Indoor/Outdoor Saturday Morning Intermediate Class just added!

I just added a Indoor/Outdoor Intermediate class that will be held at my San Leandro location starting on Saturday, January 9 at 10am. The class will be 45 minutes long and last 4 weeks. The cost is $75. Please let me know ASAP as space will be very limited!

Massage and Grooming class, January 10, 2010

Canine Massage and Grooming Class - Sunday, January 10, 10am-12pm, $40

The canine massage portion will be taught by Michelle Wolff. Michelle is unique in her qualifications as she is not only a certified massage therapist she also has a background in veterinary care. You will learn how to perform basic, safe and enjoyable massages for your dog.

The grooming porion will be taught by Vicki Ronchette who owned and operated Heads or Tails Pet Grooming for 8 years. You will learn about bathing, brushing and combing as well as nail trimming.

Please contact Vicki if you are interested in registering as space will be limited.

Pictures from our Point Isabel Walk

We had a wonderful long walk this morning at Point Isabel! Here are a few pictures from our trip! Thank you to those you who were able to make it. To those of you who couldn't, we hope to see you there next year!

Kristen with Madden and Dakota

Mary with Roxie (she would be the one covered in mud) and Lucas

Rachel with Babs and Bittles

Colleen and Alan with Bart and Sherman

Rick and Vicki with Bill

The whole gang!

Oh, and Roxie after a nice roll in the mud.

Roxie, mid mud roll. The look on her face immediately following this shot said "Life is Good".

Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish all of my wonderful clients and their dogs a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am happy to know all of you and grateful that you trust me with your dogs. I look forward to continuing to work with you all.

I hope to see many of you at our annual Christmas Eve dog walk at Point Isabel. We will be meeting at 10am on Christmas Eve in front of Muddpuppies.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Mushroom Warning

Can you help to spread the word that the Amanita phalloides, the death
cap mushroom, has come out in full force since the rains started. We
had one death at Lake 2 weekends ago, and PETS emergency clinic in
Berkeley called on Friday and said they have had 3 deaths in 6 days -
all from the Oakland area.

The mushrooms have a sweet odor (like honey) and are attractive to some dogs
(whose owners report they actually seek them out to eat them). They are
really non descript little white mushrooms.

The toxic effects appear about 6-36 hours after the mushrooms are eaten, and
once signs are seen the toxicity is poorly responsive to treatment (we try a
lot of things to support the animal, but if enough mushrooms were eaten it
will be fatal despite the treatment).

If someone suspects their dog may have eaten a mushroom, the best treatment
is to take the dog immediately to a vet or emergency clinic and have them
induce vomiting and give activated charcoal. The mushroom toxin is absorbed
fairly rapidly, but the damage to the liver can take hours before it is
clinically apparent. Don't waste time trying to figure out if the mushroom
is toxic as speed in removing the mushroom from the digestive system is the
most important thing in my experience.

Here is a link with some pictures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides"

Drop In Conformation Class

There will be conformation class tomorrow night on December 8, but not classes on December 15, 22 or 29. Have a great holiday everyone!

December Brave-Heart to Heart

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you all so much for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you in classes next year! I appreciate all of you and I hope you all enjoy the holidays with your families and friends!

Christmas Eve Point Isabel Walk
Once again I would like to invite you to our annual Point Isabel walk on Christmas Eve at 10am. Rick and I will be there and hope to see some of you there to enjoy a nice walk with our dogs before going home to prepare for Christmas with your families. We will meet just outside Mudpuppies at 10am on Christmas Eve. Hope to see you there!

DOG OF THE MONTH
Corto Heestad


Corto is a Pomeranian who was adopted from Pomeranian Rescue by Marilyn and Glen Heestad. The Heestads have been owned by Poms for many years competing in conformation with many of their dogs. Little Corto completed Braveheart's Small Dog Beginning class and has continued to attend a variety of Braveheart classes since then. Currently he is attending our Rally classes. Marilyn has hopes of competing with Corto in obedience and/or rally.

Thank You to my Assistants
A big thank you to my assistants Colleen Pepper, Kathy Kinney, Yvonne Chohan, Kristin Masar who help me so much throughout the year. Thanks also to Dawn Bushong for the great job you do with Rally class. And, to Maureen Coyle for supervising the playgroups and making them a safe, fun place for people to bring their littles. I appreciate all of you!

Upcoming Classes
We will have a lot of classes starting after the first of the year. As you know, you can always check the website for our updated class schedule.

Three's Company, Tuesday, January 19, 6pm in San Leandro.
Beginning Obedience and Manners, Thursday, January 7, 7pm in San Lorenzo through HARD.

Small Dog Beginning Obedience and Manners, Monday, January 25, 6:30pm in Castro Valley through Castro Valley Adult School.

Intermediate Obedience, Monday, January 25, 7:30pm in Castro Valley through Castro Valley Adult School.

DROP IN CLASSES
Conformation - Tuesdays in San Leandro. 7pm - all dogs, 7:30pm - small dogs.

There will be class this week (12/8), but no conformation classes on December 15, 22 or 29.

Rally - Mondays in San Leandro at 6:30pm.

PUPPY AND ADULT DOG PLAY GROUPS
Puppies, 8 to 20 weeks and under 40 pounds, Saturdays at 11:30am and Wednesdays at 6:30pm.

Small Dogs, Saturdays at 12pm and Wednesdays at 7pm.