Posted on November 14, 2009 by lindawatts
Trial Secretary Ann Stochel sent out premiums for a trial on Friday, November 27th at Pawsitive Partners Dog Training Center. Pre-entries close November 20, 2009. “Day of” entries accepted for 2nd trial only.
If you need and entry form, click here.
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Posted on November 3, 2009 by lindawatts
Life as a Labradoodle may sound free and easy, but if you’re Jet, who lives in New Jersey, there is a lot of work to be done.
He is both a seizure alert dog and a psychiatric service dog whose owner has epilepsy, severe anxiety, depression, various phobias and hypoglycemia. Jet has been trained to anticipate seizures, panic attacks and plunging blood sugar and will alert his owner to these things by staring intently at her until she does something about the problem. He will drop a toy in her lap to snap her out of a dissociative state. If she has a seizure, he will position himself so that his body is under her head to cushion a fall. Read more..
via Good Dog, Smart Dog – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 21, 2009 by lindawatts

The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, a trade group, held its annual gathering last week in Nashville. While much of the talk at the 7th Annual Pooper Scooper Convention, as usual, centered on business, it also featured the yearly tribute to a dying pursuit.
The contest is a two-minute head-to-head race to scoop the most plastic doggie deposits. A layman might be surprised that this year’s victor, Cheresee Rehart, like most of these professionals, generally shuns the very device designed for the task — indeed for which the gathering is named — the “pooper scooper.”
more via For Scooper, Popularity Fades but Its Legacy Endures – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 15, 2009 by lindawatts

Consider it a government mantra: No Pet Left Behind.
Or, if a pet is left behind during a disaster evacuation, it must have food and water, and the home must be marked to indicate to rescue workers that a pet is still inside. Departing owners should also bring a recent color photo of them and their pets, to help identify them later.
Read more:
Pets Need an Emergency Plan, Too – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 12, 2009 by lindawatts

IT’S a miracle. That’s what the humans believe, more often than not, after watching this compact, 40-year-old C.E.O. do his work. He enters a room purposefully, his chest thrust forward and a smile on his face. “How can I help?” is his standard introduction, and the way he says it — calmly, assertively — indicates that your problems are about to be solved. Read more…Cesar Millan, Whispering to Dogs and C.E.O.’s – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 7, 2009 by lindawatts

By JILL ABRAMSON
Published: October 5, 2009
LIKE a lot of Americans, I’m obsessing about health insurance. Only in my case, the issue is whether or not to buy pet insurance for Scout.
Soon, she will be 6 months old, the age recommended for spaying, a procedure that will probably cost several hundred dollars, once tests and medications are included. A less invasive technique, done through laparoscopy, is far more expensive. And we’ve already spent quite a bit on vaccinations and routine checkups. Then there are possible future expenses, like an accident or a really severe malady, like cancer.
More via The Puppy Diaries – Insurance, When the Patient Is a Pet – Series – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 6, 2009 by lindawatts

When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro’s family in Manhattan last spring, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms. Vaccaro’s 11-year-old son, Milo — especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away. read more…
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Posted on October 5, 2009 by lindawatts
Posted on October 3, 2009 by lindawatts

Bijou, the family dog of Times editor Dana Jennings.
Our family dog started failing a couple of months ago. Her serious health problems began at about the same time I was coping with my own — finishing my radiation and hormone therapy for prostate cancer.
Since last summer, I’ve learned that my cancer is shockingly aggressive, and the surgery, radiation and hormone treatments have left me exhausted, incontinent and with an AWOL libido. These days I’m waiting for the first tests that will tell me the status of my health.
More via Life Lessons From the Family Dog – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.
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Posted on October 2, 2009 by lindawatts
Listen to the story of one woman’s rescue efforts in the city.
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