Sacrifices

Good Friday always has me thinking about the stories from my youth, about Jesus hanging on a cross dying for our sins, making the ultimate sacrifice. It's always cloudy on Good Friday, even here in Arizona where we get 300+ days of sunshine a year so I'm reminded especially today of someone who died for what they believed in.
I'm not a religious person...rather spiritual in my beliefs. Knowing there is something greater than us that guides us, and a plan. I totally believe in angels and that we should try to be good people and make our own sacrifices in life.

You hear the current administration talking about sacrifices, but I'm not talking about foregoing that Starbuck's every morning. I'm talking about changing your life to help another living being in a time when so many are struggling.
My "living beings" happen to have 4 legs and bark, but they are in my soul and I count my blessings for everything they have taught me over the years...like that it's OK not to wear mascara every day and that love stinks....well, only when they need a bath :)
I used to wear awesome clothes and have the latest hairstyle, shopped whenever I wanted to and answered to no one....now I sit home and laugh when they spin and twirl for a treat, knowing that this once homeless little dog is now safe in my care until we find them a forever home that will cherish them. Fostering dogs has been one of my most rewarding and challenging endeavors EVER. And the thing I am most proud of.
I never had skin kids, y'know the ones that need college educations, braces and cars. I don't feel like I've missed out on anything and some of the things my friends have been through with their kids makes me cringe at the thought of dealing with that guilt. Maybe I'm just a big chicken, unwilling to make that sacrifice. Or maybe I'm just selfish.

I guess I found something that I am willing to sacrifice for, and I will not apologize for their fur.
Happy Easter. May all your chocolate bunnies have two ears (they are so much fun to bite off!) and may you be blessed with something worth sacrificing for ;)

Fun Easter Egg Soap Giveaway

Oh I hope I win!

I love Shine Your Hiney's yummy soaps and lotions. I recently got some black raspberry and pear vanilla Pamper Your Hiney lotion and it smells divine. So lightweight, but it really keeps your skin moist. The pink sugar soap sample smells great too!
Anyway, Shine Your Hiney is running an Easter soap giveaway...12 little egg-shaped soaps and a jar of lotion! You pick the scents. HURRY! Offer ends tomorrow :) http://shineyourhineysoap.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-dozen-egg-giveaway.html

What are you feeding your pets?

From my website, Holistic Hounds. So important to know what we are feeding our fur kids!

I've had the pleasure of working with companion animals for several years, starting my Scottsdale, AZ petsitting business in 1995. Seeing the benefits of feeding natural and whole foods not only to my pets, but to my clients pets and foster dogs we've hosted has been very eye-opening!
Let me share with you what I have learned from my extensive personal research involving holistic pet care. My goal is to help you realize exactly what is in commercial pet foods and treats and how to avoid them and their potential risks to your dog's health. I truly believe many people just don't know about these chemicals and how they are potentially sickening our beloved pets or they would certainly not be feeding them.
Our first dog Mugzy was a sickly puppy, likely from the brightly colored cornstarch chews (Booda Bones) I was giving him as an alternative to rawhide. I just didn't know they were dangerous, as probably many of YOU don't. At 12 years old, he still battles pancreatic, joint and digestive issues which I believe are a direct result of these fake chews. He's had both ACL's repaired and is our "million dollar baby."
He is the reason I started researching pet foods and what I discovered made me ANGRY and sad that dogs are suffering from what their humans are feeding them without knowing it.

I continue to be horrified at the inferior quality of commercially available dog foods and treats. Taking a walk down the pet food aisle at any grocery store (which happens to be bigger than the baby food aisle) is maddening. Preservatives, artificial coloring, inferior by-products and chemicals added that have been reported to cause degenerative illness in dogs. Treats that are so brightly colored you just have to wonder what's in them. If a dog food resembles candy, it's probably a close equivalent. Dogs don't care what color their food is ! These chemical colorings are added to please YOU....the unwary consumer. Why are these potentially disease-causing chemicals and cheap fillers used, you ask? Money, big money. Over $10 billion is spent in the US per year on pet food and the competition is steep.

Current marketing research shows that people are seeking natural alternatives not only for themselves but for their pets as well and several large pet food companies were quick to respond with their own version of "natural" or "holistic" dog foods. Just because there is a picture of a vegetable on the pretty glossy bag, or the trendy marketing buzz-words "natural" and "holistic", doesn't mean that anything that closely resembles a vegetable or anything natural is inside. These so called "healthy" foods are not all that healthy and certainly FAR from natural!

WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO DO THIS??? This deception has to stop, and only we as consumers can see that it happens. Stop buying those "pretty" bags of dog food and learn what is in them. Call the toll-free number on the bag and ASK! Don't be fooled by clever marketing schemes. There is very little policing of the pet food companies claims of "healthy" and "natural".
Because of the HUGE Menu pet food recall in March 2007, many people are FINALLY paying attention to what they are feeding. I am saddened that it's taken so many pets dying for them to do so, and I blame only the pet food companies for their deceptive practices. I've talked to so many owners who have lost beloved pets because of the tainted wheat gluten from China added to their pet's food to boost the protein content. It's heartbreaking....

Please know what you are feeding your fur family. Email me anytime with questions and please visit Holistic Hounds to see what we use and recommend.

Gone to the dogs,
Holly

A Season

It's been a whole season since my precious Speedo went to the Rainbow Bridge. The first few days after he left I could barely breathe. I don't think I'd ever really experienced a broken heart. He didn't leave softly and I relive those dark moments over and over again, wishing I could have somehow helped him. I guess I did in a way....I held him and sang to him in the wee hours in the dark, telling him it was OK to go if he needed to. It was so unexpected....
A few weeks passed, 1....2....3....and then began the months. Now it's been a whole season since he went away and my heart still aches and I miss him. His tag sits here on my keyboard, his collar with his "rescued" charm dangling from a corner of my monitor and of course his picture on my screensaver. I like to keep him close by since he's always been my muse, my inspiration and the reason I started Silver Hounds and can help so many seniors like him, who became a burden to his person who could not afford his extensive medical care.
He would have been with us only four short years this past February 1. I somehow forgot that day....as if he didn't want me to be sad, so it just slipped my mind. I thought I heard him bark the other day and I can't bear to throw away his special kidney medicine in the 'fridge that kept him healthy right up to the end.
The other dogs don't seem to know he's not here anymore, or maybe he still is and I just can't see him. I couldn't have gotten through that loss without them, nudging me to be happy that THEY are here and alive and SO loving.
My life really has gone to the dogs and I embrace it. I've recently reconnected with some old high school friends on Facebook and I'm sure they all think I'm a little daft that I never followed the rules and had a tribe of kids, and surround myself with dogs instead. Let them think it. I know what I do every day and I'm honored to keep such good company with my little pack of fur who teach me SO much.

Little did I know when I wrote this poem for Speedo two years ago that it would bring me such comfort after his passing. For all the senior dogs now and in the future who have lost their way, I hope a loving human finds you...and teaches you that you can love again.

Old Dog,
for Speedo
A senior dog is always there come sunny days or rain,
Their gentle ways through lazy days are sometimes filled with pain.
With cloudy eyes and toothless smiles they shower you with care,
Grateful, Quiet, Meek and Mild, Peaceful, Kind & Fair.
They teach us all how we should be, not afraid to live and love
For someday soon they'll leave us and we'll know from up above.
Their guidance will embrace us and they'll lead us on you see,
For another senior needs us...it's just how it should be.

Holly Mastromatto 2007

Good News

Well, seems that little mass was just a benign reaction to the dental infection, so all is well with the "kid". Phew...what a relief. He's acting normal for the most part, still a little sleepy but eating well...it just takes him longer now with the loss of so many teeth.
So, back to modeling for Tino. Honestly, I think he missed it ;)

Poor little Bean

My little heartdog, Valentino is under the weather. The other day he lost 9 teeth and had a bunch of precancerous lesions burned off. They also found a wierd mass under his tongue which they removed and we await biopsy results on Monday....we're hoping it's not hemangiosarcoma, which claimed the life of his daddy about a month ago at 15+. Tino will be 11 in July.

Last night and again this afternoon two of the lesions ruptured and we had a bloody mess that thankfully we got under control with some yunnan baiyao...a Chinese herb that stops bleeding, which he's had issues with before. We suspect he has a slight clotting disorder on top of everything else. My dear pal and rescue partner Tammy the flying nurse walked me through it (thanks Tam...I owe ya one) and saved me a trip to the ER vet at 10pm on a Friday night...and probably $200.

What is it about these little dogs that consumes me? Yesterday I had one of the foster dogs, Jack at the vet just to drop something off and get him weighed. I've had no less than 8 dogs there in the last few months, mine and the fosters, and the receptionist made a comment that really struck a chord. She said, "These dogs all look at you with such love in their eyes." I guess I never really noticed, since I'm looking at all of them the same way....especially the ones that society has tossed away like old shoes. They were great when they were pretty and new but lose the shine, get a few scuffs and it's off to the shelter or worse...just open the door and let them run. That's how Jack was found last May. Fending for himself in the hot AZ desert with his pal Buster. We're still searching for the perfect home for him.
The Jocko Silver Hounds auction did really well last week and I think we have almost his entire vet bill raised! We have the BEST supporters!

Anyway, please say a little doggie prayer for my Bean. Short for Teeny Beanie Bumbaleeny, my Valentino, the famous pink hat model....the one who started my fascination with this precious little breed just about 11 years ago.

Groovy Baby

Artfire is turning out to be a wonderful place to sell my petwear and I've bought some great items there too. The people are SO nice and supportive of the whole handmade thing, which is hopefully the wave of the future. Why support Walmart when you can support your neighbor by buying handmade from sites like Artfire and Etsy?
Of course the #1 selling items are my Pee-liminator belly bands...can't get away from dog pee it seems!

I found some really FUN fleece online and it arrived last night, so I was up at the crack of dawn sewing jammies and bribing the dogs away from the warmth of the fireplace to PLEASE be good models for Mommy!
I really love this smiley hippie print and the flamingos just made me laugh.


My dear pal Chris with Sit Up 'n Beg has a bunch of my dog coats down at the Scottsdale dog show this weekend. Her collars and leads are really unique and several of the handlers at the recent Westminster dog show are using them so she is LOVING that! I'm forever indebted to her for peddling my doggie wear, as it's hard for me to travel with all the little charges I'm responsible for here at home.


I'm launching another Silver Hounds Auction this weekend to raise some much needed funds for the vet bills we've piled up this year so far. Poor Jocko, the senior that came to us via New Mexico in the fall, needed to have another 11 teeth pulled to the tune of about $1000.00 so we are in the hole deep! His previous bills were about $800 which the last auction covered. Thankfully his awesome foster mom is floating the bill until we can reimburse her.
Anyway, take a peek if you have the time and please share it. It's just in album format on my petsitting website and it's not live, but it's FREE...lol. I update it twice a day. We did well with our auction in the fall so hopefully this one will succeed too.


We're still hanging out on Etsy, but Artfire has really proven to be a better venue, and since I was able to get 10 people signed up, my membership is FREE...for life. Almost too good to be true. And they don't take a commission like Etsy does.
I have high hopes for my future as a petwear designer, I certainly am having fun with it! Gosh...wouldn't that be amazing if I've FINALLY found my calling?


If not, it's back to hairdressing! Ugh.