WestChesterBuzz.com

With time running out, a shelter dog is rescued

Update: Sarge was finally adopted on Feb. 16, a week after a Pike County, Ohio, shelter took him to My Furry Valentine in a last attempt to find him a home.

Approximately 4,000 people attended and a total of 227 animals were adopted at the My Furry Valentine main event at flexi USA in West Chester Saturday and Sunday.

The total number of adoptions are expected to grow this week after rescues, like Adore-a-Bull, perform home checks. The rescue, which saves local pit bulls and pit bull mixes, received 35 applications for adoptions during the two-day event.

One of the animals up for adoption at My Furry Valentine’s main event in West Chester Saturday, Sarge, odds of survival are low just because he has traces of pit bull in him. Shelters have trouble finding pit bull or mixed pit bull breeds a home. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.

It is also unknown how many pets were adopted at the other 50 satellite locations, which included shelters, rescues and pet stores throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Last year, 100 animals were adopted at the main event location. The total of pets adopted last year, combined between the main event and satellite locations, was 266.

One dog, who was left behind at this year’s main event, was rescued.

Sarge, who couldn’t be adopted through a Pike County dog shelter (Ohio) since he was part pit bull, faced an uncertain future.

Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP), which is located in Newport, Ky., stepped up at what appeared to be the dog’s final hour and rescued him.

Meet Sarge, the shelter’s favorite dog

Pike Pet Pals, a non-profit organization that assists in transporting shelter dogs to approved rescues throughout Ohio, thought My Furry Valentine was the event that was going save the Pike County Dog Pound’s (in Waverly, Ohio) favorite dog.

When the dog was first brought into the pound by deputies from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, he didn’t have a name and was emaciated.

Volunteers at the shelter fell in love with the dog, who they named Sarge. In fact, Sarge was so adored by the staff that he spent most of his time in front of the office instead of back in the kennel.

They all wanted him to find a loving home, but since it was determined that he was mixed bred with traces of pit bull, it became very difficult.

After dealing with shelter visitors, who were adopting pit bulls for the wrong reasons, the dog pound implemented a policy that made it nearly impossible for a pit bull or a pit bull mixes to be adopted.

Once the group found out about My Furry Valentine, they saw a way out for Sarge.

The hope was – if one of the 2,500 people, who attended the first day of the main event of My Furry Valentine, fell for Sarge then they could get one of the rescues on hand to perform the standard home check, which by policy the shelter couldn’t do themselves.

“He has been there (in the dog pound) the longest and if we can’t find him a home soon he will have to be put down,” Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals said at the event on Saturday afternoon.

“He is a very good dog. He loves other dogs. He just wants attention and to sit in your lap…he is a very good tempered dog. We just love him.”

Sarge breaks hearts at My Furry Valentine

Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals takes Sarge out of the flexi USA warehouse on Saturday. Sarge, who wasn’t adopted or rescued, faced an uncertain future. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.

Carolyn Evans, who organized, My Furry Valentine’s main event in West Chester this past weekend described her experience with Sarge as an “emotional roller coaster.”

Just a half hour after the first day of My Furry Valentine ended on Saturday, only a few volunteers remained and Sarge was the only dog left in the building.

The dog, who won the hearts of the volunteers at the event, wasn’t adopted nor was he rescued. And since the group, Pike Pet Pals, who brought him to the event was located in Pike County and needed to get back to help other homeless dogs, Sarge’s chances for survival appeared to be slim.

As tears were shed, volunteers of My Furry Valentine pleaded for Sarge’s life.

“Lots of people were stopping by to meet Sarge and I think we just all thought he’d get adopted. We were in shock at the end of the day,” Evans said. “We were trying to get them to stay, working out (a deal) if Sarge could stay with us.”

After hearing about Sarge’s story, Evans thought if no one adopted him that Adore-A-Bull would rescue him.

Adore-A-Bull co-founder Danny Kaiser worried if he had rescued Sarge that he wouldn’t get adopted since people approach his organization looking for pit bulls, not Sarge, who doesn’t look anything like one.

“He is caught in limbo,” Evans said. “There are 20 types of dogs that are mislabeled pit bulls. I believe that is where he falls. It is just a tough position for this poor dog.”

Eventually, Sarge left – without a home.

Saving Sarge

When Sarge arrived back at the shelter late Saturday in Pike County, his spot was taken. A stray dog, who had been tied to a tree and left by the shelter, had taken Sarge’s kennel.

My Furry Valentine volunteer Michael Lehmann, who along with fellow volunteer Teresa Scherl drove to the Pike County Dog Pound to fetch Sarge back, pets his new friend as Sarge’s arrival is announced at the My Furry Valentine main event in West Chester. Photo taken Feb. 10, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.

But, unbeknownst to the Pike Pet Pals, Evans had been working the phones – trying to find a rescue for Sarge.

Eventually, she was able to get ahold Caroline Rollins of the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP). Rollins, who is a dog coordinator at the Newport, Ky., rescue, met Sarge at the event and said that she would like help him.

“We decided to take Sarge for a couple reasons,” Rollins said. “Sarge was in dire need to find a rescue or forever home. He appears to have a bit of pit bull in him, which makes adopting him out extremely difficult.

“Sarge has a wonderful personality … we were happy to help him.”

With Sarge saved, the only problem was that he was a long way from his rescue – about 2 and a half hours away to be exact.

Despite not being able to reach the Pike Pet Pals or the Pike County Dog Pound, My Furry Valentine volunteers Teresa Scherl and Michael Lehmann decided to make the drive to get Sarge back to the main event on Sunday.

The pair drove two hours, found Sarge, and drove two hours back.

When they arrived at My Furry Valentine that afternoon, Sarge’s arrival was announced over the loud speaker. The crowd cheered.

Sarge still needs a home

“He is currently in his foster home and doing great,” Rollins said. “He loves dogs, kids, all people, and even does well with cats and other small animals.”

If anyone is interested in adopting Sarge, visit www.adoptastray.com and fill out the dog adoption application.

Or meet Sarge in person, as he will be at an adoption event this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Petco in Fort Wright, Ky.

Sarge is neutered, microchipped, vet checked and up to date on his shots. His adoption fee is $100.

NOTE: Adore-A-Bull Rescue worked with My Furry Valentine volunteers to help find the best rescue for Sarge. It has been brought to the attention of WestChesterBuzz.com, that the organization which helps hundreds of pit bulls throughout Greater Cincinnati find homes, has been criticized on its Facebook page. Again, while the organization did not rescue Sarge, it helped with Sarge’s rescue process.

See video – filmed on Saturday – “Trouble finding a home for Sarge”

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Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Photos captured by Tony Jones of The Cincinnati Enquirer

Flexi USA, Inc. Distribution in West Chester hosted this past weekend My Furry Valentine, a big pet adoption event that brings together dozens of shelters and rescues, hundreds of adoptable animals and thousands of potential pet adopters from throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

For more West Chester and Liberty Township photos, there are many other events captured on our Flickr photostream and more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.

Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page or by email akiefaber@westchesterbuzz.com.

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Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Cincinnati’s largest adoption event continues Sunday

Update: At approximately, 8:15 p.m., Sarge was rescued. He, however, still needs a home. To adopt him, contact the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP), which is located in Newport, at 859-391-1234 or at SAAP@fuse.net. It is unknown when he will be available for adoption, however, since he is currently on his way back to the Pike County Dog Pound.

Story written at end of event: More than 2,500 people visited and roughly 150 animals were adopted during the first day of the My Furry Valentine main event at flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, in West Chester Saturday, but one dog, in particular, was left behind.

Sarge, who may not look like it, has pit bull in him. He was brought to the main event in West Chester from the Pike County Dog Pound in Waverly, Ohio, which is roughly two hours away.

Due to traces of pit bull, the shelter claims that it is not allowed to list Sarge on its website and is unable to do the proper screenings for him to be eligible for adoption.

One of the animals up for adoption, Sarge, odds of survival are low just because he has traces of pit bull in him. Shelters have trouble finding pit bull or mixed pit bull breeds a home. In photo, Sarge embraces Sue Peek, who is a volunteer with Pike Pet Pals. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Adam Kiefaber.

“We have a lot of people coming in (the shelter) with the wrong intentions,” said Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals and Pike County Dog Pound. “We really work to get them to the rescue because we don’t want the dog to fall into the wrong hands.

“We can’t do home visits ourselves, so that is why we need to get them to the rescue.”

If not rescued, Sarge could likely become part of a staggering statistic.

Just last year, more than 3 million animals were euthanized at shelters nationwide due to homelessness. According to Adore-A-Bull Rescue co-founder Danny Kaiser, roughly a third of those animals were pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

“People tend to shy away from the breed due to the reputation and the negative stigma therefore making it a lot harder on the shelters,” Kaiser said. “A lot of shelters deem them as vicious or not adoptable. Sometimes the only way a pit bull can make it out of a shelter is through a rescue.”

Last year, Adore-A-Bull Rescue rescued 218 pit bulls and found homes for 176 of them. They claim to have never euthanized a dog.

But, they couldn’t rescue Sarge because he doesn’t look like a pit bull.

“We are just shocked. Everyone wanted to pet him,” Mercer said. “But no one adopted him. It is too bad because he is such a great dog. He is one of our favorites.”

Pike Pet Pals brought a total of four dogs, all were adopted except for Sarge.

“He is caught in limbo,” said Carolyn Evans, who organized My Furry Valentine. “There are 20 types of dogs that are mislabeled pit bulls. I believe that is where he falls. It is just a tough position for this poor dog.”

My Furry Valentine doesn’t just feature pit bulls, or dogs who may have traces of pit bull in them, but many other breeds of dogs, as well as cats, rabbits, rats and mice.

In addition to the West Chester location, there are 50 other satellite locations, which include shelters, rescues and pet stores who are participating in the adoption event this weekend.

The main event will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Evans, who is a board member for Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals, said there will be plenty of animals ready to be adopted on day 2 of the event.

“Sunday will still be a great opportunity to come out,” Evans said. “We will not run out of animals. There are more than enough animals in the Tri-State looking for homes.”

The event is free to attend. Parking is also free.

NOTE: Adore-A-Bull Rescue worked with My Furry Valentine volunteers to help find the best rescue for Sarge. It has been brought to the attention of WestChesterBuzz.com, that the organization which helps hundreds of pit bulls throughout Greater Cincinnati find homes, has been criticized on its Facebook page. Again, while the organization did not rescue Sarge, it helped with Sarge’s rescue process.

IF YOU GO

What: My Furry Valentine

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, West Chester, four miles west of Union Centre Boulevard exit from Interstate 75.

More: 50 satellite locations in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are also participating. For locations, go to www.myfurryvalentine.com/event-details/other-locations/

Locations and information: www.myfurryvalentine.com

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Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

From the region’s largest pet adoption event to a winter farmers’ market, there is plenty to do in West Chester, Ohio, this weekend.

For things to do in Greater Cincinnati, visit Cincinnati.com’s new Things to Do page.

Below are some things to do close to home.

Friday

Armchair program – Residents of West Chester Township are invited to experience Scandinavia without ever leaving their hometown. The region will be discussed at this week’s Armchair session at Township Hall, 9113, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, at 7 p.m. Friday.

Craft for the Cure – Student groups at Lakota East High School are sponsoring crafting activities for people of all ages. All materials will be for sale at the event. Crafts will be inexpensive (50 cents to $10) and easy to create, according to the event’s flier. Proceeds benefit East’s Relay for Life. The event will take place after school from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Lakota boys’ basketball – The regular season is winding down and both Lakota West and Lakota East will host conference opponents Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West (13-6 overall, 7-5 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Fairfield (13-7 overall, 8-4 in GMC), while Lakota East (14-6 overall, 7-5 in GMC) will host Middletown (11-9 overall, 8-4 in GMC). Both East and West are a game out of first place in the GMC, which currently has three teams (Fairfield, Sycamore and Middletown) in a tie with conference records of 8-4.

Saturday

My Furry Valentine – Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.

Winter farmers’ market – The weekly farmers’ market season is over, but the winter farmers’ market will be open this Saturday at the Square at Union Centre. This Saturday’s market will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Like in the summer, the winter farmers’ market also features all local vendors with produce and meats grown and raised locally and products made by hand.

Lakota girls’ basketball – Both Lakota West and Lakota East will finish the 2012-2013 regular season with road games Saturday at 2 p.m. Lakota West (18-3 overall, 11-3 in GMC) will visit Oak Hills (6-15 overall, 3-10 in GMC), while Lakota East (7-14 overall, 6-8 in GMC) will visit Fairfield (7-14 overall, 4-9 in GMC). Postseason play begins next week. East will play its first game next Saturday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. at Kings High School against Little Miami, while West won’t play until Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Harrison High School against the winner of the Walnut Hills and St. Ursula matchup, which will be played on Valentine’s Day (Thursday).

Bella Vino grand opening - To celebrate its recent grand opening, Bella Vino Wine Merchants and Bar will be hosting an event that will feature craft beer and wine specials, as well as live music. There will also be complimentary bites. The celebration will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. The wine shop is located at 6064 West Chester Road.

Sunday

My Furry Valentine – Day 2 of the event. In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati. Those numbers are expected to grow with it being a two-day event in 2013.

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My Furry Valentine is region’s largest animal adoption event

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

More than 3 million animals were euthanized last year at shelters nationwide.

This weekend, the region’s largest pet adoption event of the year hopes to do something about that number.

The second annual My Furry Valentine takes place Saturday and Sunday at 36 sites across Greater Cincinnati. The event is organized by Carolyn Evans, a board member for Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals.

“There are a lot of animals dying every year in our shelters (33,000 estimated) because there are not enough people who are adopting them,” Evans said. “It seems like an insurmountable problem at first glance, but, if we could just get people to think about adopting, then animals wouldn’t be dying in our shelters.”

In 2012, its inaugural year, the event found homes for 266 animals. This year’s event will be held at flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive. Representatives of 47 rescues and shelters will attend, with 481 animals available for adoption. Another 35 satellite locations, which include shelters, rescues and pet stores, will participate, with another 1,600 pets available.

Nathan Winograd is founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center in Oakland, Calif. He said Cincinnati historically puts down 70 percent of its shelter animals, largely due to the lack of awareness of adoptable pets.

“That (rate) is worse than the national average (50 percent), and it certainly doesn’t reflect well because people in Cincinnati care about animals,” Winograd said.

“Every year 23 1/2 million Americans bring a new pet into their home, but unfortunately the majority don’t adopt,” Winograd said. “About 17 million of those people don’t know where they are going to get their next animal. We just have to convince 20 percent to adopt to end the killing.”

The event not only saves lives, it changes them.

“I have always wanted to adopt a greyhound, but I live in a condo and didn’t think I could,” said Laura Blackwell, who attended last year’s event. “When I talked with the Homeward Bound Greyhound Association, they told me they make great apartment dogs.”

Blackwell, of Springboro, adopted Lina, a former racer. She loved Lina so much, she adopted another greyhound, Lilly, in May.

Since the event, Blackwell has adopted two dogs, become a foster parent for Homeward Bound and traveled with the group to save greyhounds in Birmingham, Ala.

IF YOU GO

What: My Furry Valentine

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, West Chester, four miles west of Union Centre Boulevard exit from Interstate 75.

More: 35 satellite locations throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will participate. For locations, go to www.myfurryvalentine.com/event-details/other-locations/

Locations and information: www.myfurryvalentine.com

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Tags: Tags: flexi, flexi West Chester, My Furry Valentine, My Furry Valentine Cincinnati, My Furry Valentine Northern Kentucky, My Furry Valentine West Chester, Pet Adoption Day, pet adoption West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos

Fricker’s, a Dayton-based wing joint, officially opens its West Chester location today.

It is located at 7844 Kingland Drive off Tylersville Road.

Fricker’s menu features 13 different types of sauces for its chicken wings, chicken chunks and shrimp. The restaurant also features appetizers, salads, ribs, steak, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, quesadillas and wraps, as well as a kids’ menu and desserts.

The West Chester location is the chain’s 20th in Ohio. In Greater Cincinnati, it also has a location in North College Hill and Middletown.

Fricker’s offers the following weekly dine-in promotions at each of its restaurants – Monday, 40-cent boneless wings; Tuesday, 40-cent wings; Wednesday, $5 sirloin steak; and Thursday $5 chicken chunks.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday, according to its website.

For more information about Fricker’s, visit www.frickers.com.

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Rich Franklin learned how to become a fighter, thanks to videos from Mixed Martial Arts bouts and a shed in a friend’s Harrison backyard.

That’s the way he trained before he had his first pro fight in 1999, when he was a math teacher at Oak Hills High School.

“At that time it was the wild, wild west of MMA,” Franklin said. “It wouldn’t be uncommon for me to go to an amateur show, fight someone who was 20 or 40 pounds heavier than me, have on unregulated gloves and without the appropriate medical staff.

“Fortunately the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) at that time moved towards sanctioning rules and it really brought the sport under a ruling system.”

After his first pro fight, Franklin, now 38, continued a UFC career that has earned him national recognition. In June 2005, Franklin won the UFC Middleweight Championship and defended the title twice before losing it to Anderson Silva in 2006.

“There was a point in my life when I would put my signature on a piece of paper and gave it to a kid and he wouldn’t want to take it home,” Franklin said of his days as a math teacher. “Now, I can put my signature on a piece of paper and a kid is willing to stand in line for a couple of hours for it.”

Not only has Franklin come a long way, so have his training methods.

Today, Franklin trains in his hometown of West Chester at the Jorge Gurgel Mixed Martial Arts Academy, which was established in 2001 and is home to 650 students.

“If you are interested in Mixed Martial Arts, it is tough to find a premier school with good instruction and the connection to Strikeforce, Bellator or UFC,’’ Franklin said. “Here we have the ability to do that. West Chester is a good focal point for guys who are looking to prep for the upper-level MMA competition.”

The local training facility is owned by Brazilian Jorge Gurgel, who fights professionally and leads the training of 25 other professional MMA fighters, including UFC stars Justin Edwards and Matt Brown.

One of his students, Wolfie Steel, 15, is the nation’s top-ranked grappler in his age group (15-17), according to nationallyranked.com. Wolfie and his father, Rod Steel, drive up from Lexington four or five times a week to train at Gurgel’s school.

“We drive two hours each way to train at JGMMA because Professor Gurgel and his coaching staff know exactly how to train champions,” Rob Steel said. “What they have done with Wolfie this past year is remarkable.”

Unlike Wolfie, most of Gurgel’s students come from the Buckeye State, which has more MMA fighters than any other state, according to the Ohio Athletic Commission.

Bernie Profato, executive director of the OAC, said there are more than 4,000 registered amateur and professional fighters in Ohio. New Jersey is second, with 1,800.

“We were one of the first in the country to set up amateur rules. That is how we got a jump on everybody,” Profato said. “A lot of people thought the sport was going to be a fad. They thought it would come and go, but it didn’t.”

For the past few years, Ohio has been second in the nation – behind California – for most MMA fighting events per year, Profato said.

“Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel were the cornerposts in Ohio and it built off of that,” Profato said.

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Recession amplified national trend: It’s often cheaper, more practical to move lower-paying jobs to the burbs

Dan Horn reports:

Nearly one in four jobs in downtown Cincinnati vanished between 2000 and 2010. That’s a loss of about 20,000 jobs from the region’s biggest and most important employment center. So what happened to all those workers?

The lousy economy claimed some of them, but U.S. Census figures suggest high-growth suburbs may have grabbed some, too. Mason, West Chester Township, Hebron, Symmes Township and parts of Covington and Fort Wright all made significant gains as downtown Cincinnati suffered losses.

Downtown wasn’t alone. Dozens of other communities, including solid suburbs like Blue Ash and Milford, also got socked by the years-long economic slump.

None took a bigger hit, however, than downtown Cincinnati, which suffered not only from the bad economy, but also from the continued movement of workers from the center city to the suburbs.

In the span of a decade, those forces have changed the balance of the region’s economy and the lives of thousands of working families.

Downtown now has fewer, but higher-paid workers. Many suburbs have stronger tax bases and more office buildings. Companies have more choices when it comes to investing and leasing.

And employees have less certainty about their workplaces and their commutes.

“I don’t think that trend will change,” said David Ginsburg, president and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc. “It really is a big transformation.”

Although that transformation is dramatic, economists and others say it doesn’t mean Downtown is doomed or that successful suburbs are thriving solely at the expense of the city’s core.

Instead, they say, the change mirrors a national trend in which a growing number of companies abandon downtown skyscrapers for suburban office parks, where rent is generally cheaper, parking is often free and payroll taxes tend to be lower.

For some companies, especially those with many low- and middle-wage workers, the suburbs are less expensive and more practical.

“Companies are getting smarter about where they put their workers,” said Doug Bolton, managing principal of Cassidy Turley, a commercial real estate firm. “It’s not getting any easier to operate a business these days, so I think it’s a trend that’s going to continue.”

Downtown boosters say it can survive if it adapts. (more…)

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West Chester firm may see product on sideline Sunday

Bruce A. Read, president and COO of TSS Technologies and Dynavision International shows off the CoreControl Cooling Glove. Photo by Jeff Swinger.

John Faherty reports:

This Sunday, somewhere around 110 million people will sit down to watch the Super Bowl. Some will watch the game. Others will watch the commercials.

But the 250 employees of TSS Technologies in West Chester will watch in hopes that a TV camera will, at some point, focus on a San Francisco 49er wearing what looks like a funny oven mitt.

Don’t be fooled: The mitt, made and distributed by TSS, is scientifically engineered and designed to naturally cool athletes and others off quickly, allowing them to play better longer. If the nation sees the mitts in use on Sunday, it could provide a marketing bonanza for 60-year-old TSS.

“Oh yes, we will be watching the game very closely,” said Bruce Read, company president and chief operating officer. “We will be taping it and going over every frame.”

The CoreControl Cooling Glove mitts traveled a winding road to the Cincinnati suburbs. The idea began 10 years ago when two professors at Stanford University started wondering just how black bears manage to stay cool in the summer with all of that fur.

The two biologists, H. Craig Heller and Dennis Grahn, did a thermal scan of the animals and saw that their noses, feet and hands were always hot. That was how the heat was leaving their bodies. They figured humans were doing it the same way. And they were right. The CoreControl mitts just help the process work faster.

First, a brief lesson in mammalian thermoregulation. When a person begins to get hot, his or her body will work hard to cool it off. Blood will rush to the hands, feet and face in an effort to remove heat and bring the core temperature down. It happens through dilation of the arteriovenous anastomoses, which increases blood flow to the skin. The skin warms up, and that heat is then released into the environment and the body cools. It is why, when you are hot, your hands and feet get sweaty and your face gets red.

It is a beautiful system, and it works. A football player in the Super Bowl, however, would rather all this blood be used to feed muscles and promote circulation, not be working to cool the body down.

So the professors created a box with a battery-powered vacuum system attached to a mitt. Cool water is also circulating through the mitt to encourage the exchange of heat.

The Stanford professors believed in their product, but they were academics, not manufacturers or marketers. They needed help in production and sales. TSS Technologies and its subsidiary Dynavision heard about the product and offered to form a partnership with the professors. Now, TSS builds them; Dynavision does sales and marketing. The professors continue to tinker.

The San Francisco 49ers started using the mitts because of the team’s close relationship with Stanford. Coaches have coached at both places, trainers have trained at both places.

The team bought eight to 10 of the units. They use them during practices and games. They have brought them to the Super Bowl for Sunday’s game.

Dan Sellers, who does national sales and business development for TSS, said all athletes are now looking for a competitive advantage that will not mean a bad blood test. This is a performance enhancement through science, not chemistry, he said.

“Everybody likes the idea of getting faster and stronger without a needle,” Sellers said.

“We hear that a lot. This is all natural, no injections, nothing.”

Two NBA teams and the Stanford football team, of course, also use the devices.

Read said that kind of audience would be great at helping to move the product out of the sports arena and into public use. Each unit costs $895, and TSS is hoping to encourage weekend warriors, gardeners and golfers to buy them. He also sees possible uses by the military and firefighters.

Which is why everybody at TSS hopes the 49ers get spotted using them. A little time on TV would help a lot.

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Tags: Tags: Bruce Read, CoreControl Cooling Glove mitts, TSS Technologies, TSS Technologies West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Large pet adoption event taking place throughout Greater Cincinnati

Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester

Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, next Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and next Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.

In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine in 2012. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati.

In West Chester alone, approximately 1,700 visitors came out to the main event. In addition, more than $75,000 in gifts and prizes were awarded to adopters and visitors.

“We finalized our first adoption just minutes after the doors were opened. Groups were calling in reinforcements during the day to have volunteers bring additional animals when they realized they were going to run out,” said Carolyn Evans, event organizer. “Shelters that had doubled-up on kennel space for years went back to empty kennels that they had never experienced before.”

This year’s event features family friendly games and activities including face painting, a balloon artist, a caricature artist, Mr. Cowpie’s farm animal petting zoo and live entertainment.

Pet supplies and services from various vendors and sponsors will also be available.

Parking and admission are free. Pet adoption fees and applications vary.

For those who are unable to attend the Super Adoption Event at flexi USA on February 9 and February 10, various rescues and shelters throughout the region will be hosting adoption events in collaboration with My Furry Valentine. For a list of the participating shelters, please visit www.myfurryvalentine.com.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Event Organizer, Carolyn Evans, at myfurryvalentine@gmail.com.

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