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. 

Pet Product Reviews: Rachael Ray Dog Foods – Nutrish

RACHAEL Ray Dog Foods

By Sharon Mohr-McDermott

Ahhh, from the lady who brings us simple, tasty, nutritious, and wholesome meals in under 30 minutes, we have multiple flavors of tasty, nutritious, and wholesome dog food. I’ll admit, just because she’s a guru of human cooking, doesn’t mean she can master the art of dog food creation. But then, look how many other chefs have also created their own brands of what I call gourmet dog food. So I gave her a try. Rather, I let my dog, Bowzer be the judge.

First off, I thought she created only one flavor of dog food. Boy was Bowzer jazzed that he got 3 different flavors, granted they were only trial size, to test. And by the way, she refers to her dog food as “Super Premium Food for Adult Dogs”, and her line of dog food is called Nutrish.

We began taste testing with her ‘Real Chicken and Veggies’ bag. The veggies consist of peas, carrots, and tomatoes. Alfalfa, brewers rice, oatmeal and beet pulp round out the contents, along with chicken and chicken meal. There were also many minerals also included, along with vitamins A, C, D, D3, E, and K supplements. Of course dogs can’t read how healthy this food actually is for them. Instead, Bowzer smelled, than tasted how good it was.

Next we moved on to the Just 6 recipe of her dog food. Like the title suggests, there are only 6 main ingredients to this blend, none of which are corn, soy, or wheat. The main items in this bag are Lamb meal and brown rice, but also included are chicken, carrots, ground rice, and beet pulp, along with all the same vitamin supplements listed in the first bag. Again, Bowzer smelled the excitement in this bag, so I had no problem introducing this flavor to him.

Our 3rd bag of Rachael Ray dog food was her Healthy Weight Recipe. This bag offers 33% less fat and 10% fewer calories than her other regular dog food. This is for older dogs, less active dogs, or overweight dogs. Believe me when I write that my dog didn’t even notice he was eating diet dog food!!!! The foremost ingredient in this bag is turkey, while rice, carrots, peas and tomatoes round out the list. Something called L-carnitine is added, which the bag claims is to promote an ongoing healthy weight in our dogs. A vitamin B12 supplement is also added, and the same other vitamin supplements are also included in this dog food. The bag explains that real turkey is used to maintain lean muscle mass, Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids are included to nourish our dogs’ skin and coat. Furthermore, she explains that that mysterious L-carnitine ingredient helps turn fat into energy. So there you have it.

Apparently Rachael Ray knows her way to a dogs’ heart, much in the same way she knows her way around a kitchen!!!!

I had no idea that Rachael Ray had an animal rescue charity she formed, in which she donates a percentage of her Nutrish line of dog food income to. Her charity is called Rachaels Rescue, and it can be found online at www.rachaelsrescue.org. .

Another thing I didn’t know was that she has her own “store” or online outlet for pets.  Here’s the link so you can go directly to her pets section of her online store:  http://www.rachaelray.com/pets/index.php

I also found coupons for dog food or pet accessories for use at her online store:  http://www.discountcodedance.com/apparel-accessories-coupons/rachael-ray-store-2013-discount-code?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Coupons%2B-%2BLC&utm_content=Rachael%2BRay%2BStore&utm_term=rachael%20ray%20store%20coupons.

Needless to say, Bowzer thoroughly enjoyed all 3 flavors or recipes of Rachael Ray dog food. It didn’t matter if I mixed two of the 3, all three together, or served the chicken and veggies alone. According to Bowzer, on a scale of 1-10, each bag of Rachael Ray dog food was a 10, so he gives this product 4 paws up. He’s also waiting for her or her chefs to whip up another healthy blend recipe!!!

Before I conclude this weeks column, let me just say that Bowzers’ vet kept announcing he was overweight every time I brought him in for the past 4 years. I claimed he was large boned and very muscular (being half Pit Bull and half Chow), and I wrote our vet off, in the weight department, figuring he’s never met a PitChow. But then recently, a neighbor happened to bring a rather large bag of Lamb and Rice over, claiming her Golden Retriever was allergic to Lamb, and wondered if Bowzer would like it. At that time he was eating Kibbles N Bits. After looking over the list of ingredients on both bags, I ditched our Kibbles N Bits (paid it forward and pawned my bag off onto another neighbor!!), and Bowzer has been on Lamb and Rice since then. I immediately noticed how lean, fit and or trim he began looking. The main ingredient in common dog food is corn, which humans and dogs find hard to digest, and some of the other ingredients in common dog food create or further induce allergies. Bowzer is allergic to red dye #5, so I had no problem ditching our old brand. Thank goodness Bowzer cooperated, and he is now more energetic and active since beginning his doggy health food diet. Bowzer loves his new Lamb and Rice Super Premium Adult Dog Food!!!!!

It should be noted that healthy natural dog foods are more expensive to buy, HOWEVER, you can decrease your dogs quantity by at least 1 cup per meal, because these dog foods offer no “filler”, thus your dog is eating smaller quantities of a healthier food, so in the long run—how often you restock—is actually cut down, so you actually save money!!! And your dog looks and feels better too!!!

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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.

Related articles

• Tips for Storing Dry Dog Food (raisingyourpets.wordpress.com)
• Rachael Ray Nutrish Twitter Party (resourcefulmommy.com)
• Dog Foods Buying Guide (walmart.com)
• Dangerous & Delicious foods for dogs (chicagodogwatch.wordpress.com)
• Locating the Dog Food that may Boost Your Pet’s Health (leccoworkshop.com)
• You Don’t Have to Break the Bank on Grain-Free Dog Food [Sponsored Post] (waywarddogs.com)
• Rachel Ray Nutrish Dog Food Review (dogadvisor.com)

Pittie Love: Meet Dexter

How old are you?

I turned 2 yearz old June 14!! Meh and daddy share our birfdayz!! 😀

Where did your name come from?

Mah name came from da show “Dexter”, mama and daddy wuv da show, they wuv da name too but I iz no killer tho BOL!!

How did you find your humans?

Mama and daddy wentz in da shelter to find a new addition to da family aftah they hadz lost a bery special girl in their life, Bella, she waz used as a bait doggieh in her past, they waz lookin thru da cages wifout any special puppeh in mind, I waz jumping and falling all ovah da pwace to getz their attention to meh, da mama looked at meh and called daddy ovah to look at meh, they wentz to talk to da man dat fed us dere and he saidz It would be bettah fur themz not to adopt meh coz I hadz whut he called Parvovirus and I waz gonna be “put down” dat day, mama and daddy asked whut they could do to getz meh outta dere coz they feltz a connection wif meh and da man saidz all they could do waz put their name on da list fur meh and wait 2 weekz to see if mah condition would get worst or not (since all mah 5 siblingz and furmama passed away) and he said he would call mama if I survived thru da 2 weekz, they nevah called so mama and daddy wentz to da shelter praying I waz okay!! And dere I waz relieved they came back fur meh!! 🙂
Aftah being in a cage fur 2 months I waz quite da nut once they took meh out to da patio BOL!! But they wantedz meh even wif mah bad back legz and hyper puppeh energy!! So here i iz!! 😀

What did you do to get your fursibling sister to like you?

I would share everything!! Mah toyz, mah food, mah wata!! I learned dat she didntz wike it when I pwayed wif her rough so I learned to pway bery gently wif her and she startedz to warm up to meh aftah she knew dat I wouldn’t hurt her and I waz startingz to calm down!! 🙂

How long did it take for you to get your CGC?

I waz a year and a half when I tookz mah CGC test!! I gotz it December 15th 2012 and I passed on mah bery 1st try!! I waz bery proud of mahself!! 😀

Dexter and his CGC award

Do you know any tricks?

Yessies I knowz lotza trickz!! 🙂
I can sit, down, stay, bow, go around da mama, go around da mama going backwardz, shake wif both mah pawz, go backwardz, go backwardz up stairz, spin, go down slidez, roll ovah, pway dead, i can pwace on anyfing youz want meh to, put mah paw on stuffs, wike anotha doggieh or an object, go unda stuffs wike mamas legz, jump ovah stuffs (I habz some dfficulties wif dat one coz of mah back legs but I do knowz how to BOL!!) I gibz a high 5, weave between legz, hug on command, go thru tunnelz wike Agility tunnels, I nevah cross da street until mama or daddy tellz meh to and I pose bery well fur cameras too itz one of mah best trickz BOL!!!

What is your favorite thing to do?

Mah favurite thing to do … datz a tough one!! I wuvz to do lotza stuffs BOL!!!
But I thinkiez dat mah bery favurite thing iz to be in da wata, wike going to da beach or go Dock Diving wif mah furiends!! 🙂

What is your favorite toy to play with?

I wuvz stuffies and squeaky’s but mama doesn’t let meh hab da stuffies often … coz I kinda de-stuff themz in 5 seconds!! Well … mama sayz itz 5 secondz I thinkies itz more wike 3 secondz!! I habz been tryina set a record lately BOL!! 😀

I saw you are a part of LARPBO, did you make any friends there?Yessies!! I madez lotza furiends and friends!! They iz da best!! ❤
I wuvz all mah LARPBO buddiehs!!! 😀

Have you met any people that were scared of pibbles like yourself and after meeting you realized you are not scary?

Yessies I habz met Hunams wike dat!! I wuvz to change peverypawdy’s mindz bouts mah breed!! I habz helped mostly children wif their fear of big doggiehs!! Dats why mama and daddy wanna make me a Therapy doggieh!! 🙂

What would you suggest someone do when meeting you or any dog for the first time?

Mah suggestion would be ask da Hunam handling da doggieh 1st and nevah put yourself ovah a doggieh!! I don’t care if da Hunams do dat to meh i’ll wuv themz no matta whut but lotza doggiehs get alarmed and scured wif dat type of body language!! Once da Hunam sayz itz okay then go down on one of your kneez, let da doggieh smell youz and then youz can pet him/her or meh!! 🙂

Dexter’s smile

Is there anything you or your humans would like to add?

Yessies!! Pwease don’t get discouraged when peoplez are afraid of your Pibble or Pibbles, prove to themz that they iz wrong boutz our breed by showing themz how good wes can be when wes raised right, trained and wuved!!!

If youz see somepawdy not being responsible wif their doggieh, speak out!! Youz are our voice!!

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Author’s Note:  Many thanks to Dexter and his humans for letting me interview him.  You can find him on his facebook page. For more pittie related interviews, please click on the adorable badge made by the wonderfully talented Miss Ann from Pawsitively Pets.

Happy Tails: Meet Sam & Lucy

How old are you, Sam & Lucy?

We are both 5 years old. Our 6th birthday is on the 12th September.

Sam with mum’s sneakers.Both about 18 weeks old.Lucy in the garden.

Where did your names come from?

Sam: My mum, Louise, was told I was a girl, so my original name was Kiara, which means “dark and little”. She said it suited me because I am black. But at the doctors she was told I was actually a boy. So she changed my name to Samuel (Sam) because she had always liked the name and it was a good name for someone so handsome. I usually get called Sam, unless I am being naughty then I get Samuel.

Lucy: My mum’s eldest niece, Gabriela, named me because I lived with them when I was a baby. Apparently my name means “light or bringer of light” which suits me because I am all white and very beautiful.

How did you come to live with your mom?

We will try to make a long story short.

Here goes:

Sam: My uncle, mum’s brother, worked at the Bridgestone tyre factory in Adelaide, South Australia, and our fur-parents thought it would be a good place to hang out because it was very warm in the Banbury (where the rubber was made for the tyres). But the workers, including my uncle, didn’t think it was very safe. They tried to move our fur-parents, but they keep coming back. After we were born, people from the Animal Welfare League, came and caught our fur-parents, but couldn’t find us. So they thought we had died. A day later one of the workers found as and took us to his house. There were 5 of us – 2 black, 1 white, and 2 black and white. We were about 1 ½ weeks old. My uncle told my mum about us and when I was 2 ½ weeks old she came and got me. And I started my new life with my mum, my big fur-sister Jessica, and my Nanna and Papa.

Lucy: My story is the same as Sam’s, except his uncle was my dad. I started my new life with my dad, mum, 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers (all human). I was closest to my dad and I loved it when he came home from work because I remember the smell from my birth place. When I was about 18 months old, I followed a black cat out of my yard and got lost. I found a nice lady, who feed me but wouldn’t let me in the house. After about 6 weeks, my mum and one of my sisters found me and brought me home. I stayed for 2 weeks, then I ran away again to the same place. When my parents found me again, my dad phoned my aunt (my new mum) and asked if I could come and live with her. She said yes and the rest is history. I will admit, I was very scared and angry when I first arrived at my new house, but my new mum was very patient with me and after a few weeks I was allowed out of the crate I had been living in. My brother (Sam) tried so hard to be my friend, but I was scared and I couldn’t understand what he wanted. He was so nice to me and I was mean to him. He tried to play with me but I didn’t know how too. Mum says I am much better now, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement, whatever that means!

Were you glad to have each other to play with?

Sam: I loved it when Lucy came, but she was really angry and mean when she came. She doesn’t really know how to play, but mum says it is because she lived alone for a while and didn’t really have time to play because she had to protect herself from other cats, dogs and some humans. So I keep trying, but I don’t know if she is willing.

Lucy: I would love to play with Sam, but I really don’t know how too. He plays a bit rough, and it scares me. Mum says that I am not Rajah, and that he needs to play quieter with me. I don’t think he knows how too, he is after all a boy.

This is about as close as Lucy and I get to each other (3years old).

What are you favorite toys?

Sam: My favourite toys are Da Bird, any pole toy, any small ball and medicine cups.

Lucy: My favourite toys are pole toys, balls of paper and the circuit toy.

Do you sleep near each other?

Sam: No. I sleep in a flat in our grand-parents backyard with our mum.

Lucy: No. I sleep in the house with our grand-parents.

What is your favorite thing to do?

• Sam: I love spending time with our mum, helping her in the garden, resting in the sun, and helping to make and looking after our mum’s reborn dolls.
• Lucy: I love spending time with our mum, helping mum and nanna with the cooking, resting, and looking beautiful. I don’t rest in the sun, because I will get burnt and mum says if I don’t get out of the sun she will put sunscreen on me and I hate that.

Sam helping in the garden.5 years oldLucy’s mediation stone in the garden

Do you live with other fursiblings?

• Sam: When I first came to live with my mum, my older fur-sister was here. Her name was Jessica, and she was 13 years old. She had been orphaned too, and came to live with mum when she was 6 weeks old. I loved Jessica, and I think she sort of loved me. I was very sad when she crossed to Rainbow Bridge just after I had turned 1. But she had lost one eye from a melanoma and then her liver stopped working properly. But a few weeks later my little fur-cousin, Rajah, came to live here because my uncle, auntie, and 4 cousins (humans) were staying here while their house was being fixed. Mum called Rajah and I the terrible two. He later went to live with my uncle and his family after their house was fixed up. I really missed him. My mum told me that after his 2nd birthday, he left for Rainbow Bridge after he was killed by a dog.

Mum has fostered some kittens from time to time.

• Lucy: I didn’t live with any fursiblings until I came to my new home and ended up living with my litter sibling, Sam.

Sam with his big sister JessicaSam with is little cousin Rajah.

What are your favorite treats?

• Sam: My favourite treats are Tempters, vegemite, ham, and cheese. I like trying new foods, especially human foods except chocolate. Mum says I can’t have that.
• Lucy: My favourite treats are vegemite and sometimes cheese. I really don’t like treats.

What advice would you give to little orphaned kittens like yourself who are scared?

• Sam: When you are orphaned, like my sister and I were, you are bottle fed so you get lots of cuddles and special time with your human mum or dad. When my mum was feeding me, my fur-sister would sit on her lap. Sometimes my Nanna would feed me at night because my mum was at work. When you are bottle fed, you become very close to your human parent. I am very protective of my mum, because we are very close.
• Lucy: I think the same as Sam, except I had human brothers and sisters to feed me and play with me when I was little. I am very close to my new mum now, and she is the only one who can pick me up – although I don’t like being picked up.

Helping mum pack for her holiday.Sitting with one of mum’s reborn dolls.

Is there anything else you would like to add about yourselves?

Our mum will answer this question:

• Louise: Hand raising an orphaned kitten is a lot of hard work. It is really no different to raising a human baby: bottle feeding around the clock, helping them to wee and poo, cleaning them, making sure they get plenty of sleep, teaching them to use the litter tray, eating solid food and lapping water, washing themselves. The list goes on. The only difference is their learning only lasts a few weeks not years. So you need to make the most of this precious time, because it goes far too quickly so take lots of photos &/or videos.

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Author’s Notes: Many thanks to Miss Louise, Sam & Lucy for answering the questions.

Thankful Thursday: Dogs

 

 

 

 

I wanted to pay tribute to all our doggy friends this Thursday. So here is a cut inforgraphic about how dogs became out best friends. The infographic can be found at Uncommon Dog.

 

 

I am thankful to have our four-legged canine friends around.

They teach us love, companionship, trust, loyalty and so much more.

If you have a dog hug them for me today and tell them how much you love them.

 

 

Happy Tails: Meet Rafa

How old are you?

Momma doesn’t know my exact birthday but she got me on December 3rd and they said I was 12 weeks old so she decided to make September 3rd my birthday!  I will be TWO WHOLE YEARS old this year!

Where did your name come from?

Well see I like the tennis balls a LOT..and when momma brought me home we lived with my Aunt Jeri.  Aunt Jeri plays tennis a lot and she said momma should name me after Rafael Nadel the famous tennis player.  And momma said, ya know..that fits him.  So Rafa it was!  Later she found out that there is an angel named Raphael who is a healer.  Momma had just lost her Tucker dog and I helped heal her heart so she thought it was even more perfect then.

Do you remember what it was like in the shelter?

I try not to.  I was there for 6 weeks and I was only 6 weeks old when I arrived. It was loud and scary.  Really, the place I was at wasn’t as bad as many of the ones you hear about, but it’s still no place for a dog, let alone a puppy.  They didn’t let people handle me much because I hadn’t had my shots so they didn’t want to get me sick.  But that just made me not very sociable, so I didn’t have any manners when momma found me.  I didn’t know how to play and I had NO idea what a toy was for.  I’ve sure made up for that since then though!

Rafa the baby pibble 1st picture, when he was just adopted

How did you find your mama or did she find you?

Momma and her best friend went to the shelter to look at a little blue pibble that was on the shelter’s website.  Momma was looking at him and her friend said “hey, what’s this?”.. when they looked in the kennel next to the blue boy (who had a little girl friend in there too) they saw me wayyyyyyy in the back curled up asleep.  I was all alone.  Momma said “oh, he’s black, he’s a pit bull and he’s all alone.  We have to get him”.  And that was that.  She never even saw me move before she took me.  She found out later how long I’d been there.  She still doesn’t understand why the brown pit bull girl and the blue boy who had only been there a few days were on the website, but I wasn’t.

Did you live with any fursiblings?

When I first came to momma there was another dog there.  Milly.  She was a little german schnauzer and kind of cranky, but I loved her a lot.  Now it’s just me and momma.  She did foster a little white pit bull puppy recently and I was very nice to him.  And she pupsat Marvin the pit bull for a week and we had soooooooo much fun!

Rafa giving a classic pittie smile

How are your obedience classes going?

I LOVE them.  It’s fun but it’s hard work.  We don’t go every week now because it’s just been too hot, but momma and I work on training at home all the time!

Have you become a canine good citizen yet?

I DID I DID!  I took the test in July and passed on my first try!!

Are there people who are scared to be around you because you are a pittie?

I haven’t had that problem a lot but momma thinks my wonky ears catch people off guard.  She says they make me look really friendly so maybe I get a chance that some pit bulls wouldn’t.  I hope so because then they know I’m not mean and she gets a chance to talk to them before they make a decision.

Rafa and his wonky ears – still handsome though

What would you like to say to people who are scared of pit bulls?

Don’t be afraid of the dog.  You should always be cautious around any dog you don’t know but it’s really the owner to look at.  Is the owner controlling the dog?  Is the owner kind to their dog?  Is the owner smiling at you?  If so then it’s going to be a good dog.  Momma knows there are people that have been hurt and even killed by pit bulls, but she also knows that she has had, and been around pit bulls for over 25 years and NONE of them has ever hurt anybody.  And maybe to take some time to really learn about them instead of just listening to the silly media.  The tv and news isn’t trying to educate you, they are just trying to get ratings and advertisers.  They aren’t in the business of educating, so find someone who is J

Do you think you will be selling more merchandise in the future?

I sure hope so.  We raised a lot of money with the tshirts!  We sent $435 to Peace Love and Pitbulls in Las Vegas and another $800 to LARPBO (the Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners).  That’s a lot of money to help owners and dogs and we want to do more!  Momma already has an idea for a super shirt for winter…we’ll surprise you with that later!

Is there anything you or your mom would like to add?

Just love.  Always love your dogs.  And train them.  Be a responsible owner.  And speak out against those who are not responsible.  Because those are the ones that are hurting my breed.  We know lots of people work to get animals out of rescue and into foster and forever homes, so momma wants to help pick up where they leave off and make sure people know how to take care of their animals and can keep them IN their homes.

Rafa giving a pittie smile

May I do a dedication to Tucker?  Oh yes, momma and I dedicate everything we do to him..in our hearts.  If it wasn’t for Tucker I wouldn’t be with momma now and if it wasn’t for Tucker momma wouldn’t be the scrappy little fighter she is for pit bulls.

 

An anti-BSL message brought to you by Rafa the baby pibble.

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Author’s Note: Many many thanks to Rafa and his mom for the interview. Photos were used with permission and belong solely to Rafa and his mom. Please visit him on his Facebook page Rafa the baby pibble. If you are in the Los Angeles area or would like to know more in general about the Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners, please visit the LARPBO website or facebook page.

For more interviews on pets that have found their forever homes, please visit Happy Tails or click the image below. This article is also a part of the Pittie Love theme (image coming soon).

Happy Tails: Meet Truffles

How old are you?

I am 5 monfs old.

Where did you name come from?

I wasn’t always called Truffles … I started owt as Daisy-Boo Snickerdoodle tee hee hee ^_^ I was just called Daisy or Daisy-Boo though … after a few monfs of being wif mommy she said I just didn’t wook like a Daisy … but I did wook like a Truffles acoz when I curl up to go to sweep I wook like a tiny twuffle sitting there lmto ^_^ so I am Truffles now 🙂

How did you come into your forever home?

mommy had a miniature yorshire terrier just like me called Angel. She wuved her vewy much but last September, after 11 years, she went to Rainbow Bridge 😦 mommy wasn’t sure if she would get anofer dog or not acoz her heart was so bwoken. She fought there would be no harm in wooking, even if she decided not to get one in the end. She didn’t mind if the dog she got would be a puppy or a rescue dog. It didn’t matter if it was a pedigree or a cross breed … but it did have to be at least half yorkshire terrier and it had to be a girl 🙂 She asked Angel to send her a puppy to love that would be a perfect little sister for her when we all met up again. She saw lots of adverts online and that made her sad acoz there were so many dogs looking for a home. She wasn’t brave enough to go to the local kennels acoz her heart would bweak at seeing all the dogs just wanting to be wuved. She got in touch wif a registered breeder … and after talking to her for a few hours, she was happy that she was a responsible breeder that knew what she was doing. She didn’t have any puppies at that time so mommy left her name and phone number wif her in case one of her dogs had puppies.

Truffles and her epic cuteness

After 5 monfs … mommy had put the idea of getting anofer dog owt of her hed acoz there just didn’t seem to be the rite dog coming along so she fought she wasn’t meant to have anofer one. Then one day the phone rang and it was the breeder to say that one of her dogs was about to have puppies and mommy could have the pick of the litter 🙂 I was born a few weeks later. There were 4 of us in the litter 2 girls and 2 boys. I was the smallest girl. mommy came to see me evy week to bond wif me and so that she wouldn’t be stwange to me when I went home wif her 🙂

Baby Truffles 1st picture 2 weeks old

But somefing amazing happened … when the breeder and mommy were looking at Angel’s pedigree … the breeder noticed that I was related to Angel 🙂 I am actually Angel’s cousin 🙂 We share the same grandparents 🙂 That made mommy vewy happy 🙂 She knew that Angel could never be replaced, and she never wanted to twy to, but somehow it was comforting to know that I was related to her. It was as if Angel couldn’t be wif her so she sent her the closest fing she could … and that was me 🙂 I had to stay wif the breeder for and extwa few weeks acoz I was so small … but I got there in the end 🙂

Truffles having a ball outside

I read in your about page you are a yorkshire terrier, can you tell me a bit about the breed?

Yorkshire Terriers were originally bred to catch mice and rats. We use to get our tails docked but the law changed and we don’t now. Angel was one of the last generation of dogs to have their tails docked. She had a tiny stubby tail that was vewy cute 🙂 We range fwom very tiny tea cup size dogs up to a medium size like a cocker spaniel. We are very intelligent dogs and we are vewy quick to learn … but we are vewy head stwong dogs too. Yoo can teach us to do fings … but if we don’t want to do it we won’t … we are little Diva’s 🙂 We like to keep our minds occupied so we need wots of fings to keep us busy. We are vewy demanding dogs and like a LOT of attention … we demand it. We can be vewy vocal if we don’t get what we want. We are also vewy pwayful and although we are small dogs … don’t be fooled … we love to walk and run and need our daily exercise just like any ovfer dog, we are almost impossible to tire owt tee hee hee. We love to be wif people and hate being left on our own. We don’t eat a lot but we can be vewy picky eaters if we get the chance … we do love our tweats and will do anyfing yoo want to get them 🙂 We are vewy cute dogs but we are a lot of hard work.

Truffles in Angel’s igloo, getting cozy

Do you need to be groomed often?

Our coats take a lot of daily grooming and we need to be trimmed on a regular basis … but one good fing abowt us … we don’t moult so yoo don’t get dog hairs on you unless it is grooming time. I hate being gwoomed and just want to chew the bwush all the time … that’s why mommy is taking me to the groomer to have my coat trimmed short Our fur is almost like baby fine hair and it is vewy soft. We tend to get cold acoz our coat is so fine … so when yoo see us all dwessed up … it’s mostly to keep us warm 😉 mommy says that as long as we need to wear coats … she might as well make them both fun and pwetty so she luvs to find cute coats ^_^

What is your favorite toy to play with?

I have so many toys I could start a shop tee hee hee … some people say I am just spoiled but mommy knows that it takes a lot to entertain a yorkie. If we get bored we will just find somefing to amuse ourselves wif. Best rule of the howse … if I can reach it … it’s mine …. so keep evyfing yoo don’t want me to have owt of my reach ^_^
I have a few favrit toys … my red bawl onion hed … I like a game of bawl wif mommy evy day in the garden.
I have a dog wif a sqweaky tummy that is abowt the same size as me that I wuv to wrestle wif like I would wif anofer puppy.
I wuv my red pawwot bawl and I sqweak it evy time mommy wants to watch tv or talk to someone on the phone 🙂

Truffles after playing in water

Where do you like to sleep?

I have quite a few diffewent beds to snooze on. I mostly sweep on my cowch during the day. My bat cave and igloo are mostly for pwaying in although sometimes I do sweep in them. At bed time I sweep in a big Cage just now. It is big enough for a Rotweiler to sweep in so there is pwenty of room for a big comfy bed and my wee wee mat just in case 😉 and of course I have my water bowl hooked to the cage. mommy puts my cosy disc under my bwankies to keep me cosy … she heats it up evy nite in the microwave.
Some people fink it’s cruel to make us sweep in a cage but I’m happy in there and settle rite down … and mommy needs to know that I’m safe and can’t get up to mischief or chew froo cables when she’s sweeping 😉 When I’m a bigger girl I will get a different bed to sweep in … owtside the cage 🙂

What is your favorite thing to do?

My favrite fing to do is sniffing for tweats. mommy just taught me how to sniff for tweats 🙂 I wuv pwaying bawl wif mommy … and I wuv to wrestle wif my puppy teddy ^_^

Truffles at 4 months old

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would say to anyone who wants to own a yorkie … think vewy vewy carefully and do your homework acoz we mite look like cute wittle bundles to wuv … but there is a wot of work involved in keeping us happy and well looked after. Make sure you want to spend most of your day wif us acoz we are vewy demanding wittle dogs 😉 We mite not cost a lot to feed but we make up for it in grooming expenses and insurance 😉 ALWAYS GET INSURANCE acoz if fings go wong … it gets vewy expensive 😉

Dedication:

This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Angel.

Angel on her 11th Birthday wearing her angel wings, now she wears real ones

She loved wearing those wings, now she has real ones.

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Author’s Note:  Many thanks to Truffles and her mom for letting me interview, please visit her on Facebook page Truffles. Pictures were used with permission and belong solely to Truffles and her mom.

For more interviews on pets that have found their forever homes, please visit Happy Tails or click the image below.