Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/104469
6A Daily News – Saturday, January 19, 2013 Pets health&activities Handcrafted items for pets and owners By Cindy Kent Sun Sentinel (MCT) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In just a few weeks, at an event that celebrates the iconic Westminster Kennel Club's annual All Breed Dog Show, a shelter dog will model doggie bling designed and handcrafted by Mona Straub of Boca Raton, Fla. Straub is one of 30 exclusive participating vendors in the upcoming New York Pet Fashion Show, Feb. 8 that launches a weekend of events leading to the famous annual dog show that following Monday. It's a coup for Just Fur Fun, the online startup Straub launched two years ago to sell her hand-crafted beaded leashes and collars for pets. "I've gotten as far as I have because I make connections and utilize resources," said Straub. "As a small business, if you become an island and don't reach out, you'll get lost." The pet fashion show receives hundreds of booth requests every year from pet-related start-ups to established companies, says Richard Cordero, marketing director for the show and vice president at Oehler Media Inc. and ad director for Cesar's Way Magazine, a major sponsor of the show. The event is a massive showcase for those in the pet industry, from food and fashions to wellness products, toys and every other creature comfort one could invent for beloved pets. "We look for that fit, products that are practical, durable and fashionable," said Cordero. "And vendors have to be confident about their products." The show, however, has a two-fold purpose: Featuring shelter dogs on its runways is one example of its charity outreach, and a huge draw, attracting over 1,000 attendees, says Cordero. For an investment of over $1,300, including table, shipping and product samples for VIP bags, Straub will showcase her collars and leashes, including on a shelter dog during its appearance in one of three runway shows featured that evening. Last year, the event produced over $10,000 in money and product donations to Animal Care & Control of NYC. This year's beneficiary is The Animal Haven shelter, also in Manhattan. Straub launched her second career several years ago after leaving her corporate marketing job because she wanted to be creative in a meaningful way and give back to the community, she says. Straub herself has three rescue Dachshunds, five cats, a 22-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare and a mustang, which is also a rescue. She buys made-inAmerica materials, such as the leather that forms the base for her products, from United States-based vendors. She manufactures locally, employing about six bead artisans who fulfill her pattern designs for the pet bling, including special made-to-order collars with a wider profile for bigger dogs. Pet owners can partake with matching belts. Straub has the right entrepreneurial focus and dogged determination, says Sharon Geltner, a counselor at the Small Business Development Center at Palm Beach State College who has assisted Straub with her strategies. "Mona When is it time? Making the decision to euthanize a beloved pet is the hardest thing a pet owner ever has to do. For those of us who believe our pets are part of our family, the heart wrenching decision of letting our pet go is has no easy answers. Every pet guardian has to make this tough choice at some point in life and it never gets easier. So, how do we know when it is time? Waiting until the animal is suffering with constant pain would no doubt make the decision to euthanize much easier to make. Still, no matter whether we call it euthanasia, mercy death, or "putting them to sleep," to choose to do it is difficult. How, then, do we help our furry friends without letting our own longing or attachment get in the way? Unfortunately, the situation calls for us to be brutally honest with ourselves. We need to evaluate whether our decision to prolong their life is based on our own wants and needs, or theirs. Unless a pet is seriously injured and the decision must be an immediate one, the pet's quality of life needs to be fully considered. Ask these questions: Are most of his days good? Can he walk or stand on his own or has he lost balance and falls frequently? Does he recognize you and the family? Does he still have energy to enjoy his favorite activities? Can he still hear and see? Is he in chronic severe pain that cannot be controlled by medication? Is breathing very difficult? Is he no longer eating, unless force-fed? Are there personality changes? Is there frequent vomiting and/or diarrhea that is causing dehydration? Is there incontinence? Honest answers to these questions will help determine how good the pet's quality of life is. Moreover, after asking all the above and discussing the situation with the veterinarian, perhaps most important question to ask is: Would I want to be here today, to experience this day the way he is? Determining quality of life is a lot like being on a roller coaster. While we hold back the tears, we make that final, dreadful vet appointment, only to have our pet appear to improve. Repeatedly in the last days of life, it has been noted that animals experience a sudden surge of energy. It is as almost as if they are aware that time is limited. However, our pet's condition worsens and once again, we ask the questions to determine our decision. For pet guardians faced with this choice, it may be helpful to understand what occurs. It may also help the guardian decide whether they and the family wish to be present during the procedure. First, the pet is made as comfortable as possible, often in the quietest room available. In addition, a mild tranquilizer is usually given to sedate the pet. The veterinarian will give the animal an overdose of an anesthetic called sodium pentobarbital, which he injects into a vein. The injection is not painful to the pet. The solution quickly causes not only a loss of consciousness and loss of pain, but gently stops the heart and causes breathing to cease. The pet feels no pain during the procedure. In many instances, the animal passes away so quietly that it is difficult to tell until the veterinarian listens for the absence of a heartbeat The decision to stay or not stay with a pet is a very personal one. For some pet owners, the emotion may be too overwhelming and they might feel their distress would only upset the pet. For some, it is a comfort to be with the animal during his final moments. Neither choice is right or wrong. What is best for the owner is the correct decision and the vet will honor the choice. James Herriot stated a view of many veterinarians in All Things Wise and Wonderful: "Like all vets I hated doing this, painless though it was, but to me there has always been a comfort in the knowledge that the last thing these helpless animals knew was the sound of a friendly voice and the touch of a gentle hand." You may feel guilty for deciding on pet euthanasia, or angry with the vet for even suggesting it. Remember that the choice that was made was best for the pet, and give yourself all the time needed to grieve the loss of your dear friend. The responsibility of saying "enough is enough", when we are no longer doing right by our beloved companions by keeping them alive, is a decision ultimately made out of love. It is knowing when it is time. Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale "Youth Activities Raffle" Sponsored by Red Bluff Yamaha. Wednesday, January 23 • 6pm in the Fairgrounds Cafeteria during the Buyer & Consignor Dinner. Steak Dinner $15. No Host Bar 6:00PM. Dinner at 7:00PM Youth Activity Fund Raffle: 7:30PM. Calcutta auction of Red Bluff's Buckin' Best Bull Riders following raffle. 300 raffle tickets sold, $100 each. Top Prizes Red Bluff Yamaha New Polaris Ranger 500 Redding Yamaha Ski Doo 3000 iSE Yamaha Generator I-5 Tire factory 4 10 Ply Goodyear Wranger Duratrac Tires (LT265/75/R16) Pine Creek Cattle Co. $500 Cabela Gift Certificate Additional Prize Donors A & R Meats Abbey's Hair Works Adin Supply Co. Airgas Alsco, Inc. Anderson FFA Applebee's Bell Carter Foods, Inc./Lindsay Bianchi Orchards Bob's Tire Center Boot Barn Branco Ranch Buckaroo Bistro & Bargains Carrie Rohr Clear Creek Sports Club & Outfitters Cline Cellars Cornerstone Community Bank Corning Ford Crystal Amen Custom Creations Elite Automotive Elizabeth Mendenhall Farwood Bar & Grill Fasteners Tool Outlet Fisher Oil Company Flying J Creations by Jaime Gill Foster Farms Commodities & TPI-Nutra Blend Giant Rubber Water Tanks, Inc. Hawes Ranch & Farm Supply Hootenanny Leading Edge Fabrication Les Schwab Tire - Red Bluff Lucero Olive Oil McCoy's ACE Hardware Napa Auto Parts- Red Bluff Nicolet Glass Centers Northern California Farm Credit Northern California HERO Ride for Life Northwest Farm Credit Services Olive City Auto Parts Napa Olive Hut Palomino Room Platinum Performance Plum Crazy Red Bank Outfitters Red Barn (Bieber, Ca) Red Bluff FFA Red Bluff Interiors Red Bluff Round-up Red Bluff Veterinary Clinic Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply/The Loft Richfield Feed & Supply Rolling Hills Casino & Sevillano Links Shasta Farm & Equipment The Green Barn Tony's Custom Meats Tremont Café Trio Ranch Turri Farms Umpqua Bank Vita Dermatology & Laser Institute We Shoot Ya Whiskey & Rhinestones Wilbur-Ellis/Glenn Fertilizer Wright's Shavings For Raffle & Dinner tickets call 527-2045 or come by the office in the Don Smith Pavilion."