Queen City Dog Blog
A dog’s guide to living in cat-crazy Charlotte
Has YOUR dog been microchipped?
Imagine this…you’re out for a walk with your beloved pooch when something startles him. After a series of canine contortions that would put Houdini to shame, you’re left holding a leash and collar with no dog attached. Or someone accidentally forgets to close the gate to your fence, and Max decides to wander down the street to that sassy little Italian Greyhound’s yard while you’re at work. Unfortunately, these things happen all the time. If this happened with one of your precious pups, have you prepared them with any tools that might make their return easier?
I’m not talking about strapping a survival kit to your dog, but there are things that you can do to greatly increase the odds that your little angel comes back to you safe and sound. Consider having your dog microchipped. Sounds expensive, right? It really isn’t. Nor is it a complicated procedure, just a quick injection of a microchip that is barely larger than a grain of rice. But the possible benefits are huge. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control officers carry microchip scanners in their vehicles, and according to their website, 85% of microchipped pets that are picked up are taken back to their families without ever having to stop at the shelter. Most veterinary offices also have scanners and can help facilitate your dog’s return. Chances are that if you adopted your dog from CharMeck Animal Control or another local shelter, they already have a microchip, but it’s up to you to make sure that your contact information is current.
If your dog (or cat) does need to be microchipped, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control is holding a Chips for Lunch Microchip Clinic for only $10 on Friday, February 27 from 11-2 at the Petsmart in Matthews. Your veterinarian should also be able to microchip your pet during a normal office visit. Hopefully, you’ll never NEED the microchip, but if you do…your dog will thank you for it.
Cltwestival
I know, I know, this is supposed to be a dog blog…but every now and then, something so worthwhile comes about that it warrants attention here.
On Thursday, February 12, Twestivals will be held in over 175 cities worldwide in an effort to raise money and awareness for charity:water. 1 in 6 people (over 1 BILLION people, almost 17% of the planet’s population) do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. Children are especially prone to becoming ill from consuming this water. The goal of charity:water is to help dig wells in areas that otherwise would not be able to afford it.
The Charlotte event, which has been dubbed Cltwestival, will be held at Cans beginning at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Admission starts at $10, but with 100% of ticket sales going directly to the charity, please consider giving what you can. Just $10 can provide water for one person for 12 years. So please come out to Cltwestival if you can, it should be a smashing good time in the name of charity. Did I mention the really awesome prizes? You could win a cruise, a Peak Fitness gym membership, scuba certification, tickets to live tapings of 106.5 The End END Sessions, a massage…the list goes on and on. Hope to see you there!
Love the Puppy Bowl?
Animal Planet’s answer to today’s gridiron behemoth of a game, Puppy Bowl V, starts at 3pm ET and seems to have the dog world in a tizzy. After all, who can resist the hijinks of an adorable puppy, let alone 20? The icing on the cake is that all of the dogs participating in this year’s Puppy Bowl are available for adoption (hello, Mr. President, are you listening?). While your chances of scoring one of the ACTUAL puppies involved aren’t great, there are PLENTY of others in local Charlotte-area shelters that need good homes. And as cute as puppies are, please don’t overlook the older dogs that are available for adoption. One of the best resources for finding local dogs that need their furever homes is Petfinder, which allows you to search for pets based on your preference for gender, breed, age, size etc. So if you’re looking to bring home a new family member, check out your local shelters and save a life!
Sahara, adopted from Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Shelter in 2003
Survival of the Fittest
Men’s Health recently released their list of the Fittest and Fattest Cities in the U.S. for 2009. The good news? Out of the 50 most populated areas that were studied, we placed 9th. The bad news? We placed 9th on the Fattest Cities list, dropping 15 spots since last year. OUCH. If Darwin’s theory was correct, what does that mean for the Queen City? Clearly, there is some work to be done here. It is important to note, however, that Men’s Health did recognize that Charlotte ranks pretty high in the park acreage per capita department. In fact, we placed 8th out of 50 (in a good way) in that category. The problem is that it doesn’t appear that enough of us are actually making use of those parks.
Ironically, the AKC just released their dog breed registration statistics for 2008, and they even broke it down by city. Labrador retrievers took top honors in practically every city. In Charlotte, 8 out of the top 10 breeds are medium or large dogs. These dogs need EXERCISE. Funny, that’s just what Charlotteans need too. AND we have plenty of parks (visit http://maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/website/parklocator/ for assistance locating a nearby park, nature preserve or greenway).
So let’s try putting these things together. Take your dog for a walk on the greenway. Explore some trails in the local parks. They’re not only FREE, but can improve the health of you and your dog(s) as well as give you some quality time together. In the end, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Headed for the greenway!
