Dog Boarding and Cat Care, June 2010 Newsletter

Loving Dog & Cat Newsletter
June 2010

Hello from Cindy Hill:

I hope you are enjoying our fine spring weather. The dogs and I have romped in lots of rain but we have also enjoyed some fantastic sunny days these last few weeks. I am excited to bring you the first full edition of our newsletter. As I am new at this please let me know if you like the format. Feel free to forward any suggestions or specific topics you would like to see in future newsletters. Thanks very much and enjoy! Cindy Hill, The Dog Mystic

New Snohomish Location, opening June 20, 2010!

Mystic Mountain Retreat is excited to announce that we will be partnering with Mark Frederick and Zuzi Kovalova at their newly renovated 10 acre ranch. Once housing horses in a beautiful barn, acres of pasture, ponds and trails; it is now reconfigured and ready to care for your dogs in a fun and safe environment.

Mountain View Dog Ranch is custom designed per Mystic Mountain Pet Retreat setup, care and philosophy. Mountain View Dog Ranch has 8 large heated and climate controlled indoor suites with a huge indoor play area and play fields. Click to see photos here. http://www.mysticmountainretreat.com/meetus/snohomish.htm

Mystic Mountain Retreat will coordinate scheduling and any initial questions for both locations For reservations or for more information for either Mystic Mountain Retreat or Mountain View Dog Ranch please click here or contact Cindy@mysticmountainretreat.com 360-794-6388.

Pet Taxi Service:

Mystic Mountain is also thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Cathy Rutherford's taxi service. Cathy is based out of Monroe and has an extensive animal background, a safe driving record, and is licensed and insured for animal taxi service. More information click here. http://www.mysticmountainretreat.com/boarding/shuttle.htm

Hm/ofice: 360-794-9596; Cell: 425-502-2180; cathy.rutherford@comcast.net

Upcoming Events:

Mystic Mountain Retreat, Loving Dog Boarding & Cat Care will be at: GO DOG GO, Kirkland; July 24 please come join all the dog fun!

Llamas and Horses Help Dogs with Manner’s Training:

Cindy is now enlisting the help of Britches, Kiote, Chenoa, Colton, Quincy, Sierra and Weya to help the guest dogs learn to be calm, confident and patient. The training includes walking around and waiting for treats with the other animals. This requires the pups to learn to wait their turn and to trust Cindy that they are safe around strange and big animals. Check out the videos at: Mystic You-Tube

Foster Dogs at Mystic Mountain Retreat:

We are now caring for a great little dog named Tyson who would be a perfect animal companion for a retired person. His mom & dad recently moved into assisted housing and were unable to keep him. He is a 6 year old Chihuahua/Pomeranian, very loving, not a barker, healthy and housetrained. If you know of anyone looking for a perfect little dog that would help an older person have a more active life please let Cindy know. If the adoptee can’t care for Tyson in the future we will find him another home so no worries about the age of the new caretaker.

Past Foster Dogs:

Many foster dogs have stayed at Mystic Mountain over the last year and people have asked how they are doing so I wanted to give the current status and a special thanks to Rebecca's Rainbow for sponsoring most of these pups.

Moses the active husky/lab mix who stayed here for about 10 months is now living at a dog ranch. We hoped that his Uncle could keep him but he was unable to find housing where he could keep a dog during the week. Moses is enjoying life at the FurryTale refuge and is having a great time.

Bailey the sweet Aussi/Eskie is now living in Walla Walla Washington with 3 dogs, a couple of cats and two humans. Thanks to www.furbabyrescue.com for finding his new home!

Bentley the fun brindle boxer/lab and Sam the Lab mix both found a new homes with two of our favorite clients; its fun to see them again and again!

Clayton and Larkin two loving Lhasa/Shih-Tzu who both found great forever homes.

Beau the calm Ridgeback/Mastiff mix is now helping an Iraq war vet cope with PTSD in Tacoma and they are doing great together.

Natural Dog and Cat Food Update:

As many of you know I encourage the feeding of natural and holistic food for your animal friends (and for the entire family). I just read my friend Rose’s blog that included some disturbing news. One of the big manufactures of what has been great pet food has been purchased by the giant conglomerate Proctor and Gamble (P&G).

Years ago IAMS was a good food but then P&G bought them and now the food is not something I would ever feed my dogs or cats due to low quality ingredients. There is no reason that they will not do the same for the full line of Natura, maker of Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma.

I personally feed different types of high quality canned, freeze dried raw, canned fish, raw and for my base dried I like Taste of the Wild, rated as a quality food in the February issue of Whole Dog Journal’s yearly list of 2010 Approved Dry Foods.

So the bottom line is that we need to always be aware of what we are eating, providing for our families and that large companies are not here to help us but to get the most for their share holders (for the full story by Rose De Dan click here).

Just For Fun - One Reiki Sandwich, Please!

By - Rose De Dan; Wild Reiki, Shamanic Healing; reikishamanic.com

There are many benefits to the practice of Reiki, but two of my favorites are how easy it is for anyone to learn, and how much animals love it.

In my introductory Reiki Level I class, I explain to the students that the attunement process, as conducted by a Reiki Master Teacher, enables any student to immediately begin facilitating Reiki afterward. By becoming “attuned” to the energy of Reiki the student becomes a conduit, with the focus on “being,” rather than “doing,” Reiki. In other words, in Level I it is “hands-on, Reiki on.” If it is your intention to offer Reiki, and the recipient wishes to receive Reiki, then the flow of energy simply happens — there is no need to concentrate, or perform complicated steps.

During my Level I training my teacher, Kathleen Wilk, described Reiki as a milkshake; the recipient draws on the Reiki energy (the milkshake), through the practitioner. The rate of flow, fast or slow, is gauged by the perfect intelligence of the Reiki energy and its dialogue with the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the recipient. The Reiki practitioner is simply the straw. When the flow of the energy is fast, it is not uncommon for the Reiki practitioner to become quite warm.

Debbie Noyes, a brand-new Level I Reiki practitioner, shared a story she called “Accidental Reiki” at a recent Reiki Review class; a story that illustrates the beautiful simplicity and power of Reiki as well as the innate understanding that animals have about its’ benefits.

Debbie told the class, “One night I fell asleep with my right hand outstretched, palm up, and woke up feeling really hot and sweaty. My cat was lying on my hand, and my other hand was on top of him. I was doing Reiki in my sleep!”

The whole class laughed — we could easily visualize her cat seeing his opportunity and placing his order: one Reiki sandwich, please!

Postscript: Debbie says, “Jerry always asks for his Reiki session. I just have to sit down on the couch after dinner and he comes running. Sometimes he licks my palms and bites the fleshy part of my thumb if I’m not paying attention. Cats are subtle, aren’t they?”

Enjoy the Summer!

Give your pups’ and kitties’ hugs and kisses from all of us at Mystic Mountain Retreat and let us know how you are doing. Of course, referrals about our services to your family, friends, and business associates are greatly appreciated! Please feel free to forward this newsletter!

Thanks very much, Cindy Hill