Poodle Rescue of New England

Not so guility

Love this blog post about dog behavior. Haven't we all seen what we think is the "guilty look"?

The 2011 PRNE Calendars are here

The cover of this year's calendar features a photo of Cricket and FiFi, two rescue poodles owned by Amanda Lion and Ave Siecinski, surrounded by dozens of wonderful photos of dogs submitted by the people who love them.  Each month features a beautiful photo chosen from over 150 photos submitted to this year's contest.  You can view all of the photos here.

 Wall Calendars are wire bound and printed on heavy glossy paper with each page measuring 11" by 8 1/2 ".  Desk Calendars contain twelve 4" by 6" calendar pages and a 2012 yearly calendar, displayed in a quality plastic jewel case that folds for storage.  Wall Calendars are $20 each and Desk Calendars are $15 each, plus shipping/handling.  Shipping and handling is only $4 for up to four calendars.  Order more than one of either style and save $1 off the price of each calendar!  Mix and match or order multiples of one style.

 Ordering is easy.  To pay by check, send a note with your name, address, phone number and email address indicating how many calendars of each style you wish to order.  Enclose your check (don't forget to include shipping)  payable to Poodle Rescue of New England and mail to:

           PRNE

         c/o Laura Klein Plunkett

         85 Prospect Hill St

         Taunton, MA 02780

To pay by PayPal, send an email to info@poodlerescuene.org and tell us how many calendars of each style you wish to order. We'll send you an invoice.

If you wish to order more than 4 calendars, send us an email and we'll quote you the shipping charges.

New video on PRNE foster dogs

This will bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your heart.

Rock out at Pet Rock this weekend!

The12th Annual Pet Rock Festival will take place Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 [raindate, Sept. 19] from noon to 5 p.m., at Quinsigamond Community College, 670West Boylston St., Worcester. Tickets: $12 adults, $5 kids.

Pet Rock is the largest animal expo on the East Coast. A daylong festival of fundraising fun for the entire family, including your dog, Pet Rock’s primary purpose is to promote responsible pet ownership, bring attention to animal cruelty and educate humans on a variety of animal related issues. Proceeds benefit New England animal welfare organizations. Pet Rock has given tens of thousands to worthy charities, including the Sterling Animal Shelter, the ASPCA Bird Program, Foster Parrots, Humane Society of the US: Youth, NEADS, the MSPCA, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Mass Vest A Dog, Commonwealth Cats, Echo Dog and many more - INCLUDING POODLE RESCUE OF NEW ENGLAND!

Pet Rock Fest boasts live music, vendors, an international food court sponsored by the Boston Vegetarian Society, a “kind kids” booth, disc dog performances by New England Disc Dog Group, an agility course by MasterPeace Dog Training, speakers, Clifford the Big Red Dog, games, prizes, raffles,speakers, rides and more than 130 breed rescues, shelters and animal welfare organizations.Also, Wellness, Charter Communications, TD Banknorth, Beantown Tails, Backyard Bubbles, Especially for Pets and many more.

 The musical lineup is stellar, too, focusing on a star-packed punch of regionalartists who started with big hits in the ‘80s, and are still cranking today.  Headliners include: Michael Cordings, Bruce Marshall, Charlie Farren and JonButcher, Grace Kelly, Doug Bell and Friends, Jon Macey and Steve Gilligan and special guests.  

But at Pet Rock, your pet is the star of the day (your dog is more than welcome, but for safety reasons we ask that other pets stay home). There are contests, rabies clinic, doggie massages, amateur dog show (with categories such as“owner-dog look alike” and “best vocalist”), New England Frisbee Dog Group, adoptable pet parade with prizes for participating rescues, professional portraits of your pet, cat photo contest and the popular doggie water park.

Annie's Found a Home!!

You may remember Annie who was found in the middle of a busy road, horribly matted with ears that were swollen shut from the infections in them. There is a happy ending to Annie's story, thanks to the kind man who saved her, the police officer who assisted and PRNE: 

Annie has found her forever home!

Annie would like to thank her foster care providers – those who welcomed her into their home, cared for her during her recovery from the streets, and made her feel safe and loved. Without people willing to provide temporary homes PRNE would be unable to help dogs like Annie. While in foster care Annie began to trust people and learned what it is like to live in a house with a family. She also developed a taste for Swiss chard, which her foster mom grew in her garden. Annie likes this green as much, if not more, than she does Milkbones!

At the end of July Annie went to live with her new family. She has made herself right at home and enjoys being the center of attention, pampered daily. Her new family adores her and has done everything they can think of to make life better and easier for Annie. On August 21 orthopedic surgeon Dr Clarke repaired Annie’s right knee. Everything went well during surgery and Annie is currently recovering. When a PRNE volunteer visited Annie a day post surgery (bearing a get well gift of some fresh Swiss chard, of course!) she was already putting the leg down, which is a very encouraging sign. She returns to the vet in 2 weeks for suture removal and then again 2 weeks, and then 4 weeks, later for a re-check. Annie will be spayed sometime in September and following her recovery from that, the date for the repair of her left knee will be determined.

Please stay tuned for “Annie Updates”!

PRNE Picnic October 3rd

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Poodle Rescue Picnic!

Where: Borderland State Park 259 Massapoag Ave. North Easton, MA  02356 ($2 per car parking fee)

When: October 3, 11 am - 3pm

Bring your poodle(s) and join us for a day of fun, friends, contests and shopping.

CONTESTS

 

• Fastest Tail Wagger
• Best Trick
• Poodle/Parent Look-alike
• Biggest Poodle
• Smallest Poodle
  

RAFFLES

• A week at Summertime Cottages, Bar Harbor, ME
• Hand-Painted Pet Portrait by Ave Siecinski
• Handcrafted Silver Poodle Pendant by Laura Klein Plunkett
  

Also:

DOGGIE TAROT CARD READING

PRNE LOGO ITEMS

POODLE RESCUE COFFEE SALES

LOTS and LOTS OF RAFFLE ITEMS

JEANNE LAREAU, ANIMAL COMMUNICATOR AND INTUITIVE

NAIL CLIPPING

DOGGIE BUFFET BY ESPECIALLY FOR PETS

AGILITY COURSE

POODLE CALENDAR SALES

Remember to bring your lunch, drinks, chair & doggie pick up bags!

All dogs MUST be leashed at ALL times – per Mass. state law

————————————————

Reminder: There is no Yard Sale this year; please don't bring yard sale donations to the Picnic.

The Ice Water and Bloat Debate

My mom is my source for internet rumors.  She is always forwarding me "true" stories that, after a teeny bit of research, are found to be urban legends.  So it was with interest that I read this new-to-me posting about an email going around the internet claiming ice water caused bloat in a dog.  How could I (and my mom) have missed this legend?  Facebook to the rescue: later that afternoon a Facebook friend posted the ice water / bloat story to her wall. 

I did a Google search to see if, in fact, drinking cold water could cause bloat in dogs and only found blogs, etc. where the same type of story was being repeated.  However, here is what some veterinarian posters say about cold water and bloat.  From here:

"Frigid water gastric "cramping" is a falsehood akin to those that inform you that your hair will grow back coarser if you shave it (myth), or that you shouldn’t go swimming for 30 minutes after eating lest you drown in a fit of cramps (myth)."

From here:

"Hi – thanks for your email. I did some research

and talked to several people about your question. There are several known risk factors associated with bloat but eating ice cubes has not been firmly documented. Apparently, an email has been floating around the internet identifying ice cubes as a problem. I found some information in blogs but nothing solid. I talked to several veterinarians and none of them confirmed this claim."

So make up your own mind.  Some very helpful articles about what can cause bloat and what to do about it can be found here, here, here and here.

National Pet Fire Safety Day

This coming Thursday is National Pet Fire Safety Day.  According to an American Kennel Club article, an estimated half a million pets are affected by a house fire each year and about 1,000 fires annually are accidentally started by pets.  That number astounded me.  Some tips from the AKC article on how to prevent these accidents:

• Don't leave open flames unattended
• Remove stove knobs (so that they cannot be accidentally turned by a pet)
• Don't leave glass water bowls on wooden decks (the sun's rays can be intensified by the water and the glass and actually cause the wooden deck to catch on fire)

The AKC has teamed up with ADT Security Services and the National Volunteer Fire Council to sponsor National Pet Fire Safety Day and will be giving out free Pet Alert Window Clings.  More info on how to get your window cling can be found at the bottom of this article.

Heat wave

It has been hot and humid here in New England for more than a week now and that means pet owners need to be taking special care of their companion animals.

Dogs' normal body temperature is between 100 and 102.5 degrees F.  If their body temperature rises above 106 degrees, their normal cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed and can no longer keep the dog adequately cool.  Certain breeds, such as those with double coats, those bred for cold climates and those with shorter faces, need to be extra careful not to overheat.  Protect your dog from sunburn by limiting the amount of time they spend in direct sunlight.  Keep him inside during the heat of the day, either in a well ventilated area or in air conditioning.  Limit strenuous exercise.  Never leave your pet in the car even on cooler, overcast days. Article here.

It's very important to know the signs of overheating so you can react quickly.  Overheating signs can including the following, according to Dr. Lila Miller, ASPCA Vice President of Veterinary Outreach (via this post):

• excessive panting or difficulty breathing,
• increased heart and respiratory rate,
• drooling,
• mild weakness,
• stupor or even collapse,
• can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomiting along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees.

More great info on hot weather safety can be found here.  Please, keep you and your pet cool!

Banking on Annie

If you will be in the Attleboro tomorrow between 2 and 3pm, stop by the Goldmark Credit Union at 155 Pleasant Street to meet Little Orphan Annie.  Annie will be making a public appearance at Goldmark, where a fund has been set up for donations to help pay for the surgery Annie needs on her knees.  For more information, please read here.