First of all, I would of never thought a casino for a dog show but the site was very nice! The show is being held indoors in the Casino Event Center, there is plenty of parking and grassy areas to walk the dogs outdoors.  The Casino has a beautiful hotel just across the parking lot from the event center and is right off the freeway.  I couldn’t really believe the amount of bassets there!  If you would like to see some Bassets their specialty is 5 days long, officially starting today Oct 5th till October 9th.

The seminar was held in the hotel in one of the conference rooms, the hotel is very large and there were no directions on the seminar registration form and the hotel staff kept pointing us to the show site.  After “touring” the entire hotel to find it we finally got settled.

Very nice room, comfortable and well lit which are important when your in there from 9am till 5pm !!!!   Overall I liked the seminar and would highly recommend it for first time or new breeders.

According to Myra she normally does a two day seminar but for this event she was requested to put it all in one day.  Since I have oodles of experience in this arena it was easy for me to follow and frankly there was little to no new information to me but I did attend with two young would-be breeders who were alittle lost at times and had quite a few questions after the seminar.  For newbies I would recommend that you attend one of her two-day seminars and perhaps even read her books prior to the seminar so you have a foundation to start with.

Myra did a great job of explaining the importance of environment on fertility and health of breeding dogs and bitches, I especially liked the way she explained the heat cycle in the bitch using laymen terms.  Myra recommends the Fertile Focus as a means to determine estrogen peak in the bitch, which supposedly indicates ovulation in 5 days.  Combining the Fertile Focus with progesterone testing to determine optimum breeding was her recommendation.    Myra also presented her opinions on sperm survivability and timing for optimum breeding depending on fresh, chilled or frozen sperm which would be helpful for any breeder to understand.

Most of the information and products she recommended and sold I agreed with, the only point of contention I had was her opinions on diet and their relation to c-sections.  Myra was passionate about the effects of too much calcium given to bitches which therefore lead to high incidence of uterine inertia (failure of the uterus to contract or expel a puppy/ dystocia) and therefore led to the need for more c-sections.

Part of her theory is correct calcium is related to muscle performance and too much calcium is not healthy for dog or bitch.  Myra took it further by explaining that she felt all bitches on raw feed diets were at higher risk for c-section because “raw diets are too much bone”.   I hate to say it, but this is just mis-information, I spoke with Myra specifically about this and while she couldn’t give me any direct citations to studies she did share that she had plentiful antedoctal sources from toy breeders that were feeding chicken wings only, calcium tabs and yogurt that when they switched to a mid-grade kibble their incidence of c-sections went down.

I could write several novel length blogs to dissect the nutritional components of her seminar but in an effort to be brief I will say that many things can and do go wrong when pet owners switch to a raw diet, the reason they go wrong (in my opinion) is lack of education and understanding!  Why would you feed a toy dog chicken wings only ?  and add calcium tabs ? of course that is too much bone/calcium!  The foundation of a feeding a BARF diet is VARIETY!!!   Why Variety ? To ensure that no one mineral, amino acid or nutrient is overlooked or provided for in-correctly.  VARIETY !

Myra also indicated and I agree that dogs are opportunistic feeders, carnivorous but opportunistic in nature.  Yes, that is true and what do opportunistic feeders have ? VARIETY.

What does a well thought out raw diet provide ?  VARIETY.

If your concerned about your raw diet then you should consult with a veterinary nutritionist and take the time to evaluate what it is exactly you are providing your dog.  Myra indicated that she fed her cavalier 3 chicken wings a day along with mixed veggies, now I don’t know which veggies but the chicken wing is one of the highest bone ratio pieces of a chicken!  Add calcium tabs to that and I bet her Cavalier had too much calcium.  If other toy breeders are following that same incorrect raw feeding methodology then I can understand that they are probably having health problems not only whelping problems.

In closing, because I have stop at some point, I give the seminar high marks and still recommend it and definitely recommend her books and products.  I only have contention with the nutritional component of her seminar.  I think that all breeders or dog owners who are thinking about breeding should attend one if able!

If you would like to learn more about Raw Feeding which when done correctly is indeed healthy visit:

Balance It

Raw Meaty Bones

The Whole Dog

Bark N Blog

Chuck begins to talk to the woman and explain how he, as a dog, sees the world and teaches her a new outlook.

As all of us dog lovers know, we can learn alot from our dogs and this book details just how to do that!

I found myself laughing outloud at Chucks remarks and antics!  One of my favorite moments in the book is when Dawn (main character) while driving, asks Chuck what he got her for her birthday and Chuck tells her ” Pull off the road right here and throw the yellow ball.  It’s right under the seat.  I’ll bring it back so enthusiastically that I will break your heart with the pure delight I take in simple-minded minutiae.  Wait’ll you see the look in my eyes!! It’s a gift that keeps on giving.”

Everyday our dogs give us gifts, we just have to learn to pull over, stop what we are so wrapped up in and accept those gifts.

Enjoy your day !

Parkplace Book Company
348 Parkplace Center
Kirkland, WA US

Saturday, May 2, 7:00PM to 9:00PM
Phone: 425-828-6546
Book Launch Party for “Don’t Lick the Dog… Making Friends with Dogs”
Wine, juice, snacks, ‘Reading with Rover’ and ‘Dooley’s Dog House’ will join us along with three or more totally gorgeous Therapy Dog poodles for kids to meet using their “good dog manners.”

You can download a free activity guide that goes along with the book which includes a word search game with words that are used to teach children how to meet dogs using their “good dog manners” !

Looks like a great teaching tool, I love the term “Good Dog Manners” ! I wish all children (and adults) had those !!!!!!!

” Navigating the world of veterinary medicine can be daunting, but one veterinarian believes she can help. Nancy Kay, a veterinarian with 20 years of experience, is the author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Longer Life, a guide that advises dog owners about everything from routine vet visits to euthanasia and chemotherapy. “

Dr. Kay was recently interviewed over at NPR, the interview provides a great outline of the book as well as discussing the amazing leaps in Veterinarian medicine in the last 10 years and how pet owners are faced with often confusing information.

The Speaking for Spot homepage provides a very nice overview of the book along with a few chapters excerpts and some great advocacy aids that you can download and print.

Understanding what your options are and what questions to ask not only ensures that your pet receives the best care possible but also helps you understand what is going on with your pet.  Too often pet owners leave the vet office and have nothing more than a vague understanding of what ails their pet, Speaking for Spot is a book to help pet owners ask the right questions and more importantly explains the fundamentals of a vet-client relationship!

An earlier post about the new PetDoc’s on Call website mentioned that many Veterinarians are concerned about pet owners seeking information from non-vet sources.  This book speaks to the very reason that pet owners seek non-vet sources when concerned about their pets.  Many pet owners do not feel 100% confident at their vet clinic nor 100% comfortable in questioning their vets.   Hopefully this book will help empower owners to be better advocates !

The author, an anthropologist, offers a fascinating historical account of dogs and man.  A well written chronicle of the dog’s rise thru man’s society, the classdom that effected both man and dog during the Victorian era, the established of “pure breds”, War dogs and much more!

Particularly I enjoyed the history of dogs in North America chapter, the discussion of several breeds now extinct that once originated on our shores.  Although sad and tragic it serves as a lesson about preservation and man’s historical  ruthless disregard for animals.  It reminded of the breed specific legislation that many states (including Washington) are trying to impose by “banning” breeds in an effort to eliminate them all together.

The favorite target of these “activists” right now is the American Pit Bull Terrier, who unfortunately has been demonized by their efforts.  But just a few moments ago in our American History this breed was good enough to go into battle and fight for our country, now the American Pit Bull is no longer associated with our military or upper class, so no one blinks an eye and efforts to dissolve the breed gain momentum….Modern day Classdom ?

Pictured above is one of the only renditions of the Coastal Indians Wool Dog, now extinct.  The dog’s fur was used to make textiles.  Sure is a cute little guy !  Wish I could of met one……

Overall I have to give this book all 4 Paw’s – Rating – Excellent