereal tumors
  • Perineal hernia (abdominal organs bulging out of rectum)
  • Inguinal hernia with potential organ strangulation

FEMALES

  • Breast cancer
  • Cystic endometrial hyperplasia and pyometra
  • False pregnancies
  • Mastitis (can occur during false pregnancy)
  • Transmissible venereal sarcoma
  • Ovarian and uterine tumors
  • Cystic ovaries and hyperestrogenism
  • Chronic endometritis
  • Vaginal hyperplasia and prolapse
  • Uterine torsion or uterine prolapse “(http://warrentonkc.tripod.com/spayneut.htm)

(Some material by Bonnie Wilcox DVM)

Many animal shelters and veterinary clinics offer low-cost spaying/neutering each February, and many offer this service year-round.  To insure that this procedure is performed, a growing number of animal rescue organizations have their adoptees spayed and neutered before they are released to their new homes.

If your pet is already altered, please encourage your friends and family to do the same for their animals. Share with them the benefits of spaying and neutering: healthier, happier animals who are not driven by their need to reproduce.

Posted in Dogs, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Why Older Dogs Make Good Pets

November is National Senior Pet Month, and the ASPCA‘s “Adopt a Senior Dog Month.”

Here are some reasons why adopting an older dog may be the best choice for you.

NOTE: All of the dogs pictured below are seniors who are ready for adoption in Texas. For more information on these and other older dogs who need “forever” homes, go to Petfinder, or go to your local shelter or animal rescue and give a senior dog a second chance for life.

Marvin

I’m Marvin. Senior dogs are almost always house-trained!

Franklin

I’m Franklin. Senior dogs don’t chew shoes or furniture!

Lily Eleanor

I’m Lily Eleanor. Senior dogs are mellow, will pay attention to you, and are eager to learn!

 Cody

I’m Cody. Senior dogs know what “no” means, and want to please you!

Lady II and Pete

We’re Lady II and Pete. We’ve learned what it takes to get along with others!

Gypsy

I’m Gypsy. Senior dogs are grateful for a chance to live out their lives with people who care!

Big Daddy

I’m Big Daddy. Senior dogs are fully grown, so when you meet them, what you see is what you get!

Kenya

I’m Kenya. Senior dogs are experienced at a lot of things. What would you like to do? Walk? Hike? Take a car ride? Swim?

Mack

I’m Mack. Senior dogs won’t make demands on your time the way those “youngsters” do!

Lady

I’m Lady. Most senior dogs are accustomed to human schedules. When you sleep, we sleep!

A Tribute to Older Pets

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Halloween Pet Safety Tips

Jack-o-LanternHalloween! Children and many adults love it! Trick-or-treating, dressing up in outlandish, funny or downright creepy costumes, going to parties, and eating too much candy are all part of this adaptation of All Hallows’ Eve.

While Halloween is fun for most of us, it can be dangerous for pets. Here are some tips to help you help your pet have a safe Halloween.

Keep your pets in a separate room during Trick-or-Treat hours so they don’t dart out the door while you are handing out treats.

Sad but true. Black cats suffer more abuse around Halloween than other times. Keep your black cat indoors.

Black Cat

Dogs can become frightened and bite people in costumes, even people they know. Watch your dog carefully.

Use battery-operated lights inside Jack-o-Lanterns instead of candles. Curious pets may tip them over and start a fire.

Don’t force your pet to wear a costume. Some don’t mind. Others hate them. Respect your pet. Does this dog look happy to be wearing a costume?

Dog in Bunny Costume

Keep all candy away from pets. Remember that chocolate can kill a pet.

Make sure all pets have ID on their collars and microchips, in case they escape during the festivities.

Photo Credits: Jack-o-Lantern; Black CatDog Costume

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The 9/11 Heroes with Four Legs

Posted in Heartwarming Stories, Search and Rescue | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Tracy Underwood Wins “Get Me Into BarkWorld” Contest!

We are pleased to announce that Tracy Underwood, of Decatur, Georgia, is the sole winner of our “GET ME INTO BARKWORLD!” Contest. Tracy recently started blogging about pets, so we know she will enjoy meeting other bloggers at the Expo! Her latest blog post is here. While Tracy may be new to blogging, she is no stranger to pets! Be sure to check out the “About” page on her blog.

There were no other qualifying entries in the contest, so we still have THREE BarkWorld Expo tickets to give away. We will announce later in the week how we plan to do this. Stay tuned!

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Take a Chance

Chance the Super Dog

Chance

A tail-wagging “thank you!” to Christine Thompson for this heart-warming Guest Post!

The dog days of summer are bittersweet for me.  Summer is my favorite season with swimming and boating and all of the summertime activities.  But the dog days of summer herald the end of summertime swimming and picnics and the flowers begin to lose their bloom as the summer grasses lose their green.  This ending of a season sometimes reminds me of losing a well loved pet.

In tribute to the dog days of summer and to how dogs make a difference in the lives of so many, I would like to lift up the story of a special dog and his special owner.

Chance made his home with a wonderful computer geek who has a passion for his country and is a humanitarian at heart.  Chance helped him keep balance in his life and to share play time.  Chance didn’t think about where the snow came from or if the snow would come again next year, he just played in it and had fun, teaching his owner that sometimes, we must enjoy living in the moment.

Those who have never had a pet may not understand how a small animal (or sometimes a large animal) can help bring a sense of peace and balance in our very hectic lives.

There are so many animals just waiting for a Chance to share their love with the world.  I hope you take a Chance and open your heart to a rescue animal.  You will not be sorry that you did.

—- Read the story of Chance the SuperDog

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Get Me Into BarkWorld Expo!

ANNOUNCING OUR “GET ME INTO BARKWORLD™ EXPO” CONTEST!

 Join Me at BarkWorldWe’re going to the BarkWorld™ Expo as a sponsor and a speaker on September 29 – October 1, 2011 and would love to meet you there! We would like to help FOUR of you get in the door FREE, so put on your creative writing thinking caps and tell us why YOU should be selected!

Send us an email with your story. Demonstrate in 500 words or less why we should get you into BARKWORLD™ EXPO. Be creative!

You can enter starting Monday, August 1, 2011. The contest ends August 12, 2011. Winners will be announced on Monday, August 15, 2011.

Please read our complete contest rules below for all the details before you enter. Entries that don’t comply with the rules will be disqualified.

 “GET ME INTO BARKWORLD™ EXPO CONTEST

OFFICIAL RULES

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A donation to HUMANITY ROAD, INC. or any of its clusters (i.e. RedCrossDog or Animals in Disaster) will not improve the chance of winning. Void where prohibited. Subject to all federal, state, and local laws. Participation requires Internet access.

2. CAN I PARTICIPATE? To participate in HUMANITY ROAD, INC.’s “GET ME INTO BARKWORLD™ EXPO” CONTEST you must:

- Be 18 years of age or older.

- Be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.

- Employees and volunteers of HUMANITY ROAD, INC. and HUMANITYROAD.ORG, its Board of Directors and the immediate family members (parents, siblings, children and spouse) and/or those living in the same household (whether or not related) of each are not eligible to win.

3. CONTEST PERIOD. HUMANITY ROAD, INC.’s “GET ME INTO BARKWORLD™ EXPO” Contest will accept entries by email only, starting at or about 12:00:01 AM (EST) MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2011 and ending at 11:59:59 PM (EST) FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011 (The “Contest Period”). All entries must be received by 11:59:59 PM (EST) FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011. Proof that you entered your form and submission does not constitute proof or evidence that an entry was actually received within the Contest Period. Participants assume all risk of lost, late, misdirected, incomplete or illegible entries. All entries submitted become the sole property of the Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED AND ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011.

4. HOW DO I ENTER? One entry per person. Submitting an entry constitutes agreeing to the terms of these Official Rules and all decisions of Sponsor and/or its designee, which are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is not responsible for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry of information or for entries which are garbled, damaged, incompletely received, otherwise defective or lost due to any reason, all of which will be voided. Each submission of an Entry Piece shall constitute an entry (“Entry”).

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS. Your email requires: first and last name, age, phone number, mailing address, e-mail address, Twitter name and/or Facebook name, how you found out about the contest, and agreement to these rules. Entries without ALL of this information will be voided.

ENTRY PIECE REQUIREMENTS. (a) In the Entry Piece Email, you must demonstrate in 500 words or less why we should get you into BARKWORLD™ EXPO, (b) Sponsor will be looking for a creative, original and convincing approach to persuade them that you are, indeed, planning to attend. (c) Any language appearing on the Entry Piece must be in English. (d) Entry Pieces must be tasteful. Language will be evaluated by Sponsor based on context and societal acceptability. Content must be intended for a family audience and must, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, be suitable for a general audience and must not contain any nudity, sexually explicit, disparaging, libelous or other inappropriate content. (e) Entry Piece must not contain any commercial content that promotes any product or service other than the Sponsor’s. (f) Entry Piece must not contain any trademarks, copyrighted works or other intellectual property (other than as owned by the Entrant). (g) Any elements appearing in an Entry Piece must be the Entrant’s own original work, created solely by the Entrant. Use of anything that is not the Entrant’s own original work, may result in disqualification. (h) Sponsor reserves the right to reject any Entry that it deems, in its sole discretion, to violate any of these content related requirements. (i) Entry Piece must not contain any links.

Example: “I should be selected because I have been a volunteer for ______ to help animals____”

Example: “I should be selected because ‘I saved the life of my pet ____ and here’s how I did it’.

Email entries should be sent to: redcrossdog@humanityroad.org

If the content of the Entry Piece does not meet the requirements listed above, the Entry Piece will not be posted to HUMANITYROAD.ORG.

By submitting your Entry, you certify that you have read and agree to these Official Rules.

CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL ENTRIES. By submitting an entry (or accepting any prize), each Entrant understands and agrees that their Entry Piece and name may be posted online to HUMANITYROAD.ORG, without further compensation or review, and will not be returned. Sponsor reserves the right to crop any entry in whole or in part or request submitters to do so, in order to be viewable online. Entrant further agrees to release Sponsor from any and all claims that any such use by Sponsor, including any commercial advertising presentation, web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented and/or prepared by or on behalf of Sponsor, infringes the Entrant’s rights with regard to any elements, characters or ideas contained in its Entry.

5. WHAT CAN I WIN? There will be FOUR (4) WINNERS. Each Winner will receive ONE (1) FREE REGISTRATION/ADMISSION TO THE BARKWORLD™ EXPO, to be held at Loews Atlanta Hotel, 1065 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 from September 29 – October 1, 2011. Instructions on how to register online will be emailed to the Winners on MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011. Prizes cannot be assigned, transferred, exchanged or otherwise redeemed. Your email address also will be forwarded to BarkWorld™ Expo so they can send you conference information.

Sponsor is not responsible for any costs associated with accepting or otherwise using the prize. Sponsor is not responsible for any travel costs. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to the Sponsor and its agents to use winner’s name and Entry Piece on its website.

6. HOW DO I WIN? Winners will be chosen by HUMANITY ROAD, INC. based on contest guidelines and their submissions will be posted online. In the event of a tie, a panel of judges who are also HUMANITY ROAD, INC. volunteers will determine the winner based on the overall creativity of the tied entries. Judges’ decisions are final, binding and conclusive on all matters related to the Contest. Three attempts to contact the potential Grand Prize Winners by telephone or email will be made. Exact means of contact is at the Sponsor’s discretion. If a potential Grand Prize Winner is unable to be reached within five (5) days of the third contact attempt, or refuses to accept the prize, the potential Prize Winner will be disqualified and an alternate winner will be selected.

Sponsor shall have no liability or responsibility to award any prize where: (a) any mail addressed to the potential Winner is returned to Sponsor as undeliverable without a forwarding address or if potential Winner cannot be contacted for any reason; or (b) potential Winner is deemed ineligible or otherwise non-compliant with any aspect of these Official Rules. ANY VIOLATION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES BY ANY WINNER (AT SPONSOR’S SOLE DISCRETION) WILL RESULT IN SUCH INDIVIDUAL’S DISQUALIFICATION AS A WINNER AND ALL PRIVILEGES DUE SUCH INDIVIDUAL WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED AND AN ALTERNATE PRIZE WINNER WILL BE SELECTED.

7. CONDUCT. By entering this Contest, each Entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor and its judges and agents, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify and prohibit any Entrant from participating in the Contest or winning a prize who Sponsor suspects, in the sole discretion, of attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automatic quick entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse or threaten or harass any of the Sponsors’ representatives or otherwise failing to comply with these Rules. NOTE: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER PERSON TODAMAGE ANY WEB SITE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SPONSOR OR ITS AGENTS OR UNDERMINING THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW, AND SPONSOR AND ITS AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

8. RELEASE OF LIABILITY. Each winner, by acceptance of the prize, agrees on behalf of him/herself, his/her heirs, executors, representatives, assigns, administrators and next of kin to indemnify, hold harmless and release the Sponsor, its parent, subsidiary and affiliated businesses and each of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, advisors, assignees, agents, representatives and any other person or entity associated with this Contest from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind with respect to or in any way arising from this Contest, participation in any Contest-related activity; and/or delivery/misdelivery, acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of a prize, including, but not limited to, liability for personal injury, bodily injury (including wrongful death or disability), damage to property, and damage or loss of any other kind. Sponsor is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Web site users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the Contest or by any technical or human error that might occur in the processing of Contest Entries. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error; omission; interruption; deletion; defect; delay in operation or transmission; communications-line failure; or theft, destruction, unauthorized access to, or alteration of Entries. Sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines; computer online systems, servers, or providers; computer equipment; software; or failure of e-mail or entry on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site or combination thereof, including injury or damage to participant’s or to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest, downloading materials from Sponsor’s Web site or emailing entries. Sponsor is not responsible for cheating or fraud by any participant. Any activities intended to disrupt or interfere with the proper play of the Contest or defraud Sponsor in any way will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Participants who engage in any of the foregoing activities will be disqualified and will forfeit any prizes won. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to, without limitation, infection by computer virus, worm, or bugs; tampering; unauthorized intervention; fraud; technical failures; or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of these Official Rules or any materials associated with the administration of the Contest or the announcement of the prize. In all events, the sole maximum liability of Sponsor and its affiliates shall be limited to any of the prize(s) set forth herein.

9. CHOICE OF LAW. Except where prohibited by law, all issues and questions concerning the constitution, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the participant and the Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Virginia in the U.S., without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Virginia, or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Virginia in the U.S.

10. PRIVACY. Information Entrants provide to Sponsor will be used to communicate with Entrants regarding this Contest and otherwise as set forth in these Official Rules. By submitting an entry on-line to Sponsor, all Entrants acknowledge and agree that the personal information that they have provided will be maintained on HUMANITY ROAD, INC.’s server in accordance with HUMANITY ROAD, INC.’s Privacy Policy.

11. PUBLICITY CONSENT. By submitting an entry or accepting a prize, where permitted by law, each winner grants to Sponsor and those acting pursuant to the authority of Sponsor the irrevocable right without any further notice, review or consent to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use, worldwide in any media now known or hereafter developed, including, but not limited to, the World Wide Web, in perpetuity and throughout the universe, his/her Entry, including, without limitation, the entry and winner’s name, and statements about the Contest as news, publicity or information and for advertising, public relations and promotional purposes without any further compensation.

12. WINNER’S IDENTITY & OFFICIAL RULES. Prize winners’ name and Entry Piece, as well as a version of these Official Rules, suitable for printing, will be posted on the Sponsor’s web site and the HUMANITY ROAD and/or ANIMALS IN DISASTER page on Facebook, at Sponsor’s discretion.

13. SPONSOR. HUMANITY ROAD, INC., 230 Washington Street, Boydton, Virginia 23917, sponsors this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Contest at any time and substitute another promotion in its place.

14. For information about the BarkWorld™ Expo, go to: http://www.barkworldexpo.com.

Hear Me Speak at BarkWorldSpeaker Bio

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WOL!! Woof Out Loud!

Dog at computer

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