Special Announcement

From the desk of Miss Liberty, ME (Mutt Extraordinaire):

When I saw that soulful, handsome face on the formerly homeless Mr. Homey English, I just knew we needed to collaborate on a special award program in celebration of rescues everywhere.

After all, we already know second-hand critters make first-class companions!

I was a pound puppy, and Homey was one very lucky "ratted up furball" found "in the weeds" after being abandoned when he was only 10 weeks old. Yep, a lot of rotten people do exactly that to puppies and kittens every day.

Back to the good news, the No More Homeless award is available exclusively for shelter adoptees' and rescues' pawsonal pages, and animal welfare sites.

Let it be known we're not the least bit prejudiced toward purebred types. Most potential adopters don't realize how many people don't do their homework and end up dumping animals for doing exactly what they were bred for in the first place. As always, it's never the animal's fault.

Incidentally, all that talk about not knowing how big a mutt pup might get to be is a great big pile of poop. Shelter and rescue people have plenty of experience to go by when advising. In other words, you can get a pretty good estimate on grown-up size. However, if there's any question - for instance, a lease states a 25 lb. limit - that's not the right puppy for you. But I'll go into all that a little later on. And, why adult animals are quite often the better choice for numerous reasons. See Puppies are so cute, but ... http://www.therealmartha.com/puppiesaresocu/index.htm

Right now, let's get this show on the road! Send me your site address, I'll check it out and get back to you a.s.a.p.: LibbyK9@aol.com

Also see exciting publishing news at the end of this page!

Please use award as the subject line. Due to virus threats and tons of junk mail, if I don't recognize a return address, I delete.

OOOOOps! Almost forgot, you can also apply for my award, Paws and Claws on the Keyboard. It's reserved only for critters who do their own typing. Check out my winners list here: http://www.therealmartha.com/dadudeaward/index.htm

That's really Buster's award page. He's been gentleman enough to share with me since my original page can't be updated thanks to some aol rocket scientist killing that publishing program.

Find out more about Homey: http://bogeynshani.4t.com/about.html
His little sister Shani is a famous journalist too!

Remember what I said about rotten people dumping? They do it to adults too. Wade's rescue story: http://www.baytownhumanesociety.org/ann_wade.htm

Great news, Wade recovered from all his problems and found a wonderful forever home: http://www.baytownhumanesociety.org/ann_wadeupdate.htm
It was tough to let go but, "We aren't saying, Goodbye! Never!! We ARE saying, Good Life!!" ~ Marilyn K.

Fostering is tough on the heart but good for the soul. ~ Judy W.

Auntie Judy told me she specifically meant Mason (foreground below) after I sent her this pic of Homey with his Westie siblings, Shani and Bogey, and the two goofballs, Scoop and Shug, who have taken over most of my correspondence and PR work since I semi-retired.

From left: Scoop, Shani sitting up begging, Bogey half-begging, half-dancing, Shugee looking pitiful, and Prince Homeless on the sofa. That's Auntie Rose handing out the goodies.

Mason and Lucy enjoying a recent camping hike

More from Judy: For a short while Mason was the love of my life, the sweetest foster dog I ever had. He'll always be the one that got away. I would have kept him in a heartbeat if this overseas travel thing hadn't come along. Something very special about that boy. He's the one and only BHS foster we had to take to obedience school to save. (He was on his last chance headed for the big sleep.) Mason was also the only foster I dreaded getting. After a very rough beginning I fell in love. I can't even think of him without getting teary eyed. I have Mason attacks on a regular basis. You would think by now I could move on. I do feel really good about his new home and I know it was the right thing for him. Mason and Lucy met at school and fell in love.

From Mason's new mom: Mason is really doing well. He and Lucy are best buds now, and she is really lucky to have a friend like Mason to put up with her hyperness! He also really loves my mom's dogs (two big males - German short hair and Akita/chow mix). I suppose he remembers Judy's dogs and that is why he likes to play with big dogs! He also has really gotten better in social situations. Though he may still bark at strangers, he now warms up to new people pretty quick and even has a few guy friends of mine that he really trusts and likes. No more hiding behind me or shaking or cowering!

Lucy and Mason will be thrilled to know their pics are on a Website! Please do share the story, because those two have brought so much sunshine in my life that I'd love to pass the message on. Lucy is actually a pound puppy too - from the Houston SPCA. Her previous owners turned her in because she was "too energetic." (Really, what do you expect with a Rhodesian/yellow lab mix?) She has turned out to be a savior for me - always bringing love and laughter to my life.

Adopting rescue/pound puppies is a passed-down tradition in my family. My mom has adopted five dogs this way through the years, and we wouldn't dream of finding a dog any other way. These little angels are truly blessings. ~ Shauna

Anyone who has never given themselves the opportunity to rescue a dog and give them the "luxury" of just having a dog's life is honestly missing a wonderful experience. Watching Bogey flourish has truly been one of my life's most cherished.~ Rose E.

Really cool news! Boomer Times is sponsoring a Furkid Funfair Oct. 30th in St Charles, MO. We'll have lots of great contest prizes and all sorts of entertainment for kids of all ages (two- and four-legged). Our special guest will be Bob Kuban who anyone past age 45 knows from The In-Men's solid gold hit in the mid-'60s, "The Cheater." Bob will choose the winner of the Cheatin'est Critter Award; contest open to all rescues for cheating whatever their fate might have been otherwise.

More fair info: http://www.westie2rescuemo.com/ and http://www.therealmartha.com/FurkidFunfair/index.htm

http://www.therealmartha.com/ScoopyNewsy/index.htm ~ Scoop's very own newsletter, "The Scoop" (Get it?)

Scoopy's an official goodwill ambassador!
http://www.therealmartha.com/ScoopPoster/index.htm
Critter Camp pics, first guest appearance

More of what rescue is all about:
http://www.therealmartha.com/rescue/index.htm

Lots more critter pages:
http://www.therealmartha.com/CritterIndex/index.htm

As anyone who knows my secretary, at all, knows, there will be more. Come back soon.
Any pages to recommend? Send to a friend!
Thanks!

For those who don't know my secretary, some dog always has her by the a**.

If you have a great rescue story, send with pic(s) to LibbyK9@aol.com, or boomertimes@charter.net

Secretary's note: Miss Liberty is still running the show around here. In fact, I am convinced she's "in there" with Scoopy. I am also certain she is never going to let me have another baby girl. First, she sent Buster. I'd sworn I was never going to have another dog break my heart, Buster was the perfect clown to mend it. Then Libby arranged for Scoopy to be the first dog we saw (right by the door) at the shelter. When we finally bought a house, evidently we were wasting too much time about deciding on another dog because Shugee was delivered to our back gate posthaste. Gawd, the last thing I wanted was a puppy! Lib cured me of that nonsense about 20 years ago: http://www.therealmartha.com/puppiesaresocu/index.htm (Puppies are so cute, but ...). So there it is, the little beastie always did have everything set to her own satisfaction. What a party it'll be when we all meet again at The Bridge.

Buster the Boston Tooter: http://www.therealmartha.com/toottoot/index.htm

Shugee's pages coming soon, here's a preview:

I don't do puppies

I can quote myself more than a few times ... Puppy? Never again! Irrefutable and abundant evidence appears in real print, non-retractable. And on numerous Web pages, so beloved because I can take back idiotic statements before the whole world notices.

The lesson here would be watch what you preach. Approximately 15 seconds after I finished writing a "No bugs on my critters" article, a not-so-tiny bundle of joy appeared at my back gate, complete with his very own full-blown flea and tick factory ... of course, what else?

No big deal, one never really forgets the finer points of combat in that kind of war. Drowned the little bastards in alcohol (soapy water works too) and that was that.

On to the next command decision ... this baby had been on the road a while. He drank water by the bucket and inhaled his food, all of which was, of course, deposited in the living room following a nice snooze.

Carpet needed cleaning anyway, not a problem. However, a black cross drawn on his forehead was. Drawn precisely, no kid did it. Also wasn't a case of the pup sticking his head under a greasy engine or some such. My immediate thought was satanic sacrifice* and yes that does go on, quite possibly in a neighborhood near you.

After discussions with a few friends, several more theories popped up ranging from hearsay to sworn fact, including marking pups for use as helpless bait training fighting dogs (the taste of blood) or hunting target practice. Sadly, even the wildest speculation ceased to amaze me long ago. Wherever he came from, no matter how he got loose and/or was stolen, he wasn't going back.

Still, had to attempt the ethical path. I took him to the shelter for a microchip scan. No surprise none found - just one more dime-a-dozen mutt, certainly not worth that precaution. So here we are, waaaaay too old for puppy nonsense, but here he will stay. Scoopy and Shugee (Sugar Baby) go at it tooth and nail, take five, then start all over again. Shug follows Scoop everywhere just like The Beave pestering Wally. If dogs could skip, that'd be the perfect description of his goofy toddler gait.

Scoop's in for a surprise when Shug tops out at junior moose. In the meantime, nobody could ask for a better big brudder.

About that living room mess ... a barricade is up for now. Only two wet accidents since, he's getting the right idea. Besides, who could get mad at that face? Creaky and crotchety as we are, there's a lot to be said for sloppy kisses and needle-teeth nibbles.

Update: Barricade's down, baby teeth gone and I'm pretty sure Shug's going for full-size moose. I've never had two males at once, these two are non-stop hysterical entertainment. Each has his own sneaky grab and run with whatever the other one has, and it sounds like they're killing each other most of the time, especially when the wrestling commences in the wee hours, in bed. Naturally once when we're fully awake, da boyz just wanna cuddle.

This would be the casual tug-o-war demo

*The author of the following chose to be anonymous:

With regard to occult practices, by far the great majority of these people are morons. They believe through animal sacrifice, energy is released and they gain power from that release.

A moment's reflection would reveal to even the most dimwitted individual that when an animal is killed, energy is not gained in any way, shape or form. Rather, energy is lost. There's no way to harness energy from a corpse. It's just a sick excuse to kill animals by people who are bored and have nothing better to do than torture a helpless creature. If they really want to perform a sacrifice that will raise eyebrows, perhaps they should take a week's wages, in cash, and burn that on their altar.

These people are making no real sacrifice of their own. Have them sacrifice their car, house, PC, or some other item of worth. Most wouldn't do it because it is too painful to part with anything material. However, they expect animals to give up their lives. Simply put, it is selfish and powerless.