Celenie's nephew, Delaney

Celenie's nephew, Delaney, is living with her for a while. She wants the world to see what a handsome fellow he is--even if he does have a problem walking on her new floors...

Dieting with My Dog

Yes, you can do everything with your dog, including improve your health. Author and pet columnist, Peggy Frezon, took the time to visit with me recently to share her writerly thoughts on Author Exchange Blog. She's sharing her "animal" side with us here on Forever Friends today.

Which do you like better, dogs or cats, and why?

I love all animals, I’ve shared my home with dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, goldfish, turtles, even a hermit crab. If I had to say, I’m really more of a dog person because I’ve always developed more of a relationship with my dogs, and I think I understand dogs better than I understand cats.

Which do you like better, dogs or people, and why?

Honestly, both. I think we all need both dogs and people in our lives. One cannot completely substitute for the other.

How did you come to share your home with Kelly, the dog with whom you dieted?

While I was going through the empty next, I found myself spending countless hours on the Petfinders website, visiting the homeless dogs. Then one day I saw Kelly’s adorable furry face, and I knew she would join our family. She came from a rescue home in New York, and she was about 1 year old when we got her. She immediately put our yellow lab in his place, letting him—and us—know that she was top dog.

Do you think there's an intrinsic difference between people who have pets and those who don't have (and don't want) pets? If so, share your philosophy.

There are many people who don’t have, and don’t want, pets. Maybe it’s allergies or lack of time and space. The difference is people who don’t like pets. That is something I would wonder about. I always feel more comfortable with people who love animals.

Peggy Frezon, author of Dieting with my Dog (Hubble & Hattie, 2011), is an award-winning writer, regularly published in Guideposts and Angels on Earth magazines, and a contributor to more than a dozen Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Other publishing credits include stories in The Ultimate Dog Lover, Miracles and Animals, Animals and the Kids Who Love Them, Chicken Soup for the Soul; My Dog's Life, and more. Peggy writes a twice-monthly web column, Pawsitively Pets, is a staff writer for Be the Change for Animals, and blogs at Peggy’s Pet Place. She has two grown children, and lives with her wonderful husband Mike and lovable spaniel-dachshund mix, Kelly.

Connect with her on Peggy’s Pet Place blog (http://peggyfrezon.blogspot.com/), website (http://www.peggyfrezon.com/), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/peggyfrezon) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/peggyfrezon)

From lambs to saddle blankets and rugs ... River Run Weaving

Pepper's twins, born Feb 2011

These little guys are the twins Pepper gave birth to last month. Pepper is just one of the flock of sheep owned by Sharon and Will Hamilton of River Run Weaving in Huson, MT.

Pepper (as a baby) and Sugar

The Hamiltons raise their sheep, shear the wool, and then Sharon sets to work spinning the wool, dyeing it, and creating the most marvelous handwoven items, including rugs and saddle blankets.

In addition to raising sheep and chickens on their 10-acre spread, River Run Weaving is also the home of Magic and Bowtie, the two guard-llamas who keep the flocks safe from coyotes and other wildlife in rural western Montana. I, personally, own a handknitted scarf Sharon designed and made from the wool of Magic, the dark brown llama shown below.



Bowtie & Magic



Here is a list of the types of items you can find at River Run Weaving: Rugs, Saddle blankets, tapestries, socks, bags and purses, and custom items.

For more information, photos, or ordering information, visit River Run Weaving online:

• website
• on Etsy

Happy Birthday, Vinny! Love, Mom



Vinny

 Today is Vinny's birthday and his mom, Danielle,  wants everyone to know how terrific he is.

Vinny is a 6 year old fawn Italian Greyhound (IG). He loves to be chanced by other dogs and young children. He loves to play with stuffed animals, dance, boss around his brother, and cuddle under a blanket. Vinny is very curious and smart. He knows how to ring a small bell (dangling at the door) to let us know he needs to go out. Like a typical IG, his eyes speak to me! After 6 years, that face still steals my heart. Vinny is full of personality just like his brother from another mother, Frank.



Vinny's brother, Frank

Frank is a 5 year old seal IG. Frank was a spunky puppy, but Alpha Vinny trained him....literally. Frank listens to Vinny's commands. If only I knew what he was saying so I could use the magic! Frank is large for an IG, weighing in at 26lbs. I think his large size has made his heart larger too. Frank LOVES kisses on his forehead and giving hugs. Yes, he wraps his arms around your neck for a big hug when you arrive at home or he thinks he hasn't seen you in a while. A bundle of love!

Many visitors to my house say how luck my dogs are to have parents that "spoil" them (allowed on the furniture, sleep in our bed, heck we bought a house away from family because it was best for the dogs!). I think they are mistaken, because we are lucky to have such wonderful dogs in our lives. No matter how bad the day or the situation these two knuckle heads can put a smile on our faces with their big eyes and personality. We are the ones being spoiled.

Abe (formerly known as Damian)



Damian

This handsome guy is Damian. He's a resident of AniMeals, a no-kill shelter in Missoula, Montana and, although he's not going to be euthanized, one of the volunteers believes he may very well die there from a broken heart ... and his past ... if someone doesn't adopt him soon. Here is what that volunteer had to say.

"Yesterday was photo shoot day at the shelter where I volunteer as a photographer. Today is edit and recovery day. It’s a long drive home from the shelter and it snowed all the way, but I was glad for the delay. It gave me time to cry hard and still get a grip on myself before I walk in the door at home and start selling my story that the purex seems to be burning my eyes more than usual.

The girls that work at the shelter are young, sweet, and full of ideas they’re going to try and programs they dream of implementing. It’s a no-kill cat shelter and there is some wiggle room there, but not near as much as the public pretends to believe. I don’t go and take pictures as often as I feel I should. I don’t want those vibrant girls to know that I don’t have enough heart left to manage it. There’s only a little piece left and it’s important to keep it beating though sometimes I wonder just what for, exactly.

At every shoot, there’s 3 or 4 cats that threaten to destroy the little thread of control I try to hang on to while still walking the floor at the warehouse. Yesterday it came down to one male tabby named Damien. He was terrified, destroyed. He had come in a group of 3 cats a woman had to relinquish. One had been 20 years old, and already succumbed to the horrors and confusion of the vast land of fear and misunderstanding that they are bombarded with. Damien, was supposedly the closest....her soulmate. He hides behind some posts, but I managed to pet him. I could feel all the points of his backbone. They say he won’t eat. I pray he is adopted soon. I pray my pictures will help him. I mostly pray he doesn't die there. Sometimes I’m selfish and pray that I don’t die there either.

There’s a world of Damiens out there. They are the broken, betrayed, scared and confused victims of our lack of morality. I wonder how much heart they have left, and how long they will be able to keep beating."
 
If you live in Missoula, consider adopting him or one of the other needy cats.
 
If you don't live in Missoula, RUN don't walk, to the nearest shelter and save the life of one of Damian's counterparts all over this country.

Have You Heard of PetRescue.com?

http://www.petrescue.com/

According to their website, they are "a small, non-profit animal rescue organization located in central Florida that provides sanctuary for and specializes in caring for largely non-adoptable stray cats and dogs. Most are either old, have medical problems, are feral, or have behavior problems that has precluded them from being adopted."



Their mission:

• To provide long-term care for the aged, infirm, and non-adoptable animals.
• To promote low-cost spay/neuter programs.
• To participate in feral cat fix-release programs where appropriate

Contact Info:
     PetRescue.Com, Inc.
     P.O. Box 531057
     Debary, FL 32753-1057

     Email: info@petrescue.com

     Website:  http://www.petrescue.com/

Do you know an animal shelter or pet rescue in your area that you'd like to have us spotlight? Just send us an e-mail!

How to Stay Warm in Below Zero Temperatures

By Max and Molly Faulkner:

160 Cats Rescued from a Home in Virginia

160 cats were rescued recently from a home in Ammandale, Virginia. The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is asking for donations of towels, flat sheets, bleach, newspapers, Avoderm wet and dry cat food, and Royal Canin baby cat food.

Kitty from Fairfax County Animal Shelter

Detais of the story appear here in the FairfaxCityPatch and indicate the animals lived in the house of two women whom neighbors claim were hoarders trying to unofficially rescue the cats.

Many thanks to mystery writer Sandra Pearshall for mentioning this matter. Feel free to spread the word so these cats can be returned to good health and find new homes.

Pet Toxins

Sammy, the Moluccan Cockatoo

The ASPCA reports the top 10 pet poisons of the year: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/top-10-pet-poisons-of-the-year.aspx and, YES, some people food is on the list!

Upside Down Kitty Photos

Roy believes that cats should get equal billing with dogs (see previous blog post about Upside Down Dog Photos), so he convinced his Mom to send us this:



Upside Down Dog Photos

Just discovered a website that posts pictures of upside down dogs ... every day!  Here's Charlie, the American Bulldog.

Check them out at http://upsidedowndogs.com/ and enter your own photos for posting!

Justin Bieber's 2nd Ad for PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced on its website that Justin Bieber stars in his second ad for that organization.  (I only know who he is because I have an almost-12 year-old granddaughter.)

The grammy-nominated artist stars in his second Public Service Announcement to ask the public to adopt animals from shelters rather than to purchase them from pet stores or breeders.  For more info on his PSA, click here.

Nationally, PETA says, six to eight million cats and dogs find their ways into animal shelters--and half of them wind up being euthanized.  If you'd like to follow PETA's blog, it's called The PETA files.

What's YOUR Favorite Animal Shelter?

At the moment, I have two:  AniMeals and Missoula Animal Control, both in--you guessed it--Missoula, Montana.

AniMeals is a no-kill shelter and animal food bank that has more cats than anything else.  We adopted Grace and Molly from AniMeals.  Here are a couple of their kitties, Conrad and Sophia:

Sophia

Missoula Animal Control has dogs and cats, and we adopted one of each from them:  Charlotte and Max.  Here are some of their critters:



Gus

John Henry

Lebowski

Tell us about YOUR favorite animal shelter and show us some of the faces you can't resist.

So, How do You Feel About Michael Vick?

I've been reading all kinds of things about Vicks and someone proclaiming to be a dog lover thinks he should get a dog.  Tell me, how do YOU feel about him getting a new dog?

Here's some stuff I've stumbled across during the past few days:

LA Times articles:

1. http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/01/the-conversation-michael-vicks-redemption.html
2. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-banks-20110104,0,5889912.column

Raised by Wolves blog:  http://cynography.blogspot.com/2010/12/profane-open-letter-to-leader-of-free.html

Best Friends blog:  http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2010/12/29/when-the-president-calls-about-the-vick-dogs/

Bad Rap blog:  http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/worthy-white-house-literacy-project.html