Gallery Of Travel

Every month we feature one of the wonderful, loving, qualified women behind Love on a Leash, putting a face behind the person who is caring for your dog while you are away. This month features “us,” Tammy and Shelly, owners of Love on a Leash!

Tammy Preast (left) and Shelly Dueck: Alpha Dog and FairyDogmother.

As “Alpha Dog” for Love on a Leash Trusted Dog Care Services, I manage the company that babies your dog while you are away. This company was born out of my frustrations when looking for pet care for my senior dog, Casey. It was a difficult exercise to find someone trustworthy, loving and reliable to care for Casey when I wanted to take a vacation.

In December of 2008, Love on a Leash was launched and has become very successful with the tagline, “Peace of Mind and a Happy Pooch.” With eight caregivers under our wing and two full-time dog walkers, this boutique dog business caters to those dog parents who can’t bear to place their dog in a sterile environment, but rather, want their pet to feel the love and affection they would experience at home. We give your dog loads of personal one-on-one time, walks, treats and special outings. I tell all owners that our dog care is truly like summer camp for kids… even better!

My wonderful sister, Shelly Preast-Dueck, aka “Fairy Dogmother” came on board in May of 2009 as my business partner in Love on a Leash. With more than 23 years experience with dogs -- from breeding and showing Boxers to canine nutrition, dog psychology and first aid -- Shelly’s knowledge of dogs is incredible. Her passion for animals is evident and displayed on a daily basis with the patience and love she bestows on each and every dog in her care. She is truly a “Fairy Dogmother.”

Dog owner’s trust us with their “babies” while they are away and we consider ourselves fortunate to work in an industry with clients we truly adore. We tell our clients -- past, present and future, “we love the doggies that come to us and they love us right back! A stay with Love on a Leash is like Summer Camp for dogs, 365 days a year!”

Dear Casey,

Q: What is a “Geriatric Blood Panel” and when should a dog have one? What are the benefits?

A: This is a very simplified answer so please speak with your vet further about this topic, but in a nutshell:

A geriatric blood panel is a blood test that will show your vet and owner what’s going on inside your dog body. As we dogs mature, our vital organs like liver, pancreas, kidneys, spleen and bladder don’t run quite as efficiently as they used to. This blood panel will show where our enzyme levels, blood count, etc. are and your vet will be able to compare them to “normal” levels which will give him a heads up to the potential for diseases like diabetes, kidney failure, pancreatitis, etc. before we may show physical signs.

Because dogs don’t show pain the way humans do (we are very stoic), by the time our parents realize there is a problem and rush us to the vet it is often too late to do anything to save us.
Basically a geriatric blood panel is a preventative tool and will help you catch illness in a dog, hopefully before it becomes a disease too advanced to treat. Think of it as preventative medicine and money very well spent.

Your vet can explain this blood panel in more detail and will recommend when your owner should start running a yearly blood panel on you. It depends on size and breed of dog, as we all age differently, but my mom has run a yearly geriatric blood panel on me, from the time I turned seven years old. I am now a pretty healthy 15 ½ year old gal, and I have to tell you that, over the years, this blood panel has helped my mom find problems with my liver and pancreas that might have manifested themselves and cut short my pampered life. An ounce of prevention and all that love sure doesn’t hurt!