I'm a Gemini Dog!

We had a happy group of boarders and daycare doggies this Labor Day weekend including Jordan, Triton, Ruby, Morgan, Oso, Bert, Heidi, Milo, Star and Moon.


Triton



Jordan



Morgan



Heidi

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Here are a few photos of some of our daycare dogs and staff!


Chelsea loves it up with Hank, Ski, Star, and Morrigan.



Max talks about last night's game with Sarah

Much more agility photos

The photos from Chris Otto Photography are ready! All orders before Oct. 1 get 10% off.

• Main website: chrisotte.com (Look under events)
  
• Agility photos are here.
  

One rich dog!

Did you see this? Unbelievable. (CNN)

Helmsley will: $12M trust for dog, nothing for 2 grandkids

NEW YORK (AP) -- Leona Helmsley's dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley's grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire's estate.

Leona Helmsley holds her dog, Trouble, in a 2003 photo.

Helmsley left her beloved white Maltese, named Trouble, a $12 million trust fund, according to her will, which was made public Tuesday in surrogate court.

She also left millions for her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who was named to care for Trouble in her absence, as well as two of four grandchildren from her late son Jay Panzirer -- so long as they visit their father's grave site once each calendar year.

Otherwise, she wrote, neither will get a penny of the $5 million she left for each of them.

Helmsley left nothing to two of Jay Panzirer's other children -- Craig and Meegan Panzirer -- for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote.

But no one made out better than Trouble, who once appeared in ads for the Helmsley Hotels, and lived up to her name by biting a housekeeper.

"I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum," Helmsley wrote in her will.

The mausoleum, she ordered, must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year." She left behind $3 million for the upkeep of her final resting place in Westchester County, where she is buried with her husband, Harry Helmsley.

She also left her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea, $100,000.

She ordered that cash from sales of the Helmsley's residences and belongings, reported to be worth billions, be sold and that the money be given to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Her longtime spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, had no comment.

Helmsley died earlier this month at her Connecticut home. She became known as a symbol of 1980s greed and earned the nickname "the Queen of Mean" after her 1988 indictment and subsequent conviction for tax evasion. One employee had quoted her as snarling, "Only the little people pay taxes."

Agility weekend photos

We've posted a few photos from the weekend. Enjoy! Look for Chris Otte Photography's photos in the next few days, too.

• See the photos
• Send in your photos from the weekend to share
  

Videos coming soon!

Hot Stuff!

Wow, what a hot weekend! We hope you had a great time at the trial despite the heat! We'll be sitting in the refrigerator for the next few days while we try to cool down.

Tune in again every few days for some photos and video of the day. Thanks for making our trial a success!

Leda found a cool spot between runs

CPE agility trial this weekend

Stop by this weekend and watch some of the finest agility dogs in New England participate in our annual summer agility trial. Dogs start running at 8:00 AM and go until late afternoon. Free admission!

Limited food and drink will be available. Chris Otte Photography will be back again this year to photograph your dog in action. See his photos from last year's event.

Schedule and more info to come.

Rally Obedience Run-Thrus Start This Sunday

Yay! You've graduated from level one and level two obedience, but now you're thinking, "What now?" Take your obedience training to the next level and give Rally-O a try! It's a lot of fun for you and your dog, so stop by and check it out!

• 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, the first and third Sunday of every month (none on Sept 2 tho)
• $10 per dog; as many runs as you'd like!
• Call or email to register, or just drop in
• Prior experience recommended
• None April 20, 2008
  

If you are not sure if you and your pooch are ready, please stop by without your dog and chat with Kim to learn more about the requirements for Rally-O. Or, sign up for a Rally-O class.

Keep your eyes open for our Rally-O Trail premium, too! Trial is Oct 27 and 28.

Time for a Haircut?

If your dog looks like this, it might be time to make a grooming reservation now! We also brush teeth and clip nails!

I'm a Little Gemini Dog!

While the big dogs romped nearby, the smaller boarding doggies had fun in the sun today!


Sadie and Winston



Romeo



Ginger



Sadie



Maggie



Tanner



Roxy



Winston

I'm a Big Gemini Dog!

Our big boarding dogs agree - today was a great day for playing in the sun!


Rocky and Kirby play chase



Rocco takes a break after wrestling with Cosmo



Heidi



Dakota



Sydney takes a dip



Ahh, that was refreshing!



Rufus watches the kids play

Frisbee Dog Workshop

There are still a few spots left for our Frisbee Dog Workshop on Saturday, August 18. Don't miss it!

Watch the video on our website and try not to sign up!

If you applied for boarding recently...

Due to a glitch with our website, we may not have received applications for new boarders submitted between Thursday Aug 2 and Wednesday Aug 8. If that includes you, please call the office at 978-486-9922 and ask for Alyssa to confirm that we received your application.

Thank you and please accept our apologies.

Only a few spots left!

There are less than 50 runs left for each day of our Agility Trial August 25-26. Stop procrastinating and sign up before your doggie stops talking to you!

Best Buds!

Athena and Deja: Best friends!

While their Moms work hard up in the office, Athena and Deja have fun down in doggie daycare. Athena lives with our daycare and boarding coordinator Alyssa, while Deja lives with our office manger Nancy.

Good Morning!

Jena and Liisa, two of our early-morning doggie daycare crew, let Louie and Max do their Eskimo thing.

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Here are just a few of the happy dogs staying with us this week. Woof!

Star and Bella




Maggie



Lexie



Sunny and Cisco



Molly



Jasmine



Rocky



Tanner



Ski

Dog eats $800 and makes change!

Watch this story about a dog who got into her owner's purse and chowed down on some cold hard cash. (You may need to view in IE; didn't work for me in Firefox)

Two New Classes - Frisbee Dog and Canine Freestyle Dancing!

Earlier this year we introduced you to a great new dog sport called Earthdog. We followed that up with Flyball, the fastest-growing dog sport around. Now, we continue to bring you the most fun and unique classes possible and give you Frisbee Dog and Freestyle Dancing!

• Frisbee Dog - Join Gemini Dogs instructor and Blue Dog Group demo team member, Bridget Desroches (CPDT) for a 2-hr indoor workshop. You'll learn all about canine disc - the throws, commands, and skills involved, as well as learn about safety and proper equipment. You'll even learn how to throw the disc! (Sat. Aug 4, 2:30-4:30 PM) More info and video

• Canine Freestyle is a relatively new sport that combines dog obedience and dance! The handler and dog perform dance-oriented footwork in time to the music, rather than displaying the traditional walking pace of obedience. Join Mary Ann Callahan in this 6-week class Fridays at 6:30PM starting in Sept. More info and video

We are also hosting a Freestyle workshop (people only) on Friday Sept. 7!

I'm a Big Gemini Dog!

Daycare staffer Derek takes care of our St. Bernard guests, Zeus and Lady, who were given a haircut by our groomer Liisa a few days ago. Don't they look nice?!




Zeus and Lady



"Who-boy! These guys are big!"

My Date With Barney

In time for date night, here's Kenzie and her story about trying to get a date with the First Dog.

Be ready for the trial -- take a CPE Games class!

Not sure about all the games being offered at our CPE Trial? Then come and learn about them at our CPE Games class while practicing full runs in our outdoor ring!

Click for complete details.

• Limited to 10 working teams
• $120; register by July 19 and save $20!
• Single day registration for $45 is also available if there is room remaining in the class; however, full class registrants will be enrolled first.
  

Class meets on the following Mondays from 6:30-8:30 PM:

• July 23, July 30, and August 13

Topics include all of the games we are offering at the trial, including:

• Fullhouse
• Wildcard
• Snooker
• Jackpot
• Colors
• Jumpers

This class has a prerequisite of Intermediate Agility or above. Dogs must be able to execute the Dogwalk or A-frame at full height -- no exceptions! Seesaw and weave poles are not required. Teams will be running full courses in our outdoor ring. Food and toys are allowed and encouraged.

Register now!

Agility Focus Workshops start soon!

Learn more advanced skills and techniques from one of the best! Join us for three Monday evening workshops taught by our senior instructor, Carolyn Barney.

• Distance Handling Practice (Monday, July 16; 6-8pm)
• What is Your Cue? (Monday, Aug. 6; 6-8pm)
• Handling Toolkit (Monday, Aug. 27; 6-8pm)

Learn more about the workshops on our website. Class size is limited, so hurry up and register! Sign up for all three at once and save $15!

I'm a Gemini Dog!

Cassie and Maya stayed with us this week. Beautiful dogs!

Take the Silly Survey

Look to your right, under the email newsletter sign-up box -- it's the Silly Survey! We're just trying something new here and hopefully adding a little spark to your Fourth of July holiday week.