Some of you may have seen this story from Kentucky:



A newborn baby remained in critical condition after the family dog took him from his crib and dumped him in the woods. Michael Smith of Nicholasville, father of the boy, told Lexington Herald-Leader his son, Alexander James, disappeared Monday afternoon. After calling 911, he saw the dog in the yard with the baby. " She was carrying A.J. like a stuffed animal, very gentle, king of like a loaf of bread," Smith said. The dog ran into the woods. Smith followed his son's crying and found him on the ground about 150 yards into the trees. Smith said A.J. was born three weeks before his due date and he had not completed child-proofing the house. The baby and his mother had returned home from the hospital Sunday. By Monday Afternoon, A.J. was in intensive care at the University of Kentucky Hospital.





Avoid Tragedy by Preparing the Family Dog for Baby's Arrival:


The arrival of a new baby into the family can create unanticipated problems for dog owners. The story of the Kentucky newborn snatched from his crib illustrated that even a beloved family pet can be a serious, if unintentional, threat.


Those dangers can be avoided with a little advance planning, according to Kristi Rush, a professional dog trainer with Best Friends Pet Care. " It's important to include the family dog in preparations for the new arrival," says Kristi. " Otherwise, he or she may become anxious about his or her role in the family and act up. Even simple curiosity about a strange new creature in the home can make him or her a potential danger."

She recommends the following:
1) Introduce the sound, sights and smells of a new baby well in advance of the due date. Play a recording of a baby crying and the musical toy you plan to use in the crib. Use a doll to roll play how you will hold and care for your baby. Apply baby powder and baby lotion to your hands and to the doll so the he or she gets used to the smell.
2) Refresh your dog's training skills well before the baby arrives. A well-trained dog who obeys your commands is one of the best safeguards for your new baby. Enroll in a basic training or a refresher course and be sure to practice with his or her. Be sure your dog knows the "down" command and that you use it whenever baby enters the room.
3) Gradually decrease the time you spend with your pet. You'll have less time for him or her once baby comes and a gradual shift will make the transition easier. If you have a high-energy dog who needs lots of exercise, enroll him or her in a doggy day camp program a few days a week.
4) Supervise every interaction. No matter how well-trained, a dog's reaction to a baby is unpredictable. Never leave them alone together. Know where your dog is at all times and don't give him or her freedom to roam. Closely watch his or her reaction to baby; if you see any sign of stress or aggression, seek help from a professional trainer.


Kristi has been a professional dog trainer for 23 years. She offers private training and group classes at the Best Friends Pet Care in Castleton. For more information, visit http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/ or call 317-841-8182.

Indy Tails Best of 2009

Hey everyone, its that time of year again. Indy Tails magazine is holdings its Best of the Best awards. Go to http://www.tailsinc.com/ and vote on the best of everything for 2009. All you need to do is fill out the form and /or pick your choices. Some of the areas that you can vote on are Best Veterinarian, Best Pet Boutique, Best Dog Park, Best Dog Trainer, Best Overnight Boarding/Doggie Daycare, Best Pet Friendly Bar/ Restaurant, Best Dog Bakery, Best Groomer, Best Agility Instructor, Best Pet Photographer and other areas. We hope that everyone will go and vote for who you think is the best in Indy. How about our Groomers? If you like the grooming services that you have received, nominate or vote for one or all of our groomers! Been to one of our training classes? Kristi would love to receive your nomination! Campers - Boarders, how about a vote for our daycamp or boarding services? If you like our services, brag a little ( or a lot!)

Could you see your pooch as the next face for Mutt Strut 2010? Your pooch could be on posters, t-shirts and brochures that are placed all over the city. This is taking place through the Indianapolis Humane Society. Each entrant must donate a minimum $5 entry fee per pooch (one dog per picture/entry). Photo submissions will be accepted online only until August 10th. Photos can be voted on by the everyone until August 10th for $1 donation per vote (with a minimum $5 voting donation). If you are interested then please go to http://www.indyhumane.org/, for rules, to enter, and to vote.

Join us on Sunday August 2, 2009 from 12p.m. to 5p.m. in the parking lot of the Humane Society of Hamilton County. They are hosting "Welcome To The Jungle" a Celebration of Our Feline Friends. They will have cats and kittens avaible for adoption at a reduced price. Their goal is to adopt out 50 cats or kittens. For the first 50 cats or kittens adopted, Pet Supplies Plus is giving a free cat care package which contains some really cool things. You can also enjoy food and drinks, vendors with feline product and services, meet Patty Spitler and Joni Micheals from Pet Pals TV, and enter to win a free adoption. Don't forget to stop by our Best Friends booth to spin the wheel & win great prizes.

Puppy Daycamp

Calling all puppies! Does your puppy have alot of energy? Does you puppy play well with others? Would some socialization help? Then this is for you. Starting on Friday, August 14th, we will be hosting puppy playgroups! Puppy playgroups will be every Monday & Friday after that. For just $12 a session your puppy can play & run & bark and have a wonderful time! Puppy playgroups are open to any puppies under the age of 6 months and must be current on vaccinations (including bordetella) Puppies will play for a midday 1 hour session from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm. Your puppy is welcome to stay all day long in one of our spacious boarding suites, or he can come in for just the play sessions. It's still only a $12.00 charge!

So your puppy is now over 6 months and needs something to do will you are working. We have a daycamp program just for adults where they can come to play all day or for just a half day. We play indoors and outdoor. For play, we have swimming pools, kongs, and nyla bones. We play games and we host a daycamp party once a month! If you have a party animal, this is the best place for them to come and join the fun!

Paws-Abilities Canine Drill Team

Our Canine Drill Team was started by our trainer in December of 2007. We work on obedience skit routines set to music. Their first year they trained for and performed to the song Bad Bad Leroy Brown. Currently we have 5 members/teams. Our trainer Kristi Rush works with a Golden Retriever named Lugnut. We also have MaryAnne and Barney, Cindy and Josh, Mackinsey and Duchess, and Linda with Lucy.

We are working on a brand new routine and have (human) Line Dance instructors coming to teach us left footed humans how to do the Watermelon Crawl. Once we have perfected (hahaha) this we will begin to incorporate the dogs into this routine. We have already taught them how to spin around, drop down, do a *Dosi doo* and how to crawl so we have a good headstart on developing a really fun routine to perform at events, grade schools and nursing homes.

We are always looking for new members who are able to commit to one hour a week for practice and be available to perform at our events. We have a lot of fun with this, it helps to develop a better bond with our dogs and expands on their training in a fun way.

FREE PUPPY HEADSTART CLASS

Starting July 13th our very first Puppy HeadStart class begins. With these classes we will start puppies on heeling and we teach them to *go to place*. Basically this is teaching your puppy to go lay down on it's own bed or rug so that when someone comes to your door or you need them out from under your feet (and honestly...aren't puppies always underfoot?) you can tell them to *go to place* and they will know to go lay down on their bed or rug out of the way and not disturb others.

We are also going to be helping their owners get through those first few (terrible) puppy months. As cute as they are as puppies they bring with them (as they enter your front door) a whole new host of interesting moments. We will help the owners learn how to handle jumping, chewing, biting, potty training, digging and what ever else they think they can throw at us! No challenge is to big or to small. We WILL corral these little guys (and gals) and begin turning them into the adorable balls of fluff they like to make us think they are with those big ol' sad puppy dog eyes. They REALLY know how to lay that on thick too, don't they?

These classes are 4 weeks long and are half an hour classes. The trainer will be handing out information on different subjects each week, thinks like nipping, socializing, potty training etc and will be discussing that some with the owners at the end of class while the puppies get to do what they do best...play with each other!

Doggy Day Camp 4th of July Party

We just had our Doggy Day Camp 4th of July Party and everyone had a great time. As you can see from the pictures, we have a patriotic group! They went outside and ran around and played, then they got their pictures taken with a cute background. They took home a picture, goodie bags, bandanas, and glow in the dark necklace to wear on Saturday for the festivities.

We would also like to let everyone know that we will be at the IVEC Carnival in Beech Grove. This event on July 11th runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Please stop by our booth to get some great infomation and register to win some great prizes. For more information you can contact us at 317-841-8182 or IVEC at 317-782-4418/indyvet.com.