Giving Back

     Gwen Fox is a local artist with a stellar international reputation. Her award winning pieces can be found in private and public collections all over the United States. She is also a person who gives back to her community and Safe Place is so grateful for her generosity of spirit.  Howl’oween is our signature fundraiser and Gwen has continued over the years to graciously donate one of her custom pet portraits to the Grand Prize Winner. These wonderful canine portraits found their beginning when Gwen asked the HSPPR if she could do pieces depicting several shelter dogs in an effort to bring attention to their efforts to save these special animals who have so much to give a new forever family. The results were stunning.  When Gwen paints them you can see their stories in their eyes.

     For my 60^th birthday several friends gifted me with a portrait of my dogs. It took a lot of creativity to get a photograph of Ziggy as she hated the flash but Gwen persisted and when she gave me the finished portrait the other night at a dinner gathering it brought tears not only to my eyes but to everyone else’s.   Ziggy, who died in August, was right there with us as was Diva. (I only wish my cell phone camera did it justice.) I will treasure it always. And Safe Place for Pets will continue to treasure their relationship with Gwen.

Adopt a Senior Pet Month

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month and I encourage you to consider doing just that. At a tad over 60 years of age myself I could be considered a Senior and am here to tell you that on the inside I am not a day over 35. And with makeup and the right lighting I hardly look a day over 50! The same can be said of our senior canines as well.  In their hearts they are still young and many still act as young as they feel on the inside. My Diva, who is over 50 in dog years, leaps up every morning and runs for a toy to throw in the air. She may have some gray on her muzzle but in her heart she is a puppy and she acts accordingly ( except for the chewing and the “accidents”). At the moment Safe Place has two such wonderful dogs. Heidi is a 9 year-old Dachshund and Oliver an 8 year-old Cocker Spaniel. Whenever you are ready to add an animal companion to your home, please consider a senior pet. 

Both Sides of the Road

     This morning Diva and I were taking a walk as we usually do. (Yes, she recovered, probably arthritis of the wrist!) As we went up one familiar street I decided to walk on the other side from where we usually are. Amazing really what simply crossing the street can do to one’s perspective. Although I had made the same walk many times I had paid no attention to the OTHER SIDE.  I saw houses and yards that were clearly visible before but to which I had paid no attention. And then I thought about how this is such a metaphor for our lives, especially during a presidential election. We stick to our side of the road and never consider the other side. For that matter it reminds me of our polarized government. What would happen if we simply crossed to the other side with an open mind, to see what’s up, to be curious rather than critical?  We might just find some common ground, a middle of the road if you will.

No matter what, Diva and I are branching out!

Drama Queen AKA Diva

     You know that expression, “What’s in a name?”. Well, in the case of Diva, EVERYTHING. I first spotted her at the HSPPR and named her before I could even bring her home. Somehow I knew it was the perfect name for her and it did not take long for me to find out how right I was. A day or two after I got her home she developed Kennel Cough. I have had dogs with it before but never one who worked it like Diva. If Drama Queen had not been such an awkward name it might have been an even better choice.  Her ears seemed to lose all cartilage and they hung limply from her head as she draped herself over the dog bed. She would stare at me as if her next breath was going to be the last. And she was sick, don’t get me wrong but probably not sick enough to rush her to the ER vet in the middle of the night or go to the vet on-call for her regular doctor the next day as she was still languishing. It was like a human with a bad cold behaving like the tubercular Camille in the movie of the same name.

     This weekend she did the same thing but this time because she was experiencing discomfort in her right front foot. Or maybe her elbow or shoulder. X-rays have been inconclusive.  At one point she simply refused to budge and laid down where she had been standing. Then, even with no weight on her leg , she dabbed at the floor with her paw as if the floor were hot.  I gave her pain medication but it did not seem to help much. So we went to the vet and as soon as we got in the door and I put her on the floor she was a different dog…inspecting all surfaces, going into all the rooms, behind the front desk etc. Okay, she had a slight limp but nothing like the total collapse she had at home. During the x-rays she bestowed kisses and was as compliant as could be. We left her new fan club knowing nothing was broken but not what was causing her pain.  If she does not improve with time and meds there will be more tests. But that may not be necessary…when I came home again this afternoon after leaving her for a few hours she trotted right out to greet me with only a slight limp. And I am left wondering if I need to get her an agent or maybe she just needed the extra "props".

Ziggy, 1997-2012

   Things are good here on the Other Side. I have all the tennis balls I want and somehow there is always someone to throw them or at least make them fly forward. Some of the humans here seem to have wings like birds and they are the ones that make the balls soar so I can bring them back. And they don’t quit until I do!

It seems like my pain is long ago and far away. Especially that last morning when I tried to get to my grandboy and just could not walk. I know he was upset, I saw the tears and heard his sobs but he stayed with me just as I would have done for him. So did Mom and my grandgirl. I had always been the caretaker, ever since my boy and his friend and Mom saw me alone in my kennel in the shelter.  All curled in on myself, nose to tail, watching the people pass me by as though I weren’t there. And for them I wasn’t. But Hunter picked me! And even though the Shelter people suggested I might not be the right choice since I been returned once and didn’t get along with other dogs he kept after Mom and she said OKAY and then I got to their house and he and his friend walked me with their other dog Taz and Taz was nice to me and after that I fit right in. And that’s when I knew my job was to look out for my humans. I always knew when Mom was upset and went right to her. And then there was the time we were walking in the early morning and it was dark and I sensed something up ahead in the woods by the road and stopped and was as still as I could be and stared into the dark up ahead.  Mom told me if I didn’t think we should keep going then we wouldn’t and I turned around and we went home. Something just smelled dangerous. I was her hero. But things change and that last morning they took care of me. They knew letting me go was for the best.

     Now I watch over them from up here. Still doing my job. And they are still loving me even though I am not there with them. Did I tell you I get all the treats and juicy bones I want here? And I have met some really great canine pals and I am not afraid of anything anymore.  Not other dogs, not thunder, not fire works and I feel great, too. Like a young pup!  Mom’s had great support from her friends and our family and Diva. So I can relax and enjoy this great place until we meet again. They tell me it happens but I have to patient.