Dogs on Thursday: A Spotlight on Sue's Dog Pack

Dogs are our link to paradise, They do not know evil or jealousy or discontent. ~Milan Kundera

Happy Holidays Everyone!

*Sorry this us up late, we had some power outages from the ongoing ice storms.
I know there are lots of terrible snow and ice storms throughout the states this past week and many are still without power, I keep praying that everyone is safe and warm while enduring the ongoing messy and dangerous weather.*

Bark out a big welcome to Nicky and Jodi, our newest members!

Please go over and visit Natalie, Jackjack and Abigail this week and wish them all Congratulations as our Natalie is getting married in the 20th!

For those that are participating in the Dot Holiday Ornament Swap

Time is running out. Please get your boxes in the mail by December 20th.
If you are having troubles and are running late, please, please contact your swap pal and let her know so she does not worry or feel left out, or if you want you can email me and I will let her know.
We are also in the need of a swap angel if anyone wants to help please email me!


Next Dot Thursday is Christmas and the next Thursday after that is New Years (also my anniversary) and I am going to be out of town and will not be posting on these days.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and memory filled Holidays and see you in 2009!~

And now for a special treat that will last until we meet up here again on January 8th.

Today's Doggie Spotlight is on Sue's amazing dog pack of 11!

"We have eleven dogs.
The three oldest are rescues.

Monty,


is a nine year old Chow/Doberman mix. He came to us when he was six weeks old and had been badly beaten. He still carries the scars, both physical and emotional. Monty doesn't trust strangers, especially men and he needs routine in his life.

Morgan,
a nine year old Shih-Tsu/ Lab mix joined us when she was eight weeks old. She and her litter mates had been neglected. She was and still is terribly shy. Morgan likes to go everywhere we go and knows we'll protect her .

Tsar,
a seven year old Husky/Lab/Chow mix was nine weeks old when we adopted him. He and his litter had been abandoned and we dealt with extreme separation anxiety. It took time and patience, but he can now be trusted when we leave the house and he's a wonderful companion.

Samba,
a six year old Portuguese Water Dog came from a Portuguese lady who had given her pups excellent care. Samba has never known cruelty or neglect and it shows. She is my shadow and never wants me to be out of her sight.

After a failed attempt to breed Samba, we brought Fudge home.
He's a three year old PWD and after all his genetic screenings were completed, he and Samba produced nine gorgeous pups.

One pup died after a few hours, but the others were strong and healthy. We sold one male puppy to a man in Oklahoma and one female pup went to a home near here where we can all get together frequently. We kept the other six. They just celebrated their second birthday.

Tess.
is the oldest. She is a bit ditzy, but very sweet and her favorite things are getting her belly rubbed and playing in water.

Sky,
loves to play with his ball and will bring it back as long as you keep throwing it. He's a little lazy, so making him chase the ball is the best exercise.

Lola,
loves to run and if someone will chase her it makes her happy. She will return the favor and chase someone else, too.

Bailey,
is our hunter- tracker. She leaves the others and goes off by herself to hunt for mice or lizards. Lately she's been digging holes in the yard to catch moles. She's very focused and it's hard to get her attention when she's hunting.

Noah,
is the littlest and quite flashy with a lot of white in his coat. He loves everyone and loves to cuddle. He's popular wherever he goes and he knows it. He likes to play with his siblings, but would just as soon keep me company on the swing.

Norma Jean is the youngest.
We call her 'Norma Jean the Jumping Bean'. She has trouble keeping all four feet on the ground. She wants to be touching people at all times. There is never enough petting to suit NJ. She can't pass by water without getting in it. That includes the drinking bowl and the shower.

I have shown my Water Dogs in conformation, but now we're concentrating on Rally Obedience.

Fudge, has two of the three legs necessary to earn his title and I plan to get a couple of the pups into it next year.

At Christmas I fill the toy box and when we take the lid off on Christmas morning,

each dog gets to select his own toy. We've been doing this for several years and although it causes a lot of noise and clutter, everyone seems to enjoy it.
From our house to yours, Happy Holidays."

Dogs On Thursday

Welcome to this weeks Dogs on Thursday!
It is a quiet week, so I just have a few announcements:

For those participating in the DoT Dogs Holiday Ornament Swap if you haven't already mailed your packages, don't forget to do that before December 20th.

Speaking of December 20th, for those of you who may not know, our DoT's Natalie is getting married on that day!

Please send healing prayers and wishes to Gmaries furbaby Abigail Jane as she had surgery the other day.

Here is a sweet, dogs Holiday poem to make to you smile by Shel Silverstein

Dogs First Watch
Tonight's my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleepin' all cozy upstairs,
While I'm guardin' the stockin's and tree.

What's THAT now . . . footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a cat or a mouse?
Who's THIS down the chimney?
A thief with a beard - And a big sack for robbin' the house?

I'm barkin'. . . I'm growlin' . . . I'm bitin' his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scared his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I've frightened the whole bunch away.

Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again,
The stockin's are safe as can be.
Won't the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow . . .
And see how I've guarded the tree.
by Shel Silverstein



...and a u-tube video that Nichole sent me this past week to make you laugh out loud.
(just a word of caution if you haven't seen this one before
A. turn up your speakers
and B. do not have a beverage in your mouth while watching.)


How does your dog(s) like the snow? Please show us by taking a picture or a video and post them on your blogs by January 31, 2009.
On Thursday February the 5th I will post them all here! Please email me by January 31st to let me know if you are participating.
Have a great week everyone and stay warm!

Dogs on Thursday: Spotlight for Snuffles

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."
~Louis Sabin

Welcome to this weeks edition of Dogs on Thursday!

A big welcome our newest member Maria from Vienna, to our group and please go visit her awesome blog and say hello!

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a full and blessed event last week.

Is everyone ready for winter now?
Elise likes about 10 to 15 minutes of walking in the snowy paths then she is ready to come back inside the warm house to eat and take her naps on her favorite cozy blanket!

Here is a fun link sent to me this week by Pooch on what your dog says about you.
It doesn't have all breeds of dogs but is fun to read.

Todays Doggie Spotlight is on Snuffles one of our new DoT members who is owned by Soulbrush.

"Snuffles was born in Thailand on 15 May 2001. She was sent with a huge black Rottweiler, to live with a family in Kuwait. The children preferred the bigger dog and the 18 month old child was kicking this little thing. So, luckily, the father decided to sell her. We saw an advert in the local supermarket,

showing her face and written all in Arabic. So we got the Manager to translate it for us. We arranged to meet in an overcrowded parking lot, early in August, with the temperature soaring at 50 degrees celsius. The man lifted this little ball of fluff out of his car, and put her on the blisteringly hot pavement, and she scuttled over to me, and I swept her into my arms, and that was that! Love at first sight! He asked for an exhorbitant amount of money which made my husband hesitate, but by then I was prepared to pay anything to have her. She was a ball of mischief from the word go, and got into all sorts of trouble. Whenever people saw me carrying her, they always thought she was a stuffed dog toy, till she moved!
One day, while licking my ear with absolute glee, she swallowed my little earring, which I couldn't find later in the day. We rushed her off to the vet who anaesthetised her, x rayed her belly, and found the earring. She was given a very strong dose of laxatives and we had to check her feces very carefully the next three days. No earring. Back we went to the vet, same palarva all over again, and the x ray showed that it was gone......it had been passed out of the body. Thank goodness. We took her for very short walks in the cooler evenings, and she liked the beach a lot and still does.
But mostly, she was an indoor dog and also loved coming with us in the car. When the Kuwait war came along in 2003, we decided that we should leave and return to the UK. She was sent to live with some expat friends outside Paris, to complete her 6 months quarantine period, before entering England. I knew that she would just not cope in a kennel here in this bitterly cold country away from us and the warm desert sands. I returned to London in August 2003 and my Hubby fetched her early 2004 and brought her with him to London. Her first visit to a park with grass was hysterical. She couldn't understand what this green prickly stuff was under her feet. She soon got used to it, and now loves the grass. She was terrified of red London buses and still hates them as well as thunder and lightning,fireworks and screeching kids voices. She was sort of okay with other dogs in the park, willing to be sniffed by them, till our son and Daughter in law got Winnie, who was a frisky little puppy and took a lot of our time and attention.
Now she can't stand other dogs and has a 'love/hate' realtionship with Winnie. She is now 7 years old and our 'granddog'. We both adore her and she adores us.
She follows me everywhere, and gets to sleep on our bed every morning and evening before we go to sleep. But she loves her bed in the kitchen, and can often be found there on a cold miserable wintery British day, snoozing happily.Of course, the sofa is second best to the bed. Wherever Mama goes, I go!"


Have wonderful week everyone and stay warm!

Happy Woofgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that all the homes will be filled with peace and thanksgiving to all.

Here are some great holiday tips for dogs and their people:
Thanksgiving tips
Christmas


Have a fun, food filled and safe day!

Dogs On Thursday: Spotlight on Thor

“For me a house or an apartment becomes a home when you add one set of four legs,

a happy tail, and that indescribable measure of love that we call a dog.”
~Roger Caras

Welcome to this weeks edition of Dogs on Thursday!

Please go over and say a warm hello and welcome Rachel and her cute dog Sophie to our group.

For those of you participating in the DoT Dogs Ornament Swap, I have already emailed you your swap pals. If you have not received your swap pal please email me.

This was to be a secret swap and everyone has someone different this year, although I wasn't very clear on this and I apologise. So a semi secret swap is okay.
If you already know who you have or who has you, just sport a case of sudden amnesia when you package comes to you from your pal.
Here is a recap of some important swap rules:
This Swap will end on Dec. 29th
Rules: Make, Create or Purchase a special ornament for your swap pal dog or dogs family and include a favorite special treat for that dog(and their doggie brothers and sisters if you get a multi dog family, usually a bag/box of treats is plenty.)
Use your imagination and have fun.
Please don't forget to mail your package to your pal no later than Dec. 20th.
(because life happens and there are many detoured plans so if you are running late please email or your pal to let her know...and if you need help also don't hesitate to email me.)

Go Check out Nichole's blog today for a review of L.L. Beans/Planet Dogs Naughty and Nice Dogs Hoiliday Tote.

We have a Doggie Spotlight today!
Meet Thor who owns Marjie and her family:
Thor was born May 5, 2001. Weighing in under 3 pounds, he's now about 100 times that weight! Thor was one baby from 2 litters born days apart totalling 25 pups, so he certainly felt right at home in the household of 9 two-legged puppies which he joined at 7 weeks.
Thor's people include 6 human brothers and 3 human sisters. He's also been known to round up the odd cat who wanders through the yard, because all dogs know cats really just want to play with dogs. He also plays with the guinea pigs, although those critters are so small that they can confuse a guy.
Thor doesn't go upstairs, nor does he sit on the furniture, although he has been known to sit on some of his people on the furniture, upon occasion (just so Mom doesn't catch him!).
Thor's brothers sometimes bring him home dinosaur femurs, which have to be sawn in half so Thor can trot around with them.
He has a lobster, who recently had open heart and claw surgery.
But a guy with big teeth sometimes does damage he doesn't know about!
Thor also has a rope to play "Pull!" with (he has pulled apart the previous 3 ropes). Mostly, Thor likes to sit in the middle of his people, or romp in the yard with his boys.
For Thor's 7th birthday, he had applesauce cake with meringue topping. Hooray! Finally, a guy gets the recognition he deserves, and gets dessert!
Some people refer to English Mastiffs as "gentle giants", and in the case of ours, the title certainly fits!

Happy Dogs on Thursday!

Edit: For some reason beyond my comprehension Mr. Linky is having linking problems and some names (includinging mine) had to be reentered as they were lost in cyber space. So if you see you name moving around the link list that is why. I will try and keep an eye on it today.

Dogs On Thursday

“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them,

filling an emptiness we don’t even know we have.”
~Thom Jones

Sorry I am running late this morning and for this being a brief Dogs on Thursday.

Please Welcome out newest member DK and go over and visit her blog today and give a warm Hello!

I am slowly doing maintenance on the blog all this month so if you haven't already please check for your name on the blogroll and then click on it to make sure it goes to the right blogsite.
If you would like me to change your blogroll name and/or site please email me.

We are doing the "Winter Ornament Swap" again this year!
So far it looks like it is going to be a good turnout but there is still time to send me your questionnaire and we really do need a few more players.

Sign ups will continue to run until November 15th at midnight then I will do the matching and email you your swap pal information by November 18th.
This Swap will end on Dec. 29th
Rules: Make, Create or Purchase a special ornament for your swap pal dog or dogs family and include a favorite special treat for that dog(and their doggie brothers and sisters if you get a multi dog family.)
Use your imagination and have fun. Please mail your package to your pal by Dec. 20th.
I am not putting a price on this simple swap because it is the season and I know that each of you will exhibit much kindness to each other in being creative in your swap and I don't want to inhibit your ideas with a price.

Here is a the questionnaire:
1.)How many dogs have you?
2.)What is/are your Dogs name?
3.)What Winter holiday you celebrate?
4.)Do you or your dog(s) have any allergies?
5.)What is your snail mail address?
6.)What is your Email address?
7.)What is/are your Dogs favorite treats/kind of toys?
8.)Anything else you would like to share about your dog(s)
9.)What are your favorite colors?
make your gift more special.
If you want to play, please email your completed questionnaire to me by midnight Saturday, November 15th.

With winter breathing upon us her are some winter paw care tips.
And additional tip from Tina S: Instead of using rock salt or de-icer on your walkways, steps or porch, especially the ones your pets use, try clay kitty litter. It provides the traction without drying out or cracking your pets feet!
Have a fun and weekend everyone!

Dogs on Thursday

Wow it is November already! Where did October go? or September for that matter.

Newbies:
Please welcome out newest members Bibi from Belgrade, Janet who lives with Corgi's, and Soulbrush from London.
Go over to their blogs today and howl out a nice welcome to them!

Maintenance:
Please everyone check for your name on the blogroll and click on it. Is it the right name and does your link go to the right blog?
If it is the wrong name, blog or you want a different name or blog on the blogroll please let me or Natalie know and one of us will fix it right away.

News:
Please check out Cheryl's blog today she has some good news about Greyhounds in her state.

New Swap:
We are going to have a "Winter Ornament Swap" again this year!
This is the swap button that Natalie made us last year I love it so we are going to use it again this year and may have more by next week and/or one after that.
Sign ups are now and will run until November 15th when I will email you your swap pal information. This Swap will end Dec. 29th
Rules: Make, Create or Purchase a special ornament for your swap pal dog or dogs family and include a favorite special treat for that dog(and their doggie brothers and sisters if you get a multi dog family.)
Use your imagination and have fun. Please mail your package to your pal by Dec. 20th.
I am not putting a price on this simple swap because it is the season and I know that each of you will exhibit much kindness to each other in being creative in your swap and I don't want to inhibit your ideas with a price.
Here is a the questionnaire:
1.)How many dogs have you?
2.)What is/are your Dogs name?
3.)What Winter holiday you celebrate?
4.)Do you or your dog(s) have any allergies?
5.)What is your snail mail address?
6.)What is your Email address?
7.)What is/are your Dogs favorite treats/kind of toys?
8.)Anything else you would like to share about your dog(s)
9.)What are your favorite colors?
make your gift more special.
If you want to play, please email your completed questionnaire to me by November 15th.

Contests:
Last week we had the Dogs Costume Contest!
The Winners Are:
Tina's Witch Maizey and Vampire Einstein

And...Laura's Rudi The Little Pirate Dog!
(Ladies please email your address so that I may get your prizes out to you on Friday the 15th.)

Re-Run:
Last week there were so many very cute extra add-ons of adorable dogs showing their fun for the festivities that I am going to do a re-run so you can see all the dogs that you may have missed.
Click on the picture for each dogs home/humans blog.

Have A Great Week Everyone!