www.nafcanimalshelter.org February 2014

Inside- Love Shack -That'sWhere It's At!- Classifieds- Doga, Skijoring, andSo Much More!- Busted Cat Myths- Spay Now or StayStupid!- Happy Tails: Willie &Jasper- Information Corner:Apology from the Editor- Comics

Classifieds

Phone (81 2)948-5355

nafcanimalshelter@yahoo.com - www.nafcanimalshelter.org

21 5 W. Market St. , New Albany, IN 471 50

Valentine’s Dayis a holiday that was madefor sharing love andaffection with those who areclose to your heart. It is justaround the corner and noone wants to spend it alone.Even animals want someonespecial to fill their heartswith love! The New AlbanyFloyd County Animal Shelterstill have plenty of lovingcats that are looking for thatspecial place to call theirown. Show these cats somelove and make them yourfurry Valentine!

From February8th through the 14th, theNew Albany Animal Shelterwill become the “LoveShack”, pairing people withcats who are looking for along time commitment and

tons of love! After all, catsare the best at cuddling!During this limited time,cats that are over 4lbs willhave their adoption feesreduced to only $14! Theyare already spayed orneutered, microchipped,Felv/FIV tested negative,and current on vaccinations.

No need to tryto hide your furry newfriend. For an extra $20donation, your furryvalentine can be held up to 4days to allow you to pick upon Valentine's Day orwhichever day you plan tocelebrate.

So come ondown to the “Love Shack”to find the furry love of yourlife!

Bozzi

Border Coll ie X

N. Male

3 Years Old

I may be a little vertical ly

challenged, but I make up

for my height with

personality! I am a fun

loving guy who just wants to

play, just not always with

the other dogs.

- Love Shack -That's Where It's At!

SadieDSH

S. Female

11 Years Old

I may be wary at first, but

real ly I am a gentle old

soul looking for some

companionship. Come

give me a chance.

Page 2 Phone (81 2)948-5355

nafcanimalshelter@yahoo.com - www.nafcanimalshelter.org

21 5 W. Market St. , New Albany, IN 471 50

Page 2

Doga, Skijoring, and So Much MoreThe new year is

here! Let the adventures begin!Now is the time to try somenew activities that will help youget outdoors, active, and havingfun. There are now more ofthese activities then ever beforethat you can include your dogsin as well.

Doga is thepractice of yoga with pet dogs.

Through acts ofmeditation, gentle massage,and stretching, dogapractitioners seek to achieve agreater harmony with theirdogs. Canine acupuncture andchanting are also known to takeplace within the occasionaldoga routine.

In Doga, thesubmissive dogs and theirhuman masters work as oneunit - the masters help theirdogs facilitate different posesand, in some cases, the pets areused as props or instrumentswhile the masters perfect theirposes. This is seen to be a Zenway of practicing non-traditional yoga and training,while exploring power playdynamics.

The UK charityDogs Trust have also warnedthat unsupervised Doga mayimpact the welfare of the dogs,stating: "It is important toremember that dogs can't tellus when they have had enough.Doga, and any variation of it,should always be carried outunder the watchful eye oftrained professionals".

Doga enthusiasts

have argued that the practiceemphasizes yoga's focus onunion between beings, helpsestablish a pack mentality,strengthens the bond betweenowner and pet, and can provideadditional weight resistancethereby intensifying one's yogaritual. Doga can purportedlyalso provide a great source ofentertainment for dog-friendlyclass members

Skijoring with adog is a sport in which a dog(or dogs), assist a cross-countryskier. One to three dogs arecommonly used. The cross-country skier provides powerwith skis and poles, and the dogadds additional power byrunning and pulling. The skierwears a skijoring harness, thedog wears a sled dog harness,and the two are connected by alength of rope. There are noreins or other signaling devicesto control the dog: The dogmust be motivated by its owndesire to run, and respond to

the owner's voice for direction.Many breeds of

dog participate in skijoring. Theonly prerequisite is a desire torun down a trail and pull, whichis innate in many dogs. Smalldogs (less than 35 pounds) arerarely seen skijoring, becausethey do not greatly assist theskier; however, since the skiercan provide as much power asis required to travel, anyenthusiastic dog canparticipate. Athletic dogs suchas Pointers, Setters andherding breeds take to skijoringwith glee, as do the northern

breeds, such as Siberian andAlaskan Huskies, Malamutes,Samoyeds, and Inuit dogs;however, any energetic dog iscapable of enjoying this sport.Golden Retrievers, GiantSchnauzers, Labs, and manycross-breeds are seen inharness. Pulling breeds workwell also such as American BullTerriers, Staffordshire Terriers,American bull dogs, andmastiffs.

The sport ispracticed recreationally, andcompetitively, both for longdistance travel and for short(sprint) distances.

In warmerweather, hiking is also a greatadventure for both pets andtheir persons. Many parks inthe area have miles of trailsthrough the woods, alongcreeks, and across fields thatdogs can enjoy also.

Be sure to packyour pet essentials (water,bowl, waste pick up bags,etc)when on these adventuresas well as any others that youmay find. Its important to keepyour dogs nourished, andhydrated.

Not all dogs willbe able to handle thesesituations and environments soit is important to access yourindividual dogs endurance leveland mobility limits. Also, beable to recognize when yourdog is getting uncomfortableand reaching their physicallimits.

There arehundreds of myth and legendsabout cats. Some even dateback to egyptian times. Some ofthese myths may be true, whilesome are nowhere close to thetruth. Here are a few examples.1. MYTH: CATSHAVE NINE LIVESFact: The myth most likelyoriginated from Egyptian godsand religions, where sun godAtum-Ra, one of the Ennead, orthe Nine would assume the formof the cat when visiting theunderworld. Throughout theages, cats continued to beconsidered magical andotherworldly, and theirresilience in surviving falls fromhigh places and longconfinements withoutsustenance continue to amazeus. 2. MYTH:PREGNANT WOMENCANNOT LIVE WITH CATSFact: While toxoplasmosis is arisk during pregnancy, a womanis more likely to catch it fromhandling raw meat or digging inthe garden than from her cats.Cat guardians can protectthemselves from cat-relatedexposure by emptying the litter

box daily, having someone elseclean the litter box or wearingrubber gloves and a mask if thelitter box task can’t be foistedonto anyone else.3. MYTH: CATSSTEAL THE BREATH OFBABIESFact: Cats are heat-and comfort-seekers. Curling up next to anewborn in a crib meets both ofthese needs. However, if the catchooses to press up against theface of a bundled infant who istoo young to turn away on herown, her breathing may behampered. Keep cats out of thenursery at naptime/bedtime4. MYTH: CATSPURR ONLY WHEN HAPPYFact: Purring is one of the firstsounds kittens can make. Theycan purr by the time they are 48hours old. While nursing, bothmom and kittens can be heardto purr. But while purring isoften heard at times ofcontentment, cats also purrwhen in pain and in the throesof death. 5. MYTH: CATSHATE WATERFact: While most cats hatebaths, many find running waterfascinating and spend time

pawing at dripping faucets ordemanding their guardians turnon the water for a fresh, cooldrink. Kittens, in particular, findsinks and showers a source ofamusement, although for mostthe thrill lessens with age.6. MYTH: CATSALWAYS LAND ON THEIRFEETFact: As a tree-climbing species,the cat’s survival depends on itsability to survive falls whenpossible. The feline vestibularsystem and vision work togetherwith the cat’s flexible spine toallow the cat to right itself and,when there is enough time, to“parachute out” in a mannersimilar to the flying squirrel.While they can usually rightthemselves, they can stillsustain serious injury which mayresult in death.

Busted Cat Myths

URGENT! INDIANA ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP!Keep an eye on our website, www.nafcanimalshelter.com, for more information on current

Indiana State Humane Legislation. Contact your legislator now!

Page 3

With catscoming intoheat at 4months ofage, andhaving 2 to 3litters a year,it would be stupid not have yourcat spayed or neutered. Inhonor of World Spay Day 2014,the shelter will be holdinganother Spay Now or StayStupid Clinic!For two days only,

February 27th and March 11th,Floyd County residents thatmeet an income requirementcan get their cats a rabies shot

and spayed for free! ($5 licensefees are not included.) Thereare limited spots available sovisit the shelter to reserve yourspot!

Having your catspayed or neutered can help theanimals health and thecommunity in many ways.

Almost every cityor town you can go to, has anissue with pet overpopulation,especially in cats. The HumaneSociety of the United Statesestimates that over 7 years, onepair of breeding cats can beresponsible for over 400,00cats.

Every heat cycle

that a female goes through willalso increase her chances ofuterine cancer. Males chancesof testicular cancer increasesthe longer they have theirtesticles.

Please thinkabout your pets health andhappiness and get them spayedor neutered. If the Spay Now orStay Stupid Clinic is full, pleaseask about other low costprograms!

Spaying andneutering can save lives, so beable to call your pet a hero andcall us today! Keep an eye onour website for the dates whenthey become available.

Spay Now or Stay Stupid!

Willie and Jaspercame to the Shelter asstrays around the sametime from completelydifferent areas. As theirtime at the shelter went along, they were cagedtogether, becoming goodfriends. Their newfamily decided not to splitup the newly bonded pair,and adopted both. Intheir new home they canusually be found togethersnuggling, playing, andwatching the birds andsquirrels at the feederoutside. Some maysay they are spoiled, butthey know they are justreally loved! Share yourhappy tails adoption storywith us and it may befeatured in next monthsnews letter!

NAFC ANIMAL SHELTERINFORMATION

Hours:Monday - Friday

9:00-5:00PMSaturday

11:00-2:30Adoption Prices:

Cats over 4lbs - $20Cats under 4lbs - $60

Dogs - $80

Apology from the EditorDear NewsletterRecipients,

We receivedmany emails and calls inregards to JanuarysNewsletter. Somehow, itshowed up in inboxesnumerous times.

We are notcertain what caused this tohappen, but we a greatlysorry for the inconviencethat it caused. We arechecking our emailprograms to make suresettings are correct to helpensure that it does nothappen again. If it does, wewill access our techniquesand look at other ways inwhich we can get thenewsletter to you.

Thank you somuch for your support inthe Shelter and in what wedo. We wouldn't be wherewe are today without ourcommunity.Sincerely,

The Editor

Phone (81 2)948-5355

nafcanimalshelter@yahoo.com - www.nafcanimalshelter.org

21 5 W. Market St. , New Albany, IN 471 50

Page 4

InformationCorner

Need your Pet Spayed or Neutered?We can help!

Bimonthly, The S.N. I .P. Clinic and the NAFC Animal Shelter assist in getting your pets altered

for a discounted price. Call or visit the Shelter for more information or to sign your animals up!

Happy Tails:Willie & Jasper