100 Pledges by 1.1.11- Reason: Shoshana

Do you need another reason to encourage you to participate in our 100 pledges by 1.1.11? Let me introduce you to Shoshana....a Great Pyr mix who has lived the last 6 years outside on a concrete slab. Now, Shoshana lives with her foster dad Nick, keeping toasty by the warm fire. Life is lookin' up for this sweet girl...thanks to your generous support of our mission.

She did ask that I let you all know that the only thing that would make this perfect is if she could find a new family by the Holidays....Home for The Holidays sounds pretty good to this lady!

To join our pledge program, please visit our homepage at www.bigdogshugepaws.com

Thanks!

Have you scored your dog food lately?

One of our goals here at BDHPI is to be an education resource to our volunteers, adopting families and supporters. One of the top priorities is the topic of nutrition. Our general rule of thumb is if you can buy it at the grocery store, it is not a nutritious brand for your 4 legged friend.

Please take the time to read through the below "test". If you have any questions, please contact bree@bigdogshugepaws.com who loves to educate dog owners on the importance of feeding a premium dog food! She has personal experience watching her rescue dane's skin, fur and temperment change once he was switched to one of the premium brands!

How to grade your dog's food:

Start with a grade of 100:
For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "riceflour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
If it contains ground corn or wholegrain corn, subtract 3 points
If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract2 points
If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
ExtraCredit:

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add points
If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
If t he food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
If the food contains barley, add 2 points
If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1point
Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food Scores:
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

· Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C
· Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+
· Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
· Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B
· Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+
· Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
· Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C
· Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+
· Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+
· Canidae / Score 112 A+
· Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
· Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
· Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
· Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
· Diamond Performance / Score 85 C
· Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
· Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+
· Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
· EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+ Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
· Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
· Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy Food/ Score 94 A
· Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C
· Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C
· Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+
· Foundations / Score 106 A+
· Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
· Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
· Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
· Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
· Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+
· Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
· Member’s Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C
· Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+
· Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A
· Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+
· Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+
· Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C
· Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+
· Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
· Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B
· Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A
· Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
· Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B

Roxy the Cane Corso is LOVED!

We absolutely love Roxy. She is adjusting quite well! She fits in our family like she has always been there.

Jamie

Back by popular demand...

Who Rescued Who? Sweatshirts are back but with a twist!


**NEW: Three colors to choose from!
** NEW: Pullover style!
** NEW: Sizes up to 5XL! (3XL-5XL only available in black)
**NEW: Colors in Navy Blue, Carolina Blue or Indigo Blue

Orders must be placed by December 4th!

How to order your “Who Rescued Who?” Hoodie:
1) Decide how many of which size(s) and in what color(s) you would like to order.

Size S - XL: $36/each + shipping

Size 2XL - 5XL: $39/each + shipping



2) Pick up or delivery? Will you arrange to pick up your sweatshirt(s) in Denver or will you need them shipped to you?

Shipping options (*Shipping is based on quantity ordered of each color to be sent to the same address):

Shipping for 1 sweatshirt = $7.

Shipping for 2-4 sweatshirts = $12.

All sweatshirts will ship via UPS (Thank you to our friends at the UPS Store in Superior, CO for helping us get these sent out!). Estimated ship date: December 20, 2010.


3) Determine your total. (Total = $36 x quantity + shipping; size is a factor in cost only if you're
ordering sizes 2XL - 5XL, which are $39/each), and then donate online through http://bigdogshugepaws.com/donate. **

** NOTE: There is a space on the page following where you enter the total amount and then
payment info that says, "To complete your payment, review the details below and click Donate.”
Below that, there’s a place where you can “Add special instructions to the seller." PLEASE
INCLUDE YOUR ORDER INFO IN THIS SPACE! Please note the size, color and quantity of
sweatshirts you're ordering, as well as, "pick up in Denver" or "ship to my address."

4) IMPORTANT!! To ensure your donation will be applied towards your order, please forward your payment receipt email to Renee@bigdogshugepaws.com so that we can get your order in by December 5th! ** NOTE: If you don’t get a detailed payment receipt, please email your generic payment confirmation with your order info included (see above).

Happy Thanksgiving from Klaus (George) & Perry (Penelope)

Happy Thansgiving from two of our alums who were adopted togehter!

Remembering Leo

Leo the Wonderful came into rescue and we quickly realized he that due to his medical conditions, he was not a candidate for adoption. His loving foster family agreed to keep this sweet boy and Leo quickly became what we call a "Permanent Foster". They only had 8 short months with their boy and are all deeply saddened ast his passing.

Our Permanent Foster program is also funded by donations, and yet another reason to help us achieve our 100 Pledges by 1.1.11

Goodbye Leo, we will miss you. We only had you for a short time, 8 months, but you made sure you were a loved part of the family in that short time. I think some of the extra care and time that you needed made us closer that much faster. We’ll miss many of the things that made you you. The little nibbles you would give to say hi, the way you would lean back and hold up you paw when you wanted someone to come see you. That half bark half talk thing that you did when you weren’t getting all the attention, or the other dogs were playing without you. Sampson, our chocolate lab is still looking for you. You and him got to be quite the pals, he just can’t figure out where you have gone.

I can still see you laying on the floor, head held high, so proud. Can still see you running down the backyard, legs flying everywhere, trying to keep up with the other dogs.

It was so sad to see your body giving out, long before your heart and attitude did. I hope that you are now running free without pain and nothing to slow you down. We will always remember and love you Leo.

Your family,

Troy, Debbie, Ryan, and your buddy Sampson

100 Pledges by 1.1.11

Will you join our challenge? Will you take this opportunity and sign yourself up for an automatic monthly donation of $5, $10, or even $20 per month? Will you help us reach our goal of having 100 pledges by 1.1.11?

Reason #1 to join our Pledge Challenge: Heidi the English Mastiff

Heidi is a very sad victim of cruelty. She was seized from her owners, weighing a mere 61lbs. She was taken to a shelter, where the wonderful staff got her up to 100lbs. As with any neglect or cruelty case, until the legal decisions are resolved, the dogs have to live in the shelter. Anyone who owns a Mastiff knows how sensitive they are, and the thought of Heidi spending over a month in a lonely shelter makes us all cringe. She was so scared and timid, unsure of what was going on.

Heidi is now in her caring foster home and doing very well. She is adjusting well to indoor living. She is sensitive and doesn't have a mean bone in her body. And the most amazing thing is that Heidi is as loving as they come, and doesn't hold her awful past against us humans. She is now patiently awaiting her forever family.

So, will you please join our Pledge Challenge? If so...

Your donation will allow BDHPI to continue their strong partnerships with local shelters and accept these wonderful dogs into our program.

Your donation will afford us the ability to run all of Heidi's bloodwork to rule out any other existing medical conditions that could be a result of poor nutrition.

Your donation will allow us to save one more life.

Visit www.bigdogshugepaws.com to join today!

Paw it Forward

Dear Supporters of BDHPI,

Big Dogs Huge Paws relies on your ongoing support to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home as many giant breed dogs as we can responsibly take in and care for, and with your monthly gift we can continue to save even more gentle giants in need. Our "Paw it Forward: Monthly Give Back Campaign" gives you the option to pledge $5, $10 or $20 each month, simply by following the steps below; to make a one-time donation in any amount, please visit our "Donate" page. We are able to continue to do what we do because people like you choose to support our non-profit volunteer rescue group.

Thank you for making a difference for the gentle giants of Big Dogs Huge Paws.

To set up a monthly donation, please go here:

http://www.bigdogshugepaws.com/giveback

Very Truly Yours,

Lindsay Condon, President/CEO on behalf of all of us at Big Dogs Huge Paws

Update on Barett

Dear Lindsay and BDHP Team:

We adopted Barrett in Jan 2009 and wanted to let you know that he is
great! He is a happy boy and we have a lot of fun together.

I attached two pictures. One is Barrett wearing his (ill fitting)
Halloween costume. And the other is him sleeping outside my office
during some late night study.

We love him a bunch!!

--James and Shari

Adam, formerly known as Polar

Here is an updated picture of Adam, who has sure turned into a beautiful boy!

No snow day for Baby

Baby, adopted by The Pasteur Family, took one look at the snow coming down in Denver today and headed right back to her bed!

Woofs & Hoofs Event Report

Thank you so much to everyone who came out on this cold Saturday to talk about the Big Dogs! We had lots of traffic and it was so nice to see everyone. We gathered adoption and volunteer apps, raised awareness, and took in donations. Our wonderful volunteers who work hard to help the rescue, take care of our big furry babies, and help educate others are the key to our success and we can't say enough how much you are appreciated. Thank you!

I know I am going to forget someone (I am not sure I actually met everyone and I am terrible with names, so please update my post if you know someone is missing). Please accept my advanced apologies for the missing any important people!

Thank you to:

Katie Stelley with Rocky and Misty

Nick Harris with Shashonna and his adopted girl, Anna

Sandy Count who not only brought Cleo, but also coffee!

Bella the mastiff puppy and The Doyles

Angela and Jane Harris with Deisel and her awesome mastiff

Kara Mastin and family with Duke and George the deaf Dane puppy

Starla and Ray with Sophie and her wonderful Dane pack

and the support of our officers: Bree and Lindsay

Also thank you to the volunteers who came as far as from Sterling to visit and play with the big dogs!

We look forward to seeing you at the next one.

Update on Darby (formerly Meekah)

Just wanted you to know that everything is going fantastic with Darby(formerly Meekah)! She's eating only dog food (with a little broth on it), following commands great and doing very well with her new gentle-leader. She LOVES the snow... just runs laps and rolls in it!

Her and the girls hit it off right away. She tried to jump into the bathtub with them the first night, lays on their floor each night for story time and hangs in the yard with them while they play!

I've attached some pictures!

Thanks again!!!
Tiff, Todd, Tins & Marley

Reasons to not use a Choke, Prong or Shock Collar

Stated quite simply, prong collars are an aversive device that will cause pain to your dog. Sure, they can be a quick fix, but:

-Your dog is only walking nicely to avoid punishment.
-Your dog is not being taught WHAT to do, in that the old behavior will return when the prong collar is removed.
-Anything present in the environment when your dog experiences pain can take on a negative association, including other dogs, children and strangers.
-In NO WAY, does a prong collar emulate the correction of a mothers teeth to a puppy. This is a MYTH plain and simple, and is unproven in any scientific study.

Regarding the quick fix, why not invest in a little time and extra effort in positive reinforcement training, so you will not have to hurt your dog? Clicker training is remarkably effective and trainers look for and record quantifiable results. Granted, some dogs come with pulling behaviors already well installed, such as that adopted 3 year old Chessie, but less aversive equipment is readily available, such as Premiere Easy Walk Harness (very effective) and Gentle Leader Head Collar. These both work, they won`t hurt your dog, and coupled with positive reinforcement training, your problem should be should be solved. Best of all they won`t damage your relationship with your dog, because pain is being inflicted. According to Pat Miller on her list of 12 Pitfalls to Positive Punishment, damaging a relationship is possible.

We owe it to our dogs to communicate clearly to them WHAT we would like them to do, instead of automatically punishing undesired behaviors. In operant conditioning, it is a given that a behavior that is reinforced is a behavior that will be repeated. If your dog is reinforced for a loose leash, they understand that. They don`t understand pain, only that something hurt them. They quit offering any behaviors because they are afraid to. This is not much of a life for a dog.

You can bet your last dollar that when the prong collar is removed, the pulling will return, so you are looking at a dog wearing a prong collar for life. Reinforced behavior becomes automatic behavior to your dog, and when a behavior is learned, requires only occasional reinforcement to remind your dog that he is doing what you want.

When your dog feels pain and sees children, other dogs, and strangers on a consistent basis, he could make a connection that children, other dogs, and strangers might not be so great, because he feels pain when he sees them. The same thing is true of electric fences: when a dog repeatedly runs at the fence and gets too close to passersby at the boundary, he gets shocked and makes that negative association. Pat Miller writes of this in a Whole Dog Journal article.

Finally, bitches (mother dogs) DO NOT use their teeth to inflict pain on their youngsters. They may lift an unruly youngster by the scruff, or nudge an overly enthusiastic feeder off a teat, but in no way does that replicate the myth of a pinch collar being like the correction of a mothers teeth. The bitch does not apply pressure to the skin on both sides of the neck with strong powerful pressure. Period. The former is how the pinch collar works. In the hands of the uninitiated and the overly enthusiastic, (those who enjoy the power) the pinch collar is an aversive piece of dog training equipment whose use is unnecessary. Be kind to your dogs and investigate positive reinforcement training and equipment that is not aversive.

In doing some further research, I came up with useful statements from well-respected dog trainers and behaviorists in support of positive reinforcement, statements also detailing the dangers and side effects of using prong collars. As well, I think it no coincidence that some dogs I have trained, those with some of the most severe behavioral problems, have had a history of aversive equipment and training methods being used.

From Pam Dennison, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, author of many books, including: How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong, comes the following statement. The Merck Veterinary Manual, in Behavioral Problems Associated with Canine Aggression, states: "Almost without exception, physical punishment, including the use of prong collars and electric shock collars, alpha rolls, and dominance downs can make an already aggressive dog worse. Owners should be discouraged from using these techniques." That sounds like a pretty powerful statement right there.

Famed Applied Behavior Analysts, Marion and Bob Bailey, in the APDT Dog Trainers Resource article, the ABC`s of Behavior,make the following assertion: "Aversives in general, and punishment in particular, may have bad consequences for the dog and trainer. They can produce uncontrollable fear, not only of the trainer, but the entire training situation. Aversives can suppress virtually all behavior. They may also encourage aggressive responses. More acceptable alternatives, such as reinforcement, should always be considered before using aversives." Marion Bailey was one of B.F. Skinners (Operant Conditioning) early undergraduate and graduate students. She and her husband trained over 15,000 animals over 50 years. These wonderfully educated people were not just training dogs, they were analyzing behavior as it applied to training methods.

Finally, Pat Miller, CPDT, CDBC, owner of Peaceable Paws, respected seminar speaker, author of multiple books and Training Editor for Whole Dog Journal, gives the following perspective in her widely acclaimed book Positive Perspectives:

"Choke chains, prong collars and shock collars utilize mild to severe punishment, called ‘corrections’ by trainers who use them, to let the dog know when she has done something wrong. I don`t recommend their use. Punishment can be difficult to administer effectively- timing and severity of the correction are critical to effective punishment training - and even when done properly there is a high risk of unintended and undesirable side effects, including aggression. ...Make no mistake however, those prongs do cause pain-that`s why they work. If you doubt that, slip one over your wrist and give it a solid yank. Then think about doing that to your neck."
Leslie Fisher Pat Miller
Certified Trainer Affiliate
Peaceable Paws.

Do NOT use a pinch collar or any other pain-to-neck device (including especially a bark-corrector or remote shock collar) on any dog with an aggression problem. Pain tends to in crease aggression. For dog-aggressive dogs, any pain in the neck can trigger the same fight response as would be triggered by being bitten in the neck by the other dog. So use of neck pain to a dog who is dog aggressive is likely to cause the dog to start a fight as a pre-emptive strike under less and less provocation from the other dog. Additionally, if a pinch collar or chain collar is on a dog who is grabbed by the neck by another dog, the grabbing dog may catch and break a tooth on it, which causes great suffering to that dog and great expense to whoever has to pay for a root-canal procedure.

Come meet our foster dogs! Saturday in Littleton, CO!

What: Woofs N Hoofs Big Dogs Huge Paws Adoption Event 11/13 from
11am-3pm

When: Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:00 AM

Where: Woofs N Hoofs (Next to Safeway)
12482 W Ken Caryl Avenue
Littleton, CO 80127

What's that smell?

A new fundraiser for BDHPI!
What's the difference between Scentsy and all the other scented products available for your home? Having Scentsy means... No more wasting money on glade plug in's or those irritating sprays that make all of our pups sneeze endlessly and leave a film on everything. No burning dangerous candles or oils. This products allows your home to smell wonderful with a wick-less, smoke-less, lead-less, FLAME-LESS candle!

HOW TO ORDER:

* Go to https://rescuedawn.scentsy.us/Home


* In the white box under MY OPEN PARTIES locate Big Dogs Huge Paws, and then follow that line across and Click on "BUY FROM PARTY"


* Dawn, our consultant for this online fund-raiser is donating 100% of her profits to Big Dogs Huge Paws for orders placed by Saturday, November 13th, 2010, so start shopping today!

** Scentsy makes great products; creative and fun designs and styles, and Scentsy has a product for every room in your house and everyone on your holiday shopping list! Why not even get a few extra warmers for last minute gifts?


** Help the gentle giants of Big Dogs Huge Paws rescue by shopping at Scentsy now through November 13th - your friends, family and house guests will thank you!

Thank you for supporting Big Dogs Huge Paws! 

Event Report- Bar Crawl

We want to send out a huge thank you to Renee Laposa (Marketing Director) and Lisa Lajimodiere (Event Coordinator) who basically single handedly put on this past weekend's Bar Crawl event! Thank you also to volunteer Patrick Terry for staying late to help Lisa tear down the night of the event! We had the back room at the Irish Hound, which is a very fun bar/restaurant located in Cherry Creek North, all to ourselves. We had a great crowd, including new and old supporters, good food, and lots of fun specialty drinks named after giant breeds!

Many thanks to our donors as well! The silent auction included items from:

Samantha Grey, Photographer
BeeGee Bags LLC Retail/Botique, Brooke Galardi
Arbonne Skin care, Marie Silverstein
Hand made jewelry, Peggy Mehanti
DogCookieBaker.com Dog treats, Eileen Durante
Canine Massage, Deborah Black
Dog Quilts
And more!

While we didn't have quite the turn-out we had expected (due to Halloween), we still managed to make $1004.00!!!

How about some good news?

I decided we need a little uplifting news to this blog after our last two sad posts. How about some warm and fuzzy adoption updates?

First, remember Shania?

Shania's new name is "MOLLY" . We decided she needed a new start in life considering all she had been through. We also have discovered that she must have had a litter of pups not too long ago. She is doing very well. No accidents in the house and she pretty much has free roam, although she does tend to get a bit mischievous during the day. We have come home to some "interesting" things. She likes to move things around. I am pretty sure if we had a nannycam set up we could win some serious money on a video show someplace. She is a joy and a very loving addition to our family. She has not me a stranger yet she did no love. So much for a watch dog.

Thank you for all that you do to help these big breed dogs.

Do you remember Carly, the deaf Great Dane puppy?

Hi, Everyone!

My name is Daisy -- although most of you will remember me by the name "Carly". I wanted to tellDO made me very special. While I don't have eyes and I can't hear, I am very smart, brave and self confident. My favorite things to do are going for long walks, riding in the car and playing with other dogs. This summer my mom and I drove to Virginia where I went to a school for special dogs like me. I stayed at my teacher's house for about a month and learned lots of new things. I just found out yesterday that I am going to be in a local magazine and calendar. My mom entered my picture into a contest and told everyone about how special I was. Lots of people voted for me so I was one of the lucky dogs who won. I hope that when people see me, they will think about finding a special dog for their family.

Thank you for helping me find my new family. I want to send special doggy kisses to Trenny and her family for taking such good care of me when I lived in Colorado and to my friend Tom, who let me ride to Indiana in his big truck.

Love,

Daisy

P. S. My brother Timmy sends Dr. Rand big sloppy dog kisses.