TO REACH US - Allegheny West Magazine

Our SponsorsMeadow Ridge Kennels in Burgettstown offers fullservice boarding, training, and grooming in a quietcountry setting with large outdoor/indoor runs. Boardingservices also include nature walks and bathing. All dogsare welcome, any size, geriatric, or those with specialneeds. Meadow Ridge is open seven days a week plusholidays. Manager Kerri Wisniewski is a vet technicianwith 15 years of experience on site. Tours are availableby appointment. Call (724) 344-0521.Are you looking for just the right food for your dog orcat? Let the folks at Imperial Agway help you figureit out. Imperial Agway carries a full line of pet foodsfrom Natural and Holistic to economy lines. They canhelp you find a food that you will be happy with andyour pet will love, at a resonable price. Some of thelines even offer a frequent buyer program. If you wouldlike to try a food that isn’t in the store, many others areavailable via special order with free shipping to thestore. For more information, call us at (724) 695-7388, or visit the Web site at: www.ImperialAgway.com.Taylor Pet Loss Center in conveniently located justfive miles from the Bridgeville exit off I-79. We servepet families in their time of loss. As an extension ofColeman-Taylor Funeral Services, we use ourexperience in death care to help pet families when apet dies. We offer cremation and burial services as wellas urns and caskets. We have a well appointed room inwhich to say your final goodbye to your beloved pet. Wewelcome inquiries before the need arises, so you canbe educated on the many options that you have foryour pet. Contact us at (724) 745-9510.Joyce Jennette, owner of Joyce’s Groom n’ GoMobile Pet Salon, brings her fully contained doggrooming van to the customer’s driveway or door. In aone-on-one environment between groomer and pet, sheoffers complete grooming packages for dogs small,medium, and some large. Joyce also offers de-sheddingfor dogs using the Furminator process, and a uniquenew teeth cleaning program she just introduced thatcustomers can also use in their home to maintain theirpet’s dental health. Joyce has five years’ groomingexperience. To reach Joyce, call (412) 225-6404 or visither Web site at www.jjgroomngo.com. Joyce is a memberof the American Mobile Groomers Association.At Portraits of Animals, working from yourphotographs, your custom portrait can include one ormore pets and even family members in pastel, pencil,pen and ink, watercolor, or colored pencil. You don’tneed to have the perfect picture to get the pose youreally want because I create a composite portrait fromphotos and perhaps a meeting. Many portraits havebeen memorials to pets who are gone but will neverbe forgotten, others have been given as a specialpersonalized gift. Please visit www.bernadette-k.comto for more information and to browse my work.~Bernadette E. Kazmarski, artist and writer.LEFT: Rocky, ofNorth Fayette.Why Adopt a Shelter Pet?Experts agree: pets are good for us! Pets bring love and laughter into our lives,encourage us to exercise and play, and even help lower our blood pressure. Pets are goodfor families because they help kids learn about empathy and responsibility.But with so many places to adopt, rescue, or purchase a pet, the amount of researchinvolved can be overwhelming. Whether you’re looking for your first pet or are anexperienced pet owner, you should first consider the many benefits of adopting from ashelter.Animal Friends, located on Camp Horne Road in the North Hills, can help. AnimalFriends houses a minimum of 250 homeless pets every day. This population consists ofdogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and rabbits of various breeds, ages, sizes, temperaments, andbackgrounds.Why adopt from a shelter? Shelters offer pets of all ages and breeds. When familiessurrender pets to Animal Friends, they frequently cite reasons of allergies, an impendingmove, or other changes in the household. Their pets end up homeless through no faultof their own. And, 25% percent of the dogs who enter shelters are purebreds (But, savvyadopters know that mutts can have all the best traits of their favorite breeds!)Shelters can make the right match for your family. Whether your household bustleswith kids and busy parents, you’re settling into retirement, or you’re a singleprofessional, Animal Friends has the right pet for you. The Adoption Counselors knoweach pet’s experience and can recommend anything from a cat who has livedharmoniously with kids and dogs to a four-legged jogging partner.Shelter adoption is the best deal around. In additional to gaining a lifelongcompanion (which is simply priceless!), you have the added comfort of knowing thatmany of the initial expenses of pet ownership have already been covered. For example,Animal Friends absorbs a significant financial expense for every animal that comesthrough the doors. Every animal receives a veterinary exam, is spayed or neutered,vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed and is treated with a flea and tick preventive.When you adopt from Animal Friends, the shelter requests a donation of $75 for dogsand cats, $125 for puppies, $100 for kittens and $60 for rabbits. These donations,while appreciated, do not cover the cost of the animals’ care.Shelters offer a support system. When you adopt from a place like Animal Friends,you can always return with questions or to get advice. Animal Friends also offersbehavior training classes and pet-friendly social events.It’s the compassionate thing to do. An estimated 20,000 pets are euthanized inAllegheny County alone each year. The primary cause of euthanasia is petoverpopulation: too many unwanted animals and too few adoptive homes. When youadopt from Animal Friends, you open a cage for another pet who would otherwise nothave a chance–a hungry stray, an animal removed from a situation of cruelty or neglect,or one in the custody of an organization that may not be able to guarantee the pet’ssurvival. Any adopter will tell you that “recycled” pets are simply the best!Animal Friends is located at 562 Camp Horne Road and is open 7 days a week. Viewadoptable animals and learn more about the adoption process by visitingwww.ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org.About the Cover PhotographerSUBMITTED BY ANIMAL FRIENDSDave Knoer, owner of K-Kamera Photojournalistic Services, has garnerednumerous awards for his photography. His work includes events and weddings,crises, families and children. Dave uses his photographic expertise to workactively with the American Red Cross, where he is a fully certified volunteer anda member of the crisis response team. Dave has received numerous awards andhonors for his work, and has donated extensive volunteer service to dozens oflocal and state community organizations in Arizona. To learn more, visitwww.k-kamera.com.Pets Are Among Life’sMost Precious Treasures50 Allegheny West Magazine June 2010