PAW Prints

Fall - Newsletter

Dakota
Mascot &
First Rescue

Welcome to the Fall edition of "Paw Prints," our quarterly newsletter. We're excited to about our newsletter so that we have the opportunity, from time to time, to share with our supporters and all animal lovers some of our heartwarming stories of life-saving rescues and adoptions. Each edition will include educational articles, as well, that will further our mission to empower people to better the lives of the pets in our community. "Paw Prints" will also provide a forum to announce our upcoming events and highlight some of the amazing generosity of our contributors. These bighearted, compassionate souls open their homes to homeless, abandoned animals, fund crucial medical services for some of the most desperate, abused and neglected animals in our communities and volunteer their time to support our organization so that we can continue to serve these precious pets. As always, we thank all of these volunteers and contributors for making our rescues, adoptions and other services possible. If you would like to join our family of animal advocates, please visit our Dakota Rescue Web site to learn more about how you can help.

Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Pet Fest 2009 - Old Town Spring
Spring, TX
12:00AM to 5:00PM

Sunday, November 1, 2010
2010 Dakota Rescue Calendar Release & Fundraiser
@ bohemeo's
708 Telephone Road/Lockwood
Inside Tlaquepaque Market
713-923-4277
Norma Zenteno Band performing
along with other great musicians
2:00PM to 6:00PM

More Detail

Dakota Rescue, Lombardy

Lombardy
Our Lombardy truly came from the streets, a homeless stray. He was living on the streets close to a year. Because of his skittish personality it took a long time to approach him. But he was always hungry and that is how the relationship started. It took many months of trusting, but he finally became more approachable. As time went on he was finally caught and taken into the vet. As many of our street dogs are, he is heartworm positive, although he is currently being treated. We believe a hound mix, maybe some lab. He is approximately 2 years old, healthy teeth and has beautiful gold eyes. He has immediately become more relaxed as he is around humans more and more and surprisingly he is great on a leash. He gets along great with other dogs, he never has had an aggressive personality and is showing even more of his sweet side each day. When he was a street dog, you would catch him hanging out with other dogs and even stray cats with no issues. Basically he wouldn't hurt a fly. If you want a low key, mellow loving and loyal dog, Lombardy is the rescue for you. His name came from the street he was rescued from. Please consider giving this homeless stray a chance. Lombardy is up-to-date with routine shots and neutered.

Dakota Rescue, Chance and family cat

Chance (Chancey)
We are so pleased about Chance, he is definitely a rags to riches story. He was found roaming the streets near downtown Houston, obviously homeless, no collar or tags. When this little guy was found, he had a torn lip and had been bleeding for a couple of days. Our rescue group took him into the vet, we were thrilled to have gotten a sponsor. He recovered from jaw surgery and turned out to be this vibrant beagle hound mix. After being fully treated, this little guy had the biggest spirit, very happy and quite the comedian. It took a little while but when his new family discovered him by his flyer and then came to our website and viewed his YouTube video, they knew Chance was the rescue for him. He now lives in a safe and loving home. He doesn't have to roam the streets anymore. Also, unknown to us, he had no issues with the family cat. As you can see they make quite the pair.

Dakota Rescue, Tux (Pinky Tuxedero)

Tux
Met Tux at the Dakota Rescue Safe Haven during a Garage Sale Fundraiser. She was a rescue and probably 5 weeks old, still quite tiny and very adorable. Luckily my husband has the same soft spot for rescues as I do, so he ended up falling in love with the little girl fairly quickly and agreed to her adoption. Our 18-1/2 year old cat begged to differ in that regard hissing profusely at their initial introduction, but she was the same with our 1-year-old rescue cat, Kaz, so knew it wouldn’t be any big deal. Kaz was rather taken aback at first as well, but once he found out what a fun playmate Tux could be he changed his demeanor completely. Now they have become best friends and love to chase and wrestle like any brother and sister normally would! Kaz used to be a hider and rather unsocial, but since Tux came into our home that changed. Now he rarely hides and is much more social. All our dogs love to chase Tux as well. And she is quite the climber, often scaling my parrot’s jungle gym trying to play with him too. Of course the bird will have none of that, and Tux has had a few pecks to prove it! We are at happy family with 4 dogs, 3 cats and our Alpha parrot! In regard to her name, it started with Pinky, as she has a few pink paw pads, then I noticed that the white on her chest looked like a tuxedo, so I named her after one of my favorite characters on the old tv series, Happy Days (and yes, I know this will totally age me)--Pinky Tuxedero (the character being Pinky Tuscadero) and Tux for short.

Written by: Jennifer Washam

PetFest 2009 - Old Town Spring
Pet Fest 2009 is a weekend event in Old Town Spring, Texas dedicated to finding homes for the many wonderful animals in shelters and rescue groups across the Houston and surrounding areas. We invite you to grab your furkids and join us for this fun-filled festival of entertainment and education while helping raise money, volunteers and foster homes.

Dakota Rescue 2010 Calendar Fundraiser
Join us for a fun event and a great way to raise donations for the rescues of Dakota Rescue @ bohemeo's. Event will take place on Sunday, November 1st, 2:00PM to 6:00PM. Get your 2010 Dakota Rescue calendar while they last. Calendar will include musicians, Norma Zenteno, Mike Vowell, Rozz Zamorano, Allen Hill, Ezra Charles, Sisters Morales, Mitch Jacobs, Tommy Dardar, David DelaGarza, Lupe & Sidone Olivarez, Miltonio Decoronado, Javier Zenteno, Gwen & Luis Juarez and Joe “King” Carrasco along with their animal friends.

Check out our entire event calendar.

Exercise
No matter what the size of your dog, he needs plenty of exercise, and not just in your yard. Many dog owners make the mistake of assuming that all a large dog needs is a large yard to round around in.  No. A large dog needs a long walk and some fresh air. He would be perfectly happy in a smaller house or yard. Some breeds of dogs need more exercise than others. When your adopt a dog, take their activity levels into consideration.  If you can't spare a lot of time to exercise your dog, consider a breed that's comfortable with lesser amounts of activity.

Training
Training a dog is not just for show competition purposes. You may not need your dog to display acrobatics, but you certainly need him to understand and obey some basic commands. Train your dogs to obey you through obedience training techniques.  With a wealth of information available online, there's really no need for you to let your pet remain untrained.  An untrained dog is not just a danger to others, but also risks injuring himself. Training your dog helps you control his behavior which is a vital part of responsible dog ownership.

Spaying and Neutering
Neutering or spaying your dog is an absolute must.  There are too many dogs without homes or shelters for your dog to contribute to the canine overpopulation.  Dogs should be neutered before they are 6 months old. Neutering a dog has many benefits - they become less territorial and less aggressive.  Neutering also prevents the development of various cancers in your dog like cancer of the prostrate.

Females need to be spayed before 6 months too. You don't want your dog to go through a pregnancy and a stressful and hormone ridden delivery every three months.  Moreover, the scent of  a female in heat can attract unneutered males from miles around. Dogs attracted to a female have been known to try to enter yards, and indulge in bloody fights over the female.

Here are some of the most basic things you can do to keep your dog healthy and happy.

Diet
Have a regular feeding schedule for your dog, and stick to it religiously.  Feed them only high quality and premium dog foods. Economy dog foods are not just inferior in their protein sources, but they may also lack important vitamins and minerals that should be part of a healthy dog's habit.  Economy brands can also be more expensive in the longer run since they are often designed to be less filling, so the dog needs more food.  While buying a brand of dog food, take your dog's age, weight size, breed and activity level into consideration.  Make sure your dog has a constant supply of fresh water in his bowl.


Vet Visits
Your dog needs to have a periodic evaluation of his health by a veterinary doctor.  Take your dog to a vet for complete physical every six months.  Observe your dog's eating and eliminating habits, and look for changes in the skin and any discharge from eyes and ears. If you notice anything strange, tell your vet about it.

Grooming
Some breeds require more intensive grooming than others, but ordinarily your dog should be groomed everyday. Use a soft bristled brush to brush his fur daily.  Keep his nails short, but not too short, and well trimmed at all times. Clean his ears with cottons swabs, and wipe off excess mucus from his eyes and nose.  Don't forget - a soft bristled toothbrush and a doggy flavored toothpaste will keep his molars looking sparkling clean.

Companionship
Your dog is a social animal and needs company and companionship. Don't confine him to the yard or hide him away in a crate for a long period of time.  Make the time to play with him and shower lots of affection on your loving pet. 

Responsible dog ownership is about taking good care of your pet, feeding him, and exercising him, and helping him to assimilate himself into society through obedience training. The above tips will help you lay the foundation for a mutually affectionate dog -owner relationship.

From the website “Dog Training HQ”

Sunflower Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup shelled sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons corn oil
½ cup beef, vegetable, or chicken broth
3 large eggs
¼ cup lowfat milk
Whole-wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour for the work surface

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place the flour, cornmeal, and seeds in a large bowl and mix to combine. Place the oil, broth, 2 of the eggs, and the milk in a small bowl, mix well. Add to dry mixture. Mix well; the dough should be firm. Let rest 15 to 20 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface. Place the dough on the work surface and roll out to ¼-inch thick. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place the shapes on the baking sheet.
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl, and lightly brush on the cookies. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

From the book by Sally Sampson “Throw Me a Bone”

Gin - Britain's Got Talent
We always like to share an amazing animal story and Gin makes a perfect one for our Fall Newsletter. Please view her You Tube Video when she was competing on Britain's Got Talent show.

View the Gin & Kate Video.