Happy Easter from ABBA! VIP Specials & Easter tips - ABBA Newsletter

In This Issue:

HAPPY EASTER from ABBA
AUTUMN VIP MEMBER SPECIAL
FACEBOOK CELEBRITY
ABBA PET CELEBRITIES
DOGGY DAYCARE AT ABBA
DOGGY DAYCARE AT ABBA
PET CHAUFFEUR SERVICE
REST IN PEACE CASSIUS
PET RECIPES
EASTER PET SAFETY
PET EASTER ACTIVITIES
PET TRICKS
MOOMBA WEEKEND FUN
JUST FOR A LAUGH

HAPPY EASTER from ABBA

EasterBulldogNL To all of our special friends (furry or otherwise),
we at Abba Kennels and Cattery would like to wish you a safe & 'pawesome' Easter! We will be looking after many of your friends and family members over the Easter holidays and look forward to lots of fun and playtimes!
We would like thank you for your support and patronage of our business. We love what we do and we hope you love it too!
From the team at ABBA

AUTUMN VIP MEMBER SPECIAL

DOGGY SPECIAL
Mention your VIP status and this newsletter to receive a FREE 2 hour play (worth $10)!

FELINE SPECIAL
Mention your VIP status and this newsletter to receive 1 FREE night during your stay (worth over $20)!

FACEBOOK CELEBRITY

And the winner is....

DARREN DOBSON! (owner of Sam & Balti, two gorgeous Cavaliers)
Congratulations Darren, our Autumn Facebook Celebrity prize is 2 FREE daycare dates for Sam and Balti at a time of your choosing.
Darren brings Sam & Balti to hang out with us at ABBA for daycare, we love having them come to play with us!

Do you want to be a winner?
We love reading the feedback and comments on our Facebook page. To say thank you for your valued contribution to our online community we will be choosing one loyal follower each season as the winner of our Facebook celebrity award.

ABBA PET CELEBRITIES

DOGGY DAYCARE SPECIAL!
Guaranteed to be real "Tail Waggin"!!

ROCKY & RUBY

Q. What are your names?
A. Ruby & Rocky.

Q. How old are you and what is your breed?
A. Ruby - Almost 2, Rocky - 11 months old - we're both Labradors.

Q. What's your favourite food?
A. Ruby - I quite like Pedigree, but I'm happy with most things once I have sniffed it and licked it to make sure it's ok - but I do like to lick the ice cream bowl once my humans have finished and I also like the taste of plasterboard.
Rocky - anything - feed me feed me now!!!! I like Mum's fruit loaf but when I steal it from the pantry Mum & Dad go crazy as they say it's not good for me but it tastes good. I'm also quite partial to wood - the door frame, skirting boards, the kennel etc.

Q. What about treats? Any favourites?
A. Ruby - I love dental sticks and pigs ears.
Rocky - treats - where, where can I have some now?

Q. What's your favourite hobby/pastime?
A. Ruby - I love it when my humans throw a ball for me to chase, but I'm not so keen on giving it back to them to throw again.
Rocky - eating is that a pastime? I let Ruby do the chasing of the ball. My idea of exercise is going for a swim, preferably in muddy water or play fighting with Ruby, sleeping is also up there as something to do as long as it's on the sofa or Mum & Dad's bed.

RockRubyCollageNL

Q. Do you like to play? What are your favourite toys?
A. Ruby - I love the Kong genus series of toys but Rocky gets frustrated and rips them to bits
Rocky - toys are there to be destroyed in as little time as possible - I'd rather have a shin bone to chew on.

Q. Do you have any friends or sworn enemies?
A. Ruby - apart from Rocky, my best friends are 2 other Labs called Teddy & Aussie who go to training class with me, Vinnie another Lab who is one of my neighbours doesn't like me and I'm not keen on him - he's a bit overprotective of his little human.
Rocky - everyone is my friend, life is good.

Q. What's the naughtiest thing you've ever done?
A. Ruby - chewed holes in the wall.
Rocky - well define naughty..... there was an incident with chewing the washing machine and my humans had to get a new one, then there was a toilet incident on the green rug in my little human's playroom (it looked like grass) and I wouldn't class it as naughty but I helped my human's "landscape" the back garden my way, oh and then there was the time I decided to sneak out and follow the little human to the park to play.

Q. What's the funniest thing you've ever done?
A. Ruby - Mum thinks it was the face I pulled last Mothers Day when I was staying at Abba and Jane was trying to get me to pose for a photo to send to Mum for Mothers Day - the photo is now known in our household as "Meerdog".
Rocky - well Mum laughs when I take off from the bedroom door and pounce on Dad when he's still sleeping in the bed - they call it "Rocky O'clock".

Q. Do you do any tricks for your human? What are your best ones?
A. Ruby - they try to get us to do tricks but I resist, I will give paws but only when food is involved. The trick that I like is when we practice our homework for training class I do it in the house then when we get to class I love to make a fool of Mum (it's so funny, as I give her my "I'm an innocent little dog" look).
Rocky - I'm quite happy to do all the training class exercises for Dad, my best trick is opening doors to get into rooms I shouldn't be in (the larder), my humans don't see it as something very good though.....

DOGGY DAYCARE AT ABBA

CatandDoginSuitcaseNL Why not let your furry friends have fun at ABBA when you’re at work or out for the day having fun yourself! Your dog will thank you for the fun playtimes at ABBA.

Book your pet in at ABBA over Easter for a fabulous holiday and don’t forget to hurry because places are filling fast! We love looking after your special pets and we’re looking forward to spending this Easter with some familiar furry faces (and some new ones too)!

ARE YOUR PET'S VACCINATIONS UP TO DATE?

dog vaccineNL Ensuring that your pets' vaccinations are up to date protects your loved ones from unnecessary illness. When booking your pet in to stay with us at ABBA it's a very important requirement that all vaccinations have been taken care of prior to arrival.

A current C5 vaccination certificate from your Veterinarian as proof of vaccination must be produced. (Vaccination Certificates need to be renewed every 12 months).

PET CHAUFFEUR SERVICE

PET-CHAUFFEUR-SERVICE Pickup and dropoffs available!
From your door to ours, your pet will commute in our air conditioned luxury Mercedes "pet transportation." Our service is flexible and extends from the Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne City and outskirts.

REST IN PEACE CASSIUS

CassiusNL All of the staff at ABBA would like to express our condolences to Clare and Alan Lonergan
on the sad passing of Cassius, the Golden Retriever.

As told by Clare...
"Cassius left us on the Sunday before Christmas 2013. Although Cas always ran his own race, and had selective hearing, he was my 'best boy'.
Cas, a Golden Retriever, came into our lives in January 2001 as a 9 month old, completely untrained, dog that needed to be rehomed. He was a beautiful looking dog with a divine temperament, but he was very naughty. He stole and chewed anything and everything within reach, shoes, watering cans, hoses, pot plants. The list is endless. He also dug huge holes in the garden into which many of my plants disappeared. As Dog Obedience was my 'thing' his education began straight away. I must say he was not all too keen on the idea, but grudgingly he complied with my training and became a good working dog. He obtained both his CD and Open Titles and did excellent stays. Keeping hold of the dumbbell over the jumps was another issue however.

CasSibNL Sibylla the Labrador has been his devoted companion for 12 years. They were inseparable. In fact once a little girl came up to me in the street and asked "Are they married?" Sib has now accepted that Cas has gone, but we both often turn around on a walk to see where he has got to. I guess neither of us will forget him and still hope to turn a corner and see him waiting for us.
Cas & Sib have been regular visitors to Abba since 2002 when as young dogs they were boarded in long runs graduating in older age to the Pets Penthouse. They always enjoyed their stays at Abba and each time came home happy and contented.

On behalf of Cas & Sib I would like to thank Jane and the Abba Team for the good care they have taken of my dogs over the years."

PET RECIPES

FROZEN DOG TREATS

Ingredients:
510 grams of Plain, Low-Fat Yogurt
1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter (Low Sodium)
113 grams Banana Baby Food
1 Tbsp of Honey

Method:
Blend all ingredients.
Pour mixture into small paper or plastic cups.
Place a dog bone in the mixture (to hold onto when feeding your dog the treat).
Place treats in the freezer and once frozen, peel away paper cup and serve!

Be Aware: If your dog has allergies or has issues digesting dairy products, speak to your
Vet before giving the treats to your dog.

PURRLICIOUS TUNA CAT TREATS

Ingredients:
170 grams of undrained tuna
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup water

Method:
Mix all ingredients.
Roll out to approximately 5mm thickness and cut into treat sized pieces.
Place treats on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 or until golden.

EASTER PET SAFETY

DON'T LEAVE YOUR PET IN THE CAR

DoginUteNL Dogs are particularly at risk as they cool themselves by panting. If the air around them is too hot - particularly if they don't have access to water - dogs are physically unable to regulate their body temperature. In the time it takes to pick up a few things for dinner at the supermarket and get through the check-out, a dog left in a hot car could have already died an agonising death.

If you find a pet left in a hot car, please call the Victorian Police on 000. The Police are equipped to dispatch officers quickly from the nearest police station which is critical under these circumstances.

CHOCOLATE

EasterEggsNL Whilst overindulging during the Easter period may result in a few extra kilograms for humans, the consequences for our animal companions are much greater and much more serious. The accidental ingestion of chocolate or baked goods containing chocolate can lead to serious illness or even death for our beloved furry friends.

PET EASTER ACTIVITIES

DOG & CAT RECYCLED PET BED

RecycledPetBedNL

Materials:
1 unwanted jumper
Old towels
scraps of material for stuffing
thread
wool
needles
scissors

Let's get started:
Cut your stuffing fabric into small pieces.
Fold towels so that they are nearly the size you want the base of your pet bed.
Layer with scrap stuffing if required.
Place the layers together in a rough oval shape.
Turn over the edges towards the inside of the circle and loosely sew in place.
Place inside the body of the jumper.
Sew in place using some thick wool.
Stuff the arms and neck area with material scraps.
Arrange in a circular shape around the base area.
Using a thread and needle, sew into place. If you use a matching thread you don't have to worry about how perfect your stitches are.

PET TRICKS

TEACH YOUR DOG TO TAKE A BOW

DogBowingNL Here's How to Do It
Start with your dog standing up.

Hold a treat at the tip of your dog's nose, and slowly move it down, holding it close to your dog's body. In this way, you will use the treat to lure your dog down until his elbows are on the floor with his rear end remaining up.

Hold your dog in the bow for a few seconds, and then use the treat to lure him back into a standing position.

As soon as your dog completes the bow and is standing up, tell him "good"and give him the treat.

Practice the bow command with your dog several times a day for no more than 5 minutes each time. Before you know it, your dog will be taking a bow on command

TEACH YOUR CAT TO SHAKE HANDS

Here's How to Do It
Young cats pick up tricks easier than mature ones, but even an older kitty can master this move. Keep your training sessions short, no more than 10 minutes daily and turn off TVs, radios or other background distractions. Be consistent, training at the same time every day, before mealtime is best, so your cat will respond to a food reward.

Always use your cat's name to get his attention, and see how he reacts to a simple paw shake: When he's sitting still, hold a treat in one hand, place the other hand behind a front paw and give it a bump. As he raises his paw, say "(Your Cat's name), shake," and hold his paw gently. Say "Good shake" while rewarding him with the treat. Try one or two times more, always repeating the request to "shake." Your cat may anticipate the treat and start raising his paw on his own. Offer yours, palm up, for a feline high five.

MOOMBA WEEKEND FUN