My Rescue Story

Norwood is looking for us to post our rescue stories.  I am happy to do that, but mine isn't very long or dramatic!

In October of  2008, I had been in the slammer for three months!  That is an awful long time to a 2 year old pup.  I am mixed Border Collie and Labrador (a Borador!) and I had lots of energy and no where to spend it.  This is what I looked like:

One day my to-be Mom came into the Shelter to help around and had no thoughts of taking a pup home.  Her 16 year old Scottie Otis had passed two years ago and she thought she wouldn't have another dog.
(I fixed that right up!)   She didn't even look at me that first day.  The second day, she did start to think about getting another dog.  She stopped right in front of my cage!  She told one of the helpers that she had given it some serious thought and decided she wanted a medium sized female with a good disposition.  She wanted a dog that she wouldn't have to dress up in a little outfit just to go for a walk.  Then she asked this question:  Does this female have a good disposition?  The helper said, she did, she was wonderful when she first came in, but she gets more depressed and sad as the days go on.  Then my Mom said, I will take her!  So I got operated on, and then adopted to my Mom.  After three months in jail!  My Mom asked why no one looked at me and the woman said because a lot of people don't like black dogs!  Is that sad or what?

So, I have been here a year and a month, I love my Mom and she loves me.  My Mom is profoundly deaf, so I can help her with the door knockings and when the phone rings. 

I love my home, and my new bed, and even that dumb cat Ali Z is not so bad anymore.  I am a good girl who stays out of trouble because thats the way I like it and Mom does too.    When my Mom said she would take me, she never opened the door to my cage, or took me for a walk or petted me.  She just looked at me and Knew I was the right one.  We have worked out any problems we may have had.  If you want to see what I look like now, here is a pic of me on the back porch!

             A little different would you say?  Support rescue every chance you get, there are lots of good dogs like me just waiting, just waiting for you to point and say "That one!"

Love and kisse,
Stella

Be Nice to Others because You Never Know!

Hi Pups and Kitties:

In case you haven't seen this, it is just about the cutest I've looked at for a long time.  After you look at it, listen hard and that woo-woo laugh you hear will be all the Sibes and Mals breaking up over this.

Its at Hemmy.net about mid-way down the page.

This will be my Wordless Wednesday offering, and maybe I am on Huffle time, (as an honorary Husky, she is gonna love this!) 

I hope you all haven't SEEN it! 

Kisses,

Stella

Its Me! Ali Z!

Hi there Kitties and Pups!

Everyone getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday?  We send our best wishes and hope you have a lovely time. 

Last week everyone seemed more interested in the Fat Squirrels than anything we had to say, but cest la vie!

We have just a few questions today so lets get on with them.  The OP Pack wonders what have those squirrels been eating to get so fat?  I think its sunflower seeds myself.  We had a dog that liked to eat the remainders under the bird feeder and she got so fat she could barely walk before we figured out what it was. Leave it to a dog, though, right?

The Thundering Herd said those are serious squirrels . . .have they been lifting weights?   No just porking up on anything they can find to eat, nuts, or other fatty stuff that will get them through the winter.  Maybe they do lift little weights in their dens, have a regular workout thing going on.  Maybe there is a squirrel Jack LaLanne who gives them lessons.  Who knows?  Check out the pic below, he may be the trainer.

Army of Four in the person of Sgt. Zim said we don't have squirrels, doesn't that seem terribly unfair?  I got news for you Zim, there are millions of huge squirrels in your area and a military action taking place to get rid of them.  I am so surprised you don't know this.  Take a look at this picture:

They say they don't get much bigger than this one, which everyone in KS ought to be grateful for. You guys should check in at your home base, you are needed!

KB asks How do you teach a Wild Lab Puppy to be nice to Cats?  Oh My, what a question to ask a Cat.

I would guess maybe sedating the dog for a couple of years might help.  Send the dog to charm school or what might be obedience school with a major in Appropriate Cat Behavior.  Otherwise it requires real vigilance on the part of the dog owner/cat owner to see that the dog isn't hurting the cat.  I mean once when our Mom wasn't looking Stella put her whole mouth over my head. Talk about repulsive!  However, I am a declawed cat so I have always been at a disadvantage with dogs.  If the cats have claws and are quick they can inflict some pain on the dog which sometimes helps in Doggy Nice Lessons.  If anyone else has any suggestions, let us know, please.

Dennis the Vizsla asks Why is Trouble (his Kitty) such a Prima Donna?.  Oh, could it be anything to do with you, your goofy brother Tucker the Vizsla, the beautiful Trixie Big Dog stomping around in her territory, trying to talk her into doing things she doesn't want to do?  Yes, I think that could be part of it.  The other part of it is that she is just being a cat, she has little or no interest in anything you dogs do as long as you leave her alone, her food and water dish alone, her bed and her condo alone.  Her. Alone. 

Thats it for this week, please send me some non-squirrel questions to answer and I will do my best.  Keep those cards and letters coming!

Happy Turkey Day,

Ali Zophia

Okay, Okay!!!

I know when I have had a bad idea and will own up to it.  I thought maybe lots of dogs did damage to their homes and would like to brag about it, but only a few did and as usual Dennis the Vizsla is the hands-down winner.  He did about 400elevenseven million dollars worth of damage to his house and furniture (and they kept him, what love!) and no body else is much admitting to doing damage or monetary value.    Dogs write and say, sorry, I just don't do that kind of thing, or they do little things but not any more.  So we will cancel this little exercise and give Dennis the prize ( he must have a whole wall covered with them by now) as the Champeen Furniture Ruinator of All Time.  The prize will be on its way to you sometime later than now.  Here is a picture of Dennis contemplating what might be next on his agenda.  One thing though, Dennis has a blog that is more fun than anything, you can write imaginative comments and just have lots of laughs!  By the way, here is Dennis' winning entry:

                      hello stella its dennis the vizsla dog ummm ok heer is an estimat of the stuff wot i hav allejedly destroyd!!!

lether chayse lowndj wot cost about $3,000
lether sofa wot cost about $1,800
a windo seet wot cost nuthing on akkownt of it kaym with the howse
a ikea chair and futstool wot cost about $200
a futstul frum the kompany store (i think) wot cost about $80
almost evry pillo and blanket in the howse wot probly cost oh i dont no $150 all together
stuffeez but those dont kownt
the eksternal hard drive for mamas kompyooter wot cost about $100
i tried to destroy mamas ipod tutch but it wuz tuffer then it luks howevr i did manadj to dent it
a wire krate wot cost nothing on akkownt of sumwun gayv it to mama and dada for free
oh i forgot i also destroyd at leest haf a duzzen payrs of mamas shooz and varyus artikuls of her klothing!!! but mama buyz cheep shooz from faymus futware so that hardly kownts!!! oh and also the subjekt of the email shud be stuf wot i allejedly destroyd!!!! ok bye

ummm i feel like i am forgitting sum stuf but yoo no how hard it is to keep trak of theez things wen yoo dont rite them down!!! but i gess that is enu for now wot is that like $5,300 wurth of stuf??? thats a smal price to play for the plezzhur of my kompany dont yoo think??? ok bye  Dennis

For the small time furniture chewer, you must be an inspiration, Dennis.  You would be for me, Dennis, but, uh, I just don't do that kind of thing!

Next time I come up with an idea like this, somebody STOP ME, please!

Kisses,
Stella

Its Me! Ali Z!

Hello Kitties and Pups!

Things have calmed down here a bit today and so we have a few questions to get at!

The Thundering Herd asked if  we got the new appliance boxes to play in, saying they try to eat them!

We have a small house and since I am an indoor cat, I don't get these things.  My Mom does use smaller boxes with holes and windows she cuts that I can play in.  It amuses her for a time, so I do it.  Do you eat the boxes or just the glue?

Khyra The Siberian says  Oh Dang! How Will I Make it Until THEN? (after I wrote and said my column would be delayed.).  Uh, I would hope perhaps you could watch some television, or maybe walk with your Mom, or perhaps your Doggy Nanny would read you a story.  Maybe go take agility classes or learn Flyball like Dennis the Viszla does.  Its a big world out there, dear!

Hamish the Westie asked if our new appliances were going to do anything useful for Stella and myself.  You would know Hamish, that a nice warm blanket just out of the dryer on a cold day is nothing to turn up ones nose about, is it?  I love that.  But you also asked what appliance would be handiest for Stella or myself.

We don't know if its been invented yet, but we can agree on this one thing.  We would like an automatic scratching machine.  Where we could go right up to it, and put our itchy part next to it and it would gently scratch us as long as we wanted.  Our Mom will do this for us now and then, but you know, we want it for Anytime!  What would you think of that?

Cloud the Wonder Dog says that the squirrels in his yard are the fattest he has seen and he wonders why this is.  This is simple, Cloud, they have plenty to eat and are filling up, not just their store rooms, but their tummies!  The females will be coming out with babies in the spring, so they like to store up weight for the days ahead.  Are your squirrels as fat as these are?  Watch out for them if they are!  Maybe the fat will slow them down so you can catch them?

All for this time,

meow, meow,

Ali Zophia

Cleaning up and a dog challenge!

Hi Pups and Kitties:

Today all we got is a new washer and drier.  My Mom says when you get old everything starts breaking down about the time you do!  She thinks that things lasted her parents a whole lot longer than they do her.
She had a lot of years (about 25) on the washer but she heard of someone the other day who only got seven  years.  Pitiful!

Dog Challenge

We were just over to Joe Stain's blog and his Mom replaced the couch in her livingroom because she said Joe and Tanner ruined it.  A little guy named Fred commented and so did Dennis the Viszla.  That made me think about how much money goes up the chimney for ruined by dogs furniture.  Now I know Dennis is a champ, but so are the Thundering Herd.    So here is what you do.  Just send me a  note at letoile@arvig.net
telling me what you ruined and how much it cost to replace it.  Then when we get some entries in we will give a prize to the biggest, baddest shredder  and one second prize.  Cats can join in but I really doubt they have the jaw power for this game.  We'll make November 30 the final date.  Share this with your friends too.  We want to see some big numbers here!  A picture won't hurt, but we'll take your word!

Kisses,

Stella

Its Me, Ali Z!

Goodmorning!  I am unable to do my column today because my mother has the house in an uproar!

Yes, we are getting ready for new appliances and we are throwing some things out and everything is just in too much of a mess for me to concentrate.

I will be back on Thursday, November 19th and this will give you a chance to write some new questions for me to help you with. Just fill in a comment for me, Ali Z.

Raow!  I don't like this!

Ali Zophia

An Irresistible Puppy in a Funky, Home knit Sweater!

This is Stella's Mom writing today.  I love to surf the net, and sometimes I find very good things and other times just so-so.

Today was a very good thing.  From Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon I get the Daily Dose.  This is a book recommended by a reader as something very special and Powell's sends it out daily.   This book is
Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitter's Guide: Stories , Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Answers, Jokes and Pictures. by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne.  You wouldn't even need to be a knitter to like a lot of this stuff, Stories, Advice, Opinions, Answers, Jokes.  Anybody could like that.  Then in the writing about this book was a url for a knitter's blog  http://www.masondixonknitting.com/   Which I visited because I AM a knitter.  The very first thing I saw was this photo of Kay Gardiner's dog Olive wearing a sweater that she had knitted for her.  And I lost my mind, my brain was overcome with cuteness!
                                                                                

I have had lots of cute little dogs in my life, from puppies like Olive to older dogs, but I have never had one even half this cute with a funky sweater on.  I just wanted you all to see her.

Thanks to Kay for allowing me to post Olive's picture.  Yes, I still love Stella and will forever.

Cheers and hugs all around,

Jo, Stella's Mom

I don't have my homework because . . .

My dog peed on it or because my dog ate it!  Teachers get these excuses all the time. But we think it is crummy that kids and maybe even some adults use US nobel creatures for their excuses.  But whats this?

We were reading Time magazine and in the Verbatim section it said this:

SOMETIMES THE DOG DOES EAT YOUR HOMEWORK

Phil Malone, director of the cyberlaw clinic at Harvard University,

explaining that viruses can deposit illegal nasty content

on the computers of unwitting victims, causing innocent people

to be branded as users of this stuff.

What could be worse than this!  Blaming Dogs for it, thats what!

Try blaming bad peoples for it who do naughty things like this.

I know some cats who might do it, but I don't know of even

one dog who would.

Can we sue Harvard U for defamation of characters?

I think we should!

Think about it!

Kisses,

Stella

Special Event for Snickers!

Fergi and Jake are doing a very special event for Snickers tomorrow.  Snickers has been very, very sick and needs the Power of the Paw for help!  Thats you, by the way!

Here is what Fergi and Jake have said:

Last night looked as if it might have been her last.
This morning she rebounded with improved symptoms.

She is far from out of the woods
But she and her family
Including her gentle and loving brother Butchy
Have been granted another day.

We can’t help but believe
that part of the improvement is because of
The support and love that have surrounded her
From all around the world

Thanks to the linked paws
Of her blogging friends.
The Power of the Paw
We are asking everyone to set your alarms
And at exactly 11:00 PM GMT on Saturday 14 Nov 09

(Go to this link to find what time that is for you)

5:00 PM Saturday evening in Iowa
as Snickers' family sits down to eat
Turn toward them (in the central USA)
And join together in a silent minute
Of prayer, meditation, contemplation, reflection
Whatever feels right to you.


Followed by whatever means of communication
You choose.

Arrooing
Barking
Howling
Yipping
Yapping
Wooing
Meowing
Mewing
Purring

To wish and send Miss Snickers and her family
whatever is in your hearts
That will help them feel the Love and Support
They need right now.

Personally, we’ll be praying for a Miracle.
Then
Blow a Kiss
and send your Love and Prayers and Best Wishes
to Miss Snickers and her Family
and they will feel their arrival
in the breeze.


So do your very best to join all of Snickers' furiends and friends as we do what we can to help. If you can also help us spread the word, send out emails, post it on your blog, and feel free to copy the special banner of Snickers.

We have all helped a lot of dogs in serious illness and here is a chance for one more special one!  Be there!

Kisses,

Stella