ANUAL CITY TAG & RABIES CLINIC

Every year around this time, the City of Eureka and Dr. Droge and his staff get together and have our annual City Tag & Rabies Clinic. This year will be no different. The Clinic will be held on February 21st, at Memorial Hall, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM.

This is the best time of the year to purchase those annual City tags for your dogs and cats. Yes, I said cats. City Code requires cats have tags as well as dogs. The cost of tags for animals that have been spayed or neutered is $4.00. For animals that have not been spayed or neutered, $30.00. This is really the very best time of the year to get these tags, because after March, there will be a $2.00 penalty fee for every month past March that you wait. So...that $30.00 tag you might have purchased in March, will cost you $42.00 in September for example. So getting them now, can save you later. Also, a dog or cat with tags is much easier to return home in the event they slip out and get picked up.

Dr. Droge will also be offering a discount on his shots as well, although at this time, I do not have information on what it will be. A current rabies vaccination is required for the purchase of City tags. Typically, rabies vaccinations are good for a year, although longer term vaccinations are available. Ask Dr. Droge what is best for you and your pet.

Please be aware that City tags are due every year, in March. If you get a dog in August and get your tags then, they will still need to be renewed in March of the following year. They do not go from August to August, November to November, and so forth.

As a final note, please be aware that every dog or cat is required to have current rabies and City tags if they reside within the City limits. While there is a age limit for the rabies vaccination (generally puppies and kittens under 6 months of age are not required to have rabies shots), there is no such age limit for the City tags. Puppies and kittens are required to have the City tags, regardless of age.

I would like to encourage all pet owners to do the right thing, and get your pets vaccinated and tagged. The fines can be steep if you are caught without them. More importantly, the rabies vaccination is also a public health issue, since household pets can come into contact with rabid squirrels, raccoons, skunks and other critters. Help protect your pets, and your community, and gets those shots and tags while they are the least expensive! Your pets will thank you, and your neighbors will too!

A New Year!

The year may be new, but - alas - we still have the same old problems. Too many dogs running loose. Too many animals without current rabies vacinations or current City tags. And of course, too many animals without good homes.

Let's all try and make this a better year than 2008. Please be more vigilant with your pets. If you are unsure about the current City Codes regarding the number & types of animals you are allowed, please call me at 750-0302. I would happy to help you figure out what you need to do to avoid getting an unnesscesary citation.

If you have issues regarding the training of your dog, the best food for your pets, or need to know more about the City Tethering Ordinance, please be sure to call me as well.

The annual City Tag & Rabies Clinic will be sponsored again this year, and is currently scheduled to happen in February. It will be at Memorial Hall like it was last year. I will make sure an ad is posted in the paper, and will also annnounce it on the radio. A poster will also placed on the door at City Hall. The actual day and time has not been set yet, but will be decided soon...so check back frequently.

Let's all work together this year and make Eureka a safer and more pet friendly community!

Thanks for your support!

The micro chip clinic went off very well. While the number of participants was slightly less than those that had initially signed up, we still did well. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Vicki and John from Alex's House for all of their help and expertise!

For those of you who may have missed this clinic, another one will probably be planned sometime after the first of the year. If you are interested in having the procedure done sooner, please call me during normal business hours, and I will be happy to give you the phone number for Alex's House. Vicki and John said they will be happy to assist anyone interested, at the same low price charged at our clinic. You will just need to take your pet to them. They live near Rosalia, so it is a pretty short drive.

Thanks again to all who came out!

Microchip Clinic, Coming Soon!

If you haven't already signed up, I would like to encourage everyone who has a dog or cat to get your name on the list for our upcoming Microchip Clinic on the 7th of December.

It will be held at Memorial Hall, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The clinic is being co-sponsored by Alex's House, a new dog rescue facility near Rosalia - and the Community Foundation of Greater Butler County. The Foundation is a public, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, established in 2001 to assist those individuals and organizations in need, in the community.

The Foundation, in conjunction with Alex's House, has been generous enough to assist the people in Greenwood County with implanting microchips in their pets for the very low cost of $10.00.

Typically, having this procedure done for your pet can cost upwards of $75.00 (including the cost of chip resgistration). Registration in this clinic will be done for free, on site, after the implant procedure is completed. The chips are being provided at a discount price, by a company called 24PetWatch. You can go the the companies website at: www.24petwatch.com to learn more about the company, and the other valuable services they offer.

The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice, and is implanted with a needle & syringe in the fleshy area, between the back of the head and the top of the shoulder blades on the animal. In most cases, the procedure is no more painful than a routine injection. The chip lasts a lifetime, and the registration data base is Nationwide.

I would like to encourage everyone in our area to sign up for this wonderful program. The price is a real bargain, and the peace of mind in knowing that your pet will returned home to you if it should for some reason become lost, is well...priceless.

Please call me at (620)750-0302 to sign up, or if you would like more information!

A Gift Worth Giving!

No...it's not diamonds! But it is just as valuable! It is the love and laughter that goes with inviting a new dog or cat into your home.

I won't bore you today with statistics. I'm sure most of you have heard them recited over and over again. But did you know that a pet can extend your life? Not to mention that adopting one from a rescue group, or your local animal pound, can definitely extend theirs!

As you look at the pictures posted here today, I ask each and everyone of you to try and look more closely at their faces. Each one of them, at some point in their young life, was loved and wanted. Now, they languish in our local pound, wondering what happened?

Some have been physicaly abused. Some have been abandoned. Some have simply wandered too far away from home, and got lost. But each and every one of them is full of love and hope! They only want to be with someone who will offer them what they most desire: Love and companionship.

So as we gather for this Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday period, let us not forget the forgotten. Let us remember that these lost souls didn't ask to be here. They didn't set about their small lives to be left behind. Once, they were were wanted. Once, they were loved. Once, they entrusted their very survival to their keepers, only to be betrayed. And yet, even now, they harbor no ill will or malice. They just keep wagging their tails, hoping for the day when they will be chasing that ball, getting that belly rub, or giving that face licking!

This year, as you sit pondering a gift that will bring smiles to you and yours for years to come, remember that the most precious gift is not a big screen TV or a diamond ring. It is a life filled with love.

Now that is a gift worth giving!

If life is good - why not share it ?

October has been designated as Adopt-a-dog-month for the American Humane Society. As you look at the pictures here of the dogs now at our pound, my question for any of you browsing through this site is: If life is good, why not share it with a loving soul in need of a chance at a good life?

The brutal truth is that in shelters and pounds across the country, thousands of wonderful dogs like those shown here have little or no hope of a second chance. Many have been previously abused, most have been neglected in some way, and now - through no fault of their own - they have been simply discarded, like yesterdays old newspaper.

Once wanted because they were cute and cuddly little puppies, they now waste away in a 3x4 foot cage. Their crime? They grew up.

It is hard to find homes for adult dogs. They most often will require special attention and training because of the lack of either they have had perviously. For many people, this is more trouble than they want to deal with.

As an owner of an adopted pound dog - I can only say that is has been worth every last minute of it! To see my dog grow and fully develop her personality has been a pleasure beyond words. It was no harder to train her than it was my pure-bred, and just as much fun! As in life, you get out of something only what you are willing to put into it - and that includes training your pet to be a good family member.

No dog is too old to learn, and with the right amount of love and effort, each of the dogs on this site can be a valued and faithful companion for years to come. So give one of these beautiful and loving animals a second chance at a good life. They deserve it. And remember...compassion isn't something reserved only for two-legged animals!

Just add love!

Every now and again when I am out with my two dogs, I am complimented on how well behaved they are, or how well they mind. Naturally I am proud of them, even though they refuse to pick up their own toys and....sorry, I digress! The next thing that happens is usually a question regarding training. You know, how do you get them to stop peeing on everything, running away, or chewing up my favorite shoes and the kids toys?

The short answer? Just add love. The training will almost take care of itself. Sounds too simple? Well, maybe a little. But love is an integral part of any training program. If your dog is afraid of you, afraid of the leash, or any number of other things...your task will be a little harder. Maybe even a lot harder, depending on which one of those items I just mentioned scares your dog.

So lets start with a few basic training tips, and maybe even dispel a few dog myths in the process.

1. Myth - If you don't train your dog young, by the time it is 4 years old, it's too late!

Answer: False. Just like there is no date stamped on the bottom of your foot, that says you can't learn a new trade or skill by the time you are twenty, your dogs learning time is also open. Does it become harder? Sometimes. Dogs are like people. They like what they like, and can learn bad habits. They also can become stuck in their old way of doing things. They are products of their environment - just like us.

It is important to try and train your pet early in life. It makes for a happier, more well adjusted dog. Or cat. But if you need to retrain them later, just remember that you might have to un-teach them some of those bad habits you chose to ignore in the past. Kind of like teaching guys to put down the toilet seat when they are fifty, instead of when they are five!

Start slow. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes a day...everyday. Use praise every time they do what you want. And be sure to use a lot of positive physical contact. Petting, rubbing behind their ears, even a good belly rub. You can use treats in the beginning, but be careful. Too much of anything is bad for their health. Soon, just the praise and petting will be enough. Remember, in training your older pet - age is not a factor as much as patience and love. Your dog wants your praise and positive attention more than it wants food.

2. Myth - Collars are the best for training your dog.

Answer: False. I have never been a big fan of collars in the first place. They are usually too tight, or too loose. And they can cause injury to the air passages in a dogs throat...or in rare cases, death by strangulation. I prefer a harness. I have rarely seen a dog slip out of a well adjusted one, and have never heard of a dog being strangled to death by one. More importantly, you actually have better control of the dog with a harness. Pull on a dogs collar with a leash, and you can hear it choke or gasp for air. A dog spinning and jerking around at the end of a leash attached to a collar, can spin itself right out of it, or break it's neck trying. Not so with a harness. I can't even begin to tell you how many dogs I have caught, only to have the owner later tell me it "slipped out" of its collar. Slipped out of its harness? Not so much. Twice in the past two years to be exact. And neither one was properly adjusted.

3. Myth - Dogs that are afraid of things like firecrackers, will always be afraid of them.

Answer: False. Dogs learn from us. If we act like they should be afraid of something, then they will be. Remember that while a dog will feed off the positive energy you emit, they will also feed off the negative as well. In this case, it is the negative re-enforcement we gave them the first time they jumped into our lap, shaking like a leaf, when they heard their first fire-cracker. Remember how you hugged them close and said, "Awwwww....poor little Fluffy!". Bad owner! Bad! You just told them they were right to be afraid! So what would have been the best reaction? None. Just sit there, read your book, sip your drink, and act like you didn't hear a thing. Give them a favorite chewy or toy to distract them if you wish, then go back to what you were doing. Eventually, when they see that you are calm, even in the face of WW III going off outside, they will be more calm as well. Just turn up the TV and ignore it.

4. Myth - Dogs can't really understand what we are saying. All they hear is "Blah, blah, blah!".

Answer: False. Wanna see my two dogs haul butt for the back yard like two felons in a prison break? Just ask them about "Tony, their doggie friend". Ask them if they want to go for a ride, and you best not be standing in front of the door when you do it! Tell them it's time to go to bed, and they are already lying on my pillow before I get there! Trust me, your dog can understand plenty. You just have to teach them, and give them an incentive to learn. Not much point in learning if your never going to get off that chain in the back yard, is there?!

So, here are a few tips.

1. Start early, start late. But train your dog, and it will learn. Use praise, affection, and patience.

2. Be consistent. The words "off" and "down" have two separate meanings in the dictionary, and they should have two separate meanings at home as well. "Off" means to get off...like the couch. "Down" means to lie down, like flat on the ground. If you tell your dog to get down when he jumps on the couch, its a safe bet it will be confused later when you want it to lay down on the floor. And remember that words like down, sit, stay all have matching hand signals. Use them with the words when you train, and one day, all you will need to do is snap your fingers and point to the ground, and down the animal will go. Try that with little Johnnie!

3. Hands are for loving, petting, rubbing. NEVER for punishing! If you have to hit your dog to get it to listen...YOU are doing something wrong, not the dog! The answer to the question, "Why would a dog bite the hand that feeds it?" is simple. Because that hand also was used to hit it. Slap me with a hand often enough, and the next time one comes towards my face...I'd probably bite it too! Even if it was attached to little Johnnie. Think about it.

4. My dog will get fat if I get it fixed.

Answer: False. That's not to say your dog won't get fat. Only that it was not getting it fixed that caused it. Too many snacks, not enough exercise = fat dog. Spay/neuter + plenty of exercise and proper diet = lean, mean barking machine.

5. My dog would rather be outside than inside.

Answer: Hmmmmm...let me think...sleeping in mud, being eaten alive by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, or sleeping in nice air conditioned house at foot of masters bed, or on his favorite chair. Nope...gonna have to go with "false" on this one too! Your dog may act stupid at times, but trust me. It's just an act! Dogs are companion animals. They have been bred for thousands of years to be by our sides. They are pack animals - and we are its pack. Why does your dog bark all night long, chained to that fine oak tree in the back yard? I dunno...maybe because its lonely?????

Any dog can be a dog to be proud of. They already come equipped to learn anything we want to teach them. All you need to do is just add love!