• Halloween safety for pets
• Caryn's Halloween fun and safety

We've come across a lot of other dogs named Lucy.

• Lucy the pit bull's owner beat me to registering the domain lucydog.com.

Here are a number of Lab and general dog-info pages; animal shelters and rescue groups; why to spay/neuter your pets; why not to buy a pet shop puppy; where to get additional information.

Help and protect animals in VA, nationally, and around the world:

• Did your dog wander off? Find someone else's? Fill out Fairfax County's Lost Dog Form

• Call the Washington Humane Society to report instances of animal cruelty or to get help with an animal emergency. They are available 24/7. 202-BE-HUMANE (202-234-8626); adam.p@washhumane.org. Be sure to use their other contacts instead if it is not an emergency.

• Northern Virginia German Shepherd Rescue is raising money to buy bullet-proof, stab-proof vests for Virginia police K-9s. Please go here if you can help.

• LABMED has a year-round online shop with links to other online vendors which give some or all of their sales proceeds to LABMED. They rescue and pay medical expenses for Labs and Lab mixes in great financial need only (if they had more money, they could help more Labs).
  • Volunteers (myself included!) donate our sewing efforts to make LABMED's yearly Lab-themed quilt. It's auctioned off early each fall. Here are links to each year's quilt. The 2000 quilt - the first - is featured on the main page, previous link.
    • 2006 - I didn't help with the main quilt, but I made four blocks for the "Second Chance" quilt. They're in the "Courthouse Steps" pattern and feature Labs playing outside.
      A Stitch in Time VII Saves . . . Labradors!
    • 2004 - A Stitch in Time V: A Day at the Lake The 2004 LABMED quilt is a little different than the previous few. This one was put together by a handful of regulars, but I didn't get to take part. It does look very coherent - Labs playing along and in a lake. The group is called "The LABMED Quilters", and the group has done all of the main quilts from 2004 on.
    • 2003 - A Stitch in Time IV: The Labrador: A Dog For All Reasons I did the log cabin block on the top right. The fabrics are mostly from the 70s, when I was growing up.
    • 2002 - A Stitch in Time III: Labrador Heroes LOVED how this one turned out. Really strong visually. I sewed and inscribed two blue blocks, #43 and #51, and also sewed two red blocks that someone else inscribed. My first triangles. You can see I'm still getting seams to line up...
    • 2001 - A Stitch in Time II: Labradors at Work and Play The green and black block with the pink in the center has a photo of Lucy - my first quilt block ever - and it shows!
    • 2000 - A Stitch in Time Saves Labradors The first LABMED quilt - before I helped out

• If you live in Virginia, there is a specialized license plate you can request: .
  It has a picture of a dog and a cat and can be personalized. You can get a handicapped symbol on it if applicable. Some of the proceeds go to animal humane societies.
  Approximately 25-30 other states, including Maryland and New York, have or are in the process of introducing similar license plates.

• For all sorts of animal activism and welfare, go to the home page of The Humane Society of the United States. They offer a HSUS credit card with your choice of a cat or dog photo. Each time you make a purchase, the HSUS gets a little bit of money. You can order HSUS checks and address labels; 10% of each purchas goes to HSUS. They also have an online store in which they sell greeting cards (some can be personalized), address labels, animal calendars, sweatshirts, and ID tags, and you can ask to receive a copy of their complete catalog via snail-mail.

• A very similar site is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). They too offer a credit card with either a dog or cat image and have an animal-themed online shop.

• Don't think dogs' tails should be cut off for hunting or for competition? Didn't know this was even done? Looking for breeders who will not dock their pups' tails? Please visit S.P.U.D., the Society for the Promotion of Undocked Dogs.

• 11/06/00: Lucy passed the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test! Yay!!! I don't agree with the AKC's support of ear cropping or disdain of non-purebreds whatsoever, but the CGC is a good enough idea. Too bad the AKC looks down on mutts so much. Dog shows are ridiculously elitist.

National rescue or other assistance orgs; reference books/sites/FAQs; important information
(see Lucy's adoption page if you're looking for a dog to adopt):

• Helping pets adjust to an expanding family
• Can we help you keep your pet? - a guide to common pet problems and ways of dealing with them.
• State Farm Insurance offers free brochures teaching owners what they can do to minimize the chance of their dog biting anyone and free activity books teaching children how to act safely around dogs. Here's the order form. They also have a page with a media kit and a list of people who are available for interviews on the topic of dog bites.
• LabMed is a group which provides medical care/financial aid for rescued, injured Labs. They have an annual November auction of dog-related items, to raise money for their organization and dogs. If you can help, or if you know of a Lab (particularly a rescue Lab) in dire need of medical assistance, please contact them.
• If you're thinking about getting a dog, and think a calm dog sounds better for your lifestyle than a playful pup (which we'd like to get at some point, but not now), check out The Senior Dogs Project. They try to find homes for no-longer-pups, and post health care info for older dogs as well.
• IMOM ("In Memory of Magic") - educational anti-puppy-mill site
• Hearts United for Animals, in the Midwest, is a wonderful organization that provides a refuge for numerous animals who just can't be placed elsewhere for medical, age, or other reasons. They have volunteers in many states. If you hear about animals in need of assistance, or if you hear of possible puppy mills that should be investigated, or if you would like to help, please contact them. They have an on-line store called The Sirius Shoppe which has lots of gift items for people and pets, including holiday animal pins and earrings (even Chanukah stuff!) Check out their funny stuff too.
• Why to be careful if you're thinking about buying a pet store puppy
• Not all people/organizations/companies/stores who sell puppies are puppy mills, but it's good to know what's out there (and how to stop a puppy mill if you think you've come across one)
• Missy, an English Springer Spaniel who came from a puppy mill
• The extremely useful Dog Owner's Guide, by Canis Major Publications
• Dominance:
  • Jonsha Rottweilers' copy of The Dog in the Human Pack, aka. how to think Dog and stay/become Alpha in your own pack
  • Nothing in life is free - a nonconfrontational approach to training a dog with a dominant streak
  • Can we help you keep your pet? - dominance refs
• http://www.i-love-dogs.com - links to all sorts of dog sites, products, and information
• An AltaVista list of links to dog health info
• Have an unspayed female? Is she "nesting" but not pregnant? Read this Dog Fancy article on pseudopregnancies in dogs to find out more (spaying is the recommended solution).
• The HSUS' info pages for pet owners
• Animal abuse in various U.S. states (links to incidents for each state)
• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) runs a National Animal Poison Control Center with 800 and 900 numbers; they charge $30 per case unless the call involves a product covered by the Animal Product Safety Service (APSS). Here's their page on how to prevent poisonings in the first place. In addition, they sell videos on first aid for dogs, cats, and small children and have a Learning to CareHumane Education online store.
• Although they breed rather than rescue their ponies, the group Personal Ponies has a very noble mission. They provide tiny UK Shetland ponies to disabled children, just for cuddling. The family pays for the pony's food and routine care for as long as they take care of the pony, and then the group takes the pony back when the family no longer needs its companionship for their child.

• Some of the graphics on Lucy's Pages are from The Dog Hause. Please visit their spay/neuter page.

Northern VA and the DC Metro area:

• See Lucy's adoption page for links to local rescue/adoption/humane groups

• VET: we used Pender Vet since we got Lucy in December 1997 and have been very happy with them. They are at 703/591-3304, 4001 Legato Rd. in Fairfax (they appear to be at the corner of West Ox Road and Route 50). They are open and have experienced people on staff (in the office - NOT just on call!) AND will answer the phone and help with questions/problems 24 hours a day. Plus they have in-office evening hours (last appointment 10:15pm!), which is great for those who don't want to or can't take off from work easily. They have been very nice to Lucy for checkups, her spay, and her ear infections, and she enjoys going there to sniff around (though she doesn't like they treats they give her after the doctor's visit, and is happy to return home by the time we're done). They aren't the least expensive vet option around, but we feel we're getting a great deal considering their availability and the treatment we've gotten. We mostly use Dr. Len Rice - he's a nice guy, very knowledgeable, and has done a great job with Lucy. He tends to work evenings.

Some other Lab/Rottie/general rescue groups/sites:

• Labrador World has a virtual dog show Ooops - lost that link! Try later...
• APLA (American Pointing Labrador Association)
• a Lab site in Italy (in English and Italian)
• The Humane Society of Greater Miami, in Florida, has an online PuppyCam

All fun:

• DogPack.com's multicolored clickers
• 
• Fuzzy Faces - Free Doggy Graphics
• Obstacle courses, etc.: The Dog Agility Page
• Lab holiday cards for sale (donations from the proceeds are made to a guide dog foundation)
• Sandy of French-Vanilla Labradors makes Lookie Cookies (dog treats) as well as Pick of the Litter Puppies (barley-stuffed, optionally vanilla-scented little Labs for your monitor or shelf or windowsill). She also makes smaller pups with suction cups on the paws for your car or windows, and tiny ones with safety pins to wear or put on a bulletin board. Non-Lab pups, holiday and birthday "outfits," "bride" and "groom" pups, and other special orders are welcomed. Sandy has made a special one for me of Lucy:
  
  Sandy donates some of the profit from these treats and crafts to LabMed (see elsewhere on this page for more info on LABMED).
• Dog crafts - free patterns. Aimed at greyhounds, but good for many dogs. Encourages that you make two and donate one to a rescue organization so they can auction it off.

• Lucy's suggestions from for books & music about pets

  Traveling with your pet:

• DogFriendly.com - New!
• Dog Friendly Hotels - 2/6/98
• Florida Travel Guide - pets page
• The Dog Play page
• Taking your pet on vacation
• Marriott has a new line of places to stay called TownePlace Suites; the "Suites" page says "pets welcome"! The site has a list of locations.
• Pets Welcome - an online directory of hotels, motels, etc. which allow pets. Searchable by state, then by city - but can only do one city at a time :-<
• TravelWeb allows you to search for pet-friendly accomodations

• The Rottie-L mailing lists's Rottie-L dictionary: many, but not all, of these apply to Lucy. I'm looking for a similar Lab dictionary so I can check which traits are which, and which are both.
• For kids: Janet Wall's (a kid's guide to dog care, with lots of useful info & fun graphics)
• a quiz about you and your dog

Lucy's Yard is a member (founder, really) of the Offleash Dogs Web Ring. Previous | Next | Random Site | List Sites | Join I want a place to play offleash!

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Dog, Dogs, a Canine Wonderland! - If you love dogs, visit I-Love-Dogs.com now for tons of free dog stuff!

Lucy's site has these main sections:

• Lucy's Yard (main page)
• Lucy's Story tells how we ended up with Lucy, fun we've had, and problems we're working on
• Lucy's Pix has pictures of Lucy with her human and canine friends
• Lucy's Dog Park Page has info about Northern VA and other places dogs can play together
• Lucy's Adoption and Fostering Page contains numerous links to national and DC-area shelters, humane societies, and animal rescue groups
• Lucy's Links Page has spay/neuter and general dog information links, links to sites whose products benefit dog rescue/humane groups, info about traveling with dogs, and the web rings she's in

  ...and don't forget these:

• Offleash Dogs Web Ring, which I would never had started had it not been for Lucy
• Lucy's Suggestions for books & movies, available through Amazon: mostly about dogs/other pets and/or for kids, but not all! Some are classics; some are simply fun and/or thought-provoking
• I'm Stumped! CafePress shop, for dog-themed and other clothes, gifts, stickers, and more
• I'm Stumped: the blog! - for those semi-regular commentaries, rants, and practical suggestions

*REAL* e-mail is good! - lucydog@imstumped.com

Spammers are forbidden to use this address for any reason.

Go to Air's Home Page

This page last updated 07/30/10