It’s almost here! An Af’Fur to Remember

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alycia Hadfield

dreamstime_l_22332335We all enjoy an evening out with our significant other, friends, family, coworkers, you name it. This is an opportunity to enjoy a social evening that benefits local animal rescue efforts. This is an evening you are truly a star to each of us at Must Love Dogs NW and you do not want to miss the evening!

Yes! This is the Third Annual Must Love Dog NW’s Af’Fur to Remember. An Af’Fur to Remember is our semi-formal dinner, silent and live auction event. This major blowout is our largest fundraising event of the year and is important to the future of our programs. This year MLDNW has set our goal to have a facility of our own. This facility would allow us to have an area where we could offer training, education, meet and greets, socialization and rehabilitation of our foster dogs. We would have a primary location for record keeping and for you and others involved with MLDNW to come and see us. An Af’Fur to Remember not only is a fun social evening but every penny earned goes to help reach our goals of early spaying and neutering, a facility, and no more homeless pets. The past two years Af’Fur proved to be successful and helped us continue our life saving programs. We are hoping this year will be even more extraordinary in both enjoyment for the guests and the potential allotted for MLDNW.

You turn onto Greenwood Drive in Vancouver Washington. Once you arrive at the Heathman Lodge you exit the car as if you were a star lighting the night. You head for the Fort Vancouver Ballroom. As you enter you become part of a world of people who give their hearts and souls for the animals in the most need. You see, you hear, you feel, you give, you love and you enjoy yourself.

You can purchase your tickets at http://auction.mustlovedogsnw.com

We have less than one month left until the big day and are still accepting donations. Email benefit@mustlovedogsnw.com for more information on how you can make a donation.

Thank you all for your support and we look forward to what 2012 will bring for us all!

Sincerely,

Must Love Dogs NW

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Little Bo Peep Could Have Used This to Keep Those Sheep in Line: GPS for your dog

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alison

Sweet Pea (2)8-12 million pets are taken annually. Many, many, many others simply get lost. Between 30-60% of them are euthanized in shelters depending on the area of the country.  Help prevent this by micro chipping your pets. Micro chipping will aid in getting your pet back to you once he is found. But for those who don’t want to wait that long there are GPS units available for your dog’s collar so you can find them in real time.

One ad even points out that you can find them in your own home with this new GPS technology. Pardon me but if your home is so big that you need to find your dog using GPS get one for your spouse and each of your children. Sounds like you are at a disadvantage and need all the help you can get.

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And It Is Not All Forks and Spoons: Guide Dog Etiquette

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Leyda Carvajal

dog[1]Here are some interesting and helpful facts about guide dogs to help you better interact with the dog and his owner:

A guide dog is a highly trained dog that acts as a mobility aid to blind and visually impaired people. 

Amongst things a guide dog is taught to:

Walk in a straight line in the center of the pavement unless there is an obstacle.

Not to turn at corners unless told to do so.

To stop at curbs and wait for the command to cross the road, or to turn left or right;

Amazingly they are taught to judge height and width so that its owner does not bump their head or shoulder

How to deal with traffic’s sounds, movements, and intricacies.

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How to wish a long safe life for your dog

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alison

Everyone would love to have their dog live a long healthy life. However, many dogs are taken away from us far too soon. Sometimes it is unpreventable, but other times it’s due to needless, avoidable, or careless causes.

Have you ever thought about what the risk factors would be for dogs?

insurance

1. No ID tag: Dogs without ID tags are virtually speechless. They have no voice to help them be reunited with their owners.

2. No Microchip: Lost dogs with microchips get a little extra care should they ever run away. If they are in a shelter dogs are automatically scanned and their owners are notified and even held for a longer amount of time then those not chipped. If they are injured, veterinarians will stabilize them to give extra time for their owners to find them.

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Pointers on Catching a Loose Dog

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Amy Stadelman

Puppies 030 (1280x812)If your dog get off leash, or away from you, here are a couple of pointers. Whatever you do, do not chase them! Even though running after your dog may be your first instinct chasing him will only inspire him to run faster. If you need to follow them you do not want them to feel like they are being chased as part of a game.

 

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Tails from the Cages in the Back

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alison

“Across the room he holds a rifle aimed at me. His eyes aren’t focused but his words are sharp and biting. He asks if I want to die. The sad answer is that I don’t know. I leave the choice in his hands. Does he love me enough to put down the rifle or is his drug induced rage too far gone for emotions. I close my eyes. I don’t pray. I don’t think. I don’t feel. I hear the rifle chamber a round. Silence. I hear him change his mind. He asks for my forgiveness. Again I give it. Again I don’t know if this is how I wanted it to end.”

Alison Kilpe-Smith

Many women go through such terror on a regular basis. 25% of all women will experience some type of Domestic Violence in their lifetime. Nearly 75% of all people say they know someone who is or has been a victim of Domestic Violence. 30% are within the last year. As many as 10 million children experience or witness some form of Domestic inter-personal violence in their lifetime. 50% of the men that abuse their wives or girlfriends also abuse the children.

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Meet Jeanie!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alison

Volunteer Spotlight—Jeanie

She Does Tigers Too!!

JeanieEnzoCharlieSeeing her simply strolling through the zoo a tiger will bow and rub its face to the ground like a domesticated kitty. So when this Must Love Dog NW volunteer says that she knows about animals you had better believe her. May I introduce Jeanie Krause Swan? Jeanine has been a volunteer here at MLDNW for only a short time but she brings a wealth of experiences that are unique and unmatched. The tiger at the zoo really does acknowledge her presence. She has been a volunteer at the Washington Park Zoo in Portland for many years. Her tenderness and love of animals is even directed toward the big cats at the zoo. One tiger in particular is quite fond of her. When others viewing this display of affection at the zoo ask Jeanie if the tiger is gentle she looks at them rather nonplused , sighs deeply and explains that perhaps them finding out would not be a good idea. That she has years of experience with the big cats and even she knows that they are not “gentle”.

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Meet Payton!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Alison

paytonThis month rather than a Spotlight Volunteer we have a Flashlight Volunteer. It is not that she doesn’t work as hard as any other volunteer. Heaven forfend—she probably works harder than most. It is not that she is not as appreciated as others—we appreciate her help greatly. We are simply using a flashlight because she is so small. Our Flashlight Volunteer is, just turned 17 year old, Payton Hadfield. Yes, that is a familiar last name—Payton is Alycia’s oldest daughter. As long as Alycia has been working for dog rescues so has Payton. And when I say worked I mean worked. Yet Payton is so gracious about her work with MLDNW. She helps with the foster dogs, monthly adoption events and the big events throughout the year.

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Total Fear

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Alison

Dog-Thumbs-Up[1]There are several things you should be afraid of. Your mother-in-law calling to let you know she is pulling into your driveway with some members of her new church. You know the snake handling one. They were just visiting the pastor at the hospital giving him some more snake antivenin and they thought it would be great to visit you and the kids. Your mother-in-law knows you would just find this church home. The preverbal little old man in a hat driving in the car in front of you down a narrow road is always good for a rise in your blood pressure. Getting out of your car and asking for directions in the back country in the South East and hearing the start of Dueling Banjos from a creepy looking kid will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Or the all-time favorite of answering the phone and being told this is a phone call to collect a debt. Yikes. You have not realized the most frightening possible circumstances that we could face in today’s world—dogs with opposable thumbs. That is right shudder, shiver, shake, and look at your dog in a new way now.

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Poisonous Plants

Posted on April 10, 2012 by thadfield

Gardens 121“Flowers Scare me”

While spring can be one of the most beautiful seasons; its beautiful colors can be highly toxic to our canine friends. So as George Burns was so delightfully paraphrased, “flowers should scare us.” Even the simplest flower can prove deadly in dogs. With the warmer months approaching, we will be spending much more time outdoors with our pets, and for their safety, below is a list of some of the more common yet poisonous plants we must be on the lookout for.

Aloe—Toxic to dogs causes vomiting, depression, diarrhea, anorexia, tremors, and a change in urine color.

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