Tag Archives: pets

Humane Society of Boulder Valley flooding help pets

How to Help Colorado Flood Victims

Colorado suffered terrible flooding this September, and Out-U-Go! Denver and Boulder Pet Care Services wish only the best for all those effected by this tragedy.

Our office stayed mostly dry, but many others were not that lucky. We’d like to pass along that the Humane Society of Boulder Valley is accepting donations to help pets in need in the wake of the storm.

Paw here to help those in need.

Out-U-Go! Madison Pet Care Frisbees from Fetch Rescue WI Event

Fetch Rescue WI and Out-U-Go! Madison Pet Care

Who doesn’t love to play Frisbee? Out-U-Go! Madison provided frisbees and other fun stuff to all the volleyball participants at Fetch Rescue of Wisconsin‘s sand volleyball tournament to help raise money for rescued pets!

More photos of this event will be posted on our Facebook Page!

South Loop Dog Pickle

Meet South Loop / Hyde Park Pup, Pickle!

This beautiful gal is a HUGE clown! Don’t let that sweet face fool you; she will make you laugh almost every moment you are around.

Ms. Pickle likes to live life in the moment. Her little bursts of energy and overall happy demeanor make her a sweet visit for our day!

Thanks Pickle for many of our favorite moments here at South Loop / Hyde Park Out-U-Go!

South Loop Pack Leader Coming Soon

A New South Loop Pack Leader is Coming!

While we tremendously appreciated every little bit of help Hannah brought to our team, she will be returning back to school this Fall! Thank you, Hannah!

Our newest South Loop Out-U-Go! Pack Leader is currently in training and looking forward to introducing herself! We are so pumped to bring someone to our team that will help provide more support in our office to our Pet Parents and staff. We are working towards making your OUG! experience better in South Loop and Hyde Park, and this is just one of the ways we plan to do it!

And as always, thank you, Pet Parents, for being so fantastic to our team! We are so lucky to have you, too!

Downers Grove pet sitter Jessica

Meet Downers Grove Pet Sitter Extraordinaire, Jessica

Jessica’s furry family consists of her two dogs Jersey and Rocket as well as three cats, Cocoa, Garfield, and Hayzl.

Her home also welcomes other kitties as she is a foster parent for the West Suburban Humane Society.

She has also volunteered for WSHS every weekend for the past ten years.

Jessica says, “I can still remember the name of the first couple of cats at WSHS that I fell in love with. Spartacus was a DLH orange tabby that had a lot of spirit. Tallulah was a poor kitten that came to us from an abusive home, but still managed to be the sweetest girl on the planet. The reason that I keep going is because of the cats; it is definitely repetitive cleaning cages, but the cats are what makes it all worthwhile.”

OUG Earth Day

Happy Earth Day, Living Beings!

Every day is a great day to think and talk about our environmental conservation efforts, but the celebrated Earth Day is coming up on Monday, April 22. Skip the usual case of the Mondays and opt to have a smart and fun eco-experience with your four-legged children!

  • Talk to your cat about responsible paper towel use. Many pet-induced messes call for a fresh square or two, but consider using a cloth or rag next time Mittens “accidentally” pushes your drink glass over the moment you stop scratching her chin.
  • Teach your fur-children about climate change through participating in World Wide Fund for Nature‘s (WWF) Earth Hour. Since bedtime seems to be when pups practice their Olympics tryout material and kitties reenact American Gladiators episodes, this earlier hour free of non-essential lights on Earth Day will earn you some additional sleep and the last laugh.
  • Plant a tree with your pup! He will surely be willing to assist with the daily maintenance, and as a bonus, he will feel philanthropic in watching it grow from a tiny seedling into a structure that houses his squirrel arch-nemeses.

Learn more about how we minimize our carbon paw prints every day through Out-U-Go! Cares!

Pit Bulls: Fact vs. Fiction

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!

www.bestfriends.org

www.pbrc.net

www.badrap.org

www.chicagolandbullybreedrescue.org