Original Article:  DC Examiner.com

Five days after an initial pet food recall, P&G announced that they are expanding the recall to include other product lines. Iams and Eukanuba dog and cat foods are on the recall list due to possible exposure to Salmonella. These foods were sold at veterinary clinics and and specialty pet retailers throughout the US and Canada.

The newly added products include:
Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas (All dry sizes and varieties) with “Best by” dates of 01Jul10 – 01Dec11– All upc codes of all Iams dry foods within those dates are included.
Eukanuba Naturally Wild (All dry sizes and varieties) with “Best by” dates of 01Jul10 – 01Dec11– All upc codes of Eukanuba Naturally Wild products within those dates are included.
Eukanuba Pure (All dry sizes and varieties) with “Best by” dates of 01Jul10 – 01Dec11– all upc codes of Eukanuba Pure products are included if they are within those dates.
Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin (All dry sizes) with “Best by” dates of 01Jul10 – 01Dec11– all upc codes of Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin upc codes within those dates are included.

The company has expressed that because all of these foods are made in the same facility and the previous foods did test positive for Salmonella, the rest of these products are also at risk of contamination.

Consumers need to understand that pet owners who touch pet food may become sick with Salmonella. Symptoms of Salmonella in humans include abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Children, the elderly and those with a compromised immune system can develop serious complications from Salmonella. If you handled any recalled food and are experiencing symptoms of Salmonella you are advised to talk to a health care provider.

Sometimes pets can be carriers of Salmonella and not show obvious symptoms, but they have the potential to then infect other pets within the same household. Symptoms of Salmonella in pets include lethargy, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea. If you have concerns over the health of your pet you should consult a veterinarian.

Consumers are asked to properly dispose of any recalled food taking care to ensure that no other animals may get into it. You may also call P&G to discuss any concerns including replacements or refunds at 877-340-8823. That number is staffed from 9 am to 6 pm (EST) Monday through Friday.

It’s hot outside, but cool in here! Come out to the K9 Support Dog Wash TODAY 11am-3pm Dogtopia of White Flint, MD http://bit.ly/aBdO9c

Calling all New York City dog owners! Please join us on the Fox News Plaza at 1211 Avenue of the Americas on Saturday, July 17th from 7am-10am as we wash dogs for our national charity K9 Support!

New York City is just the kick-off to the K9 Support Dog Wash Weekend – we are hosting Dog Washes in every Dogtopia location across the country!  Please check here for the location nearest you and for more information and directions.

We are hoping to wash 200 dogs and raise more than $20,000 for a very worthy cause – supporting working and service dogs of all kinds!  Each Dogtopia has chosen an organization to support, and you can find out more by visiting their page.

At Dogtopia Headquarters in North Bethesda, MD we will be raising money for the Montgomery County K-9 Police Unit and Urban Search and Rescue.  Come join us for what promises to be a wet and wild time!!

If you cannot attend a Dog Wash, you can still help out by donating through Paypal on our K9 Support home page.

Thank you in advance for your support!!

While we did receive a few requests to evaluate cats for doggie daycare, we were never planning to have cats stay at Dogtopia, and I seriously doubt any of them would have wanted to!

We just couldn’t resist a little April Fool’s Day joke!

Happy Spring everybody!

PS  Even though we are “Dogtopia,” we love cats just as much!

According to the Humane Society of the United States there are approximately 94 million owned cats in the US and until today, they were left out of the fun at “Dogtopia”. But not anymore! We’re thrilled to announce that Dogtopia is now Catopia as well!

If your cat is like most cats, they spend their days bored and lonely with only a ball of yarn or the occasional scratch at the post to amuse them. We know you can’t be with them all day and by the time you get home, they want to play while you want to relax and unwind. Even if you are lucky enough to spend the day at home with your precious kitty, they still miss out on very important cat-to-cat and cat-to-dog socialization.

Enter Cat Daycare! Soon you’ll be able to drop your cat off at Catopia and let them burn off all that kitty energy, as well as mingle with their own four-legged kind. You’ll pick-up a happy (and tired) cat at the end of the day and you can spend your evenings relaxing and purring together.

Similar to the entry requirements for Dogtopia, all cats must be well socialized.  Due to their smaller size, most cats will be placed in our Toy Box play area with the smaller dogs. For the more daring breeds, such as Siamese, Burmese and Maine Coons, the more active Gym would be an option.

Because we offer a mixed open play environment, Catopia requires an evaluation for all cats prior to attending daycare or boarding. The evaluation consists of our reviewing the evaluation forms, verifying the required vaccinations, and then introducing them to a group of dogs and cats. The vast majority of cats will pass their evaluation with flying colors and afterward they’ll be free to come for daycare or boarding any time.  We look forward to meeting you and your cat!

For more information email us at cats@dogdaycare.com.

I have decided to start a new web site to further explore my passion for politics and in particular, how small business is affected by policy.

I speak with small business owners every day that share the same frustrations:

1.  Access to capital (I feel like a broken record on this one, but we need to keep talking about it until there is some resolution and forward momentum)

2. Concern over how new policies may affect their business (health care reform and corporate taxation

3.  The ability to offer benefits to their employees balanced with maintaining a profitable business (see #2, but add to that the current exorbitant costs for small businesses to provide it because they cannot join together for better rates)

Those are just a few of the topics that will be discussed on my new web page, come take a look!

Small Business Pundit

At the last minute I was asked to speak about tax incentives for small businesses – and I was more than happy to oblige!  It was quite an experience, and the first time I had ever been interviewed via satellite -  rather strange when you can’t see the person you are talking to!

Bottom line – the Administration needs to allocate more funds to small business lending.  The Recovery Act allocated funds to be used to provide 90% guarantees on SBA loans and drastically reduced or eliminated the fees associated with SBA loans.  (In my case I saved over $11,000 in fees!) Let’s hope they can make this happen sooner rather than later and keep the momentum behind small business lending and job creation.

Amy Nichols on Your World with Neil Cavuto

We are honored and excited to be featured today in the USA Today newspaper and online!

Here is the article:

Dogtopia in USA Today

And the video featuring lots of cuties from Dogtopia of Tysons Corner, VA!

Dogtopia Video on USAToday.com

I hope you enjoy them both – big thanks to Dogtopia of Tysons for being so patient while we filmed, and Jordan, Maria, and Liz for being willing participants!

From our Dogtopia of Land O’Lakes Blog:

3 Responses to “Is microchipping really worthwhile?”

1. Check the Chip Says:
   August 26th, 2009 at 8:17 pm Our website http://www.ChecktheChip.com can help those who find a lost pet with a microchip.

   Since there are 6 microchip databases in the U.S., have a shelter or vet scan the lost pet then use our site to enter the pet’s microchip number into ChecktheChip.com and we can locate the database that holds the owner information. We are the Google for pet microchips!

   For pet owners, it is so important to check your pet’s microchip and ensure that your pet is registered with the microchip database. Pet owners, here is some important info http://www.checkthechip.com/SupportPage.aspx

   We are happy to help pets, parents, shelters and vets!

   The Check The Chip Team

A Dozen Locations Across the U.S. Set Goal to Wash More than 1,000 Dogs

July 09, 2009 // Franchising.com // Bethesda, MD – For working police dogs across the country, the comforts of home are few and far between. With budget cuts a reality in cities everywhere, animals in law enforcement’s K-9 units can use a little pampering on the job.

That’s why a dozen Dogtopia locations from California to Maryland will simultaneously participate in the company’s fifth annual charity dog wash July 18 and 19 to raise money for local police K-9 units who play an important role in keeping their communities safe.

“We are pleased to expand our mission of raising money for working dogs to animals in our own communities,” said Amy Nichols, CEO and Founder of Dogtopia. “Realizing that budgets in local government have been cut, we want to ensure working police dogs get the supplies necessary to do their job in as much comfort as possible.”

Working police dogs play an important role in detecting narcotics and explosives, search and rescue operations, evidence recovery and criminal apprehension in their communities. In addition, the dog is responsible for protecting their police handlers. Proceeds from the Dogtopia dog washes will defer costs for equipment such as ballistic vests, safety harnesses and the outfitting of cars.

Nichols began her campaign to raise awareness for military dogs, as well as working dogs of all kinds in July 2005. To accommodate the success of the campaign, she established a permanent charitable wing of her company called K-9 Support. To date, K-9 Support has raised more than $30,000 and sent more than 7,000 lbs of supplies overseas. Last year, seven locations participated in the annual dog wash and more than $7,000 was raised.

This year, locations in Manassas, VA; Chantilly, VA; Alexandria, VA; Woodbridge, VA; North Bethesda, MD; Danvers, MA; Waco, TX; Austin, TX; Omaha, NE; North Raleigh, NC; Temecula, CA and San Marcos, CA will participate in the dog wash with a goal of washing at least 100 dogs per location.

“The Dogtopia annual dog wash is our biggest event of the year for K-9 Support. I’m thrilled that so many of our locations are participating and that together we will raise needed funds and awareness for working dogs,” Nichols said. “Most dogs we’re in contact with lead pampered lives. We want to take care of the dogs that watch over us.”

Owners can bring their dogs in for a bath, where both can enjoy food and games. Several local businesses have committed to the fifth annual dog wash through donations and representation, including major players in the local canine industry. A $10 per dog wash donation is requested. Proceeds will go to the local Dogtopia franchisee’s organization of choice.

About Dogtopia®

Dogtopia®, founded in 2002, began offering franchises in 2005. Dogtopia prides itself on being a place where pets are valued as family and­ where dogs enjoy endless playtime and spa treatments in a positive environment. Dog owners have the assurance of leaving their beloved pets in the hands of trained professionals. Dogtopia® staff willingly nurtures each pet with attention and love. Each location offers a variety of fun activities, sociable training and comfortable boarding for dogs of all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities and temperaments.