My Fire Hydrant

I wish I lived in Provincetown, MA. At least for one day–this Saturday.

I adore Lily Tomlin and I’ve heard through the grapevine that Provincetown has a dynamite dog park, the Pilgrim Bark Park. 

Ms. Tomlin will be performing at the MacMillan Pier on Provincetown Harbor this Saturday August 29 in a benefit event for the Bark Park: “The D Word, A Top Dog Event!” There’s a silent and a live auction at 5 pm with show time set for an 8 pm curtain. Tickets are not cheap–hey! fund raisers are NEVER cheap and ALWAYS worth the cost–and range from $75 to $250 (available through www.onlyatthecrown.com . But what a great cause!! There are over 70 businesses and 70 artists participating, so you know there’s gonna be some good stuff at the auction.

If you are anywhere near Provincetown, MA this Saturday, this would be a great way to spend your evening!

I noticed this past weekend and confirmed today that we’ve had another update to our iPhone app, Eukanuba Off Leash. This is a simple update–we’ve added in more dog parks. A big THANK YOU goes out to all the folks who have been using the app’s email tool to send in the additional dog park locations. Keep ‘em coming!

The rumor is that a more substantial update is coming in a few weeks. Stay tuned to My Fire Hydrant for further details!

Reco = Recommendation

Daisy the Curly Cat. Funny, beautiful photos, and a kitty with great personality. Definitely worth a visit!

Silvie on 4. A lovely Bichon blog done in pink . Silvie is a very sweet pooch and has great attitude!

Reco = Recommendation

I watched Michael Vick’s interview on 60 Minutes this past Sunday. Today’s recos are all about the dogs who used to belong to Michael Vick .

More Michael Vick Segments
Watch CBS Videos Online

Sports Illustrated posted a good article in December of 2008: What Happened to Michael Vick’s Dogs…

Several animal welfare groups came forward to rehabilitate the Vick dogs. Among them: The ASPCA, Bad Rap, Best Friends, Recycled Love, and Our Pack.

ASPCA Issues Comment on Reinstatement of Michael Vick to NFL and Comment on Philadelphia Eagles’ signing of Michael Vick.

 I’m not sure I’ve mentioned lately how much I admire Bad Rap Rescue (Bad Rap = Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls). A heart-felt post was made today regarding Michael Vick to the Bad Rap Blog. Two blogs that make for good reading: vick dog blog (wonderful photos!!!), and the Bad Rap Blog (which is a constant source of inspiring stories!).

Best Friends named their Vick dog pack the Victory Dogs. Best Friends has posted an Official Statement on Michael Vick’s Return to Professional Football.

It doesn’t feel like 2 years have gone by since this story was first told–it feels like it happened last week. But maybe that’s because I spend a lot of time talking to people who care about dogs. I’m still not sure how I feel about Mr. Vick returning to football, but I think the Best Friends’ statement comes closest to how I feel about the whole thing: “Wouldn’t it have been better if, before he was given the privilege of returning to the NFL, he had spent at least one year working for the good of animals?”

It’s been a long time since I posted an update on my little girl. Today, we went to see our favorite veterinarian, Dr. B., for Bailey’s monthly check up.

 In case you didn’t know, Bailey was diagnosed with cancer over 3 years ago, had surgery to remove her left anal gland and 2 lymph nodes, and given only a few months to live. That was in December, 2005. Since that time, we’ve gone monthly to our vet to keep track of any resurgence of the cancer. Some people might think the money would have been better spent paying off my Visa bill, but I disagree.

To check the status of Bailey’s cancer, Dr. B must (OK, this may gross you out) stick her finger up into Bailey’s butt. It’s a really good thing that Dr. B is a petite person–her fingers are small! And today we found…….everything NORMAL, NO CANCER! [[doing my happy dance!!]]

Bailey’s heart is beating very well–no murmurs, her lungs sound good–she’s taking nice deep breaths, her reflexes are good (though her back legs are a little weak), and her weight continues at 18.9 pounds.

Now the other side of the coin: her cataracs have gotten noticibly worse–Dr. B has said that every visit for the past 3 months. I suspect my girl is going to be blind very soon. And I have been a very neglectful mom in that I have gotten out of the habit of cleaning her teeth and it’s starting to show!! BAD MOM!!! (where’s the rolled up newspaper?) I have GOT to make a better effort to brush her teeth!

We also discussed the fact that Bailey has had a few more incidents of  “backwards sneezing” lately, and some rough breathing. Dr. B. feels very certain that this is due to environmental allergies which we will take care of with some baby Benadryl.

When the exam was over, Bailey retreated to her Sherpa bag–her safe place. Poor sweetheart! Not only did we inturrupt puppy nap time for the vet visit, but she had to undergo the indignity of having her butt checked! One of the wonderful women who work at the front desk at the clinic gave Bailey a cookie, which didn’t exactly make up for her lost dignity, but which certainly helped make her feel better.

Small Paws Rescue Bichons on PetFinder.

This week I’ve been highlighting a few of the special-needs pets available through PetFinder.com. If you’re looking to adopt, think again before you bypass an animal that might have a disability or is older. These pets need love too!

This is Harper and Polly. They are a bonded pair–which means they must be adopted together. Small Paws Rescuehas dropped the second adoption fee so a lucky someone can adopt 2 little fluffy sweethearts for the price of one! Harper is around 14 years old, Polly is around 11 years old. Harper spends most of her time snoozing–though she likes her share of cuddles and kisses. Polly–though she’s bonded to Harper–will follow her human around and enjoys lap-snoozes. Both of these girls will potty outside–though Harper needs to be reminded when it’s time to go. These girls are being fostered in northern California.

Two very sweet old girls for one low price! Such a deal!

This is Walter. Walter is a sweet little gentleman who gets along with other dogs–in fact, it is recommended that there be at least one other dog in his forever home. He is between 9 and 11 years old. He doesn’t hear well, and his eyesight has started to cloud up, but he enjoys his foster home canine playgroup when they romp around in the back yard. He is housebroken, but he does wear a belly band so that there are no accidents. Walter is being fostered in northern California.

Is there a place in your heart and your home for Walter?

Patch, Harry, Lisa, Mona, Wheatie, and Dusty

Lisa has been part of Pet Care for 13 years.

1. What pets share your life?   
I currently have five dogs and a cat. Three of my five dogs are adoptions from work, as is my cat. My dogs are Patch (Dalmatian mix), Mona (long-haired Chihuahua), Dusty (yellow Labrador), Harry (Brittany Spaniel), and Wheatie (Pembroke Welsh Corgi). All are over eight.  My cat, Portnoy, will be 17 this year.

 2. What is your pet’s most unusual habit?      
All of my animals have odd behaviors, LOL! But odd as in funny. One of the most endearing things Mona does is greet me at the door when I get home from work, smiling at me like she is gushing “hee hee hee, mommie’s home”! They really are my babies, so nearly everything they do is endearing.

 3. What’s your favorite story about participating in a dog event?
One of the coolest things that happened at the Furry Skurry one year was that I realized Patch was extremely smart. He kept getting behind me as we walked, moving to a particular side at a particular time. What I realized was that he was using my shadow to block the sun in the mildly warm spring day. What a smart cookie!

 4. What is your favorite part of working at Pet Care?
My favorite part of working at Pet Care is the dogs & cats and the difference we make in their lives through our spectacular program. I also love the thought of improving the lives of dogs & cats around the world with what we do with nutritional research. All dogs & cats benefit from our work and that thought enriches my life!

Small Paws Rescue Bichons on PetFinder.

This week, in honor of Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day, I’ve been featuring special-needs Bichons from Small Paws Rescue who are listed on the PetFinder site and are available for adoption. Today it’s Greg, who makes me want to cry because he looks so much like Bailey.

Little lover!

Greg has spent nearly all his life in a commercial puppy mill. He must be placed in a home that already has a socialized dog, because he needs another pooch to show him how to be a pet! He was born in 1993, and is mostly potty trained. He is being fostered in California.

This sweet boy deserves your love!