Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!


Be sure to stop by Doggie Daycare today and pick up your treat and enter our raffle for a bucket of Gemini Dogs goodies!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Tag, you're it!


Tyler and friends play tag earlier this morning.






John says hi to Chester, the newest member of the Gemini Dogs family.




Bogey



Maggie

Gemini Dogs back to help in Maine puppy mill response

Gemini Dogs owner, Michelle Borelli, was deployed once again to assist in the emergency sheltering of about 130 dogs who were moved from the nearby Buxton puppy mill to a new emergency shelter in Portland, Maine.
She arrived on Saturday, October 13 and cared for about 130 dogs at the Portland shelter. She worked with the United Animal Nations (UAN) Emergency Animal Response Services (EARS) team, a national disaster relief team that had deployed 6-8 volunteers like her to work alongside several other national and regional disaster teams.

Michelle's main responsibility was feeding and monitoring the eating habits of the dogs in their care. In fact, she designed a new feeding system that is working so well that both EARS and the American Humane Association have asked that she provide Standard Operating Procedures regarding this new system for use as a standard for feeding in emergency shelters across the country. Pretty cool!

Michelle was joined by the EARS Massachusetts State Coordinator, Cheryl Noroian. Cheryl's dog Louie attends daycare at Gemini Dogs. Good job, ladies, and thanks for helping out those poor pups!

Good job Bridget!

We recently received this great comment about one of training instructors, Bridget Desroches. Thank you and nice job, Bridget!

Bridget is an excellent trainer, is patient, and is one of the most professional and engaging trainers we have met.

Did you know that Bridget is one of six CPDT-certified trainers on staff at Gemini Dogs? We doubt you'll find that many highly-skilled instructors at your average training center! We know our stuff!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Woof woof to Daria!



Congratulations to recently titled Sennenhof Daria OAP (Open Agility Preferred)! Daria had to earn three qualifying scores to earn the title and she got first place for all three! Proud parents Mary Durham and Paul Emerson are happy as can be. Just ask them!

Paul is a Gemini Dogs Senior Instructor and Behavior Consultant, CPDT.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

New Frisbee, Freestyle, Earthdog classes starting soon!

Are you running out of daylight to romp with your dog after work? How about taking a fun new class with Fido instead?

Since our intro workshops and classes were received so well, we've added another round of Frisbee dog, Freestyle Dancing with Your Dog, and Earthdog classes to our Fall schedule! Yahoo! What are you waiting for? Sign up for a class now!

And don't forget, we now have instant online gift certificates available. Uh-oh, do you see it? Shopping season is lurking around the corner....

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Teardrops for Bono


Gemini Dog Bono McNulty (owners Carol and Frank McNulty) was a long-time Agility dog. We, along with all your agility doggie friends, will miss you. Keep running, Bono!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Doggie Daycare Help Wanted

We are looking to add more staff to the Gemini Dogs family and are looking for responsible, mature, dedicated, smart, outgoing, and hard-working animal lovers. Experience is a plus, but not necessary.

Doggie Daycare Positions
PT hours vary and may include weekend days and evenings. Applicants must be over 18 years old. Experience is preferred but we are willing to train the right person who loves dogs, has great customer service skills, and is a hard worker. Experience in a barn, kennel, vet clinic, etc., is a bonus.

Fill out our online application or email your resume. No calls please.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Big mouth!

The world record for the most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog at one time is five. Augie, a golden retriever owned by the Miller family in Dallas, Texas, USA, successfully gathered and held all five regulation-sized tennis balls on July 6, 2003.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Online gift certificates now available!

Uh oh, did you forget your brother's birthday again? Get him an instant gift certificate to Gemini Dogs!

Did your Mom just get a new puppy? Or maybe your daughter's dog just graduated from Level 1 Obedience and is ready for Level 2? Congratulate them with an instant gift certificate!

Design your gift certificate, preview it, and then send or print it immediately. It’s fast and easy! Give it a try!

Save gas, shop online. Gift certificates are good for any of our services, including training classes, daycare, boarding, grooming, and retail items. Woof!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

CGC Test on Oct 18

Does your dog have what it takes to be called a Canine Good Citizen? Take the test and find out! Go here for info on the CGC test and to register.

  • CGC Test at Gemini Dogs
  • Oct 18, 7PM
Not quite ready for the test? No problem! Sign up for our CGC and Therapy Dog Prep Course.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Gemini Dogs assists in HSUS response in Maine

(Update here)

On September 29, Gemini Dogs owner Michelle Borelli was deployed through the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) National Disaster Animal Response Team (NDART) to Buxton, Maine, where she assisted in the continuing on-site care of over 275 dogs who were seized by the state of Maine in a recent raid of an unlicensed kennel.

According to The Portland Press Herald, the dogs had been living in deplorable conditions typical of animal breeding facilities known as “puppy mills.” The Herald also reported that many of the dogs were malnourished, injured and afflicted with infectious diseases.

According to American Humane, who is assisting in the mission, "Puppy mills supply the commercial pet market through mass breeding practices that put profits first and animals’ well-being last. In these operations, animals typically suffer abuse and physical stress, exposure to extremes of heat and cold, and a lack of sufficient food and water. They often live in filthy, diseased conditions and may spend their entire lives in small runs or cages."

Michelle is a member of NDART, SMART, and CMDART, and she is the founding member of the newly-formed Gemini Dogs Disaster Animal Response Team. Due to the nature of her deployment, Michelle is unable to comment on her work in Maine. However, she did urge that by supporting our Gemini Dogs DART, you can help her to reach out to these and other animals.

Michelle is actively seeking members for the Gemini Dogs team, and will be hosting an educational discussion on how you can get involved during our annual Howl-O-Ween Festival, which is tentatively scheduled for the first weekend of November.

What is a DART team?

  • Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) members are trained to respond in any setting, at any time.
  • They may be called upon to help at a local house fire, an impending storm, or any situation where animals need to brought out of harm's way.
  • Team members must go through a variety of training workshops, practice drills, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) courses to become eligible for deployment.

What Do DARTs Do?

  • Prepare communities and individuals for disasters
  • Collect donations of supplies and other needed items for use in current and future disasters
  • Establish emergency shelters for animals during a disaster
  • Assess and care for animals during a disaster
  • Provide food, water, and any medical needs to the animals in that emergency shelter
Email Michelle for more information on how to get involved in animal disaster response.

Monday, October 01, 2007

I'm a Gemini Dog!

We had another beautiful sunny weekend for our boarding dogs. Lots of sunshine, wrestling, and playing chase!

Here are a few of our happy guests.


Sophie loves Gemini Dogs!



Moon chases Micky and his leaf.



Micky



Einstein runs around the yard.



Otis the happy Golden



Smokey and Bruschi wrestled all day!



Moon chases his sister Star.



Bert and Dancer



Tyler looks pretty happy, no?