Adopting a Dog: Testimonials #4

This time our testimonial is about Belinda and her dog Lil Baci. Another doggie that found love, kindness and the opportunity to have a new life and a new family. This is her story:

"When I first saw Baci. She was languishing in a kill-shelter facing euthanasia. She had 3 strikes against her: She was a senior dog and had extensive costly dental disease as well as digestive issues... so she was bypassed... until I laid eyes on her. I saw perfection and a shy sweet angelic soul. I was hopelessly smitten. Without hesitation I adopted her.

After getting her extensive dental work done, I needed to deal with her challenging digestive issues - which made her extremely finicky about what she would eat. After exhaustively going thru countless high-end dog foods, I decided to head to the kitchen and develop my own grain-free, organic all natural food and treats for her which would provide her with peak nutrition. I shared the food and treats with other "dog parents" which is how the Company "Lil Baci's Grain-free Naturals" was created.

I never fathomed that adopting Baci would result in launching my own Organic grain-free Dog food/Treat Company. Saving Baci's life simultaneously changed mine tremendously. And I will always be grateful to her." - Belinda, Boston.

Origami Dogs

Time for a break! After all day working with the computer it is fun to make something different. For your kids or for you, make these origami dogs. The videos are easy to follow.

Adopting a Dog: Testimonials #3

This is the third post with testimonials about adoption. I am so excited to see how much love people put in to the writing of their stories, That reflects kindness and a desire to show others what a blessing these dogs are in their lives. This week's testimonial is from Gloria and her dog Sonny:

"While fostering my second Brittany our state coordinator sent all volunteers a photo of a 12 week old puppy, looking for his forever home. His mother and 2 of his siblings had been surrendered and had already been adopted. He was the runt, last dog left. Having no plans to ever raise a puppy again, I asked about his personality. He was described as a middle of the road type dog. PERFECT. The hook was set.

Training a puppy, what was I thinking? WOW, what work! Will I be able to exercise him enough? Other challenges? Yep, he got mange, developed a limp with his growing pains and has a calcium deficiency and broken teeth. Luckily everything is under control now. Sonny stoically withstood being medically probed, creams applied, and medicine given.

Sonny’s personality developed into one of the most flexible dogs I have ever encountered. His easy-going nature, his fearlessness, and his joy of play readily welcomes every dog (and human) into his home. He shares his toys, food, humans, and furniture, whatever. Sonny makes sure each dog is exercised to their individual ability. When he plays with a puppy or small dog, he somehow becomes a small dog. Sonny can take on the big dogs, too. Labs, Setters, Aussies, bring them on; he’ll play on their level. If a dog wants to dominate, Sonny is ok with that. If they are submissive, he encourages them to relax, be comfortable and secure. With Sonny’s expert help, confidence is quickly built. He shows other dogs how to sit, come and generally how to behave in and out of the house. It all seems to come naturally for him. Sonny is equally content to entertain himself as an only dog or party with a group of dogs. Oh, and did I mention he is a cat-like dog?He’ll climb on anything. His favorite place to nap is on the back of a couch.

Sonny has been a great addition to our family and a super asset to ABR. With his assistance, fostering is more rewarding. He has a job to do. He trains, exercises and offers friendship. Sonny really enjoys his work.

Sonny passed the Canine Good Citizenship Test and he was only 1 ½ years old. Sonny is 10, now the oldest after our Dalmatian passed away at 16 1/2 years. He is a big brother to two other rescued dogs." - Gloria, Florida

This is Mimi, Gloria's last showgirl dog. Sonny grew up with Mimi. After she crossed over the rainbow, her family decided to get into fostering.

Adventures: Walking with your Dog

One of the best parts of my day is when I take a break from working at my home office and I take my dog Winnie for a walk. We go out 3 or 4 times a day alternating short and long walks and some times when I am stressed or inspiration is not around for a project, I just say "let's take a walk!" and it takes a second for Winnie to be ready and jumping at the door.

There are many benefits for you and your dog from taking a walk to the park or around the neighborhood. The dog feels that he is WITH you, that you care about him and feels loved. What a better experience for your friend than smelling the flowers and playing detective discovering clues from other dogs that were around before?

I could mention many benefits but here are a few:

- Creates a stronger bond between you and your dog - Helps your dog (and You) socialize and make new friends - The dog enjoys quality time with you - Improves your health (and your dog's!) - Releases stress and fills you with renewed energy - You (and your dog) will sleep better at night

You may had a hard day at work, or you don't have much free time during the week, but it is worth to see your dog's wagging tail and excited to go out, even for a short walk, don't skip it. If you have a garden where your dog enjoys being outdoors, do it anyway and enjoy the adventure. What a better partner to motivate you to do some exercise?

Some tips when you are out:

- Try not to walk long distances in extreme weather - Bring water for your dog if you will take a long walk - Watch your dog if there are young children around

What is your favorite spot to go for walk? a park? the beach? around your neighborhood? Share your experience on the comments section : )

Doodling Dogs

Do you often find yourself doodling on napkins or paper? I prefer paper and pencil, but I am always looking for new Apps. or other mediums that I can mix in my work or just for fun. In this post I want to share with you an App. that is  great. Not only you can doodle dogs but any abstract shape that you can imagine. The name of the App. is Flowpaper and you can download it here.

These are the doodles that I created in seconds. It is that fast. If you want to spend more time making combinations of colors and shapes, try it!

National Puppy Day

This is a picture of my first dog, Samantha. I still remember the day she came into our lives. Running around the house, chewing shoes, barking and jumping and making us smile every day.

This celebration was started by Coleen Paige in 2006: "National Puppy Day is a special day to celebrate the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives. But more importantly, it's a day to help save orphaned puppies across the globe and educate the public about the horrors of puppy mills, as well as further our mission for a nation of puppy-free pet stores".

Celebrate playing with your puppy and find 50 other ways to do it at Coleen's page. Click here

And for a bright Sunday, watch these 2 puppy videos to keep you smiling all day : )

Happy National Puppy Day!