November 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"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1d5b0d60.jpg" border=0 width="176" height="214" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </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>   |   <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2007"><U>August 2007</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2007"><U>September/October 2007</U></A>   |   <B>November 2007</B>   |   <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>November 2007</I></div> <div> Greenbelt Kennels</div> <div> Waggin' Tails Doggy Day Care News</div> <div> November, 2007</div> <bR> <div> Hello Pup Parents! It's the one-year anniversary of me writing the newsletter. It's been a lot of fun, and I've learned a lot. When I look at last November's newsletter, I see that the stories have grown-both in length and number. We know you're busy, so we try to find “news you can use”-<B>be sure to read the story in this issue about what happens if your dog is injured at day care</B>-as well as stories of general interest to dog lovers. Has the newsletter gotten too long? What do you like best about it? Least? (You <I>won't </I>hurt my feelings, I promise!) We always welcome your ideas, feedback and questions. (Contact me any time, info at the bottom.)</div> <div>  </div> <div>  <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>In This Issue</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>€ A Message From Jean</B>-Dog park trips are becoming difficult.</div> <div> <B>€ The Great placeStateIowa Pet Expo</B>-Our customers make us shine.</div> <div> <B>€ In Memory</B>-Honey and Libby</div> <div> <B>€ Fashionistas</B>-Who won the Halloween costume contest?</div> <div> <B>€ Injury at Day Care</B>-What happens if your dog gets hurt at day care?</div> <div> <B>€ Circle of Compassion</B>-You can join a new effort to help save pets' lives.</div> <div> <B>€ Want to Work at placeCityGreenbelt?</B>-We're looking for a part-time employee.</div> <div> <B>€ Out and About</B>-Say “cheese” at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa's 21st annual Santa `N Paws fundraiser.</div> <div> <B>€ Dogs in the News</B>-Dog shoots man, Ellen DeGeneres' “Iggy-gate.”</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>A Message From Jean</B></div> <div> About this time last year I was writing to all of you about charging for dog park trips. I was attempting to solve two problems by instituting the charge. One was to help defray the costs of taking the dogs to the dog park. The other was to potentially “weed out” those who really wanted and needed their dogs to take advantage of that extra service and those that were just allowing us to take their dogs because it was free.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Now, I need to tell all of you that my request actually backfired. Instead of reducing the number of dogs that we were taking to the park, the number increased and we had to hire another person just to take dogs to the park.</div> <div>  </div> <div> I know the dogs enjoy those trips. They get excited just having Gary bring the van around - they know what is going to happen. Those trips to the dog park have, however, become a burden on staff and other programming here at the kennel, and we are looking for a way to solve the problem.</div> <div>  </div> <div> One idea is to increase the size of our fenced backyard to allow the dogs to get even more on-site exercise. Another is to limit the number of times your pet can go to the park each month, or the number of days per week we offer the service. Another possibility is to simply discontinue the dog park trips.</div> <div>  </div> <div> What do you think? Do you have other ideas? If your pup is a “dog-parker” (or not but you have some ideas), please respond with an email to me at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>Gbkcommunique@aol.com</U></FONT>. Thank you!</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>In Memory</B></div> <div> <I>We are very sad to report the passing of two long-time day-care friends. </I></div> <bR> <div> Honey, Elaine Steinger's beautiful Golden Lab who always wore the green harness, was one of Jean's very first day care dogs. She was 13 and had been ill for quite a while. October 22 was her last day in day care. “We all miss her bouncy personality and loving attitude,” Jean says. “She was a good `mom' to all the day-care puppies and always a good-natured day care participant.” Honey, whose distinctive hoarse bark was a result of throat surgery, loved the staff, dog park trips and swimming. You can see pictures of her at our website, <<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/"><U><U>http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/</U></U></A></FONT>> , click on “Gallery” on the left and then “Honey.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> We lost Libby in early July when Jean was away and were remiss in not reporting it sooner. Libby was a loving and exuberant Weimaraner owned by Carolyn Kolks. She attended day care five days a week with her adopted brother, Beau, an American Shar Pei. Beau, who's a bit shy, liked to stay in a large kennel with Libby. While he went on walks with the staff, Libby would go to the dog park. “Libby was a perfect example of the Weimaraner breed,” Jean says. “We are deeply saddened by her death.” Beau now has a new playmate, Katja, an adorable Golden Lab who's about four month's old.</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>Fashionistas</B></div> <div> And the winner of the Waggin' Tails “Howl-o-ween” Costume Contest is . . . Izzy Carlson! The Puggle dressed in a full witch's costume, including a hat. Lucy Zimmermann-Renaud, a YorkiPoo, placed second as a peppy cheerleader. Cosmo Crocker, the big Black Lab, wore a Hawaiian shirt and came in third. You can see them modeling their outfits in photos posted on a door in the lobby or at <<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/"><U><U>http://www.greenbeltkennels.com/</U></U></A></FONT>>  (click on “Gallery” on the left and then Halloween).</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>Injury at Day Care</B></div> <div> And speaking of my dog, Cosmo . . . Last month I was horrified to hear that he had hurt another dog at day care. Cosmo is a sweet-tempered, almost three-year-old Black Lab-and 90 pounds of energy. He was playing with the other dog-a good friend of his-at the dog park when the romping got a bit rough and the other dog ended up with a gash on his side that required medical attention and stitches.</div> <div>  </div> <div> My family felt terrible that our dog was involved in hurting another dog. And if it had been Cosmo who had received stitches, we would have naturally been very concerned.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>What happens if your dog is hurt at day care?</B> Greenbelt's policy is to first contact your dog's veterinarian. If that's not possible, we contact the kennel's vets, Drs. John and Barb Broderick at the Broderick Animal Clinic in Waukee. If a serious injury occurs after hours, the staff takes the injured dog to the Animal Emergency Clinic. “We try to contact the owner as quickly as possible,” Jean says. “However, with our busy working clientele, that can sometimes be difficult. It's more important to us to take care of the injured pet first and then let the owners know as soon as we can reach them.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> Please be aware that your day care contract states, “You are responsible for any damage or injury incurred while your dog is at Day Care. Veterinarian charges due to injury to your dog or injury to another dog caused by your dog will be the responsibility of you and the owner of the other dog.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> “Dogs are dogs, and this sort of stuff is going to happen once in a while,” Jean says, “but in eight years of owning this kennel and having day care here, I have never had a major injury.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> In an effort to prevent conflicts, the Greenbelt staff pays close attention to the dogs' individual personalities and tries to match them with the best playmates for them. The staff also is able to monitor any potential conflicts in the front room with the video camera and frequently checks the other areas to interact with the dogs and keep an eye on any “brewing issues.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> In our case, I talked with the staff about how hyper Cosmo had seemed lately. One problem seemed to be that he wouldn't eat his breakfast at home before day care. Kennel Manager Juli Coats recommended that we “brown-bag” his breakfast and bring it to day care. She accurately predicted that he'd eat it up because he wouldn't want anyone else to get it first! Having the food in him, and some other calming behaviors and training at day care and home seem to be helping him settle down more.</div> <div>  </div> <div> “I certainly don't see any `bully' in Cosmo,” Jean says. “He is a large, playful dog. He plays in the back yard here-all day some days-with some of the more active day care dogs and they have never ever had a problem.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> My husband and I had separate conversations with the owners of the other dog-I called the “dad,” and Mike ran into the “mom” at pick-up time. We appreciate so much their kindness and understanding about the whole situation. And I'm so happy to hear from Jean that the two dogs still are great buddies!</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>The Great Iowa Pet Expo</B></div> <div> Thousands of pet lovers converged at the Iowa State Fairgrounds October 20 and 21 for The Great Iowa Pet Expo. Greenbelt Kennels has been a vendor at the Pet Expo since 2000, when the first one was held at the Des Moines Convention Center. The booth, usually staffed by kennel owners and employees, helps keep</div> <div> Greenbelt's name visible to the public and attracts new customers.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Jean tried something new this year. Mike and Sandy Stahowick, “parents” to Benny the Chocolate Lab, and Janice, a former employee and “mom” to two dogs, took control of the booth. They were a hit with attendees, who were thrilled to talk to happy and satisfied kennel and day care customers. A special thank you to Mike, Sandy and Janice! If any of you are interested in helping next year, we'd love to have you! </div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>Want to Work at placeCityGreenbelt?</B></div> <div> Looking for a way to reduce your doggy day care or boarding costs? Greenbelt needs a part-time employee, probably for the hours of 9 am to 1 pm. Please see Jean or Juli if you're interested or want to recommend someone.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Also, if you're ever hanging out at home and looking for something to do, you're always welcome to stop by the kennel to play with the pups or volunteer in other ways.</div> <div>   </div> <div> <B>Circle of Compassion</B></div> <div> <I>Forwarding an email may help save a dog's life.</I></div> <div> Earlier last month I sent out a “free puppies” email advertising a littler of Black Lab puppies who needed homes as well as a 10-month-old Black Lab named Frank who also needed a home. It turned out that the litter of puppies was a hoax. </div> <div> But one of our day care parents emailed me asking if Frank was a hoax, too. I called the number on the message and discovered that Frank was not a hoax, but that he had found a permanent home. The woman involved, Mollie Michelfelder, had ended up taking Frank home when she brought another stray into the Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex for care and discovered that Frank was going to have to be put down if a home was not found soon.</div> <div> Mollie has now started what she calls the “Circle of Compassion” in conjunction with Avondale as an effort to spread the word among animal-lovers when pets are in dire need of a home. If you'd like to get involved, please email her at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>mmichelf@hotmail.com</U></FONT>. (She has given me permission to post her information in this newsletter.) Here are excerpts of an email she recently sent out about the project:</div> <div> <I>Cherished Friends-As many of you know, Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex now also serves as an animal shelter for the city of Carlisle. It has come to my attention that it has been difficult to place the sheltered dogs and cats in permanent loving homes within the allotted 30 days. Apparently in the past, Animal Lifeline has been able to absorb the animals but cannot continue to do so while at full capacity.</I></div> <div> <I> So... I propose a Circle of Compassion. Each time an animal nears 30 days of shelter at Avondale, we forward a provided picture and description of the desperate soul to our friends, family and colleagues in an attempt to locate a permanent home. Dr. Woodruff of Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex has stated that he looks forward to our (Circle of Compassion) work together. Please forward this email to others who may wish to become involved.</I></div> <div> <I>In love-</I></div> <div> <I>Mollie Michelfelder</I></div> <div> <B>Out and About: Mark Your Calendar</B></div> <div> <B>€ Santa `N Paws.</B> Celebrate the holidays and help the Animal Rescue League of Iowa with its 21st annual photo fundraiser. You can get your furry “baby's” photo taken with Santa, but anyone can participate-with or without a pet. There are a variety of individual photos, photo packages and greeting card options to choose from. To schedule an appointment, call the ARL front desk at 262-9503. Questions? Call the same number and ask for Julie Lofdahl.</div> <div>  Details: Photo sessions will be held over two weekends at two locations. At ARL Main, 5452 NE 22nd St., Des Moines: 5-7 pm, Thursday, Nov. 8 and Friday, Nov. 9; 2-4 pm, Saturday, Nov. 10; and 11 am-3 pm, Sunday, Nov. 11. At University Photo Studio, addressStreet7827 University Blvd., Clive: 5-7 pm, Friday, Nov. 16; and 11 am-3 pm, Sunday, Nov. 18.</div> <div>  <B>€ Really showy dogs.</B> For the pet-and-jewelry lovers on your gift list, head to West Glen Town Center for Josephs' second Méche Trunk Show. Josephs is Central Iowa's exclusive dealer for Méche jewelry featuring hundreds of breeds of dogs and cats in charms, cufflinks, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Bring your credit card or plan to just window-shop. A gold Boxer charm, with a tiny collar of six blue diamonds, is $755. A Golden Retriever key chain will set you back $1,208 and a pair of Black Lab cufflinks with white diamond collars cost nearly $2,500. Fortunately, Josephs is donating 10 percent of sales to the ARL. Three Dog Bakery will be selling designer pet collars and donating a portion of proceeds to the ARL. Here's the Méche website if you'd like to take a look: <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.nicedoggies.com/index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.nicedoggies.com/index.html"><U><U>http://www.nicedoggies.com/index.html</U></U></A></FONT>)</div> <div>  Details: 10 am-8 pm, Thursday, November 15; 10 am-6 pm Friday, November 16; 10 am-5 pm Saturday, November 17 at Josephs, West Glen Town Center.</div> <div> <B>Dogs in the News</B></div> <div> <B>€ The shot heard 'round the world.</B> An Iowa man made international news Saturday after his dog shot him on the first day of pheasant-hunting season. According to the Associated Press, Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say James Harris, 37, of Tama laid his gun on the ground and went to retrieve a bird his group had shot when his hunting dog stepped on the gun and caused it to fire. Harris, who took about 100 to 120 pellets in a four-inch circle on his left calf, was taken to Grinnell Medical Center and later flown to University Hospitals in Iowa City. KCCI-TV reported that Harris was listed in good condition Tuesday. No one else, including the dogs, was injured. Here's a story about it from Britain: <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2201768,00.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2"><U><U>http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2201768,00.html</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> € <B>Iggy-gate?</B> Once you adopt a pet, do you have the right to decide where he goes if you can't keep him? That's the problem facing comedian Ellen DeGeneres after she gave Iggy, a cute little terrier mix, to a friend's family after Iggy didn't get along with the family cats. Emily Tsao in the Dallas Morning News raises the interesting question: “Who decides what is best for a pet?” <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/102407degeneres.1976eddfe.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/"><U><U>http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/102407degeneres.1976eddfe.html</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> By the way, when I adopted my cat from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa several years ago, part of the agreement was that if I couldn't keep her, I had to return her to the organization. I don't know if this policy has caused problems in Iowa as they have for Ellen.</div> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> That's it for this month. Don't forget to get your Thanksgiving boarding requests in-and if you know your December holiday travel plans already, it's a good idea to reserve those dates, too. Be sure to tell your pets how thankful you are to have them in your life. Thank you for sharing your animals with us!</div> <div>  </div> <div> Best wishes,</div> <div> Kellye</div> <div> newsletter editor/Cosmo's “Mom”</div> <div> 515/278-5658</div> <div> <U>kelcrocker@mchis.com</U></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>