Happy Birthday Chloe!

Happy Birthday Chloe! You are 11 today! I can't believe it has been 11 years since you were rescued from that awful dumpster by Mrs. Shell. I will never forget the first time I saw you, running to hide under the deck. You have brought so much happiness to my life. You are such a good girl and I love you.

To me, you are the perfect example of what a dog should be, happy, sweet, loving, loyal and good natured. You always know what I need, a snuggle, or a laugh. You can make the cutest faces and silliest sounds. You are such a good sport when I have you groomed. You are always waiting at the door for me when I come home and always willing to keep me company in what ever I am doing. We love you Chloe! Mommy, Bunnie and Otto.

O Possum!

A few nights ago I had let the dogs out and when I went to call them in, Bunnie kept ignoring me. She was lying in the middle of the yard staring at a tree. Weird I thought. So I grabbed a flashlight, put shoes on and went out to investigate. I thought maybe her knees were bothering her and I would need to carry her in. A daunting task considering that she weighs about 60 pounds! Well I went out and she was in this weird trance so I looked where she was looking and the picture above is what I saw. A HUGE opossum. It scared the crap out of me because the tree is not that tall so we were pretty close to one another. Of course after I recovered from the shock of seeing a opossum this close and getting Bunnie inside, I had to get the camera. He was not to happy about it, but I thought he posed well. I love the wildlife!

Princess Chloe Bumblebee!

Otto says hi!

Spring has SPRUNG!

Dear Bunnie, Chloe and Otto

(this has gone around the email world for a while but so true for me and the tribe. I changed it a little and gave it my own spin!)

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - animal nose height:
Dear Bunnie, Chloe and Otto,


The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print or your nose in the middle of my plate and food does not make it your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The deck stairs were not designed by NASCAR and are not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

We cannot buy anything bigger than a queen sized bed. it won't fit in the room. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the sofa to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they
sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out
to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Visitors Who Like to Complain About My Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, they are adopted children who are short, hairy, walks on all fours and don't speak clearly.

The Birthday List

I know it seems a bit early for this because my birthday is 3 weeks away, BUT I have actually had an inquiry or two about what I wanted/needed so I thought I would make one list, post it and that would be it! I have to say that I do feel a little weird posting things that I want for my birthday because except for my parents and grandma, I really don’t expect people to get me stuff. I really appreciate it and it always touches me that people think enough of me to get me something but I feel lucky just to have my friends and family! But for those of you who wanted a list, here it is:

Gift cards for Old Navy, Pet Smart, Petco, Target or Wal-Mart. I always need dog stuff, basic clothes for work or food so these would be great! :-)

*An Individual Membership to the NC Zoo. (I love the zoo and would be there every weekend if I could!) Thanks to Michelle F who got me this already! You are awesome! The Red Wolves and Polar Bears will be completely sick of seeing me! :-)

Adopt a Polar Bear, Black Bear or Wolf in my name from Defenders of Wildlife. (www.defenders.org)

An individual membership to the International Wolf Center (http://www.wolf.org/wolves/shop/shop.asp?cat_id=10)

A gift card for Archiver’s (a scrapbook store.) I am hoping to take some workshops there and get some scrapbooks finished!

The book: Homeopathic Medicine for Dogs: A Handbook for Vets and Pet Owners by Hans Wolff (It is available on Amazon)

Postage stamps. I mail a lot of cards :-) and bills :-( !

New pillows for my bed. They actual have stomach sleeper ones (that’s me!)

These bags:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags-workhorse-style-1500-p-1.html
I want to stop getting the plastic ones from stores.

Anything that anyone wants to give me!

Thanks ahead of time!

The Animal Rescue Site

Since I am on a Help Homeless Animals track these days I thought I would tell you about The Animal Rescue Site.

This is from their website. They say it better than I ever could!

The Animal Rescue Site focuses the power of the Internet on a specific need — providing food for some of the 27 million unwanted animals given to shelters in the U.S. every year. Over 10 million animals are put to death every year in the U.S. alone because they are abandoned and unwanted.

Each click on the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at the Fund for Animals' renowned animal sanctuaries (including Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in California), pet shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, North Shore Animal League, and other worthy animal care facilities supported by the GreaterGood.org foundation.

100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners.

How You Can Help In Mere Seconds — Every Day
The Animal Rescue Site provides a feel-good way to help promote awareness and prevent rescued animal deaths every day — through easy and quick online activities.

Please remember to click every day to give help and hope to those most in need. Every click counts in the life of a rescued animal.

You Can Help Even More
In addition to clicking the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button, visitors can help more by shopping in The Animal Rescue Site store. With each item purchased, shoppers generate funds for the feeding and care of animals in shelters and sanctuaries. The store offers a wide array of items to show your support.

Please visit http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com for more information.

A Real Tear Jerker

Have you seen the new Pedigree Commercial? David Duchovny (X-Files Fame) is the narrator. It starts with pictures of different dogs in an animal shelter and the narrator is talking from the dog’s point of view. He says things like: I know how to sit, I know how to roll over, I know I am a good dog. What I don’t know is why I am here”. And that is when the tears start. I am crying right now just thinking about it. I have seen this commercial many times and I still cry EVERY time I see it (or think about it I guess!). I think it is because in all the years that I have been volunteering for animal rescue, I have seen this too many times. Perfectly wonderful, sweet, loving, loyal dogs (and cats) who get dumped for a myriad of stupid reasons. And because there so many dogs, (4 million dogs end up in animal shelters every year)less than half get adopted.

Are you looking for ways to help?

If you are looking for a pet, please check out the animal shelter in your area first. There are tons of loving animals look for good homes.

If you have a pet, PLEASE have them spayed or neutered.

If you have the means, donate to a rescue or humane society in your area.

There is a ton of information out there about what you can do help solve the pet over population problem and adopting. A good basic place to start is http://pedigree.com/home.asp