What an Amazing idea... and a four paw salute

I recently read a post on the Front Street Animal Shelter - City of Sacramento's Facebook page about something I find remarkable!  One of our local businesses has thought outside the box, or in this case the kennel.  Robert Espinosa owner of Grateful Dog Daycare in Sacramento has launched a new pilot program which started today.  This pilot program allows a shelter dog the opportunity to spend the day at Grateful Dog.  It may not seem like much but these little steps can mean a lot to the adoptability of a dog.  This iinteraction allows the dog to be removed from the shelter, (which if you've ever been in one, even with the great staff and volunteers can still be stressful and a bit cold) by moving the dog into a variety of different situations it helps desensitize and socialize these dogs.  They become less fearful of new situations, dogs and people.  For a shelter dog that can mean the difference between a forever home and an extended time in the shelter.  Think about walking into a shelter looking for a new family member, you notice a number of dogs barking or agitated, then you walk to the next kennel and notice a very relaxed and friendly looking dog.  Which one do you think is going to end up with a happy ending?  I asked Mr. Espinosa what prompted the idea.  He said, "that he had wanted to do something that would add value back to the community in which he serves".  The wonderful thing is he isn't doing it for any type of recognition he just wants to try and help the shelter dogs become more confident and socialized in return they become more adoptable.  I think that this type of partnership proves that everything we do no matter how small it may seem can have a positive impact on our lives and the lives of others.

We may be ranked 34th in dog friendly cities but with ideas like this I can see us flying up the charts!  Look out number 1 here we come!!!!!

To the staff  andvolunteers at the Front Street Animal Shelter, Grateful Dog Day Care and Mr. Espinosa  I give you a FOUR PAW SALUTE! 

Cheers from the dog with the ears!!

Hello all, recently in Men's Health magazine, an article by Kevin Cirilli appeared "Best Cities for Dogs".
It ranked Portland Oregon 1. with an A+. Colorado had two cities in the top 10.  In the top of the list we had Seattle and Las Vegas.  Where did Sacramento Rank...we got a lousy C+ ranked 34th.  You might ask yourself what was the criteria for the rankings.  My understanding is numerous things were taken into consideration when making the final choices, things like: vet care, pet stores, animal shelters, and number of dog owners per capita.  So Sacramento what do we have to do to tug on the leash and improve our ranking.  Midtown Sacramento for the most part is fairly dog friendly with cafe's that have outdoor seating that are encourage dining with your furry friends, we have several very nice dog parks.  Cordova Park has a a beautiful fairly new one.  Our animal shelters, SSPCA and Placer SPCA both have great staff and volunteers.  We have a lot of charities that work for the benefit of dogs in our communities.  I would like to list each one becuase they are so important to the communities they represent  but I don't have enough space.
I personally have the best VET in the area. So I know that Sacramento has top notch vet care.  Not to mention UC Davis Veterinary school.  For pet parents that are busy and need play time for their loved ones, or who need overnight care. (think of a vacation for your fur babies) Sacramento has a lot of great boarding/pet hotels.  Grateful Dog, Wag Hotel, Camp Bow Wow, and ChaCha's these are just a few.. there are so many unique facilities I cannot mention them all.  Do I think that Sacramento has room to improve? YES! While we have some great things going on in the "Pet Arena" we definitely have a lot of room to improve and grow.  I would personally like to see more pet centric events.  We have a few each year but it would be nice to see us on par with some of the cities who are smaller than us but ranked higher than us in the survey.  I'd like to borrow a saying from a famous movie.. If you build it they will come!  So I will now step down off my soapbox...

Cheers, from the dog with the ears!!!!

Wile E's World: the ground is too hot you don't want your bacon bu...

Wile E's World: the ground is too hot you don't want your bacon bu...: Well it has officially happened... we skipped spring and went straight to summer.  While I was out for my walk today my girl was quick to en...

the ground is too hot you don't want your bacon burning!!

Well it has officially happened... we skipped spring and went straight to summer.  While I was out for my walk today my girl was quick to ensure my feet didn't end up like bacon in a frying pan. You go outside when its hot wearing foot protection.  If its too hot for your bare feet on the ground then its too hot for our feet on the hot ground.  Just a reminder to all pet parents... ITS HOT!  please make sure your furry loved one has plenty of shade if outside and also lots, and lots of water!  I know you want to take us when you run errands but don't if your going to have to leave us in the car.  Even if you roll the window down, the car is still like being in a huge easy bake oven.  Dogs don't expel heat the same way people do we will over heat and become very sick very quickly.  Why take a chance?  Not to mention if you get caught leaving your dog in the car you may come out to find a broken window, your dog gone and a ticket on your car.  Not something I would recommend.  With the days getting longer remember it will get hot earlier and stay got longer.  If its hot for you its hot for your dog.  Its too hot... too hot baby gotta run for cover gotta run for shade.

So chill and have a safe beginning to your summer.

Cheers from the dog with the ears.....