Animal Welfare Goody Bag Donation Drive by South Shore Pet.Com

****DUE TO THE BLIZZARD ON SUNDAY AND THE NEED TO PREPARE  –DONATION TIMES TODAY SAT 12/19 WILL BE 10-12.

This year the team at South Shore Pet.Com is coordinating a small Goody Bag donation gift drive for animal welfare and rescue groups. We’re making 10 bags for 10 shelters/ rescue groups, we’re putting in paper towels, laundry detergent, beds, blankets, dog and cat toys and treats, and more. Would you like to help  by donating a roll or paper towels,a bottle of detergent, a blanket, toys or treats etc?

To donate call 781-447-5489 and we’ll arrange for pick up, or you can drop items off at our office at 237 Broadway in Hanover Tue 12/15 and Thursday 12/17 from 9:30-2:30pm and Saturday December 19th from 10-12. ****DUE TO THE BLIZZARD ON SUNDAY AND THE NEED TO PREPARE  DONATION TIMES TODAY SAT 12/19 WILL BE 10-12.

The Googie Bags will be delivered over the Christmas season during regular business hours. We’ll post the pictures online as we get them.

We’d like to thank our current donors!

• 10 doggie treat bags from Go Fetch Pets Bakery
• Shaklee laundry detergent by Lisa Cheatham
• LAUNDRY DETERGENT FROM South Shore Ferret Care
• cat treats and 2 cat beds, towels, and blankets by The Kitty’s Corner.
• Assorted treats and blankets from Nicole Meunier

Suggest a Shelter or Rescue Group

Our team has a few special shelters near and dear to our hearts but we’d like to invite you to suggest a worthy shelter or rescue group, and the ones with the most suggestions will make our top ten list! To suggest an organization please use the Post A Comment option below!

ps for small animal organizations we’ll substitute cat and dog treats for appropriate treats! i.e bunny treats, ferret treats, bird treats etc etc

Ava Joins The “Crew” on Upcoming Episode Of Super Fetch

Calling all boaters! You’ve planned a day on the sea, a time for fishing, basking in the sunshine, and enjoying the fresh smell of the salty air. When you arrive at the marina you load all the essential things that you’ll need  into the boat and begin to prepare for the trip. Luckily, your good friend assists you by untying the boat from the cleat and taking in the bumpers. But wait-that good friend is your dog?

Yes, that’s right. Most people would think a regular house dog wouldn’t be able to learn such a strange task, but that’s just what Nicole Meunier from Plymouth Massachusetts taught her beloved Ava to do. With the help of Zak George from Super Fetch, Nicole learned some training techniques and taught Ava how to help out around the boat, and over a few months Ava officially became part of their crew!

Super Fetch, with Zak George, is a new TV show on Animal Planet.  You may recognize Zak and his dog Venus as a dog-frisbee-duo, they’ve been actively involved in extreme dog competitions. On Super Fetch he shows pet parents a three step training process that teaches their dogs new and unbelievable tricks, while strengthen the bond between them in a loving and fun way.

Ava, a three year old, Old English Bulldog caught the attention of the scouts at Boston Casting, who were looking for potential people and their dogs for the taping of the new show Super Fetch. Nicole Said. “I guess Ava’s great personality and cute face won them over.”

Nicole and her fiance do a lot of boating from Spiniker Island in Hull, MA and she thought it would be fun to teach her dog how to untie the rope from the dock and surprise her fiance. When they called to tell her she would be on the show, she was very excited. Ava’s three step process was “Getting The Rope”, “Come On In Let’s Go” and “Pull The Bumpers In”.

What makes this work so well for all involved is having and developing a strong

bond with your dog. “Ava and I have a strong bond already,” said Nicole, “she’s curious and always wanting to learn so she took to this right away.” On the final taping where Nicole shows the world Ava’s new trick, she revealed it to her fiance for the first time too. Nicole laughs a bit and says, “He was so surprised, he had no clue what the trick was going to be, until I showed it to him at the end.”

Ava will be on one of the upcoming episodes of Super Fetch which airs on Saturdays at 8pm Eastern Time on Animal Planet. Wanna See Nicole, Ava and Zak George in action- tune in Saturday November 21st at 8pm on Animal Planet! Learn More

Cooking Up Ways To Help Pets

Times are tough. So many cats, dogs and other animals are waiting to be adopted, looking for foster homes and being surrendered at record rates. It is difficult for most of us to find a way to help that doesn’t require us to open up our homes and rearrange our current pet’s lives to accommodate one more. And right now one more mouth to feed isn’t an option for most of us.

But shelter animals aren’t the only ones in jeopardy and you CAN help, one can of food at a time-by keeping a pet in a loving home and out of the shelter in the first place.

Massachusetts food pantries are visited by thousands of families each month. A majority of these families never expected to be in their current situation and are facing the difficult decision to surrender their family pet because dog and cat food is hard to find at most food banks. No one should be forced to make that decision.

Marlo Manning, Board Member of Fairy DogParents.org, a 501c3 charity organization that qualifies families for temporary food, medical and general wellness assistance in Massachusetts said “We currently support eight Sponsor Dogs with monthly food drop offs. The families were struggling financially and it was either feed themselves or their dog. ”

This Holiday Season-you can help animals right in your own community. “There are many charity organizations already set up to help animals,” Said Marlo, “It’s as easy as stopping by your local grocery store or food bank and donating either canned or dry dog/cat food.”

If your town or city doesn’t have a food bank please contact your local grocery store to see if they collect food for distribution to those in need. Or bring your pet food donation to the Fairy DogParents table in the food court of Independence Mall in Kingston Saturday December 5th between 11am-3pm or Sunday December 6th between 12pm and 3pm and it will go directly to a pet family in need.

You can get involved by donating food to help animals in need. A list of local food banks and grocery store drop off locations are listed below:

Hannafords Supermarkets (most locations): Norwell & Kingston locations

Braintree Community Food Pantry
594 Washington St
Braintree, MA 02184
(781) 356-0161

Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry
685 Main St
Hingham, MA 02043
(781) 740-8180

Scituate Food Pantry
344 Country Way
Scituate, MA 02066
(781) 545-5827

Rockland Food Pantry
12 Church St
Rockland, MA 02370
781) 878-1078

Pembroke Food Pantry
142 Center St
Pembroke, MA 02359
(781) 293-4107

Marshfield Food Pantry
1981 Ocean St
Marshfield, MA 02050
781) 837-0359

Charity Guild Food Pantry
501 Main St
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 583-6680

The Pet Pantry
P.O. Box 333
Easton MA 02334
E-mail: director@helpfeedpets.org
http://helpfeedpets.org/

If you can think of another food pantry or ways to help animals please post a comment below and share it with our readers-Thank You

Paws In The Park Success For “APCSM”

Sunday October 11th was a beautiful fall day and the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts benefited from the sunshine and warm weather, along with hundreds of animal lovers who came out to support the 1st Annual Paws in the Park benefit event, held at Borderland State Park.

Volunteers, and community businesses orchestrated a fun and well-organized event for participants. The APCSM reached their initial goal of $50,000, and with an event as successful as Paws In The Park, they demonstrated that they’re well on their way to getting this new organization off the ground.

The APCSM, recently formed to step in and take over the MSPCA’s closing shelter in Brockton, is a tight knit group of animal experts, local business leaders, animal lovers, and volunteers, and they’re opening their doors-and organization- with an invitation for more people from all backgrounds to step forward and become a part of what they’re hoping to do to help animals.

Paws In The Park attracted dogs of all shapes and sizes, and ages. When I first arrived I recognized Sheena, a beautiful, sweet shelter dog. Sheena is an eleven years old girl who’s been looking for a new home for months-she’s a well behaved, and lovable girl, who is looking for a home without cats or kids. Although tired from the dog walk, she rested and was enjoying being out in the sunshine, laying in the grass, and being around people for the day.

While Sheena took a break for pictures, I got a chance to chat with Megan Plante, who works at the shelter and was there when it was the MSPCA. I was curious to know what happened to the animals in the shelter when the MSPCA’s management ended at the end of September. “Some were transferred,” she said, “Rabbits went to a rabbit rescue, and some animals, like Sheena, stayed in the shelter.”

Afternoon activities at Paws In The Park included a canine agility demonstration. Amy White, a volunteer who helps run agility classes at the shelter, was helping direct dogs owners through the agility course with their dogs. “This is a great way for beginners to see first hand if they’d like to sign up for classes” said Amy. Dogs of all sizes were walking up the double wide planks, and having fun.

The Pet Pantry, a group of teens from the Easton area, were collecting pet food donations and promoting their efforts to help area pets stay in their homes. Jessica Stone said “We collect pet food donations and money, and we buy pet food and supplies and donate them to area food pantries, so families struggling financially can feed their furry friends too!” To join their efforts go to: www.helpfeedpets.org or call 508-587-3752.

The best part of the day was talking with so many interesting people and meeting so many beautiful dogs. For more information on the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts go to apcsm.org.

All photos are the property of SouthShorePet.Com and Pam Weber.

Paintings by Michael Flaherty

This week I stumbled upon an art exhibit at the Pembroke Library-it had a variety of unique paintings in a style I have never seen before, and to my excitement I found some animal paintings-some pigs and some dogs-they were cute! If you like art and you’d like to view the assortment of work-stop by the Pembroke Library Gallery hours are Mon –Thurs. 10-8, Fri & Sat. 10-5 and Sunday 12-4 (when room not in program use.)

From the library: “Michael says it will be a “poor man’s art show”. Michael who was a long time resident of Pembroke, moved to Hawaii for six months last year and dispersed all his art supplies and artwork. But now he is back and working mostly in acrylics because they are fun and he likes lots of color. He will be showing six paintings done while in the islands where he became known as “Hayolee Mike”. Stop by in July to see Mike’s colorful character paintings.”

Spring Means Mosquitos, Ticks and More…

By Deborah Griffin

Being prepared is your best defense against pests that can cause mild discomfort or even life threatening infections..

As pawrents we know we have to be aware of ticks and fleas. But they’re other pests that we must protect our pets from as well. Just as humans can find mild discomfort from mosquito bites, we can also contract deadly diseases. The same is true for our pets.

Heartworm disease is acquired by our pets through a mosquito bite of an infected bug. This particular infection can be devastating to dogs and cats alike. Prevention is the key here as often a pet can show no signs of infection until the disease is well progressed.

Read more

Indoor or outdoor? To be or not to be…

By Cassandra Kelley DVM-Cat Clinic of Plymouth

We have all heard the arguments. Indoor cats are safer. But are they happier? Certainly, indoor cats have a longer average survival surviving well into their teens in most cases. Cats who are allowed outdoors unsupervised tend to roam and come into contact with other animals, cars and sometimes inhumane humans. The risk of contracting an infectious disease including rabies or parasites that may affect their human caregivers is real, costly and can have devastating consequences.

Read more

White Coat Syndrome – helping kitty cope.

By Cassandra Kelley DVM-Cat Clinic of Plymouth

Taking your cat to the veterinarian can be a daunting experience for both the patient and the client. The greatest area of combat becomes cat entry into the cat carrier. I encourage all my patients to travel in carriers not only because it’s safer for them and their driver, but I believe it can truly alleviate feline travel anxiety.

Owners will tell me that they have to hide the carrier from their cat until they can be corralled into the bathroom. Otherwise the reticent patient hides under the bed and the appointment is missed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your cat walked willingly into the carrier? Follow this advice and we may be successful.

Read more

Pictures Gallery-Maggie’s Dog House Event

By Tonia Evans

We had so much fun at this event, but everyone was very cold, being outside. A lot of locals came out and we got to meet lots of friendly and beautiful dogs.

The vendors had a variety of products and there were pet sitters and dog walkers available too. Pet owners seemed like they have a lot of fun. Tracy Woodman, writer of Trendy Tails, took pictures of the canine police dogs, but the pictures don’t really do the demonstration justice, as these dogs are so well trained that I recommend seeing them in action when you can-it’s very impressive. Enjoy!

Tonia

Lucy Celebrates The Biggest Loss of Her Life-30 Pounds!

By Tonia Evans

Get The Inside Scoop On How Your Dog Can Lose Weight too!
It’s Possible-with a healthy diet, and exercise.

Like many American dogs-Lucy had a problem with being overweight. Sure her pet parents thought she was simply Big Boned-but when her veterinarian had to schedule knee replacement surgery, at only 5 years old-the family finally realized they had to take her weight (Loss) seriously.

Lucy’s not alone, I’ve read that almost half of all the dogs veterinarians treat are overweight or obese. Now there’s hope for dogs (and cats) to lose weight, and it all starts with a plan.

Read more

Rare Cows and Kids-The Furry Kind!

By Tonia Evans

Plimoth Plantation’s Rare Breed Parade

On Saturday March 21st, approximately 75-100 people, including my aunt, and me, gathered at the Plimoth Plantation to take part in the Rare Breed Parade. In attendance were the farm animals, the Plimoth Plantation staff, English Village Characters, the Plymouth 4-H Club that works with the Rare Breeds Program, and a handful of visitors from parents and kids-and I don’t mean the baby goats!
Read more

Become A SouthShorePet.Com Fan on Facebook too!

By Tonia Evans
We just created a Facebook Page for our web magazine online at Facebook.com. You can find us by login in to your facebook account and searching for southshorepet.com and we should come up. We’ll post some pictures and event details online, and share the inside scoop on our mag. Become a Fan of the page-we’d love to hear from you!

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