New Contest And Giveaway. Share Your Rescue Dog Story

"I like to think I've rescued dogs, but they have rescued me." The Unfaithful Widow, Barbara Barth 2010

New Contest/Giveaway. Deadline May 24th 6pm est. Share your rescue dog story and be entered into a giveaway to win a one of a kind dog rescue charm bracelet. Leave your short tale as a comment here. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner on May 24th. If you would like to be a guest blogger and include a photo, go to my profile info and hit the contact button and you can e-mail me directly and send your photo as an attachment I can upload.  I am waiting................(Photo of bracelet to be revealed later this month - you will love it. Similar to the one given away in February.) PS - If you are a rescue cat person, you can enter too. If you win your bracelet will be made with a cat theme. We love all rescue animals here.
Dogs. That word makes me smile. My Dogs. Those words make my smile brighter. Rescue Dogs, those words have gotten me in trouble but saved my life when it was a dark place as a new widow.
Five rescue dogs in under a year. Then of course, there is my old lady Foxy who has been with me for thirteen years. All that love all day long!
My favorite rescue folks:
Animal Action Rescue, Decatur, Ga. A great group. Check them out at http://www.animalactionrescue.org/ . They brought me my first rescue dog and the rest is history.
Then there is State Trooper Peggy with Atlanta Canine Adoption Project www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA244.html. The photo was taken at Pet Smart in Atlanta a few weeks ago when I stopped by to see her latest pups.

"Hello, my name is Midnight and you can find me at Animal Action Rescue. How's it going?"

My Eyes So Full Of Rain And Dogs With A Side Of Men

http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/

Hiding in my jammies tonight. Enough excitement for one poor widow gal today. My workman back this morning to try and finish up before the rain. Oops. Too late. Rain came early. Getting lots of small things done and it is nice to get my morning call, "be there in thirty." This has been going on since September when the rain leaked into my basement. Then found one rotting thing after another so I have had a man here for months. Lucky for me when your workman is on parole you can get lots done since he can't leave town. He was here long enough today to work on my flood lights which refuse to turn on. "Please be careful," I was worried. He was up on the tall metal ladder and the rain drops were falling. Did I turn off the power? He kept asking me to throw the switch and I got so google eye watching him tall in the air I forgot which switch he was asking for on or off. "Don't want you to flip off that ladder and land atop my corvette," I yelled up to him full of concern. He left a few minutes later to return on Monday.
Then I headed out for my day of adventure. Helping my rescue lady State Trooper Peggy with her pack of pups at PetSmart. "Can you bring pizza for lunch?" she asked me as I was backing out my drive. Cell phone in one hand and turning on my windshield wipers with my other I heard a loud thump. "Bye, see you soon." Closed my cell and looked out the rear. I had run smack dab into the corner post of my fence. Figuring I could just pull forward I switched gears and hit the gas. My tires were a spinning the ground so mushy from all the rain. I tried several times, digging in deeper. Finally I got out, walked around to check on the damage and grabbed a flat piece of fence wood to put by my wheel for traction. I can never remember, front or back of tire. So no help there. My eyes were starting to tear up I was so befuddled on what to do. My neighbor across the street came running. "Can I help?" Thank heavens. "I've been watching you from the kitchen window, couldn't figure out what you're doing." Wrecking my yard is what I'm doing, but I kept silent. He got my car back on the driveway having to push it while I hit the gas. Praying in my state of mind I wouldn't hit reverse and then I'd have a flat neighbor as well as a woppy jaw fence. He went back home pleased he had helped a damsel in distress, I found that a sweeter term than the idiot behind the wheel. Which may have been truer. For as I backed down the driveway once again I hit the fence on the other side of the drive. Not so hard as to knock it over though.  I wonder if my neighbor saw that? How red is my face. But I smile knowing my workman will have something else to do. A never ending list of honey dos and no real honey. But see how simple it is to keep a man around the house?
Did I tell you I am on the twelve step program for dogs? So I am safe helping the rescue gal Peggy. I like to watch the folks trying to decide if they want a dog. Some sit there for an hour holding a dog then leave, saying "maybe later." Not me, I see a dog, it wags its tail and I sign the papers.  Not one caught my fickle dog eye today, thank goodness. And Peggy has me on restriction which is cool. I have six dogs, she has sixty.
I am the laziest widow in town. Was to see a male friend of mine tonight, but the rain made me want to stay home alone. I called him, "date cancelled due to weather." I knew it would be fine with him or it would have been quite rude of me. But I had rain in my eyes and didn't want to see anyone. So the evening was perfect, romantic chic flicks, jammies, dogs on my lap, quilts all around and a lovely glass of sherry to warm me. I snuggled in for a quiet evening at home, a decision I was pleased I made.
Widow Lesson Learned: It is so much better to have your eyes full of rain and make your own decisions then to have them full of tears and know not what to do.

Find a great dog with Atlanta Canine Adoption Project! I found two.
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA244.html

Bats In My Belfry

My head is full of bats. Flying bats with craziness that makes me laugh. I should be crying. But when you have bats in your belfry you don't connect with reality.
That is me today. Not in this reality.
Six dogs. How did I not realize that if one got critters, all might? So we (my vet and I) are still working on finding out who has what. And it is a puzzle most certainly.
Let me put my findings in order.
Foxy has Giardia, a parasite in her intestines. She is on meds for that. The other five are being checked to see if they have this too.
Yesterday, April, the newest addition to the mad house, went in for her check up. Good news. No worms or parasites. And high five from vet man that she is one good looking dog. I beamed with pride. I'd found a winner. Nothing wrong with her! Later I told the gal from the rescue shelter my good news on April. "Oh, by the way," she informed me, "don't let her near cats. Grabbed three one day." I refused to ask what that meant, but I do know not to get a cat. And I know she may not be the dog I walk in the neighborhood. She is a hunting dog. Don't they hunt something other than cats? What a pussy.
Today, Rascal went to see the man. More high fives on cuteness. Rascal had a shy moment and let herself be handled and prodded. She took it well. Then, in a flash the man walked in and Rascal bared her teeth and started snarling. "Is she afraid of men?" my vet asked. "I think she is afraid of your Bugs Bunny tie," I tried to make light of a situation I suddenly worried about. What if she didn't like men? Another dating strike.
But they shooed me out the door, to see how Rascal did without me and she became her old self. I think she trying to be bigger in her paws than she is. Such behavior is not tolerated here. Her shelter lady said she loved all she met on her weekends at PetSmart. We had a discussion on her bad manners on the drive home where she tried to sneak kisses rather than listen.Rascal has whipworms. So we have pills for that. But could the others have whipworms now? That is a good question. Luckily we have only checked 3 for giardia, now the other 3 can be checked for both and I can backtrack the last ones. Whew.
Annabelle goes in on Thursday for her intro to the man. I have all her papers, but we'll see if she has any doodly bugs.
I came home my head a spinning on dogs and their critters. "Keep the yard clean," the last words I heard as I ran my debit card. I am walking with Lysol cans strapped to my ankles.
Just as I started to relax I remembered my new nightie I bought at the thrift store today. Liz Claiborne jammie pants and a large oversized sweater to knock about in this cold weather at night. I am tired of running out after the dogs with my butt chillin under my short night shirt.
I opened the door to head down the stairs to wash them and noticed the runner had a small hole and loops of yarn twirling around it. How did the dogs get there? I wondered. And then I saw it, small and tangled in the hole, a rat turd. "Shit," I screamed. Then laughed. How true. I went down the stairs and there by the washer and dryer more of the same. Ratatoullie? I wonder if my new housemate can cook?
So, on my list of things to do. Rat trap.
Today was a day of bats in my belfry and rats in my basement.
I am happy to report six butts are sleeping in the living room, sweetly dreaming. I smile as I look at them. I am their rock star, Leader of The Pack. I rush to get my jammies to join them.

Widow Lesson Learned: Every dog has his day, and my dogs are each having a day this week.

Bat clip art from  http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/halloween/bats.shtml

Dog Day Afternoon

Still cold, dogs are a shiverin'. Foxy is belovely in her pink sweater, new from PetSmart on Saturday. She is still not feeling well, so her sweater keeps her warm and cozy. Bray stays close. Two peas in a pod.
Chloe in her faux fur is bewitching, but her little face tells me she needs an attitude lesson. She can't go out in the cold.
Rascal has had enough of being out. Giving me the old red eye beggin to come in.

I know six dogs is my limit now. I have to keep counting noses to see if they are all here. "Let's see, one, two, three, four, five...........OMG where is six?"
I am one dog shy of commitment.


Oh yes, Annabelle, asleep on the couch. She opted out for the Kodak moment.

 April only here since Saturday is yawning with boredom. Little does she know that in 30 minutes her self will be making a journey to meet the man, vet Max.

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Sharing a lazy day of dog photos with you. No man under the quilt with me today but plenty of warmth abounds with the coziest of dog moments.

Bray is sometimes faint hearted being the only male in a household of "bitches" (meant in the kindliest of dog terms).

Widow Lesson Learned: Cold noses make for a warm heart.