Spay/Neuter Philly

Spending as much time as I do volunteering for various animal causes, you always become the go to for people about animal questions and one I get all the time is where can I get my animal spayed or neutered at a low cost? Well, a wonderful solution has come about for the Philadelphia region. Spay/Neuter Philly.com is a directory of low cost spay/neuter services throughout the Philly region, all you have to do is type in your zip code and a detailed list of nearby vets and the price! This is really a great too so spread the word! Thanks to the wonderful folks at The Humane League of Philadelphia for putting this together.

Welcome Lola

After a long journey from a foster home in Turks and Caicos Lola has arrived. She's spunky, intelligent and happy to be here. Lola had a rough start to life; born to a feral mother who was sadly killed by a car. Lola and her 8 siblings were bottle-fed by the kind volunteers at Potcake Place and placed in happy homes. Lola did very well according to the volunteers who safely carried her on the plane ride back from their vacation and delivered her to her new family anxiously awaiting her arrival at the airport. I have posted about the Potcake pups before and there are many puppies just like Lola that could use your help. If you are planning a vacation in the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos, please consider carrying on one of these amazing pups for an adoptive family in the US. The rescue walks you through the paperwork process for carry-on and mostly everything is done for you. Or better yet adopt a potcake pup yourself, they are smart, friendly and very sweet dogs.

Custom Doggie Letterpressed Note Cards

What a great way to show your love for Fido. Rigel Stuhmiller will create a beautiful set of 150 letterpressed note cards in your pets likeness. Check it out here.

Big Boy!

Could you imagine if your dog could drink from the kitchen sink? Boomer can!

What is a Potcake?

A couple of weeks ago a tweet on twitter inspired me to do some further research on Potcake Puppies. Well, I came to find a unique population of dogs on the islands of Turks and Caicos & the Bahamas that are in desperate need of safe homes. These islands have a problem with population control and feral dogs, and its not safe for the dogs, especially the puppies. The good news is there are several organizations working to save these pups from a life on the streets and get them safe homes in the US and you can help in this effort. These organizations ask for volunteers that are flying home from their island vacations to assist with transport and it's actually pretty easy to do. Potcakes make great pets too, they are intelligent, well mannered, medium sized short haired dogs. Anyway long story short, I sent the info to a friend and she has a potcake pup on the way arriving this week! Click here to learn more.

Important Info Protecting Dogs in Puppy Mills

This time last year a new dog law protecting dogs in Pennsylvania's larger commerical breeding facilities was passed. At that time the legislature created a Canine Health Board to decide the specifics regarding ventilation, lighting, high-end temperature and flooring alternatives (under the new law, solid or slatted flooring is required in all kennels).

The recommendations by the Canine Health Board are currently being reviewed by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. It is extremely important we contact the IRRC at this time and urge their members to support these regulations in order to help the dogs of Pennsylvania's puppy mills. It is important to note the Canine Health Board is comprised of nine vets selected by both the Republican and Democrat leaderships. These regulations have bipartisan support and were approved unanimously by the vets on the board.

The proposed regulations include:

Ventilation: Requires commercial kennels to have functional, mechanical ventilation systems and in an emergency, they must have operable windows, skylights, etc. When temperatures exceed 85 degrees the ventilation system must be used to reduce the temperature in the kennels. This proposed regulation breeders to monitor, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and humidity levels as well as requiring them to provide the dogs in their kennels with 8-20 air changes of 100% fresh air per hour in each room of the kennel the dogs are housed. Many of the dogs in Pennsylvania's puppy mills have ulcers on their eyes from high ammonia levels; others suffer from heat exhaustion in the summer. This section of the proposed regulations will ensure that dogs in the larger commercial breeding kennels are provided with clean, fresh, breathable air.

Lighting: The proposed legislation recognized the needs for dogs in these facilities to have exposure to natural light, or at the very least a mixture of natural and artificial light. Many dogs rescued from these facilities have spent their whole lives in darkness, so this is extremely important. Under the suggested guidelines, dogs are also protected from excessive light, and shaded area will be required in outside exercise areas.

Flooring: Under the new dog law, solid or 'slated' flooring is required. This regulation outlines specifics regarding drainage (no dogs standing in urine, etc), degree of sloping, and the materials that can be used (dogs should not be forced to stand on hot or cold metal flooring for example).

Please take the time to contact the below agencies or individuals as soon as possible (deadline October 27th) and urge them to support the Canine Health Board's proposed regulations. Point out, if passed the state will not incur any additional costs by enforcing these regulations and any costs incurred by the commerical breeders will be made up by selling healthier dogs.

Mail your comments to:

Canine Health Board
c/o Department of Agriculture
Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement
2301 N. Cameron Street, Room 102
Harrisburg, PA 17110

or email CHBComments@state. pa.us and copy the following members of the IRRC:
Kim Kaufman: kkaufman[at]irrc.state.pa.us
John Jewett: jjewett[at]irrc.state.pa.us
Scott Schalles: sschalles[at]irrc.state.pa.us
James Smith: jsmith[at]irrc.state.pa.us
Fiona Wilmarth: fwilmarth[at]ircc.state.pa.us
Michael Stephens: mstephens[at]ircc.state.pa.us

Michaele Totino: mtotino[at]ircc.state.pa.us

Wanda Gelnett: wgelnett[at]ircc.state.pa.us

Mary Lou Harris: mharris[at]ircc.state.pa.us

(image courtesy of the Humane Society)

Take your dog to work day

If I miss anything about my former workplace, it is the dog friendly policy....I really miss bringing the pups to work. Well now everyone can join in the fun! On October 15th the PSPCA is sponsoring take your dog to work day. They have even prepared a nice document for you to forward to the HR department at your company explaining the event. Check it out here:

(Photo credit here)

Food...what are you feeding Fido?

I haven't always been so diligent about what I feed my dogs, but lesson learned. Have you ever read the ingredients on the bag of food that you feed your dogs? Do you see corn, any kind of meat by-product or sugar? If so, you are not feeding your dog quality food. The first ingredient should never be corn, it's filler...and by-products, ew don't even get me started about what makes up by-products. So what to do if you are feeding your pooch a less than superior option? Switch it up, better now than never. Yes, I know better foods are more expensive but in the long run the health benefits of quality food are immeasurable and can you put a price on extending the life of your dog? So what do I feed my dogs? The Honest Kitchen. I also mix it up adding sweet potatoes, pumpkins, plain yogurt and organic chicken to name a few. I have to say though, The Honest Kitchen is one of the best foods out there and the people behind the company are wonderful. They were the best when I had questions about what was the best option for my dogs and they really care about dogs. I can't say enough good things about them. Their food is 100% organic with human grade ingredients, plus my dogs go CRAZY for it...literally spinning around in circles when I break out the box. PS they are offering a coupon on their site for first time customers, click here.

love these

Over the years I have fumbled around with many a running shoe and many a dog running shoe. Let me tell you there is a big difference. Running shoes (for me at least) need to be lightweight and breathable. Dog running shoes need to be rugged and most of all waterproof. Dogs take much better to grassy terrain and on mornings like today there is nothing better at keeping my feet dry than the North Face Ultra 104 GTX XCR. Seriously, nothing keeps me as dry and provides the support I need like these. I know they are pricey but mine have been going for some time now and are well worth it.

Dog Happenings

October in Philly is a great time for dog owners and some fun dog friendly events.

• October 1oth Gilda's Club Paws 4 Life Dog Walk




• This will be the 11th year for this event and hundreds of families with their dogs participate in a day of canine inspired fun!


• October 1oth Hike n' Howl




• Two of our favorite breed rescues; MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue & Delaware Valley Siberian Husky Rescue have teamed up for this event. 1 mile long hike that begins at 10a.m.


• October 17th Delco SPCA's Fall Fest & Bark in the Park




• Registration begins @ 9:00am. There are a number of dog related contests and a low cost micro-chip and vaccination clinic.


• October 31st PAWS Mutt Strut




• Make sure you pre-register for this one. 1.5 mile loop around scenic FDR park, should be a howlin' good time

Hello World!

Hi Everyone, welcome to the Jogging Dogs Blog. Over the years I have often wanted a forum for all the tidbits and dog related happenings in my day to day life. So here goes nothing!