New Year's Eve

Well...it's 7:30 PM on December 31st.

I am almost recovered from my head cold, and that makes me very happy. I'm not too bad of a whiner, but I DO appreciate feeling like my usual sparky self. I am so thankful that I have good health.

I just got back from running groups and serving dinner at Play N Stay. It's a packed house there! Always lots of fun! We'll be back over there tonight (close to midnight) for last night run and to pass out "Happy New Year's Hugs" and play the dog-toy version of "watching the ball drop". (smile)

Just in case I haven't said so recently...I love my life. Sure, it's hectic and chaotic alot of the time. Sure, the phone rings off the hook at really weird hours. Sure, I miss having a living room (the store took it over a few years ago). Sure, I see more puppy poop in a day than most people do in a year. But...I'm living my dream...and there's NOTHING like it in this world!

Granted, the real life version of The Perky Puppy doesn't look like I thought it would. There's a WHOLE lot more bookwork & paperwork than should be allowed by law. More puppies to care for=more payroll=more advertising=more $$ spent=more paperwork=more chaos, etc. Sometimes the world spins so fast that I don't know how we keep up. In 2009, we're going to get back to our roots...keep a little less puppies in the store and not dance so fast. There will still be a great selection, we'll just be working smarter, instead of harder.

We're looking forward to 2009 at The Lucky Puppy too! It's fun to watch that part of the business grow.

Thanks for your continued support! It's great to know that you are watching us change and grow and that you're cheering us on! 2009 is going to be a WONDERFUL year! We wish that for you as well!

All the Best!

Love,
Jess

Donations

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to those who made donations over the holidays:

Thanks to Dr. Marvin & Michele Steed for their monetary donation.

Thanks to Chessie & BoBo's family for their monetary donation.

Thanks to Kilo's K-9 Kitchen for the donation of homemade dog treats.

Thanks to Diane Watt for the donation of dog treats.

Oh! And THANKS to all who donated all the yummy people food to us and our staff: Zeke Dombroski, Jean Misencik, Becky Halicky, and Penny Koshenko!

Update

Well...it's been an amazing few weeks! Most of the rescues are in new homes. Albie & Abby (Japanese Chin/ Beagle crosses), Buster the Puggle, and Dexter & Duke (the 2 Blue Heelers) are still here.

You'd be so proud of Buster! He's been doing so much better! He's at least 90% housebroken and is quite mannerly on most days. I think he'll make someone a very good pet!

Dexter's pretty much housebroken. Duke is next...

The Puppy Store is almost empty. We're still dealing with some cough...'tis the season.

Play N Stay was at capacity over the holidays...what a great group!

Oh...and Vanessa and I are both sick. Not fun, but at least it didn't hit us until after the Christmas rush. Hoping to catch up on some R & R in the next few days...

We hope your holidays were wonderful! Thanks so much to those who provided for our pups over the holidays! You are wonderful!

Thanks Christa!

A big thanks to Christa Piko, as well as Max and Bruzer (yes-THE Bruzer), for donating towels to the Lucky Puppies!!

Happy Adopted!

Happy the 3 -legged dog is being adopted! He is going home to a great family from New York! They love him because he is special!

Congratulations Happy!

Commercials On Demand!

I've just loaded the Play N Stay Pet Camp and Perky Puppy commercials on our website.

Now you can see them whenever you want! The quality is not fantastic, but they are still cute!

Enjoy!

Oh No...

Donations

A big THANK YOU goes out to:

• Miss Gracie Major (a darling Morkie) and her parents David & Diana Major.
• Megan Banker for the donation of a large dog crate and bedding.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

"Buster"

Buster.

Oh Buster.

Where do I start?

OK...here's the scoop on Buster...

Back in March, an older couple and their grandson came to The Perky Puppy looking for a "little house dog" puppy. Well...it didn't matter how much we talked to them about shih-tzus, poodles, etc., they kept fixating on the puggles. "Oh, how cute! I really like these right here!" Etc., etc., etc.

We talked about an adult weight of 21-30#. We talked about puggles being high-energy and a little A.D.D., needing lots of exercise, etc. We talked and talked and talked.

They decided on the puggle anyway. And, of course, we told them if they had any questions or problems to give us a call immediately.

Fast forward 8 months.

Here comes the phone call..."He's too big. Our family has had some health problems. We can't walk him. He's too strong. HE'S BIGGER THAN WE WANTED."

Ya think?

Now, in our defense, we would have denied the sale, if we were SURE it was a bad mix. It wasn't super obvious. We talked about everything we could, but it was still a wrong fit and we learned something.

So, they made an appointment to bring Buster down, where we would place him in rescue and give the couple a discount on a smaller breed of dog.

Until we saw Buster. He was clean. BUT, he had no manners (too big for them to control), he hadn't had a vaccine since he left us in March (don't EVEN get me started), he was unneutered, and he was borderline WILD (not mean, just freaky)!

I "sternly educated" them on where they had gone wrong, all the way back to that day in March at The Perky Puppy, and up to the present day.

I quickly determined that we "did not have any breed of pup that was suited to their needs" (wink), even though we had plenty of small breed puppies. I strategically pointed out the flaws in every puppy (too big full-grown, needs professionally groomed, needs brushed daily, etc.), so we were well on our way to helping them be dog-free.

Only now, without a new puppy, they weren't interested in just giving Buster to us ("We spent a lot of money on him."). So I bought Buster, right then and there, for $ 75., just to get him out of there. (I know...I can be a real sucker.)

We immediately vaccinated and de-wormed him. Then, we realized that he wasn't really housebroken. Great...

Puggles are probably THE EASIEST dog to housebreak. They are very food-motivated as pups and will often "fake another pee" while outside, just to get an extra treat. So, it's obvious that they just didn't work with him.

So we went back to the basics...crate training...treats for "going" outside. outside just after eating, etc. We are working on basic manners (no jumping, walking on a leash like a little man) and basic obedience (look at him doing his "sit" in the picture).

We got him neutered (which has helped him not be crazy) and got him a Rabies vaccine.

He has come a very long way. He is very teachable and learns quickly. He would progress faster with one on one attention. He is finally ready to go to a home for that. Prior to now, it wouldn't have been fair to his new owner...he needed professional help.

He needs someone who will put energy into him...teaching him as quickly as he will learn...teaching him tricks, making him do those tricks...not letting him be a heathen. We're willing to equip someone to do that.

He will likely do best in a home where they are not first-time dog owners. Although he gets along great with other dogs, he will probably progress fastest where he is the only dog and all of your efforts are with him.

If you'd like to know more or have questions, please feel free to call or email. We are willing to discount him to the right home.

Thanks!
Jessica

P.S. For those of you who have been praying for our rescues, pray for Buster. He's overcoming a lot. He needs just the right family to keep that moving in the right direction. Thanks!

"Happy"

"Happy" is one of our rescues.

He is a Male (Neutered) Maltese Puppy, who was born on 8/25/08.

Happy only has 3 feet.

He is missing his right rear foot.

Maltese puppies are tiny and covered with slime at birth. It's mom's job to clean them up and to chew off the umbilicus. It appears that Happy's mom was inexperienced & overzealous and got confused, chewing off his right rear foot too.

The injury is completely healed and not visible, unless we point it out to you. Actually, the rescue folks who neutered and transported him didn't notice it. We only noticed it when we were grooming him.

He plays, walks, and runs fine.

He is happy (hence, the name) and enthusiastic, and does not appear to have any idea that he is "different" than the other puppies.

Don't you just love dogs? He doesn't judge himself like people do. We're often comparing ourselves to other people, labeling ourselves as "luckier, unluckier, fatter, skinnier, richer, poorer, better off, or worse off". We get hung up on the bum deal that we got in life, determining our value based on who we're comparing ourselves to.

Let's not do that any more. It doesn't help anybody.

Let's just be like "Happy", dealing with what we are given and making the best of it every day.

Let's just be HAPPY!

GREAT QUESTION!

As a comment on a recent post, "Anonymous" asked the following question:

"I'm wondering how you guys can see the justification in charging as much for the rescue dogs you are taking in as you are for perky puppies? I know the cost of shots and housing and food all needs paid for but I still can't see the justification in such a high cost for a dog that you guys are saving and trying to find a home. You've taken in dogs from places that couldn't get people to buy them for a cost that was probably much lower than your own, and now you are charging potential owners $450 dollars, where is the logic in that? I would love for you guys to provide some insight into this."

I think that's a great question, but it can be very complicated to answer.

In your example, you are comparing apples to oranges. You are comparing a $450. rescue maltese (would be $700-$850 at The Perky Puppy) with Perky Puppy shih tzus and malti-poos, which would be at least $100. less if they were rescues).

Let me try to shed some more light on adoption fees...

But, first, let me remind you that we are a NEW rescue. We do not have the funding that many other rescues have. We also don't yet have a volunteer base (so our cost is higher, because of mostly paid staff) or a large donor base, so, our adoption fees must cover almost all of our operating expenses.

Also, we are not new to the puppy business. We are very knowledgeable on the current "market value" on many breeds. We utilize our experience in that area to help structure pricing in a way that benefits the rescue operation best.

Adoption fees vary based on multiple other factors. We consider the following:

• How much did it cost to acquire the puppy or dog?
• Did we have to quarantine it? (14 days in my kitchen before the public can view him, cared for by my staff, adds up quick!)
• What efforts do we have to put into rehab/training? (Does he need to work on housebreaking? Is it a little or a lot? Does he need manners work before anyone will consider him for adoption?)
• How long will the puppy or dog have to stay before it is ready for adoption? (Does he need to "level out" a bit or recover from something, before he is offered for adoption?)
• How old is the dog? (Often, young puppies have more "market value" than older dogs.)
• Is the dog purebred? (Often, you can expect to pay more for a Maltese than a Maltese mix.)
• How big is the dog? (A 2 pound Maltese is often more "valuable" than an 14 pound maltese.)
• Did we pay to have it transported?
• What is the cost or expected cost of veterinary or medical care? (Is it up to date on vaccinations and dewormings? Does it need spayed or neutered? How about a rabies vaccine?)
• How urgent is the placement of this dog? (A 2# puppy is not as urgent as a 40# puppy. This may not be popular, but cleaning and care is very expensive. In addition, large breed puppies need more interaction at an earlier age.)
• What does the dog's competition look like? (If we're trying to place a 4-month old large mixed hound and an 8-week old purebred boxer puppy, we will price the boxers higher and the hound lower, in an attempt to give the hound an advantage.)
• How long has the dog been here? (We do adjust pricing regularly on dogs that haven't been placed.)

We take all that information into consideration when pricing an adoptive dog. Obviously, we lose money on many dogs. So we have to make up for it on others. Anything that we recover in adoption fees, above and beyond their cost & care, helps to care for other rescues (food, spay, vaccinations, etc.)

Let's get more specific:
We recently bumped into an adult male puggle, who was not completely housebroken, had zero manners, and was pretty much wild. The owners didn't want to give hime to us, but we were able to buy him for $ 75. We vaccinated and de-wormed him on intake, and paid $105 for neuter and rabies vaccine. We're working hard on housebreaking and manners. We'll be lucky to successfully place him at $ 75., even with a gift certificate for free boarding at Play N Stay.

Compare him to the 2# Maltese puppy, who was neutered and up-todate on his shots when we got him. We paid much more for him, his transport, and his neuter. He has been through his intake process (about $30) and has now been groomed ($30). The points listed above and his actual expense are why his adoption fee is $ 450.

We've had approximately a dozen calls on the maltese in the few days we've had him and none on the adult puggle that we have had longer.

Now, this might sound crazy, but I think the maltese would be glad to help pay for the puggle underdog's care and placement. Dogs are just like that. They look out for each other. They help each other along. It's the power of the pack...one for all & all for one!

Here's something else to think about: ALL of our puppies and dogs are housed indoors. Our areas are clean & climate-controlled. Everyone has freshly laundered bedding, Nutro Ultra Puppy food, toys, and treats all day, every day. They are comfortable here while they await their new home. We'd love to see these guys successfully-placed, but until that day comes, they are happy & safe here.

Hope that clears things up a bit! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Toddler Beds & Dog Crates!

Do you have an old toddler bed and/or crib mattress that you no longer need? How about Fido's old dog cage? If you have these items, please consider donating them to us!

If we get enough, we will gladly share them with other shelters!

Thanks in Advance!
Jessica and The Lucky Puppies

Puppies Everywhere!

There are puppies everywhere! In the last 2-3 days, 23 puppies have arrived (rescue and Perky Puppies). We've been busy clipping, and bathing, and cuddling, and loving, and cleaning, etc., etc., etc.

You Can Help!

OK...many of you have asked how you can help The Lucky Puppy! Here's a few ideas:

1. Print off a current rescue poster! This is something new for us and we need you to try it out for us! I'm really not a web genius at all...self-taught, so this may not work. Please try printing out the rescue poster on your home printer and displaying it WHEREVER you think somebody might see it! Please let me know if it works, if you like it, if you'll do it regularly...if it's successful, we'll keep doing it. If it's not working, I'll work to fix it (tested ok here). Just please let me know at jessica@theperkypuppy.com !

2. We need your old bath towels. We bathe a LOT of puppies! We could use several bath towels to help with the drying process!

3. You can donate through PayPal. Your donations are always appreciated!

Thanks for your support! We just finished November's final tally:

NOVEMBER 2008
Sold 13 Perky Puppies
Adopted 32 Lucky Puppies!

You guys rock!
Jess

Something's Coming...

It's 7 PM on Wednesday....Rescues are on their way to us...not sure who, what, or when exactly...keep your eyes fixed on the website for more details...

Professional GROOMING!

Meet NANCY ELLISON, Certified Professional Groomer at The Soapy Puppy Doggie Spa,
located at The Perky Puppy and Play N Stay Pet Camp!

Nancy lives in St. Clairsville, with her husband and their 4 children.

She has always loved animals and owns 3 dogs: "Rufus" (Pug), "Bella" (Brussels Griffon), and "Daisy" (Boxer Mix).

Nancy is a Certified Professional Groomer through the Diamond Cut Grooming School in Medina, OH.

As the groomer at The Soapy Puppy, she really cares for your dog, giving them the one-on-one attention that they deserve!

Your dog will be groomed with confidence & love at The Soapy Puppy!

Appointments available on Wednesdays, Fridays, & Saturdays!

Call 740-695-4566 (The Perky Puppy) to schedule an appointment now!

(Daycare also available on those days through Play N Stay Pet Camp...just ask for it when you schedule your grooming appointment!)

DECEMBER SPECIAL-
All new grooming clients SAVE $ 5.00 & receive a free toy!