Davis Islands Today

Pets of the Month
By Jennifer Fadal

In August of this year, Wag Pet Boutique celebrated National Homeless Animals month and hosted dogs and cats in need of loving homes. Shaymus (formerly Jethro), a St. Francis Society Animal Rescue dog attended. He had recently been taken out of a poor home environment and was hoping to find a new family.

Shaymus was the largest dog at Wag that day. The rest were small, adorable Dachshunds that garnered most of the attention. Unfortunately, as it goes, the large dogs at adoption days are oftentimes overlooked. Coupled with the fact that there were fuzzy kittens onsite as well… his chances looked slim.

As the event was rounding to a close however, the McEnery family (DI residents) were driving by and noticed something taking place at Wag. They pulled in and were instantly interested in Shaymus. He resembled their dog Lucy and something about him just tugged at their heart strings.

Before completing an application and agreeing to a home visit, the family asked good questions and spent much time with Shaymus.
The next step was to have their dog Lucy meet him. This would be the real test.

Lucy arrived at Wag and took her time getting to know the new kid on the block. She gazed at him with a leery eye, but things looked hopeful. Many sniffs later, the family decided to complete an application and schedule a home visit.

I am happy to report that Lucy and Shaymus are the best of friends! It took Lucy about two weeks to get used to sharing her family and her “pad” with Shaymus…but now they are inseparable. Janet couldn’t be happier and the family adores both dogs.

Congratulations to Shaymus and Lucy! This is a true success story!

If you would like to nominate your dog or cat for the Pet of the Month, please email a picture and a description of your pet’s contributions to society to: info[at]wagoftampa.com. Deadline for the December issue is November 14!

By Jennifer Sharp Pavluk

November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. 8 out of 10 lung cancer cases are attributed to cigarettes, cigars or pipe smoking. Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer but it is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. It is also the most preventable.

The American Cancer Society is a large army in this fight, funding cutting-edge research leading to the discovery of lifesaving treatments like Alimta (pemetrexed), for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.

This November 20th, 2009 is the Society’s Great American Smokeout. Since 1977, this event has drawn attention to the deaths and chronic diseases caused by smoking, and the many smoking cessation methods.

Quitting may not be easy but the signs of recovery are almost immediate, and the benefits, priceless:

• After only 20 minutes - your heart rate drops.
• In 12 hours – carbon monoxide levels in the blood drops to normal
• 2 weeks to 3 months – circulation improves, lung function up 30%
• 1-9 months - coughing congestion and fatigue decrease, and the cilia regain normal function in the lungs reducing infections
• After 1 year – risk of coronary artery disease is half that of a smoker.
• After 5 years – your risk of stoke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker
• At 10 years – risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of smokers.
• 15 years – risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.

This year, encourage the smokers in your life to quit, and the youth in your life not to start. Give your love, support and patience. And give them ACS Quitline, 1-877-YES-QUIT.

Despite the very serious prognosis of lung cancer, some people are cured. More than 400,000 people alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point in time.

Please join us to support Davis Island’s Relay For Life event April 24th 2009. By donating time and/or money, you will stand up for all those affected by lung cancer…and those that will be. relayforlife.org/davisislandsfl

Ar you interested in supporting your Relay For Life of Davis Islands? Contact Yvonne Cordoves at Yvonne.cordoves[at]cancer.org, (813) 319-5918, or Event Chair Jennifer Sharp Pavluk at sharpiej[at]mac.com