Blue Ribbon Scooper Still Performing!

Well…long after all of the plastic ‘jaw’ type scoopers that we have bought online and at the National Pet Store chains have broken and left us up…well, you know what creek…the Blue Ribbon Scooper is not only performing, but doing so quite well!  It is a true hit with the scooper patrol here at the shelter and we are definately hooked. 

Despite some initial concerns about the jaw design and its ability to pick up under all conditions, I must say that I am quite impressed!  Check them out online at: www.brscooper.com

Post Thanksgiving Greetings!

It has indeed been a few days since my last entry here, but I wanted to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all and to bring you up to speed on current happenings here at the shelter! 

Red Stripe is assimilating well into our pack.  As I had mentioned in previous posts, he came to us as a foster child from the American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue (www.coonhoundrescue.com) and even before he got here, I suspected that he would become part of our resident ‘pack’, which he clearly has!  He is a cutie and quite the good looking man, with a fair amount of puppy left in him.  He has 2 brothers in other foster homes that are in need of ‘forever homes’ and I can tell you, they will be welcome additions to any home.  You can have a look at them on the website at this link: http://www.coonhoundrescue.com/MICROBREWS09.html  If you’re looking for a great companion and vary smart pup…these may be your guys!  If you are looking for something other than a pup…there are LOTS of hounds in need of rescue on their site and they would all LOVE to have homes for the holidays!

Speaking of foster care, we are looking for folks who are interested in becoming foster parents.  It’s not a job for everyone and requires some effort, but your rewards are many.  If you’re interested in becoming a foster home, e-mail us at info@uh-s.org and we’ll be happy to fill you in on all of the details and get the process started.  Hounds are tremendous companions and they reward your love by giving you plenty back in return, however they do require some attention.  Bloodhounds must be kept in an enclosed area or on the lead or they are bound to follow their primal instinct and let that nose take them wherever they may.  As a large breed, they also require a fair amount of exercise…the old cliche of a lazy dog laying around all day is just that, a cliche.  Young hounds are quite active and very inquizative…they need attention and love and prefer to have a fair amount of interaction with other hounds or humans.

All in all, hound dogs make GREAT pets and are, like all others, wonderful companions.  If you can do anything at all to help, please think of them this Holiday season and do what you can.  For more about us, visit us online at www.uh-s.org or call us at 717-458-2786, we are happy to provide information and assistance!

MY toy!

Red Stripe has arrived!

NO, not the trendy Jamacian Beer that was once the ONLY legal brew on the island and has now become a bit more mainstream…this one is a COONHOUND!  He is one of the Microbrew Pups featured on the American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue website (www.coonhoundrescue.com) and is still quite the puppy!  Our intent was to ease into the shelter operations by first fostering a few dogs.  One e-mail to Jayne at ABTCR and less than a week later, we’ve got an adorable foster child that I am sure will become a permanent addition! 

SO…after the pack gets settled again, we’ll work on bringing a few fosters into the picture, but there is a more immediate need.  The Diaryland Greyhound Track in Kenosha, WI is closing down on December 31st and there are 900 Greyhounds in need of homes URGENTLY!  Obviously we are not in a position to adopt all or even most of them ourselves and there are plenty of other very capable folks and organizations coming to their rescue…but the need is enormous!  If we can find 10 folks looking to adopt a Grey and familiar with the breed, I will make arrangements to go to the track and bring them back for you.  Also, if you are involved in this rescue effort and could use any of our resources or assistance, we are here to help!

Adopting a dog is more than saving its life…it’s finding a friend for life! – jak

Long Day!

What kind of Hound was the Grinch’s dog?

Well, I knew that the title of the post would get your attention and I wish that I had something to type here that was witty or at least something that you could take away and share a laugh with someone else about, but not this fine day!  As luck would have it, my clever title was a not so subtle way to disguise yet another post about fund-raising!  I know, I know…it’s like a Public Radio fund drive and you don’t want it interrupting regularly scheduled posting, but here’s the deal!

Many shelter/rescues are not 510(c)3 Corporations (meaning you can deduct donations as charitable from your taxes and they get some tax benefits too) because it’s LOTS of paperwork, time and effort to obtain the designation, maintain the records, books and all the other stuff necessary just for the ‘business’ part of the whole deal!  THEN, you’ve got to deal with the Federal and State Governments…suffice it to say that I spent nearly 4 hours the other day in Harrisburg (a town I know pretty well) looking for the Corporations Bureau!  They are well hidden and I never found them!

As IF that’s not enough…there is the most important consideration of all….making sure that the dogs get all the love and attention they need!  I must admit, it’s this part of it that makes all the rest worth while!  So, here’s my pitch; we are in the early part of something that I hope will have benefits that extend up and down the East Coast and perhaps beyond!  There are LOTS of dogs in need of help out there and more than a few people with connections to potential good homes…we are going to match them all up!  To do that, we need funds!  Monies and hours spent complying with bureaucratic red tape take away from our operating funds in one way or another, so we are in special need right now! 

How can you help?  Well…I have mentioned this before, but you can go to our website and donate at: http://www.uh-s.org/FundDrive.htm .  OR, perhaps you or someone you know could provide a safe and loving home for a hound…let us know what you’ve got in mind and we will connect you with Rescues that have dogs you might be interested in!  We’ll even offer to transport your adoptee for you if it helps!  In addition to cash donations, we are always welcoming X-Large (48″) Crates in good condition and food donations.  We use Purina One Adult Formula (Light blue band on bag) and Pedigree chopped meat wet foods.  Finally, if you’ve got skills that you think could help us and other rescues to help the hounds, e-mail me: Jim@uh-s.org and let me know how!  We’re always happy (and thankful) for assistance any way we can get it!

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday! – jak

PS: If you know what kind of hound Max was…let us know!

4 Boxes of Po….Popcorn for the Blue Ribbon Scooper….

…SO Far!  We have been impressed so far with the Blue Ribbon Scoopers (www.brscooper.com) that we’ve been using for a couple of weeks!  As advertised, they are a simple and effective solution to the problem using technology that dates to Ben Franklin!  Their ‘Patented Claws’ do the job quite well for the majority of “deposits” to use their verbage!  We have two of the ’stock’ models and opted not to go with the bag holding model because it looked a bit intimidating and gimmiky, but now that we’ve had the product for a while…I think the bag holder’s probably worth trying.  It’s on the list for future purchase!

So, as a guy who spends nearly every waking hour of every day collecting, moving and slinging Sh#t in one capacity or another, I think that dollar for dollar this is an investment worth considering!  Again the website: www.brscooper.com  Heck, tell them the Hound Shelter sent you…if you think it might get you something!

Fund Raising Update

Just a quick update about our current initiatives and 501(c)3 application status.  We are still in the process of filinig our 501(c)3 determination application with the IRS and hope to have that process completed by year’s end.  Obviously the primary benefit of this for the readers of this blog would be that ANY donation to our Rescue will be tax deductible!  Other benefits include the ability to get on our state’s Charitible Organization list and the ability to seek grant funding from a much wider variety of sources.

I assure you that the paperwork and conceptual side of this whole process is MUCH LESS FUN than spending time surrounded by hounds, getting and giving LOTS of love!  I keep assuring myself that it will all be worth it in the end!  I’m also learning all about PayPal and online donations and stuff like that!  What a perfect segue to our website fundraising page: http://www.uh-s.org/FundDrive.htm where you’ve got the opportunity to contribute to our General Fund which currently is focused on building adequate facilities to provide a safe, secure and loving foster facility OR you can make a special contribution to our Help Haul the Hounds fund to facilitate the purchase of a K9-Koach trailer with adequate size and safe facilities for the largest of hounds (like Luke!).  Here a $250 donation will get you 2 lines in memory of a favorite pet on our trailer which will be used for transport of our pack and adoptee shuttles up and down the East Coast!

I guess that’s about all for now, I’ll keep you posted on our progress!

Considering Kennel Design…

…not exactly words that I thought I’d be muttering at the end of a Spring/Summer season during which I had not accomplished EVERYTHING on the list, but ticked off a good number of projects.  Alas, I am, in fact considering Kennel design as I type these words!  I have looked online and at quite a few plans and approaches and have found vastly different solutions to a common problem. 

Fortunately, we are in the early stages of the design process and may even incorporate our kennel into a larger building project, so we’ve got some flexibility!  However, in order to get up and running enough to foster a few dogs and have the capacity to take in hounds, we’ve got to have a more immediate solution.  I am looking for a ‘modular’ system if you will, but anything is possible, including the use of yet another wooden shed, but a concrete pad and drainage system are a must if we go this way!  I have looked at some of the newer kennel flooring material made from recycled plastic which can then be laid on stone and am still considering all my options!

Hence the purpose of the post!  I’d be interested in knowing the experience of others when it comes to indoor kennel facilities with climate control, easy to clean floors and access to individual outdoor runs.  Let me know if you have any experience or suggestions and thanks in advance! – jak

Our dogs and their bellies!

If you aren’t already aware, as a general rule, Bloodhounds have sensitive bellies!  I know that its a bit simplified saying it that way and that for every rule there are exceptions, but OUR dogs get pampered to minimize our exposure to potential GI consequences!  What consequences you may ask?  Good Question!  Anything from some mild abdominal bloat to torsion (twisted, air filled belly and TRUE Emergency!).  By choosing the right Vet and getting to know your dog, its Breeder and bloodline, you’ll develop a better understanding of what’s right for your scenario!

I once lost a Bloodhound to Torsion and the several subsequent and painful surgeries…it’s an experience I’ll never forget!  As luck would have it…it IS preventible!  In many cases a Vet with experience in the procedure can ‘tack their tummy’ (surgical gastroplexy) which will keep it from twisting.  They may still bloat, but at least you known that their tummy won’t twist!  It’s a surgery worth considering with any large breed dog, especially Bloodhounds!  Recently a gal who knows A LOT more about Bloodhounds than I do told me that she has it done whenever a dog is Spayed or Neutered…a great idea I thought!  I digress a bit however from my original point!

Gastric pampering!  We allow the dogs about an hour to ‘cool down’ and rest prior to feeding them and then give them about an hour after each meal to ‘chill out’ and digest it a bit before we put them out to go nuts!  Our kids play aggressively, like many Bloodhound packs will and the rest after eating gives us an extra safety margin!  Now there are many different considerations for optimal GI health and all are based on you, your dog and your vet because every situation is different.  You may have and entirely different situation than us and that’s how it goes…so it pays to be informed!  Talk to other owners, breeders, rescues and learn from their experiences!  Pay close attention to your dogs and engage your Vet (your payin’ for it) about your dog’s health and what’s best for them! 

Luke...no stress mon!

Most important of all, remember to consider your dog’s gastric well being and you’ll be rewarded with a long, healthy firendship!  That’s all for now – jak!

A good day!

Today was a good day!  We got up slow to a low hanging mist along the mountain in time to watch the sun rise and burn off the morning fog to reveal a beautiful Fall day!  All the kids got to spend a great deal of time outside this morning in the wet grass playing and generally making a mess of themselves.  Everyone got their nails trimmed and then, much to the chagrin of the Greyhounds, the Bloodhounds got to go for a ride!  Not only a ride, but a ride to the Park!  There were lots of other people and dogs and we were all on sensory overload!  Little Bit was leading the pack as usual crying with joy the whole way!  Everyone got to take a dip in the creek and then off for a run next to the fields!  More riding around in the van for the kids and then when we got home…baths all around!

It was as nice of an evening as it was sunrise and all is quiet along the mountain…save all the traffic on Pine Road!  Bloodhounds ate after a nice afternoon rest that followed the post-bath craziness that lasted the better part of 2 hours!  Bellies are resting now and soon it will be back to the yard for the tres Bloodhounds!  Overall, everyone had ‘a good day!’

Little Bit and Little Cross

Bloodhounds are funny! SO are the others, but…

…really, between each and every unique personality there are some common traits that simply add to the laughter!  Little Bit is a bundle of LOVE!  So full that it bubbles out of her in the form of unstoppable kisses!  From the second that she awakes in the morning until she goes to bed at night, that tail wags constantly!  Little Cross, she’s the instigater and quite a little princess!  She loves to run with and taunt the other dogs and we start every day with her ’snuggle time’!  Luke…he’s funny all around!  Not much of a morning guy, but entertainingly doplic in his morning prancing!  Then there are Billy and Baby, the Greyhounds; Billy thinks he’s a Bloodhound and without a full appreciation of the difference in weight class, he typically sticks himself in the middle of the wrestling sessions!  Baby, she’s still adjusting and we think, like us, is still missing Hoover!  She’s getting adjusted to the ‘new normal’ and hanging in there!

Luke at rest!