Published: 13FEB12         <Click here for PDF Version>

Does Your Pet Need a Boarding Reservation?

REMEMBER FEBRUARY VACATION IS COMING SOON!

(February 18^th through 26^th)

Click here to email us

Or call us at 945-6841

Would You Like to Receive Valuable Green Acres Coupons?

Green Acres distributes two different editions of its newsletter; a version posted on our webpage and on our FaceBook pages (this one) and, a version which is emailed. The email edition includes valuable coupons for Green Acres services and products not offered in this edition. Your information will not be made available to third parties and will only be used for the purposes of sending you a newsletter electronically. To subscribe, visit our webpage at (http://www.greenacreskennel.com/information/newsletters.html) and look in the lower right hand corner for an area that looks like this.

Product Safety Alert - Nylabone Dura Chew

We have a new product from Nylabone which is causing us some concern. It's called the Nylabone Dura Chew and it consists of a shaped piece of nylon (see photos) with little red bumps on the surface (see below). It is labeled for "Powerful Chewers" but we have had clients return them because their dogs were easily able to break this toy apart. Inside are small plastic parts which could be ingested. While the company has not recalled this product we have removed it from our shelves. If you purchased this product from Green Acres we encourage you to bring it back for a full refund.

Featured Food - Solid Gold

Solid Gold, established in 1974, was one of the first companies in the United States to use natural ingredients in their pet foods. The company takes a holistic approach to health care and thus considers every part of your pet when designing a nutritious diet. To maintain optimum health, every one of the pet's internal systems needs to be functioning properly. When proper nutrition is not met, one or more of these systems is compromised, resulting in an unhealthy, unhappy animal. For this reason, Solid Gold has developed "non-allergenic" foods which boost the immune system and protect your pet from disease.

 Please Note: We do not regularly stock Sun Dancer Grain and Gluten Free, but would be more than happy to special order it for you if you would like to purchase it.

Featured Treat - K9 Granola Factory

This month's featured treat is Coconut Crunchers and Pumpkin Crunchers from the K9 Granola Factory. This blend of all-natural and organic ingredients is wheat, corn and soy free. Coconut Crunchers feature coconut, apricot and kiwi in their ingredients. I can tell you first hand that they taste as good as they sound! Pumpkin crunchers feature pumpkin and blueberries. Give them a try with your dogs today!

Featured Products - Dental Health

February is National Pet Dental Health Month so we are featuring three of our favorite products that can be used to help keep your pet’s teeth clean and healthy.

Wysong DentaTreat™

Paula and I have been using DentaTreat™ with our pets since it first came out several years ago. We will be the first to admit that we are not very diligent about brushing our pet's teeth. It's a difficult habitat to establish and so easy to break. That's what makes DentaTreat perfect for people like us - you just sprinkle it on the pet's food at every meal and... Voila! The dental-active natural cheeses, minerals, and apple polyphenols in DentaTreat go to work, keeping their mouths clean and healthy. Yeah, we know... that sounds way to good to be true, but the fact is when we use DentaTreat with the fur kids it has greatly reduced our need for cleanings at the veterinarians. If you want all of the technical details, you can read more at - http://bit.ly/yxM1Oj

Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

Using a toothbrush and toothpaste specifically designed for pets is probably the most common form of pet dental care. Green Acres carries both products in stock.

Raw Bones

There are some folks that feed their pet a diet of raw food or at least use raw bones as a way of keeping a dog's teeth clean and healthy. Please note that not all veterinarians are comfortable with this practice, nor is it a good practice if you have a dog with food guarding issues.  We, however, have routinely fed raw bones over the years and our dogs have loved them and we believe they have contributed to better dental health. Here at Green Acres, we sell Bravo Raw Bones in the store because we feel they offer a superior product to what you might get at the supermarket.  Before feeding raw bones you might want to review this article on the Bravo website - http://bit.ly/wPWkI9

Best of Surveys – Please Vote!

Once again it's time to vote for the best businesses in the greater Bangor area in the annual survey by Market Surveys of America. We'd appreciate it if you would consider voting for Green Acres Kennel Shop in the following three categories; Best Dog Trainer, Best Kennel and Best Pet Store. All you need to do to vote is to go to this website http://www.bestofsurveys.com/, click on “Vote” and select “Bangor, ME.” Thanks!

Debunking Pet Food Myths

MYTH: Canned Food Is Unnecessary and Is a Waste of Money

Without hesitation we recommend that all cats be offered a high quality canned diet at least twice a day. Cats depend on their food for getting much of their water. As a result many cats eating only dry food do not consume sufficient water; this may cause potentially fatal health problems with their urinary tract. If you are considering adding canned food to your cats diet, please keep in mind that cats develop their dietary preferences when very young and it may take some time for them to start eating canned food, so be patient and keep trying!

Canned food is not necessary for a dog, and certainly a good quality canned food is generally more expensive than a dry food, but it may be a good supplement or alternative. Many people who feed raw, use a 95% to 100% meat canned diet when they travel.

Canned food is just like dry pet food; there is a range from very high quality to very low quality products. As a consumer you need to educate yourself about the companies offering canned foods. There are only a few pet food canneries in the USA, so most pet food companies, even the huge ones, contract this work out to others. Two companies that do make their own canned food are Merrick and Evanger’s, which is one of the reasons we highly recommend these canned food lines.

The ingredient list on a can of food is just as critical as it is on a bag of dry food. Look for meat as the first ingredient and recognize that what passes for meat in many of those supermarket canned foods is in fact soy protein.

You can learn more at our website at: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pet-food-information

Staff News

February Staff Anniversaries

Green Acres is very fortunate to have many staff members who have been with us for several years. We thank them for their service!

Tracy H. - Kennel Supervisor/ Dog Training Instructor – 5 years

Staff Champions

Every month the Green Acres staff chooses two Staff Champions; someone who has done an exceptional job and someone who has publicly recognized another employee for doing an exceptional job. Hearty congratulations and thank you to our latest champions!

December – Amber T. and Jamie B.

Don's Travels

Don spent five days in Greenville, SC in January at the headquarters of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers; two at an Education Committee meeting and three at a strategic planning meeting of the APDT Board of Trustees.

Pet Health - The Importance of Dental Care for Pets

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed problem in dogs and cats, and while 80% of people brush their own teeth every day, most do not do the same for their pets. Periodontal disease is a disease of the gums; it can lead to infections of the mouth. The bacteria causing these infections can spread through the bloodstream and cause life-threatening conditions. Infections from periodontal disease have been linked to diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and other life threatening disorders as well as tooth loss. The AVMA estimates that by age two, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have some form of periodontal disease.

Some common signs of dental disease in pets are; bad breath, reluctance to chew or crying out when chewing, increased salivation, red and/or puffy gums, bleeding gums, a buildup of tartar/calculus on the teeth, and missing or loose teeth.

Your veterinarian will typically examine your pet's mouth and teeth during a routine physical exam. This is one reason why a through annual exam is so important for every pet. If necessary, the veterinarian may recommend a dental cleaning. This procedure requires general anesthesia. During the procedure the pet's teeth and gums will be thoroughly examined, scaled and polished. If a problem tooth is found, it may need to be extracted.

The best way to minimize professional cleanings at your veterinarians is to do your best to keep your pet’s teeth clean by home dental care. This can include brushing your pet's teeth (the general rule seems to be at least every 48 hours to be effective) or using special treats and or supplements to help keep teeth clean. There is an urban myth that feeding only dry food will keep your pet’s teeth clean and it is just that - a myth. Cats may also benefit greatly from having canned (wet) food in their diet.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New Poll

Checkout the polling portion of our website (greenacreskennel.com) and our two latest poll questions.

Do you brush your pet's teeth? - http://bit.ly/yis5No

Have you had your pet's teeth cleaned by your veterinarian? - http://bit.ly/zirnNn

From Our Friends at the Bangor Humane Society

Helping to Reduce the Number of Unwanted Pets
Low Income Spay / Neuter Program

Monday, February 6, 2012 – An estimated 6-8 million homeless animals enter animal shelters throughout the U.S. every year. The Bangor Humane Society alone takes in over 5,000 animals a year. Two-thirds of those animals are cats. That is why the Bangor Humane Society is thrilled to announce that due to the generosity of the Belvedere Animal Welfare Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, and from other generous local foundations, a Spay/Neuter Voucher Program for low-income cat and dog owners opens on February 6, 2012.

This program is available to anyone who receives or is eligible for Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability (SSD), or Maine Care (Medicaid).  Starting on Monday, February 6^th, they can call 942-8902 to apply and then, if qualified; receive a voucher that they can use at participating veterinary practices.  For an average co-pay of $20 for male cats and $30 for female cats; $25 for male dogs and $40 for female dog (cost does not include additional fees that may be required by participating veterinarians) their pets can be spayed or neutered and receive a rabies shot.  The low-income spay/ neuter grant funds received by BHS will cover the remaining cost.

“The increased availability of spay/neuter will help to reduce the number of unwanted litters surrendered to animal shelters”, said Suzan Bell, Executive Director of the Bangor Humane Society. 

Last year BHS accepted 480 owner-relinquished dogs and 390 stray dogs.  During the same time it accepted 3,032 owner-relinquished cats and 597 stray cats.  Many of the dogs, and most of the cats, would not have arrived at BHS if owners had sterilized their pets.  In fact, many of the cats arrived at BHS pregnant or with a litter of kittens.

The funds available for the BHS program are limited and not expected to last more than a couple of months.  Last year, the BHS spay/neuter funds were able to assist over one hundred applicants, but almost 100 more names were put on a waiting list. 

Here are some of the facts about spaying and neutering:

• One female cat and her offspring can produce over 420,000 cats and kittens in seven years.
• One female dog and her offspring can produce over 67,000 dogs and puppies in six years.
• Neutered male dogs and cats are less likely to spray or mark their territory with urine than their unaltered counterparts.  They are also less likely to run away from home in search of a willing mate.
• A female kitten can get pregnant as early as 4 ½ months of age.
• It often costs less to have a pet spayed or neutered than to raise a litter of puppies or kittens to eight weeks of age.
• The Bangor Humane Society spays & neuters all pets before adoption into a new home. 

In addition to the grant funding, BHS is also implementing some other spay/neuter programs to help reduce the number of unwanted pets, available to assist those individuals in the community that do not qualify for the voucher program. BHS has contracted with local veterinarians to host a monthly feline spay/neuter clinic at the shelter. The clinic can accommodate a minimum of 40 felines per month and charges $25 per male cat and $50 per female cat. The clinic is cash only. For an additional fee, felines can also receive their rabies shot, flea and ear mite treatment, and nail clipping. Interested individuals can contact BHS for more details. Space is extremely limited and we have a waiting list through March.

Lastly, BHS is launching a new initiative called, “Spay Your Mama” available for female canine owners. If an owner’s female dog has recently had a litter of puppies, the Bangor Humane Society will spay the mom for nominal fee, if the owner surrenders the puppies for adoption. The mom dog will be returned to the original owner for a $50 reclaim fee, while the puppies are spayed or neutered and placed for adoption.

The community need for sustainable spay/neuter programs is vast and ongoing.  “The need is great (and increasing) in our region for low income spay / neuter programs, but the resources available through BHS, the State of Maine Animal Welfare program and other agencies are limited,” says Bell.

Each year the BHS cares for and works to find forever homes for more than 5000 homeless pets.  The Bangor Humane Society is an independent, non-profit organization, funded by local contributions and donations.  Finding safe homes for animals is not just our mission here at the Bangor Humane Society, it’s our tradition, and we thank the community for helping us accomplish this goal each day.

Tune in to The Woof Meow Show

The Woof Meow Show airs twice a week –
7:30AM on Saturdays and 8:30PM on Sundays
 on WVOM 103.9FM and WVQM 101.3FM.

• 18FEB12-19FEB12 - ENCORE:  Eagle Pack & Holistic Select Pet Foods w/Dr. Al Townshend, WellPet Staff Veterinarian (Original Air Date 8OCT11-9OCT11)

• 25FEB12 - 26FEB12 - ENCORE: Holistic Select and Wellness Pet Foods w/Dr. Al Townshend, WellPet Staff Veterinarian (Original Air Date 15OCT11-16OCT11)

Keep up with the Woof Meow Show at our FaceBook page - https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow

Businesses We Use and Recommend

Green Acres, as well as Paula and I personally, use the products and services of a number of area businesses. Like Green Acres most of them are small and locally owned. Many, but not all are members of the Paul Bunyan Chapter of Business Networks International (http://www.bni.com/) an organization where we all help each other grow our businesses. This space in our newsletter will be used to recognize some of those businesses and their products.

Chapel Hill Floral

I first became acquainted with Chapel Hill Floral (http://www.chapelhillfloral.com) when co-owner Barbara Frye joined my BNI group several years ago. Since that time Paula and I have used Chapel Hill's services for a wide variety of personal and business needs. We've sent flowers, fruit baskets, and even chocolates both locally and throughout the country with the assistance of Barbara, her husband Ricky, and the great staff at Chapel Hill. Time and time again we hear compliments on the beauty of the floral arrangements design and how long the flowers last. Like Green Acres, Chapel Hill is locally owned and they put a great emphasis on superb customer service and continuing education for their staff. We recommend them highly!

Links We Like

Pet Dental Health

AVMA Page on Pet Dental Health - http://www.avma.org/animal_health/npdhm/default.asp

Wysong Technical Monograph on DentaTreat - http://bit.ly/yxM1Oj

Instincts When Making Decisions

A short but insightful article by Gary Marcus on how animals (yes that includes humans) tend to default to our reflexive systems (instincts) when making decisions. Our short-term thinking circuits, necessary for survival, have evolved over hundreds of millions of years to be the default mechanism, especially under stress. Deliberative/rational thinking has really only been developing for a few thousand years. While the article was primarily addressing the question "Why has evolution let drugs be fun?" it could just as easily apply to "why do people/corporations/governments make bad, short-term economic and political decisions or why does my dog bark at strangers and chase cats. - http://bit.ly/yY8U80

Find Us On the Internet

Green Acres Website – www.greenacreskennel.com

Green Acres FaceBook – www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop

Bach Flowers for Pets Website- www.greenacreskennel.com/bach-flowers-for-pets

Bach Flowers for Pets FaceBook - www.facebook.com/BachFlowersForPets

Woof Meow Show FaceBook – www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow

Friends of Furry Friends Food Bank FaceBook - www.facebook.com/GAKS.FFFFB

Published by
Green Acres Kennel Shop
1653 Union Street
Bangor, ME 04401-2204
207-945-6841
www.greenacreskennel.com

Green Acres Kennel Shop Newsletter

Published: 17JAN12

Would You Like to Receive Valuable Green Acres Coupons?

Green Acres distributes two different editions of its newsletter; a version posted on our webpage and one our FaceBook pages (this one) and, a version which is emailed. The email edition includes valuable coupons for Green Acres services and products not offered in this edition. To subscribe, visit this page at our website.

http://www.greenacreskennel.com/information/newsletters.html)

Does Your Pet Need a Boarding Reservation?

Call us at 945-6841

REMEMBER TO BOOK EARLY FOR FEBRUARY VACATION!

(February 18^th through 26^th)

Why Buy at Green Acres?

Big-box stores are different from other kinds of retail businesses. Every $1 spent on retail results in 45 cents circulating through a community, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. But large chain stores put just 13 cents of that $1 spent back through the local economy, according to the organization. – Bangor Daily News February 24, 2011

It has always been our goal to offer, healthy wholesome pet foods and quality pet supplies at fair and consistently competitive prices. We don't lower our prices for a week to lure you in and then raise them the following week once we have you hooked. Unfortunately, many assume that those big box stores that ship most of their profits out of the area will always beat us on price. The fact is we have a great selection of items and as illustrated below our prices our substantially lower. Check us out and help keep your hard earned dollars in your community and support your neighbors!

Featured Food

b.f.f.

This month we are introducing b.f.f. (best feline friend) an all natural, grain free, tuna based canned food made in a human food facility by the same makers of Weruva pet foods. Available in 8 recipes and three sizes 3 oz, 5.5 oz and 10 oz cans, our experience has been that cats find this food simply irresistible! The meat used in b.f.f. comes from hand cut filets of Skipjack Tuna, not the scraps used in so many other pet foods. The Skipjack Tuna used in these formulas is a small, surface dwelling tuna that’s population is considered to be healthy and abundant. The redder color flesh of this tuna is less visually appealing to the western market (which translates into lower cost for the consumer); however the tuna itself contains all of the same wonderful nutrients as the whiter meat found in some other tunas. An added bonus to the Skipjack Tuna is that since it resides closer to the surface and is smaller in size there is not the same concern for the fish being laden with toxins and heavy metals.

Frequent Buyer Programs

Did you know that you can save even more when you take advantage of one of our frequent buyer programs from the following food manufacturers?

NutriSource/Pure Vita/Natural Planet Organics – Buy any products in the NutriSource family and you will get a free product, after buying twelve. NutriSource allows you to move around between formulas and brands, but does limit the free product to being the one of lowest value. Since we keep track of all of this in the store, the reward is immediate.

Natura (California Natural/Evo/Innova) – Natura’s program works the same as NutriSource’s, but you get free product after purchasing 10 items. There is an added step of our clipping the barcode off the product at time of purchase and sending the 10 barcodes to Natura, who will then send a coupon to you.

Steve's Real Food for Pets - Steve's is our most popular line of frozen, raw food for cats and dogs. We keep a card on file where we record each of your purchases. After you have purchased 12 bags, you get the 13th free.

FREE SEMINARS

Optimal Nutrition for Pets – January 26th

On Thursday, January 26^th at 6:30PM Green Acres Kennel Shop will be hosting a free seminar that will focus on optimal nutrition for pets. Don Hanson, BFRAP, CDBC, CPDT-KA and co-owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop will discuss common myths about pet food and how to choose the best pet food for your pet. He will help pet parents differentiate between the important information on a bag of pet food and the hype. Don will also demonstrate how to calculate the true cost of a pet food.

The seminar is free but we will enthusiastically accept any donations, cash or pet food, for the Eastern Area Agency on Aging Furry Friends Food Bank. Call us at 945-6841 to reserve your spot.

Canine Body Language – February 23rd

Just like our dogs are not born understanding English, we are not born understanding dog. If we want to have the best relationship with our dog we need to learn their language. On Thursday evening, February 23rd at 6:30PM, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Kate Dutra, will help you to become more aware of what your dog is communicating to you and others through the use of its body. She will also discuss what your body is saying to your dog and will describe how you can use your body for more effective management and training. This seminar is for anyone who has a dog in their life and the information presented will be applicable to a variety of interactions with humans as well as other animals. Limited seats our available, so call us at 945-6841 to reserve your spot today.

Debunking Pet Food Myths

MYTH: The Best Value Is the Food That Costs the Least Per Pound

Everyone wants to get a good value for their hard earned money, unfortunately, many people fall into the trap of incorrectly assuming that the pet food with the lowest cost per pound is the best value. Some stores even support this myth by putting labels on the shelf, which clearly state the cost per pound. While this is a great tool when comparing apples to apples so to speak; pet food is more complex than just price per pound.

Pet food manufacturers use different ingredients in different amounts to formulate their products. Some use high quality ingredients which are also more expensive. Because these high quality ingredients contain more nutrition per pound, you can feed your pet less.

In the photos above I’ve illustrated the amount of Pedigree and the amount of Innova that each bag recommends be fed to a 50 pound dog. As you can see, at 2 cups for Innova, you would be feeding half as much food as the Pedigree that requires 4 cups of food. The ingredients that go in the food make a huge difference.

In order to determine the true cost of a pet food you need to know two things; 1) the amount of food you need to feed your pet in volumetric ounces or cups, and 2) the food density of the food, or how much one volumetric cup of the food weighs. You can then use this information to determine the number of days a bag of food will last, which allows you to determine the daily feeding cost. While regulations require pet food manufacturers provide you with information on how much to feed your pet, they are not required to indicate the food density of their food. As a result most companies do not put this valuable piece of information on the label, and some will not even release it if you call and ask, making it impossible to determine the true cost of their product. In our estimation, their failure to disclose that information is enough to discourage us from feeding or recommending their food.

In an effort to help our clients evaluate different food for budgetary reasons, we work to obtain this information and do the necessary calculations so that you can see exactly how much a given food will cost to feed a fifty pound dog on a daily basis.

You can learn more at our website at: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pet-food-information

Staff News

So Long and Good Luck Rachael - We'll Miss You!

Rachael started as a Pet Care Technician at Green Acres Christmas week back in 2006. She's now completed her studies and graduated from the University of Maine and has moved on to a new fulltime position in her chosen career. If you don't know Rachael personally, your pets do. Without hesitation I know they enjoyed her care as much as she enjoyed caring for them. So long Rachael, you have lots of people and furry friends here at Green Acres that will miss you. We all wish you the best of luck and happiness in your new endeavor!

Employment Opportunity - Groomer

Green Acres has an employment opportunity for a Professional Groomer. You can find details at our website at this link - http://bit.ly/AuvUMw  - Please - No Calls.

Tune in to The Woof Meow Show

The Woof Meow Show airs twice a week –
7:30AM on Saturdays and 8:30PM on Sundays
 on WVOM 103.9FM and WVQM 101.3FM.

• 21JAN12-22JAN12 - Training Tips: Attention, Take It, and Leave It
• 28JAN12-29JAN12 - ENCORE: Cold Weather Pet Tips (original Air Date 19NOV11-20NOV11)
• 4FEB12-5FEB12 - The Importance of Spaying and Neutering Your Pet w/Dr. Mark Hanks
• 11FEB12-12FEB12 - Spay Day at the Bangor Humane Society w/Suzan Bell
• 18FEB12-19FEB12 - Pet Dental Health w/Dr. Mark Hanks

Keep up with the Woof Meow Show at our FaceBook page - https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow

Businesses We Use and Recommend

Green Acres, as well as Paula and I personally, use the products and services of a number of area businesses. Like Green Acres most of them are small and locally owned. Many, but not all are members of the Paul Bunyan Chapter of Business Networks International (http://www.paulbunyanbni.com/) an organization where we all help each other grow our businesses. This space in our newsletter will be used to recognize some of those businesses and their products.

Bangor Center for Dental Medicine - Dr. John Hauge

We started seeing Dr. Hague at the Bangor Center for Dental Medicine last year after meeting him and his wife Donna at a meeting of the Paul Bunyan Chapter of BNI. I needed a second opinion on a damaged crown and Paula needed a second opinion on a root canal - stat!  We both have been extremely impressed by the technical expertise, excellent medical care and the warm, friendly atmosphere from everyone on Dr. Hauge's staff. Paula's pain was relieved in short order.

When I first sat in the chair to have my crown redone Dr. Hauge indicated that it should be a painless procedure. Being needle-phobic all of my life, I explained that the Novocain part of dental work had always been had my biggest fear and had never been pain free for me. He explained that it can and should be as long as the practitioner takes their time. I then had my first pain-free Novocain injection. Today I had my first ultrasonic cleaning by Robin - another pain-free and wonderful procedure. While many people dread going to the dentist. Dr. Hauge, his wife Donna and the rest of the staff now make dental care something I can look forward to.

http://www.bangordentalmed.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bangor-Center-for-Dental-Medicine/136290386448

Links We Like

An Article from Psychology Today on dogs bonding to people;

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201201/do-dogs-love-people-more-they-love-other-dogs?mid=56

Our Golden Retriever, Tikken, turned 15 on January 15th. Over the years, many of you have asked how she got her name. Here is her story - http://bit.ly/AzR00X

Links to the articles corresponding to our recent Woof Meow Shows featuring Training

Housetraining - http://bit.ly/ADDx54

Chewing -  http://bit.ly/AvSBJS

Play Biting - http://bit.ly/wj9gO8

Find Us On the Internet

Green Acres Website – www.greenacreskennel.com

Green Acres FaceBook – www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop

Bach Flowers for Pets Website- www.greenacreskennel.com/bach-flowers-for-pets

Bach Flowers for Pets FaceBook - www.facebook.com/BachFlowersForPets

Woof Meow Show FaceBook – www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow

Friends of Furry Friends Food Bank FaceBook - www.facebook.com/GAKS.FFFFB

Published by
Green Acres Kennel Shop
1653 Union Street
Bangor, ME 04401-2204
207-945-6841
www.greenacreskennel.com

Green Acres Kennel Shop Newsletter

Published: 03JAN12

Would You Like to Receive Valuable Green Acres Coupons?

Green Acres distributes two different editions of its newsletter; a version posted on our webpage and on our FaceBook pages (this one) and, a version which is emailed. The email edition includes valuable coupons for Green Acres services and products not offered in this edition. To subscribe, visit this page at our website (

http://www.greenacreskennel.com/information/newsletters.html)

Thank You for Your Patronage in 2011 & Happy New Year!

Does Your Pet Need a Boarding Reservation?

Click here to email us

Or call us at 945-6841

REMEMBER TO BOOK EARLY FOR FEBRUARY VACATION!

(February 18^th through 26^th)

Green Acres Announces Participation in
APDT Train Your Dog Month

Green Acres Kennel Shop and The Woof Meow Show are proud to be supporters of the Association of Pet Dog Trainer's* (APDT) 3rd annual National Train Your Dog Month. The APDT has designated January as National Train Your Dog Month to bring awareness to the importance of socialization and training for all dogs! January was selected as the perfect month because so many animals are adopted and brought home during the winter holidays.

Each year hundreds of thousands of dogs are surrendered to shelters and rescue organizations for behavioral reasons; sadly many of these dogs are often euthanized. What is even more regrettable is that many of these problems may never have occurred had the dogs been properly trained and socialized, and had the pet parents been properly educated in a basic understanding of canine behavior, needs and communication.

Like the APDT, Green Acres believes that a better understanding of our pets’ behavior can lead to happier, healthier and more harmonious households for humans and companion animals. Green Acres offers a wide variety of dog training classes starting in January.  We have classes for puppies as young as 8 weeks of age (Puppy Headstart), young adolescents 16 weeks of age and older (Basic Manners) as well as several level two and level three classes for dogs and their humans that are ready for more advanced work.  You can find more information on Green Acres training program at: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/training

Green Acres' The Woof Meow Show, aired on WVOM, 103.9 FM and WVQM 101.3 FM every Saturday morning at 7:30AM and every Sunday evening at 8:30PM, will feature training shows throughout the month of January. On December 31^st Kate and Don will interview the APDT's Executive Director, Mychelle Blake, and will discuss all of the resources the APDT makes available to pet parents at their website (http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com) and FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/NationalTrainYourDogMonth). For the remaining three weeks Kate and Don will discuss typical training issues people face with a new dog; January 7^th -Housetraining, January 14^th -Play Biting & Chewing, and January 21^st -Attention, Leave It and Take It. Handouts on these topics will be available at the Green Acres website (www.greenacreskennel.com) in the Information-Articles and Blog-What's New sections. A complete schedule for The Woof Meow Show can be found at: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/woof-meow-show/the-woof-meow-show.

FREE SEMINARS

In recognition of Train Your Dog Month, Green Acres will also be offering three free seminars:  January 7^th -Using Bach Flower Remedies to Reduce Pet Anxiety, January 14^th - Promoting Communication with Dogs Through Body Language, and January 26^th -Pet Nutrition.  Since seating for the seminars is limited, we encourage preregistration by calling Green Acres at 945-6841. We hope you can join us in a class or seminar or catch us on the radio!

*Based in Greenville, SC, the APDT is a professional educational organization of trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through using positive, dog friendly methods based on sound scientific principles. With over 6,000 members worldwide, the APDT strives to provide professional dog trainers with a respected and concerted voice. The APDT promotes caring relationships between dogs and people and works to increase public awareness of dog-friendly training techniques. For more information, visit the APDT Web site at www.apdt.com.

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Are You Ready If Your Pet Becomes Sick or Injured?

SEMINAR: Pet First Aid & CPR – January 14^th

What would you do if your dog sustains a serious injury while out hiking? Do you know what to do if your cat stops breathing? Knowing how to perform basic pet first aid and CPR could help you save your pet’s life.

On Saturday, January 14th, at 1PM,  Green Acres Kennel Shop will be hosting a Pet First Aid & CPR seminar taught by Certified Pet Tech Instructor, Tracy Haskell. This 4-hour PetSaver Program will teach participants Pet First Aid, Pet CPR, and basic care and handling that can be used in the event of emergencies. At the completion of the program participants will have the resources they need to keep their pet safe, healthy, and happy. Whether your pets just hang around at home with you or live an active and adventurous life, the knowledge you gain in this class may possibly save your pet’s life.

The seminar will run from 1PM until 5PM and includes hands on instruction and a useful reference guide. The fee for the class is $50, with $10 from each enrollment being donated to the Eastern Area Agency on Aging Furry Friends’ Food Bank. A maximum of 10 spots are available, so don’t delay! Call Green Acres at 945-6841 to register.

Green Acres 2012 Photo Contest Calendar

Great Photos! – Valuable Coupons! – Support A Great Cause!

It's not too late to purchase a great calendar while at the same time obtaining valuable coupons and helping a very worthy cause. When you purchase a Green Acres Photo Contest calendar, we will donate $10 to the Eastern Area Agency on Aging Furry Friends Food Bank.  The calendar contains the work of our photo and drawing contest winners and coupons for Green Acres and other area businesses. Calendars sell for $20 and contain the following coupons:

• $3 OFF any medium or large bag of NutriSource, Pure Vita or Natural Organics Pet Food
• $3 OFF a 30lbs bag of Eagle Holistic Select Dry Dog Food
• $25 OFF service from Tim’s Plumbing
• $1 OFF Packing Services at the UPS store
• Up to $0.06/gallon off a fill-up at The Shell on Hammond St.
• 20% OFF a Pet or Person Photo Session with Debra Bell of Bell Imaging and Design

Featured Treat

Solid Gold Treats

Solid Gold has two new treat products: L.A. Treats which are 100% dehydrated lamb lung and Petzyme Green Beef Tripe which are 100% dehydrated green beef tripe. Both are healthy, tasty, come in re-sealable bags and would make an excellent higher value training treat, on par with freeze dried liver for some dogs.

Featured Product

Seek-A-Treat

Toys that give our dogs a reason to think make their lives more pleasurable and stimulating and often make our lives easier. We have three new toys from Seek-A-Treat: Flip 'N Flap, Discovery Wheel, and Shuffle Bone. Each different game challenges your dog with a puzzle that once solved rewards them with a tasty morsel. Help your dog survive cabin fever and pick up a Seek-A-Treat toy today. If our 15 year old Golden Retriever enjoys this toy, I bet your dog will too!

Featured Product

Sensible Harness

In recognition of Train Your Dog Month, we are featuring one of our favorite training tools - the Sensible Harness.  Teaching a dog to walk nicely on a leash takes time, yet we still need to walk the dog before they've mastered this behavior and want to be able to do so without getting our arm jerked out of our shoulder. This front-connect harness uses the simple mechanics of physics to help you keep your dog from pulling. We have had hundreds of clients purchase these harnesses over the years and they love them.

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Debunking Pet Food Myths

MYTH: If the Bag Says “Natural” It’s Natural and Is Therefore “Good”

Over the past several years food companies, pet and human alike, have been emphasizing the importance of feeding natural foods. Unfortunately the word “Natural” has no legal definition for pet food so it can be misleading. Pet food companies not only use the word “Natural” on their bags but they also use photographs and illustrations on the bag and in their advertising to create an illusion that the bag is filled with natural, fresh, whole food like beef and vegetables. For example a "natural" pet food found in most supermarkets is illustrated to the left.

If we look at the ingredients panel for this food (see below) to determine what is actually in this bag of food we can see that beef is the seventh item on the list and dried peas and carrots are number twenty and twenty-one; after sugar, water (this is a dry food), salt and various other ingredients. Obviously it is highly unlikely this bag of food contains very many peas or carrots. Also notice that the main source of meat is chicken by-product meal (the second ingredient) yet the main labeling on the bag touts this as a beef based dog food. The artificial colors highlighted in green are clearly not “natural” ingredients.

You can learn more at our website at: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pet-food-information

Staff News

Customer Service Staff Completes Natura and Weruva Training

The pet food world is changing at a rapid pace these days and Green Acres knows that if we want to provide you with the best food and nutritional advice for your furry friends, then we need to keep up to date on the latest advances. This past month Brenda, Don, Kate, Paula, and Tracy completed two separate training programs provided by our Natura representative (California Natural, Evo and Innova) and our Weruva representative (Weruva and b.f.f.). Both companies offer some excellent options for your pets and our staff is ready to answer your questions. California Natural is now promoting the concept of dietary rotation, something we first started talking about back in 2005 (http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pet-food-information/alternating-your-dogs-food-makes-sense)

Don Attends APDT Conference in San Diego

Don Hanson, co-owner and Director of Behavior Counseling and Training at the Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, has completed 30 hours of continuing education, while attending the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) annual educational conference in San Diego, CA.

Don Reelected APDT Chair

Don has also been reelected Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). He previously served two terms on the APDT Board from 2002 through 2007, and was Board Vice Chair in 2005 and 2006, and Board Chair in 2007. Reelected to the Board in 2011, Don served as Vice Chair the first half of 2011 and was elected Chair for the last half of 2011. He has now been elected to serve as Chair for 2012.

January Staff Anniversaries

Green Acres is very fortunate to have many staff members who have been with us for several years. We thank them for their service!

Erin B. – Certified Professional Dog Trainer – 2 years

Staff Champions

Every month the Green Acres staff chooses two Staff Champions; someone who has done an exceptional job and someone who has publicly recognized another employee for doing an exceptional job. Hearty congratulations and thank you to our latest champions!

November – Amber T. and Tracy H.

 Tune in to The Woof Meow Show

The Woof Meow Show airs twice a week –
7:30AM on Saturdays and 8:30PM on Sundays
 on WVOM 103.9FM and WVQM 101.3FM.

• 7JAN12-8JAN12 - Training Tips: Housetraining
• 14JAN12-15JAN12 - Training Tips: Play Biting & Chewing
• 21JAN12-22JAN12 - Training Tips: Attention, Take It, and Leave It
• 28JAN12-29JAN12 - ENCORE: Cold Weather Pet Tips (original Air Date 19NOV11-20NOV11)
• 4FEB12-5FEB12 - The Importance of Spaying and Neutering Your Pet w/Dr. Mark Hanks
• 11FEB12-12FEB12 - Spay Day at the Bangor Humane Society w/Suzan Bell
• 18FEB12-19FEB12 - Pet Dental Health w/Dr. Mark Hanks

Keep up with the Woof Meow Show at our FaceBook page - https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow

Links We Like

Bach Flower Remedies

Are you interested in the Bach Flower Remedies? If so, the following link will take you to a PDF file of the 1941 edition of Dr. Bach's books The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies. It is a great introduction into Dr. Bach's healing system in his own words. - http://bit.ly/ozN5U6

Just For Fun

What if cats had opposable thumbs? - http://www.milkmatters.co.uk/cats/

Find Us On the Internet

• Green Acres Website – www.greenacreskennel.com
• Green Acres FaceBook – www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop
• Bach Flowers for Pets Website- www.greenacreskennel.com/bach-flowers-for-pets
• Bach Flowers for Pets FaceBook - www.facebook.com/BachFlowersForPets
• Woof Meow Show FaceBook – www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow
• Friends of Furry Friends Food Bank FaceBook - www.facebook.com/GAKS.FFFFB

Published by
Green Acres Kennel Shop
1653 Union Street
Bangor, ME 04401-2204
207-945-6841
www.greenacreskennel.com

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For Immediate Release

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Contact:  Don Hanson
Green Acres Kennel Shop
945-6841

 [Bangor]- On Thursday, January 26^th at 6:00PM Green Acres Kennel Shop will be hosting a free seminar that will focus on optimal nutrition for pets. Don Hanson, BFRAP, CDBC, CPDT-KA and co-owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop will discuss common myths about pet food and how to choose the best pet food for your pet while staying within your budget. He will help pet parents differentiate between the important information on a bag of pet food and the hype. Don will also demonstrate how to calculate the true cost of a pet food.

The seminar is free but donations of cash or pet food for the Eastern Area Agency on Aging Furry Friends Food Bank will be accepted gratefully.

In business since 1965, Green Acres Kennel Shop at 1653 Union Street is a Pet Care Services Association (PCSA) accredited facility offering boarding, daycare and grooming for dogs and cats, as well as pet behavior consultations and training classes. Voted Best Kennel every year since 2002, Best Pet Store every year since 2007, and Best Dog Trainer in 2011, the Green Acres retail store offers a wide variety of wholesome pet foods, treats and quality supplies. For more information, please call 945-6841 or visit www.greenacreskennel.com or https://www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop.

Are you prepared if your dog sustains a serious injury while out hiking? Do you know what to do if your cat stops breathing? Knowing how to perform basic pet first aid and CPR could help you save your pet’s life.

On Saturday afternoon on January 14th, at 1PM Green Acres Kennel Shop will be hosting a Pet First Aid & CPR seminar taught by Certified Pet Tech Instructor, Tracy Haskell. This 4-hour PetSaver Program will teach participants Pet First Aid, Pet CPR, and basic care and handling that can be used in the event of emergencies. At the completion of the program participants will have the resources they need to keep their pet safe, healthy, and happy. Whether your pets just hang around at home with you or live an active and adventurous life, the knowledge you gain in this class may possibly save your pet’s life.

The seminar will run from 1PM until 5PM and includes hands on instruction and a useful reference guide. The fee for the class is $50, with $10 from each enrollment being donated to the Eastern Area Agency on Aging Furry Friends’ Food Bank. A maximum of 10 spots are available, so don’t delay! Call Green Acres at 945-6841 to register. 

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