Meet rescued Border Collie, Gretchen

For once, I met a dog somewhere other than at an ice cream stand.  This cutie was at the library near my home, which is housed in one of the county’s parks.  It’s a really neat set-up there, with the library building set right next to a lake with a great walking trail through the woods.

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Personal Ads for Dogs

I got this as an e-mail, and am posting it because I think it is such a clever way to approach adoption ads!

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Friday Funny: What to do with your most prized possession

Have you seen this Traveler’s Insurance commercial yet? It’s just too funny!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Just A Dog

Not sure where this came from, so if you can identify the author, please let me know.  Thanks to friend-of-the-blogger, Wendy, for sending this to me.

From time to time, people tell me “Lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or “That’s a lot o money for just a dog.”  They don’t understand the distance traveled, time spent, or costs involved for “Just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “Just a dog.”  Many hours have passed with my only company being “Just a dog,” and not once have I felt slighted.  Some of my saddest moments were brought about by “Just a dog.”  In those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “Just a dog” provided comfort and purpose to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “Just a dog,” you will probably understand phrases like “Just a friend,” “Just a sunrise,”  or “Just  a promise.”  “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.  “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.  Because of “Just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks, and look longingly to the future.

For me and folks like me, it’s not “Just a dog.”  It’s an embodiment of all the hopes an dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.  “Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday people can understand it’s not “Just a dog.”  It’s the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “Just a woman.”

OK, now be honest – how many of you have a tear in your eyes after reading this?

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

DockDogs Competition

We spent some of the weekend getting sunburned at the Dock Diving competition at Clay’s Park, in Canal Fulton, Ohio.  Sponsored by Cabela’s, Stihl, Time Warner Cable, and DockDogs , it was so much fun! We had a jam-packed weekend, so we didn’t get to stay as long as I would have liked, but we did catch some of the Big Air competition, where the dogs jump for distance.  If you’re not familiar with Dock Diving, check out the article in our Dog Den.  Some of these dogs were absolutely amazing!

We saw a Norfolk Terrier, the first one who had ever competed in Dock Diving, jump a proud 5 feet!  He was so cute in his little life vest – the handler held him off the ground while she was setting up, and his little feet would just go, go, go – he was so anxious to get started.

We met Misty and Stormer, from Westerville, Ohio, who inspired their humans to get involved in dock diving by jumping off the docks near their home.  Unfortunately, on their first sanctioned jumps, they only went about 1 foot, but now they are up to well over 20 feet.

We also got to see a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog / Pit Bull mix – tell me that’s not a mouthful!

(To those of you who I interviewed, I have to apologize – somewhere between there and here, I lost my notes, so I know I didn’t include all of you here.  Please rescue me by writing a comment & telling us your story!)

The longest jump we actually saw was 24′9″ from a Dalmation, but just as we were leaving, we heard the announcer call one at over 25 feet!

If you haven’t seen one of these competitions, it is well worth the trip.  I’ll try to keep you updated on future competitions so you can find one in your area.  This particular competition was part of the “Bark in the Park”, which featured displays from different vendors of dog toys, accessories, T-shirts, etc.  The Dock Diving competition was the centerpiece, but there was lots of other stuff to do and see, as well.  My middle son nearly cried when we had to leave!

The competitors come from all over – this event had dogs from Ontario, Canada, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nevada, and Indiana. (After that, I lost track.)  My son definitely wants to start our beagle in training, and I think we may take the Vizsla as well.  I’ll have to find out how we get started, and I’ll let you  know.

Here’s a nice article from our local paper about the competition with a great picture of the Dalmation.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Chaos in Canton, OH

If you’ve been reading this blog since the beginning, you may remember that I have 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 3 kids.  Just because I needed another project in the midst of the chaos that is my household, I have started another blog.  If you enjoy reading me on doggies.com, I invite you to visit the MomBlogger on Wordpress.  Do any of you have blogs?  If so, tell me what they are so I can visit them and add them to our blogroll!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog.

Levi: FBI dog

Do you remember the PAX series, Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye that aired from 2002 – 07?  One of the major stars of the show was Levi, the golden retriever who served as an assistance dog to Ms. Thomas.  The series was based on the true story of Sue Thomas, who served first as a fingerprint specialist for the FBI, then was promoted to a surveillance team with the help of her assistance dog.

Because of the involvement of Levi, Animal Planet has picked up the syndication option on the show and is broadcasting repeats on Monday nights at 9 pm.  If things go well, they may even have more episodes produced.

If you didn’t see the show the first time around, it’s worth checking out.  Not terribly dramatic or suspenseful, but a good way to see how differently-abled people interact with their assistance dogs, and not a bad story about the type of cases the FBI pursues.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Angel Dogs: Divine Messengers of Love

Have you seen this book?  I haven’t read it yet, but I think it will be next on my list.  It tells many stories about how dogs have brought their families love – what a great theme!

Here is the “official” description of the book from the publisher:

With a well-earned reputation as man’s — as well as woman’s — best friend, dogs have an uncanny ability to sense exactly what their human friends need.  Gathered from thousands of stories Allen and Linda Anderson have received, as well as their own experiences, “Angel Dogs” demonstrates that dogs are not only faithful companions but also spiritual guides.  Stories include the four-legged speech therapist who helped a scared boy find his voice; the dog who came “special delivery” through the mail at just the right moment in a family’s life; the dog who helped guard Air Force One; dogs from the canine corps; service dogs; and many others.  The book also details new scientific findings on how dogs can save lives, sniff out cancerous tumors, and warn epileptics of impending seizures.  Each story is followed by a short meditation that helps readers focus on the messages of love that dogs bring to their lives.

Book Details:

Angel Dogs:  Divine Messengers of Love

By Allen Anderson, Linda C. Anderson

Edition:  illustrated

Published by New World Library, 2005

ISBN 157731493X, 9781577314936

218 pages

Link to Amazon.com

 

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Origins of Dog Names

Did you ever wonder about the meaning of a certain name?  For example, “Beth”, as a shortened form of Elizabeth, is from a Hebrew word meaning “God’s promise”.  It was not used before the 19th Century, and was popularized by Louisa May Alcott in her book, Little Women.

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Brian Williams’ Dog Lucy

OK, maybe you’re sick of hearing about the Bonnie Hunt show by now, but I can’t stop talking about it!  Today’s guest was NBC news anchor Brian Williams.  First of all, he’s absolutely hysterical!  (He gave Bonnie a bird cage doormat for her fake hidden-camera equipped bird cage – it was huge!  Of course, the inhabitants of the bird cage are humans dressed in bird costumes.  Then he turns this into an opportunity to talk about the housing crisis and whether or not the bird couple have adequately planned out their expenses to see if they can afford the home.)

Anyways, he began talking about why he is a dog person.  He says that both his wife and a friend of his who is a psychiatrist agree that he has some dog DNA in him.  While he is saying this, he starts scratching at his ear, using his whole arm, as a dog would do.  Who knew that the guy reading the news would be such a riot?

Finally, he showed some pictures of his dog, Lucy, who was adopted from a shelter when she was about the size of a teddy bear.  Now 15, Lucy is a huge dog (maybe part lab?).  He says she suffers from a vestibular illness, similar to a stroke, where she constantly has her head tipped to the side, as if she were listening to something very interesting all the time.  She apparently gets up very early in the morning, and barks her head off, then goes back to sleep…EVERY DAY!

BTW, Wednesday is the weekly dog adoption segment, so check it out online, if you’re interested.  They talked about making dog guardianship more affordable in this economy.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

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