Dogtoberfest '14 - Gold Rush!

Dogtoberfest '14 was held Saturday October 11 and was a huge success! With over 130 people in attendance and over 95 golden retrievers, it was a sight to behold. After a brief setup, the day started off with well over 20 dogs barreling around the two pool, frolicking with tennis balls galore. Often owners had to double take to make sure their dog was their dog.

After hours of playing, it was clear many a dog was tired and there were scenes of dog naps everywhere.

An excellent taco bar was available for lunch and the aroma brought over many a golden to check out the food.  We were also very lucky to have Rita Kao, one of our executive partners in our Project Taiwan program. Rita took time out of her US trip to visit with many of our volunteers and the adopters of the dogs we have rescued from Taiwan. To date, we have saved over 110 golden retrievers from Taiwan. We thank Rita for her continued support from across the Pacific.

A special thanks goes out to Gerri Monohan, Barbara Davis, Joanne Delle, and Nancy Wright, our pack leaders who championed the event from start to finish. Additional thanks goes out to the entire Board of Directors and volunteers whose support and dedication ensured a smooth event for all in attendance. Hopefully, we'll see you next year at Dogtoberfest!

More pictures from the various volunteers can be found at the following links:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/euanc/sets/72157648650945572

https://www.flickr.com/photos/timbers_c/sets/72157648291170009/

Marvin says "See you next year!"

Oct 8 - National Pet Obesity Awareness Day

Oct 8 is National Pet Obesity Awareness Day, a time to determine if your canine or feline is obese (overweight). We all love our pets like children and it's important to know what factors can contribute to their overeating or overweight state.

Based on last years' survey, over 52.6% of dogs and 57.6% of cats are deemed overweight by the national standards. This amounts to over 43.8 millions dogs and 55 million cats nationwide.  Overweight pets can lead to other more serious medical conditions such as osteoarthritis, kidney disease, and diabetes.  There are plenty of nutritional approaches to combatting pet obesity so you should consult your veterinarian for professional advice and educate yourself online about pet obesity.

Read more about pet nutritional needs and calorie requirements here.  Also, you can participate in an independent national survey being conducted to determine how many of our pets are actually overweight, which may help in future treatments for our pets. You can participate free of charge here. In addition, previous years survey results are available to review.

There are plenty of tools and non-medical solutions available to help your pet live longer so please take the time to help your pet live longer.  You can also visit http://www.petobesityprevention.org for more information.

Simple changes can add years to your pets' life.