Paradise Pets Magazine, Ketchikan, AK Vol. 2 Issue 2 Apr-May-June 2017

Welcoming a Puppy Home

Volume 2 Issue 2 | Apr-May-June 2017

Paradise Pets Magazine is published

by Publish In Paradise for the purpose of uniting and supporting our pet communities. A portion of all net advertising revenue is donated to local animal rescue organizations in Southeast Alaska.

For advertising inquiries, please visit us online or email ads@publishinparadise.com © 2017 Publish in Paradise Paradise Pets Magazine ParadisePetsMag.com Publisher: Angela J. Willard paradisepets@publishinparadise.com

This spring is bringing new things for Paradise Pets Magazine in Alaska–an expansion to cover all of Southeast!

We will be expanding our paw prints throughout Southeast Alaska this year, looking to cover stories and animal shelters not only in Ketchikan, but in Prince of Wales, Juneau, Sitka, and all the way up to Haines.

Send us your rescue tails, your happy tails and everything in between! We especially love your pet pics–you can submit them online, by email, Instagram or even tweet them to us on Twitter.

Contributors: Angela J. Willard Karen Thomas Cherese Cobb

In this issue, be sure to read Oliver’s story (page 7) who was rescued from a shelter and is now a star!

Have a Hoppy Spring!

On the Cover: Keep Your Feline Friends Healthy (see article on page 13). Photo courtesy of Amanda Nolan Booker.

If you have a story you would like to share of how your rescued pet has rescued you, please email it to the editor at paradisepets@publishinparadise.com

Features 4 Welcoming a Puppy Home 7

Oliver: From Shelter to Stardom

11 7 Pit Bull Facts

Departments Pet Parents 14

4 Tips for Helping Pets in Need

Pet Health 12

Health Help for Your Feline

Friend

13 Resource Guide

PARADISE PETS MAGAZINE DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational and interest purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. Veterinarians cannot answer specific questions about your pet's medical issues or make medical recommendations for your pet without first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Your pet's medical protocol should be given by your local holistic veterinarian.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

N

othing is more heartwarming than the first warm nuzzle from a new puppy. With new pets, however, come new responsibilities and opportunities, which can often lead to New Year's resolutions involving new furry friends.

"No matter the season, it's always a moving and emotional experience when a puppy finds a new home," said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer at PetSmart. "Our passionate associates are available to help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives."

To help puppy parents welcome their pets home - and keep New Year's commitments - PetSmart, the largest specialty pet retailer across North America, offers this expert advice on nutrition, socialization, essentials and health care to help keep pets happy and healthy.

Find a Veterinarian A veterinarian should be your first call if your puppy gets into something that could potentially harm him or her. Vets are also great resources to keep you up-to-date on puppy care, like vaccination timing. Use a

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tool like the free askPETMD app, available in the Apple App and Google Play stores, to find a veterinarian near you.

time for puppies to rest on their own, a puppy crate can perform double duty, providing puppies their own area away from stressors to nap and serving as a structure that promotes potty training.

ID Your Pet While pets are getting acclimated to their home, and with people going in and out, it can be easy for them to slip out a door. Be prepared in case they embark on an unplanned journey around the neighborhood. To ensure you are reunited, outfit your pup with proper ID, including a personalized ID tag.

Give Your Dog Time to Acclimate

Pup-Proof Your Home

Research Nutrition

Dogs love to chew, whether it's on shoes or something more dangerous like wiring or extension cords. To protect them and promote positive chewing experiences, use toys or treats to occupy their time and allow them to chew safely, such as a Puppy Bone Starter Toy Kit. It's also important to place household products like trash, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies out your pup's reach.

It may be tempting to feed a puppy human food, but they require specially formulated food and often have different eating schedules than an adult dog. Do your research, read labels and ask questions.

Consider leading natural pet lifestyle brands, like Only Natural Pet, which offer formulas such as Puppy Power Feast food, as well as a variety of treats.

Give Puppies Their Own Space According to a survey commissioned by PetSmart and conducted by Wakefield Research, 47 percent of U.S. dog owners let their puppy sleep in bed with them seven nights per week. However, when it's

Socialization is critical during a pup's early years. While everyone may be ready to meet the new member of your family, consider introducing them to one or two people at a time, so the puppy can get to know them and warm up to their scent.

Invest in Training Consistent training is an important responsibility of a puppy parent. Dogs crave love and praise, and a properly trained pooch will better understand what's expected of him or her. If necessary, get help from puppy training experts to

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help ensure all family members are able to live happily in one harmonious pack.

Find more tips for welcoming a new pet into your home this year at PetSmart.com or download PetSmart's mobile app, which tailors content to help guide pet parents based on your pet profile.

Source: PetSmart | Family Features

Personalized Keepsake Pet Magazines are a great way to showcase your beloved pet to friends, family and colleagues. Whether your pet is a professional show pet or a cuddly lap dog, your fur baby is a member of your family. A Keepsake Pet Magazine is also a great way to remember and honor a beloved pet who is no longer with you.

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By: Cherese Cobb, for Paradise Pets Magazine

Meet Oliver, the pit bull who is punching his timecard for the greater good. As the CCO (Chief Canine Officer) for Bzees — a women’s shoe company— he attends photo shoots and an annual brainstorm meeting (sans tie, of course). He’s also fetching hope by raising funds for U.S.-based animal rescue and advocacy groups, like I’m Not a Monster and Pets Across America. On top of all that, he’s turning the tide for pittys through Oliver’s Clubhouse: a Facebook page that encourages the fostering and adopting of the pit bull breed.

You may have seen this former shelter pooch, grinning with a tennie tucked between his teeth, on the Home Shopping Network, where he soared as the number one pin of the day. Lori McDermid, Bzees’ Vice President, adopted the white and black pup at six months old from the St. Louis Humane Society.

“I went there to drop off some Christmas stuff,” she remembers. Oliver was pressed against the glass, “looking pathetic, sad, and forlorn”. He’d been abandoned in a warehouse. “He’d been in

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isolation [because of Parvo] for two months. Then, when he came out, he got pneumonia, so he had to go back into isolation,” she said. “He was starved for attention. I couldn’t leave him there.”

Lori brought him home on December 22, 2010, just one day before her family’s annual Christmas trip. Oliver refused to leave the house. He thought that budging from his bed meant he’d have to go back to the shelter, says McDermid. The family shoved his bed into the car.

Once he got to the lake house and met Akita-mix Polly and Coonhound-mix Monte, he bloomed into a “love bomb”.

“I never feel alone. He is just 24/7 affection,” McDermid told Paradise Pets Magazine. “He’ll actually puts his paws on my shoulder, and gives me a hug and a kiss every day.”

Even after enduring chemotherapy and surgery for the mast cell tumor in his arm, he’s a “court jester”.

Case-in-point: when Lori was tossing her dogs’ bedcovers into the wash, Oliver was shredding the beds’ foam. It was floating down everywhere just like a Christmas

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movie, and he plopped himself right in the middle of it.

“He [also] has killed many a sneaker,” Lori laughed. “He takes [my husband’s] shoes by the laces, and swings them around his head like a cowboy with a lasso. It's a full-on show.”

From a work perspective, Lori explains that Oliver gives “a purpose to what we do”. “We love making shoes, and it's important. We innovate products to help people live their lives better,” McDermid said.

Fetching Hope and Oliver’s Clubhouse —which McDermid hopes to make into a physical pit bull rescue once she retires— adds another layer to making people's lives better. While Bzees never runs sales online, they run a promotional for a couple of weeks every quarter, donating $5 from each purchase. They raised $550 for WoofTrax and $1,000 for the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center. “[In the next quarter,] we’re looking to support a group that is educating dogs to help others [in] need,” she said.

Oliver, with his tongue-in-cheek personality, is shattering the vicious, mobster-sidekick stereotype — literally one step at a time. Ninety percent of the time when someone meets Oliver, it’s their first encounter with a pit bull, says McDermid.

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“They’re loving, funny, completely opposite. But, if no one shows you, it's like anything, you don't know. The term ‘pit bull’ is scary. Once you're exposed, though, it's amazing how opposite the breed is from stereotypes.”

Resources: Fetching Hope www.bzees.com/enUS/Content/charity.aspx?icid=TopNav_FetchingH ope I'm Not a Monster imnotamonster.org Pet Shelters Across America www.petsacrossamerica.org/index2.html

Cherese Cobb was raised in Maryville, Tennessee. A bibliophile, she considers herself a professional student, as she has an insatiable curiosity. When she's not writing, she splits her time between family, photography, and cat-worship, and uses coffee to survive all three. cheresecobb.wixsite.com/freelancewriter.

Oliver’s Clubhouse www.facebook.com/oliversclubhouse.org WoofTrax www.wooftrax.com The CSU Flint Animal Cancer Center www.csuanimalcancercenter.org

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Pit bull is a misunderstood dog breed that is actually not a breed at all. It is a term used for the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully or similar dogs. Pit bulls get a bad rap and we hope to shed some light on these loving "Pittys"...

Pit bulls were originally bred to fight other animals, including 1 bears, by combining the English Bulldog and the terrier.

Pit bulls were used on farms to hunt rats and protect livestock.

Pit bulls were so loved and trusted by their families with 3 children that they often were known as nanny dogs.

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Pit bulls have a strong athletic build and have been known to scale a 12-foot fence.

Pit bulls are not great guard dogs because of their nature to 5 trust humans and even may consider an intruder as a friend.

Pit bulls are intelligent and brave and learn well. They make great police dogs and have been used to sniff out bombs and drugs.

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Sources: www.pitbulllovers.com/pit-bulls-tenthings-you-should-know.html | www.anniemany.com/2013/08/10-interestingfacts-about-pit-bulls.html | terriblyterrier.com/interesting-facts-about-pitbulls/

Image: An America n Pit Bull Terrier mu zzled.

Photo by Tatiana Sa pateiro

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Pit bulls are commonly used as therapy dogs, especially with 7 the elderly, due to their loving, caring nature.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Nolan Booker.

Cats are typically self-sufficient family members, but owners tend to forget that those furry feline friends do need help when it comes to their daily nutrition. To keep your cat healthy, it's important to look for a cat food with high-quality ingredients to help with their nutrition needs from head to tail.

"March was National Nutrition Month, [making this time of the year the] perfect time to re-evaluate what your cat is eating and make necessary changes to ensure you both are on the right path for a happy, healthy life," said Dr. Jeff Werber, registered veterinarian. "Like humans, cats need a balanced diet to be healthy; look for a premium food that has animal protein as the No. 1 ingredient to help satisfy their nutritional needs and carnivorous appetites."

â—? A fiber blend, including prebiotics and beet pulp, for healthy digestion.

Other key elements to look for in your cat's food include:

Keeping your cat healthy and happy doesn't stop with general nutrition. It's also important to pay close attention to other health concerns, like oral care, which is often overlooked.

â—? Optimal levels of fatty acids for a soft and shiny coat.

â—? A good mix of premium, high-quality ingredients to contribute to healthy energy levels.

"In my experience, one of the most common health concerns I see cats face today is oral care," Werber said. "That's why I was happy to see that IAMS released a great-tasting cat food, IAMS Oral Care Complete, specifically designed to help reduce plaque and tartar while also providing cats with a 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition. It's a win-win."

With the proper nutrition from a quality food, your cat can be healthier inside and out, which means more energy and vitality for playing and bonding. Whether you're starting a kitten on a new eating routine or reassessing your adult or senior cat's nutrition, remember the importance of supplying them with a premium cat food that includes high-quality ingredients for lifelong health.

Pet Resources Ketchikan, AK BARK Alaska Rescue Ketchikan Ketchikan’s non-profit, no-kill animal rescue shelter.

12034 N. Tongass Hwy. Ketchikan, AK 99901 907-225-3647 Ketchikan Humane Society 907-821-0274 www.ketchikanhumanesociety.org Southeast Alaska Organization for Animals 907-254-7632 - Ketchikan www.aksofa.org Keepsake Magazines Custom Keepsake Pet Magazines Ketchikan, AK www.KeepsakeMags.com

Juneau, AK For more nutritional information for cats of all sizes and ages, visit IAMS.com.

Source: IAMS | Family Features

Gastineau Humane Society 7705 Glacier Highway Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-789-0260 Southeast Alaska Organization for Animals 907-957-9059 - Juneau www.aksofa.org

Do you have a pet business? A pet friendly motel, restaurant or other establishment? Get listed in our resource guide and we will connect you to pet parents in Southeast Alaska.

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or pet owners, their dogs, cats and other pets play an important role in bringing added happiness to their lives. As not every dog and cat is as fortunate, you may be looking for ways to give back and help pets in need.

As many as 6-8 million pets enter shelters every year across North America, according to The Humane Society of the United States. There are numerous ways you can help homeless pets and give back, starting with these tips.

Volunteer at Your Local Animal Welfare Organization Almost every community has at least one animal shelter or rescue group that needs help. A simple internet search is a good place to start, or ask your veterinarian for recommendations on local organizations that assist pets in need. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at shelters and rescue organizations, from office duties and community outreach and education to training, feeding and socializing, so people with every skillset are often able to lend a hand.

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Donate Supplies Items such as food, cat litter, cleaning supplies and blankets are almost always in demand at animal shelters and rescues.

While pets await adoption, they need access to food, making pet food a significant operating expense for animal welfare organizations. Through PetSmart's Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program, for every bag of dog or cat food purchased online and at its more than 1,500 stores across North America through the end of the year, the leading pet specialty retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need served by animal welfare organizations and food banks.

"To celebrate 30 years of commitment to helping pets in need, and as a trusted partner to pet parents everywhere, we want to celebrate by giving back even more," said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer at PetSmart. "Throughout 2017, every time pet parents purchase any bag of dog or cat food in our stores or online, they can rest assured they are also helping feed pets in need. When their pets eat, pets in need eat, too."

Foster or Adopt a Pet As many animal welfare organizations have dogs or cats not suited for living in a shelter atmosphere, fostering a pet in your home is a simple way to give back without the long-term commitment of pet ownership.

These pets may be older and in need of a quiet environment or need space to recover from a recent surgery. Of course, if you're ready for a new pet, your local shelter or rescue organization may have the perfect one waiting for you. Adopting from a rescue or shelter can not only save that pet, but also open a spot in the facility and potentially save another animal as well.

Take Care of Pets at Home One of the most important things you can do for pets in need is simply not become part of the problem. Be ready for the responsibility before adopting a pet and know that having a pet requires a longterm commitment. Be sure to keep pets fed, watered, groomed and vaccinated, and have your pet spayed or neutered to help avoid pet overpopulation.

Pets give so much to their owners; pay it forward by being a responsible pet parent and giving back to animals in need in your community when possible. Find more ways to get involved at your local shelter or rescue group, and learn more about the Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program at Petsmart.com/giveameal.

Source: PetSmart

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