by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

On Monday, April 9th, after a busy morning of client meetings and errands, I was driving to my office on Sunrise Highway near Islip heading East and I saw a lot of smoke in the distance.  I said to myself, “Wow, something is seriously on fire!”   And within the hour I learned that there was a big and growing brush fire in Manorville, NY.  Didn’t think that much of it at first other than it reminded me of the Pine Barrens fire in the 90’s.  A few minutes after learning of the fire, I saw a post on Facebook by a Long Island Equine Disaster Preparedness, (which was originally created during hurricane Irene by a horse owner on LI), that there were over 200 horses needed to be evacuated and the call for help was very urgent.  Being someone who has been riding horses my entire life, I was immediately sick to my stomach at the thought of spooked horses near a fire.

Horses being lead out of Fire zone. Photo Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas

So I re-posted the original post on both my personal and business Facebook pages to see if any of my horsey set connections could help.  I also called a few of the phone #’s  on that were posted to see if I could get updates and spoke with Christine Distefano from Amaryllis Horse Equine Rescue to get any updates.  The response from both dog/cat and horse people was amazing of everyone wanting to help and people that were already on their way to help.

On the ground reports of it being chaos and people having to walk in and walk horses out were coming in from a few different places.  But an army of people were there to help with horse trailers and had places to bring the horses – posts were coming in from all over LI of people offering up stalls and stables.  It is a wonderful and amazing thing that all the horses and their owners made it out safely.  We also had a group of Long Island Pet Professional members from all over LI ready to help as reports that Kent Animal Shelter may have to evacuate their 110 animals were being posted, but thankfully they ended up not having to evacuate.  (Big thanks to everyone who offered help!)

But the question remains in my mind, are you ready in case of an emergency with your pet?  Whether it is a dog, cat, horse, bird, or reptile, do you have a plan of action, back up plan?  Unfortunately in disasters like this is when we realize just how important a plan is.  Just something as simple as having your dog’s or cat’s ID tags up to date, extra set of collars and leashes readily available, and of course pet medical records and proof of vaccinations – seriously you can scan onto your Smart Phone or ipad these days.  But I would suggest having a hard set of copies in your car glove compartment.

Other important things you should consider when having an evacuation plan are to have a contact near your home – that if you can’t get there in time they can.

• Contact information for your pet’s veterinarian
• Recent Photo of your pet
• Water, food and containers
• Leash/muzzle/harness
• Any Medications for your pet and/or list of them
• Pet carrier or cage
• Kitty Litter & container for cats
• Also put your veterinarian phone # into your phone
• Sign or decal on your windows alerting firemen how many pets and what type may be in your home
• First Aid Kit for pets in your car at all times – in case your pet gets injured and you can’t get him or her to the vet right away

Remember too, that your pet may act differently during an emergency, so make sure their collar and/or harness is on correctly so the don’t slip out of the collar and run away.  Have a family meeting to discuss a plan of action for any emergency and be sure to include all pets in that plan so everyone knows what to do, where to meet during emergency etc.  Suffolk County residents please know that emergency shelters are often pet friendly – they work with animal organizations to ensure you leave your home With your pet and will help keep your pet safe.  More information on this can be found here.

Thank you to all our volunteer firefighters, police and rescue for doing what you do! Crossing fingers and paws that this fire will be out in a day or so.  A big thanks to Fetch Doggies, SuperPaws, Sit, Stay and Play (sitstayplaydogs@yahoo.com),  Iguana Party,  East End Boarding Kennel, Pre-K-Nine Training (PreKnineTraining@aol.com), Pet Peeves Dog Training, ArtCasso for contacting me to offer help if anyone needed it, I was just one of many messengers getting the word out.  And if I forgot anyone thank you too.

Horse being lead to safety. Newsday Photo Credit: Photo Credit: John Roca

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Just the other day our friends at Newsday did a nice article about the most popular breed of dog on Long Island, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).  But I think the article was not quite accurate.  Many people who have dogs, who are AKC registry worthy, meaning they were from an official AKC dog breeder and they have ‘papers’ for the dog – doesn’t mean they actually registered their dog with the AKC.  For example, I had a beautiful Doberman who was from a fantastic Long Island Doberman breeder and I had her AKC papers (which I still have) but I never registered her because I had her spayed and never bred her.  I am sure that is the case with many pure bred dog owners here on LI.

There are also a lot of dogs adopted through rescue groups that may or may not be a pure breed dog – that are also not registered through the AKC – so they were also not accounted for in the article either.  Newsday listed, according to the AKC most registered dog breeds, the top 10 on Long Island:

1. Labrador Retriever; 2. Golden Retriever; 3. German Shepherd; 4. Bulldog; 5. Rottweiler; 6. Poodle; 7. Boxer; 8. Yorkie; 9. Shih Tzu; and the 10. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

And while I suspect there are a ton of Labrador Retrievers,  Goldens and Bulldogs on LI – what about other really popular dog breeds like the American Pit Bull Terrier, (or for you dog fancy people, The American Staffordshire Terrier), I am pretty sure there are a lot of lucky pit bulls owned in loving homes, like my own Max on LI.  Other breeds I seem to see everywhere I go are Chihuahua’s, Shelties, Jack Russell Terriers (Parson Russell’s if you will), and Doxie’s – their not on the list either. Hmmm

So if you have a dog that is not registered in with the AKC, is a mixed breed or you have adopted – we want to know about him or her too!  Please take our 1 question survey here and tell us what kind of dog you have!  Let’s see if we can get a more accurate account of the diverse dog breeds on LI.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

At the 2nd Long Island Pet Professionals (LIPP) Annual Holiday Party and Pet Food Drive at Lily Flannigan’s in Babylon, NY on Monday, December 19, 2011 – 400lbs of pet food was donated by Long Island Pet Professional Members!  We beat our record from last year’s holiday party which was 300lbs, and I am so delighted and happy with the generosity of our Members who stepped up and brought a lot of pet food with them to donate!  This pet food will help pet owners

Pat Bonelli, Island Harvest Volunteer and Nancy Hassel, Founder Long Island Pet Professionals

feed their pets who may have fallen on hard times.  We often think of donating to charity during the Holiday’s, but don’t always think about pet owners. This year we partnered with Island Harvest to donate the food for their Pet Food Pantry.  Island Harvest’s Pet Food Pantry plays such an integral part for pet owners help feed their pets and keep their pets by offering pet food at their food pantry.  Our shelters are full with homeless pets so if this 400lbs of food can help keep more pets in their loving homes, I can’t say how much it means to me, and also to our members.

“All too often pets are abandoned or given up for adoption simply because their owners are faced the unenviable choice of putting food on the family table or feeding their pets,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest. “Thanks to Long Island Pet Professionals, help is available to allow people struggling to make ends meet keep their pets by providing much needed food assistance.”

But the pet food donation was just part of the Holiday fun for the 2nd Annual Holiday Party & Pet Food Drive – members from all over Long Island, Queens the East End, North Shore and Nassau county flocked to Babylon (some even utilized the LIRR to get there!) to be at the festive event.  With product donations from Halo, Purely for Pets, Sturdi Pet Products, Life is Grruff, Watercolor Your World, M&J Dog Essentials, Natural Paws and Premier each attendee not only left with new contacts via the networking that was also going on – but a really nice pet swag gift bag!  There were also many free raffle giveaways – almost everyone in the room won a product or gift certificate – and everyone was cheering for each winner!

Stephanie from MyLITV!

On top of that members were thrilled to have new LIPP member Jen Ross from MyLITV.com on hand conducting interviews throughout the night for an upcoming segment.  What a perk for LIPP members to be able to speak on camera about their businesses or rescues!

Michael Ayalon of PetWebDesigner.com, Beth Gold of At Your Service LI & Robyn Elman of In Home Pet Services, Inc.

Normally our networking meetings are a little more formal with expert speakers giving presentations to the group, although we usually have a great time at every event, this Holiday Party is a way for us to mingle, network, enjoy the holiday spirit, celebrate, give back and look forward to the New Year.  We had members attend last night’s party that have been with us for the past three years and many new members – and its always great to see new connections being made and hearing how members are going to be working together.

Many events are being planned for LIPP in the New Year, including the first NYC chapter event for the group, as there are LIPP members who live and work in NYC.  The first event however, is a free online event taking place on January 12th to help pet professionals and animal rescues learn the ‘Art of the Tweet!’  To learn more click here!

Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year! See below for more pictures thanks to Richie of PetsPhotography and also on our Facebook page here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Earlier today an excited crowd of onlookers, dogs and press were at Mutts & Butts in Merrick, NY for the HALO pet food delivery truck there to deliver holiday cheer to two very deserving local animal rescue organizations.

The HALO and Freekibble.com Holiday Kibble Drop kicked off in Cincinnati this week and made its Long Island stop, after stopping at the ASPCA in NYC in the morning.  The program in which Ellen DeGeneres, Co-owner of HALO and 15-year‐old Mimi Ausland are spreading much needed free pet food, 400,000 meals to be exact, to shelter pets across the U.S.  Two local organizations Bobbi & The Strays and Shelter Partners were on hand to pick up their donation of healthy, nutritious Halo pet food. Bobbi of Bobbi and the Strays said, “I think I am going to cry, I am so touched by this donation from HALO and FreeKibble.com.”  Shelter Partners is a group of rescues and shelters that share and redistribute supplies and services between a number of their groups.

HALO and Freekibble are embarking on their first ever Freekibble.com ‘Koast‐to‐Koast Kibble Drop,’ where shelters and rescues up and down the east and west coasts will receive the donations of all natural Halo Spot’s Stew for the holidays.  There were at least 4 to 5 large palettes unloaded at the Long Island location, now that’s a lot of kibble.  Such a great thing to see, and knowing so many homeless pets will benefit from this, it’s very inspiring.

News 12 interviewing Bobbi of Bobbi & the Strays

Casey watching all the action!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Heading to the North Fork with your furkid to go pumpkin picking or hitting the wineries this weekend?  The east end of Long Island is very pet friendly and I have yet to be at a farm stand, pumpkin patch or winery that a well behaved pet was not allowed.  If you are staying the entire weekend and are looking for a place to board or walk your pet while out there, you are in luck as there a few places to choose from:  A1 Critter Sitters, C-Dogs Unlimited LLC, These Dreams Pet Services, Inc. (631-764-9571), some also offer grooming.

If you are bringing your pet with you, be sure to stop at The Country Pet on Love Lane in Mattituck – this quaint pet store carries beautiful pet products as well as top quality pet food and treats.  Want to capture the weekend or maybe have Fluffy’s photo taken by a pro, you will want to schedule an appointment with ThePuparazzi, that’s right (you don’t have to be in the Hamptons to have flash blubs going!).

Or maybe you need some training techniques and tips from an expert dog trainer?  Like how to handle your dog when he sees all those different farm animals at a vineyard or pumpkin patch?  Give the North Fork School of Dogs a call and they can help you.  After a long day of pumpkins and new scents your dog may be wiped out so what about a canine massage or reiki session?  You are in luck as Patty’s Pet Services offers just that.

Autumn on the North Fork is a treasure for LI and a wonderful place to visit with your pet.  Just remember to keep your pet leashed, clean up after him, have fresh water available and respect the areas you visit with him.  Your dog will experience the excitement of a new location, new scents, may see animals he has never seen before – so be sure you know your dog can handle it.  Enjoy the harvest!

Heading out East for the day but don’t have a pet, be sure to stop by Kent Animal Shelter, the North Fork Animal Welfare League or Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation on your way back!

(Recently while apple picking on the North Fork a family had their two dogs with them a large golden doodle and a poodle, the dogs were perfectly mannered and sweet, even took the ‘hay’ ride out to pick apples.  The dogs were so well behaved the entire time with very good owners, I cannot say that for the out of control kids that were throwing mud and apples and screaming the entire time – and their parents didn’t care! Even the dogs were looking at those kids like ‘what the bleep?’ is going on.)