Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at 8:03:39 AM by Daniel Rubenstein
On May 12th, 2005, Dan Rubenstein, President of KennelSource, presented “Tech Simple”, a fundamental guide to what every Pet Business Owner should consider for making sure that they have the right technology plan in place. The pet business owners that Dan presented to, typically do not have the time to dedicate to insuring that this critical component of their business is well attended to. In addition, most businesses in the Pet Industry are small to medium sized and cannot afford to have their own technology department or even a staff person for that matter. Therefore Dan stressed that companies should hire a consultant or company to assist them with their technology needs and planning. The money that is invested now in technology planning will pay huge dividends in the future as there will be no need to adjust the core components of the plan if it is well thought out.
Dan went on to educate the attendees about the critical components of a good technology plan as they relate to their specific business. These include Hardware, Software, Networking & Communication, Security, and, of course, Websites. Each of these components in and of themselves are important but when they are encompassed in one plan which takes into consideration all of the components together, it will make doing business a whole lot easier.
For a FREE technology assessment and information on completing a Technology plan, please contact Dan at drubenstein at kennelsource dot com.
Friday, May 13, 2005 at 5:32:34 PM by Edward Knittel
Next week (May 15-21) marks "National Dog Bite Prevention Week" and The Humane Society of the United States has a number of tips that you, your children, and your family should be made aware of. According to the American Veterinary Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 4.7 million Americans suffer from dog bites each year. The severity of the bites varies, but approximately 800,000 people each year are injured seriously enough to require medical attention, and 12 people die due to mortal wounds.
Make sure you and your children are familiar with these 11 steps to help prevent being bitten by a dog:
Speak quietly and move slowly around dogs.
Before petting someone's dog, ask the person's permission. If it's okay, approach slowly and quietly. Let the dog sniff you first, then pet the dog's sides or back gently.
Never sneak up on or pet a dog who is eating or sleeping. Animals may bite when they're startled or frightened.
Never pet a dog who is playing with a toy. Dogs are often protective of toys, and may think a child is trying to take it.
Never try to pet a dog who is in a car. Dogs will often protect that space.
Never pet a dog who is behind a fence. Most dogs naturally protect their property and home.
An angry dog may try to make herself look big: ears standing up, the fur on her back standing on end, and tail straight up (it may be wagging). She may bare her teeth and growl, and stare straight at whoever is approaching.
A frightened dog behaves differently, and may shrink to the ground, put his tail between his legs, and fold his ears back.
If you are walking, stop and stand still (like a tree) with your hands at your side.
If you are playing on the ground, lie still on the ground (like a log) with your knees tucked into your stomach and your hands over your ears. When you stay still and quiet like this, the dog will most likely just sniff you and go away.
Never, ever try to outrun a dog. Back away slowly from him instead.
More information from The Humane Society of the United States
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 5:40:26 PM by Edward Knittel
Dogs are amazing animals. They take on the life of their owners - becoming an extension of their beliefs and behavior. But they also possess an instinct to care and protect the weak and the innocent.
No example is clearer than the one reported this week out of Ngong Forrest in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Here, a stray, nameless dog carried the baby wrapped in a torn shirt out of the forrest, across a busy street, through a barbed wire fence and into a shed. The dog, with puppies of her own, looked over and protected the child for nearly two days before the newborn was discovered and taken to a local hospital.
The baby was found after two children reported hearing an infant's cries near their wood-and-corrugated-metal shack.
They eventually found the tan mixed-breed dog lying protectively with a puppy beside the mud-splattered baby wrapped in a torn black shirt, Adhiambo said. The short-haired dog with light brown eyes has no name, residents said.
But "Angel", as the child has been named by workers at the hospital, now has a name and home and a future thanks to the efforts of one lonely, stray dog who sensed - whether through sound or smell or some feeling - that this human child was worth protecting. Of course who knows how long Angel would have survived with without food outdoors, but her fate surly was not any better abandoned out in the woods. This dog which was probably on a similar future path close to death and despair did not attack Angel or harm her or do anything other than provide the most comfort it possibly could.
I believe it's something important to remember and to think about when we look at our own pets and stray dogs and cats. These animals can be like children in many ways - full of unconditional love and yet easily molded into whatever thoughts WE desire. A lesson to learn from this is that generally speaking a dog will not attack or hurt you unless taught or provoked by YOU. But they might just save your life.
More information from CNN
Monday, May 02, 2005 at 3:12:35 PM by Edward Knittel
When I dig through our web server referral logs I can see how people find our web site based on the words that they are searching for. Obviously, we're concerned about phrases like "boarding kennel software" and "dog boarding software" among others (for Pawtracker™ of course). But it's not unusual to see people finding our web site for searches like "dog grooming and boarding 60181" because of our growing pet listings.
Unfortuantely, while our listings expand nearly every day (and we encourage all of you to add your pet business) we just can't list every single one right by your house. But there's a great service that can even though you may have never heard of it - Google Local.
So, say you are looking for "dog grooming and boarding" in the "60181" zip code: this is what you'd see. Each business entry has an address, phone number, a link to their web site. There's also a map that shows each of the entries in relation to and proximity to each other. It works even better if you supply an address (like, say your home address). So if I wanted to find "dog grooming and boarding" near the KennelSource headquarters "205 N Michigan Ave, Chicago IL": this is what I'd see.
Obviously, this will work for any business type out there as well (pizza, office supplies, etc). But I thought I'd offer this bit of unsolicited advice to all of our visitors looking for local kennel.
More information from Google Local
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