Starry Night Makes the Front Page!

Terrier in the running for Bissell cover-dog

February 27, 2010 3:58 PM Yuma Sun

BY STEPHANIE A. WILKEN, SUN STAFF WRITER

When you walk into Karen and Tony Ortiz's home in the Foothills, it's easy to see how much they love animals.

There are instant greetings from any one of their four-legged children: Bree, Holly, MacDuffy, MacKenzie or Starry Night.


But the littlest members of the Ortiz family aren't ordinary dogs.

Four of the five led the first part of their lives in unspeakable conditions at puppy mills, places where people breed dogs for profit, ignoring the quality of life for the animals before they're sent for sale.

"They call them livestock," Karen Ortiz said. "It's just a dirty little secret."It makes me cringe."

Since 2005, they've fostered 30 cairn terriers, helping dogs heal and get ready to be a part of a loving family. Ortiz does it through a national nonprofit called the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network.

And now one of their personable pooches could be named the most photogenic pet in America.

Ten-year-old Starry Night is a finalist in the Bissell's Most Valuable Pet Contest, a national contest by the vacuum company.

The grand prize winner gets its picture on the Bissell box, a $10,000 donation to the winner's pet charity of choice and a "Perfect for You and Your Pet" $500 shopping spree, courtesy of Bissell.

Starry Night is one of 60 finalists out of thousands of entries. Bissell officials will pick the top five in April.

Ortiz said when they got Starry Night in July 2005, she was matted, filthy and had been covered in feces and urine. A chain imbedded in her neck had to be removed.

"She's been through a lot for such a little thing," Ortiz said.

Because she was bred so often, twice a year since her first heat, Starry Night also suffered hernias. She also had two torn ligaments in her hind legs.

Today it's hard to imagine the loving dog had such a rough first half of her life.

And now, she's quite the accomplished model, hamming it up for the camera in still shots, and even has her own YouTube video helping to promote the rescue.

All of the dogs stay with their foster families for at least two weeks, where they're evaluated and cared for before they joining their new, permanent families, Ortiz said.

But when they got Starry Night, it wasn't so easy. "Within two weeks I knew she wasn't going to go anywhere."

Ortiz called her mentor in the program, crying, not wanting to let Starry Night leave to a foster family. But her mentor said she's not the first foster parent to feel that way, and in August 2005, they officially adopted Starry Night - or Star for short.

One of the hardest parts about fostering, Ortiz said, is knowing the conditions the dogs came from.

"They really capture my heart. They've never known love.

"There are new sounds and news experiences. Everything from the TV to grass is new for the dogs. Ortiz said that's because they've spent their entire lives in cages, never going outside; never living the normal life of a dog.

Through repetition and routine, they nurture the dogs. Then the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network finds them loving homes.

The adoption process includes an application, reference checks, a veterinary reference and a home safety visit. Ortiz said the process takes about two to three weeks.

The Ortizes' love for the rescue led them to enter Star in the contest. They're hoping to win one of the top prizes and donate it to the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network so they can help more dogs.

One of their favorite things about the rescue network is they take every cairn they find. "They will never turn their back on a Cairn," she said.

Members in the network even scour puppy ads to help locate mills, said Ortiz.

She said she hopes sharing Star's story will encourage people to visit the Humane Society of Yuma when they're looking for a pet.

And if someone is really set on a breed-specific dog, she said she hopes they'll find a rescue such as Col. Potter's.And there's a saying to help everyone remember: "Adopt, don't shop," she said.

For more information about the rescue or how to become a foster parent or adopt a cairn, visit www.cairnrescue.com . To contact the Humane Society of Yuma, visit www.hsoyuma.com.

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Sunday Sweets

Sunday is full of SWEETS! Each week we will showcase the sweeter side of Cairns. This week's sweeties are showing off their Smarts too, participating in Obedience, Agilty and Rally. If you have a sweet filled cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture for an upcoming "Sunday Sweets" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com! (All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.)

Zander

Gracie

Gilly


Eva

Neha

Clybourn

Rebel

Starry Night's Interview

Written by Starry Night's Mom

The reporter came this afternoon for Starry Night's interview. I have to tell you, I was totally cracking up! I am not kidding you, Starry just knew that Stephanie was there for her!! First, she greeted her at the door and when we sat down on the couch, Starry sat right between us and kept "talking" to Stephanie. She put her paws on Stephanie's legs and then laid on her leg with her feet on the notepad. I asked Tony to run and get the camera, but of course, he wasn't able to get pictures when she would do this.

You can see in these pictures that she was very interested in what we were talking about, too. Oh, and you can see my shy girl, Bree on the other side of me, which also surprised me. I think the interview went really well. I gave her a lot of information about CPCRN, puppy mills, and of course, Starry's story. Stephanie was bummed that the voting was over for Starry Night, because she wanted to add her link! Boy, just think of the votes we would have had, if she did!

Please click the link at the top of the blog to vote for Abby this week in Bissell's contest to win money for CP! Each of the weekly top 5 winners advance to the finals and there are significant cash prizes to the winner's favorite animal rescue. Bissell contacts the local papers in the winner's area to interview them.

Adorable Marnie joins CP

Written by a CP Intakes volunteer



Last weekend, Col. Potter was able to save an abandoned little girl from an animal control center.

Marnie is estimated to be around 7 years old and is sweet as can be. She is a cute blondie who has captured the hearts of everyone she has met so far.

Please welcome little Marnie!

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Glacier's Surprise (LITTER NAME) now have NAMES

Written by Glacier and her puppies' foster mom

Please let me introduce you to -

Bryn Lare
Coal Spencer
Logan Taylor
Tyndal Reid

and the PRINCESS

Lucy Dell

The names come from Alaskan Glaciers , except for Lucy's. And even her name IS a Glacier but she is named after someone special to Karen who graciously donated her Frequent Flyer Miles to get them to Biloxi.

Friday's Funnies!

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

3 more come In Out of the Cold

Written by a CP Intakes volunteer

Please help welcome Col. Potter's newest kids, just in out of the cold.

They were rescued last week, and spent their first night warm, dry and well fed. All three are severely underweight. They are estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old. Despite their hard life, they are friendly and not too scared. They are currently getting their spa treatments, and some tender loving care.

All three cairns were named through the Name a Mill Cairn program. The Name a Mill Cairn program is a lovely way to honor a loved one and to help a cairn at the same time. Click here to learn more about this program.

Introducing:

Tyfin - male, red wheaten, 11lbs - name donated by the Evans family

Beaulah - female, wheaten, 9lbs - name donated by the Evans family

Bevin - female, wheaten, 13lbs - name donated by Mr. Adornetto

A big Thank You to those who made very generous donations to help these cairns!

We are very happy to welcome these little ones to Col. Potter!

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Consider being a Transport Volunteer - It takes a Village -The Rest of the Story

Written by a CP Volunteer

Yes, there are big gaps all over the country - a FL foster mom drove over 900 miles to pick up her new kiddo this weekend as there's few volunteers between SW MO & FL without making big square corners and adding hundreds of miles and many hours to the dog's transport.

Don't think if you don't have much time or don't want to do a big leg, you're not important. You may be the 50-100 miles they need to fill a transport. There are times all of us have had to say no to helping - we're sick or have other commitments - so there's no such thing as too many volunteers in one area, either. Transports moved twelve dogs this past weekend alone, using 32 volunteers. (I do the reports for the group) I know that when I was planning transports, your first contact is by e-mails - it's the most efficient way to get the word out that Transports looking for help, and it doesn't cost anyone a penny. So everyone needs to pay attention to their e-mail accounts they've given when they've signed up. REPLY to the e-mail, whether it's a yes or a no, so they can go on - don't think they'll call if they really need you.

If the coordinators aren't having any luck, the next step is to call people in the area, but that's a time consuming process, and you tend to focus on the area you're missing first, not branching out for the long shots. It also takes money to make those calls - money we'd all like to save and see being used to help another dog. The coordinators also post to CRM for help (Julie had done that), so if you think you might be close enough to help - reply to them - ask what they need - let them know you're available - don't wait for a personal call, because everyone works and is doing this around their own personal commitments, too.

I know the average is 3-4 contacts to get one yes, so that means these ladies contacted over 100 people in a few night's time trying to get these transports covered (and then there's still the hours it takes to type the plan up and find meeting spots) - some by multiple means (e-mails to work/home, phone calls to work/home/cell). In most instances, these kids come in one weekend and need to move the next, so it's a short timeframe everyone is working in. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS - it truly takes a village. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.






Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

HOW FAR WOULD YOU DRIVE TO HELP A CP FURKID?????

Written by CPs VP of Intakes

It never ceases to amaze me the dedication and know no boundaries attitude of CP volunteers! Last week we had Monika and her friend drive from Columbia, SC to Carthage, MO in one day to pick-up 17 of the City Slickers and then head back east with stops in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Viginia and North Carolina before ending up back home in Columbia, SC very late Sunday night.

Today we have Julie, our Transport Director, and Joellyn, road warrior in a wheelchair, hitting the roads to make sure two more of the City Slickers make it to their foster homes this weekend. These two little girls were traveling from Carthage, MO to foster homes in northern and eastern Michigan. The Transport Team hit a roadblock moving them from the Chicago area around the lake and into Michigan. There just weren't any volunteers available to cover a little more than a 200 mile stretch.

Enter Julie and Joellyn. Now for those of you not good with geography -- Julie and Joellyn live in Wisconsin -- more than 175 miles NORTH (3.25 hours driving time - ONE way) from where these two girls needed to be picked up. They left home at 5:30 AM this morning to get them picked up in Chicago and then headed to Michigan with them. In total Julie and Joellyn will drive more than 750 miles today, spending close to 16 hours, to cover this 200 mile stretch with just about half of that distance and time just to get to and from where the two girls were in Chicago and back home.

We have many heavily traveled main corridors across the midwest and east coast that get alot of CP traffic on them. We can never have enough volunteers who are ready, willing and able to help transport our furkids and today is a prime example of that. Even in a major metropolitan area like Chicago where we have quite a few volunteers, we still couldn't get this transport filled.

If you are not signed up as a Transport Volunteer, but think you would be able to help in the future not only in this corridor but anywhere in the country, please click here to complete the Transport Volunteer Application on the website so your information will be in the Transport Database. Let your family, friends, coworkers know about what we do to help the Cairns move across the country and ask them if they would be willing to help. The more volunteers, the better chances we have of getting the furkids moved and the less distance everyone will have to travel. Mileage expense or gas reimbursement is available. Hopefully, we won't have to count on Julie and Joellyn to fill this leg in the future. and can just keep them on transports closer to home here in Wisconsin.




Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Wacky Wednesday!

Wednesday is the day to be WACKY! Each week we will showcase a terrierific cairn picture with an appropriate caption. If you have a terrierific cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture and caption for an upcoming "Wacky Wednesday" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com! (All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.)



A big shout out to Detroit for being the Wacky Wednesday model this week!

Now that we have everyone singing the hokey pokey let's put our "whole self" into helping Col. Potter win some money!! As our regular readers know, we recently welcomed the City Slickers into the loving arms of Col. Potter and this week, Glacier brought us five little bundles of joy as she delivered her first litter into freedom! You can help finance the rescue work of Col. Potter and it doesn't have to cost you a cent! Please vote in the Animal Rescue Site's Shelter Challenge and in the Bissell MVP Photo Challenge to give Col. Potter a chance at winning some money to help us continue to rescue Cairns in need! The CAIRNS thank you ... and we do too!



Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Pictures of Glacier and her Puppies

Contributed by Glacier and her puppies' foster mom

Glacier , slid into HOME like a car on BLACK ICE,,, I flew to Ohio Saturday and brought her to Biloxi to whelp her puppies in comfort and warmth for the first time in her life. She was due NEXT WEEK,, but like the Black Ice up north that sends cars careening out of contoll, Glacier moved her due date forward. Welcome four little hellion boys an one sweet little girl to rule them! THE BLACK ICE KIDS...

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Glacier has Puppies! 4 boys and one girl are all doing well!

This is the little girl that Karen P., her foster mom went jet setting with over the weekend to pick her up and get her home to Biloxi to whelp her final litter of puppies. We thought we had a little more time, but apparently those puppies had other ideas!

The current census on the babies in 4 boys, two at 4 ounces, and two at 5 ounces, and a little girlie who weighs 6 ounces! Karen, Black Ice (Glacier) and babies appear to be doing well. More to follow.

Congratulations to Glacier and her new family which has been welcomed into freedom!




Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Welcome Alan!

Written by a CP Intakes volunteer



Alan, a 1 1/2 year old male cairn, was pulled from a shelter with a broken leg. Since his injury is several weeks old, an orthopedic surgeon has determined Alan would not benefit from surgery. He is a young boy, his break is healing nicely and he is using the leg. He should be able to enjoy the rest of his life with four legs, one just a tad shorter than the other three.

Let’s give Alan a big Col. Potter welcome!

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Dog care for the economic conditions

Contributed by a CP Volunteer

Since the current financial situation isn't expected to resolve itself in the near future, we thought we would give dog owners some easy and effective ways to save money. Here are some tips...

1. Get Healthy . Pet health should be taken seriously. Your dog needs exercise to stay fit, just like you do. There isn't a 'magic pill' that can replace preventive medicine, but you can provide healthy exercise for your pets just by playing with them. Go outside and take your favorite 4-legged friend for a walk. This will help both you and your dog, and it doesn't cost a thing.

2. Brush . Get a doggy toothbrush and brush your dog's teeth. This is a simple and effective way to keep your dog's overall health on the up and up. It also helps prevent tartar build up and gum disease, such as gingivitis.

3. Wash, Wash, Wash. Bathing your dog at home will save you money. Bathe your dog with pet shampoo and make sure you rinse thoroughly. You want to make sure you use a pet approved shampoo because it will lessen the chance of developing an allergic reaction. It is also very important to rinse your dog thoroughly because if you don't, the suds left behind can cause itchy irritating dry skin.

4. Get a Short Doo . If you take your dog to the groomer ask them to cut your dog's hair shorter. This will decrease the number of times you need to get your dog groomed, and it will help keep your pet cooler during the summer months. You can also trim your dog's nails at home instead of going to the vet or groomer. We recommend the using a nail grinder. It's a fast and easy way to trim your dog's nail safely and effectively.

5. Feed Right . Next, check how much food you feed against what is recommended by the manufacturer and your veterinarian. You could be feeding your dog too much, which could create problems - you could be creating an overweight dog and your food will not last as long as it could by just feeding the recommended amount. Also remember to comparison shop. Just because you have bought your dog's food at the same store for years doesn't mean they have the best price. Check the food manufacturers and pet stores websites often because they will often email you special promotions and coupons if you sign up for their free newsletter. In addition to their discounts, you can usually find coupons in your local paper for many pet food brands.

6. Yearly Exam . This is an important one. Take your dog in for a yearly physical exam. The earlier you can catch any sign of disease the better. The vet will also be able to inform you about your dog's overall health and give the appropriate vaccinations. Before choosing a vet, call around your area and ask different offices how much they charge. You may be surprised at how much different offices charge for the same services. Some offices even offer special discounts to new clients, and clients that are in a difficult financial situation. You can also ask your friends for veterinarians that they recommend. Remember to be on the lookout for discount vaccination days with your local county office and pet stores. At these discount days you can get your yearly vaccinations and rabies shots for a fraction of the normal cost.

7. Multi-use Toys. Finally, look for good quality multi-use pet toys. Look for toys that are long lasting so you don't need to replace them often.





Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

HOW TO SPEND $5,000.00 DOING A HOME SAFETY VISIT

Contributed by a CP Volunteer

The setting: Snowy, mild sleet, yucky afternoon.

The atmosphere at home: "Honey, I checked mapquest and it will take 1 hr. 8 min. to get to the peoples home." Husband - "It'll take longer than that - closer to 1 1/2 hrs". Point to him - 1 hr. 27 min. to reach destination. Quick call to say "we'll be there a little later than planned". He says- "Told you so".

Driving - not too bad - salt trucks out - a little slick but not awful. He has to pee. "No time, we're already late".

FINALLY -Turn into subdivision --- MEGA, MEGA Buck homes. Can't see house numbers from road - gotta pull into the driveway. BEAUTIFUL brick posts & pillars on each side of the long, uphill driveway we THINK is the right house. NOPE - next house down the road. Backing up - WAIT - SLIDING - SLIDING - VERY SLICK DRIVEWAY - SLIDING DOWNHILL - BAM.

"Mmmmmm, honey, I hope the damage isn't as bad as that sounded"

My husband jumps out of the SUV to find that we KNOCKED DOWN the WHOLE solid Brick Post and the whole back of the SUV is caved in from the glass in the hatch door all the rest of the way down and under the car.

"Mmmmmmmmmm, honey, I'm going to walk down the road to the right house to do the HSV" - Mmmmmmm, honey - honey's not answering me but storming up to the house to talk to the people. I leave honey a note to tell him to come to the right house when he's done with business.

RING the doorbell, - "Hi Pam, I thought your husband was coming with you".

"Mmmmmm he's speaking to your neighbors"

"Oh, do you know them?" "They just moved in this past weekend and we haven't gotten a chance to say hi yet"

"Well, no we don't know them but we sorta had a little trouble backing out of their driveway".

HSV went on as planned and "Honey" showed up just as we were finishing.

Return trip:

Honey says "call the 24 hr. claims # and get this reported while I drive home".

"Mmmmmm sure". Get ahold of the claim rep. - Cell phone beeping - going dead - mad search for car charger - "YES" find it, plug phone in and continue.

"Honey" pulls into a McDonalds - mad dash to bathroom. Back in car, leaving - NO WAIT - I've got to go too!!!! WAVING MY HANDS - SHAKING MY HEAD - still on phone explaining what happened and why I'm calling if he was actually driving at the time -HE PULLS out of the parking lot - OH NO----I GOTTA GO.

Nope, we didn't stop until we got home. OH well, mission accomplished, report filed, Miss Wiggles and Miss Tigger are running wild and I think I'll watch a little TV to make sure "Honey" is asleep before I retire for the night!

The Upside - I WASN'T DRIVING!!!!!!!!!! So it wasn't MY fault!!!!





Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Sunday Sweets

Sunday is full of SWEETS! Each week we will showcase the sweeter side of Cairns. If you have a sweet filled cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture for an upcoming "Sunday Sweets" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com! (All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.)

Kipper & Nealie

Nanna

Rummy

Cusack

Zeus


Miri-Meadow

Lexi

Connie & Duffy

--
Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Click here to VOTE in the Shelter Challenge.

Need more detailed instructions? SHOW ME HOW

Col. Potter makes an impression at Westminster!

Written by a CP Volunteer

Col. Potter contingent at Westminster

Another card passed out this week! I wonder how many of them we were able to pass out all together! I was somewhat amazed by how our green shirts drew the attention of many many people. A man in the restaurant saw them and started laughing about Cairns and their personalities - he was a vet and knew them pretty well - he took a card too. So many people stopped us and wanted to know about the rescue group and everyone we talked to got a card. It was a wonderful way to spread the word about our rescue and about our desire to help any dog find a good home when possible. I think we may see more hits on our website from people that will go there to see our links to things as well.

One of the judges for the Westminster Kennel Club stopped and talked with us for a while too and she thought it was great that so many of us had come to the show. She said we should be very proud of ourselves for doing what we do. We ran into a few people that have actually adopted from us, one couple had been approved but adopted a Westie instead but said they were still thinking of adding a Cairn. It was fun to hear Angela, Marla and Deb tell about our group too - they were absolutely the best! I know a lot of people learned about us and our work and were very impressed. We even gave cards to some Scottie and Cairn owners whose dogs were in the show - they too thought it was great.

It was a wonderful time - both in seeing the beautiful representatives of our breed (and all of the other breeds too - wow - what beautiful dogs were there) and in sharing our work too! I had a most wonderful time!!

I think all of us were great representatives of our organization! If you would like to become part of the Col. Potter organization, please click here for information regarding volunteer opportunities.

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Here's Sassy Girl!

Written by a CP Intakes volunteer



Please give this little princess a warm welcome! Introducing the one and only Sassy Girl, Col. Potter's newest bundle of fur. She joined CP this week and spent no time endearing herself to all who have met her. She is a young girl, just under two years old, ready for fun in the sun.

Welcome Sassy Girl!

Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW

Friday's Feature

Written by a CP Media Volunteer

Anticipating a new edition to the family can be quite an exciting experience. My husband and I decided that it was time for us to add to our family. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new baby in May. However, we already have two fur babies that need to be taken into consideration.

While both of my dogs have been exposed to both babies and toddlers, they haven’t been around them for prolonged periods of time. Both have been very calm and mindful of us while the children have been present. In hopes of having this behavior continue when our baby arrives, we are going to work with both of them so they know they're still part of the family.

I have been doing some reading and research about different things people can do to prepare their pets for a new arrival. Here are a few things that I have run across that I plan to use with my two dogs.

• Make sure your dog has some form of obedience training. ~ This seems to have popped up most often. Basically, your dog should obey your commands; this will make adjustments much easier and help them to learn their boundaries.



• Set up the baby’s room and let the dog explore the new surroundings. ~ We have been slowly getting things situated in what will be our baby’s room. Every time I go in there I let the dogs come in with me and look around. This will help ease some of the curiosity.



• Play a recording of baby noises so that the dogs can get used to the sounds. ~ This is definitely something I want to expose my dogs to. My younger male dog has a tendency to bark at everything. While this is a behavior we need to work on before baby comes, he needs to know that crying and whining will be a new norm at our home.



• Carry a baby doll around the house and talk to it as if it were a real baby. ~ This is supposed to help your dog physically see the actions you would take with a real baby. They suggest letting the dog sniff the doll and interact with you while holding the doll. It’s a good experience for them and a chance for you to see how they will react.



• Show less attention to the dog as it gets closer to baby’s arrival. ~ This will prepare the dog for the attention the baby will need, which will be taken away from him/her. This seems like one of the hardest things to do but it’s inevitable the baby will take away from doggy time.



• Bring home a blanket with the baby’s scent before the baby comes home. ~ Several articles and websites suggest that you take a blanket home with the baby’s scent before the baby arrives. Let the dogs sniff it so they have a positive association with the smell.



• Don’t have mom carry baby in when first coming home from the hospital. ~ It is suggested that mom walk in first, without the baby to greet the fur kids. After normal greetings have been exchanged, then the first introductions can take place.
  

These are just a few of the many suggestions I have found regarding the introduction of babies and dogs. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that expectant parents can tap into to learn about introducing dogs and babies.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in preparing for baby but we mustn’t forget about our furry family members. By starting your baby off with a positive relationship with animals they will know how to properly care for and respect them. And as many people know, one of the greatest bonds is that between a human and their dog.








Please vote once a day for Col. Potter in the Animal Rescue Site's "Shelter Challenge"! Search for Col. Potter in Medina, OH. Feel free to cross-post and please pass this on to your friends and neighbors!

Vote in the Shelter Challenge by clicking the following link: VOTE HERE

Need more detailed instructions? Click the following link: SHOW ME HOW