Good dog!

Here's some happy news from Gemini Dogs trainer Paul Emerson, CPDT.

Congratulations to our newest AKC Canine Good Citizens!

• Jean Armstrong and Boo
• Nancy Basley and Deja Blu
• Amy Troncoso and Valrhona

Thank you to everyone who took the class, tested their dogs, and helped make the event a success.

And special thanks to all the Gemini Dogs staff who helped out and as always, thanks to my Ursli Corrina, Corrina, Where You Been So Long, CGC for her patient work being the test dog.

CPE Agility Trial premium is ready!

The premium for our annual outdoor summer CPE agility trial on Aug 23-24 is now available. Download it, print it out, and send it in fast! Opening postmark is July 5.

• Get the premium! (PDF)
  

We will be offering the following events: Standard, FullHouse, Snooker, Colors, Wildcard, Jackpot, and Jumpers.

Chris Otte Photography will be there again capturing all the action. See his photos from last year.

See you in August!

CGC Test on June 19

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
* June 19, 7PM

Not quite ready for the test? No problem! Sign up for our CGC and Therapy Dog Prep Course.

Hot weather tips for your hot dog!

It's supposed to be a scorcher this weekend, so take care of your pup!

Here are some helpful reminders from SMART.

• Never leave pets in a car, even with the windows down. The inside of a car can reach temperatures in excess of 150 degrees in a matter of minutes.
• If possible, pets should be kept indoors during excessive heat.
• If keeping a pet outside, make sure that pets have adequate shelter from the sun and plenty of fresh water at all times.
• Plan outside activities with your pets during the cooler parts of the day: early morning and evening. Limit the outside activity of your pets during the heat of the day.
• During hot weather, sidewalks and pavement radiate excessive amounts of heat and can be too hot for the pads of your pet's paws. Consider that if the sidewalk is too hot for you to walk barefoot, it is too hot for your pet to walk on.
• Allow access to the coolest part of your home. If you don’t have air conditioning, or you turn it off while at work, make sure your pet can get to a cool place, such as a basement.
• Take extra precautions in hot weather for dogs that are elderly, overweight or snub-nosed.
• Always have a disaster plan in place for you, your family, and your pets.
• Remember, YOU GO, THEY GO. If you are told to evacuate, take your pets with you. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND.

Additional pet safety information can be accessed through partners of the State of
Massachusetts Animal Response Team.

Stop by and say hi at the Whisker Walk Sunday

Gemini Dogs will be at the Whisker Walk this Sunday at the Lancaster Fairgrounds, home of the Bolton Fair, and we'd love to have a few more join us.

We will have some agility equipment set up for dogs to try and would love it if some of our agility students would stop by and showed off their stuff. Let us know if you can help!

• E-mail or call Michelle (978-387-3663) if you'd like to help or run your dogs.
  

VESCONE teaches us some good stuff!

About 50 people and 10 dogs attended last night's Pet First Aid Workshop. The highly entertaining and informative talk was given by Dr. Amy Shroff of the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of New England (VESCONE) with help from Dr. Stacie Lipinski, Robyn Healer, and Alison Valenza.

The VESCONE Staff


Dr. Shroff stressed getting to know your dog's normal vitals now so that when he is sick, you will be able to tell the vet exactly what is wrong or different than normal. Doing this now can save you precious minutes later.

Ashley and her group got some hands-on practice with Tyler and Dash


Dr. Shroff discussed the different types of gum coloring ranging from healthy pink with black markings to potentially dangerous blue or white. She demonstrated how to find a dog's heart beat and pulse, how to apply a bandage, splint and tourniquet, how to transport an injured dog, and how to muzzle a dog using a necktie. She also covered emergency preparedness, as well as dog resuscitation and other topics.

Thank you all for coming and thank you especially to Cheryl Noroian for helping us coordinate this event with VESCONE. And we can't forget a very big Woof! to our main demo dog, Michiline, who happily obliged all of Dr. Shroff's requests!

Our main demo dog Michiline

Pet First Aid Workshop tomorrow

Wow! The response to this workshop has been phenomenal so we have added another 10 seats. Thank you everyone for your interest!

Remember, your registration fee goes directly to the Animal Rescue League.

If you haven't signed up yet, do it now! If you have, thank you and see you Tuesday night!

• Tuesday, June 3, 7-9 PM
  
• Sign up now