Monday, April 30, 2012

Kim's K9 Korner

Writen by Guest Blogger
 Kim Ortega, Executive Director of Colorado Puppy Rescue

I know I’m getting older, but really, where did March and April go? 
I’ve lived in Colorado since I was 10 years old.  The saying “April showers, bring May flowers” has always been wrong here.  My experience is that we get wind in March and April and big storms in May.  Along with the storms comes the thunder and lightning.  My dog Raisin is terrified of loud noises to the point that I wonder if her head will explode.  She is now 14 years old and there isn’t much I haven’t tried to make her more comfortable.  Recently, I noticed that PetCo carries a new item called ThunderShirt.  The packaging says that it’s the best solution for dog anxiety.  I’ve decided to give it a try.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Speaking of wind, I have been worried about the volunteers and fosters that come to my house for intake.  Last year my husband hired a tree trimming service that was doing a lot of work in our neighborhood.  They seemed to do good work till it came to our house.  The end of the story is that they left a large hand saw very high up in our tree.  I have always worried about that saw falling out and seriously injuring someone.  Today, we hired a company that finished the job.  Our tree looks bare but I feel so much better knowing that we wont have limbs crashing through our roof or a saw decapitating  our friends.

A few weeks ago CPR launched a new credit card system.  It’s the type that plugs into your cell phone and swipes the card.  It’s awesome!  We no longer have to pay for an internet service, or have a dedicated printer (with the expense of ink & paper), or a laptop dedicated to the job.  It seems to be a bit more expensive for the merchant account but the ease and mobility is nice.  I think that in the long run, we will be saving money.

We are down to our last couple of bags of puppy food.  I know, how could that happen?  But, every year about this time we have an issue.  I understand that we have made an appeal to the PetCo foundation for a donation and I am hoping to hear a positive result soon.  It may not come soon enough.  So… if we need to make the expenditure of puppy food we are looking at other ways to make up the difference.  One way is that Pfizer a manufacture of vaccines and animal health products has a shelter program that we are trying to qualify for.  If we are accepted, we can purchase our vaccines for a much reduced price.  Also, we qualify for a Colorado sales tax exemption.  I am working on our exemption so that when we do have to make purchases, we can save on the sales tax. 

Our travel expenses have increased also.  Really? You say.  I know our fosters and volunteers are feeling the burden also.  We have some outstanding volunteers that have had to cut back or discontinue working with us because of the costs.  Last month, Volunteer Regina submitted for a grant from PetCo that would fund transportation expenses.  They asked for new and innovative ideas from organizations.  We think that in these hard times and expensive fuel prices, supporting the costs of volunteers and fosters travel expenses would be a great service.  We shall see if they are interested in supporting our efforts.  Thank you Regina.

Last year Volunteer Rhonda was instrumental in helping us acquire a large donation of pet supplies.  Collars, leashes, etc.  Now, we need to make that donation work for us.  Please let me know if you have contacts for garage sales or flea markets that we can attend to sell these items.  I’m open to all suggestions.

I understand that Volunteer Christy has been hard at work updating our data base.  It won’t be long now that we can launch our empty plate dinner fundraiser.  In the past the empty plate dinner has been a great source of donations for the rescue.  This year I would like to see those funds used to replace both our plastic travel crates and our black wire crates.  As your know they are well used and the harsh cleansers that we have to use have taken there toll.  Thank you Christy.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for a great year so far.  Everyone of you are such a great joy in my life.  It was a year ago this week on the 28th that we lost one of our dear friends Linda Griess.  Many of you remember her, as I do.  Please know that you are a part of something important.  You are wanted and needed.  You have a purpose and by being a part of Colorado Puppy Rescue you are making a difference.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Friday Fix - Black Puppies (4/27/2012)

By Christy Hess


Great news!!!! Brook is back and feeling much better. More news! I am also going to be doing the Friday Fix as a guest blogger - I am so excited!!!!!! I have so many ideas that I can't wait to share.

We have a HUGE group of fabulous pups for adoption and many of them are black or black and white dogs this week.

Black absorbs light, which can make it harder to read facial expressions. There is little differentiation between black eyes and a black coat making it harder to see that a pup is making eye contact.




When first getting to know a black pup you might really have to focus in on body language and ears.



Sometime adopters may perceive black dogs as common, or generic, because it does take more than a glance to really see the personality of a black or black and white dog.





I have two border collie brothers that most people cannot tell apart, but they are night and day in personality and they couldn't be more perfect.


For the same reason, black dogs are especially difficult to photograph well - their features become obscured by their dark coat. Luckily we have great photographers and often find using colored "props" help draw adoptions attention to these great pups. Here are some great photos of pups that will be available this week for adoption (**note the pups above will also be available).


 The one on the left will be at the adoption event!


Cutie! 


This one wants to just be a lap pup.


Awww - take me home and I will love you furever!


Me too!!!!


Seriously intent on checking out the backyard.


Blue eyes and dark hair - wow!


Something smells interesting!! This one has a bit of wave to that sleek black coat.



Did someone say Frisbee!?!

So if you are looking for you next pup, please just take a few more minutes to really "look" at the black and black and white pups - they are worth more than a glance.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday Fix - Favorite Things For Dog Owners (4/13/2012)

By Christy Hess


I am not sure how many more blogs I will be able to do as a guest blogger, so while I still have a chance, I wanted to share some of my favorite things and more great photos that I found.

Shedding

So my first GREAT find as my dogs grew up was the Furminator. This little tool not only gives your dog's coat a nice shine, but it also gets the loose undercoat hair.


You can now get one on Amazon for $18.00. This is well worth it to save your dog from a bad hair day.

   

Can't miss the opportunity to post a picture of a puppy with a fohawk.


The Furminator works for both short and long hair dogs and cats.


Walking

Dogs love to go on walks but if you find yourself being pulled around the neighborhood instead of having a nice walk.....


....you need to get the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Dog Harness.

This is magic - well worth the money. Just make sure that it is fit properly. If it is too loose or too tight the dog will still try to pull.

Toy

Some dogs may suffer from a bit of separation anxiety. They love you so much, they never want to see you go. I found that if you get a Kong and fill it with cheese or peanut butter, the dog will often times be sooooo interested in the toy, they don't even know you have left. They are also one of the most durable toys I have ever seen!


Bed

Getting a good bed for your pup is important, but as it was brought to my attention with my earlier blog, this may be something that will be replaced (over and over and over again). 


Doggy Dish

Dog bowls are another item that you can get that can last a lifetime. The elevated dog bowls are great as dogs get older, they don't have to bend down so far to munch on their kibble.


Crate

Don't let looks deceive you, this little cutie can get into trouble if left unattended.


That is why I am such an advocate of a good crate, especially at night. The dogs gets a nice comfortable space that is safe and you get a good night's sleep knowing your dog is safe.

With my older dog, I still have the crate, but the door is always open. When he needs some quiet time, he sneaks up there to take a nap. He also uses it to stash toys away from his siblings.


Watch out if you get a crate too big, unexpected visitors might crash there too.

Fresh Air


Add some grass and sunshine.........

Great Owners


And of course the love of his/her people and your dog will be soooooo happy.

Double Vision

So I am dating myself, but do you remember the doublemint gum commercials with the doublemint twins? I think I found great some great ad campaigns to sell doublemint to dog lovers. I would buy it.





Cute Pics

For those who know me - I love a certain breed of dogs and those are the ones that ALWAYS catch my eye. But here are some photos of pups that are just too wonderful not to share.

 


 

Dog-Eared

There are very few things that I do not find endearing about a puppy, the soulful eyes, the never ending energy, the eagerness to please and learn, and......the ears.


There is so much expression in just those ears. I hope this pup never grew into them, they are just so darn cute.



These pups can't decide: a strong, intelligent, straight up ear or a playful, half-bent look. Love the indecision.


This one has no double - both ears up and they probably twist and turn in the direction you are talking, so every word is heard, especially when you open a bag of potato chips in the kitchen!


This is what I call the Flying Nun ears. Dating myself AGAIN!!!!

Hope you enjoy - have a great weekend.

Leave a comment - love to know people are actually reading this blog.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Friday Fix - Alum and Before and After (4/6/2012)

By Christy Hess


So I worked like a dog all last weekend and last week to try to update the albums with our alum and before and after pictures.

This is the kind of work that I LOVE to do!!! I hope that you all enjoy the albums. If I missed anyone, can I just say now that I am sorry. If you have some pictures that you want to contribute please send them to me by either tagging Colorado Puppy Rescue fan page on Facebook or email them to info@coloradopuppy.org.

Wanted to take this opportunity to point out a few of my personal favorites from this new set of photos.

Best first birthday photo:



Great little clown:



Most drastic change:

 This pup has peaked over 10 different Colorado 14ers - amazing:


Best fall photo (I am hooked on puppy pictures with pumpkins):



Best siblings photo:



Well - I just love this one:


OK - you got me - I love them all. I love the stories attached to every single one of the photos. Thank you to all of the adopters for keeping us posted on how your pups are doing and how they are growing up. We love the updates.


Please check out all of our photo albums at:

http://coloradopuppyrescue.zenfolio.com/f753379292

Hope you all enjoy and have a great weekend!!!!