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CARING for CANINES
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Michelle Evans of Dip-N-Clip Grooming trims Barkley’s coat during the fourth annual Responsible Dog Ownership Day at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles. Barkley is a soft-coated Wheaten terrier owned by Karen Orlaski of Austintown.
By Jordan Cohen
NILES
Donald Schultz, Elaine Sprague and Monica Hayes know the true test of loving dogs is being responsible for them.
Schultz, of Champion, adopted Milo, a Cane Corso, after rescuing him from “an abusive situation” in which the dog was locked in a basement. Sprague, of Bristol, decided to take care of the lab/pit bull mix she named Hershey after the dog, weighing only 5 pounds, was discovered in a box outside her Warren church. Monica Hayes, of Boardman, said being responsible means getting a microchip implant for her little Yorkie Picasso.
What brought all three and others like them together Sunday was the fourth annual Responsible Dog Ownership Day at the Eastwood Expo Center. For a $1 admission fee, dog owners could learn from various vendors about pet grooming, training, agility exercises and microchips.
Karen Lutz, event organizer, said money from admission fees and proceeds from auctions of gift baskets and T-shirt sales will be donated to Shelter Puppies, an organization that provides foster homes for dogs. Lutz is the organization’s president.
“I don’t know how much money we’re going to raise, but everything we get will help us take care of more puppies, get them their medical needs and microchipped, and then adopted,” she said.
“The microchip is what brought me here,” Hayes said shortly after Picasso underwent an implant. “He yelped a little, but he’s fine now and I’m glad I did this.” Microchip information is registered in a database and identifies a dog that is either lost or stolen.
Schultz said Milo has undergone extensive training — something he believes every dog should have.
“All my dogs have gone through training,” said Schultz, owner of four dogs besides Milo, who weighs 132 pounds and is still growing. Schultz said Milo has actually trained himself to go into his cage and fall asleep every night at 8:30.
Sprague’s dog has gone from severely underweight to a healthy 107 and accompanies his owner by walking alongside as she rides her bike. “Otherwise, he’s a professional couch holder,” she said.
There were lighthearted attention getters, such as Sophie, a large poodle with “a skeleton cut” for Halloween. The white dog sported fur that was cut to resemble skeletal bones with each “bone” dyed black. “We’re going to take her trick-or-treating all over Vienna,” said Brandy Sexton, Sophie’s owner.
A black and white Shetland sheep dog was leery of its initial training to walk on a teeter but enjoyed the treats its owner used to entice it.
“This isn’t just for training for dog shows,” said Sandy Irish of the Youngstown All Breed Training Club. “It’s just another way to have fun with your dog.”
Lutz said she hopes Sunday’s event will influence more people to foster dogs from Shelter Puppies. “Most of our foster families wind up adopting the dogs, so now we need more help,” she said.