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#12 Pooch PETIQUETTE

Here's a terrific way to further bond with your new or existing pet/s! PETIQUETTE - training classes that involve both physical and mental exercise.  You and your pet will receive one-on-one interaction with a teacher who provides appropriate guidance and a supervisor who ensures safety.

There are two classes in PETIQUETTE:
Petiquette 1 offers basic training tips and dog socialization techniques. Your dog will learn how to "heel", "stay", "sit", "watch me" and "settle". Also, in the class, your dog will learn how to "wait", "take it" and "down".

Petiquette 2 will prepare you and your dog for AKC, (American Kennel Club) and CGC (Canine Good Citizen) evaluations. Your dog will also learn "come", "leave it" and brush up on "stay" and further advance skills learned in Petiquette 1.

All classes are held in the training room at the Helping Hands Humane Shelter at 21st and Belle. The classes have become so popular that 8 classes are now offered each week both weeknights and weekends. To choose the class that best suits your schedule, just call the shelter at 785-233-7325 or log on to www.hhhstopeka.org.

Amy Ogleby is in charge of PETIQUETTE and works alongside Becky Wessel in Agility Training. For a brief interview with HHHS Director of Training and Eduction, Amy Ogleby (pictured here), please listen to the podcast on this blog.

#11 HHHS History

Have you ever wondered how long the Helping Hands Humane Society has been helping homeless pets?  Did you know we started in a super small space and only recently, (January, 2013), moved into the wonderful new facility at 21st and Belle?
 
              
    
This long and wonderful history is available in a book lovingly put together by Roscoe and Mary Ann Earp.  Mary Ann is a current member of the Helping Hands Humane Society's Board of Directors.  In fact, she has been on the Board over 30 years!  Who better to compile our history?!

     

The book is filled with newspaper articles, mostly from the Topeka Capital-Journal.  With their permission, Roscoe and Mary Ann painstakingly included every article they could find about the shelter.  Included are special interviews with celebrities and their pets.  You're sure to enjoy reading about Bam Bam, Melissa Brunner's (WIBW Television Anchor) Dalmatian.  In addition to adopting from the shelter, Melissa continually supports HHHS by participating in Tails on the Trail, our 5K Walk/Run and by emceeing Bone Appetit, our spring Dinner/Live, Silent &Wine Auction.
      
Proceeds from the sale of the HHHS history book benefit the shelter animals.  What a perfect gift for the animal lover on your list!

#10 NOVEMBER is Adopt-A-Senior Dog Month

I wrote about how important it is to adopt an older dog a few weeks back.  Now, since it's technically Adopt-A-Senior Dog Month, I want to be sure you see some of the faces currently at the Helping Hands Humane Shelter who are "of a certain age". 
Just look at these cuties! So much love and life to give to make your life richer and more full of love.  We have SO many at the shelter, just waiting to come home with you.

     All Shelter pets know you are saving them but older pets seem to have an extra sense of it.  They may need extra care physically or medically so you may want to consider your pocket book before selecting an older pet.  In all likelihood, yours will be the last home he or she knows.  That's why you're even more important.  You won't know the story of the pet.  Hopefully it came from a loving home and family but sadly, that is oftentimes not the case.  What a wonderful opportunity for you to make sure that pet thoroughly enjoys the remainder of his or her life - as a member of your family, receiving your love and attention.  What could be better?

     I brought a dog named Peaches into my home several years ago. She had been forgotten by her owners, left outside in a pen no matter what the weather.  I was told they would throw food over the fence to her but that was about it.  A neighbor of the family asked me to take the dog.  I asked if the family wanted to tell her "good-bye" and was told they didn't.  I'll always remember how I opened her gate, then opened my car door.  She jumped in immediately and never looked back.  She inherited four siblings that day and got along perfectly with all of them until her last day.  She forever touched my life and I hope I made her final years her best.  You can do the same for a shelter dog.  Please consider adopting in November, "Adopt-A-Senior-Dog Month".
 
       

#9 Christmas for Shelter Pets

Celebrate Christmas with homeless animals this year!  Join us for two wonderful events on December 14th and 15th at the Helping Hands Humane Society's Animal Resource Center of northeast Kansas.

The first is Christmas for the Animals, our holiday tradition of feeding all of the animals in our care, a very special Christmas dinner.  The fine owners of Carmona Comfort Air pay for and cook hamburgers for the dogs and supply tuna for the cats.  Every animal, no matter what species, receives something special to eat.  Staff and volunteers love getting to feed each pet the special meal while giving them extra love and attention.  You're encouraged to bring something from our HHHS "Wish List", found at www.hhhstopeka.org, to donate and be sure to shop our Retail Store for your own pet or that of someone on your gift list.  Perhaps a new collar, leash or fun new toy is in order.  We also carry Hill's Pet Nutrition products, including treats!
    
               

Christmas for the Animals & Holiday Sale kicks off our annual Howliday Adopt-A-Thon, also scheduled for December 14th and carrying over into the 15th.  This two day adoption extravaganza offers adopters the convenience of later hours to come take a look at the many pets who would like to be part of a family for Christmas and years to come.  This is always an exciting event as tails are wagging everywhere as dogs and cats are chosen and adopted.  What could be a better gift to the pet and to the people?!
   
                 
      
If you haven't had time to check out our new building at 21st and Belle, these two events are perfect reasons for you to come take a look. Here is a map to help guide you.  You'll love who you see at the shelter - hopefully enough to take one or more not only home for the holidays but forever!
                                       

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# 8 Santa Paws Is Coming To Town

Santa Paws is coming to town! This annual event kicks off the Christmas season at Helping Hands Humane Society and our Animal Resource Center of northeast Kansas.

As you see here, the annual fund raiser is Saturday, November 16th from noon to 3:00pm. The festivities are sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition.

Until last year, the event was held at the Stonehouse Animal Clinic. We thank them for their hospitality hosting us for several years.

Last year, we held Santa Paws in the training room of the soon-to-be-completed Animal Resource Center of northeast Kansas. As always, we were thrilled to see so many pets and their people posing with Santa. These memories will last a lifetime.

We will be in the same location this year. As usual, we will have many costume options for your pet to choose from. There are Santa hats, reindeer antlers, elf hats and many more super cute add-ons to your already adorable dog or cat - or whatever! Santa Paws has posed with reptiles, bunnies, birds, you name it!

A basic package of one 5x7 photograph and 4 wallet size photos is only $15.00. A Deluxe Package includes the aforementioned, plus a digital copy emailed to you for inclusion in your holiday letters and so forth. A 2013 HHHS Christmas ornament is also included in the Deluxe Package.

To help you anticipate the season, you might take a look at this YouTube video. This cute dog is like many of us waiting for Santa.

#7 Do I Have To Dress Up?

That may be the question your dog or cat asks you every holiday but particularly on Halloween. Some of us just can't help dressing our pets in fun or funny outfits and showing them off in the neighborhood or just delighting in looking at them ourselves. Let's face it, costumes have come a long way and go a long way in adding to our enjoyment of Halloween...BUT...does your pet really like it? You can usually tell and oftentimes, the answer is NO!

A few tips on costumes for pets are similar to those for kids: absolutely don't use any fabric that is flammable. Also, make sure the costume is not so long that your pet trips over it.  Don't block their vision and take it off immediately if it seems it's the least bit uncomfortable for your pet.

Pets want to please us. To that end, they may stand still and let us doll them up. I encourage you to use common sense and make the experience fun for both of you.

You might want to look at my slide show for a few ideas. I'd love to see what you come up with! Happy Howl - a - ween!

#6 Black Cats Continued

We've all heard "don't let a black cat cross in front of you. It's bad luck because you have been noticed by the devil himself"! You may have heard that taken even further; if a black cat crosses your path at midnight, the cat IS the devil himself!

Another black cat superstition says that if you turn your back on a black cat, you will be cursed.

I prefer to think of all the GOOD superstitions about black cats:
*If you pet a black cat it will cure the sty in your eye.
*Own 3 black cats and have good luck.
*If a black cat sneezes on your wedding day, you'll have a happy marriage.
*In Scotland the arrival of a black cat is a sign of coming prosperity.
*Having a black cat aboard a ship brings good fortune.
*Wives of sailors kept black cats to ensure the safe return of their husband.

Reading all of these wonderful GOOD things about black cats is making you want to add one to your family, correct? You are in luck! The Helping Hands Humane Society is having an adoption special for black and autumn colored cats. That's the pretty gold, orange, even calico cats. The program is called Festive Fall Felines. You can take $10 off all adoptions of these fabulous felines. Here are a few of many now available at the shelter at 21st and Belle. Come select the puuuurfect one!

#5 Watch Out for Black Cats

 

 

  Halloween is just three weeks away! Time for ghosts, goblins, skeletons and witches flying through the air with black cats on their brooms. These are among the many sights we associate with the day, and especially the night of All Hallows Eve.


Sadly, for black cats, Halloween is not necessarily a day to celebrate. In fact, at this time of year, black cats are often targeted for abuse. That's why I titled this post "Watch Out for Black Cats". Instead of watching out so one doesn't cross your path, I'm hoping you'll keep a watchful eye and call authorities if you witness or hear of anyone harming a black cat - any animal for that matter.

According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times titled "Halloween: From God to Goblin," black cats and Halloween-esque rituals go back about 2,000 years to Ireland, Britain, Scotland and Wales. Evil spirits, the ancient Druids believed, were responsible for the cold weather and less daylight. A huge festival honoring Samhain, the lord of the dead, was held around October 31, the day before the Celtic New Year.

Huge bonfires, built to frighten away evil spirits and honor the souls of the dead, gave way to sacrifices of domesticated animals. Black cats were thought to be evil spirits transformed into animals. Throw the cat into the fire and dispel one more evil dead soul from the town. This brought in the Celtic New Year in purity.

Back to the aforementioned black cats riding on witches brooms. In the Middle Ages, it was a common belief that witches could divine themselves into black cats. Believing that black cats were witches in disguise, they were thrown into fires. This became a folk custom in France, Switzerland and Belgium, sanctioned by the Church. The Church in the Middle Ages decreed that cats were friends of the devil. The witch craze got so out of hand in Europe in those years that many women believed to be witches were sent to the gallows or the stake with their "familiar", their cat. (From: Why This Veterinarian Hates Halloween (But Loves Black Cats), 10/9/13 by Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD)

Look around this Halloween and notice how many decorations feature a witch and her black cat. Too bad we can't just have fun with the day instead of making it about cruelty to animals as many sick (I have other terms that fit them better) people do.

More on black cats to come! Watch for my next Dog Blog - dedicated to black cats!

Blog #4 October is "Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog" Month!

Just look at these adorable faces!!! These are examples of hundreds of dogs waiting for a new home at the Helping Hands Humane Society, 21st and Belle in Topeka. Although it's "Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month" and we want to call attention to every dog of any age, I'd like to suggest you take a look at our older dogs at the shelter. They still have a lot of love to give and several years left to give it in.

Oftentimes older dogs are brought into the shelter because their owners no longer want them. Notice I didn't say "families" because I don't believe a family member would give another family member away, simply because they have grown older.

As you can imagine, the older dog (or any dog given up by its owner) doesn't understand what he did wrong - why he is no longer wanted. You can see it in their eyes, the sadness, the loneliness.

Sometimes owners give up an older dog because, with age, perhaps the dog is in need of medical attention and the owner can't or won't be able to spend the money to care for the dog.

Whatever the reason, hundreds of older pets are delivered monthly to the Helping Hands Humane Society at 21st and Belle in Topeka. If you're looking for an older friend who will share these upcoming fall and winter days and nights with you, come on in and adopt a SENIOR Shelter Dog. Really, please adopt any dog or cat you see there but, if you have a place for an older dog, they need to fill that place in your heart and in your home.

Post #3 Betty Lou's Dog Blog

We're just over a month away from one of the most fun days you can have with your dog - all while getting great exercise for the two of you! The 3rd annual Tails on the Trail 5k Run/Walk takes place Saturday, November 2nd at Shawnee North Community Park. The address is 300 NE 43rd which is in north Topeka. You can complete the entry form online at www.hhhstopeka.org or print it out and mail it to Tails on the Trail, 3025 SW Boswell, Topeka, Kansas 66611. In addition to the run/walk, there will be a silent auction, games for the kids and lots of vendors selling great items for you and/or your dog. You get an awesome long sleeved t-shirt and a goody bag with your advance registration. You can also register on November 2nd but we can't promise you'll get a t-shirt on race day. If you don't have a dog, Helping Hands Humane Society will have plenty on site to choose from. Our hope is that you fall in love with the one you run with and adopt him/her. It's happened both of the years we've been doing Tails on the Trail! That's one of the greatest things about the event - participants get to meet their friends and make new ones, both two and four-legged. Plus, money raised goes to the new Helping Hands Humane Shelter. I hope you'll plan to join us for Tails on the Trail, Saturday, November 2nd, 2013.

Photos by Lesley Ostmeyer

 

Head north to participate in
Tails on the Trail!!!
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#2 Betty Lou's Dog Blog

It's an exciting time at the Helping Hands Humane Shelter! Our new Shelter Medicine Program with Kansas State University started this semester. With their guidance, we are completing a state-of-the-art medical facility in the north end of the new Helping Hands Humane Shelter at 21st and Belle. Upper class K-State Veterinary Students will be spaying and neutering all homeless pets before adoption. Currently, a monetary deposit is taken at the shelter and returned to the adopters once proof of sterilization has been given to Adoption Counselors. Spaying and neutering is critical to our HHHS mission of decreasing pet over population. Eventually, we will offer low-cost spay/neuter to the community. Our new medical center should open in late October - another reason for you to visit your animal shelter, the Helping Hands Humane Shelter.www.hhhstopeka.org <script src="//www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://www.atlaslabs.net/gadgets

MM Dog Blog 1st Post

Are you looking for your most faithful friend? The one who will listen to your every word and be there for you no matter what? Then take a short drive over to the Helping Hands Humane Shelter at 21st and Belle in Topeka. It's the "second best home your pet will ever have" - you'll see that message in the greeting area which is shaped like an octagon. On either side of the octagon you'll see beautiful, adult cats on your left and the cutest kittens ever on your right. Both of these cat colonies allow the felines to roam, play, sleep and eat in a beautiful, spacious, clean area. You'll get to see their personalities as they do all of these things and hopefully, one will steal your heart. I'll be giving you more information about cats as well as wonderful dogs at the shelter. If you'd like to look for yourself in the meantime, give this link a click www.hhhstopeka.org and take a look around. It's easy to adopt and you'll be providing a home - food, shelter, friendship and LOVE, for an otherwise homeless animal.

This adorable dog was adopted by one of the HHHS Board Members after being showcased at "Tails on the Trail" a couple of years ago. We'll have a chance for you to adopt during this years event scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd. The same link I referenced earlier will direct you to more information about "Tails on the Trail".

I'm glad you've read my DogBlog - cats rule too! Come back often!