Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Dogs Life Looking Up

My soon-to-be foster dog, Valentino, is scheduled to be neutered and will be coming to live with me in one week!

It's a dog's life, and...Life is lookin' up for Valentino!



I have been busy pup-proofing the house in preparation for Valentino's arrival. His first Kong Toy has been ordered (thanks to a great dog toy review by Jasmine and Goldie.) And, an Easy Walk dog harness and leash for my hound dog is on its way. Both of these gifts courtesy of my dog lover friend Lori who sent us a "Buy that pup a toy!" gift.

  


We're linking this not-so-wordless dog picture post up with the Wordless Wednesday blog hop at BlogPaws. Come blog and hop along with us!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

My Foster Dog Waits For Me

For fourteen years I walked with my dog Tidbit leading my way. On June 30th she passed away from cancer complications and when putting her out of her pain, I promised her several things. One of these promises was that I would honor her life and open my heart and home to other dogs, even though I doubted at the time whether I could really keep that promise.

The day I picked my Tidbit's cremation remains up from her vet, I drove straight to the Franklin County Humane Society, walked in, and said, "I just picked up my dead dog's ashes and I need to walk a dog." With Tidbit in my tote bag, I walked a rascally pup and it was just what I needed to help me smile amid my tears.

But, it was a quiet dog standing at his kennel door who caught my attention that day. I inquired about the hound dog. He was heart worm positive. I followed his story as I walked dogs a few more times at the shelter.

My desire to rescue led me to want to foster dogs, like the hound, that others might not want. I wandered through my grief in search of fostering or even adopting and in a roundabout way, was led right back to that sweet hound, even though I had revisited the shelter to take a look at a different dog.

Today, I spied the hound across the kennel area right away and he was gazing right back at me. I knew then and there that I loved him, probably had since I'd first met him. The shelter lady was happy as could be that I chose to walk him. And so was he.

We walked and talked a long while. When finished I was ready to take him home with me for sure.

Introducing Valentino, so named because he arrived at the shelter on Valentine's Day. A dog of Love ... Perfect!


Valentino and Ruthi


We took a few photos today, although my fella didn't really want to pose for the camera. He was too busy sniffing around the office, ha!

You can see Valentino has Redtick Coonhound and/or Foxhound blood in him from our pictures. He is between two and three years of age and full of energy to keep me feeling young.

I feel as though he has been waiting for me, through his heart worm ordeal, while waiting for me to heal from the pain of my loss of my dog Tidbit. The rest of our healing journey shall be spent walking side by side together.

As it turned out, Valentino has to be neutered before he can be fostered or adopted. And he still tests positive for heart worms so he still has a little ways to go in his own healing journey.

But... He's on the neutering schedule and then Valentino's coming home with me!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Happy Hound Dogs and Volunteers

Happy Hound Dog Treats Jar
My friends consider it a rare treat when I have little to say as most times I can ramble on forever on any given topic. Today, my ramblings will be short and sweet and even the dogs shall surely be happy hounds over that fact.

The topic at hand is the needs of pet rescue organizations. No doubt, whether you've ever been a volunteer with an animal shelter or not, you can imagine the needs of the animals and their caretakers.

Rather than babble on about my own ideas of what we each can do to help fill the needs of our local shelters, I defer to a most comprehensive list I ran across earlier today while visiting the Last Hope Rescue website:

100 Ways To Help


Note: You can also find Last Hope Rescue Florida on Facebook.


We dog lovers can make the hounds happy year around ... Volunteer!



PAWSit Hop Saturday
Share a dog story of your own in a blog post this week and link it up with the PAWSit Hop Saturday blog hop here at Dog Pawsitive Tidbits.

Grab the PAWSit badge to add to your blog post and link it to this article for others to find and our paw prints shall surely grow.


I promote all PAWSit links on Dog Pawsitive Tidbits on Facebook and PAWSit on Pinterest. It's a win/win networking situation for all of us dog lovers!


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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Dog Shades of Green Kitty in Window

How much is that kitty silhouette in the window shades tormenting the dogs on the porch?

How much is that kitty in the window?

She has obviously caught the attention of my son's pit bulls! Perhaps they are green with envy that she is indoors and they are outside.

Jitterbug, Lucy, and Tidbit


BlogPaws

We are all linked up with the dogs and cats over at BlogPaws for the Wordless Wednesday blog hop this week.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Dog Watches and Waits for Visitors

Back when my dog Tidbit was about a year old, we lived in Rome, Georgia, in the country. Our home was on a hill in a three-acre clearing amid about seventeen acres of Georgia pine trees.

Tidbit, being part Chow, part Australian Shepherd - a marvelous mutt - and a great watch dog, would stand guard over the driveway from the top of the hill, just watching and waiting ever so patiently for her next visitor. (Or uninvited guest!)


My old roommate, Chris, came from Kentucky to visit for a week. For Chris and Tidbit it was love at first sight.

Tidbit could have cared less that Chris had traveled for hours to get to us and might need a bit of rest. Tidbit immediately cajoled Chris into a game of chase that lasted a good hour or more.

Around and around the evergreen tree they chased one another. Often it was difficult to figure who was chasing who across the clearing.

I was the lucky one. I was able to sit on the porch in a relaxed state watching Chris and Tidbit run and play, waiting for them to tire so Chris and I could begin a long awaited visit. It had been about five years since we'd seen one another.

Chris and I enjoyed our week together, as old friends should, and Tidbit certainly enjoyed her new playmate.

Of course, I made no secret of the fact that I was the one who felt like I was vacationing since I didn't have to keep up with that marvelous mutt's energy level while Chris was visiting.


Naturally, Chris asked about the pen tucked into the shade of the trees, and we told her all about the goat we once had.

Bucks was Tidbit's playmate for several months, running the yard together. Unfortunately, Bucks disappeared one day while I was at work, never found and never to return.

That was such a sad time for both me and my dog Tidbit. 

For weeks, Tidbit would lay at the goat pen for hours every day in mourning over the disappearance of Bucks, her friend and playmate.

This would not be the first time my dog Tidbit would mourn, just as I, over the loss of a friend. Together, she and I would mourn the loss of her daughter dog, Scratch. (That story I'll save for another day.)

Many say that dogs do not have emotions like humans do. Their claim: dogs do not have an understanding of death nor grief, that they are merely concerned about the pack having changed. I disagree. It is my experience that my dog Tidbit certainly mourned Bucks going away and never coming back. 

What do you think... 
Do dogs mourn the loss of other pets and animals?


I invite you to share a dog story of your own this week and link it up with the PAWSit Hop Saturday blog hop here at Dog Pawsitive Tidbits.

Grab the PAWSit badge to add to your blog post and link it to this article. That way others can find the meme too and our paw prints will surely grow. 

But of course, I will be promoting all PAWSit links on Dog Pawsitive Tidbits at Facebook and PAWSit on Pinterest. It's a win/win networking situation for all of us dog lovers!



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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Party Animal Dog Day and Night

Mirage Pet Products Party Animal Shirt
My dog Tidbit and I lived with my aunt and uncle for a year or so. We all played as hard as we worked in the family tree service business. 

When there was no work on the schedule, we partied by day and by night. I'm not sure, but I think Tidbit wins the prize for being the best party animal.


We do have a job for you -- Caption the dog pictures!



My dog Tidbit by day...




My dog Tidbit by night...



We wrap up the caption this photo session by linking up with all the other pets and animals over at BlogPaws for Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Determined Beagle Book For Kids

This determined little dog book arrived in my mailbox today! As a dog lover and one who is passionate about books for kids, it was a delightful surprise to receive Solstice The Determined Beagle: The Long Journey Home, signed by author Douglas Quinn, of course!

Watch for my book review announcement! In the meantime, get a dog's eye view of Quinn's previous dog book for kids by reading my review of Gracie The Undercover Beagle.

No doubt about it, you are sure to enjoy Quinn's dogs and other animals as much as I do. And little readers love his little books!

Disclosure: Ruth Cox is a writer on Wizzley and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.

Social Dog Pawsitive Tidbits

The critters around here at Dog Pawsitive Tidbits have spread their wings and are becoming quite the social butterflies! They are leaving a trail of paw prints far and wide.

Funny how things like this happen sometimes. My friend Coletta and I were private messaging on Facebook about understanding dog talk. A bit later I visited the Blog Paws News Media page on Facebook and saw that it was F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K Friday. I wrote a note to myself to get a page set up for next week so I could participate.

Shortly thereafter, the leader of the pack of my dogs barked a request, "We want our own Facebook fan page!"

Well now, sometimes you bark and you shall receive. Yes, I bowed to the dog's bow-wow and Dog Pawsitive Tidbits Facebook Community page now exists. I figured, why wait? And you all know how impossible it is for a dog lover to refuse those fluttering puppy dog eyes!

Dog Pawsitive Tidbits on Facebook
The dogs appreciated their new social digs on Facebook, but of course, they asked for more! They pointed out the fact that they had read my blog post about my newly created wrap and throw pillow for puppy NewBe. Oh! But I had put the items in my abitosunshine store at Zazzle and I was told with a bark or two that the dogs wanted their own store too!

Guess what ... Dog Pawsitive Tidbits Zazzle store now exists! I barely had time to set up shop and create one product before it was time to write this article. I guess I know what I'll be designing all weekend!

I Love My Dachshund Pillow
I Love My Dachshund Pillow by dogpawsitivetidbits
See another pillow at Zazzle

So tell me ... 
Do your dogs behave like social butterflies?


I hear one of my dogs barking in the background as I type, suggesting that you write a blog post about your social dogs and link it up with PAWSit Hop Saturday!

Go ahead and grab the badge and link to this post so other dog lovers can join the blog hop fun too.



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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Relax With My Dog Wrap

Image © Dog Pawsitive Tidbits
Do you wonder what is the best pet therapy to treat your own separation anxiety when separated from your new puppy, or perhaps suffering the loss of a dog? The answer to that question—It's a wrap!

Dog throws make great gifts for dog lovers, sure to warm both body and spirit.

This peaceful puppy pictured here is NewBe, my dog Tidbit's daughter. I've dedicated my throw blanket design to NewBe and my Aunt Helen, her other Mother.
Relax With My Dog Throw Blanket
Relax With My Dog Throw Blanket by abitosunshine

But of course, I had to toss in a lumbar throw pillow in a matching design! Pillow back has paw prints in black and white.

We wrap up this dog picture post by linking up with all the other pets and animals over at BlogPaws for Wordless Wednesday.