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Upcoming Events
Sat., March 10, 2012, 9 to 11 a.m.--Dog Beach Cleanup with Friends of Dog Beach, at the pawprint entry to Dog Beach. Bags & gloves, plus toys & treats will be provided for you and your friendly dogs
Sun., March 11, 2012, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.-- 17th Annual Ugly Dog Contest by the Del Mar Kiwanis Club to benefit the Rancho Coastal Humane Society Safehouse Program & Helen Woodward Therapeutic Riding Program, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Activity Center, off Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar
http://uglydogcontest.eventbrite.com/
Sun., March 25, 2012, 8 a.m.-12
noon-- Paws in the Park 2012 to benefit the Escondido Humane
Society, at Kit Carson Park, 3333
Bear Valley Pkwy, Escondido
http://www.escondidohumanesociety.org/ehs_003.htm
Sun., March 25, 2012, 8 a.m.--5K hungry dog DASH to benefit the Point Loma High School Cross Country Team, at NTC Park in Liberty Station. Dogs and strollers are encouraged to attend, and free dog tags given to all who finish. Register on line.
http://www.hungrydogdash.org
Sat., May 5, 2012, 9 a.m.-12 noon--18th Annual Walk for Animals to benefit the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA,
at Crown Point Shores in Pacific Beach.
Sat., May 12, 2012, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.--Pet Day on the Bay by Hornblower Cruises, to benefit the Helen Woodward Animal Center. Tickets for the 1-hour cruise are $23 a person, and dogs cruise free. Begins at North Harbor Drive between Broadway and Ash.
http://www.hornblower.com/hce/port/overview/sd+petdayonbay
Sunday, June 10, 2012, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.--4th Annual Doggie Street Festival -- Location TBA. Pet adoption event, with pet information, products & services, and good food and music. Last year 130 pets found new forever homes.
http://doggiestreetfestival.org/2012/
Sat., June 16, 2012, 10 a.m., 7th Annual Loews Surf Dog Competition, at Dunes Park/Beach, 700 Seacoast Drive, Imperial Beach. Competition for small dogs, large dogs, tandem rides & celebrity dogs, starts at 11 a.m.
http://loewssurfdog.blogspot.com/
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How to Tell if Your Pet is Overweight
Nearly half of pet owners consider their dog or cat "chubby," according to a survey by Hill's Pet Nutrition. According to the survey, the chubbiest pet cities in the U.S. are Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco.
In some cases, obesity is caused by hormonal problems or genetics. Most often however, contributing factors include sedentary lifestyles, too many snacks, and too much calorie-rich food.
Pets who are overweight are more likely to develop heart and joint problems, loss of energy, diabetes and some types of cancer. They also have an intolerance for heat and exercise, and have an overall poor quality of life.
A visit to your veterinarian can rule out hypothyroidism or other underlying health problems. You can also use the vet clinic scales to get an accurate weight and ask what an ideal weight for your pet's breed and age would be.
At home you can look at and feel your pet to determine if you can see the waist tucked in behind the ribs, feel the ribs with minimal fat covering, see from the side if the belly is tucked up under the ribs, and see and feel if there is excess fat at the base of the tail. The chances are you know if your pet is not getting enough exercise and if it is eating too much.
With Daylight Savings Time coming March 11, this is a great time to commit to taking your dog for longer, and more intense, evening walks or playtimes at the park or beach. With cats you can engage in more indoor fun with chasing laser lights, fishing poles, climbing trees, hidden catnip mice, and empty boxes to stimulate their curiosity and prey drive.
Weight loss for pets should be gradual and consistent, and can take many months. Along with more exercise, our pets need proper diets. Feeding smaller portions of a high quality diet, cutting back on high-calorie snacks, and ending free grazing of dry kibble will help in the weight loss game. If you're feeding a raw or home-cooked diet, consult a pet nutritionist to ensure your pet is getting the proper amount and balance of nutrients, including protein, vitamins and minerals.
Hill's (Science Diet) is collaborating with Allison Sweeney of TV's "The Biggest Loser" in a program to promote pet weight loss and promote sales of Hill's so-called therapeutic foods. Nestle Purina is teaming up with Jenny Craig for a Pet Slim Down program to encourage owners and pets to lose weight together.
Dr. Karen Becker, an integrative wellness veterinarian,
warns against these creative marketing programs, and calls them, "a discouraging trend, since most of these special formulas consist of the same inappropriate, low quality ingredients that contribute to pet obesity in the first place." Her article on why pet weight management products are ridiculous, "If Your Pet is Overweight, Please Stay Away from These 'Fixes'," can be read here .
If you've had challenges or success with your pet's weight loss, please share them on our Facebook page here . Let's take advantage of our expanded daylight hours to help our pets live longer and healthier lives.
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Local Paper Takes Unfair Swipe at Dog Beach Martin Westlin, of The Peninsula Beacon, wrote a misleading article last month complaining that dogs at Dog Beach made the beach "way more polluted" than other beaches. You can read the story here . We know that while Dog Beach isn't perfect, it gets almost all of its pollution from storm drains all along the 52-mile San Diego River east of Dog Beach, and from birds that have protected status along the river. We responded with a letter to the editor which was not printed but you can read here . If you support clean beaches, and love Dog Beach as we do, please help with our Dog Beach cleanups on the 2nd Saturday of each month, from 9 to 11 a.m., and join us for the I Love A Clean San Diego sponsored cleanups at the Creek to Bay Cleanup on April 28, and the California Coastal Cleanup on September 15, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Jane & Mindy (with Chipper, Juno & Zydeco)
"Many dog owners believe that as much as 60 percent of their pet's brain is set aside solely to demonstrate applications of the verb "to eat" - in both active and passive forms."
--Stanley Coren
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