Just a Reminder

Penny here again. I know I'm preaching to the choir for all the folks who read this blog, but it's really nasty hot in most of the Northern Hemisphere right now. So remember those of us with heavy fur coats in this weather. Make sure we have lots of water and shade to stay in (if we're not ensconced in your houses).

And please, please... don't leave us in the car!!!

A New Enemy

Hello everybody! Penny here, with this week's Dogs on Thursday! I hope everyone has had a good month since we last barked. I'm feeling much better and am back to my old bossy self.

Here in the US, we celebrate our independence on July 4th. I was a tiny puppy last year, so I really didn't pay any attention to what was going on around me. I was pretty content to let Mom and Dad handle security. But now that I'm a Big Dog, I have responsibilities to protect our house, and I take 'em seriously.

Evidently on July 4th, people insist on setting off fireworks. Fireworks are very noisy things that are no doubt a threat to our house and our pack. They sound just like thunder! And you can't see them coming either. I had to be constantly on guard. Sounded like they came from both sides of the house, so I was on the run all night, looking out windows to see if I could find out where they were coming from. I wanted to find the cowards and put an end to it! And of course, I had to sound the alarm by barking so that I could let everyone know we were under attack.

The problem was, around here, people do a lot of celebrating. They celebrated the week before the 4th and all during that week. I was exhausted from all the work I was doing.

I'm wondering who I have to bark at to get these things taken away. This is just a lot of work for a Big Dog like me! Maybe I should get Mom and Dad to take me on vacation next year...

I'll bark at you next month!

In the spotlight...

In my last post, I had requested that if anyone knows of, is involved in, or supports a fundraising event that benefits our canine friends to leave a comment and I will be happy to post it here in our forum. Here is today's in the spotlight submitted by Vivian and her son Henry...

How this all started


Henry is going to have the entire August off with no summer camp or pretty much anything planned. In all the years I’ve been working we always had a place to “stash” him (day care, school, after school care, nanny, grand parents, summer camps, all of them). I’m starting a business so I work from home most of the time and not making any money. It seems logical to save the money and keep him at home and let me entertain him.

That’s a tall order. I just hope we both survive the month.

So I have to get creative and come up with something challenging. Henry loves animals. Henry likes working on a project, keeping track of things, and taking charge. Henry can take pictures, write, and do math.

Here is my grand idea:

Campaign: Four Weeks 40 blankets

During the month of August, Henry and I will collect 40 blankets on bahalf of Humane Society of Silicon Valley. We will cordinate with our friends and family, advertise through assorted organizations we belong to, as well as Freecycle and Craigslist. We will pick up the donations from homes and businesses, and drop them off every Friday at Humane Society office. We will also collect toys, food, medications that people want to donate. We will keep track of the donations, take pictures, blog about our experience, and set up a Facebook Page to share with our followers.

We have received blessing from Humane Society and we can turn in whatever we collect. So we are on track for a kick start!

Please drop on over to 4 Weeks, Forty Blankets to show your support. I am sure they would welcome your comments as well as your blanket ;-)

If you know of a project, fundraiser, etc. to help rescues, non profit shelters, or a fundraiser please leave a comment or email me directly to thegardener63ataoldotcom.

Happy DOT's,
Tina, HoneyDew and Sampson too!

Needle Biopsies

This month I'm going to spend a little time explaining one of the more common and simple tests that your dog may need at some point in his or her life. This is one of my favorite tests to perform as it is quick, easy, and and give us important information!

A fine needle aspirate or FNA is also known as a needle biopsy. This is a simple procedure that is no more painful to your pet than giving a vaccination or other injection. The procedure involves placing a small needle into a tumor or mass on, in, or under your pet’s skin. Cells or other material are then removed from the mass with the needle and placed on a slide. The slide is then stained and the material evaluated under a microscope. There may be a small amount of bleeding or oozing from the puncture site, but no other side effects are typical.
This is a simple, nearly painless, cost effective procedure that can help us identify many abnormal structures on your pet. If a benign mass such as a cyst, lipoma, or histiocytoma is identified then you and your pet will be able to avoid a more expensive and more painful surgery. If a more serious mass such as a mast cell tumor or melanoma are identified then we know we need to schedule a surgery right away. Sometimes we get a sample that is difficult to interpret or has unusual characteristics and we send the slide to a certified pathologist to help us find out what is going on with your pet so we know the next step in treatment.
This test is also very quick and can be performed in the clinic laboratory so you will know the results before you leave!

Summer Fundraisers for a worthy cause...

In our area we have had several fundraisers recently for our local Humane Societies. In Crawford County there was the Barking Lot event...

(My cousin Jonathon Southwick in the red shirt and Tikaani the Husky enjoying the event.)

All different breeds, shapes, and sizes.

"had a barking good time at the 4th annual Barking Lot Fundraiser. This event was sponsored by Palmiero Toyota, Dad's Products Company and Forever Broadcasting. the event included some great competitions, such as Funniest Dressed, Pet look alike, Musical Chairs. it was a great event and all had a good time." Pictures and Quote courtesy of Crawford Coutny Humane Society.

We also had such an event here in Franklin at our Local Shop N Save, however pictures were not available at the time of this post.

Coming up for those of you who are Basset Lovers, remember 

Slobberfest

awesome fundraiser for an awesome non-profit rescue!

How about in your area? Any events going on that you would like to share the information about? Please leave a comment, and we will be glad to post the information!

Happy DOT's
Tina, HoneyDew and Sampson too!