Don’t let Mr. Otis fool you—he’s almost 15 years old but has got the heart and soul of a pup half his age!
We have the pleasure of seeing this sweet boy all week long and can’t get enough of his kind nature and gentle way…and boy, oh boy, he kills us with cuteness, as you can see in his featured dog photo! Thanks Mr. Otis for brightening our days!
Support Naperville Area Humane Society on Saturday, June 8, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Seager Park in Naperville to learn fun ways to keep you and your pet healthy. Wags & Wellness is one of the many great summer family and dog events in Naperville IL, featuring fun activities, health screenings and healthy tips for both people and pets. Pets welcome!
Area businesses that will be showcasing their healthy products and services include us (Out-U-Go! Naperville), Edward Hospital, Narnia Pet Behavior and Training, Wehrli Frisbee Dogs, Doga (doggy yoga), Pet Reiki and Communication, Spay Illinois, Chiro One Wellness, LaVida Massage, YMCA, Paws in Time, Vitality Chiropractic Care, and Two Bostons.
It will be a fun day where you can try Doga, exercise with YMCA, watch a Frisbee Dog demonstration, and more. See you there!
The event takes place on Saturday, April 27 at 9:00 AM at the Esplanade at Locust Point in Downers Grove. It is a 5K run or 2 mile fitness walk. All ages can participate and dogs are welcome on the fitness walk. Be part of the Naperville Area Humane Society team for this exciting event.
We have set a goal of raising $10,000. NAHS will use the funds raised from this event for shelter renovations and to continue providing exceptional care to the dogs and cats in our community.
Registration opens January 15 and the entry fee is $30 for walkers and $35 for runners if you register online; registration is $5 higher per category if you register offline and $10 higher per category if you register on event day. Register online now, or learn more about the Naperville Area Humane Society Human Race event.
If you can’t participate this year, you can still support Team NAHS! Visit the NAHS team fundraising page and pledge your support today!
For over a year, Naperville Pet Sitting Superstar, Marci, has been brightening the days of her regular pups and kitties and keeping things under control with her calm, patient way.
She works full-time at another job and still manages to give her route 110%, with rarely a day missed–we don’t know how she does it, but we sure feel lucky that she’s with us!
For more information about Naperville, IL, Tog Dog Aschley and her furry family, paw through our spiffy new staff profiles!
Dog parents understand the importance of finding a great local dog park. Dog parks are a great resource for your furry friend to run to his heart’s content, interact with other dogs, sniff new things, and buddy up to humans in attempts to gain cookies. It is also a great place for pet parents to meet like-minded neighbors and share fur-children stories! We’ve put together a list of the best dog parks in Naperville, IL to help you find a spot with the amenities, space, and cookie-dispensing humans that your pup is looking for!
Have fun exploring!
Below we have compiled some awesome facts and incredible myths about our “bully” friends. Unfortunately there is an overabundance of pit bull type dogs in America’s shelters in large part due to the widespread myths and misundertanding surrounding these dogs.
Myth #1: “Pit Bull” is a breed
Fact: Pit Bull is NOT a breed. It’s a generic term often used to describe all dogs with similar traits and characteristics known to the public as “pit bulls”. When we use the term “pit bull” here it should be understood to encompass American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Take this test and see how well you are able to pick the “pitbull”: http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
Myth #2: Pit Bulls are mean and vicious
Fact: No more vicious than Golden Retrievers, Beagles or other popular dogs! According to a recent study of 122 dog breeds by the American Temperment Testing Society (ATTS) pit bulls achieved a passing rate of 83.9%. That’s as good or better than Beagles (78.2%) and Golden Retreivers (83.2%). http://www.atts.org/stats1.html
Myth #3: Pit Bulls have “locking jaws”
Fact: Studies show that the jaw of the pit bull is in proportion to its size and is no different than any other breed of dog. There is no evidence that any kind of locking mechanism exists in the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Myth #4: Pit Bulls turn on their owners
Dogs, as a species, do not perform behaviors “just because”. There are always reasons for behavior, and when aggression becomes a problem the reasons can be such things as improper handling, lack of socialization or training, a misreading of dog behavior by the owner, or, rarely, disease. Aggression, when it presents in pet dogs, follows specific patterns. First occur warning signs, then more warning signs, and finally, when those signs are continually ignored or misinterpreted, the dog resorts to using its teeth. When an
owner is startled by a sudden, aggressive outburst, it is because they have been unaware of problems that were brewing. This is true of all dogs, not just Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls, indeed no dogs, “turn” on their owners.
Myth #5: The only thing Pit Bulls are good for is fighting
Unfortunately, a large amount of attention has been brought to the fact that the Pit Bull was originally created for fighting other dogs in the pit. Since the breed was selectively bred for and excelled at this task, there is a common assumption that fighting must be all for which the breed is good. The truth of the matter is that the Pit Bull is one of the most versatile of canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him to complete. They are routinely used for: obedience trialing, conformation showing, weight pull, Schutzhund (a German sport which requires dogs to perform in obedience, tracking and protection phases of a competition), agility, and have even been known to participate in herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks including police and armed services work. But fanciers will argue that the task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion. http://network.bestfriends.org/9261/news.aspx
Berkeley at work as a certified therapy dog!
Out-U-Go! is fortunate to have many loving Pit Bulls in our pack. As a matter of fact, I am the proud parent of a Pit Bull named Berkeley Moon who became a certified therapy dog in 2008. Berkeley currently visits Naperville area schools to assist students with their reading.
For more information please take a look at the following sources and organizations, and hug-a-bull today!
Are you ever amazed and shocked at how much you are willing to do for your pet? Like you have this logical sanity that tells you, you won’t spend outlandish amounts of cash at a vet because it’s just a dog, but when confronted with the puppy dog eyes and potential loss of your dog, all logic goes out the window? My husband and I just went through this with our dog, Penny. After throwing up for three days, we went to the vet because now she wasn’t even taking fluids. X-rays (X-rays!) confirmed Penny had a large quantity of something in her stomach. We were certain it wasn’t food. Blood tests were drawn, but since she wouldn’t take in fluids, they were unable to collect a urine sample. Thus, we were sent home with a urine collection tray and instructed to collect a urine sample ourselves.
Unsettled, I went home and searched for hope….on the Internet, of course. Oooh! They have pet prayer blogs. Score. I’m not the best at prayer, but I’m still God-fearing and wanted at least someone praying for her. And incidentally, did you know that there is a patron Saint of dogs!? St. Roch. Note to self: See if bobble-head or hula dancing St. Roch exists for the dog crate…or car dashboard.
So the morning came and Penny was ready to go outside for her morning potty. Commence operation urine sample. How does one collect a urine sample from a dog? Ideally, husband who is dressed in full suit for a wake later that day duck walks behind the dog with aforementioned collection tray waiting for the female dog to squat. You, the neurotic wife, follow behind barefoot and in pajamas, gesturing wildly with suggestions. After contribution has been made, take syringe provided with collection tray and draw the urine from the tray. Deposit into a jar of your choice. Should that be an old jar of baby food from when you hosted a Kappa Delta brunch and your friend brought a child and strained carrots, so be it. Repurposing at its finest.
After vet confirms that blood, urine and all other vitals are fine, begin thorough poop investigation. This is not a fun job because you have neglected to pick up yard poop for the past few weeks because….errr…it’s cold outside. I save my empty, vegan, protein powder jugs for trash poop collection. Wait, doesn’t everyone? After donning a pair of latex gloves, I tried to pep talk myself into the task at hand. The first method was simply to detach emotionally by taking on an alias of a CSI technician or a dinosaur archeologist. I still wasn’t feeling enthused. So I started narrating the process in my head with an Australian accent. That made the task more bearable. Finally, hurrah! I found the trouble-causing toy that has made its trek successfully through the land of doggy digestion. Peace and sanity was restored in the kingdom. Now we are on to more important matters, namely finding dashboard saint figurines.
Amy Gausemel , Client of Out-U-Go! Naperville Proud pet parent of Penny, a 1-year old Treeing Walker Coonhound
