Being an active member of LI-DOG has been one of the best Organization membership experience’s I have enjoyed. Making our parks and public places more dog friendly is an integral part of Long Islands suburban appeal. Encouraging dog friendly activities, responsible dog ownership and socialization is at the forefront of what LI-DOG strives for. A well socialized and behaved pet should be at its owner’s side enjoying the beauty of our Island and its expansive parks, beaches, and public places.
Many of you may know Zara our AKC Whippet and others may know that I have an online gallery of dog portraits, and shop featuring dog imprinted items. Every year LI-DOG runs several fund-raising events. The first one will be BARKS & BREWSSat., June 28th, Noon to 3 PM at Great South Bay Brewery Bay Shore, NY 11706. The next one is Barkin Brunch, Sunday, OCTOBER 5th from 11 AM to 3 PM, at The Refuge 515 Broadhollow Rd. Melville, NY 11747. The last one
Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest & Pawty, Sunday, October 20th, 12 to 4 PM at The Pine Grove Inn 1 1st St., East Patchogue, NY
Each of these events features a fun time for our canine friends, a great opportunity to meet other dog loving families, great DJ music, varied food and drinks, specialty vendors,
doggy activities and of course a great display of fund-raising raffle prizes for you to choose from. Among the vast array of gift baskets and prizes at these 3 events is an opportunity to win one of my dog portraits. To all the people who have won a portrait; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it! For all of you who would like to win one, I look forward to meeting you and your dogs at these great events.
You’re a Pontiac Solstice owner, you get in your car, you roll down your windows, release your convertible top from the windshield, click the trunk release, the trunk clicks open, and the driver side or passenger side buttress doesn’t release. If you Google the problem; you will find out how to release it and get the top down. After a wonderful top-down ride; you close it up and all seems well.
It isn’t! the next time you take your top down, the buttress doesn’t release; you now know how to fix that problem however, you now have a new problem. The problem you will find out is that; the release cable has disconnected from the buttress release mechanism.
Here is a quick easy fix, that takes a bit of mechanical skill and some simple improvised pieces. Read my instruction’s and I believe my photos will make perfect sense. I am a Car and RC hobbyist and have a good mechanical skills.
Open your trunk and put your top up using panel pullers remove all the trunk lid push pin retainers. You might find it easier to do when you climb into the trunk and sit on the raised area.
Once the inner panel is removed you will see two cables that actuate the buttress releases. Follow them up to the connection points. If the cable is connected and you click your remote you will see them work. If the cable is disconnected it will not.
Now that you identified your problem look at the one that works; you will see the one that works has a ball on the end that is connected to a spring that acts as a release for the buttress pin on your top when it is closed.
Now look at the one that doesn’t work the cable is probably retracted, pull it out to expose the ball on the end, put it back through the lop that attaches it to the spring.
Use a round object like a sharpy cap to hold back the spring by placing it through the trunk chrome ring that the post goes through. The cable will comfortably leave enough room for cable to be retained by the new fasteners you will improvise.
Using a new or used push pin cut off the stem, using a Dremel smooth it out to create a disc. Drill a 1/16th hole in the middle and cut a very narrow slit in it. Get a very small hobby spring cotter pin.
Using needle nose pliers snap the new black disc over the cable next to the spring now snap the miniature cotter pin over the cable next to the ball end retainer.
Remove the round object used to hold back the spring. Now test with your remote. Success it now works
For added ease of operation cote and let cure the entire mechanism and spring surfaces with CowRC…
This article is a continuation of an article, I wrote about niche businesses in May of 2016; it was about the growth and commitment to customer service at Cow Performance Company AKC CowRC.
In 2016 CowRC was 8 years old, the product line featured about one hundred items. They were: Magnetic Pit Mats, Aerosols, Grease, Air Blasters, and Gear. These were the basic core products for a small segment of an even smaller niche of RC Hobbyists. From 2016 through 2024 our business not only advanced and grew but the marketplace we serve evolved. CowRC and its commitment to customer service remained at the forefront of our business as more and more users of our products made us the go to for RC Maintenance.
Today, the importance of maintaining your RC vehicle has become a critical part of ownership, enjoyment, performance, and durability of your RC; car- truck- boat- plane, or your very own creation. Your RC maintenance program starts when you unbox or build it, continues when run it, or compete with it, and finishes when put it back on the shelf prepared for the next time you use it. Just like their full-scale counterparts’ today’s RC vehicles require service with products designed and formulated for them.
As we are preparing to celebrate the new year 2025, CowRC completes its’ 16th year of serving the maintenance needs of RC Hobbyists with over two hundred uniquely designed and engineered items to choose from. We have continued our customer first commitment and our reputation has grown on that foundation.
Within our small niche of RC’ers is a group of scale builders who not only race, crawl, drift, and rock climb their vehicles; when they park them, they go into scale garages. CowRC miniatures now find their way into these Garages just like the real products go on the shelves and workbenches of their owners. These tiny replicas are symbolic of how taking care of your RC’s has become part of the hobby.
CowRC, and its commitment to quality and service has been first since the original barn doors opened. We are proud of our reputation and how the importance of RC vehicle maintenance and performance has grown.
“Remember when friends were more than a number of; that you collected on your social media ap and cookies were a delicious treat you actually could pick up and eat! My dear friends the times are a changing.”
As many of you know I have been around and involved in the advertising and marketing world for a long time.As a matter of fact, it all started for me in the mid 1960’s. I have experienced going from Hot metal type to computer generated type, from creating new ideas with brain power to let’s see what comes out of the computer.
For a long time, many of us have enjoyed the benefits of social media and have built businesses and followings around it. We have also experienced as providers-built followings the benefits were restricted and even removed. Just like the dot com bust of the 80’s at the end of the day money has to be made. In many cases we are all paying for benefits that may have started out free and now are fee based.
So, what is the big deal? Traditional advertising as we knew it has been ravaged; traditional retail is in a state of adjustment; how to drive it; what drives it, and how to bridge the gap of addressing each generational group needs to be defined. This process takes time and in our fast-moving market place with so many channels getting a clear focus has become more and more difficult.
It is absolutely imperative to define and capture your customer base. To that end every business however small or large needs to define and have control of its ability to communicate directly and capture all potential consumers of their products and brand.
2024 will be marked in many cases by the loss of third-party cookies. This will leave a huge gap in businesses’ ability to take advantage of what used to be available. We have gone from the age of “location-location-location” to “audience-audience-audience”. Capture them now and build for the future.
These are my thoughts and opinions and I would appreciate any comments…
Whippets are an amazing breed of dogs, to watch them run is poetry in motion, to watch them walk is purely elegant, watching them chase a lure is pure excitement and having them as part of your family is an experience that can be sheer joy, absolute frustration, or a battle of who’s running this operation.
Know where an emergency room for your pet is when away from home
Anyone who knows us knows; almost 6 years ago we brought home this tiny little runt of the litter “Zara” a champion breed Whippet who has become an integral part of our entire family.
In her first year with us she was certified for service, qualified for AKC competition, and more importantly stole the hearts of us to our grand children.
I am sure this happens with many family pets, but having been a long time pet owner of other breeds “there is just something for many of us in those expressive eyes of a Sight Hound”.
For all the joy Zara gives us there are many things that whippet owners must consider and take seriously and that is why I am writing this post based on my experience and opinions.
Owning a whippet; takes a commitment to providing a great pillow rich home environment for lounging around-not sitting around, either a great yard or field to run in or lots of walking –hiking-swimming, or daily physical activity, finding safe and quite dog parks if that is going to be the exercise area, finding a good vet who knows sight hounds and their specific needs, never raising your voice in anger to this sensitive breed, teach them to sit first and always make good eye contact when training, give them variety in their diet, establish good recall traits through training so you can do off leash activities, get them used to having their nails trimmed or filed early as well as their ears cleaned by you not the vet, let them tell you when they are comfortable with other dogs, although they are very clean by nature a bath once in a while as well as tooth brushing-and coat brushing keeps this breed looking good, give them plenty of praise and a variety of special treats when leaving them home, although they seem to have good control take them out on a regular schedule, and always travel with a blanket pillow or mat for them to lie on.
7 stitches plus a drain…
Most important and getting back to the title; be prepared! As a whippet owner there is a safety facture we should all be aware of. Whippets do not get along well with certain breeds. Our experience is when they shy away or plant their feet don’t force it. Whippets are built for speed and can suffer back injuries if jumped upon- in rough play. Even though they can out run most all breeds that does not insure their safety. Whippets have only 1 layer of hair, minimal body fat if any at all, and thin skin. If a whippet plays with a nippy dog it can be a recipe for disaster and just regular play can result in a serious cut or worse a skin tear.
Zara at home after a day at the vet
“Recently we were at the dog park for some morning fun, with some dogs that Zara wanted to play with. They romped around chased each other and Zara proved she could outrun and keep two dogs busy while showing off here running and maneuvering skills, it was wonderful to watch as she baited and challenged the other dogs. We all watched and enjoyed our dogs at play and then in an instant it stopped and Zara recoiled and all went still; in play Zara was cut on her hind leg. There was no fault it was just play. For the long haired dogs with undercoats this never would have happened for Zara it was severe. We immediately left the park and headed for the 24 hour emergency center. The result was 6 or 7 stitches a drain, anesthesia, and 2 weeks and several vet visits. As a responsible pet owner of a Whippet no questions asked you have to be prepared to do what is needed” with action and $s….
To all my friends and Whippet owners, enjoy your pets and take good care…
Comments and questions are welcome
Below is a gallery of some of the activities Zara gets to do…and she is always well behaved…
Zara at workZara the high flyer on her way to FLwalking the runways of Grumman’s old installation on LI
with CJDads Car and I show off at car shows in Florida
morning walks in Dania Beach FLZara sporting Here Birthday Fashionslure Coursing was great fun!time out for a fshion showMJ and Zara searcing for crabs at Mudd Creek on LIHangin at Haulover Beach FLRaquel and Zara at LI Dog Pac WalkRaquel and Zara at the Lakeside on LIZara,, CJ and Mom (VITA) on the beach in Fl reunion Long island Whippet Get togetherZara on the job pre boarding at the airportZara at home in NY with Icarts on the wall…Dog Park relaxing with other Whippetswe hike on trails on Long Island
with my brother CJ
I originally wrote this article a few years ago and for some reason never posted it! after just finishing reading it;The Last Book About Selling…Some of my old friends, may remember when traditional advertising and “Location, location, location ” ruled the Retail World!
I just read a very interesting book byIra Ellenthal. It was an interesting collection of anecdotal information.Ira gathered from a long and broad based career. I had many interactions with Ira during the P.C. Richard & Son years of my career in advertising.
Newest Publication by Ira Ellenthal
It was May of 1989 when I joined P.C. Richard & Son as Advertising Director we were a Long Island based Appliance retailer. Our advertising was Newsday based and targeted mailers. We were a leader in our market and poised for expansion. When several other retailers failed, succumbed to our position in the market place, or tried to enter P.C. Richard & Son expanded and won the competitions onslaught. It was time to expand our advertising reach and become the entire Tri states dominant “Appliance Electronics and Computer Giant”
When we added the “Daily News” to our advertising mix I first met Ira. Over more than a decade we had many interactions. Contract negotiations, special sections, and events often led to Ira’s involvement. Whether his Sales presentations were successful or not” they were memorable” and built an ongoing relationship…
I enjoyed reading about Ira’s Dad (Slootie’s Wars) and now especially enjoyed the references to the many friends I had the pleasure of working with at the “Daily News” that were included in “The last book about selling”.
Although many things have changed over the past years…good sales techniques
Like; knowing your customer, building relationships, & understanding conditions in the marketplace can be adapted to any sales program.
