Butch enjoying the storm

This is our doggie daycare pooch, Butch, enjoying the snow storm. Send us your pics!

Gemini Dogs will be hosting a Mock Nose Work Trial (NW1) on Saturday, January 8th, 2011

Mock Trial entry forms are available online at www.geminidogs.com

Don't miss out on this opportunity to train your dog in a new environment! We are offering trial runs to dogs who are still in training as well. You can enter to use: Birch Scent only, Birch scent combined with food, or Food only.

Information on the Sport:
For more information about the sport, check out the official Fun Nose Work website: www.funnosework.com

Rules & Regulations for regular competition can be found at the National Association of Canine Scent Work website: www.nacsw.net

Volunteering is a great way support your fellow handlers and a fantastic way to get introduced to the K9 Nose Work trial experience. If you are interested in volunteering, please email michelle@geminidogs.com with your contact information.

Come on down on Sat 11am-3pm

Free fun for your doggie! This Saturday from 11am-3pm, we'll be hosting an open house.

We will be having lots of fun stuff going on...so join in on the doggie playgroups, play on the agility equipment, get a free nail trim, show us some tricks, and pick up free treats!

Howl-o-ween Tips

• Secure your dog in a crate, in a room away from the front door.
• Give him a juicy bone or a Kong stuffed with hotdogs, cheese, or peanut butter.
• Play music or leave a TV on in the dog's room to mask sounds of activity at the door.
• Close drapes so that your dog does not see people coming and going through the window.
• Supervise your dog around children; they may be attracted to the dangling bits or streaming material of a costume.
• Teach children to "Be a Tree" and stand still if a dog starts nipping at their clothes.
• Keep your dogs and cats indoors around Halloween. Pets have been stolen, injured, or poisoned as part of Halloween pranks.

Happy Howl-o-ween!

Addie wanted to wish everyone a Happy Howl-o-ween! Isn't this just the cutest little devil you have ever seen?

I'm a (New) Gemini Dog!

Meet Chloe, one of our new daycare doggies. We are looking forward to her very first day of doggie daycare, and we already have some pals in mind for her!

I'm a (New) Gemini Dog!

Meet Brody, an Irish Setter who will be joining us for doggie daycare. He is enrolled in our Fido Flex Plan for obedience training, and he is a STAR Puppy graduate...Brody is a very accomplished and busy puppy!

Save the Date

We will be hosting a Customer Appreciation Day open house on Saturday, November 6th from 11am-3pm. Be sure to save the date!

Kira ARCH-X

Heather and Kira got their ARCH-X last weekend. That's a big one...Congratulations!

Lily earned her RL2!

Lily and her mom Andrea entered our Rally-O trial last weekend,  and earned her Level Two title. Way to go, Lily!

Rally-O!

Barb and her labs earned some fancy titles this weekend at our Rally trial. Aren't they stylish?

Meet Big, a New Gemini Dog!

This is Big, as in "a big sweetie" and "a big cutie"...isn't he just adorable? Big will be joining us in Doggie Daycare on Wednesday for the first time. He's taking advantage of our taxi service, so he will be riding in style. We can't wait to introduce him to Rory, another English Bulldog pup who comes to daycare.

K9 Nose Work is Coming!

If you aren't yet familiar with the sport of K9 Nose Work, it's an up-and-coming sport that you should look into. Your dog basically learns to sniff out a specific scent, and to locate that scent in four different areas.

A line of boxes is arranged, typically in two rows, within a room. Your dog works his way through the room, locating the one that contains the scent. For beginning dogs, Birch is the scent used. The other three areas are an indoor room, an outdoor space, and a vehicle search.

Gemini Dogs is currently offering classes through instructor Gail McCarthy. We are also offering a mock trial in January, and we are working with some local trainers to co-host the first Massachusetts trial in May 2011.

For more info on the sport, visit www.funnosework.com.

Trials, Trials, and More Trials!

We are actively scheduling our 2011 trials for CPE Agility, TDAA Agility, and APDT Rally-O. Watch our website for details. And if you are a judge for any of those venues, let us know!

Bimini is a STAR Puppy!

Congratulations to Bimini, our most recent graduate from the STAR Puppy program.

LOST DOG

Have a look at that photo of Amos; if you see a dog that looks like that, it might be Turkey, a lost dog who really needs to get back home! Below is a note from him:

"I am new to this area and managed to get lost in Harvard on Thursday morning (9/23/10). My name is Turkey but I am shy and may be too frightened to respond to it. I am a 2 year old recently neutered male Bernese Mountain Dog, black, rust and white, weigh 104lbs and am about 2 1/2 ft tall . I have no white on my fore-legs and only a little white on my tail. I have on a red collar with my rabies tag and I have been micro-chipped (still registered in Kansas which is where I just came from). My new family is really sad and would like me back. If found, please immediately call Cindy (978) 501-4964 or Denis (978) 501-4965 or our home (978) 456-3461 any time."

Amos sent us a new pic...

This is Amos, a Bernese Mountain Dog that comes to Gemini to play and stay. Dad sent us this new picture; isn't he looking very handsome?

I'm a (New) Gemini Dog!

Oh boy, look how cute I am! This is Marley, a new addition to the Gemini Dogs family. Isn't he just adorable?

Do You Have a Disaster Plan in Place?

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch for the Cape and the islands this afternoon, as forecasters warned that Hurricane Earl could bring rain and tropical storm-force winds to Eastern Massachusetts late Friday.

Of course, this storm may not impact us very much this far inland, but it's always best to be prepared. Gemini Dogs is always available to kennel your pets for you if you need to leave your home and seek emergency sheltering.

Don't forget your pet when preparing a family disaster plan.

• Proper identification including immunization records

• A photo of you and your pet together; it proves ownership!

• Ample supply of food and water

• A carrier or cage

• Medications

• Muzzle, collar, and leash

I'm a Gemini Dog!

This is Amos, a Bernese Mountain Dog who attends Doggie Daycare and stays with us overnight in boarding. He is one of several Berners that attend daycare, and he is a super cool doggie!

I'm a Gemini Dog!

This is Henry, a cute little Chocolate Lab that has graduated as a STAR Puppy from our Puppy Playschool. He is currently attending Beginner Obedience, and he recently joined us in Doggie Daycare.

Henry has a ton of new friends, and is really enjoying himself. Would your dog like to meet him? Come on in to tour our daycare!

Holy Ribbons!!!

Check out all of the ribbons that our instructor, Kim Lewis, earned at our CPE Agility trial this weekend! Wow...great job Sydney, Wyle, and Maggie!

We had a great time at the trial and we look forward to seeing our little pals at the upcoming Teacup Agility trial on September 11th and 12th.

If your dog earned some ribbons, send us your photos!

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Hello! I'm Lola, and I recently joined the Gemini Dogs family. I will be staying with my new friends while my family is on vacation. I'm a super cute dog, and although I was a little nervous when I first came in this morning, I am settling in nicely and getting to know everyone on the staff.

My new pal, Michelle, promised my mommy that she would send some video of me playing. You see, it's my first time being boarded, so mommy was a little nervous too! But don't worry, mom; everyone is taking good care of me...I'll write more later...time for bed!

Congrats to Mary & Ben On Their C-ATCH!

Congratulations to Mary and her Border Collie, Ben, on earning their C-ATCH at a recent agility trial. Great job! We are so proud of you!

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Scarlett

Sandy

Lucy

TDAA Trial Fun

We had some great fun this weekend at our second TDAA agility trial of the year. If you have a dog that measures under 16" you should check out www.k9tdaa.com and join us for our next trial on September 11-12, 2010. Our premium should be available shortly! And don't worry, this is one venue where you do not have register with the organization before you can enter the trial; just send in your registration with your entry form!

Introducing Rose (and Clancy!)

This is Rose (up front), who will be joining us in doggie daycare soon. Rose is 8 months old and is coming to daycare so that she can learn how to have a soft mouth when playing. Because Rose was not with her mother and littermates for the first part of her life, it is difficult for her to know what's acceptable and what is not. We suggested that Rose join us in daycare so that the other puppies can teach her some playtime manners. Of course, our staff is always on hand to help them out! Rose is also coming to doggie daycare so that her pal Clancy (who is 11 years old) gets to hang out with her AFTER she's all tired out from being at daycare!

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Adora is a cute little girl, huh? She will be staying with us for a while while mommy goes away, and she is signing up for some personal training while she's here. She is planning to learn a good "Leave It" command, and study up on some basic obedience during her stay.

Is Kirby feeling better?

And this is Danni...awwww...

Daycare Dog ~ Daisy

Meet Daisy, one of our new doggie daycare pals! Isn't she sweet?

Monday at 10pm ~ Animal Planet Investigates

I can speak from experience...puppy mills are not pretty! I volunteer to respond for deployments with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and with United Animal Nations (UAN) Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) to disasters such as a puppy mill seizures. (When the state steps in and shuts down one of these places, and seizes the dogs, who get sent to a temporary shelter until they can legally be released for adoption in local shelters.)

So, I have had a first-hand look at the deplorable conditions...I'm glad to see that Animal Planet is exposing this horrible practice that so many pet stores participate in. The bulk of these animals are supplied to pet stores or sold online, and when you buy a puppy that way, keep in mind that they come from places like this. If we all stop buying those puppies, the puppy mills would no longer profit from over-breeding and the practice would stop. These people who call themselves "breeders" are in it for the money, not for the dogs. Real breeders care about their dogs.

Puppy mills really put the public in a bad position, though...we see that puppy in the pet store and we want to "save" these poor dogs, but for each one that is saved, another just replaces him.

Watch the show if you can! I just set my DVR. It's on Monday, May 17th at 10pm.

Archie joins our ever-growing list of STAR Puppies!

Meet Archie, a bulldog puppy that recently graduated from our STAR Puppy Program. Isn't he just the cutest little thing? Archie and his pals spent six weeks attending a one-hour class called Puppy Playschool, held on Mondays at 6:30pm. Archie and his buddies educated their owners about housetraining, puppy biting, and other puppy-raising tips, as well as how to manage their dog in a playgroup.

Have you got a puppy under 16 weeks of age? Then come on down and join the fun! You can start any Monday you would like, just register on our website at www.geminidogs.com and we'll see you Monday night!

Great Weekend at Our APDT Rally-O Trial

We had a great success this weekend hosting our first APDT Rally-O trial in several years...makes me wonder why we waited so long! We awarded both an ARCH-EX and an ARCH-MX, which for those of you who don't know Rally, are quite a big deal for the dogs and handlers. They have to work really hard to achieve these titles, and we were pleased that we could be the ones to congratulate them and recognize their awesome achievements. We got a photo of one of those handlers (Rachel Brostrom) with her dog and Lynn Currie, the judge. But the camera's battery died before we could snag one of our ARCH-EX winner!

We also awarded lots of other titles, and those details we will post soon. I drove home without the list...oops! So I'll update this post later...

Great News from Marjorie and Lily!

"Lily and I completed our CPE C-ATE (CPE Agility Team Extraordinaire) championship last Saturday at the SCAT trial in Connecticut! 5000 points at level C was a long road and certainly not something I ever thought I'd achieve way back when I started agility "just for fun" and said "Oh, I'm not going to compete."

Not bad for the girl who always got picked last in gym class and can barely stay upright on course, and a castoff Southern puppy plucked from certain death at a shelter in North Carolina by the Sudbury, MA rescue group Save a Dog (thank you Shirley)!

Finishing the C-ATE was a great follow-up to Lily's 2009 achievements: Number 8 Top Scoring Regular/Vet in CPE 2009 Top Ten and 6th place in the Games category for her height class at 2009 CPE Nationals. I am super proud of my girl!

Thanks to all for your support and encouragement, and especially thanks to Lily for loving to play agility with me and for putting up with my handling! I hope that Lily and I will see you soon and you will join us in celebrating. Cheers!"

Marjorie Otterson and C-ATE Lily Top Ten 2009, ExST, ExCL, ExJU, ExWC, ExSN, ExFH, PK1, PJ1, CGC

Goodbye Seamus...

We just received a note from Kate, Seamus Ricca's mommy. Seamus passed away at 10:30am this morning. He had mast cell cancer and had undergone two surgeries, but the cancer came back and they were told last Thursday that they only had a short time left with him.

He would have been six at the end of May, but the family decided to start his birthday celebration last night; Seamus had steak and ice cream, cuddled with his mom and dad under the stars overnight, took a walk in the woods, and laid his head down in mommy's lap, with daddy rubbing his back, ate some biscuits, and passed away in their arms.

As Kate said in her note, "Seamus was a great dog and will be missed so much, but the memories of him are just wonderful."

Now, go give your dog a kiss and tell him that you love him...goodbye Seamus...we love you!

Congratulations to the teams who earned a Top Ten Award in CPE Agility in 2009!

2009 Regular/Veterans Year-End Awards
8th ~ Marjorie Otterson and Lily (BC) Gemini Dogs Student

2009 Enthusiast Year-End Awards
2nd ~ Denielle Stasa and Ivy (GSD) Gemini Dogs Instructor

2009 Specialist Year-End Awards
7th ~ Denielle Stasa and Jury (GSD) Gemini Dogs Instructor

Bailey Had a Nice Walk Today!

This is Bailey. Isn't she cute? Bailey has had a couple of Gemini Dogs dog walking visits, and very soon, she will be starting in our doggie daycare where we just know that she will make lots of new friends!

If you would like to have a dog walker visit your house, just give Michelle a call or email her at michelle@geminidogs.com and she will set up a time to stop by and visit with you and your furry friend! And if you're curious about what it's like to have a Gemini Dogs dog walker, have a peek at this note we left for Bailey's parents today!

Hmmm, they left the keys...should I?

Howdee's mom sent this photo recently, and we just had to share it. Isn't he cute?