hsni paint
TRANSCRIPT
has been a mighty
strange and rough
year for everyone.
So it’s with great
hope, we at Humane Society
of Northwest Indiana (HSNI)
look to 2022 as a respite, and
perhaps even a return of sorts
to pre-pandemic ways of life.
A little of that “normalcy”
has begun with baby steps as
HSNI was able to return to
some of our fundraising pro-
jects, thanks to working with
wonderful partners and
through the efforts of our staff
and volunteers.
Examples being our recent
return to doing adoptions at
Albanese Candy Factory in
Hobart, our first “Bunco
Night” at the Loyal Order
of Moose Lodge in Scher-
erville, and our first Hard
Rock Adopt-A-Thon with
Gary Animal Control at
Hard Rock Casino North-
west Indiana.
Sadly, other things like
our “Giant Yard Sale” did
not happen due to not
having a large enough loca-
tion. But...
PET ROCK 2022 IS ON!
After a two year absence
due to COVID restrictions, our
annual PET ROCK 2022 event
is back on track at County Line
Orchard on Saturday, March
26 with regional faves Mr.
Funnyman performing.
The “Pet Rock Auction”
already has some cool
celebrity-signed items
secured through Tom
Lounges Entertainment,
including a Paul Rodgers-
signed guitar, and as-
sorted books, posters,
vinyl LPs, CDs, and other
hand-signed items by
such music stars as -- Kan-
sas, Jon Bon Jovi, Blues
Traveler, Dave Davies (of
The Kinks), John 5, Afro-
man, the late Joe Diffie,
Mark Farner (ex-Grand Funk),
Tantric, Buckcherry, Uncle
Kracker, Robby Krieger and
John Densmore (both of The
Doors), Dennis DeYoung (ex-
STYX), The Smithereens, Peter
Noone (of Herman’s Hermits),
and others. More:
www.humanesocietynorthwe
stindiana.org.
AND THERE’S MORE!
Other fundraisers include
the following:
1) The first HSNI “Paint Pour
& Pizza Fundraiser” happens
November 11 at Tom Lounges
Record Bin (1601 Franklin St.)
in Michigan City from 6pm to
9pm. Tickets: $30 included all
art supplies, professional in-
struction, pizza and refresh-
ments. Another “HSNI Paint
Pour” event will be planned
for the first quarter of 2022.
More: (219) 210-3813.
2) Our annual “Picture Your
Pet With Santa Open House”
returns to our HSNI shelter
(2100 Melton Rd.) in Gary on
December 11. Tour the HSNI
shelter and meet our staff,
while enjoying complimentary
refreshments. Bring your pets
in for photos with Santa Claus
More information on page #2
of this newsletter.
3) “Tails of Love” is a lovely
and intimate social gathering
that takes places around Val-
entine’s Day each year at
The Service Doctor & The
Family of Businesses
complex (5150 E. Lincoln
Hwy.) in Merrillville. This
year’s date is Thursday,
February 10th.
“A Tour of Italy” is the
theme for this evening
where friends of the shel-
ter can enjoy freshly
made on site Italian cui-
sine, cocktails, and music.
(continued on page #2)
INSIDE...
HUMANE SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST INDIANA 6100 Melton Rd. (Rt. 20)
Gary, Indiana
(219) 938-3339 HSNI relies solely on adop-tion fees and the very kind support and donations from our NWI neighbors and local businesses to keep operat-ing. Without YOU, our ani-mals have no hope and no refuge.
UPCOMING EVENTS………....2
ADOPTABLE FACES…...........2
PAST EVENTS RECAP.……...3
ANOTHER GIFT OF TIME......3
HAPPY TAILS……………….....4
TAKAC’s TRAINING TIPS…..4
SCOOP / ZOEY & IZZY……….5
HSNI WISH LIST.……………...5
ANGELS, MEMORIALS……....6
THANK YOUS……………….....7
LITTLE MISS TASSIE…......8
SHELTER INFO…….......….....8
WINTER 2021-2022
It
PET SUPPLIES PLUS ADOPT-A-THONS CONTINUE 1676 E. Summit St. Crown Point, IN / Monthly from 11am - 3pm
DECEMBER 17, JANUARY 16, FEBRUARY 19, MARCH 19 & APRIL 16
P A G E 2
HSNI EVENT UPDATES at : www.humanesocietynorthwestindiana.org
SAVE
THESE
DATES &
COME
SEE US!
HSNI PAST & FUTURE EVENTS!
All animals shown were still available
for adoption at the time this
“PAWS & READ” newsletter was
being printed.
~ Our fundraising and adoption events to help our animals! ~
PLEASE BE SURE TO SELECT US...
HUMANE SOCIETY NORTHWEST INDIANA AS YOUR CHARITY WHEN SHOPPING WWW.SMILE.AMAZON.COM
FLASH
ELI
BUCKY
SAM
WICK
ROSIE SAMMY MINDY BOULDER
(Continued from page #1)
Some of the adoptable ani-
mals in our care will be there
as well, along with various
gift baskets and items for
bidding.
Thanks to Randy Ralls, U-
Cook, and his staff. Watch
your email for updated info
or check in at:
www.humanesocietynorth
westindiana.org.
4) Another “Songwriters
Circle for Critters,” is being
planned during the first
quarter of 2022 at the new
music room at Tom Lounges
Record Bin in Michigan City.
Local songwriters have al-
ready shown strong interest
in taking part in this event.
Special celebrity song-
writer items will also be on
hand to bid on during the
event.
Info will be posted at :
www.tomloungesrecordbin.
com and also on the HSNI
website:
www.humanesocietynorthw
estindiana.org.
HO-HO-HOLD THE DATE FOR DEAR OL’
SANTA CLAUS!
Wow! Is it really the end of 2021? Seems it was just summer, and now here we are preparing to bring Santa Claus back to our shelter to visit with all the good little critters in our care. We invite YOU to come visit us with your well-behaved and securely leashed family animals to see the jolly ol’ Elf. Mark the date -- Saturday, Decem-
ber 11th from 11am to 3pm -- to join us for our annual HSNI OPEN HOUSE that includes “PET PICTURES WITH SANTA” on site at our shelter, located at 6100 Melton Rd. in the Miller sec-tion of Gary. Photos will be given to you on a memory stick so you can print as many copies as you like for gift-giving, for posting online and for making holiday cards. A donation of $15 is requested per pet and we’ll be offering compli-mentary refreshments throughout the event. More: (219) 938-3339.
The third Saturday of every month, families looking to adopt animals from our shelter will continue to find us bringing some of our furry friends to visit with potential pet families at PET SUPPLIES PLUS in Crown Point. Thanks to the staff there for their continued support of our shelter and their passion for helping animals in need of permanent homes.
SKITTLES CEE CEE CHELSEA
P A G E 3
Our first HSNI “Bunco For Fur Babies” was a success! On October 2nd, the hall was packed with women wanting to
roll that Bunco and win prizes. Thank you to the Loyal Or-der of The Moose - Calu-met Ridge for generously donating the
hall to us. This event raised over $3,100 for the homeless animals in our care. We were requested to make
this an annual event, so warm up them dice for next Fall and watch the pages of
“Paws & Read” and our HSNI website for more informa-tion on it.
Our team-up with the newly opened Hard Rock Casino Northwest Indiana in Gary was another success! On October 16, HSNI, Gary Animal Control and The Hard Rock Casino teamed up for the first time to do an outdoor parking lot adopt-a-thon event with lots of animals from both Animal Control and HSNI on hand. The event resulted from a conversation by Sgt. Dar-lene Breitenstein of Gary Animal Control and Jamie Harris, Vice President of Hard Rock Northern Indi-ana’s Security and Parking about helping animals in
need in the community. A few days later, we got the call and things started com-ing together. Lots of animals were happy to take a field trip that day and meet new folks. Great live music perform-ances where donated throughout the morning by regional artists James Gedda, LeAnn Stutler and Jame Whittle, with sound brought donated by Lounges Entertainment.
(Top): Bunco Players rolling the dice for our critters. Guess Who? (Left): Our Bunco Night had a little bit of an underlying
Halloween theme. (Below): Some of the prizes donated for auction.
“Rollin’ The Dice” Pays Off TWICE… As HSNI Teams Up with
New Partners & Fresh Fundraising Events
(Top): Musicians James Gedda, LeAnn Stutler & Jack Whittle per-formed from 10am to 1pm for the guests. (Below): Some of the pup-pies hoping for new forever
homes at the event. (Left): Guests grabbing free coffee and donuts pro-vided by the Hard Rock staff. Photos by Tom Lounges
Some of the many items scheduled to be on our PET ROCK Auction Table on MARCH 26, 2022 are those shown here: Hand Signed Celebrity books, LPs, CDs, guitars, posters and photos. Cool things like sports jerseys, toys, Michael Kors purses, variety baskets and lots more! See more online at:
www.humanesocietynorthwestindiana.org.
(TOP): THE MR. FUNNY-MAN BAND will be provid-ing the live music for PET ROCK once again.
PET ROCK
RETURNS!
P A G E 4
There are times when your dog has an energy burst and he has the “zoomies,” which can be cute and fun to watch, but there are times when that energy surge and the results are less nice. The dog might be barking, jumping or nip-ping more than normal, or all of a sudden they take to chewing the furniture. When dogs have these kinds of energy bursts it can be very overwhelming for both of you as their only focus is to burn up that extra energy. This is more prevalent in adolescent teenage dogs between the age of 6 and 18 months old. If we leave it up to them to burn up the energy they will often make bad decisions and use unwanted behaviors. The time they spend with these behaviors reinforces to your dog that these behaviors work for them and they will repeat them. The cure for this problem lies with us. We must have a strat-egy for sending that excess energy towards acceptable behaviors and activities both you and your dog enjoy. The following steps help in utilizing the three areas of exercise a dog needs to fulfill; physical exercise, mental exercise, and nose exercise activities. First make a list of activities and behaviors that both you and you dog enjoy doing. Things such as walks, fetch, training and eating his favorite frozen food mixture from a Kong chew toy. Once you have your list, you need to follow a sequenced list of these activities back to back.
Training for a few minutes always in a time frame will keep the dog’s focus and not so long as to become bored. Then playing in a time frame to keep them focused.
So it’s train, then play, then repeat!
Outdoor nose work is also good. This is usually a
walk where the dog gets to exercise that nose with new smells. When you are in a crunch for time or the weather is bad you can play the “Find It” game either by tossing food or treats around the yard or hiding them throughout the house for him to find. Indoor Cool Down. This wraps things up with an activity 10-to-20 minutes long, that has no physical activity, but instead re-quires mental focus. Examples: a Kong with frozen food in it, a favorite chew item, or a snuffle mat. This will keep him from act-ing out because he is over tired which can also result in un-wanted behaviors. Using this strategy will result in your four egged bundle of energy successfully burning up his excess energy in ways of which you both enjoy and approve.
For info or help training your dog, contact Chris Takacs at 219-689-0180 or email at: [email protected].
Takacs’s Training Tips Good Outlets For Dog’s Excess Winter Energy
7
1) JEFFERSON 2) CEASAR 3) MISS KITTY 4) SABLE
5) MINI 6) RUSTY 7) LUCY & ETHEL 8) OLIVE
9) ALICE & ANGEL 10) MASON 11) PHARAOH
ALL OF THESE ONCE HOMELESS ANIMALS
GOT FOREVER HOMES THROUGH HUMANE
SOCIETY OF NWI THIS FALL! Congratulations
to our animals now starting new lives with
new families. Thanks to all who opt to adopt.
5
10 9
4
3
2 1
6
8
11
HAPPY TRAILS for these HAPPY TAILS!
P A G E 5 THE LATEST SCOOP! (and we ain't talkin' kitty litter!)
To the immediate right, is a bright yellow column. This is our
WISH LIST. We really count upon you and others to donate these
items, so we can continue to keep our animals well fed and cared
for, and our shelter facility clean and disinfected.
For this edition of the newsletter, we amend the list! You
see, CHRISTMAS is coming! We ask animal lovers to donate
new toys for our dogs and cats, so they can awaken Christmas
Morning to find a new toy just for them in their kennel. Help us
brighten Christmas for our critters by letting they know they’ve
not been forgotten by SANTA, not by humans who care.
SHELTER HOURS 11am to 2pm Monday &Wednesday
11am to 3pm Friday; 11am to 3pm Saturday.
Closed Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday.
HELP! WE NEED SUPPLIES & TOYS!!
Clorox Bleach
Paper Towels
Lysol Spray
Baking Soda
“Forever” U.S. Postage Stamps
Clay Kitty Litter
Pedigree Puppy Food
Pedigree Can Dog Food
Purina or Pedigree Dog Chow
Purina Cat & Kitten Chow
Small Bite Science Diet Puppy Food
Esbilac Puppy Formula
Soft Scrub with Bleach
Fabuloso
Foam Glass Cleaner
55 Gallon Trash Bags
Stainless Steel Cleaner
Copy Machine Paper
Gas Cards
Clean Blankets
Dog Beds
or GIFT CARDS to: Lowes,
Menards, Office Depot,
Target, PetCo, Walmart,
The Home Depot, Meijer,
and Petsmart.
DROP OFF LOCATIONS:
Humane Society of NWI 6100 Melton Road Miller Beach/Gary , IN 46403 The Service Doctor 5150 East Lincoln Highway Merrillville, IN 46410 Tom Lounges Record Bin 218 Main Street Hobart, IN 46342 or any Humane Society of NWI event!
ZOEY & IZZY: FROM BAD CONDITIONS TO BED CONDITIONS
CHECK OUR WEBSITE OFTEN FOR UPDATED INFO ON OUR EVENTS
www.humanesocietynorthwestindiana.org
Hello HSNI Staff! This story is about my Zoey! When I walked into the Humane Society the week before Christmas 2020, there was a woman sitting with a young black pup on a leash. The pup was walking on its forearms but was as happy as could be. I asked if she was so lucky to have adopted her and she said no I work here. I immedi-ately said I want her then. You see, I was drawn to her happy adorable face and the energy she possessed even with her disability. She was extremely easy to train her and to teach her tricks. This pup is one very smart cookie. She is such a huge joy to all of our family and is one of us. I've grown up with 2-3 dogs at all times. After loos-ing my 2 Iggy's and the decision to get Zoey, I thought I was good with one pup till I laid eyes on our Izzy. Again mistreated in the same way as Zoey, forcing him to walk on his arms as well. I again fell in love with his gentle, loving face. Though very skittish and down right scared of most everyone, I knew he'd be the perfect fit with us and Zoey too. Izzy also was easy to train quickly. I am happy to say that both pups grew out of their disability for walking on their arms due to being locked up outside in a kennel the first 6 months of their lives. Because of this they never got the chance to be puppies until we adopted them. They now love to play, run, and most of all be loved. These two have formed such a loving tight bond not only with us but with each other. They have gone from sleeping outside in a kennel to sleeping in between us in a king sized bed at night, and they are as happy as can be and it shows. I was hopeful that being in a loving family could change the awfulness they'd already been through, and it has!
-- Deb Plohg Graham
IZZY
ZOEY
HUMANE SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST INDIANA IS IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS AGE
18 & OLDER TO HELP OUT AT OUR SHELTER AND AT OUR VARIOUS EVENTS!
Call for info: (219) 938-3339.
Another HSNI HAPPY TAIL!
Albanese Confectionery Group
Maureen Alongi
Arman's Restaurant
Bruce & Judy Ayres
Debbie Ballinger
Ron & Barb Ballinger
Laurie Brands
Darlene Breitenstein
Jesse Briones
Michael Buchanan
Monica Burke
Jo Ellen Carabin
Child Care Professional Network
Betty Clayton
Prime Conveyor
Sue Cullinane
Lynette Dobrowolski
Terence & Denise Eckrich
Cheryl Evans
Tom & Kate Fairbairn
John Anderson Foundation
James Gedda
Jennifer Gerber
Jim Gibson
Garry Grygotis
Mark & Mary Hendrickson
Timothy Ribble & Rebecca Howey
Mel Hutnick
Jerry Kanies
Brian Kardar
Karin Kirulis
Rima Krutulis
Kuraray
Edward & Kathleen Lackhouse
Tom & Alice Lounges
Loyal Order of The Moose Calumet Ridge
Travis Marshall
Rickey & Mary Martinez
Mary Ann Massa
Miller Break & Muffler (Tony)
Miller Community Fund
William & Carol Nordbrock
Heidi Nordbrock
Peg Ozimec
Steve Panger
Ted & Wendy Prettyman
Print Solutions (Sherri & Carmen)
Valerie Reed
Harvey Robinson
The Service Doctor (Randy Ralls) & The Family of Businesses
Mike & Tina Serynek
Duane Shumaker
Randall & Alice Spurlock
Sophia Stratton
LeAnn Stutler
Tom Lounges Record Bin
Cheryl Evans Trus
Reuben & Maria Valdez
Viktoria Voller
All HSNI Volunteers
Pat Walton
Teressa Washington
Westchester Animal Clinic Drs. & Staff
Freida White
Jack Whittle
Lisa Zelaya
P A G E 6
HUMANE SOCIETY ANGELS! Those Who Go Above & Beyond!
In Memory of…
In Memory of KACEY MONTANA from KAREN TOWNSEND
In Memory of SHELBY, CYRUS & SAM from JOELLEN CARABIN
In Memory of BOB RUSSELL from VIRGINIA RUSSELL
In Memory of SAMPSON from GREGORY & NANNETTE AMES
In Memory of JIM MARGRAFF from ELLEN MARGRAFF
In Memory of RYAN SERAFINI from CAROLE RUFFALO
In Memory of MILAN & WOFLGANG from MARLAN POPOVICH
In Memory of MIMI from AIRAM DARONATSY
In Memory of AMANDA LEVANDER from MILLIE RUZBASAN
In Memory of MICHAEL BEDA
from EILEEN BEDA
In Memory of PEE WEE FURMAN from EILEEN BEDA
In Memory of MAVIS from FREIDA WHITE & MARY ANN MASSA
In Memory of TOOTSIE from CARL & MARY PAGE
In Memory of GLORY from ANN SABOCIK
In Memory of GUIDO
from FREIDA WHITE & MARY ANN MASSA
In Memory of TIGER
from ROXIE GOLD
In Memory of BRADY
from GREGORY & NANNETTE AMES
In Memory of HERSHEY from BETTY CLAYTON
In Memory of FRED ROBINSON from FLOYD & FREIDA WHITE
In Memory of WES DAVIDSON from FREIDA WHITE & MARY ANN MASSA
In HONOR of...
In Honor of MARCO KOZNICKI’S 11TH
BIRTHDAY from AUNT REETS
In Honor of SUE CULLINANE from DARREL GROVE
In Honor of LILLYLIPS from LORRAINE GERBIN
In Honor of WESTCHESTER ANIMAL CLINIC from HUMANE SOCIETY NWI
P A G E 7
Carol Allord
Gregory & Nannette Ames
Elaine Bass
Peter & Eileen Beda
Christina Boehm
Mary Bolin
Cynthia Bradley
Kimberly Bucheit
Patricia Callahan
Barbara Callahan
Embassy of Christ
Airam Daronatsy
Betty Earnhart
Eric & Donna Ellis
Bonnie Fadel
George Fields
Marjorie Schultz & Christine Galvan
Lorraine Geberin
City Flowers and gifts
Ernesto & Maria Gonzales
Roxie Gould
Darrel Grove
Jamie Hammond
Jamie Harris
Rita Hecker
Janet Hobbs
Helen Hopp
Dr. Karla Ivankovich
David and Roxanna Jasinski
Wallace Johnson
David and Lori Keck
Patricia Kremer
Kat Krieg
Deanna Kurzydlo
Bonnie Kuss
Michael Lippens
Ellen Margraff
Lisa Martinez
Frances Mayer
Adam &Jaie McArthur
Ann-Nita McDonald
George & Rose McDougall
Natalie McNight
Jane Krueger & Kathy Meyers
Larissa Michielsen
Miller Beach Detective Agency
Elaine Motley
Carl & Mary Page
Melodie Pavlis
Dan Peterson
Teresa Phelps
Marlan Popovich
Dr. Rosamond Potter
David Relinski
Nancy Riber
Sandra Robinson
Kay Rosen
Carole Ruffalo
Virginia Russell
Millie Ruzbasan
John & Mary Kay Rzepka
Lisa Sabo
Ann Sabocik
Terry Salazar
Philip & Katherine Schlobohm
Stephen Schnurr
Nicole Serna
Maddie Smith
Peter & Lori Stofcik
Jack Stottlemire
Mark & Julie Stutler
R. Steven Sutton
Egle Tamulynhas-
Mendoza
Cindy Tombers
Sandra Tomich
Karen Townsend
Chris Tully
Christine Tully
Robert & Michele Wahl
Angeline and Kathy Walczak
Eugene & Merrie Zell
Lety Zendejas
THANK YOU!
We at the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana have been blessed through the thoughtfulness and pre-planning of a few incredible people who remembered our shelter and our animals as they got their estate affairs in order, by including HSNI in their wills. Those sweet, forward-thinking souls took the time to plan ahead, so they could continue helping us in our mission after their death. Those gifts really kept our shelter going during the last year as COVID put a stop to all of our fundraising events. Please consider leaving a legacy of love and giving to our animals, by bequeathing your vehicles, property, collections or some other portion of your estate to help us carry on our work in your honor and your mem-ory. Information and questions about how to include Humane Society of Northwest Indiana while doing your estate planning, can be directed to our Executive Director, Freida White, either by phone at (219) 938-3339, or email at: [email protected].
PLEASE CLIP AND SEND THIS FORM WITH YOUR DONATION
USE MY DONATION FOR check one ____ General Operating Fund
____ Hope’s Fund for severely abused animals
____ In Memory of______________________
____ In Honor of_________________________
LET YOUR GOOD DEEDS LIVE ON BY REMEMBERING US IN YOUR WILL...
P A G E 8 NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
GARY, IN
#342
6100 Melton Road Miller Beach/Gary , IN 46403
Phone: 219-938-3339 Fax: 219-938-4294
humanesocietynorthwestindiana.org
SHELTER HOURS:
Mon./Wed. 11:00 - 3:00 Fri. 11:00 - 4:00 Sat. 11:00 - 5:00 Tues., Thurs. & Sun. Closed
Executive Director - Freida White
Paws & Read Editor - Tom Lounges
Social Media - Alice Hunt-Lounges
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS
President - Jerry Kanies
Vice-President - Deb Ballinger
Treasurer - Travis Marshall
Secretary - Lynette Dobrowolski
~ HSNI BOARD MEMBERS ~
Laurie Brands, Jennifer Gerber,
Karin Kirulis & Viktoria Voller
Fundraising Coordinator
Tom Lounges
ALWAYS OPT TO ADOPT!
Please help us help our animals by visiting: www.humanesocietynorthwestindiana.org
Click the “Donate” button to donate via Pay-Pal, or at: www.firstgiving.com/millercritters.
Donations thru FirstGiving or Paypal are se-cure and sent directly to HSNI. They will also email you a printable record of your HSNI donation.
Please share this information with your online friends via social media, so they can help us too!
Hello Friends! Tassie came to us straight from Dr. Reed's, where Gary Animal Control took her when they found she had been hit by a car. Unfortunately her leg could not be saved. This came at a very bad time for the HS, as we were dealing with a contagious virus, and did not want her to be exposed. But true to our wonderful past adopters /supporters, one stepped up to foster. In one of the photos here, Tassie is shown with her foster sibling Patch, who had been adopted from us with bite marks all over his body. In spite of his abusive beginning, his
owner says, "he does not have an aggressive bone in his body." Tassie is amazingly agile, and the missing leg has not kept her from participating in fun dog ac-tivities. She is only 9-months-old, affectionate, and has a good prognosis for a happy life, both for her-self and any new prospective owner. If you are thinking of adopting a new dog, Please consider welcoming the sweet and loving Miss Tassie into your home. She has a lot of love to give and has many qualities.
TASSIETASSIE
Meet Little Miss TASSIE A Special Dog For A Special Someone
ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER: We now send everyone on our email list a digital,
downloadable (PDF format) of our quarterly newsletter and also post the quarterly
newsletter as an easy to read and downloadable PDF digital file online at: www.humanesocietynorthwestindiana.com.
TASSIE & PATCHTASSIE & PATCH
v v
Dear Ollie,
Is it O.K. if I brag just a little? I’ve been doing quite a lot of wishing this past week. And, like a canine miracle, my
wish was granted. Little “Sticky fingers” is coming home for Christmas dinner. “Sticky fingers” is a
tiny girl child human, three-year-old granddaughter. When she was two, she dropped all her food on
the floor. Oh boy, I hope she still does, so that I know just where to sit on Christmas Day, which
would be directly under her seat.
This year, she will be at the adult table with
real adults who are eating some very serious Christmas dinner including turkey, turkey and much
more turkey. I don’t care if it’s roasted, basted, fried or barbecued as long as it’s turkey. I look for a
boneless and well-cooked nibble.
Welcome to Christmas dinner little “Sticky fingers”. I have staked out my spot and it’s
not under my pet parents’ seats. Why not you ask? Because they read all the American So-
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) stuff that comes in the mail with
small and useless address labels. My man-human never drops food and never, never feeds
us dogs under the table. The ASPCA says that’s a “no, no”. My woman human always reads everything they send but
makes many exceptions and will slip me something because it is, after all, a holiday.
I expect that since she carefully read the ASPCA “Christmas Safety Tips”, the turkey won’t be under cooked be-
cause that may contain salmonella bacteria. She won’t give us stuffing because it may contain sage or other herbs that
contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if
eaten in large quantities Cats are especially sensitive, but I don’t like cats so none live here.
In the kitchen, when there are baking and cooking activities, she won’t give me raw dough because if ingested, an
animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting and cer-
tainly bloating which may become life-threatening. I have never risen, so to speak. Holiday cakes are off the menu too
because if the cake includes raw eggs, they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.
With all that bad stuff behind us I’m still taking a chance on “Sticky fingers.” Perched under her seat will be the best
spot to enjoy Christmas Day and it's all mine.
Happy Holidays,
Laddie, Labrador/Border collie mix
So Laddie,
Was there a question in your letter? I didn’t think so. Therefore, without a question, there’s no answer. Instead, I send to
you and all my readers’ fond remembrances, heartfelt appreciation and warm thoughts for a fabulous holiday. May
every dog that reads this column have their very own “Sticky fingers” eating dinner at their home on Christmas Day.
-- Your furry friend, Ollie (written with Viktoria Voller).
“Love is a four legged word.”
LITTLE STICKY FINGERS
DEAR OLLIEDEAR OLLIE Advice For Dogs From A Dog!
PLEASE BE SURE TO SELECT US...
HUMANE SOCIETY NORTHWEST INDIANA AS YOUR CHARITY WHEN SHOPPING WWW.SMILE.AMAZON.COM
SPACE IS LIMITED FOR THIS EVENT!! PLEASE PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE!! A SECOND
EVENT MAY BE ADDED BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS IF THIS FIRST ONE FILLS UP AS IS EXPECTED!!