Happy International Dog Day

Hi Everybody! 

Kids are starting to go back to school, meaning Summer is almost over, so Mom said I have to get back to work writing my blog.

Around our house, we believe that there is something to celebrate every day and today we have a really great reason to celebrate.  Today is International Dog Day.  Today we celebrate dogs and their bond with humans.    Good dog parents make sure that their dogs have a happy and safe life and in return dogs do the same.  We make sure our parents have a happy and safe life.

Mom and Dad make sure that DixieLee and I are happy by giving us lots of toys and treats and a big pen to play in.  They also make sure we are happy by playing games with us and taking us for walks.  They make sure we are safe by giving us good food and taking us to the Vet and giving us a home where we are not abused.

We make sure that Mom and Dad are happy by playing games with them and making sure they get plenty of exercise and fresh air.  We keep them safe by guarding the house against attacks by squirrels, mail peoples and big brown trucks.

There are lots of ways to celebrate International Dog Day, like playing more games or giving more treats but one of the bestest ways is to encourage adoption.  Both DixieLee and I are adopted.  Lots of peoples only want “Pure Breeds” so getting a forever home when you are Mixed Breeds like us, makes it harder to find a good home.

It was especially hard for DixieLee because she lived in a house where she was really abused so she had bad behavior when she came to live with us.  Lots of peoples would have dumped her at a shelter.  It was hard for all of us.  It took lots of time but now she is the bestest sister and really lovable.

We plan on having a fun International Dog Day and I think I’ll let Mom know that I have written my blog and now I deserve a treat.

Happy  International Dog Day from me and DixieLee.

Let us know how you are making today special.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

The American Dream - Dog Version

Hi!  DixieLee here, filling in for Zeva while she works on our new Facebook page.  I joined the family business when I was rescued and adopted last summer.  I can’t believe it’s been a whole year! It’s been a struggle, but it has been worth it.

 I know lots of you dogs out there are rescues and I’m sure many of you share my story. We’re the lucky ones.  I lived on the streets in rural South Carolina for a long time.  One day while I was begging for food, a nice lady rescued me and fostered me until I got adopted.  My life before being rescued was so bad I don’t like to think about it, never mind talk about it.  Let’s just say the scars you can see aren’t the only ones I have.

 I was full of bugs when I was rescued.  There were all kinds of bugs but the worst bugs were the heartworm kind.  The nice lady and the vet helped me to get rid of them all.  It was hard because I had to get shots with these HUGE needles that made me not feel good and I couldn’t play with the other dogs.

 I thought living with the nice foster lady was going great until she said I had to go live at another place.  I thought I had been a good dog and didn’t understand why the other two dogs got to stay and I had to leave.  Maybe it was because I was full of bugs.  I was very sad.

 We went in the car and drove for days, all the way up to Massachusetts where I got left with another nice lady who only had one dog.  Maybe there’s a rule about only having two dogs in the house that I didn’t know about.  I tried to be good but then I had to go to another vet and get more shots and get my tummy cut.  Again, I had to stay in a crate and not play for a long, long time.  I began to think that the life of a dog wasn’t such a good one.  I wished I had been born a human.

 I was only at the adopted house a short time and I got moved again.  This time the two humans and the dog came with me.  I was so sad I didn’t want to do what I was told.   I was sure if I started acting nice, like it did with the foster lady, I would be sent away and I wanted to stay. 

 

I had lots of yummy food and all sorts of toys.  I got to sleep in a warm bed at night and I had another dog to play with.  Zeva kept telling me it was okay but I didn’t believe her because the man who I now call Dad said if I wasn’t good I was going to go to the pound.  I didn't know what a pound was but it didn't sound good.  Zeva said he didn’t mean it but he sure sounded like it when I chewed his glasses up or dug that big hole that made the outside stairs fall down.

 Like I said, it’s been a struggle but now I have a good job, I’m the Assistant Product Tester, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get to stay with this Mom and Dad and Zeva.  I still have the pretty collar and soft blanket the nice rescue lady gave me but now I have a bowl, leash and crate all of my very own.  I’m beginning to think that life as a dog is kind of good after all.

 

I would like to hear your rescue story.  You can write to me here.

 

Your new friend and Zeva's little sister,

 DixieLee

 

P.S.  I forgot to say we would like you to stop by our new Facebook page Laurel Mountain Basket Company Pet Division.  Thanks.

Rescue Me

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  According to the US Humane Society an estimated 2.7 million healthy shelter pets are not adopted each year, and only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters and rescues.  Do you know what happens to the 2.7 million healthy pets that are not adopted?  They get euthanized.  Euthanized is a nice word for KILLED.

I know, not everyone can adopt a pet.  There are already two of us adopted dogs living in our house and that is all we have room for.  But there are lots of things we can do to help shelters and hopefully get more pets adopted.

The big word is DONATE.  When people hear that word they automatically think money but there are so many other ways to donate.

Donate your TIME.  Volunteer to work at a local shelter.  You could walk the dogs or stuff envelopes for a mailing campaign.  You could donate your time assisting at a fund raising event.  You could donate your time hosting a collection drive or yard sale to benefit the shelter.

Donate your SKILLS.  Are you an amateur or professional photographer?  Donate your skills and take photos of the pets to be put on the shelter’s website or on Petfinder.com.  Have a way with words?  Help write copy for the newsletter or fund raising materials.

Donate your STUFF.  Donate out grown collars and leashes, crates, beds, or gently used toys your dog doesn’t play with.  Pet food is always welcome.  Donate office supplies, postage stamps, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies (scent free is best) and paper towels.   Your old towels can be used to dry pets after baths and your old blankets make wonderful warm beds.  Donate your olds newspapers.  The shelter can use them to line cages or shred them for litter boxes.

Donate your HOME.  It takes a very special person to foster pets.  Are you one?

Oh yeah…. You can donate MONEY.  Support fund raisers and events designed to help your local shelter or you can write a nice big check.

Several times a year my company donates part of the profits from our Pet Gift Baskets to the local shelter.  It’s easy.

So, now you know you don’t have to adopt a shelter pet to help.  If you know other ways, let me know.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Our To The Rescue Gift Basket has is the perfect way to welcome a new dog into your home.

 

Who Rescued Who (or is it whom?)

5 to 7 MILLION companion animals (pets) are relinquished (dumped) at shelters every year. 3 to 4 MILLION of these "companion animals" are euthanized (KILLED) within 60 days of being admitted. I was very lucky.  My six brothers and sisters and I were in a shelter in the south where there are lots and lots of homeless dogs.  We were tiny babies when some nice people drove us far away so we could be adopted.  My Mom saw me on line and came to get me.

My Mom would love to be able to take every one of those 5 to 7 MILLION pets home too but she says that is not practical. We don't have lots room or lots of money so in order to make sure I have good food, medical care and other things that make my life good, my Mom and Dad need to watch their pennies. They are trying to convince me that I should have a brother or sister but I am THE DOG and am not looking forward to having to share my family or my toys with another dog. Mom said since I was so against having another dog live with us that we could maybe foster dogs until we found them their own fur ever homes. That could be okay since I would only have to share with another dog for a short time. It would be like having a friend come to visit, not move in.

Mom says there are lots of ways people can help shelter animals in addition to outright adopting them cuz like us, adoption may not be an option. For example, a human could volunteer their time to help out at their local shelter. Shelters need humans to help to do lots of things. A human can volunteer time to walk dogs, play with pets, represent the shelters at events where pets are being adopted or even stuff envelopes or hand out fliers sometimes.

Like everything else in the human world, money is important, so giving money to a local shelter would be great cuz money will help buy food and pay the vet and other bills. But money is not the only thing people can give. Mom collects towels and blankets at tag sales and gives them to our shelter. Toys and food are also good donations to make. When the older dogs that lived at my house went to Rainbow Bridge, Mom took all of their food to the shelter so other dogs could have good nutritional food. It's okay that it was only half a bag and it was for senior dogs... every little bit helps.

Towels, blankets and food are not the only other things shelters need either. Shelters are also businesses and homes so they need business stuff like copy paper and postage stamps and stuff to make the home nice and clean like laundry detergent and paper towels.

I know times are tough but whatever you can spare, time, money or good stuff, it  will be greatly appreciated by your local shelter and can make staying in a shelter a little better until a nice fur ever home can be found.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S.   Shameless self promotion To The Rescue gift basket.

P.P.S.  That's a picture of me when I was ado

Harvard, Yale or Podunk State?

So, you’re thinking of getting a dog?  Great… I think every dog should have a good home but that doesn’t mean I think every home should have a dog.

I don’t want to see any dog have to live in a puppy mill or shelter but being adopted by the wrong humans could mean that they get abandoned and end up back in a shelter or worse.

For those thinking of getting a dog, I hope you will think about a few things first.  For starters, what kind of dog do you want?  The most popular dogs in the US today are Labrador Retrievers (I’m part Lab), German Sheppards, Beagles and Golden Retrievers.    All of these are great breeds and have certain characteristics that make them special.

Let’s say you want to get a Lab because we are good with young children.  Do you know we Labs are high energy dogs so we need lots of exercise and we’re also high strung so we need good consistent training?  We’re also very smart so we need lots of mental as well as physical stimulation.  We also tend to like to eat so without a lot of exercise, we get obese.  Like humans, obese dogs tend to have many more health problems like diabetes and hip, knee and joint problems.

When choosing a dog please remember that a dog is not a status symbol, fashion statement or a lawn ornament.  A dog is a living being that needs love and attention.  If you want to buy a pure bred German Sheppard for example, you could pay anywhere from $3,000 to $24,000.  A Pharaoh Hound $2,500 to $6,500 and a Bearded Collie is a steal at $1,000 to $5,000.  The average shelter charges from around $300 to $575.  And shelter dogs often come with all of their shots, spayed/neutered and with a micro chip! 

Having a dog is expensive.  I’m not only talking about how much it costs to buy a dog, I’m talking about how much it costs to keep a dog.  The first year, the cost to have a dog in your household averages between $1,300 for a small dog and $1,800 for a big dog.  After the first year it averages between $580 and $875 a year.  If your dog gets extra special treats like I do, the cost will be more.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  If you are considering getting a dog, please check your local shelters or rescue service and choose a dog that fits your life style.  Consider adopting an older dog if you don’t have lots of time for training.  Many dogs in shelters already know the basics, like knowing to go outside to pee. 

 You don’t have to go to a big name college to get a great education and you don’t need to pay a ton of money to get a great dog.  I didn’t come from a high cost breeder but from a really small rescue organization and I am the perfect dog for my family.

Your Adopted Friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  Your dog doesn't need lots of blue ribbons to deserve one of our Best In Show gift baskets. (shown above)