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From the Editor
Greetings, everyone!
Did you know more than 36 million people traveled
with their pets last year? You might have been one of
them.
Our featured pet-friendly vacation spot for October
is Moonrise Resort, who themselves have a big, friendly
Boxer who helps out around the place.
Also in this month's issue, why not get your dog
involved in Dog Scouts? Yes, you heard right, and your
canine pal can even earn badges and go to camp! How
cool is that?
We've also got a great pet photo from one of our
readers and more tips and facts about living and
traveling with your pet.
We hope you enjoy this issue of the NewsPetter. Please
pass the word about FloridaPets.net and write us with
any suggestions or requests. Until next month, thanks
for "tailing" along with us and remember, "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 out on 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 a solution.
You can now read the entire issue online by clicking here
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Pet-Friendly Fun Stuff |
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Exploring Dog Scouts
By Patricia Collier
Whenever Julie Waldman slips on Coco's red vest,
the
border collie's tail starts thumping with excitement.
That's because Coco knows the vest means it's time for
the meeting of Dog Scouts Troop 117.
Dog Scouts? Yes, you read correctly. Dog Scouts
is a lot like scouting groups for boys and girls except
it's for canines. And just like the human version, Dog
Scouts helps its participants learn new things, explore
the world and mature.
The national group, Dog Scouts of America
(DSA), originated in 1995 .
The mission of the organization is to provide humane
education
and help society value the role of a dog in the human
family.
Waldman has trained
to become a Certified Troop Leader in
Gainesville. Troop 117 is the only Dog Scouts troop in
Florida
at this time.
Just like regular scouts, dogs can earn badges. Their
human companions can then sew the patches onto a
vest, like the one Coco is wearing in the photo here
with Julie. Coco has earned several badges, including
temperament testing, off-leash hiking, carrying
backpacks, lure coursing, frisbee, manners, first aid,
photography (as in being the subject), clicker training,
behavior, tricks and more.
The troop in Gainesville also gets involved in civic
events, such as the
Alzheimer's Association 5K Memory Walk in which
members and their dogs will participate in the near
future.
For more information about the Gainesville troop, you
can write
to Julie at SunshineCanines@aol.com or
check the link below. For information about the national
group and possibly starting a troop in your area, review
the national Dog Scouts of
America Web site at: http://dogscouts.com.
Dog Scouts of America, Gainesville Troop »
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Featured Pet-Friendly Vacation Spot |
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Moonrise Resort
By Patricia Collier
Ah, a clear, Florida night. The moon peaks up over
the
horizon and edges to the top of the sky. With no
mountains to obstruct, that's a big playground for the
moon people!
Visitors to Moonrise Resort, our featured pet-friendly
vacation spot for October,
are treated to breathtaking moonrises over the
phenomenal 19,000-acre Lake Tsala Apopka
(pronounced SAH-luh uh-POP-kuh), pictured
above.
And because of the different accomodations at this
resort, one can enjoy the beauty for a
day, a week, or stay for a lifetime.
Built in the 1950s, Moonrise Resort has been owned for
the past 18 years by Mike
and Sue Ellen Friddle. The couple's 7 1/2-year-old
Boxer, Cheyenne, pictured below with the Friddles,
makes sure the place stays pet-friendly. With cabins,
an RV park and even a mobile home
retirement community, this place has something for
everyone.
Located in Floral City, which is in Citrus County,
Moonrise
Resort is about 60 miles north of
Tampa and 45 miles southwest of Ocala. The place is
framed by
stately oak trees decorated with hanging moss, helping
to make this
lake-side resort one of
those places still unspoiled by development and
where the phrase "awash in tranquility" is the norm, not
a coveted
exception.
Rates for the cabins are less pricey than some of the
big-name establishments that cannot equal the
scenery. If you get
adventuresome, you can rent a paddleboat, kayak,
rowboat, canoe, pontoon, or even a fiberglass boat and
go explore the huge lake.
Or, if you'd rather just take it easy, there's
shuffleboard, bird watching, roasting marshmallows
around a camp fire, or just listening to the sounds of
nature.
Just don't forget to take a nap so you can stay
up and enjoy that moon!
Learn more about Moonrise Resort here... »
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From Our Readers |
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Most 15-year-olds have a mind of their own, but in
Cathy Bullock's case, it's her senior poodle who is a bit
on the stubborn side.
Bullock is the owner of Heaven
Scent Pet Sitting in Ormond Beach, Florida. Her fur
baby,
Aron, a/k/a/ "Dat Boy" is pictured here, taking a
nap before resuming his poodle duties.
Aron is very independent, but, according to Bullock,
he's also very loving and a real momma's boy. Aron has
a baby brother, Pierre, who we'll profile in a later
NewsPetter. Age before youth, we always say!
View More Photos Here - FloridaPets.net Reader's Pet Photo Album »
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Quick Tips and Facts |
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Smart Idea! When traveling with your pet, be sure you
take along a
photo of them, in case they get lost. Then, if
necessary, you can head to an office supply store and
do up a flyer to hand out to help find your pal.
According to The Humane Society of the United States,
49.4 percent of U.S. renters have pets. Since half
of all tenants are looking for landlords who accept pets,
renting to pet owners may double the marketability of
rental vacancies. Tenants with pets tend to stay longer
to avoid the hassle of finding another "pet-friendly"
place.
Did you know? Some airlines allow your PET to earn
Frequent Flier Miles when they travel as cargo!
Have a handy tip about traveling
with pets? Send it to us at 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 you a chance
to tell everyone about your pets and show off their
photos. We know everyone will enjoy them, so don't be
shy.
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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Our Special Sponsors |
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Traveling With Dogs
By Nona Kilgore Bauer
This 64-page hard cover book is filled with tips
about traveling with the Fidos of our lives. Bauer lends
her expert advice on how to make the next road trip
with your pet enjoyable and problem-free. ($12.00)
A percentage of the sales of this book goes to help
Animal News Center (http://www.anc.org).
Order at Pet
Book Express.
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CandleCarousel.
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The sunburst candles, pictured here, are a vivid
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designed to bring a little sunshine into anyone's
space. Shapes include a hexagon, a heart, a sphere,
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These candles are regularly priced at $5.95 per set. For
readers of the NewsPetter, they are sale priced now,
through October 31, 2003, at $4.00 per set -- that's
only a buck a candle! These would make nice gifts and
we're going to order several ourselves for stocking
stuffers!
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We appreciate our sponsors and encourage you to
do business with them!
Check out more neat candles and candle holders at CandleCarousel.com »
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Copyright © 2003 Florida Pets Info
"Those infringing will be enrolled in obedience training."
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