Blog the Change for Animals!

Today is Blog the Change for Animals day! It is a great initiative to help spread the word about helping animals, to promote an animal cause that’s near and dear to your heart, to announce your own commitment to helping animals, and to inspire others to Be the Change as well. Every little bit helps as I’ve just figured out!

I wanted to participate in this event as soon as I heard about it but my first thought was, what do I do to help animals that I can blog about? I don’t run a rescue group, I’m not able to foster due to my current animal household, I haven’t been able to help on transports for quite a while, and I don’t feel like I really do much to help.

But then I remembered the small things that I do. I have a home based business called Rusty-Dawg Pet Products and I donate a portion of my sales to the Ottawa Humane Society and also to Big on Beagles rescue. Since business has been a bit slow I haven’t had much to donate but I give what I can. I’ve also donated to other rescue groups such as Tiny Paws Dog Rescue and New Moon Rabbit Rescue. I have a category on my blog called “Rescue Posts” where you’ll find blog posts for different rescue groups.

All the animals in my life are rescues as well and I love to adopt the older animals! The oldest animal I’ve adopted is Spencer, a beautiful Flame Point Himilayan, and he was 13 yrs old when I adopted him. He’s now 22 years old and I love that lil punkin head so much! Anytime I hear that someone is considering bringing a dog or cat into their life, I always recommend that they look into rescue and consider an adult.

There are many rescue groups that I think very highly of but my favorite rescue group is Big on Beagles. Beagles have a special place in my heart because I’ve been sharing my life with a crazy Beagle for the past 13 years! Jingles is an amazing Beagle, so silly and full of life and you’d never guess he’s 18 years old. Every day I shake my head in disbelief at his antics and energy and I wouldn’t change him for the world! I love him for his foolishness and he always makes me laugh.

Big on Beagles is an assistance and adoption agency for Beagles experiencing troubled times. They are located in Toronto, ON, Canada. They currently have 15 Beagles in their care that are awaiting adoption. You can view their Beagles that are ready for adoption on their Petfinder page.

You can help Big on Beagles too by volunteering, fostering, donating or spreading the word. In addition, please post this message to your website, blog, Facebook, Twitter (with hashtag #BtC) or other social media sites. Together, we can all Be the Change for Animals!

To see more of the participants in Blog the Change for Animals, check out the blog hop!

Raw Food Now Listed on RDPP!

I’m excited to announce that I’m now carrying raw food for dogs on RDPP’s website! Currently, I have beef tripe, lamb tripe and beef trachea in stock but if it goes well, I will carry a wider array of raw products. The products I’m offering for sale are made by Bold Raw, a division of Bold Canine. They are located in Erin, ON, Canada and they are a great company!

The tripe that I have listed contains alot less fat than your typical green tripe. Bold Raw painstakingly trims the fat by hand, providing an even more nutritious product for our beloved dogs! To see a comparison of their tripe alongside another raw tripe, check out their blog post: A Tale of Two Tripes… Not All Raw Is Created Equal. Tripe is a great addition to any diet, whether you feed raw, cooked or commercial!

The beef tracheas are a great natural, recreational chew for your dog! Not only will your dog have fun chewing them up but they are also an excellent source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin.

The raw food that I have listed is not available for shipping because it’s frozen raw and would be too costly too ship. It is only available to my customers in Ottawa, ON, Canada and I offer free delivery within Ottawa, ON, Canada on all orders over $10.00. My website automatically charges shipping on all orders and until I figure out a way around that, I will refund the shipping charges back to you via PayPal.

If you’re interested in ordering some of the other raw foods that Bold Raw makes, please let me know and I’ll do my best to stock the items that you want.

For those who do not know, I’ve been feeding raw food to my dogs and cats for almost 10 years now. I really believe that feeding a raw food diet, when done properly, is an excellent diet for dogs and cats. However, I also believe that there is no “best” diet and some animals may do better on a cooked diet versus a raw diet. In those cases a homemade cooked diet or a high quality canned food may be the better option.

My cat, Max, is an example of this and he no longer eats raw food because he was eating it way too fast and then throwing it back up because he was eating so fast. As a result, he ended up losing some weight so I switched him to a high quality canned food. He has a bit of a hard time eating canned food so he’s not able to eat it as fast as the raw food so the canned food stays in his tummy. I do still add some raw chunks of meat to his canned food because he loves it and he’s fine with that.

The others all eat raw food and they all love their food and clean their plates each time! I feed my dogs and cats whatever works best for the individual animal even though I do believe that a raw diet is ideal.

Looking for a Foster Home for Bentley!

I received the following email from Marna, the founder of Big on Beagles, an assistance/adoption agency for Beagles experiencing troubled times. She’s trying hard to find a foster home for a sweet Beagle named Bentley (aka B)!

Here is Marna’s email:

On the outside, he looks like your typical young approximately 2 year old beagle boy with an angel’s face and the devil in his eye. Any minute, he’ll spring from your screen, howlering at the moon, tail spinning like a helicopter, in hot pursuit of trouble.

But that’s not B at all. And that’s what makes this story so sad. We pulled B from Toronto Animal Services-South Region just before Woofstock. He hadn’t been there long but he wasn’t coping well. It was everybody’s hope that he’d find his place in this world through the successful adoption program at this shelter after being transported from a rural rescue in Ohio where he didn’t stand a chance at finding happiness. Good loving homes are a rarity in these remote parts of Ohio. In fact, B had been rescued from an animal hoarder by the Ohio group. That was practically a year ago. The emotional scars haven’t healed even after all this time. Whatever he suffered at the hands of this hoarder has left him paralyzed with fear whenever he meets a stranger, especially men. And that’s only how he reacts to people. Household objects can even make him jump when encountering them for the first time. But the one saving grace for B is the friendship of other dogs. That’s when he shines. They boost his confidence, as long as they’re gentle with him. A rough player will send him fleeing for the hills.

Our good friends, Jen & Aron (Clyde & Rosie’s parents!) took him in for us temporarily. As much as they’d love to keep him, they’ve got a full house already with their 4-legged crew. So now that Woofstock is over, we must focus on what B needs for the longer term. He’s not asking for the world. Just a safe little corner of it with you. He needs patience and gentleness and love beyond measure. He needs to find a reason to lift up that cheeky beagle tail of his and be the beagle he’s supposed to be – one with an angel’s face and the devil in his eye.

If you think you could be that someone for B, send us an email. If you’re already a BOB foster volunteer or the proud parent of a BOB grad, we can start with a Meet & Greet! If you’ve never fostered or adopted from us before, then don’t hesitate to send us your foster application for our careful consideration. Please understand that searching for the right spot for B is important to us. We need your patience as we receive your inquiries so we can take the time necessary to choose the best spot for B to make his dreams come true.

BIG ON BEAGLES (B.O.B) Rescue
An Assistance Agency for Beagles Experiencing Troubled Times

Big on Beagles

Proudly Mending the Hearts of Down-On-Their-Luck Beagles Since 2001

More Great Artists/Shops!

Here are some more great artists/shops that I’ve purchased from and who I’m very happy with! All the artists/shops that I mention on my blog I highly recommend to others.

I received a gorgeous Tree of Life pendant for Valentine’s Day created by Dolcie of DeeCee’s Wire Wonders! It’s a very beautiful pendant and it came with a really nice chain too! Dolcie calls the pendant the Tree of Life and Faith. This is her beautiful explanation as to why: “As with faith, the tree grows stronger each day. Its branches reaching upward toward heaven to receive the promises of God. The light from the stone behind the tree represents the Light of our Lord giving nourishment to the tree and our faith.” DeeCee’s Wire Wonders makes all her jewelry by hand and she does all the wire wrapping herself.

From The Straight Stitch I purchased two enviro lunch sets and also a cutlery wrap and I use them all the time! They’re perfect for bringing sandwiches and snacks to work and they really save on using plastic baggies which means less nasty plastic going into the landfills! She also makes wet bags, enviro covers, toddler wraps etc. Her items are very well made and durable!

For Mother’s Day I purchased a beautiful watch from Sister Jewelry for my Mom! I didn’t see my Mom until this past weekend so I finally gave it to her and she loves it! It fits her perfectly and it looks so pretty on her! Sister Jewelry makes gorgeous jewelry using SRA beads, lampwork glass beads, crystals, gemstones and quality findings. Her jewelry is OOAK, fashionable and affordable!

I love lampwork beads but I don’t know what to do with them myself so when I saw the purse charm that Glass River Jewelry made with a kitty face lampwork bead, I had to have it! Everyone knows how much I love all things cat related! It’s so cute and I love it even more in person. The colors are purrfect as well. All the jewelry she makes is gorgeous!

Speaking of cats, when I came across Susan Faye’s shop I couldn’t resist buying two of her ACEO prints of Calico Cats. I love Calico Cats, after all, my Tiki is a Calico and she’s a very sweet, beautiful kitty. The prints are adorable! I bought two little wooden easels to display them on and they look great! Purrfect pieces of art! Susan also creates the “Card Carrying Crazy Cat Lady” kits. They’re priceless so I bought one for my vet, Dr Katie Jones, since she has many cats and she’s one of the best cat vets I know. And because I also have a few cats (not as many as Katie!) I bought myself a kit too! The kit includes a laminated ID card, a button, the Official Card-Carrying Crazy Cat Lady Club Guidelines and Creed! It’s a great little gift for the crazy cat lady in your life!

There are a few more artists/shops that I’ve done business with lately but I’ll include them in my next blog post!

What’s going on this weekend!

This weekend there are several events going on in the Ottawa area for different rescue groups!

On Saturday, May 29th, 2010 Hopeful Hearts dog rescue is going to be at the Great Glebe Garage Sale in Ottawa! You can find them at 117 Glebe Ave from 9am – 3pm. They’re offering a car and dog wash! All proceeds benefit the dogs in their care!

Hopeful Hearts is also having an online auction that ends May 30th, 2010 at 8pm EST. There’s lots of great items to bid on so don’t forget to check it out!

Also, on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 Westies in Need are having a Nail Clipping Fundraiser from 9am-2pm at Prescott Animal Hospital, located at 2525 Edward St. North, Prescott. All proceeds benefit the Westies in their care!

On Sunday, May 30th, 2010 Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind is hosting their annual Go For Guide Dogs Fundraising Dog Walk & Dog Social at Andrew Haydon Park in Ottawa. Registration starts at 9:30am, and the walk begins at 10:30am. This event is for all people and dogs with funds raised directed towards providing professionally trained guide dogs to the visually impaired.

Also, on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 Greyhound Supporters of the NCR are holding a Nail Clipping Clinic from 2pm-4pm at 20 Burnett Grove in Barrhaven. Appointments are required.

If you run a rescue group or volunteer for a rescue group and you’re having an event, please let me know and I’ll publish it on my blog, Twitter and Facebook so you get more exposure! If I missed any events that are going on this weekend, please let me know and I’ll add them!

It’s Giveaway Time

It’s a long weekend in Canada and I still have over 400 people who “Like” Rusty-Dawg’s Facebook page so I think it’s time for a quick giveaway! Rusty agrees too!

It’s easy to win! Simply post a comment on my blog in response to this post and you’ll be entered. Please include your email address so I can contact you if you win. Only 1 comment/entry per person!

The prize will be your choice of:

*A treat bag to carry your dogs treats in when you go for walks and you get to choose the fabric!

OR

*5 cute toys for your cat, stuffed full of catnip! You get to choose the shape of toys you prefer!

You have until 6pm EST today to post your comment to be entered! After 6pm I’ll assign a number to each comment (ie the first comment is #1, etc) and then I’ll use random.org to generate the winning number.

Update: The deadline for entering has been extended until May 25, 2010, at 6:00pm EST! I want to have at least 10 entries before I pick the winner.

Good luck!!

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone else who will enjoy Rusty-Dawg’s FB page and who would like to enter the giveaway!

Big on Beagles – Mya’s New Chapter

I received the following email from Marna, the founder of Big on Beagles, an assistance/adoption agency for Beagles experiencing troubled times. This time a beagle named Mya needs our help!

Rusty-Dawg Pet Products supports rescue groups! If you purchase any of the Dublin Dog collars and leashes that we have on hand, $3.00 from each Dublin Dog purchase will be donated to Big on Beagles! This only applies to the Dublin Dog items that we have on hand. Quantities are limited so order soon and help support dog rescue! Together we can make a difference!

Here is Marna’s email:
The Story Behind this Face… Do you remember our Mya?

She came to us back in October. She’d been the faithful dog of a homeless man. But all her love couldn’t cure him. He was an alcoholic who once tied her to a phone booth and forgot her there. After he became homeless, he surrendered her to Toronto Animal Services — thank goodness. His mates had actually suggested he save himself the trouble and just let her loose on the street.

Mya didn’t cope well at the shelter, shaking from nose to tail. Given her alleged age of 14 (we think she’s closer to 10), she wasn’t a candidate for the adoption room. So our friends at the shelter called us. We couldn’t say no. But it wasn’t an easy decision either. You know by now how much we value our foster parents. They’re extraordinary and, like anything extraordinary, they’re not always that easy to find. But we did find someone for Mya, just in the nick of time. Only, as you may recall, this special lady was chronically ill and it was very likely things would get worse in time. It was a risky venture. But we couldn’t ignore the healing powers of love either. Love might not be able to cure diseases, but it can make everything so much more bearable. And so, for Mya’s sake and for her foster mom, they joined forces and became inseparable.

For the last 6 months, they’ve adored one another. Life may not have been perfect – there were days Mya didn’t get walked when her foster mom wasn’t feeling well, but there was always plenty of love and a peaceful calm to her foster home that Mya had really needed.

Last weekend, Mya’s foster mom was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Her illness has indeed taken a turn for the worse.

We’d been searching for a lasting home for Mya. We knew this day was coming but her foster mom and I had hoped for more time to find her the right fit. Unfortuantely, we ran out of time.

But don’t forget, there’s this little promise we make to every beagle we rescue. A commitment for life.

We’re a bit crowded at the Gale house these days, but Mya is staying with us temporarily. It made perfect sense. She’d stayed with our family over Christmas. She knows the gang and has a serious crush on my Matthew. So here is where she’ll stay until we find that dream home, fit for a princess like Mya.

Aside from some obvious beagle bulge she’s acquired due to lack of regular exercise, she’s in good health. Our chubby, loveable angel is great with dogs, cats, birds, people and falls instantly in love with absolutely every couch she meets! She loves walks too, though, so we know we can slim her down in no time.

There are many chapters to a dog’s life, but Mya has had far too many cliff-hangers to her story. Her wish is simple. No more dangling with one paw over the edge of uncertainty. She wants all four paws firmly planted on the ground in a wonderful place she can call her Happily Ever After.

for Mya…

Your Beagle Buds at
BIG ON BEAGLES (B.O.B) Rescue
An Assistance Agency for Beagles Experiencing Troubled Times

Big on Beagles

Proudly Mending the Hearts of Down-On-Their-Luck Beagles Since 2001

In Memory of Hunter…
While my family and I say hello again to Mya, Hunter’s family bids farewell to him. BOB Grad, Hunter, was one of those rare perfectly perfect beagles. He left us recently for the Rainbow Bridge. It’s now a place even more beautiful with you there, sweet Hunter, but oh how you’ll be missed.

Back to Conservative Management!

We’re back on the CM band wagon! Due to having to reschedule Sandy’s surgery yet again after both Sandy and Jingles had a bout of diarhea, it gave us more time to continue with CM. I guess this is one time that dealing with diarhea was a positive thing!

I recently ended up opting for surgery because we didn’t seem to be making any progress with CM and I made mistakes such as allowing the drawer sign test to be done (which disrupts any scar tissue that’s forming and sets you way back and should not be done while doing CM) etc. After I decided on surgery I stopped putting Sandy’s brace on her because I figured she was having surgery anyway so what’s the sense (bad attitude I know, but I felt very down and defeated about the whole thing). But, after a week of her not wearing the brace her knee started to pop loudly and in case it meant that her meniscus was being damaged I started putting her brace on her again and keeping it on her at all times, except when she’s in her crate while I’m at work. That was more than she was wearing her brace before I opted for surgery and it really made a difference! She started to improve once again, she can ride in the car with me again without hurting her leg, and she can go on slightly longer walks without limping more afterward.

I also know that her knee popping does not necessarily mean her meniscus is being damaged, but it is the reason I started putting the brace on her again, so it was kind of a good thing because now she’s moving forward with the CM and her surgery has been canceled again.

Paws crossed that we have continued improvement!

Sandy’s Extracapsular Surgery

After much deliberation and discussions with my Ortho Vet and a few other vets who I think very highly of, I decided to go ahead with the Extracapsular surgery for Sandy’s rear right knee. This wasn’t a decision that was easy to make. Just over a year ago I lost my Rusty very unexpectedly, on the operating table, when he went in for routine surgery and never came back home.

My heart is still broken and it scares me to no end to have to put another dog or cat through surgery. That awful day I swore that no one would have surgery again unless it was life or death because the risk of surgery is death, which I know too well, and now I’m faced with putting Sandy through surgery. And this fear is coming from someone who was rather cavalier about surgery in the past and although I knew the risks I didn’t believe anything bad would happen. With Rusty’s surgery, I did have signs, but I didn’t listen to the signs.

In Sandy’s case it’s not life or death but it’s quality of life. I feel so bad that she cannot run and have fun and be the carefree, silly girl that she is! I want her golden years to be fun for her, not restricted and in pain.

I asked my Ortho Vet to call the Ortho Surgeon on my behalf to discuss pain management since Sandy cannot take NSAIDs and to discuss a few other things I was concerned about. I asked him to call for me because I felt that the Ortho Surgeon didn’t really listen to me or take anything I said seriously (such as Sandy’s allergies etc) when Sandy had her ligament surgery two years ago on her rear left knee so I felt better having my vet tell him all the things we’re concerned about and then when I have my appointment with the surgeon I will reiterate everything.

I was also contemplating getting Stem Cell Therapy by Vet-Stem done (thanks to @DawgBlogger on Twitter for sharing her knowledge and experiences with me) since Sandy would already be under anesthesia. I knew it would be expensive but considering she would already be anesthetised I thought it would be within reach. Boy, was I wrong! The estimate for the Stem Cell Therapy is $3300! That’s insane! And the price for the Extracapsular surgery also increased $1000 since she had it done on her other leg 2 years ago. I cannot believe the prices but I can’t do anything about it. Because of the exuberant prices I cannot afford to do the Stem Cell Therapy, unfortunately.

Sandy’s surgery was scheduled for April 29th but I had to cancel it today because Sandy isn’t feeling well. This is the second time this has happened. The first time her surgery was scheduled for December 30th but then she developed a bleeding ulcer after only 3 doses of the NSAID so I had to cancel that one as well and that’s when I decided to try CM. Now I’ve had to cancel her current surgery too due to her not feeling well.

Maybe it’s a sign that she shouldn’t have the surgery. It scares me because there were signs that I should have listened to before I left Rusty at the vet just over a year ago which turned out to be his last day with me and I still cannot get over his death. I feel so bad because I should have paid attention to the signs and I actually put his surgery off for a few months because of the signs. Had I listened, Rusty would still be here. I wrote a blog post about Rusty’s death and my grief called “Grieving the Loss of Rusty”. How do I know if Sandy, who is usually a healthy girl, getting sick twice before her scheduled surgeries is a sign or not?

Sandy’s surgery has been rescheduled for May 13th. Hopefully by then Sandy is feeling 100% and I feel better about putting her through surgery.

If interested, here are some photos from Sandy’s surgery two years ago: Sandy’s Surgery Feb 2008 .
And here’s some of her hydrotherapy photos: Sandy’s Hydrotherapy

Earth Day Updates!

Earth day is on April 22nd and to show our dedication to the environment Sandy and Jingles both took the Green Dog Pledge by Raise a Green Dog! It’s a great gesture for Earth Day and if your dogs take the pledge too, not only will their photos be published on Raise a Green Dog’s website but I’ll post them in my Green Dog Pledge album on Facebook too (just let me know that they took the pledge and provide me with a photo via Facebook or email)! It’s a great way to show your commitment to the environment and to let the world see photos of your gorgeous dogs!

In celebration of Earth Day, from April 19, 2010 until April 25, 2010, RDPP is offering 15% off almost everything in my store! Simply enter the word Green in the Coupon Code field upon checkout and 15% will be deducted from the eligible items. The discount does NOT apply to the following items: CocoTherapy products, treats & chews, Dublin Dog Collars & Leashes that are on hand, Big on Beagles baseball caps, Nettle Seed Tincture and The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood books.

I’d like to provide more eco friendly alternatives for my customers such as bio degradable poo bags, but I’m still looking into which bags to stock. Some claim to be bio degradable but they actually aren’t so I want to ensure I stock a bag that is truly bio degradable. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

This summer, Dublin Dog is coming out with a new line of collars called EcoLucks! These collars will be made from recycled water bottles and the inner core will be made from previously used billboard vinyl and printed with soy based ink! They will also be waterproof! As soon as these collars are available I will be listing them and they will be drop shipped by Dublin Dog. They’re expected to be available mid summer so keep an eye out for these truly eco friendly collars! Unfortunately there are no photos of the new collars to share yet.

Rusty-Dawg Pet Products supports our local Humane Society, Ottawa Humane Society. From April 18, 2010 until May 18, 2010, $2.00 from each Designer Buckle Dog Collar purchase and $2.00 from each Martingale Dog Collar

purchase will be donated to the OHS for their Breaking Ground Building Campaign.

Rusty-Dawg Pet Products also supports rescue groups! If you purchase any of the Dublin Dog collars and leashes that I have on hand, $3.00 from each Dublin Dog purchase will be donated to Big on Beagles an assistance/adoption agency for Beagles experiencing troubled times. This only applies to the Dublin Dog items that I have on hand. Quantities are limited so order soon and help support dog rescue! The Dublin Dog collars and leashes that I have on hand are also on sale at very competitive prices!

New for April, FREE shipping within Canada and continental USA on all orders over $50.00 (reduced from $100.00)! Also, FREE delivery within Ottawa, ON, Canada on ALL orders (reduced from $50.00)!

Regarding shipping charges on my website, they are calculated automatically based on Canada Post’s shipping rates using a shipping module created by Canada Post. This module selects the size of box it determines your order will fit into and than calculates the shipping rate based on the weight and size of the box. I will always strive to mail your order the most economical way and if I’m able to fit your order into an envelope instead of a box, the actual amount I pay for shipping will be less than what my website charged you. If the actual shipping charge that I pay ends up being less than the shipping charge that you paid by more than $1.00, I will refund the difference to you.

Also, when you’re in the Checkout stage of your order process you’ll see the shipping charge before you finalize your order. If you think the shipping charge is not accurate, please let me know and I’ll double check it with Canada Post.