August 2007

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03f8dfc3.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0408dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Greenbelt Kennels</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Greenbelt Kennels"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2006"><U>November 2006</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2006"><U>December 2006</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2007"><U>January 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2007"><U>February 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2007"><U>March 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2007"><U>April 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2007"><U>May 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2007"><U>June 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2007"><U>July 2007</U></A>   |   <B>August 2007</B>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2007"><U>September/October 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2007"><U>November 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2007"><U>December 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2008"><U>January 2008</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0408dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>August 2007</I></div> <div> Greenbelt Kennels</div> <div> Waggin’ Tails Doggy Day Care News</div> <div> August, 2007</div> <bR> <div> Greetings, day care parents! How can it be August <I>already</I>? The Iowa State Fair begins this week, and you know what that means—the start of school—and the unofficial end of summer—is just around the corner. Where did July go? We hope you can take some time out to savor the season with your four-legged friends. In this month’s newsletter we’ve got our usual bundle of day care news and general stories of interest to busy dog lovers.</div> <bR> <div> In This Issue</div> <bR> <div> € <B>Day Care Update</B>—Jean’s away and the staff is hard at work.</div> <div> € <B>Meet the Staff</B>—Lindsay Davis and daughter Drew, and Patty Street</div> <div> € <B>Greenbelt Goes to My Space</B>—Check out Greenbelt’s new virtual home.</div> <div> € <B>Out and About</B>—An animal blessing and a cool pool party for pups.</div> <div> € <B>Michael Vick</B>—The latest on the Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback’s alleged dog-fighting operation and public reaction. (Vick chew toy, anybody?)</div> <div> € <B>Breed Spotlight</B>—Pit Bulls. (Greenbelt does not discriminate against any dog because of breed.)</div> <bR> <div> Day Care Update</div> <bR> <div> Elena Alvarez is back early from her travels and has returned to work, although with reduced hours. We know all the day care “kids” missed her enthusiasm and hugs. Meanwhile, the R&R continues for Jean Brown, Greenbelt’s owner and Elena’s grandmother. Remember, if you have a question or concern or need to reserve boarding space, please see Juli (in the morning) or Beth (in the afternoon).</div> <bR> <div> A word about Beth: Call her Liz! You may have received an e-mail from someone named Liz announcing a new Greenbelt page at My Space and wondered, as your humble editor did, <I>“Who the heck is Liz?”</I> She’s the same Greenbelt painter/dog groomer/afternoon-in-charger that we’ve been calling “Beth” Clark in the newsletter. Liz reports that her Aunt Jean and other relatives call her Beth, but she generally goes by Liz. Mystery solved. Sorry, Liz! </div> <bR> <div> If you noticed a problem with your invoice, please e-mail Lindsay Davis at GBKcommunique@aol.com and She’ll get it cleared up. “I made some errors on the bills,” she says. “Please have them contact me. I want the customers to be happy!”</div> <bR> <div> Thank you, again, for your patience as Lindsay, Juli, Liz and the rest of Greenbelt’s part-time staff try to keep things running as smoothly as possible in Jean’s absence. Caring for your dogs as you would is their top priority.</div> <bR> <div> Meet the Staff</div> <bR> <div> We’ve mentioned Lindsay Davis in the past few newsletters, but haven’t properly introduced her! You can usually find her behind the scenes, working upstairs at the computer and keeping an eye on a few day care dogs who prefer human company. Lindsay, who joined the staff at the end of May, takes care of the paperwork such as payroll, invoicing and deposits.</div> <bR> <div> She’s been working closely with Juli and Liz to keep things running while Jean is away. “I’m happy with the communication the three of us have,” Lindsay says. Lindsay is “Mom” to Layla Ali—a 1 1/2-year-old boxer (named, appropriately, for the real-life boxing champ and “The Champ’s” daughter). Layla only comes to day care occasionally. “She knows I’m here, so she barks for me all the time,” Lindsay says. “I definitely like being around the animals. It’s a laid-back environment. I’m tired of being in the corporate world.”</div> <bR> <div> Her 12-year-old daughter, Drew, helps with feeding, watering, bathing and walking the dogs as well as scanning files onto disks for her mom. She recently adopted Hershey, one of the calico kittens available at the kennel. Drew says working at the doggy day care is “busy,” but adds, “You get to play with the dogs!”</div> <bR> <div> Patty Street joined the Greenbelt team at the end of July. She makes dog park runs and helps with clean up, watering and walking, among other duties. “I love working with animals,” says Patty, who grew up with dogs and other pets. “I talk to them like people.” She has a lovable kitten named Jack whom her boyfriend rescued from under a building after his mother was killed. </div> <bR> <div> Patty appreciates the personalized attention the Greenbelt staff gives the day care “kids.” “They watch the dogs, and if they don't think they're in the right setting, they'll move them to be with another group. They really pay attention to their personalities,” she says. “I’m really impressed with how much they care about the animals.”</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Greenbelt Goes To My Space</div> <bR> <div> If you haven’t seen it yet, surf over to the cool new Greenbelt page Liz created on My Space: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.myspace.com/greenbeltkennels.</U></FONT> You can even hear Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog!” The site is just for fun—posting pup pics and networking with other pet parents. If you have a My Space page, be sure to add Greenbelt as a friend. (Greenbelt’s official website remains at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.greenbeltkennels.com.</U></FONT> While Jean is away, please continue to make your boarding requests in writing and give them to Juli or Liz.)</div> <bR> <div> Out and About: Mark Your Calendar</div> <bR> <div> € <B>Blessing the Animals.</B> This non-denominational service culminates in an individual blessing for each animal there. All animal species are welcome, but must be leashed or kept in their carriers. You can also bring ashes or photos of your pet to be blessed.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Details:</B> Saturday, August 18, 7–8:30 p.m. at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s Main Shelter, 5452 NE 22nd St., Des Moines. Free.</div> <bR> <div> € <B>Altoona Dog Paddle.</B> The Altoona pool “goes to the dogs” at this end-of-summer celebration. (We took Cosmo to this event a couple of years ago when it was held in West Des Moines and it was crazy fun, with the emphasis on the <I>crazy</I>. Most dogs were off leash, running everywhere, jumping into the pool, swimming, splashing . . . Cosmo, who was just 8 months old then, was the first naughty dog to jump into the pool that was off-limits! You can swim with your dogs, which was fine for a while . . . until some “business” floated to the top. Then organizers recommended that the two-leggeds get out, and we couldn't do so fast enough.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>Details:</B> Tuesday, September 4, 5–8 p.m. at the Altoona Aquatics Park, 1200 Venbury Drive, Altoona. Cost: $5 per dog, $1 per person. All proceeds benefit homeless pets at the ARL.</div> <bR> <div> Michael Vick—The latest on the dog-fighting ring allegations.</div> <bR> <div> A Google search of Michael Vick’s name turned up 2,760,000 hits in 0.17 seconds. Granted, many posts are about the Atlanta Falcon quarterback’s success on the field. But the latest articles are all about the horrific federal dogfighting charges against him. Vick has pleaded innocent.</div> <bR> <div> Atlanta Journal and Constitution Sports Columnist Mark Bradley writes: “Contrary to popular belief, Vick hasn't yet been suspended by either the NFL or the Falcons. He has been excused from training camp with pay by commissioner Roger Goodell pending the league’s own investigation. It seems a reasonable assumption that the NFL will find cause to suspend him for the season. But what if it doesn't?”</div> <bR> <div> The Human Society of the United States is sponsoring a letter-writing campaign to encourage Goodell to keep Vick off the field. You can find more info here: https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl2?qp_source=gaba66&gclid=CP6Tm-bl2Y0CFRdJggodIwT_mg</div> <bR> <div> More Vick News:</div> <bR> <div> € <B>Guilty Plea.</B> Last week one of Vick’s co-defendants, Tony Taylor of Hampton, Virginia, pleaded guilty to helping run a dogfighting operation and said that Vick was “deeply involved.” The Washington Post reported: “The statement says, for the first time, that the dogfighting ring's operations and gambling money— sometimes thousands of dollars per fight—‘were almost exclusively funded by Vick.’” Read the full story here, by way of the Seattle Times: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" ><U>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2003813771_vick31.html</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> € <B>Better off raping a woman? Huh? </B>When word broke about how terrible the dogs had been treated, animal lovers voiced their disgust, but others wondered what all the fuss was about. These were just <I>dogs</I>, they said. Vick’s property. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Reporter Paul Zeise angered dog lovers, feminists and a range of people with his TV comments: "It's really a sad day in this country when somehow . . . Michael Vick would have been better off raping a woman if you look at the outcry of what happened. Had he done that, he probably would have been suspended for four games and he'd be back on the field. But because this has become a political issue, all of a sudden the commissioner has lost his stomach for it." (Zeise has since apologized and was removed from TV appearances.)</div> <bR> <div> € <B>Dog’s revenge! </B>Maybe it’s time for a road trip? The Saint Paul Saints minor league baseball team and the area’s newly merged Humane Society plan to hand out dog chew toys shaped like Michael Vick (and wearing his number 7) to the first 1,500 fans who enter the ball park for the August 21 game. More info: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3517864</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> € <B>Say it with a T-shirt.</B> Scads of Michael Vick t-shirts are already available online. Some claim to be donating money to dog-related charities, but who knows if they really are?</div> <bR> <div> A sampling:</div> <bR> <div> ** “Neuter Vick” on the front, “7-to-life” on the back. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" ><U>http://www.vickletthedogsout.com/</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> ** “CONVICK” with the number 7. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.michaelconvick.com/</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> ** “Dog Fights are Sick . . . Neuter Vick” (You can get a “Support Michael Vick” shirt from the same place.) <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.zazzle.com/product/235090658951227793</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> ** PETA offers the slogan “Dogfighters are Cowardly Scum” on t-shirts (for humans and dogs), sweatshirts, bumper stickers, hats and tote bags. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.cafepress.com/petastore/3337243</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Breed Spotlight: American Pit Bull Terrier</div> <bR> <div> Most of the dogs found at Michael Vick’s Virginia home were Pit Bulls, and the controversy has turned attention to these dogs, whose long history includes being trained as fighters for sport.</div> <bR> <div> Many sources say the Pit Bull is misunderstood, unfairly vilified and discriminated against. The Pit Bull does have a natural tendency to show aggression toward other dogs and animals—but this isn't a problem with proper socialization. Pit Bulls also are highly recommended as family pets. These strong, muscular dogs are smart, good-natured, affectionate, eager to please and loyal. Extremely protective of their owners and their property, they make great guard dogs and will fight to the death to protect them. Dogbreedinfo.com says, “A minimum of training will produce a tranquil, obedient dog.” </div> <bR> <div> Greenbelt allows all breeds at day care and for boarding. Currently, Elena’s puppy, Star, who turns one in September, is the only Pit Bull at day care, although a few others board from time to time. “She’s always happy,” Elena says of Star. “She loves everybody.”</div> <bR> <div> Discriminating against an entire breed is unfair, Elena says. “There’s no such thing as a bad dog—only bad owners,” she says.</div> <bR> <div> For more information, see this Washington Post story, “The Rap on Pit Bulls Revisited: Odds Improving for the Good Ones at Area Shelters.” <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/29/AR2007072901009.html</U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> That’s it for this month. If you have questions, suggestions or dog-related issues that you'd like to know more about, don't hesitate to contact me. Enjoy the rest of your summer!</div> <bR> <div> Kellye Crocker</div> <div> newsletter editor/Cosmo’s “Mom”</div> <div> kelcrocker@mchsi.com</div> <div> 278-5658</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>