Just One...

This is a fabulous video story that was just sent to us be Cheryl, Louie and Bella's forever mommy.

Please, please, take a moment now to watch this video. Though it is a bit of a tear-jerker, it is a very heartwarming story. It reminds me very much of how I got into this business to begin with. I found a dog who had been stranded on a highway (495) at 11pm at night in a snow storm and whose owner was seen kicking the dog out of a van, before he drove away. Thankfully, I was able to catch the very scared dog (who I named Highway) and find him a forever home; I did it in much the same way that this video mentions.

So when you are done watching the video, please kiss your dog for us and consider what one thing you can do today to help a dog in need...

Gemini Dogs will offer a 10% discount on dog training to anyone who adopts a shelter or rescue dog after watching this video...just let us know that you saw the video and decided to do just one thing for just one dog! (Please make sure that everyone in your family is in agreement about your new buddy before you make a lifelong commitment to care for him...) This is our one thing...let's see how many lives we can impact by posting this link.

Beginner Agility Class Forming

Start Your Dog in Agility Classes Now!

Is your dog ready for some fun? If you have completed basic obedience training you could join us on Tuesday, December 1st at 6:00pm with instructor Michelle DuBois for in introduction to the fabulous world of dog agility. Register now!

And Here's One More!

Who is that? Oh, it's Rugby!

Rugby's Costume

Isn't this just the cutest thing ever!?

This is Rugby, one of our regular daycare dogs, showing off his costume on Halloween.

Oh, and that's Tyler saying, "Hey, I don't know this new guy!" ...even though he plays with him every day!

Focused Nose Work ~ The Latest New Dog Sport!

Based on detection dog training, Focused Nose Work prepares pet dogs for target odors with the opportunity of competing in organized competitions. It is fast becoming the hottest new sport in the world of canine competition. Check out http://www.funnosework.com/ for details on what this sport is all about!

Two classes are now forming on Wednesday evenings. Choose from 7pm-8pm or 8pm-9pm, beginning on Wednesday, November 11th. Space is limited to 6-8 dogs per session. Cost is $180 per dog, per 6-week session. All dogs must be at least six months old, be able to walk on leash, and come when called.

Register by calling 617-775-7968. This class is hosted by Gemini Dogs, but you must register directly with the instructor, Gail McCarthy.

We Met "Bruiser" from Legally Blonde the Musical!

We had the pleasure of meeting "Bruiser" on Sunday. He is the little chihuahua that Elle Woods totes around in her little pink tote during the musical Legally Blonde. "Bruiser" and his trainer were at PetRock to promote the musical and we had the chance to meet them both and hear about the dog training and selection process for this and other Hollywood hounds...very interesting stuff that Bill speaks about in his book "Broadway Tails." The Legally Blonde musical is coming to Boston soon if you would like to see "Bruiser" in action. (By the way, his real name is Chico!)

Congratulations Puppy Stars!

Meet Sophie, one of our most recent Puppy STAR graduates! Sophie's mom writes:

"We had a wonderful time at Puppy Playschool and got a lot of great tips. This weekend she went to her first parade - got lots of socializing there, although she wasn't a big fan of the bagpipes!
Thank you for everything! We will highly recommend Gemini to our friends and family."

Got a photo of your STAR Puppy? Send it in today!

How Hot Do Cars Get?

Have you ever noticed how hot it can get inside a car on a summer day — far hotter than it is outside? That's because a car acts like a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat. A study by the Animal Protection Institute showed that even moderately warm temperatures outside can quickly lead to deadly temperatures inside a closed car.

The study compared an outside temperature of a shaded area with the inside of an automobile in three states: Fully closed; With four windows cracked; With two windows cracked. Inside temperatures were measured with an indoor/outdoor thermometer and an oven thermometer. All temperatures use the Fahrenheit scale. The outside temperature is listed first, and then the temperature reading from inside the car:

Inside Closed Automobile
82° > 109°
87° > 115°
98° > 119°

Inside Auto with 2 Windows Cracked
80° > 95°
88° > 105°
99° > 109°

Inside Auto with 4 Windows Cracked
88° > 105°
90° > 108°
101° > 115°

Bella Walks for Baypath Humane Society

Gemini Dog "Bella" and her mommy Charlotte are walking on June 7th to benefit Baypath Humane Society in Hopkinton, the shelter from which Bella was adopted. Bella is an alumna of Gemini Dogs obedience classes, and currently enjoys Doggie Daycare and Agility classes.

If you wish to contribute or to just want to read more about her, see her story.

Doggie Daycare's Black Lab "Tucker" Is a Famous Actor!

Labrador Retriever Rescue, Inc. has a new video about their re-homing program, and the extraordinarily handsome black Lab shown in much of the video is Tucker, a 9-1/2 year old who attends our doggie daycare.



Tucker is an LRR rescue from 2003. The scenes on the owner's deck and in the backyard were shot in mid-March. For those of you who remember his paralysis (left rear leg) from the spinal stroke (FCE) last June, watching him joyfully running in the backyard with the kids should be quite special. By the way, those are the videographer's children, whose loud screams accompanied their running, and Tucker had JUST met them. Mom was so proud of how appropriately he played with them, considering he has not had much experience off leash with small children. Backyard and indoor scenes with LOTS of dogs were shot at one of LLR's foster homes.

Niko's First Dog Show

Our doggie daycare buddy, Niko, participated in his first dog show this weekend. Have a look at what a good boy he is!

We Have a Famous CGC Dog at Daycare!

"Cloudy" Mentzer passed his CGC test as well, and he's got something else to brag about!

Cloudy is featured in the 2009 Save-A-Dog calendar (he's the November dog). His mommy says, "Cloudy was my 10th foster dog. We met when he was 9 months old...I knew he was the one, the second I saw him. He was running and jumping around, just entertaining himself. This crazy behavior is now known as the Cloudy 500.

Now Cloudy is almost three. He has a beautiful white coat with funny apricot "freckles" all over him. What kind of dog is he? There is no answer to that question. He looks like spare parts and a coat of white paint.

I'm not sure if Cloudy's life philosophy is "Follow the Sun" or "Make Them Laugh!" It depends on if he is sleeping or not. By day, he moves from bed to bed, basking in the sun. When he's not sleeping, his antics would make the whole world laugh."

We are so proud of Cloudy for both of these accomplishments! Do you have a small dog that would like to meet up with Cloudy for some playtime? Send your dog to Gemini's doggie daycare, and he could end up in Cloudy's playgroup!

Casey's a Canine Good Citizen...He Wants You to Know About His Mommy, the Groomer!

Our groomer, Ashley McCoy, recently earned a CGC on her Golden, "Casey" after completing our CGC Prep Course. In fact, everyone who enrolled in that class passed the test!

Casey is pictured here relaxing in a stream.

Speaking of water, Ashley is also excited to announce that we have re-vamped our grooming services and our pricing, to make it more affordable for you, and to cover all of those little extras that you've been asking about.

We are now offering the following services:

• Full Groom: Your dog will be pampered with a nice bath, be brushed out, and receive a haircut or a shave. This service automatically includes nail trimming and ear cleaning.


• Bath & Brush: Your dog will receive a bath and be brushed out, and we'll trim up his feet (if needed). This service also includes nail trimming and ear cleaning.


• Trim Up: You can now opt for just a trim of your dog's face, feet, and tail (without a bath). This service includes nail trimming and ear cleaning.

Ashley will finish each of these services off with a nice spritz of doggie cologne and spiff your dog up with a cute bandana so that he can strut his stuff to his pals!

Ashley also offers A La Carte services:

• Brush Outs: Got shedding? Let us do the work for you! $10 for every 15 minutes.


• Nail Trims: Ashley is happy to trim your dog's nails ($5)


• Teethbrushing ($5)


• Grinding nails ($5)


• Expressing anal glands ($10).

You can indicate these additional services when you check your dog in for grooming. There will be a grooming request form available at the check-in counter, so be sure to complete the form by indicating which services you want and by listing any special instructions. All grooming arrivals and departures now occur at our doggie daycare entrance. To make an appointment, email Lisa at reservations@geminidogs.com.

And I'm a Canine Good Citizen!

"Danka" (pictured on the left) also earned her CGC last week. Congratulations, Danka!

If you would like to try your dog's skills, sign up for our next CGC Prep class on Thursdays at 7:00pm.

I'm a Canine Good Citizen, Too!

This is "Jack" Jones, a Standard Poodle who also earned his CGC last week. Congratulations, Jack!

Happy in Their New Home

I just wanted to send you an update on the two pomeranians that I adopted from Gemini Dogs in December. Sadie (Buttercup) is doing very well. She loves her new bed and is very loving. Sadie is happy go lucky as ever.

Bear went in to be neutered today and to get his teeth cleaned. During the procedure, the vet found that his poor jaw was fractured due to the infected teeth he had. The prognosis is good so far; they are going to put him on antibiotics and let the jaw heal on its own. He will be checked again in a few weeks. He is feeling much better now that he has gotten his teeth taken care of. He is not skittish anymore and is very loving and playful.

Hope all is well at the Daycare. Thank you again for my little furbabies! -Nadire Ramadan

Hooray! I'm a Canine Good Citizen (CGC)

Our most recent Canine Good Citizen Prep Class participants shared a 100% success rate during a CGC test held at Gemini Dogs last night! Congratulations to:

• "Ranger" Grinstead, Coon Hound
• "Jack" Jones, Standard Poodle
• "Casey" McCoy, Golden Retreiver
• "Cloudy" Mentzer, Basset Mix

In addition to the prep class participants, four other dogs including "Bridget" (pictured here) passed the test with flying colors, including:

"Fremont" Frattallone, Cocker Spaniel
"Bridget" Lessley, Whippet
"Lucy" Specht, Lab Mix
"Danka" Tousignant, German Shepherd

We hope to see your dog in our next CGC Prep Class, or for the test that follows in week six! If you would like to sign up for the class or the test, please email us! The cost of the CGC Test is $15, or it's free for class participants.

And thanks to Jean, Jan, Cindy and Penny for their help with the test!

:->
Mich

A Note from Shiba's Daddy...It's a Boy!

We have acquired another dog: a Maltese puppy, that we've named "Snow." It seems that Shiba and Snow have quickly become best buddies, playing together with total abandon. The two dogs hit it off so well, and are getting plenty of exercise together...My retirement has provided me with the time (and energy) to provide our dogs with the attention that they need and deserve.

We want to thank you and your wonderful staff for taking such GREAT care of Shiba over the past three years. He loved the many human and canine connections that Gemini provided during Doggie Day Care sessions, and we truly appreciated all of the little things that your people did for Shiba. He's a wonderful member of our family and Gemini certainly helped to mold his incredible disposition.

Personally, I/we will miss Marie and Derek. They were so good to/with Shiba! The two of them are so good with all of the dogs and are excellent representatives for Gemini.

We wish you the very best and will continue to recommend Gemini to all of our dog-loving friends!

Take care,

Dave & Catherine Dubinsky

New England Agility Dogs Take 17 of the Top 30 Spots Nationally!

This past weekend, instructor Denielle Stasa was in Derry, NH and all but 2 of the New England dogs that landed in the Top 10 Agility Dogs in Canine Performance Events (CPE) for 2008 nationally were there. They managed to take a picture with all of the people, dogs, and plaques. To check out the photo, click here.

Out of 30 spots nationally (ten spots, 3 divisions), New England dogs took 17 of them! We're very proud....Thanks to Denielle for sending us that link! And wow, check out all the letters after her dogs' names below...that's impressive!

C-ATCH3 Ivy Top 10 Enthusiast 2008, TExSN, TExJU, TExFH, ChSN, ChJU, ChFH, ChWC, ChST, ChCL, ChJP, NAJ, NJP, PK2, PG1, PJ1, SSA, SS, NJC, NGC, HSCs, PT

Jury ChSN, ChJU, ChFH, CL4-H, CL4-S, CL4-F, CL3-R, PG1, PJ1, PT

Nico OA, OAJ - my best friend, waiting at the bridge

Flexible Training Options for Our Saturday Classes

We are pleased to announce that we will soon be offering Flexible Training Options for many of our Saturday classes. Each class will be offered as a rolling enrollment class; you can sign up whenever you are ready, pay for the class, and choose your own start date...No more waiting for a class to start!

Flexible Training Options will be available for our Beginner Obedience, Level Two Obedience, and our new Games, Tricks, and Agilty Prep class. We hope to offer this option for Agility classes as well. If you are interested in finding out more about how these classes will work, please contact Michelle at michelle@geminidogs.com. We look forward to seeing you in class!

Agility Run-Thrus on Wednesday Nights

We're starting up again! Starting January 14th...Indoor agility run-thrus are being offered starting at 6:00pm. Courses will be nested for novice and advanced levels. Cost is $10 per dog for as many runs as you'd like. We sign up dogs in order of attendance and by jump height order and let everyone go through the course once, then restart the list and have you all go again, then just keep going till you're done for the night!

We do prefer that you pre-register for run-thrus, so if you are interested in attending at some point, just go to http://www.geminidogs.com/seminar_register.htm to complete a short registration form.

Run-thrus are limited to experienced agility class handlers with prior knowledge of equipment please; this means that your dog has been enrolled in multiple sessions of agility class and can perform all of the basic obstacles in a series. If your dog attends classes with us, you should be in Intermediate Agility. Just ask your instructor if your dog is ready!