Great Pet Net

The dog days of summer are here and these guys have it made. Truly a dog’s life.

The Old Man and the Dog
by Catherine Moore

“Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!” My father yelled at me.

“Can’t you do anything right?”
Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn’t prepared for another battle.

“I saw the car, Dad. Please don’t yell at me when I’m driving.” My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon . He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to
his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn’t lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn’t do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.
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Ted Schneck describes his mission:

It was 11:00 A.M. on a Tuesday, in March 2007, when I got the phone call that changed my life. It was the vet, calling to tell me that the bump we’d noticed in my dog Marty’s mouth was, indeed, the late stages of full blown cancer.

And so began my journey into the world of Canine Cancer care.

Because as much as the vets tried to convince me that Marty had only 3 - 6 months to live, max - I was lucky to have some friends who knew better. They taught me natural treatments that helped me care for Marty and keep him strong and healthy for almost 18 months - amazing “bonus time” that I got to spend with my friend and companion of 8-1/2 years. And with Marty’s success I began my journey as a dog cancer author and mentor. I wrote the book Curing Canine Cancer as my “one stop” guide to teach other dog owners what we’d learned, and help them care for their dogs in need.

Until then I was just your average “Corporate Lawyer… turned Massage Therapist… turned Internet Marketer” (you know us, a dime a dozen - from Michigan Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and one of the top law firms in the country… to giving massages at day spas and typing away on my laptop computer at Starbucks coffee houses in my hometown of Portland Oregon - Trust me, my mother wasn’t exactly thrilled…).

Now I was Working for a Higher Cause

But now I was working for a higher cause. Helping, as best I can, dog owners face their own times of need and despair. And loving that I could help, and the grateful messages I receive in the process. (Last Thanksgiving, one of my clients actually wrote to tell me that “this Thanksgiving we’re giving thanks FOR YOU - and all that you’ve done to help us with our dog… ” Now that’s cool!)

But as many people as I can help, the same problem keeps coming up over and over again - Clients who desperately want to help their dogs - to give them the same chances that I gave Marty - but who simply can’t afford to pay for their dog’s care.

So, while I’d do my best to console them, donate a copy of my book “Curing Canine Cancer” to their dog’s care, and point them to the few, underfunded charities that they could petition for assistance - I finally decided that I needed to do something about it…

I Finally Decided That I Needed to
Do Something About It

And that’s why I’m riding this summer across America - 4,281 miles in 82 days - Pacific to Atlantic - to raise money to help these dogs - these sweet innocent victims of this terrible disease - get the care they deserve.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar:

I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:

He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he’s trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?

via Scott Williams

From Headlines on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Officers received a report of a dog running loose, but were unable to locate it. The went to the…

I’ve posted some touching stories about events at the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary over the years. This piece profiles the founders, Alayne Marker and Steve Smith, and provides some insight into their lives and their hearts. Click here and take a few minutes to get to know a little bit about their world.

Slide show courtesy of AARP Bulletin Today.
Photo of Ellie May the blind and deaf cocker spaniel courtesy of Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary.

I couldn’t resist sharing this cute photo of Dixie, a rescued Jack Russell terrier, who was one of the winners in the ASPCA “My Furry Valentine” photo contest. Read her story at the ASPCA website. You can enjoy photos of the rest of the winners here.

Dachshund mom, Tink, willingly adopted a newborn piglet who was the runt of his litter. Known fondly as Pink, he has been accepted as one of the family. Read the entire account at the Daily Daschund and Dog News. Love is blind, indeed.

Thanks to the Daily Dachshund and Dog News for the photo.

From The Daily Puppy:

Buster was saved from a puppy mill and had a very difficulty life. He now lives on five acres in Oregon, Ohio and loves to run and play.

Oddee describes Tillamook Cheddar, a Jack Russell Terrier from Brooklyn, New York. Widely regarded as the world’s preeminent canine artist, she has already had seventeen solo exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe.

Her first official biography, Portrait of the Dog as a Young Artist by F. Bowman Hastie III, is published by Sasquatch Books (2006).

The artist’s primary process is a dynamic color transfer technique. In preparation for each of Tillie’s works, her assistants assemble a touch-sensitive recording device by affixing pigment-coated vellum to a sheet of lithograph paper backed by mat board. Working on the outside surface, she applies pressure with teeth and claws in a methodic ritual marked by dramatic shifts in tempo and intensity. The resultant sharp and sweeping intersecting lines complement the artist’s delicate paw prints and subtle tongue impressions, composing an expressionistic image that is revealed on the paper beneath when she is finished.