Pet Food Recall

Read about it in the FDA's latest press release.

Billy To Headline WOOFSTOCK FUN FEST at the Grateful Dog Bakery in North Ridgeville, Ohio on August 1, 2010

Billy will be signing copies of Happy Dog: Caring For Your Dog's Body, Mind and Spirit, answering questions and hosting this fun- filled event. Here's the scoop and click here for more information.

WOOFSTOCK FUN FEST sponsored by The Grateful Dog Bakery

31966 Center Ridge Road, North Ridgeville OHIO

Sunday, August 1st from 10 am -5 pm

We are celebrating our 5 year Anniversay with one of the biggest bashes ever! This year we are proud to have as our very special guests:

"Groomer to the Stars" and Author Billy Rafferty
Billy, a nationally recognized, multi-certified and award-winning pet stylist and dog care expert, has a new book out called "Happy Dog—Caring for Your Dog’s Body, Mind, and Spirit," and he’ll be signing copies of it at Woofstock. In addition to being a Master Pet Stylist, Certified Master Groomer, DermaTech Specialist and Companion Animal Hygienist, he is a sanctioned grooming show judge and†a highly regarded speaker and lecturer.Billy is also the owner and principal stylist at Doggy Dooz Pet Styling Salon in Chicago, IL. His clients include Oprah Winfrey, NBC News’ Tamron Hall and Chef Art Smith.

Barnes and Noble will be selling Billy's book and he will be signing them. And...Billy will be offering a question and answer session at Noon under the Lecture Tent!

AND:

Renowned Pet Portrait Artist Michael Vistia
Mr. Vistia's work has been commissioned by Fortune 500 companies, entertainment and sports celebrities and politicians. Mr. Vistia’s lifelike renderings of family portraits, canines and thoroughbreds are on display in some of the most prestigious homes in America. His photos are also featured in Mr. Raffery’s new book (see above entry). He has also done some "Paint Your Own Pet Portrait" classes at the Bakery, and will be at Woofstock to share his talents with attendees.

New this year:
- A free lecture series featuring 30-minute workshops on various pet-related topics such as nutrition and grooming.

- Pictures with Merlinda "The Fairy Godmother" to pets!
from 11- 4 $10
- Pet Blessing for a donation at 3:00
- Kissing Booth...Kiss a Boston Terrier!

PLUS:
- Wiener Races $2.00 entry fee at 1:00
- Dog Races $2.00 per dog entry fee by size. 1:15
- Pet massage by Pet Kneads $10 for 10 min.
- Nail trims by Designer Doggies $5.00
- Variety of Information booths,
- Paw print imprints & Paint your own Pet Picture! -$5.00
- Free Fly Ball demonstration by Fur in a Blur at 2:00pm
- Outdoor cafe for people and pets with Awesome Gyros and Alyssa’s Cupcake Confections.
- Canine Skinny Dipping Pool!

Entertainment will be provided by the band iTex, featuring Plain Dealer reporter Chuck Yarborough & the fab duo of BrookeLynn!!

Proceeds from Woofstock benefit these 4 Animal Rescues:
- Love-a-Stray
- Fidos Companion
- St. Francis Animal Sanctuary
- Middleburg Hts. Animal Foundation

Other animal rescues & non-profit in attendance:
- Golden Retriever's in Need - Ohio Pug Rescue
- Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue
- Skunkhaven Rescue
- Canine Companions for Independence
- Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Friends of the Park
-Therapy Dog International

Plus:
- Camp Bow Wow
- JMT Glassworks
- Primal Pet Foods
- Natura Pet Foods
- Fromm Pet Foods
- Honest Kitchen Pet Foods
- Happy Pet Vet
- North Coast Dogs Training
- Pet Kneads
- Designer Doggies
- Healing Touch Reiki for Pets and People
- Doris Straka Animal Communicator
- Fur in a Blur
- Art Attack by Kat
- Wholesome Pet Distributing

Lecture/Demo Tent Schedule -
10:45 Therapy Dog International Demo
Dolynn Doyle
11:45 The Ins and Outs of Feeding Raw food to your pets...
Michelle Hall
12:45 Billy Rafferty Answers your questions about grooming your pet!
1:45 Ask the Vet - Dr. Dean from Happy Pet
2:45 Cooking Demo...Nurtitious recipes for your dog!
Tiffany Costanzo from Wholesome Pet
3:45 Holistic Practices for your Pet and what they do
Cheri Keller & Linda Mckenna

Contests: Entry fee is $1.00 per dog per contest
(Held in front of the entertainment tent.)
Largest/Smallest Dog- 10:30
Grooviest Dog - 11:30
Best look alike - (Wo)man/child and dog - 12:30
"Americas dogs have talent!" The most talented dog! - 1:30
Pie Eating Contest for man and dog - 3:30

- Free goodie bag with every in-store purchase (one per family). Admission is free.
PLEASE NO RETRACTABLE LEASHES/FLEXI LEADS

Lolly the Trolley
(Sponsored by Natura Pet Food, Fromm Family Foods, Primal Pet Food & Wholesome Pet Distributing)

Please park at Wagner’s Country Inn, 30855 Center Ridge Road, Westlake (corner of Center Ridge and Bradley roads), and take Lolly the Trolley to The Grateful Dog Bakery and Woofstock. Parking at Wagner’s Country Inn is free. Lolly the Trolley transportation will be $5 per family/dog(s) or $2 per person/dog(s). All parking will be at Wagner’s Country Inn this year, but you are welcome to make drop-offs at The Grateful Dog Bakery if necessary and then go park. Parking available for those with a handicap sticker also at the Bakery.

Chinese Raffles this year:
Gift Basket from Wholesome Pet Distributing
Kong Gift Basket worth over $150
Nylabone Gift Basket worth over $150
2 Indians Tickets Indians vs Orioles Thursday Aug 12th. 7:05 Diamond Box(third base line) $117.99 value plus $10.00 or concession stand.
4 Admissions to Hilarities Comedy Club in
Pickwick and Frolic.
4 admissions to the Cleveland Botanical Garden
Gift Basket from Our Gang Salon
Grateful Dog Bakery Gift Card worth $100.
Gift basket for Felines - worth $50

Other Sponsors :
K&W Distributing
Merrick Pet Food

PLEASE NO RETRACTABLE LEASHES/FLEXI LEADS

Social Media, Facebook and and Dogs

Happy Dog: Caring For Your Dog's Body, Mind and Spirit and Jill's recent foster dog experience are featured in this entry from the blog Legally Social.

Read More About Pets Affected by the Gulf oil spill.

Here is an article with more detail about the oil crisis and animal shelters in Louisiana.

Read this article about Plaquemines (LA) Animal Welfare Society too.

Shelters in the Gulf Area Need Help!

We've just received an urgent dispatch from our friend Sam and his mom Josie, who live in the Gulf region near Sarasota. Shelters all over the Gulf region and in Louisiana especially are being overwhelmed due to the oil spill crisis and they need our assistance.

Here's Sam and Josie's message:

Sadly the Gulf is again in a very bad situation. Many families are giving up their pets to shelters since they can't afford to feed them. Shelters in St Barnard Parish, LA and Plaquemines Parish, LA, the Point Celeste Therapeutic Riding Center and Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (P.A.W.S.) are giving free food with the help of the HSUS for as long as the food holds out. I know there are shelters like Animal Rescue New Orleans that could use food to distribute as well. Any help you can give in getting the word out would be great.

Thanks! Josie

Please consider making a donation to an animal shelter in the Gulf region, every dollar counts and can help people keep their pets!

Our Friend Sam is Famous!

Photos by Emilee Fuss

Sam, the beautiful Golden Retriever from Florida was a winner in our Show Us Your Happy Dog contest back in September.

We've been keeping up with Sam and his mom Josie. Today, we are pleased to announce that Sam is featured on the cover of the April/May edition of Sarasota Pet Magazine. Way to go Sam! Emilee Fuss photographed Sam and he certainly looks happy and beautiful!

Sam is a therapy dog and we are proud that Sarasota Pet recognized his service to the community. If you live around Sarasota or Manatee County, Florida, please check out Sarasota Pet, it's a beautiful color magazine and a wonderful resource for pet owners.

Here is the text of the article. For the full-color version, please contact Sarasota Pet for a copy.

He has a smile that captivates attention no matter where he goes. In fact, Samuel—a two-year-old Golden Retriever who is the constant companion of Sarasota resident Josie Norman—was a winner in the nationwide “Show Us Your Happy Dog Contest,” sponsored by Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr, coauthors of the book, Happy Dog: Caring for Your Dog’s Body, Mind and Spirit (Penguin Group/Sep 2009).

Named for Samuel in the Old Testament, Sam, as he is affectionately called, will turn three in November. He has been Josie’s pride and joy since she first adopted him, just three weeks after losing her 9 ½ -year-old Golden Retriever to lymphoma.

“After I lost my Golden, I searched and searched for weeks for another Golden Retriever puppy to adopt, but couldn’t find one anywhere,” Josie says.

But she decided to look online one more time.

“If I don’t find a Golden today, it will be a Chocolate Lab tomorrow,” she decided.

As fate would have it, Josie found a classified ad posted on PetFinder by a woman who lived northwest of Gainesville. So, she sent an e-mail to the woman, who responded by sending Josie photographs.

“The second I saw Sam’s picture, I knew; I just knew,” Josie says with absolute conviction. “Even through the classified ad, I could feel a connection with him.”

So, Josie arranged to meet the woman at the Zephyrhills exit on the highway and brought her puppy home.

Like too many pups, Sam, it seems, had a heartbreaking start in life. Two of his siblings were killed by a male dog in the household when the litter mates were only two weeks old. So the owner scooped up the rest of the puppies and placed them in a closet, where they lived day and night—without their mother—until they were adopted.

“You don’t lock a sweet puppy like Sam in a closet,” Josie says.

When Josie brought her new puppy home, she was surprised that he didn’t cry the first night he was in his new surroundings.

“It seems that Sam learned early on that he had no choice but to keep quiet at night,” Josie says solemnly.

And then there was the time that the young pup “went ballistic” when Josie took out a broom to sweep. She realized that there was a good chance that Sam had been threatened or perhaps even abused.

“Sam was taken away from his mother when he was only two weeks old,” Josie says. “There were things he needed to learn from his mother and didn’t, so for the first two weeks he was with me, I was his mom.”

Despite his rocky beginnings, Sam is now “just the best behaved dog,” Josie says proudly.

Originally from Clear Lake, Iowa—a city that made international headlines when the late, legendary Buddy Holly played his last concert there at the Surf Ballroom in 1959—Josie moved to Florida in June 1999.

“I was tired of the wind, the snow and the bitter cold weather,” she recalls. “I wanted to live in a warmer climate.”

Josie always has been an artist at heart. She is skilled in both pottery and jewelry making, and currently sells one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces with images of cats, dogs and horses in a collection she calls “Spirit Breathed Fire Born Jewelry.” Created in fire-fused dichroic glass and fully annealed for years of durable wear, the “works of art” are available locally at Animals by Nature/Tree of Life Club, Max’s Dog Bakery and Shaggy Chic Boutique and Wet Noses and online at Josie’s Facebook page.

In addition to her jewelry, Josie also creates intricate lampwork beads from glass, a craft she taught herself after watching a demonstration at an art show in Englewood.

But it is Josie’s genuine love of animals that matters to her most. During Hurricane Katrina, she worked as a Stealth Volunteer, helping to reunite more than 1,500 Katrina families and their pets. The organization of nationwide and international volunteers started as a Yahoo group committed to reuniting lost animals with their families following a disaster.

Josie also received training through the Network of Hope, a nationwide organization that responds to disasters, to become a disaster recovery specialist for Sarasota and Manatee counties.

On Saturday, June 12, Josie will host a special presentation about the heartbreaking tragedies she witnessed as a reunite worker during Hurricane Katrina when Animals by Nature/Tree of Life Club hosts the Third Annual H.E.L.P. (Hurricane Event for Lovers of Pets) Day. For additional information about the event, please visit www.animalsbynature.com.

Training and showing dogs also has been one of Josie’s passions since the late 1960s. And Sam is certainly a testament to the quality of self-taught guidance and instruction Josie can provide.

While, Josie claims, “training is an ongoing process,” Sam already has earned his Canine Good Citizen Award from the American Kennel Club. He is a registered service dog with the U.S. Service Dog Registry and a therapy dog for the Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC). In fact, Sam also has earned a “Therapy Dog Terrific Award” from The Bright and Beautiful Dog Therapy, Inc., a nonprofit organization with which he is registered.

Surprisingly, Sam is the first therapy dog that Josie has trained.

“I just felt that it was something I needed to do with Sam,” Josie says. “He has a natural affinity for children.”

So, because Sam “loves, loves, loves kids,” Josie and Sam go to Oak Park School in Sarasota every Thursday afternoon to spend time with the special needs children at the school.

“There was one little boy at Oak Park that was deathly afraid of Sam,” Josie says. “He would scream and hide whenever Sam came into the classroom, but he would watch as the other children in the classroom pet Sam and talked to him.

“After six months, the little boy finally came over to Sam last week and touched him for the first time,” Josie continues. “It was a very special moment.

“I think that Sam has a very special connection with children,” Josie continues. “He lets them know that he won’t hurt them. He loves going to school, and he instinctively knows when it is a school day. If we don’t go for some reason, he paws at me, as if he is asking, ‘Did you forget?’”

Sam and Josie also have participated in HSSC’s “Dreams are Free” therapy program at St. Martha’s Catholic School in Sarasota and will frequently attend school health fairs, child safety rallies and other events together throughout the community.

Both Josie and Sam are strong supporters of spaying and neutering pets and adopting animals at local rescue organizations.

“A lot of really great pets are up for adoption, and people should look to adopt rather than buy an animal,” Josie says. “After all, Sam was adopted. Heaven knows what would have happened if he had stayed where he was born.”

Inseparable—that’s what Sam and Josie are. No doubt, it was a bond that was meant to be, one that began with a small classified ad on the Internet that inspired what instantly became a spiritual connection, a lifelong friendship, an enduring love…and one very happy dog.

Thank you to Candace Botha, Publisher of Sarasota Pet Magazine for allowing us to reprint her article.

Dog and Deer Playdate

Check out this unusual playdate:

Our Guest Blog

Check out our most recent guest post on David Sutton's blog.

HAPPY DOG in the news

We are excited to tell everyone that Billy will be featured on WGN TV's Midday News Show on Monday March 29th. The show begins at 11:00 am CST, so please tune in to see Billy.

In addition, check out our guest blogs on celebrated pet photographer David Sutton's blog Pith and Vinegar. We've been blogging there in March and will continue in April.

Volunteering is fun! We recommend it highly!

Yesterday, Billy and Jill along with Sue and Jacque, members of our intrepid volunteer grooming crew, visited the Animal Welfare League of Chicago Ridge's intake center on the south side of Chicago. Check out the photos from our visit to AWL and other shelters here.


We worked with Diane and her crew, who are all dedicated and wonderful people. We applaud their hard work and were thrilled to help!

We walked, groomed and pampered dogs who were on their way the the organization's Chicago Ridge facility for adoption. Photographer Sheri Berliner of Petraits Pet Photography was on hand photographing the adoptable animals, which include rabbits, cats and dogs. Sheri's photographs help the AWL publicize the animals.

BEFORE

AFTER

Volunteering at a local shelter is a wonderful way to get hands on experience with animals. While you are making them feel good, we guarantee that you won't be able to wipe the smile off your face knowing you brought comfort and love to a homeless animal.


A dog is much more adoptable if she looks like a pet rather than a grubby street dog. Every time we groom a shelter dog, we can see and feel the dog's relief when all the old fur and dirt come off. Moreover, the interaction and attention from a caring human lifts the dog's spirits, making her more attractive to potential adopters. Many of these dogs have never been properly cared for, and a gentle grooming session can gain their trust and keep them relaxed when they meet potential adopters.

You don't need to be a professional groomer to make a difference in a dog's life. Most of our grooming crew are regular people who have learned to bathe and brush the dogs. Everything you need to know to learn to pamper shelter dogs and your pooch, is in our book Happy Dog: Caring For Your Dog's Body, Mind and Spirit.

Start reading and volunteering! If you have any questions, send them in and Billy will answer them.

A Cute Pooch To Make You Smile Today

Here's Maxine from California. She loves playing in the dog park.

Anyone who has a dog can relate to this fun video...

... well, maybe not people who share their lives with a Peruvian Inca Orchid or a Xoloitzcuintli.

The singer songwriter is groomer Randi Breese from Ohio.
Enjoy!

Happy Dog Story: Lil' Bit Joins the Family

Meet Lil' Bit, the cute Pit Bull mix pictured above enjoying a snooze on the couch. Lil' Bit's mom Sheri recently shared her story with us and we are pleased to share it with you.

Sheri is an area representative of Dogs Deserve Better, a wonderful non-profit organization that raises awareness about chained and penned dogs and helps rescue and place them in homes.

As a small pup, Lil' Bit and another Pit Bull mix puppy were rescued from being chained outdoors in Nashville, Tennessee. Sheri received an email looking for foster homes for the pups. Sheri, however, already shared her home with two happy senior pooches: Shea, a 10 year old Rottweiler, and Max, her 7 year old son. Being seniors, Shea and Max were set in their ways and were not always pleased to welcome other dogs. Sheri was, therefore, hesitant about offering to foster one of the pups.

After seeing Lil' Bit's photo and visiting her in Nashville, Sheri was hooked. "It was love at first sight!" she reports. Sheri brought Lil' Bit home and introduced her to Shea and Max, slowly and safely. Although Shea and Max "were not overly thrilled at first, now they are best buddies." Lil' Bit has found her forever home!

Max, Shea and Lil' Bit relaxing together

Sheri is overjoyed with Shea and Max's acceptance of their new sister. "Lil' Bit will jump on them and aggravate them, and they snarl and growl, but they have never hurt her." Sheri writes. "They all play so well. Shea and Max are probably not as happy as Lil' Bit, but she is certainly happy to be loved, played with, cared for, and not have to be chained another day in her life!"

Lil' Bit playing with Shea

We are pleased to hear that another homeless pooch has found a wonderful loving home. Sheri thanks for sharing your story with everyone in Happy Dog Land!

We'd love to hear your story too. To share your story, click here.

Meet Shabba, A Lucky Pooch Reunited With His Mom After A Fire

Today, we are pleased to share a lovely story from Beverly, a dedicated dog mom. Meet Shabba, Beverly's beautiful four year old 96 pound Japanese Akita.

In in late November 2008, Beverly's house burned in a fire. Shabba survived the fire by hiding in the back of the yard. On the night of the fire, however, he stepped in a gopher hole and injured his ACL. Tragically, Shabba's pal Sassy, a little red Shiba Inu (pictured below playing with Shabba), passed away after being overcome by smoke.

Unfortunately, Beverly's temporary housing did not allow pets and Shabba lived with a caretaker. Shabba's ACL was recovering quite well until his caretaker moved him into an open dirt lot behind a 12 ft fence. As dogs walked by the fence, Shabba jousted with them, which aggravated his ACL. In addition, Shabba suffered from severe flea bite dermatitis. As Beverly noted, "My dog was simply not in a good place."

Happily, Beverly and Shabba were reunited in May 2009! They now live in a new home with a nice yard and Shabba is no longer living outside. As Beverly reports, Shabba is now once again a happy dog. "He loves looking out the windows with views of three streets and sleeps at my door like he is on sentry duty." In addition, canine aspirin and glucosamine have increased Shabba's mobility.

Beverly and Shabba enjoy two daily 20 minutes walks together. Of course, Beverly does not allow him to taunt any dogs that are locked behind fences. "It's just not a nice or neighborly thing to do," she adds.

We are so pleased that Shabba and Beverly are happy together again! Beverly, thank you for sharing your story with everyone in Happy Dog Land!

We'd love to hear your happy dog story too! Here's how to share your story.

Cute Holiday Pooches

When we receive photos of our Happy Dog Land furry friends, we like to share. Here's a few we just received.

Abbie Bella from Alabama is enjoying her first Christmas. We're certain that Santa left her lots of presents!

Even champions let their hair down--especially when it snows. Yoshi playing outside in New Jersey.

Send us your photos and we'll share them with everyone in Happy Dog Land.

Why Are (most) Dog Owners Great? Let Us Count the Ways

Washington Post colunist Ezra Klein offered some thoughtful words this week on Why Dog Owner's Make the Best Citizens.

Hero Dog Saves 11 year old boy

Wow!! This is quite a story about a family's Golden Retriever who saved the 11 year old son from a cougar attack. What's truly remarkable is that the after sustaining serious injuries from the cougar attack, the dog checked to see if the child was safe before collapsing.

Steve Dale's 2010 Pet Resolutions Rock

Steve Dale is a nationally syndicated journalist, animal advocate and all around great guy. Steve's Chicagonow.com column covers the myriad issues related to pets and animals. His work is sometimes serious, funny, sad or controversial, but always insightful and interesting.

Steve's Top-10 Resolutions for Pets for 2010 caught our eye today and we think you should check it out too.