Summer Time Drive In Movies!!

Whooohooo!!! It's finally Saturday (my Friday)!! I can't wait to get the weekend kicked off. Work was fairly normal today. Nothing big to be accomplished. We are in a very slow time right now. We lovingly refer to it as, "the calm before the storm..." In a couple of weeks, we'll be so busy that we'll forget to breathe. Tempers will be flaring, sanity will be lost, and I'll be making for the pool after work like a tadpole with its first bit o' tail!! So, I'm trying to make the most of the quiet time.

I've got a mission to accomplish today. I'm planning on going by PetSmart to get Fergie her very own toy, or what we refer to as "woobie". She just loves stuffed animals. I have a pair of Eeyore head slippers that I keep just beside the bed. Fergie sees the big Eeyore heads

and thinks they are her very own personal "woobies". She's so very dainty with them. She doesn't try to destory them, but does carry them around all over the house. It wouldn't bother me except that poor Eeyore is getting a little bald and it makes for rather damp footwear at times. So today, I am in search of a suitable "woobie" replacement. What do you guys think? This one or this one? I'm not sure. Guess I'll make a decision in a bit.

Tonight, Casey and I are going back to The Montana Drive In. Tomorrow is my brother's birthday, so we are treating him to a double feature and dinner. It was full by the time we got there last week at 7:10 p.m., so we are going to try to get there earlier tonight. That way, things won't be so rushed. Looks like I will finally get to Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of Sith again. It's his birthday, so we thought we'd be polite and let him pick. So, as long as the weather holds out, we are on for the movies!! I'm really looking forward to it, because Casey and I had such a great time last week. No sign of rain, but it is hotter than hades here today. Well, I guess it's the humidity making it so misearble. It's rather excessive today.

I'm sure that I'll probably just be lounging around tomorrow recovering from the late night. I'm going to attempt to motivate myself to do the week's laundry and hopefully clean the house up some. I need to shampoo the carpets soon!! Monday is my day at the kennel. I can't wait to see everything that Maggie May (rescued dog Angel) has accomplished the past week. I'm lucky that I get to be a big part of her training. I'll have Tuesday off from work, so hopefully, I'll remember to try out the Audio Blogger feature. Mom's got a cataract on her eye that has really been bothering her, so we are going to the opthamologist to schedule her surgery on Tuesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the simple procedure that everyone says it is.

Well, I'd better run on and find that "woobie" now. Everyone have a great weekend!!

Wanna Go Walkies??!!!

It's still a bit cloudy today. All of this wet, gloomy weather has left me in a perpetual sleepy state. I feel like I'm going through a fog today. Luckily, I just noticed as I passed by the window, that the sun is finally starting to peek back out. All this rain is just supposed to "git on outta here" by this afternoon. It's supposed to get really hot and summer like over the weekend, which really means humid and miserable. Work was really, really draggy today. Nothing much of anything going on at all. Casey is off tonight, so we'll probably go snag us some fresh films to watch. I think that Casey might actually whip up something for dinner tonight. He works so much at night now, that it's a real treat to get one of his home cooked meals.

I'll probably try my best to get Bear out for his walk tonight. Last night, like the night before, we ended up out walking in the rain. It always seems to pour, when we are at the furtherst point from the house. This time, I didn't even attempt to hurry. The kid in me just had that "summery" feeling. The rain was warm, and I just wasn't in a hurry to get back in the house. It's been an awfully long time, since I had that feeling, even if it was just for the moment. It made me think of all of those long summer evenings, when it would be so hot that the brief summer flash floods would pool up in the low place in the back yard. As soon as the thunder would stop, all of us kids would race out barefoot to run into it. Many a water fight and chases were started that way. It is such a fond memory of mine, that it was nice to be reminded by the rain. Maybe that's why I just didn't want to go inside. It's amazing to me how many things cross my mind, while I'm out walking with Bear. I get to visit, have fond memories, and just generally relax. I used to dread the thought of going for a walk every day, but now I find that I dread the thought of NOT going. Everyone have a great evening. I'll be out on my walk.

WHAT???!!!!

I saw this posted over on You Are A Dog this morning. You all know that I really don't like to discuss politics, but I just couldn't let this one go by. Animals in Iraq need our help. It seems that the Federal Government has issued a "shoot to kill" order on all of the dogs and cats that our American troops have befriended. Now, everyone knows how valuable animal companionship can be, especially in stressful times. I think it is absolutely deplorable to think that our government could do such a thing!! The Humane Society of the United States is asking for our help to repeal this horrific order. In many states, shooting an animal is a criminal offense!! If you feel as strongly about this matter as I do, vist the HSUS website or click below to take action!

Take Action Today: Tell President George W. Bush, our Commander in Chief, to order Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reverse the policy on pet keeping among U.S. troops.

Rainy Day Today

I forgot to mention the June news yesterday. June is Adopt-A-Cat Month. Visit Petfinder.com, The American Humane Association, The Humane Society of the United States, or your local shelter's websites for more information. If your looking for a cat companion, please consider adopting a shelter cat! It'll leave you Feline Groovy!!

Here's one of my shelter's cute adoptables. Doesn't it look like he's up to something??

It's been so gloomy the past couple of days. I guess that I really shouldn't complain. We had the third driest May in history here. The grass and flowers look like they usually do around the middle of August. We just had showers yesterday and it's drizzled on and off for most of the day today. I did manage to get Bear's walk in yesterday. As we were on the very last leg of it, it started to pour. Of course, Bear decided that he just had to hike his leg on all of his usual spots along the way. That dog could walk in the middle of a hurricane, and it wouldn't bother him one bit! Casey also walked Fergie with us part of the way last night. It was her first walk with us. I was excited. She really did well and didn't seem spooked at all. She's just a happy little camper, as long as she's with Bear. Casey and I were talking last night about how well she's fit into our little group. We are thinking that she may become a permanent foster with us. We've still not totally committed, and we are still looking for a great home for her. (Melissa, are you reading this?) We are trying to keep our empty slot empty, just in case we have trouble finding Angel/Maggie May a home. I hope to get some great pictures of her to post in the next couple of days. I talked to Jennie yesterday afternoon, and she is really taking to her training well. She's going to make someone an EXCELLENT companion!

After the walk, Casey and I hit the drive through at KFC to get some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. We both wanted comfort food, but neither of us felt like cooking. We watched a movie that we had rented, and then I promptly fell asleep. About once a week, I have one of those nights that I just can't seem to stay awake. It's been one of those extremely slow work days today. I'm waiting for the other part of the department to produce, so I can start my part of the process. I've got this HUGE manual, about 2,000 pages, that I need to get hole punched and put into a binder. I'm avoiding that task like the plague. It's a manual just for my information, but I still dread punching all of those holes. Casey has to work tonight, so I'll probably go and switch out movies. Hopefully, I can find something interesting to watch. I'll probably whip myself up some tortellini for dinner. Who knows? I hope that everyone has a good afternoon!

So Much to Tell...So Little Time

I profusely apologize for my lack of Audio Blogger posts over my time off. To be quite honest, I completely forgot about it. Not to mention that I forgot to take the number home with me. I can be quite loser-y at times. Our weekend break was just so busy that I didn't hardly have any time to catch my breath. AT THE MONTANA DRIVE IN

Picture through our blurry window. We really gotta clean that before this weekend!! There was actually a little dog hanging out of that car window that I was trying to get on film!

Casey and I did end up going to the Montana Drive In on Saturday night. I honestly can't say when I've had so much fun for such a cheap price! We ended up watching The Longest Yard and Monster-In-Law. The view after dark, before the movie started, was breathtaking!! The food was fabulous!! Casey had the BBQ sandwich. I had the hand-dipped, humongous corn dog. We each had a soda and shared an x-large popcorn. Our entire night out only cost $25!! What a deal!! The movies didn't start until dark. So by the time our second show was over and we got home it was nearly 1:30 a.m.!! It made me feel so old! I was completely wiped out on Sunday. Casey didn't have to work until 3:30 p.m., so we spent all day just recovering. We've decided to make it a weekend thing during the summer!!

Casey worked his regular shift at the shelter on Monday, andI worked a half a day at Kindred Spirits . Jennie and I wanted to get out of there to enjoy the holiday. We did all the cleaning faster than ever!! I got to start training the little Blue Heeler, Angel, that we rescued. We've changed her name to Maggie May. She's just the cutest, most friendly little dog, and she's so eager to please. I worked with her on the "sit", "down", and "sit pretty" commands. She is a good little learner and very quick too!! She had them all mastered in about 30 minutes!! Such a smart dog!! I'm looking forward to a lot more work with her.

When I got home from the kennel, some of my and Casey's high school friends had stopped by for a visit. He and his wife stayed for about 2 hours. After they left, we had the homemade tacos that Casey had whipped up for lunch. I had just settled down to watch some t.v., and Casey had headed to the bedroom for a nap. Just about then, both of our phones started to ring. It was Casey's two cousins, Andrew and Eli. They were in the area and wanted to drop by and visit with us. If you'll remember, Andrew was the one whose girlfriend, Lupe, was killed in a car accident back in March. Andrew had some time off from Ft. Campbell, where he's in the Army, so they were on the way back from a road trip. We had planned on a cookout with my brother and Mom, so we just expanded the guest list. We all had a really nice visit!

Firing Up the Grill..MMMMMMM!

Andrew, Eli, and me.

Eli, Casey, and me.

Yesterday, Casey and I went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Chef Chen's for lunch. Just as we were leaving, we got a call from out shelter lady about the dog, a Border Collie named Missy, that had escaped on Saturday. This dog is an escape artist!! She's escaped from every home she's ever lived at. Anyway, someone had spotted the dog. So, Casey and I headed out to help catch her. It took about an hour and three other people, but we were finally successful. We were so glad to get her back unharmed. Afterwards, I just watched movies and Casey went into work.

Nothing major going on today. Just catching up on my work stuff. I'm signing off for now. Hope everyone has a great evening!!

Long Holiday Weekend!!

Well, it's just about time for the holiday weekend to officially kick off for me. Not much going on today at all. It's been like a ghost town all day. It's been really relaxing though. Casey and I are planning to go to our local drive in movie tonight, The Montana Drive In. You can watch a double feature for just $5.00!! As long as you save your cup and bucket, popcorn and Coke refills are half price. This place sells an extra large popcorn for just $4.00!! I love these people!! They also run the little local theatre, The Capri, right there in Shelbyville. They are always so nice to help out our Humane Association. They always hold a movie night there for us, and this year they donated movie passes for prizes at Celebration Pet Day. They are showing some great movies this weekend. Casey and I are having trouble deciding what we want to watch. We are really tempted to see Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith again, since it is so awesome!! They have full meals availabe at the concession stand, so I think we are just going to have dinner there. I'm so excited. I haven't been since they opened, and I'm really looking forward to it.

As for the rest of the weekend, I'm not quite sure what I'll be up to doing. I don't come back to work at the library until Wednesday, so I'm going to have a little extra time to get some cleaning done. I'm hoping to maybe do my first Audio Blog over the long weekend. You all be sure to let me know how it works out. I'm going to work at the very least, a half day at Kindred Spirits on Monday. I'm looking forward to visiting with Angel. Also, Jennie told me that we have 26 dogs there this week!!! Sounds like there is going to be plenty to do. I think that Casey and I are going to give the shelter ladies Monday off as well. He's doing his usual morning, and we are going back to do the afternoon shift as well. We went out there last night. All of the dogs have gotten used to me being there with him, so we are starting to make real progress now. I've been teaching one, named Twinkle, to sit for treats. I've also taught another, Lamb Chop, how to spin for a treat. Then we take the regulars out walking. I've sure been getting all of my exercise done! I've been really enjoying it all week. It also gives me more exprience with different types of dogs.

I hope that you all have a very nice holiday weekend! Please remember all of the men and women in our armed forces. They sacrifice for us everyday!

Concerned

Just a typical sorta day. Work has been busy today. We are trying to get some loose ends finished up. I got a call from Jennie this morning about Angel, the rescued heeler mix that I mentioned yesterday. Anyway, they've got her spayed and all her vaccinations caught up. There's only one catch. She's got heartworms. The good thing is, it is not so advanced that they can't treat it. I've learned something new today. They can either use the conventional method to treat it, which runs about $200, or they can use Heartguard to treat it. If we use Heartguard, it will take a little bit longer. For now, we've decided to give the Heartguard treatment a try and see what happens. We may end up doing the traditional treatment later. Jennie is getting the details from the vet today. I don't know if they give a larger than normal dose of the Heartguard or what the specifics are yet. All of the vet techs say that they are just in love with Angel. They say that she has the sweetest disposition. I'm so glad of that. Casey and I were worried how she would be with other people, since she had been chained her entire life. I know that we can probably eliminate this problem, but it doesn't stop me from feeling guilty. I feel like I should have gotten her out of that situation sooner. I know that it's not my fault, but right now I sure feel like it is. Anyway, everybody keep your fingers crossed for Angel.

Casey and I have shelter duty again tonight. Last night, Jennie met us down there and evaluated some of the dogs. She and I have one picked out to train agility. We want to train her and have her ready for Celebration Pet Day next year. She loves to run and jump on and over boxes, so she'll be a good agility candidate. We also started training some of the dogs to simply sit. It really is amazing how fast they catch on to commands. Hopefully, we can have them all at least doing the sit command in the next few months. Anything we can do will make them more adoptable. Casey's got the next two nights off, so who know what we'll get into.

After reading Christine's blog today. I signed up for the Audio Blogger service. It's free and you can use it from any phone. I thought that this might be a handy thing to have, when I'm away or on trips. I may give it a try on my days off. You all be sure to let me know what you think. Well, that's the zoo wrap up. Everyone have a great afternoon!!

Slow/Fast? Kinda Both

This had been the oddest week. It has just dragged by at work, but the time at home and extra stuff to do has made my free time fly. The dogs next door saga is hopefully coming to an end soon. For those of you that need to be caught up, here's the story. Our next door neighbors have two dogs that they keep chained all the time. They do feed them, but not quite enough. Casey and I have been trying to figure out a way for about a year to get them out of their present situation. Anyway, Jennie from Kindred Spirits has now jumped on the bandwagon. Since she has just finished training Fergie, she's decided she's ready to help another dog. So Tuesday, Casey took the little blue heeler mix out to her vet's office and dropped her off. They are giving her a complete physical, her vaccinations, and spaying her. Afterwards, Jennie is going to pick her up and take her to the kennel. We are going to socialize her and obedience train her for about three months. Jennie's husband's parents are looking for a dog to stay on their farm, who can bark to let them know when someone comes up. Jennie and I talked about it, and we think this little dog will be the perfect candidate. So, we are going to give that a try. My coworker, Kim, is thinking about taking the other little dog, so hopefully, everything will work out. Almost anything is preferable to the existence they are living right now.

Casey works during the day today, so we'll have the evening together. In fact, we'll have the next three evenings together. He's off on Friday and Saturday this week. We've got a gift certificate to a little Italian place in Nashville, so we may take advantage of that. Tonight, we are helping out at the shelter again. I can't wait to walk Jake, a little chihuahua mix (his picture is on the photoblog) and Dolly. Dolly is a three year old, Border Collie mix. She's had some rough times in her three years, but she is as sweet as they come. She has been backed over by a car and has had heart worm treatment. She's just a happy camper. I just wish we could find her a great home too! I really like visiting with all of the shelter animals. I like to give them what love I can. Nothing much other than that going on today. Just regular work. I hope everyone has a great day. Now since I promised to, here's the meme from Jennifer.

1. Total volume of music files on my computer?

I really don't have a clue. I know that I've loaded A LOT of my own CD's into Real and Media player. I'd have to say several hundred, but that's just a guess. I prefer to listen to my music on a stereo (I know, I'm old fashioned).

2. The last CD I bought was?

Hmmmmm, I'm gonna have to think about that one. Casey and I have a habit of asking for CD's for special occassions. I think Jet's Get Born was the last one that I bought myself. I really like that "old style" rock. I also know that I will be buying the Foo Fighters new double album, In Your Honor, when it is released in June. They are one of my favorite bands too!

3. Song playing right now:

No song playing now. Shhhhhh, this is a library!!

4. Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me(in no particular order):

(1). Raised On Love:

by Justin Hayward. One of my VERY favorite songs EVER!! This started my Moody Blues / Justin Hayward obession, when I was a little girl.

(2). Nights In White Satin:

I'm a Moodies fan. It's a prerequisite that I love this song!!

(3). Sing and Be Happy:

A favorite church hymn of mine. When I was a kid, there was this big group of us friends that all attended church together and rode everywhere together in one van. Our favorite pass time was singing acapella. This song was one of our favorites. It was these times that made me into the singer that I am. I don't think I've told many of my blog readers this, but for a time, I was a member of the Nashville Symphony Chorus. Whenever I hear or sing this song, it brings back such happy memories.

(4). Still Rock and Roll to Me:

This song by Billy Joel was one of my childhood favorites. It was one of the first 45's that I ever bought. I think I wore the grooves off that thing. I still have to turn it up and sing along, whenever I hear it. I've also played piano for most of my life, so I admired Billy Joel as a piano player.

(5). Hey You:

The remake by The Scoripions. Casey was a HUGE Scorps fan. So right before we started dating, he was trying to figure out a way to let me know that he "fancied" me. He gave me that song on tape and told me to REALLY listen to the words. Isn't he romantic???!!

5. Which 5 people are you passing this baton to, and why?

I'm not sure. So many of my blog reads have already done this one. Anyone feel free...

TAG!! You're It!

Jinkies Velma!! I've been tagged, not only once but twice this week!! I don't do these much, but these both sounded interesting. I'll give it a shot.

This first one was from Lindsey.

1. Total number of books that I own:

Well, that's a hard one. I've been a bibliophile my entire life. It doesn't help that I've worked at libraries my entire life either. Reading has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I'd guess it would have to be somewhere in the thousands. I have two huge wooden bookcases full: books in the living room, books in the kitchen, books in the bedroom. We even have books in the bathroom. As a matter of fact, Casey and I went wild last time we were at the Goodwill store, when they were having a half price sale!

2. Last book I bought:

You are A Dog by Terry Bain. Wonderful book written from the perspective of a dog.

3. Last book I read:

Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It's the third book in the Shiloh triology about an eleven year old boy, named Marty, and his adventure saving a mistreated beagle, named Shiloh. The Shiloh triology has been part of my summer "fun" reads.

4. 5 Books that mean a lot to me:

(1). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:

Even though it was a required read for high school, I just love this book. It opened me up to the world of southern literature.

(2). The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Actually 6 books as of September this year. Basically, historical fiction with a bit of romance and science fiction mixed all together.

(3). My grandmother's Bible:

I was extremely close to my maternal grandmother. I have her old family bible and the only picture of her as a teenager in the whole family. As a matter of fact, today would have been her 111th birthday. She was born in 1894!!

(4). Little Brown Handbook:

Writing handbook that I've used since my freshman year in college. I never, ever write anything important without it!

(5). Casey's mother's handwritten cookbook:

Casey's mother had a handwritten cookbook. It has every recipe that the Richardson family ever had back several generations. Along with all of the recipes, his mother included funny stories that occurred when the dishes were eaten. For example, Casey's grandmother's baked bean recipe. The little anecdote went something like this...."Made these for the horsehow the first week of September, in my very late pregnancy. Needless to say, I went to the hospital for Casey's brith shortly after." His mother passed away 8 years ago after battling with breast cancer. It's a very precious item in our household. 5. Tag 5 people to take up the meme and answer in their own journals:

Hmmmmmm, let me see:

Jennifer (I'd love to see your answers!!!)

Christine

Pennie

Chrissy

Ann

TAG!! Ya'll are it!!

Also, I have one more that I've been tagged for this week by Jennifer. Since I'm running short on time today, I'll post it first thing in the morning. Everyone have a great evening!

Animal Rescue Story from My Very Own Hometown!

I discovered this story today in my local newspaper. I CAN'T believe that I hadn't heard about it before. Luckily, there was a happy ending. The animal control officer, Michael Gregory is a great guy. He works really closely with our shelter. He even had a booth at Celebration Pet Day. Enjoy! I hope that everyone is having a great afternoon!:

Puppies saved in Rover

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 By CLINT CONFEHR

Two puppies that fell in a well last weekend in the Rover Community were rescued about mid-day Saturday thanks to teamwork and technology. "Everybody pitched in and helped," Bedford County Sheriff's Deputy James "Scooter" Bonner said. "We were lucky to get any of them out. One died, we believe, when it hit, and the others fell on it."

Three mixed-breed puppies fell in. Two were rescued.

The third puppy remains in the well pipe that's not been used for years at Tonya Bowden's 146 Blanton Road home where, she said, her grandson, Shane came to her crying because he and his friend, Michael Brannon, heard puppies whining in the well.

Bowden telephoned for help. Michael Gregory of Bedford County Animal Control responded, but knew he'd need help, so he appealed to Scott Johnson, director of Bedford County's Emergency Management Agency. Its Technical Rescue Team has an underwater camera. Soon, rescuers could see the puppies.

"If we didn't have the camera, we wouldn't be able to do what we needed to do," Gregory said.

A lobster snare "trap" was lowered into the pipe attached to white plastic pipes or poles taped together, according to Gregory and Bowden. That way, puppies were grabbed and withdrawn from the well.

Estimates vary, but the puppies were apparently 25-30 feet down the well's pipe. Bowden said the well is about 125 feet deep.

Bowden's grandson and his friend had uncovered the pipe, she said. It had been covered with a bucket weighed down with a chair. A permanent cap for the pipe was reportedly being placed.

The puppies are about four weeks old, Bowden said. Their eyes have been open for about a week.

Bowden listed the people who came to rescue her pups: Johnson of Emergency Management, Gregory and Isaac Meerdink of animal control, Deputies Bonner and Lindsey J. Puckett, and officials from Emergency Medical Services included Bryan Bruce, Richard Crick, Kathy Reeves and Mike Clements.

Good Day to You!

I had a wonderful weekend that just flew! The weather was just about perfect. When I got home from work on Saturday, Casey had a wonderful dinner waiting for me. It was garlic chicken and broccoli with noodles and alfredo sauce. Needless to say, I probably ate more than I should. I ate that big meal, after having a big lunch with my friend, Melissa! Casey didn't have to be at work until 9:00, so we worked on training Fergie. I just can't believe how well she has fit into our household. She and Bear are just the best buddies. Shiloh and Slate are even quite fond of her too! She is still spooked by the cats, but I'm hoping that will pass with time. After Casey left for work, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and turned in for the night. I literally spent most of the day Sunday just lounging around. I had really meant to get up and get a lot of things done, but it just wasn't happening. I finally managed to get myself cleaned up, when Casey came in from work. After we had dinner, we drove to Tullahoma (a little nearby town, where the theatre has THX), and saw Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I just have to say, "IT WAS AWESOME"!!

I've been a fan of the Star Wars saga, since I saw the first one in the theatre, when I was a little 5 year old. I've been very skeptical of the new triology, because it just hadn't live up to my expectations. Episode III not only lived up to them, but I think it exceeded them! The effects were great. The plot was great. It answered so many questions and tied everything together. Not to give any details away here, but the ending perfectly leads up to the original Star Wars movie. It also helps that Hayden Christensen is very easy on the eyes. Anyway...it was GREAT and I highly recommend it for a watch.

Yesterday, I was back at Kindred Spirits . It was a pretty light day, so I got off early. It was good to be back. I try to use it as my weekly therapy. Last night was the end of our first six week obedience class. We did all kinds of fun things like a recall race. Everyone has their dog on 16ft. leads. We held the dogs at the other end. Then, the owners call their dogs with the recall command, and whichever dog gets there first wins. It was a lot of fun. We are taking a few weeks break, then we'll be back with a new class. Tonight Casey and I are filling in at the shelter. One of the ladies has gone on vacation. While Casey is turning all of the dogs back in, I'm going to walk one of my favorites, named Dolly. She is just a very sweet girl. Anyway, Casey made some pictures of some of the shelter animals last week. I'm posting them on my photoblog today to share with you all. So, hop on over and get to know them. Everyone have a great day!

Tuesday Animal Stories

I got these two items in my morning e-mail today. I just had to share with you all. Enjoy!

Life Saver

"The photo below shows a red Doberman kissing an exhausted fireman. He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire. She is pregnant. The firefighter was afraid of her at first, because he had never been around a Doberman before. When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest. A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, "The Observer," noticed this red Doberman in the distance looking at the fireman. He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do. As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies, and kissed him, when the photographer snapped this photograph."

Lucky

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and may decide you need one. Mary and her husband Jim had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys.Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease...she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought.He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him.

The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death. The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully but the dog just drooped, whining and miserable. But finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed. When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot.

Panic soon gave way to laughter though when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed in every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement and back bringing his beloved mistress his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every night. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Happy Blog-iversary!!!

I just couldn't let tomorrow go by unmentioned. As of tomorrow, Richardson Zoo is officially one year old!! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by. I also can't believe that I've been able to keep up the posts. When I first started this blog, I had no idea what to do with it. I just knew that blogging definitely interested me. I noticed that a lot of people had specialty blogs or blogged about their interests. I also noticed that my posts kept gravitating towards all of my animals and humane work. That's when I decided to dedicate my blog to the welfare of animals. Once I had a focus, I began blogging with a fury. What a crazy year it has been. I've made some wonderful online friends, because of this blog, and I'm thankful for it. It's nice to know there are so many wonderful animal lovers and friends out there. I appreciate each and every reader. I've had so many wonderful positive comments, that I can't help but believe that we ARE making a difference. Thanks again for all your loyalty! Keep reading and have a great weekend!

Scenes from Celebration Pet Day!

Danielle from Aquatic Critter during the reptile program.

We had great success for our inaugural event. Everyone wants to make it an annual event now!! Go to the photoblog for even more pics from Celebration Pet Day and also some shots of our shelter friends!!

Getting ready for another contest!! 

People socializing their furry friends at Celebration Pet Day! 

My friend Melissa and me rounding up contest participants. 

May Justice Be Served

This has been a big story on our area the last couple of days. I just hope they make these three people serve time!! I think that it's humans that need to be spayed and neutered sometimes!!!

Story from our local station:

Three people arrested after allegedly throwing puppies out of vehicle

Cooperstown Mayor Danny Crosby (center) and officers from the Cooperstown Police Department showed some of the 15 puppies that Crosby and others found on a rural road on Sunday.

Twenty puppies, along with two mama dogs, were allegedly thrown out of a vehicle into the road and a wooded area.

All of the 14 surviving puppies found have now been adopted, along with their mothers. One puppies has since died, and five puppies have not been located.

Donald Hackett, Kimberly Beard and William Milliken have been charged with 22 counts apiece of animal cruelty.

Three people have now been charged with 66 counts of animal cruelty in Coopertown. This comes after someone threw puppy after puppy out of a vehicle onto a country road.

Coopertown Mayor Danny Crosby is outraged by what someone did with two litters of puppies.

"This is just bad, and as mayor of this city I am not going to tolerate anyone mistreating a little animal like this or a grown animal," said Crosby.

Crosby got a call Sunday from a neighbor who saw three people throwing puppies and two mama dogs out of a truck.

"Several of them covered in fleas and ticks," said Crosby. "Some of them had blisters. The mother dogs have blisters."

When Crosby arrived on the scene, he found puppies all over the road and in the woods. He found people as well, trying to rescue them. They located 15 puppies. He's since learned there were 20 puppies in all.

"We've researched and combed the area down the slope to the creek, all the way up to the bridge of both sides of the road," he said.

Police traced a license tag number to a house in Cheatham County, and talked with a woman there.

"Asked her why," said Coopertown Police Officer Jonathon Coulon. "She said the dogs were covered in fleas and ticks. They didn't want the dogs around their children. Why they didn't take them to the vet, I don't know."

Now police have charged three people - the woman's uncle, William Milliken, Donald Hackett and Kimberly Beard, with 22 counts each of animal cruelty. All the puppies located have homes now, along with the mama dogs. But Mayor Crosby still wonders about the other five.

"Hopefully someone stopped and picked them up, hopefully," he said.

Crosby wants anyone who stopped to pick up the puppies to contact him so he can account for each one. He says one of the puppies rescued Sunday has since died.

The mayor of Cooperstown sure sounds like a VERY animal friendly guy!!

Lots to Talk About

I was away on a work conference yesterday. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention that during my last post. I went to a staff development workshop that was held at the Nashville Public Library. It was a really great day. Nashville Public has a beautiful, rather new buidling that was built from a remodeled downtown shopping mall. Even though the building is new, they built it in an old style. It looks like it could have been there for years. It's just so fabulous. I love to attend workshops there, and I jump at the chance to attend. The workshops were great, and so was the lunch they had catered in for us. They catered lunch from a little cafe on the bottom floor called Provence. I think that I've mentioned them before. Anyway, they have fabulous breads, sandwiches, pastries, cakes, and cookies. We had great roasted turkey on their famous bread, chips, drinks, and homemade Scottish shortbread. It was yummy. My coworker, Kim, and I rode together, so I had company on the drive into downtown. Nashville Public also gave us these really neat lithographs of their building. All in all, not a day wasted.

Meet Fergie

A big chunk of news from the Richardson homeplace is our new fosterdog, Fergie. Fergie is nearly three years old, and has never lived in a home environment. She is a red heeler mix. She just finished nearly four months of obedience training with Jennie and me at Kindred Spirits. Casey and I thought that it would be a good idea to get her used to living with a family, along with our menagerie. We are trying awfully hard to improve her adoptability. Casey brought her home on his day off yesterday. So far, everything has gone really well. Bear absolutely adores her. He has been following her everywhere. They had a real big romping and playing session yesterday in the living room. I think Bear feels that he has finally found a true playmate. Fergie seems to like Bear just fine too. The cats all seem to like her fine, but she's not too sure about them just yet.

The funniest thing happened last night. Fergie has been crate and kennel trained, so Casey and I brought her crate, thinking it might offer her some extra security in a strange place. Well, Bear has just been nuts about this crate. He's never been crated or kenneled, except at Kindred Spirits. Anyway, he's decided that the crate is a very cool place indeed, and Casey and I are having a hard time keeping him out of there for Fergie. When Fergie decided it was time for bed last night, she crated her own self. I was fixing a Kong with treats for her to have in there with her. I opened the door to put it in, and in shot Bear. He just hunkered down in there with Fergie and would NOT come out. It was a rather cute sight, both Bear and Fergie sitting side by side, looking out of the doorway. I ran to get my camera, but they both came out before I could snap the shot. So, things are in a little upheaval at the house right now, but I think it will settle down rather quickly. Tonight, I'm sure, will be quite interesting around the home.

I've finally gotten the first batch of Celebration Pet Day pictures downloaded. I'll post a few here, but hop on over to the photoblog to see the majority of them. Everyone have a great day!!

A Better Outlook

I'm finally feeling better today. The headache has let up to a manageable level. I'll just be taking Excedrin all day, just to make absolutely sure. I just feel mostly tired now, and my neck and shoulders are really sore and stiff. Anyway, I'm back amont the living today. I've come prepared with my camera and cord to download some of Saturday's pictures to share with you all. I've also got lots coming from other members. I've asked everyone to share with me, so I could have perspective from lots of different areas. I've got to get on the task of writing out a VERY long list of thank you's today. I've got the vendors to thank, the volunteers that worked, the businesses that donated all of that wonderful food to us, and many many others. I've also got to write a letter to the editor of our local newspaper thanking the entire community for all of their support as well. I've also got to post some new pictures on Petfinder.com today. We've gotten several new puppies at the shelter during the week. I found out that I'll be filling in at the shelter, while one of the regular workers is on vacation next week. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll have the evening duty, which is letting all of the dogs back in and getting them bedded down for the night. Not a whole lot to do. They have some real sweeties there right now, and I'm really looking forward to visiting with them.

I wanted to make mention of Kender Kennel again this week. They have a terrific all natural line of products to fight fleas and ticks. Just to prove how great their products are, they are offering free samples for just simply filling out a form. Just click here to get to the form. I've filled out mine, and I can't wait to get my products!! While you're there you can also sign up for their free newsletter, with lots of great tips, and their their mailing list too! Everyone have a great day!

Mostly Comatose

Well, I've been out of circulation today. I ended up taking a sick day from work. My headache was about 100 times bigger this morning, when I got out of bed. All I've wanted to do all day is lay down with my head on the soft, soft pillow. I really think that I've been suffering from a migraine. I was diagnosed with them years ago, but it's been forever since I've actually had one. I'm supposing that part of it is due to all of the let down from the weekend. I'm also guessing that it might be all of the cheap hotdogs that I've been eating as leftovers. They are really bad to have high level nitrates in them, which can trigger the migraines too. All of the dogs and cats have been too happy to keep me company in my misery. I've had plenty of little, furry footwarmers today. I always seem to keep it super cold in the house, when I have a headache. I'm over at my brother's right now. I managed to get myself upright to finally have some dinner. I'm feeling just a little bit better. I hope that it's all over by morning. I hope to be back at work and back to my routine tomorrow. I'll probably have some pictures ready to post from Saturday's events too! Everyone have a good evening!

Mission Accomplished

Well, it's finally over. After months of planning and hard work, Celebration Pet Day went off without a hitch (if you don't count the weather the last hour). It seemed that everyone enjoyed the event, and we raised nearly a thousand dollars to help benefit our humane association and shelter. We had lots of participants for our contests, and lots of our community members came out with their pets! It was unbelievable to watch our little town open up and participate. The arena was full of vendors, agility equipment, and people participating in contests. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. Everyone is already talking about what to do for next year. Everyone has their sights on bigger and better things. Now that we've been successful for the first one, it's amazing the ideas that everyone is coming up with for next year. I told everyone that I'd like a month off, before we begin planning for next year. I haven't downloaded my pictures from the digital yet but hopefully soon, I'll have plenty to share of our day with you all. I'm just trying to get everything caught up, since I've been off since last Thursday. I've also been suffering from a horrible headache since Sunday. It seems that nothing I try works to make it go away. So if I type a little strangely, that's the reason. I just wanted to pop on with a quick update. I'll post more details soon! Everyone have a great afternoon!!

If Anyone Sees My Mind....

Please return it to me. It seems that I have completely lost it today. Celebration Pet Day is bearing down on me today. After a relatively quiet phone day yesterday morning, things started going bonkers, again, yesterday afternoon. My mind is racing so fast trying to remember everything and get everything done, that my "train" of thought is de-railing frequently. It happened just now. I realized that I had to make a list and add one more place to my pick up list. I completely stopped posting and went to something different. I'm usually not like that at all. I'm usually a start to finish girl, but lately I've been spastic!! If I can just get through the rest of today with my brain intact, I'll consider it a major accomplishment. I'm taking tomorrow and Monday off from work, so I'll be away for a bit. I hope that I'll have some great stories and pictures to post for you all on Tuesday! Everyone keep their fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate.

In my insanity, I forgot to point you all to a really good, new pet website. It's called Abby's Dog Blog. A really neat website. They run a doggie giftbasket and bakery business. They also support pet adoption!! There are a lot of interesting posts and tidbits on the blog. So, everyone hop on over and give them a visit!

I hope that everyone has a lovely weekend! I'll be back on Tuesday with a lot of updates! I'm off to find my mind and hopefully sanity at Celebration Pet Day!! WHEEEEEEEE!!!!

"With the Eyes of A Child...."

With the eyes of a child

You must come out and see

That your world's spinning 'round

And through life you will be

A small part

Of a hope

Of a love

That exists

In the eyes of a child you will see

John Lodge, The Moody Blues

An old Moody Blues song title says it all...

This morning, I received an e-mail from a fellow volunteer concerning our poster contest for Celebration Pet Day. It was for kindergarten through 5th graders, and the theme was, "My Favorite Thing to Do With My Pet". We've notified the winners, so they can be sure to be there to receive their prize on Saturday. I got the following e-mail and had to share it with you all. I've changed the names to protect identities. Sure did give me a giggle and made my day!!

Bob's (the kindergartener that drew a picture of the bunny) mom just called. We were talking about when he should be there and how excited and happy he is that he is receiving 1st prize. Apparently, he has never received a prize for anything. Anyway, I told her that if they had a dog they could bring it on Saturday, on a leash. Mom said, "Well, we don't have any animals." I said, "what about the rabbit he drew?", and she said, "that's his imaginary rabbit."

I'm still laughing.

Beth

Vote for Your Favorite Story

I'm hoping to remain calm today. Our newspaper article received A LOT of attention from our little community. My phone rang off of the hook yesterday. Anyway, looks like there is more interest than I thought, and we also have another person wanting to set up a booth!! I've been so lucky, while I've been organizing this whole Celebration Pet Day event. It's the first charity event that I have organized completely on my own. I've helped with a lot of others in the past, but this one was my dream, my brain child, my heart. I've heard that there's a chance of thunderstorms on Saturday, the only day out of 14 with a chance of rain!!! ARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!! So everybody send good thoughts, fairy dust, prayers, and wishes my way. The Weather Channel's PetCast says it's only a 30% chance, but the local stations are not saying quite yet. I don't mind if it's cloudy, but I'd like for the rain to stay away. I don't want people discouraged from attending. It's supposed to be hotter than H*O*T today. They say that we are flirting with a record high for this time of year. I think it's supposed to be nearly 90 today with a much higher heat index, because of the high humidity. YUCK!! Looks like we are in for a miserable summer. Bear decided last night that we would jog on our walk. I can't believe that he kept the pace up for the entire 3 blocks!! I was drenched by the time that I got back home. I guess Bear must have been trying to get a good workout to drop some of those extra pounds he gained!!

The Humane Society of the United States is running a contest called "Beautiful Tales, Remarkable Tales". This contest was for stories of seniors and their pets. They have narrowed it down to 3, and are asking for everyone's vote for the best "tale". The voting goes on until May 13th. Click the picture below to read the stories and to vote! All of the stories are wonderful! Everyone enjoy the day!!

Nerve Attack!!!

I am so fidgety today!! So much to do it always seems, and so little time. The newspaper article ran in last night's local paper, The Shelbyville-Times Gazette. It caused a flurry of activity. My phone rang all last night and all this morning. There were questions about the poster contest, which I had to say the deadline was last Friday for entries, and a slew of calls from peope that want to volunteer for us. Seems that my next project for the humane association is underway, a.k.a. volunteer recruitment. The same core of ladies have manned the entire association for over 26 years now!! THAT'S devotion to animals folks!! I'd like to recruit some new blood, not to replace them, but to take a heavy burden from their shoulders. Anyhow, most of the preparations have all been made. I just have to make a supply run tomorrow night, and pick up all of our food donations on Friday. The community has shown tremendous support with donations of food items. We've had to buy practically nothing to feed a group of over 300+. For all of your folks that might be within the vicinty, come on out and join us for a great day of fun!! Other than details of the event, nothing else is going on today. I did find out that an adoption that I helped to arrange has gone off without a hitch, and all parties are just pleased as punch!! That kind of news always makes me so happy. I've been busy reading the next two books in the Shiloh series. I have to say that the second one is every bit as good as the first one. Going to check out for the day, but I am posting the details of our pet day below. Also, congratulations to John and Zoya of Crazy Dog Kennels on their engagement and upcoming wedding!! Log onto their blog to find out about the shelter dog racing team! Everyone have a good evening!!

1st ANNUAL CELEBRATION PET DAY

Saturday, May 14, 2005

10:00 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Champions Arena, National Walking Horse Celebration Grounds Benefits the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association

Come join us for a day of family fun.

Contests, Programs, Games, Food, Vendors, and fun!!

FREE ADMISSION!!!

Donations appreciated.

ALL dogs welcome that are leashed and up to date on vaccinations!!

For information contact the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association at (931) 684-KIND or e-mail SBCHA @ hotmail. com

And Some People Say Dogs are Dumb!

Had a wonderful weekend! Saturday, Casey and I bought a new white cabinet to use as a pantry cabinet in the kitchen. See we live in an older house, so cabinet space and electrical outlets are scarce. We got the cabinet for a steal, so now we have extra space. Other than that, we just watched movies, laid around, and took a rather lenghty nap Saturday afternoon. Yesterday, I got up and got ready to take Mom out for her Mother's Day lunch. We went to the Bell Buckle Cafe. Bell Buckle is a little artsy community not too far outside of Shelbyville. They have lots of cool little antique shops there. They serve a lot of different food, but specialize in southern country dinner plates. Yesterday we had chicken and dressing, green beans, squash casserole, and fried corn. The best part was the new dessert they are serving. We had a huge piece of lemonade cake with cream cheese frosting!! It was to die for!!! I can't wait to have another piece of that. I've got to find a recipe for it. Afterwards we took Casey his lunch, since he ended up working yesterday. Last night, Casey grilled and we all got together at my brother's for a Mother's Day dinner. I really enjoyed my weekend. I'm at work today, since we were closed on Satruday. So, as you can tell, I'm not at the kennel. I will be going to help Jennie with obedience class tonight.

Got this in an e-mail from a fellow humane volunteer today. You can read another article about it on CNN.com too. I thought I'd pass it along to you all. Chalk up another point for dogs!! Enjoy!!

Dog 'adopts' abandoned baby in rural Kenya

By Rodrique Ngowi

Nairobi - A nursing dog foraging for food retrieved an abandoned baby girl in a forest in Kenya and carried the infant to its litter of puppies, witnesses said on Monday.

The stray dog carried the infant across a busy road in a poor neighbourhood near the Ngong Forests in the capital, Nairobi, Stephen Thoya told the independent Daily Nation newspaper.

The dog apparently found the baby on Friday in the plastic bag in which the infant had been abandoned, said Aggrey Mwalimu, owner of the compound where the animal is now living. It was unclear how the baby survived in the bag without suffocating.

Doctors said the baby had been abandoned about two days before the dog discovered her. Medical workers later found maggots in the infant's umbilical cord, a product of days of neglect, Hannah Gakuo, the spokesperson of the Kenyatta National Hospital, where the girl was taken for treatment, said on Monday. No one has yet claimed the baby, she said.

But the 3.3kg infant "is doing well, responding to treatment, she is stable... she is on antibiotics," Gakuo told The Associated Press. Workers at the hospital are calling the child Angel, she said.

Unwanted infants are often abandoned in Kenya - sometimes they are even dumped into pit latrines. Poverty and mothers' failed relationships with fathers are often blamed for the problem, and Kenya's weak law enforcement and social security systems means that most people who abandon babies are never caught.

"Abandoned babies are normally taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital because it is a public hospital," Gakuo said. "People are now donating diapers and baby clothes for this one." - Sapa-AP

Published on the Web by IOL on 2005-05-09 14:57:33

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © Independent Online 2004. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.

Happy Mother's Day

Since the library is closed this Saturday, I figured I'd better get my Mother's Day post done. I don't have a whole lot planned this weekend. Casey and I may gallavant into Nashville to see what we can get into. I'm taking Mom out for lunch on Sunday after church. What can I say about my Mom, except that she is the GREATEST MOM EVER!!! All of her granddogs and grandkitties love her too! She always takes good care of them, while Casey and I are gone on trips. She has them spoiled rotten. She's always been very supportive of everything I've done. There's no way I can ever thank her for all the things that she's done for me. I just hope that I live in a way that will make her proud. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY mama!! I LOVE YOU!!

Mom 2004

Mom with Bear last Christmas

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mother's out there!! Everyone have a good weekend!

Recommended Read

I was rummaging around for something to read, during my lunch today. Since I finished, You Are A Dog by Terry Bain, I haven't gotten a replacement read. Since I work in a library, I figured that I had a pretty good shot at finding something to read. Also, since I work in the section that supports teacher education, I have some great young adult books from which I can have my pick. We have all the Newberry Award winners here. These books are great for short, but really good reads. They have all won these awards, because of their quality writing and exceptional stories. For today's read I picked Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I picked this title, partly because of my Jack Russell mix named Shiloh. It's a wonderful story about an 11 year old boy named Marty, who finds a loose dog in the woods one day. Marty soon discovers that Shiloh is being mistreated and has to figure out a way to end animal cruelty. The reader follows Marty on his adventure where he discovers that in the adult world that is shaded grey that right and wrong aren't so cleary seen. Marty is faced with the decision between right and wrong and the ultimate decision to save a dog. I read the whole thing at lunch!! No wonder this book won a Newberry medal. It's fabulous. I highly recommend it as a "have to" read for animal lovers and anyone that works with rescued dogs. It will make you misty eyed, but it's well worth it. I was just tickled to find out that there are 2 sequels to this book as well called Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh. Those will be what I'm reading next!! There's also a movie version, which I plan to watch this weekend as well!!

My Shiloh along with Bear.

So Scatterbrained Today

I've have been so out of it today! I knew that it would be like this next week, but I hadn't anticipated it to start this early. My head is so full of stuff to get done for Celebration Pet Day that I can hardly sit still, let alone think straight. I've had two more booths sign up today. That makes 16 different types of booths that we are going to have. That's pretty good for a first time event, especially for a little town the size of Shelbyville. Everything is falling into place, unbelievably. The agility and program part is going well. I have to go tomorrow night and help judge the poster contest. We held a county wide poster contest for kindergarten through fifth graders. I'm also trying desperately to get the volunteer schedule worked out. It's unreal the length of my "to do" list! Between working and getting last minute details done, I'm not sure when I'm going to schedule sleep. I've been so hyper today. I didn't hardly sleep last night, so I think it's my body's way of staying awake. Not much other than last minute details going on here. I hope that everyone's having a good afternoon. It's about time for me to get out of here. I'll have a better post tomorrow!! TAH!

Get Your PetCast Here

I've been very busy today. Work has been absolutely crazy! The meeting was crazy last night, and if I thought I was going to be busy BEFORE, boy was I wrong!!! Still a momumental amount of work to be done, but it is coming together nicely. Just found out that we had another booth sign up today as well!! I've been busy farming out final tasks today, and trying to get a volunteer list together. Other than all that, just a typical day.

Just wanted to let you all know what a pet related world this is becoming. I logged onto The Weather Channel today, to check out the extended forcast for Celebration Pet Day. They are featuring a new pet section to their website. You can enter your own personal zip code and get your pet's personal PetCast. You can find out the best time of day, according to the forcast to walk your dog, the mosquito chance, the national flea forcast, and other cool stuff. You can even look up local dog parks and dog/cat related events with their weather forcasts!! You can submit your pet photos there too. Click here to see Bear's personal PetCast. This is a waaaaay cool idea!! This feature gets 4 PAWS UP from the zoo!!! Everyone have a great evening!!

Be Kind To Animals Week, May 1-7

This week the American Humane Association and many other animal welfare organizations are celebrating "Be Kind to Animals Week". Take this week to take your favorite four-legged friend for a walk, or give them a scratch. Go to your local shelter and volunteer to walk shelter dogs, or help with an event. Just go get out there and "Be Kind to Animals"!

I'm Just a Country Girl

Had a great weekend! The sun finally decided to come out on Sunday and yesterday turned out to be absolutely beautiful. I took Mom to her doctor's appointment yesterday in Nashville. She had a good check up, and we are on track to having her cataract surgery scheduled as well. I know that she'll be glad, when that's done. Mom is an avid reader, and her reading has really been impaired lately. So, we should have her surgery scheduled soon. We had a really nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. We also stopped by Aquatic Critter to confirm the reptile program for Celebration Pet Day with Danielle. We are still on and everything's a go!! I think that she is planning on bringing a cayman, a 20 foot boa constrictor, some really cool frogs, some geckos, and a really cool Jackson's Chameleon!! I can't wait. All in all, it was a really successful Nashville trip yesterday.

After I got home, it was time to get ready and go to teach obedience with Jennie. It was really exciting last night. She brought Fergie, one of the shelter dogs that we've been working with since February, for me to work. We are trying to get her ready to be a "STAR" as our adoptable dog at Celebration Pet Day. She is a very shy dog, but she did absolutely beautiful in a different place last night. She started out timid at first, but after a few minutes both her tail and her confidence came up! It was so rewarding to see her really come out of her shell and shine in class!! It makes teaching obedience so rewarding, especially knowing you're helping out a dog that needs to be adopted. I can't wait to see how she does at Pet Day. I hope that it helps her to get adopted. She is SUCH a great dog!!

We have our very last planning meeting for Celebration Pet Day scheduled tonight. We are all meeting out at the pavilion to get a floor plan in mind. I've worked all day on the update on the food donation lists, booths confirmed, and an arena floor plan to hand out tonight. Hopefully, that work will keep us on task, and we'll be finished before dark. Other than that, not much else going on. I'm posting some Tennessee'isms that I received in an e-mail today. Since I'm from Tennessee, I couldn't help but share them with you all. Hope everyone has a great evening!! Enjoy!!

Things I've learned about Tennessee and being a Tennessean....

1. Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Tennessee.

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Tennessee plus a couple no one's seen before.

4. Squirrels will eat anything.

5. Unknown critters love to dig holes under tomato plants.

6. Raccoons will test your crop of melons and let you know when they are ripe.

7. If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

8. Onced and twiced are words.

9. It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.

10. Fire ants consider your flesh as a picnic.

11. People actually grow and eat okra.

12. Fixinto is one word.

13. There is no such thing as "lunch". There is only dinner and then there is supper.

14. Ice tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!

15. Backards and forwards mea! ns "I know everything about you."

16. Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"

17. You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you' re done or it's too dark to see.

You know you're from Tennessee if:

1. You measure distance in minutes.

2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

3. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: "I'm fixing to go to the store "

4. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

5. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

6. You know what a "VOL" is.

7. You carry jumper cables in your car...for your OWN car.

9. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and catsup.

10. The local papers cover national and international news on one page but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

11. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

12. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm".

13. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

14. You know whether another Tennessean is from east, west or middle Tennessee as soon as they open their mouth.

15. Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as"goin' Wal-martin" or off to "Wally World".

16. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good pinto-bean weather.

17. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop...it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: "What kinda coke you want?"

18. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

19. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from Tennessee (and those who just wish they were). Not EVERYONE can be a Tennessean, it's an art form and a gift from God!

Busy As A Bee

Semester end is always a crazy time. Today has been pretty busy for a Saturday. So busy, that I'm just now getting around to doing my daily post. We are closing in 5 minutes, so this will be a really short one. No big plans for the weekend. I'm going to walk Bear this afternoon in some unseasonably cool weather. Hopefully, tomorrow will be warmer, as they have predicted. Casey's off tomorrow, so we may run into Nashville to Aquatic Critter to make sure that everything is a go for Celebration Pet Day for the reptile program. Other than that, we'll probably just veg and watch movies again. I'm off at Kindred Spirits on Monday. Mom's got her usual 3 month check-up at the doctors. So, we'll all be going into Nashville and probably have a nice lunch afterwards. It will be weird not working on Monday. I will still be helping to teach obedience with Jennie on Monday, though. That's about it for today. I'll make a longer post on Tuesday. Everyone have a good weekend!!

New Link Here at the Zoo

I'd like to welcome Aidana and Kate from Kender Kennel: A Wholesale Manufacturer of All-Natural Pet Care & Grooming Products to the zoo!

They have a GREAT website and blog and GREAT products! So click the link and hop on over and give them a "look see".

Soggy Friday

It's just pouring in buckets today. I wish it would stop, so Bear and I could go on our nightly walk. It's been pretty quiet today. Finals started, so there is a lot of student panic attacks going on, but nothing we haven't been able to handle. I went home yesterday and did nothing that I had planned on doing. I was really fidgety for some reason. I tried to watch a movie, but the phone kept ringing and interrupting. I finally decided to watch a DVD by my favorite singer, Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. It's called An Audience With Justin Hayward.

It's an interview interlaced with acoustic performances. There were some really different interview questions for a change, so it was really interesting. There's also a second section of songs recorded acoustically in a studio with some of Justin's personal footage sprikled in for effect. The whole DVD was fabulous really. There's the most wonderful version of Voices In the Sky from the album In Search of the Lost Chord that I have COMPLETELY fallen in love with. I just wish they'd released an audio CD of the whole thing, so I could continue to listen to it in the car. Needless to say, the DVD calmed my jangled nerves. Also, it was quite funny to watch Bear stare at me so intently while I sang to the music. It was almost like it mesmerized him. He was very quiet and still watching between me and the t.v. all evening. He's such an interesting little dog!!

No big plans for tonight. Casey's making what he calls "breakfast for supper" for dinner tonight. We are having waffles with fruit topping, hashbrowns, and country ham. That's what we refer to here in the south as "heart attack on a plate". Now I REALLY hope that the weather clears. I definitely need to get that walk in now! Not much else going on tonight, I don't think. We'll probably watch some movies. Casey's brought home Finding Neverland from work, so that will probably be our choice tonight. I want to leave you all today with a dog thought. It is a quote from Terry Bain's book You Are A Dog, which I HIGHLY recommend. It comes from the dog's point of view, and I think it is a sentiment that all of us animal lovers SHOULD ALWAYS remember:

pg. 147 From the entry Reward

You live to give all of yourself in the service of companionship, in the service of equality and compatibility, of being with your people, of running, alongside or behind or in front, but always with, as if space means nothing.

Ho Hum!

Nothing exciting going on at all today. Much like the weather, the day has been kind of drab. We had a fire drill at work today in the pouring rain. It was much enjoyed by all employees. Today is a study day on campus, so it's practically like a ghost town. I'm having a lot of trouble concentrating today as well. My mind is off to other fabulous places to play actually. I think I'd like to be on beach somewhere basking in the sunshine. I have a cart that I need to get finished, but the spirit refuses to move me.

Not much to do after work today. Hopefully, the rain will let up enough that I can take Bear on his evening walk. I met yet another neighbor and his dog last night. My neighbor's name is Larry. He lives there with his wife. They are a middle aged couple. They have a beautiful yard full of flowers and wonderful landscapping. They have the tiniest speck of a dog named Pepper. Pepper is 1/4 Chihuahua, 1/4 long-haired Dachshund, 1/4 Shih Tzu, and 1/4 Maltese and he's black. He is 4 months old and hysterical to watch. Currently he weighs almost five pounds. He' not long-haired but not smooth coated either. His hair is a little longer than a rough coat though. Pepper is just so comical looking and EXTREMELY friendly. He's also not afraid of ANYTHING. Little dog syndrome you know. Anyway as my neighbor and I became aquainted, Bear became aquainted with Pepper. Bear seems to think that all little animals are his to play with. Just like he thinks that ALL cats are his. Anyway, I was tyring my best to keep Bear from being quite so enthusiastic, since we were all just meeting for the first time. I always enjoy getting to know the neighbors on Bear's usual walking route. These were not new neighbors I met, but I suppose that our timing has been off for the past three summers. We just happened to all be outside at the same time last night. Hopefully, I'll see much more of Pepper and Larry. I'd really love to get pictures to share of Pepper. Such a little comedian!

I'm trying to get the last little details finished on Celebration Pet Day, all the while trying to make myself little, mental notes about new ideas and improvements that can be made for next year. In just a little bit, I'll find out what all Kroger is giving us for supplies. We are still trying to secure the "elusive" drinks. My friend, Elaine, that is helping with all of the food donations has a friend that works at Coca Cola who is getting us a donation form to fill out. It would be really nice to get some drinks from them. I've also got to send out an e-mail to all of our vendors to let them know that we are providing them free lunches. I'm still working out the details of the volunteer schedule and the vendor booth set up. I suppose that I am stressed over everything, because I started having nightmares about it all last night. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

That's about it for me today. I hope everyone has a great afternoon!

Still Fuming All These Hours Later.....

I've been really busy today, but I'm still fuming over the earlier comment that I received. I've decided to send the weblink to American Humane Association and Humane Society of the United States. I also popped into the PayPal account listed and got the e-mail address it was signed up with. It was a Yahoo address, so I'm going to report it to Yahoo as well. I guess, beyond that, there's not much else I can do. If anyone knows of anything else I can do, please let me know.

Been so busy, busy, busy here. It's the end of the semester and finals start on Friday, so it's been crazy! I was doing my daily blog visits and ran across this over on Puptastic. A new movie with Diane Lane and John Cusack called Must Love Dogs. Click here to get the details on the movie. It's based on the novel by Claire Cook. I'm marking this one down on my "must see" list. The dog craze is growing folks! Everyone have a great evening!

Absolutely Infuriated!!!

I opened my e-mail this morning to find that I had received a comment to my blog. I have it set up to notify me by e-mail, so I don't have to go on and off of the blog to read the comments. Anyway, I gleefully opened my comment to find this a comment that was merely a website address. The website address was the entire comment. Two guys are running a voting contest, whether to kill a rabbit and eat it or let it live. I advise ALL of my readers NOT to visit the site to keep the popularity down. I had seen something posted about this that is either the same thing or similar over at Animal Diaries. (StarGazer, do you know if this is the same or different website than what you posted?) Anyway, I CANNOT tell you how much this infuriates me!!! Taking donations to vote whether an animal lives or dies is just plain SICK, in my opinion. It makes my blood BOIL that these people left a comment to try and take advantage of me, because I'm an animal advocate. How dare they try to STEAL money out of my pocket. To me, these people are just a couple of internet theives trying to make a quick buck off of a VERY sensitive issue. I probably shouldn't even have given them the satisfaction of a mention, but I AM SO ANGRY!!! I plan to delete the comment, and probably this post after a few hours....but I HAD to vent!!!

A Highly Recommended Read

I'm back from a rather long and restful weekend. Casey and I had such plans that we wanted to carry out. We wanted to go here, go there, do this, and do that. We found ourselves totally exhausted, when we finally sat down on our first day. We ended up doing nothing! We just sat, like taters, on the couch all weekend! We rented A LOT of movies and ate snacks and gained weight!! All of the dogs were quite proud to have us around. They wasted not a moment of the opportunity laying upon us in various places. Bear looked totally heartbroken, when I went to leave for the kennel yesterday morning. He also did a really good begging act to go back with me after lunch break, which got him a ride in the country! Not a lot going on today. I have a ton of work to do after my short break. Tonight the humane association is meeting to further discuss our Celebration Pet Day. Luckily, a friend and I have a lot of food donations to report. We've gotten nearly everything for hamburgers, hotdogs, popcorn, and snowcones enough to feed 300+ people through donations by some kind folks and wonderful local businesses!

The real point of my post today is to let you all know about a super, dog related read! It's the book You Are A Dog by Terry Bain. I was browsing the pet section at a local bookstore this past weekend, when I saw they had it in stock. Since, Terry is on my blogroll for his You Are A Dog site, I HAD to read it! (Terry's also been nice enough to link to me here at the "Zoo". It is the most FABULOUS read for dog lovers. I found myself laughing hysterically and nearly brought to tears in the span of a couple of minutes. It is such a touching book. You can tell that Terry Bain has an ability to convey the thoughts and musings of dogs. As I would tell my friends, "He's very doggy!" So if the animal lover in you is looking for a great read that will give you warm fuzzies, pick up a copy today. Also, don't forget to visit the You Are A Dog site too! Terry posts some very interesting stuff there. Enjoy!

Squeezing In a Post

I'm swamped at work today. I'm trying to get everything caught up, since I the next 2 days off!! I really wanted to get a good post in today, but alas it is not to be. Casey and I did go out for our mexican food last night. Unfortunately, our favorite mexican restaurant was closed for remodeling, so we hit up the other one across town. We met my friend Jennifer, her husband, 5 kids, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law. We had a great time and great conversation. It was really nice to sit and visit with everyone. When the waiter came out and saw our gigantic table full of people, I thought he was going to pass out! We were suprised that everyone did end up getting what they ordered. After dinner, Casey and I went back home and walked Bear.

I saw yesterday that Pennie tagged me for a meme on her blog. I told her I'd try to do it yesterday but as usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Ya'll stand back and get ready for the first meme on the zoo. Here's the topic:

Behold, the Caesar’s Bath meme! List five things that people in your circle of friends or peer group are wild about, but you can’t really understand the fuss over.

1. Hot Tea: All of my friends absolutely swear by it. My thinking, I'm a southern gal. The only tea I drink is iced tea, or as we say down here, "sweet tea". It's the housewine of the south you know.

2. Comics: Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking comics. I just never could get into them. I really don't understand why though.

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (t.v. show): All of my friends are just addicted to this show. I know it was a hit, but I just never really clicked with it. Most shows that are really top in the ratings, I never watch with the exception of Friends. Beware people!! I am a Friends addict!!

4. Knitting: All of my friends know how and have made some absolutely lovely things. I understand why they love it. My problem is I don't know how. I have trouble sitting down to do tasks like that. I'd much rather be on the move, outside, with a dog, in the sunshine!

5. Ipods: I admit they are cool, but I'm just not into them. I have a hard time using headphones. It's that moving around thing. I always end up hanging myself. Besides, I grew up in the age, where the bigger the speakers were the better. I just get distracted with stuff jammed in my ears.

That's it for my first meme. Anyone up to the task?

I hope that everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend. I'll be back to my usual posting self on Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll have some new pictures and good stories to share!

Be Kind to Your Volunteers!!

What a great morning!! The weather here is just fabulous. I've got to make sure to get out at lunch time and enjoy it. We've got some rain moving in for tomorrow and Friday. Not a lot going on here today. I've got a bunch of work stuff to get done, before I leave for the week tomorrow. Casey and I are planning on going to dinner at the mexican restaurant tonight, El Mexico. We've both been craving it for days.

I wanted to remind everyone that this week is Volunteer Appreciation Week!! If you know someone who volunteers for a shelter, humane association, animal control, or an animal welfare group, be sure to tell them thank you for all of their hard work. Volunteers help animals, because they love them. It's often a hard, nasty, stressful, heart breaking job, and these people do it out of love. Sometimes just a "thanks" or a pat on the back means the world. I'd love to know the number of people that volunteer for animal causes around the country. I bet the numbers are astounding!

Here's one of today's touching Petwarmers stories. You can subscribe to recieve these stories along with other great tips and information by clicking the link. Everyone have a great day!

OUR LITTLE MIRACLE WORKER by Joshua Lohman

It was a normal Saturday at the Lohman house.We awoke early to get ready for our bi-monthly trip to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital where my wife, Jennifer, and our 4 year old Maltese, Chloe, and I would spend several hours visiting and working with children.

Everyone looks forward to Chloe visits. Even the nurses get giddy when she arrives. She is well liked because she is small enough to cuddle right up on the bed with the patients -- kids who are dealing with transplants, cancer, or one of a number of extremely debilitating problems.

At times, we just spend five or ten minutes letting them love "The Chlofe". Other times, we provide pain management. Worst yet are the times when death is imminent and we are just there to soothe or take a mind away from what is at hand, if only for a second.

That day we visited a 13 year old girl who had not eaten or spoken for weeks after coming out of a coma. We arrived in her room to be greeted by her mother and grandmother. The love and concern from these ladies was overwhelming as they pleaded with the child to acknowledge Chloe.

I walked up to the bed to say hello and introduce Chloe to her. As her eyes lit up I knew there was a connection being made.

"You have the most beautiful hair," I told her as Chloe sat quietly on her lap.

"Thank you," she said while softly stroking Chloe's hair.

"Would you like to give Chloe a treat?" I said.

"Yes," she spoke softly.

"How about for every treat you give Chloe, you eat a little of your breakfast?"

"OK," she said.

With that, the nurse ran to get breakfast for the young lady as everyone teared up in the room. As they cried, the nurses said Chloe had done what none of them could do. Chloe and the young lady ate breakfast together and we could not help but feel as though a miracle happened right before our eyes.

Chloe has worked her magic on so many people that she has come to be known for making these types of connections. It's her calling in life and we could not be more proud of our little miracle worker.

-- Joshua Lohman

___________________________________________ Joshua says, "We live in Marina del Rey, California. I am a scrap metal trader and Jennifer is a former model, actress, Miss Oregon Coed USA, Miss Los Angeles County USA and currently a corporate flight attendant for private jet companies. Chloe is our 4 pound Certified Therapy Maltese."

Bear's Weekend Adventure!

Bear's resting at the park. 

Another good close up of Bear. 

A really good close up of Bear 

We just couldn't resist getting a picture of this...it's relevant only to the softball field! 

I had sat down on the picnic table for a break, and Bear had to get up there with me.