July 21, 2000 Volume 1, Issue 1
Happy Paws Superstar Pet Separation Anxiety Super Pet Expo Your Pet’s Health MCHS News Stop The Insanity! Why Use a Pet Sitting Service?
Happy Paws Superstar Pet
Toby has been part of our family for many years. He comes from a French breed called Bichen. When you knock at our door, Toby will bring you his favorite toy as a welcoming gift. He loves to play ball. He will roll the ball to you by using his nose and paws to guide it. If the ball doesn't reach you he will re-roll it until it does. Toby's mild demeaner makes me think of him as human. His playmate who is half his size will curl up almost inside him as if he were a nest. He's like “The Fonz” of dogs, like the cool cat of his species, no pun intended. He has this walk that he won't brake stride with even if I'm calling for him, he takes his good ol'e time. Sort of to say, “What do you want now, this better be good!“ Whether you are a child or an adult, he won't miss an opportunity to show you his hospitality; but if you resemble an intruder "beware" he will bite. Toby can be as gentle as a puppy but like a ferocious wolf when it means protecting his family and home. Toby is my buddy for life and I love him dearly and these are the reasons why I believe Toby is a superstar. By Cecilia Maas	Toby’s pet sitter, Angela, made the following comments about our Superstar: Toby is so much fun to be around. First of all, just the mere sight of him gives you such pleasure. He looks like a snowball, all soft, white and furry. Toby is always there to meet me at the welcoming mat. He makes it very clear that he loves me, through his generous licks and pawing. He and I could play tug of war forever! I can have a seat anywhere in the house and Toby finds a way to jump up on my lap, even though his legs are only 3 inches long. I've never known a dog that could roll a ball back to me with such precision as Toby does. This dog has incredible attentiveness, in fact, I can have a staring contest and he would beat me every time. This dog has a personality to match any human’s. Toby is definitely a Superstar!
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Separation Anxiety
Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety when their owners are away from home. Symptoms of separation anxiety can be excessive barking, urinating, defecation, or destructive chewing while you are away. Here are a few techniques that will help promote independence in your dog: Before Leaving: Pay no attention to your dog for 20-30 minutes before you leave. Don’t make a fuss with long good byes. If you don’t fuss over them when you leave to go to the grocery store or out for the evening, don’t fuss when you are leaving for extended periods of time.	DID YOU KNOW? If your cat pants, you should visit your vet immediately! Unlike dogs, when a cat is panting or breathing through the mouth, it does not mean the cat is hot. In cats, panting indicates the presence of a serious, often life threatening health disorder. The dog may associate all the extra attention with the idea that you do not plan to return. Leave a special toy or a treat to distract the dog when you go, and remove the item upon your return. At Home: Put your coat on or play with your keys at times other than departure. This will relieve some of the tension of anticipation when your pet senses you are leaving.
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Super Pet Expo 2000
Super Pet Expo is a pet-lovers paradise featuring seminars, demonstrations, exciting animal entertainment, and the largest selection of pet products and accessories all under one roof! A weekend of pet fun can be found only at this 2-day event. The Super Pet Expo will be held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, September 9 & 10, 2000 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Expo will feature pet products, services and entertainment of every kind imaginable! There will be an Olympic-styled Classic K-9 Agility Show, a Doggie Fashion Show, a Petting Zoo, Obedience Schools, Grooming Tips, “Ask the Trainer”, distributors of Pet Food, Pet Clothing, Crafts, Toys, Pet Services (Happy Paws Pet Sitting	Service will be there too!), as well as Rescue Leagues and Humane Societies. Some seminar topics featured will be: “Rabbit Care 101,” “Parrot Psychology” and “Helping Your Pet Live Longer”. Super Pet Expo is more than a family event, it is an event with the goal of aiding and assisting area humane societies and rescue leagues in helping to raise funds and food. Millions of pets need homes and Super Pet Expo is the place to meet them and start the adoption process. For more information about this event, please call 301/230-5881. Don’t forget to visit Happy Paws at Booth #91 in Bldg. #6, Home Arts (upstairs). For printable coupons, visit the Super Pet Expo website at "www.superpetexpo.com" (good for Adult Admission only).
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Your Pet’s Health
During these hot summer months, it is very important to watch for signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion. If the temperature is above 85º, please do not take your dog for a car ride to the mall or grocery store, believing that your dog will enjoy spending the time with you. I was recently told of an incident by a police officer friend, about a woman who accidentally locked her dog in the car in a shopping center parking lot. Though the temperature outside the car was only 92º, by the time they were able to free the dog, the temperature inside the car gave a shocking reading of 120º. Emergency officials cared for the dehydrated and exhausted dog, and after medical attention, he was fine. The owner received a hefty fine for negligence and a number of other charges. Your pet’s diet is very important to his health. A number of unlikely foods are actually quite dangerous to cats, as reported by Pam Johnson-Bennett in a “Bonkers!” magazine article. For instance, Milk – Once weaned, a cat does not produce a sufficient amount of enzyme necessary to digest lactose. Therefore, giving cats milk could result in diarrhea.	DID YOU KNOW? A dog’s gums and the inside of their lips should be pink. Very pale pink, white or gray gums indicate trouble, such as low oxygen levels or a low red blood cell count. Even dogs like Chows, who have black lips and gums, usually have small spots of pink around their gums that can be checked. Tuna – Cats love it! But the tuna meant for humans is, unfortunately, not good for your cat. It is high in polyunsaturated fats, which cats don’t metabolize well. A steady diet of tuna depleats their bodies of Vitamin E and can lead to a very painful condition called Steatitis. Tuna flavored cat foods add vitamin supplements to prevent this. To get your cat off the strong addition of tuna, you have to gradually mix in other foods while reducing the amount of straight tuna. Other hazards to watch for are puddles of antifreeze in the street. If someone’s car should overheat and antifreeze leaks out, it is very harmful for both dogs and cats to ingest.
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Montgomery County Humane Society News
The Montgomery County Humane Society (MCHS) will host it’s 3rd Annual “Dances with Dogs” fund raising event on Friday, October 13, 2000, 7:30-11:30 p.m. It will be an evening of dining, dancing, music and DOGS! Entertainment includes an animal communicator, an animal massage therapist, caricature artist, photographer, live and silent auction, stupid pet tricks, and music by Mike Sussman. Tickets are $75.00 for one, $135.00 for two, and includes a full dinner with beer and wine, and an evening of fun for all! On November 12, 2000, MCHS will host “Nibbles & Bits” at the Potomac Community Center from 2:00-4:00 p.m. There will be wine, cheese and dessert tasting, a celebrity silent auction, and a kidscraft corner.	Tickets are $10.00 for adults, and $5.00 for kids 12 and under. What has four wheels, dozens of legs and meows and barks? That would be the MCHS' new mobile adoption unit. The 1999 Startrans Minicoach, which was unveiled at a press conference last August, visits various sites in the County and carries several animals available for adoption. The van measures 29 feet in length, is air-conditioned, and has 15 cages of various sizes. For more information, contact the Humane Society at 301/279-1969, and please mention Happy Paws!
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Stop the Insanity!
Most puppies sold in stores come from puppy mills. Animals are over bred, under fed, crammed together in small, banked, feces-filled cages with no protection from the elements, with no regard for their health or well being. All in the name of MONEY! The puppy mill is paid a smaller price than the greatly inflated amount charged at pet stores. Puppies are yanked from their mothers at six weeks old, weaned too early, placed in a cardboard box, and shipped all over the nation. The survival rate for these puppies is as pitiful and outrageous as 50%. Puppies have been found inside crates in the back of trucks, having been without food and water for as much as four days, enroute to pet stores around the country. The puppies aren’t walked or let out, they have been found with their paws and legs swollen from their pads being ripped on wire flooring, they have open sores, fleas, ticks and infections. Females are bred at their first heat and continuously thereafter., until only death releases them from suffering. In-breeding is the norm in many of these puppy mills. Most mills exist only to produce money, with little or no regard for the health of the animals they are breeding and selling.	WHERE TO GO Montgomery County Humane Society (301) 279-1823 www.mchumane.org Frederick County Humane Society 301/694-1545 www.fchs.org Washington Animal Rescue League 202/726-2556 www.warl.com You may bring your pet home from the pet store with mange, upper respiratory infection, ear/eye infections, Coddidiosis (protozoal intestinal organism transmitted by contact with infected feces), or Guardia Lamblia (parasite which can be transmitted to humans). The Humane Society of the United States, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), estimate that 90% of puppies sold at pet stores came from puppy mills such as the ones described. SIMPLE SOLUTION: DO NOT BUY YOUR DOGS FROM PET STORES! Purchase your little bundles of joy from breeders, or adopt them from the Humane Society or one of the many Rescue Leagues who have a wide variety of pure bred dogs who need a good home.
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Why use a Pet Sitting Service?
Advantages for your pets: Reduced stress because they remain in an environment where all the sights, smells and sounds are familiar Following a customary diet and exercise routine Avoiding exposure to illnesses of other animals in kennels Avoiding any trauma of travel in a vehicle Most important, your pets receive one-on-one personal love and attention while you are away	Advantages for you: You don’t have to impose on a friend, neighbor or relative who may forget to care for your pet Your home is made more secure by the crime-deterrent measures arranged by your pet sitter While you are away, your pet is in capable, caring hands You may use our other special services, such as watering plants and bringing in your mail and newspapers
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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of PAW PRINTS. Our Newsletter is published Quarterly by Happy Paws Pet Sitting Service, Inc. We appreciate input from our readers and would love to hear your ideas for future issues. Each quarter, we feature a story about one of our Superstar Pets. We encourage all of our clients to write to us about their Superstars for a chance to appear in our next feature story. If you have questions about our newsletter or any of the services offered by Happy Paws, please contact us at the Montgomery County or Frederick County office numbers shown.