That One Smile From Al

Who I am

The days just keep getting worse. Al surprised us with another big mess when he awoke. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked any longer, this is now three days in a row. You know what I am talking about. The brown package, and no, it isn’t delivered in the mail.

Al is getting a little mean. He told the shower girl and caregiver to get out of his room. He told everyone who visited with him that they just come and leave; that no one stays. He moaned a lot in pain. He didn’t sleep today much.

I have made many comments about Al’s medicines. I feel like I should spend a few minutes talking about them. I am sure it is no secret that Al is on the stronger medications. But with Al, he has brain damage, so medications do not do the job they are intended to do…

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Dear Bacon – Special Edition – Dear Boo

Boo answers questions on bacon’s blog

Piglove

This week is a really special edition of Dear Bacon.

My friend Boo at http://peacelovenwhiskers.com has volunteered to help me out once again with some special letters.  Boo concentrated really hard, read the letters and posted some awesome replies.  Please show some love to Dear Boo my friends!  And, don’t forget to go and visit him at his blog.  He’s still a kitten and is full of energy and spunk as you will see below 🙂  Enjoy

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Dear Boo,
What? We’re just taking a break, figured I would show you what true working mules really do. Not the easy job of going to birthday parties and having kiddies ride your back. No, this is hard hat and safety gear moving dirt sort of work. So when do you plan on joining us?
Signed Working 925 Mules

Dear 925 Mules,

I don’t think meowmy would want me playing in dirt, but I…

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It’s time……

Please stop by and send condolences to rumpy and family, they are saying goodbye to dede.

Dogpaddling Through Life

Yes, we’ve been quiet this weekend.

We’re saying our good-byes to DeDe.

It’s time, and we’re not handling it well.

Thank you for understanding. We’ll be back when we’re able.

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Multiple Female Households

A great post about female dogs and why you might not want two in a household together.

Temporary Home, Permanent Love

I tend to have a knack for having sometimes unpopular opinions (like this) and today’s topic will be no different.  In fact, it’s something I’ve been debating even bringing up here on the blog for a good 9 months or so now.  A comment from a fellow fosterer who was sharing their story pushed me over the edge and I’m going to do it.  I’m going to talk about why I believe two female dogs in the same household is a bad idea.

There, I said it.  But before anyone thinks I’m just being a kook, or overly dramatic due to recent and past events, hear me out!  Just shy of two years ago I spent a week volunteering at Villalobos Rescue Center (you might better recognize them from the tv show “Pit Bulls and Parolees”.)  To say it was an eye-opening experience would be the understatement…

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We Have Lost Mama Cat

Mama cat of the cult has gotten her wings. Please send some kind words to the guardians and the boys as leader Otis just passed away last month. Thank you.

The Blog of Otis

Disciples of Otis,

My name is Kevin. My wife Julie and I are the Guardians that, until today, have chosen to remain in the background of The Cult of Otis. I can’t do that today though. Not after what has happened. I cannot write a story through this pain.

Yesterday morning, Julie was sitting on the couch and Mama Cat was resting next to her. Suddenly, Mama Cat began to show signs of discomfort and distress. We rushed her to our veterinarian and then received a steady stream of bad news all day as the results of blood work, x-rays and other diagnostics came in.  Mama Cat was dying.

A day that started like any other ended with us having to say our final goodbyes to Mama Cat, and that day came before our tears for Otis have even had a chance to stop, let alone dry. We are both…

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{Take Action Tuesday} Greyhound Racing

Great article about greyhound racing.

Temporary Home, Permanent Love

It’s the first-ever installment of “Take Action Tuesdays” and after all of the positive feedback I received, I have to believe you all are as excited as I am!  This weeks topic may come as a surprise to you, as it’s not a topic I have ever really discussed here: Greyhound racing.

We all know my passion lies with pit bulls, but despite the fact that greyhounds and pit bulls have polar opposite physiques, they share a trait that links them and therefore makes me passionate about their well-being as well: they are animals suffering at the hands of selfish humans.  (I should hope you all know by now that things like head shape aren’t what I truly care about, and my real passion lies with animal advocacy as a whole; from pit bulls to greyhounds to mice all being of equal importance!)

Pit bulls are commonly used for dog…

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Pet Book Reviews: Homer’s Odyessy

 Book Review-Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

 If you only read one book about cats this year, this is IT.

If you are a cat lover, you are sure to remember this book, and this cat!!!! Homer’s Odyssey is a chapter book, about Gwen’s blind cat, Homer, and is comprised of 299 pages, which requires at least 10 hours to read. An uninterrupted 10 hours is the best way to read this, since it is painfully hard to put down. The story keeps a tight grip on the reader.

 Gwen takes care to tell the reader everything we would want to know about Homer, while also introducing us to her other two cats, Vashti and Scarlett, and describes how they interact amongst each other and with Homer. It is hard to believe Homer is blind, as we are taken on a journey of reading how Homer grows up. The descriptions and detail, in addition to the storylines, keep the reader thoroughly involved in this book.

 Gwen also entwines her love life in this story, so we can’t help but hope she eventually finds a man who loves her and her 3 cats. She sadly explains that a woman with 3 cats could never attract the kind of man she was seeking.

 Homer’s tale begins in Miami, but in order to be upward mobile, Gwen moves to New York City. Along the way, Homer thwarts a home intruder, and gets caught up in the events of 9-11. Any cat lover can picture our self in this predicament, and I found myself cheering for Gwen to find her way back to Manhattan and get to her cats before they starved or dehydrated.

 The beginning of each chapter has a small black and white photo of Homer, and there are more towards the end of the book.

 I promise you won’t forget this book or Homer. We bought extra copies for our facebook furriends, who are blind.

 On a sad note, Homer went to Rainbow Bridge the last week of August. He was 16. His facebook page is still up: https://www.facebook.com/Homerblindcatfans . Author Gwen Cooper also has a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gwenandhomer?fref=ts . And there is also a facebook page for Homer’s Odyssey, the book: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Homers-Odyssey-A-Fearless-Feline-Tale/109859678150 .

 You owe it to yourself to immerse yourself in this book!!!!! Buy it today on amazon.com .

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Author’s Note: First and foremost I want to thank the wonderful Miss Sharon for the article and secondly thank the readers. My sincerest apologizes for not having anything posted the past week, a vicious cold struck me down and I was out on the couch for 3 days. I am slowly and steadily getting over this and returning to being a functioning member of the blogging community again. Thank you all so much for reading, commenting and liking. Please check out Miss Sharon’s other reviews, You can read more of her reviews here, also her cat Neptune is the subject of a book that was just written, you can purchase the book here or you can follow Neptune & Mr. Moo & the rest of the furry family on facebook here.

 

Guest Post: Fostering Dogs

I am so flattered to have been asked to do a guest post.  Christina gave me a wide range of options to talk about, and even though I love to advocate for pit bulls and other misunderstood breeds, I wanted to use this opportunity to promote fostering.  After all, it’s the reason I started blogging and also quite possibly my biggest source of pride.

I have always been a dog lover and fostering was just a natural way for me to help out.  It is the easiest (and generally cheapest!) way to make the most impact.  By agreeing to foster, you are not only saving the life of that dog, but also countless others.  Why?  Because by keeping that dog out of the shelter, you are essentially keeping a spot open for another dog to hang out in until he gets adopted or a foster family comes along.  People don’t always realize this, but because the pet over population problem is so rampant, countless dogs are put down every single day, usually for no other reason than the shelter was full and there simply was no longer room to house them.  It’s heartbreaking, wrong, and most of all, preventable.  But that’s a whole other topic, for another day, so I better get back on track: fostering!

The thing I most commonly hear from people when I tell them about fostering is, “Oh I couldn’t do that.  I would fall in love and keep them!”  Well, if you’re doing it right, you better fall in love!  But the thing is, I choose to look at the idea of keeping the dog as a selfish act.  Why?  Because if I choose to keep that dog, just because it would be sad to say goodbye, I am also actively choosing to stop fostering and then how many dogs will die because I can no longer foster?  That puts it in a new light, doesn’t it?  Sure, it will be hard to say goodbye, but is it as sad as thinking of the lives that you could help, but won’t because you chose to keep that one dog?  For me, it’s a big “NO!”

All of that said, it is also okay to “foster fail” and end up adopting your foster, which I actually have done once.  Most of the time when you are fostering, the dog will only be in your home for a couple of weeks to a couple of months, before they are adopted.  I had been fostering my Maggie for over a year, had had zero suitable inquiries, and was getting ready to move hours away from the rescue she was part of.  We made the decision to make her a permanent member of our family and we’ve never once regretted it.  Since the move we are still getting settled in but soon we will hop back on the fostering train and start saving more lives again!

I’d like to share with everyone the main things you need to know about fostering.  This is actually taken from a post I did a few months back, but I still love it because it just captures everything in my humble opinion.  So, without further ado, everything you need to know about fostering:

You will step in poop. 

You’re also probably going to get some on your hands, because eventually you will use a bag with a tiny tear at the bottom that you won’t notice until it’s too late.
You will be a hero.
You will spend many sleepless nights as your foster dog learns to adjust to his new home. 

You will have bags under your eyes, you’ll skip the gym, and you’ll gain 10 lbs.
Your foster dog will adore you despite what the scale says.

Your favorite shoes will be destroyed.  Your couch will be shredded.  Your clothes perpetually covered in dog hair.
People will look at you in awe as you tell them how you saved this dog’s life.

Your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will convert from pictures of you at clubs and parties, to pictures of your foster dog.  Your friends will call you “the crazy dog lady”.
You will feel the most fulfilled you ever have in your life.

Your Saturdays will go from football tailgates to adoption events.  You will skip trips to the beach to take your foster dog for a meet and greet with a potential adopter instead.
You will become addicted to saving lives.

You will get frustrated, you will cry, you will want to give up.
You won’t because this life depends on you.

You will get angry when you can’t understand how someone could do this to such an innocent creature.You will get angry when a friend chooses to buy a puppy instead of adopting one.  You will begin to view humans as lesser beings for the cruelty you see them inflict.

You will speak up and begin to be the voice of change.

Most of all, your heart will break as you say goodbye to your foster dog when he finds his forever family. You will have fallen helplessly in love with him.  You held him when he hurt.  You taught him to trust.  You invested your heart and soul into this dog and, under your careful care, he blossomed.
You will repeat the cycle and save another.

Every dog, and therefore every fostering experience, will be different.  It likely will be easier than this.  It might be harder.  I promise you though, the amount of joy and love you will experience is indescribable.  Mere words cannot express the feeling you will get when you see your former foster dog, full of life and happiness, bringing joy to his new family.  If not for you, that life wouldn’t even exist.  And that family, who is now whole, would have been forever missing a piece of themselves.

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Author’s Note: Many thanks to Miss Morgan from Temporary Home, Permanent Love, you can visit the blog or the facebook page.  On another note, the blog will be moving tomorrow so don’t worry if you notice a change in the layout.

I use Grammarly’s free online plagiarism checker because I like watching the animation of the paper and pencil going over the article.

 

Thankful Thursday: Cute Pet Pictures

I wanted to say I am truly thankful for cute pet pictures..they can make your day a lot less stressful.

Many thanks to Miss Brittany from Happiness Generator who wanted me to share a bit of happiness with all of you.

So click if you need a pick me up on this Thursday. Enjoy!

Author’s Note: I was in no way compensated for sharing Happiness Generator.

Pets that Blog: Meet Chip & Reilly

How old are Chip & Reilly?

Chip is a twelve year old Doxie-Poodle mix. Reilly is a four year old Dalmatian.  Chip is every bit as serious as he come across in From Our Dogs to Yours, though he becomes a much different dog when you show him a ball, and Reilly is an absolutely fun loving free spirit, though he is maturing a bit.

How did they come into your life?

I was working as a vet tech at an animal hospital while in school when a toy poodle mix had to have an emergency C-section because she had ovarian cancer while pregnant. We were able to save three puppies, who ended up being abandoned. My family ended up adopting one, who we named Chip.

Reilly was a present from my husband. We found him on Petfinder.com.

Where did the idea of From Our Dogs to Yours come from?

I wanted to do something online and my love of dogs led me to focus on that. The actual idea and format came from a family discussion, just building from a basic idea until we got to the site you see now.

What are some products you would recommend for first time dog owners?

Reilly and Chip would say that the basics are a good place to start, a place for the dog to sleep, dishes for eating, a collar and leash or lead for walks and anything needed to make the house safe for the new family member. Beyond that it depends on the age of the dog.

For those who adopted a puppy, they’d say puppy pads, puppy toys (but no rope), harness leash and a short leash, and a crate the puppy could grow into and that can be blocked for potty training.

If they adopted an older dog, then they’d say adult toys, gentle leader or harness, extendable leash for longer walks, and dog exercise pen.

For both, they’d recommend a dog tag on their collar, preferably one with name and phone number. With that tag, a GPS tracker that will help the pets find the dog should something happen to it.

I saw that you attended your first BarkWorld, were you overwhelmed, scared, excited or all three? Will you be attending BarkWorld again next year?

I would say that I was part all three but mostly excited about the possibilities. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’d never been to anything like this before.

Barkworld was good opportunity to meet in person those I’d met thru social media, learn about new products and find out some ways companies are giving back to those in need. I can’t wait to get to it again next year!

What are Chip & Reilly’s favorite things to review?

First are those things that have special meaning in their own lives, such as Chip’s discussion of the combination dog crate / end table he got several years ago after back surgery to protect him from hurting himself again (he was very active) and still enjoys.  Of course, the both love to review any type of treat or food, but what dog wouldn’t?

Can you give a sneak peek of what’s in store in the future?

We are going to be doing a Halloween photo contest! You should see that happening very soon!

We also just started a Pintrest page, however that is still slow to get started as we figure out Pintrest! Both Chip and Reilly love to ham it up for the camera.

Soon you’ll see a Recipe section on our page as well! We will be asking for everyone’s favorite recipes that they’d like to share!

Anything else you would like to add about From Our Dogs to Yours or Chip & Reilly or yourself?

From Our Dogs to Yours started out as a way to try and make some money while sharing my love of and knowledge of dogs but I never imagined how much fun it would be and how many great people I would meet as a result. I also didn’t expect Chip and Reilly to take on such real personalities, but their web personas really are an extension of how they act around the house.

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Many many thanks to Miss Christina Booker (who I met at BarkWorld) for answering all the questions. You can follow the From Our Dogs to Yours facebook page or follow the From Our Dogs to Yours Blog, they are also on Pinterest, Twitter @FromOurDogs2urs. Pictures were borrowed with permission and belong exclusively to Miss Christina Booker and From Our Dogs to Yours.

This article is a part of the Pets that Blog theme, for more interviews on blogging pets, click the image below. Many thanks to Miss Ann from Pawsitively Pets for the image.