The Red Dog Inn

What are you doing on Sunday, November 6?

For 50 tax deductible dollars per person, you can join us for food, drink, music and a silent  auction in West Los Angeles. One of the items in the silent auction is a guitar signed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers!

The fastest way to get your ticket is to call Daphneyland at 661-269-2682.  Pay via phone or pay at the door, but the only way to get the address is to call.

Oh yes, Daphneyland is a non-profit so your donations will be tax deductible! (BaRNI at Daphneyland Nonprofit Tax ID # 20-3737011)

See you there!

Roberta, found as a stray with a broken hip, needs your help. Read her story by following the link. If you are moved, you may help Roberta by making a donation to cover her medical costs. Thank you.

Basset Rescue Network, Inc. at Daphneyland is a 501 c 3 organization, which means your donation is tax deductible.

This angers me, so I’m doing what I can about it. I’m publicizing it.  As my 4-year-old nephew would say, ‘WHAT’S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!?

“On June 30, 2011, Stanley was stolen during a home invasion in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Read his story.

He is a 5-year-old Bichon/Maltese mix. He weighs about 12 pounds. He has allergies which cause him to gnaw on his feet, giving them a slight reddish tinge.”

If you see me, please call the DEARBORN HEIGHTS POLICE at 313.277.6770 . I was dognapped!!!!

Please help Find Stanley and Bring him Home. www.FindStanleyNow.com

DOWNLOAD A FLIER

On Facebook, you can share this page with your friends. Someone in our extensive network may be able to help return Stanley to his owner:  https://www.facebook.com/FindStanley

If you see Stanley, or you know who has him, please call the Dearborn Heights Police at  313.277.6770. There is a REWARD!!!

It’s really hot, particularly for your pets.  Here are a few tips from others to keep your pets cool during these triple digit temps.  Remember 85* is scorching for your furry friends, so keep em cool folks.

Here’s my Pupcicles recipes. Butters loves them!

And remember to transport them carefully and never leave them in the car — even with the windows cracked. Leave them home with cool water, shade, a fan. Remember, leaving an animal in a hot car is considered ANIMAL CRUELTY in CALIFORNIA. It’s a violation of State Law.  If you see a pet in danger, CALL POLICE. INSIST they respond. (Costa Mesa PD, are you reading this? Leaving a pet in a car on a hot day is a violation of STATE LAW, specifically California Penal Code 597.7 PC!!)

TIPS: http://www.wten.com/story/15130889/tips-for-keeping-your-pets-cool-in-the-heat

TRANSPORTING SAFELY: http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc23117.htm

Leaving Pets in Car a Violation of State Law:  Penal Code 597.7 PC

http://www.humanesocietyvc.org/services/report-abuse/animal-abuse-penal-code/

http://www.roseville.ca.us/faqs/categoryqna.asp?id=2

Do you send in donations to a non-profit rescue or do you send to a national or international organization?  After reading scads on information from HumaneWatch and an unfriendly exchange with a local charity, I encourage you to do your homework, look for a local charity, and ask questions. If the organization stonewalls, gets gruff, or accuses you of being contentious, find another organization to benefit.

First and foremost, determine if the organization supports and upholds its mission statement.

Second, have board members worked in the trenches? Do they have firsthand knowledge of what their volunteers do? Do they offer to train volunteers or just expect their volunteers to know what to do?  Do they seem to care more about their titles than they do the mission? Are they more self-serving then mission-centric?

Third, are they willing to share their financials with you?

Fourth, what’s their track record? You can check it out at sites like CharityNavigator.org.

Yes, it’s easy to make a monetary donation, but some organizations will be just as grateful for in kind donations.

Do your homework. Donate Wisely.

Part of the reason Miss Sofie is with me is because there was literally NO ROOM AT THE RESCUE.   Sadly, this is true for many rescues.

Talk with your vet. In almost all cases, your vet will advise you to spay or neuter your pet.  It’ll be less expensive to keep your pet, too. In some counties it costs $100 to license an intact pet but only $25 to license a neutered pet.  And if your pet runs away, it costs less to spring a neutered pet than an intact one.

More importantly, you can rest assured that your pet won’t contribute to the over population of pets.

I’ll never forget this one day on the beach when a woman told me she wanted to breed her English Mastiff bitch to another English Mastiff and had hoped that there would be an “accidental” breeding at the beach because “she wanted her sons to witness the birth.” I suggested that she take them to the Maternity Ward a few miles away and ask if one of the women would mind having additional people present to witness the birth.  Why settle for the miracle of canine birth when you can see the real thing!?   I didn’t get more graphic, but I think she understood that I thought she was a raving idiot!

First, a professional breeder carefully selects pairings. (Unless their idiot house guest thinks a rickety old baby gate is sufficient to keep a dog away from a bitch in heat.)   Second, if you bought the dog for under $5000, you probably don’t have “breeding quality”, but “pet quality”. It’s not something the breeder chose to keep. The dog should probably be altered.

But, like Dennis Miller on a rant, I’ve digressed.  Here’s what I want you to see. Look at these numbers posted by ONE shelter in Los Angeles and decide for yourself.

This week, Philadelphia Eagles QB, Michael Vick said he’d like to adopt a dog in the future. He said his girls wanted a dog.   And he “I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care.” (Read here)

Personally, I don’t think Michael Vick should ever be responsible for the well-being of an animal again. First, his intentions are wrong. He wants to show people that he’s changed, not that he wants to improve the life of an animal. He just wants an animal in his household.  

Second, his daughters should know that their father did unspeakably cruel thing to dogs, and because of that cruel, intentional choice he cannot own animals again…ever.   When his daughters are old enough to live on their own and choose to have animals, they can have them. 

I agree with Los Angeles sports announcer Roger Lodge when he said, “I’ll believe Michael Vick is truly repentant when he donates 90% of his annual income (salary and endorsements) to the ASPCA.” I’d like to add Dogtown, U.S.A., the rescue that took in the Vick’s victims, to that.  In my mind, if Vick was truly on the right track, he’d accept fiscal responsiblity for the dogs he caused irreparable harm to.

As for the daughters of Vick, I am truly sorry that their father made such a horrible choice.  I’ve heard people say, “Well, it’s not like he was carrying weapons or assaulting women.”  To that I say: Human beings have recourse. Animals and children do not. They rely on adults to stand in the gap for them when evil people harm them.”

I think it would appropriate for the Vick daughters to get involved with animal programs where the animal is under someone else’s care, e.g. riding lessons, volunteering at an animal shelter, working adoption events.   That way they can gain a respect for animals from people who truly care about the animals and the children, not now it looks to one’s adoring, yet myopic, fans.

Thanks to Overboard creator Chip Dunham for issuing these very important pet care reminders.

I LOVE THIS CARTOON! It’s been on my refrigerator since it ran in my local paper on 07/31/07. Chip Dunham, the artist, periodically issues these reminders to pet owners who travel with their pets. Thanks, Chip!

I encourage you to check out his work… and if you like it, ask your local paper to carry OVERBOARD!

http://www.gocomics.com/overboard/2007/07/31

Doncha’  just love it when you find a product that’s not only good for your pet, but does some good for shelter dogs, too?  Usually, I shun products not made in the United States, but when I read the Buy 1 Box & We Donate 1 Meal, I was intrigued. (Read the side of the box below.)

So I checked the back. The product is made by our friends to the north, Canada(Hi, friends in Canada!) and distributed by a group in Oregon to stores like Sprouts, where we found this box. 

Now, GOOD BUDDY treats were running about $4.75 a box where as the other treats were running $7 for about 3 fewer ounces of treats.  (Yes, this does matter to the hound and the husky-cross. If you think dogs don’t know how to do math, give one more treat to one dog and see what the other(s) do.)

The other cool thing about this promotion is that it was launched by a 12-year-old girl’s mission to feed hungry shelter dogs in Bend, OR.  She created a website called, freekibble.com. As of this writing, FreeKibble.com has donated over 3 million meals to shelter animals. since Mimi launched the site on April 1, 2008. (NO FOOLIN’!)  

The Critters at The Red Dog Inn applaud Mimi’s efforts! Now it’s our turn:

There are lots of ways you can participate and help shelter dogs. Buy some GOOD BUDDY TREATS, then visit www.FreeKibble.com where you can answer trivia questions, follow them on Twitter or Facebook and just Do Some Good!  

“Mimi Ausland, a 12-year-old girl from Bend, OR, created freekibble.com to feed hungry dogs in their local shelter. It is now feeding 1,000s of dogs all across the country! In support of freekibble.com, we’re donating 1 nutritous meal, to shelter dogs and cats, for every box of Mac & Cheese Dog Cookies sold.”