This week’s Sunbear Squad tip comes from an event that just took place in Canada, the rescue of more than 100 sled dogs.

Do you have neighbors like this:

100 sled dogs, 30 of them pregnant, and winter is almost here

If you care for a few dogs and cats in your home, you might be horrified to think about caring for 100 to participate in a sport. Provide shelter, food, water, vet care, exercise, socialization and training for 100 dogs? Not to mention investment in the sport events, travel, competition costs. Then, one of the males got loose, wasn’t caught, and impregnated 30 females. And if each has 5 puppies? Do the math.

On Nov. 17, 2009, United Animal Nations, Humane Society International, and SPCA Laurentides Labelle rescued these dogs from a neglectful owner in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada. Luckily they were rescued before the births would start in the dead of winter. At the link below, scroll down to click on “Animal Rescue” in the “Channel” list to find a video link to Canada Sled Dog Rescue.

Watch the rescue video on the Humane Society website, click on Canada Sled Dog Rescue.

Do you know of a large number of dogs kept nearby?  Make a point of driving by on a regular basis. Look for evidence of fresh food and water.  Is shelter adequate?  Are some of the dogs too thin? Do any of them act sick?  Do you see birds circling above?  Do you smell anything?  Be diligent.  Keep a camera and notebook handy to gather evidence if needed. I hope you won’t find any problems.  Most sporting enthusiasts take good care of their packs.  Some are deeply devoted to their well-being.

-Anna Nirva-

Founder of  Sunbear Squad

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Over the last year and a half our goal was to make the ‘For The Love Of Dog’ blog fun, informative, and interesting.  We tried to cover a wide range of subjects and hope that we succeeded in making the blog a place Dogsters wanted to stop by on a daily basis.

Every day we received email from readers suggesting possible stories, and although we weren’t able to post about everything we appreciate the time and effort taken to write us.  All the emails we received each day were read, hopefully all were responded to but we did get a ton of mail so we apologize if we missed anyone. All the comments and feedback left since we’ve been blogging has been great, it was wonderful having so many Dogsters participate.

We hope we’ve done justice to the blog during the time we’ve been here.  We will miss being on the ‘For The Love Of  Dog’ blog, but as I’ve said, we plan on continuing to be a very active part of the Dogster community.

We have met some amazing people over the last 16 months and I want to thank each and every one of you for letting us into your lives.  To all those Dogsters that work in dog rescue thank you for making this world a better place one animal at a time. You are our unsung heroes and a true inspiration.

On a final note, we have an exciting announcement….starting December 3rd, 2009 we will be working with Anna Nirva, founder of  Sunbear Squad, on a new Sunbear Blog Squad. We will continue to focus on rescue and the issues that have become so important to us. We hope that after you read the Dogster blog every day you’ll stop by sunbearblogsquad.org. The link will become active on Thursday,  so if you click over now and notice the site isn’t up yet don’t worry, we’ll be up and running on the 3rd.

We bid adieu.

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One of the things that has meant the most to me while working on this blog has been being able to reach out to a large audience when there is a dog in need. We have helped many dogs get a new forever home and raised much needed money for their medical care.

I received a message about Adonis, a boxer, who was found in a backyard with a horrible head injury. The wound was so bad that I chose not to post it on the blog. Be warned, when you click to his Petfinder.com page it is on there.

Words can hardly express the sorrow we feel for this boxer. Animal control was called out to his owner’s house where they found him chained in the back yard with extensive injuries. They quickly seized the dog and brought him to our shelter, where we rushed him to the veterinarian for emergency treatment.

To our amazement when we received the dog he was wagging his tail, he had to have known help had finally arrived. He is currently at the vets office undergoing treatments and xray’s to determine the amount and extent of his injuries. It is not yet known what exactly happened to him.

If you can help him by donating money towards his vet bills it would be greatly appreciated. Also, say a prayer for him, and we will update this when we have more information about his injuries.

A medical fund with a goal of $5,000 has been setup for this beautiful boy, so far $4,324 has been raised.  After reading what happened to Adonis and seeing the horrific injury he suffered I went right over to the donate page to donate a few dollars to help them get to the $5,000 mark.  If you go to his Petfinder page you can donate via Paypal, it only takes a minute. Or you can mail a check to the:

BGWC Humane Society

Attention: Adonis

PO Box 1456

Bowling Green, KY 42102.

If you can give a few dollars to help Adonis out that would be wonderful, if not, just keep him in your thoughts.  We need to get him healed so he’ll be well enough to go to the loving forever home he deserves.  Please post and crosspost this message.

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It was originally thought that dogs couldn’t get H1N1, but recently there are been articles proving the earlier information was incorrect.

Today’s there an article about a few dogs testing positive in China.

Here are the details from Red Orbit.

China’s Ministry of Agriculture has called for intensified monitoring and investigation of A/H1N1 flu in animals after two samples from sick dogs tested positive for the virus, according to a recent AFP report.

The veterinary clinic of College of Veterinary Medicine at the China Agricultural University reported Wednesday that two out of 52 samples from sick dogs tested positive for A/H1N1 flu virus, the ministry said late Friday.

Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s Black Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping season.  The time to start looking for the pawfect gift for your pup, yourself, or the dog lovers in your life.

There are many sites with holiday gift lists for dog lovers but I’ve found most of them have items that are very expensive, not affordable for the average shopper.  Since it’s been a tough year financially for almost everyone I decided to make it my mission to come up with great gifts all priced under $50.  There is something on this list for everyone, showing you don’t need a lot of money to give a special gift.

1. Books- They really are the pawfect gift because they’re inexpensive and there is a huge range of subjects to choose from. This year people can use a laugh more than ever, so why not give the gift of laughter?  Give them them BAD TO THE BONE: Memoir Of A Rebel Doggie Blogger by Bo Hoefinger.

Let’s get this clear right away: I’m a dog.

I’m 1′10″ and weigh 63 lbs, and although I’m a mutt on the outside, I’m a purebred on the inside. My good nature comes from the Golden Retriever side of the family, while my stubbornness is clearly from my Chowchow bloodlines. I’ve got Rastafarian ears, a black tongue for licking, and paws that should be on a dog twice my size.

I type 60 words a minute.

My name is Bo, and this is my story.

Join this incorrigible canine as he welcomes us into his life, complete with his wacky “parents,” a constipated feline housemate, and chipmunk warfare. Bad to the Bone is an unforgettable, laugh-out-loud tale of love and loyalty that reveals the true heart of a modern American family.  It’s 100% funny, 100% true. The book is dedicated to all the rescue and shelter workers who make this world a better place and a portion of the proceeds goes to help homeless animals. It’s the pawfect stocking stuffer priced at $10.17 on Amazon.com, click here to order now! Or buy at your favorite retailer online or near you.

2. Dog Treats- I found Waggy Tail Dog Treats online, they offer the cutest selection of holiday cookies.  The company was started when Jamie, the founder, couldn’t find any treats for her dog Molly that didn’t bother her allergies. Having a pup, Copper, with many allergies I know how hard this can be. Waggy Tail  canine treats are created with no fillers, preservatives or chemicals and use only all natural ingredients. Their canine treats are also low in calories for dog owners concerned about their dog’s weight. They have a Christmas assortment of cookies with 17 treats for $24.99.  This is one treat no pup will be able to resist.

3. Dogtronics Toys- Every dog loves toys, and every owner loves watching their pup play with them. One of our favorites are the interactive dog toys from Dogtronics. The motion toys bumble, tumble and wiggle. The sound toys hoot, howl, and quack. And the light toys twinkle, flash, and blink. We gave the Nutty Squirrel as a thank you to the foster mom who took care of our new rescue, Patience, and her pup Howard literally went nuts. The squirrel, which makes noise and bounces around, had Howard barking and running around it, he was fascinated. Julie, his foster mom, made a video and I must have laughed for five minutes. Dogtronics toys are sold at Walmart and are super affordable, priced between $4.99-$14.99.  Not bad for hours of fun.

4.  Magazines- For the literary dog lovers in your life, magazines are pawfect.  Keep up with all the latest and greatest dog news and products with one of Bo’s favorite mags, Modern Dog. Cherished family member, best friend, pampered pooch, canine kid… Modern Dog magazine celebrates all the contemporary canines out there—regardless of pedigree. They have a terrific holiday special, order a $15 subscription for yourself you get a gift subscription for just $5.  The magazine is published quarterly so this is a gift that the recipient will enjoy throughout the year. Another great magazine, The Bark, is also offering a $15 subscription with an added $9 for a gift subscription.

5.  Custom Dog Portrait- Many dog owners dream of getting a custom portrait but usually it’s cost prohibitive, this is where Terry Stanley comes in. Read the rest of this entry »

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