Another Project

Since the beginning of this month, I've been hard at work planning our humane association's 3rd Annual Celebration Pet Day. This project is my baby so from here on out, my days and nights will be filled with phone calls, schedules, and meetings. The event is Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. We have a LOT of exciting additions to Celebration Pet Day this year which include Super Heroes, a dog show with cash and prizes, new pet information programs which include Ms. Pam Bennett, one of the foremost cat behaviorists in the country, dog agility demonstrations, games, vendors, food, and fun.

BUT this year, I have another project going on at the same time. This year, I'm the chairman of the Bedford County Fair Dog Show. This show is a LOT less work, but still a good project. The show is on Wednesday, July 25th, on the grounds of the Bedford County Agricultural Center at 7:00 p.m. It is a fun dog show with classes for all dogs and owners. I've secured an announcer and a judge. Now I just have to get people to help at the registration tables. I attended a meeting yesterday morning with some of the fair boardmembers, and I think I'm set to go. I also learned at that meeting that I'm the chairman of the fair dog show, until I choose that I no longer want the position. I've been given permission to promote our pet day there, so I think this is going to be a wonderful opportunity to network and meet some great, new people. Everyone wish me luck!

A Good Pit Bull Story

More often than not, Pit Bulls have a bad reputation. I encountered a Pit that made me rethink my idea of the breed. Yesterday as I walked out the back door of my office, I ran into a really nice, sweet Pit that was an assistance dog. He was calmly laying there after leading his master upstairs to do some searching. I didn't speak to or pet him, since he was working. I figure if the dog assistance programs are using some Pits, they can't all be bad. I still go with my gut that a lot of times, the owners cause them to be vicious and disobedient. This Pit was very gentle and loving. He posed no threat to me or anyone else. I guess it's just like people. There are rotten apples in every bunch. Just because we have high jail populations, we don't ban people. When I worked at the kennel, I met my share of nasty dogs of all breeds, large and small. It just goes to show that, "you can't judge a book by its cover."

What I Did This Morning

I got this neat, little thing to do over at Dog's Eye View from Laura. I wish that I could have put a few more animals in the picture. This is kinda what my life is like. I may put this in the sidebar. What do you guys think?

Tense

Sorry for skipping out yesterday. I suffered a bad bout of insomnia over the weekend. I figure that it was brought on by worry. The worry over Slate to be exact. He started having trouble breathing late Sunday afternoon. So Sunday night, I kept waking up any time I heard a noise to check on him. He seemed a little better on Monday morning but by the afternoon, he was having trouble again. I figured that the humid weather was playing a part, but I didn't want him to get to the congestive heart failure state again. So, I called Dr. K on Monday afternoon and told him what was going on. He said to give him an extra Lasix and bring him in Tuesday morning and let them check him out. So, no sleep Monday night either. They had a lot of emergencies at the vet's yesterday, so I really didn't know much, except that he wasn't critical or in danger, until late yesterday. He is pretty much the same as last time. No worse, which is good. His blood work came out perfect, so it is o.k. to up his dose of lasix to help in the hot, humid weather. So, we just keep on keepin' on. I'm definitely glad that it was just the weather!

Sweatin' In the South!

WOW, it's sooo hot out there today! To use an old cliche', "It's not the heat. It's the humidity." Instead of the dark clouds giving us rain, they've settled for humidity! Since I feel like a wilted green today, I figured this was as good a time as any to remind everyone of the hot weather tips for pets. Always make sure they have clean water and plenty of shade is the most important, but there's MANY more. Here are some more hot weather tips from the ASPCA:

THE HEAT IS ON: SUMMER SAFETY TIPS FOR PET OWNERS

It’s summertime, and the living isn’t always easy for our animal companions. Dogs and cats can suffer from the same problems that humans do—overheating, dehydration and even sunburn—when the mercury rises. By taking these simple precautions, you can keep your animal companions happy and healthy in the hot weather:

* Exercise your dog in the cool of the early morning or evening—never when it's extremely hot or humid. Take care not to let your dog stand on hot asphalt, as his sensitive paw pads can easily burn.

* Provide plenty of shade and cool, clean water for animals kept outdoors. And during the hottest part of the day, please bring your cat or dog inside to rest in a cool part of the house.

* Never leave your animal alone in a vehicle. Overheating can be fatal. Even with the doors open, a parked automobile can become a furnace in no time. Parking in the shade offers little protection, as the sun shifts during the day.

* Some animals will need extra special care in hot weather, especially those who are elderly and overweight or have heart or lung disease. Certain breeds of dogs, including pugs, bulldogs, Lhasa apsos and shih tzus, also need extra attention on hot days. If your pet is showing signs of heat stroke or exhaustion, take him to your veterinarian immediately.

Everyone have a terrific weekend, and try to stay cool!

What's Going On Today?

It's one of those lazy Fridays. It's quiet. Lots of people are on vacation, so everything's a little lighter than normal.

Earlier this week while I was trying to hobble around, I got an e-mail from BlogInterviewer.com. They requested that I fill out an interview survey for them, so I took a shot at it. For some reason, my work category has ended up being the same as my blog description. Weird, but other than that, it's a pretty neat little thing. To read the survey results, go HERE. I think it's kind of neat that I'm listed on their site now.

UPDATE: It seems that the doubled blog description for the job description has been corrected. YAY!

I'm Back, Recovery, and 4th of July Breakdown

Well folks, it seems that I'm finally getting back to normal. I'm still limping, and I still have some pain in my foot, but I'm able to get around now. The big, ugly bruise is finally starting to fade too. I spent most of my 4th of July vacation reclining with said foot propped up. I did manage to get the house cleaned and the laundry done on schedule. Today, I get to swim again....YAY!! About Tuesday, things started to look up. On Tuesday night, our good friend, Geoff, and his family invited us to go see the new Transformers movie. He and Casey were BIG into Transformers as kids and had been waiting for the release. Now, I have never even seen one episode of Transformers, so I had to get the whole storyline from Casey. I basically went in with no expectations. All three of us were totally BLOWN AWAY by this film!! We L-O-V-E-D it!! If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? This movie shoots out the gate at 90 mph from the get go. There was a lot of good humor and good corny parts (but not too corny) too. It was a great film to kick off the holiday with a boom! We are all going to the drive-in this Saturday night to see it again, and I can't wait!

Casey and I slept in yesterday, because of the late movie the night before. We had some hamburgers and hot dogs with my Mom, and then got ready to go to a big 4th cookout/party. Our friend Joe invited us over to his annual Joestravaganza. He didn't disappoint either. We swam, grilled, and had nearly two hours of beautiful fireworks. It was great to see so many good friends. I spent most of the evening laughing and eating great food. Casey and I left around 11:00 p.m., but the party was still in full swing. I think they were getting ready to light the fire pit and have smores. I hate that I missed that part. All in all, I had a fantastic 4th, and I hope you guys did too.

Another Squee Day

Sorry that I've been away folks. I had already planned to take a long weekend with my days off this week. I started a day earlier than I had planned. I took a spill off of the front porch on Friday night, and sprained my ankle pretty badly. I ended up taking Saturday off, because I couldn't even get around. Today is the first day that I've been able to half way walk. I was just over at my brother's checking e-mail when I discovered that I've been bestowed with another blogger award, thanks to Laura from Dog's Eye View.

I'm just pleased as I can be. Now, it's my honor to bestow the honor on five more "Rockin' Girls". Hmmmm. Let's see. Here's my picks. I can only name five, but I'd love to award all of my girls. Christine - Half Geek

Pennie - Why Rush

Yvonne - Forty Plus

Leigh Ann - The Blog Pound

Chrissy - Warm Puppies, Fuzzie Kitties and Life

All of these are excellent reads that involve life with animals. Check them out. They are worth the read. Thanks again to Laura for the award!

Animal Summertime Tips

It's that time again. Time to remember our four footed friends as the temperature rises and summertime fun ensues. Here are some great summertime / 4th of July tips from the ASPCA:

Fourth of July Safety Tips

For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family—including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some festive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips:

* Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.

* Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.

* Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.

* Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.

* Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers.

* Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.

* Never use fireworks around pets! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.

* Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets, so please resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities. Instead, keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area at home.

Summertime

WOW!! It's hot out there today. In my little part of town, we have barely had any rain for nearly 7 weeks! It seems to always rain on the far side of town, but never crosses the bridge for some reason. My front yard actually crunches, when you walk on it. It's dead and brown. I haven't had my yard cut since the week before Memorial Day. My flowers are looking good, thanks to an astronomical water bill. The weather gurus are calling what is taking place in my area an extraordinary drought: extraordinary meaning a drought like we haven't had in 50 years or more. In other parts of the country, they are getting more rain than they can handle. Everyday, I keep thinking that TODAY is the day it will rain at my house. I've learned to deal with disappoinment. Surely the weather has got to give soon. It depresses me to see everything dying. I need some fresh green. Gotta run for now, I hope it's nice wherever you guys are right now.

Sadness

I have a heavy heart today. Geoff, one of my and Casey's very best friends in the world, lost his father yesterday. He passed peacefully, after a long fought battle with cancer. Also, Geoff's maternal grandmother is in the hospital not expected to live throughout the day. My heart goes out to Geoff and his family. Being the child of older parents, I know what the loss of a father and grandmother are like. I just hope that he can find a little bit of peace during this time. Casey and I are headed to the visitation later today. I would like to ask my readers to keep Geoff and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Geoff, you are in our thoughts and prayers. We love you.

Doggie Mail

Purina Petcentric has a cool new Doggie Mail site. You can create doggie cards with graphics and text or with your own voice. It's too cool! So go on over and give a friend a woof today! Click HERE to create your own card.

Working Pooches

Today is National Take Your Dog To Work Day. So if you have a great boss who likes to have pooches around, load 'em up. I really wish we had an office dog. It would make the days SO much nicer.

I guess I missed the date, since I had to load Bear up and bring him in yesterday. Which by the way, all turned out quite nicely. It was all very minor. He got some creams, antibiotics, and a few other things. Dr. K had noticed Bear's Princess and the Pea syndrome and gave him a VERY mild pain medication. He also gave him some VERY mild Valium, when we told him that Bear shows his discomfort by running at full speed around the house and crashing into things. Dr. K had noticed how sleep deprived we were and said this would help not only Bear but us as well. By the time we got Bear checked out and home, it was mid afternoon. Casey and I were both ready to drop in our tracks. We pilled Bear up, ate a quick lunch, and went to take a nap. Casey had to wake me up at 5 p.m. He knew that I wouldn't sleep any last night, if I kept napping. Needless to say, I feel MUCH better today, and I think Bear does too.

Sleep Deprived

I think that my dogs are plotting against me. Yesterday when I got home, Casey mentioned that Bear was acting funny. I said, "Funny how?" He said, "When I took him outside, he just ran around everywhere. He was frantic and hyper." Well, I just wrote it off that he'd just been cooped up inside all day and was happy to get out. When I took him out last night he did the same thing, but I noticed that he was running and sitting down, running and sitting down. He had this same kind of sympton last December, when we had to rush him to the late night clinic with an abcessed anal gland. I checked him out, when we got back in the house and sure enough that was the problem. Luckily, it wasn't to the point of a visit to said and VERY expensive after hours clinic. He was only mildy bothered, but it did make him restless and a little whiney last night. Bear is NOT at all like Slate. Where Slate is bulletbroof (literally) and never complains at all, Bear is the exact opposite. It's usually bad, when I notice that something is not right with Slate. Bear, on the other hand, is like the Princess and the Pea. The minute he feels ANY discomfort, the ENTIRE world is made known of his woes. He was resting pretty good, when I went to bed last night at 10:00. By 11:30 he woke me up whining and running back and forth. The only thing that satified him was for me to pet his head. So, I've been up since 11:30 last night. Needless to say, I feel TERRIFIC this morning. Casey and I dropped Bear off at Dr. K's to have his "needs" attended to. This is their short day, so I'll leave work early today and pick him up. That's such a good thing, because I'll get to take a nap this afternoon!!

Sleeping Habits

John, over at Lake Neuron, has posted a really cool meme and has invited his friends to participate. It's really interesting, so I'm going to give it a go.

“Six weird things I do while getting ready to sleep or while sleeping,”

1. Before I start to get myself ready for bed, I give Bear and Slate their nightly medications. Bear has to take 2 arthritis meds, and Slate has his 5 heart meds.

2. I take my meds and make sure that Casey takes his (he's horrible about remembering to take his own medicine).

3. Let all of the dogs out one last time for the night.

4. Put on my PJs and make my nest on the sofa. I've been having trouble falling asleep lately and the t.v. keeps Casey awake, so I start my night on the sofa relaxing and watching t.v. or reading surrounded (or guarded) by all of the dogs.

5. A lot of nights, I'll wake up with some horrible program blaring. I can't just doze back to sleep. I have to change channels to something I could stand to watch, if I were awake, and NO infomercials, please. (strange, I know). I've found that Animal Planet and A&E are good, because they have station programming 24/7.

6. When I do shuffle off to the bedroom, it's usually a couple hours after Casey has gone to bed. I make one last bathroom trip, grab my pillow and head to bed with all of the dogs following me. Bear is the only dog that wants to sleep on the bed so I pick him up, and he heads for his spot at the foot.

I'm not going to tag people, just play along if you want.

Like Herding Cats?!

One of my favorite websites is PetsTV. They have all kinds of cool pet stories, videos, and links there. It's where I found the video of this really cool cat. She's one smart kitty. Have a look.

Summertime

Do you know one of the things I love most about summertime? Dogs in cars. Yes, that's right. You read it right. I just love driving around on city streets and country highways and seeing all the different dogs in cars. Whether they're perched on the back seat or heads in the breeze with ears flapping, I just love 'em. I particularly loved one late yesterday afternoon. Casey and I were in late afternoon stop and go traffic on the way home. I happened to look at a truck moving ahead of us. The back seat window was cracked about 2 inches. Straining to push out of the crack was the cutest black snout. This dog managed to get his snout out a couple of inches. It was just one of the most hysterical things I've seen in a while. Needless to say, I enjoyed that dog and his or her snout for several miles. Ah, summertime and dogs in cars. Pure fun!

Animal Spammers

I'm sure that many of you have been the target of the famous "Nigeria" spam e-mails. Well, now it seems there is a spam mail going around that targets animal lovers as well. This is basically the content of the e-mail:

Hello,

i was able to came across your advert today concerning the pet adoption you posted for sale and i am much interest in re_ homing your pet at a companion and also a member of my family, because i have passion and care for pet.i spent much of my time taking care of my lost pet and i lost her on my way taking her to vet clinic for neuture, since then live has been unbearable for my family expecially my son who care for pet more that anything he does. I'm a christain and i live in Santa anjelos CA and My house was wood fenced and 8.87fts high, I have enough garden in my premises where the pet can roam about. i will appreciate it if you can assure me 100% that you will sale yours in replacement of my lost one.i dont know how happy my son will be to see another pet in replacement. You dont have to long for how to ship the pet.i will handle that my self with care. so i want you to get back to me with the adoption fees, present health condition, price, and pictures if available for more satisfaction.

P.S: After getting to a better compromise, I will be paying with a money order in us dollars and i'll instruct my TRUSTEE in the state to issue a MO on your behalf which will include the price of the pet. my shipingcompany is:

timi_johnshipingcom pany@yahoo. com

get back asap

kings

Pet/animal lovers BEWARE. If you are a rescue, BEWARE. This is a scam.

Mystery Solved

I just got to the bottom of who nominated my blog over at the Bloggers' Choice Awards. It was none other than my friend, John Carney, who runs Lake Neuron. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, John. I REALLY appreciate the nomination. Lake Neuron is a fantastic site. Why don't ya'll go and pay him a visit and show him some love.

Change of Plans

Yesterday morning, my Mom called me at work and told me she was feeling really sick. She suffers from reflux disease and COPD(a lung disease). She had a really bad bout with reflux and some aspirated into her lungs. This can cause serious lung infection, so I'm headed out early today to take her to the doctor. It's not a really big deal now, but it could be if we don't get it under control. So, I'll be out and about in the big city of Nashville this afternoon. I'll be back to normal tomorrow.

OH SQUEEE!!!

While checking out my hits this morning, I found out that I have been nomitated for a Blogger's Choice Award! I'm just tickled as punch. There are SO many GREAT animal blogs out there, that I really am just honored to be nominated. BUT....BUT I'd be even more greatly honored if you fine folks could find it in your heart to vote for me. To vote go HERE. Thanks bunches!!

Hometown Pride

Well, it seems that Shelbyville has had another 15 minutes of fame to add to the list. A couple years ago, a major motion picture called Our Very Own was shot in town. The story was written by a Shelbyville native. It was so bizarre seeing all of the small town landmarks that I grew up with plastered on the big screen. There have been several music videos shot in Shelbyville over the years. The latest is Miranda Lambert's Famous in A Small Town. It was shot at several different locations in Shelbyville: (one of my personal favorites) Pope's Cafe, the Capri Twin Theatre (where I just recently saw Spiderman 3), Lander's Tire, Shelbyville Central High School, the Bedford County Sheriff's Dept., and several others. The town square that she stands in IS NOT Shelbyville though. Most of the other stuff is in my small hometown. Now, I'm usually not a fan of a lot of country music, but she does a great job with the song. The lyrics really seem to sum up what it's like to live in such a small town your whole life. It seems that Shelbyville is putting itself on the map in more ways than one, after all these years. Even though it's becoming more common, it never ceases to excite me. Click HERE to see the video.

Adopt A Cat Month

With all of the excitement of the past weekend with the con and the wedding, I haven't posted that June is Adopt A Cat month. So if you're looking for a furry, feline friend, now is the time to adopt! So get down to your local shelters!

Goodbye Woody

One of our local dog stars passed away last Thursday. It was Woody, the canine spokesdog from Trickett Honda. It was recently discovered that Woody had liver cancer. The community has shown an outpouring of support for Woody and his human family. It has been requested that anyone who would like to honor Woody make a donation to their local humane association in his honor. Goodbye Woody. I'll miss seeing you every Saturday morning. May all your friends and family meet you at the bridge!

For more on the story, click HERE.

Fun Way To Meet New People

Alexa.com Jennifer tagged me a couple of weeks ago for this train. With my short week last week, I haven't gotten around to it, until today. It's really neat, so give it a try!

“~Start Copying Here~” and copy all the things listed without removing the links (Of course, the train would be no use without those links) Move all the sites labeled "Enjoyable finds" to the list labeled “Oldies”. Add 5 sites that you want to include in the train under Enjoyable Finds and make their “Visit My Site” link like this: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect? along with this add the url of the blog you are choosing example: (This is my blog that I'm using as the example) http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?richardsonzoo.blogspot.com then invite them to join the train. Visit all the listed sites using the "Visit My Site" link. I hope the blogs I have chosen will participate. I would appreciate it bunches if you do and please let me know if you have:-). Make sure to go to Alexa and see your blog rankings:-).

Enjoyable finds:

Lake Neuron: Visit my site!

Just Another Pretty Farce: Visit my site!

The Blog Pound: Visit my site!

Theology & Geometry: Visit my site!

Dog's Eye View: Visit my site!

Oldies:

Richardson Zoo: Visit my site!

Cozy Reader: Visit my site!

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries: Visit my site!

Low Carb Lollygagging: Visit my site!

Sarch's Blog: Visit my site!

Writer's Cramps II ~ visit my site!

Quilly's Quips ~ visit my site!

... a work in progress ~ visit my site!

Lifecruiser ~ visit my site!

Ever After... My Way ~ visit my site!

Insanity Prevails~"Visit my site"

My Romantic Home~"Visit my site"

fairiebees~"Visit my site"

Exceedingly Mundane~"Visit my site"

Smokey Mountain Breakdown~ "Visit my site"

Kaliblue - Visit My Site

Just me shann - Visit My Site

Tigger Bob's- Visit My Site

Star8278- Visit My Site

Asara Dragon- Visit My Site

A Little Piece Of Me - Visit My Site

The Rocky Mountain Retreat - Visit My Site

Scrappin…with life in this New Year of 2007 - Visit My Site

Rhonda's Blog - Visit My Site

Skittles' Place - Visit My Site

Cruftbucket- Visit My Site

Goldercoaster - Visit My Site

A Feel Good Story

Yesterday morning, I got a phone call from my co-worker, Kim. She asked me if I wanted to rescue another dog. Well after mulling it over in my head for a few minutes, I declined. With Slate's ill health and Bear's arthritis treatment, I have a rather full plate. It seems that a lost Airedale Terrier had placed himself outside where Kim's fiancee' works. I quickly put Kim in touch with a friend of mine that does large dog rescue in the area. When Kim got to work, I got the full story. She had spoken with my rescue friend who suggested that they take the lost dog to the county animal control first. Then, if the owners didn't claim him and he wasn't adopted, she would come and take him into her rescue. So, Kim decided that was the way to go and called her fiancee and gave him the scoop. The manager of the place got the dog ready to take him to animal control. On the way out the door, a patron said he'd seen a man trying to catch the dog over in the parking lot of the hotel across the highway. He said the man was calling him Jack. So, the manager then totes the dog, Jack, over to the hotel and starts asking questions. Still no luck. The manager finally decides to take Jack on over to animal control. In the meantime, my rescue friend, Mary, has already arrived at animal control to have a look at the dog. While she's there waiting, a couple comes in looking for a lost Airedale Terrier. Well, Mary figures this can be no coincidence and tells the couple she knows where their dog is. At that moment, the manager walks in with Jack. Jack IS indeed the couple's lost dog!! As it turns out, they had taken Jack to a local boarding kennel, a couple of miles away, and he'd gotten loose. After several attempts to catch him, they had lost him. They were very thankful to see Jack again, and the reunion was a VERY happy one. Isn't that a great happy ending? I just love it when everything works out that way. It was just meant to be.

Pet Food Recall: This Time Salmonella

I received this in my inbox from the National Pet Foundation this morning:

Ol'Roy Complete Nutrition has Salmonella.

The food is believed to have been sent out to Wal-Mart stores. The FDA has tested the food and found Salmonella. The official statement release is "This product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. People handling this pet food can become exposed to Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with this pet food or any surfaces exposed to this product. Consumers who have the dry dog food bearing the code "04 0735 1" with a "Best By Apr 13 08" should not feed it to their pets."

New Recalls Coming

It has also been reported that acetaminophen was found in pet food samples. Currently the FDA is investigating this and has not released the name of the food. Acetaminophen can kill both dogs and cats at high dosages. We will let you know the name of the pet food products containing acetaminophen as soon as it is announced. The FDA has not announced the Ol'Roy recall on their site yet. Dont wait for the FDA to make their announcements. Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html The full list of already recalled food can be found at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html

Recovering

I'm still tired from this past weekend's festivities. As soon as I got home from work yesterday, I fell out on the sofa. Casey had to wake me up for dinner. Then as soon as dinner was finished, I was out again. Too much running for me!

While we were gone, we boarded Slate at Dr. K's office. Since the congestive heart failure was so recent, I just wanted him in the best possible place, while we were away. Usually my mom dogsits for us, but this time we felt he needed to be at the vet's in case an emergency arose. We scheduled his one week recheck to coincide with his stay. Even though Slate's heart is still enlarged, his lungs DO look MUCH better. That's a GOOD thing. We're just taking it one day at a time right now. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

The MOST AWESOME Wedding EVER!!!

Sorry that I was away last week. I forgot to post about our friends', Jon and Rose's, wedding. Casey and I had a short work week and headed for Knoxville early Friday morning. The wedding took place in Knoxville at the Adventure Con Convention under the Sun Sphere. It was a costume preferred wedding, so not only were the bride and groom in costume, but the guests were also!!

The wedding went off without a hitch, well except for the SUPRISE guest who objected. The suprise guest was Jeremy Bulloch, who played Bobba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy! What a HUGE suprise!!

Photo by Derek Deweese

Check this article out in the Knoxville News Sentinel. There is a REALLY cool video on the site that shows the wedding and the suprise guest. Casey and I had "special, secret" costumes made for the event. Presenting:

The Bunny and Hef

After the wedding, we had a fabulous reception and sit down dinner. We partied it up for quite a while. The rest of the weekend, Casey and I spent over at the Adventure Con Convention. I got to meet a couple of other Star Wars stars. I met Irvin Kirshner, who directed The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again, and RoboCop 2. I also got to meet David Prowse, who was Darth Vader in the original trilogy. I got to talk with Jeremy Bulloch again. I had met him previously last year in Ohio. He is such a really nice guy. He's always happy to talk and mingle with the fans. I'll post more pictures later today. The weekend was absolutely fantastic. It was the most fun wedding I've ever attended. Now, if I just don't fall asleep at work today!

Happy Memorial Day

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day. Everyone have a great long weekend and be safe. I have the next three days off. I have no idea what I'll get into. Casey and I are planning to go see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tomorrow. I do have a lot to get done. Casey and I are going to Knoxville next weekend. We leave on Friday. A couple of our really good friends are getting married. They are getting married at AdventureCon. The fun thing is, this is a costume preferred wedding. So, Casey and I have had special costumes made to wear, just for the wedding. I'll reveal all the details, when we get back home. So, I need to get the laundry done, all the costumes packed up and ready to load, and an endless to do list made for the rest of the week. We are taking quite a lot of stuff with us, so I need to make sure that we don't forget anything. Because of the long weekend, I won't be around on Tuesday, but I'll be back on Wednesday. Later, peeps!

Happy 30th Anniversary Star Wars

Today's date marks the 30th Anniversary of the Star Wars saga. I was in the first grade, when Star Wars was originally released. A trip to theatre made me a fan forever. As I've explained before, the experience of Star Wars movies at the theatre was a family experience for me. So, it is near and dear to my heart. Today is a bit like a holiday for all of us Star Wars fans. We are all celebrating in our own ways. There is also a HUGE Star Wars convention going on in Los Angeles to celebrate called Celebration IV. I wasn't able to go, but several of my good friends are there. I received a very special call from a friend yesterday informing me that I am getting a piece of artwork from Celebration IV in Los Angeles!!! It's a limited edition piece and looks like this:

Double SQUEE!!! I plan on watching the Star Wars At 30 special on G4 T.V., and then switching to Cinemax to watch the saga in order. I should have a fun evening!!

Daily Update: Friday

After tomorrow, I'm going to stop the everyday updates on Slate. I've decided to do my best to focus on the positive and enjoy the time I have left with him. So after tomorrow, I'll only post an update if it's significant. Slate had a good day yesterday. My mother went over a couple of times to check on him and to bestow treats upon him (I think he appreciated the treat much more than the visit, but don't tell Grandma that!). He did fine all day. When I got home, he was raring to get outside. The sun had already set, and it was cooler, so I let him go out. He really seemed to enjoy it. He's still eating, VORACIOUSLY, anything we put in front of him. Generally, he just seems to be doing better. He looks better and more alert in his face too. I'm just hoping that it's the medication that's starting to work and not false hope. Again, thanks to everyone for the kind comments, e-mails, thoughs, and prayers. Please keep them coming!

Today's Update

I only have a quick minute to update today. Everything is still going well. I've still got my fingers crossed. I'll have a more in depth update tomorrow. Everyone have a good afternoon.

Pet Food Recalls: 5/22/07

I just wanted to make you guys aware of the latest recalls from the National Pet Foundation:

"Nutra Nuggets" is recalling their 40 pound Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Formula for Dogs. The contaminated batch's product code is #NLR0404 and the Best Buy dates are October 9-10, 2008.

Tests on a bag of Nutra Nuggets brand dog food purchased from Costco tested positive for melamine.

The FDA is aware of this but has not announced this on their site yet. Dont wait for the FDA to make thier announcements. Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

The full list of already recalled food can be found at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html

Western Family Canada Chunks of Chicken/Gravy canned cat food dated December 11, 2009 to March 7, 2010 (374g)

Western Family Canada Chicken Cuts/Gravy canned dog food dated December 11, 2009 to March 7, 2010 (624g)

Like the last recall, the FDA has not announced this on their site yet. Dont wait for the FDA to make thier announcements. Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

The full list of already recalled food can be found at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html

How It's Going Today

Well, Casey and I got Slate home safe and sound. He was really tired after the stay at Dr. K's, and he was also HUNGRY!! After he'd eaten grilled chicken and had a drink of water, he flopped out on the sofa and slept. He had a good night. He slept all the way through, which allowed me to rest too. He was more of his old self this morning. I picked him up, and he proceeded to bathe my face in kisses! He ate good this morning and was resting, when I left for work. Mom went over and checked on him at lunch time and took treats. He was still doing really well. Hopefully, he'll start to respond to all of the new meds. He goes back for a recheck on June 1st.

I just want to thank everyone for all of their sweet e-mails, comments, well wishes, and prayers. They have meant the world to both me and Casey and are MUCH appreciated. We're still not out of the woods, so please keep sending prayers and good thoughts.

I Wish I Weren't Me Right Now....

I've put off posting this for a few days. It's taken me a while to get what I have to say together. The news on Slate is bad. When I got him into the vet Saturday morning, he just crashed. He went into congestive heart failure. They immediately started him on oxygen and double dosed him in IV Lasix to get the fluid out of his lungs. By late Saturday morning, they had stabilized him. Saturday night, he was stable enough to be taken off the oxygen. By Sunday morning, the heavy breathing and coughing had stopped too. Good news for the immediate future, but REALLY bad for the long term. They have put him on three additional medications to hopefully get his heart to respond. So far, it has not. Dr. K warned me that it might be this way...that his heart may just be too damaged, but not to give up hope. It still might respond in the next week or so. We are all just keeping our fingers crossed. That little dog is tough as nails, so I can't give up on him yet. I somehow knew, deep down, that there was some bad juju hanging in the air around the house. I just get these "feelings" you know. Anyway he's still in stable condition, so we get to pick him up and take him home today. We have instructions to only let him go outside during the coolest parts of the day, keep him calm, and keep him cool. No physical exertion in any way. I'm happy that I still have him with me, if only for a short amount of time. He's not in pain or suffering and o.k. for now. My father had congestive heart failure too, so I know the rules of the game. It can happen at any time. I spent most of the weekend with a box of tissues, reading MANY encouraging, supportive e-mails from my wonderful friend Pennie. I'm just going to try to make the most of the time I have left with him. It's going to be hard, I know. Let's just say that he gets ANYTHING he wants to eat from now on, provided it's not salty. It's just one day at a time from this point forward. I know that this could be worse. It could be Casey or another member of my family, but it still doesn't make the hurt go away. Please send any prayers and good thoughts our way.

A Little Antsy

For the past week or so, Slate has acted like he doesn't feel well. His heart has been beating really fast, which has caused his breathing to be affected. I keep thinking that he never had these problems at all, until he started the new heart medication. So on Wednesday, I called Dr. K and asked his opinion. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't making it all up in my own head. Dr. K wants him to increase his heart med, Enalapril, to two tablets a day. My instructions were to watch him until today, and if he wasn't significantly better by today, to bring him in Saturday. It seems to me that the increase in medication has only made the symptoms worse, so I've set up an appointment for tomorrow. I know that Slate is an older dog with heart problems. I'm not trying to kid myself. I just hope that I don't get HORRIBLE news tomorrow. For the past month or so, I've been trying to prepare myself for the very worst. It's just hard, when they're your babies. Slate has been with me the longest, and I know that he'll be the hardest to let go. Everyone please send some good thoughts and prayers our way. I'll update, as soon as I know details.

They're Back: New Petfood Recalls 5/18/07

Here's the latest pet food recall from the National Pet Foundation:

"Lick Your Chops" has recalled their dry cat food.

This includes their Kitten and Cat dry foods in the #4 and #8 bags with best by date of 2/29/08. For more info please visit:

http://healthypetfoodsinc.com/newletter.cfm

The FDA is aware of this but has not announced this on their site yet. The New York Times has stated that more food recalls are coming.

Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

The full list of already recalled food can be found at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html

I'm Back!

It seems like I've been away or been busy forever! I'm finally getting back to some sort of normalcy. I had a very productive day on Saturday. I started around 11:00 a.m. I re-dug the big flower bed around the tree in the front yard. I bet it's been four years or more, since I've planted anything in it. I spent a better part of the morning ridding the thing of weeds and small trees. There's a few things that still come back, so I weeded those out as well. I finally got it to the point where I could start turning it. I added several bags of new dirt and then got down to planting. I planted two flats of Impatients in it. One flat was multicolored, striped ones. The second flat was solid, cranberry colored. They look beautiful planted along with my Hostas and pink Bachelor Buttons. On the other side of the yard beside the Dogwood tree, I cleaned out the small bird bath and planted Moss Roses in the cement rabbit planter. I placed my park bench between the bird bath and the planter. I had a nice butterfly fish yard decoration that hangs from a small shepherd's hook that I've never used. It was a gift that I just put away. I remembered it and put it beside the park bench. It's taller than the bird bath, and it just looks lovely. I love my little garden by the tree that I created. I finally finished with the yard around 7:00 p.m. I was completely wiped out from the heat. I took a nice shower and vegged out on the sofa. One of the pay channels was showing all of the Star Wars movies, so I had something good to watch while I relaxed. Saturday was such a nice day!

On Sunday, I invited Mom over to give her her mother's day gift. We all relaxed on Sunday afternoon. On Sunday night, my brother, Casey and I all got together and fixed her a really nice Mother's Day dinner. We all had a great time visiting over at my brother's new apartment. It has a nice, big kitchen, so we all had a place to sit and visit.

Monday I spent the day cleaning. Casey had made quite a bit of progress on operation big pitch Saturday. So, I had to do my part. I also did one metric ton of laundry!! How can we go through that many clothes in one week?!! On Monday afternoon, we met with some friends for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. It was a nice way to end the weekend. Afterwards, Casey and I came home and promptly crashed.

Yesterday I attended a library conference for work. My co-worker and I rode together. It was a really nice workshop, but lunch was a disaster (not enough of them, and no one got what they ordered). Afterwards, I came home watered the plants. I also did a big feeding.

So, here I am. I'm back to my usual schedule now. Since the ear infection has cleared up, I'm REALLY looking forward to swimming tomorrow. I'm a cranky girl without the pool. I'm off to play raquetball now. Everyone have a great afternoon!

5/11/07: Pet Food Recall

This just in:

Natural Ultramix Food Recalled

Please forward this information to family or friends that have pets. Castor & Pollux Pet Works has issued a recall on four pet food products:

Natural Ultramix Canned Feline Turkey & Vegetables Platter

Natural Ultramix Canned Feline Chicken & Vegetables Casserole

Natural Ultramix Canned Feline Salmon & Vegetables Entrée

Natural Ultramix Canned Indoor Feline Chicken & Vegetables Dinner

It is believed that possible cross-contamination has occurred with these foods.

Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mama!!

You are the absolute best!! Thanks for all you have done...

...and continue to do for me. You come from a LONG line of fantastic moms! I LOVE YOU!

I'm Back and Kitten Update

I can't believe that I've neglected the Zoo the past few days. I've been suffering from an ear infection. The typical swimmer's ear got me. I haven't had a case, since I was a kid. For some reason, reading or typing anything made me feel really queasy. So I avoided it, until I felt better. I'm rounding the corner with meds. I've been out of the pool for a week, and it's about to drive me bonkers. I guess it's for the best, since dizziness has gone with the infection.

Casey and I picked up the kittens at the vet's on Tuesday. They all did fantastically. Dr. K used the laser procedure on them, so recovery has been quick. The girls only have the tiniest incision, and no stitches to remove. They are back to their old, troublemaking selves. It hasn't slowed them down one bit. The girls are cute running around with their shaved bellies. They are VERY shaved, considering the surgery sites were VERY small.

Casey and I have LOTS to get done around the house this weekend. So much, that I'm taking a three day weekend. I've got to get all the usual weekend chores done, as well as plant flowers. I also need to continue the fight with project pitch. Sunday is Mother's Day, so I'll spend time making Mom feel special. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, and I plan to enjoy every minute while doing chores. I have a workshop on Tuesday, so I'll be away. Everyone have a great weekend! I'll be back on Wednesday.

Be Kind To Animals

I'm a day or so late posting this, but I wanted to make sure that my readers know that this week is Be Kind to Animals week. Be Kind to Animals week was started by the American Humane Association way back in 1915. So help an animal, help a shelter, and help make the world a better place this week! For more information click HERE.

Three Little Kttens: Growing Up

Our three kittens are well on their way to adulthood. Casey and I decided to take the upper hand, before the numbers doubled, and took them to be spay/neutered this morning. This is the first time that Dr. K has done this for us. The rest of the "Zoo" members went through this procedure years ago. We get to pick up Obi-Wan this afternoon. Isabella and Zoey get to come home tomorrow. Dr. K takes extra precautions and keeps the females overnight for observation. For the first time, we have the option of some pain medication after surgery. I know that giving them some pain meds for a couple of days will help them to heal faster. It's just so cool to have a vet that's up on the latest stuff. The vet we had before was wonderful, but he was an older, country vet. He'd be the first to admit that he didn't keep up on the new trends anymore. It's nice to have an active part in their medical care.

UPDATE: Dr. K's office just called. Everything went really well. They got to them late and would prefer us to leave all three overnight. They just want to make sure they wake up o.k. This is NO problem. It will give them an extra day that the other animals won't be bugging them.

Happenings In My Small Town

For some time now, the city of Shelbyvillle has been reworking the city dog ordinance. This action came after there was a local woman mauled by dogs and her dog killed. After this event, the city and the county decided that something, law or ordinance, be enacted concerning dangerous dogs. Many good things have come from the city and county talking to residents, animal organizations, and concerned pet owners. I'm glad that they are trying to be proactive, instead of reactive. The dangerous dog provision has been voted on and is becoming law. Unfortunately, there are some other issues that have come up during the restructuring of the city ordinance.--Click HERE to see the ordinance in its workings.-- The one change that concerns me most is part 3-116: Limitations On Keeping Domestic Animals. You guys know that I have several pets that I often refer to as "the zoo". It seems that the city wants to put a limit on how many pets I can own. We are NOT a big city. We are still rural in many ways. Heck, all we have in town is a Wal-Mart, a few grocery stores, and a few restaurants.

3-116 Limitations on Keeping Domestic Animals

(1) Domestic Animals are defined as dogs, cats, birds, snakes, small rodents, rabbits, chickens(including roosters), ducks and other fowl, which can be and are continually kept or raised in a home or on a lot. Animals not considered domestic animals include, but are not limited to,the following: horses, cows, donkeys, goats, sheep, and any endangered or exotic species of animals.

(2) Domestic animals as defined in permitted in all zone classifications within the City. Themaximum number of inside or outside animals is listed below.

(a) Inside Animals:

i. The number of birds, snakes, and small rodents, kept in aquariums, terrariums, cages, or other similar containers shall not be limited unless limited by health codes.

ii. All other domestic animals kept inside shall be limited to not more than five (5)total domestic animals. Except for the domestic animals list in subsection (a)(ii) above, the total number and type of inside animals allowed shall not exceed the number of animals that are allowed outdoors.

As you guys know, I have over the newly proposed limit. Before I have my say, I do want to go on record saying that this limitation may not be ALL bad. It will act as a deterrent to animal hoarders and people that breed dogs and cats improperly. It can be an instrument of good.

BUT for me, someone who obeys the animal laws: leash law, vaccinations, veterinary care, food, water, walks, and much love, this is a rather devastating blow. I spend my life trying to protect animals and save them. My pets are my babies. I don't have children, and they bring me much happiness and love. This limitation makes me feel like my right to happiness is being infringed upon. There have been several meetings with pet owners and the Shelbyville City Council on exactly this matter, and last Tuesday night, council members really got an earful. I agree with the point a lady made in attendance:

"...why she was being punished for the irresponsible action of others, saying that 'good people are being punished for the bad people.' "

Apparently, at this point, they are only putting the limitation on pets kept outide according the local paper. So you see, I'm confused from the get go. The written ordinance says inside and outside, so what am I supposed to think? It's frustrating not knowing how to prepare myself! My pets are NEVER outside, unless they are on a potty break or being walked by me or Casey. We are with them AT ALL TIMES with leashes. My dogs are inside dogs ONLY!! They are never kept outside AT ALL!!! So what I want to know is, how is this going to affect me? I've really been troubled over this for the past several months. I understand that my dogs can be "grandfathered" in, but this, according to the ordinance, requires many hoops to jump through. I can keep what I have now, but I can't adopt more if I lose any that I have now.

I believe one of the best ways to prevent questionable residents from owning many dogs is to charge them an overage fee. A certain fee for each dog owned over the limit. I would have no problem with paying that fee. My dogs and other pets mean that much to me. I do believe that it would dissaude others. Money is a strong motivator. It would definitely cull out those pet owners that were in ownership on impulse. Apparently, pet owners like me have come out in droves against the limitation. So, there should be a lot more meetings on the issue. I wasn't able to be there on Tuesday night this time, because of work. You can bet that I'll DEFINITELY be there next time! I'll keep you all posted on the developments. This has just made me heartsick.

Need Some Cuteness?

Do you need some cute baby kitty to help you through the day? Well, this is just the thing. It is cuteness beyond words!!

5/1/07 Pet Recall Information

This information came out yesterday, but I was away for the day. Here's the latest recall information from the National Pet Foundation.

There have been more cat and dog food recalls today. All cans of "Harmony Farms" cat and dog food as well as all of their treats have been recalled. For more information please visit:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/foods/sierra-pet.html Harmony Farms is made by "Sierra Pet Products".

Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pets life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

Another Recall Added Late Yesterday

It's getting hard to get the new information posted fast enough. This information came from the National Pet Foundation late yesterday.

There have been more cat and dog food recalls today. If you recieved our update from earlier today, please be advised this is for "additional" brands. The FDA just released this information.

This includes an extended list of Blue Buffalo, Canine Caviar, Harmony Farms, plus more. To get the updated list please visit:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/dog-food-recall.html/american-nutrition.html

Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at:

http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

Work Out Inspiration

If this kitty can do it, you can too! Enjoy!

Today's Pet Food Recalls 4/27/07

Here's the latest recall information from the National Pet Foundation:

Diamond Pet Foods - Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans. More info on the Diamond Food recall can be found at:

http://www.nationalpetfoundation.com/dog-food-recall.html/diamond-pet-foods.html

A little more information on the Doctors Foster & Smith brand:

Chenango Valley - DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH CHICKEN & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT LITE DOG FOOD, DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH CHICKEN& BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT LITE CAT FOOD, LICK YOUR CHOPSLAMB MEAL, RICE & EGG CAT FOOD, CHICKEN & BROWN RICE FORMULAADULT LITE DOG FOOD. More info on the Chenango Valley Recall can be found at:http://www.nationalpetfoundation.com/dog-food-recall.html/chenango-valley-recall.html

New Pet Food Recall Info

A new pet food recall has been issued that I thought that I would pass along. Here is the info:

From the National Pet Foundation:

SmartPak Canine has recalled their product "LiveSmart Weight Management". They were using a rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis which already issued recalls on their products. SmartPak is claiming that all of their other products were not affected. The company has stated that they have contacted all of the customer that ordered this foods from online (which is their primary source of business) and informed them of the situation. Hopefully those individuals have been informed. However we just wanted to share this information directly with you since many pet owners had problems finding more information on their website. We talked to SmartPak today and they did provide us with a link to the recall information. They have to primary websites and the information was only posted on one of the sites.

For detailed information about SmartPak products please visit

http://www.nationalpetfoundation.com/dog-food-recall.html/smartpak-recall.html

UPDATE: Leigh-Ann over at The Blog Pound posts about yet another food that is now on the recall list. This time it includes DRY food: Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite cat food, and Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite dog food. Head on over to her place to get the full details....

2007 Spay Station Visit

Every year, the Wilson County Spay Station pays a visit to the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association. This year's visit took place yesterday. I knew that it was coming up soon. Yesterday as Casey and I were driving home, we passed the Spay Station heading in the opposite direction. I figured yesterday was the day. This morning, I got an e-mail from one of our other members with details from yesterday's event. It was VERY successful! KUDO'S to the Wilson County Humane Association and their mobile Spay Station for being kind enough to help us out every year. Here's the account of yesterday's events from Debbie, another SBCHA member.

The Wilson County Humane Association brought their Spay/Neuter Station to Shelbyville Bedford County Humane Association to provide low cost spaying and neutering to the needy pet owners of Bedford County. They spayed and neutered 30 cats and dogs.

To see all of the pictures of yesterday's Spay Station visit, click HERE.

I Need A Favor

I have a favor to ask of all my blogger friends. As you guys know, I am a dedicated volunteer for the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association. A HUGE part of my duties as a volunteer is to come up with new fundraising ideas. I've recently come across a search engine that donates money to my charity, everytime someone does an internet search called GoodSearch.com. If you guys could find it in your hearts to use this search engine, it will help all of the homeless dogs and cats that I work so hard to help. Here's the info:

What if Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association earned a penny every time you searched the Internet?

Well, now we can! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate.

You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! Please be sure to spread the word!

A Holiday to Behold OR The Clean Up

Dog owners unite! This is our week to celebrate National Scoop the Poop Week! An organization called aPAWS (The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists ) have designated April 23-30 to clean up after America's dogs. Pet ownership has reached a new high, so many pet owners that are busy with jobs, family, and other things are looking for ways to have the poop scooped for them. aPAWS is a non-profit organization that lists poop scooping services across the country on their website. For more information on the sometimes smelly holiday, click HERE and HERE. Now, get out there and get to scooping!!

Productive Weekend

Casey and I had a very productive weekend, but we also managed to squeeze a lot of fun in too. On Friday night, we visited with friends until after midnight. On Saturday night, we went out to the movies with the same group. We went to see Aqua Teen Colon Movie for Theatres. I haven't laughed that much at a movie in a long, long time. My face hurt, when I left the theatre. I have that skewed sense of humor, and I just loved the movie! We ended up going to the late show, so we didn't get home until nearly 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, we had earned a free breakfast at Pope's Cafe, so we met up there around 10:00 a.m. to have a group breakfast. By Sunday afternoon, I was in need of a serious nap.

Despite all the going and late nights, Casey and I made a lot of headway on the Great Pitch Project. The middle room in nearly complete. All we are lacking is some trips up to the attic for storage. The spare room...well you can now at least see the whole floor in there. Casey worked like a mad man all day on Saturday and made lots of progress. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it's not a train!

I'm back to the regular grind this week. I'm feeling much better, so I'll be back in the pool this week. I can't wait. I get antsy, when I'm out of the water too long! Everyone have a great afternoon!

A Little Maintenance

I've spent the better part of the morning categorizing and cleaning up my sidebar. I've gone through my blogroll and deleted links that haven't been updated in the last year or are no longer valid. If I usually link to you and have deleted your blog site, e-mail me or leave a comment. I'll be happy to add you back. I've tried really hard to group like categories together. It is still a little busy, so I'll be figuring out how to pare it down even more in the future.

It's an absolutely beautiful day, and I hope that everyone has a chance to go out and experience it. Casey and I are planning on going out to the movies and dinner with some really close friends tonight. We stayed over at their house visiting with them until midnight last night, so I'm paying for it today. 5:00 a.m. came early for this old girl today. I think I'm going to need a caffeine hit this afternoon. Everyone have a great weekend!!

Two of My Favorite Things

As you all know, two of the things that I love the most is dogs and Star Wars. Take a look at this neat little video called Jedi Dog.

Staying Updated

I've found a really nifty little tool to stay updated on the pet food recall. The National Pet Foundation has an e-mail alert that you can subscribe to, when a new pet food is added to the recall. Just simply enter your name and e-mail address and you'll receive a notification, as new brands are added.

To subscribe to the alert, click HERE.

Today's Pet Food Recall Information

Leigh-Ann over at The Blog Pound, has passed along some more new recall information.

Blue Buffalo Spa Select Dry Formula for Kittens (only the bags marked “Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B”)

Seems that the U.S. is NOT the only country affected by contaminated ingredients. South Africa has been affected as well. This time, it's corn gluten that's contaminated with melamine. Leigh Ann also passes along some very good advice on label reading. Click HERE to read on.

Pet Food Recall Expands....AGAIN!

The discovery of a second tainted ingredient has prompted the recall of another brand of pet food. This time, it is the rice protein that has been contaminated. The latest recall includes:

Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.

For more information on the latest recall click HERE.

Oh, YUCK!!

I apologize for not being around the past several days. I have been battling a really nasty stomach bug. I've been wishing for death or to feel better, not caring which of the two actually happened. I'm feeling some better.... I'll be back tomorrow with better things to say.

Plight of the Recall

There are tales all over the internet about the losses suffered after the pet food recall. No one has an exact total of how many pets have died. What we do know is that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Before and during the recall's early days many pets were treated, only to come home and eat the tainted food again, resulting in their deaths. The whole twisted tale is sad. There is a beautiful write up posted at All Creatures by Jean Townsend - Johns Island, SC. There is one passage that a reader pointed out and wants to pass along to others. It is particularly poignant:

For some, the story ended there. But for others, there was one more horrifying chapter. Because kidney failure causes nausea, it's often hard to get recovering pets to eat. So a lot of these owners got down on their hands and knees and coaxed and begged and eventually hand-fed their pets the very same food that had made them sick. Those animals ended up right back in the hospital and died, because their loving owners didn't know that the food was tainted.

To read the entire passage, click HERE. It is a well written, moving piece.

It sure makes me wonder about Pinky Lee. She was eating Science Diet canned food.

New Pet Food Contaminant and Stock Sell Off

Researchers believe they may have found another contaminant, in addition to melamine, in the recalled pet food. They are working at this time to identify what it is. It has also been found that some of the food may have contained excessive amounts of vitamin D, which can lead to renal failure. To see the whole story, click HERE. Looks like we've just hit the tip of the iceberg folks. I'm sure there will be much more information to come.

Also, the CFO of Menu Foods sold half of his shares of the company, just before the recall. THAT definitely looks a little shaky to me. What do you guys think? Click HERE for details.

Vet Check Results

Slate's checkup results are good. His bloodwork is all normal, and he's doing well on his new medication. He goes back for another check up in six months!! WOOT!! Thanks to everyone for the e-mails, comments, thoughts, prayers, and good wishes that were sent. You guys are the best!! Oh, and he got his special dish of Dairy Queen ice cream on the way home last night.

New Recall Information

As of yesterday, Menu Foods has expanded both its US and Canadian recall lists. For the updated information click HERE and HERE.

Also, Royal Canin has recalled some of its canned cat food. For more information on this brand, click HERE.

At the Vet's

Today Slate is at the vet's office for his one month follow up. Dr. K wanted to run a blood test, after he completed a month of his new heart medication. Sometimes, this med can cause renal problems, and he just wanted to make sure that everything was o.k. So early this morning, we got all loaded up and off we went. I dropped him off on my way to work. He was so excited about the car ride. I'll pick him up on my way home. On the way home tonight, we are going to swing by Dairy Queen and get him a little ice cream cup for a treat. I don't want him thinking every time he goes for a ride that something bad is going to happen to him. This was an easy visit for him, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the results are good. Slate's been doing really well, and I hope it continues. Still a little stressed, but I'm trying to occupy myself. I'll have the full update tomorrow.

A New Week

I hope that everyone had a good Easter weekend! It was pretty quiet around our place. Casey and I just "chilled" out (no pun intended) on Saturday. Casey was busy watching some DVD series, and I curled up with a VERY good book. It is called Glass Houses by Rachel Caine.

My friend, Kim, recommended this book, and I agree that it's a really good read. I finished it in a day, so I'm on book 2 of the series now called The Dead Girls Dance.

On Sunday, Casey and I went over to my Mom's for Easter dinner. Afterwards, we went to pick up some friends at the airport, who were coming home from California. So many friends, so much travel. It makes me have wanderlust BAD!! I'm just biding my time, until the summer.

In honor of our anniversary, Casey took yesterday off. We spent the day doing the most romantic thing......finishing the middle room pitch project!! All we have left now is to take the boxed up books to the library for donation. Afterwards, I did a little laundry and house cleaning, and Casey grilled us some steaks. Now, it may not sound romantic to you, but it made Casey the most attractive man around to me!!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a VERY HAPPY EASTER!! I hope some of you are at least warmer than we are! Our easter eggs are freezing!!

Happy Anniversary!

This weekend, Casey and I celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. We've been together over 16 years now, and it gets better all the time. We've been together, since we were 19. Casey is the BEST husband a girl could ask for. He's always supported and encouraged me to be the best and follow my dreams. He's made sure that I've always been able to take the opportunities that I've been offered. He also loves me, even when I'm not the best person I could be. Could I be any more lucky?

So happy 9th Anniversary Casey!! I love you!

I Hear the Music

I love live concerts, so I'm excited that the Nashville Symphony is returning to play a spring show in Shelbyville again this year. They've done this for the past several years, and it's always a fantastic night. As a former member of the Nashville Symphony Chorus I love it, when I have a chance to see them perform in my own backyard. My friend John Carney (who is a great supporter of my humane efforts) is on the committee responsible for bringing the Nashville Symphony's music to Shelbyville. This year, he's created a blog to keep everyone updated on information for the event. Hop on over and give Symphony at the Celebration a look. Great job John!!

Dog Biscuits Recalled

It never ends. This just in and new today. There are some dog biscuits that have been added to the dog/cat food recall list. These are dog biscuits sold by Wal-Mart under the 'Ol Roy name. For full information click HERE.

Need A Break?

Having one of those days? Are you bored? Need some stimulation? Just want something to make you smile?...

Well, take a KITTEN BREAK. Everyone enjoy!

The Birding

My day got off to a really strange start. I was brushing my teeth this morning, around 5:45 a.m. You know, just minding my own business, when something startled me overhead. I KNEW it was something. I just wasn't sure what. Anyway, I noticed within a few seconds that all of the cats were going C-R-A-Z-Y!! I also realized that I had noticed a flapping noise, when the little black streak was going overhead. I quickly looked out the bathroom door, after sounding like Princess Leia did after she spotted that mynock in The Empire Strikes Back, and noticed the attic door was slightly ajar. (The kittens have made it to the top of the kitty Nap and Play and are trying to wedge the attic door open).

The attic door is just above the kitty tower.

Anyway, I quickly deduced that either a bird or bat had come out of the attic. When Casey heard the scream, he came to see what was going on. He didn't believe my explanation of a bird, but I made him look all over the bathroom anyway. He asked, "Did something fall out of the linen closet?" I answered him, "Only if the laws of gravity have changed and things fall up now." After a complete search of the bathroom, nothing was found. Casey just walked away shaking his head like I was crazy. I just kept saying, "I KNOW there is a bird in this HOUSE!"

After a few minutes of feeling like a complete idiot, I heard Casey say, "The BIRD is in the living room!" I was relieved that it was indeed a bird and NOT a bat (birds are just easier to get outdoors, you know). Casey was busy making the mad dash to turn all of the ceiling fans off, before the poor creature committed suicide. Then, we just stood there looking at each other trying to figure out how to get this bird out of the house. By this time, the bird was flying back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. It finally decided to perch on the top of my pantry cabinet. ALL of the cats had gathered in the kitchen and immediately commenced bird charming. I ran to the bedroom to get an extra comforter to hang between the kitchen and living room archway. After I had that done, Casey opened up the backdoor in the kitchen and successfully shooed the bird out the door. We were VERY lucky that it worked the first time (no birds, cats, decorative items, or humans were hurt in the process). We knew we had to get it out, before we went to work. Between the bird and the cats, nothing would have been left of the house or the bird, I'm afraid.

Yes indeed. A strange morning.

New Pet Food Items Recalled

Everyday, it seems that a different pet product is recalled. The latest includes Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train® Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® from Del Monte Pet Products. For full details go HERE .

The other new products on the recall list are DINGO products. They have found that these products contain salmonella. For full details on the DINGO recall go HERE.

The Weekend

If the weather holds out (we're supposed to get rain and storms later tonight), Casey and I may make our first trip to the Montana Drive In tonight. Going to the drive in is one of our favorite things to do, when the weather gets warm. I ALWAYS look forward to the first trip of the season. The Montana is open year round, but it's just more fun to go in warm weather. Casey and I want to see Blades of Glory. We just love Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. I'm looking to laugh. You just can't beat the deal at the Montana either. Two first run movies for $5.00, and the food from the concession stand is to die for. Check out their menu and cheap prices. The line at the concession stand is ALWAYS long, so we'll have to get there early. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the rain will stay away until late tonight. Everyone have a great weekend!

The Plot Thickens

When will we hear the end of this pet food recall? This whole thing just makes me scared to death that I'm going to be responsible for killing my pets. I've always tried to be careful, but with this it's out of my control. The latest news bulletins say they've found melamine (a plastic) in the recalled food. Now, they are testing dry dog and cat foods. This is scaring me now. I guess that I may switch the gang over to Pedigree. They've had their food tested by the FDA, and it has been deemed safe. I'm still weighing heavily whether to just make my own pet food or not. I just want to make sure they are getting what they need with no bad stuff. I'm in the middle of a book right now, so I'm still deciding. Click HERE for the latest info on the pet food recall.

Click HERE for the latest information from the FDA.

If I Didn't Have Animals.....

A friend of mine sent this to me today. I think I might have posted this here a couple of years ago, but I'd like to share it again. Enjoy and everyone have a great weekend!

If I didn't have animals . . .

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.

I would not have strange presents under my Christmas tree -- dog bones, stuffed animals ,toys, treats nor would I have to explain to people why I wrap them.

I would have money ....and no guilt to go on a real vacation.

I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come,no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.

My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.

My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to Spell the words B-A-L-L-, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, BIKE OR CAR.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.

I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading "mud" season.

I would not have to answer the question "Why do you have so many animals?" from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get .

How empty my life would be.

Is It the Moon?

Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. It was crazy around these parts. I had a wonderful post in mind for today. That all got scrapped, due to the frustration level today has achieved. It's just been one of those days. Heaps of frustration, one after another. Is the moon in a strange phase or something? If it is, I sure hope that it shifts soon. I'd hate to go crazy. I'll be back tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't be in a frustrated state of mind, and I'll be able to make an actual post.

Guilty Pleasure

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a really funny kids cartoon, Invader Zim.

It's been around for quite a while now, but I've somehow always missed it. I'm one of those people that really loves cartoons, so naturally, I love Zim. Even though it's for kids, it's so well written and funny, that adults can love it too. Zim is a member of the Irken empire determined to take over planet earth. My favorite character is GIR. GIR is Zim's robot that he disguises as a dog.

So everynight, at 9:30 CST, you'll find my t.v. tuned to NickToons watching Invader Zim. It's just one of my guilty pleasures. What are some of yours?

Weekend Wrap Up

Our weather was absolutely beautiful over the weekend. It was go, go, go at my house. Casey and I bought a new mattress and microwave over the weekend, so we did a lot of pitching out the old and bringing in the new. This would be the weekend that we had the hottest day in 100 years!! Our temp hit 86 degrees on Sunday. Needless to say, Casey and I were melted, runny spots, when we got finished getting everything situated. I fell into bed and onto the new mattress and was out like a light.

I spent most of yesterday doing some much needed spring cleaning. The next victim on the list is my chest of drawers. Time to clean out the old and make room for the new. Seems like there is a lot of that going on in my house lately.

Pet Food Recall Update

Investigators have found RAT POISON in the tainted food. All I can say is WOW!!! For more information click HERE.