Little Furry Miracles

Speedo

I'm going to try to get through this post without sobbing....oh dear, here come the tears already. I'm such a wimp.
Anyway, many of you know that I lost my sweet old senior IG, Speedo in the fall. After 4 years of teaching us all about starting over and helping other dogs, it was his turn to go the Rainbow Bridge. My heart still aches for this wonderful creature who taught me SO many things.

Just a few weeks ago my dear friend and rescue partner's dog Hank left us too, after just losing her sweet Lily in December who was also a rescue. Hank was with her just 4 short years, his story similar to Speedo's, being adopted at 10 years old from IG rescue.

Lily was also a very special Iggy, unable to see and she had a bad heart. Didn't stop her from loving life. She was a gracious girl with her fancy prance! I truly believe these dogs, our furry miracles, are still with us. They certainly proved that two days ago.

Lily and Hank
I have a forum with members from across the country who volunteer with my rescue group, Silver Hounds. We talk about dogs and dogs and well, dogs. It's a terrific bunch of people. Monday morning one of the members posted about a 12 year old dog who was being advertised on an online classified board in Ohio..."FREE to good home". Now, the first thing I think when I see these poor old dogs being given away for free is...FIGHT DOG BAIT. They train the puppies on helpless older dogs who don't have a chance. I digress and don't want to be gruesome, but it happens.
I contacted the man with the posting telling him all about Silver Hounds and asked him if he would give the dog to a rescue group. He checked out the website and decided it would be a great place for his old dog to "retire".
I live in Arizona.
The dog is in Ohio.
...and somehow Speedo, Hank & Lily with their infinite "old dog" wisdom coordinated it all from the shade of the Cookie Tree which surely grows tall at the Rainbow Bridge.

Hank & Lily's mom just happened to be in Ohio the past few days, visiting with friends. I alerted her via text that there was a senior who needed help and she called IMMEDIATELY to get the details. Turns out, he's only about 2 hours from where she was staying and like the superhero she is, she flipped on her cape and went and rescued that old dog from the people who had owned him since he was a pup. Don't get me started about how people can own a dog for 12 years and toss it out like old socks. That's another post, but suffice to say these people did this dog a HUGE favor.
Calls to the airlines, emails to potential foster homes and other rescue groups in Ohio, calls to vets to get a health certificate to fly JUST IN CASE and finding a travel bag in a little town didn't stop Hank & Lily's mom...who was flying BACK to Arizona the very next day (yesterday).

They didn't get home until midnight last night after a VERY long day. We watched their flight online, hoping that he was being good for her. She texted me when they landed...all was GOOD! Another almost 2 hour drive home to meet his new housemates, which also went off without a hitch. One big happy Iggy family :)
Donny

I imagine Donny will never leave Hank & Lily's house. I imagine they are really happy that mommy saved that old dog from an unknown fate had he gotten into the wrong hands. I imagine that Hank, Lily and Speedo are smiling down on all of us and just looking for the next little furry miracle who needs a soft place to land to spend their golden years. I feel blessed and honored to be a part of these amazing dogs' lives.

This is certainly not the first dog that Tammy has rescued and won't be the last. Aside from Hank & Lily, AJ & Styx who she adopted, there is Princessa, Buster, Jocko, Cisco and Twig that she's driven THOUSANDS of miles for and spent nearly millions of dollars on.
Thanks, Tammy. You are my hero :)

Thank You to Sadie's Fans!

Sadie's Fundable has reached it's $950 goal and will end tonight. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped this little dog on her journey to wellness. She still has some surgery to face to repair the broken jaw but is well on her way to finding her forever home, happy, healthy and WHOLE!

Cute Overload

How excited am I for my bloomin' hatz to be featured on Cute Overload?
http://cuteoverload.com/2009/04/29/petal-tiaras-for-pups/

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