| Green Acres Newsletter for 27APR13 |
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<click for a printable PDF version> FEEL FREE TO SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDSDoes Your Pet Need a Boarding Reservation?Book Now for Memorial Day Weekend & Summer!Contacting UsIf you need to communicate with us about your pet please call us or use email, not a Facebook message or wall post. Facebook’s lack of confidentiality and unreliability when it comes to forwarding messages does not provide the level of customer service we wish to provide to our clients. Or call us at 945-6841 In This Issue
We’re Making May Dog Bite Prevention Month
ohttp://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-04-06-Dog_Bite-1.mp3 ohttp://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-04-13-Dog_Bite_-2.mp3
Woof Meow Show Cutest Pet Photo Contest on FaceBook
It's time to show off your perfect pooch and cuddliest cat! It's easy! Just post a cute photo of your pet at the Woof Meow Show FaceBook page and get your friends to vote for it! The top 3 pictures with the most votes qualify for the random drawing to WIN a $100 Green Acres Kennel Shop gift certificate. Click on this link to participate: http://bit.ly/15XkfTu Contest Ends May 8th, 2013. Have fun Please Vote for Us – Best of Surveys
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Upcoming EventsBe A Tree – Dog Bite Prevention for Kids
On Saturday, May 18th at 2PM and again on Sunday, May 19th at 1PM we will be holding a FREE Doggone Safe Be A Tree dog bite prevention class for grade school age children and their parents. The “Be a Tree” program is an innovative and interactive dog bite prevention education program aimed at primary grade children. It teaches children how to read dog body language and how to act safely around dogs. Instead of telling children “don’t do this and don’t do that”, the Be a Tree program empowers them with the knowledge they need to make safe decisions based on the body language and the actions of the dog and the situation at hand. The central message of the program is “Be a Tree” (stand still and quiet and don’t look at the dog) if a strange dog approaches or any dog is causing concern or becoming too frisky. Those wishing to attend should preregister by calling 945-6841, as space is limited. Woof Meow Show Now Available As Podcasts
By clicking on the links below you can listen to our two most recent shows on off-leash play for dogs. 20APR13-21APR13 – Off Leash Dog Play for Dog Parents with Robin Bennett & Susan Briggs 27APR13-28APR13 – Off Leash Dog Play at Daycare & Boarding Kennels with Robin Bennett & Susan Briggs _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kennel NewsStaff ChampionsEvery 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 –Brenda M. & Hilary W.
March & May Staff AnniversariesGreen Acres is very fortunate to have many staff members who have been with us for several years. We thank them for their service!
Amber Horr – Professional Pet Stylist– 1 year Paula Alexander – Professional Pet Stylist– 1 year Louise & Thelma – Feline Greeters – 12 years
Congratulations Gwyn!
Certificants must have at least 300 hours of experience in teaching dog training classes before they are eligible to sit for the CPDT-KA examination. They must also provide a total of three professional references; one from a veterinarian, one from a dog training client and one from a colleague in the canine behavior profession. The exam covers instruction skills, animal husbandry, ethology, learning theory, equipment and business practices and ethics. Once certified, an individual must accumulate a minimum of thirty-sex CEUs every three years. Gwyn has been an employee of Green Acres Kennel Shop since November 2009. She joins Angela Allen, Erin Bessey, Kate Dutra, and Don Hanson as the CPDT’s teaching at Green Acres. Gwyn is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Links We Like ACTION ALERT: Contact Your CongressmanThe Controlled Substances Act (CSA) makes it illegal for veterinarians to take and use controlled substances outside of the locations where they are registered, often their clinics or homes. This means that it is illegal for veterinarians to carry and use vital medications for pain management, anesthesia and euthanasia on farms, in house calls, in veterinary mobile clinics, or ambulatory response situations. Many vets have been doing the right thing but apparently now the DEA is cracking down on vets. There is a law before congress to allow veterinarians to use the drugs they need where and when they need to use them. As one who has been fortunate enough to have our veterinarian help a pet cross the rainbow bridge in the comfort of their own home, I want to see this law changed so that practice does not stop. Click on the link and you can read more about it and very easily send an email to your representative. http://avmacan.avma.org/avma/issues/alert/?alertid=62592206 Study Reveals Food Rewards Trump Praise & TouchPraise, Touch or Food? - This recent study indicates that food rewards are much more effective for training a dog than praise or petting. http://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2012/09/now-wheres-my-treat.html A Commentary on Dog Parks from Canine Behaviorist Dr. Karen LondonDog parks are controversial in that they are only as good as the dogs and people who visit them. In this commentary in Bark magazine animal behaviorist Dr. Karen London offers her thoughts on how dog parks could become less controversial and better places for dogs if only people would change their behavior. We think she’s nailed it. http://thebark.com/content/culture-dog-parks Salmonella and The Pet Food RecallsAn important perspective on the FDA's recent recall of some pets foods for Salmonella from our friends at Dogs Naturally magazine. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/salmonella-pet-food-recalls/ Why You Want to Meet A Puppy’s Parents Before You Buy or AdoptWhenever I'm asked what to look for when selecting a breeder for a puppy I have always routinely recommended that it is best to meet both of a puppy's parents. Genetics can affect behavior and if one of the parents has behavioral issues it seems obvious that this could increase the probability of a behavior problem in the future. A new study from the UK conforms that is a possibility. Pet parents who had seen only one parent were 2.5 times more likely to take their dog to see an animal behaviorist than those who saw both parents and those owners who saw neither of the puppy’s parents were four times more likely to see an animal behaviorist. http://www.apbc.org.uk/press/viewing_puppies_and_future_behaviour_problems What Does Sparky’s Bark Mean?A great article from Bark magazine on why dogs bark and what their vocalizations may mean – http://www.thebark.com/content/dog-speak-sounds-dogs Your Dog May Understand Your Perspective More Than You RealizeDogs understand human perspective, say researchers – This article summarizes a recent study published in Animal Cognition. It documents experiments used to determine whether dogs could adapt their behavior in response to the changed circumstances of their human owners. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21411249 A Good Article on the Problem with Fake Service DogsPeople who need service and assistance dogs really need them, yet there are those who call their dog a service animal just so they can take them anywhere. This article examines how this is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. Tune in to The Woof Meow Show
The Woof Meow Show airs twice a week –
Green Acres Pet Tip of The Day Now on Eleven Local Stations One of our missions at Green Acres at is to educate people about pets and their care. One way we have accomplished this is through a presence on local radio with our pet tip of the day, which started on WKSQ (KISS 94.5FM) back in 2001, and our weekly radio show the Woof Meow Show, which started on WVOM (103.9FM) back in 2005. The goal for the pet tip of the day has always been to provide an accurate and interesting tidbit of information about adopting a pet, pet health, pet nutrition, pet behavior and upcoming pet events. The longer format of the Woof Meow Show allows us to explore pet issues in much more detail with experts from around the world. Topics in the past have included: Dealing with a Barking Dog, Picking the Perfect Pet, Insurance Issues for Pets, Acupuncture for Pets, Pet Nutrition, Litter Box Training and many others. Past guests on the show have been veterinarians (Dr. Mark Hanks, Dr. Judy Herman, and Dr. David Cloutier), authors (Robin Bennett, Susan Briggs, Steve Brown, Kathryn Miles, Pat Miller, and Joel Walton), representatives from various pet food and pet product companies and experts on behavior, training and pet care. When the pet tip of the day started on The Mike and Mike Show on WKSQ (KISS 94.5FM) back in 2001, we gave KISS DJ Mike Dow some basic guidelines and he came up with a new tip every day, for five days a week for 11 years. Thank you Mike, you did a fantastic job in helping us get our message out. At the end of 2012 The Mike and Mike Show ended its run and we decided to have the pet tip of the day follow Mike Dow and Mike Elliot to their new stations. In January the pet tip of the day started its run on The BIG Morning Show with Mike Dow on 104.7FM, 104.3FM, and 107.7FM. At the same time we also started running the pet tip of the day on The Bear Morning Show with Mike Elliot and Kat on 97.1FM, 99.1 FM and 103.3FM. We moved from one station to six and to keep things consistent Green Acres Don Hanson started prerecording the tips in advance and releasing them daily on FaceBook. On Monday, March 18th Green Acres Pet Tip of the Day program evolved once again when we became the Pet Experts for the Townesquare media radio stations in Maine (WCQB- Q106.5FM, WBNZ-Z107.3FM, WEZQ-92.9FM, WWMJ-I95.7FM, and WDEA-1370AM) adding an additional five stations where you can hear the pet tip of the day. You can also find us on the websites for these stations at: WCQB-Q106.5FM - http://q1065.fm/vip/sponsors/green-acres-kennel-shop/ WBNZ-Z107.3FM - http://z1073.com/vip/sponsors/green-acres-kennel-shop/ WEZQ-92.9FM - http://929theticket.com/vip/sponsors/green-acres-kennel-shop/ WWMJ-I95.7FM - http://i95rocks.com/vip/sponsors/green-acres-kennel-shop/ WDEA-1370AM - http://wdea.am/vip/sponsors/green-acres-kennel-shop/
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Dog bites are a serious public health problem. Half of all children will be bitten by a dog by the time they are twelve. The majority of these bites will be by the family dog or another dog known to the child. That is a statistic that Green Acres Kennel Shop would like to help change, and this is what we are doing about it.
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; 1) Best Dog Trainer, 2) Best Kennel, 3) Best Pet Groomer and 4) Best Pet Store. All you need to do to vote is to go to this website 
Do you know which of the dogs in the picture to the left are safe to approach? Does your child/grandchild/niece or neighbor know which dog to approach and which to avoid? Do the children you know what to do when a dog growls or snarls at them?
The latest episodes of the Bangor region’s show all about pets, The Woof Meow Show, are now available as podcasts at the Apple iTunes store and at: 
Dog training instructor, Gwyn Mattingly, of Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, has earned Level I certification (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the internationally recognized certification program for professional dog trainers. Gwyn now joins the more than 1000-plus Certified Pet Dog Trainers located throughout the US and in a number of countries outside the US.