Any and All Dogs..What a Blast!

The Any & All Dog Show sponsored by the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club was a big hit this year. There were so many dogs and their humans there that it was difficult to even see what was going on! I think it helped that we all were blessed before the show by Father Doty. I really should have gone and gotten a private blessing afterward but in the mayhem, I dropped it out...trust me, Father...it was not intentional!

I did take a ribbon though -- a BLUE ribbon in the child's class for Most Interesting Tail! Imagine that! The Tryon Daily Bulletin actually got it a little wrong (just this once guys, really!) as they said I was owned by Brock Mayer and the truth is, he is my nephew...and I am pretty sure that I own him.

There were quite a few "interesting tails" for me to check out, and Brock is quite obedient, so we went wherever I pleased.....I really enjoyed this while it lasted. Brock followed me right through the judges' tent, which probably did not hurt our chances at a ribbon. Our win made his day, which made me very happy.

The only other class I entered was the Best Costume Class and as most of you know, I am not terribly fond of being dressed up. My humans placed a black wig, a witch's hat, and a black feather boa on me. I could shake the hat off very quickly, but the boa was tricky.....when I finally pawed at the boa and got it off, just in case no one got the picture, I lifted my leg on it. Think they got it this time?

There were so many nice dogs and nice folks there, and the weather was almost perfect although it could have been a bit cooler. It was just a nice relaxing day for us to have fun and enjoy our humans.....

I would like to personally invite EVERYONE to the Open House this Saturday, November 3 from 11-3 at the Foothills Shelter on Little Mountain Road. Just think...FREE hotdogs (probably just for humans though) and FREE cake, FREE pony rides, a FREE goody bag for each family from Little Mountain Feed Store -- and that's not all! From noon until 2, SANTA will be there, ready to pose with your pet for photos! Music will be provided courtesey of Dana Bergman who, along with his dog Barney, is a personal friend of mine. It will be a lot of fun, and for a good cause -- to show support for our terrific shelter!

The staff and volunteers are rightfully proud of the shelter -- how it looks, the way it is run, and the kindness and care given to the animals there. Many times folks who visit say that it looks more like an upscale boarding facility than a shelter! I have seen animals actually come to the shelter of their own accord....and sad but true, for some animals, it is the best "home" they will ever know!

So please drop by between 11 and 3 on Saturday and see this fine shelter, and what a difference these wonderful humans make for the homeless animals in Polk County! I'll be there listening to the music and eyeing Santa's sleigh (don't ask), so make sure to come over and say hello.


See you Saturday! Woof!

CHAMP

National Feral Cat Day!!! Woof!

Photo credit - Noah's Ark Rescue


Po'Kitties is a new program at the Foothills Humane Society where, as you may know, I have the privilege of being the SpokesDog. At any rate, they asked me to speak on behalf of the feral cats in our community.

OK...OK...I was rope-dragged into writing this by the Po' Kitties committee! But...truth be known, this world could stand to be a little kinder to the cats! I know I often make comments about cats....such as "blech", etc.... but I live with cats and while I may not always agree with them, they deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, just like all creatures.

National Feral Cat Day is this Tuesday, October 16th, and on this date Po' Kitties will be kicking off their feral cat trap-neuter-release program which is designed to help the feral cats in our community by sterilizing them. That way they will not be able to reproduce litter after litter of ...more cats!

As I understand it, the program has volunteers to help and advise with the process of humanely trapping feral cats, getting them spayed or neutered, vaccinating them, ear-tipping them, and releasing them back into managed colonies. Now, I don't mind admitting that some of this is a bit over my head, and I had to ask, "Exactly what are "ear-tipping" and "managed colonies"?

It turns out that ear-tipping is done while the cat is already under anesthesia to be sterilized, and the vet cuts off the tip of one ear. That way, anyone who sees the cat knows that the cat is sterile, vaccinated, and a part of a managed colony. The picture you see is of a cat that has been ear-tipped. A managed colony is a small group of cats who have permission to live in a certain place. Along with that permission, there is a person or a group of people who commit to providing food and water to the colony. The Po'Kitties committee will monitor these colonies and help where and as needed.

I was surprised and pleased to know that so many people in our community are already providing food and water to these cats. It makes me feel good to know that my neighbors are being so kind. If you or someone you know is feeding one or more feral cats, the Po'Kitties folks would like to hear from you so we can help get the cats spayed or neutered.

I guess I hadn't realized the extent of this problem until it was brought to my attention by Po'Kitties. I was distressed to learn that some people treat these cats cruelly. I think it is time to take matters into our own paws (er....or hands) and deal with this problem instead of sweeping it under the rug (or shooting it).

My contribution will mostly be through my blog, but there are lots of ways you can help. You can volunteer your time with the Po'Kitties program. You can drive a trapped cat to and from the vet's office. You can donate money so more cats can be spayed, neutered, vaccinated and ear-tipped. You can offer to provide food and water to a managed colony, either on your property or somewhere else, and you can do it every day, or once a week, or when the caretaker takes a vacation. Most importantly, you can be kind to these creatures when you see them.

Po'Kitties will have a booth at this Sunday's ANY AND ALL DOG SHOW. This cool event for humans and dogs is sponsored by the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club, and proceeds go to benefit the Foothills Humane Society. It's at Harmon Field from 1-3. They will have the awesome Po'Kitties tee-shirts for sale (get 'em while you can!). I will be there with some kind of stupid costume my humans will make me wear, and would be happy to say "Hello!" if you come over to see me.

I did want to mention that I have read lately in the Tryon Daily Bulletin that some folks are losing animals to predators like the coyote. Might I remind you that we Livestock Guardian Dogs not only make your life richer in every way (just by having us around), but for thousands of years we have been bred to protect livestock from predation. No coyote will ever get past ME or any other Livestock Guardian Dog. You can read more about it in the latest Progressive Farmer magazine (yes, the same magazine that touted Polk County as such a terrific place to live) in the article titled, "On Guard". And there is a place in Winston-Salem that specializes in training us rescue dogs to be the best Livestock Guardian Dogs around, so you can help save one of us and - - save your livestock too!

If you would like more info, please drop me a line!

See you at the show!

Woof!

CHAMP