Merry Christmas!

Sam and I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of our fur-iends a Merry Christmas! We hope you have a happy and safe Pawliday season with your loved ones. Totally looking forward to an AMAZING 2012. Gotta feeling it's gonna be a GREAT year!

Best wishes!

New Toy!

Got a new toy! A super slim ultra cute camcorder. Tested it out on Sam. She's a great muse. It's new so I am still learning how to use it. Hopefully the videos will only get better....and more entertaining.

Happy Howl-O-ween!

She absolutely HATES wearing clothes. But she humored me in wearing this super-cute Halloween costume. Wishing everyone a safe and fun Halloween night!

We Will NEVER Forget.

I did not have a dog during the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. But I still loved them. They are incredible animals and they played a huge role in the recovery efforts after the attack. They were search dogs, rescue dogs and in many ways, "man's best friend" during some tough times. I think the video below does an excellent job of recognizing the invaluable role dogs played as heroes during such a tragic time in our nation's history. We will never forget.

The difference between your dog and your cat....per their diaries.

An email forward sent to me a while back. I LOVE this....

From a Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
11:30 am - Chased cat! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the garden! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

From a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

You Tube Dogs

Below are a few You Tube dog videos that I love. They demonstrate some of the reasons why I love dogs so much.

Dog Rules...for people who love dogs.

The following was sent to me by another dog lover:

1. The dog is not allowed in the house!
2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
4. The dog can get on the OLD furniture only.
5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
6. All right, the dog is allowed on the bed, but ONLY by invitation.
7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but NOT under the covers.
8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation ONLY.
9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.

Stubby Dog

I wanted to share an amazing website I recently discovered via Sam's twitter account. It is stubbydog.org, and is dedicated to redefining the reputation of the pit bull breed through positive and amazing stories about these incredible dogs and the people who love them. Sam is not a pure-bred pit bull, but the vet says she has some in her. Many mixed breed dogs do. Unfortunately, they are one of the most prevalent breeds in animal shelters across the country. Mostly due to their negative reputations and improper breeding for improper purposes.

Pit bulls are incredibly smart. Multiply their intelligence by how loyal they are and you have a great friend for life. It's not the dog that's bad, it's the ignorant people who make them bad. The irony is, once taught to behave this way, these dogs are so loyal, all they want to do is make their master happy. Imagine how wonderful they are when taught to be well-behaved.

I personally think pits are beautiful dogs. I hope that websites like stubbydog.org and all the other champions for the breed can someday make a positive change in how they are perceived.

Thundershirt

Sam in her Thundershirt.

Summers in Florida mean guaranteed afternoon thunderstorms. I have had Sam since she was a month old. My guess is, at some point while she was a small puppy, she experienced a terrible thunderstorm and has been terrified of them ever since. I am under the assumption she started out as an outside dog so she must have experienced a storm outside. Who knows? But what I do know is that she is TERRIFIED of thunder and fireworks now. We're talking heavy panting and scratching on walls, doors, whatever as if trying to escape the horror. She paces whatever room she is in and essentially goes nuts when its thundering and lightning or the fourth of July.

I have tried everything to help console her and help her understand that she is safe indoors. Nothing has worked. I have resorted to having to put her in her crate and covering it up with a sheet like some kind of caged bird. Although trying to get her into the crate is a challenge. She fights going in as if you are sending her to her death. So much DRAMA.

Not too long ago a friend turned me on to the Thudershirt. I purchased one as a last resort to help this situation. Interestingly enough, I just recently noticed Thundershirt has been running a lot of commercials on television and an article showed up in my local newspaper this morning detailing the product and its benefits.

I can't say that it has completely resolved the issue, but I have noticed that it does calm her a little when these frequent thunderstorms pass through. As long as I am in the room with her and she is wearing her thundershirt, she seems to be okay. If the storm is really bad, I put her in her thundershirt, in her crate. Only time will tell if this was a worthwhile investment. Maybe the more she wears it...the more comfortable and less scared she'll get. I'll make it a point to blog (or dlog) again as there is progress. If you want to learn more about the Thundershirt visit: Thundershirt.com.

PetHub.com

Not too long ago, I was introduced to a company called PetHub. In addition to having a website where you can create a pet profile with all your pet's information, they create unique pet tags that include a QRcode that when scanned links to that information. Should your pet ever get lost, someone with a smartphone can scan your pet's tag for details about them including owner name/contact information and all the basics. But it can also include medical conditions, vet information and more.

I am a techy kind of girl so I made sure to get Sam one. In purple, no doubt! Thought they were so cool, I ordered a few more for relatives pets. They come in different sizes and some great colors and styles.

Check out and sign up at their totally free website PetHub.com. Be sure to get a tag too!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sam's Story

Sam came into my life just over 4 years ago (2007). At the time, I worked as the PR Specialist for the local Girl Scout Council. I always arrived at work around 8am before most of the staff arrived by 9am. On one particular summer morning, I arrived to work to find a tiny collarless puppy and its mom hanging out in the parking lot. The puppy was beyond adorable. The mom...not so much. I watched them trot along and thought it can't be safe for something that tiny to be running the streets. I wanted to snatch the puppy and run so I could find it a safe home...but I was too scared of what the mom might do to me. So I refrained. I thought about the puppy and it's well being for the rest of the day into the following couple of weeks. I even tried to convince co-workers to go search for the puppy with me to no avail. Finally I told myself if I was meant to save this puppy, it'll come back some day. In the back of my mind, I really felt it would never come back because someone else would probably grab it or something unfortunate might have happened to it.

Wouldn't you know, two weeks later, the puppy and its mom returned to the office parking lot! I was thrilled! This time I was determined to grab the puppy regardless of its mother. But I didn't have to worry about her. She took off across the street dodging cars abandoning the poor puppy who was too scared of the cars in the parking lot. I saw my chance and went out and grabbed it.

It....was a girl. And I decided to name her Samoa, after the Girl Scout cookie, for her brown and white color and the location where she was found.  Needless to say, she has been my best fur-iend every since. Clearly, it was meant to be. She's now my fur-ever fur-iend.

The day after I found Sam, I took her for her very first visit to the vet. Here she is in the car on the way. She was a mess with medical issues but she is 100% healthy now.

This is a test

Evidently I can post to Blogger via text & email too. Sweet!

iPhone Test

So I have downloaded an iPhone app for my Blogger account so that I can manage it on the go. I am testing it now.






So far so good. I can post pics from the app easily. The interface is relatively simple. The "Sam" blog is fully functional now.

Hopefully she'll give me some great stories and pictures to share beyond her daily "laying around" routine.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dog's Best Friend

That would be me. Considering dedicating this blog (one of many I now have) to my dog Sam. Presumably as a way to document our time together.