Laurel Hunt Books

One of the traditions we look forward to is the annual pet and golf cart parade, part of the July 4th festivities in the community where our mountain cabin is located. The theme this year was “green,” and golf carts (and a few dogs) were decorated with recycling themes. Everyone parades past the clubhouse, and judges vote on the best designs. All the dogs, including Alex, were well-behaved and seemed to enjoy this unusual parade!

Alex watches the parade

Here is a fun contest for a holiday weekend. The Bark is hosting a photo contest sponsored by West Paw Design (makers of eco-friendly dog beds, crate mats, apparel, and toys) for pictures of dozing dogs. Photos are posted on Facebook where you can vote for your favorite. Winner receives a dog bed! Napping is one of Alex’s favorite sports, so here are some pictures of him snoozing. Which one do you think I should submit?

Dozing off

Sleeping with toy

Curled up

Alex and his brothers napping

One of the ripple effects of the Gulf oil spill is not only endangering wildlife, but family pets. According to this story, out of work fishermen are surrendering family pets to local shelters, including the Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), because they cannot afford to feed and care for them. PAWS is completely full and has a growing waiting list of pets needing a safe haven. How can you help? Make a donation or offer to sponsor a pet in need. PAWS is also providing free pet food on a first come, first serve basis, in an effort to keep pets and their families together. Please help get the word out of the plight of these pets, especially to pet food companies who might donate pet food to help with this crisis.

Here’s a fun contest but it ends soon. The Bark Magazine and Greenies are having a Healthy Dog Smile contest. Check out all the smiling, happy dogs entered and vote for your favorite! The dog with the most votes will be photographed by The Bark for its cover, and will win a year’s supply of Greenies. The dog with the most votes at the moment has over 60,000 fans, but there is a cute spaniel among the top contestants that I’m voting for. The dog pictured here is from iStockphoto.com. Don’t you just love his smile?

I’m back from presenting a workshop on starting and funding a pet therapy program at the American Holistic Nurses Association Conference in Colorado Springs. In future posts I will share some of the fund raising tools that have worked for us at Paws with a Purpose, but I wanted to say a special thanks to the two Delta Society pet partners who participated in our workshop. Both dogs had interesting stories. Lacey, a lovely golden retriever, was originally trained as a hearing assistance dog by a prison inmate, in a program where prisoners teach dogs basic obedience skills. Although Lacey did not become a service dog, she found her calling as a therapy dog and became registered with Delta. She works with American Humane Association’s Animal-Assisted Therapy and the American Red Cross K-9 Therapy programs, visiting a variety of military and health care facilities, and is especially gifted at working with disabled military veterans. The other pet partner, Ladybug, is a cute-as-a-bug Yorkie. Ladybug came from a puppy mill situation and had no idea how to act like a normal dog. She simply froze, if asked to do anything. She spent an entire obedience class standing in one spot, refusing to move or react in any way. Her new family worked hard to bring her out of her shell, and discovered that she loved children and also loved agility work. Through much patience and love, Ladybug learned to trust and love back, and became a registered therapy dog, also serving with the Red Cross K-9 Therapy program. At the conclusion of our workshop, both Lacey and Ladybug were the center of attention as attendees crowded around to meet them. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see these two dogs spreading smiles, comfort and love to a room full of strangers, and to think of the hearts that they heal every day.  (more…)

Here is a clever contest from the folks at Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI). Go to Thatsagoodhuman.com and complete a few simple steps to take the vow to be a good human to your pet. You can upload a photo of your pet to the site, and personalize your vow, such as, “I vow to teach Alex more tricks.” Then vote for your favorite charity, choosing between the American Animal Hospital Association Helping Pets Fund, the Animal Cancer Foundation, Canine Companions for Independence, or the Helen Woodward Animal Center. For every 5,000 votes, VPI will make a $1,000 donation to that charity!

Paws on Parade

This past weekend Alex and I participated in the annual “Paws on Parade” walk-a-thon to raise funds for our local pet therapy organization, Paws with a Purpose. The event is held in a park that has a lovely trail winding through the trees, next to the river, and always attracts a good turnout of dogs and their humans. As we parked and got out of the car, I could see that Alex was not eager to join the assembled group, so instead of his usual flexi-leash, I put his slip lead on, as he’s been known to try to back out of his collar if spooked by something. I allowed him plenty of time to check out the scene and the other dogs, though he clearly did not want to be part of the party! As the walk got underway, we were joined by a group of children from a local agency that offers residential and other counseling services for children in the foster system. The pet therapy dogs serve this agency with visits to teach “life skills” such as respect, teamwork, and personal responsibility, and have been a very popular and effective addition to the curriculum.

A group of the kids from this agency began walking with one of the pet therapy volunteers. She had brought both of her dogs that day, two friendly and goofy goldendoodles, and as the parade made its way through the park, the children took turns holding the dogs’ leashes. Alex and I were walking just ahead of this group, and I was glad that he was finally relaxing and ignoring the dogs, joggers, bicyclists, and walkers we encountered along the path. Then a small boy, part of the group walking behind us, ran up along side me and asked eagerly, “Can I walk your dog?” (more…)

I am always looking for fun (and easy) fund-raising ideas for animal organizations. Actually, this idea could be used for any organization, not just animal-related. It’s from the Delta Society.

The class project – ‘help others’.

Each student in the 5th grade class was given the assignment – find a way to help others. The children were to work independently, not with other classmates, to come up with their own way to make a difference in other’s lives.

11-year old Alyssa decided she wanted to help bring more joy, compassion and comfort to others through the Delta Society Pet Partners program, and she decided to raise money to support this program. She contacted Delta for promotional materials for use during her fundraiser, including coloring sheets for kids, informational pamphlets for adults and a banner. At that time she wasn’t sure what her project would actually be – maybe a bake sale. But she came up with a very creative idea.

Alyssa wrote, “I wanted my fundraiser to be unique and fun and something that no one has ever done before. I knew a lot of people in my school had dogs so I decided to have a Cute Dog Contest. People seemed to like that idea because I got 18 entries!”

She mounted the dogs’ pictures on a board, and next to each dog there was a number. There were 18 cups with lids near the poster. If you wanted to vote for one of the dogs you would look at the number next to it and put a coin in the cup with that number. The amounts of the votes were the amounts of the coins, for example a quarter would be twenty five votes.

The contest went on for two weeks. The winner of the contest got a huge gift basket with toys and snacks, and the runner-ups received smaller gift baskets with two items. The fundraiser raised $424.29!

I love this story because it shows that small donations add up and make a difference. Congratulations, Alyssa!

My mother, who once upon a time was a nurse, always emphasized “wash your hands.” Like much of Mom’s advice over the years, it turned out to be right, as it’s now proven that washing your hands regularly can prevent transmission of lots of nasty viruses. I’m glad to see the prevalence of  hand wipe dispensers at grocery store entrances, and although I try to bring my own shopping basket (a nifty collapsible basket I got at Garnethill.com), I seldom pass up the hand wipe dispenser. Yesterday, I saw something that made me think twice about what may be on grocery store shopping carts. (more…)

“Molly the Miracle” continues to astound her doctors who agree her recovery is amazing. Her red blood cell count is holding strong at 38! She is eating and playing and enjoying life as a normal dog. She loves going for walks and riding in the car, and even takes boat rides! If you look closely at her front legs you can see that she’s had to endure numerous IV’s, but her wonderful spirit and the love of her foster parents and caregivers helped to pull her through. Recently she was guest of honor at a “Yappy Hour” party held in St. Petersburg to help raise funds for her medical care — can’t you just see the sparkle in her eyes and the happiness in her pretty face!

Thanks to everyone who has followed her medical miracle story as she fought for her life, and had a hand in helping this little girl find such a happy life!

Mother and Winston

Although my children are of the canine persuasion, I have always loved Mother’s Day. Spring is in full bloom and it ushers in the lovely month of May. Since  moving back to be closer to my elderly parents (mom is 94) I have especially treasured each Mother’s Day. Today, we will celebrate it at our mountain cabin, though it will be a bit chilly to enjoy the deck. But Mother will settle herself in front of the fireplace with a glass of sherry, and all will be right with the world.

They say “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I owe my love of all creatures to both my parents, but especially my mother. One Sunday on our way to church she spotted a collie by the road. On our way home the collie was still there, so Mother stopped the car and coaxed her in. After diligent attempts to find her owner, Sheba became part of our family and spanned my childhood from about age 5 to age 14. The night she died, I was at a school dance, and it wasn’t until many years later I learned that Sheba had gone into acute heart failure and my father had euthanized her with morphine from his doctor bag. My sisters and I thought she had died in her sleep. The next dog, Sherry, saw us through our teenage years and helped Mother adjust to the empty nest as one by one, we left for college. When Sherry died, my parents never got another dog, but they enjoy visits from my dogs at their retirement community. Once, when I left Byron there for a brief time, I returned to find Byron and Mother sitting on the couch, watching a concert on TV. “He’s a high brow dog,” she pronounced. “He loves classical music.”  One year my father bought me a pot of daisies with a card from Byron and Emily, for Mother’s Day. I treasured that gift, and saved the card. And when Byron, and then Emily, died, my parents mourned with me.

This Mother’s Day, my brood consists of Alex, my welsh springer who will be two next month. Most of the puppy craziness is gone (sigh!) but he has become a lovely companion, following me everywhere as Springers do. I will burst with pride as he shows off his repertoire of tricks, “high five” and “high ten,” and I will make sure there is a good supply of treats in everyone’s pockets. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of the world, and may your children bring you much joy.

Molly, the rescue springer spaniel who suffered life-threatening complications from spay surgery, is out of the hospital and into her new foster home!

The official statement from her new foster family: “Molly is all settled in and doing awesome! We love her!“

Applause to all who have followed Molly’s saga and helped to make this chapter a hopeful one.

Although I’m not in the market for another dog just yet, I frequently check out the available dogs on the English Springer Rescue site. I greatly admire the folks who provide foster care, and I love the stories they write about each dog, so that the prospective adopter can find the perfect match. Recently, a beautiful black and white springer named Molly caught my eye, as she resembles my Emily. After a few weeks getting acclimated in her foster home, Molly was spayed. Shortly thereafter, her foster parents noticed bleeding around the incision. What followed is completely harrowing, but shows the power of a caring group of volunteers and veterinary staff, working hard to save Molly. (more…)

Just the other day I filled in my Census form and mailed it back. I noticed they did not ask about dogs in the household – I guess the folks in Washington don’t get it that dogs are family, too. But, to be sure those important family members are counted, the folks at Mars, makers of Pedigree, have created an online census for mutts. Note that it is only counting mixed breeds; not sure of the logic behind that but maybe they will do a separate count of purebreds? It’s a quick and easy survey, and it will be interesting to see the results! Dogs Rule, as they say!

Here is a heartwarming story from the most recent edition of the Springer Rescue newsletter about a down on his luck Springer spaniel. Found wandering the streets with a rusty chain collar hanging from his neck, the dirty and hungry spaniel was picked up by Animal Control. Although the dog’s owner was contacted several times, he was not claimed. He was assigned to a pen in the back of the shelter because “nobody would want him.” Fortunately, Animal Control called Springer Rescue, and a caring volunteer “sprung” him. She recognized a “diamond in the rough” in this little guy, who she named Prancer. He was smart, playful and had a strong drive to retrieve toys, so she thought he might be suitable for Search and Rescue work. Then she learned of a police department looking for a new narcotics-sniffing dog. Prancer easily passed the screening test, showing an aptitude for scent detection, and is now a working member of the police force in Dekalb County, Georgia. He is now known as “Officer Rusty.” I love these stories of “throwaway dogs” who are making a difference, because someone gave them a second chance!