Indigo Rescue: Comedy Relief Concert May 7, 2009

I’m on the board of Indigo Rescue and there is a benefit concert coming up in June that I want to make sure everyone knows about! I just drafted this press release about the show — spread the word! This is a photo of the dogs Indigo rescued over the past year.

Comedians Elayne Boosler and Dennis Blair Come Together for a

Comedy Show Fundraiser to Benefit Indigo Rescue

Saturday, June 20 at the Roseland Theater

Laugh Away Recession Depression Includes a Live and Silent Auction

Sponsors include KPTV, KINK and The Westin Portland

WHEN: Roseland Theater, 8 NW Sixth Ave. Portland

WHERE: Saturday, June 20th, 2009. Pre-show Silent Auction starts at 6pm

TICKETS: $40 Reserved and $25 General Admission tickets will go on sale Friday, May 8th through Tickets West – visit: www.ticketswest.com or 1-800-992-8499.

VIP Tickets: VIP tickets are $100 and include front three rows seating (center stage), private, post event soiree with Elayne Boosler and Dennis Blair, photo opportunities with the celebrities, and late night fare. Starting May 4, VIP tickets can be purchased by visiting: http://indigorescue.org/.

WHAT: Indigo Rescue, a non-profit animal rescue organization with a goal to end pet overpopulation and abandonment in the greater Portland community, kicks off the summer with the Laugh Away Recession Depression fundraiser. Two national comedians, Elayne Boosler and Dennis Blair, will perform a benefit show for Indigo Rescue on Saturday, June 20.

Come and join us in June – it’s going to be  a great show.

Cooking for Canines April 27, 2009

I just made a new T.O.P. of the morning (Turkey & Oat Porridge) for Bruiser, the doxie,  as I’ve been cooking for him for about a year now. His meals consist of mainly turkey, chx livers, brown rice, salmon oil, green beans or carrots and a number of other supplements like bone meal for calcium. I remembered that I took a Cooking for Canine Class about six months ago with the founder of Dog Stew . I’ve waited forever to try the recipes so this afternoon I had some time.

Rick Woodford is the chef and brilliant mind behind Dog Stew.

I want everyone to try this recipe as it’s fabulous and Bruiser ate his dinner in seconds… since I’m cooking for one of the dogs I’m very concerned about nutrition and what’s great about Rick’s recipes is he has done extensive research on  the nutritional needs of canines.  Bruiser is well — very finicky about his food and has been for years. He isn’t at all interested in the California Natural I give the other two dogs (with lots of stuff mixed in) and even the turkey meal I mention in the first sentence he’ll pick at so I try to mix things up for the little guy! It’s super easy to prepare and takes 20 minutes. Try it and let me know what you think!

• 5 cups of water – bring water to a simmer

• 2 lbs of ground turkey and 1/4 lb of chicken liver, chopped – add ground turkey and liver to simmering water and simmer for ten minutes

• 1 lb frozen green beans, 1 tsp fresh sage, 5 tsp bonemeal powder, 5 tbs nutritional yeast – add all these ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes

• 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal, 2 tbs safflower oil – add oatmeal and oil, remove from heat and allow oatmeal to absorb water!

It will take on a consistency of porridge — this makes 3600 calories and Bruiser gets about 600 a day so I made six portions for the next three days!  Please refer to nutrition books on how many calories are appropriate for your dog each day.

More later this week as I’m taking a dog massage class with Rubi from Heal NW!

Nina Ottosson Puzzle Games: brilliant April 24, 2009

I promised I would post about the Nina Ottosson games I bought for my senior dog (but for all three dogs of course) and I’m a HUGE FAN. I bought the cheaper plastic versions off of Amazon. The first game is simply – a round circle with places for you to hide treats under plastic pieces that look like *bones* with small holes that the dog has to remove in order to find the treat… we had SO much fun. Attached is a photo.

Mystery game - my favorite Nina Ottosson game

There are a lot of cool things about these games but I’ve read many articles over the past year that say these interactive games are great for senior dogs… you really should only play for about 15 minutes but the challenge in finding the treats is a great way for them to interact with you if a walk or exercise just isn’t an option. Nina calls her games *brain gymnastics* which I would totally agree with. It’s SO fun to watch your dog try and find the treats and then remove the plastic bones. IF they get frustrated you can move the plastic bone horizontally over the hole to help them out at first. Our Beagle/Bassett mix Shermie needed a little help at first   but the other two nailed it.  It was a great way to spend an hour  last night with the furry kids while the rain started up again.

http://www.thebark.com/content/puzzles-dogs – this is the article I’m referring to if you haven’t seen it. Enjoy!

“Observations of her own and other dogs and reading scientific investigations into canine cognitive behavior helped Ottosson identify the benefits of toys that require the dog to use his or her capacity to solve problems.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082900491.html – this is unreal if you haven’t read about it…

“A Place To Bark” – best practice for rescues April 21, 2009

A friend of mine sent me a link to A Place to Bark and after reading Bernie’s blog and what she does in TN I had to share more about her. I recently befriended her on facebook and follow her posts as well -she’s doing a really good thing for all dogs… A Place to Bark was established in 2001, and they mainly work with Animal Control Agencies, rescuing animals from high kill shelters and fostering them until they are healthy. This provides an ideal situation for the animals. They are then placed for adoption through Humane Societies in various parts of the country.

My three dogs are all adopted and come from three separate rescue groups.  One is from Indigo Rescue which actually has a  similar mission to A Place to Bark.  The other is from Animal Aid, another rescue group and the third sweet four legged friend is from the Oregon Humane Society – a no kill shelter. I want to spend some time talking about organizations like Indigo Rescue and  A Place to Bark because they are unique when it comes to rescue groups… they are truly saving the unnecessary killing of dogs.

Bruiser, the doxie I’m so lucky to share my life with – he was at the Washington County shelter before Indigo rescued him from euthanasia… he was difficult with other dogs and supposedly hated women so on the short list. He has a scar on his forehead from we think a frying pan. He trembles when around children and guards his toys. So – I’m so lucky an organization like Indigo picked him up, found a foster and months later we adopted him. He needed a forever home and a family that would help him work through his issues.

Have you ever watched Dog Town on Animal Planet? Another GREAT rescue organization in Utah profiled – they took in all of Michael Vick’s dogs after he was arrested. This is yet another example and the list is really growing.

All dogs should have a second chance.  The chances the dogs will find new homes is very very likely. We need more of all of these organizations!

I will start talking a lot about Indigo Rescue’s upcoming benefit concert – the Laugh Away Recession Depression with comedians Elayne Boosler and Dennis Blair June 20 at the Roseland Theater in Portland. There will be a silent auction and we’re in need of sponsors as well.  If you’re interested in getting tickets to the show or would like to contribute an item for the auction please post a comment or send me an email at: christycaplan@gmail.com.

FYI: I just ordered the Nina Ottosson puzzle toys for our dogs so will give a full review in a later post… I have three and they look like a lot of fun…

Game reviews later this week!!

Oppose the Pit Bull Breed Ban in Oregon or Anywhere March 3, 2009

http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=52953689862 – Those opposed to the Pit Bull Ban in Oregon should visit and join this facebook group.

My sister lives in Denver where a Pit Bull Ban was passed in the last five years. Her hairdresser has two Pit Bull mixes and had to move outside of Denver. This is really horrifying – especially when the housing market is at an all time low and jobs are threatened. If I own this specific breed do I have to move? Am I supposed to give up my family member?

There are so many more implications that the Exec Director of Indigo Rescue posted in a note to her volunteers. Here’s some of the implications:

• Breed Bans are dangerous because they cause people to go underground with their dogs so they will become less socialized and more dangerous in public.
• Breed Bans cause undue suffering or death because people will stop going to vets with injured or sick dogs, who will then be considered illegal “contraband”.
• Breed Bans are virtually impossible to enforce and the expense of euthanasia and disposal of the dogs will be a staggering cost to taxpayers.
• The community members who are most likely to comply are the responsible owners of well trained and socialized Pit bulls who would lose their family pets, leaving only the irresponsible owners who are more likely to have untrained, unsocialized, potentially “dangerous” dogs.

I’m concerned for all the friends I have that own Pit Bulls and are great four legged parents. Their dogs are well behaved and are not a threat to anyone. This applies to everyone I know and I’m hoping everyone will write letters to their senator. The information is posted on the facebook group page I mentioned earlier. Back to wellness in my next post.

Theme for the week: I learned something else from my dogs today which came up during a call with Lynn Kindler, my life coach. Dogs keep each other in check, right? We’ve all seen this happen. I just watched it occur between by older girl and the 2+ year old Beagle/Basset. Playing got rough and Sandy showed her teeth and Shermie backed up and whimpered. Doesn’t this happen all the time? We *play* too rough – and someone quickly growls and we back down even if for a moment. That’s my observation for the day… except I think the dogs were smoother at this today then I was and they got over it as soon as it happened.

Therapy Animals: benefits February 26, 2009

Ok – none of my dogs are therapy animals but they’re all adopted and came with baggage. I’m considering going through the Delta Society training with Sandy the oldest or Shermie since he’s great with kids and well anyone. I’m choosing this as my post for tonight b/c I’m handling PR for our emergency animal clinic, DoveLewis, and I placed a story on Gracie the therapy goat in a local paper. I’m researching their therapy program and the stories are truly amazing.

“Research has shown that animals help humans by acting as social bridges, reducing blood pressure, directing thoughts outward, and serving as strong motivators for accomplishing difficult tasks. An animal assisted therapy team might take a walk with an adolescent struggling with difficult issues. Another team might motivate a patient recovering from a stroke to reach farther, or calm a child during a dental procedure. Still others in the Read to the Dogs program might help young readers improve their skills by listening to them read aloud with a non-judgmental ear. By offering friendship and warm touch, animals help alleviate loneliness, lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Their presence brings a sense of normalcy to institutional settings.”

The Read to Dogs program is so simple… and it REALLY helps children gain the confidence they need. How many times have I presented to the dogs while they sit on the bed?!  Obtaining certification is by no means easy. I was talking to someone that just passed the exam so she can evaluate dogs for the program and you must do your homework before taking this on. There are so many health benefits to animals so consider sharing what you already know with those less fortunate.

More on Gracie the goat just for fun:

About Gracie the therapy goat

Gracie is a registered Mini-Nubian. She is a blend of Nubian and Nigerian Dwarf. Her owner was encouraged to see if Gracie would qualify for a therapy animal. Gracie went in for her visit with the DLAATE program organizer many years ago and the rest is history. She was immediately accepted into the therapy animal training for her laid back attitude and love of humans.

Her visits have included nursing homes, libraries, prisons and events at retailers like Barnes & Noble. Her purpose is to bring a smile to people and a furry body to pet. She often brings out stories from the elderly who remember goats that they have had! And there are so many stories… http://dovelewis.org/programs/DLAATE.aspx

A link to a great show that appeared on PBS about dogs and cats that I found really interesting:

Nature on PBS

Next week – I’m planning to interview a small animal massage therapist which I’ll post as well.

Flower Essences: flowers as a healing method? February 16, 2009

I’ve been using flower essences for years. I started reading a book called “Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats” by Cheryl Schwartz, DVM and since writing all over the book and placing sticky notes throughout it I’ve seen first hand the effects flower essences have on dogs.

She starts the section out on flower essences with… flowers bring joy to the senses. And for my three hounds there is nothing more true than this! I used them to help balance out fear, anxiety, jealousy and depression. Bruiser and Shermie will *argue* over who sits next to me and well Shermie is an anxious dog – period. That’s just how he’s wired.

You simply add them to your dog’s water dish – one drop is all that necessary. Or you can rub them into the ear flaps too.

I’m not joking when I tell you that all three dogs (Shermie and Bruiser especially) are *less* jealous and anxious when I use these… Bach makes many flower essences and I get them at Whole Foods but there is another online dealer called: Green Hope Essences and they have an animal wellness collection.

Of course — I use these in addition to seeing the vet if there is an issue or a problem but they seem to work. For example, it’s advised that you use the flower essence Mimulus and Walnut for acceptance of change. Check them out and please post comments and let me know what you think.

More about Cheryl Schwartz, D.V.M.: Cheryl has been a natural and holistic veterinarian for more than 20 years; extremely well known and respected in her field, she is on the Board of Advisors for Healthy Living magazine and is the regular columnist for holistic pet advice. She is a resident of San Diego, California.

Winter Activities: With Your Four Legged Friend February 12, 2009

Exercise with your dog, despite the weather. Or at least consider taking your dog out for training and activities that help bond you both closer together. Following are a few new activities and things to consider when taking your four legged friends out and new activities.

1. There are a lot of benefits to having the latest dog gear before heading out to explore new forests and beaches. Popular dog gear for the winter months include: boots to protect paw pads, harnesses to ensure dog safety when crossing streams, packs so your dog can help carry the load and make your pack lighter and overcoats in case the temperatures are chilly. Check out Ruff Wear Dog Gear!
2. Along with performance dog gear, there are key essentials to pack for any hike or outdoor winter adventure. And, keep in mind that winter climates present a new set of cautions everyone should be aware of. According to the Washington Trail Association, these essentials include a topographic map, compass, extra food, extra clothing, fire starter, matches, a pocket knife, first-aid kit, and flashlight. Go to their site for more about the ten essentials.
3. Lend a helping hand this winter and volunteer. There are many programs that both you and your four legged friend can do together. The Delta Society has reading programs for kids. You and your canine simply stop at libraries where young children read to your dog which helps them become less fearful of reading out loud in front of others. Go to the Delta Society’s site for more information.

Hello world! February 5, 2009

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