April 2024

Welcome to the following pup that had their first stay with the Caledon Tailblazers in March!

• Leo (7 month old Cockapoo)

Happy birthday 🎂 to these pups that are celebrating a birthday in April!

• Mocha (15 years old on April 1!)

• Maisie

• Koda

• Simone

• Capo

Happy Spring everyone! I realize I am very late with this month's newsletter! Unfortunately, I came down with a very wretched cold last week Friday and just couldn't muster up the energy to write my newsletter. What a week though huh?? From lovely, but cool weather on the long weekend, to rain and SNOW during the week, back to beautiful weather today. I have Phoenix (a Doberman) here with me this weekend and we are really enjoying our walks this weekend! What a difference from a few days ago!

On Monday, April 1st, we celebrated Mocha's 15th birthday! She may not move as fast as she once did but she still gets around and enjoys her food and going for short walks. We first adopted Mocha from a rescue when she was ten months old, in early February 2010. She was originally at animal shelter in the US where she was set to be euthanized but the shelter workers saw what a wonderful pet she could be if she was given a little more time to find the right family. They reached out to the rescue in Ontario who literally "rescued" her from that shelter, brought her back to Canada, and fostered her until she found her furever home with us. We are so grateful that they did!! The early years weren't easy as she was a VERY high energy lab, she ran away at every opportunity, she jumped on people, and she was overall a lot of work to train. But we loved her and I was willing to put in the work to turn her into a wonderful family pet. With lots of training, many walks and long runs, she and Reese, both became cherished members of the Mooney family. We've had many adventures with her since that day in early February 2010 that we brought her home and we are so grateful that yesterday we were able to celebrate her 15th birthday. Happy birthday Mocha!

As always, check out our News & Announcements section for updates to any rules as well as dates when Caledon Tailblazers will be closed. We have booked some vacation so please take note of the dates listed. If you are travelling this month then I wish you all safe and happy travels and for everyone else have a great month!

Katrien

Animal-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities

Did you know that St. John Ambulance has a Therapy Dog Program? Well they do! If you have time to commit each week and a well behaved, friendly dog then maybe this would be an opportunity you might like to consider? St. John Ambulance takes volunteers and their dogs into hospitals, senior's homes, and nursing homes as many people benefit both physically and emotionally from the unconditional love of dogs. The Therapy Dog program provides opportunities for individuals to talk with the volunteer and the dog, feel, touch, pet, and cuddle the dog, and receive unconditional love from the dog. If you are interested in learning more about this program check it out at the following link: https://sja.ca/en/community-services/therapy-dog-program

There are lots of opportunities to volunteer with animal shelters in the area. The Ontario SPCA has shelters across the province and offer many volunteer opportunities. One such opportunity is to be a Humane Education Volunteer. If you enjoy working with children and educating kids about animals then this may be of interest to you. As a Humane Education Volunteer Team Member, you would deliver presentations (60-75 minutes in length) primarily to local schools. The content for presentations will cover the Ontario SPCA mission and reflect humane education`s goal to inspire compassion, empathy, and respect for all animals, inspiring a connection with animals.  Curious to learn more about this opportunity? Check out this link. Each individual shelter also has its own unique opportunities. For example, the Orangeville SPCA is currently seeking a Adoption Center Photographer! Interested in learning about opportunities with the SPCA? Find more here!

Every shelter website I looked at is in desperate need of foster families. If you happen to have the space and time available to open up your home to an animal in need it can be a very rewarding experience. Our shelters are overflowing with dogs and cats all looking for a forever home. Giving these animals a home to live in, rather than a cage in a shelter, will help them from becoming depressed while they wait for a forever family to adopt them. Although fostering can be hard on the heart when it's time to say goodbye it is one of the most selfless things you can do for an animal.

Procyon Wildlife is an option if working with wildlife appeals to you. At this time of year they get many orphaned baby animals that need help to survive. Procyon Wildlife, located in Beeton, is a registered charity dedicated to rescue, rehabilitate, and safely release orphaned and injured wildlife. There are lots of ways you can help this organization succeed in its mission. For a full list of opportunities check out their website.

Hopefully, I have provided an idea or two that appeals to you! Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and fill your heart with happiness. Animals just want to be loved and in return they provide their unconditional love and gratitude.

News & Announcements!

We have booked some holidays for 2024 and I would like to make note of the dates that we will be unavailable for dog sitting:

May 19 - May 26

May 31 - June 3

June 21 - June 23

July 20 - July 28

Please remember to book early to avoid disappointment! I am limited with how many dogs I can accommodate at one time.  If your plans change be sure to let me know asap so that I can open up the spot for others.  Please see our new rules regarding deposits & cancelations.

Tailblazer Guidelines:

All reservations of 4 nights or more do require a $100 non-refundable deposit one month prior to the first night of the booking.  Full payment of the reservation is due 48 hours before the beginning of the reservation for all lengths of stay (overnight only).

Reservations of 4 nights or more must be cancelled at least one week in advance or the deposit will be forfeited.  If the reservation is cancelled with a week or more notice then the deposit will be applied to a future visit.

Overnight reservations <= 3 nights must be cancelled at least 24 hours ahead of time otherwise a $50 cancellation fee will be charged (for a single dog and $85 for two dogs).  Doggie daycare must be cancelled 24 hours in advance or a $25 cancellation fee will be charged (for a single dog).

Please note, holiday long weekends, Christmas, and March break will be subject to the same rules as our 4+ overnight bookings and the cost for overnight visits is $60/night for dogs over a year old ($70/night for dogs under a year).

Please do your best to drop off and pick up at the agreed upon time.  If you are going to be early or late please contact me as soon as possible by text. I accept drops offs as early as 7am and pickups by 8pm for overnight boarders. Daycare hours are 7am - 6pm.

If your dog pulls when being walked on a leash then some type of training collar is required.  If one is not provided then I will use one of my own. I will discuss the use of a prong collar with you prior to using one.

Dogs must get along with other dogs and be tolerant of cats.  I am limited in my setup to separate dogs and it causes a lot of extra stress when dogs are reactive to other dogs or to cats.  My cats are very dog savvy and can handle a curious or energetic dog.  However, if a dog shows aggression towards a cat then unfortunately I am not able to accommodate that dog.

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