One of the many reasons I love Rosie

As a special educator before becoming a school psychologist, I have been in love with children for a long time. I have always felt it a big responsibility to be their advocate as there is nothing more precious in our lives than family.

I believe my background allows me the ability to clearly see those people who have their hearts in the right place. And, Rosie surely does. She uses her wealth to help children, to inform others about various disorders, and so much more.

At her blog today, she posted a video clip of her most favorite segment from The View. If people cannot see her humanity, well, what can I say. It is just a loss for them.

I, too, love broadway’s shows and music, so this clip was wonderful to see. It was also fitting that I should see it on the day I have been going crazy with respect to Alfie’s birthday, as it is the song from Rent that has to do with pieces of time.

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I personally HATE birthdays … but Golden Alfie loves ’em!

Folks who know me know that I never want to reveal my age and never ever ever celebrate a birthday. Hubby Gary knows to tread softly on those 24-hour periods that unfortunately rears its ugly head every 365 days … just like clockwork lol. He buys me a Golden Retriever themed card and just hopes for the best as I recover from the funk of having another year go by and yet there being so much more that I still want to get done.

But today is my pond boy’s birthday. I call Alfie my pond boy because he lives for seeing his beloved fish and frogs that live in our pond. Darcy was never a huge fan but this little guy adores the pond and cannot contain himself each morning when daddy Gary says,”Let’s go feed the fish!” He can’t run to the back door fast enough and when let out he has no time to do his business. He has to see his pals first, of course.

I keep telling Alfie not to have birthdays, but he goes ahead and has them anyway. And, I am thrilled that he is a big-boy 8 today! He is being spoiled the entire day, right now chewing on an organic raw bone that I’ve taken out of the freezer. He will be getting an ostrich fillet and bison steak tonight with asparagus from our organic garden.

Here he is below enjoying the pond, his tail wagging the entire time. I do not have video of him really settling in at the pond, but he actually lies himself down with his elbows on the stone rim and the rest of his body stretched out behind him. I guess he figures he needs to be as comfortable as possible as he watches who knows what. He puts his face right up to the water’s surface and dips a little bit in so that he can be up close and personal. It is just too funny. We just have to be sure he doesn’t get carried away as he is really fascinated with the frogs which he has sadly actually caught. Thank goodness we got the frog out of his soft mouth, but I can imagine that frog probably needed therapy after that experience.

I hope you can share in Alfie’s pure joy, because there is nothing better than experiencing the world through our beloved dogs’ eyes.

Golden friend Bryna just wrote to me and I told her I had to share her note here. I just said I didn’t want Alfie to know how much he was missing from the sound of all the luxury her Goldens were afforded.

Terrific birthday footage. Nice to have upbeat news! I tell the story that after Bear came into our lives in 1998 I traded the sports car for an SUV and my husband got a station wagon. Then we bought Bear 15 acres on the water in the woods. Then we got a sister for Bear, who is named Luna. Then we built a house on the land for Luna and Bear. I just finished putting a garden in, and as soon as I watered the newly turned earth, both Luna and Bear plopped down for a nap. What else should I buy them? There’s only one thing better than a Golden. Two of them.

Crazy Stories, for sure . . . but definitely true

Okay, so I am a little nuts today since I have been trying to think dog given Alfie’s birthday. So, just look at this crazy, light-hearted news. Sure is better than the gloom and doom of the war, government corruption, useless federal agencies such as the FDA and FEMA, yadda yadda yadda.

Don’t be mad at me, Lily (my Golden Aussie pal from Brisbane) but I could not resist this article.

Pig runs home
Queensland Newspapers

A STRAY pig and dog that were best mates and ran away together yesterday have been reunited with their owner. It is understood the pig, which escaped from a chook pen after being rescued yesterday and fed apples, transversed the local terrain and ran to its home, a property about 40 acres away in Rochedale South.

The owner of the pig and the boxer dog, named Kosta after champion boxer Kosta Tzu, later picked up the dog. RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty yesterday said the pig and the boxer dog had formed a close friendship since escaping – they played together, ran together, jumped on each other, and were inseparable.

”The pig was carrying on like a pork chop and the dog was happy to be with the pig,” Mr Beatty said.

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Doggie vending machine comes to White Rock Lake Dog Park
BY MARC LEE, Pegasus News

DALLAS — White Rock Lake Dog Park has to be the top dog park in Dallas, with areas for big and small dogs, access to the lake, and a large population of supportive and savvy dog owners.

And now, a doggie vending machine, too.
What is the world coming to when even dogs get their own vending machines?

You can’t miss it: It’s the bright red machine built inside a faux dog-house, parked next to the message board at the entrance of the park. Here’s where to get your chew toys, balls, pick-up bags, leashes, collars — all the things dogs carelessly forget when dashing off to the park. Prices are good, running from $1 to $5, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to the park.

More of being silly for Alfie’s birthday celebration

Here are some videos of amazing dog tricks and then some fun dog & cat play:

The Dog Nut

I am obviously nuts today celebrating for Alfie’s birthday. This is a puppy photo of him from a dog show, with a very adorable admirer.
Here is another dog lover. Called the Dog Nut, “The Simpsons” co-creator Sam Simon spends a fortune helping stray canines to a better life. He talks to Morley Safer about his dog shelter and the show that makes it possible. They take dogs from shelters and train them to be assistance dogs for the disabled. Very cool.

Click here to see this cool 60 minutes video interview.

Lucky for our FDA Chief that he’s not working in China

Well, for all those dog and cat folks who have lost their beloved companion animals to this hideous situation, that just keeps on and on …. check it out! I think even baby Hunter is surprised by this one!

China ex-food and drug safety chief sentenced to death
By Lindsay Beck, Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – China sentenced the former head of its food and drugs agency to death for corruption on Tuesday in a surprise judgment as the government sought to contain a wave of scandals over health safety.

Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, was convicted on charges of taking bribes and dereliction of duty, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court.

There’s more to the story . . .

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And, just in case you thought the scare was over with the recalled pet foods, please think again. They are still finding problems and melamine in unrecalled foods.

Veterinarian Dr. Matt Humason says “We began asking questions…we found the dogs all ate the same food from the same store at the same time… so we sent a sample to get it tested and it came back positive with melamine.”

All four dogs ate Nutra Nuggets brand food.

A sample was sent to a lab at UC Davis and [the pet owner’s] fears were confirmed. “All I’m trying to get people to do is notify the people and let them know we may have problem. Unfortunately I feel Costco has been very hesitant to do that.”

And, if you thought that the human food supply was okay, please please please think again, as it is not. Melamine is not an approved additive for feed and now we learn that US companies (just like those in China) are adding melamine to their feed products for foods for our consumption. Just look at this FDA release.

And, catfish meant for human consumption submitted by Arkansas to the FDA tested positive for melamine as well.

Read this Associated Press article about safety problems extending beyond pet food to tainted toothpaste and deadly fish …. and weep.

But, we should trust the pet food companies to self-monitor and we should trust the government to get moving on making our food supply safe for us. Sure, we should. It’s just more of that …. move along, there’s nothing to see here.

Remembering Town Hall Golden Retriever Dylan

Is this photo not wonderful? It shows Dylan at a groundbreaking ceremony.

Dylan mourned as town loses official dog: Retriever had many duties
By M. Elizabeth Roman TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

ASHBY— The 14-year-old was an actor, a venerated town official and a companion for the sick and elderly for most of his life. But after a long illness, Dylan, a golden retriever, died Saturday. He left a unique legacy that officials say will not be forgotten.

Dylan was appointed Town Hall Dog by the Ashby Board of Selectmen in 2000. The only dog ever named to the post, he follows a rare tradition set by Bum, a Saint Bernard and spaniel mix that became the official city dog of San Diego in the late 1800s. Rockford, Ala., population 450, lost its official town dog, Fred, in 2002.

There’s more . . . . 

Do we love our dogs too much?

I don’t think so. Check out this article and let me know what you think.

In the United States, 63 percent of households include a pet (up 7 percent since 1988), and pet lovers spent $38.5 billion on their pets in 2006 (up from $21 billion a decade earlier). Americans now spend several billion dollars more on dog and cat food than they do on baby food. And the pet healthcare industry is booming.

So, what’s behind the increased affinity for animals? It’s partly due to the growing share of people choosing pets over children.

Hey, where’s my support for a job well done?

I need your help with our nominations in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. While they are merely a contest of recognition, it is a GReat way to get the message out about the foundation’s work.

You can only vote for us once, in each of our 2 nominated categories. It is embarrassing that votes are displayed on the Awards Site in real-time, so you can see who’s leading within each category at any moment! I say that because of the pitiful amount of votes I’ve garnered despite being on the web for 10 years and receiving thousands of visits daily to our Foundation’s site.

It may be due to the fact that you have to set up an account in order to vote. But, is it too much to ask given the hours spent daily working on this Golden Paradise in the sky?

Cheer up my guy, Alfie, shown here with his beloved duckie. He’s sad ‘cuz his mom’s so disappointed about all of this.

Click here to vote for us in Best Charity Blog

Click here to vote for us in Best Animal Blog