2015 Trip

2 days of flying

8 days of traveling

8 states

$45+ in tolls 

2,011 miles driven

59 Rock City Rescue dogs

One amazing, unforgettable trip!

I am beyond thankful for every single one of you that I met along my journey. You made this trip one that I will truly never forget and one I cannot wait to do again! When I first began working with my local kill-shelter here in Arkansas, my mission was simple:  rescue those dogs from their inevitable fate. I never thought about all the families that would be forever changed by one sweet, Arkansas dog. 

That's something I heard, over and over, throughout my trip. How I changed individuals' and families' lives, healed broken hearts, brought joy where it had been lost. I needed that, as much as these families needed love and joy. Rescue is an emotional roller coaster, like none other. It's exhausting and never ending. It takes and takes and rarely gives back all that it's taken. This trip was extremely cathartic for me and despite the lack of rest and relaxation, it was a journey of reconnection. 

From seeing dogs I rescued 4 years ago to seeing dogs I rescued 2 months ago, dogs who have been diagnosed with cancer and I wasn't sure I'd ever get to see again, dogs who I fought for in court, dogs I watched fight for their lives through parvo, dogs that were split up at the kill shelter only to be reunited and adopted together a thousand miles away from where their journey began.  Seeing them again, knowing they're happy and safe, knowing I found families who love them, makes it all worth it to me. 

So, thank you to every single one of you that took time out of your busy lives to meet with me and thank you to everyone who opened up their homes to me. You made this trip incredibly special for me and the 59 pups I got to see again.  And, who knows, hopefully in a few years, I'll get to do this all over again!

"In every dog - and possibly every donkey, kangaroo, or dolphin, there is a chance, often far more than one, for grace, forgiveness and recovery" (Braitman, "Animal Madness"). 

Celebrate National Dog Day!

Celebrate National Dog Day!

1. Adopt a dog from your local shelter or  rescue organization. Volunteer at your local shelter or rescue and offer to walk a dog or play with a dog, clean cages or anything else they need help with.

 2. Have a safety check of your home to make sure it's safe for your dog and others.

 3. Donate blankets, food and toys to animal welfare organizations.

 4. Organize a peaceful demonstration in front of your community pet store that sells puppies.

 5. Write your Congressman and ask that he/she support the ban of Puppy Mills and Gas Chambers in your state.

 6. Order an adorable dog shaped flower arrangement from 1-800-Flowers.com and enjoy a 10% discount by using code GOODLIVING when placing your order!

 7. Have a National Dog Day party and invite all your friends and their dogs!

 8. Spend the day taking photos of your dog and then enter our photo contest!

 9. Buy an official National Dog Day Tee here and sport it proudly!

 10. Assist an ill or elderly neighbor by walking their dog.

 11. Have a portrait painted of your dog to suspend the fleeting magic of dogdom.

 12. Buy your dog a fun new dog toy....or two...or five.

 13. Give your dog some fun exercise by taking him or her to a doggy play resort.

 15. Brush your dog to eliminate excess fur.

 16. Give your dog a massage or holistic spa treatment.

 17. Teach your dog a new trick.

 18. Buy your dog a fashionable collar and leash.

 19. Hire a professional pet photographer for a fun photo shoot.

 20. Take your dog to the beach.

4th of July

Can you guess the four most common things the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center gets called about every July 4? 

They're fireworks, food, lawn products, and pool chemicals.

Fireworks

They’re pretty to look at and fun to set off. But some pets will eat anything – including fireworks. Pets may also get too close to fireworks being set off or get scared by the loud noise and run away. If you are going to have your pet with you keep her on a leash and watch her carefully. And she should always have a collar with tags and a microchip in case she runs off.

Fireworks are divided into two categories, personal use and professional. Personal fireworks can be purchased by the general public while professional fireworks are restricted. Fireworks generally contain fuel, oxidizers, color producing compounds (often heavy metals), binders and reducing agents.

Chemicals that can be found in fireworks include:

• Aluminum
• Antimony
• Barium
• Beryllium
• Calcium
• Cesium
• Chlorate
• Copper
• Iron
• Lithium
• Magnesium
• Nitrates
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Rubidium
• Strontium
• Sulfur
• Titanium
• Zinc

While fireworks have the potential to cause serious toxicity, most exposures to personal fireworks do not result in life-threatening signs. 

Common concerns with exposure to fireworks include gastrointestinal upset, corrosive injury, dermal burns and possible foreign body obstruction. Heavy metal toxicity is more likely with larger exposures or exposures to professional fireworks.

Pool Chemicals

 Pool chemicals can include chlorine tablets, muriatic acid and brominating tablets. When pets get into products directly or breathe fumes from them there can be problems.Mix chemicals safely and keep pets indoors until products have diluted appropriately in the pool or spa. And always keep a close watch on your pet around a swimming pool!

Exposure to pool products – once they have been diluted appropriately in the pool or spa – is generally not a serious concern. However, it is very different when pets get into the products directly.

Most often there is concern for gastrointestinal signs as well as potential for corrosive injury. Respiratory signs may be a problem if the exposure is in a confined area or the owner has been mixing chemicals inappropriately in a small, enclosed space.

Lawn Products

We all want our yards to look nice, but pet exposure to lawn products is a common problem. 

Keep pets safe with these 4 tips: 

1) Keep pets out of areas where any products are being applied 

2) Make sure you follow all instructions for the product 

3) Keep pets inside until products are dry or no longer prominent – if you’re not sure how long that takes,wait 24 hours 

4) Make sure your pet has access to water so he doesn’t go seeking it in the wrong places

Generally lawn products fall into three categories: herbicides, fertilizers and insecticides.

Casual exposures to yard products generally result in mild and self-limiting gastrointestinal upset. But what you want to watch out for is exposure to agricultural products (especially older ones), larger exposures to insecticides (particularly granular products) or exposures to older or foreign products.

You are more likely to run into a nasty organophosphate or carbamate toxicity with older (particularly agricultural) or foreign products.

Food

Grapes/raisins, onions and garlic, xylitol, macadamia nuts, chocolate, moldy food, avocados, cherry pits, alcohol: Summer festivities include a plethora of foods pets should not get into.

While there is not much new to share in this category, xylitol keeps popping up in unexpected places – the newest one is peanut butter. Make sure to have owners check those labels!

Change A Pets Life Day

Change A Pet's Life Day

Five simple ways to help change a pets life TODAY!

1. Make a donation to Rock City Rescue online here or mail here

(Rock City Rescue, 2513 McCain Blvd, Ste 2, #176, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116-7606)

2.  Volunteer with Rock City Rescue here

3. Purchase something off our Wishlist

4. Become a Foster family (email rockcityrescue@gmail.com)!

5. Spread the word by sharing our FB page, Twitter, Instagram, and review us here!

2015 New Years Resolutions for You and Your Dog!

2015 RESOLUTIONS

With the arrival of a new year inevitably comes a variety of new year's "resolutions." We vow to better ourselves through losing weight, quitting smoking, stop procrastinating, and so on. But how may we improve ourselves as pet owners? What new year's resolutions should dog owners consider? Here are 13 suggestions for your consideration.

1. Vow to provide your dog with the highest quality nutrition possible. This means researching the ingredients in dog food and often, thinking outside the grocery store kibble aisle. The Whole Dog Journal is a fantastic publication which publishes annual dog food reviews. WDJ offers unbiased reviews as a publication which subsists entirely on subscription revenue - they do not accept advertisements from manufacturers.

2. Make it a point to ensure your dog's health through providing adequate and appropriate exercise.

3. Be realistic about your dog's weight. It's scary how few people recognize weight problems in dogs and equally scary when people think their pet's obesity is funny or a joke. Obesity shortens longevity, both in dogs and people. If you can't feel your dog's ribs easily, he is too fat. Ask your vet for guidance in regulating his weight and achieving healthy body condition.

4. Train your dog. Training is not a luxury, it is necessary Not only will appropriate training make living with your dog more enjoyable for you, it will make life more enjoyable for your dog by providing him with the mental stimulation all dogs need and crave.

5. Play with your dog. Play can take many forms - training, tug, fetch, food dispensing toys, nosework games and exercises, off leash adventures in safe environments, etc.

6. Keep your dog well-groomed and maintained. Mats in the fur, parasitic infestations, rotten teeth, overgrown toenails, embedded collars, yeasty ears, oozing or itchy eyes, hot spots, etc. are all unsightly and worse, uncomfortable for dogs. Routine care and maintenance can significantly improve your dog's quality of life.

7. Make it easy for your dog to succeed. If your dog loves chewing on shoes, do not allow him unsupervised access to shoes. If your dog eliminates in the house, provide him with plenty of opportunities to eliminate outside by giving him frequent breaks. If your dog bites strange children, don't bring him to your daughter's soccer game.

8. Vow not to get mad at your dog for your management failures. If your dog loves chewing toilet paper and you leave the bathroom door open, it's your fault, not his, that the toilet paper is now strewn throughout your house in 7,986,235 pieces. Simply clean up the mess and next time, close the bathroom door!

9. Be appreciative of how wonderful your dog is. One of the biggest elements of successful training is looking for desirable behaviors and reinforcing them with something your dog likes and appreciates - a treat, a butt scratch, a game of tug, the opportunity to go for a walk. Never miss an opportunity to thank your dog for good behavior.

10. Make time for your dog. This may mean rearranging your schedule. It may mean going out in the cold or rainy weather to give your dog a walk. It may mean skipping Wednesday night book club so that you can enroll in the agility class you wanted to take. It may mean spending less time on Facebook and more time playing, training, and exercising with your dog.

11. Be a responsible dog owner - keep identification tags on your dog, renew your dog's annual license, make the annual veterinary appointment, clean up after your dog, respect leash laws, etc.

12. Keep learning and improving as a pet owner. What does your dog love? What stresses him out? How does he communicate his emotions through body language? Understanding your dog will enable you to be a better friend to him, this year and every year.

13. Help a less fortunate dog at least once this year. Remember that not all dogs are as lucky as yours. Not all dogs have regular meals, veterinary care, someone who loves them and will play with them, a home to call their own. There are many ways you can help less fortunate dogs - by making donations (either goods - beds, leashes, collars, food, toys, etc. or cash) to a local shelter or rescue, volunteering at a local shelter or rescue, organize fundraisers, help take pictures of adoptable pets for adoptapet listings, apply to become a foster parent, etc.

About the Author: Casey Lomonaco graduated with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior, and is a member of the following professional organizations: APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), CGC evaluator - AKC (American Kennel Club), TDF (Truly Dog Friendly), and the No-Shock Collar Coalition. She is also the author of Dogster's popularDog Training Guide.