Merry Christmas!

Pet Chicken Jerky Recall Due to Risk of Salmonella

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is announcing a voluntary recall of Joey’s Jerky brand Chicken Jerky due to possible Salmonella risk. A total of 21 people in Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties have been identified with the same strain of the illness, but no deaths have occurred. Joey’s Jerky is produced in New Hampshire and the manufacturer, Kritter’s Kitchen Kreations, LLC, has voluntarily recalled all of the product. Joey’s Jerky was sold at the following six stores: America’s Pet in Hudson, Blue Seal in Bow, K9 Kaos in Dover, Osborne’s Agway in Concord, Sandy’s Pet Food Center in Concord, and The Yellow Dogs Barn in Barrington. DHHS is asking people to check if they have any of these jerky treats at home and to discard them.

Through investigation and interviewing the ill people, the DHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control determined that the jerky treats were implicated in spreading Salmonella. Confirmation through laboratory testing of the jerky is pending at the New Hampshire Public Health Labs.

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes the diarrheal illness Salmonellosis, which can be serious in some patients. Symptoms also include fever and abdominal cramps within 12-72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts from 4 to 7 days. Although most people recover without treatment, severe infections may occur that may move to other body sites and in rare cases can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

“While uncommon, pet food and treats can sometimes be contaminated with Salmonella, which is why it is so important for pet owners to wash their hands after handling pet food and treats,”said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “I want to commend the manufacturer of Joey’s Jerky for their cooperation in this investigation and the epidemiologists here at Public Health for their excellent work. Salmonella can be a serious illness and the sooner the source of an outbreak is identified the sooner it can be stopped.”

For more information on Salmonella, contact the DHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496 or visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/salmonella.

Source:  http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/media/pr/2013/09-sept/09102013recall.htm

Doggy Reminders!

Fall Festival at the Cedar Valley Arboretum

P.E.T. P.A.L.S. is in need of volunteers to work at the Fall Festival at the Cedar Valley Arboretum on Sunday, Sept. 15. This was a really fun event last year - the weather was great and there were lots of booths and vendors. We will need 2 volunteers for each time slot: 10:30 am - 1:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm . The afternoon time slot will involve tearing down the booth. Volunteers can bring a dog and should remember to wear their P.E.T. P.A.L.S. shirts. If you're interested, please email Kathy at kathymatthias@yahoo.com

Puppy Needs Home! Black Lab

This puppy is needing a home. Please forward to family, friends, neighbors - anyone who may be interested.

Terry's neighbor has an 11-week-old female back lab with papers and her 1st shots.  She does not want her any more. She is free. Please see attached picture.

Contact Terry if you or anyone you know might be interested.

Terry Hertges
319-235-7118 (H)
319-239-6865 (C)
beno08@aol.com

Eukanuba and Iams dog & cat food

Bi-Lo Stores have listed Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Soft & Chewy Dog Treats Beef as a recalled product.  No explanation to why the treat is recalled is provided on the Bi-Lo website.

The Bi-Lo website – under “Product Recalls” states:

Posted August 6, 2013
Product:  Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Soft & Chewy Dog Treats Beef
Size:  8 oz.
UPC: 0-71190-00662
Item Code: 601051
Best Before Dates: All

The Rachael Ray Nutrish website has no information on this recall.  The FDA website has no information on this recall.  It could be a product pull or silent recall.

Rachael Ray Nutrish pet foods and treats are manufactured by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition.

PLEASE HELP FIND A NEW HOME FOR MOLLY

Molly Before

Molly After.....what a sweetie!

A message from Molly:
My name is Molly and I need a forever home. I was matted to the skin, but now I’m all cleaned up and cute as a button! Can you say French Poodle? Ooolala!! I am 2-3 years old and spayed. I'm a silver (black) poodle, measure about 10" from the floor to my shoulders, and weigh 8.5 pounds. I just got all my shots and was checked for worms and heartworms. I am housebroken and LOVE to cuddle! I do like to run up behind the cats here and scare them (heehee) but I stop when told NO! I think in time I could be great friends with a cat. I found out I’m not real great with toddlers, but had a good time with a five year old where I lived for a day or so. I get along with the Lab that lives in my foster home. My hair grows fast so I will need to be brushed and groomed so I never look like I did in my 'before' picture. I need someone to love me now and forever. Call Kathy Taylor at 277-3428 (M-F after 3:30 pm) if you would like to meet me.

Reading with Pet Pals

Seven-year-old Lanie Herrmeyer reads to Darcy, an Alaskan Malamute during Reading with Pet Pals, a program at the Waverly Public Library to keep reading skills sharp. Photographed Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer)

What Really Prompts The Dog's 'Guilty Look'

Source:  Science Daily

June 14, 2009

What dog owner has not come home to a broken vase or other valuable items and a guilty-looking dog slouching around the house? By ingeniously setting up conditions where the owner was misinformed as to whether their dog had really committed an offense, Alexandra Horowitz, Assistant Professor from Barnard College in New York, uncovered the origins of the “guilty look” in dogs in the recently published “Canine Behaviour and Cognition” Special Issue of Elsevier’s Behavioural Processes.

 Horowitz was able to show that the human tendency to attribute a “guilty look” to a dog was not due to whether the dog was indeed guilty. Instead, people see ‘guilt’ in a dog’s body language when they believe the dog has done something it shouldn’t have – even if the dog is in fact completely innocent of any offense.

During the study, owners were asked to leave the room after ordering their dogs not to eat a tasty treat. While the owner was away, Horowitz gave some of the dogs this forbidden treat before asking the owners back into the room. In some trials the owners were told that their dog had eaten the forbidden treat; in others, they were told their dog had behaved properly and left the treat alone. What the owners were told, however, often did not correlate with reality.

Whether the dogs' demeanor included elements of the "guilty look" had little to do with whether the dogs had actually eaten the forbidden treat or not. Dogs looked most “guilty” if they were admonished by their owners for eating the treat. In fact, dogs that had been obedient and had not eaten the treat, but were scolded by their (misinformed) owners, looked more “guilty” than those that had, in fact, eaten the treat. Thus the dog’s guilty look is a response to the owner’s behavior, and not necessarily indicative of any appreciation of its own misdeeds. This study sheds new light on the natural human tendency to interpret animal behavior in human terms.

Anthropomorphisms compare animal behavior to human behavior, and if there is some superficial similarity, then the animal behavior will be interpreted in the same terms as superficially similar human actions. This can include the attribution of higher-order emotions such as guilt or remorse to the animal. The editor of the special issue, Clive D.L. Wynne of the Department of Psychology, University of Florida, explained, “this is a remarkably powerful demonstration of the need for careful experimental designs if we are to understand the human-dog relationship and not just reify our natural prejudices about animal behavior.” He pointed out that dogs are the oldest domesticated species and have a uniquely intimate role in the lives of millions of people. Recent research on dogs has indicated more human-like forms of reasoning about what people know than has been demonstrated even in chimpanzees.

[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm]

Congratulations, Judy!!

Someone very special to PET PALS just retired!  Congrats to Judy Holmes from your friends at PET PALS.  We wish you all the best in this new chapter of life!

Female Shih Tzu, Annie, needs a home

Annie is an 8 yr old spayed, purebred female Shih Tzu that needs a home. Her name is Annie and her picture is attached. She lives in Waverly with Terri's son and his fiance. Terri lost her husband to cancer in 2007 and has since remarried. She sold her house in Waverly to her son and Annie went with the house! Terri's new husband does not love dogs and her son and his pregnant fiance are now serious about not wanting a dog in their lives.

Annie is a good, loving and friendly dog. To be up front with you, I must tell you that her son Spencer told her today that Annie has had a couple wetting accidents in the house. She doesn't know why Annie is doing it, but there are a 4-year-old and a 10-year-old living in the house and maybe the chaos is too much for her. Annie did receive her yearly shots very recently at the Plainfield Vet, where she's been cared for since she was a very young puppy.

If you or anyone you know might be at all interested in Annie, please contact Terri Tripp. Call her cell 319-230-6057 or home phone 319-234-4620. Hopefully, we can find Annie a new 'forever' home.

Thank you..

Just stopped by to say hello......

2013 Younkers Community Day Coupon Book Sales

P.E.T. P.A.L.S. once again has the opportunity to sell coupon books for the Younkers Community Day Event which is Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.  The coupon books are $5.00 each and inside each book is a coupon for $10 off and additional coupons for 20 and 30% off merchandise.  The best part of this opportunity is that P.E.T. P.A.L.S. gets to keep the whole $5.00 for each coupon book we sell!

We will be selling coupon books in the College Square Mall Younkers store on Friday, March 1 from 12:00 – 4:00pm and on Saturday, March 2 from 12:00 – 4:00pm, so stop by our table and buy a book from us!  This is our main fundraiser for the year, so please help us out by telling all your friends and relatives to buy a coupon book from P.E.T. P.A.L.S.!!!   

FDA Pet Food Recalls!

Hy-Vee Issues VoluntaryRecall of Certain Dog Food Products

Routine Testing Identifies Higher-Than-Normal Contaminant Levels in Select Products

Click to see what Products are Involved:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm340891.htm?source=govdelivery

===============================================

Nutri-Vet, LLC Recalls Nutri-Vet and Nutripet Chicken Jerky Products Because Of Possible Salmonella Health Risk

Click to see what Products are Involved:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm340468.htm?source=govdelivery

Puppeh Valentine's Day!

Mark your Calendar!

Here is the flyer for our Pizza Ranch fundraiser on Feb. 20. Plan on helping out P.E.T. P.A.L.S. either by volunteering to bus tables that night or by having dinner. Remember, 7% of the sales go to PET PALS!!

WHERE:    Cedar Falls Pizza Ranch
4302 University Ave, Suite 8
319-266-2555

NEXT WEDNESDAY!!

Happy SuperBowl Sunday!!

No matter who you root for....have a safe and fun SuperBowl Sunday, friends!

Deb and Daisy's Miracle Meeting!

Deb has known a lot of heartbreak.  I will tell you some of her story and then let you in on a little miracle that has happened in her life.

When Deb was pregnant with her youngest daughter, her middle child (Kelly) was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler. Kelly had gone through almost 4 years of radiation and chemo, but was in remission when they moved to Hudson in the late 1980's. Divorced, it was Deb and her three young children.

Not long after moving to Hudson, found happiness with a local named Scott and they were married in 1991. They had two dogs: Pete, a dalmation, and Lady, a blonde cocker (Deb's second cocker). Lady got cancer at age 7 and had to be put down. A few years later, after Pete died, they tried to adopt a "mutt" puppy, but Maggie Mae (Scott picked the name) was just too hyper. She never settled down. Deb's daughter Kati and her family took her...it was a better fit with a young couple with young children. They never got another dog.

When Deb's daughter Kelly was in her late teens, she had two children and almost immediately thereafter she developed serious heart problems...cardiomyopathy. Turns out it was a side-effect of an experimental chemo drug she had received as a child. All the kids who had received that particular drug developed this condition. Her heart was basically failing. She went through a lot over the next several years, in and out of the hospital, blood clots, all kinds of problems.

In the spring of 2011, Scott was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Shortly thereafter, hospice became involved. It was tough to watch as he got sicker.

Just before Christmas in 2011, Kelly was watching movies at a friend's house and her heart stopped. After revival by the emergency crew, a second stroke and surgery, Kelly passed away just before Good Friday, 2012. She was 33. 

On May 26th, Deb's husband Scott succumbed to lung cancer.  With these major heartbreaks, Deb has been struggling to cope. The past few years were very tough. Her friends looked out for her and help out where they can.  Some suggested she consider getting a dog for companionship, and she wasn't sure. She said if she ever got another dog, she would want a cocker. Those are her favorites.

She had been to see an "Angel Reader" from Waverly a couple times, and she believes she helps her communicate with Scott and Kelly.  Earlier this month, Deb and her friend Dawn (a PetPals volunteer) were hanging out when Dawn noticed on her phone that there was a message from Cedar Valley Pet Pals about the cocker spaniel that needed a new home. The dog's owner was very elderly and had passed away.  Dawn immediately exclaimed out loud to Deb to look at the posting. The dog had been in foster care and needed a new forever home.  When Deb saw the notice,she almost cried. She immediately wrote down the number and called.  Everyone agrees...the whole thing "felt" right.

It worked out so that the next day she made the arrangements to adopt the cocker spaniel.  Deb said she started crying upon meeting the dog, and they seemed to hit it off immediately. The dog's name is Daisy Mae...reminding her of how her late husband Scott had named their last dog Maggie Mae.  The other "signs" continue.....

  

Photo:  Deb and Daisy Mae with her grandson Karson

When Deb told the dog's foster family about Scott and Kelly's recent passing, how she loved cockers and how that the timing was so perfect..... the lady reminded her that dog spelled backwards is God.

Lucky little Daisy Mae is now enjoying a lot of love, attention and pampering.  She follows Deb EVERYWHERE.  She is friendly with others, but clings to Deb. Does not want to let her out of her sight. Sits on her feet when she eats. Cuddles in the chair with her while watching t.v. Sleeps with her. She has bonded already!

 .........Oh, and Deb said Daisy Mae snores...just like Scott did! Such an amazing story of what companionship can bring into a life! It is incredible what a loyal, loving companion can do for healing!  A genuine little miracle that they found each other and it worked out that they could be in each other's lives.

Stay tuned for updates!

Registered Cocker Spaniel needs new home!

A friend of mine has a neighbor, an elderly woman, who is needing to find a good home for her 8-year-old registered blonde cocker. She is needing to find a home for her companion as she has to move to assisted living very soon. Please spread the word amoung your family, friends, and neighbors about this dog needing a new home. Contact me if you're interested.




Sally Wetherell

cheerleader@cfu.net

319-266-9733

Facebook!

Hello friends!  Please be sure to check out our Facebook page!

Follow our stories and events....or get more information about volunteering!

If you would like more information about P.E.T.P.A.L.S and would like to someday become an active volunteering with our 30-year organization......

call Jan 319-234-8396 or Sue 319-233-3624.

P.E.T. P.A.L.S. animal therapy looking for new volunteers

KWWL.com - News Posted: Jan 05, 2013 7:08 AM CST Written by Danielle Wagner, Anchor/Multimedia Journalist Science proves contact with animals is therapeutic, which is one of the many reasons P.E.T. P.A.L.S. visits numerous nursing homes, hospitals, group homes and schools in the Cedar Valley. P.E.T. P.A.L.S. is a non-profit, animal assisted activity and therapy program. "It brings me joy to make people happy and it does Zoey too, I can tell," said Terry Hertges. Terry Hertges and her dog joined P.E.T. P.A.L.S. about a year and a half ago. Hertges' mom was actually one of the first members of the group, which is celebrating its 30 anniversary this year. This day, P.E.T. P.A.L.S. volunteers are at the North Star Brain Injury Program in Waterloo. "We have even some of the clients that lay on the floor so they can get really close to the animals. It's a positive thing for all the clients here," said Chris Gengler with North Star. Another volunteer, Donna Rastetter and her dog K8 joined P.E.T. P.A.L.S. about two years ago. "They like you to visit twice a month. It doesn't have to be a dog. It could be a cat. We have a goldfish that visits," said Rastetter. Visits typically last about 30 minutes, and as Terry Hertges knows, the impact these animals have is priceless. "We were leaving and one of the nurses said let me go get so and so and they did and that person talk to Zoey and talked right to her, and when we left the nurse said that person hardly spoke a word since they'd been there," said Hertges. Both Terry Hertges and Donna Rastetter encourage pet owners to consider volunteering with P.E.T. P.A.L.S. "It's a rich, rewarding experience and well worth the time. It's so much more than you think it is going in to it," said Donna Rastetter. Joining P.E.T. P.A.L.S. requires a two to three hour training program and a temperament evaluation for your pet. After being under the umbrella of the Cedar Bend Humane Society, P.E.T. P.A.L.S. got its own non-profit status last year. For more information, you can contact 319-232-6887 or click here.