Email - Until one has loved an animal

I got this in my email. I enjoyed it and thought I'd share ...

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Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened'

If I Didn't Have a Dog... Or Cat......I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture & cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel. When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there. I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable. I would have money, & no guilt to go on a real vacation. I would not be on a first-name basis with numerous veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college. The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, & leave him/her/it ALONE. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers. My house would not look like a day care center, with toys everywhere. My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, R-I-D-E, GO I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season. I would not have to answer the question 'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!!!

Featured Rescue - Junie B the Pit Bull Terrier

There are currently over 12,000 dogs listed as Pit Bull Terrier on Petfinder.com. Most are looking for homes. It's no secret that this is a breed that is more difficult to find homes for than others. It is a breed that has been surrounded with controversy and rumours for years. Regardless of the truth, I doubt that will change any time soon. There are many advocacy groups that try to educate the populace, but it is difficult to change the minds of many. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try!

When I ran across the picture of Junie B I thought I really should post this gal. What a great picture! Junie is a Parvo survivor. At 6 weeks old she began the biggest battle of her life - and she won. Talk about tenacity! If you are in the Rochester, NY area and are looking for a pup, check out Junie B!

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14782687

News Reel - Pit Bull Group: Vick Declines

Every time I run across another Vick story I shake my head. There's a country song that reminds me of Mike Vick by Brad Paisley called "Celebrity" (in fact, it reminds me of a lot of "celebrities" but that's beside the point). Here are a few lines from the song:


"I'll get community service no matter which law I break
I'll make the supermarket tabloids, they'll write some awful stuff
But the more they run my name down the more my price goes up"


Doesn't that sound like the Vick case? On October 15, 2009 the following story was printed on WSBTV.com ...


Pit Bull Group: Vick Declined To See His Former Dogs


Now, why would they even offer to do this? "Come look at the dogs you used to fight through a window so we can write some more crap about you. Tempt fate so that someone could walk a dog close enough to you that they can claim you violated your parole." How dumb is that?


Much as I hate to admit this, Vick was smart not to go. If he did, what would they write? That he looked remorseful? Indifferent? Does it really matter? They would write whatever they wanted no matter what he did.


THAT goes to show us that this story has been taken too far. Perhaps I am too cynical? Possibly I should give the benefit of the doubt? To whom?


Now, I dislike the things that Vick did just as much as the next person. I could probably extend that statement as far as to say that I dislike Vick and would chase him off my property with a shotgun in hand. That doesn't mean I would set him up like that. I do have some EMPATHY for other human beings (not a lot, but some).


Some would say that they were just trying to do a nice thing. I don't believe it. If they weren't trying to set him up than why would they contact the media to let everyone know that Vick denied the opportunity? Why wouldn't they keep it quiet?


"Celebrity" goes both ways on this. How many donations do you think the group BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls) receives every time their name is in the papers?? How many adoption applications?


If there is one thing I have learned about volunteering with a charitable organization is that every time there is an article in the newspaper about the org, donations come rolling in.

So ... what do you think about all this?

Guess the Breed #10

I found this gorgeous picture and thought I HAD to share! Isn't he lovely?




Here are your hints ... He is purebred. This is posted from a breeder's website (I will link the picture to the site after you've all had the opportunity to guess the breed). The dogs owned by this breeder have won Best Of Breed in some shows (no, I'm not telling you which shows - that would be cheating!).




Can you guess the breed? I'm hoping this one makes you think!




Ready? Set? GO!




Please remember the golden rules ...




1. No bashing other peoples' opinions. (Friendly banter only.)
2. Post your opinion!
3. Have fun!

Featured Rescue - Blade the Doberman Pinscher

The majority of Doberman Pinschers that I have met have been calm and laid back. I have found that even the untrained ones I have run across are pretty calm under it all; just excitable when in an environment that is different.




Today's featured rescue is Blade who is a laid back 9 year old guy. He is a courtesy post from a shelter. I Googled the phone number and it is the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. Let's hope this calm guy who "likes to watch movies" is adopted before his time runs out.


If you are interested in him, note that he has a number assigned to him, not a name, at the shelter. The petfinder ad asks you to refer to the number. It's too bad someone couldn't pull him out and keep him till he finds the right home to spend his remaining days in.






http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14846700


Under it all ... I've known Dobermans who seem to be excitable at first glance until they've started learning some life-skills (the blank-slate dog), but after you've worked with them a little (and I mean LITTLE) and they build up some self-control and self-discipline, they are pretty calm dogs.


Does anyone have experience with a Doberman that contradicts this calm, laid back attitude? (I don't mean puppy - most puppies contradict the calm and laid back attitude!)

Post Exchange - Hallowe'en Dog Stencils

This is TOO COOL!


You love dogs, right? Most of us love Hallowe'en (come on ... CANDY! You can't tell me it doesn't bring back memories of stuffed pillow-cases!)


Check this out ... Better Homes and Gardens is featuring Halloween pumpkin carving stencils, including Dog Breed stencils! Your house could be the envy of all the dog lover's on the block! While going through their slideshow, I saw German Shepherd Dog, Beagle, Boxer, English Bulldog, Chihuahua, Dachshund, Golden Retriever, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Pug, Scottish Terrier, and Yorkshire Terrier stencils.


Keep in mind that with a little imagination certain dog breed stencils look like other breeds ... The Labrador Retriever stencil could be a Pointer, the Boxer could be a Boston, and so on.


The other cool thing is that if your dogs' breed doesn't have a stencil, you can email them with a request to have one for next year!!


Go to their website for Free Pumpkin-Carving Stencils and print off your favourite breed. Then, post a comment to let us know what dog breed stencil you printed! Email me a picture of your pumpkin (or Jack-O-Lantern) and I'll post it on the blog!