RIP Mopsy

In Loving Memory of Mopsy. We will miss you!

We aren't sure why, but when we got up a few weeks ago our little bunny, Mopsy, had passed away. It was a sad moment. Rest in peace little guy and know we will always miss you!

Dog Day Dilemas - What to do?

With Halloween quickly approaching I decided to make something for Nikki to wear so she could go trick or treating with me and the children. I am in the process of making her a little red devil costume. I already have the horns completed and I am halfway finished with her cape. Here is a picture of her wearing her horns.
Cute, huh? She doesn't give me any problem about wearing them. As a matter of fact, I think she loves them!

She's learning the rules of the home really quickly now. Potty training was no problem. The biggest problem we had was her trying to chase the cats. Poor kitties. I couldn't find them for weeks after we brought the dog in! But Nikki is getting better about chasing the cats. When I catch her after one of them I make her lie down. She does as told and is learning when she is being scolded. Now I have to teach her that the mailman is not out to hurt us. :)


We all had a terrific weekend. As many of you may already know, my husband drives an 18 wheeler. We took Nikki to the truck yesterday. I had to pick her up to put her in. My back still aches from that experience. She loved it in that truck though! She felt so proud! She was such a happy doggie! However, we learned that she has a huge fear of heights. It took one person pushing and one person pulling to get her out of the truck! Once she was down, she was fine. Needless to say, I think I've found one of her fears.

When we left the truck we walked home. Nikki found a squirrel on the way home and decided that she was going to walk me for a change. She took off running with me running behind her trying to hold on to the leash. I'm not sure if I was hanging on to the leash to keep hold of Nikki or clinging for dear life. That doggie can run!

Nikki continues to be the best dog we've ever had. She's our baby and she knows it. She's spoiled now. As a matter of fact, as I write this blog, she is snoozing beside me. It's not a problem. She's keeping me warm on this chilly night.

I guess I had better wrap this up and go to sleep. It's 10:35 pm here now and I have to be up at 3 am to see the hubby off. He'll be gone for a few weeks. It's always a sad moment but we look forward to the next visit with him. Hope everyone has a great night! Hugs and kisses to you all!

It's been a while

Hi everyone! Long time no see! It's been crazy busy around here so time to the blog had to be put on hold. I'll fill you in on all of the details. First of all, our little puppy Aspen is no longer with us. After contracting Parvo we had give her to someone who was better able to care for her. The vet bills were too much for us and we wanted to give her a chance at life. The good news is, she beat the parvo and is living happily with a young married couple and 2 other female huskies. She's happy and that makes me happy. However, we did rescue another doggie. Her name is Nikki and she's about 2 years old. She has an amazing story and I want to share it with you.

Nikki once belonged to a friend of mine. My friend gave her away after about a year for odd reasons. Her new owner neglected her. She wasn't fed properly, had to fight for water, and was badly abused by the neighbors. When we found her she was in poor shape. Her fur was matted together in several spots, she was infested with fleas and ticks, she cowarded down each time we went to pet her, and she was skin and bones. The poor baby was in such bad shape I got permission from the current owner to take her home with me so she could have a chance to be loved. We brought her home with us that night. It was an hour and a half drive and the poor thing just sat in the back seat of the car and shook the whole way home. For days she went around the house with her ears down and her tail tucked between her legs. I was able to earn her trust on the first night when I brought her home and brushed her the best I could. I petted her and gave her tons of love. She enjoyed it, but was still uncomfortable.

The next day I took her to the groomer so she could be bathed, dipped, and trimmed. She weighs over 100 lbs so I certainly didn't want to take that task on by myself. I explained to the groomer that she was very withdrawn and that we had rescued her from a bad situation. The groomer understood and I left. After a couple of hours I went to pick her up. She looked beautiful! Her hair was no longer matted, she had a shiny coat, she smelled great, and she looked healthier. The groomer pointed out several scars on her body from her previous abuse. Poor baby. She has so many scars on her.

It's been several months since we've had Nikki now and I can happily report that she has finally come around. She no longer walks around the house with her ears down and her tail between her legs. She loves to play with squeaky toys and is fully potty trained. She has bonded so well with everyone in the home and has even begun to become protective over all of us. She is always at my feet. She sleeps in the bed with me. She sleeps at my feet when I'm in the livingroom. And when I'm washing dishes, she's standing right there beside me with her paws on the counter watching what I am doing. She's an amazing creature and has so much love to offer us. She's gained weight, loves to go on car rides, and is always wagging her tail. She gives hugs and greets the boys each day when they come home from school. We love her and really believe she was a gift to us.


Here is her picture.
Anyway, I want to thank all of you for being so patient for a new entry. :) With the beginning of school for the kids, my hubby going on the road, and having to take care of the homefront alone, it's been busy. I think I've finally adjusted well enough where I can continue my mission of helping animals.

Also, if you're looking to lose weight or want to keep up with my newly started weight loss journey you can check out my blog "My Journey to a Healthier Life" right here! Each week I will be posting updates on how my progress is going as well as blogs about my struggles and fight with the journey. Hopefully I can help others get motivated like I did. Anyway, I love you guys and I missed you! I look forward to sharing more heartwarming tales with you over time!

A Strange Chemistry

I found this band on myspace and thought they were really great. I wanted to share them with all of my blogger friends. You can visit their page and listen to their music here. Let me know if you share my enthusiasm for them! Thanks for checking them out!

Aye, Aye, Aye! My dog is so bad!!!

If I had a dime for every time I said, "Aspen! No!" I'd be one rich chick. I'm serious you guys! She's really bad! I love her dearly, but, she makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes! She's the greatest companion and a dear friend, but she's also very, very mischievous. Take her potty training for example. She knows it's a no-no to go indoors, but she will sit outside on her cable and hold it until she comes inside. As soon as she comes in the house, she tinkles. I wake up every morning to a wonderful pile of unmentionables in front of the living room door in the mornings. She refuses to use the puppy pad. We're going to get a kennel for her to stay in a night but that's a couple of weeks down the road. Ugh, why won't she get it? Don't get me started on the way she steals the kid's food. I have to put her outside when the kids eat or she will find a way to get their food. Trust me, she'll find a way. I am always getting on to her for eating the cat food and going in the laundry room. The litter boxes are in the laundry room and I certainly don't want her in there chowing down on the cat's waste. But, for some reason, she finds this a tasty meal. Gross. When she plays with the kids she gets way too rough. She's trying to be playful, but she winds up hurting them instead of playing. I hate to get onto her for that, but I can't have her hurting my babies. It's one thing after another with her. This is one journey I won't soon forget. I'm thinking of obedience school for her, but I'm not sure about it. Anyone got any tips?

Gardening for my Pets

I adore gardening. Aside from my family and animals, gardening is one of my greatest passions. I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment I get when I plant a seed and watch it grow into a beautiful flower. It's an amazing feeling. I'm not the only one who loves my garden. Aspen loves it too. We have had to move her outside cable (which she is only on for a small amount of time each time) to a different place in the yard. She keeps eating my plants! Apparently she believes I plant these seeds for her to enjoy in her tummy at a later time. Aspen isn't the only one either. I've caught my cat, Lady, outside numerous amounts of times smelling the flowers and rubbing up against them. He loves my garden, but he's not destructive towards it like Aspen is.

I was really proud of my daffodil that grew. It's amazing that this beauty was only a bulb when I planted it. I had planted 4 of them. One of them I chose not to plant in my flowerbed. Instead, I planted it near the Dogwood in my front yard. My 8 year old son, Jacob, decided that it was the most beautiful flower he had ever seen and he picked it for me. After my initiative anger was over, I hugged him, explained to him not to pick my flowers, and put the flower in some water to enjoy it for as long as I could. It was a sweet gesture, but a major no-no.






This is part of my fruit and vegetable garden. Here you are looking at my corn that is growing. I'm so excited! It's white corn which is my favorite. I can't wait until it's ready to harvest. You can also see my carrots to the right. I also have broccoli, and cantaloupe planted too. *Sigh* Gardening is a way to get my mind off of the daily problems we all face. It relaxes me, makes me feel at peace, and gives me that amazing sense of accomplishment. Now, if only I could teach the pets to garden imagine what I could accomplish.

Stop Animal Cruelty!!!

It's obvious I love my pets and would never intentionally hurt them, but sadly, that is not the case with many pet owners. Animals in your neighborhood could be suffering right now. Many animals are neglected or beaten and need help now. There are steps you can take to help. The ASPCA has listed the top 10 ways to prevent animal cruelty in your neighborhood. Take a look at them and learn to watch for signs of abused or neglected animals. Just following these steps can save millions of animal lives yearly! And think about it! You can help! :) You know I think you're all heroes. If you weren't, then I wouldn't be asking for your help today. Just take a look at the site and learn how you can be a hero in your neighborhood. Thanks!

ID Your Pet

A friend of mine asked me to mention the importance of having an ID tag on your pet. I happily agreed because I understand the importance of this matter. Most of us have felt the pain of having a lost pet, and many of us have also felt the loss of not having that pet returned.When we adopted our puppy from our local shelter we were introduced to a program called the American Pet Association. We were given a free one year subscription with a free identification tag. When we called to activate the tag we found out some really awesome facts about the organization. First of all, no personal information is given out when the pet is reported found. The way it works is the tag has a phone number to the organization. The finder of the pet will call out the ID tag number and will be given instructions to bring the pet to the local shelter. The local shelter will contact you to pick up your pet safe and sound. I really liked the idea because I'm not too keen on the idea of my personal info such as address and phone number being addressed to the public. Another cool fact about this organization was that if your pet is on meds, the organization will ship out the meds, free of charge, to the finder of lost the pet until they can get to a shelter. Also, once your pet is reported missing, they will send out free fliers and posters for you to post in your neighborhood. The organization will also call all the local shelters and vet offices to make them aware of the missing pet. It's a really great program that is really worth the money for your precious pet. If you're interested in becoming a member, it's $22.95 per year or a 1 time lifetime membership fee of $49.95. You can call 1-800-272-7387 to set up a membership.

It's such an important part of your pet's life to have an identification tag, no matter what kind it is. I'm not saying you have to go with the American Pet Association. I am simply recommending them because of the great program they offer. We have it on our pet and we feel so secure knowing that she is taken care of. No matter what type of identification tag you choose, remember, it's for your baby. It will help your baby to find his way home. :)

Baby Bird in Our Backyard

Check out these cool pics of a baby bird we found in our backyard. We're watching him carefully to make sure the mama comes back for him before sunset. If she doesn't, I guess we'll see what we can do to care for him.

He's so cute!

Tigers in Crisis

Hey guys! I found this amazing website about endangered tigers. Follow this link and check it out!