Tenaker Pet Care Pet Talk is a monthly digital newsletter that is full of entertaining, interesting, and valuable information from the staff of Tenaker Pet Care Center. One of our many sections is titled "Pet of the Month," where you may even find a picture and biography of your own pet!

Five-year-old Pip Godwin may be too old to become a champion. After all, running through the chutes, jumping over fences, diving through darkened tunnels and running up then down a teeter-totter is for young pups.
      But the one-foot-tall, furry-faced Keeshond really could care less about the medals, so long as he gets his treat of a roast beef sandwich, an encouraging word and loving snuggle from his owner.
      More and more, dog owners in Colorado are discovering agility competitions and training as a way to get out and spend time with their canine companions - all while doing something active.
      "It is such a fun sport for the dogs and the people," said Pip's owner and handler, Beth Godwin. "Most of the dogs end up truly loving this. Even a dog that is low in confidence, it builds their confidence."
      Debbie Funk, a trainer and handler of Yorkshire terriers, said she has seen sport grow in Colorado from two American Kennel Club competitions per-year to well over sixteen.
      Godwin, who has been training and competing in agility competition for the past seventeen years, has also been an instructor for agility training at the Tenaker Pet Care Center in Aurora since 2004.
      Dave Schütt, who has run Tenaker with his brothers since 1985, says the choice to install the specialized training equipment in an unused piece of land on the front of the property was an easy one.
      "We try and do everything you can do as far as the facility and the kennel operations," he said. "You give people the service, and you will get their business."
      Godwin helped Schütt design and build the course in the front yard of the kennel; from the obstacles to the dirt and sand mixture it's laid out on.
      "They did a really good job of setting it up like a park," she said. "The park benches and the trees on the side made it very nice."
Read more . . . .

Expanded Pet Food Recall Means Homemade Alternatives For Some
With the Pet Food Recall expanding last week, more and more people are interested in making their own homemade dog and cat food. While this can be a safe and healthy alternative, it is important to discuss your pet's caloric needs with your veterinarian before putting on your apron. Dr. Fordham suggests the following two recipes for dogs and cats, respectively. These recipes are for adult maintenance diets only. They are not intended for growing, lactating or senior pets. The recipes must also be followed precisely in order to get the right amount and balance of nutrients.
Recipe for adult dogs
Beef Meat and Rice Diet
1/3 pound very lean beef (raw weight), cooked
2 cups rice, long-grain, cooked
2 tablespoons sardines, canned, tomato sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable (canola) oil
— teaspoon salt substitute-potassium chloride
5 bonemeal tablets (10-grain or equivalent)
1 multiple vitamin mineral tablet

Provides 890 Kilocalories, 44.3 grams protein, 38.1grams fat. Supports caloric needs of a 30 lbs dog. Omission of sardines reduces caloric content by 68 kilocalories, protein by 6.2 grams, and fat by 4.6 grams.

Recipe for adult cats
Tofu Diet
½ cup tofu, raw firm
— yolk of egg, large, hard-boiled
½ calcium carbonate tablet (200 milligrams calcium)
1 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet
35 milligrams taurine

Provides 198 kilocalories, 20.6 grams protein, 12.3 grams fat. Speak with your veterinarian to determine your cat's caloric needs. Recipes are from: Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets The Healthful Alternative by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD.

Welcome Our New Groomer
Tenaker Pet Care Centers is pleased to announce the addition of our new groomer, Yvette Cribb, to our Aurora location. Yvette has combined her established business, "TLC Grooming" with Tenaker Pet Care Centers in Aurora, now known as "TLC Grooming at Tenaker." Yvette has been a professional in the pet care industry for over 16 years.
      Yvette had a successful grooming salon on the Big Island of Hawaii for 14 years and then transferred her business to Colorado in 2003. Her company name sums up her personal grooming philosophy, "large and small I groom them all with tender loving care." It is Yvette's belief that there are no bad dogs, only dogs who have had bad experiences. In her grooming practice Yvette strives to lessen any stress that a pet may encounter to make each grooming experience as pleasurable as possible for both pet and owner. After experiencing Yvette's professional and unique grooming style and skills, it is her hope that each pet will leave prancing and feeling beautiful and unique. You can reach Yvette at 303-344-0404 directly to schedule an appointment or to answer any questions that you may have about her services or discuss any special needs your pet may have specifically.

No other term is more synonymous with the word cat than tabby. The word conjures images of wide stripes, tick marks, thin stripes, fat swirls, or striped patches, but it is always a feline image that appears in our mind. Everyone has known at least one tabby. Even cats that could be described as Siamese, tortoise shell, or some other pattern, might have a few stripes on their belly, tail, limbs, or around their face. Every cat has the tabby gene. In fact, tabbies are thought to be a representation of the cat humans domesticated thousands of years ago. Brown tabbies in particular are the closest in appearance to these wild cats from Africa.
      Tabbies have been around for so long that ancient folk lore of regal proportions has been preserved about them. Many tabbies have a distinctive M on their forehead. One tale says that the baby Jesus was cold and fussy the night he was born. Mary asked all the animals in the stable to gather around him to keep him warm. A little tabby hopped into the manger with the newborn, snuggled with him to warm him, and purred in his ear until the baby blissfully fell asleep. In appreciation, Mary bestowed her own initial on the cat's forehead.
      Another tale about the M on a tabby's forehead speaks of Mohammed's devotion to cats. It is believed that he blessed all cats by giving them the ability to always land on their feet. Legend has it Mohammed owned a cat named Muezza. Muezza saved Mohammed's life by killing a poisonous snake that slithered into his sleeve while he slept. In another version of this story, Mohammed was called to prayer. He found Muezza sleeping on the sleeve of his robe. Rather than wake his beloved cat, he cut off the sleeve of his own garment.
      The word tabby finds its origin in the word Al attabiyah, an ancient section of Baghdad. This region produced a highly sought after silk fabric called watered silk. Its rippled pattern is similar to the marks left by the ebb and flow of water. The Arabic word for this fabric was attabi. Latin versions of this word were also attabi, while the French called it atabis and tabis. The English and French loved this silk and eventually the name tabby was given to these similarly patterned cats in the seventeen century. This nickname was also used to refer to all domesticated cats and in particular females. A tabby was a female and a tom was a male cat.
      A tabby's coat can be mackerel, classic or ticked. A mackerel pattern is composed of thin, vertical stripes that maybe continuous or broken into a variegated, offset pattern. Markerel tabbies often have freckled noses and lips. The classic tabby has wide stripes, creating a swirl pattern on the sides of the cat. Classic tabbies also have a distinctive butterfly pattern on their shoulders. A ticked tabby shows a random often subtle, spotted look.
      Of course you only need to know one tabby to experience their stately presence. Perhaps this is why all cats possess an attitude of entitlement. Each contains the tabby gene and are distant cousins to noble cats of Africa, Bethlehem, and the Middle East.

The Scratch Reflex Reveals More Than Crazy Hind Legs
There is nothing more amusing than the reaction you get from a dog when you are scratching its belly and you hit the sweet spot. You know it immediately. The dog may start to groan in bliss and its hind leg begins a rapid, jackhammer like action. Sometimes you can get both legs going at once.
      This is called the scratch reflex. This area of the dogs body is called the saddle region. A dog has nerves that run from the spinal column and wrap all the way around its trunk. It is an involuntary reflex for the dog. When we scratch we are creating an itch and at the same time you are satisfying the need to scratch it.
      This reflex can be used by a veterinarian as a neurological test. It has also been significant in the research community. Scientists study how far the dog extends or contracts its leg, the speed at which it shakes it leg, the amount of time it shakes its leg, and the rhythm of the movement. Every inch of a dog's saddle area has been investigated in these studies.
      Of course all this research is useful to the medical community, but for dog owners, a belly scratch is just wholesome entertainment. Next time you get rover's hind leg going like a stop sign in a wind storm, know that somewhere, there is an extensive study with documentation of the exact same results, but without all the baby talk.

Two benefit events this week
Join some of Denver's finest restaurants for a food and wine tasting event tonight to benefit the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center. The event features the sultry songs from Gary Meyers new CD A Flamenco Journey, performed live. Enjoy food from over 25 local restaurants while local wine shop, Reserve List Denver, pours selections from their inventory. There will also be a raffle and silent auction. Participating restaurants include Racines, On The Border, Gennaros, Old Chicago and more! Join in the fun and support a very worthy cause. Your contribution is tax deductible for those who itemize.

When: Tonight, Tuesday, May 1, 2007 from 5 PM - 8 PM
Where: Sheraton Four Points -- Interstate 25 and Hampden
6363 East Hampden Blvd, Denver, 80222
Adults: $30 at the door