Kudos!!

Kudos to Chad Pennington whose 1st and 10 Foundation recently donated $15,000 to Little Victories "to provide children with the opportunity to work with animals and learn simple skills and humane care."

Thank you Chad for remembering and recognizing your long time fans from the Huntington, Marshall University area!

Petfinder.com

If you are thinking about getting a new pet petfinder.com is THE place to look. I stumbled onto the site one night while I was looking for adoptable pets at the Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter.

Your search for pets has endless possibilities. Are you looking for a dog or cat?(you can also search for farm animals) Male or female? Age? A certain breed? You also fill in your zip code and determine the distance your willing to cover. A great feature of the site is that for most of the animals information is readily available regarding their behavior and special needs, such as, the pets ability to get along with other dogs and cats or children and if their are any medical or behavioral issues.

There are pets for sale by individuals listed but Pepper Jane and I are begging you to ADOPT. There is an unbelievable number of animals at various shelters that deserve a loving home. Please consider animals with special needs or that are elderly. These animals are much harder to place. Think of the joy it would bring to your life knowing that an animal lived out it's final years with you being loved and comfortable rather than in a cold, damp, cement cage with little human comfort or contact, dying alone and unwanted.

Another great feature of the sight is that you can find listings of no-kill shelters and animal rescue groups near you. In our area Little Victories is well known but I discovered a long list of small shelters and rescue groups that I had never heard of. Some are breed specific and many have animals rescued from neglectful and even abusive environments. These places are doing wonderful things for needy animals but are virtually unknown. Check out the list and give them the recognition they so badly deserve!

Pepper Jane and I are currently looking for our next family member. We will definitely be looking for advice so please stay tuned for our next post when we'll be discussing our issues and worries about adopting our next family member.

PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!!!!

PLEASE ADOPT A DESERVING PET TODAY!!!!

Clarification on Urgent Warning

This is regarding my post from yesterday about the Swiffer Wetjet.

After receiving a comment about the urban legend of swiffer, I decided to do some research..... While the post itself is the same as on snopes, I called the toll free # for Proctor Gamble myself, this is what I was told. The Swiffer Wetjet solution is 90-100% water(Yes, save your money!). However, the tiny remaining percent is made up of something whose technical name I can't remember that in large doses is harmful to pets. However, It would take a very large dose to cause any harm.

The real moral of the story is to be careful when choosing or using any cleaning products your pets will be exposed to!!!

Urgent Warning!

This is an extremely urgent warning I found posted by a friend on MySpace.

I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German Shepherd
dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until
a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause
was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had
ingested poison of some kind! The dog is kept inside, and when
he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into
something unknown was hard to believe.

My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When
he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a
warning which stated 'may be harmful to small children and animals.' He
called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent
are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the
ingredients. (actually he was told it's a
compound which is one molecule away from antifreeze).

Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the
solution, then licking its own paws, it ingested enough of the solution
to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog's death, his
housekeepers' two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the
Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsy's
weren't done on the cats, so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked
that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don't lose
their animals. This is equally harmful to babies and small
children that play on the floor a lot and put their fingers in their
mouths a lot.

This one really shook me up. I've had the Swiffer Wetjet longer than I've had my Pepper. To think I could have killed my babies is devastating. There are so many obviously dangerous household cleaners but this one caught me off guard, especially with the anti-freeze. As soon as I finish this post that thing is GONE!

Little Victories Needs Your Help

Little Victories is working on opening a new thrift store in Barboursville and requesting donations of household items, furniture, and clothing.

The new store will be called Second Chances and located at 4465 WVa 10. They plan to open sometime in April. All proceeds will go toward expenses for Little Victories Rescue Farm and medical expenses. Through the years Little Victories has saved the lives of hundreds of animals, PLEASE help them continue their desperately needed efforts to save hundreds more.

For more information go to www.littlevictories.org or call 304-523-1666.

Pepper Jane's Big Move

Hello, Everyone! We are back from our long hiatus!

I'm pleased to report the big move was pretty much trauma free. My main concern was that we were moving to a house previously occupied by three dogs. Even though the house was spotless and clean with no smell a human could detect I was worried that Pepper's sensitive sniffer would cause her to be nervous the first few days, especially outside in the yard. I'm relieved to say it didn't phase her a bit and she instantly settled into our new home. I'm sure that a big factor in the smooth transition was that we brought the kids(Pepper Jane and my cat Rocky) here last, after our furniture and familiars had been here a few days. Unfortunately, Rocky had a tougher time, hiding under the bed most of the time for the first few days but everyone has adjusted right back to their cute old selves.

The toughest part of the move for the kids was the ride out here, long, curvy, and hilly(we moved to Branchland in Lincoln County). Rocky, in his carrier, squalled the whole way and Pepper(we both have a tendency to get carsick, I tried the pills and they really do work) threw-up on my leg a few miles from our new home.

The biggest adjustment for me is that we only have dial-up internet which really tries my patience. We are on the waiting list for high speed and have been waiting and waiting but Pepper decided she can't wait anymore. There are too many interesting things in the doggie world she wants to bark about!

Thanks to all our readers who have patiently awaited our next post. We are dedicated to keeping you entertained even if it takes us forever to get online. Stay tuned, lots of new posts are in the works!

Tammy will be back as soon as she settles in to her new home.

Thanks,
Andrea Copley-Smith
online editor

Movin'

We are planning on moving soon and I'm a little worried that it may be stressful and scary for Pepper. In the past I have moved with cats and they were a little distressed at first but quickly adapted to the change. If anyone has any experience or advice about moving with a dog please post your comments.
Thanks!

The Fastest Learners and Those Who Aren't Interested....

This is from a recent article I found interesting in the Usa Today Weekend Edition which comes in The Herald-Dispatch Sunday Edition.

Psychologist Stanley Coren researched and examined 141 dog breeds using "understanding of new commands" and "obey first command" as criteria in judging the responsiveness of dogs to commands. These are his findings....

When given a command five or fewer times the following breeds performed the requested behavior 95% of the time or better:
Border Collie
Poodle
German Shepherd
Golden Retriever
Doberman Pinscher

The next list contains breeds who have many great qualities but trainability and the desire to please is low on the list. These dogs may take 80 to 100 trials to learn a new command and then obey the command only 25% of the time or less:
Borzoi
Chow Chow
Bulldog
Basenji
Afghan Hound

I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that bulldog is on the second list but they're so darn cute that I would still consider owning one.

On a high note, the article accompanying this piece says that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, so never give up hope!

Health Insurance for Your Pet??

Do you have health insurance for your pet? If you do, please comment on your experience. Is it worth it? Have you had any problems with claims?

Here are a few tips to consider if you are thinking about purchasing insurance for your pets....

Deductibles- Choose carefully! Choosing your deductible amount based solely on the cheapest monthly payment is a big mistake!

Policy Limits- Know what your policy covers BEFORE you need to use it. Accidents, illnesses, routine care? Also consider if you will be restricted to a network of vets, covered for after hours emergency care, and visits to specialists.

Reimbursements- How are they calculated(percentage of bill vs. percentage of benefit schedule which limits the amount an insurance company is willing to pay) and who receives the payment(you or direct to the vet).

Make sure the insurance company is licensed in your state and the best tip of all is to ask your veteranarian for recommendations. It's likely that they have dealt with a wide variety of insurance companies and the families covered by them so they will be able to give you the best information to suit your needs.

Emotions in Motion

I'm still lovin' my new job at a local grooming business but this job is much more emotional than I originally expected.

For the most part, the dogs are happy to be there. We let them run around and play as much as possible and I truly try to make the whole experience as pleasant as I can but there is an occasional sad story. I'm surprised at the number of dogs who look like they may be somewhat neglected in between visits. I'm also saddened by the number of dogs who stay boarded for very extended periods of time.

I'm proud to say that the current owners and workers of my company are all very kind and caring when it comes to the animals but unfortunately we are limited in what we can do.

This is intended to be a subtle reminder..... Spend as much quality time with your pet as you possibly can!!!!!!

Gettin' Pretty

Well, it's been one whole week since I started my new job at at a local grooming business. I am lovin' it and taking in all kinds of info about dogs and their owners.

One thing that has surprised me a little is the variety of dogs brought in for grooming. Before, I always pictured toy poodles and yorkies or shih-tzus and poms, getting trimmed up and their nails polished pink. In reality their are some of those kind of dogs but there has also been German Shepards, gigantic Golden Retrievers and labs, even beagles.

All the dogs are great and deserve to be pampered. I never thought about taking a hound dog to a "Beauty Parlor" but I'm glad someone did.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Love,
Tammy, Pepper Jane, and Rocky Clark!

My New Job at Club Pet

I just started a new job at Club Pet and I am loving it! I've been bathing and blow drying all kinds of dogs and today I got to work in the kennel. Even better, I can take my Pepper to work with me anytime I want.

An additional bonus- I'm sure the job will provide plenty of stories and info for this blog.

Opinion

Several days ago I was reading the Herald-Dispatch and came across an article on Michael Vick. It was regarding his sentencing hearing and included excerpts from a letter written to the judge by Vick. In his statement Vick actually said that he was an animal lover!!!! I was surprised and sickened by that remark. I just can't believe he actually said such a thing. To me, he is the epitome of animal cruelty. He tortured, brutalized, maimed, and murdered who knows how many helpless dogs. He even went as far as breeding them to produce animals specifically to be brutalized and killed. I can't believe he had the nerve to make such a statement! The entire situation is appalling!!