Woofstock: An Adoption Success Story

Basking in the hot sun or romping in the off leash yard these guys know how to have fun as hundreds of dog lovers gathered on Sunday, August 4th  for the Dugan Foundation’s sixth annual Woofstock. They gathered in Todd Field at the University of Puget Sound with more than 30 booths and over two hundred pets were poised and ready to play and meet the families.

Woofstock 2012 was aimed at bringing people together to have a great time and to collaborate in support of developing Washington State into a sustainable, no-kill community.  

Held on the lawn at the University of Puget Sound this annual event was a great success, despite the uncharacteristically high temperatures. There was plenty of music, food for the people and dogs and entertainment.  Animal rescue and shelter organizations brought out dogs, cats and even some bunnies hoping to match families looking for that perfect pet, besides raising money for pet projects around the region.

The weather while beautiful was extremely hot but that didn't stop people from coming out and visiting the booths. The Greyhounds Pets of America NW located their station under the shade of large trees. Even in the shade these dogs were panting hard. “Greyhounds are incredibly sensitive to heat but we’ve done our best to keep them comfortable.” Said one of the many knowledgeable dog specialists available for questions. 

Besides shelters and rescue organizations there were many booths dedicated to important programs like the Prison Pet Program that trains service dogs. The Washington State Animal Response Team offered information about their efforts during natural disasters and support they give to other states when floods, fires, storms or hurricanes leave animals homeless or stranded. Their organization was formed shortly after Hurricane Katrina which really brought the need into view.  They have been instrumental in reuniting pets with their original families as well as finding home for the other animal victims of disasters. 

According to the Dugan Foundation there were ninety-three successful adoptions in five hours. 

If you have adopted a pet, tell us about it!

Furry Friday: Happy Easter!

wondercomments.com

Spring is an awesome time of year to think about relationships. Mark Nepo, an inspiring poet and philosopher, wrote a piece that I found inspiring and relates not only to our relationships with our families but with all living things.   Enjoy!

“There’s a story about a woman who on her way to Chimayo saw two Spanish farmers repositioning stones in a riverbed to redirect the flow; she felt compelled to help. She had the feeling that this had been done for centuries—their mothers and fathers, their grandmothers and grandfathers, each in their own time and way, picking up the same stones pushed about by the storm or drought and putting them back so the water can continue.

It seems this is the never-ending work of relationship, each of us in our own time and way moving the stones between us, repositioning the heavy things that get in the way, so the life of feeling can continue.

“The weather of simply living jams things up, and we, like every generation before us, must roll up our pants and sleeves, step into the river, and unclog the flow. Of course, we need to ask, What are the stones pushed about between us? What are the heavy things that keep getting in the way?

“No doubt, they are infinite and particular, but often, they are made up of habits of not: not seeing, not hearing, not feeling, not being present,not risking the truth, not risking the hearts need to live out in the open.

“That we close off, jam up, spill over, and dry up are all part of being human in gravity of time. That we feel compelled to stop and help even strangers move the heavy thing out of the way is an impulse known as love.”                                                                                                              —Mark Nepo 

ureimpressionsphotography.blogs

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter! 

Pam




Just one more thing. 

Exciting News You Don't Want To Miss! No April Fools Here

Thats right! This is the real thing.  
 Announcing:Project Madison

My granddaughter Kayla and her dog Belle!

Did you know...

• There are 78.2 million owned dogs in the U.S.
• 39% of U.S. households own at least one dog.                                              

but did you know this sad statistic?

• Ten million animals are euthanized in shelters each year. 

There are many no-kill shelters that are struggling to stay open. The costs to keep and care for unwanted animals is huge. Food, shelter, healthcare and training all put a substantial drain on rescue facilities that depend on donations. 
There are many things that people can do to help. Project Madison is an effort to make a difference.
How?
Meet Madison Morgan, a spunky eleven-year-old, who learns she has a special gift that leads her to make a daring animal rescue. 


This summer her adventures will be published in my MG novel which, in turn I hope will create awareness and financial support for participating shelters and rescue operations. 


Stay tuned for more details. Be sure to check the Project Madison tab for updates and important information about how you can get involved. 

Five Things You Need To Know

By SeanByrne

Happy St. Patricks Day!
I'm on hiatus from social media but there are five things you need to know so you won't wander too far...




1. On March 26th I'm reviewing Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu.
And then on March 28th author Carol Fisher Saller will be with us to talk about her book Eddie's War reviewed on the blog here.


2. Beginning in April I will be exploring Indie publishing and Traditional publishing from a more media savvy prospective. There are a lot of myths, contradictory and often adversarial information out there. With your help, I'm hoping to open a dialogue about publishing from the readers point of view. Isn't this the view that's the most important? 


3. While on hiatus I am also researching social media and making decisions about which ones will work best for me. I plan on sharing what I've learned in a new series I call, Joining The Online Dialogue: Why Writers Can't Be Shy Anymore.


4. The new Furry Friday will open it's first call for photo's so get ready to send in your favorite pet shots along with a caption for the There Can Be Only One Contest. 


5. And finally...I will be making an exciting announcement on April 1st and it's no April Fool. Trust me...it's so real I already have goosebumps.


So in the meantime... check out my sidebar for the awesome MMGM reviews every Monday. Or check out my list of most popular posts here on the blog, in case you missed them before. 

FURRY FRIDAY: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

peta.org

Okay, so you've adopted a pet, your feeling really good about yourself and then you get home and realize the name that your new family member has is...well...   it just doesn't fit. What do you do? 


If you're like me you hit the internet looking for the perfect name. So here are some names I found that I really got a kick out of:

fatgirlusa.wordpress.com

Cheese
Bazooka
Daiquiri
Hershey
Marshmallow
Meatball


I'm thinking that unless you want your dog to look like this...perhaps a food name should be avoided.


Question: Why would you name your dog more than one name? I'm thinking dog show celebrity, perhaps? Here are some doozies that just cracked me up:

kaboodle.com

Princess Conchita Conswela Bananna-Hammock  (hyphenated, seriously?)
Scooby Otera Alexia
Turdburgler McShittsalot III

Ballard Zigoot Shatz

Baby Beau Big Bucks

Does your dog have to look like a celebrity to name him after one?

squidoo.com

Bullwinkle

Elmo

Da Vinci

Garfield

Harrison

Meet Bodean, Digger and Earlene, three pups from Louisiana. Location is important to finding the appropriate name. 

squidoo.com

Another consideration would be how your pet acts. Check out these interesting verbs for names:

Havoc

Scrappy

Shredder

Thumper

Dunk

Like children, if dogs live up to their names I'd steer away from these:

doguniversity.net

Digger

Trouble

Barker

Pooper

Chewy

If your still stumped there are several websites that can lend some inspiration to the important task of naming your adopted pet!

Dog Names Woof

Bow Wow, Meow

Dog Names

Next Day Pets

Parents Connect

Thanks for stopping by! What names do you like, find funny or endearing?

FURRY FRIDAY: Cat Breading...Cruel or Cute?

The other day I was looking for a "cute" YouTube video to share on my Furry Friday series. I'm split on this. Is breading a cat cruel? At the same time you can't deny that the pictures are cute, in a minor degrading kind of way. I'm not sure the Egyptians would appreciate this treatment of deity. 

Are they happy or sad?  Mmm not sure.
(gawker.com)

I decided  much of it depends on how it's done. Do you simply shove some bread on the cats head? Mmm...or perhaps the cat eats its own hole through the piece of bread? 
I was relieved to find directions posted by Gawker:

1) Take a piece of bread (If this is your first time, use a soft white bread. Experienced breaders will use rye or even multigrain.)

2) Cut a hole approximately 1 inch larger than your cat's head. This trips some people up. Remember: the bread has to fit around the not just the cat's head, but it's ears, too.

3) Gently place the bread around your cat's head.

4) Take a picture. Post it to the official in-bread cat Facebook page.
I see some problems with this. It appears the strategy is to make sure the hole is 1 inch larger than your cat's head. How do you measure your cat's head? Ok, so you eyeball it, fine. Shouldn't this step come before "taking a piece of bread" in step one. Also, it may not be possible to start with "soft white bread" (ie. Your cat has an uncommonly big head.) and be forced to move to more dense bread such as sour dough or whole grain. (This reminds me of a fourth grade writing assignment where we had to write the steps of making a peanut butter sandwich. Believe me, there were some interesting looking sandwiches.) 

When I investigated this meme further I found this and was reminded of another issue I hadn't even considered. 

What if you're home is gluten free and...well let's face it, it costs more and there are very limited choices for gluten free bread, this may be a problem. (You only use a slice, unless of course you are the neighborhood cat lady, which is an entirely different issue.) Then I stumbled on this site and realized there's some serious monetary compensation to be had. Fletch and Vaughn's Cat Breading  is offering $500 to the cutest pic submitted. 
This caused me terrible concern. Now that this internet meme has been monetized we could be looking at an exploitive activity with the poor cat as a victim. And as if that wasn't enough this practice has received the Colbert Bump.  I'm just sayin'...


Then I found this:

This just doesn't sit well with me. No...not because I'm afraid of Zombies.(Can't wait until Walking Dead is back on, even though the second season sucked. I don't know about you, but I'm really tired of pouty, sullen Shane, even if he is hot.) 


There is something far sinister going on. After years and years of noble cat heritage, honor, sophistication and elevated status, years of sitting nobly on the back of the couch overlooking the lowly world of humandom, the cat has been knocked off that pedestal of grandeur. (Is this a conspiracy on the part of Fido?) 


So before you run out and grab that loaf of bread intent on breading with the best of them. Anxious , that you're not left behind in the latest internet meme since planking. Stop, and think. If this is okay now, what will it be tomorrow. We've already degraded our animals to traveling in purses and dressing in costumes...what's next?  


And Then I Saw It!

OMG, if that didn't terrify you, it certainly has traumatized me. I will never look at a loaf of bread the same way again...


So what do you think? Is it cruel or is it cute?