In Memory of Oz

My friends rottie, Oz, passed away last week. He was was such a sweet guy. I only got to hang out with him 2 or 3 times, but his size and his sweetness made a great impression upon me.
So here's to you, Oz. May you run free forever!

Letter Writing Campaign!

Well, I am channeling all that energy into letter writing! I sent my first letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL. I asked him to reconsider his position on reinstating Michael Vick into the NFL. I told him I was a concerned dog owner who found his actions inexcusable. I also let him know that I would be boycotting any NFL sponsors and would not be watching football this season. This seriously impairs me because I LIVE FOR FOOTBALL!!! No really, I love football, but I am willing to give it up to help a cause. So from now until the end of the season I will be writing Mr. Goodell a letter every week. Now, keep in mind these are pleasant enough letters. I tell him about my dogs, my passion for the k-9 population and how we all have the chance to do the right thing. Although I am sure the NFL interns will be handling this mail more so than he will, I hope it makes an impact on someone. If you would like to join me in my letter writing campaign you can reach the commissioner at the following address:
Comm. Roger Goodell
c/o National Football League
280 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10017
In the meantime, take good care of your 4 legged friends!

My Dogs

I wasn't always a dog lover. I always liked dogs, but I never imagined there would be a day when I would actually look forward to two mutts jumping up in bed with me in the am and giving me kisses.
It all started when my boyfriend (now soon to be hubby, in 67 days to be exact) decided that we should go out to the dog show at the Agricenter after viewing a piece about it on the news. We ended up at the MSHS later that day where Jon first laid eyes on Coco (now Zinny, our lab/ dobie mix). He kept on and on about her so we asked if we could see her. The romantic in Jon will tell you that she "fell into his arms". When in actuality, this poor little girl was so thrilled to get out of her kennel and away from the 2 other dogs that she sort of fell over on him. But I like his story better.
So, Coco (Zinny) was adopted a week later by us.
Now, I have NEVER had a dog as a pet. I was a cat girl. I had always had cats. I loved cats. They were low key, they only needed somewhere to sleep, a little food, and somewhere to potty. They didn't need to be taken for walks, or made a big fuss when another animal entered the yard. I was used to a quiet house with quiet kitties. Loud barking is still something I have to get used to.
Jon, the fiancé, grew up with dogs. His grandparents had them and his uncle. He knew all about how loud and destructive they could be. Little did he warn me? Thanks, dear.
So we got Zinny, she lived with me in my little town house. I took her for walks, I fed her, I took her to the vet, i had crying fits when she wouldn't stop whining after we had just done a 3 mile walk and she had been fed and it was time for bed. I put her doggy bed on the floor at the foot of my bed. There was NO WAY a dog was going to sleep in my bed! That worked for a few nights. Then, in the middle of the night, she would sneak up on the bed. At first it was right on the edge of the foot, and then slowly, night after night she crept all the way up to me. I guess this is how she won me over...slowly and patiently.
We got Boone (the Coon Hound) the following 4th of July weekend. We were now living at Jon's and thought Zinny might need a playmate. Boone's transition wasn't quite as pleasant as Zinny's. First, he was about 20 pounds under weight when we got him. So we tried to fatten him up with healthy, richly nutritious dog food. This just made him sick and he pooped all over the place. So we got that settled and he started putting on weight. Then his wonderful hound personality came out. He got into everything, jumped through CLOSED windows, pulled down tools, tore up the carpet; you name it, he did it. I came home almost every day to find a blood trail leading to Boone who had cut his nose, cut his paw, cut his ear...It wasn't going well.
I would try to walk both dogs and would end up on the sidewalk crying. I couldn't get him to pay attention, leave things alone or listen to a word I said. Boone's bad behavior started to reflect badly on Zinny. She started acting out. Zinny, who was always a good dog, started to tear things up, dig holes and disobey.
I was seriously at my wit's end with Boone. Then, like clockwork, he started to obey, or we started giving in. He was calmer, wasn't getting into stuff as often and was "decent" on walks. I don't remember when it happened or how, it just finally clicked. Not only were Jon and I getting along better with each other and the dogs, but Boone and Zinny started to play and enjoy each other's company.
So, just shy of 2 years of the beginning of my dog companionship, I can honestly say I don't know where I would be without my love bugs. Sure walks are sometimes tumultuous, Zinny likes to bark at nothing in the middle of the night and every once in a while Boone will destroy something of mine. But, overall, I look back at these growing pains and they make me laugh and I carry a little bit of wisdom with me.
I love my puppies and can't live without them. I hope to inspire people to care for their dogs as best they can and to spread that to others. I hope one day to have the shelters out of business and great homes to all those very deserving (albeit bumpy road) pets. Those 4 legged (and sometimes 3 legged) friends of ours are really worth getting up for and getting those slobbery kisses.

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

I live in a city that unfortunately has a high stray rate and and even higher ignorance for spay and neutering education. Although I normally get angry and long winded about this, I have decided that I would rather channel that energy into something positive. For now I am volunteering on Sunday mornings at the Memphis and Shelby County Humane Society (aka MSHS). But, I would like to start helping educate those in the Mid-South about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets. The below information floored me and really made me want to help out the community. I think one person can make a difference in how others see, feel and act. Hopefully it will be contagious and catch on like wildfire. "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James

• 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized in shelters every year
• recently in Memphis, a stat of 50 to 75 animals a day are put down- thats almost 22,000 a year in Memphis alone
• there is no set time a shelter has to keep an animal, it can be put down as soon as it is brought in
• puppy mills account for hundreds of thousands of bred dogs each year- this is the same number of dogs that can be found at nearby shelters
• most (puppy mill) breeders keep their animals in shockingly poor conditions
• many of these dogs never come in contact with humans except to be breed
• many of these dogs are never brought in for veterinary care
• once these animals are "used up", they are killed
• Michael Vick spent 23 months in prison-the dog fighting ring he was a part of had been operating for 6 years
• Vick was let out early for good behavior - thousands of dogs were abused, tortured and killed
• cats are most likely to be abused by small children and teenagers
• cat abuse is hard to track because of their small stature and ability to dispose of remains

Through education we can teach future generations that it is not okay to hurt animals, that it is humane to spay and neuter your pet for the purpose of animal control and that they should speak out against cruelty to animals.

I hope you will enjoy my blog. It will include factoids about dogs I walk at the MSHS, some of the fun cats I play with, experiences I have with my own to mutts and my life in general with animals. If you have some suggestions don't hesitate to throw them my way. As for now, keep your 4 legged friends safe.