These are photos I took right after walking Toby in the rain. (Don't worry, he likes water. He is a Lab afterall.)

I love mud! This is great! Look at my belly!

Can't wait to trompse around inside the house with these feet!

Awwww, Mom, stop with the photos, already. They get it, I'm filthy...

But these are a few photos I took of Toby - just a few minutes later.

Notice something missing?

Where did all the dirt go?

Ah ha! There it is, on that towel.

Again with the photos. Jeesh. Enough already. I'd like my dinner now...

That's one of the great things about Labs - bring 'em out in the mud, towell 'em off, and they're good as new! What're some things that you love about your own dogs?

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited thirteen chapters out of fifty.

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Local Readers - Save the Date! Take a Break from Cooking - and Help a Homeless Pet. Eat at Chili's in Holtsville from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on April 2nd, 2012 and ten percent of your tab will be donated to Kent Animal Shelter.

CONTACT ME for a copy of the flyer that you need to bring with you for Kent to get credit for your meal - and please, tell a friend.

Help Kent to help dogs like handsome Jayden find homes of their own.

In the blogger community, lots of awards are passed around from blogger to blogger for many reasons; to recognize new blogs, to show our appreciation for others' hard work, and sometimes just for fun. I've received several awards over the past year, but I've admittedly been too lazy to work on them, and I let them all pile up. But I finally found some motivation, sat myself down in front of my laptop, turned off Facebook, and I'm going to address them all here in one post. Below are my backed up Awards, in order of receipt:

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The Versatile Blogger - Awarded to me by Success Just Clicks - back on June 23rd of last year, (yup, I'm embarrassed to say I let this sit so long), and then awarded to me again by 2 Brown Dawgs - on Jan 21st of this year. Thank you both so very much for the award! (And sorry Tena for taking so long to pass it along.)

Success Just Clicks is a great blog filled with tons of tips on how to train your dogs using very dog friendly methods. Not only does Tena train dogs, she also fosters dogs, and makes and sells her own tug toys. How she finds the time to blog regularly, I have no idea - but she does, and she does it well.

You would think that 2 Brown Dawgs was a blog about, well, two brown dogs - but it's not. At least - not anymore. It used to be a blog about two gorgeous hunting Chessie's named Thunder and Storm, but they went and brought home another sweet little pup named Freighter. Over at 2 Brown Dawgs, not only will you learn a little about hunting, but you'll also be treated to tons of great photographs depicting all three brown dogs' escapades.

The rules for the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:
1. Thank the award giver and link back in your post. (See above)
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to as many as 15 blogs you enjoy reading and let them know about the award!

Okay, here goes, 7 things that you might not know about me and the dogs:

1. My last name (Owczarek) means Shepherd. Even though it's my married name, it's a fitting name for me, because I grew up with German Shepherds, a Wolf-Shepherd cross, and one loan Collie named Maggie. After living with so many Shepherds, my family found that our Collie was not quite as smart as Lassie makes them out to be, and we never got another one (no offense to Collie owners). I also think my last name suits me because I sometimes feel as if I'm a Shepherd to the small flock of dogs under my care - even if I tend to go overboard by being too protective.

2. Despite how smart and loyal those childhood Shepherds were, I never wanted one of my own because of how much they shed (you do know they are alternately known as "German Shedder Dogs" - right?). But Leah suckered me into adopting her just by looking at me imploringly as I passed by her kennel at the shelter, and I decided to adopt her even after Nick and I took her for a walk and she dropped on her side every few steps and showed us her belly, and then submissive wet at least 10 times during the walk. Who could resist that?

3. I never wanted a Lab either, before I got Toby. I always thought they were "plain" dogs, and I really liked dogs with pricked ears and cool markings, like Huskies and Akitas, (although I still wasn't keen about all that fur), and I also liked working breeds, like Dobes and Boxers. I only chose Toby so that Leah would have a pal to help her overcome some fear issues. The friendly Lab seemed like a good choice - even though he was being treated with Clomicalm to help anxiety issues of his own. So we signed on the dotted line, and now that I have Toby in my life, Labradors have become one of my favorite breeds. Why I feel that way sometimes puzzles me, because I've taken Toby to twelve trainers. That's right. Twelve of them. And I've read dozens of books and worked with him religiously - for years. And he's still not trained. Nick and I actually think he is a little 'special,' and the people who get to know him well seem to agree. Maybe we shouldn't have weaned him off the Clomicalm...?

4. When I first found Meadow's story on Petfinder, I had grown enamored with sporting dogs, (thanks to Toby), but I hadn't had my heart set on a Vizlsa. We chose Meadow because we felt drawn to her story and thought we had enough experience to help her. As it turns out, we didn't, which is why I am so very thankful for her former foster mom, Lesli, who time and time again has helped me with advice on how to properly handle her. As much as I love Meadow, now that I've gotten to know several Vizslas, I don't think I could ever handle a young male one. Vizslas are great dogs, but it seems to me that many of the young males (at least the ones I've met) are off the hook with their energy levels. Those of you with young male Vizlsas - I give you a LOT of credit for the work you do to keep your dog's sane, (and yourselves).

5. With all that said about breed likes and dislikes - I'm a sucker for a furry face, and could easily fall in love with just about any breed of dog, (see facts 2 - 4). The only behavioral problem I really don't feel I'm equipped to handle is aggression - after Harley passed, but before Leah, we brought a Rottie-Shepherd-cross home for a trial adoption. I actually had a bad feeling about the dog at the vet clinic where he was being housed when we met him, but they begged us to just try over the weekend. "Please, he's a great dog," they said, and so we agreed. (Another example of me not listening to my gut.) Well, we ended up bringing that dog back first thing Monday morning after he grabbed my foot, snapped at Nick's face, growled at my back while I cooked dinner - and wouldn't let Nick into the house when he got home from work. It took all my strength just to hold onto that leash to prevent an attack, because he was over 100 lbs of snarling, protective dog. Not a good match for me.  

6. And speaking of good matches, over the years we've mainly opened our home to problem dogs, and I love each and every one of them and try my hardest to give them really good lives, even if things don't always work out as planned. As rewarding as this can be, it can sometimes be exhausting and stressful, and I've occasionally considered what it might be like to obtain a dog from a breeder - a good, well researched, responsible breeder. I've wondered what it might be like to start fresh with a (hopefully healthy) puppy that has no previous hangups and seeing what I could do with that dog, whether it be pursuing my much desired therapy work, excelling at dog sports, or, I even (briefly) considered getting involved in search and rescue. But each time I think of putting my name on a waiting list, I think of all those sad, unwanted faces at the shelters and on Petfinder and I just know that I personally can never purchase a pup - because it would haunt me that I could've given another homeless dog a new life in its place. So, I've decided, no matter the breed, the best match for me will always be a rescue. (Just wanted to add that I don't knock anyone that does choose the good breeder route - this is just a list of seven things about ME.)

7. Although I always plan to rescue, I've decided to be A LOT more choosey about my next four legged companion, whenever that may be. Nick and I have a real soft spot for the problem cases, and I do like to try to help them, but I've also had a growing desire to do something that helps both homeless dogs AND people. I've considered raising a service pup one day, but I know that bringing a service pup into a house with problem dogs is a terrible idea. Why risk ruining a beautifully and purposefully bred dog's chance at helping a human to live their life to the fullest, by having the puppy pick up another dogs' bad habits - especially fearfulness? And I still wouldn't be helping homeless dogs. Like I mentioned above, I've also considered search and rescue, because you can certainly adopt a dog suitable for search and rescue - their drive to work is often the very same reason they're given up. But I've decided I'm not suitable for it. I can't stand ticks, and I get lost going around the corner. I think my dog would end up babysitting me, rather than helping to find the poor lost soul we were supposed to be out looking for. I've thought a lot about this, and I can't think of any other ways that you can help homeless dogs AND people - other than therapy work. So I hope that explains my fixation on one day adopting a well tempered, calm dog that is suitable for such work. (I once thought Toby was that dog, but it didn't turn out so well...you'll have to wait for me to sell my memoir to find out why.)

Okay, so now that you know more than you probably ever wanted to know about me and my dogs, I'll move on to giving this award out to 15 other deserving blogs. In the interest of saving space, (and to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome), I'm going to give you a brief description - and urge you to check out each one for yourself.

1. Arwen's Pack - This is a great blog by a talented writer that revolves around her three gorgeous dogs: A Husky named Arwen (the blog's namesake), a Black Shepherd named Nyxie, and a Handsome Mix named Fenway.

2. At A Glacial Pace - Jess writes about Glacier, her second guide dog through Leader Dogs for the Blind, as they journey together through life. They've had their ups and downs together - but the important part is - they've remained together through it all, trying finding their way.

3. Back Alley Soapbox - Jen started the blog just for the sake of blogging, but according to her, after her two Newphies, Moses and Alma, entered her life, the dogs and dog related topics have mostly taken over the blog, (dogs are pretty good at this you know).

4. Bringing up Bella - Bella is a mixed breed who started out abandoned in the streets of Puerto Rico and is now living the good life in Massachusetts, while her new family (Leslie and Jan) are working on fixing some of the fear issues Bella developed along her journey.

5. Dennis's Diary of Destruction - Want a few laughs? Head on over to author James Viscosi's site, where his dogs, the intelligent mixed breed Trixie and her two troublemaking Vizsla siblings, Tucker and Dennis, share adventures in a comic-book like blog.

6. Dog Foster Mom - She started out by wanting to foster one dog so her own dog could have a companion to play with (and so that she could give another dog a place to crash), and she ended up moving out to the country just so she could foster many more dogs and cats (and adopt a few along the way).

7. Greyhounds CAN Sit - Gotta love a gorgeous grey! The beautiful greyhound Beryl and her buddy Frankie will impress you with their escapades in the sand. At this blog you'll find lots of great shots of dogs having a blast at the beach, amongst other fun dog related posts.

8. Just Between Us - Belle shares her heart with Dozer, a Miniature Schnauzer, and both of them are sharing their home with Riley, a service dog in training for Canine Companions for Independence. How wonderful it is that Belle is working so hard with this dog so that she can reach her full potential - to one day help a person in need of a four footed helper.

9. Life With Desmond - Lauren is a Long Island resident who is striving to be a positive trainer, which is a great goal, because there really aren't that many here on the Island. Desmond is her rescued Pittie, and Lauren ended up seeking more dog friendly methods after having a bad training experience with him, similar to what happened to us with our Dobe, Harley.

10. Life with Riley & Stella - Wander over to this blog and share in the training experiences of a male Lab and a female Vizsla pup. Hmmm....wonder what struck my interest about this blog? As it turns out, I found out that it's a great blog with lots of training tips, worth checking out.

11. Life With Seven Dogs - I think the title says it all on this one. So you think two dogs, (or even three dogs), are a lot of work? Try living with seven. Or, you could just live vicariously through this blog and save some money (and some room on the couch).

12. Oh Behave! - Lisa, a trainer and an Honors graduate from San Francisco SPCA's Academy for Dog Trainers, shares her dog training tips with you, and best of all, they're all dog friendly.

13. Something Wagging This Way Comes - Pamela blogs about her Golden Retriever, Honey, including their forays into K9 Nose Works, and more recently, she has started fostering dogs and shares her experiences welcoming new fur faces into her home.

14. The Dogs Are Really In Charge - Visit Fiona, another service pup in training, who's learning the ropes with Lance the Corgi and Vito the Toller. Hang around with them while the explore the world of dog sports, including obedience, agility, and disc dog competitions. You'll also find a lot of great training tips, in case you're interested in getting involved in any of these sports yourself.

15. Vizsla Inspiration - At Vizlsa Inspiration you will find gorgeous photos, mostly of Luna - a pretty young Vizsla, (hence the name of the blog), and sometimes you will also find photos of her sibling, Wyatt, a yellow Lab. Why yes, another blog about a male Lab and female Vizsla! Are you thinking what I'm thinking, that maybe these two dogs make a pretty good pair?

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The next award that I want to share with you is the One Lovely Blog Award - given to me by jodistone just a few weeks ago on Feb 8th. If you think my Toby can by trying, you should head on over to Jodi's blog and read all about her lovely Delilah, a Lab who might just put Marley to shame. But there's always a yin to every yang, and Delilah's yin is Sampson, a sweet innocent Lab who is probably the reason Jodi thought it would be a good idea to get a second one. Jodi is also an inspiring writer, who like me, is hard at work on her first novel (which I really look forward to reading when it is finished).   

Thanks Jodi for passing this pretty award on to me! Jodi said the purpose of this award is to recognize fellow bloggers and show appreciation for their work, and she also said that it wasn't clear how many other bloggers she should pass it on to. Since I've just passed along 15 other awards, I've narrowed this award down to only three recipients - all of which I feel deserve special recognition for their outstanding work in trying to help owners to understand their dogs better. Each of them blogs, write books, and conduct seminars in an effort to help improve dog's lives, along with the people who love them.

Fearfuldogs' Blog - Debbie Jacobs freely gives out advice, anecdotes, and discusses roadblocks you might come across while rehabilitating your four legged friend. Debbie got involved with fearful dogs after adopting a Border Collie named Sunny, who was at first too afraid to even leave the corner of the room. As per Debbie, after adopting Sunny, she has "thought of little else besides how to help scared dogs to not be so scared" and so it has become her life's work.

Suzanne Clothier's Blog - Suzanne Clothier is both a talented trainer and writer, and her blog posts, while few, are always thought provoking and moving. If you are not already familiar with her work, her training style is called "Relationship Centered Training" also known as RCT, and it is exactly that - she puts the relationship between the dog and handler above all other goals, and then everything else falls into place.

The Other End of the Leash - Written by the well known Patricia McConnell, a certified applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer who is passionate about teaching others how to train their dogs using positive methods, and who specializes in helping owners or dogs with behavioral problems, including aggression. Her blog induces many interesting discussions, which draw a lot of comments which are definitely worth the time to wade through, as you often learn as much from the comments as from the blog posts themselves.

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And last, but certainly not least, Shiva the Dog's Perserverance Award  - Bestowed upon me by Kristine from Rescued Insanity on Valentine's Day. This unique award was a real surprise, and I really appreciate that Kristine thought of me when she decided to pass it along to 10 bloggers who, as she put it, "have endured life with a truly wacked-out canine" - just like her own star, Shiva, pictured below. Rescued Insanity's tag line is: "Have you ever seen a tornado on a leash?" Well that's Shiva, a sweet crazy dog who's currently learning agility to burn off some of her excess energy. If you've never actually seen a tornado on a leash, you probably want to head on over to Rescued Insanity and see for yourself.  

This award doesn't need to be passed along, which you are probably relieved to hear since I just mentioned 22 great other blogs for you to check out. But due to its uniqueness, I think it's the one I appreciate most of all. You should know that Kristine goes above and beyond at Rescued Insanity to always highlight the work of other interesting bloggers, and I've discovered many of the blogs I currently follow thanks to her site. So a great big thank you to Kristine for the award, and for always pointing me in the direction of so many other interesting reads!

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited eleven chapters out of fifty.

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Local Readers - Save the Date! Take a Break from Cooking - and Help a Homeless Pet. Eat at Chili's in Holtsville from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on April 2nd, 2012 and ten percent of your tab will be donated to Kent Animal Shelter.

CONTACT ME for a copy of the flyer that you need to bring with you for Kent to get credit for your meal - and please, tell a friend.

Kent helps dogs like pretty Sadie find homes of their own.

Local readers - I have an exciting announcement. A few weeks ago I received an email from Chili's Restaurant that said they were offering to host fundraising events for local charities. I contacted the volunteer coordinator at Kent Animal Shelter about it, arrangements were made - and now Chili's in Holtsville is having a "Give Back Day" on April 2nd, 2012.

All you have to do is eat at Chili's on 50 Middle Avenue in Holtsville, NY anytime between 11:00 AM and 11:00 PM on April 2nd, and Chili's will donate 10% of the cost of your meal to Kent Animal Shelter.

That's it. You get to take a break from cooking, and Kent raises some dough!

You need to bring a "Give Back" flyer with you and hand it in with your check for Kent Animal Shelter to get credit for the event. I have copies of the flyer, so just EMAIL ME and I'd be happy to either email one to you, or even snail mail you one if you don't have a printer.

Also, if you want to help even more, you are welcome to hand out flyers at Chili's in Holtsville any day prior to April 2nd, so that regular patrons will know about the event. That way, if they were planning to eat there anyway, they can bring a flyer with them and 10% of their meal will go to Kent.

Please spread the word about this awesome event and considering eating at Chili's in Holtsville on April 2nd. Most of us go out to eat pretty regularly, and if by doing something we normally do we can also raise some money for a great cause, how cool is that?

Kent helps dogs like sweet Myla find homes of their own.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited nine chapters out of fifty.

For the past week or so, this is where I keep finding Toby...

Strange, because usually he prefers his bed, his mat, the sofa, or a throw rug that he dug into a messy pile - basically - somewhere soft. Personally, if I wanted to lay my head somewhere cool and refreshing, I could think of several places that might be more comfortable than in front of the toilet. Especially for a Labrador. (In front of the fridge perhaps?)

But hey, to each their own! He looks cozy enough.

Oh, and today's the 15th, so I headed on over to Random.org and used their "True Random Number Generator" to choose a winner for my Mr. Chewy Giveaway....and the winner is: Will. Congrats Will! Please look for my email in your inbox and reply to it so that I can forward you the code for your $50.00 gift certificate.

And don't forget, even if you didn't win the giveaway, if you are a first time shopper at MrChewy.com you can use my referral coupon code: CONT4013 - and you will receive 10% off your first order AND they will donate $10.00 to Bideawee, the wonderful people who brought Toby into my life. And according to my account, my referral code has raised them $60.00 so far - just from readers shopping at Mr.Chewy! Not a bad deal.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited eight chapters out of fifty.

This is Toby and I earning our first leg in APDT Rally Level 2. It was like ninety five degrees out, and it was also the very first time I competed off lead with Toby - my occasional ring runner. When I think back to that day, the old saying "sweating like a pig" comes to mind. Yet I still had a lot of fun - and judging by this photo - so did Toby!

Why?

Because that's what APDT Rally is all about - building a relationship with your dog and making sure BOTH teammates are having fun. In APDT Rally, not only are you allowed to talk to your dogs and encourage them to succeed - when they do, you can even reward them with a small tidbit of food, or a pat on the head! Plus, you won't see any choke collars or harsh corrections being used at an APDT trial - they're not allowed.

Not to sound too corny, but that's Rally right up my alley.

Unfortunately, on Friday I received word from a talented dog trainer named Peg Munves, (APDT Rally Judge, Trial Host, and former Committee Member), that the Association of Pet Dog Trainers announced on February 1st that they are putting their Rally Program up for sale because it no longer fits in with their mission. Rather than having an outside entity step in and purchase it, a group of APDT Rally enthusiasts are trying to organize a not for profit called RallyNation, so that APDT Rally can stay in the hands of the very people who have helped nurture the sport over the past eleven years (and continue to do so today) - and so that it can stay a truly dog friendly venue.

So if you love APDT Rally as much as I do, please consider joining RallyNation with me.

Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to APDT by Ali Brown and Laurie Williams. Like Peg, they are both APDT Judges, Trial Hosts, and former Committee Members, and both of them also served as board members and rally advisors for the APDT.

Dear Don and Mychelle and Board of Trustees,

In light of the announcement to the APDT Rally committee on Feb. 1 that the current Board of Trustees has decided (unanimously) to "find a new home" for the APDT rally program and that you are "seeking proposals for this change in status,"  we would like to formally inform you that a group of current APDT Rally officials, trial hosts, exhibitors and dues-paying APDT members have amassed and are in the process of forming a 501c7 not-for-profit association so that we may be that "new home" for what is now the current APDT rally program.

The goal of this new association will be to continue in `The Spirit of APDT Rally' just as it is now, allowing people to continue to develop incredible relationships with their dogs in a positive, dog-friendly, non-punitive manner. This embodies what APDT rally has always been about from its inception, and we want to continue that without interruption. Many of us have spent years promoting and growing this sport.  Many of us have been so committed that we've continued to hold trials at a personal financial loss.  To us, APDT rally isn't just a dog sport.  We have formed life long friendships, liaisons, and created relationships with our dogs that could never be summed up in words.  You cannot compare APDT rally to any other dog sport venue.  We are unique.  WE are a family.  It is this passion and commitment that we feel can continue to support, build and grow Rally throughout the country.

Upon initial email inquiry to Executive Director Mychelle Blake about the particulars of the transfer she stated that the goal was to have all the detailed information for the sale in place for all "potential purchasers" to submit proposals "before the end of the month."  Because this decision was announced so abruptly and has taken everyone by surprise, in the interest of fairness, we trust that you will allow adequate time for all interested parties to make the necessary preparations and arrangements to be considered.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  We look forward to further correspondence and information from you about the next step.

Sincerely,
Ali Brown and Laurie Williams


If you would like to be a part of RallyNation, contact either Ali or Laurie directly and let them know:

Laurie Williams OneSmartPooch@aol.com - OR - Ali Brown ali@greatcompanions.info:

Also, please take a moment to hop on over to RallyNation's Petition, give it a read, and consider signing it.

As per Peg, they "Want to send the message to APDT that lots of us want to work this out and we hope they will work with us.  Power in numbers. THANKS for considering and for helping APDT retain its wonderful spirit and purpose."

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited six chapters out of fifty.

When we first adopted Meadow, Nick asked if he could be her primary handler, and at first I was admittedly a little disapointed, since I wanted to be the one to say I mended this amazing little 'wild' dog. But I was also thrilled that Nick wanted to be more involved with working with our dogs, which had previously been my thing, and since I was so busy working with Toby in Rally anyway, I agreed to let him take over the reins. Not long after Meadow joined us, I got involved in both Rally and Nose Works with both Toby and Leah, and as my time grew even more limited, I ended up being glad that he did.

Because of this, I rarely walk Meadow, and I don't work on her training all that much, aside for the basics, (sit, stay, come), and a few cute tricks I taught her, like spin and roll-over. Instead, I've become her playmate, a relationship we've both grown comfortable with. I toss the ball for her and encourage her to pick it up, I play tug with her with random sticks, and I talk silly to her until she play bows at me and then zooms around the yard. There's no pressure on her, we both have fun, and she gets some exercise.

But now that I'm trying to get fit, I thought it would be fun to include Meadow in my walking routine.

And it's not going so well.

The first night, I got her to walk up the block and back and she was fine. But then, the very next walk, it was starting to grow dark, and we had only gone a few feet up the road when a car with headlights passed us and turned into the driveway of the house across from ours.

Meadow grew fixated on it, turning around every few steps to stare down the road and look at the car worriedly. Eventually, she put on the brakes and would not walk any farther, not even a step - no matter how much I tried to coax her, kneeling down, baby talking to her, and bribing her with treats.

Finally, I gave up and I brought her back home.

Since then, she is behaving in a similar manner if we pass any moving car, headlights or not, anywhere on our walk. She stops short, stares in the direction where the car went, and refuses to budge. Not one inch.

Did I mention our walks are not going well?

I discovered on Saturday that I can walk her in the woods - where there are no cars, but that requires me to get around to our walks earlier in the day, while it's still pretty light out, since walking through the woods at night is not a good idea, even in a nice area.

And, depending on my schedule, I'm not always able to walk the dogs during the day. Often, I'm busy with other things.

Which is why I'm mostly back to walking just Toby and Leah, and leaving Meadow's walks for Nick. I do plan to work on this, but I think giving her a little break is a good idea. We've learned with Meadow, when something spooks her, she tends to fixate on it for a while before finally snapping out of it. Hopefully, once the clocks change and I have more daylight, I can eventually take her through more romps in the woods. In the meantime, I'm enjoying exercising her by throwing the ball, playing with sticks, and talking funny to her until she bows at me and zooms around the yard...

Basically, we're back to being playmates, and the pressure is off.

Just because I want to do something with one of my dogs, doesn't mean they agree, so I try my best to listen to what they have to say.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited five chapters out of fifty.

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Times nearly over to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's as simple as a comment to enter - and it's free - so click the link to find out how and where to enter.

Find some at Brookhaven Animal Shelter's:

WHEN:
February 11th and 12th
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Brookhaven Animal Shelter
WHAT:
Free Adoptions, Microchipping, and Pet Food
Call 631-286-4940 for more information

This photo is of a handsome dog named Cassidy, just one of the many faces you'll find over at Brookhaven.

Even if you've got enough love in your life right now, please share this post and help spread the word about this adoption event, so dogs like Cassidy can find someone to love of their own.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited four chapters out of fifty.

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Times running out to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's as simple as a comment to enter - and it's free - so click the link to find out how and where to enter.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I'm a little nuts, in that I browse through dogs' mug-shots on Petfinder regularly, even though I know we can't handle a fourth dog right now. First of all, there's Leah - as many of you know she's a little nuts right now herself. Then, there's those pesky things called finances - or lack thereof. And finally, we have no room at the Inn.

But I still look.

So last Saturday I came across this cool dog. Not to spoil much, I won't tell you his name, but as it turns out, he has the same name as the dog in my novel.

And he has the same exact eyes that I imagined in my head when I created the character:

Uncanny, isn't it?

So while I obviously can't adopt this guy, his intense eyes now sit directly in the center of my computer screen, staring out at me, and reminding me to stay focused on my goal of finishing my novel before my busy season at work begins sometime in mid May. I worked on the first draft for about a year and a quarter, and during that time I outlined and edited a lot as I went, so I really shouldn't have to go through the book too much more to get the job done. I'm thinking one full intensive edit, another read through to proof it for errors, and then I'll be ready to have a trusted person give it a read before I polish the final draft. I think that's attainable in three months time, but I'll let you know how it goes.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited three chapters out of fifty.

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Times running out to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's free to enter - so click the link and check it out.

Hello Friends! I'm back from my two week (much needed) hiatus, feeling refreshed, and with lots of news to share, most of it good.

Meadow's leg is finally healed up and she is once again done with the comfy cone. This time, hopefully, for good. Her urinary issues seem to be subsiding, although we are not sure why. Her test results had all come back normal, but our vet decided to do an antibiotic trial, just in case. Along with that, I had changed her food to a higher protein, low carb food right after her surgery because I read that cancer loves carbs. Suspecting that the new food might have caused her problems, I switched her back to her old food. Also, since she in no longer wearing the comfy cone, she is less stressed. So, whether the cause was a hidden infection, a reaction to the high protein food, or just stress - we have no idea, but as long as she is on the mend, I guess it doesn't matter much.

Toby is off of his restricted activity - I started him with short walks, then longer walks, then short runs, and now he is allowed to run full out - and his limp has not returned. That said, I do notice a slight hitch to his gait when I walk him longer than twenty minutes on pavement, so I am trying to keep his walks under that time frame, in case he does have hip problems brewing like his vet suspects. But all in all, he is doing much better, and he is much happier that he is allowed to run again.

As for Leah, the good news is, our management program is working and we have been able to prevent further incidents. She also play bowed at Meadow the other day, and has shown no more aggression towards her. The bad news is, she is definitely not better. First of all, she is lunging and barking at the cats pretty regularly from behind the confines of her X-pen, and we need to lock them up whenever she is free for safety reasons.

Things also went wrong when we had our behavioral assessment with Debi.

Leah greeted Debi with some degree of suspicion, at first, but then she wagged her tail at her, and laid down a few feet away while Nick and I talked with Debi. Several minutes passed, and then, without provocation, Leah got up and lunged towards Debi, barking aggressively. I grabbed Leah's leash and moved her away, and nothing happened, but of course, the incident surprised and worried me. Leah will bark and lunge when she is crated or behind a gate and someone is standing too close, but she does not normally aggress at visitors for no apparent reason.

Debi had not moved or done anything at all to provoke the behavior, and she herself did not see any build up towards the event, which she remarked was not normal.

We did get lots of advice from both Debi and from Lesli, Meadow's former foster mom, on things we can do to try to help Leah - and not surprisingly, a lot of what they advised was the same. Management was key, (which I'll describe in detail below). Separate walks with me for speical "Mommy and Me" time. Reducing stress in the household. Some counter conditioning by trying to make the appearance of our other animals "special time" by offering treats and praise. Not allowing Leah to run the fence searching for the neighbor's feral cats any more, which torques her up. Both of them also suggested getting Leah used to a muzzle, so she can hang out with the family more safely. I measured and ordered one, but it did not fit regardless of my careful measurements, (as it turns out Leah's head and muzzle have weird dimensions), and I am waiting for the replacement to come in the mail.

Debi also said to up Leah's obedience, and both Nick and I have been working with her regularly and she is doing really well with that. We already make a habit of asking for sits and waits for meals, to go out doors, and what not, but we had let some things slide as Leah got older, chalking it up to old age if she ignored a command - but now we are following through.

No sit? Well then sorry Hun, no pettings. Period.

There was some additional advice that Nick and I did not feel comfortable with, as benign as it was, and since Nick and I both felt the same way, there must be an underlying reason why. Obviously, we live with Leah, and we are probably picking up on things that a trainer who is evaluating her in one (albeit lengthy and thorough) visit would not notice.

But that's the beauty of advice, it does not all have to be taken.

So, along with everything mentioned above, our main goal has been careful management to keep everyone safe, and we appear to be doing a better job at it. When we go out and Leah is free, the cats are locked up, and Toby and Meadow are crated. When only one of us is here to manage the crew and keep our eyes on everyone, Leah is put in her X-pen. When Leah is free with the others in the house, supervised, she drags a leash and she is not left alone in rooms with the other animals - even to run to the bathroom to wash hands.

When we had friends by last weekend, I kept Leah behind closed doors. In the past, that action was reserved for visits from children, but this is what I will need to do when anyone visits for now on. I can't risk my guests' safety with any more unpredictable behavior.

Leah has been enjoying her prescribed daily walks with me a lot, and whenever possible, Nick comes along with Meadow - so that Leah and Meadow get to enjoy "fun outings" together.

Currently, we do not allow Leah to play with the other dogs in the yard anymore, but we do take her out there when both of us are available, so one of us can keep her occupied and she is not totally segregated from the other dogs. Once the muzzle arrives, after a few weeks of getting her used to wearing it, hopefully, we can let her rejoin the others in their daily play sessions.

I gathered our tax papers as fast as possible this year, and our taxes are already being processed. I plan to use our return to put up that long awaited fence. Half of our yard is easily climbed chain-link, and part of our fence is only three and half foot tall. We are replacing all of the fencing with six foot stockade, right up to the back door, (and four foot stockade in the front if we have enough extra money). This will help us with Meadow, as we won't have to keep her on the long line anymore since it is harder to climb stockade, and now she will have access to the back door. Luckily for us, when a firework does go off, Meadow wants to go inside, to the safety of her own home (yay!), but with the current set up, she would have to hop the back fence to reach the door and we are afraid, once free, she might take off in a blind panic. With the new placement of the fence, she will have access to the very place she wants to be, and the new fence will be more difficult to climb, so we will finally feel safe enough to leave the long line off of her  - except maybe during the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July. The new fence will serve a double function, by preventing Leah from seeing the feral cats next door and the people walking through the woods adjacent to our house - that all seem to set her off.

So, that's pretty much where we're at with the dogs update.

Nick and I also haven't found the time to get down to Kent to walk any shelter dogs recently, but we are going today, and I'm looking forward to getting back to doing a little volunteer work here and there.

Oh, as for my novel? The first draft is finally done! I have to be honest, I really dragged my feet up until the last minute, but I sat my rear down in front of the computer this Saturday and got to work. And I managed to finish my last 4000 words or so in one very long session. Now that the hardest part is over with, I'm looking forward to cutting, rearranging, and polishing my work.

Finally, don't forget to check out my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's easy to enter - and it's free - so take a moment to check it out.

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 My Novel's Progress: About to start editing second draft.

A few days ago, I received a very nice email from MrChewy.com asking me to give an honest review of their pet supply web-store, and graciously offering me a $50.00 gift certificate to use at their store as a thank you for taking the time to do so. Before I go on, I want to make you aware that any time I've reviewed any type of product on this blog in the past, whether it be jackets, CDs, books, or videos - the opinions are all my own and I'm not getting paid as an advertiser.

And I plan to keep it that way.

So when this store offered me the certificate in exchange for the review, I thought I would be saying "No thank you," however, in the very next sentence in their email, they mentioned that many of their reviewers have offered the $50.00 certificate as a promo prize to their readers, rather than using it to make a purchase for themselves.

Well, THAT, I can totally do....what better way to say thank you to all of my awesome readers? So I'm happy to announce that I'm having my very first giveway, and giving you a shot at winning a coupon code worth $50.00 to spend at MrChewy.com! (see contest rules below)

And I'm also happy to say that after checking the store out, I have only great things to say about MrChewy.com.

They sell many different brands of quality dog (and cat) foods - including some of the harder to find ones, like Orijen and the Royal Canin Veterinary Diets:

They also have competitive prices on Frontline - and they only sell American Made Frontline.

Along with food and Frontline, you can find dog & cat treats, litter, and wee wee pads....and they offer live chat on their site in case you have any questions about their products.

PLUS...they offer free shipping for purchases over $49.00.

Already sounds awesome, right? Well it gets even better. They offer a referral program - that benefits each of you, and it benefits an animal shelter. There's nothing in it for me, and all I had to do to get these great deals for you was to tell you about MrChewy.com like I just did above.

How cool is that?

The referral program works like this: If you are a first time shopper at MrChewy.com - just use my referral coupon code: CONT4013 - and you will receive 10% off your first order AND they will donate $10.00 to the charity partner that I choose from their site!

As for that donation, they only had three charity partners to choose from, but when I saw Bideawee as one of the choices, I just had to pick them - because as it turns out - that is where I adopted Toby from! So, please, head on over to MrChewy.com and check them out. You'll get 10% off your first order, and help Bideawee at the same time. But before you go, please take the time to read the contest rules and then leave a comment about your favorite Donna and the Dogs' post below, so that you'll have a shot at winning $50.00 to spend while you're shopping at: 

FAVORITE DONNA AND THE DOGS' BLOG POST CONTEST RULES: In order to enter, please leave one comment below this post telling me which of the blog posts I have written in the past is your favorite - and why. Commenting about THIS post does not count, it needs to be about a previous post I have written. Please leave the comment here, on my actual blog page, under this contest post to enter. Sorry, commenting through email or on Facebook does not count as an entry, you must visit my actual blog site to enter this contest. Only your first comment under this post counts, (no spam please), and you will need to leave a valid email address for me to contact you with the coupon code. Just be aware that Mr. Chewy only ships within the United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, so if you are from out of that area and you want to comment, you will not be able to purchase anything from Mr. Chewy unless you have a relative here that you can have it shipped to or know someone in the States that you would like to give the code to. On or about February 15th, 2012, I will count how many eligible first comments there are, and then I will use Random.org to choose a number out of those, and the person who left the comment with the corresponding number will be my lucky winner.

ETA: You must leave your comment by February 14th 2012.

That's it. Simple, isn't it?

If you have any questions about these rules, don't be shy, just ask.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Donna and the Dogs will be on a brief, short, minor, temporary hiatus (except for answering questions about this contest) until around February 5th, while I work on finishing the first draft of my novel. For those of you who have been watching, you may have noticed that my word count has NOT gone up in several posts...and I have a self imposed deadline to reach.

Good luck, see you in two weeks - and thanks for reading Donna and the Dogs!

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 My Novel's Progress: Current wordcount: 72,201