Pet Sitting, Dog Walking, House Sitting – Gold Coast

Posts Tagged ‘dogs’

From PetSitUSA’s blog:

If you’re looking for a pet sitter for the first time, you really need to get busy. You’ll need to  allow for enough time to meet with at least one pet sitter before you hire someone. Since you’re hiring someone to care for your pet and home, you don’t want feel rushed into making a decision that may not be a good fit. Planning early can help.

If you already have a relationship with a pet sitter, and need pet care between now and the end of the year, give him or her a call right away! If not, you’ll risk hearing, “I’m sorry, but I”m booked!”

{ read full article here }

If you are a current client of Gold Coast Pet Sitting, I’m already “book out” for Live In House Sitting and Overnights on select dates. If you are a new client, I would strongly advise you to get into action sooner rather than later:  we do offer two free meet n greets with every booking to help you.

As I am the Founder of the Network of Professional Pet Carers Gold Coast, if I cannot be of assistance I will be able to be of assistance to you by finding the appropriate available pet carer for your requirements.  At the same time, the majority of Network members are already quite busy for the last two weeks of December and first week of January.

I bought this book in late September. I love it.  I’m sharing some of it with you here.  You can also download a preview of the eBook [ here ] — xox Aunty Vanessa

101 Ways to Keep Your Dog Entertained

by Sarah McMullen

[ BUY NOW ]

In 101 Ways to Keep your Dog Entertained Sarah McMullen shows you how to enrich your dogs life & prevent and solve behaviour problems by starting at home. Sarah’s informative & light hearted style guides you step by step…..giving you the keys to help prevent serious problems like separation anxiety, and solving many destructive and unacceptable behaviour problems.

Full of practical, innovative suggestions that will benefit both you and your dog

Discover…

• Over 101 ways to keep your dog entertained
• Valuable information for home alone dogs
• Welfare and safety considerations
• Low cost ideas
• Ideas for interactive entertainment
• Training and health care ideas & instruction
• The best toys & items you can buy
• And much more!

101 Ways to Keep your Dog Entertained is a MUST HAVE for Every Dog Owner!

YOUR DOG WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT!

Here’s a sample:

LOW COST IDEAS

Treasure Hunt – Hide treats before going out.

Have you bought this eBook ?  What did you think of it ?

Have you tried the Treasure Hunt idea ?  What was your experience ?

Search 101 Ways in the search box to the right to find more ideas from this marvellous eBook !

AFTER having to stop a raging bull dead in its tracks, blessing a few dozen abandoned animals seems like a breeze.

Venerable Yana Dolma from the Arya Tara Gold Coast Buddhist Centre will be sending a healing and calming wishes on the cats and dogs of the Animal Welfare League tomorrow, between 5.30pm and 8pm.

{ read the full article here }

Do you feel blessed to have the pets you have in your life ?

Share your stories in the comments below

With so many bad news stories in the media lately about animal cruelty, isn’t it time we saw a happy story or two?

To help celebrate RSPCA Happy Tails Day, the RSPCA are looking for Australians to share with them happy tales about their love for their pets in the lead up to Happy Tails Day (8 October 2010).

From the 1st to the 7th of October, RSPCA QLD want you to share a happy tale about your pets via social media. Facebook something about Fido, tweet about your tabby cat, share your ferret photos on Flickr… it’s up to you!

Once you’ve shared your happy tale, send an email to online@rspca.org.au with a link (or screenshot) of your social media post by 11:59PM (AEDST), October 7, 2010 to be in the running for a prize. The best five happy tales will win a prize thanks to DGG. We have 5 pooch pamper packs to give away including shampoo and conditioner, towel, toy and groovy dog t-shirts.

Happy Tails Day is a celebration of the animals that make our lives better and a great way to support the RSPCA. It’s easy to get behind a great cause! Simply purchase merchandise from the exclusive Happy Tails Day range in September and October from the RSPCA Australia Online Shop or at their retail partners: BigW, newsXpress, Hill’s Vets, Bendigo Bank and Peter Alexander.

• http://www.rspca.org.au/how-you-can-help/events/happy-tails-day.html
• http://www.rspca.org.au/shop?

Whilst you may have missed the competition – please share your happy tails with us:

Post it in the comments below or on our Facebook wall

I bought this book in late September. I love it.  I’m sharing some of it with you here.  You can also download a preview of the eBook [ here ] — xox Aunty Vanessa

101 Ways to Keep Your Dog Entertained

by Sarah McMullen [ BUY NOW ]

In 101 Ways to Keep your Dog Entertained Sarah McMullen shows you how to enrich your dogs life & prevent and solve behaviour problems by starting at home. Sarah’s informative & light hearted style guides you step by step…..giving you the keys to help prevent serious problems like separation anxiety, and solving many destructive and unacceptable behaviour problems.

Full of practical, innovative suggestions that will benefit both you and your dog

Discover…

• Over 101 ways to keep your dog entertained
• Valuable information for home alone dogs
• Welfare and safety considerations
• Low cost ideas
• Ideas for interactive entertainment
• Training and health care ideas & instruction
• The best toys & items you can buy
• And much more!

101 Ways to Keep your Dog Entertained is a MUST HAVE for Every Dog Owner!

YOUR DOG WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT!

Here’s a sample:

LOW COST IDEAS

Empty Ice-cream Containers

You may wish to hide a treat underneath.  You can also use them with a lid and treats inside. Place some treats inside and attach the lid. See how long it takes them to work it out!

Have you bought this eBook ?  What did you think of it ?

Have you tried the Empty Ice Cream Container idea ?  What was your experience ?

Search 101 Ways in the search box to the right to find more ideas from this marvellous eBook !

RSPCA Don’t Knock Appeal !

For every $100 raised, I’ll add $10 of my own money…

click here to donate

Reason #3 I would prefer to stay home – the hazards of apartments and gated communities …..

This information has been provided to you from Vanessa, the owner of Gold Coast Pet Sitting.
For more information please go to http://www.goldcoastpets.com.au  

You can love him or loathe him however the one thing we can all agree upon is:

…he is a public figure that the general public believe when he speaks about animal issues because he’s a vet, he has his own tv show etc and so in doing a story on puppy farms [ factories ] and talking to people like Debra Tranter it has brought it more to the general public’s attention, which is fantastic.

If you missed the original segment (like me) – here is the YouTube video of it:

A lot of people are now asking “HOW CAN I HELP ?”  - this has stirred something within them.  Whether it was because they honestly didn’t know they existed or they did however only NOW want to help… it is all welcome.

1. Sign the Petition started by the RSPCA + share it with as many people as you can

2. Act now to help make Oscar’s Law a reality !  (What is Oscar’s Law?)

3. Support the Pet Stores/Shops that are External Rehoming Centres (only “selling” shelter animals)

If you cannot do number 3, the alternative is to only shop at stores/shops that do not sell pets at all.  You hold a lot of power as a consumer, use your dollars wisely.

4. Write to the Pet Industry Association of Australia to tell them to stop allowing their Pet Store/Shop members to “sell” pets unless they’re from a REPUTABLE breeder or shelter (that’s it). Inform them that you (as a consumer) find it absolutely disgusting that such an organisation like theirs would even allow the selling of potential puppy factory pets (as they have stated that one of the sources they allow is “accidental births from the public” – it shouldn’t be tolerated!!)

5. Tell as many of your friends, family, etc to only buy from REPUTABLE registered breeders. The breeder has to have a good reputation not just be registered… if a person “must” have a “pure bred” dog.

6. Volunteer your time or foster with your local shelter or any animal welfare type organisation

How will you help ?

Are there any other ways we all can help minimise puppy factories ?

Do you support the ban of pets being sold within pet stores/shops (only shelter animals) ?

This article as hit Facebook and it’s “stirred” up a heap of furry over the sale of pets in pet shops.

Ban would send shop to doghouse

from Queensland Times newspaper ….  click the headline (or here) to read full article.

I first found this article via the Facebook group -

MAKE PET ADOPTION YOUR 1st OPTION (Animals looking for homes)

Thanks to Rachael McMeeking I learnt that the PIAA (Pet Industry Association of Australia) supports this action:

“Pet Industry Association spokesman Roger Perkins said the petition was short-sighted and that only 10 per cent of cats and dogs were sold through pet shops.” – where is he getting this figure from? Enquiring minds want to know.

she then followed up as she contacted the PIAA for further clarification (click on the image to see a larger version):

It then hit the Animal Welfare League of Qld facebook page … with the following being one of the comments:

(click image to enlarge)

As someone who was a former volunteer and foster carer for the AWL (read my story on how Marnie came into my life), I cannot any longer support the sale of pets within pet shops.  There are plenty of pet stores who are affiliated with the AWL helping to re-home cats and/or dogs doing quite well.  They’re far from being “in the doghouse” or going broke over it.

“Not having them would be very bad for business. They grab people in; people like to have a look at them at the front of the store.”

Then get one of the many available puppies and/or kittens from the RSPCA or AWL !  If it is about “grabbing peoples’ attentions at the front of the store”… why not do so with a shelter pet ? Why does it have to be from a puppy broker ?  I just don’t feel (after reading that comment about the puppy brokers because I’ve heard similar stories over the years) that the PIAA can ensure that those Pets Paradise (or similar) stores are using “ethical” means to supply animals to those stores.

Another  of the quotes that REALLY got to me from the article:

“If we have them for a week or two and can’t sell them we move them on to other stores. They are very well looked after.

How does “shipping around” a puppy or kitten is looking after them well ? You’re treating them as a product !  Just as they get used to the sights, sounds and smells of one store … they get yanked out to be moved to another because “they didn’t get sold” !

As you can see, it has fired me (and a lot of other people judging by all the comments on Facebook) up.  I cannot in my right mind support the PIAA or become a member until they encourage the pet stores who are their members to opt to help with adoption first and foremost.  If the PIAA really does encourage adoption first, why don’t they “encourage” their members who are pet shops who sell pets to affiliate with the RSPCA or AWL ?   I would rather “shop” at a store that had a shelter pet or three at the front of their store as their “grabber” than $800 Cavoodle (and who’s to say that is a proper well/pure bred puppy ? Do they have the papers ? Can I meet the “mum and dad” to ensure it is of good breeding + worth that price tag?).

What’s  you opinion ?

Place your comment below or join us on the Gold Coast Pets facebook community.

UPDATE: The comments have gone near 100 comments now on just that one “post” !  Did you know that there are a lot of Gold Coast based (and now two Brisbane) pet stores who assist the Animal Welfare League of Queensland with re-homing of shelter cats and dogs ?  They’re called External Rehoming Centres and you can find the ever growing list ( here ).

Beloved pet baited – a cruel and painful death

by RSPCA Qld Inc. on Monday, 13 September 2010 at 15:04

RSPCA Qld is appealing for help in finding the person who baited Bronx, a nine month old Dachshund, at Jodie Court in Mermaid Waters on August 14th.

The nine month old de-sexed male was seen in the backyard eating what appeared to be mince in the early hours of the morning. Knowing that she hadn’t given this to him, Bronx’s owner ran out and found what appeared to be white powder mixed in with the mince. Within ten minutes Bronx started to convulse and was rushed to the vet. Within 40 minutes of arriving he had a further six fits and died. Bronx didn’t stand a chance.

Last Friday pathology reports handed to the RSPCA indicated that he had been poisoned with an extremely high dose of strychnine. This would also have proved fatal to a child and possibly even an adult. Humans and other animals can be poisoned by inhalation, swallowing or absorption through the eyes or mouth.

“Strychnine produces some of the most dramatic and painful symptoms of any known toxic reaction,” said RSPCA Qld Inspector Sommer Heath Crilley. “The road to eventual death is excruciating.”

Anyone with any information can contact RSPCA Qld’s Cruelty Complaints hotline on 1300 852 188

{ link to original post is here – this is authentic }