My Fire Hydrant

Last Thursday, we left a skeletal crew at the our HQ in Dayton and most of us headed to Middletown Ohio to spend the day rehabbing a no-kill animal shelter that needed our help. This is the 2nd year that we’ve taken a day away from our jobs to Paws for a Cause (see October 2008) and rebuild an animal shelter in our area. My teammate, Jen, wrote up this report, with LOTS of photos! 

Ken & Jen

When I heard that PAWS Animal Shelter in Middletown Ohio had been chosen as this year’s “Paws for a Cause II” shelter rehab sponsored by P&G Pet Care, I was thrilled.  Not only is it a great shelter that has been in existence since 1979, but I used to volunteer there when I was in college!  I met Ken Rhoads, Executive Director of the shelter; he was delighted to have the support of Iams/Eukanuba.

We arrived at the shelter, and it was like stepping back in time- exactly how I remembered it 15 years ago.  Soon, over 150 Iams employees arrived, ready to take a break from their regular work and help improve the lives of more cats and dogs, our vision at Iams and Eukanuba.

Paws for a Cause

Organizing the crew

Orange shirts designate crew chiefs

Ready to start!

Ken Rhoads, Dan Rajczak, John Goodwin

John is outgoing VP, Global Pet Care & Snacks, Dan is incoming VP, Global Pet Care & Snacks

Dan talks about what this day means to us.

Ken tells us about the shelter.

There was a lot of work put into this–even before we showed up.  Garden tools, paint, rollers, pavers, mulch, shingles, organizing working teams, music to motivate us, and food. We arrived by bus–one from Cincinnati and one from Dayton. And we got right to work!

Kim & Amy

Pricilla, a bundle of energy!

Michele & Emily

Tools & Supplies

Before...

...After!

Stacks of sod waiting to be placed!

A dog play area needing new grass.

Laying sod in the rain.

...after!

Vicki just finished laying sod!

A corner of the lot....

...becomes an attractive doggie garden!

The side of the building gets some attention.

A lovely flower bed leads up to a bench where dogs and dog walkers can enjoy the sun!

A new fence was built, giving the dogs in their kennels some privacy:

Setting up the fence frame.

Setting up the fence frame.

Fence king, David from Marketing!

Putting the fence together.

The fence crew!

The new fence is finished!

 Inside, new cat walks for the kitties, fresh paint, lotsa cleaning, and beautiful murals:

Lori paints.

Painting a cat room.

Yeechin helps with the masking tape.

Painting and cleaning.

Scrubbing the pet bath.

Fresh paint for cleaner-looking walls!

Christine and Paige

One cat room, before....

...and after.

Before....

...and after!

The kitties like their new perches!

Cutting new shelves for the kitties! Before...

...after!

Decorating a door to one of the cat rooms.

Once the picture is done, the rest of the door will be painted white.

One cat room door completed!

Decorating the wall.

More mural work.

Done!

Dave can't believe how good the murals look!

Eukanuba presented PAWS with dog agility equipment, to be used by shelter dogs and also dog-owners within the community.

The ribbon cutting on a new agility course!

And Iams brought in a load of food!

Unloading the food.

Unloading the food.

Nice clean shelves!

More food!

We took a lunch break.

Yummy food!

A nice break for hard workers!

And did I mention our DJ, Kris? He kept us groovin’ even when it rained!

Kris plays DJ!

UGH! We were right in the middle of all the rain!

More painting, painting and a whole lot of elbow grease…..

Mud everywhere!

The fencing looked much better after a coat of silver paint.

Fence painting went on all day, even in the rain!

Some people brought their own tractors.

Pawprints, spray-painted on the parking lot.....

...showed the way....

...to the shelter and great pets!

There is always the unexpected. On the day of this event, 2 dogs were dumped in the parking lot.  I am happy to report, both were taken home that same day!

By the end of the day, we were tired, wet from the rain and very, very muddy.  I bet, if you asked anyone that volunteered that day, they would all say, “It was worth it.“

Dr. Melody and Dr. Amy -- two of our veterinarians

Tired, but happy.

Everybody was muddy!

What a great day!

Come adopt a pet!

Our guests (Caroline, Amy, Lana,  Nicole,  John, Dr. Janet, Dr. Eric, Karen and Skeezix) arrived on Wednesday September 9 in the afternoon. Our first activity was a get-to-know-you dinner at a very nice restaurant. Karen and Skeezix were the last to arrive–in fact, they were driven directly from the airport to the restaurant where we had just started on the appetizers.

As we sat around the table getting acquainted, we talked about our pets. Karen (also known as the Food Lady, or FL, on Skeezix’s blog), told us that she never traveled anywhere without her cat, Skeezix, and did we want to meet Skeezix? (Remember, Karen came to the restaurant directly from the airport, and she came in with a large shoulder bag which she had pushed underneath the table when she sat down next to me.)

Meet Skeezix? We’re in the middle of a fancy restaurant….does she mean that her cat is in that big bag she had pushed under the table? Poor kitty, stuffed in a bag under a table!? What if the wait staff saw him?–we’d be thrown out! Does the hotel know she’s traveling with her cat? What would we do with the kitty the next day when we toured our Pet Health & Nutrition Center?

I looked across the table at my boss, Marti. Her eyes were glazed and the size of our dinner plates. I watched her reach for her cell phone and I knew she was about to make a call in search of a kitty sitter. Everyone else at the table watched Karen, and we all expected to see a furry feline at any moment.

Next to me, Karen leaned down and pulled her bag out from under the table. I watched as she opened it. All I could see were her laptop and some file folders–was the kitty hiding in the part that was still under the table?

And then, she pulled out the Flat-Cat!

Skeezix Joins Us For Dinner.

Skeezix-the-Flat-Cat was an immediate hit with all of us and became our blogger summit mascot. He had dinner with us. And then joined us for ice cream.

Marti, Karen (AKA the Food Lady), Skeezix, and Nicole

Caroline, the FL, and Skeezix

Discussed kitty politics with Caroline, who is a staffer for the famous Romeo-the-Cat.

Skeezix Enjoys a Beverage

Skezzix went bowling with us, where we competed in the first ever Pins for Pets Tournament (more about that later).

Kitty and OJ? Great way to start the day!

 Skeezix entertained us during breakfast, 

Skeezix, Karen (FL), and Kris

and acted as tour guide when my voice gave out. Skeezix even made friends with my Substitute-Bailey while the humans talked with Dan Rajczak and other Iams/Eukanuba key people. 

Substitute-Bailey and Skeezix-the-Flat-Cat

Skeezix-the-Flat-Cat is a charmer! (More photos here.) If you visit Karen’s blog or Skeezix’s blog you will find all kinds of photos of him and his travels. Karen told me that she will soon be posting directions that anyone can follow and create their own Flat-Cat or Flat-Dog.

I see a Bailey-the-Bichon-Flat-Dog in my future!

Shelley (one of my favorite people and a long-time friend) has been part of Pet Care for 16 years.

What a great time!  I had the chance to go to the Bark in the Park event at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio on September, 15, 2009.  It was so much fun to see over 500 dogs and their pet parents enjoying a traditional baseball game! The evening festivities included:

• Pre-game pet parade on the track surrounding the field.
• Meet breeders and learn about many of your favorite breeds.
• Participate in pre-game dog contests and win great prizes.
• Shop the pet expo in the Dog Zone, located in the Fan Zone!
• Have your photo taken with your dog in front of a special Reds Backdrop (requires donation).
• First 10,000 pet owners received a pet bowl, courtesy of Eukanuba.

We arrived just before the parade started.  The dogs were all decked out in their Reds gear which included small items like a bandana or hat to a full blown Reds dress or outfit.  One dog had even received a pawdicure before the game and had red nails!  The parade was followed by the Pet Butler for clean up.  They were carrying a banner with a catchy phrase – “Got poop? We scoop!”.  I had that phrase in my head all night!

I had a chance to visit all the booths in the “Dog Zone”.  There were Meet the Breed tables that include Boxer, Dachshund, Petit Basset Griffon, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever.  I stopped to meet two beautiful Petit Basset Griffons and was so impressed with their personalities.  I had never met this breed in person….they are adorable dogs!  The vendors included local shelters and retailers from the area.  We weren’t able to bring Murphy with us because the dog seats were sold out.  So we decided to bring home a surprise for him.  I ended up with a really cool toy that that claims to be virtually destructible.  I’m curious to see how it holds up in our house!

The first “fetch” was retrieved by Anderson, a Labrador Retriever from Canine Companions for Independence.  Our fearless Eukanuba Marketing Director threw out the first pitch to start the game.  He has a great right arm!  The game was tied when we left around the 7^th inning.  Our two-legged munchkin was ready to go home to see her “Murmee”.  I saw that the Reds won 5-4.  I can’t help but think that all the “Paw Power” in the stands helped bring them to a victory.

India

When we arrived home, Murphy & India were sad that they couldn’t go to the game with us.  We had picked up a Eukanuba bandana for them.  So they each took turns wearing it and posing for the camera.  We promised to try to get doggy tickets for them next year.  Overall, a great time was had by everyone!!

Murphy

Caroline, who is on staff for Romeo the Cat

Amy, who blogs at Love Meow

Lana from Petside

Nicole from DogTime 

John from Avenue K9

Dr. Janet, who blogs at About Vet Med

Dr. Eric who blogs at The Dogster and Catster Vet Blog  

And Karen, the The Cat’s Meow on Catster blogger, who brought her flat cat Skeezix who blogs at Skeezix’s Scratching Post.

 I am working on an overview of the event which I will post in a few days. For now, check out these wonderful sites!

On our way, Thursday morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EUKA!

On September 13, 2001 a Golden Labernese dog named Kuna was born.

Two years later, our office felt empty because we had recently lost our longtime V.P. of Canine Communications, Kersey (a beautiful and loving Golden Retriever). So we formed a small group to find our next Canine Communications employee. At the time, our Eukanuba team was working with a canine assistance organization in Quebec named MIRA on a project to celebrate canine assistance teams and the importance of Eukanuba nutrition for assistance dog performance.

We saw an opportunity to include MIRA as a possible source for our next Canine Communications Specialist. They suggested we look into their “flunkie program” of dogs who did not quite have what it takes for assistance work, but who would make wonderful companions. Kuna was one of these dogs.

Euka attends a meeting with her roommate, Vicki.

Kuna found herself with the “flunkie” designation for having “bonding issues.” Kuna got too attached to her designated human training companion and sometimes lost focus on her job as a service animal. This flaw could be dangerous for someone depending on Kuna as their canine assistance companion.

The folks at MIRA thought Kuna would be perfect as Canine Communications Specialist for Iams/Eukanuba. After a couple of visits to meet Kuna our search team agreed, and we began the adoption process which included giving Kuna a new name. We decided to call her Euka.

Euka's Office

And so Euka became our second Canine Communications Specialist. Her main duty involves “dogging” her post in the lobby of our head quarters in Dayton Ohio. She is responsible for greeting all guests and making them feel at home. Her “office” area includes a bed, toy bin (with toys), and other essentials. She was officially introduced at a company quarterly meeting where she received an enormous round of applause (so loud that it probably frightened her!). We were very excited to have a Canine Communications Specialist in the lobby again!

Within her first year, Euka was performing with excellence at her lobby post, and her role was rapidly expanding. By the end of 2004, Euka was promoted to Vice President of Canine Communications for The Iams Company and appeared Fortune Magazine with P&G CEO A.G. Lafley.

Euka continues to showcase her innate skills to bond with people and connect with all that meet her. She maintains a weekday work schedule. She often visits assisted living centers and hospitals to brighten the days of adults and children alike, and she regularly attends events like:

Euka says, "Play ball!"

• Take Your Dog to Work Day
• Take Your Child to Work Day
• The P&G Annual Shareholders Meeting
• The P&G Annual Summer Intern Orientation at the P&G Global Offices
• Different marketing executions
• Dog Park Grand Openings
• Shelter ground breakings
• Pet oriented fundraisers
• Parades, as Grand Marshall (including the Bark at the Park with the Cincinnati Reds)

We have so many testimonials that reflect on the joy our partners and

friends feel when Euka welcomes them to P&G Pet Care or attends an event. In fact, they never fail to voice their disappointment when Euka is out of the office.

We could not be more thankful for how Euka has enhanced our lives. She represents more than a quirky title or role. She brings our mission, vision and company principle values to life everyday.

Happy Birthday, sweet Euka! May you have many, many more!

I was very fortunate today to get to sit in on a conference call with Mike Arms–who I have already said many times is one of my heroes.

On this significant day, he reminded me of the story of Roselle, the seeing-eye dog who got her master, Michael Hingson, out of the World Trade Center alive. Michael and Roselle were on the 78th floor of WTC One when the  plane hit.

Mike met Mr. Hingson not long after the event. As Mike tells the story Mr. Hingson and Roselle felt the building tremble as the plane hit. They could smell the jet fuel, and they heard all the chaos.

Mr. Hingson knew he had to stay calm so that Roselle could do her job. They started the long treck down the stairs, meeting firefighters on their way up. Each time he was asked, “Can we help you get down the stairs.” Each time he answered, “No, Roselle will get me there. There are other people who need your help.” And as they passed, the firefighters would pet Roselle and she would give their hands a lick. For many of these heroes, this was the last loving contact they received.

Michael Hingson & hero-dog Roselle

Roselle guided Mr. Hingson to safety.  ”I survived that day because of lessons I had learned about teamwork and team building. It took all my experiences, confidence and discipline, as well as the support and relationship I had with my guide dog Roselle, to lead a group of people safely down the stairs, escaping the building  just moments before Tower Two collapsed less than 100 yards away from me,” says Mr. Hingson. ”Eight years ago, we united as a nation in response to unprecedented attacks on our values, beliefs and freedom. Today, we have a similar opportunity to unite to help each other overcome these challenges.”

God bless all of our heroes–the 2-legged and the 4-legged.

Canine heroes of 9/11