Kirby's Korner

For Your Convenience!

In order to make our customers' hectic lives a bit easier, we are now carrying 2 more lines of dog food!

In addition to Canidae, Natural Balance and Honest Kitchen we now carry Wellness and Holistic Select.

As with everything we carry these are premium human grade lines of food, both of which won the Whole Dog Journal 2009 Editor’s Choice award. We’re happy to answer any question you have to help you make the right choice on what to feed your dog (see Did You Know section below).

So next time your pal is in for daycare or an overnight stay you can pick up their food as well! No extra trips to the store and our prices are amongst the best in town!

Kirby Wendel

VP of Quality Control
Owners Jeannie & Bryce's yellow lab

June Birthdays

A.J.	Artex	Ashley
Atticus	Audrey	Austin
Baily	B-Bop	Beau
Benny	Bleier	Blue
Brit	Buddy	Callie
Cap'n Jack	Cece	Charlie
Chester	Chloe	Chloe
Chopper	Cooper	Daisy
Desmond	Dude	Dyojii
Ellie	Eloise	Emma
Emma	Fozzie Bear	Frankie
GG	Gracie	Grizzly
Guinuss	Habibi	Hailey
Henry	Hobbes	Honey
Hunter	Hunter	Indy
Isabel	Jamie	Joey
Kai	Katie	Kona
Kukui	Latte	Lil' Brie
Lily	Lola	Louie
Lua	Lucky	Lucy
Lucy	Luke	Madagascar
Max	Max	Max
Mercedes	Murphy	Nami
Napoleon	Natalie	Natasha
Oddie	Pablo Picasso	Peanut
Perlita	Pete	Piper
Queso	River	Ruby
Rusty	Ruthie	Sadie
Sadie	Sadie	Sadie
Sakhii	Sam	Sammie
Sammy	Sampson	Sandy
Sasha	Sassy	Satchmo
Soldier	Sophie	Spreckles
Star	Sydney	Taj
Teddy	Tika	Toby
Tommy	Trigger	Trinity
Trip	Wally	Willow
Winston	Wrigley	Xena
Zappa	Zoey	Bodhi
Bojo	Buddy	Hayley
Jasmine	Josie	Kahlua
Logan	Panda	Piper
Porter	Rusty	Tres

Ask the Expert

Rattlesnakes

By Dr. Eileen Gillen – Emergency Veterinarian – CARE Hospital

DOGS vs. SNAKES
Dogs encounter snakes during play or work outside. Most bites occur on the face or extremities. Venoms are of two types, either neurotoxic (affecting the nervous system) or hemotoxic (affecting the blood and vessels). The venom of many snakes contains both components. The hemotoxic venom exerts its effect by disrupting the integrity of blood vessels. As a consequence swelling occurs and it can be dramatic with up to 1/3 of total blood circulation being into the tissues in a matter of hours. It also disrupts normal blood clotting mechanism and this can lead to uncontrolled blood loss. For dogs, a bite can be life-threatening although the severity depends on the health of the dog, the amount of venom injected (some bites are "dry") and what part of the dog is bitten. Bites in areas like the face and mouth, which are rich in blood vessels, are the worst. Unfortunately, dogs explore with their noses, so bites are usually inflicted on their faces. Dogs that have been bitten need to be taken to a veterinarian that has antivenin as soon as possible -- but don't make your dog run, because that will help the venom circulate and make things worse. Decrease your pet's mobility as much as possible, including carrying them if you can. Pets are treated with the same antivenin that's used in people. Call ahead to the veterinarian and make sure they have anti venin and/or get to the closest hospital that stocks antivenin. CARE Hospital in Santa Barbara maintains a year round supply of antivenin.

Click here to read full article.

Did You Know?

Basic Dog Nutrition – Which Food is Best for My Dog?

We are often asked which food is best for dogs; the answer is simple – there is no single ‘best’ food that is optimal for all. Just like humans, each dog is an individual. A food that one dog thrives on may stir up allergies or other adverse reactions for another. So how do we know what the best choice is for our furry pals? It is a process of trial and error.

So where do I start?  Step 1 is to start with a high quality food.  Here are some basic canine nutrition guidelines to help you decide:

First and Foremost - Read the labels!

Quality of ingredients – As with humans, dogs need a balanced, quality diet for optimal health.  The guidelines for quality are mainly common sense: 

• Human-grade cuts of meat are best (vs. by-products)
• Avoid  “Animal Fat” or “Meat Meal” that does not identify the animal source.  (Would you put unidentified mixed meat in your bowl?)
• Fresh vegetables and whole grains
• Stick to all natural - avoid artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives

Quantity of ingredients – When it comes to quantity of ingredients, the more is NOT the merrier. The more ingredients a commercial food contains (aside from added vitamins and minerals), the less it contains of each ingredient. Ingredients are listed by weight, so ideally you will see one or two meat proteins within the first few ingredients. It is important to note that whole meat (beef, chicken, lamb etc.) contains a lot of water weight, so you would want to see a few meats or meat-meals listed at the top to ensure a high level of protein.

If the food you are feeding your dog agrees with their system, you should see the following:

• A glossy coat
• Itch-free skin
• Bright, clear eyes
• Clear ears
• Happy, alert demeanor

If you note any adverse reactions, discontinue the food and try another with varied ingredients. As always, it is best to consult your veterinarian for any health matters concerning your family pets.

Happy food hunting!

Inside the Club

Saturday, June 6th 9:00am
Dioji Puppy School Training Class

A six week course begins for dogs 7 months of age or younger.

More information on our training classes can be found here.

Outside the Club

July 19th: 10am to 1pm
SB Botanic Garden Doggie Bagel Brunch

Enjoy a stroll through the gardens with you furry pal! Doggie snacks provided by Dioji and you can get your dogs ID tags made plus have you and your dogs caricature done along with many more activities. For more info/tickets: 682-4726 ext. 110. Garden members, $10, non-members, $25.

Barkimonial

Hi, I am Jake, a 17 month old Yellow Lab, who has been at Dioji since I was 4 months old. I am affectionately known as “Mr. Wiggles” by the Dioji staff. My folks are retired teachers and my favorite words to hear every morning is, “Jake, do you want to go to school and play with your friends?” I sit real tall in the car and strut my stuff up the sidewalk then totally lose it and become “Mr. Wiggles” when I see their smiling faces and get my morning hugs. They all love me and I have a safe place to play, learn, swim and romp with my friends. Mom and Dad call it “socialization” as now they can take me anywhere and I am a gentleman.

I am learning lots of good character traits too: “Kindness” to my friends; “Sharing”, ( trying not to be a ball hog); “Self-Control” and “Patience” while waiting for my turn in the swimming pool; and not to “Shop-lift” the cool toys and treats in Dioji’s gift shop. All I know is I have lots of fun and they even love me when I get “skunked”.

I don’t know how they do it, but I always feel like their favorite and I know they make all my friends feel the same way. DIOJI ROCKS!

Sincerely,
Jake Belch, a.k.a. Mr. Wiggles

-Janet and Jerry Belch
Owners

Dioji Family

Each month we would like to introduce one of our valuable team members to you so you can get to know the Dioji staff even better.

Who
Lois Cunningham

Position
Overnight Dog Associate

Hometown
Born in Detroit, moved to LA, then landed in Santa Barbara in 1987

Pets of your own
3 GRAND DOGGIES: 2 are senior boxes and of course Kalua our 2 yr old pit from K-9 Pals

Favorite or funniest Dioji moment
The most memorable time at Dioji was during the last fire...everyone at Dioji worked so well together and it was so great that we could help the people in the community with keeping their animals safe while they were dealing with evacuation.

Favorite thing about sleeping with the dogs
Sleeping with the dogs at Dioji is the best...the dogs are great company, and they enjoy the same movies I do (I don't hear any objections to my choices from them!)

Featured Product

Handmade Dog Collars

A new giant selection of collars just in! You are sure to find something unique for your pal with the dozens of new handmade collars just in.

Prices start at: $15.99