June 3, 2006 - June 4, 2006
This seminar is for anyone participating in dog related activities, and covers a wide range of information such as gaiting, jumping, sports injuries, and conditioning/training safely.
More about Chris Zink
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The SPCA is holding its 3rd Annual Cause for Paws Charity Dinner & Auction on Friday, September 15th 7-11pm at the Marriott Casino Hotel's Halifax Ballroom. The tickets are $75/per person or a table of 10 for $650. The evening will be hosted by Neville MacKay (My Mother's Bloomers). For more information on tickets, donations, or volunteering, contact Charlotte.

The Fredericton SPCA's annual Bark in the Park fundraising event will be held on Sunday, June 4th from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm at O'Dell Park, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Visit http://www.woofstock.ca/ for more information and don’t forget to bring your pets to share in the fun. Lots to see and do and don’t forget to visit the ACPSN booth.

June 25/06: 'Paws in Motion' - A walk for animals at Assiniboine Park in support of the Winnipeg Humane Society. Winnipeg, Manitoba

Ahhh... it's finally here... springtime, that wonderful season with the earth awakens from its winter siesta to once again blossom with fresh, new life. Speaking of rebirth, as a kitty caregiver, I'm constantly on a mission to convert "non-believers" (i.e. people who don't like cats) into "born-again" cat lovers. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about felines, but in my opinion, some of their arguments can be rather weak. Here are my usual responses to some of the anti-cat comments I've heard:

Cats are sneaky

I'm not sure what this means. Are you afraid they're going to steal your silverware? If you're referring to the way cats stealthily stalk their prey or favourite toy, just take a moment to observe them. When they spy their target, these natural hunters crouch low, twitching in anticipation, waiting patiently for the exact right moment to strike. They then pounce with lightening speed and precision aim to claim their prize. You just have to appreciate such a marvellous display of skill, agility and natural instinct!

Cats smell bad

Come on now... have you ever taken a whiff of a wet dog? Healthy cats have a lovely, faintly powdery scent. And, if you clean their litterbox regularly, your house will remain daisy-fresh too!

Cats are too independent

Sure, some cats are more aloof than others, but most of the kitties I've had the pleasure of meeting crave human companionship. Cats consider us as family, adn they show it in so many ways. Granted, they offer affection on their own terms, but if you respect that, chances are your kitty will be your best friend forever!

I urge you to be a cat crusader too! Let's speak up for our furry friends!

Build a Riding Ring in an Afternoon

How luxurious it would be to school our horses in wood fenced, sand filled riding ring! With the high costs of building materials and so many other places for money to be spent, it’s little more than a dream. Most of us have to make do with setting up a few traffic cones in the flat part of our pasture once the muck has dried up! Here’s a way to build yourself a riding ring with inexpensive and readily available materials, some of which you may already have lying around the farm.

Materials list for a 90-foot wide riding ring: (big enough to canter in)

• 45 feet of scrap rope or wire to use for measuring
• 12 light T-bar posts with holes
• 1 reel of 1/3 inch yellow nylon cord (approx 656 feet or more)
• 12 white plastic T-bar caps (the wide tape electric fence type)
• 1 nylon stall guard with snaps

Instructions:

• Pick a dry, even area suitable for a riding ring.
• In the center, hammer in a stake with the 45 foot scrap wire or cord attached.
• Using the cord to keep the ring round, hammer in 11 of the T-bar posts about 2 feet down, at regular intervals. Make sure the holes in the posts are up.
• Use the 12th T-bar to make a gate opening that will fit the nylon stall guard, and hammer it in place. Install the stall guard by putting the snaps in the holes on the T-bar.
• Thread the 1/3” yellow nylon rope through the holes in the T-bars, joining them to make a “rope fence”, use knots to secure.
• Pop the plastic caps on top of the posts to avoid injuries.

Optional:

• Paint your T-bars white for better horse visibility
• Use a tiller to till the soil, rake and pick stones to smooth.

This ring is fully moveable and good for hours of enjoyment. Most materials are available at your local farm store and should ring in at under two hundred dollars.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" Psalm 23

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• Gv-26 between bottom of nose and upper lip
• series of sharp jabs with fingernail

• Lu-7 inside front paw just above the wrist bone
• counterclockwise circle with finger for 5 minutes each side

• St-36 below back knee on outside of shinbone in depression where muscles of lower leg join knee
• counterclockwise circle with finger for 5 minutes each leg

• Li-4 front paw near where thumb & index finger meet
• counterclockwise circle with finger for 5 min each side

• Li-11 on outside of elbow joint where biceps join the forearm
• counterclockwise circle with finger for 5 min each side

• Sp-6 inside of foot on rear legs just to the front & above the heel
• counterclockwise circle with finger for 5 minutes each side

For more information on acupressure for animals, visit www.animalacupressure.com

Carol Leynard: Holidai Animal Care

"I don’t know why it took me so long to get into the pet sitting business? Maybe it’s because I never heard of such a thing until I did some searching on the Internet.

I’m a former hairdresser and also worked in a large seedling nursery that grew Douglas fir and other West Coast trees. I didn’t like working indoors with hairdressing and the nursery was back breaking work.

Raised on a large dairy farm, working with animals came natural to me, as well as driving tractors and trucks. So I started thinking of an animal related business. My husband retired 4 years ago and I haven’t worked in years.

We’ve always had a hobby farm with cattle, horses, chickens, rabbits and a couple of goats. I birthed my own calves, horses, dogs and cats, when necessary, gave injections, trimmed my horse’s hooves and was the unofficial neighbourhood vet. I even raised Teddy Bear Hamsters commercially in my basement. Also I could never harm or kill anything, including bugs!

Horses and dogs were my first love and I’ve trained and shown both. I even had a Reg. kennel name with CKC. I’ve had many different pets and birds over the years, so after much thought I decided to start a pet sitting business in June 2005.

Right now I offer daily and overnight visits and private dog walks. We live on agricultural land (31 acres) and cannot offer boarding in my home or even have a kennel, which I wanted to do.

I have no limit on the type of animal I will sit. I’ll do Tarantula’s to Turkey’s or any domesticated animal you have.

The best part of this profession is I get to meet all kinds of furry people. I also get satisfaction from seeing the happy faces of the pet parents when they know their furry kids will get the attention and care that they need when they are away.

We now personally only have 1 dog, two cats and 4 beef calves. I have a green thumb and love plants and gardening, hiking and mountain biking. I’m a singer/musician (guitar) looking to make a cd of songs I wrote very soon.

Life is busy and I love it."

Carol
Holidai Animal Care
Nanaimo, British Columbia

For the past 11 years I worked at the same restaurant on Front St.W. Now I take my morning dogs to Cherry Beach gaze at the sky line and wonder how I ever did it. Things are much better now.

Why dog walking is better than waitressing

• Both are food motivated but dogs do positive things to get it.
• Dogs don’t ask for special orders.
• Dogs don’t send things back because they’re cold.
• Dogs don’t ask for doggie bags, there’s never anything left.
• Dogs bring things to you.
• Dogs don’t leave gratuities they’re just grateful.
• Ok, I’ve never had to pick up a diners’ pooh, I’ll give them that one.
• Dogs are never in a hurry, they have no where else to be.
• You can say whatever you want to a dog.
• Smiles aren’t forced around dogs.
• Dogs don’t ask you how much their walk costs in American.
• Dogs don’t snap their fingers at you. They can bark orders though.
• Dogs can tell you apart from the other walkers.
• You can loose weight walking dogs.
• Best of all, now I love my job!
  

Laura Page & Sonya Benson - The Doggie Walk Co.

Everything you Needed to know!

Dog O Mania describes themselves as the largest dog related search engine on the Internet! They feature breeder links, Dog breed type links, and standard links. They also inform the public about events such as upcoming dog shows, as well as have a discussion forum for anyone interested in joining in! Overall, your one stop shop for all of your dog related questions.
http://www.dogomania.com/

Helping the Good Dogs

If you are looking for a site that supports animal rescue, Puppy Site is a fantastic site to visit: http://www.puppysites.com/rescue_canadaontario.shtml

Here you will find Dog Rescue/Dog Shelters in Ontario that help dogs in need. With all the recent publications about banning certain breeds of terriers, i.e pitbulls, this site has launched anti-banning as well as shelters for those dogs that are being ridded of due to by-laws.

Doggie Cartoons!

How about a little humour for you today! Have a look at our doggie Cartoon of the week to brighten your day.

http://www.offthemark.com/dogs.htm. Off the mark is entertaining and energetic. Have a look over this cartoon website for hours of fun! Something neet to include into your personalised newsletters for your clients as well!

Health & Medicine Chris Fidler is a veterinary technician with well over 20 years of professional experience in the animal care field. She has done it all from mucking out stalls to managing an emergency room and intensive care unit for over 150 patients (dogs and cats of course!) Chris' Critter Care in Fonthill, Ontario is your pet's best friend when you can't be there!

Upcoming Events Morag Wilcox, along with her husband Glen, have owned and operated York Professional Pet Sitting in Newmarket, Ontario since 2000. In addition to pet sitting, dog walking and customized pet care services to a variety of species, York Professional Pet Sitting offers dog obedience, horse care and Pet Photography and employs a Veterinary Technician. York Professional Pet Sitting was nominated for "New Business of the Year 2002" by the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce.

Kitty Korner Beverly Anne Miller is the owner/operator of The Kitty Sitter, an in-your-home sitting service exclusively for cats in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. A life-long cat fancier, Beverly provides her many "fur friends" with the same level of nurturing care as she gives her own. She proud to be an accredited member of ACPSN.

Picture Purrfect Lana Banham lives in Invermere, British Columbia. She enjoys being a business owner in the small town, where the everyday pace is always manageable and even gives her time to stop and ‘smell the roses’! She have been in business for exactly 1 year and is the only in-home boarding business in the surrounding area. At present Lana manages 4 dogs and 3 cats at any given time, but has plans for expansion. Lana loves her profession and has all sorts of four legged friends who are always happy to visit Bow-Wow Meow!

Holistic Pets As a Professional Pet Sitter and Private Dog Walker, Maureen Terrey is certified in Pet First Aid, and her business, EarthAnimals Pet Services, is licensed, insured and bonded. To support her work with animals, she is a proud member of the All Canadian Pet Services network and Vernon Women in Business. Maureen has extensive training in the healing arts and also works with people introducing them to the healing benefits of Sound & Energy in their lives. Maureen shares her home with “best friends” Emily, a 10 year old Golden Retriever, and Zach, a 5 year old short hair Tuxedo cat.

Tails From The City Kelly Manis is a country girl lost in the big city. In her need to get back to nature she abandoned a life of servitude in the restaurant industry to start Kelly’s Dog Walking in 2004, Her days are now filled with packs of dogs wandering the trails, woods and beaches of Toronto. Occasionally she’ll look in various cats around town. It is a far better thing she does now.

Mouse Central Driven by the her love for animals and her desire to help the working people within the community, Laura, along with help from Sonya Benson, has derived The Doggie Walk Co. with a purpose. The main purpose of having a dog walking service in this community is to allow for healthier living amongst owner and pet. Sonya has a desire to work with animals for a living. This is a big first step in beginning her move towards that goal. She has had the opportunity to raise a few dogs in her life time, and currently has cats of her own

The Barnyard Susan Schmidt is a full-time Pet Sitter and the owner of New Moon Animal Care, a small business that specializes in pet sitting for farm pets, dogs, cats and other small animals. Susan lives in South Dundas, Ontario with three dogs, twelve cats, and three horses.