Cassie

I walked into the vet's office and maneuvered my way around other dogs waiting for the vet. I took Cassie up to the counter and waited for someone to notice me.

When she did, she smiled at me and then looked down and saw that I had Cassie with me.

Her smile disappeared and a look of sadness appeared. She asked, "Nothing for Cassie today?"

"No", I replied. "She's back until next weekend."

Cassie at Petsmart with Kat.

The lady called for help and soon Cassie and her wagging tail were whisked behind the door and back into her kennel. Before Cassie disappeared from sight, I gave her a pat on the head and a kiss on her nose. "Be a good girl", I said.

I turned back to the lady behind the counter, "Here's her paperwork and her "ADOPT ME" vest".

She sighed and said, "OK. She is such a good girl. All of us enjoy her so much here. We all wish she would get a good home soon."

I nodded my head in agreement while I folded the still warm leash up into my hands. "Have a good weekend", I said as I left the office.

This is Cassie's life. She lives in small kennel at the vet's office.

Cassie is another dog that was rescued from Pima Animal Care Center by Tucson Cold Wet Noses. Cassie was adopted and then for whatever reason, the adoptive parents decided they didn't want her anymore.  There was no where to put her so she sits in a kennel during the week.

Sometimes during the week, she gets a walk and sometimes on weekends she gets to visit Petsmart with the other dogs that are in foster care all looking for forever homes. At least the other dogs get to go home with their foster parents and sleep in warm beds. Cassie, on the other hand, doesn't have the luxury of a foster home where someone can pet her and keep her company.

I wanted to meet Cassie and get to know her more before I wrote this post on her.

Kat and I took Cassie to Petsmart a couple weeks ago. No one paid much attention to her. Customers always visit the cute little chihuahuas that wear the tiny colorful dresses and fancy collars. They sit pretty and beg for treats.

Cassie is HUGE. She's at least 75 pounds and doesn't wear colorful dresses or beg for treats. Instead, she sometimes barks and makes an embarrassing spectacle of herself when she sees a little dog. She does not show well at Petsmart.

What was initially obvious about Cassie is that she is very much loved by every person at Tucson Cold Wet Noses. Every single foster parent at Petsmart that day made it a point to come over to visit Cassie. They all gave her pets, treats and encouraging greetings. Someone purchased a bone for her to keep her busy at the event and then gave me extra for the vet to give her while she waits in her kennel for a home.

One of Cassie's very good friends, Jessica, said this about Cassie:

"I guess the sweetest thing about Cassie is when you pet her and look into her eyes, she just looks so happy and thankful to be with someone. I walk her around Catalina United Methodist Church in Tucson and a man came up to meet her, after a few minutes she was leaning up against him like he was her pal! She likes to chase lizards."

Cassie chilling in the grass. Photo by Jessica England.

I can confirm that Cassie does like to chase lizards! However, she doesn't go crazy-knock-you-over-onto-your-face-crazy that some dogs do. A quick "no" and she's back on course. She does walk very well on leash. She does know "sit" and I believe "down". Kat was trying to teach her "shake" while we were at Petsmart.

On that Saturday at Petsmart, I discovered that look she gives you when you pet her. She appreciates the good stuff! She wants a family, she wants to be your friend and loyal companion.

She is a beautiful dog that does not deserve to spend another day in a kennel. She deserves a home, relaxing in the grass and being petted by her favorite people. Hopefully YOU!


Cassie does best in a home at this time with no other dogs. Maybe at some point she will be able to live with another dog but as of right now, no. Cassie seems to be fine with cats.

Please contact Tucson Cold Wet Noses for more information about Cassie. Fill out an Adoption application or maybe a Foster application.

Happy Birthday Dinner

We're a little late. Dinner's birthday was actually August 8 but I don't think he'll notice.

OK, everybody sing...

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Dinner,
Happy Birthday to you!

Dinner is the big 2 today.

2 is old for a mouse. I think he's been around so long because he exercises every day. He travels about 28.6 miles per day on his little wheel. He eats only natural mouse food and he stays away from sweets.

Let's remember last year. He had his brothers, Breakfast and Lunch with him. 

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner enjoying their 1st birthday cake and ice cream.

 

 

Here is the story about Snowflake, Dinner's mom

Snowflake, Dinner's mom. 

Thank goodness Spots the snake was Pro-Life! She wouldn't eat Snowflake and then 2 days later, Snowflake had 7 babies.

She was a good mommy. No, I don't know which one is Dinner in the picture above.

Happy Birthday Dinner!!

My August pages for My Creative Scrapbook

Another beautiful kit this month! Here are my 4 pages that I created this month. Click here for info on the kits.

 Fair Food:

 

Chillax:

 

Summer Smiles:

Summer Hello:

This month the kit had fun transparency frames, flowers from Pebbles, papers from Bo Bunny and beautiful ribbons.

Later in the month, look for my tips and techniques for these pages.

Thanks so much for looking!

First Day Last Day First Day

It was the first day of school today. Kat started 5th and Trent started 8th.

Here are the first day of school photos from a year ago. I never did the First Day/Last Day from last year and make you guess which was which. It would have been way too easy for you to guess since Kat's toe was broken at the end of the year and she had to wear a special boot.

Here are First Day 2013 photos:

and Last Day of 2014:

Look at Trent's shoulders. He looks absolutely defeated and totally irritated. I don't know why he was so mad.

And if you're new to my blog, I always make the kids wear the same thing on the last day of school as they wore on the first day of school. Trent started with the tradition when he was in Kindergarten.

And here ends my obligatory post of the First Day of School photos.

Thank you very much. :)

My Creative Scrapbook Blog Hop

Welcome to the My Creative Scrapbook August Kit Reveal Blog Hop!

My Creative Scrapbook is thrilled to celebrate the reveal of the beautiful August kits with an inspiration-filled blog hop complete with beautiful PRIZES!  The design team has prepared a spectacular assortment of projects for you, so be sure to visit each blog to soak up all of the inspiration.

Several prizes are up for grabs!

*** The Grand Prize Winner will receive a complete Limited Edition kit! ***

But that’s not all… there are more prizes to be won… Prima, Prima, and more Prima!
Don’t forget to leave comments as you hop along to each blog for chances to WIN!

Presenting the My Creative Scrapbook August kits:

There’s something for every style!

Are you a My Creative Scrapbook kit club member?

If not, now is a great time to join!

Subscription information can be found here: http://www.mycreativescrapbook.com/kits.htm

Did you know that My Creative Scrapbook also offers a variety of Add-ons?

Choose from flower kits, mixed media kits, off-the-page project kits, project life style kits, and more… there are even Lindy’s Stamp Gang spray sets available!

The add-ons can be found here: http://www.mycreativescrapbook.com/addons.htm

Here is a page I created with the August Creative kit: 

I don't have to mention how much I loved this kit, do I? I say that every month but it's true! So true!

My favorite part about this kit were the frames. I had the best time working them into my pages. I tried very had to think out of the box and use them for something other than placing them on top of my photos. 

For the layout above, I first used two different colors of spray ink on the background. I didn't spray it, though. I took out the spray mechanism and just flicked the ink onto the page.

I used the frame around some food related die cuts. The photo is a picture of my kids in front of a food vendor at the fair so I wanted my page to be just about that.

 P.S. In the picture, the kids are actually holding stuffed animals that they won but shhhh...don't tell.

I set up the frame to look like a shaker box. The die cuts are glued down and don't shake.

I used another frame on the right behind the photo. I added some die cuts underneath the frame and positioned some on top of the frame.

I hand cut the pinwheel from one of the patterned papers, tied a ribbon around it and stuck it down.

Some items are on 3-D glue dots for added dimension. 

I glued down everything and then just simply kept placing die cuts and stickers around the page until I felt like the page was done.

Before you go, remember to leave a comment on my blog to be entered into the prize drawings!

I would love it if you signed up to follow my blog. You can do this by clicking "join this site" on the link in the left hand column. 

We would love it if you would follow us on Facebook, too.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Creative-Scrapbook/130352440344752

The blog hop ends on Friday, August 8, 2014 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Winners will be announced on the My Creative Scrapbook blog on Monday, August 11^th.

The next stop on the blog hop is Joan Bronson 's blog.

Here is the complete blog hop lineup:

My Creative Scrapbook: http://mycreativescrapbook.blogspot.com/
Alicia Giess: http://inspiredandblessed.blogspot.com/

Becky Litz: http://www.scrapcircus.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth Hellum: http://www.elizabethmhellum.com/

Heather Binnie: http://heatherlb.blogspot.com/

Joan Bronson: http://scrappyjoan.blogspot.com/

Jodi Wilton: http://luvalotland.blogspot.com/

Kris Berc: http://stashofprettypaper.blogspot.com/

Kristin Greenwood: http://kmgreenwood.blogspot.com/

Kristine Davidson: http://kristinedavidson.blogspot.com/

Lydell Quin: http://lydellquin.blogspot.com/

Lynn Shaffer: http://linnie79.blogspot.com/

Maiko Kosugi: http://maimaipiano.blogspot.com/

Marilyn Rivera: http://marilynrivera.blogspot.com/

Marta Lapkowska: http://artistycrafty.blogspot.com/

Nicole Doiron: http://www.scrap-utopia.blogspot.com/

Sandi Clarkson: http://softsideofsandi.blogspot.com/

Wendy Antenucci: http://antenucci.blogspot.com/

Yuko Tanaka: http://wihtcolors.blogspot.com/

My Creative Scrapbook: http://mycreativescrapbook.blogspot.com/

I bet you were wondering about this

I am happy, no thrilled to report that that Ms. Chutney has finally found her forever home.

Remember my story from a month ago? Click here.

Well, Ms. Chutney has passed her two week trial with a wonderful couple. They have no other dogs and just one cat. Chutney doesn't seem to be interested in the cat at all.

I met the couple and they LOVED her. By the end of our visit, Chutney (now Charlie) LOVED them. She was sitting next to their feet and ready to live there.

It was reported that the new owners told Terri from Tucson Cold Wet Noses that we "are never ever getting her back again".


Thank you everyone for sharing her story, for your prayers and well wishes.

Chutney finally has her happy ending. Have a wonderful life, Chutney Charlie. We love you.

A little spark of joy - The Brandy and Cheetah Story

I've been threatening my friends for months that I was going to write this story. It's been hard for me to get started because I can't say or even think "Brandy and Cheetah" without crying.

Cheetah and Brandy

I originally met Brandy and Cheetah months ago in February.

These two girls were dumped by their owner. I don't remember why but I do remember that they had spent their entire life outside. Cheetah (on the left) is younger than Brandy. I think they're about a year apart. Neither girls were spayed.

If you came into PACC alone, you made friends quickly looking for a buddy to walk either Brandy or Cheetah with you. They were so bonded to each other that they had to be taken out at the same time because the other would cry and fuss if left behind in the kennel.

The two girls would walk side by side and occasionally Cheetah, the younger one, would just jump on Brandy's back trying to initiate play. Brandy would either try jumping back on her or would jump up and spin around. It was like they were so used to the kennel and not being able to move around too much and they would suddenly realize, "HEY! We're outside! WOOHOO!" I would call it "their little spark of joy".

To be honest, these two were kind of a pain to walk. They had to be corrected and made to sit because they're very strong dogs and too much jumping around and spinning is really not good leash walking. And who's going to adopt two large dogs if they can't even be controlled on a leash?

The annoyance was worth it because you could tell how much they loved each other and how important it was that they stay together.

They would sleep together, curled up in a little ball on the dog beds at PACC that are made for one dog. Somehow they could squish together enough that they both would fit.

A volunteer made a flyer for their kennel that stated they were a bonded pair and would like to be adopted together.

A few weeks into walking them, I asked someone if they thought Brandy was pregnant. She was getting kind of lumpy.

Yes, Brandy was pregnant. She was immediately spayed and her puppies aborted. She was put back in the kennel with Cheetah. Cheetah watched over her and kept her safe during her recovery time.

Months later in May, I came in one evening and I saw Cheetah outside with Tucson Ruff Runners. Ruff Runners is a volunteer group that runs the dogs. They felt that with the energy that both of these dogs had, that running them would help and maybe cut down on their jumping and spinning during leash time. It works great for so many dogs and it worked for these two.

I looked at Cheetah and noticed she wasn't her normal spunky self. Her head was down and she seemed nervous. Her tail was between her legs and all she wanted to do was sit on the bench or go back to her kennel. A runner was trying to get her to run but she wouldn't go anywhere. I was concerned she had hurt herself.

I asked a volunteer what was wrong and she said, "Cheetah is missing her sister. They were both adopted today but by different people."

and this is where I'm crying. I'm crying as I write this and it's already been months.

Because Brandy was already spayed, she got to go home with her new adoptive parents right away. Cheetah on the other hand, still had to be spayed and had to sit alone in her kennel for days until her spay surgery.

(I hate crying) I hate writing this story because it truly breaks my heart. While I was happy that both were adopted, I was still upset to see Cheetah so sad.

Cheetah simply could not function without her sister. I knew she'd probably get over it and I hoped that Brandy was fitting in well with her new family.

Pretty Brandy

If you're crying now, get another tissue because my story gets sadder.

A month later in June, I see Brandy sitting in a half kennel. She was sitting on the floor and her head was down. She wouldn't look up at anyone passing her kennel.

I immediately pulled the paperwork to see why she was dumped at PACC again.

"Dog is shy around men", was all it said. 

WHAT? I read it again.

"Dog is shy around men".

That's all it said. There was no other reason.

If it weren't for the kajillion people roaming around, I would have dropped to my knees right then and there and bawled my eyes out.

Instead, all I did was tell Brandy, "Hi, good girl!" and I gave her a few treats.

My only idea was to find out Cheetah's owners, call them to check on Cheetah and see if maybe they wanted another dog. My idea was stupid as that information is private and no one would give it to me anyway.

I didn't know what to do. I tried telling her story verbally but found it impossible because I would cry every time. Really, I would. So instead, I networked her on Facebook with a brief story. I knew one of these days I would get around to writing it all out.

Around the same time Brandy was returned, PACC started an enrichment program. Each Monday, volunteers take out certain dogs for training. I am part of that program so I chose Brandy.

The first time I put the leash on her, she was excited to see me but there was no happy spinning as we walked out to the training area. There was no spirit in her step and no spark of energy.

She was just kind of "there". She was sad and I felt it radiating from her.

A couple months have passed and Brandy is happier. She gets her walks, her runs and her weekly training sessions.

Last week she learned "down". I was so excited for her that I rolled her onto her back for a belly rub and noticed that she still had 9 staples in her belly from her spay surgery so many months ago. We worked a little more on her training but I wanted to take her up to the vet to get those staples removed.

Brandy staying "down" with Kat. See...she likes kids, too.

It hit me that the owners that had her for a month must not have paid much attention to her. They didn't even notice she had 9 staples in her belly.


As I was walking her to the vet, the volunteer trainer came with me. All of a sudden, Brandy jumped up and did a little spin. She did her little "spark of joy" spin that she used to do with Cheetah.

"Does she do that often?" the trainer asked.

I said, "She used to. I haven't seen her do it in a long time!"

Brandy pranced with happiness to the vet's office. I held her up and they very carefully pulled out the 9 staples. She didn't wince, she didn't whine or cry. Afterwards, she gave us all kisses and I took her back to the tent for the night.

The only reason I can write this story now is because I can mostly do it without crying. Brandy has her little "spark of joy" back which makes her story easier for me to tell.

However, she is still sitting in her kennel in the tent. Her story won't be completed until she finds a real forever home. She may have needed her sister in the past, but now she needs a soft place to rest and a back yard that she can fill with sparks of joy.

Brandy is about 2 years old. She is at Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, AZ. Her ID#A470595

Thank you for reading and sharing.

New Sneak Peeks for August

It's the 1st of the month and that means it's time for My Creative Scrapbook Sneak Peeks.

Here are my sneak peeks:

Go to the My Creative Scrapbook blog for the rest of the team's Sneak Peeks.

It's a really great kit this month!