Share the gift of life

I meant to post this last week when my friend sent me the message below. Chris was indeed a wonderful friend and his generosity saved the lives of many people. Chris was taken from us on April 24, 2007.

"In honor of our dear friend Chris Reuther, taken from us 4 years ago this week, I invite you to join me in signing up as an organ donor. The fact that Chris himself was an organ donor made it possible for him to save and improve multiple lives and to live on in a very real way through those who received his donations. Chris was a kind, generous, inspiring person and friend, and he continues to be so as he lives on in our hearts."

April is National Donate Life Month - a time to remember that each one of us has the opportunity to give the gift of life. Please take 2 minutes of your time to view this video and share it with your friends and family.

Then, take another 3 minutes to sign up in your state as an organ, eye and tissue donor at organdonor.gov , and tell your friends and family to do the same. By saying “yes” to donation, you are offering hope to the 110,000 men, women, and children waiting for a second chance.

The collar

Ever since Bailey died, I've pretty much shrined all of his belongings. I admit that I have a "Bailey shelf" in my bedroom where his ashes, favorite pictures, his paw print and his collar (used to) reside.

I'm still not certain about my decision, but I put Bailey's old collar (made by retro-pet.com, which is no longer in business) on Rusty earlier tonight. It's a martingale collar and quite stylish. I've always loved it. I'll never give it up completely, but I thought Rusty could sport it for a bit. Description when I bought said collar was "preppy revolt."

But the only thing that matters is that it was part of my Bailey. Passing that off to Rusty is truly a blessing.

Quote of the day

"The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty and love. They do not require coupons."

-George T. Hewitt

Happy dog

I took these pictures of Rusty today in the hopes that his petfinder photo could be updated with one in which he's not covered in facial scars. For the backstory, read his profile here.

I also recorded a video of him wrestling with Zoe. For all of you who know Zoe personally, you know this is just not in her nature. She NEVER plays with anyone but me.

Road Trip

Zoe, Rusty and I went to Winston-Salem Saturday to spend Easter with Abby and the rest of the Glazener family. We dyed eggs on Saturday night so Abby could find them Sunday morning.

As you can see in the linked video, Rusty thoroughly enjoyed my brother's fenced yard. I have a feeling he's going to really miss his new friend Charlie! I'll miss Charlie, too, because he did a very good job of tuckering Rusty out.

The photo below was taken in the car at a red light before we left Winston-Salem's city limits. Rusty spent the remaining 75 minutes zonked out on a dog bed in the back seat, and when we got home he came inside to do more of the same.



We've been home for almost 2 hours and Rusty is still sound asleep!

Meet Rusty

Our new foster dog, Rusty, came home with Zoe and me today. He's a mix of Australian (stumpy-tailed) cattle dog and Blue Heeler. I snagged these photos from the BFPA web site and the previous foster home, so you can't tell that he's actually a bit chunky right now. We'll be working on shedding at least a few pounds!




Zoe played with Bailey on a very minimal scale, and the occasion of such was very few and far between. So I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Zoe and Rusty not only get along, but they play very well with each other. Both dogs need to lose a little weight so happy play is a definite plus!

Read more about Rusty on the BFPA web site here. Nala's adoption was finalized this morning. Thank you Jen for taking her into your home and giving her the love she deserves!

A Dog's Purpose

When I picked up this book at the library, I got to the parking lot before I started reading the jacket. Then I burst into tears - much to the fright of several patrons milling about.

A Dog's Purpose follows the life of Toby/Bailey/Ellie through his/her many lives as a beloved reincarnated dog. The bulk of the story follows Bailey - an ever loyal Golden Retriever and his favorite human, Ethan.

Of course it was the name Bailey that reduced me to sobbing in public. Ethan's Bailey and my Bailey shared many great qualities, and though my Bailey was a Norwegian Elkhound, I still couldn't help but picture him in Ethan's adventures. Bailey's "end" made me feel like I'd relived the ordeal of saying goodbye to my Bailey, which was thoroughly heartbreaking, but cathartic nonetheless.

The dog's dialogue in the book was often quite funny and made me laugh out loud to think of any of my dog pals sharing the same sentiments. For example, when reborn as Ellie, Bailey quips, "A few weeks later I was in the yard, showing one of my brothers who was boss, when I stopped and squatted and all at once realized I was female! How could I, Bailey, be a girl dog?"

Ultimately just as much of a tear jerker as Marley & Me, Purpose is still very much worth an investment in reading 320 pages. I cried. I laughed. I gasped. But most importantly, I was reminded of my latest and greatest friend, and why he was described as such.

I miss Bailey every day and remembering him often brings me a great deal of sorrow, but I also know that he will forever be an integral part of my life.

Bailey is a very special dog. I'm certain he's fulfilling a very important duty on the other side of the rainbow bridge. xo

Quote of the day

"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."

-Konrad Lorenz, Zoologist and Nobel Laureate (1903-1989)

Marathon Man

My brother ran his first Boston Marathon today and finished at a personal best time of 3:11:54. Go Todd!

I am so proud. Even at my best shape ever (when I was swimming) I don't know if I could run 26 miles. Whew!

Here's a fist pump to you, Todd!

Antique hand me down

The first two pictures are of me wearing an ABC dress that I'm pretty sure someone made for me when I was a baby. My mom says I am a little over 2-years-old in these pics. That's my cute brother in the second pic with me.




I gave the dress to my goddaughter, but she had apparently outgrown it before Kerry could get her into it, so I passed it on to another of my oldest friends and her daughter, Ansley. Here she is showing it off. So retro and very cute!

Quote of the day

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

-Mark Twain

Zoe meets the front loader

I had a new energy star front loading washing machine delivered this morning, and Zoe doesn't know what to make of this new contraption.

I wish I'd had my camera on hand when I started the wash cycle because her behavior was far more hilarious then than in the video below. She was putting her nose right up to the machine, but as soon as it started moving again she'd skitter backwards. She did that three or four times before I got the camera.

My favorite parts are at about :21 when she hears the bead on the end of my sweatpants hit the front door and at :28 when she jumps at the water flowing in.

Kid's movie night

Best kid's movie ever - I LOVE Monsters Inc. I have my own copy - that and Corpse Bride, which comes in at a close second.

Abby spent the night with me Friday night - and let me just say that she is the most horrible person to share a bed with ever. She kicked me at least twice, slapped me with her arm once, and hogged the comforter - and the bed - all night. Of course I love her, but I'll think twice before volunteering to share my bed with her again.


Nevertheless, we giggled through the whole movie - rewinding our favorite parts - and genuinely enjoying each other's company. Wish I could see that sweet kid more often - just not in my bed!

Gotti gets a fence

This is 22-week old Gotti - likely a pit/boxer mix. This morning we (Coalition to Unchain Dogs) built a fence at his house for him and the three other dogs that live there: Kilo, Coco and Jada.

Gotti was by far the feistiest. We all kept kidding that he is the trouble-maker because he's the only boy in the bunch. All four of the dogs were very friendly and seemed quite pleased with their new digs.

Watching the dogs run free after the fences are complete is the greatest reward and keeps me going back for more every week.

Money

I'm working on getting this little girl placed. She is absolutely the sweetest thing - almost completely white with black spots on her ears. I'm pasting the info about her from her current foster home below the picture. I saw this dog when I went to pick up dog food at her foster home on Thursday. She was in a fenced area and didn’t even bark at me – just watched me and happily wagged her tail as I went back and forth hauling food.

The beautiful girl at Amanda's house is Money, a 3 yr old, spayed female pit mix. We built a fence for Money in January 2010. Her human has fallen on difficult financial times and had to move in with a relative who would not allow Money to come with her. She is very upset and is hoping we can find Money a good home. Money loves children and gets along well with other dogs. There have been two times when she was around another aggressive dog that she showed some barrier aggression. I think the aggressive dogs scared her. She plays very well with Casey's pit bull, Flex, and I took her to visit a family that had a chihuahua mix and she was very gentle and playful with him. She LOVES people and truly wants to be a couch potato. She is motivated by positive human interaction more than anything else. I'm not sure if she has food aggression, but she does not seem to be very food motivated, so I suspect she does not. Amanda fills her food bowl in the mornings, but she doesn't gobble it up right away like she's starving, she grazes on it throughout the day. She is not up to date on her shots, but I am looking for a volunteer to transport her next week to get those at Affordable Animal Care Clinic. I've attached a picture. We appreciate any help you can provide in finding her a home. I know that placing dogs is difficult with a limited number of homes and an unlimited number of dogs. Let me know if you need any additional information.

Lori Hensley
Director of Operations and Development
Coalition to Unchain Dogs
www.unchaindogs.org