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Local Pet Sitters Create Puppy Diary Web Site

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Contributed by: Carol Mennig on 12/2/2006

Carol and John Mennig, co-owners of Treasure Coast Pet Services Inc. in Port St. Lucie, have created a web site of weekly photos and stories to share their golden retriever puppy's journey through "puppyhood". The web site URL is www.puppychronicles.com

Dakota is the little pure-bred Golden Retriever's name and she was born August 2nd. The idea for the web site came from their client's requests for pictures of the little puppy. Instead of emailing the pictures periodically to their clients, Carol, a part-time web designer, created a web site that the client's can visit, at their leisure, to view the little puppy's constantly changing body and behavior.

An interesting story exists behind the arrival of the little puppy and it starts with a 20 year old cat, named Shadow, who the Mennigs were sitting for for a client. The client, an elderly woman in Port St. Lucie, had to be hospitalized and would no longer be able to care for her aged cat and had no one else who could take the cat in. The client and her family felt her options were to either put the cat to sleep or put her in a shelter to be adopted, butknew the likelihood ofthe cat being adopted were slim at that advanced age.

Faced with those options, the Mennigs offered to help the family and adopt the cat into their household. They already had an Australian Shepherd, named Duke, that they had rescued 4 1/2 years ago at the age of 2 and Dukehad emotional scars of previous abuse and did not appear to like other dogs, cats or people other than his owners. So the Mennigs set up a room for Shadow where she was safe. To their amazement, Duke accepted Shadow and even would try to roll a ball to her to play with him.

The Mennig's had always wanted another dog as a companion and playmate for Duke but never felt that was possible with Duke's behavior but Shadow had shown them another side of Duke that they never knew actually existed.

This lead to thoughts about adding another dog to the household but what kind of dog and what age would be critical. They decided on a female puppy so Duke would not be challenged and a Golden Retriever as Carol had had several Golden Retrievers in the past and knew the breed would be the best match.

Thoughts became action and Dakota became Duke's little sister. After about 5 tense minutes at the time of introduction, Duke sniffed her and realized she was no threat and they have been the best of friends from that moment on.

Duke and Dakota now play constantly. Duke has shared his toys and tennis balls and now rolls the ball to Dakota to play with him. They play and play and play and then collapse and sleep beside one another. Shadow comes out to visit, when she feels up to it, and Dakota continues to be mesmerized by the aging feline and treats her gently.

The pictures on the web site each week reflect this amazing new relationship between a formerly abused Australian Shepherd and an innocent little Golden Retriever puppy.

Carol can be contacted at Treasure Coast Pet Services Inc. at 621-4488 or by email at floridapets@adelphia.net

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