by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

The annual Parrot Expo held by the Long Island Parrot Society was held on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Freeport Recreation Center in Freeport, N.Y.  Hundreds of bird afficiando’s flocked to the center to see the many different birds and parrots, listen to expert speakers and see many unusual and practical bird items displayed by the vendors.

Lady Gouldian Finch

Two things that stopped me in my tracks, ok 3, was the parrot stroller for sale – we have all seen the doggie strollers – but this well equipped and very nicely made stroller for your parrot was a first for this pet pro.  Made by Celltei they carried a large line of different types of carriers for your birds and othet pets. The bird stroller and other assoried bird carriers is a whole niche market in my opinion.

The 2nd item that made me stop was a very large bird cage in the center of the vendor area.  You could easily fit 20 or so people in it, standing – now that is a bird cage.

The 3rd time I was stopped in my tracks is when I noticed this beautiful black palm cockatoo.  Up until this point I never saw or heard of this bird before – very unique looking and pretty.  As soon as he saw my camera, he popped up his head feathers, turned and posed for his pic. Seriously a complete ham!

If you missed the Parrot Expo, LIPS hosts meetings every month at the American Legion Post in Babylon Village, like a mini expo every month with different speakers, product and birds to see.  For more info on LIPS click here.  For more pictures from the Parrot Expo CLICK here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

OWG went to the dogs! The bi-annual event ‘Dog Days’ held every spring and fall at Old Westbury Gardens was a tail waggin’ success on Saturday, April 13, 2013.   Over 25 pet related vendors and rescue groups, a dog show happening at the same time – judged by David Frei of Westminster, and tons or happy and yappy dogs walking the majestic grounds throughout the day.  If you missed Saturday, you can still go Sunday – but there will not be any vendors, just a beautiful day out to walk your dog and enjoy the grounds. OWG is off limits to dogs the rest of the year, Dog Days is the perfect opportunity to explore the grounds with your favorite pooch.  Bring a camera as there are so many different oppoturnities to capture beautiful pictures of your pup like the ones taken by me below.  Check out the video on our TV channel and many more pictures here too!

MORE PICTURES HERE!!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.comn

The 137th Westminster Kennel Club dog show is the super bowl of dog shows, while I have been to Westminster many times before, this is the first time I have been at the evening Best in Show.  Talk about the air being electric with excitement throughout the crowd, the handlers and even the dogs were jumping around the ring.  As dog owner, I love all breeds of dogs, my first dog was a mixed breed dog, a cock-a-poo from an oops litter…from a neighbor, then owning a Doberman as an adult and a Pit Bull (Max!).  But seeing so many different breeds in one place at one time is any dog lovers dream whether you covet a lovely mixed breed or have a purebred, doesn’t matter to me – love ’em all.  And the funny thing is, it never gets old – Westminster is the place to be if you want to see hundreds of different breeds. And as sporting events go, the crowd was doing the ‘wave’ during the commercial break before the best in show!

If you have never been to Westminster, live in the tri-state area and love dogs – this is a must do event.  It is well worth the trip.  You can talk to the owners-breeders-handlers of the dogs entered, and if you are someone who is looking to adopt a purebred dog, this is a great place to learn about the breed and find out if the breed you were thinking is for you.  Then of course, contact your local animal shelter as many, many purebreds are there waiting for you.

This year Las Vegas took odds on the Doberman winning the Best in Show…of course I am typing this as I sit in the press area on the floor and I am really pulling for Fifi the Doberman to win…but if an American Staffordshire Terrier wins the Terrier group then I will be really happy if the AmStaff wins. (neither won… 🙁 )

People come from all over the world, as well as right here on Long Island and the tri-state area to compete, to be spectators and to cover the event.  This year the show was at the Piers during the day, and at Madison Square Garden at night.  I was originally not planning on going to the piers, but after downloading the Westminster app to my phone, (which was an awesome tool by the way!), I saw that there were shuttle buses, and wow did they run smoothly.  Kudos to the organizers!

This show unlike some of the even smaller local outdoor shows, you can walk through the benching area, see the dogs getting groomed, and get up very close to watch them compete for their best of breed during the day time.  It’s quite an experience.

This cutie in the benching area holding his favorite toy and posing for the camera!

The excitement of best in show really builds when the lights go down and the dogs come out one by one with the spot light on them.  Tonight when the Old English Sheepdog came out the thunderous cheer in the Garden was deafening.  Talk about dog lovers in the crowd!  The Affenpinscher also got an the crowd going nuts…and just like that the Old English Sheepdog got Reserve Best in Show, the first time this was awarded at Westminster, and Banana Joe the Affenpinscher won Best in Show. It just so happened that his owner, a young women was standing behind me in the press area, and when he won, she was greeted by hugs and cheers from friends and family and was shedding happy tears.  Years of work go into a BIS dog and years of competition, it was a sweet moment to see up close. Congratulations to Banana Joe and to every single dog who competed in the 2 day event.

Banana Joe the Affenpinscher takes Best in Show!

Duck Tolling Retriever

Click HERE to see tons of additional Photos!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Port Jeff for Pets adopt-a-thon and Art Walk weekend was this past Saturday & Sunday, May 19 & 20th and it drew a lot of rescue organizations from Long Island and the North East.  Hosted by Guardians of Rescue and in the parking lot of Chase Bank in Port Jefferson, NY.  It was a beautiful May weekend and a lot of wonderful cats, dogs, kittens and puppies were on hand looking for potential new homes – and the Long Island Parrot Society was there with beautiful birds.  See below for the many pictures taken throughout the weekend…and if you couldn’t make it there are many dogs and cats that were there that may not have found a home.  Contact information is below their picture.

"Please adopt me!" Vivian the Boston Terrier, 3yrs, www.nebostonrescue.com

Long Island Parrot Society

Princess - For adoption at the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter - call 631-286-4940

Boston cupcakes!

Romeo! This picture doesn't do this COMPLETE sweetheart justice! What a love bug! Town of Babylon Animal Shelter 631-643-9270

Aww 2 week old rescued kitten!

Long Island Bulldog Rescue Group 'Kiss a Bull' booth - too funny!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

This Sunday, November, 13 from 11am to 3pm there will be a celebration in Wantagh of a much loved and much debated about breed – the American Pit Bull Terrier.  The first ever ‘Bully Breed Brigade’ will be taking place in Wantagh thanks to the efforts of Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation in cooperation with The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter.  Last Hope has taken the initiative in the past with a Pit Bull Expo a few years ago to try and solve the pit bull over-population problem in our local town and private shelters here on LI.

The Bully Breed Brigade starts at 11am on Sunday, on Beltagh Avenue in Wantagh between the Last Hope Shelter (formerly Bid-a-wee shelter) and the Town of Hempstead shelter.  (For a Map click here). The celebration will include an adoption fair with vendors, trainers, breed advocates, rescuers, speakers, holistic experts, T’touch demos and more! At  12:30pm the Brigade of adopted, rescued, owned and to be adopted American Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Mixes, Amstaffs and other bully dog types will be on parade for all to see, learn about and of course get lots of kisses and wiggle butts from!  The parade of ‘Ambassdogs’, (breed ambassadors), from shelters and rescues across LI with many ready for adoption will be a first on LI!

At 1:30 pm a special pet celebrity Tia Torres from Animal Planet’s very own TV show, ‘Pit Bulls and Parolees.’  Tia has been tirelessly saving pit bulls and helping parolees get back on their feet at Viallobos Rescue Center in California.

Tia will be there because she and her team have driven across country to take 6 pit bulls ‘The Hempstead Hopefuls’ from the Town of Hempstead shelter back with her to California to help rehabilitate the dogs and find them forever homes. These 6 happened to be pulled from an Elmont dog fighting ring over the summer and Tia is generously taking the time out of her own life to not only drive across country but to help these 6 dogs.  My hat is off to you Tia for all you do for our beloved breed of choice.  Tia and her crew have never traveled this far to rescue any dog!

While the image of the Pit Bull may be getting better, meaning more and more people are realizing it’s not the breed but how a dog is raised, socialized, trained, etc. we still have a lot of pit and pit mixes in our local shelter.  As with ANY other breed –it’s how they are brought up – but with that said, there are some pit and pit mixes that were born in a shelter or lived their entire life in a shelter and are just the best dog you may ever encounter.  This loyal, super smart, athletic, adaptable, fun and goofy breed just love humans – and most of them just absolutely love dogs and other animals too!

To cap off this amazing day, what better than a movie premiere all about the breed?  At 7pm the Long Island debut of the movie, ‘Beyond the Myth’ a documentary about Pit Bulls and breed discrimination by Libby Sherrill will be shown at the Cradle of Aviation IMAX Theatre in Garden City. (1 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY).  Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 per person and a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Last Hope is a 501 c 3 non-for-profit organization.  For more information on the Bully Breed Brigade or the movie premiere contact bbb@lasthopeanimalrescue.org or call 631-671-2588. If you’re bringing your own bully, be sure they are well behaved, socialized, up-to-date on their shots, NYS licensed and on a 6-foot sturdy leash.

Harley – one of Last Hope’s Alumni dogs!