The
Volunteer
Brief
Martine Ferguson 

Congratulations!


 

Congratulations to Erica, our Facebook and Blog administrator, on her adoption of Safety Net pup Gunter. Erica has joined the increasing number of our fabulous volunteers who have opened their hearts and homes to a Safety Net pet. We are deeply touched and grateful to Erica for adopting Gunter. He is one lucky pup!
Announcing:  Two New Positions

With the increasing number of residents this past year at House with a Heart, we have decided to create two new dog positions:

  • Room Manager - The Littles are now separated into the Doggie Den and the Larger Doggie Den and the Biggies are now in the Playroom. The Room Manager is a position merging Groomer/Guardian Angel/Playtime. The Manager would be responsible for grooming the pups (brushing, clean face, private area, eyes & ears), taking the pups out in the adjoining patio/yard to do their business and change their diaper pads upon re-entry, and providing cuddle time. Essentially the Manager would be responsible for and take care of all the pups in their assigned room to give Sher the opportunity to attend to other Sanctuary matters during their shift.
     
  • Playtime for Visiting Dogs - On days we do not have a morning Kennel Assistant (currently Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) we would like a volunteer to take the Visiting Pups out for some extra play and exercise in the late morning (11am) or early afternoon (1-2pm).

 

Still seeking...

We are still looking to fully staff our Kennel Assistant roster. We are on track but still need Kennel Assistants Tuesday morning, Thursday morning & evening, and Friday morning. As you are aware the Sanctuary would not remain open without the donations received through our Short-Term Care program. Our Kennel Assistants lovingly take care of the visiting dogs and as such play a critical role at the Sanctuary. If you know of someone who would like to volunteer as a KA, please ask them to fill out the volunteer form by clicking here.  

 

If your schedule does not allow you to volunteer on a regular basis you can still contribute as a temporary Kennel Assistant. We often need substitute or secondary KA's during the holiday seasons, summer vacations or if one our regular KA's is out of town.


 If you volunteer as a groomer, Guardian Angel or dog walker, and would like to participate in the volunteer 911 Call List, please let me know. We are looking to add to the list of volunteers who are available to take a dog or cat to the vet should an emergency occur during off-hours.  

 

Welcome!


 Please join me in welcoming the following new volunteers to our family!

  • Debbie A. who takes care of outside tasks every other Saturday.
  • An H. who takes our residents out for dog walks and playtime on Tuesdays.
  • Ben S., as our new Wednesday morning Kennel Assistant.
  • Patricia F., who volunteered with us on AARP'S Day of Service at the Sanctuary and loved us so much that she now volunteers as a substitute Kennel Assistant.
  • The Kitties are thrilled that Kathy L. now takes care of them on Thursdays.
  • Anna S., who will be taking the Visiting Pups out for Playtime on Thursdays.
  • Jess K., who is a huge help to Sher in entering the Visiting Dog information in our new Kennel Card program.
  • Shelli G. who is putting her administrative skills to use by assisting Sher with various remote administrative tasks.
  • Rex D. who is doing some much-needed wall painting and repair around the Sanctuary.
We are thrilled to welcome you all into the HWAH fold.  Please join me in welcoming to the House with a Heart family: 

 

Pet Wellness... Urinary Health in Senior Pets

My boy Zeke
wearing his belly band

 

With old age sometimes comes incontinence. Luckily we have doggie diapers and male belly bands to help with this issue.  Personally I favor Deeogee's Pet Store's comfortable and form-fitting bands for my boys.

 

A few tips when using doggie diapers:


1) Insert a Poise pad or half a Poise pad into the diaper and change the pad every 3-5 hours to avoid occurrence of UTIs.
 

2) When changing the Poise pad, wipe down the private area with a baby wipe.


3) Adding a little bit of baby powder to the pad can help avert a rash.

 

If dehydration is a source of UTIs in your pet I find that adding just a little bit (1 tsp or 1 tbs) of sodium-free chicken or beef broth encourages drinking by giving the water an appealing taste.

 

There are also dietary supplements you can give your dog or cat to decrease the chance of your pet developing a UTI such as non-prescription cranberry supplements- NaturVet's Cranberry Relief powder or cranberry plus Echinacea soft chews; Nutramax's Crananidin. Non-prescription probiotics such as Nutramax's Proviable may help as well.

 

If you suspect your dog or cat may have developed a UTI- symptoms are frequent urination, poor or weak urinary flow, strong urine odor, increased water consumption or bloody or cloudy urine- take your pet to the veterinarian immediately. Frequent UTIs may lead to bladder stones which are painful and dangerous to your pet.

 

If you have discovered 'tricks' that work particularly well in maintaining your pet's urinary health please feel to share them with Sher next time you visit the Sanctuary. 

 

 

Reminders:

 

The volunteer hours are between 11am and 2pm. Please gather your belongings and prepare to be out the door by no later than 2pm. Thank you very much for your cooperation in adhering to this schedule.

 

Please check out our Blog, The Heartbeat,

http://housewithaheart.wordpress.com

 

And our Facebook page for news and other events happening at the Sanctuary:

https://www.facebook.com/HousewithaHeart
 

 

6409 Stream Valley Way  Gaithersburg, MD · 240 631-1743
  
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