Cavaliers of Greater Atlanta
June 2015
Message from the President
Dear Members,
It is hard to believe that summer is here. Even with the ridiculous heat and humidity, the days have just been flying by.
We are now almost into July looking at the dog days of summer. Please remember to be very careful with your dogs in this extreme heat. Do not leave your dogs outside too long and never, never in a car. Even with the windows down, the heat can cause death in minutes.
I want to thank Alice for her hard work and excellent care of our club for the past several years. I hope I can do as good of job in the coming year.
Also, a special thank you to Holly Brookins for agreeing to do our newsletter- she has some very exciting plans for the newsletter!
We will not have a meeting in July. I hope everyone enjoys some time with their friends and family over the 4th.
We have many events planned this year, including some great speakers at our meetings, a specialty in October, Fun match in November, and Christmas party in December. We will have more information as we get closer to these dates.
I hope everyone plans to attend our meetings, specialties, and special events! We need the help from all of our membership at the meetings and at our shows.
Until that time, stay safe and stay cool.
Paula Ayers
Editor's Message
Welcome to our "new" newsletter- glad you are here! Please remember that this is your newsletter. Email me and let me know what you'd like to see in it. Don't forget to send your brags and wins to me so we can celebrate with you.
We will have some new additions in the newsletter including a member spotlight and book reviews. Let me know if you have other features you'd like to see. We will include regular articles from Dr. Judy Morgan, holistic vet, author. and fellow Cavalier enthusiast. A new addition to our newsletter will be training tips from Tonya Wilhelm, owner of Global Dog Training, in Toledo, OH, author, and Cavalier lover.
As it has been so hot lately here in Georgia and across the country, I thought it would be prudent to include some information regarding dogs and heat in this issue.
I look forward to an exciting and informative newsletter!
Holly Brookins
A Cautionary "Tail" of Dogs and Heat
I have always considered myself a good and knowledgeable dog mom. But, today goes to show there are still things I can learn. I am posting this to help make others aware of how FAST heat stroke in a dog can occur. Let me start by saying my Annie will be fine…
I took my 3 fur babies to an outdoor event today in Dallas (Dog Day Afternoon at Flag Pole Hill). It was 80° and I wasn’t going to stay long. I don’t do heat well so we only stay at such things a short time. We have been to countless events over the years with no issues. After about 45 minutes there, I was ready to leave. But, all 4 of us were a bit hot so I found a covered area where we could sit, drink our water and cool off before walking back to the car. I was giving the dogs water to drink and pouring water on them too. But, Annie started making a breathing noise I had never heard (not just heavy panting).
There was a large Spay/Neuter bus in the parking lot that had the engine running to keep it cool. I asked the lady if we could go in and cool off. We spent about 10 minutes in there (me on Google looking up heat stroke in dogs as I was getting worried). Annie wasn’t getting any better so I left all three in there while I went for help. Found a lady from the event with a radio and she called for help from some vet techs working the event. They came running (and I do mean running) with a thermometer and cooling bags.
Annie’s temp was 106.1° (over 104° requires action, over 106° is a dire emergency), her eyes were bugging out, and she was still making the breathing noise. The vet techs (ended up with 3 of them) worked on cooling her off for about 20 minutes. Once they got the temp down some they said she was OK to transport to the Animal Hospital about a mile away.
Animal Hospital checked her out and monitored her for several hours. The vet said that as quickly as we caught it and started treating her he didn’t expect this to have any lasting effect on her internal organs (but, it did have a major effect on my nerves!).
So, this happened to my little Annie in 45 minutes of leisurely strolling around an outdoor event in just 80° heat. She was given water several times and we stayed in the shade a great deal. Stopping to chat under tents with people who either have cavaliers or just wanted to meet my beautiful babies.
Initially, I thought I was over reacting. How could it be that serious so quick (she could have died)? But, if I had waited to let her cool off on her own (even in air conditioning), she might be in organ failure right now.
The take-away from this? Even if your baby has been fine in the past under the same circumstances doesn’t mean that they will be the next time. Keep a watchful eye, keep them cool and seek medical attention immediately, if they are in distress.
Trainer's Tips: Summertime Safety for Your Dog
Check out this great info from Tonya Wilhelm, owner of Global Dog Training, fellow Cavalier enthusiast, and author of What's for Dinner, Dex?. Be sure to check out the videos!
http://toledodogtraining.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-time-safety-for-your-dog.html
The Book Nook
Editor's note: We will feature a different, relevant book here each issue. Feel free to send me suggestions if you read something that you feel would be of interest!
https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVM/videos/vb.696725060376506/721313494584329/?type=2&theater
Member Spotlight: Holly Brookins
I grew up in a small sleepy town in Massachusetts. My aunt and uncle lived on Martha's Vineyard year-round, an island off the coast of Cape Cod. I spent many summers there enjoying the beautiful beaches with my family. One summer, I was home from Clemson University where I attended college. My family and I were on the ferry, heading to the Vineyard when a man boarded with the most beautiful red and white little spaniel I had ever seen, After chatting with the man, I learned that it was a blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel... I was ruined for any other breed from that day on!
When I graduated from grad school, my parents wanted to get me a gift and I told them I wanted a Cavalier. As a novice to dog ownership, I didn't know how to find a reputable breeder and I turned to the newspaper. That didn't turn out very well, I am sad to say. I ended up with a puppy that had to be euthanized three days later, due to a heart defect. After that traumatic experience, I did some research and found a great breeder-- I bought a beautiful, healthy puppy, Oliver, from Pat and Michelle Lander of Jayba Cavaliers, who have since become dear friends.
I joined several Cavalier clubs and have made many dear friends along the way, due to these wonderful dogs! I am quite heavily involved in Rescue and will oftentimes have an extra foster Cavalier at our house. My husband, Adam, is luckily very supportive of this and my toddlers, Cameron (3) and Gracie (2) love to help with the dogs, too!
I have tried my hand at showing and loved every minute of it. I am hoping that when life settles down a little, I will get back into the show ring!
That is my story as it relates to my love affair with cavaliers. What's yours?
Paws n' Pearls Grooming Salon
Paws n' Pearls salon
Missy grooming Buster Brookins, an English Bulldog
Samantha and beautiful Penelope who was a Rescue through the ACKCSC Rescue Trust. She is owned by Wendy Shapiro.
Reminder!
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Cavaliers of Greater Atlanta
Email: Hmajka1@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.ckcscatlanta.org/home--2
Location: Atlanta, GA, United States
Phone: 404-580-4498
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ckcscga?fref=ts