cute commercial

I'm such a sucker for commercials with dogs... I saw this one the other day on CNN - love it.

birthdays in heaven?

I sure hope so... Happy Birthday, sweet angel.

summertime!

New collars in the shop! The new fabrics and flowers are so CUTE... Mona Mae sported one of these for the bachelorette weekend we both attended at Sullivan's Island recently and received lots of compliments. Check 'em out...

distinguished dog

This pillow cracks me up. It's cheeky and I think I might have to get one...

meet titan!

My friend Julie recently rescued a fantastic little guy from a terrible situation. She wants nothing more than to keep him, but her bossy little Yorkie has other ideas. Therefore, she is looking for a new home for sweet Titan. As you can tell from the book she wrote about him below, she truly loves this dog. Julie's message:

Meet the mighty Titan, a 15 lb sturdy, muscular, precious, loving dynamo that has stolen the hearts of my teenage daughter and me….but NOT that of Ali, our 6-lb. Yorkie (a.k.a. The Queen). For that reason and the crazy, long hours I keep as a single working mother and the little time I have to devote to him, it’s imperative that I find a good loving home for Titan, so that he can be The King in a place where he’s loved and treasured by ALL inhabitants, as he very much deserves.

I have been foster mother to Titan for past last two months, after one of our neighbors left him chained to a basketball goal on a hot concrete driveway for five days during Spring Break with no food or water. I had been watching out for him over the past year, when I was scared that he would either freeze to death in near-zero temps or stroke out in stifling three-digit, hot and humid summer months, as he was left outside to brave the elements on concrete, chained to either a small, cramped, filthy dog house or simply staked into the ground by the driveway, with no attention, love, or human interaction with his owners. Though he drew attention and concern from other neighbors and walkers/joggers who made some attempts to improve his situation, he remained in this unpleasant environment until he broke his chain and magically appeared at my house during his owners’ Spring Break absence.

When Titan came to live with me, he was filthy, with horrible breath, sporting a man’s belt as a collar around his neck, and obviously starved for attention. However, upon an immediate visit to the vet, Titan was found to be free of parasites and heartworms and deemed healthy, despite being dehydrated. Since that time, I have had him neutered, his teeth cleaned, caught him up on all vaccinations, and started him on monthly heartworm/anti-flea medication. I asked the vet to help determine Titan’s age and possible breed(s), and he said that Titan looked to be about 5 years old, with beautiful, strong teeth (after we removed four bad ones in the back of his jaw), solid bone structure, and surprisingly healthy, given the lack of attention he received from my neighbors. The vet also deemed Titan “a true Heinz 57,” saying that the looked to have a number of different breeds in his make-up – marked like a tiny German Shepherd, but about the size of a smallish beagle, and mixed with a small breed like a Pom that keeps his weight at in the category of a smaller dog that’s less than 20 lbs. In my vet’s words, “I can’t determine all the breeds this boy is sporting, but it all seemed to come together pretty well to create a cute little dog.”

The particulars on Titan: 1) I am working with him on housebreaking, though inconsistently, because of the crazy work hours I keep, and he is getting better. He is doing very well considering my meager efforts in the training department, but he needs more consistency to achieve this goal 100%. I also have found that he understands some commands like “Sit” and “Stay,” so he is trainable. 2) He seems to enjoy both the indoors and outdoors equally well. He loves to play outside and chase squirrels (I’m convinced the movie “Up” and its battle cry of “SQUIRREL!” is an ode to Titan!), but he also seems comfortable indoors, where he loves to snuggle and to bed down for the night around 10 PM. I do think he must have some Beagle or Dachshund running through his veins, because he is an absolute “nose to the ground” kind of dog who sniffs and chases squirrels. 3) After having no attention for so long, but now receiving it, he craves it and needs help in managing and learning how to be a good member of a family.

Ideally, I think Titan needs to be in a home with someone who understands that he has been kept outside with limited socialization for a number of years – preferably someone with patience and skill at training and with helping Titan to manage the newfound love and caring that he’s finally receiving. I also would recommend that he be placed in a home with no small children (under 14), since he’s unaccustomed to them. For my part, I have found him to be an extremely loving, doe-eyed, handsome fellow who returns our affections three-fold, and as much as it breaks my heart to not keep him, I know that it’s the best decision for both him and my Yorkie. I “rescued” him, but now I need to find someone to give him the life that he deserves.

As always dear readers, please let me know if you or anyone you know might be interested in this sweet boy. And I'd certainly appreciate any help you can provide by forwarding along his information or posting him on your blog or Facebook page. Thanks guys!

in the arms of angels

The thought of my sweet Sullivan nestled snugly in the arms of an angel is a great comfort to me these days, so you can imagine how delighted I was by these prints from Watercolor Queen. I just love their simplicity and soft colors... She has lots more styles and options of prints and breeds.

catfish dogs

I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but I never had an opportunity to get a photo. And trust me... in this instance, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I have a good friend who lives across the street from two dogs that I have dubbed "The Catfish Dogs." My picture absolutely does not do them justice... both dogs have FUR (not whiskers) on their face that hangs down much longer than the rest of their fur. They are the strangest things I've ever seen.

I mean... what IS that? Both dogs have this Yosemite Sam thing going on. Their owner found them as strays when they were puppies, and she has no idea about their lineage. But my guess is 2 parts Spitz, 1 part catfish, 1 part goat and 1 part Border Collie... with a splash of Tasmanian Devil thrown in for good measure because these dogs are INSANE. I'm pretty sure that if they could get out of their yard, they would try to chew their way through the metal part of my car.

Has anyone out there seen a dog like this before?

black pearls

Most people don't realize (unless they're involved in rescue) how difficult it can be to place black dogs - also known as BBDs (Big Black Dogs). It's a phenomenon that has been recognized amongst shelter workers and rescue organizations for quite some time, but recently it has been receiving more mainstream attention.

There have been lots of discussions as to why the adoption rates for black dogs are so much lower than other dogs. Theories abound... they look scarier, they don't photograph as well, or they aren't as interesting or unusual as other options. But regardless of the reasons, the fact is that these dogs rarely make it out of shelters alive.

As a proud mom of Miss Mona Mae, a wonderful and delightful black pearl, I have a serious interest in promoting black dogs and the hardships they face when trying to find forever homes.

BARK Magazine's most recent issue featured a great article detailing the plight of black dogs in shelters. It's definitely worth taking the time to read. And a relatively new web site started last year - http://www.blackpearldogs.com/ - is committed to helping find forever homes for black dogs across the county and ending their "adoption disadvantage."

So the next time you or someone you know is considering adopting a new dog, please take a moment to notice that sweet black dog in the back of the kennel. Just because he doesn't stand out doesn't mean he won't be the best dog you've ever had.

grrrona!

So if my dogs didn't destroy stuffed toys in under 3.5 seconds, I would so be purchasing one of these. I think they are HI-larious. You can find them at Trixie & Peanut.

yankee doodle doggies

Just put some new collars in the store for the 4th of July... check 'em out!