Furry Delivery

Check out this amazing kitten story from MSNBC. Seems some kittens got mailed several states away by accident and are doing fine. Click HERE to read the whole story.

I've finally managed to get my camera here with me today. So here's some of those pictures that I promised. On my way home from work Saturday, I, unfortunately, ran into some inclement weather. I ended up pulling off on the side of the road four times on my way home. I definitely wasn't the only one. It was some much needed rain for our area. It's been VERY hot with little to no rain. We are not even mowing our front yard this week. It's all dry and crunchy! Wouldn't you know that not a drop fell where I live. While I was on the side of the road waiting for the storm to pass, I called Casey, knowing it was just as bad there. Nope! The sun was shining at home. After an hour and a half and four stops, I finally made it home.

The view out of my driver's side window.

The view out the passenger window. You can tell which direction the wind was blowing!

The view out of the front windsheild.

The windsheild wipers were totally useless in this storm.

Just the usual going on today, so I'd better get to it. Everyone have a great day!

Doggie Bones

Quite a few bits in doggie news today.

On August 15th, Animal Planet launches a new show called K9 Karma. Hosts, Kari Harendorf and her husky mix, Charlie teach the newest human/doggie yoga moves. The show airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. E.S.T. For more information click the picture above or click HERE

Scoped this out at MSNBC this morning. Britain's having a dognapping problem. Seems there's a huge problem with pet owners being "held up". People are being held up at gun point for their pets even. They say that the number of missing pets in Britain is around 50,000!! Too scary. I can't even imagine the thought of someone doing that to me. For the whole story click HERE.

Everyone have a great day!

Catching Up

My weekend was pretty ordinary and uneventful. On the way home Saturday, I did get caught in one of the more violent storms that moved through the area. My usual thrity-five minute trip home took me an hour and a half! I ended up pulling over four times. It rained so hard for so long, that I whipped out the camera and started taking pictures. I had meant to get them posted today, but my camera battery died. So, it is at home charging today. I'll have them up tomorrow. Sunday I managed to get to the pool and get laps done. I also managed to get some more play in on the X-Box, so I was happy. Yesterday, I got my day in at the kennel. There was a lot of outside work to do, so I spent most of yesterday outside. There's not a lot going on today. It's been kind routine and boring in my life lately. I have to admit, it's a welcome period too. So here's a little something more interesting for your reading pleasure. This is another story about dogs and music. Seems that music has been proven to really "sooth the savage beast". Cool little artical on MSNBC. Click HERE to read more.

Doggie Paddling

It's the weekend finally! I think a lot about swimming, as you all know, during the summer. I can't believe this story that I came across, while I was surfing the web this morning.

Photo and story from MSNBC.com

It's a story about Jake. Jake is the first dog (a Golden Retriever) to swim from Alcatraz to the San Francisco shoreline in history. He swam the WHOLE thing with 500 other competitors, along with his owner. Not only did he finish the swim, but he placed 72nd!! Waaaaaaay to go Jake! I wish I could doggie paddle that good. Click HERE to read the full story on MSNBC and see the video coverage!

Not a real busy day today. I managed to get a lot of stuff done during the week. I got caught up with the laundry, got the house cleaned, and got Bear out for his walk most nights. I've also been busy learning how to play Casey's new X-Box. That thing definitely makes me feel old and uncoordinated. I am getting better now. I'm playing Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. I'm playing the Padawan level, which makes it a great game to learn to play. I hate to admit it, but I am getting addicted to the thing. Casey's been busy playing Halo and Halo 2. Between the two of us, we've been keeping the X-Box hot. Not a lot planned for the weekend. Casey has to work at the game place ALL weekend. I'm not sure if we'll make the drive-in tonight or not. A lot depends on the weather and how Casey feels this afternoon. I'm planning to get by the pool again today. I did managed to drag my lazy self over there yesterday. I got quite a few kickboard laps in, but it took forever to get a lane. I'll be back at the kennel working on Monday. It will be nice to see what dogs are there this week. I really do miss it, when I'm away. I hope that everyone has a GREAT weekend!

"Feline" Humorous Today

A friend of mine came over and gave me link to a GREAT website today. If you need a lift, or just something to make you smile, Stuff On My Cat is the place for you. People download pictures of their cats wearing various things, doing various thing, and in various situations. It's hysterical!! I laughed for a long time just looking at the different "cat"egories! You can even submit your own pictures to be submitted for the site. Too cool!! Below is just one example of their offerings. It is entitled: Brilliant.

Click HERE to go to the website. Everyone have a happy Friday!

Can I Get A Hallalujah!!

Really cool. I heard on NPR that a church in Virginia is allowing members to bring their pets to the weekly service with them. A really interesting thought, I think. I guess that it could make for a VERY interesting service at times and not because of the sermon. Still, I have to admit that it is an appealing idea to me. To hear or read the whole story, click here.

Pretty normal day today. NOTHING at all going on. Sorry to be rather boring, but it has just been so routine this week. Hopefully, I'll be more interesting soon! Everyone have a great day!

Music Appreciation

Share a tune or two with your pooch. Check out this album of tunes just for your favorite canine friend. Click here to read more about it and to hear three songs for yourself. I think that my group would just go CRAZY for Squeakey Deakey. They just love squeakey toys!

Pet Accessories Equal BIG Deals

The big pop culture companies are betting pet owners will buy eye catching fashions and accessories for their pets. Deals are in the works with media moguls from FOX, Nickelodeon, and many others. There are deals pending for pet items such as sweaters, water bowls, leashes, tags, and other pet supplies bearing images of The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants, and Clifforford The Big Red Dog to name a few. I'm just not quite sure how Bear would look wearing a sweater with either Spongebob or Homer Simpson on it. I CAN picture him with something that has Bart Simpson on it saying, "I'll eat YOUR shorts man!" or something of that nature. To read the full story click HERE. Everyone have a great day!

Nashville Links Up!!

Whoohoo!! I just made the discovery that Nashville Is Talking has listed Richardson Zoo on its site! Hopefully, I can help to impact the homeless animal cause with more exposure. This site is hosted in part by a local news station and helps to link all of the Nashville area bloggers together, along with local current events. They are also linked to post my updates in their sidebar. Oh the pressure! To see the posting yourself go to: Nashville Is Talking and look for the August 1st post: Brand Spankin' New Blogs.

Lounging By the Pool

Casey and I had a wonderful weekend. Casey had to work at the game place on Saturday, so I spent the afternoon over at the pool. Even though it was really hot on Saturday, there weren't a lot of people at the pool. Hard to believe, but the swimming laps were all open. I managed to get all of my kickboard laps done and was able to relax too. The water was near perfect. Casey had Sunday off (his first day off in 15 days). Since he was planning to hook the new X-Box up, I hadn't planned anything for us to do. I figured that he would just want to sit around and chill. Boy was I wrong. He was hyper to do something. I suggested more swimming off of the top of my head. He absolutely jumped on it. So, we got our suits on and headed out. We didn't leave the pool until closing time. After an entire weekend of swimming, I'm wondering what took me so long to get back to the pool this year. I'm already planning on getting over there tomorrow afternoon and this weekend.

Yesterday, I took Mom in for her regular doctor's checkup. He said that everything looked good and did the usual bloodwork. After her appointment, I took her out for a nice belated birthday lunch. We went by the mall and did a little shopping too. We spent the rest of the day running around Nashville in the heat doing errands. I had saved up all of the little things to do in one trip. We didn't get home until after 5 p.m., and I was totally exhausted.

Not much going on today. I'm just trying to get odds and ends cleaned up. I have some pictures to post, but I'm charging my camera battery. Hopefully, I'll have updates in a couple of days. Everyone have a good day!

Weekends Are Wonderful

I've been so busy today that the day has just flown by!! Casey and I enjoyed our swimming so much yesterday afternoon. I've decided to go back again this afternoon. We've both decided to try to just chill out this weekend. We are going to spend the night at home tonight. Casey's getting a new X-Box this afternoon. We'll probably spend all night playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I'm not very talented with video game controls, but since this game is turn fighting, I'll even be able to play. I'm really looking forward to it. Bear will get his daily walk in today. The weather has turned out really nice the past couple of days, so the walks are enjoyable again. Last week it was so hot, that he would get outside and just sit down. Sunday is a free day too. We don't have any plans. Mom's decided that instead of lunch tomorrow, she would like to eat in Nashville after her appointment on Monday. So, we'll just hang around the house and rest tomorrow. That's about the long and short of it for me. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Pool Bound!!

Woohooo!! After an entire summer spent trying to get there, today, I'm finally going to the pool.

After going 3 times a week last year, I can't believe I've been so lax this summer. I guess I've just been so busy with other things, but I'll be hoping on out here this afternoon to laze around and bake my flesh! I do hope that the dogs will forgive me for getting home later than usual! I plan to really give that kickboard the whatfor today. That wondermous cold front did finally come through, and the weather is absolutely fabulous. It's still in the upper 80's but the humidity monster finally took a hike. I'm just so happy and hyper today. Going to the pool just has that effect on me. Also on Sunday, Casey and I are finally putting up a little above ground pool of our very own. We finally caved and got one of those EasySet Pools, so we aren't required to have any real skill. We got the 18' model. I just hope that we can find a spot in the yard that is fairly level. If not, I guess I'll just buy a rope and have a "shallow end" and a "deep end".

I'm also happy because of some Moody Blues news. As you all know, The Moody Blues are my very favorite band in the whole world, and that Justin Hayward is my favorite singer. I found out that they are going to perform 2 shows close enough for me to attend!! One is right in my backyard in Nashville. The other is in Cincinnati, OH. That show is a double bonus, because I get to visit with Melissa, who just moved back there. Both of us are already happily making plans for that weekend in October. Because of the Moodies show, I'll get to visit with her twice in October. She's coming home for a visit in the middle of October. I can hardly wait. Visiting with friends and two whole weekends of Moody Blues music! The week after that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is released on DVD. That way I can enjoy my little obession in the privacy of my own home. Yes indeedy!! The future is looking good!! Everyone have a great afternoon!

Still So Sleepy

It seems this week that no matter how much sleep I get, I still need more. These past two weeks have been such a whirlwind. Casey and I have been so busy that the time has just flown by. There are so many phone calls that I need to return and so much stuff that needs to get done. All of that has taken a back seat to the ever powerful nap. It's irritating really. There are times that I just want to sit down and read. I get started and read a few pages, but soon my head is nodding and my eyes are drooping. I just find myself sitting there staring at the page. Hopefully this weekend will bring some much needed rest.

I got busy with projects yesterday and didn't get around to making a real post. I had meant to post that yesterday was my Mom's birthday. We didn't do much celebrating on a week night. We all had a nice dinner at home. This weekend, we plan to take her out for a really nice meal and a shopping trip. She's been a little bit under the weather, so waiting until the weekend to celebrate is just fine with her. I just have to say, that I think I have the very best Mom in the whole world. We've always gotten along so well. Right now, she's trying to decide if she wants to shop on Sunday or if she wants to wait until Monday. On Monday, we do her regular three month checkup with her primary doctor. Since we have to go into Nashville, it's a great opportunity to shop. By the way, a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Today holds the promise of another busy day. I have several work projects that I need to get done. At least the heat wave has come to a temporary end. We are expected to have a high in the low 80's today, instead of the triple digits. It is a more than welcome relief. Casey's only too thankful for the break too!

I stumbled onto a great little slideshow at MSNBC this morning. It's called Animal Tracks . It's a funny little slideshow of animal pictures. You can even subscribe to the little newsletter, so you can get periodic updates. Some of the pictures are absolutely hysterical. Go to the MSNBC homepage. Scroll down until you see the image that I've posted here. Click the image and away you go!! Enjoy! Everyone have a great day!

Why I Do What I Do

"There is no one on earth more deserving of help than a good old dog who has given its heart and soul to its family and then lost its home." -Annie Simon

A GREAT statement that sums it all up for me. The same applies to cats for me as well. Just something to think about.

ASPCA Launches A New Look

The ASPCA launches its newly redesigned website today. It has really cool personalized features. You can track your progress in their action campaigns and even keep up with your donations. If you are not already a member, you can sign up. Everyone click HERE or the picture above to have a look.

Couch-O-Rama

This weekend was busy!! It was go, go, go nonstop and hotter than Hades!! I'm ready for the heat wave to just give it up! Casey and I did just chill on Saturday night. As a matter of fact, we were both so exhausted that we were taking a nice, long nap by 5:30 p.m. We managed to pull ourselves up around 8:00 p.m. and scrounge up some dinner. We decided just to rest and take it easy on Saturday night, since we knew Sunday was going to be a busy day. We got up Sunday morning and after some breakfast started to move furniture around. We got the full pie safe moved out of the way into the kitchen. We also got the old sofa moved out and stored in the garage. I wish that we could've just taken it to the trash center, but we didn't have morning access to a truck, so we just have to wait for the city pick up day. I did mean to tell you all that we ended up buying both of the sofas (they match). Casey said that he wanted one to lounge on all his own. After we got the furniture all moved out of the way, I started vacuuming all of that long, lost forgotten junk up out of the floor. I also cleaned the carpet too. We managed to get the sofas picked up in M'Boro and back to Shelbyville without any trouble. It took quite a bit of manuevering to get them through the front door though (we had to take the front door off of the hinges). If they'd been an inch bigger, it wouldn't have worked. Even so, it took a good bit of trying to get them in the house. I had the dogs penned in the back part of the hall and house by using a baby gate. Both Bear and Fergie managed to escape and get out of the front door. Fergie just ran around to the back door to be let in the front part of the house. Bear ran out just as Casey and our neighbor Grady got the second sofa part way in the door. I heard Casey make the comment, "Forget the couch, catch the dog!!!" Luckily, Grady's wife, Tammy, was standing there. Bear being the social butterfly he is, just had to stop and visit. So, Tammy just grabbed him and kept him there. I was SO glad. I could have ended up chasing him through the neighborhood in the 100 degree heat! Fergie is well trained with her "come" command, but Bear is just starting to be trained. It is in instances just like that that it really comes in handy. I'm able to stop Fergie cold, just by using my voice. Anyway after the dog recapture, we finally managed to get them both inside. Casey and I got all of the furniture back in place. We ended up redesigning the living room a little, but we decided it looked better and gave us more space. I'm very pleased overall. I'm going to make pictures tonight to post. We are also enjoying having a lot of stretch out room too! After we grabbed a bite to eat, Casey went in to work.

Yesterday was busy as well. I worked a long day at the kennel. Jennie is busy with the final stages of her house building, so I stayed and took care of the kennel for her. It wasn't a busy day, so I could really take my time on everything. We had some of the cutest dogs there. We had a fiesty little Papillon named Taz, a speckled Cocker Spaniel puppy named Freckles, and a tiny (probably only 2 pounds) Yorkshire Terrier named Shiloh. Both Freckles and Shiloh were there for training. They were so cute doing their little "sit stays", "downs", and "places". I couldn't help but giggle at them. You could tell Freckles "down", and it looked like someone had flattened him to the floor. It was just so funny! It was too hot yesterday afternoon to let the little dogs out in the play yard, so I just let them out to play in the training room. Taz and I really had a good bout of playing. It's not often that we get the toy dogs, and I really enjoy having time to spend with them.

There's not much on the agenda today. My goal is to keep Casey from having heat stroke. His new job requires him to be out in this heat for about 6 hours everyday. We have heat warnings out. Our heat index yesterday was around 108 degrees! I think our actual temp was around 98. The air is still thick with humidity. You only have to be out a couple of minutes to be completely soaked. I gotta run get some work done. I hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Chocked Full of Busy

I feel like I'm just dangling out there in the wind today. Last night was busy just like Thursday night. I worked, got the shelter done, and then went grocery shopping. I had dropped Casey off at his game store job on the way home from work. We had the most spectacular electrical storms last night. The lightning was just awesome. I'm usually not one for storms, but these didn't seem destructive, so I tried to enjoy. I was just glad for the break from the oppressive heat. The storms came in 2 waves. The first one lasted about 15 minutes. I quickly took the chance during the break to get the dogs out for the night one last time. It was about 9:30 p.m. I bopped outside, thinking it would be cool and refreshing. I was wrong. The air was so thick and heavy, you could cut it with a knife. You could just feel yourself walking through the humidity. I felt the mosquitos swarming and the damp air coil itself around my body. I'm telling ya, it was just ICK!! The dogs were panting in just minutes. I checked the temperature when I got inside. It was still nearly 90 degrees. I've changed my mind. I think I liked the dry weather we were having before. I guess it just goes to prove that we are never satisfied. The second wave of storms moved through around 10:30. Casey was supposed to close the store at 10:00, and the power went out. He had to wait to close out until the servers came back up online. He had a good wait. He called and told me to wait for a while to pick him up. It was probably about 11:30 p.m., when we finally got home and after midnight, when we finally got in bed.

I feel something akin to a zombie this morning. I guess that I'm just getting past the point of being able to pull off things like that. I'm trying every little trick to stay awake. Right now, I'm listening to the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith soundtrack. I discovered a site online, where you can listen to the whole album. Click here, if you want to have a listen. Lots of great stuff by John Williams. I have the actual CD at home. It came along with a 70 minute DVD that features clips and music from all 6 episodes. Really good. I've put in a lot of extra time at the main job this week, so I'm going to leave early today. I'm headed for home and a nap early this afternoon. We were going to try to go to the drive-in tonight, but we are both so tired we are going to stay home and rest. I doubt that I can make it until 1:30 a.m. this week. Casey's been working both jobs and hasn't had a day off yet, so I know he's too tired. We are going to be busy tomorrow bringing the new sofa home. We have some cleaning and moving around to do. Monday, I'll be back at the kennel and the regular routine. Hopefully, next week won't be so busy. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

You'll Never Catch Me Copper!!

Got this funny little story at MSNBC today. Just kinda made me giggle.

A golden retriever named Murphy has been sent a summons to appear in court. Apparently, Murphy was walking around with his owner without a leash. To read the full story, click HERE.

Tidbits

It's Friday ya'll!! What a busy week it's been. I can't believe how the time has just flown by. Do you realize the next week is the last week of July? It won't be long before we're all talking about snow and Christmas. We sure could use some of that snow today. When the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. this morning, it was already 80 degrees!! The meterologist smugly reported that this week has seen some of the hottest temperatures that we've had since 2000!! Casey figured it would be this way, just because his job requires him to work outside.

Yesterday was just crazy. I spent most of my day working on a big project out in the stacks. I was on the move. Casy had to work last night, so I decided to clean house. I started just as soon as I got home. Got that knocked out. Then, I went to the shelter to do the afternoon duties. I got all the dogs and cats put up and cleaned up for the night. I left them happy and full of treats. On my way home, I grabbed a bite to eat. I got all of this done before dark. I got the arrangements made with our neighbors to pick up our new sofa on Sunday!! YIPEE!! I'm so looking forward to it. So Sunday morning, Casey and I have to get everything cleaned up and the way cleared to bring everything inside. I'm going to do a little carpet cleaning underneath stuff too. That way, all we have to do is bring it in and sit it down.

Today looks like a busy one too. I've got to finish up my work project and get my bindery stuff ready. Casey has to work again tonight, so I'll be on my own. I'm also doing the shelter stuff again too. After that, I should be able to relax a little. Maybe I'll get the laundry started. Got to get up early in the morning. I have to follow Casey to the tire place to get a new tire put on. His is as flat as a pancake. Hopefully, the old tire will inflate with fix-a-flat! I've gotta run. I hope everyone has a fabulous day!!

Fishtank In a Thunderstorm

Yesterday was a pretty interesting day. Casey got to be on his own at work, so he paced himself a little more. He was not nearly as wiped out as much last night. I think he's finally getting used to it. During the day yesterday, Casey had found an ad for a 30 gallon fish tank and stand. We were intersted. We can't use our 29 gallon, because of a bad leak. We've been looking for a replacement. We drove out to see the tank after work yesterday. It was raining like crazy, but we forged ahead. We bought the tank, and ended up buying a nice, barely used sofa in the process. It was in GREAT condition. Our old sofa at home was Casey's Mom's, and it is about 17 years old. After much dog and cat traffic over the years, it is in dire need of replacement. Casey and I had talked about replacing it soon, but we hated to buy a brand new one right now, just for the dogs and cats to lounge and wallow on. So, this sofa was really a find. It was only $25!! Believe it or not, it even matches the colors in my living room. We sat on it for about 30 minutes to test it out. We got to see right where it came from, so we're pretty sure there's nothing weird about it. The woman selling it had just repainted her house and realized that it REALLY didn't match. She said that she really hadn't planned on buying new furniture at all, because this was fairly new. After she'd looked at it a while, she finally decided it didn't match at all and decided to sell. I'm so excited. Now we just have to figure out how to get it home. Our neighbors have a pickup, so we thought we might ask them. I'm going to call the U-Haul place to see how much they charge for the day. I'd definitely say our fishtank trip worked out.

Most Animal Hoarders Are Women

I found a rather interesting article on Slate.com this morning. Studies show that most animal hoarders are single women.

Not all animal hoarders are cat ladies, but most are. The typical person who gets caught with more pets than she can handle is a woman over the age of 60 who lives alone. Experts say there are a handful of animal-hoarding cases per 100,000 Americans each year, which translates to a few thousand incidents annually.

Photo from Slate.com I'd never really thought about it that way, but now that they mention it, it's been true in the cases that I've dealth with. They also go on to mention that it is a world wide problem. I know that it's related to mental illness. It's often said that may hoarders feel that they are truly "saving" these animals from a sad existence. I've often wondered how many of these people start out legitimately, and then it gets out of control. To read the full article click here. For more information about animal hoarding, click here.

I hope that everyone is having a great day!

A New "Zoo" Link: Wampi

Today, Richardson Zoo, has a new and very worthy link. It's the Save Wampi blog. This is a blog dedicated to saving the family pet, Wampi. Wampi is a Maine Coon cat that took a six story tumble off a roof in New York City. It has required some very expensive surgery and many vet trips to aid and heal Wampi through his miraculous recovery. Read Wampi's story here. If you'd like to help with some of Wampi's vet bills, you may donate directly through the Save Wampi blog. I felt that I had to share Wampi's story here, since so many of the Zoo's readers work to help so many animals, and this is something I'm really good at. So Zoo readers, hop on over and have a visit with Wampi. I've also added Wampi's button to the sidebar, so we can check back with him often.

Everyone have a great day!

Another Week

Here I am. Back at the normal schedule. Sometimes, I really do think I need a vacation. I've decided to wait to take a real vacation this year until Christmas time. Now, I'm feeling that I may have to take several long weekends to be able to survive. It's not that I don't feel well. I'm just tired. I've decided that I need a day off for myself. A day off where I'm not running errands, doing housework, taking someone to the doctor, or other things like that. Enough of that.

The weekend was really good. Casey was off at his part time job and was very thankful for the entire weekend to rest. Since he's been at an office job for the past seven years, his new job requires adjustment. He's on his feet walking outside for five to six hours every day. What's really wearing him out is this unrelenting heat and humidity. Our humidity has been awful these past two weeks. Right now, at a little past 10:00 in the morning, our temperature is 87, which isn't too bad. Our heat index makes it feel like 97!! I really feel bad for him. We've been trying to come up with little things to help him stay cool. I think I may get him some of those cooling things that hang around your neck to wear, while he's out there. If anyone has any tips, please leave a comment and let us know.

On Saturday night, Casey and I did manage to get to the drive-in. The movie was a little late starting, because the line was so long to get in. Casey and I got there early and managed to have our dinner. About time the movie started at 8:45, the bottom fell out and it started to pour. We were there seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Bewitched. It stormed for a good while. We took it all in stride. We rolled the windows up, turned the engine on, and ran the windsheild wipers. The movies were so good, we really didn't even notice. We had a good time anyway. By the second movie, Bewitched, the storm had passed and the skies had cleared. The stars had all come out, and there was this big, beautiful moon to look at right to the left and above the screen. I wish that my photography skills were better, and I could have gotten a good shot of that. Because of the late start time, Casey and I didn't get home until really late, like nearly 2 a.m.!! Needless to say, we spent Sunday just being lazy and watching more movies. We watched Coach Carter. I highly recommend it. It was outstanding.

Yesterday was my regular kennel day. So on my way to work, I dropped Bear off at the new vet's office. Our old vet finally retired, so it has been a daunting task to find another that we are really comfortable with. Fergie's vaccinations were done last week, so now, we have half the crew through with their yearly updates. We try to stagger them out. With such a big group, so we don't have to sell our souls to pay the vet bills. When I picked Bear up, the vet tech at the front desk told me how much Bear had charmed everyone in the office. Seems he made the rounds and loved on everyone. They just were crazy about him. Bear just has that kind of personality. He's the little superstar everywhere he goes. He got a clean bill of health, which I was very glad to hear. No ill effects from the shots, except that he's a little tired. He did seem to be his old self, when I left for work this morning.

Nothing big on the agenda for today. Just the ususal. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that Casey doesn't have a heat stroke or something. Again, suggestions are welcome battling the heat. Everyone have a great day!

Well Read!!

My very own copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on my desk!

It's finally arrived! The release day of the 6th Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Being the "Oldie McOldington" that I am, I didn't think I could last all the way through the midnight release party last night: especially since I had to work today. So my coworker, Kim, who was going agreed to buy it for me and bring it to me today. Well about noon, my copy arrived. Because I work in a library, I'm always amazed, and I can't help but admit fascniated, by the "Harry mania" that always occurs on release days. Kim said that the party was absolutely insane last night. She said the line was soooooooo long. I have to give my all out gratitude to Kim that I'm able to have the book on the first day! Not long after Kim brought my book, I decided to take a lunch break and dive right in. I'm several chapters along now, and I have to say a good read so far. Don't worry. I'm not giving any plot away here. I'm sure that I'll be spending a good amount of time tomorrow reading!

Not tonight though! Tonight is Saturday, and you guys know what that means. It's drive-in night! Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. I'm about tired of the remnants of Hurricane Dennis!! Honestly, I'm drenched. Now go away!! I'm really looking forward to seeing both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Bewitched. Especially since it's only $5 to get in for both! I'm not sure if Casey and I are having dinner before we get there, or if we are eating from the concession stand. Secretly, I hope it's the concession stand. They have the best food.

Jennie and I didn't make it to the obedience trials today. She and her husband are in the middle of building there house and have to get some work done today. So, we may try to go tomorrow. I really wanted to go, but I'll get to see it later in the summer.

Monday is kennel day, so I'll be back to my regular schedule. I have a lot to catch up on there, since I've not been in 2 weeks. I can't wait to see who we've got boarding this week!!

I'm going to run for now. I'm going to try and do another AudioBlogger post over the weekend. Thanks for all of the comments. I'm glad that everyone enjoyed it. Maybe I'll do a post from the movies tonight. Everyone have a great weekend!

Wake Up!

Boy, am I ever sleepy today. I slept so good last night, that I'm having trouble getting awake today. I guess that means I'll have to double up on coffee today. There's not much on the agenda for today, which is good. I'm awfully glad that it's Friday.

Casey and I are going to fill in at the shelter Saturday and Monday through Friday of next week. One of the regular workers is going to be gone on vacation. All we have to do is the afternoon duty, which is no problem at all. I'm really looking foward to seeing all of the shelter dogs and cats. I'm betting that I'll get to do a little more training too!

Casey's new job is going really well. We appreciate all of the good wishes coming our way. I think that he really likes it. After working for a police department for so many years, he's really enjoying his scheduled time off. It's so different for him to have a block of time off from work that in no way can be interrupted. He's also very much looking forward to campus shutdown during the Christmas holidays. He's also very lucky that he has such good people in his department. In fact, one of his coworkers worked with him at the police department. They always have birthday celebrations for everyone, and they've also got a white water rafting trip planned too! So, in a word, his department has camraderie. He's loved his first week.

We are planning to have a good weekend too. We are going to try to get back to the drive-in. The movies have cycled out. They are having a great double feature on one of their screens this weekend. It is Bewitched and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I've got to make sure that I rest up tomorrow, so I can last through the last movie.

Jennie and I are planning on going to a local obedience club's obedience trials tomorrow. They are holding them on the other side of campus, so I'll probably head over there and meet her around lunch time. Those are always so interesting to attend. You can pick up some really good tips. It's always fun to get to meet and talk with other people that are into dog training. It helps to get a lot of other perspectives and share secrets. That's about it for me this morning. I hope that everyone has a great day!

Top Dog

The week is going by pretty fast for me. We are still busy at work, but at least we are not as busy as last week. Things are starting to settle down. Casey is really enjoying his new job. The only draw back is getting the dogs on a new schedule. With Casey's old work schedules, the dogs have pretty much had someone there with them all of the time. There was very little time they were left to their own devices. Now, we are both gone for about 8 hours everyday. They've been really well behaved, but it is major joyous chaos as soon as we get home. They are just so excited to see us, after a long day. They've all done really well with their potty breaks too! I just hope the goodness continues. There are no petsitting services in Shelbyville, so I've considered hiring our neighbor across the street to come and let them all out around lunch time. I don't know yet, but it is still something to consider. Not much else going on. I've had a pretty calm week, so far.

On Slate.com there is a really interesting article about Labrador Retrievers. Click the picture below or the link.

Photo from Slate.com

If you are interested in learning about living with Labs, visit my friend Joan's blog called Lab Tails. She lives with the cutest bunch of Labs and tells great stories. There are also great pictures too!! Everyone have a great day!

Tagged!!

I can't believe that I haven't gotten around to the meme from Christine. Since I'm lacking in inspiration today, here goes:

What 5 Things Do You Miss About Your Childhood? "Meme"

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog's name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross pollination effect.

1. Ben

2. Meeta

3. Motor City Bad Kitty

4. halfgeek

5. Richardson Zoo

Next: Select friends (non-obligated) to add to the pollen count.

1. Anne

2. Pennie

3. Chrissy

4. Lindsey

1. The ice-cream truck. We had a little neighborhood ice-cream truck that cruised through my neighborhood, everyday, in the summertime. As kids, we'd all hear it and tear off after it. We just couldn't seem to wait the fifteen minutes for him to actually come down our block.

2. Playing outside, in the yard, after a rainstorm. My parents' big backyard had a drainage problem in a lower corner. After a good rainstorm, the water would pool up nearly knee deep. As soon as it was safe, all of us would run outside to go "wading" in our instant pool!!

3. Seeing my best friends everyday. Growing up, some of my very best friends lived less than a block away. My friend, Jennifer's, family was the best. We never lacked for anything to do or places to go. We had such wild, crazy imaginations. Jennifer and I and her brothers all had the best times. We were all so close. I remember this one time, we were trying to play Star Wars, and we didn't have enough lightsabers to go round. Being the imaginative children that we were, we headed for the wood pile and pulled out logs to use as our weapons of choice. Unfortunately my grip was too loose when I was unmercifully attacked, and I walked around with a lump on my forehead for weeks. We still keep in close touch, but I miss seeing all of them so often.

4. No worries. I really don't want to sound cliche here, but I do miss the simpler times. Wasn't it wonderful as a child to really not have to worry about things, except what cool toy you were getting next, or whose house you were spending the weekend at? I remember wanting to grow up, so I could have all the freedoms I wanted. It's not until you're an adult that you realize childhood was one of the greatest freedoms of all.

5. I actually miss going home and seeing both of my parents everyday. I grew up with two of the most wonderful parents. My Mom and I are the best of friends, and we talk to each other and visit with each other every day (she lives next door to me). My Dad, unfortunately, has passed away. In fact, it was only a couple of days after my 20th birthday. There are lots of things that I wish I'd asked him or told him.

A Real Shout Out!

Weekend!

It's finally the weekend. Maybe I'll get a little rest in this time. Not a lot going on today, and for that I'm thankful. It's been such a crazy, busy week that it feels good just to be still. No big plans for this weekend. I'd like to take it easy. Casey and I only have one thing planned to do tonight. We are going shopping for Casey. He desperately needs to get some new clothes. He's lost quite a bit of weight the past few months, and he needs new clothes that fit. I'm hoping to sneak a couple of things for me in the purchase too!! WINK, WINK!! Mom and I are hoping to get out a little this weekend together. Casey has to work tomorrow, so we figured that'd be as good a time as any. I'm not sure what we'll get up to yet. Monday, I'll be working at the kennel. It was nice to have the holiday off last week, but I feel like I've really missed out on what is going on with the dogs. It will be good to get back into the routine.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of the people that are on the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend. It seems that Hurricane Dennis is unmercifully bearing down on them. Last year hurrican season was devastating for them, and it seems that this season may be even worse. To all of you in the path, stay safe! I worry so much about the animals in the paths of these storms. Many of them are left behind. Chrissy has a great post on Warm Puppies about taking pets with you during evacuation. Click here to read it. Also for further disaster resources, check out The American Humane Society and The Humane Society of the United States

Christine has tagged me with a meme, so check back a little later. Hopefully, I can get creative and come up with some really good answers! Everyone have a great weekend!

Tripping the Light Catastic!!

A friend of mine e-mailed me some links to some really great cat stories. One is of an owner and pet being reunited. The other is about a cat that saved an entire family from a burning home. I love great animal stories with happy endings!! Enjoy!

London

We were so busy around here yesterday that I didn't get a chance to say how sorry I am about the events in London. Bless you all. My thoughts and prayers are with you. What a senseless act of terrorism!! My thoughts are especially with those affected, whose loved ones were affected, and the law enforcement and emergency workers (K-9 units included!!) Be safe!

Doggie Fashion Sense

You know you wanna know what the latest doggie fashion trend is this season. What ARE all of the finely coiffed and couture canines wearing this season? Wonder no more. Check out MSNBC for the latest rundown of this season's trends for the fashion conscious canines. For the full story click here or the picture. Everyone have a great day! "A pink terry cloth bathrobe, made by Gooby Pet Fashions, is just one of the many new clothing accessories available for dogs."

Saturdays at the Drive-In

Here are some of the sights from the last trip to the drive in with Melissa. There was a classic car cruise-in that night, which was a nice suprise. Enjoy!

Classic car night at The Montana Drive In. Melissa and me (sorta)with the screen behind us. Classic car lineup. Me and Melissa, having a GREAT time! Whatta GREAT classic Chevy!!

Catching My Breath!

Wheeeewww! I can't believe how non-stop yesterday was. From beginning to end, it was a rat race. To expound a little on my weekend....like I said, the reptile show was a complete bust. Casey and I got to Smyrna, hoping, that this would be a good show. We got to the entrance and paid our $14 admission, only to find that more than half the vendors hadn't even shown up!! The few vendors that were still there were all angry about badly this show had gone. So basically, Casey and I paid all of that money to look at a room full of mostly nothing. We complained, muttered, and groaned the whole way home. We did leave with a couple thousand crickets to feed our scaley crew, so I guess not all was lost. We stopped on the way back through by PetSmart to stock up on dog food, cat food, and brand new "woobies". Fergie's original "woobie" finally saw its untimely death, so it was time for a new one. We got the same kind. We got two this time, so we could have a spare. Bear and Fergie were both so excited, when we got home with them.

Sunday was a strange day for us. Casey and I went out to the shelter to help install the new air conditioner. There were several out there helping, so I just managed to stay out of the way and work with the dogs. I worked on training two, in particular, to sit, and lay down. I figure anything I can teach them will help make them more adoptable. It took about two and a half hours for the air to be finished, but we finally made it back home. After we cleaned up, Casey and I headed out to Murfreesboro for an afternoon movie. Yes, you already know what it was....Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I just wanted to see it one more time, before it left the big screen. The sound quality and the picture quality were so much better in this theatre. It was a digital theatre with THX, so I noticed a lot that I hadn't before. Even Casey commented on the things that he had missed before.

On Monday, July 4th, Casey had to work most of the day. I took the opportunity to whirlwind the house. I managed to get a lot of the deep cleaning done, like cleaning the ceiling fans and washing down the baseboards. I was also busy getting things ready for our big cookout that night. We had a group of about seven come over and celebrate the 4th with us. After dinner we were all planning on heading out the city park for the fireworks celebration, but we were all so worn out that we decided to just stay home. We all watched the broadcast of the Nashville fireworks show. It's supposed to be the 3rd best display in the country. It wasn't too shabby at all, and it was nice to sit in a nice, cool, comfortable place to watch as well.

I took Mom for her final cataract surgery on Monday. Everything went well. Her recheck went well yesterday too. She is still seeing some shadows in this eye, but the doctor said that should clear up in a week or so. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've got to run. The day is about to get crazy again. I'm determined to post those photos up on the photoblog today. Sorry that I got busy and they didn't get up last Saturday. I'm also posting some of the pictures of the drive-in the night my friend, Melissa went with us. Everyone have a great day!

Super Busy!

Today has been crazy!! So much to catch up on and with after the holiday break. This will promise to be our busy work week of the year. We have textbook vendors coming in to inventory hot and heavy. We just finished up one run that took nearly three hours to do. Wheeewww!! I have so much stuff to catch you all up on. Here's the short version. We had a wonderful weekend. The reptile show turned out to be a complete bust. Casey did take me back to see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I managed to get my house completely cleaned before all of the company came over for our big 4th of July cookout. We all had a great time. Mom's surgery went very well yesterday, and her follow up was good this morning too. I'm sorry this is so short, but I've just got to run. I have a funny story to share in tomorrow's post as well. Everyone have a great evening!

Fun Holiday Weekend!

It's finally the long holiday weekend. Once I'm off from work today, I'll have the next couple of days free, sort of. Casey and I have quite a lot on our plates for the next three days. We've decided to hold a cook out for some neighbors and friends of ours. In total, there'll be about 10 people, which is a lot for us. After the cookout, we are all planning to go out to the city park and watch the fireworks show. It's small, but not too bad for our little town. They always have food and a midway there too. In the meantime, Casey and I are going to deep clean the house the next couple of days. The carpets are going to get their July shampoo, and we are going to really try to whip the place into shape.

We are planning to try to squeeze a lot of fun in too. After work today, Casey and I are going to the big reptile show in Smyrna. We usually book our Florida vacation, so we can go to a big one in Orlando every July, and we are just tickled that one is actually coming to us this year. It's the first big one to be held in our area. I've looked at the schedule, and they have some really nice vendors coming. We really aren't planning to buy anything this year, but we may see something that we just can't live without. It promises to be a lot of fun. We always enjoy the shows. Tomorrow, I think we are going to work on the house some and then go swimming. I can't believe that it's July, and I haven't been in the pool once this year. I've gotta get myself in gear. Gimme that kickboard!!

I've almost gotten Casey talked into taking me to see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith one last time, before it leaves the theatres. They are running a special ticket promotion this weekend. You can send your ticket stub in and enter a contest to win a special pinball machine. They are also doing a "buy 2 tickets, get the 3rd one free" promotion as well. Hard to pass up! Here's the cool 4th of July promotion pic.

I don't work at the kennel on Monday. Jennie and I decided to be closed, so we can enjoy our holiday too! She and her husband Jason are planning on coming to our cookout. I'll miss getting to see all of the dogs on Monday. I'm planning on working one afternoon next week though.

Mom's scheduled to have surgery on her other eye on Tuesday. She's just done fabulously with the other one. She's so excited about how much improved her vision has been. She can't wait to get the other eye done. I hope that this surgery goes as smoothly as the next one. Because of the surgery, I'll be away until Wednesday. Maybe I can remember to do an Audio Blogger post at the fireworks display or something. I need to try it at least once. I'm also posting new photos on the photoblog today. They are of the drive-in movie events last weekend. Hop on over and have a look. Everyone have a fabulous weekend and a safe 4th of July!

Blogger Survey

Saw this over at The Blonde Librarian's blog. MIT is doing a blogger survey. Click the button to participate.

Such a Shame

Today will shape up to be a pretty busy today again. It's still VERY hot and muggy here. We are supposed to get some rain this afternoon, so hopefully that will cool things of temporarily.

Came across an interesting news story today on MSNBC. A pet store in Orlando, Florida was burglarized by puppy bandits, and they caught the whole thing on tape. You all know that I don't advocate buying puppies from pet stores, but this is still wrong on SO many levels. I sure hope they catch the thieves, and they are punished. Click the link, or the picture above to see the full story. These links will take you to the MSNBC video page. Click the "Puppy Napping Caught on Tape" icon.

Everyone have a good afternoon!

Oh Yuck!!

I feel slow and sluggish today! Like molasses in December. The weather is absolutely oppressive. All of the weather reports are saying that it's the hottest day that we've had in the past 3 years. This is more like the summers that I remember as a kid. Days so hot and heavy with humidity that you can actually feel the weight. We've been lucky the past couple of years. Our summers we've barely had to break a sweat and winters have been fairly mild. We've had ample rain, so everything has remained green and lush, until now. Of all of the days for the library's air conditioning systems to just stop working!! Isn't that the luck? I'm one of the lucky ones. Our building is run by two systems. My half of the building has air, but it's not as comfortable as it usually stays. Our half is making up for the other half's not having air, so it doesn't take much activity to get a bit warm.

Speaking of air conditioning problems, the shelter's dog room air conditioner has been out for the past couple of weeks. Well, not out exactly, but it's not cooling like it should. It's been making Casey's job very hot and miserable. I haven't talked to him today, but I can only imagine what it was like for him today. The doors stay open all day, so the dogs come and go outside as they please. The weather sure hasn't phased them. They are just so happy to be there. Last week, when we had the evening duty for a couple nights, I got to do a little more training with a few of them. The most wonderful thing about the shelter dogs is, for the most part, they are what we call "soft" trains. They are so eager to please and so thankful just to have the attention, that they are very fast learners. They sure do thrive off of the positive reinforcement. I secretly believe that is sometimes why people who do adopt from the shelter are so incredibly happy with their new family members. Most of the time, shelter dogs make such wonderful companions and fit in well to a household with other pets. They become very socialized at the shelters (our at least our shelter, where they get to run in the big outdoor pens together all day), and they adapt to new situations pretty quicly. I just wish everyone could see the American Mutt dog's wonderful personality! Gotta run. It's about to get busy here again! Everyone have a great afternoon!

Cuties at the Shelter

Very, very busy today. Too busy running here there and yonder to do a real post. So here's some new pictures of the shelter cuteness!! Hope you all enjoy and have a GREAT afternoon!!

I can help with the filing....REALLY!!!

I need a break!

I'm too cute for words!

Lots and Lots of kittens

Still too cute in my cuteness!

The Animal Hit Parade

Today, it's popular to use animals in advertisement. Click here to read an article posted on MSNBC to read the latest and also view some of the GREAT animal commercials!!

Drive-In Hijinks

Saturday night was just LOADS of fun. Our Mexican dinner was as fabulous as the company. We sat and visited for quite a while, before it was time to head for the drive-in. Finally we made our way just down the road, ready for a night of movie watching fun. Boy, we had NO idea how much fun we were about to have! I think that Melissa,Casey and I enjoyed what was going on in the surroundings more than we actually enjoyed the movie. We opted to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith backed with The Longest Yard. We took our little pop up chairs, so we could sit outside. There just happened to be an antique car cruise-in there, so we got to walk around and see all of the great cars, before the show. Anyway, it was absolutely packed. Right before the movie started, this Ford Explorer pulls up packed full of people. Apparently, they had traveled in with a caravan of other cars. They were desperate to park close to one another. The Explorer kept driving up and down the aisles, hunting a parking space. The problem was they kept passing by a perfectly good spot. Finally, the occupants of the caravan cars got out and started screaming at them to just park in that empty spot. It was close enough they could walk back and forth and visit. The driver screams back in a very slurred voice, "that space thar is jes' too small. I cain't get in thar!" None of us onlookers could figure out WHY he thought the space was too small. We all thought it was big enough to drive a semi truck through. After much shouting, screaming, and aggressive persuasion by his friends, the driver of the Explorer finally agreed and made his attempt (if that's what you want to call it) at parking in the empty space. After much backing, pulling foward, wheel turning, and cussing he was finally in the space. Only when he stepped out of the truck did we realize why his parking abilities were hampered. He was fall down, stinking drunk!! These people were just antsy I guess. Not a one of them could sit still. They put their chairs up and got something to eat. Then they kept getting in and out of the Explorer and opening and closing the back hatch. Finally, the woman he was with had had enough. She lost it and started just screaming at him to, "...stop moving around, to get up there in that seat and act like and adult!" Melissa, Casey and I were just absolutely dying laughing at them.

A little while later, Casey went to the concession stand to get me and Melissa a funnel cake. While he was gone, one of the pivotal parts of the movie happened and about 3 trains went by on the tracks across the road. Casey came back and wanted to know what he'd missed. We had to tell him, "We don't know. The train came by." The funniest thing of the night was watching Melissa try to find the hole for the straw in the gigantic Coke that Casey bought her. It was so dark out there, and she just kept stabbing the top of the lid! This went on for about 10 minutes, at which point I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stop. Needless to say, we had a GREAT time. We did make pictures, but Casey has the camera at the shelter with him today. So, I'll try to get them posted tomorrow. I think it was a fabulous send off for Melissa.

Not a lot going on today. I am meeting Melissa for one last lunch, before she leaves out on Thursday. Oops! Time to go! Everyone have a great afternoon!

When Distance Separates

It's finally Saturday!!! My most favorite day of the week. I'm happy and excited today, but today is a bittersweet occassion for me. You see, Melissa, one of my very best friends has made the decision to move back home where she grew up. I can completely understand her decision. I would hate to be so far away from my home and especially my family. While I'm very happy that she's going to be happy, I'm sad for me at the same time. I know that I'm going to miss her horribly! Melissa is one of those friends where you can truly be yourself ALL OF THE TIME. One of those wonderful, non-judgemental friends that loves you no matter what. She has the most wonderful sense of humor. During times when I'm down, I can always talk to her and visit with her and end up laughing (most of the time at myself!). She's a fabulous, caring person that means the world to me. Tonight Melissa, Casey, and I are going out for a last night of fun together. We are planning on heading over to Tullahoma to have some great Mexican food and drinks. Afterwards, we are going on out to one of my favorite places...yes here it comes...the drive-in!! I have no idea what we'll see. My beloved Star Wars: Episode III has left the drive-in after a long and happy run. I'm taking the camera with me, so we can make A LOT of pictures. I'm sure we'll be having so much fun that the pictures will be hilarious!! I'm sure that I'll look at those pictures a lot in the coming months. Hopefully, Melissa and I will keep in close touch. We talk to each other nearly every day now, so I don't see why that would change. We are already thinking up excuses to visit each other in the future. So, goodbye Melissa. I love you and I will no doubt miss you, but I hope most that you will be happy. Remember me down here in Tennessee!

I'm planning to hopefully hit the pool on Sunday. I'm definitely out of practice and out of shape, but you just gotta start somewhere. I've decided to start nice and easy with just some kickboard work. I know that I won't be able to stay out very long. The heat is just searing here, and the ozone warnings are out especially early. Besides, I've not really been out in the sun once this summer, and I don't won't to have that nice lobstery hue come Monday. I'll just really have to watch myself and be extra careful. It will be something nice to do to occupy my time, while Casey's at work on Sunday.

Jennie called me earlier in the week to let me know, ahead of time, that we are going to have a slamming day on Monday at the kennel. We've been booked solid now for the last couple of weeks, and it shows no sign of letting up soon. We are so full, in fact, that we have had to turn clients away for the week of July 4th. Jennie and I made the executive decision to be closed on July 4th, so we could enjoy the holiday too! I'm kind of dreading Monday a little bit, but not for the reasons you may think. I'm dreading it because it is supposed to be so incredibly hot! We spend a lot of time outside working with the dogs, and weather like this just zaps me and the dogs. I'll take plenty of water and wear cool clothes. Hopefully, that will help.

Mom is doing wonderfully after her surgery. It looks like she'll be back to her old self in no time. She's got an appointment with her surgeon on Tuesday so her progress can be checked. They are also going to discuss maybe doing surgery on her other eye. This one went so well, that she can hardly wait to have the other done. I'm so proud that everything worked out for her.

That's all from me for now. Sorry that I tended to ramble on today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Furry Co-Workers

It may get interesting around some offices and workplaces today. Once again, it is time for Take Your Dog to Work Day. I really wish the library would allow us to participate, but a library is not really conducive to bringing dogs in the environment. I'll just sit back and wait to celebrate until Monday. I'll just take Bear to Kindred Spirits with me. He's ALWAYS welcome to go there with me. I do think it's an incredibly fun idea. For those of you that missed my post a while back about this topic, there's a really great company called Replacements, Ltd. that allows their employees to bring their pets everyday. They are a company that specializes in selling discontinued china and silver patterns. Click here to go and see a big picture of the employees with their pets and their pet philosophy. I would love to work for a company like that. It would be too cool! If any of your offices are participating in Take Your Dog to Work Day today. Leave a comment to let me know how it went!!

Not much other than the usual going on today. Our busy time at work officially kicks off today. Casey and I are filling in for the afternoon shelter duty tonight. I'm looking forward to getting to see all of the shelter animals again. I really like to check in on them frequently. Since I update our shelter's Petfinder page, it helps me to really learn their personalities. I like to be as truthful as I can, when someone is inquiring about a possible pet. It helps to make much better matches.

The little town, Shelbyville, Tennessee, where I was born and raised, and where I still live, may become quite famous over the summer this year. Last year, a movie was shot on location based on a novel by a local author Cameron Watson. It's called Our Very Own There's a website about the plot along with the movie trailer here. The movie is set in our little town of Shelbyville as well. I watched the trailer yesterday, and coming from a small, quiet town it was weird to see places that familiar!! So, if you'd like to see some places that I see everyday, go and have a look see. On the website, there is this picture of "Charlie the Wonder Dog" on top of a car. It's such a fond memory for people my age from Shelbyville. You see, Charlie was something of a celebrity in our little town. He rode in every parade I ever went to growing up. It is such a kick to know that Charlie, the little celebrity dog from my childhood has achieved immortality!! Here's a blurb from our local paper, The Shelbyville-Times Gazette about Charlie...

The Dog of Top of the Car -- based on "Charlie the Wonder Dog," which rode around Shelbyville atop his owner's car in the 1970's -- is played by Rufus.

Click here for more background on the movie. Everyone have a great day!!

Talking Animals

I discovered a really cool thing this morning. Animal Planet now has these really neat e-cards that you can send to your friends. They are called Animal Blabbers. You can pick your animal and the phrase that you want it to say. Then, the animal will animate and say your phrase. There are several different voice types to pick from also. It's a lot of fun to play with. So, click the picture or log onto Animal Blabbers and have a go!

Fergie Fits In

I felt better yesterday than I have in the past week. It took until at least lunch time, before I stopped sounding like Darth Vader! Anyway, I hope that today brings even more good health. Mom's trip back to the opthamologist yesterday was very successful. There was no sign of any retinal problems, and the cataract surgery was deemed a success. She's just very excited that she's able to see well from her right eye again. All this time she thought that her left eye was really good, until yesterday. Now she realizes how much it has been affected too. She has her follow up with the surgeon next week. That's when they'll discuss when they want to do the surgery on the other eye. She can't wait to get the other one fixed now. She's actually been reading a lot of stuff without her glasses at all. They even told her that there's the possibility that she won't even need glasses after both surgeries are finished. I'm so glad that everything went well, and she's feeling good.

Not much else going on in the daily life. Work is starting to get really busy, but it's just that time of year. When everyone else slows down in the summer, we speed up. It's our busiest time of year. I'm sure that my posts will probably be quite a bit shorter for the next couple of weeks.

Fergie is still fitting into the household quite well. In fact, she seems to have brightened all the dogs' personalities. Even little Slate is a lot more animated. Bear and I were doing our daily howling ritual yesterday, and Slate decided that he just had to join in on the fun. Quite unexpectedly, he threw his little apple-domed head back and joined in the fun with us. It was absolutely hysterical. I just wish that I hadn't been the only one home to see it. I hope that he'll do it again for Casey. Here's some pictures of Fergie blending in quite well with her new family.

Fergie resting with her new siblings.

Fergie and her infamous "Woobie", which she carries EVERYWHERE!

Fergie and another of her favorite toys.

Awwwwwwwwwww!!!

I'm posting new photos over on the photoblog today. They are of new kitten and other animals at the shelter. Everyone go and have a look. I hope everyone has a great day!!

Because I Really Am A Geek!

Since I've been in such celebration of Star Wars: Episode III, I've added a Sith Snapshot button in the sidebar. I just couldn't seem to help myself. The pictures are from the movie and update daily. To see the full archives, just click on the button. I hope those of you out there that share in my geekiness enjoy!!

I'm Back

That little scratchy, sore throat just about did me in last week. I'm still feeling the after effects today. I ended up going to the doctor twice trying to get better!! I feel that I've been out of circulation forever. Not much to report in my abscence, except lots of sleep, meds, and general lying around trying to feel better. I'm just so frustrated, because I feel that I've lost a good week of my life and a lot of things have gotten behind!! UGHHHHH!!!

Mom had her cataract surgery yesterday. Everything went really well. She was able to take her patch off at 6 p.m. last night. She was already commenting on how much better she could see everything. She was already reading small print (without her glasses even!). So, I'd say the surgery was a huge success. She's got a recheck at the doctor's office this morning at 8:45. Casey is taking her, since I really didn't need to be off from work any more. I'll be checking in with her in a couple of hours to see how everything went. Sorry for such a short update, but I've got a ton of stuff to catch up. I'll try to make another post this afternoon! Hope everyone has a good day!

Scratchy and Sore

Well, I woke up this morning with a sore, scratchy throat. I'm not sure if it's just my allergies wreaking havoc on me again, or if I'm really coming down with something. I've been headache-y all morning too, but that's nothing unusual for me. It seems as the day goes on, my throat keeps gettin more and more sore. Needles to say, I've had days that I've felt better. It also could be because I'm really tired today. In the last two nights combined, I've had about eight hours of sleep. I've not had insomnia or anything pressing, it just seems that I've had this HUGE energy burst the past month, so I've just been really hyperactive. Casey brought home the new Star Wars: Episode III game last night, so I stayed up watching him play. It has really cool movie clips and graphics, so it was really hard to stop watching I'm planning on going straight home today and getting in a good nap, before I try to walk Bear. Hopefully, that will help the problem. I'll also take my second allergy pill too, which I usually skip. I don't really feel sick other than that, so hopefully, this all will just go away soon!!

Not much of anything else going on today. I hope everyone's having a great day so far! I'll be back tomorrow with a more interesting post, hopefully.

Hot, Hot, Heat HOT!!!!

I'm back after a rather hot, wilty weekend. Saturday and Sunday weren't so bad heat wise, but yesterday and today are killers!! Saturday night, since Casey and I weren't able to go to the drive-in, we decided to see Madagascar at our little local theatre. What a GREAT movie!!! I laughed the entire time! If you haven't seen it already, this movie is a MUST!! It seems that Casey and I can have such a good time, just seeing a movie! Sunday was pretty much a lazy day. Casey was off, so we slept in and had a big breakfast. Casey spent the day playing on his PS2, and I got some laudry caught up and watched a couple of movies. Yesterday was my day at Kindred Spirits. I just can't believe how hot and miserable it is here. The temp isn't the problem. It's just like the old saying, "...it's the humidity". We had temps in the low 90's with the heat index in the upper 90's. It's just hard to even get a good deep breath, when you are outside in this. Today the high is supposed to be around 93 or 94 with a heat index near 100!! I just came in from outside and my clothes are soaked. I was out there for about 10 minutes tops! Before 11 a.m, it's already 86 degrees with the heat index of 91!! So yesterday, I ended up doing quite a bit of outside work. I tried to make sure that I took plenty of water breaks and didn't stay outside too long at a time. Yesterday afternoon, Jennie and I really wanted to take a couple of dogs to the little local park and work them. We drove all the way out there, only to find that there wasn't that much shade. So, we ended up only working them for maybe 5-10 minutes. We just couldn't take the afternoon heat. It is just smothering out there! I did end up taking Bear for his walk last night. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. before we went out. Even with dusk falling, it was still stifling! When I finally got home last night, I felt like I had been baked from the inside out.

Today my only goal is to stay as cool as possible. I need to go across campus to update some paperwork, but I'm certainly not walking to do it. I think I just take my car across and plug the meter. Being cool is worth the quarter in my opinion. Plus, I don't want to spend the rest of the afternoon all hot and sweaty.

One of my mailing lists had a really cool website today. It's called PetsTV.com It promotes humane education and has LOADS of dog and cat related websites. My favorite so far is the Dog Chefs of America website. Go check them all out! They are way too cool (and isn't that what it's all about today??)!!!

Arlene Ain't My Friend

As I drove home from my sunny work location, I realized there was a bit of weather ahead. That's right, drove right smack dab into thunderstorms going home yesterday. Even though they were the ones of the pop up variety, they were just the precursor of what was to come for my weekend. It seems that Arlene's coming to "rain on my parade" today. In other words, she's spoiling my weekend drive-in plans. Casey and I were planning to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith backed with a showing of yes, you probably already know this, Star Wars: Episode III. But for just $5 you can't hardly lose! I consider it like getting to see Star Wars for free....besides, I just like it PERIOD!! Anyway since we are in Arlene's direct path, we have been getting rain since I woke up this morning. By this afternoon, we are supposed to be getting downpours. Just not very conducive to drive-in movie watching. Casey and I figured that this might happen, so we made back up plans just in case. I think we'll probably go to our little local theatre, The Capri Twin Theatre (which by the way, is owned by the same people that own the drive-in) to see Madagascar. I think that I'll probably get my "Sith" fix on Sunday. My mother wants to see it too. You see, the Star Wars films are like a family tradition with us. Until my father passed away, my entire family watched them together. We've tried to carry on that tradition, so now it's mine and Casey's turn to go see it with Mom. My brother will probably come back with us too. So, we've decided that Sunday is the day. Casey had nixed the fried chicken idea last night and decided to go with it tonight instead. So, I'm looking forward to a nice home cooked meal tonight and a movie. He's made up a fresh fruit salad to go with it that I'm looking forward to as well.

Because of the rain, my walking plans with my friend, Elaine, had to be postponed as well. We were hoping for tonight, but it looks like all walks are off until at least Monday. Bear had a huge case of let-down last night. I thought it had stopped raining, so I got Bear all leashed up and ready for his walk. As I headed down the back steps, I realized that it was STILL raining too hard for our walk. So, I took him out in the back yard to do his usual. He was quite disappointed. He just kept standing there waiting for the walk to happen. I felt so bad for him. Maybe it will stop just long enough for us to get a quick walk in, but I doubt it. Anyway, the lack of walks and the short visits into the yard have made the animals very restless. They've been underfoot a whole lot. Bear and Fergie have been playing non-stop just get all of that pent up energy out. It's a wonder that I don't have more broken stuff the way they are playing. Casey will probably be at his wits end by the end of the day. He's off today, so he'll get to witness the play fest all day.

I'm doing my normal work with this coming week. Monday, I'll be at the kennel and Tuesday will find me back at work. I can't wait to see how much Maggie May (Angel) has accomplished this past week. She was doing so well last week. I'm also curious to find out if her pending adoption is still in the works. I hope for nothing but the best for her. She's had such a terrible life, that she deserves happiness and health.

Today is just the usual. I've got some regular work to finish up. Then, I need to work on a project for Kindred Spirits. I'm meeting my friend, Melissa, for lunch today. We are trying to squeeze in as many lunches as possible right now. She is moving back to her hometown at the end of this month, so we are making the most of our time. She's one of my closest friends, and I'll miss her so much!! I sure am glad that modern communication makes it so easy to stay in touch. It seems that I have my day rather cut out for me. Guess I'd better get cracking. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!! And now, just because I like it so much, and I just want to there's this:

Happy Friday!

Not a whole lot going on today. Everybody in the office is like little busy beavers today. We've all got our little projects that we are working to finish. Unfortunately, I don't have much exciting to report from home. I was so tired yesterday for some reason that I can't explain. When I got home, I just didn't do anything. I didn't even go for Bear's walk. I just napped. I did get up and managed to make myself a sandwich for dinner. Casey and I watched a couple of movies, and that's about it. I do know that Casey is actually cooking us dinner tonight. He's making his famous fried chicken!! YUM!! I'm going walking with my friend Elaine tonight. She lives in my neighborhood, and we both walk our dogs together. Hopefully, it will cool down a little bit. It has just been so hot and miserable lately. The humidity has been relentless this past week. Just a few minutes outside and the sweat just pours off of you. So I've been waiting until nearly 8:00 p.m. every night, before I walk Bear. I'm sure that Casey and I will be watching more movies tonight. Free movies are a really nice perk from his job. Even when we are totally broke, we are entertained. We are starting to make our weekend plans. I suppose that we'll be going back to the drive in on Saturday night. I've got to hop over to their website to see what's playing this weekend. We had wanted to go into Nashville for dinner, but Country Music Fan Fest is going on this week, so Nashville's packed. It's just best to steer clear of downtown for this weekend. Well, I better get back to work on my project. Everyone have a great afternoon!!

I Love A Happy Ending!!

Stories like this make all of the shelter work and volunteering worth while. This is my friend Elaine and her dog Sunshine. They are one of my shelter's happy endings!!

Elaine and Sunshine

Hi,

My name is Mr. Sunshine Henderson. My life hasn’t always been happy but is it ever now. You see, I was abandoned and abused and thrown out but that’s not the real story.

You see, my Mom had just been through a terrible tragedy. She had just buried her first little boy and she was so very sad. After she realized that life did not have to be that way, Mom called our vet and talked to his secretary, Angela. Angela called Miss Kitty at the shelter where I was temporarily staying only to find out that I was exactly what Mom needed and wanted. On a Monday morning, Mom came out to the shelter to “check me out”. Well, we fell in love instantly!

Now remember, I had had a few rather hard days at the shelter. What with a new space to stay, then having to have shots, getting some kind of surgery done (guess little boys shouldn’t ask) and then back to the shelter. So when Mom got me home it was both exciting and very scary. I didn’t know what to do, so I would run and hide in a corner for safety. Mom came and got me several times but I would always run back to my corner of safety. Then Mom picked me and took me to our Lazy Boy Chair, held me close to her heart (I could actually hear her heart beating) and hummed to me. It was then that I knew this is real!!!!!! Only Mom didn’t know what my name should be. So while I was cuddled in her arms and she was humming softly to me, she said that the song “You Are My Sunshine” came into her head. All at once she said “Honey, that’s your name because you have brought the sunshine and light back into my life when everything was dark and black”.

Having said all of this, needless to say I am one happy little pooch and my Mom is so happy she has to pinch herself sometimes.

What more could a boy and his Mom want than total, unconditional love!!!!!!!!! Am I ever lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Back In Gear!!

Wow!! I didn't mean to wait this late to get a post done today. Once again, I didn't get around to the Audio Blogger posting. I did actually think about doing it, but I never could decide what I wanted to say. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Our weekend was very good. I did get Fergie her "woobie". That dog is totally "woobie" driven. I had no idea how much, until I got home on Saturday. I didn't even have it out of the bag, before she had it and immediately began playing. She carries it around in her mouth constantly. Casey and I have made several really cute pictures of her with it. I couldn't find the camera this morning, so I think Casey must have taken it with him to the shelter. I ended up getting a completely different "woobie" than I'd planned. I didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it in shreds in mere moments. So, I bought a cheaper one to start. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough sense to buy two of them. Bear is also obsessed with the "woobie". Casey and I have been so into Star Wars: Espisode III lately, that the "woobie" has ended up with a Star Wars-esque name. We've lovingly named the "woobie" Chewed Bacca. If you've ever heard that funny rock song "Chewbacca...what a wookie", well that's how we came up with it. Hopefully, I can post some "woobie" pictures tomorrow.

Saturday night we went out to The Montana Drive In to celebrate my brother's birthday. He wanted to see the new Star Wars, so I was of course at liberty to oblige him. Casey and I enjoyed it more the second time. We noticed a lot of stuff that we'd missed the first time around. We had a wonderful dinner, from the concession stand of course. Also, it was prize night. Casey and I had a winning ticket and won ourselves a brand new life jacket!! Since we don't boat, I have no idea what we are going to do with it. We all had funnelcakes at the end of the night. I just can't believe what a good time we all had. Casey and I will probably be back again this coming Saturday night.

Sunday was just a lazy day for me. I did get some house cleaning done, as well as the laundry. Casey and I watched a couple of good movies on the pre-release view he has from work. We watched Be Cool and Beyond the Sea. Beyond the Sea was by far my favorite. It's the story about Bobby Darin. It was so good, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Monday was my regular kennel day. It was the usual. I got a lot of work in with Maggie May (Angel). She's doing really well. Jennie's mother-in-law has decided to adopt her, when her training is finished. I've got my fingers crossed that they will make a good match. She's looking for a good dog to have our on her farm. That afternoon, Jennie and I went and had new shirts designed for our upcoming obedience classes. The design guy is working something up for us to have in the next couple of days. We are really excited about getting our new classes going again. We've decided to really advertise for the rest of June and begin the new classes in July.

Yesterday was Mom's appointment with the eye surgeon. They gave her a very thorough eye exam. The surgeon confirmed that it was definitely time to have the surgery. They've scheduled her for June 21st. We've got all of her paperwork and measurements already done. The procedure is really simple and doesn't take long at all. Mom has one complication. She was born with a weakened spot in her retina. Any kind of blow to the head or sudden trauma could cause her retina to detach. The risk of the surgery could bring it on as well. He did say that with an additional surgery, they could repair it. I know that he had to tell us the risks, but it just makes a little nagging worry at the back of my mind though. Hopefully, she'll come through just fine, and she'll be able to see a whole lot better. You all keep your fingers crossed for us.

Well, I have to run and catch up on some work. I hope everyone is having a great afternoon!!