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FloridaPets.net NewsPetter |
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| "Pet-friendly resources for Florida residents and visitors" |
Vol. 2 No. 7, July, 2004 |
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From The Editor |
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Greetings, everyone!
We'd like to welcome all our new subscribers and
offer a hearty welcome back to all our current
readers.
In a 2004 survey conducted by
AAA, 61% of the people polled said they'd be
more likely to stay longer at a motel or hotel where
their pets were allowed. That's a pretty significant
figure and another important reason the hospitality
industry should increase accomodations for creatures
of
the furry, feathered, even slimy kind. There's
no place like a lovely home-away-from-home, but
it's always better if our pets are with us.
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We are constantly working on FloridaPets.net,
adding
this, changing that, trying to provide all our
wonderful readers with as much free information as
possible. Someone wrote us last week and told us we
have the most comprehensive info about Florida dog
parks he's seen anywhere online! That's due
in great part to our readers, who willingly share info.
Two paws up to all who help us in our
continual
quest to make
FloridaPets.net the best it can be.
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In this month's issue, we feature a
vacation getaway whose temporary loss can be your
gain, a fundraiser that's
making a splash, a photo and essay about one
of the biggest camera hams we've ever seen, travel
tips, tales and more, and FloridaPets.net's
First-Ever
Contest - for NewsPetter subscribers only! In July, you could win a beautiful custom
portrait of your pet. We're planning some really cool prizes for future months, but you'll need to sign up to receive the NewsPetter to be qualified to enter. Why not do that today? You can sign up on any page of FloridaPets.net.
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We hope everyone will enjoy this issue of the
NewsPetter. Please pass the word about it and
FloridaPets.net and write us with any suggestions or
requests. Until next month, thanks for "tailing" along
with us and remember our motto: "They're part of
the family, so take them along!"
Patricia Collier
Editor
Special Note: If you cannot see the
photographs in this NewsPetter, you are missing a lot
of neat stuff! Some of our readers just can't
get email in the HTML format that allows them to
view pictures and other artwork, so we've come up
with this solution:
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Pet-Friendly Activity |
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Dirty Dogs Done Dirt Cheap!
By Patricia Collier
There aren't a lot of strenuous, outdoor activities
scheduled for man's best friend in the heat of
summer, but we've found one that will help animal
groups, provide lots of family fun, and get Fido
squeaky clean - all at the same time!
There may not actually be such a thing,
but FloridaPets.net has decided to designate
July as Florida Dogs Get Washed Month.
Some canines love them, others run if you as much
as spell "B-A-T-H",
so we say if it must be done, you might as
well...have someone else do it!
There are scrub-a-dog-dog washes going on at
various locations
around the state and they're open for pets of both
residents and visitors. Here's our list of where to take
those stinky dawgs. If you know of more organized
dog baths, please drop us a line.
Humane Society of Bay County
Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
shelter, then ongoing, every second Saturday of the
month.
Small dogs $5.00
Large dogs $10.00.
Shelter location: 1600 Bay Avenue
Panama City, FL
(850) 763-3923
Humane Society of Bay County
Leon County Humane Society
Come enjoy "Dog Dippin' Days"
Saturday, July 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
shelter, then ongoing, every second Saturday of the
month.
$7 per dog, any size
413 Timberlane Road
Tallahassee, FL
(850) 224-9193
Leon
County Humane Society
The fellow below got his makeover at a previous
dog wash at the Leon County Humane Society.
Humane Society of Lee County
The "3rd Annual Doggie Wash" is scheduled for
Saturday, August 7
Come get your dog washed between 10 a.m.
and 3 p.m.
$5 small dogs, under 15 pounds
$8 medium dogs, 16-50 pounds
$10 large dogs, 51 pounds and up
Waggin' Tails Dog Park/Rotary Park
5505 Rose Garden Road, Cape Coral
(239)332-0364
Humane Society of Lee County
The photo at the beginning of this article is from
last year's doggie wash at the Humane Society of
Lee County.
Dog Wood Park in Gainesville
This for-profit dog park offers baths on an
ongoing basis.
Monday and Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to
6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
5505 SW Archer Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32608
(352) 335-1919
Dog Wood Park
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Pet-Friendly Vacation |
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Relax At a Pet-Friendly, 'Eco-
Tourism' Resort
By Patricia Collier
If you can do without a swimming pool
for your vacation, you can save a bunch of money.
Best Western Crystal River Resort, shown
here, is currently repairing their pool
and hot tub and both will be closed from August 1
until sometime in November.
The what's-in-this-for-you part is that room
rates will be 20-25 percent less during the time the
pool and hot tub are out of commission!
All rooms have your typical amenities; some have
balconies. Pets 20 pounds and under are permitted
and there is a $3.00 pet fee per day. As is the norm
at all facilities that allow pets, animals must be
leashed and guardians are responsible for their
actions.
Don't let the lack of a pool sour you on this place.
There's
plenty, and we do mean plenty, to do in this area
and with the money you save from the lower room
rates, you'll be able to sample more of the available
activities!
Crystal River takes up an amazing 600 acres. It's
located in Citrus county, smack dab in
the middle of west Florida's Nature Coast. It's about
80 miles from Tampa, Orlando and Gainesville.
The river is frequented by the West Indian
manatee, like the one shown below. The fresh spring
water also draws humans wanting to dive, snorkle,
boat
and some just wanting to enjoy the expectional
landscape and abundant wildlife.
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From Our Readers |
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A 'Pug'-nacious Pup
Ken Yeager of Miami says it with
pride: "This little
guy adopted me in South Florida last month."
The pug had been found wandering the streets
and was quite underweight. Luckily, a Good
Samaritan took him to a vet for shelter and care.
"He is the sweetest little guy ever, already knew
how to play fetch and sit," Ken said. "I'd been looking
for a special buddy for a while and as soon as I saw
him, I knew he was the one."
Ken said the vet estimates the purebred pug to
be
between 9 and 12 months-old. Ken named
him "Frank" and said the two of them hit it off right
from the start.
"He is
very friendly to
everyone," Ken said, "We had our first trip to Fleet
Peeples
dog park the other day. The only real interest
he showed for another dog was with this gorgeous
Sharpie." (Good taste, Frank!)
According to Ken, Frank loves to
play fetch, with just about anything because it's his
favorite game, other than
"attack the hand."
"His name 'Frank the Tank' comes from a
combo of
'Agent F' from Men In Black and 'Frank the Tank'
from Old School," Ken explained. "Funny thing, the
vet staff who were
taking
care of him had been calling him Frank
and I had already planned on calling him Frank if he
hadn't had a name already."
Editor's Note: We're happy to report
Frank's not hungry anymore! Ken's last update had
the adorable pug up to 21 pounds. We think this was
a
match made
in heaven...just goes to show the kind of wonderful
dogs waiting at shelters and rescues for homes.
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Travel Tips and Tails |
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The American Animal Hospital Association
has
a list of member animal hospitals all over the country,
designed just for travelers. To access a list of 92
cities throughout Florida, check out
Healthy Pet.
Did you know? Pets need sunscreen too.
Yes, dogs, especially those with pink noses and
light-colored coats, can and do burn and get skin
cancer.
To protect your animal, vets recommend keeping
your pet (and yourself) out of the sun between 10
a.m. and 4 p.m., and when your pet gets out in the
sun,
dab a bit of sunblock on the tip of his or her tail and
nose.
Our funny tail, er, tale, of the month
comes
from 10-year-old David who wrote us, saying, "We
took my dog
with us when we went to Florida during
Christmas break. He is a beagle and loves to howl,
especially when someone is playing a guitar.
"Well, one night, we were watching country
music on TV and 'Brownie' started howling. Before
long, there were some other dogs, in
other rooms, singing along with Brownie and we
laughed so hard it was a really good time."
Do you have a handy tip or humorous tale about
traveling with pets?
Send it to
WebMistress and we'll share it here with other
readers of the NewsPetter.
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Casting Call |
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Here at FloridaPets.net, we want to give everyone a
chance to show off their beloved companions.
If you haven't already done so, send your stories
and/or photos to
WebMistress. Depending on which you are
submitting, put "Story" or "Photo" or "Story and
Photo"
in the subject line of your email.
NOTE: Please do NOT send stories as
attachments. Either type the story in a text editor,
then copy and paste the story into your emails, or
type
the story directly into the body of your emails. You
may send photos as attachments. Thank you for
your
submissions!
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Special Announcement |
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Police Dog Needs Some
Heros
By Patricia Collier
While we do not normally publish
requests we get
for financial
assistance for people's pets (there are so many and
we wouldn't burden our readers with them), we may
occasionally
read about a situation with which we would like to
help and we'll pass along the info in case you would
like to help as well.
We approched this individual after reading a
newspaper story about him and his dog. We'd like to
help the dog in need because he has
served a Florida community for years
as a canine police officer.
Meet Ricky, dog cop extraordinaire, and his
human handler, Officer Chris Imel, Badge # 138, both
with the Palm Bay Police Department.
Ricky, a Belgian malinois, which to us looks a lot
like a German sheperd, was injured during a training
accident in May. He now can't walk or relieve himself
without help from Officer Imel. Ricky must be kept in
a
cage because he tries to run and that sort of thing
can make his injury even worse.
So, the canine hero, once active and full of life,
now needs constant assistance to do the basic
things. Surgery may be necessary and if Ricky is
officially retired after the surgery, Imel will have to
foot the entire bill.
Imel is dedicated to his dog and will keep him as
part of his family,
despite his medical problems. Unfortunately, the
police department offers no medical insurance for
their canine officers and that's where Ricky needs
your help.
Ricky needs a $1,500 exploratory
procedure soon to determine what treatments will be
required to get him on the mend, but the department
has no money budgeted for anything other than
routine care.
Imel said an account has been set up by the
police department for donations for Ricky at
Washington Mutual. Those wanting more information
or those interested in helping Ricky by donating to
the account can write to Officer
Chris Imel and ask
about the "K-9 Ricky Fund."
Donations will be used for Ricky's care, then
whatever funds remain will be kept for any future
catastrophic events involving other police dogs.
| Get From Here to There Fast |
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Copyright © 2004 Florida Pets Info
"Those infringing will be enrolled in obedience training."
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