Between the soaking rains and the flooded dog park, we’ve scrambled to help our day care pups get their exercise—with on-site romps and strolls through the residential neighborhood near the kennel. When the dog park re-opened this morning, the regulars were raring to go. Although the six feet of floodwater is gone, several little swimming holes remain—and the dogs happily jumped right in.

In other Greenbelt news, last month’s newsletter spotlighted Kennel Manager Brandon Roth and his pet-waste removal business, Scooper Troopers. Brandon has left his kennel position to focus full-time on his business. We wish him well!

We haven’t started an arts-and-crafts program! We’re in the process of re-painting the entire day-care area. (The dogs are just plain hard on walls!) My niece, Beth Clark, painted the desert mural theme about five years ago. Now she’s applying a Tuscan color scheme—apparently very popular in other parts of the country, such as Texas. It features hunter green, gold, yellow, beige and maroon stripes that will wrap around walls and doorways and flow from room to room. It’s a soothing palette that we think will be calming to the dogs. Unfortunately, we can’t always prevent a wagging tail from coming into contact with fresh paint!

Day care is a great option for puppies and dogs who need a positive outlet for their boundless energy. You may not realize it, but day care also benefits elderly dogs. Owners appreciate having loving day companions for their senior dogs, especially if they have special health needs.

Sadly, some of Greenbelt’s very first day care “kids”— such as Honey, the yellow Lab, and Rufus, the sweet-tempered Rottweiler, who have attended for seven or eight years—are struggling with serious illnesses common in geriatric pets. Other older dogs, such as Lucy the Greyhound, have joined the Greenbelt gang more recently.

You may notice these special “seniors” resting on blankets or curled up in corners. Jean and her staff do whatever is necessary to care for older pets, including feeding special diets, administering medicine and keeping an eye on younger friends to make sure they don't accidentally hurt “their elders.”

“Sometimes we just lay down and love them,” Jean says. If your elderly dog has special needs or you have questions or concerns about the dog aging process, talk to Jean.

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the fun-in-the-sun season. If your vacation plans don't include Fido, make your boarding reservations as early as possible. Summer is Greenbelt Kennel’s busiest time. Don't forget the new “cage free” boarding option, too. (First announced in the March newsletter.) Dogs spend the night with owner Jean Brown in her on-site apartment upstairs. The cost is $38 per night, per dog and is limited to five dogs at a time.

Natural Balance Pet Foods and Costco/Kirkland Signature are among the latest brands to be recalled after melamine was recently found in a second pet-food ingredient shipped from China. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a shipment of rice protein concentrate that contained melamine.

Melamine is the same industrial chemical that was found in wheat gluten imported from China and used in pet food made by Menu Foods, which recalled 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food in mid-March.

For an updated list of recalled pet food brands and more information on the FDA’s investigation, visit http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/petfoodup042007.html.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that using melamine as pet-food filler is “an open secret in China.” The story begins:

ZHANGQIU, China, April 28 — As American food safety regulators head to China to investigate how a chemical made from coal found its way into pet food that killed dogs and cats in the United States, workers in this heavily polluted northern city openly admit that the substance is routinely added to animal feed as a fake protein.

Melamine, the Times reports, is “a cheap additive that looks like protein in tests, even though it does not provide any nutritional benefits.”

Read the story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30food.html?ex=1178596800&en=bd11a0515fdadadf&ei=5070&emc=eta1

The FDA last month approved a new drug to help calm dogs who experience separation anxiety when their owners leave the house. The beef-flavored pill, called Reconcile, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and belongs to the same class of antidepressants as the company’s popular Prozac drug for humans. The company estimates that 10.7 million—or, 17 percent—of U.S. dogs exhibit destructive and inappropriate behavior because of separation anxiety.

Jean Brown, however, says the pill is a medicinal answer to a behavior problem caused by humans. “Separation anxiety is a real problem,” she says, “but as far as I’m concerned, it needs to be solved by training.” Jean wrote about separation anxiety and offered tips for dealing with it in the February newsletter: http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/id121.htm.

In an ABC News story, one veterinarian said that Reconcile should be used in combination with behavior training. Read the story here: http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3063558.

“Loving Our Dogs” was the theme of a recent Oprah Winfrey show, which included a peek at the star’s own training troubles—she called in help from trainer Tamar Geller when her three Golden Retrievers were three months old.

Not surprisingly, Geller’s new book The Loved Dog, is riding the bestseller list. The book emphasizes training with kindness rather than dominance. Read an excerpt and see other features from that show, here: http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200704/tows_past_20070425.jhtml

€ What’s in a wag? Scientists have discovered that when dogs feel good about something or someone, their tails wag more to the right side of their rumps. Negative feelings? The tail wag “is biased to the left.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/science/24wag.html?ex=1178596800&en=2c2644b5cf995639&ei=5070&emc=eta1

That’s it for this month. Remember, if you have suggestions or comments about this newsletter, don't hesitate to contact Kellye Crocker, Newsletter Editor and Cosmo’s “Mom,” at kelcrocker@mchsi.com or 278-5658.

Don't forget Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13. Even though your dogs can’t make you a card, know that they appreciate your love every day.