Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run/Walk

Who: The Arthritis Foundation and DogCaptionCards.com

What: The Jingle Bell Run/Walk, a fun and festive holiday fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation, is teaming up with DogCaptionCards to promote a loveable pack of available-for-adoption Pit Bulls from Bully Paws Pit Bull Patriots and Ring Dog Rescue.

Why? The most enjoyable and economical way to avoid and reduce arthritis discomfort, while losing weight and stress, is to walk a dog. Pit Bulls are great exercise buddies (and couch potatoes.)

Where: Stony Point Fashion Park, Richmond, VA (by Panera Bread)

When: December 4, 2010. Registration opens at 7:00 a.m. The Run/Walk launches at 8:00 a.m. sharp, followed by an awards ceremony at 9:15 a.m.

How: To register for the 5K run or 1 Mile Walk go to: www.DogCaptionCards.com/JingleBell then,
Click on "Join The Team" link found in the left hand column and fill out the application form that pops up

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DogCaptionCards Holiday & Christmas Cards

Happiness is contagious!

Help yourself and your friends "catch it" with DogCaption Funny Christmas Card Packs.

25% of every sale is donated to Ring Dog Rescue to care for our pups and help them find forever home.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1263850

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Thanksgiving Safety Tips

'Tis the season for friends, family and holiday feasts—but also for possible distress for our animal companions. Pets won’t be so thankful if they munch on undercooked turkey or a pet-unfriendly floral arrangement, or if they stumble upon an unattended alcoholic drink.

Check out the following tips from ASPCA experts for a fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.

Talkin' Turkey
If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it's boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.

Sage Advice
Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.

No Bread Dough
Don't spoil your pet's holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.

Don't Let Them Eat Cake
If you're baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.

Too Much of a Good Thing
A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn't pose a problem. However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it's best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

A Feast Fit for a Kong
While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They'll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.

Source: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/thanksgiving-safety-tips.html

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November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month

10 Reasons Senior Pets Rule:

1. When senior pets are adopted, they seem to understand that they've been rescued, and are all the more thankful for it.
2. A senior pet's personality has already developed, so you'll know if he or she is a good fit for your family.
3. You can teach an old dog (or cat or other pet) new tricks: Senior pets have the attention span and impulse control that makes them easier to train than their youthful counterparts.
4. A senior pet may very well already know basic commands anyway!
5. In particular, senior pets are often already housetrained, or can be more easily housetrained than a young pet with a tiny bladder.
6. A senior pet won't grow any larger (well, height and length-wise :), so you'll know exactly how much pet you're getting.
7. Senior pets are often content to just relax in your company, unlike younger pets, who may get into mischief because they're bored.
8. Speaking of relaxing, senior pets make great napping buddies.
9. Senior pets know that chew toys (not shoes) are for chewing and scratching posts (not furniture) are for scratching.
10. Senior pets are some of the hardest to find homes for -- so when you adopt a senior pet, you're truly saving a life.

Paws-itively Fun Indoor Games for Dogs

When it's raining or too cold to go out and play, try these fun indoor dog games.
By Arden Moore

To start playing indoors, pick a room with enough space for tail-wagging romps, and stash the breakables out of puppy's reach. Intermingle tricks and games with a few reinforcing obedience commands, and you'll have a fun-loving dog with good manners. Let the games begin!

Play hide-and-seek. Have your dog heel by your side in a room. Throw a treat across the room. As your dog darts after it, slip around the corner out of sight and call your dog by name. When he races to you, reward him with a treat and plenty of praise. Repeat four or five times.

Teach your dog to behave like a Houdini hound. Hold a small treat or ball in one closed fist and keep the other fist empty. Extend both arms out and ask your dog, "Which hand?" Let him sniff both. When he noses the fist with the toy or food, open your hand, show it, and praise. Repeat, randomly moving the toy or food into your left or right hand. Now you're both ready for an audience!

Have your dog "find the keys." Stash your keys on the couch, under a chair, or in your dog's bed. When he brings them to you, reward him with a treat. Then stash them in a new place and repeat the retrieve-and-get-a-treat steps.

Play "get the remote control." Dogs like jobs. While having your dog fetch the remote brings out the true couch potato in you, it gives your dog a mission. When he brings you a remote, reward him with a treat and plenty of praise. Then sit down and enjoy a good canine caper together — perhaps "Frasier" or "Lassie" reruns.

Excerpted from "50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Dog" by Arden Moore. (Storey Books, 2000)

Free Spay/Neuter to the Bully Owning Residents in the Meadowdale are of Chesterfield County!

Since the only way to get control of the pet overpopulation is to spay & neuter, RDR is offering free spay/neuter services on Sunday Oct. 24, 2010 in honor of National Pit Bull Awareness Day! Please contact us for more info or click the link below to sign up!
http://ringdogrescue.wufoo.com/forms/z7x2x3/

This service is in partnership with Richmond Animal League's Loving Spay/Neuter Clinic! www.ral.org

National Pit Bull Awareness Day 2010 - Training People for Pits Sake!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

With so many dog fighting cases pending in our local area, and the conviction of Michael Vick, the time could never be better for an event which educates the public and honors these unjustly maligned animals.

National Pit Bull Awareness Day is a concept created by a Tennessee pit bull rescue in 2007 with the intent of creating a national day on which pit bulls are celebrated versus demonized. In stark contrast to the daily abuse and victimization of these dogs, this day is intended to be a day to cherish these animals. The event has grown in support since it’s inception with 2008 being marked by 150 celebrations across the United States and even events as far away as Canada and Russia.

In celebration of National Pit Bull Awareness Day on October 23, 2010, Ring Dog Rescue is hosting a series of activities surrounding that date to celebrate these dogs. The centerpiece event of the celebration is a public event intended to provide training, insight, education and a place to network for animal welfare advocates:

NAME: “Training People for Pits Sake”

WHEN: Saturday, October 23, 2010 from 9:00am to 5:00pm

WHERE: Chesterfield County, VA Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall

WHO: Any member of the public with a valid admission ticket. Only spayed/neutered pets will be allowed. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4-12 (children ages 3 and under are subject to FREE admission). Training class prices are $25 per class or $40 for two classes. There is to be one dog per handler and no children under 18 are permitted in the training area.

DETAILS:

“Training People for Pits Sake” is a public event, featuring an amazing training opportunity for your dog, along with more than a dozen animal friendly vendors selling their products, along with food and activities for the children, to facilitate networking and mingling between local animal lovers. There will also be a special appearance by Gracie, one of the former Michael Vick dogs.

The training schedule for this event is as follows:

9-10am – Pit Ed

10-11am – Back to Basics

11-12pm – Feisty Fido’s

BREAK/LUNCH

12-1pm – Canine Good Citizen Testing

2-3pm – Pit Ed

3-4pm – Feisty Fido’s

4-5pm Canine Good Citizen Testing

In addition to the public forum, Ring Dog Rescue is additionally providing free spay and neuter and transport to pit bulls in the Meadowdale are of Chesterfield County on October 24, 2010 in partnership with Richmond Animal League (www.ral.org).