*   Secure online profile of your dog
*   Product support team works 24/7
*   Prevents your loved-one from becoming a statistic
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!
*   Pet ID Tags Network

The mission of Colorado Animal Rescue Express (C.A.R.E.) is to arrange and provide safe transportation for domestic animals that are going to approved rescues and adoptive homes.  As funds allow, C.A.R.E. will also help with veterinary expenses, food and supplies for animals in shelters and rescues.

Co-founded by Linda Fox and Lisa Mendelsberg in 2007, C.A.R.E arranges and provides the safe transportation (twice a week) of dogs and cats from high-kill shelters in Colorado and neighboring states that are going to rescue groups or adoptive homes.  C.A.R.E. works with over 110 rescue organizations who commit to taking the homeless animals into foster care for proper assessment and placement.

An average transport consists of renting multiple vans in various locations to move approximately 25 animals.  At this time, C.A.R.E. primarily transports animals from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Nebraska.  They also transport animals from rural Colorado shelters.  Their geographic focus is continually expanding to help animals is high-kill shelters.

One day, Jake – a 3 year old yellow lab – arrived at the Humane Society of the Delta in West Helena, Arkansas, with a fever and a cough.  He tested positive for Heartworms.  C.A.R.E. was contacted to find Jake rescue assistance.  Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue committed to Jake and C.A.R.E. agreed to help with his heartworm treatment and to arrange his transportation to Denver.

While traveling west to Colorado, Jake had layovers with other rescuers in St. Louis and Kansas City.  He charmed them with his sweet disposition.  He traveled next to Hays, Kansas and received treatment there at the Animal Health Center.  Three days later, Jake had an unusually severe reaction to the treatment and did not survive.

In recognition of this courageous, handsome, and wonderful dog, C.A.R.E. has started a fund in his memory.  Donations raised will help other shelter animals with medical conditions or injuries.  As funds allow, C.A.R.E. will also help pay for some spay/neuter procedures to get animals ready for rescue.

There will always be animals that need assistance.  C.A.R.E. hopes to help some that need it the most.  C.A.R.E. will raise funds separately for Jake’s Fund.  In doing so, veterinary costs to the shelters and rescues are significantly reduced for the animals we help in Jake’s memory.

C.A.R.E.’s work is funded solely through donations, grants, and fundraisers.  These donations and grants are needed to cover the rental van charges, gasoline, and the purchase and maintenance of transport supplies.  It costs C.A.R.E. an average of $26 to transport an animal to safety.  With outside donations to C.A.R.E., the rescue groups receiving the animals will have more funds available to cover their necessary veterinary and foster care expenses and a resource for low income community spay/neuter education and funding.

C.A.R.E. is currently in need of MORE DRIVERS in Colorado and the surrounding states.  They will train you, provide you with a new rental vehicle, keep in constant contact with you while you are on the road and set up and unload the vans in Denver. All insurances are purchased through the rental agency and C.A.R.E. covers all transportation expenses.  C.A.R.E. also needs individuals to help clean crates and to assist them with fundraising projects.  If you are interested in volunteering, please email C.A.R.E. at helpingdogs@hotmail.com.

C.A.R.E. just exceeded transporting 6,000 animals to safety with rescues.  A big focus for them in 2010 is to continue organizing and funding low cost spay/neuter events in low income/rural communities and educating the public about the necessity to spay/neuter and adopt shelter and rescue animals.

To learn more about C.A.R.E. and how you can donate to this wonderful organization, please visit their website at www.caretransport.org.
C.A.R.E. thanks you for your support and compassion of homeless animals.

Jennifer Nicole Cox
Author of 500 Things That Make Dogs Happy
This guide to everything that makes a dog happy is required and inspired reading for anyone who has ever been, is now or ever will be owned by a dog.
Website: www.500thingsthatmakedogshappy.com

Purchase your copy here: http://www.dogasaur.com/store/products/500-things-that-make-dogs-happy-by-jennifer-nicole-cox-200.html

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*   Green tea adds anti-oxidant power
*   Peppermint freshens the breath
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”
*   Solid Gold Dragon’s Teeth Dog Treats

We love when our animals are eating and drinking well.  After all, a hearty appetite and ample thirst are positive tangible affirmations about the quality of our pets’ lives.  I think this is the reason why so many people delay consulting with their veterinarian when they notice an obvious increase in their pet’s thirst or appetite.  They ascribe busting into the garbage pail, begging at the dinner table, and eating foreign objects to bad behavior rather than an underlying medical issue.  Filling the water bowl more frequently than normal may simply go unnoticed or may be viewed as simply “more of a good thing.”

Well, I’m here to provide you with a wake up call! If your dog has recently turned into a major “chowhound” or your kitty has become obsessed with her water bowl, please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.  An overt increase in thirst or appetite is often a symptom of an underlying medical abnormality.  Increased thirst typically accompanies kidney disease, liver disease, and underlying hormonal imbalances such as diabetes, Addison’s disease (too little cortisone), Cushing’s disease (too much cortisone), and overproduction of thyroid hormone.  A dog or cat whose appetite is uncharacteristically insatiable may have pancreatic disease, gastrointestinal disease, diabetes or Cushing’s disease.  (More information about all of these diseases can be found in Speaking for Spot).

The good news is that, when associated with disease, increased thirst and appetite tend to be early symptoms.  Paying attention to them sooner rather than later will give you and your vet a head start on making a diagnosis and initiating therapy.  And in most cases, the earlier the disease is diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis.  Remember, our dogs and cats tend to be creatures of habit.  Anything that seems out of character is deserving of your attention and discussion with your veterinarian.

Best wishes to you and your four-legged family members for abundant good health,

Dr. Nancy Kay
Specialist, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Please visit http://www.speakingforspot.com to read excerpts from Speaking for Spot. There you will also find “Advocacy Aids”- helpful health forms you can download and use for your own dog, and a collection of published articles on advocating for your pet’s health. Speaking for Spot is available at Amazon.com, local bookstores, or your favorite online book seller.

Order  a copy of Speaking for Spot personally signed by Dr. Kay – http://www.speakingforspot.com/purchase.html

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*   Voice playback triggered by photoelectric cell
*   Pearl colored
*   A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”
*   The ChatterBowl

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*   Two sizes; 9 feet and 15 feet
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*   Avant Garde Retractable Rambo Leash

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Travel and Boarding

How you travel and how much you travel (or how much you would like to travel in the future) is a serious issue in considering what dog to get (and how many dogs to own).  There are many dogs who live in RVs and I have even been contacted by a few long distance truckers who drive with little dogs for company.   Although I have met large dogs who live in RVs the majority are little and one reason for this is that many campgrounds only allow small dogs (some require under 12 pounds). It is possible to find campgrounds who are more lenient.  I once knew a man who lived in an RV only because the campground he lived in was the only place he could find to live with his coyote and pot bellied pig.

Most people who fly a lot want their dogs to fly in-cabin with them. I have flown this way but I have also flown with the dogs in cargo.  The price is usually not much different. We never had a problem with dogs in cargo and the airlines have very few problems with them in general. They are required to file incident reports that are viewable online and I have looked at all of them.  The problems are rare and they are those you would most expect: Dogs who are not crate trained sometimes hurt themselves or on rare occasions escape.  Brachycephalic dogs have the most trouble flying and if you plan to fly this is not the type of dog for you.  These are the dogs with flat faces like pugs and all bulldog related varieties. Respiratory problems are common in these breeds but are greatly exacerbated by flying. Some airlines won’t even transport bulldogs.  If you want a dog to fly in-cabin with you they need to be pretty small and their carrier needs to fit under the seat in front of you.  Under 7 pounds is best but you might get away with a dog up to 12 pounds, depending on the dog and the airline personnel.  (See my article on dog carriers.)

Some pet owners travel a lot and are lucky enough to have family or great pet sitters who will take care of their animals while they are away.  This is a great option if it’s available to you and if you can stand to go on vacation without your pets.  Sometimes dogs need to be boarded. Your vet may offer boarding but there are a lot of new places, doggie daycares and pet hotels, that might be a better option.  Whoever you talk to about leaving your pet ovrenight make sure there is someone there with them. My vet’s office boards dogs but there is no one there from 6 PM until 8 AM. The animals are left alone all night and no one volunteers that information when you book the boarding time.  I am too afraid of fire to leave the dogs locked in and unattended a night. (Boarding facilities also generally require that your dog have a bordetella vaccination so if you don’t generally get that one you’ll want to plan on it if needed.)

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Check out the replay here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mybuddybutchradio/2010/03/05/my-buddy-butch-talk-show

http://www.mybuddybutch.com/

My Buddy Butch Radio is a rapidly expanding radio talk show hosted by author Jeff Marginean and “Butch!” They bring you important weekly updates on pet news, interviews with the top experts on pets, authors with relevent books, new pet products and foods, and general “real life” discussion on topics that are entertaining, captivating, and fun! “Butch” of course, is a little rambunctious Boston Terrier, which joins Jeff each week in the studio and is often the “idea-man” behind the topics that are covered! Butch taught Jeff a lot about being a “New Dog Dad!” Special features include the “Shelter of the Week” Segment which covers animal rescue shelters in all 50 states and also a vet question of the week segment offering advice from a professional veterinarian from various locations around the country. Join us live weekly!

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Exercise Requirements

Dogs need exercise. You will find some dogs who are couch potatoes and whose behavior is not as notably different if they have not gotten exercise but these will often be the ones you have to put on a diet and try to exercise or they will get fat. I believe that every dog should be able to fetch. I believe this because it allows me to exercise a dog while sitting in one place. I confess I have become a very sedentary human. Java does not fetch but he “touches”. He will touch his nose to a target stick. This too allows me to exercise him without a whole lot of movement on my part. Java is 4 ½ pounds and it does not take a tremendous amount of time to exercise him.

I still have fantasies of owning a big dog but I probably will not get one because it is unlikely that I would ever provide it with enough exercise. (Opening the back door to the fenced yard is NOT exercising your dog. I wish it were, but it’s not.)

My very hardworking neighbor has come home every night for the past 10 years and played fetch or Frisbee with one or two golden retrievers for a good 45 minutes regardless of how tired he’s been or what the weather is. That is a good dog owner.

No, you cannot leave this to the kids, no matter how many times they promise they will do it. It needs to be done and you are ultimately responsible when the kids don’t come through.

It can be very hard to guess how much exercise a potential rescue dog might need when we can’t even always tell what breed they are and even if we know the breed, there is a pretty wide range of personal differences within breeds. This is where good shelter workers can make a huge difference in your selection. If they know the dogs temperament they can be a huge help to you in selecting a dog. (More on this later in this series on Where to Find Your Adult Dog.)

In a perfect world we would probably provide a 45 minute walk twice a day to average dogs and an appropriately shorter walk for the little ones or older ones. Some dogs will be terrors if they do not get enough exercise. (Lab puppies are notorious for this even though they are pretty mellow as adult dogs.) This walk is tremendously beneficial to us also as we all know. It is wonderful when we can do this with our dogs and if you can make yourself do it you will feel good. I did this for some years but I am realistic in knowing that I would not do it now. If you are going to get a dog you need to commit to providing appropriate exercise. (I admit I know people who exercise their dogs on treadmills. If this works for you and your dog, more power to you.)

If you get a small dog because you don’t want to have to provide a lot of exercise beware of terriers. Although not all dogs adhere to breed standards and many of the dogs you’ll be looking at are mixed breeds terriers can be terrors. They often need a good deal of exercise and they can be very stubborn. Do not mistake the small sized terriers for a dog who is automatically a lap dog. All of the terriers were bred to be ratters or chase some other type of vermin and sometimes to fight it to the death. Their personalities often reflect this. They can be very hard to train and they can be perpetual motion machines. Please don’t let me scare you into overlooking a terrific terrier but do get all possible information from the shelter about the dog’s traits.