Green Acres Newsletter and Grooming Coupon for 23MAR12

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Published: 23MAR12 <click for a printable PDF version>

Does Your Pet Need a Boarding Reservation?

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.

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Open House & New Groomer Reception

Free Nail Trims, Refreshments, and 20% OFF Non-Food Items

Paula Alexander and Amber Horr-5MAR12-w-names 600x398 We want all of our clients to have the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with both Amber and Paula, the new Green Acres grooming team. For this purpose, we have scheduled an open house to include free nail trims, refreshments and 20% off all non-food purchases.

Please join us on Saturday, March 31st from 9AM to 5PM, or Sunday, April 29th from 1PM to 5PM for our "Welcome to Green Acres” Reception and Open House. If you plan to bring your pet along for a free nail trim we would appreciate it if you provide their rabies vaccination certificate unless we already have it on file.

Grooming Coupon

For ________________________

10% OFF Your Pet's First Green Acres Grooming
with Amber or Paula

Coupon must be printed and presented in its entirety at time of redemption.
One per family. Not valid with other coupons, discounts or special offers.
This coupon valid until May 15, 2012.

Expanded Sunday Hours

New We are now open from 8AM until 5PM Sundays! Additionally, we are offering grooming all day both Saturdays and Sundays in an effort to increase convenience for our clientele. We will be open for boarding pick-ups and drop-offs, grooming, and retail sales.

Please note however that on Easter Sunday, April 8^th, we will be having our holiday hours of 9AM-10AM, by appointment only, or we will be open from 4PM to 5PM.

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FREE SEMINARS

Optimal Nutrition for Pets – March 31st

On Saturday, March 31^st at 10:00AM, 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.

Photo Seminar - April 22nd

Professional Photographer Debra Bell, from Bell Imaging and Design, will be at Green Acres on Sunday, April 22 from 2PM to 3PM to give you some key tips for getting the best possible photos of your furry friends. Deb photographs babies, weddings, saw blades, as well as many other things, but she especially enjoys photographing pets. This is a great opportunity to learn how to get that special shot from an expert; that way you'll be well prepared for the next Green Acres’ photo contest which starts on May 1st.

Call us at 945-6841 to reserve your spot.

Best of Surveys – Please Vote!

Voted Best_2011_Small_Web 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 four categories; Best Dog Trainer, Best Kennel, Best Pet Groomer 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!

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Staff News
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!

February – Tracy H. & Amber T.

Debunking Pet Food Myths

MYTH: Raw Meat & Bones Are Bad for Pets

In 1980 dry dog food was introduced in Australia for the first time. Previously most Australian dogs were fed a variety of leftovers from their guardians’ meals. Before the decade was over, Australian veterinarians started to see an increase in illness, as well as considerably more dental problems with dogs. In his book, Give Your Dog A Bone, Dr. Ian Bilinghurst, an Australian Veterinarian, postulated that this decrease in canine health was caused by the switch to dry dog food. In this first, and subsequent, books Dr Bilinghurst advocated for a switch to a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet. Soon veterinarians and dog lovers throughout the world were looking at the idea of a raw diet for both dogs and cats. Such diets became commercially available in the late 1990’s.

More and more people are looking at the natural diets of felines and canines, and as a result are feeding their pet’s raw meat and bones. In response many of the traditional pet food companies are actively warning people about the dangers of a raw diet. Again if we let commonsense prevail, this myth just does not hold up. Have you ever seen a cat eat a mouse? Who do you suppose cooks food for feral dogs?? Canines and felines, when left to their own devices, would eat a diet of fresh, whole food, including raw meat and bones, as well as “far from fresh” carrion that they might scavenge. They have survived doing exactly this for millions of years.

A major argument against feeding a raw diet, especially one composed of chicken has been the fear of the diet being contaminated with the salmonella bacteria. While raw chicken purchased at the supermarket is often laden with bacteria, the supermarket is not concerned because they know we will cook it before consuming it. The chicken used in commercial raw food diets is handled very differently than the chicken we eat. It is maintained at sub-zero temperatures throughout the production process to prevent bacterial contamination.

FACT: No commercial raw diet has been recalled for salmonella contamination; dry dog foods have. A point dry food manufacturers often neglect to mention is that their products are also susceptible to bacterial contamination.

There are risks feeding of raw diet, but if you take the necessary precautions and ensure your animal receives the appropriate nutrients, it can be quite safe and very nutritious. If you do decide to explore this option, take the time to educate yourself and read many of the excellent books on the subjects such as Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze. You might also consider feeding one of the commercially prepared raw diets, available in the freezer section at Green Acres.

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

Requesting Donations from Green Acres

Paula and I have always believed that it is important to give back to our community. Over the years we have provided support to numerous organizations and individuals that have had a cause or a need that touched our hearts.

The organizations and individuals that we have supported over the years range anywhere from animal shelters and individual benefit auctions to senior centers and food drives. .In some cases our donations are on a regular schedule, in other case they are one-time events. Our donations are often in the form of gift bags or gift vouchers for services and products at Green Acres. It is our preference to give to local organizations that focus on helping animals, children, seniors and the environment; organizations that support social justice and that do not discriminate. We also do what we can to support individuals and families with a special need that are friends, friends of friends or clients.

It is not unusual for Green Acres to receive several requests for charitable donations every month. As much as we would like to, it is not financially possible for us to respond favorably in every case. In order for us to objectively and fairly evaluate each request we ask that all solicitations be in writing, preferably on the letterhead of the organization or individual seeking the donation. Each request should include:

An overview of the organization.
How you or your organization is familiar with Green Acres Kennel Shop.
Proof of the organization's 501(c) (3) not-for-profit tax exempt status.
An indication of what you are requesting (cash donation, services, merchandise, gift certificate, etc.).
A description of the project or event for which the donation will be used.
The date which the donation will be collected.
A name and contact information for an individual who can discuss any questions that we may have regarding this contribution.

If we have donated to your organization in the past year and have all of the above information on file, feel free to contact me by email at [email protected]. We also have a form on our website (http://www.greenacreskennel.com/about-us/policy-on-charitable-contributions-and-donations) that you can use to provide this information.

We look forward to learning more about your organization and receiving your contribution request. You can expect to hear from us within four weeks of your submission.

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.

24MAR12 - 25MAR12 - Grooming: Meet Our Professional Pet Stylists - Amber & Paula - part 1
31MAR12 - 1APR12 - Grooming: Meet Our Professional Pet Stylists - Amber & Paula - part 2
7APR12 - 8APR12 - Bangor Humane Society & ASPCSA Challenge Grant
14APR12 - 15APR12 - Pet Photography with Deb Bell of Bell Imaging & Design

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

From the Bangor Humane Society

Bangor Humane Society to Participate in ASPCA Mega Match-a-thon

Community Support Needed to Find Homes for Animals and Save More Lives

[Bangor, ME] — Bangor Humane Society in Bangor, ME announced that they are one of 55 animal rescue organizations receiving grant funding to participate in the first ASPCA ‘Mega Match-a-thon’ event, which will take place on March 30^th, 31^st, and April 1st. The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is granting nearly $500,000 to support large-scale adoption events held simultaneously nationwide in an effort to save more lives of shelter animals.

“The event is a celebration of pet companionship and an opportunity to promote pet adoption,” says Suzan Bell, BHS Executive Director. “Our goal through this adoption event is to not only to see each of our animals get adopted into loving homes, but to also collaborate with shelters across the state, so that all animals throughout Maine can be offered the same opportunity. We hope to build a state-wide coalition that supports and advocates for pet adoption and we invite everyone in the community to join us. Working together we can save lots of animals and enrich the lives of new adopting families.”

Bangor Humane Society with be extending its business hours for this special event. BHS will be open 10 am -8 pm on Friday and Saturday and 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday. BHS will also be partnering with the Waterville Humane Society, who will be transferring some of their adoptable pets to BHS to be adopted during the event. The goal is to empty the shelter of every adoptable animal.

To prepare for the event, BHS will be closed Thursday, March 29^th and will not be accepting any intakes of animals from Wednesday, March 28^th until Monday, April 2^nd when they return to their regular operating hours.

Some more event details are as follows:

The event will feature a variety of family-friendly activities and special adoption fees.
All adult cats 6 months and older will be fee waived.
All puppies will be $230
All kittens will be $100
All dogs 6 months to 1 year are 50% off.
All adult dogs over 1 year are fee waived.
All adopted animals will come with free ID and collar and free microchip.
Potential adopters need to be prepared with photo ID and payment for the adoption.
If anyone is looking to adopt an adult dog then all family members must be present to do the visit, including any family dogs as a dog-to- dog visit will be required.

“We invite people from across the state to visit us during our ASPCA Mega-Match-a-thon. We encourage them to come with open minds and open hearts, as we hope to match every adoptable pet in our shelter into a loving forever home,” says Stacey Coventry, BHS PR Manager. “Our goal is for the first time to have an empty shelter and to find a match for each of our animals, like Murdoc, a 5 year old Thai Ridgeback mix that was recently adopted after spending over a year in two different Maine Shelters.”

The Bangor Humane Society is busy planning the event details, which includes the spay/neuter and vaccination of all adoptable pets prior to the event. They are also training a large group of volunteers to help make the event a success. Individuals can stay tuned as event details unfold by listening to Kiss 94.5, watching WABI, or visiting the web at www.bangorhumane.org or www.facebook.com/BangorHumane.

Individuals can support the event by making a monetary donation or by encouraging friends, families, coworkers, etc to attend the event and consider adoption first. Local businesses can get involved by sharing news about the event or donating food and supplies. For inquiries they can contact Stacey at 942.8902 ext 103 or email at[email protected]">[email protected].

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.

MrD Lawn Care

Spring is here and it’s time to start thinking about spring cleanup, lawn mowing & landscaping services. Green Acres uses MrD, a small local company, for mowing and other small projects around the property. MrD is a small company with big results where the owner is at every job. They have done a great job for us for the past two years at a very fair price. Services include but aren't limited to spring cleanup, mowing, mulching, tree & shrub pruning, and small landscaping projects. If you are looking for a lawn services company that is reliable and fully insured, we recommend you give MrD a call for a free estimate. 299-4469

Links We Like

Clicker Training

A great blog post from Dr. Sophia Yin about Keller and Marian Breland's work which is the foundation of modern day clicker training. - http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/animal-behavior-enterprises-creates-the-field-of-applied-animal-psychology

Homeopathy

An article from the Huffington Post on a government study in Switzerland that affirms that homeopathic treatment is both effective and cost-effective and that homeopathic treatment should be reimbursed by Switzerland's national health insurance program. - http://huff.to/xuoJk7