Bark in the Park! Go Squirrels!

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Renée

The first of 2 Bark in the Park nights at the Diamond, presented by Best Bully Sticks, is happening on 16 May 2012. First pitch is at 6:35pm. Come out with your dog and watch the Flying Squirrels play the Harrisburg Senators.

Follow Me Dog Training LLC traditionally has a pretty good sized group for this event and we are looking forward to tomorrow night!

They usually put most of the dogs in general seating. You can order your tickets on line, or go a little early and get your tickets at the kiosks out front. Frappy and I will be there a little early and will be in the int he general admission seating area…they usually have it pretty well marked where they want the dogs to be. Feel free to text me when you get there if you don’t spot Frappy and I and I can let you know where we are. I would love it if we were a group and maybe for the August game we can get some FMDT/Squirrels t-shirts for everyone.

Come on out to the ball park and have a fun evening of baseball!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DOG FOOD RECALL!!!!

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Renée

Leinie, Frappy and Reily wait to eat!

Some scary stuff is going on in the world of dog/cat food. The biggest scare recently is the recall of dozens of food from the Diamond Pet Foods Company. It saddens me to see many of the foods I have recommended on this list. My recommendation and that of many vets, is to get your dogs off these foods immediately. Not only are we seeing dogs getting sick but also people:

The Centers for Disease Control is reporting that 14 people have been confirmed sick with salmonella infections contracted from handling contaminated pet food involved in this recall — and 5 of them are hospitalized.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/ and http://www.honestdog.com/ have been awesome about keeping us up to date on the current recalls. Right now, if your dog is on any of these foods go get something new immediately! (it is recommended to get a new brand regardless of the lot #s the company is providing)

  • Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
  • Kirkland (C0stco brand)
  • Country Value
  • Diamond
  • Diamond Naturals
  • Premium Edge
  • Professional
  • 4Health
  • Taste of the Wild
  • NEW: Natural Balance
  • NEW: Wellness
  • NEW: Canidae

Most of the dogs foods that you ARE going to want to look into you will find at independent pet stores or on line. (A well researched RAW diet, in my opinion, is the way to go, but it can be difficult to maintain) Here is a list of some of the few I would feed my own dogs right now if needed that I know can be found in the area:

There are many foods that even I didn’t know were made by companies that have had recalls recently and as this situation worsens I am hearing from other pet professionals about foods that should be on my list of “don’t feed”. Please do your research! And if you can’t, contact me and I will look into it for you. Many times I have dogs staying with me that eat food that I would never dream of feeding my own dogs. I try to help paint a clear picture about foods, how they work with your dogs and why you might want to stay away from some certain foods. BUT I don’t live with you and can’t make that feeding decision for you. I also realize that some of these better foods have a higher price point. Remember on a good food, you will feed your dog less. Also a good dog food means less trips to the vet, reduced allergic reactions and overall better health which helps your dog live longer.
So in Richmond VA, where can we find some of these foods? You can check out your local Pet Smart or PetCo, but go with your intended food in mind. I would hate to see you come out with a recalled food or worse yet a crappy food that was recommended by a staff member that doesn’t understand dog food! Here are a few places that I go to for food: CritterTown BathHouse, PJ Petts in Carytown, Dogma, Fido Park Avenue Dog Boutique, Ginger’s Eatz & Treatz and Three Dog Bakery in Stony Point. If you know of any other independent pet stores in the area, let me know! I will continue to keep you updated on the recall situation, keep up with the Follow Me Dog Training LLC FaceBook page if you can. Ask if you don’t know!
THE CURRENT DOG FOOD RECALLS ARE A SERIOUS SITUATION! PLEASE DON’T RISK YOUR PET’S LIFE BY FEEDING THEM A FOOD ON THIS LIST! PLEASE DON’T DOWNGRADE THE FOOD YOU ARE FEEDING YOUR DOG EITHER! (I WILL YELL AT YOU IF I FIND OUT YOU ARE FEEDING YOUR DOG BENEFUL!)
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Where’s Leinie? May 2012

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Renée

May 2012 finds Leinie exploring a different part of Richmond Virginia. Do you know where he is? Follow Me Dog Training LLC encourages you to go out exploring with your dog!

Here’s the challenge: Take your dog out exploring, find Leinie’s location, take a picture of your dog where Leinie is posing (in the same location or as close as they can physically be), send the picture and the exact location to renee@followmedogtraining.com. Please send your pictures as an attachment so I can post them!

The first picture I receive with your dog in the correct spot wins a prize from Follow Me Dog Training LLC. You will also have your dog’s picture posted all over and have bragging rights for the month.

The current month’s picture will always be on the Where’s Leinie? page.

Be safe and responsible! Pick up after your dog! Now get out and explore Richmond!

The Where’s Leinie? challenge is open to everyone in the area, even non-clients!

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Bella finds Leinie at Aloft Richmond West Hotel

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Renée

Congrats go out to Bella the Doodle for finding Leinie at the Aloft Richmond West Hotel. Everyone needed a little hint, but I hope when they found Leinie they had fun playing on the giant concrete balls out front. There is some great space to walk your dogs and a couple of restaurants near by allow the dogs on the patio.

Bella

Henry and Charles also found Leinie, and apparently at the same time. Love the group shot boys!

Charles and Henry

Keep an eye out for the May, Where’s Leinie? picture and go adventuring with your dog!

 

 

 

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Bloodhounds with an important job

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Renée

In the 1980′s if you went to the Democratic Republic of Congo there was a good chance you might see a herd of elephants while on safari, as there were more than 3,000 roaming the Virunga National Park. Today there are fewer then 400. Elephants are one of the prime objectives of poachers for their tusks. Poachers don’t think twice about killing off one of the worlds most beautiful animals. Although there is a worldwide ban on Ivory sales, it just doesn’t stop. The black market is a powerful buyer and seller.

Recently I learned about an incredible group of park rangers and their bloodhounds, Congohounds. These bloodhounds are taught to track the scent of poachers by their scent left on the carcasses of killed elephants. They can do the same for any poachers they may catch scent of!

Dr. Marlene Zähner, and other internationally recognized experts in the field of man-trailing and crime scene investigation, are creating Congo’s first man-trailing program in Virunga National Park.  The goal of the program is to better protect Virunga’s critically endangered mountain gorillas and other wildlife from poachers, and in general, help enforce the rule of law, which is critical to re-establishing Virunga’s tourism trade. The program will also greatly improve the park’s ability to quickly find lost and critically injured rangers, many of whom have died needlessly while awaiting help.

They Congohounds consist of 5 teams of bloodhounds and their handle/Rangers. so far they have had some real successes under their belts.

Africa’s first national park survived decades of chaos against all the odds, not because of circumstance but because of the dedication of the rangers, staff, and the outside world who believe in the value of saving Virunga National Park and its wildlife.

This group brings a smile to my face every time I think of them. They are also a group that I would strongly support. Check out their website: http://congohounds.gorillacd.org/.

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First seeing Eye Dog in U.S. history

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Renée

On 25 April 1928, the first Seeing Eye Dog, Buddy, returned to the United States with her new partner Morris Frank.

“I shall never forget the next three minutes. Ten-ton trucks rocketing past, cabs blowing their horns in our ears, drivers shouting at us… When we finally got to the other side and I realized what a really magnificent job she had done, I leaned over and gave Buddy a great big hug and told her what a good, good girl she was.”

Buddy had been trained by an American Breeder living in Switzerland. Dorothy Harrison Eustis had been training German Shepherd Dogs for the police and with the encouragement of Morris Frank’s father took on the challenge of training a service dog. After WWI service dogs were being trained for veterans after exposure to mustard gas had taken their sight.

Buddy and Frank helped introduce the United States to a new way of living for the visually impaired. By 1936, 250 people were using dogs to help them live a better life.

By 1938, Frank knew that Buddy’s health was failing, but they had one more task to accomplish: Together, the two of them needed to be permitted to fly on a commercial airplane. That spring, on May 16, 1938, Frank, with Buddy lying at his feet, flew from Chicago to Newark. The trip was made under a newly implemented ruling by United Air Lines that “grants to all Seeing Eye dogs the privilege of riding with their masters in the cabins of any of their regularly scheduled planes.”

In 1929 Frank helped open The Seeing Eye, the oldest existing guide dog school in the world. This school with it’s breeding program and training program revolutionized the use of the working dog. Thousands of people have had their lives enriched by the hard work of their seeing eye dogs.

Many of the things that Buddy and Frank did challenged shop owners, restaurants and modes of transportation to take another look at public access laws and were instrumental in the making of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 1938, Buddy passed away as a national hero and with an obituary in the New York Times:

“Buddy had appeared on hundreds of lecture platforms and barked in response to applause; she had been received by Presidents Coolidge and Hoover and other notables; and she had been led into the homes of poor among the blind and had given them hope while they patted her and fingered her harness,”

 

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Happy Easter!!!

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Renée

We hope everyone is having a safe and happy Easter.

Leinie, Frappy and Brady received a letter from the Easter Bunny this morning, reminding them of the dangers of chocolate and that fake plastic grass you find in Easter Baskets. I appreciate him mentioning it. Have a wonderful day in the beautiful sunshine!

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Where’s Leinie? April 2012

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Renée

April 2012 finds Leinie exploring a different part of Richmond Virginia. Do you know where he is? Follow Me Dog Training LLC encourages you to go out exploring with your dog!

Here’s the challenge: Take your dog out exploring, find Leinie’s location, take a picture of your dog where Leinie is posing (in the same location or as close as they can physically be), send the picture and the exact location to renee@followmedogtraining.com. Please send your pictures as an attachment so I can post them!

The first picture I receive with your dog in the correct spot wins a prize from Follow Me Dog Training LLC. You will also have your dog’s picture posted all over and have bragging rights for the month.

The current month’s picture will always be on the Where’s Leinie? page.

Be safe and responsible! Pick up after your dog! Now get out and explore Richmond!

The Where’s Leinie? challenge is open to everyone in the area, even non-clients!

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Sally found Leinie at Forest Hill Park by the Stone House

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Renée

March 2012

Congrats go out to Sally for finding Leinie at Forest Hill Park by the Stone House. She walks in Forest Hill Park often and knew exactly where to pose.

Lucky the Beagle also found where Leinie was adventuring!

Keep an eye out for the April 2012 Where’s Leinie? picture and go exploring!

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2012 The Last Great Race

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Renée

The 2012 Iditarod began today. 975 miles from Anchorage Alaska to Nome Alaska, it is the Last Great Race!

In 1973 the first Iditarod was won by Dick Wilmarth, the race took him just over 20 days to finish. In 2011 the Iditarod was won by John Baker in 8 days.

I know many people are concerned for the dogs that are running. These dogs have some of the best care and management around:

Iditarod dogs have some of the most intensive health checkups in the animal athletic world. Mandatory pre-race evaluations commence in the early part of February, which include blood testing and ECG recordings. All dogs are permanently identified with a microchip implant as part of the screening process. (Testing and microchip implants are provided for the mushers at no charge to them). Each dog’s microchip number is scanned before starting the race, to verify their eligibility.

In addition to the extensive pre-race testing, every dog is required to have veterinary physical exam within fourteen days of the race start, and all vaccinations must be current. Last but not least, each must be dewormed (medications provided through the ITC) within ten days of beginning their trip to Nome.

The dogs are usually very calm for these tests. They are used to being handled a lot and typically lie quietly while the procedures are completed.

During the race, the dogs are examined by the veterinarian teams who work at the checkpoints.  When a musher and team arrive at a checkpoint, the veterinarians are there to observe and examine the dogs and to  visit with the musher.  The musher must also present the vet book to the veterinarians.  The dogs are priority 1 for Iditarod!

These dogs that run the Iditarod are true athletes.

Check out Iditarod.com for current standings, GPS replays, profiles of the mushers and their teams, find out what kind of weather these teams are running in, and find out more about the history of The Last Great Race.

 

 

 

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