Dog Days of Summer

Going to the beach with your dog can be great for exercise and socialization! Here are some things to remember to make the trip more enjoyable:

• Make sure you're within a Dog Exercise area on the beach, the Gold Coast City Council has great maps to show you where the Dog Beaches are at this link.
• Be sure to take a plastic bag!
• Bring a water bottle for your dog and a travel dish.
• If your dog swims, make sure he/she is a strong swimmer and watch for undercurrents. If you own a smaller breed dog, a doggie life jacket is a good option to keep them safe.
• Dogs can sunburn too! Watch the heat, check their paws for blisters and find shade often.
• Remember that running on sand is more strenuous on their joints, so don't let them overdo it!

Australia's Best Dog-Friendly Beaches

Have an awesome time at the beach over the holidays,

~The Get Up and Go! Team

Melbourne Pet Expo 2013

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go to Melbourne for the Melbourne Pet Expo on February 2nd and 3rd!

Alison Ansel at the Get Up and Go Expo Booth

Should be a great time to interface with many of our customers and prospective customers.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Australia Day from the Get Up and Go! Team

Hope your Australia Day is Awesome!! Hopefully, it won't be raining and you and your dog can go for a nice walk on the beach or to the park!

If you need more Get Up & Go, you can now order online at:  http://getupandgodog.com.au/

source

Gold Coast Pet and Animal Expo 2012!

Be sure to mark it on your calendar! It's a great day out with tons of activities for dogs and owners alike.

The Expo is on this year September 29 & 30 from 9:30am to 4pm each day. It will be held at Central Park Oval and Varsity Lakes Sports and Arts Centre - Central Park Drive, Varsity Lakes.

~The Get Up and Go! Team



Cupcake Day for the RSPCA

Do you love the RSPCA? Do you love cupcakes?

~The Get Up and Go! Team

Olympic Dogs

Are you ready for the action?

DauchsundLove

The Olympics in London are going to be amazing, but what if your athritic dog is feeling sporting?

A great sport, that can be practiced at low speeds, is flyball. Flyball teams are located pretty much anywhere and while most teams are competitive young dogs, there are groups that focus on aging dogs. They do Flyball for fun rather than competition.

It involves a bit of training and treats, but it's a great way to keep your dog active as long as you take it slow.

Check out www.flyball.org.au for more info.



~The Get Up and Go! Team

RSPCA Million Paws Walk

No matter where you are, there's a walk for you!!! It's great exercise for everyone and you can take it as slow as you like, doing only what you can. That means dogs with arthritis will love it!

It's a great way to socialize your dog and help the RSPCA! Be sure to sign up in time. There are tons of giveaways, competitions and booths to check out!

The Million Paws Walk is on Sunday May 20th 2012.  Check out their website to register.



~The Get Up and Go! Team

Anzac Day

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilestreetlife/5150524935/

Image and Info From Flickr:

Staff Sergeant Major Gregory Van Pelt With His Dog "Butcher"

Pictured Successfully Completing 47 Hours of Drunken Debauchery, 1915

ID Number: DA09725
Maker: Darge Photographic Company
Place made: Australia: Victoria, Melbourne, Broadmeadows

Studio portrait, probably of Staff Sergeant Major (SSM) Gregory van Pelt, Instructional Staff, CMF, of Bendigo, Vic.

SSM van Pelt enlisted in the AIF and was appointed as 6761A (later 6761) Company Sergeant Major (CSM) on 3 September 1917. On 21 November 1917 he embarked aboard HMAT Nestor in Melbourne as a member of the 20th Reinforcements, 23rd Battalion. On 17 April 1918 he was transferred to the 14th Battalion. On 6 November 1918 he embarked aboard HT Marathon to return to Australia. Note he is wearing a militia uniform and is accompanied by a dog wearing a forage cap.

Rights Info: No known copyright restrictions.

This photograph is not from the Australian War Memorial's collection www.awm.gov.au

Happy Easter!



Photo Examiner

Have a Happy Easter and Keep Your Dog out of the Chocolate Bunnies!!

Photo PetVet

~The Get Up and Go! Team

Dogs and Chocolate -The Truth!

Photo Pet Little

Yes, we know you love it, but your dog shouldn't! You've probably heard that chocolate can be toxic to dogs, but what does that mean? And at what amounts?

Chocolate contains Theobromine, which dogs cannot metabolize as fast as humans, meaning it poisons them. The smaller the quantity, the less of a chance of poisoning; however, it's not a good idea to take the chance as small quantities have been known to kill dogs.

“The buzz we get from eating chocolate may last 20 to 40 minutes, but for dogs it lasts many hours,” says veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald, PhD. “After 17 hours, half of the theobromine a dog has ingested is still in the system.” (Pet WebMD)

Dark and unsweetened chocolate contain more Theobromine, and are much more deadly to dogs than milk chocolate. The problem is, yes, they can taste the sweetness and have big, sad eyes.

Photo California Dog Fence

Toxicity depends on your dogs body weight, the type of chocolate ingested and the amount of chocolate. It gets complicated, so check out this simple interactive National Geographic chart.

Photo Got Chocolate

Signs of Chocolate Poisoning:

• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• arrhythmia and other muscle twitching
• frequent urination

Carob or liver treats are a great alternative to giving your dog chocolate.





~The Get Up and Go! Team

RSPCA Animal Care Campus QLD

Opening Day Ceremony on Feb. 26th! Be there!

Check out their new website at:  http://www.animalcarecampus.rspcaqld.org.au/


~The Get Up and Go! Team

Valentine's Day Puppy Love

Happy Valentine's Day Dog Lovers!

Sodahead

How good is having a dog?

Comparable to eating chocolate

In the larger Missouri study, 50 dog owners and 50 non-dog owners over the age of 18 sat in a quiet room for 15 to 39 minutes with their own dog, a friendly but strange dog, and a robotic dog. The robotic dog was included because electronic pooches, such as Sony's AIBO, are being studied as a possible resource for the elderly who can't look after a live animal.

Each session involved calm stroking or petting. Researchers checked blood samples of both the humans and dogs at the beginning of each session and monitored their blood pressure every five minutes. The dogs' blood pressure dropped as soon as they were petted. The humans' blood pressure dropped by approximately 10 percent about 15 to 30 minutes after they began petting the animal, at which point blood was again drawn.

Johnson's study found that serotonin levels increased when interacting with the human's own dog, but not with the unfamiliar animal. And serotonin actually decreased when interacting with the robotic dog.

Dr. Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, says the serotonin changes reveal the "mechanism" of how pets influence our health.

"It shows that there is a physiological mechanism [to relaxing with a pet], that it really is comparable to other things we know cause relaxation, like eating chocolate," says Beck.

Photo Flickr

~The Get Up and Go! Team

HAPPY 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Be Safe and Have Fun

Have a Magical 2012,

The Get Up and Go Team

Fun at the Gold Coast Pet Expo 2011

This past September, the Get Up and Go! team hosted a booth at the Gold Coast Pet and Animal Expo. It was outrageously hot, but we had so much fun!

Our local office dog Sam got to meet Dr. Chris, the Bondi Vet.

There were so many old dogs who showed up, but even more who had to stay home because of mobility issues. We even did a raffle for a Pamper Hamper full of toys and free product samples.

It was a great time and we can't wait until next September!
~The Get Up and Go! Team