Alert- Animal Abuse!!

It has come to my attention that people all over the Country are abusing their animals today. Here are 2 pictures of 2 spoilt dogs now forced to dress up as a lady bug and zebra. Beware of all the owners doing the same to their pets and report them immediately to the proper authorities!

Kona (the biggest ladybug ever) and Rugby (the cranky zebra) are clearly not impressed, but, please note they received a cookie for their efforts and were not harmed in this production.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE FROM ME, RUGBY, AND THE KILLER LADYBUG KONA!

Winterizing Your Pup

BAG BALM=OKAY


KONA + HAT=NOT OKAY



BRRRRRR Its getting chilly out there as you may have all noticed. First the warmer sweater, then the toque, and next thing you know it will be the parka and winter boots (I'm so not ready for that yet). We get to put on the layers but, what about your pal?. I have seen the undercoat on my two start to come in, the fur is a little fluffier and softer, and they don't want to dawdle so much on the night time backyard run. WINTER IS COMING ARGGGG!!!

So what to do with your pup to help them for the upcoming snow season? I am not an advocate of doggy coats and booties, I know there is a need for some dogs but, I refuse to put them on my crew. I can't look at my two dolled up and be okay with it. My guys usually fair well in the winter, I try to build them up to winter and do my best to protect them from the elements. That being said, whether there is a snow storm, or 2 feet of snow- my guys still go for their walks. They are walked briskly to warm up the joints before bounding in the snow banks, I make sure my guys drink a lot of water (yes dogs can be dehydrated in winter too), and I keep them moving the whole outdoor session.

The biggest things to watch for come snow is the salt for de-icing the walkways. My rottweilers have always had a tough time with salt, more so than my lab. They crack their pads, and usually with the addition of "more salt to the wounds" per-say squeak in pain. My solution is to bag balm them. If you check out the picture above you see the cream meant for cows udders, It works wonders on softening the pads and making them more pliable and less prone to cracking. For about $10 you can bond with your dog with nightly foot rubs, and prevent the heart wrenching squeals from your pal. Watch out for "snowballs" that accumulate in the crease of the toes, it builds up like a little ice ball. Easy to fix just pick out with your fingers.

The more you let your dogs coat acclimatize to the elements the thicker it will come in (minus some of the smooth coat breeds- doberman, sighthounds, and those Paris Hilton under arm warmers). This undercoat will assist keeping the vital organs warm through the cold weather.

With every dog common sense in the winter months is a given, don't leave your dog outside for long periods of time in the sub zero temperatures. Provide fresh water (even though they have eaten their weight in snow), up their food intake if they are spending long periods of time bounding in the snow, and always check your dogs feet and pads for cracks and ice injuries.

Just like getting your car ready for winter and prepping it for the snow filled roads, ease your dog into winter the same way. There are some people who with their summer cars put them into garage, do the same with their dog- hibernate for the winter; the "fair weather walkers- FWW". Such a strange concept to lock your dogs up all winter when there is so much to do during the winter with the proper attire, they are missing out huge.

While keeping your dog fit in the winter protect your pup from the dangers of the elements; and to all of the FWW I will see you in the spring!

Dogs Breakfast?

Since I have owned dogs I have been constantly complemented on my dogs coats, and their physiques. I have had Rottweilers and my Labrador- both breeds are prone to becoming "table tops"; they love to eat and have a tendency to get chubby. I take pride in the fact that I have always exercised my dogs (even at 3:30 am before a day shift-dedicated or mad?), but equally important is what I feed them.

One thing that gets overlooked by a lot of pet owners is the food they are putting into their dogs. I am not here to tell you what to feed your dog, but just to make you look at the ingredients a little closer. I have always fed my dogs foods that meat is number 1 on the ingredient list. If I wouldn't eat it, my dogs won't eat it. I feed my dog Orijen currently and am super pleased with the results. The ingredients are as follows:

(from Orijen website http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/about/)

ADULT

Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.

All the ingredients are wholesome and minus the salmon (ewwww) and a few other minor ingredients, these are all foods I include in my own diet. I used to show my Rottweilers and people would ask me what I bathed my dog in, or what products I used to treat their coats; My answer was always NOTHING. I just fed them right and it came naturally.

I feed my dogs the odd raw chicken back, and tend to stick to natural treats. I can't get away from the odd GHETTO treat like Marrowbones, however, for the most part they eat good food. There are foods that are much more expensive and not extruded into dog kibble, but Orijen has more that met my satisfaction. The results of the quality are in my dogs excellent health, boisterous energy levels, and silky/shiny coats.

When choosing a dog food make sure you know what you are putting into your dogs body, and how much. In light of the huge Pet food recall that resulted in dogs dying its time to take a few minutes and turn over that bag of dog food and read the ingredient list.

Good nutrition + lots of exercise = a long, healthy lifetime of tail wagging and sloppy puppy kisses ;)

Hitting the News

Doggyfitness

Program helps pet owners get fit and train their dogs at the same time

By Jennifer Ormston, Waterloo Chronicle


Oct 08, 2008

Sara Clark has an answer for people who are struggling to fit workouts and dog walking into their lives.

Her new small business -- Doggy Fitness -- offers both.

"It kills two birds with one stone," said Clark.

"It cuts down on having to go to the gym and dog walk."

Started this summer, Doggy Fitness's outdoor training classes incorporate human and canine workouts through running, obstacle courses and obedience training.

"So they're doing drills, they're teaching them new skills that overstimulate the dog so it's fantastic for their learning and getting them in shape," Clark said.

The idea for this company came to Clark because of her own hectic lifestyle.

She's a police officer, so she knows what it's like not to have lots of spare time.

But fitness has always been a passion for Clark, who used to compete nationally as a powerlifter.

Plus, she worked with dogs for almost 20 years, doing training with Dog Guides Canada. And now she's the owner of two dogs, a Rottweiler and a Labrador retriever.

"One day I just thought, it would be fantastic if you had group fitness classes with your dog," she said. "They have group running classes, they have group everything."

And because she couldn't find a class like that to enroll in, she decided to start her own.

Her first step was to get advice from the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, which she learned about online.

"I stopped by, and that's where it all started," she said about her initial visit to the centre, located on the first floor of the Waterloo City Hall building, at 100 Regina St. S.

There, advisor Roy Weber gave her the information and resources she needed.

"She was one of the easiest clients to work with because Sara had a clear vision already and experience in fitness and the uniqueness of combining that with pet fitness," Weber said.

"I'm always an advocate of niche markets ... so it made my job easy and fun."

Clark's first class was held in September at Bechtel Park, and the response was positive with one participant saying it was challenging but she would do it again.

Called Couch Potato No More, this beginner course doesn't require previous obedience training.

"Because of the way the class is setup, the first part of it is the run and it just burns the (dogs') energy, and then after that they focus," she said.

"I'm gearing it towards people who don't go to the gym because it's very intimidating. It's just a fun time for you and your buddy, and also to get in shape."

Future sessions will be held in different venues, but she prefers Bechtel Park because of its proximity to the leash-free dog park, where participants can take their pet afterwards. Dogs must be leashed during her classes, though.

Eventually Clark hopes to expand the program to offer more advanced sessions as well.

All first-time participants get a free class to see if they like it.

"I'd rather people come back because they want to be there, not because they've paid a certain amount of money," she said.

The next class is on Oct. 25 at Bechtel Park. Participants with rescue dogs will receive a discount.

Clark encourages people to consider Doggy Fitness because it offers an easy, fun forum to get out, socialize and get fit with your dog.

Recent statistics have shown more and more dogs are obese, she said, and along with weight gain comes such conditions as diabetes and cancer.

"I've never seen an unhappy fit dog," she said. "You just see a sparkle in their eye when they're being worked."

For information or to sign up for the class, contact Clark at dogfitness@gmail.com or go to http://doggyfitness.ning.com.