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Paws applause for the love of Dove DoveLewis was named one of Oregon’s Most Admired Companies by those whose opinions matter most: other Oregon businesses. The Portland Business Journal surveyed over 2,500 CEOs in Oregon, asking them to name the greatest companies in the state based on attributes such as innovation, quality of goods & services, community involvement, quality of management, and others. The BJ also surveyed the general business community, compiling a list of companies selected as “Oregon’s Most Admired.” DoveLewis ranked among the top 10 nonprofits.
Spotting what’s hot: Doodles An interesting snapshot of c u r r e n t breed preferences played out early in November when hundreds of people lined up at the Oregon Humane Society hoping to get a glimpse of rescued Goldendoodle and Labradoodle dogs. The dogs were taken to the shelter after an overwhelmed dog breeder in the St Helens area surrendered more than three dozen of the irresistible dogs to OHS. In all, over 1,000 people cued up in hopes of adopting one, and the OHS Web site and phone lines were jammed with over 1800 inquiries by midday. What started Friday with a doodle craze ended up being the best weekend ever for homeless pets at OHS: in all, 179 animals went home over a 3-day period, including dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents — only 38 of which were ‘doodles.’ “This was a great weekend for the homeless pets of Portland,” said Sharon Harmon, OHS Executive Director. “We asked people to look beyond the designer breed status and give the other dogs in the shelter a happy home. . . and they did!” In all, 89 dogs went home, 85 cats, 3 rabbits and 2 rats. A typical weekend would usually have approximately 120 adoptions.
Vitamin love. . . on four legs The Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) reports on its Web site what many pet owners already know: pets are good for your health. Pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness, while increasing opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities, and socialization. Health Site Guide (healthsiteguide.com), a healthcare information portal with direct, presearched links to information on hundreds of health concerns as they appear on dozens of recognized health sites, has added “Pets and Your Health” to its homepage to help spread the good news. Now in its fourth month, Health Site Guide is a free service that’s steadily growing in popu12
DECEMBER 2006 • SPOT MAGAZINE
larity. Featuring overviews of sites that include WebMD, MerckSource, Mayo Clinic and many other recognized health Web sites — including leading US government sites — the site was created to take the search out of searching and provide user-friendly, quick results by linking viewers to exactly what they need.
Ready for holiday guests? Or more to the point: is your dog? ‘Tis the season for visiting and celebrating, and Nanny 911 for Dogs, Victoria Rose, takes a quick look at a canine issue that can be mildly irritating for some, mortifying for others: humping. Here’s what she has to say about this very natural, but undeniably “icky” behavior: In puppies — it’s play and helps them practice for adulthood. In adolescence it can be used to assert dominance over other dogs or people. (Males do it more than females.) It can also be a stress-reliever, which is often why dogs do it when guests arrive. (And you thought he was just showing off for company. ☺) Females may do it when they are in season. Getting over-stimulated (through petting or grooming) or overexcited can inspire a dog to mount others. Over time it can become a habit and can build aggression. Socializing, training, and exercising your dog are the best ways to prevent or stop this behavior. Socializing your puppy with other dogs can teach the kid that this is not ok (but be careful not to let older dogs get too rough with your puppy). Socialization (done properly) also builds confidence, which reduces stress. Training teaches a dog to do other things: He can’t hump when he is on command to “Sit” or “Down” or “Look at me” or “Leave it.” Neutering alone will stop the majority of males from engaging in this behavior. Exercise reduces stress and tires him out. . . “A tired dog is a good dog.” Dominant dogs showing the owner “who’s boss” need serious training and a major change in relationship.
Doggie Parenting class resumes Did you know you should always bathe dogs with peanut butter? Do you struggle trimming your dog’s nails? Want to learn an easy way to get the job done? Do you know that frequent farting is not normal and can actually signal a medical concern? Or that “free-feeding” dogs is a bad idea? Do you know that most “protective” dogs are actually fearful and will never REALLY protect you? Learn this and much more during the 2½hour class, Doggie Parenting 101, Tips and Tricks on Loving and Living With Dogs, held Dec 5 at 6:45 pm at Copper Creek Mercantile in Keizer. Info/RSVP 503-370-7000 or nanny@nanny911fordogs.com.
Both Johnson and Coyle have stories about clients who swear that pooper scoopers saved their marriages. Doug Duncan of Doggy Business, which began as a dog-walking service in Northeast Portland but eventually grew to include backyard dog waste removal, says, “If you walk dogs long enough, eventually someone will ask you to scoop the backyard poop.” “It would be wonderful if cities would make facilities available to have options of where to dispose of dog waste,” says Duncan. Things are looking up, though. Bob Bascue, director of sales for Pacific Power Vac (ppvnw.com), a Portland waste treatment facility, says, “Technology has changed a lot in 10 years. We would not have been able to accept dog waste back then, but today we can process it safely.” Bascue says that any pooper scooper companies can call, set up an account, and use PPV to dispose of their dog waste, just as Honey Bucket is doing at Gabriel Park.
Upcoming Clean River Events Naturescaping for Clean Rivers Workshop Dec 2, 9am-1pm, at Mt Tabor in SE Portland Dec 3, 1-5pm, at Metro in NE Portland For info or to register, call 503-797-1842
Doggy Duty, run by naturopathic physicians Noel Thomas and Amanda Shallcross, puts a completely different spin on the poop-scooping business. Shallcross says, “We specialize in working with pet owners in apartment buildings, especially in the Pearl. The company offers its clients handcrafted boxes made from Brazilian hardwood and filled with industrial/professional grade artificial grass over cedar shavings. Shallcross says, “We create a schedule with our clients, come by and clean out the box, and put in new shavings and grass. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.” Doggy Duty also has a unique system in place at Virginia Woof doggy daycare, and is looking to expand to serve dog-friendly hotels in the Portland area. The growing business of professional pooper scoopers even has a trade association called aPaws (http://www.apaws.org). Board member Jeff Morgan estimates there are between 800 and 1200 dog waste removal companies nationwide.
What to do with the doo? Pietrovito says, “Don’t compost it. When it disintegrates into soil the bacterias, parasites and viruses don’t die, and can cause everything from rashes to blindness, and/or get into your blood stream and cause cysts and sickness. It is very unhealthy.” Folks from Portland Environmental Services say, “Always pick up pet waste and flush it down the toilet or place it in the garbage.” If you are collecting dog waste from your yard or at the park, choose biodegradable and compostable bags, such as BioBag Dog Waste Bags (greenfeet.com). These bags are made from cornstarch and biodegrade just as food does. Robbins Pet Care of Gold River, California (http://shop.robbinspetcare.com) notes on its Web site that regular polyethylene-based
plastic bags can take well over 100 years to degrade and are not compostable. In the end, it’s about each of us taking the time and trouble to scoop the poop, while walking our dogs on the street or at the park, and at home in the yard.
Local Pooper Scoopers Doody Calls (Portland Metro) 503-701-7272 • www.doodycalls.com Doggy Business (Northeast Portland) 503-313-2200 • www.doggybusiness.net Dog Butler Waste Removal Service (Most TriCounty areas and Puget Sound from Tacoma to Everett) 503-761-7550 • www.dogbulter.com Doggy Duty (Portland) 503-381-8361 • www.doggy-duty.com Doodie Hunters (Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Salem/Dallas) 503-648-7117 • www.doodiehunters.com Oops Poops • 503-287-5178 The Poop Scoop (any location up to 30 miles from zip code 97211) 503-998-2269 • www.poopfreeyard.com Pooper Patrol (SW Portland, Aloha, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Sherwood, Tigard, Forest Grove) 503-709-4242 • www.pooperpatrol.com Scoop Doggie Dog Waste Removal (Portland and Vancouver) 503-626-3499 • www.scoopdoggiedog.com Tour of Doody (Brownsville) 541-971-0090 Waggin’ Wagon (Northeast and North Portland) 503-706-2317 • www.wagginwagon.com Doggie Waste Clean-Up Service (SE Portland) 503-661-2813 Turf Butler (Eugene/Springfield & surrounding) 541-688-1014 Scoop Da Doo (Eugene/Springfield) 541-913-7056 Tour of Doody (Brownsville) 541-971-0090
Portland off-leash areas Dogs must be leashed until reaching the designated off-leash area (OLA). Owners must bring waste bags (biodegradable please!). Fenced Sites, open 5am-Midnight Brentwood Park SE 60th & Duke Chimney Park 9360 N Columbia Blvd East Delta Park N Denver & MLK Jr Blvd Gabriel Park SW 45th & Vermont Normandale Park NE 57th & Halsey
Unfenced Sites, open 5am to midnight unless noted otherwise Alberta Park • NE 22nd & Killingsworth Cathedral Park • N Edison & Pittsburg Fernhill Park • NE 37th & Ainsworth Lents Park • SE 92nd & Holgate Mt. Tabor Park • SE Lincoln, east of 64th open 7am-9pm (partially unfenced) Portland Intl Raceway • N Denver & Victory Blvd Willamette Park • SW Macadam & Nebraska Wilshire Park • NE 33rd & Skidmore Argay Park • NE 141st & Failing Frazer Park • NE 52nd & Hassalo Grant Park • NE 33rd & US Grant Place Irving Park • NE 7th & Fremont Sacajawea Park • NE 75th & Alberta Couch Park • NW 19th & Glisan Wallace Park • NW 25th & Raleigh (partially fenced) Cherry Park • SE 110th & Stephens Creston Park • SE 44th & Powell Blvd Lynchwood Park • SE 170th & Haig Sellwood Riverfront Park • SE Spokane & Oaks Pkwy Sewallcrest Park • SE 31st & Market Woodstock Park • SE 47th & Steele Council Crest Park • SW Council Crest Dr Hillsdale Park • SW 27th & Hillsdale Hwy Or visit www.parks.ci.portland.or.us