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?

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!