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In this Issue:
Fall is here (update)
Top 10 Halloween Safety Tips
Ask Your Groomer – Flea & Tick Prevention
Ask Your Groomer – Flea & Tick Prevention
Holiday Shelter Collection
When a Cup is Not a Cup
Pet Profile – Josh McClellan
Santa Paws!
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Fall is here!
What’s new at The Good Dog Spot…as always, there’s a lot going on here! Our daycare “kids” have been busy making colorful “pawprint-leaf trees” during daycare. They were hung for display throughout the reception area of our shop and then sent home for Moms and Dads.
A big party is planned for the daycare “kids” on Halloween day – Wednesday, October 31st. We’ll be bobbing for hotdogs, telling scary stories during naptime and, of course, a costume contest! All dogs attending daycare are encouraged to bring their Halloween costumes. Our neighbors will be stopping by for some “reverse trick-or-treat” – that is, they’ll visit us and give treats to the dogs. They’ll also be voting for their favorite costume. Don’t have a costume? Don’t worry – we’ve got a few extra, just in case!
“Santa Paws” will be visiting The Good Dog Spot on Saturday, December 1st – this is an event for pets and their people and is open to both daycare and grooming customers as well as the general public. Read through the newsletter for more updates about our holiday festivities.
Holiday Sleepovers are still available for dogs who attend daycare at least twice in the four weeks prior to their overnight stays. This means that they’re not necessarily daycare dogs (they could be grooming or training customers, too) but they have passed the daycare evaluation and they have spent some time with us and our group in order to learn the basic routine. We look forward to sharing the holidays with our “regulars” and ask that if you’re in need of lodging for your pet this holiday season, you act quickly, as space is limited and filling up fast.
A big party is planned for the daycare “kids” on Halloween day – Wednesday, October 31st. We’ll be bobbing for hotdogs, telling scary stories during naptime and, of course, a costume contest! All dogs attending daycare are encouraged to bring their Halloween costumes. Our neighbors will be stopping by for some “reverse trick-or-treat” – that is, they’ll visit us and give treats to the dogs. They’ll also be voting for their favorite costume. Don’t have a costume? Don’t worry – we’ve got a few extra, just in case!
“Santa Paws” will be visiting The Good Dog Spot on Saturday, December 1st – this is an event for pets and their people and is open to both daycare and grooming customers as well as the general public. Read through the newsletter for more updates about our holiday festivities.
Holiday Sleepovers are still available for dogs who attend daycare at least twice in the four weeks prior to their overnight stays. This means that they’re not necessarily daycare dogs (they could be grooming or training customers, too) but they have passed the daycare evaluation and they have spent some time with us and our group in order to learn the basic routine. We look forward to sharing the holidays with our “regulars” and ask that if you’re in need of lodging for your pet this holiday season, you act quickly, as space is limited and filling up fast.
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No Scaredy Cats this Halloween: Top 10 Safety Tips for Pet Parents
Attention, companion animal caretakers! The ASPCA would like to call your attention to these common-sense precautions that’ll help keep your pets safe and stress-free this time of year.
1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.
3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.
4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.
5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.
6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.
7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can't see.
8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.
9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.
10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.
The above information is from www.aspca.org
1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.
3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.
4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.
5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.
6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.
7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can't see.
8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.
9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.
10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.
The above information is from www.aspca.org
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Josh continues to impress all our customers with his enormous size and sweet disposition! People asked, “Is that a bear?” or “Is that a pony?” The answer to both is “No, it’s Josh – our gentle giant!” Little dogs love to climb on him when he’s laying down and medium sized dogs try to use him as a stepstool – to see what’s going on outside our window. The bottom line is that all the daycare dogs love Josh – and we do, too!
Josh is a very observant boy – he’ll frequently bark to let us know when something is new or out of place and he seems to know the exact minute his Mom and Dad come to pick him up! Sometimes he doesn’t want to leave at the end of fun day and waits for Lisa to kiss him good-bye.
Josh was our very first daycare dog and he continues to be our biggest daycare dog. He attends daycare several times a week and also enjoys being pampered in our Grooming ‘Spaw’ on a regular basis.
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Ask Your Groomer
Q. Is Flea and Tick prevention necessary all year?
A. Absolutely! Flea and tick preventative should be used all year. With the abnormally warm weather this fall, there is more wildlife activity and a greater chance of your pet coming in contact with both fleas and ticks while outside. Also, as cooler weather sets in, fleas tend to seek shelter and look for warmer places. The colder weather does inhibit their breeding, but does not stop it.
The best way to avoid a flea infestation is to use year round flea and tick preventative. There are several brands but the most well known are Frontline and Advantage/Advantix. Careful attention must be given to directions and label warnings especially in households with small children or other animals.
If your pet does get fleas, it is important to treat your home as well as the animal so the infestation does not reoccur. Think about it – if you put your clean, flea-free pet back into a flea infested area – what’s to stop the fleas from hopping right back on? Frequent vacuuming and keeping your pets’ bedding clean can help but the best way to rid your house of fleas is with flea bombs. We recommend bombing your house while your pet is with us, receiving his/her flea bath. You may also want to consider using an outdoor spray to kill fleas and other insects in your yard.
If you have other questions regarding flea and tick prevention, please feel free to call me at 534-1333 and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
~Lisa A Peloquin
A. Absolutely! Flea and tick preventative should be used all year. With the abnormally warm weather this fall, there is more wildlife activity and a greater chance of your pet coming in contact with both fleas and ticks while outside. Also, as cooler weather sets in, fleas tend to seek shelter and look for warmer places. The colder weather does inhibit their breeding, but does not stop it.
The best way to avoid a flea infestation is to use year round flea and tick preventative. There are several brands but the most well known are Frontline and Advantage/Advantix. Careful attention must be given to directions and label warnings especially in households with small children or other animals.
If your pet does get fleas, it is important to treat your home as well as the animal so the infestation does not reoccur. Think about it – if you put your clean, flea-free pet back into a flea infested area – what’s to stop the fleas from hopping right back on? Frequent vacuuming and keeping your pets’ bedding clean can help but the best way to rid your house of fleas is with flea bombs. We recommend bombing your house while your pet is with us, receiving his/her flea bath. You may also want to consider using an outdoor spray to kill fleas and other insects in your yard.
If you have other questions regarding flea and tick prevention, please feel free to call me at 534-1333 and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
~Lisa A Peloquin
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Holiday Shelter Drive
This holiday season, The Good Dog Spot would like to do something to help the dogs and cats less fortunate than ours.
You can help by adding a dollar (or more) to your grooming or daycare bill each time you visit The Good Dog Spot from November 19th through December 24th!
Our hope is to find a local veterinarian willing to match the amount of money we raise and donate much needed veterinary care to the local shelters.
We will have a Holiday Giving Tree in our reception area, where customers can select an item that they wish to donate (such as dog food, cat food, cleaning supplies and gift cards to Walmart, Target, Staples, etc). We will accept these items until December 24th – at which time we will pack up the items and bring them to the shelters – just in time for Santa Paws to spread some holiday cheer to our friends in need!
We will have a Holiday Giving Tree in our reception area, where customers can select an item that they wish to donate (such as dog food, cat food, cleaning supplies and gift cards to Walmart, Target, Staples, etc). We will accept these items until December 24th – at which time we will pack up the items and bring them to the shelters – just in time for Santa Paws to spread some holiday cheer to our friends in need!
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When A Cup is Not A Cup
Many pet owners try to be careful about how much they feed their pet. They attempt to follow the feeding suggestion on the pet food bag or what has been recommended by their veterinarian. Unfortunately, when measuring the food, the proper measuring device is not always used. A standard measuring cup actually contains 8 ounces. Take the time now to check how much your pet food "cup" really holds.
Above information from www.peteducation.com
Above information from www.peteducation.com
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Pet Profile - Josh McClellan
Breed: Newfoundland
Age: 1 year
Veterinarian: South Hadley Veterinary Clinic
Favorite Activity: Playing in the pool!
~Owned & Loved by Diane & Bill McClellan~
Age: 1 year
Veterinarian: South Hadley Veterinary Clinic
Favorite Activity: Playing in the pool!
~Owned & Loved by Diane & Bill McClellan~
Josh continues to impress all our customers with his enormous size and sweet disposition! People asked, “Is that a bear?” or “Is that a pony?” The answer to both is “No, it’s Josh – our gentle giant!” Little dogs love to climb on him when he’s laying down and medium sized dogs try to use him as a stepstool – to see what’s going on outside our window. The bottom line is that all the daycare dogs love Josh – and we do, too!
Josh is a very observant boy – he’ll frequently bark to let us know when something is new or out of place and he seems to know the exact minute his Mom and Dad come to pick him up! Sometimes he doesn’t want to leave at the end of fun day and waits for Lisa to kiss him good-bye.
Josh was our very first daycare dog and he continues to be our biggest daycare dog. He attends daycare several times a week and also enjoys being pampered in our Grooming ‘Spaw’ on a regular basis.
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Did You Know…
Everyone at The Good Dog Spot has gone through or is going through the ABKA Educational Program? There are 3 levels: Certified Pet Care Technician, Advanced Certified Pet Care Technician and Certified Kennel Operator (CKO). Elizabeth Powers is currently the only CKO in Western Mass and Lisa Peloquin is on her way to becoming the 2nd CKO in the Western Mass area.
Learn more at http://www.abka.com/
Everyone at The Good Dog Spot has gone through or is going through the ABKA Educational Program? There are 3 levels: Certified Pet Care Technician, Advanced Certified Pet Care Technician and Certified Kennel Operator (CKO). Elizabeth Powers is currently the only CKO in Western Mass and Lisa Peloquin is on her way to becoming the 2nd CKO in the Western Mass area.
Learn more at http://www.abka.com/
