Our Best Open House. EVER!

 

Hi Everyone!

I'm super excited to tell you about our Open House! 

  Not only did we raise money for our Pet's In Need Fund, but we had a blast! But more importantly our Clients and Patients had fun too!

  We spent six weeks getting ready for our biggest event to date! The Hospital had to look perfect! And I think we did a pretty good job! Everyone who came that day LOVED the decorations. 

  But by far, the best sight ever, was to see all of our Doctors dressed up like Santa, Ms. Claus and Hanukkah Harry. There were Elves running around jingling!

 

  My favorite part was watching everyone have fun! We even had a buffet breakfast and lunch. And yummy cake! Along with our Bake Sale and Raffle items it made for a very exciting day!

  Needles to say, Santa and His friends had full laps! Everyone wanted to take a turn and have a photo taken with their favorite character. And the portraits turned out amazing!

  I had a talk early that morning with Dr. Acton  (who was dressed up like Santa!) He told me to say "Hi" to everyone and that we were going to have an awesome day. 

  He was right! Watching our Clients and Patients have fun shopping, eating, choosing raffle baskets and snapping pictures was the best part of our day.

  If you didn't get a chance to come in this year, we'll see you next time!

  Thank you to all who came and donated to our cause: The Pets in Need Fund. You made our Holiday the best ever!

  From all Of The Doctors and Staff here at The Hospital, have a wonderful and safe Holiday! 

Speck 

                   Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Santa Claus and The Open House are Almost Here!

Santa is coming!

And I couldn't  be more excited!

  The best part is that we are also having our annual Open House here at The Hospital! That means all of our Clients and Patients are welcome to tour our Hospital.

  We also have some other cool stuff. Like our famous Santa Photos. Dr. Acton, Dr.Sultzer, Dr. Bohn and Dr. Cruz will all be dressed in character. Our professional Photographer will make sure your photo is amazing! So make your appointment today for a picture.

  The donations we receive from our Silent Auctions, Raffle Baskets and Baked Goods, help raise funds for our "Pets In Need" charity fund. These donations we receive, have helped many pets in distress.  We will also have a balloon artist, a caricaturist and FOOD!

   

  Santa, who looked a lot like Dr. Acton, told me to be good, to spread the word about the Open House and to have fun. And I've been really good....well, kinda. And I'm ready to have fun with all of you.  

  So please stop in, this Sunday December 7th. from 9:00am to 3:00pm. You'll find friends, fun, food and tons of really cool stuff to bid on with our auctions.


See you at the Hospital!

Speck

                           Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Congratulations To The Winners!

Hi Everyone!

 

This was one of the best Halloweens ever!

  I had so much fun dressing up with my friends!  And from what I hear, a bunch of other pets had a super good time too.

  The Halloween Photo Contest, that we have every year here at The Hospital, is certainty proof of that! You may have even read about it in my last Blog Post. 

So now it's time to announce the Winners:

 

First Place went to "Sunshine" who made an awesome "Zero" from The Nightmare Before Christmas movie.

 Second Place was given to "Fuzzy" who looked so silly with a Zebra toy hanging out on his back!

Third Place was a tie between "Vista" who dressed up as a super cool character from Star Wars. And....

 

 "Bob" who rocked his spooky Halloween Hat!

  Needless to say, it was really, really hard to choose the winners. We had some incredible entries! There were tons of "Honorable Mention" awards given out too. And of course, everyone is a winner for entering!

  Thank You to everyone who entered! And we just can't wait for next Halloween, to see what you guys come up with next!

Speck
 

Speck as Simba from the Lion King

 Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Halloween Photo Contest!

Hi Everyone!

I'm so excited! It's almost Halloween!

And here at The Hospital, we go all out!

  First we decorate and that really gets our "spirit"s up! Then we start our annual Halloween Photo Contest.

   The Photo Contest is my favorite part of the fun! We get to see all of the adorable photos of our Patients. 

The best part is, you can win some pretty cool prizes:

First Place wins a $75 Shopping Spree in our Pet Store!

Second Place is a Free Night's Stay in one of our Luxury Suites or an Up Graded Cat Condo!

Third Place gets a Free Bath and Flea Treatment!

  I don't know about you, but I could sure us all of that! Especially the Shopping Spree! Think of all of the cool toys and treats you could get!

  Come in too, and check out our display board in our Reception area of all of the entries. There's some pretty awesome looking pets!

  But Halloween is getting closer and time is running out, so hurry and get your entry in! We accept our last photo on October 31st. 

  Your photo can be "Natural" or "Posed". Which ever makes you look your cutest!

  You can drop off a picture or even email us one. But for sure, enter! 

Good Luck and have a safe and Happy Halloween,

Speck 

                             
Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

The "Spirit" of Love

Hi Everyone,

  This week's post was a little hard for me to write.

  So, I'm going to start with the sad part of the story. But, hang in there. I promise a happy ending.

A few weeks ago, I lost one of my friends. Chance. 

  Chance was Dr. Reichel's Black Labrador. And she was very special. Dr. Reichel and Dr. Acton loved her very much.

  But one day, she became very sick, very suddenly. And we had to say good bye to her. It was a very hard time here at The Hospital. and especially hard for Dr. Reichel.

  As time went by, it got a little easier for all of us. And one very special day, Dr. Reichel found Spirit, Her new puppy!

 
  We were all very happy that Dr. Reichel found another wonderful friend to love! And wow, Spirit is super cute too!

  Spirit and I spent the day together when Dr. Reichel first brought her onto our Hospital.

  At first she Spirit was shy, then she started pouncing all over me! She wanted to play and have fun and I was all for that!

  We spent the day together. Playing, hanging out and even getting our baths at the same time! Spirit wasn't really into the whole "bath thing", but being a Labrador, you could already see how much she loved the water!

  So now I have a new friend. And best of all Dr. Reichel has beautiful, sweet doggie that she will love all of her life.

  I think that Spirit is a very lucky girl. And we are lucky too, to have her in our lives.

Speck
 

                             Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Splashin' Around and Stayin' Safe!

Hi! 

It's me again!

  It’s really hot out there. Heading off to the beach or just staying at home by the pool are great ways to beat the heat. But always remember: Safety first!

 So here are some simple rules to follow to stay safe:

• Don’t leave pets unsupervised around water—not all dogs are good swimmers.
• Heat from the sun is more intense around water. Watch your dog for signs of sunburn or heat stroke, and keep him off hot sand as it can blister paws.
• Get your dog a Life Jacket. Just like with people, it’s easy for us to develop a cramp in our leg, become exhausted too far from shore or when in the ocean, to become over come by strong tides.
• Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt.
• Try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals that can easily cause stomach issues and diarrhea. 

  
  Children's play pools are super fun too! You can beat the heat and not feel overwhelmed. And for an older Doggie or a little guy like me, a small pool is a lot safer. 

  A lot of cats are water lovers too! It may not be their way to "cool down", but some cats like to play in their water bowl! Other kitties are fascinated by running water and prefer to drink from a faucet!

 So stay cool, be safe and have a fun summer!

Speck 

 

                            
 Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Welcome Dr. Bohn!

  We have a new Doctor here at The Hospital, and she's really cool! 

  Her name is Dr. Kari Bohn. She joined us about six weeks ago, and we LOVE her!

  Dr. Bohn is a Graduate of The University of California at The Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and has a Bachelors of Science degree in Ecology, Animal Behavior and Evolution!

   She has been an Associate Veterinarian in California since 2006. So really really knows her stuff! She can even speak Spanish, which really helps with client communication.  

 
  And she loves wildlife! One of her first days here at the Hospital, she jumped right in and helped a injured baby bird! We were really impressed!

 

 
   And Dr. Bohn loves horses! She has a beautiful horse named Dora! And they even do jumping events together!

  Her kitty, Mr. Furious, is super cute too! And from the looks of this photo, he has a pretty awesome life! And I bet he gets spoiled even more than I do!

  Dr. Bohn was also an exchange student. She grew up in a family that shared their home with thirteen exchange students though the years. Even her Mom and her sister were exchange students too!

 She also has done an internship The San Diego Zoo in Pathology! So she's seen some pretty amazing things and can treat a bunch of little guys. Like rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and other interesting creatures that we normally don't see around here!

  So the next time your Mom or Dad makes an appointment, meet Dr. Bohn! 

 I really like her! And I know you will too!

Speck

                
Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Minding Your Manners

Hi Everyone!

I have really good manners. Well, sometimes.....

So this week, I think we should talk about practicing good behavior. 

 

  First of all, always be excepting of being "handled". Like when you go to the groomer or to your Veterinarian. 

  Try to not beg for table food at your family's meal times.  This one is really, really hard for me....and, I usually blow it.

 
  Remember to always wait before going in or out of any door. Not only is it good manners, but it could save your life!

  Always be curtious when someone is feeding you, or touching your toys. Getting aggressive and not wanting to share, just isn't cool.

  A really important manner is to not pull on your leash. You could make someone fall or even get into a scuffle with another dog.  And that's no fun.

  Learn to "sit" when someone comes into your home. Sure it's fun to jump all over people, but it's not fun for the person getting jumped on.

  This is a big one: try to always go potty where you're supposed to. Doing this will really impress your family and make life easier for everyone. Including you!

  Try to perform one or more commands without a food reward. I know it's hard, but don't pout. This is really impressive when you can pull it off.  

   
  Some of these manners are really tough, but you can do it! And the more you behave yourself, the more attention and friends you'll have!

 Until next time, try hard to be good!

And I'll try my best not to beg for table scraps...

Speck

  
                                Speck's Blog copyright Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Staying Out Of Trouble At Eatser Time!

 

Hi. It's me again.

 

  It's Easter time, so I thought we should talk about some things you should be careful of during the Holiday:

 

 

Chocolate

  Is typically more of a dog hazard, because many of us have a sweet tooth and a great nose, but cats may consume chocolate too.

  The toxic components in chocolate are theobromine and caffeine, and the level of toxicity is based on the type and quantity of chocolate consumed.

  Different types of chocolate have different amounts of theobromine and caffeine. Dark chocolate contains the highest concentrations. Early signs are vomiting, diarrhea and trembling.

  So chocolate may taste really good, but stay away! It's just not worth it.

Easter Grass

  Cats love anything that moves. Easter grass, for some cats, is simply irresistible and must be eaten.

  Stringy things like Easter grass pose a deadly threat if ingested. Don't let your kitties sample Easter grass! It's a really bad idea.

Easter Lillies

  The Easter Lily is very common this time of year. This plant, and related plants in the lily family, are highly toxic if ingested!
 
  The first signs seen are vomiting and lethargy, and if untreated, may progress to kidney failure. 

  Daffodils too, are also toxic to cats. Please, keep these plants out of your kitties reach!

  So be careful and stay safe! And if you do get into any trouble, everyone here at The Hospital is ready yo help.

Happy Easter!

Speck

                                Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved

Good Bye, My Friend

Charlie was more my Mommy's friend, than mine. 

  She knew him almost all of his life. And she always told me what a sweet and loving Doggie he was. I always felt as if I knew him through her stories.

  Charlie's Mommy rescued him when he wasn't quite two years old.  She knew then that he had epilepsy. But, she didn't know that he had other health issues too. And that he would eventually need two major surgeries. 

Charlie, after one of his surgeries.

 His Mommy loved him so much, that it didn't matter. And Charlie made such a great friend for his sister Sophie. They loved each other very much.

   Throughout all of his surgeries and medical treatments, Charlie's Mom said he was always a happy boy. He was always willing to do fun things and made everyone around him smile. He was more than willing to "dress up" to make us laugh!

  Last Summer Charlie started to get sick and Dr. Sultzer told his Mom that Charlie had major heart problems. The news broke all of our hearts. Especially Charlie's Mommy.

  We all knew that Charlie had an limited amount of time. But you never would have known from his happy spirit. He continued to smile and wag his tail every time he saw us.

  Charile's Mom, Dr. Sultzer and all of the specialist Doctors he saw, did their very best.  But one day, one very sad day, Charlie couldn't fight any more. And his Mommy made the most difficult decision of all. To let him go in peace. 

  My Mom says that saying good bye is the hardest thing of all. But she always tells me that memories are what keep us going. That over time sadness lessens and remembering, will always comfort us. 

  Thank you Charlie. For being a loving brother to Sophie, a wonderful doggie for your Mommy and for filling all of our lives with happiness. 

We will never forget you.

Speck

                                Speck the Blogging Dog © Chrissie Ratliff 2013-2017 all rights reserved