Shih Tzus - sweet & smart!

I have the most amazing Shih Tzu in the world.  Her name is Bella and we adopted her from The Animal Rescue Foundation. She was rescued from a horrible puppy mill that was closed due to inhumane conditions.  After many months of being patient and giving her time to adjust, she has turned into the most wonderful companion.  She has the sweetest personality and is a total cuddle-bug!

One thing I have to say about Bella, is she kind of marches to the beat of her own drum.  There is no forcing Bella to do anything, and I wouldn’t want to!  All I want her to do is enjoy life and forget the life she once had to live.  Also, as we adopted Bella when she was almost a year old, it is harder to train after that time.

However, I found this video on youtube today of Sadie, a three year old Shih Tzu, who obeys very well!  She even knows how to do the bang and roll over.

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Dogster, in partnership with the American Red Cross, recently launched an innovative pet ID and recovery service called Together Tag as a stand-alone solution or as a complement to your pet’s existing microchip.

Easy Online Enrollment
A one-time fee of $24.95 covers your dog for life. Simply add profile information to activate your account. Special discount for families with three or more pets!

Cool, Disaster-Proof Tags
The service – specifically designed for natural disasters – features stylish, reflective tags, lab-tested under extreme conditions.

Shelter & Community Alerts
Benefit from an extensive network of over 5,000 shelters and 1 million pet-lovers. Targeted alerts are dispatched as soon as you report your pet as missing.

Click here for more info.

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• Finding the best veterinarian for your dog;
• The dangers of electric shock; and
• This heartwarming story about a girl who saved a dog.

Woof!

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Here’s an uplifting story about my greyhound hero, and here’s a somber story about more greyhounds in desperate need of help.

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At last, some good news to come out of what I have to say was one of the most distrubing animal-related tales to hit the airwaves in a while (besides Sarah Palin’s penchant for shooting wolves, that is).

Check out the happy-ish ending to the sad story of Michale Vick’s dogs at Sports Illustrated.

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The American Mutt-i-grees Club, founded by Pet Savers Foundation, wants to spread the word that mutts are people  dogs too!

The American Mutt-i-grees Club is all about change and choice:

Changing how mixed-breed dogs are regarded, by celebrating the unique
characteristics of each one of them, and helping people make the right
choice – the choice to adopt mixed-breed puppies and adult dogs at shelters across America.

No To Puppy Mills
When you adopt a Mutt-i-gree from a shelter, your choice also says “No” – no to buying a puppy in a pet store that’s supplied by the unbelievably cruel
trade of the purebred puppy mills and irresponsible backyard breeders. If
these puppy mills are stopped from bringing millions of puppies into the
world, millions of puppies and adult dogs being euthanized each year might
be saved.

Three out of every four shelter dogs are mixed-breed, and for many
Mutt-i-grees, their lives end before they begin. Make a difference and save a mutt!

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Two years ago today, my husband and I rescued Greta, and our lives have never been the same since. Sure, it was hard in the beginning–after all, she was a puppy with no experiences outside of living in a wire crate 23 hours a day.

Slowly, she learned how to relax and live in a home. Although she readily accepted me as her Alpha, it took her a bit longer to understand the hierarchy of the home (me, husband, cats, her).

Now, she fits right in and not a day goes by that she doesn’t make me laugh due to her silly antics.

This year, I decided to commemorate our anniversary with a cute photo frame I found online at Pearhead.com.

The frame is called Pawprints, and it allows pet owners to create an impression of their pet’s paw, which is displayed on one side of the frame, with a photo on the other.

Pawprints includes everything necessary for assembly, including an elegant pine shadow-box frame, acid-free picture mats, acid-free background boards, non-toxic/air-drying impression material, a wooden rolling pin, shaping ruler and double-sided tape.

Mine should be here any day. Get yours here.

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October is Adopt-A-Dog month, a celebration established by the American Humane Association to promote dog adoptions from animal shelters and educate people about responsible pet care. Learn more about events in your area here.

And just in time for Adopt-A-Dog month, Disney’s new film, Beverly Hills Chihuahua hits theaters October 3. The film is about Chloe, a spoiled Chihuahua who finds herself lost on the streets of Mexico, where she makes interesting friends and has all sorts of adventures. The film features the voices of George Lopez and Drew Barrymore, among others, as well as Piper Perabo and Jamie Lee Curtis. To learn more about the film or find out where it’s playing near you, click here.

Lastly, I was recently invited to co-host the Lucky Dog Show, where I tried to keep up with host Lisa Woody as we discussed legal issues pertaining to dogs. We’ll call it my 60 minutes of fame, and I have to say I had fun! To listen to the show, click here.

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Back when I was looking into rescuing a dog, I stumbled across a local organization that helps place Golden Retrievers in homes. That group, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc., is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of securing safe, loving homes for displaced or homeless Golden Retrievers. They receive Golden Retrievers from owners who can no longer care for them because of changing circumstances in their lives, and they also maintain close working relationships with animal shelters in Sacramento, Sutter, Placer, El Dorado and surrounding counties to ensure that Goldens are relinquished to them prior to being euthanized. They even rescue Golden Retrievers found wandering the streets or reported to them by concerned neighbors. They rescue Goldens of all ages, and even mixed Goldens on occasion.

A secondary mission of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc. is the procurement of suitable land, either donated or otherwise, for the purpose of constructing a facility to house as many as 25 golden retrievers at any one time, with a permanent caregiver in residence. We need the capability to provide housing for the overflow of Goldens that have been rescued but not yet adopted, and to provide long-term care for those Goldens with special needs (i.e. blind; amputee; etc.).

Given the fact that they are rescuing an average of 350-400 dogs each year, the need for a sanctuary is quite evident. However, it cannot come at the expense of our basic rescue activities, as their financial resources are first and foremost allocated to the healing of the physical and psychological wounds of the rescued Goldens. Any surplus, or excess funds, will be reserved for sanctuary operations.

That’s where the Kibble & Bids annual fundraiser comes in. With the support of sponsors, attendees, participating wineries, breweries, restaurants, and auction donors, the groups has netted $110,000 for the organization last year. All proceeds were devoted to veterinary services for the dogs, continued maintenance and improvements to the adoption center and sanctuary, including the extensive kennel remodel and equipment/storage garage.

Last year Homeward Bound rescued a record 561 dogs, almost double the number in 2006 (288), and incurred a whopping $305,263 in veterinary expenses. You name it, they do it: heartworm therapy, chemotherapy, hip replacements, knee surgery, spaying, neutering, hospitalization, dental work, shots, eye surgery, dermatology, and the list goes on. From intake to evaluation to placement, every aspect of rescue and adoption is done solely by volunteers and donations.

Kibble & Bids 2008 is Saturday, September 6th at The Riverwood Estate in Sacramento. Tickets are $55 per person in advance and $65 at the door. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here.

Please also note that for the month of September, I will be blogging here only once per week, every Tuesday. If you miss me, be sure to stop by DailyEatsOnline, PetSavvy, SavvyCooking, and SavvyHalloween, where I will also be blogging once per week this month. See you there!

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One of my favorite blogs, one where I get my daily dose of wilderness, is The Daily Coyote.

Granted, it’s not about a dog per see, but the way Shreve Stockton writes about her experience living in a one-room cabin in Wyoming with her cat, Eli, and her unexpected companion, Charlie the coyote, is one of the best things I’ve found on the Internet to date.

Charlie is a wild-born coyote who landed on Stockton’s doorstep after both his parents were shot for killing sheep. Not wanting to interfere with nature, but realizing that the baby coyote would not survive on his own, she took him in and they learned to respect each other and live together harmoniously.

As I wait patiently for the release of Stockton’s latest endeavor, The Daily Coyote: A Year With Charlie, I get my fix via her blog, which amuses, educates and inspired me to be one with nature.

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