Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue August Newsletter 2010
The Dog Days of Summer
It's time to squeeze in the last vacation of the summer, get ready for school and avoid melting during the heat waves of August. "Dog days of summer" is a term that refers to the hottest days of the summer season. The term "Dog Days" was used by the Greeks, as well as the ancient Romans after Sirius (the "Dog Star" - not the XM radio), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunris. The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. The chocolate labs are thanking us right now for no longer practicing this tradition! Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid. In Sweden and Finland, this is commonly referred to as the rotting month - where the food often spoils due to the high temperatures. Whatever the original usage, typically nowadays, it means it's hot outside.
With it being so hot, how do you keep your pooch cool this summer? Your pooch can suffer from overheating, dehydration and sunburn this time of year. Dogs are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people, so they are more susceptible to overheating. A dog’s normal body temperature is 100-102 degrees, and they have sweat glands on their nose and pads of their paws. They pant and drink water to cool down, so always have fresh, cool water available for your dog. Heat exhaustion in dogs is often caused by dehydration and overheating from running or over-exercising during hot weather. Heatstroke can occur when your dog’s body temperature is too high for a prolonged period of time, and both can lead to brain and organ damage, heart failure and even death.
Some of the signs of heatstroke are panting hard, staggering gait, rapid heartbeat, dazed look, listlessness, restlessness, dark red or purple gums and/or tongue and vomiting. If you suspect a heat-induced illness in your dog, gradually lower his body temperature by moving him to the shade or air conditioning, apply cold packs to his head, neck or belly, or immerse in cool (not cold) water, giving small amounts of cool water or ice cubes to lick — and then take him to the vet immediately. And then... of course... the advice we repeat over and over again...
Never leave your pet alone in a car during hot weather
Just as with children, we must be aware of the danger in leaving our dog inside a parked car in the summer heat. Simply parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked is not enough. Windows collect light and trap heat inside the car, sending the temperature to dangerous and deadly levels rapidly. A car’s inside temperature can increase as much as 40 degrees in an hour — with 80 percent of that increase within the first 30 minutes. On an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car with the windows cracked slightly can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes!
So go out, enjoy the beautiful sunny summer – but keep Fido & Sandy safe and cool in this extreme heat!
Dog of the Month: Darla
Darla is a very loving girl, with a lot of energy. She would be a great addition to a family as an only pet, but with a family that has time to work on her training and confidence. She has some anxiety around other dogs, so she also needs work on socialization. But she is very willing to learn. She is a beautiful soft coat black lab mix. She does great with daily exercise. She still has a lot of puppy energy for a 2 yr old!! She loves her daily walks but she is not a dog I would have on a extended leash. I am trying to work with her keeping by my side during our walk/runs. We are using a Haltie and it seems to help with her pulling, but she will lunge at other dogs because she thinks everyone should play with her on the trail!! She know some basic commands and would do wonderful with some formal obedience training. She does go into a crate with some help but usually doesn’t complain after she’s in there, she has done better sleeping on the floor by my son’s bed. She would make a great pet for anyone with time to work with her. She loves her belly rubbed and I think she would love playing fetch, but our Choc Lab has a ball obsession so Darla rarely gets to the ball before he does. She is a great girl that just wants to feel secure with her surroundings to help build up her confidence and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer a young lab!!! |
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Featured Success Story: Nova, now Bella – Adopted May 2010
Dear Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue-
Just wanted to give you a quick update on Nova-now Bella. She has been such a delight. She is a very mild mannered puppy and is learning very quickly. She is potty trained, doing much better in her crate (had a few accidents in there but getting the hang of it now), can sit and loves taking her walks!! She plays well with all the extended families dogs, loves to go camping, but we are still working on the fetching-not real sure of that yet. Thanks for all you do for the labs you rescue-what an amazing organization. We consider ourselves lucky to have found you and to be able to bring Bella home.
For more RMLR Success Stories visit our website! Send in your RMLR Success Story today!
Many of you may already be aware of this amazing non-profit. They have been featured on FOX, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, the Today Show, and Good Morning America. Pilots N Paws is compromised of volunteers and pilots that organize air transports from shelters across the United States to rescues for dogs and cats.The pilots donate their time, their gas and the use of their plane to get these great animals to forever homes.
To the left here you can see Dove and Lark with their great pilot, Jason. They were a couple of pups transported to RMLR this year with the great help of Pilots N Paws.
You can learn more about Pilots N Paws, donate to the cause, and see more stories on their website.
Below are photos from a transport from Elk City, OK to RMLR for four lucky pups.
 
CALL FOR NEW FOSTERS!
To the RMLR Volunteers:
Daily, we are forced to turn away great dogs, either as owner surrenders or from high risk shelters, because we don't have enough foster homes to accommodate them. We feel that many of the dogs would be highly adoptable and would probably be placed quickly, but without the foster openings we must turn them away.
Please consider fostering, even if only once. Maybe you could only do it for a few nights. Whatever you could do, we would appreciate it. If you have friends that are thinking about getting a dog, fostering would be a good first step for them. If you know people love dogs but travel too much or don't want to make a long term commitment, fostering might be a very satisfying alternative.
So many dogs are in jeopardy right now because people are losing their jobs and their homes. Please consider fostering, and please help us to come up with ideas for getting new foster homes.
If only this, take a second and print out our foster flier. Hang it up at your local dog park, vet's office or pet supply store. Every little bit helps!
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Attention former Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue Adopters
We LOVE Our RMLR Rescues 2011 Calendar
Is your Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue Pup just too cute for words? Has rescuing this dog had some great (sometimes unexpected) stories that you just HAVE to share? Do you simply just love your dog and want to tell the world? Or just want to share your great rescue story? Here's your opportunity as a RMLR Rescuer!
If you are familiar the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue, you'll know that this past year we printed and sold a very successful set of 2010 We Love Our Rescues Calendars featuring past RMLR Adoptees and their fantastic stories. We sold over 200 calendars last year, earning over $4,000 to help us save more dogs! And this year we need 12 more pups that want to share their story! The 12 winners will recieve a free 2011 RMLR Calendar!
Requirements:
• You MUST have a Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue past adopted dog. It can be from any year, any age, any story, any mix (we have had super mutts and non-labs come through the rescue!) to apply.
• 2-4 photos of your dog - they can be professional shots, personal shots, with yourself, with other pets, anything... The photos need to be large enough to print. They need to be AT LEAST 8x10" at 150 dpi, or 600KB or higher. Most digital photo files downloaded directly from your camera are high enough quality for this.
• A 150-300 word story or write up about your dog, a great story that has happened post-adoption, from your or your dog's perspective. Pretty much anything goes!
• Being as this is a fundraiser, we are asking for a $5 donation for every entry. The twelve winners that are chosen to be in the calendar will win a free calendar.
• Entries (and payment) need to recieved by August 31, 2010.
To Enter:
Entries need to be sent to rockymountainlabrescue@gmail.com. Entitle the email RMLR 2011 Calendar Entry: Dog's Name. Please include your name, the dog's name, year and month you adopted the dog - as well as the 150-300 word write up and 2-4 photos.
The $5 entry donation can be paid to our paypal.
Entries will only be reviewed if all materials are sent (words, photos and donation). All incomplete entries will be discarded.
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Upcoming Events:
Please join RMLR and our awesome foster dogs for a rescue adoption event. We will be at the Comfy K-9 on Saturday, August 21st, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. There will also be other rescue groups in attendance.
Comfy K-9
11429 Pearl Street
Northglenn, CO 80233
303-522-0863
We will have foster dogs available for adoption and volunteers there to answer questions. If you are approved to adopt and circumstances permit, you may be able to take your new family member home with you that day. We do ask that all household members, and especially your dogs (if you have any), are there to meet the available foster dogs.
We look forward to meeting you!
Please visit our booth at the 3rd annual Skirt Chaser 5k in Cherry Creek on Saturday, August 28th. It’s a great time for all and especially the foster dogs that love all the attention!
Skirt Chaser 5k is THE event where women get a three minute head start on the men, challenging them to “catch us if you can!” Women, sign up for the standard entry and you get a $50 Skirt Sports Fitness Skirt with your race entry! The race finishes with a block party that includes live music and a happy hour atmosphere of food and drink.
Skirt Chaser 5k Denver
Cherry Creek North, 5:00
http://www.skirtsports.com/skirtchaser5k/denver/
Please visit our booth at Broomfield Dog Daze at the Bay on Saturday, September 11th. This is definitely an event you do not want to miss if you have a water loving dog.
The Bay
250 Lamar Street
Broomfield, CO 80020
It’s a day gone to the dogs! Bring your dog down to the Bay for a day of excitement just for dogs. Fido can jump and play in the summer heat, while coolin’ off with a dip in the pool. Just a little reminder, the activity is for the dogs and does not include owners to be in the pool. Pre-registration is preferred to guarantee space. Please call 303-464-5501 to pre-register!
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