the Newsletter

Cottonwood Tails
Vol. 3 No. 3
_____ Summer 2014
Fall Events Offer Fun Times for All
Come on out and join Cottonwood
Kennels at the following events this September. Lots of fun will be on tap.
Doggie Dash 25
The 5K run and the dog walk will start
at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Picnic Pavilion. Participants will enjoy our
Pawdestrian Festival, an area full of
over 25 pet-friendly merchants
Everyone agrees that Doggie Dash is
just a ton of fun! But there is a more serious purpose behind this animal-friendly
event—raising critical funds to support
the animals at the Humane Society of
Boulder Valley.
There will be dog-tastic demonstrations
and more. Don't miss the adoptable pet
parade of LHS animals looking for their
forever homes. All dog walk and 5K run
participants are asked to collect pledges to help the animals in need.
So whether you’re running with your
favorite four-legged friend or a group of
two-legged friends, you can help us
reach our goal of $100,000!
Wags N’ Whiskers
More than 30 local businesses will set
up booths for the Pet Expo! Attendees
will learn about local pet supplies and
services, talk with veterinarians and
more
Alpine Hospital for Animals will be
having their first Wags N’ Whiskers
event this year to benefit Project
V.E.T.S. The event will take place Saturday September 13, at Tom Watson Park
located at 6180 N 63rd Street, across the
street from Coot Lake.
Alpine’s goal is to raise $5000.00 for
Project V.E.T.S., an organization that
was founded by a previous owner of
Alpine Hospital for Animals.
Contestants take off in the 5K in last years
Doggie Dash at the Boulder Reservoir
Join us for Paws in the Park on Saturday, September 13, 2014 to benefit the
animals of Longmont Humane Society. It
is sure to be a tail waggin' good time!
Paws in the Park features a three mile
dog walk, 5K run and a fun pet-centric
festival.
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
Scott Carpenter Pool turns into an
aquatic dog park for two weeks in September. Cottonwood will set up shop
on Friday, Sept. 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. and
Sunday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The pool closes for human use and
then opens up for the dogs to enjoy. It
is a great way to spend a warm afternoon with your best friend -- your dog
(or dogs) will be grateful for the
chance to cool off and play with others.
Dogs lining up to get wet in the pool
The Dog Dayz event has been running strong for nearly a decade and
saw about 2,000 dogs come through
the gate in past years . Join us for a day
of fun in the sun with our canine friends
(all dogs welcome).
The pool will be open for the dogs to
swim and various organizations will be
on hand with samples, prizes and information. There will be a Flying High
Dog competition from 12:30 to 2 p.m.
on Sunday, Sept. 28.
.
Paws In The Park
Dog Dayz
Project V.E.T.S. is an organization
dedicated to helping improve the
health and welfare of animals around
the globe by collecting veterinary
equipment, technology and supplies
(V.E.T.S.) from veterinary hospitals,
veterinary colleges, zoological societies, human hospitals and medical
equipment/supply manufacturers.
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A fun day for the dogs and their people
Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com
Cottonwood Tails
Page 2
_Summer 2014
Meet the Cottonwood Family
Schedule Early for
the Holidays
By Danielle Reeves
Tracy Jacobs
I came to Cottonwood back in July and
it has been a great experience for me
after 25 years of working in the nursing
and healthcare field. I was ready for
something different and I found it !
My husband and I have been boarding
our ’kids’ here for almost 20 years. We
would see the results of the tender loving care they received here by the smiling faces we saw every time we picked
them up.
We have an 18 year old cat, Chester,
known affectionately as ‘Chester the
Molester’ who will jump up in your lap if
you sit down for a second. He will purr
away at you for your attention til he gets
it.
We also have Rufus and Augie, our
hound dogs. Augie is a red tick coon
hound who has certainly put me and my
husband through our paces. She’s been
a handful to train, but has a heart of gold.
I am so grateful to spend my days
among all your wonderful pets here at
Cottonwood and contribute to their care.
I am also honored to be a part of this
outstanding staff.
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
Donica Fuentes
Cottonwood Kennels is a great place
to work. It is enjoyable being able to
see so many new dog faces while still
enjoying the old ones. It’s full of
knowledge and lots of excitement.
Working here has taught me how to
care for all the different kinds of dogs
and getting to be part of a community is
a lot of fun.
The
holidays
are just around
the corner. As
most of you
know, Cottonwood books up
several months
in advance for
the holidays.
Being at Cottonwood Kennels this
past year has been so enjoyable it rarely feels like work. I love having the
opportunity to play with and take care
of so many different dogs. Being here
lets me experience the highlights of
seeing a dog grow, and have them enjoy playing with the other dogs.
If you have travel plans, or believe
that you might, give us a call as soon as
possible to set up that reservation for
your little ones.
As always, Cottonwoods policy to
ensure that the most boarders will get
in, is to begin calling a month before
the holiday reservation is scheduled to
be sure plans have not changed.
Also, we require a non refundable
prepayment in full, due by the first of
the month in which the holiday falls to
hold it open for you. We will be maintaining a waitlist also for those who do
not get an initial reservation, and any
reservations not held with a deposit will
be given to those on the waitlists.
Since I get to work with so many
dogs, I get to see a lot more of these
highlight than I would at home. My experiences at Cottonwood have helped
me train and take care of my cattle dog
mix , Nova King, and Buddy, my Chihuahua, a lot more confidently..
My coworkers have also made my
experience great. We are all such dog
people. It has been an amazing year at
Cottonwood. Spending
time with
dogs, and getting to share these experiences with others who love their job
as much as I do.
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Also remember that during these
holiday times of maximum occupancy,
to call ahead during inclement weather
to see if daycare is being held on those
days.
For any more information about our
scheduling, feel free to call us at (303)
442-2602.
***********************************
“Properly trained, a person can be dog's best
friend.”
Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com
Cottonwood Tails
Page 3
Summer 2014
Ear Care for our 4
Legged friends
Feeding Time at Cottonwood
By Kristin Jeffers
By Kristin Jeffers
Dog ears come in all shapes and sizes,
sometimes we tend to skip checking out
ears on a regular basis, but it’s very important to be aware of how they look and
how they smell. Dogs can get ear infections that can be painful and if left untreated can sometimes lead to deafness.
Dog’s ear wax tends to be a darker color almost brown compared to what us humans have; and there really should be no
smell coming from the ear.
A normal dog ear should be a pink color
with little to no ear wax
Here at Cottonwood Kennels we
have a large range of types of food
for the guests staying with us.
For dogs we use Diamonds Lamb
and Rice which is wheat/soy/corn
free, Evanger’s Chicken and brown
rice wheat/soy/corn free, and Taste
of the Wild Bison and roasted
venison which is grain free.
These are our main kibbles we
also have a range of can food that
we can use as additives and some
are also complete diet.
Some of those cans flavors are; lamb
and rice, chicken, buffalo, braised beef,
duck and potato, and beef dinner.
We try to keep well stocked in a
range of foods to help accommodate
Most common infection of the ear with a all dogs come in, this helps if they
smell is a yeast infection which will take on are a little picky. We try to have as
much of the same type of foods here
a sour bread like smell. Another sign of a
problem with ears is shaking the head a lot as they would at home..
or holding the head on the side as if they
We even boil chicken and beef to
are in discomfort.
help with some of our picky eaters.
Look out for would be swelling in ear or We have been known to roast
on the flap. Redness again in or on the ear, chicken every now and then.
with or without a excessive buildup of ear Sometimes we use it as an additive
wax. If they are having a potential problem and sometimes just feed it straight.
with their ears they might have a smell
How to avoid infections; make sure that
if your dog likes to go in to water that you
are drying them off especially down eared
dogs, when you are drying ears you do
NOT want to use Q-tips, these can cause
damage and pain to the ear.
Normally your vet will be happy to show
you a safe way to dry and clean ears. If you
make looking over your dog’s ear part of a
weekly routine, you can also potential
catch an infection before it becomes too
bad.
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
We know that when our furry
friends are away from home and
excited about all the activities they
have here sometimes they become
a little picky with eating, so we want
to make sure everyone get the
individual attention they deserver
and get a yummy breakfast and
dinner
For cats staying with us, we have
a range of cans and kibbles we can
offer. The kibbles we use are Taste
of the Wild venison and trout which
is grain free, and Friskie’s.
Some of our great cat food varieties
We do have a Purina for sensitive
stomach food also. For cans we
have brands like Evanger's,
Friskie’s and Tiki cat, with flavors
like; tuna, chicken, beef, ahi,
assorted fishes, and turkey.
When you come in for a boarding
stay the price includes the use of all
these foods. Your pets are welcome
to eat our food, as well as bring
their own, when they stay with us.
This is another reason we ask if
we can add to your cat or dogs food
when they come in. We love to see
all of our guests happy and well fed.
We work to make sure they have
yummy meals every time they stay
with us .
A chicken, rice and hamburger plate for
one of our guests. Sure to please even the
most finicky eaters.
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Boulder, Colorado
Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com
Cottonwood Tails
Page 4
Summer 2014
Mikes Canine
Culinary Corner
Notes From Playgroup
By Pilar Heffelfinger
Playgroup Captain
By Mike Thorpe
Cottonwood
Kennels
believes training is
important.
Training
the
trainers is a prio r i ty
issue.
These are some
of the things from the handbook
that they will learn before training
the new kids on the playgroup
yard.
* Sit down and thoroughly review
the binder with Trainee!! Provide them
with PG packets and review it with
them. They can make their own notes
on these.
o
Key Things to Explain:

How to properly break up fights

Importance of behavior prevention
• Behavior issues-toy aggression, lap
aggression, attention aggression, fence
and gate aggression; as well as domination issues.
• Telling similar dogs apart
O Marking ears, ID bands
• Being VOCAL before PHYSICAL
-have them tell you all
the names as if you have never seen
the dogs before.
O 1st PG have them run dogs both
ways (if possible) for safety and
assists in learning names
O If needed, have them write
down the name of every single dog
on a piece of paper with a description of each.
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
Some people have a harder time
recognizing variations in animal behavior, especially in a group setting
where there can be a “pack mentality.”
Show trainee obvious, recognizable behaviors that we consider
“triggers” and explain what to do
and why. For example: gate aggression (like when a dog wants to bite a
dog coming through the gate).
Leave the trainee alone as little as
possible. If a dog needs to be run in
for an immediate concern—make
them do it because it helps them get
to know the issue and be able to
communicate to the front. Helps
them recognize future issues, too.
Stepping back and giving up a
little of your control is half the battle
(i.e. if a dog rolls in stool that they
didn’t pick up—they need to bathe
them, not you).
It’s also hard to not jump in and
stop a behavior, and it’s important to
hesitate to hopefully make the trainee jump in first. But do be ready to
act.
It’s good to be an example
(especially during their first pg), but
it’s even better if they are the ones
being hands on and getting the experience.
Let’s have a fun playgroup session
today, and everyday !!!
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Sweet Potato Puppy Pie




1 sweet potato
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesause
1.
Prick the sweet potato skin several
times with a fork
On high power, microwave the
sweet potato for about 6 minutes,
or until tender.
Scoop the potato from the skin into
a large bowl and discard the skin.
( careful with the hot potato).
Mash the potato and mix in flour
and applesauce until a dough
begins to form.
Place the dough on a lightly
floured surface an knead 2 or
three times.
Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch ,
then using a knife, slice dough into
1 or 2 inch squares depending on
your dogs size.
Place squares on greased cookie
sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes,
checking them for doneness with a
fork. Should be the consistency of
a cookie.
Allow treats to cool and store in a
Tupperware of like container in
the refrigerator until needed.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Bone
appetit
!!!
Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com
Page 5
Cottonwood Tails
_Summer 2014
Purrs from the Cattery
By Connie Duras
What to do at playtime in the cattery.
There is a cat nip filled cow kick toy,
rolling ball with a squeaking mouse inside. A leopard rope toy which is human
propelled.
How do they always land
on their feet ?
What gives cats an almost magical ability
to flip over in midair and manage to land
safely on their feet – if they have enough
time?
Kitty is in a tree or on top of bookshelf
and is falling. Instantly, the brain sends a
series of messages describing current
orientation in space and the position of
limbs, body and head to the balance
mechanisms (Vestibular organs) in inner
ears, and eyes.
Adrian’s choice of the day is the cow kick
toy. He also likes to play bat the ball by
himself or with a person.
Kitty can use the tail as a balance beam to
align spine, twisting it as necessary, with
the rest of body., while at the same time
spreading out all four feet to form the
‘parachute’ and have a great 4 pad landing.
The flexible shoulder and leg joints,
working together with floating collarbones, gives a bit of extra bounce, while
paw pads help cushion the touchdown.
The Vestibular apparatus is a fluidfilled structure of the inner ear-the
looping semicircular canals, the utricle,
and the saccule-are essential to the self
righting ability. Every movement causes
the fluids in the vestibular structures to
ripple the millions of microscopic hairs
that line them.
These tiny ripples, along with the
movements of fine particles that float
within the utricle and saccule, flash to
your cat’s brain precise, up-to-themicrosecond information about his
position, and orientation in space.
Once Kitty knows which way to face,
head and front limbs can be turned
toward the ground.
The Vestibular apparatus
This extraordinarily complicated series of maneuvers all happens in less
than a second, and in as little as two vertical feet of fall.
Even with the cats righting reflex as
built-in emergency lifesaving procedure, falls can still cause broken bones,
severe internal injuries or even death.
Jake chose a paper towel roll for basic fun.
Cat Nip filled mice are a lot of fun also.
Pearl just wants to chill out and sits in the
cheese block house up above the kennels.
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
It’s all about the inner ear
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Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com
Page 6
Cottonwood Tails
Our Barnyard
Friends
Summer 2014
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
By Keri McKelvey
Born in March, Rooster was came into
the world over on 75th Street, practically next door. His young mother didn’t
really want to care for him, so the owner
gave the 1 day old baby to us. It is how
we get all the sheep you see in the pasture next to the kennel.
The Spartans Fans
Keri and Gitana
After the
devastating
loss of my
golden retriever,
G i t a n a ,
back
in
June, I was
left broken
hearted.
I
had adopted
an 8 year old
from the Humane Society.
As I began to feel better the idea of
getting a new puppy made me smile
again. I entertained the idea of rescuing again, researching the various rescue groups in the area. I even visited a
puppy at the Humane Society.
I explored all options, including getting a puppy from a breeder. I called
breeders all over Colorado, Nebraska,
Wyoming and Kansas. After studying
all my options, I finally decided on getting a puppy from a breeder.
She was a happy sweet girl that I
aimed to please with a spoiled life..
Baby Rooster at 1 week old.
It is truly a labor of love hand feeding
these ‘ on the edge’ little lambs. You
first have to teach them how to drink out
of a baby bottle. We mix our own lamb
milk replacer that comes in a powder
form. Gallons and gallons, and gallons.
It is truly wondrous to watch the little
ones learn that their true food is the
grass in the pasture, and hay. To watch
them take their first little taste until it
becomes second nature to seek out the
best stems.
We hope you enjoy the animals in our
pasture, we certainly love them all.
Keri teaching Gitana to dock dive after her
special floaty water toy.
Her illness and rapid decline came on
way too quickly and before I could
grasp it, she was taken away from me,
way too soon. It is so hard to lose something so precious and to feel so helpless
to stop it.
My Cottonwood family, clients and
their dogs all played an incredible role
in allowing my heart to heal, though it
will never forget. The smiles, the hugs
and all the slobbery kisses of so many of
the loving pets that I consider friends
and family helped the healing process
begin.
It is always easy to say I do not want to
go through that again, but love like that
is always going to win out.
Rooster at 4 months old enjoying his pasture
Cottonwood Kennels
7275 Valmont Road
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Keri and baby Maui getting to know
each other
As luck would have it, a breeder right
here in Erie was expecting a litter
soon. I went to see the puppies in July.
My girl picked me and even winked at
me as I was holding her.
The moment I looked into her eyes, I
knew she was the right one for me. I
began to feel human again and the sadness and emptiness in my heart after
the loss of Gitana melted away.
I will never forget all the love and Joy
Gitana brought me. Her spirit will live
on and she will be forever in my heart.
The new puppy, who I named Maui, is
the next step in the healing process
and a promise of new adventures to
come..
Phone (303) 442- 2602
CottonwoodKennels1@yahoo.com