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It's Spring - is your pet spayed/neutered?
Springtime is mating season for dogs and cats. If you have intact pets, I strongly urge you to spay or neuter them to help reduce the worldwide dog and cat overpopulation problem. Even today, in the United States, there are too many pets. Spay/neuter procedures are minimally invasive and can be performed right at your veterinarian's office.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties in this tough economy and can't afford to spay/neuter your pet, there are many low cost spay/neuter programs available. Organizations like Friends of Animals, Animal Rescue League of Boston, the MSPCA and the Massachusetts Animal Coalition offer excellent programs.
With your donations to PoundHounds and a generous grant from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, PoundHounds continues to work closely with Animal Control Officers across the state to ensure no dog is adopted without first being spayed or neutered. I invite you to read two 'Happy Tails' stories about dogs funded by PoundHounds so they could be spayed/neutered before going to their forever homes.
Warmest regards,
Seana Dowling
President, PoundHounds, Inc.
PS: Are you on Twitter? PoundHounds is! Follow us on Twitter and stay up to date on all the dogs we help!
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PoundHounds to Attend Whisker Walk
Join us June 6th
 Mark your calendars for the 3rd Annual Whisker Walk in Lancaster, MA on June 6th from 11:00 - 3:00.
Whisker Walk is a free, fun event for people and dogs of all ages. There will be many rescue groups, pet-related vendors and manufacturers attending, contests for you and your dog, demonstrations, educational programs, plus a dog walk-a-thon fundraiser to benefit animal shelters and rescue groups across New England.
Please come to the event and be sure to stop by the PoundHounds booth to say hello.
If you would like to participate in the walk-a-thon to raise funds for PoundHounds, create your own fundraising page. The dogs in town pounds in need of medical care will appreciate all the donations you can raise to help PoundHounds continue to provide funding for veterinary services.
For directions to the fairgrounds and to learn more about all the exciting events at Whisker Walk, click here. |
Ask the Trainer
Using a Crate to House-Train
Question: My 7 month old Maltese is crate trained, but urinates in his crate. His crate bedding needs to be washed at least once every day. He wakes us up in the middle of the night and we let him out hoping to avoid a mess in the morning, but getting up at 3:30AM and again at 5:30AM isn't something we can continue. What should we do?
Answer: Barring any medical problems, you are dealing with a habit. It will not be easy to break the habit, but definitely possible.
First, check with your vet to ensure your dog doesn't have a medical problem, like a urinary tract infection. Once you are sure, it's time to break the habit. Here are a few tips to get you started:
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Check the size of the crate. It should only be big enough for him to get up, turn around and lay down again.
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Next, remove all the bedding. This is not permanent, but important for him to break the habit.
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Crate him during the same times on the weekend as you do during the weekdays. The more strict you can be about a consistent routine, the better.
To read all of the steps Sonia recommends to break the habit, visit the PoundHounds website.
If you have a question about your dog's behavior that you would like to Ask the Trainer, please send your question to info@poundhounds.org and put the word "TRAINER" in the subject line.
"Ask the Trainer" is written by Sonia Mullen of Canine Techniques. Please contact her if you would like to learn more about her training services. |
| Pet Loss Support Group
Bolton, MA
A Pet Loss Support Group has been implemented at Integrated Animal Health Center in Bolton, MA. The group meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:30PM. Anyone is welcome to join, participation is free.
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ACO Resources
ACOAM 30th Anniversary Meeting
Join ACOAM to celebrate 30 years of MA Animal Control Professionalism on Saturday, June 5, 2010 at the Marlborough Courtyard Marriott. Cocktail hour begins at 6:00PM followed by dinner; the program begins at 7:00PM. Get your tickets now by calling Deni Michele Goldman at 781-706-1923 or e-mailing her at dgoldman@town.hull.ma.us.
RSVP deadline is May 9th; tickets cost $25 per person.
MVMA Stray Animal Program
As a reminder, the MA Veterinary Medical Association offers a Stray Animal Program through is its not-for-profit supporting organization MVMA Charities, Inc. The Stray Animal Program was implemented to help ACOs facilitate the rehabilitation of animals so they may be adopted into suitable homes.
If you haven't done so already, register to participate in the program by visiting the MVMA Charities at www.massvet.org. To download program guidelines, which include a complete list of funding limits by town, click here. |
U.S. Shelter Awareness Stamps
Now Available
The U.S. Post Office has created 44-cent stamp to help raise awareness about the importance of adopting a shelter dog. To save a trip to the post office, you can also buy the stamps online at the U.S. Postal Service website. |
Reminder: Dangers of Cocoa Mulch
Toxic to Pets
It's Spring landscaping time again and we wanted to remind you that Cocoa Mulch can cause physical harm to dogs and cats if they ingest it. The cocoa bean shells used in the mulch contains theobromine, which is present in all chocolate, and is toxic to dogs and cats. |
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FDA Warning
Salmonella Health Risk
Response Products initiated a voluntary product recall on Advanced Cetyl M Joint Action Formula for dogs. Affected product is labeled with Lot Number 1210903 and 0128010. The product is packaged in either 120-count bottles or 360-count bottles. The possible Salmonella contamination was from the hydrolyzed vegetable protein component in the product. Tests conducted to detect Salmonella produced negative results; however, Response Products determined to recall the above-referenced lots. To learn more, visit the FDA website. |
Featured Dog for Adoption
Rocco
 Rocco is about 7 years old and full of spirit. He is friendly and loves to play. If he could choose his perfect home, it would be a house with a yard so he can run around. His energy level is best suited for a family with older children. We featured Rocco in the January issue of the e-NewsHound, but poor Rocco still hasn't found a home. He spent the winter at the Norton, MA pound and with the fresh scent of spring in the air, he's hoping a loving owner will come find him soon. To learn more about Rocco, call the Norton, MA pound at 508-286-2655 or click here to read Rocco's listing on Petfinder.com. |
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Happy Tails
Sing Along with Tess
 Tess may not need to sing for her supper these days, but she sure enjoys belting out a tune while her owner, Jim, plays the harmonica. Tess was just an affectionate, lonely dog waiting in the pound for a home. Now she lives with Jim and his wife, plus 2 cats and another dog and she gets to dole out love and affection all day. The cats are a little intimidated by her grand size, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get to know them better. Jim says "Tess won over my wife with her mild temperment, good social habits, strong intelligence and endearing ways." Besides singing, Tess also enjoys going for her 2-3 walks a day and meeting up with the children in the neighborhood, who are all smitten with her. Thanks to your donations to PoundHounds, Tess was spayed before going to her new home--and taking on her new career as a singer. |
Apollo (left) at home with Coop |
Apollo Has Landed! Apollo was found running loose in Longmeadow. He was shy and scared the first day he was picked up by the ACO, afraid to even walk across the tile floor of the shelter. Apollo was quite thin, his feet were cut and swollen and he had abrasions on his neck, likely from wearing a heavy chain around his neck. With a little TLC, his feet and neck healed right up. During the 10 days he spent in the care of ACO Martylee Caramente, he became more relaxed and friendly, and showed excellent manners with both people and other dogs. "Apollo is perhaps the best dog I have ever picked up," said Caramente.
When he was ready for prime time, Caramente called PoundHounds to fund his neuter procedure and contacted PittieLove Rescue to see if they could place him in foster care. They had an open foster home, and once he healed from his neuter procedure, off he went to Somerville, MA to join his foster parents. It wasn't long after Apollo arrived that he won over the hearts of his foster parents; they decided to make Apollo a permanent part of the family. |
| Dog Quote of the Month
"A dog is a conversation waiting to happen."
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About MAC
Spay/Neuter License Plates
 The Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) disburses grants to non-profit humane organizations and municipal animal control agencies. The grants are funded by the sale of the Massachusetts Spay/Neuter License Plate Program. MAC has provided funds for PoundHounds to pay for spay/neuter procedures for PoundHounds sponsored dogs. In 2009, funding from MAC allowed PoundHounds to spay or neuter 50 dogs in 18 different town pounds across Massachusetts. Those procedures represent $7,500 in MAC support. Please show your dedication to animals and help control over-population. Register your new car or swap your existing plates for spay/neuter plates. The additional cost for special plates is $40 with every registration renewal. The first time, $12 covers the cost of making the plate and the remaining $28 goes to the program. At subsequent renewals, the entire $40 funds spay/neuter services. The standard registration charged by the registry to all drivers is $50 every two years, making the total for special plate holders $90. |
Thank you for your continued interest and support of the invisible dogs in town pounds. We can't do it without you! Please visit the PoundHounds website at: www.poundhounds.org for more information. Or, contact us directly:
Message Center: 508.435.5029
Address: PoundHounds, Inc. - P.O. Box 454 - Hopkinton, MA 01748
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