EverythingDogBlog #36
By Skye Anderson, MS
Spring has Sprung and Zuma Wants to Help with the Planting!
Zuma The Golden is ready for a hard day of work (and play) in the first photo. In the second, he is hunting for the mouse he saw in the strawberry patch last year. Who needs a silly ol’ cat with Champion Mouser Zuma around!
National Items of Note
First of all, April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month AND National Pet First Aid Awareness Month as well as Prevent Lyme Disease in Dogs Month (http://www.peteducation.com/general.cfm?static_pagesid=41)!
What is animal cruelty? http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/how-to-recognize-cruelty.aspx
Take a class in Canine First Aid (http://animalcentral.net/blog/april-is-national-pet-first-aid-awareness-month/) offered by the American Red Cross.
April 7 begins Animal Control Officer (ACO) Appreciation Week (http://www.nacanet.org/aco_appreciation.html), April 14 begins National Pet ID Week (double check that your dog is wearing his tags and is microchipped), April 21 begins Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week (see the Humane Society of the United States webpage) and there are special pet days as well in April:
April 11 is National Pet Day (focusing on rescues and shelters, http://www.petdayusa.com/, “Adopt, Don’t Shop”),
April 26 is National Kids and Pets Day (http://www.kidsandpetsday.com/) and National Dog Day (http://www.nationaldogday.com/) and
April 27 is both World Veterinary Day (this year highlighting vaccinations – http://worldvet.org/node/10403 - “Vaccination to prevent and protect”) and Hairball Awareness Day (that’s for cat owners).
On a More Local Scene
In Maryland, the weather usually cooperates with dog walks and other canine celebrations in the spring primarily and also in the fall. Here are some events to start the season off with!
1.Simply the Greatest Labrador Retriever Show in the World - the 38th Potomac Specialty in Frederick, MD, April 9-12 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center at FSK Mall with hundreds of black labs, yellow labs, chocolate labs (not the edible kind - sorry) and a red fox lab or two. Conformation (think: Westminster dog show in February), Obedience, Puppy matches, Rally, junior events, judges’ educational seminars, health clinics, raffles, receptions, vendors with T-shirts and leashes and artwork (janepartin.com, saraenglanddesigns.com) and auctions. Everything to keep you busy for days. http://www.lrcp.com/specialty.shtml
2. Sunday, April 21, is the annual March for the Animals at Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, 10-2, (http://marchfortheanimals.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1055077), a 1.5 mile walkathon for dogs and their people (stuffed dogs are welcome, too!). Play musical chairs, have your dog’s photograph taken, sample a dog agility course, get your dog microchipped! All to benefit the Maryland SPCA.
Support Canine Companions for Independence, an assistance dog training organization in California with puppy raisers in Maryland, at Sails and Tails in Annapolis. Enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting, a silent auction, dog demos, and chocolate for 75$. For more information, contact dmackenzie@cci.org.
3.Saturday, April 27, is Columbia’s annual Dog Day Afternoon at Hopewell Park, 11-2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3CXg5skEuw Meet local dog businesses; donate slightly used dog leashes and other items to Thankful Paws (www.thankfulpaws.org)( http://columbia.patch.com/blog_posts/thankful-paws-will-love-for-food), a local food bank for pets; watch dog portraits in the making; participate in a canine kissing contest - and much more. Stop at the Columbia Community Exchange booth and ask me a dog training or behavior question!
Have a ball at the Annual GRREAT Bark-B-Que, 11-3, Quiet Waters Park (Off-Leash park with trails – beach is closed), Annapolis, MD. Rain or Shine to benefit GRREAT, a golden retriever rescue.http://grreat.org/barkbque.htm
Bring your dog to Glen Elg Country School – for fun! The 3rd annual K-9 9K begins at 10 am and is followed by a BBQ, raffle and more family fun to raise funds for a life-saving canine and promote mine-detection dogs through the Marshall Legacy Institute (info@ marshall-legacy.org)
Also, this weekend is the first ever World of Pets in Hampton, VA. This is the World of Pets like the one we have had at the Maryland State Fairgrounds for more than 10 years, every January. If you missed that one this year or just want to go again, check out the website, http://www.worldofpets.org/
3.The 15th annual Paws in the Park will take place on April 28, Sunday, noon – 4, in Gaithersburg, MD, and will include a ‘flealess’ market this year, held in conjunction with the Montgomery County Humane Society to raise funds for homeless and abandoned animals in Montgomery County.http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/poi/default.asp?POI_ID=577&TOC=107;84;99;577;
What more could a good dog ask for than to participate in fun April activities with YOU!
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