Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue

Three little guys are looking for short term foster in Victoria from November 29th for about 3 weeks. What’s involved? They will be going to the Man and his Dog Fashion Show – Stan will pick them up and return them. Then they will be speutered in Victoria so taking them to the vet hospital for surgery and recovery time is also involved. You will meet and greet prospective adopters after they have been approved. All you need to add is love, kindness and guidance. They are between the ages of 12 and 14 weeks old and have two vet checks and vaccinations. All food, collars, leashes and vet care is provided.

Who are they? I am thinking Frankie Blue eyes Too, Trista and one of the Mellow Yellow Trio! 3Penny a rehabilitated Sherriff dog is also going but she has a foster to go to!! So if you can foster one or two or all three please email me and let me know as soon as possible! This may be ongoing – pediatric speuters are new for us!

Please vote for TG! In the care2 challenge we are #71 with 200 votes!! Yet over 400 unique visitors come here daily – Please vote – it is just once!! If TG wins any grants – I pledge to use every dollar for Low Cost Spay Neuter Program!!! We were just starting to make a difference! Please help us help the animals! The vote button is just below the red banner above!

And then We need more clicks!!!
The shelter challenge – We are # 1 in Canada which means we are in line for a $1000 grant. But we could aim higher –We are UP AGAIN!! !! to #25 in overall ranking. #1 gets $20,000, #2 gets $5000 and #3 gets $3000. We can do it!! Email schools and ask the kids to support Turtle Gardens Spay Neuter Society (our full legal name!!), email family and friends. The animals are counting on us! Click Here!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

What the heck does that mean? Stan has been telling me what I need to do to “optimize” my web site. Why I ask. And he gives me all his reasons – when people google to look for a rescue dog your blog doesn’t come up in the top 10 – he says. You need more readers for a bigger donor base. Not enough traffic. Why does that matter?

So I goggled it to find out: from wikipdia

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion. Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

The acronym “SEO” can refer to “search engine optimizers,” a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term “search engine friendly” may be used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.

Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing, use methods such as link farms, keyword stuffing and article spinning that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices.

Well that make sit clear as mud doesn’t it?

And he says make sure you add tags on every post. Ok, not knowing why but I do it. He checks every blog to see if I remember.

So I googled why and found this: At Social media and web marketing coaching
When you start setting up a blog, you’ll notice that you are given the option to add “tags” to your blog post. Very interesting web site.

What is a tag you ask? A tag is simply a keyword you use to label your posts as well as make it easier to find your entry. For example, you have a blog about your coffee shop that specialized in organic, fair trade coffee. You like to blog about when new flavors of coffee come in, free tastings, etc. It would be good to use tags like “free-trade”, “organic coffee”, after each blog post.

Here’s why tags are important and powerful

1) Using the same tags over and over again. Why? So you can come up in searches when users are looking for the same keyword. It’s critical not to vary the tags too much, but instead reuse them, like in the example above: “organic coffee”, “free-trade coffee” ,“independent”.

2) Use tag clouds in your blog – tag clouds are commonly seen on the sidebar of blogs, are easy to scan. A list of tags can be easily read if it’s in a cloud. It squeezes a ton of information into a small space.

3) You can always include terms in your tags that aren’t necessarily in your blog. If you are located in Portland, Oregon, but it’s not mentioned in your blog post, you can tag “Puddletown”, “Stumptown”, “PDX”, or “Rose City”. These tags can alert search engines to which terms are most important and help lead the right people who really want to read your content.

Now that makes sense. But I still don’t understand the why’s or wherefore’s. But I do understand looking after dogs, observing their behaviours and changing feral/wild/stray/scared dogs into balanced stable family pets. So I will leave the techno stuff to Stan and Tyler. And remember to use tag words and keywords so more people can find Turtle Gardens who rescues dogs from Vancouver and to Vancouver and beyond.

And an update from Chester who lives in Port Coquitlam!

Just thought I would touch base to let you know that Chester is great. He’s happy and healthy and I completely love him.

I received your email about the challenge and put my vote in for you. I also emailed it to about 40 other people requesting same.

I was on petfinder this evening and found a Chester look-a-like …Click here to see

Quite a resemblance !

Attached a couple of pics for you.

Best of luck with the challenge!

Please vote for TG! In the care2 challenge we are #82 with 171 votes. Yet over 400 unique visitors come here daily – Please vote – it is just once!! If TG wins any grants – I pledge to use every dollar for Low Cost Spay Neuter Program!!! We were just starting to make a difference! Please help us help the animals! The vote button is just below the red banner above!

And then We need more clicks!!!
The shelter challenge – We are # 1 in Canada which means we are in line for a $1000 grant. But we could aim higher –We are UP AGAIN!! !! to #28 in overall ranking. #1 gets $20,000, #2 gets $5000 and #3 gets $3000. We can do it!! Email schools and ask the kids to support Turtle Gardens Spay Neuter Society (our full legal name!!), email family and friends. The animals are counting on us! Click Here!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

The sun is shining and the dogs are playing! The storm did not materialize though we did get a snow flurrie last night. The dogs were running in and out covered in snow – making a mess and running back out again. They finally got tired out by 11 pm and slept til 7am. That’s very doable! It is warmer today a balmy +2!

The terriers are coming out of the crate and coming to me to be petted. How cool is that! One looks like Eddie – a wire coat jack russel type while the other has a nose like a scottie. He is very matted and a tad more growly with the dogs (he needs a neuter – quickly) but he is wagging his tail and soliciting pats. he is very cute – has nice brown eyes under his bangs. The other fellow is cute too. He is friendlier with Dave and the other dogs. But he needs a neuter sooner rather than later too. They are well on their way to family pethood and yuppie puppie-ville!

When he arrived everything scared him – he reacted with teeth showing!

Running bear is really coming around now. He is asking for pats and wagging his tail too. What a nice boy he is becoming. He will be an awesome companion and will soon be ready for his own family. No more chains for this boy. Or bullets.

The mellow yellow trio is a nice bunch of pups! The biggest is the mellowest, the smallest is the smartest and the middle child is the cuddliest!

And now an update and request for information. Maybe one of our readers know the answer!
Hi Yvette,
This is Whistler, adopted from Turtle Gardens what 12 years ago? She’s still a wonder dog. Active and strong and beautiful. We’ve discovered she is a Mountain Cur. We moved a couple years ago from Francois Lake to Vancouver Island.
Thanks for her!

We are wanting to bring a dog from a shelter in Indiana to Nanaimo and wonder if you have any suggestions or connections for transportation? We could travel to Washington state or Vancouver to meet her. And we can pay some but not the $1000 that the pet airlines charge.

Also I am missing having pups around and am thinking about fostering pregnant dogs and then their families. I see you have a foster family in Duncan?

Thank you,
Kee and family

Please vote for TG! In the care2 challenge we are #82 with 171 votes. Yet over 400 unique visitors come here daily – Please vote – it is just once!! If TG wins any grants – I pledge to use every dollar for Low Cost Spay Neuter Program!!! We were just starting to make a difference! Please help us help the animals! The vote button is just below the red banner above!

And then We need more clicks!!!
The shelter challenge – We are # 1 in Canada which means we are in line for a $1000 grant. But we could aim higher –We are UP AGAIN!! !! to #28 in overall ranking. #1 gets $20,000, #2 gets $5000 and #3 gets $3000. We can do it!! Email schools and ask the kids to support Turtle Gardens Spay Neuter Society (our full legal name!!), email family and friends. The animals are counting on us! Click Here!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Enjoy a fun evening with the latest in mens fashions and the greatest in mens friends as 12 guys and their dogs take to the ‘catwalk’ at Outlooks for Men. Tickets are $25, available in store. All proceeds benefit animal rescue. Cash bar.
Outlooks for Men
534 Yates Street
Downtown Victoria
250.384.2848
www.outlooksformen.com
email dale@outlooksformen.com to reserve your tickets

December 2 at 7:30 pm, a dozen men and their dogs will take to the stage to showcase fall fashions for men and fantastic furs for dogs.
It will be a great evening in aid of a great cause – animal rescue. Read more about the recipient of this year’s funds below and be sure to get your tickets early – only 150 available.

About Turtle Gardens

Turtle Gardens is an animal shelter in Northern BC, operated by David and Yvette Labatte, an amazing couple who have rescued and placed almost 4,000 animals since opening their doors to unwanted pets. At Turtle Gardens dogs are not placed in kennels to await a new home but are brought into the family with free run of the house and yard, learning to be good canine companions from the minute they arrive at this safe haven. Three of the dogs in the Outlooks show are from Turtle Gardens so it seemed fitting to send them the proceeds.

Question from Outlooks: “We will donate at least $2,000 Yvette, what could that amount do for Turtle Gardens?”

Answer: “Thank you so very very much! $2000 could do a lot here! That would spay/neuter 18 dogs or vaccinate 66 puppies or 33 puppies will have 2 vaccinations. It will buy 250 drontal plus worm tablets that will deworm 71 large dogs. $2000 will buy gas for 66 dog trips to the veterinarians or 7 TG Bus trips – just the gas. It would buy mega bottles of cleaners, bleach, viricide, paper towels, mops etc. Or it could go directly to the veterinarians for medical costs for damaged dogs, hurt dogs, ear infections, bites, cuts and bruises, lab pathologies for tumors, dentals for seniors. We also have need for a small sturdy u-haul type trailer to haul dog food and supplies on our TG Bus Runs. Dog food is often donated but we don’t have a way to haul it. Transportation costs us $212.69 per pallet by Bandstra. We use 40 to 60 kilograms of kibble per day, plus extra puppy food. And canned food for medications – a tablespoon of canned food hides a pill very nicely! (Glucosamine, immune boosters, vitamins, antibiotics etc) Our dogs are all silverware trained! I am sure I can think of more but $2000 goes a very long way here – the dogs thank you!!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of my dad. In his arms is Rags (The little dog from my blog.) basking in her thirty seconds of fame. I have heard many times from many people that mom or dad should put the really sick or hurt dogs to sleep. They shouldn’t waste there time, and move on to the easy ones. But I think my parents are clairvoyant, they seem to see into the future and, see the real value to life, their broken soul with return to them. Rags is one of them, her fur had grown over here eyes and she was just skin and bones. she was so sick she couldn’t eat or walk. Dad took her under his big arm. He syringe fed her for a week, lifting her out to go to the bathroom. One time he was taking her out to pee and a very elderly native lady was there about a dog, She seen rags and told dad the he need to give her pink salmon that some thing changed when they got to the fresh water they were easier for the body to make into fat and it was great for sick people and animals. That afternoon she sent some one to drop a few salmon off for Rags.  With in a week she was eating on her own an up and moving around. Now when ever there is a very starved to almost death dog they always started on salmon and it has saved many, many souls.  Rags is a TG legend.

Just a side note, another reason mom is so discouraged is the salmon never came in as well as they usually do, they are the dog food for the winter and now there are many, many dogs that are going to suffer this winter and mom  knows that she is going to see a long hungry winter…..

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.