Club members with Dr. Bill Gengler
Lorraine Wilson
The Robson Ranch Happy Tails Dog Club meets the second Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the CATC building, Room 103. We invite anyone who has a dog to come and check us out. New membership dues are $10 per household per year, and renewal is $5.
Happy Tails Dog Club’s first meeting of 2023 was a great success, with 48 members coming out to listen to Dr. Bill Gengler. He is a Robson resident and a board-certified veterinary dentist with 26 years of experience in general small animal practice and 20-plus years of experience in dental specialty practice. In his presentation, Dr. Gengler explained how plaque forms and how that leads to further problems and why oral health is so important to our dogs (and us). Bottom line is that tooth brushing is the “Gold Standard” for caring for your dog’s teeth. Daily recommendations include brushing, dental diet, dental treats, and safe chew toys. Avoid ultra-hard chew toys such as antlers, bones, beef hooves, and nylon bones. And before you purchase any oral health products for your pets, please visit this website: vohc.org, the Veterinary Oral Health Council, sponsored by the American Veterinary Dental College. All products listed on the site have been tested and certified for efficacy and safety.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, we will have Maureen Bennett with IDEA Service Dogs (www.ideaservicedogs.org) as our guest speaker. Maureen, a Robson resident, is a founder and board member of IDEA Service Dogs. IDEA Service Dogs has assisted persons with disabilities realize their dream of having a service dog since 2010. They believe that many people with disabilities can achieve improved quality of life through the addition of a service dog, which they own, raise, and train with their professional dog trainers.
Kit Perry, dog trainer and behavior consultant, will be our guest speaker on Saturday, March 11. Kit graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 2004 from Northwestern State University. From 2004 to 2012, she trained animals in zoos, including elephants, mountain lions, tigers, monkeys, birds, and goats. Her favorite zoo training program she created was with giraffes. Kit put her focus on training dogs in 2012 when she started Creature Coach, LLC, in Central California. In the Summer of 2021, Kit moved her company to the Denton, Texas, area to pursue a master’s degree in behavior analysis with a focus in animal behavior at UNT.
Happy Tails Dog Club is sponsoring a Facebook page (Robson Ranch Texas – All About Dogs) for all dog-related information for Robson Ranch residents. This is a dog page for everyone here at Robson Ranch, and anything dog related can be posted on the page: lost dogs, found dogs, dogs looking for new homes, dogs dressed up, dogs doing cute things, dogs with their human companions, and just pictures of dogs being dogs! If you are interested in joining, please go to facebook.com/groups/741914577025928.
The Happy Tails Dog Club website rrhappytailsdogclub.weebly.com is a great resource for all dog owners. We also have a special page for pet owners who may be searching for a local vet, groomer, mobile nail trimmer, pet boarder, dog sitter—anything dog related! Go to rrhappytailsdogclub.weebly.com and select the For Pet Owners tab on the home page. Also take a few minutes to check out our club and view our beautiful pets on our website!