Champ.....the Tracker!

Yesterday I went up to FENCE. the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center, and I got to go to tracking practice with a couple of the other doggies....Now mind you, I have enough jobs to keep me busy and while I may not look like a tracker, I can do anything I set my mind to do!

My Mom and some other tracking students laid some simple tracks and I finally got to try my paw at it. I had tried a couple of times before but I think I may have actually gotten the hang of it.

We did a double L track and I kept my nose to the ground quite a bit and made it through the whole track.

It was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hope I get to go again soon......Maybe one day I can even go for a TD to add to my other accomplishments.

Oh yeah...this photo is of me carrying my Mom's plants around in my mouth. It did not exactly make her day, but I offered to dig the rest of the plant up for her. After all, kindness is what I am all about!

CHAMP

Thankful.....I am....

Written by Champ November 23, 2006...

Today is Thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for.......sometimes we need to take a step back and look at all the things we have in our lives to be grateful for...

Here is my list of things I am thankful for:

FOOD, well, that goes without saying, but there are other things I have put on my list as well so as not to look like a food monger here.

I am thankful for my home...every one deserves one and yet, there are people and animals that have none.

I am thankful to all the folks who took the time and trouble to feed and care for me before I had a forever home of my own.

I am thankful for the folks that cared enough about me to get me off the highways of Mississippi and into the loving arms of MS Great Pyrenees Rescue and my foster Mom.

I am thankful that I have a job that allows me to help others by being a Therapy Dog. I can give back some of what has been given to me....yes..."paws it forward" or something like that....

I am thankful for long walks in the woods where I can at least smell the "call of the wild" even if I cannot join in. I am thankful for my neighbor, Anton, who asks every morning to hold my leash and follows me wherever I may go.

I am even grateful for the full moons, coyotes, vultures, and airplanes that fly over the house as it gives me an opportunity to bark, and barking keeps them in line...well, maybe not the airplanes!

So on this day of giving thanks, I have a great deal to be thankful for BUT I am MOST thankful that .....I am not.... a TURKEY!!!

Please take a moment to stop and give thanks! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Oops, I almost forgot to remind you that if you are tired of eating turkey after Thanksgiving, many area restuarants will be donating a percentage of their income from Tuesday November 27th (and a couple of restaurants are doing this on Wednesday, the 28th because they are not open on Tuesdays) to the Foothills Humane Society. The list of these restaurants will be available in the Tryon Daily so please take your friends and family out to one of the participating restaurants on these days and support these kind restaurant owners and Foothills at the same time! Thank you guys for helping the shelter! I sure wish I could find a restaurant that would let me participate.

Woof!

CHAMP

Cats.......Sigh.....

We have a new cat......No..I am less than thrilled....but what am I going to do about it??? For one thing, I am outnumbered!

Harvey is a little terror.....I am almost afraid of him...I know he looks all sweet and lovey in this picture.....but he is pretty BAD!

There is one cat, Grady Brown, and he gets on my nerves so much...he whines all the time and it really bothers me. I sometimes growl at him when he just goes on and on.....and truth be told, I have lunged at him a time or two...but I would not hurt him....I know I would be in DEEP trouble if I touched him. I do, though, at times have to let him know that he is pushing it with his mouth.

Mostly though, I let the cats lay on the bed with me...we do not exactly cuddle, but I actually really like a few of them...the ones that do not whine!

I have to say, though, in all honesty, that I feel sorry for the many cats in this world. My Mom told me that there are never enough homes for all of them and that many die young because people do not get their cats spayed or neutered.....I know...I did not have a home once. ( WHINE!)

So please, please, spay and neuter your cats and if you really want to save a cat or kitten this holiday season, please look at all the beauties here at the Foothills Shelter.

They would be most thankful for a home.

CHAMP

Santa Claus is Coming to Town....UH-OH!

I found out yesterday that I am going to see Santa at the Humane Society Open House tomorrow.
Yikes!

I was trying to rethink this past year and how good..or bad... I might have been. I know Santa sometimes brings NOTHING ( horrors) or disgusting things like coal and ashes ( Blech!) to those that have not been very good during the year.

If I think of the last few weeks...I think I have been pretty bad.....

I got a package of chicken off the kitchen counter and took it to the bedroom to devour. I got caught and then I had a LONG standoff with one of my owners over it. I growled VERY loudly and still lost the battle.

I have not had my mind on my Therapy Dog job all the time....other things come to mind when I should be working...like FOOD.....FOOD..and more FOOD.

On the other hand, I have been protecting the house from coyotes and I give that my best....I always act like I am the fiercest beast around when I hear them nearby. And I have kept the house safe from the vultures and airplanes this past year.

I also have made quite a few folks smile at the assisted living centers, the Special Olympics, and numerous places in between. I have even been sweet when some one would accidentally step on my tail or my paw.

Honestly, I think Santa will forgive me for my few bad times because overall, I have been a good boy this year. I really try to give most everything I do my best shot. No one is perfect and hopefully, when Santa is figuring out what I should get this Christmas, he will remember the smiles that I gave to some of the people that need them the most.

And he will forgive me of all those other things that were not quite so good....so don't sweat the small stuff Santa!

CHAMP

Home Visits....aka...I am loved!

Today I accompanied my Mom on a home visit for Carolina Great Pyrenees Rescue. We went to a nice home in beautiful Flat Rock to see if this home would be suitable for a rescued Great Pyrenees to live there. As a side note...it was indeed, an excellent home, and I approved of the fellow..although, I have not met his wife yet. I would probably like her as well....

I tagged along because this gentleman's wife is a therapist and she works with children. She was thinking if they adopted a Great Pyrenees ( like me!) that perhaps she could use him or her in her practice as a Therapy Dog. They were both a little concerned about just how gentle ( or NOT) a big dog lika a Great Pyrenees could be...and I showed this fellow just how kind and gentle and mellow, we can be.

He was so impressed that he asked if I was up for adoption!!!!!!!!

WHOA! That made me pay attention!

I was really curious to see what my Mom would say..this was scary...my whole home and lifestyle were on the line here!

So the answer: ( drum roll!) She said NO...I was not up for adoption!!! She did, of course, have to add the comment that while I was NOT PERFECT all the time, that I was hers and would remain with her. She did mention my counter surfing ( OOPS!) but I did breathe a sigh of relief when she said I would not be adopted out.....that I had a home.....Yippee!

I knew I would be going home to MY HOME and that hopefully, this gentleman would be a kind and gentle owner of another lucky Great Pyrenees that has been rescued and needs a home.

It was a pyr-fect way to spend the day.

CHAMP

Dog and Cat(blech!) of the Week!

Ginger is a sweet beautiful gray tabby. She had already been spayed and declawed so she is ready to go to a new home! She is about 2 years old. Ginger will be going to her new home tomorrow November 27th! Yeehi!






Harley is a Great Dane mix and he is not quite a year old. He is a handsome fellow with one blue eye...he is also very mellow! Harley was adopted today...Nov. 18th!





Please contact: danamayer@alltel.net or foothillshelter@alltel.net if you want to rescue or adopt one of these guys.

Thanks All!!! And even if you are a distance away...if you have good references, we will get a transport to get your new pet to you!

Some Days It is All About the FOOD!

I got dressed up a little....OK...red, white, and blue day and went to a very nice assisted living facility this week. I was a little headstrong because I was excited about seeing the folks once I got in the door. I went up to almost all the folks in the lobby that wanted to see me and pet me..but I just could not seem to get it together....

I was taken back to the Special Care area and once again....my mind was not completely on my job. Some one had a cookie ( a real cookie..not some dog bone) and I found myself drifting off and not quite being totally in the present and MY job.

Normally, I will get in close to these folks that are often in a land of their own, but I just could not bring myself to do it that day. Sometimes I can get close enough for them to pet me and I see a smile come across a face that before had very litle expression.

So, my handler, being a little OVER my independent streak, took me back out to the assisted living area...at which point I saw a lady carrying CARRY OUT FOOD!!!! I went up to her and acted like I was being a Therapy Dog....but I confess...I was waiting on her to offer me some of her food.

Everyone realized what I was up to and they thought it was funny as my nose was following the carry out containers....and not paying attention to the person....or anything else for that matter!

Then the lady started to walk off....my handler let me go and I followed the lady right down the hall...just like my handler knew I would.

Haha! They thought it was very funny. And so, do you know I did not get one bite of food out of that lady????

Next time..I will be more assertive.

Champ

Weekends!!!!

I LOVE weekends! I had a great weekend.....
I did not have to get dressed up or do anything
much except what I wanted to do!
I actually got to be a D-O-G!!!! Imagine that!

I basked in the sun, I dug up things in the yard,
I ate and slept and went for my walks.
I played with my buddies..the dogs..not the cats...

It was so nice.....

I think I might even be rested enough
to go back to work this week......

And yes...this photo is of me and my beautiful butt!

Champ

Cats (Blech) of the Week ( We NEED Homes!)

Smokey is a year old long haired cat. He has awesome eyes!




Lacey is an adorable kitty, about 10 weeks old. She was found with her sister Tracey.

Please contact: danamayer@alltel.net or foothillshelter@alltel.net if you want to rescue or adopt one of these guys.

Thanks!!!

Halloween Was Pretty Scary!

Well, sure enough I got dressed up in my costume and went to the assisted living facility. All was going along just fine until I walked in the front door. The place was decorated to the hilt and they even had strobe lights and music and they were all dancing in the dining room and just seemed to be having a grand old time. I could handle this....

Once I was through the door though, that is when the little goblins came after me. The little goblins, as I call them, are two little minpin mixes that came after me like they were going to eat me alive! They are also VERY loud and yippy. The staff had forgotten to put them up and they were all over my big butt. I could think of one thing and one thing only...LEAVE! So I pulled my handler towards the door and out we went.

I was very much a gentleman but I was a litle shaken up and I did not want to go back in at all.... EVER! My handler tried....in vain.....then one of the kind ladies came out and whispered in my ear and talked me into going back inside. She said she had put the little goblins up....so I reluctantly went back in.

I finally settled down and got my mind back on my job...but it took me a little while to come around.

My handler told me later that I was just the BEST....I could have turned around and let those two little goblins know just how big and strong I am....

But I am much too kind and gentle for that......and being kind and gentle is just a part of my job.

Champ