Come laugh, eat, drink and have a whole lot of fun.  Enjoy four seasoned comics from Live Comedy Atlanta helping Happy Tails empower pets to help people.

Gourmet food and drinks are available, so come thirsty and bring your appetite. Also bring all your dog loving friends to help support this worthy cause.

Comedy Night at Nancy G’s

Saturday, August 1st, 8-9:30pm

This intimate venue holds 40 guests so contact Michelle Mark via email to reserve your seats today. $15/pp in advance or $20/pp at door.

Doors open at 7pm. Nancy G’s is located at 4920 Roswell Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30342. Content is PG-13

Thanks,

Michelle

Since this is a dog blog, a couple times a month our boy Bo (woof!) thought it would be nice to get the news through a dog’s eyes. Bo invites everyone to read a chapter from his upcoming book BAD TO THE BONE at Bo Knows. It’s a funny memoir about the crazy adventures we have shared together over the last 14 plus years, told through Bo’s eyes.

Okay Bo, take it from here…..

I never put much stock in book learnin’.  Maybe it’s because I never went to college. Truth be told I never went to high school either, or even obedience training. I’m a dog from the streets, using common sense to get me where I am today.

Undoubtedly I’ve missed out on some great experiences: Guzzling water straight from a funnel while my brothers in arms chant “Chug, Chug, Chug!”, adding the freshman 15 with late night pizza treat delivery binges and going cow tipping instead of studying for the midterm sit/stay exam.  Ahh, if only we were able to go back in time and choose differently.

But maybe it’s not too late. I could head to Wisconsin and partake in their finals week. It appears dogs are welcome there. Here’s the story.

Library Mall is going to the dogs, and stressed-out students will be glad for it.

The Pet Therapy study break on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus will be on Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Library Mall at the western end of State Street, with staff from University Health Services bringing their dogs to the mall so students can pet and play with the puppies.

The “counseling canines” are intended to reduce the stress that students can feel heading into final exams.

“Taking brief study breaks, even five minutes an hour, can reduce stress and help you recall information,” said Rob Sepich, student relations manager at UHS.

Believe it or not, sleep should be a top priority, and the “all-nighter” should be shunned, UHS says.

How can you reduce stress during finals?

UHS recommends setting attainable goals by striving for excellence instead of perfection. Also, lay off the caffeine, try to attain success rather than avoiding failure, find something to laugh about, tell yourself you have enough time instead of wasting time dwelling on how little time is left, and ask for assistance through stressed-out times by turning to friends, family, faculty and UHS staff.

UW-Madison students can get one-on-one counseling for free at UHS by calling 265-5600. Massage therapy costing $40 for 50 minutes is also available by calling the same number or going online through “MyUHS.”

Additionally, UW-Madison students can give me massage therapy and I won’t charge a thing. Now that’s a happy ending. Woof!

*photo by: Michelle Stocker/The Capital Times

The funniest dog blog, written by a dog, on the internet. Commentary on the latest animal news stories of the day. Read a chapter from my upcoming book, BAD TO THE BONE.

I recently read an article on Happy Tails, it’s a group of pet owners who volunteer time to share the unconditional love and joy pets can give by visiting patients at a variety of facilities.  In order to become a therapy dog your dog must meet certain health requirements, have completed a a basic obedience class, and pass a pet/handler evaluation.

Lisa and I have discussed what a great way this would be to spend special time with your pup and give back to the community at the same time. We are now looking to attend an orientation to find out more. If you’re  interested but aren’t sure what it takes,  Dogster member Georgia and her mom Christy recently became a certified therapy team and were kind enough to share their experience on getting started.

Christy lives in the Atlanta, GA area so she chose Alchemy Dog Training to take Georgia for basic obedience class.

I arrived at my first obedience class “dragging” my 80 lb. golden who I said was “totally trained.” Our reason for being there was to get her Canine Good Citizen certificate before she could be evaluated for pet therapy training-our ultimate goal.

The class was well organized, well run and fun. When an instruction is not followed correctly, it is addressed and corrected immediately using (only) positive reinforcement. (In our case, it was the parent who needed correcting more than the “child”…)

During the course of the 8 weeks, I definitely learned a thing or two and so did Georgia. The “homework assignments” between classes serve to reinforce what you two have practiced in class. Whether Georgia enjoyed the classes as much as I did, or she happily attended because there were treats involved, we may never know but she did well and graduated.

We are now awaiting the arrival of her CGC certificate and we’re moving on to the next step of training so we can visit hospitals and nursing homes. When you have a dog whose temperament is as sweet as Georgia’s-sharing her is just the right thing to do.

Since I had such a positive experience at Alchemy with Anne and the other trainers, I am contemplating enrolling my Shih Tzu, Toby, (or as I lovingly refer to him-my “menace on 4 legs”) in obedience classes. Toby is the Marley of the Shih Tzu world-can they turn him into a polished purebred?

I highly recommend you contact Anne and her training staff at Alchemy. If your dog doesn’t need better manners, maybe he or she would like to release some of that penned up energy through agility training. Or maybe you’d like to see about turning your prized pooch into a pet therapy dog. There is definitely a need for more pet therapy dogs.

Whether it is agility, obedience, special needs or conformation classes you are interested in, Alchemy is the place to go! Whether your wish is to turn a four-legged menace into a polished purebred, hone your pooch’s table manners, or you seek the thrill of competition, Alchemy Dog Training can help you achieve your goal. Alchemy is located in Woodstock, GA and offers both group and individual classes to suit your needs.

Alchemy offers:

Agility: An enjoyable activity for both owner and pet, agility allows for the creation of a team where the dog can demonstrate it’s agile nature and the handler can learn to direct the dog through the courses. This is one of the fastest growing sports.

Obedience: Obedience training not only teaches your dog important skills, it also improves communication between the owner and their dog. Good basic training will allow your dog more off leash freedom and help keep him safe from harm. Well-behaved dogs are welcome almost everywhere. Alchemy offers group, private, and board training obedience sessions.

Special Needs: If you want to add a new puppy to your pack, or have a pup that needs some specific help, the folks at Alchemy can assist you. They offer both on site behavioral problem solving and aggression consultations for problem situations.

Conformation classes: Alchemy offers show handling, or conformation, classes taught by a trainer with over 20 years of experience with a wide variety of breeds.

There are many basic obedience classes out there but it’s important to make sure you have a qualified instructor. Alchemy Dog Training was started by Anne Jones in 1996, although her love of dogs and enjoyment of teaching began when she was 13 with Ranger.  Anne has been an obedience instructor and trainer since 1992. Another thing to keep in mind is the size of class, the smaller the class the more attention you will receive.

Congrats to Christy and Georgia, we know they will bring happiness to all the patients they go to visit. If any other Dogsters have a story to share about pet therapy give me a bark, we’d love to hear about it.

*There is a doggy daycare, Playful Paws, located in the same facility as Alchemy.

I want to thank Shadow for barking to me about a former Michael Vick dog that has undergone an amazing transformation. It’s great to hear about the dogs that were rescued and rehabilitated, once again showing it’s about the owner not the breed.

Daisy Mae, formerly part of a dogfighting operation, is now a therapy dog in Santa Barbara making weekly rounds at Cottage Hospital’s pediatric ward and Villa Riviera retirement home. Gentle and affectionate, the three-year-old cuddles with the elderly and frail, and even allows small children to hold her tight when they are undergoing painful medical procedures.

Her owner Alison Hansen found her in a shelter affiliated with the BAD RAP organization, or Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (badrap.org). The dog was extremely withdrawn and frightened, cowering against the wall.

“Something came over me. I vowed, ‘She can never have a bad day again,’” said Hansen, who admits to originally wanting an athletic dog that she could exercise with. “I had wanted a [Labrador] experience, but what I got was a little sack of potatoes.”

Read more about Daisy Mae’s turnaround and dogfighting on the Santa Barbara Independent. If you’re looking to learn more about the breed stop by the Pit Bull friendly site Bad Rap.

* Pics courtesy PAUL WELLMAN