The Purrfect Nanny & Purrfect Pet Health Blog

In recent weeks, the popular micro-blogging site Twitter has received extensive coverage in the media. If you haven’t signed up for an account or have yet to check out the site, it’s helpful to think of Twitter like an enormous pool of instant text messages.  Once you join, however, the number of tweets (that’s what the individual messages are called) are restricted to only those you “follow”, or those who you sign up to watch.

While non-users may presume that Twitter simply enables narcissists to become more self-involved, Twitterers praise the benefits of participating in unique communities, without any of the borders of traditional communication.  The site has demonstrated particular utility in helping people foster relationships with others who share similar interests. 

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In the summer of one of the most turbulent economic periods in a lifetime, Americans are rediscovering simplicity and frugality.  These days, it’s not uncommon to see a small group playing an impromptu game of Frisbee, or a couple enjoying a nature hike through a local park, or an extended family spending an afternoon in the backyard barbecuing.

The summer months provide ample opportunities for outdoor fun, whether your idea of open-air enjoyment is a power-walk with your dog or watching an afternoon storm roll in from the safety of a back porch with your cat.  These activities help us brush away the winter cobwebs, shedding new light on our daily life.  But sometimes, we make discoveries that are not altogether pleasant.  Too often, the thinner, summer coats of our pets can reveal what winter coats have hidden from plain view – reddened skin irritations, possibly the sign of a seasonal or chronic allergy.

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For those who watched their companion animals suffer more than two years ago, after the worst pet food recall in American history, the pain is still fresh.  A resolution of sorts, however, is near at hand.

Two of the individuals central to the contamination that afflicted thousands of dogs and cats submitted guilty pleas to numerous misdemeanor charges and a single felony charge.  The married co-owners, Stephen and Sally Miller of ChemNutra, were originally scheduled for sentencing on June 16th, but that was postponed and, as of the date of this newsletter’s submission for publication, has yet to be rescheduled.

The Miller’s were indicted for their actions of knowlingly distributing more than 800 tons of melamine-laced wheat gluten imported from China in more than a dozen shipments.  The couple passed off these tainted goods as high-grade protein ingredients, selling it to several of the largest producers of canned pet food and ultimately resulting in the recall of over 150 different brands of pet food.

While the maximum sentence would be two years in prison without parole and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, those who have wished for a punishment equal to the crime may be disappointed by the upcoming decision.  Prosecutors handling the case have signalled their openness to leniency, recommending that the court impose a $25,000 fine against ChemNutra, $5,000 each against the Millers, and sentence the Miller’s to three years of probation each.

It is worth noting that ChemNutra is just one of the 20-plus companies required to contribute to a $24 million compensation fund, the outcome of a class-action lawsuit brought by families affected by the recall.  How much ChemNutra paid into this fund is not a matter of public record, and may never be made known.

Shared from the Healthy Pet Net Newsletter

Another working dog story! Once again a dog goes far beyond being just a family pet. These creatures are so amazing, such perfect companions to humans. As they parent of a child with a food allergy I can sympathize with the extraordinary measures we must take to keep our children safe. I can only imagine if my child had such a severe allergy- these animals are truly angels in disguise!

From the CBS “The Early Show”-

All dogs have powerful noses, but some canines are saving lives with their heightened sense of smell.

Remy, is trained to sniff for any trace of peanuts to help his 9-year-old severely allergic owner, Billy Gensel, live a normal life.

Billy is one of the nearly two million Americans who have an allergy to peanuts but Billy’s allergy was acute, keeping him from many activities.

“I couldn’t go to the carnivals. I couldn’t go to the hotel rooms. I couldn’t do some restaurants,” he said. “It was really, really harsh.”

But that all changed when Remy, a black Labrador retriever joined the family. Remy is trained to detect even the smallest trace of peanuts in food and the environment.

“Without Remy, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Billy said. “…She saves my life every day.”

When Billy came into contact with anything with the tiniest amount of peanuts on it, he would have an allergic reaction, and could have been sent into a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.

Billy’s mother Karen said, “My job was to follow him around at a distance where I knew I could get to him with an EpiPen, if he touched something and all of a sudden he was touching his throat or couldn’t breathe.”

But now, Remy can smell anything in a room that may have peanuts on it and warns his owner. Bell reported Remy sniffs everything and everyone Billy may touch.

Dogs like Remy, Bell reported can be trained to sniff for peanuts in about six months. Each dog costs about $10,000.

But the price was worth it for the Gensels.

“I feel like Remy and the people who trained her are heroes,” Billy said.

“This dog has changed our life,” Karen said. “This dog is a brand new life. A totally different life. Of normal. It’s a life of normal, and for us that’s a really big deal.”

Two centers are training these dogs to sniff for peanuts the Florida Canine Academy and the Southern Star Ranch.

Bell added dogs have a real health and therapy application now, with the ability to sniff out certain life-threatening illnesses, such as epilepsy and cancer.

MILITARY WORKING DOGS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

By ABC-7 Reporter Daniel Marin

EL PASO, Texas - Living near Fort Bliss, El Pasoans have seen the happy celebrations when soldiers come home from war. But what about our heroes with four legs?

Take Benny, for instance. Benny looks like any other German shepherd, but he’s not. He’s a retired Air Force veteran.

Benny’s owner Debbie Kandoll says a lot of people don’t know retired military dogs can be yours, adopted just like any other pound puppy.

“It’s a well-kept secret,” said Kandoll. “My other German shepherds were magnificent, but there’s just a difference you can’t quantify in words.”

These dogs have seen a lot; most spending time overseas with soldiers either sniffing for drugs or car bombs.

In the past, when a dog reached a certain age they were simply euthanized. But now, they’re given what are called ‘adoption suitability tests.’

“It’s to test their level of aggression and whether they’d fit in well in civilian life,” said Kandoll.

The dogs that pass the test, like Benny, are then put up for adoption.

Kandoll says she knows Benny would give whatever he could for her, and that’s why she’s doing whatever she can to help other dogs just like him. She runs a website that walks people through the process of adopting these ‘hero’ dogs.

“I’m Benny’s 13th partner but he calls me ‘lucky number 13,’” laughed Kandoll. “he’ll be with me until he goes to the rainbow bridge.”

To adopt a military working dog, visit the links below:

Lackland Air Force Base Dog Adoptions

Http://www.lackland.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080317-045.pdf

Debbie Kandoll’s Military Working Dog Adoptions

http://www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com/

On my commute into work this morning, an interesting thing happened. After we had slowed from our pace of 80mph to a very sedate 25 or so, a furry brown head popped up over the back of the pickup truck in front of me.

Growing up in the south, riding the back of the pickup truck was always a summer time treat. First, it implied that you were “big” enough to be granted the privilege of riding back there. Second, it gave you unprecedented views of the surrounding area whizzing by at 55mph. Most important of them all was the cool factor of sitting on the back of truck while it was moving! We could not sit on the back if the destination included travel on the highway, as it was far too dangerous. My young mind did not correlate the fact that if it was dangerous on the highway, there had to be some danger on regular roads.

Some dog owners do not see anything wrong with a dog in the bed of a truck. They are unwilling to put the dog in the cab of the truck; therefore, the dog has to endure all weather conditions in the bed. As long as it is not too hot, this does not bother me. What does bother me is having a dog in the bed on the highway. I doubt any dog will leap from the truck while moving, but in Atlanta traffic, there is a lot of sitting still in traffic. I saw a mouse trying to get off the 8 lane northbound connector last week. Most dogs seeing that same mouse would be tempted to go get it. Then we have a problem.

In addition, you cannot guarantee that a dog will stay near the cab while the truck is moving. Any sudden deceleration will cause the dog to impact the front of the bed, potentially causing serious injury. At 80mph, the dog would most likely be killed or require euthanasia, as the forces involved are very great.

It bewilders me that a dog lover would put his dog in such a situation. I wonder is it a lack of understanding of physical laws of motion or a lack of caring towards the health and well-being of the dog. I am leaning more towards the physical laws as a too large percentage of mothers are under the mistaken belief that they can restrain their newborns with hands and arms in a crash. They do not realizing that their precious cargo will become in effect a human missile if the impact is great enough.

What are your thoughts? Is this simply a matter of inadequate knowledge or a lack of concern for the animal’s welfare?

Three male dogs, a Rotweiler, a Labrador and a Chihuahua, are chatting on a corner,  when a very good looking female Poodle comes sashaying down the street.  The 3 males dogs immediately start arguing about who is going to ask her out.  She overhears the argument and comes over and asks “Why should I go out with any of you, you don’t seem very interesting!  I’ll tell you what, the first one of you that can use the words liver and cheese in an interesting sentence, I will agree to go on a date with.”

The Rotweiler immediately speaks up and says: “I hate liver and cheese.” The Poodle just yawns and says, “How boring, just like I knew you would be.” 

The Labrador speaks up and says “How about this sentence, I love liver and cheese!”  The Poodle says “That’s even worse than the Rotweilers poor attempt!”

The Poodle starts to turn away when the Chihuahua speaks up and says “What about me, don’t you want to hear my sentence?”  The Poodle says “Okay, let me hear it.”  So the Chihuahua turns her around, takes her paw and starts leading her away.  He turns his head and says, over his shoulder, “Liver alone boys, cheese mine!”

The splendor of summer is right around the bend.  We are approaching the season when children, freed from studies, populate the neighborhood, friends and families hold cook-outs, and we find ourselves preoccupied with the health our pet’s coats.

There’s a reason for our annual fixation.  Dogs usually begin to lose their winter coats in early spring, when it is gradually replaced by a shorter, lighter coat suited to the summer months.  The amount of shedding varies widely from breed to breed.  For example, the pet parents of German Shepherds will groan about the amount of shedding all year long, while those of us with poodles rarely have to get out the broom or vacuum, even with the arrival of summer.

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Today I’d like to discuss some of the benefits of our business model.
Because we work with a team of pet sitters across the Metro Atlanta area we can ensure that there will always be a qualified pet nanny to meet your pet sitting needs. Whether you are planning a holiday trip or need service starting tomorrow there will be a caring animal lover to care for your pet. When one of our nannies goes on vacation, we can help cover your pet sitting needs by bringing in a back up. In case of an unforeseen circumstance or emergency, should your regular pet sitter be unable to visit with your pet, we have processes in place to provide immediate back up support, to ensure that your pet is ALWAYS taken care of. We are home to many caring pet nannies. All of our nannies, go through a 2 step interview process, background checks and are bonded and insured. Does the fact that we work with several pet sitters mean that your pet is not well cared for? Of course not! All of our nannies are animal lovers, and have their own pets at home. They understand the level of care we all want for our pets. Two of our nannies are certified dog behaviorists and many of our nannies work directly with rescue organizations to help needy and abandoned pets find a new loving home and love along the way. Our business model helps ensure that there will always be a qualified loving pet nanny to take care of your beloved pets.

I just read the story about Chanel, the world oldest dog! Happy Birthday Chanel! What a life style this dog lady has - who says healthy human food is not good for dogs.  Read more about her in the following article:

Chanel — named the oldest dog by Guinness World Records last year — is taking a rare trip from her Port Jefferson Station home to mingle with canine buddies invited to her Manhattan birthday party.

The old girl’s red hair faded to white a long time ago. Her cataracts force her to wear special doggie glasses and her bones feel the cold.

Her home is kept at a constant 72 degrees. She eats boiled chicken with whole-wheat pasta, and a specially selected soft treat designed for her ancient teeth.

And she spends her days relaxing at home, only taking walks in the summer.

“She used to run three miles with me every day,” said Shaughnessy, a high-school principal’s secretary who adopted Chanel from a Virginia shelter as a 6-week-old pup.

“She still enjoys a walk, but now she’s carried for a lot of it.”

Chanel took the title as the oldest dog last spring when a 28-year-old beagle from Virginia died.

Let’s find out who is Atlanta’s oldest dog - please submit your dogs name and age and we will write an article about you and your pooch in our next BLOG