Hogan M.

Ohhhhhh…………. What a hard nut to swallow. We just received a call from a very good customer to tell us that their dog had succumbed this morning to the heat & humidity. These are excellent and very responsible people with the most wonderful little dog. He had plenty of shade and water available and who knows what other circumstances might have been involved but nevertheless……… things do happen. This is especially hard for me as I am ‘partial’ to those little pug-nosed (brachyocephalic) breeds and this was a wonderful little dog. (only 6 years old & seemingly very healthy) We take these summer months all quite seriously here at K.I……… shades are already up, we’ve been pounding “heat” precautions & “work smart” options into everyone’s head, and this week’s TenMinuteTrainer is on “safety” anyway. (which this time of the year is always centered on the heat!) One of the things we usually do around here is always think of the Pet’s First….. and some of the emphasis of this trainer was to not only worry about the pets ……but also yourself and your coworkers. The tragic passing of our friend Hogan this morning personalizes that all a bit more!! Our sincere condolences to this family…………. Our hearts hurt…….. Rest In Peace, Hogan M.

Bark in the Park

Last week was the annual “Bark In the Park” at Haymarket Park. This is an annual “dog” day w/ the Saltdogs baseball team. Although the Saltdogs didn’t do too well that night we all had a good time. Lots of dogs were there, the weather couldn’t have been better, and we all had a nice relaxing time of watching the ballgame w/ our best friends!!
A special thanks to all those who made our booth something really special. We had lots of good contacts, saw lots of friends, gave out a lot of Jodene’s special ‘dog ice cream’ and had three winners of some nice baskets that were prepared as prizes. Impressingly enough, I did not hear one altercation b/t anyone and everyone there had good control of their dogs and seem to be very good responsible dog citizens. KUDOS to everyone that was there!!!

My Girlie Girl is gone!!

This is a picture of Duffy........my 'girlie girl'. She has stolen our hearts here at K.I. and finally, now she has a new 'forever home'. Everyone here knows I would have kept her in a heartbeat...... (and I was getting closer).... and holy crap.... even Ben said he was about to 'crumble'...... I tried to make sure that WE never talked about her because TWO dogs are really enough for us!! We will miss her terribly!! She came to me a little more than a month ago. Belonged to an older (not THAT old!) lady that loved her to pieces but just had to admit that maybe the Bull Terrier (of which she had owned before) just was a little more than she could handle this time around. I had JUST the right home in mind for her but she was a little shy and not very social right at first so she spent some time just getting used to us and used to other dogs for awhile. **learning to be a dog** She belongs to Gary & Colleen now. Gary (our contractor) just couldn't convince himself that he was "ready" yet..... Ready??? well, hell..... he spent all the time at home talking about her.......(I heard from EVERYONE else that he wanted her)..... so Colleen calls me yesterday and said "what the heck is going on w/ this dog deal?" ---and after some discussion about the situation out she came and away they went. Once she got out here and we started loading her stuff in the car.... Colleen couldn't get OUT of here fast enough!! I didn't know how she would do so I thought maybe IN the crate would be the best idea but Colleen would have none of that.... she had the passenger side of the car all ready to go for her. Duffy was so cute.... just a sittin' there w/ her ears all perkied up like she knew what she was doing as they drove off!! Gary wasn't home until way late last night so I still have to hear the story of 'how it went'.!! :) I'm not worried..... this is a match made in heaven. .........and they all will live happily ever after...........