My Fire Hydrant

Jen and Louie-King-of-the-Cats

My friend Jen wrote about our online Bichon Bash for Small Paws and Bailey! Check it out! Thanks Jen!

If you’re watching the Olympic Winter Games, then you’ve been seeing P&G commercials. This one is my favorite:

Something else I’ve been watching is P&G’s ThankYouMom.com. One of my favorite pages says, “Get the latest updates straight from the Olympians’ biggest fans–their moms!”  Blog posts from Vancouver! Gotta love that!

I came across a blog post that made me smile the other day–Chow Hounds on The Daily Dog Blog. Some really sweet photos and a very funny video reminded me about that whole “life goes on” thing. The Husky puppies at the Lazy Husky Ranch love their food–especially on their face and paws!

I took some time today to read back through the January posts from the time the puppies were born. More beautiful photos. And Shannon (the writer) shows such a love for her dogs and the puppies. The Lazy Husky Ranch must be a very happy place with so much love being shared.  

Shannon and I share that love for our dogs.

One sweet puppy, Lucy, almost didn’t make it. The runt, her sibs often pushed her out of the way when it came to nursing from mom. But Shannon refused to give up on her. She gave Lucy extra care, keeping her warm, using an eyedropper to give her extra nourishment. Lucy and Bailey each turned their corners at around the same time.  Lucy is now a lovey, chubby pup. Bailey is gone.

Shannon and I both feel the same about puppy breath (nothing sweeter!), but we disagree regarding snow. I guess as a musher it makes sense that she would like snow. Bailey never liked snow, so I never liked it either. And now, perversely, I wish our snow had not melted–her paw prints were all over our patio and the small, fenced-in yard. Now they’re gone. My girl is gone.

Ugh! I continue to work through my grief. It’s been 2 weeks which is at once an eternity and yet no time at all. Friends and loved ones continue to send me cards and kind thoughts. I am surrounded by people who care about me and who loved Bailey and even though I’m not very good company right now, I so appreciate everyone’s kindness. I miss my girl so much, but I am so thankful that there are puppies in the world.

My friend Emily over on Eukanuba Unleashed posted today about how to throw a “pawty” on February 6 when Animal Planet broadcasts the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. Em has got all the bases covered–from invitations to decor to drinks. She even includes a scorecard–the Bone Collector Grid–that you can use in a game to keep track of which dog is moving forward for the win. Actually, I think the Bone Collector Grid might be a fun game to play at any dog show–especially for kids who might become a little antsy during the judging.

I was messing around a few days ago, looking at dog blogs, and came across Hamburger’s House. This is a blog with a lot of imagination, and worth the time to read, but what really caught my eye was a post about a no-kill shelter in Texas.  

Burger (the Chihuahua who writes the blog) told the story of the 2nd Chance Animal Shelter which is run by the CenTex Humane Society. Early in the morning on Sunday November 1 the shelter caught fire and 114 pets died from smoke inhalation. Burger’s blog was a call to action for volunteers to help clean and rebuild the shelter and for donations to help pay for the repairs. 

CenTex/2nd Chance is an Iams Home 4 the Holidays shelter, and when I told my buddy Kris about this (Kris oversees IH4tH) he thought we should try and do something to help. This week, Kris is in Austin Texas attending an animal welfare conference. Killeen, where 2^nd Chance is located, is around 70 miles away from Austin, so Kris thought he would check things out.

Since the fire, staff and volunteers have been working every day to restore the shelter. Second Chance cannot reopen until it’s cleaned up and safe for people and pets.

Yesterday, Kris made the trip to 2^nd Chance and presented the shelter with a check. He called me last night to tell me about it. Two things that stick in my mind about our phone call: Kris said that the shelter is very near to Fort Hood, and that there was a contingent of Army Specialists helping to get the shelter back on its feet. He also said that the volunteers were painting a mural of the pets who were lost in the fire, with a rainbow in the background. The healing has begun.

[Edit: 11/18/09 10;35 pm. Kris emailed me a photo of the mural, which I thought folks might like to see, so I'm adding it here.]

Remembering the ones who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

 A big THANKS! to Burger, who started it all for us. I’m so glad I saw his blog post. I’m so glad we’re able to help 2^nd Chance. This is why I work where I do.

Walter, Kris, Elke, Ginger (Shelter Director), and Jim at 2nd Chance.

Party-animal Murphy loves playing in the leaves.

My friend Emily just posted a great article about the 5 Best Toys for Outdoor Fun. She should know–her Murphy is a party-animal and LOVES his toys!

I know it’s after Halloween, but I had to share this wonderful eCard I received from Skeezix:

Caroline, who is on staff for Romeo the Cat

Amy, who blogs at Love Meow

Lana from Petside

Nicole from DogTime 

John from Avenue K9

Dr. Janet, who blogs at About Vet Med

Dr. Eric who blogs at The Dogster and Catster Vet Blog  

And Karen, the The Cat’s Meow on Catster blogger, who brought her flat cat Skeezix who blogs at Skeezix’s Scratching Post.

 I am working on an overview of the event which I will post in a few days. For now, check out these wonderful sites!

On our way, Thursday morning.

I visited Technorati today and decided to claim my blog.
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Please excuse the mess!

I purchased the domain name, PetCareBev.com a while ago, and I’ve been procrastinating making this move to WordPress.

Well, I’ve jumped through all the silly technical hoops placed before me by Wordpress.org and GoDaddy.com. Now it’s going to take me a few weeks to get everything put away and to get my new digs decorated.

So as you pass through, please be aware of all the packing crates, ladders, and wet paint. And don’t be surprised if it all changes several times before I truly settle in.