by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

My heart broke when I saw Queenie’s picture on Facebook.  I quickly read the caption, and thought she was actually dead from the horrific picture posted – her body being skin and bones.  I couldn’t look more than a few seconds at it, thinking who would ever do something like that to a dog?  Then I thought back to Joey, the 3 month old pit bull puppy who was thrown from a moving car last year, or the little puppy I met a couple years ago who had mangled back legs from being a bait dog for a dog fighting here on Long Island.  Or some of you might even remember Maximus the pit bull who was set on fire and chained up in Brentwood, who later succumb to his unimaginable injuries – his owner went to jail – he could be out by now.  The really sad truth is that these stories come up way to often in our culture, here on Long Island and throughout our country.  I always try to shine a light on those amazing people doing good in the world for pets – who make a difference locally in pet’s and human’s lives.  But seeing Queenie’s picture, made me so sad, sick to my stomach and incredibly mad – there is no longer a reason to remain silent on this issue.

Why does our society continue to let this happen?  We have laws in place against animal abuse – but obviously they are not scary enough consequences for people who are the scum of the earth to not do these things.  We have all read how studies of animal abusers often and most times lead to human abusers – so why isn’t more done to stop these people?

When will our society rise up and demand better solutions for animal abusers?  I am not talking about people who don’t know the best or proper care for their pets that need education on the matter, (that is a whole different topic).  I am talking about demanding more serious consquences for people who do things like they did to Queenie, Joey, Maximus and countless other pets who are killed, tormented and tortured.  Will her owner, once he is caught, get a year or two in jail then released?  Will he get fined, a slap on the wrist?  How will they track this guy from ever owning a pet again?

The fact that Queenie survived and is eating, and walking is a miracle and shows the sheer determination and depth of a dogs will to live and persevere.  Joey too, after months of rehabilitation, he now is doing amazingly well considering his injuries.  That is, as animal lovers what we gravitate towards – how resilient our pets are.

We know there are more good people in the world than bad, especially when it comes to our pets and animals, and many people want to help.  If you can’t directly help Queenie or Guardians of Rescue who stepped in to help save her, there are many great organizations on Long Island that can use additional volunteers, donations.  But the one thing I would ask you to do, is not to look away, not to turn your head – our society often ‘doesn’t want to know’ when it comes to animal abuse or horrible situations like this.  I get it, my first reaction was to not look, but mainly because I am in the pet industry and sadly see things like this more often then not via social media and the press.  But looking away or not wanting to know will not help solve the epidemic of animal abuse.  Think about how you can help make a difference so we start to see less of this.

Show this to your kids and show them how wrong it is and ask them what they think can be done to help turn around lack of respect for our pets, animals and world we share with them.  Call you local politician and demand better punishment for people who abuse animals.  Take a stand and work with local organizations to help protect our animals that depend on us.

Queenie. Photo Credit: Guardians of Rescue

Joey. Photo Credit: Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island (VMCLI)

By Project Your Bubble for LIPetPlace.com

In 2013 Teach Your Pet This One Life-Saving Thing

Protect Your Bubble identifies the most important command every dog (and dog parent) should know

Every year we set new goals for ourselves – lose weight, get healthy, land a promotion, find that special someone.  But what about our dogs – should we set goals for them?  The folks at Protect Your Bubble pet health insurance brand say yes!  And they’ve narrowed it down to one very important thing.  In fact, it’s one of the most important things you can ever teach your dog – it could save his or her life one day.

It’s called emergency recall and most pet loving families have neglected to teach Fido this command for a number of reasons – it can be tough to train, it can be boring (for your dog) to learn, and it’s not used very often.  But boy will your tail be wagging when you need to use it and your dog listens.

An ‘emergency recall’ command is very different from a ‘come when called’ command, according to pet behaviorist and certified dog trainer Kate Jackson with Jabula Dog Academy.  “Dogs are used to hearing the word ‘come’ and often there are strings attached – they’re in trouble, they’re leaving the dog park or they’re headed to the vet.  Because the ‘come here’ command is used so often, many dogs decide to ignore it to avoid the consequences it may bring.  That’s why teaching an emergency recall is so important – it’s the ‘drop everything you are doing and come running back to me immediately’ command.

Watch behaviorist Kate Jackson discuss this command.

This command should be reserved for emergencies ONLY – your dog is running into traffic or headed towards a dogfight or an aggressive or dangerous situation.  “It’s extremely important not to overuse this command so your dog doesn’t become conditioned to ignore it,” says Kate.  “He or she should come immediately when this command is used, no questions asked.  In the event of an emergency, it could be the difference between life and death.”

“As a pet health insurer, we see many injuries that could have been avoided,” says Stephen Ebbett, President of Protect Your Bubble.  “Believe it or not, ninety two percent of pets will experience a severe accident or emergency in their lifetime. We believe that an emergency recall command can save our pet-loving customers a lot of heartache.  It’s not a very well known command, so we want to spread the word.  It’s a great goal for 2013 – teach your pet this one life-saving thing.”

If you don’t already use an emergency recall command and you’ve trained your dog to do other tasks, this command can be taught by using positive reinforcement and repetition.  If you’re not comfortable training your dog, Protect Your Bubble recommends searching for a certified trainer in your area and finding one with whom you and your pooch are comfortable. And remember, for those with a Protect Your Bubble pet health insurance policy, behaviorists can be covered under certain policies, so give us a call to find out (toll free 1-855-792-7387). Training this command will help ensure a healthy and happy year with your beloved furry family members.

About Protect Your Bubble

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Protect Your Bubble is available online, via mobile app or phone, and allows consumers to understand, buy and protect what’s most important to them. The insurance company offers the following types of insurance plans: Pet, Car Rental Insurance, Travel and Gadget.  Pet plans provide up to 90 percent reimbursement for covered vet charges for eligible accidents, illnesses, hereditary conditions and behavioral treatments and alternative therapies. They allow owners to visit any licensed vet in the country. Additionally, annual deductible options start at $100 which only need to be met once per plan year.

This is a sponsored post for LIPetPlace.com to teach a life saving command to your dog.

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

The 2nd annual DoggyBowl was held yesterday at the Petco in Glen Cove, hosted by the Smushed Face Meetup group run by Heather Lehrman of In Home Pet Services of Nassau’s Gold Coast.  What is a smushed face you ask? Adorable French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs and a few other breeds that have, well a smushed face!  While their owners tailgated, the pups – dressed in their favorite team football jersey’s – ran around and tackled each other while trying not to fumble the ball!  The event was also a fundraiser for the Glen Cove Animal Lovers League, where owners made donations for pictures taken on site for the rescue group.

Frenchies vs. Boston Terriers!

Pierre sniffs out Bear

Lilly in her Giants dress!

Robyn Elman, Founder & President of In Home Pet Services, and Heather Lehrman of IHPS of Nasssau’s Gold Coast with Herbie.

More tackles!

BOL!! Very close up of this Pug who would not stop moving! A bit blurry!

Pek mix cutie!

Chicken may not be a smushed face but he was having a blast!

And Gracie at her first meetup!