june 2 2014

for the pleasent part.. bless you all for selling out again...those of you who provide the chicken bricks are truely supporting us.. and i appreciate the on going commitment of those who can... hence the effort to have more pups( altho walter is just not creative enough so far....-)

****************

but the rest of this dd will be venting----- so get ready....

i had an email from a woman who wants to bring her child here for the weekend as part of some religious "do for others" program--- says she has been an addict to the cameras for 2 years...

sounds wonderful-- but last night in my usual.. having nothing to do a 2am... i decided to check the list of chicken brick donors--- and in 2 years of enjoying the cameras, .... she has not donated $10. 

that would not be an issue if i thought she could not afford it-- except the rest of her email tell of all the expensive things she has done with her daughter.  

how do i get across to this woman that we exist because of a steady committment of hundreds of people and there is apparently no reason she should be excluded from helping.

that was problem #387 yesterday

******

and then

the puppy pen

2 problems

the first- was video'd by a cp--which shows an active kid in with the younger pups--  at first it was very alarming-- and certainly he should not have been allowed to pick up a pup-- he did it correctly and he did not drop him-- but i have said no picking up-  so the camera people were correct in taping it for me to see...  in the video it also shows 2 fairly new volunteers sitting quietly- plus a purple shirt person working around the pen doing things...-- and the mother was there...  so i assume here was some supervision.. but it was nerve racking to watch.

making me realize--- most of our  purple shirts are too pleasant-- 

and -- what i have known for years-- parents supervise their children so the children do not get hurt-- they are not focused on the damage a child can do to animals or objects around them.

****

 and then there is the camera person i have asked not to go in with the pups- because she is unsteady on her feet-- she decided to defy my request and went in "to pick up a wet pee pad"  --  the  videos of her make me realize i need a new rule

ANYONE GOING IN WITH THE PUPS MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM ME.

and i need to speak to the purple shirt crowd and tell them not to be so agreeable-- 

rules have a reason  and "well just this once" is a path to disaster.

experience comes from bad experiences...

*************

other than that it was a great sunday

and progress was made on the beef shack.

those rafters designed by larry fit realy well..

it really needs the front built to square up the  side walls a bit.

(   must  leave room to get the scaffolding out the door)

and we need a big door anyway-- for the beef coolers etc...

*****************************

Hi Carlene!  
         We wanted to send you an update on things in our world. We had the chance to meet up for dinner and dessert with a CP from nc and she and her husband are fantastic! We had a great time and Harry showed off his wonderful manners at the restaurant and then got lots of hugs from Lu, the cp. This community that has been created really is something special. Harry is doing very well and is overcoming some of his anxious glitches and even had a "bath" today after playing in the dirt!! It went pretty well considering how he feels about them.  Harry is doing well at work and often people don't even notice him. He really is amazing and I am so lucky to have him. Can't wait to get back and see you all!   Harry and Beth

******************

540 Good Dogs and Counting

 

After a year to-and –a-half together (already!), it seems impossible that Sir Thomas and I could come face-to-face with anything we haven’t already seen or heard. Together, we’ve encountered a wide variety of situations, including unleashed dogs, scorns of disapproval (What’s that dog doing in here?), toddler tail-grabbing, airport security pat downs, surprised drivers (cabs and ferries) and many friendly souls (including a chef at a rather upscale restaurant who delivered a plate of chicken she’d cooked up for Thomas when she saw us arrive). We’ve attended yoga classes (Tommy loves relaxation poses) and art classes (cerulean blue paint is a challenge to wash from white fur).

We’ve experienced people who hold the door for us (and one woman who held the door for only Tommy, letting it slam before I passed through), people who take pictures of him, people who in insist he’s one breed or another (but certainly not a Great Dane), people who think I’m training him, people who question why I need him and people who remember him by name but have no idea who I am.

Though I daily warrior myself up against the potentially negative scenes that might enter our day, there is a positive that shines through. Interwoven in all of the different interactions we’ve had, there has been one constant. Each and every day in these past 18 months, we’ve met someone, somewhere, who compliments Sir Thomas. Every day. That’s 540 Nice Dogs to date, not counting the several per day he typically receives.

The praise floats in whispers between café tables: “Beautiful dog.” It leaps across the sidewalk from drivers who slow and call out: “Great dog.“ We’ve not passed a through a single day in our time together that we haven’t heard nice, beautiful, great, or awesome directed at Tommy. And every day, I nod in agreement that he is, indeed, quite handsome and respond with a smile and a “He’s a good boy.” And just when I thought I’d heard it all, someone surprised me. “Gorgeous partnership,” she said. After nearly two years together, we do make quite a team. I nodded in agreement and smiled at Tommy. “Good boy.”