National Dog Day 2014

Today is National Dog Day! It is one of the celebrations that excites me more : ) not only because I have a lovely furry angel (and two that are now in dog's heaven) but because dogs deserve to have a Big Celebration.

It is not only their beauty or the blast we have playing with them, it is about all the Love they give us unconditionally, the special connection we have that can't be explained with words. It is about having an angel at home who brightens your day every day or seeing someone else dog at the park giving you that look that makes you feel like hugging the 4 legged smiley friend.

But this day is also about the dogs that are not fortunate to have a family or that are abused and neglected, to make everything in our hands to stop other people to be cruel and to help doggies in need. Every little help is huge, anything we can do and the sum of small of big efforts, will make a difference.

Here are some ideas of things you can do to help:

• Organize a Dog Party and ask your friends, family and neighbors to bring their pets for treats and fun as well as food for donation to animal shelters.

• Choose one (or more) organization, national or local and donate whatever you can (one month worth of savings from coffee or snacks, the earnings of a garage or ebay sale) or if you are fortunate to have a good job, something more : )

• Share all the posts that you can about helping animals on Facebook or Twitter, social media is really powerful!

• If you are ready to commit to a long term-forever love relationship, adopt a dog! I know some friends that adopted and now their lives changed in so many and positive ways.

Post a comment and share some ideas on how we can help doggies (and other animals) in need.

These pictures are from my angels, Winnie is 12 years old.

Camila got her wings to fly when she was 16,

and Samantha (her mom) when she was 12 but they will be always here.

I found these 2011 video from Thomas University about National Dog Day. Enjoy it!

Do you have dogs? What are their names? Leave a comment and tell a story about them : ) Happy National Dog Day to your Friends!

International Assistance Dog Week

This week we celebrate dogs who are more than companions, dogs who help people with disabilities and support them at a physical and emotional level.

International Assistance Dog Week was started after the efforts of Marcie Davis, a wonderful woman who wrote the book Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guide book, a great resource with practical advise and guide about service dogs. She is also a host of the internet radio program Working like Dogs.

Dogs have an extraordinaire intelligence and ability to help, but not all breeds are recommended to be trained for service. Between the most common service dogs we have Golden Retriever and Labrador, "A good service dog is not protective, is people orientated, not overly active, confident but not dominant or submissive. Service dogs should not require complex grooming as this could be a problem for their owner"

To read more of which breeds make a good service dog and to find assistance, go to the Assistance Dog International website and find your regional chapter.

There is so much to learn about. Some of the assistance dog types are: Guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired Hearing dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing Service dogs for people with other disabilities like Brace/Mobility Support Dogs (BMSD), Wheelchair Assistance Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs (DADs), Severe Allergy Alert Dogs (AADs), Seizure Response Dogs, Medical Alert Dogs (MADs) and Psychiatric Service Dog (PSDs) just to mention the most common types.

This week, some groups are organizing events to educate people and raise awareness about why these dogs are so important and cherished. If you want to organize an event, follow this link and download the materials you need (including banners) http://youtu.be/FkyeESrDywc

Celebrate Assistance dogs by spreading the word. Do you or a family member or friend have the blessing of enjoying the company of a service dog? Tell us about it in the comments section below! We would love to hear about your experience.

Note: The images in this post are from the International Assistance Dog Week website.

Happy 5 de Mayo!

Happy 5 de Mayo! Did you have a celebration on the weekend? Are you having some "margaritas" today to celebrate?

It is an important celebration in México, but it is more celebrated in the US. Click here to read more about 5 de Mayo.

Techichi

And to stay into the Mexican history, do you want to learn more about the Chihuahua dog?

"The Chihuahua’s history is puzzling and there are many theories surrounding the origin of the breed. Both folklore and archaeological finds show that the breed originated in Mexico. The most common and most likely theory is that Chihuahuas are descended from the Techichi, a companion dog favored by the Toltec civilization in Mexico"

To read more about it click here.