In This Edition:

— Latest Events at Kamp K9
—Info Feature: Economics and Pet Ownership
— Photo of the Month
— Links

WHAT'S HAPPENING

***OPEN HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT***

The date has finally been set for Kamp K9’s first open house, and you’re the first to know about it! It’ll be happening on Sunday June 22nd from 11am-4pm. As stated before, this is intended as a human-only gathering, for present and prospective customers to see the inner workings of Kamp K9, so as much as it feels really strange to say it, please leave your furry pals at home for this one. Look for a splash display devoted to the open house added to our web site’s home page, as well as ads in the “Downeast Dog News” and “Dog in Sight” magazines.

April was a big transition month for Kamp K9. That’s thanks in large part to, of course, the snow melting (YAY!!), but there have also been a few more new faces joining the ranks of kampers here.

This makes for a good time to reiterate that there’s a referral reward here; some of these new dogs are here due to referrals from current customers, which is the best kind of compliment we could ever hope for, and those folks get a discount on their next service as a thank-you. If you refer someone to us, you’ll get a price break the next time you need our services, too! (Be sure to remind us!)

We’ve also re-vamped the fire pit this spring, which is located in the front yard, and we’ve made use of it a couple of times already. Furry pals love to hang around us and a good, cozy little fire…it’s one of the nice little occasional spring/summer night time pleasures here, and one of the kinds of things you love about going to camp.

(It goes without saying that a hose is located close at hand at all times, and that the pit is located a safe distance from any trees, in the midst of sand and gravel, and is never left unattended or operated in windy conditions.)

INFO FEATURE: Economics and Pet Ownership

I’ll get the preachy stuff out of the way: First, don’t get a new pet if your financial future is at all in doubt, or if you question your ability to afford proper care, including food and regular veterinary care. It seems like an obvious thing to say, but many times we animal-loving humans let our emotions rule our decision-making, and sometimes it’s to the eventual detriment of the very ones we hold dear. Second, please donate what you can to your local shelter or a rescue organization.

You’ve all heard about the mortgage and housing crisis. I saw a report on NBC a few nights ago about how many senior citizens are being affected by it all, but very few people are hearing anything about how the housing and economic crisis in general are affecting our pets. One of the first noticeable things is how much the price of pet food has risen in the past few months. Just a thought on this topic: Don’t buy cheaper, lesser-quality pet food to save money. You’ll pay for it in the long run because of eventual health issues that can arise from poor-quality food, and of course there’s the toll on your pet and his/her length/quality of life.

Shelters and rescue groups around the country are seeing a big increase in the numbers of pets being surrendered to them (I’ve seen it reported nationally and I’ve heard it from people I know personally in rescue groups). Sometimes it’s because a family loses its house and has to find another place to live, and often it’s one that doesn’t accept pets. Sometimes it’s because things have gotten so expensive that people have to start making very hard choices about what they can buy for food and whether they can afford to take proper care of their pets. Other times it’s because you have to go where the work is, and again, you might not be able to find a living situation that accommodates or accepts your furry loved ones.

This whole economic situation presents a double-edged sword for these shelters and rescue groups. For the most part, they’re dependant on private donations to keep them afloat, and as the economy tanks, people can’t donate as much (if at all) as they had in previous years, so during the very time that they’re seeing a huge increase in demand for their work, their resources have dwindled.

It’s heartbreaking stuff to read about and to ponder. Now, come on, admit it: many of you occasionally go to web sites of rescue groups or shelters and look wistfully at the pictures of all the wonderful animals who need a home. I know that I’VE seen an increase in the numbers of animals up for adoption, and I’ll bet my shirt that if you pay attention, you’ll continue to see more increases as time goes on. animals.

I’ll close with a last bit of pedantic talk: it’s been said that a society can be judged by how it treats its elderly. I would broaden that to say “how it treats the least of its members” which to me is those who either have difficulty supporting and defending themselves, or can’t do it at all: the elderly, children, the poor, and non-human members. Our society is failing that particular acid test badly. Let’s go on to lighter stuff, shall we?

KAMPER PROFILE

Lily Sosnoff
Our first profile in many months features a gorgeous German Shorthaired Pointer named Lily. Lily has been coming to Kamp K9 for a long time; in fact it was still known as Paw Prince Bed & Biscuit in Westbrook when she started to attend day care and board here.

Her dad, Ben, located her through a family in Gorham who had a very nice GSP who bred her with a friend’s GSP (both have field experience). She shows all the traits of a field/gun dog: she’s smart, athletic, likes to flush things out, and can operate independently. It follows, then, that Lily is an extremely active, energetic girl who likes the company of other dogs very much (and she has her favorite pals here, to be sure), but every once in a while will spend some time playing with her favorite toy at Kamp K9: the Jolly Ball. “I don’t know why I obsess over the thing so much,” she says. “Maybe it’s because it’s got a ball within a ball, and I like to push it around like a soccer ball; I end up hooting and hollering at the darned thing, and asking for it to be thrown for me.” She’s one of those girls that the others love to hate: her metabolism is such that no matter what she eats, she doesn’t gain weight (some girls have all the luck…). For all her hustle and bustle in the yard or in the play room, she just delights in coming by your side and leaning a hip up against your leg so you can give her a scratch.

Coming to day care three times a week has given her a chance to get her vast quantities of energy out, and has resulted in her anxious barking at home being greatly lessened, which has made her building a lot quieter, and her neighbors a lot happier.

Lily is eagerly waiting for the time when the ground moisture in the side yard is consistently reduced to permit its use every day. “I like to run to the far end and crouch, and wait for a tennis ball to come to me. My momma always told me to work smarter, not harder!”

She’s a wonderful dog and a fun regular at Kamp K9, and we’re glad to have her.

Lily and the Jolly Ball

"Let me know when winter's over, will ya?"

Names and photographs are all used by permission.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

Sometimes I enlist help when I compose the newsletter. Oscar made a pretty good editor/critic for this one. (I should talk to his parents, though, about his caffeine intake…that’s not MY travel mug up there.)

Got a funny photo you'd like to share? By all means email it, and we'll include it in a future issue!