JEWEL IS A REAL TREASURE

Jewel's story as told by her rescuer

There is no garbage pickup in our neighborhood in Ketchum, Oklahoma, so once a week we take our garbage 7 miles to a group of dumpsters in the next town. On April 5, we took our garbage, not taking too much notice of a truck with a dog running around in the bed that was there also.

On April 11, there was a very serious storm.The next day, we took our garbage again and noticed a black lab drinking out of a water puddle behind one of the dumpsters. She looked hungry, wet, and old. I got out to get a closer look and noticed that she wasn't wet at all. She was covered in oil. Her skin was cracked and gray, and hairless along her arms, belly, and face.

Taking a chance on the poor thing, I offered her a Little Debbie. She was a little wary at first, but she was hungry and eventually came over to me. I petted her and started sweet talking her toward my car, where my daughter was waiting in the passenger seat with another treat for her. Without much hesitation, she jumped in the car. We stopped at a gas station and picked up a bag of dog food and headed home.

Once there, we led her into our fenced backyard. She ran around, quite obviously enjoying grass beneath her feet instead of gravel. My daughter, who held the dog on her lap the whole trip, was completely smothered in oil on her arms, shirt, and pants. She also found and removed several ticks. Due to this bug problem, we set a big dish of water and food out under the back porch for her. We made plans to take her to the vet the next day, but she would have to spend the night outside.

The next day, April 13, we took her to the vet. It was during their questioning that I started to vaguely recall the truck with the dog. I could only assume those were the people who dumped her. The doctor said the oil on her coat was an old home remedy for mange, which was why her skin was so irritated. He said they could treat her, but it would take no less than three treatments. The mange was caused by a parasite that was only contagious to other dogs. This, thought the vet, was the reason she was dumped instead of cared for properly.

My daughter and I had grown fond of her, and decided to treat her, and give her a good home. When we went to pick her up the next day, she had been bathed (but was still oily). But she was happy and energetic, and already looked better to us. The doctor then gave us a shock. She was not as old as we had thought, but only around 2 years old, and as far as he could tell, a full Lab. If she was a mix, it was so small, that he couldn't tell.

We took her home and gave her regular visits to the doctor, an inside crate to sleep in every night, food, toys, and lots of love. At the end of her treatment, with LABMED'S help, we had spent a large amount of money on her in vet bills, but she is worth every penny. She has been one of the most loyal, loving, good natured, and well-behaved dogs we have ever had. She's even house trained. Now she's healthy, and looks like she never had mange in the first place. We named her Jewel, because that's what she is to us. And one man's trash is another man's treasure."

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UPDATE ON LABMED ACTIVITIES

The 2001 LABMED QUILT IS FINISHED!

Our deepest appreciation goes to Sue Erickson for putting this beautiful work of art together.

The theme of this year's quilt is Labradors at Work and Play. Eighteen quilt blocks were individually hand-crafted and then combined into this lovely one-of-a-kind quilt. The front of the quilt contains 17 of the quilt blocks and the 18th block is on the back as a label. The quilt's border contains quilted Labradors and cat-tails. Will you be the lucky winner of this masterpiece on October 19th?

Only if you buy the winning ticket!

Good luck!

THE AUCTION IS COMING!

The always exciting Bullet's Benefit Bash will take place from November 3 to 10 - and you can place your bids on-line 24 hours a day! Hand-made or one-of a kind items are always popular, and treats and toys, jewelry, books, wearables, and artwork draw spirited bidding every year, too. Please check our auction pages for all the details:
http://www.labmed.org/auction.html

If you would like to help publicize the auction, we would be happy to provide a copy of our Auction Flyer.
These are wonderful to give out at events; we suggest using brightly colored paper to really draw attention to them. These are also wonderful tools to post on bulletin boards at pet products stores, vet offices, shelters, or your own place of employment. Or you can add a banner about the auction to your web site:

http://www.labmed.org/auction_banner.html

Any help you can give us in publicizing the auction will be greatly appreciated!

LABRADOR TALES

We are delighted to announce that we will soon be publishing the new edition of "Labrador Tales: A Celebration of America's Favorite Dog." Labrador Tales is a heartwarming collection of short stories, poems and essays about Labrador Retrievers and the people who love them. The book is the result of the collaboration between the Authors John Arrington and Walt Zientek, award winning Illustrator Terry Albert, and LABMED.

"Labrador Tales" was originally created and published in 1998 as a fund raising effort. Due to its overwhelming popularity, the book has been given a new design and includes thirty five new stories and illustrations. Watch for all the details at http://www.labmed.org/shp_morelabtales.html All proceeds from the sale of this book benefit LABMED's efforts to provide emergency medical assistance to rescued Labrador Retrievers.

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OUTSIDE DOGS

by Michigan Humane Society

Many potential adopters ask "Is this an 'Outside' dog?" Our answer is,"Not anymore."

We attempt to place dogs with people who understand the need of a dog to be a part of the family. Even thousands of years ago when man and all animals lived "outside", there was a cave or den for shelter, and man and dogs lived in small groups or "packs".

The truth is, times have changed but we and the dogs haven't. Both humans and dogs are "pack" animals, we do not tend to be solitary. Domesticated, companion dogs no longer have packs of other dogs to live with, so dogs now need to be members of human families or packs.

Furthermore, both people and dogs are "den" animals. This is the reason that dogs can be housebroken. Dogs want shelter in a safe, secure den - your home - and they want their den to be clean.

Obviously, dogs can be forced to live outside, alone and away from their families. But to force this kind of life on a dog is one of the worst things you can do to him. Such a life goes against a dog's two most basic instincts: the pack and the den.

If you have any doubts about these ideas, think of all the whining, barking, clawing dogs you have seen tied up alone outside. Dogs trying desperately to get their human families' attention, and then just giving up to become hyperactive, listless, fearful, or vicious when the stress of enforced solitude becomes too much to cope with.

The rationale given by people who permanently keep their dogs outside is that they will spend time with the pet outside. Even the most well-meaning pet owner does not spend significant time outside, particularly when it is raining or cold. Consequently, under the best of circumstances for the outside dog, a bowl of food and water hastily shoved before him, a quick pat given, and his owner, his WORLD is gone, leaving the animal to spend another 22 or 23 hours alone.

A dog brings you the gifts of steadfast devotion, abiding love, and joyful companionship. Unless you can responsibly accept a dog's offer of these great gifts, please do not get a dog.

If you already have a dog, perhaps this article will help you to see things from his point of view, and possibly motivate you to change your relationship with him. A sad, lonely, bewildered dog, kept outside, wondering why he cannot be with his family, brings only sadness and unhappiness to the world.

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LABMED Calendar: October - December, 2001

For more updates on LABMED events, please visit the continuously updated
Calendar of Events.

October, 2001

October 6: "Bark in the Park", Clay County Humane Society, Florida
October 17 - 20: Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. National Specialty, Valparaiso, IN    
Be sure to visit the LABMED Booth - Buddy will be there!

October 19: Drawing for the 2001 LABMED Quilt
October 18 - 19: Mid-Jersey Labrador Retriever Club Specialty, NJ
October 28: Wisconsin Dog Fair, Marriot West, Madison, WI
October 28: Daylight Saving Time ends
October 31: Halloween

November, 2001

November 3 - 10 LABMED auction - the 6th Annual Bullet's Benefit Bash
November 4 - 10 National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
November 22: Thanksgiving

December, 2001

December 9: Hanukkah Begins
December 25: Christmas

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RECIPE CORNER

Molly's favorite peanut butter cookies


2 cups flour (any kind)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup skim milk
chopped peanuts (optional)

Combine flour and baking powder and cinnamon and stir into mixture of milk and peanut butter. Mix well and then knead for a few minutes on a well floured surface.
Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes - or just roll out and cut into squares or rectangles. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. For extra crunchy cookies, turn oven off and let the cookies cool in the oven.
Store in an airtight container.

Do you have a favorite recipe for dog goodies that you would like to share? Please send it to our newsletter editor Edith Bryan ([email protected]). Molly will taste test them and share some of her favorites in future issues of the newsletter!

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Let's Go Shopping!

The holidays will be upon us before we know it! The LABMED shopping pages have many answers for your holiday gift list questions - and a great selection of gifts for all of your human and canine friends!

NEW FOR THIS YEAR!
Holiday dog toys for Labs and their friends! Choose from a great selection including pawprint stockings, pet holiday wear, plush stuffed toys in holiday colors, and even green and white Kong toys in Christmas tree or snowman packaging! And for a treat for the whole family, we are offering the exciting board game, Dog-Opoly - based on the famous game, of course! Some of the neat doggie twists in the game include "Dog Deeds" filled with fun facts about each breed, Dog Houses, Good Dog and Bad Dog cards, and pewter tokens representing a Mailman, Dog Bowl, Fire Hydrant, Flea, Cat, and Steak. A fabulous gift!

Check out the fabulous Holiday offerings at http://www.labmed.org/shp_holidaydogtoys.html

Here are some more of our newest offerings:

Our 2002 Calendars feature beautiful, dramatic images taken by some of the nation's finest wildlife and sporting photographers.

This year we are offering calendars celebrating Just Labs, Just Chocolate Labs, Just Black Labs, Just Yellow Labs. and What Dogs Teach Us.

WHAT LABS LOVE is a great gift for any Labrador lover!
Wonderful color photos of Labradors in action paired with an amusing text make it a great picture book for dog-loving youngsters as well. A perfect family gift!

Have your Labs been extra good lately? Why not treat them to the Grand Nibbler Biscuit of the Month Club! Each month your lucky Labs will receive a different Grand Nibbler Biscuit. Each biscuit can be broken into 30 individual treats! The yummy flavors include Banana Beg Biscuit, Chewberry Blueberry Biscuit, Eat Your Veggie Biscuit, Rollover Rasberry Biscuit, Nappin' Apple Biscuit, One Trick Orange Biscuit, Runner Peanut Butter Biscuit, Tail Chasin' Cherry Biscuit, Pawberry Strawberry Biscuit...who could resist!

And for your human friends and relatives, LABMED offers a wide assortment of delightful gift ideas: sweatshirts and T-shirts in adult and youth sizes, Labrador Retriever and dog bone shaped pins and earrings, our beautiful embroidered baseball caps, a large assortment of books and posters, and much, much more! You can do your one-stop shopping at http://www.labmed.org/shp_main.html And all of our profits go to help needy Labradors. What a deal!

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On the Lighter Side: DOGMA

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark to read. -- Groucho Marx

Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies. --Gene Hill

To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs. --Aldous Huxley

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. --Robert Benchley

Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives. --Sue Murphy

I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves. --August Strindberg

No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation. --Fran Lebowitz

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. --James Thurber

You enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets. --Nora Ephron

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. --Ann Landers

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. --Robert A. Heinlein