Pug News!!! & our local dog show

A pug has been found!!! This is Hannah and she is a 1 and 1/2 year old spayed female. She was found at Pug Rescue of New England. (see link to group under favorite websites) We will be headed out early Sunday morning to go pick her up. My son is very excited as you can imagine. He has been very patient awaiting his very own dog.

If you're in the area, stop by and check out the Mid Coast Kennel Club dog show at the Union Fairgrounds on Common Road this weekend. (September 1 and 2) I will be there tomorrow (Saturday) stewarding in the obedience or rally ring. Stop by and say hello. If I'm not there I will be perusing the vendor area looking for pug toys. VBG (wearing a blue MCKC logo polo shirt and tan pants)

Shows are a great place to network with reputable breeders and just have fun watching and meeting many different breeds you might not get to see otherwise. (Not everyone has easy access to the less commonly seen breeds like the naked Chinese Crested or the dred-locked Puli.) Think smaller version of Westminster shown on TV every year (USA channel) in February.

I'm sorry I didn't get the share the show info sooner. My husband was away and I lost internet access for a few days not being very technically savey. (it was of course and easy fix once he returned)

K-9 Corrections Graduate and Pugs

This is Hope. She is ready to be adopted from the prison dog program K-9 Corrections. Contact the http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/ if you are interested in finding out more about her and the adoption process. She is listed on the available dog page. Or call 207-594-2200 Isn't she adorable?

Hope is just over a year old and is a shepherd/rottie mix. She comes crate trained (with crate) and has training in all basic obedience commands. She knows sit, down, stay, heel, loose leash walking, sit pretty, beg, high five, roll over and most imporantly, the recall. (She can work wearing either regular collar or Gentle Leader head collar) Her adoption fee includes a session with me to teach you how she was taught so you can continue her training using positive methods.

Hope came into the program due to her over exuberance with the kids in the home. She needed to be taught proper manners. She has learned those lessons well and now just needs a new family to love. She loves to play frisbee and fetch games.

Hope loves to play and is a very sweet dog who learns quickly. Training has helped her confidence but she can be shy in some new situations. She does get very excited when she sees other dogs. (We are still working on that-her training continues until the day she is adopted.)

She is living at the prison with her handlers so call to set up a visit with her if you want to meet her (at the shelter) in the flesh.

Looking for a great dog? Consider your own local shelter. There are many just like Hope waiting for a new home.

On another somewhat related note we are now actively looking to add a pug to our home. My son has been wanting one for two years and we have decided the time has come to make it happen. If anyone knows of an individual pug in need of a new home in New England (we are in Maine) please let me know. It has to be able to live with our dogs Missy and Jack, and two well behaved dog savey children. (ages 10 and 12) I obviously will check in with shelters and rescue groups in the area. All leads are appreciated.

Chemical use on our pets

There is an unfortunate story going around the internet of a Pomeranian that was poisoned over time by the use of a once a month flea product. It is sad but not surprising. Poms are very small and the dosing on some of these products need to be watched very closely. However I would also caution that using chemicals regularly on our pets is something that should be monitored far more carefully than it is sometimes. Reading the warnings on the products alone might make some people think twice. (If the application is so toxic to people, why are we putting it on our pets again?)

I share with you photos of the chemical burn our own dog Missy suffered from a once a month topical flea treatment. She came to us at age 4 and the breeder had used a topical on her never previously having problems with it. Here is the burn she arrived to us with:

And here is what it looks like now, 3 years later:

It is actually pretty hard to see unless you are looking for it now. The hair didn't grow back in the entire spot, it mainly grew over the spot.

We also took some weight off her when she got here which made the spot smaller. In her defense she was a tad heavy from having a litter of pups 12 weeks prior.

So my caution is to reconsider how often you use chemicals on your pets if you do. Unless you are having an ongoing problem is it really necessary to use something every single month? I know I don't and I don't have flea issues. A flea bath or combing them out does wonders and is much less toxic, just more work for us of course. VBG

(A low cost tip-if you have a flea problem vacuum your whole house and then take the bag out of the vacuum and dispose of it outside the home. Repeat in 10 days to get the newly hatched flea eggs. Also wash all bedding. Repeat in 10 days too. I learned this from a sales rep of flea products when I worked for a vet.)

I also always recommend only using the flea products you can buy at a veterinary practice. NEVER use the over the counter stuff you can easily find in stores. They just aren't regulated the same. Back when I worked for a vet we regularly saw poisoned pets from those products. Sure they may be cheaper initially, but that vet bill sure won't be.

And an update: Here is the finished yarn from Gizmo and the rabbits. I know it fetched at least $100 for the auction. I didn't make it back in time to see if anyone else bid. It turned out to be 3 skeins and 425 yards of fingering weight yarn. The book was a signed copy by The Yarn Harlot.

And here are the pics of the fiber contributors I displayed with the basket.

All the fiber used was from rescued animals so it was very fitting to make the yarn from them.

Chiengora - a.k.a. Dogfur yarn

This sweetie is Gizmo. Gizmo was a client of mine quite awhile ago. I happened to notice what a fabulous coat he had and mentioned that I sometimes spun yarn from dog fur to his mom. She graciously gifted me with some of Gizmo's brushings for me to play with. Isn't he absolutely adorable?


How could you not love that face?

So here is a photo of the yarn in progress. I am making some skeins to donate to the annual Art of the animals auction. I was hoping to have a scarf made from the yarn but my vacation interrupted my progress. Yes I know what you are thinking. I should have started sooner. You are correct. Procrastinators of the world unite! (eh maybe tomorrow) VBG

This just shows one strand of a two ply yarn. As soon as I finish filling the second bobbin I can ply them both together to get a nice balanced two ply yarn. I blended his fur together with fur from two rescued angora rabbits. (called carding) Since Gizmo originally came from a shelter himself I thought this was excellent yarn to make and offer. It will knit (or crochet) up beautifully.

For more information about the auction (happening this weekend beginning Friday!) check out the link on the shelters site here: http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/ It is a fantastic auction with something for everyone. I'll be there one day with Hope the prison program dog so she can show off her new skills. (and hopefully find a heart to fall in love with her) This year there is a bunch of art done by prisoners to help fund the prison dog program. Come check it out and say hello!

For anyone interested in getting their own dogs fur made into yarn check out this site: http://www.vipfibers.com/ Happy brushing!

My hiatus and breeder info

I actually have a great reason for being behind in my posting. I was in Las Vegas with my husband. He had a conference to attend so I tagged along. It was also our 13th wedding anniversary so we took some time for us while there too. Sorry I didn't warn you all but I don't think announcing when you are going to be gone from your home online is a fantastic idea security wise.

Now Vegas isn't my favorite place on the planet but it can be alot of fun. We saw a show (Spam-A-Lot) and did a bunch of sight seeing. We had been there before about 6 years ago to see Sigfried and Roy so it wasn't totally new to us. It was a good vacation but NOT very relaxing. The flight is long and there is alot of walking involved to get anywhere. Not a bad thing when you are staying in shape though. The kids had a blast staying with their aunt and uncle. They have a pool and a baby to play with so they were very entertained.

Here is a pic of a sign that was in a grassy area near the pool.


I saw a few people traveling with small dogs and one Old English Sheepdog service dog. Not a breed you commonly see in that job field. Sorry I didn't get any pics to share of them.

Jack stays at an excellent kennel in the area: http://www.mainely-dogs.com/ and Missy gets spoiled at my mom's house. They are fine with us being gone but they do seem quite happy when we return. Even if that means they get baths the next day, not their favorite activity.

Here is something I was sent with tips on chosing a reputable breeder. I thought it was a pretty good list so I wanted to share it.

Puppy Miller, Backyard Breeder Red Flags

1. if they accept PayPal, mastercard, visa, discover.....RUN
2. if they demand a non refundable deposit.......Run
3. if they do not proudly show photos and pedigrees of their dogs.......RUN
4. if they do not health test........RUN
5. if they show pictures of scared skinny little pathetic babies......RUN
6. if they can not, or are unwilling to provide references.......RUN
7. if they do not offer a health guarantee that covers the real health of that puppy for at least one year.........RUN
8. if they do not belong to dog clubs, organization, etc......RUN
9. if they try to pressure you in any way............RUN
10. if they dont show their dogs in true dog activities..........RUN
11. if they ship worldwide......or ship.......RUN
12. if they dont question you like you are adopting a human infant.........RUN

Consider adopting from animal shelters and breed rescues too. Did you know there is a breed rescue for EVERY breed of dog out there? Most have great websites with the real truths about the breed you are considering. If you are doing breed research I always recommend checking out their sites for great info on the good AND bad of each breed.