The Good, Bad, and Ugly

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It has been a busy month for me, and it has most certainly had its share of ups and downs, at least in my world!

First, let me tell you about a little glitch I had....

Earlier in the month I had a really rotten day, because I insisted on counter-surfing. As it turns out, I had to pay heavily for my sins.

For those of you who are not familiar with the term "counter-surfing" , let me share the official Urban Dictionary definition: "counter-surfing: a habit of medium-to-large dogs whereby they stand on their hind legs to see what is on the kitchen counter". Ha ha, and my personal definition includes grabbing and eating whatever I please, which is a wonderful reward, or so I thought. Anyway, on this particular day, there were some very tasty-smelling freezer rolls rising on the top of the stove. It didn't matter one bit to me that they were still in a hard, frozen state -- I ate them anyway.

Now, how was I supposed to know that this was now a Medical Emergency??? Thankfully my humans knew and took immediate action. This occurred at o'dark thirty when none of the clinics were open (of course) so they called my Godmother, who happens to be a terrific vet as well as an understanding friend, and she told them I had to give the rolls back, immediately. Uh-oh, that didn't sound good......and let me tell you, it was not a fun time for any concerned! They took me outside and poured something down my throat, and my stomach felt really, really bad and....well.....1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 rolls....
yup, they got them all back, much to my dismay. I felt crummy ALL DAY.

So, did I learn anything from this misadventure, you ask? Heck, no! I would do it again in a heartbeat! Hopefully my humans have learned their lesson and will never again leave rolls out where I can reach them! Like most dogs, I will eat whatever I please without regard to whether it will cause me illness, or, as in this case, potential death.

I am a very lucky dog because my humans knew that rising dough is extremely dangerous for animals to eat -- it can kill us, and very quickly. I am also lucky that they knew who to call and were able to get the dough balls back, and apparently just in the nick of time. Humans, ask your vet what to have on hand in case your pet gets into this sort of trouble.

But let's forget that little incident, as I am back to my normal, glorious self. I had a really great time at Laurelhurst this month! The residents there were practicing for their St. Patrick's Day Bash and sang a song for me. It was "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" and they were not only jolly, they were in tune! Got to love those Irish! Oh yeah...and they gave me my own little bag of doggie treats!! YUM! (No frozen dough balls either!)

I also went to two local schools this month. I was invited to Polk Central School, and let me tell you, these students rock! The students and teachers there raised over $700 for the animals at the shelter, and that is no small change! I was so impressed! They had a pet photo contest complete with the caption, "Whose Pet Am I"? under each photo. The photos were great! Of course, I personally am no one's pet, although I will admit that on most days, my humans are my equals. Maybe one day they will realize this.

I also got to visit at Tryon Elementary along with Jack, my funny Therapy Dog friend. There were a lot of students here and we were the only dogs, so it got just a little crazy! Most animals do best in a calm, quiet atmosphere, but I enjoyed myself anyway. And I do think the students did quite well on their animal test!

I am going to be at the Animal Fair this year! I was hoping I would be strategically placed next to the food, but in light of my recent escapades, my humans asked that I be stationed as far away from the food as possible. (Gee, thanks a lot.) Tickets for the Animal Fair are still available, and the best part is, you will get to hang out with ME. And feed me a treat, if my humans aren't looking.....

I am also going to be a judge at the April Fools Doggie Costume Contest on Saturday, April 4th. Judging will be at 11:00 am at St Luke's Thrift Store in Tryon. Don't laugh -- I take my jobs very seriously! Please come out with your best costume on! My friend Lennie Rizzo and Ziggy, my wonderful, crazy Therapy Dog buddy (whose photo won an award in the Po'Kitties All Pet Photo Contest last October), will share judging duties with me. It should be a fun time. And the BEST part of being a judge is -- I don't have to wear a stupid costume!


Woof!

CHAMP

Kelley Kitten - This One's for YOU!

I was thrilled last week to receive an email from one "Kelley Kitten". Granted, I was a little disturbed about what Kelley was saying, but nonetheless, I was still very glad that she wrote me. I am going to share her email here:

"Dear Champ the Therapy dog,

My name is Kelley. I am a three year old gray and brown tabby cat. I live on a horse farm in Campobello. When my owners are away at work, I read the Tryon Daily Bulletin. I like your column the best. Your last column was about caring. Being a cat, sometimes that is hard, but I try.

I am worried about a problem and I hope you can help me. I live on the farm with three other cats. We are all strays which were adopted. We all try to get along, but since we are all girl cats, we do have our disagreements. The problem is someone keeps dumping more stray cats at our farm. Sometimes there is a new cat every week. They are all big tom cats, and they are scary. I am small for my age. I asked my owners why I am so small, and they said it is in my genes. I’m still confused, because I don’t wear pants.

Anyway, they are mean and one chased me up a tree last week. Luckily, my owner was home to rescue me, but I’m still scared when I go outside.
I’m just a little cat with a little voice, but you are a big dog with a big voice. Maybe in your next column, you can ask people to stop dumping cats on other people’s farms. Maybe you can ask Uncle Leo to do the same thing in his next Humane Society update column. If things don’t improve, Ill have to get my own Great Pyrenees dog to protect me. I can’t wait to read your next column.

Thanks for listening.

Kelley Kitten"

Of course I responded immediately to Kelley privately and so did Uncle Lennie, but there are so many cats that have either been abandoned or have been born because the abandoned ones were not spayed or neutered, it's hard to say whether they were dumped out, or whether they just traveled from somewhere else to find Kelley's food source.

So, what can be done?

1) First off, I suggested that Kelley get a Great Pyrenees dog like me! I think that is a terrific idea! (C'mon, what did you think I would say?)

2) PLEASE get your dogs and cats (yes, I am talking about ALL animals) spayed or neutered! Call Foothills Shelter at 863-4444 and do your part to stop this cycle! If money is an issue, just call and they'll be happy to discuss your options. And seriously, run - don't walk - to get your cats spayed or neutered. One unsterilized cat can lead to....well, a real CAT-astrophe! Thankfully, Kelley's humans have done their part and made sure that Kelley and her cohorts are sterilized and can no longer add to the cat overpopulation problem. But every other cat owner needs to do the same!

3) Some people mistakenly believe that if they dump an animal out in a rural area, there are enough farms and barns that these animals will find food and shelter somewhere. WRONG! Dumping or abandoning an animal that is a pet and domesticated is unspeakably cruel. It is far better and much more humane to take the animal to the shelter where it will be cared for. If you can no longer keep your pets, at least give them a real chance to find a home through the shelter!

4) If they are feral cats and too wild to tame, call Foothills Shelter and get information about the Po'Kitties program, so these cats can be sterilized. Do your part to stop the cycle of unwanted cats! Sterilization puts an end to nearly all of the "unwanted behaviors" exhibited by these cats (i.e., fighting, spraying, etc.) and the sterilized cats rarely cause trouble for anyone.

5) Lastly, kittens are as cute as they come, but why subject even more of them to a life that is not the best? Don't they deserve the chance for a good life? If you want a kitten, go to Foothills Shelter and adopt one!

Kelley Kitten and her humans are the victims of irresponsible pet owners who either do not spay or neuter their animals or who dump and abandon their animals. The only solution is for pet owners in the community to take responsibility! In these hard times, we all have to stick together. Kindness and responsibility can go a long, long way to making our community stronger, healthier, and happier. Not to mention making Kelley Kitten's yard safer and more pleasant! So please be a good neighbor! (You can sing the refrain with me now: Neuter and spay, don't delay!) And please,don't be cruel -- take unwanted animals to Foothills.

Woof! (Meow!)

Champ

2009: "Learning to Care"

I know you all have been eagerly awaiting my "word of the year" for 2009; however, I noticed that not even ONE of my readers sent in a suggestion! Give a big old fluffy fellow a break, will you? I know it took awhile, but I thought of so many important and meaningful words that it took a while to choose, and I had to go with a slogan. Are you ready? Drum roll, please......my slogan of the year for 2009 is "learning to care".


I actually got (stole) this slogan from a couple of my friends that do the Foothills Humane education program, Ruth Kellick-Grubbs and Kathy Toomey. They were giving out pencils with "learning to care" printed on them to the students they visited in the schools. They are bright orange pencils and they are a nice little gift. And I think life is a lifelong process of "learning to care".

"Who cares", you ask? I do, for one! I think it is a worthy virtue to teach the children at our schools....not only to learn to care for the animals and those less fortunate than ourselves, but also about other people. There are some folks who become hardened by life and who lose their ability to care or be kind, but if you look around, you will see a whole lot of folks doing kind deeds every day. They have certainly "learned to care" and have not let life's issues cloud what is important.

If we all take "learn to care" as our slogan for 2009, our community will be enriched immeasurably. I myself plan to "learn to care" for the feral cats in the Po'Kitties trap-neuter-return program. It is a great program -- my cat-mates all tell me it is the cat's meow -- and well worth supporting. Let's all commit to learning to care about our community, and each other.

There are many ways you can help out your fellow beings in one way or another, and there are so many great organizations in our beautiful community to volunteer for! Of course I am more than a little biased towards Foothills Humane Society (where, as you may remember, I am privileged to be the Spokesdog) but any of the organizations around would be grateful for your assistance. And if you want to be a volunteer for Foothills Humane Society, just call 863-4444 and ask for Paula.

By the way, I visited over at Tryon Estates over the Christmas holiday. I enjoyed seeing everyone and I did, of course, don my Santa hat for the occasion. (Under only mild protest, as I was trying to be good!) I have also been to the Polk Central after-school program and plan on going to more schools over the next few months. So, students, see you soon!

Woof!

Champ

PS...It is starting to be that time of year when the shelter will gets lots of puppies and kittens in...so PLEASE consider having your dog or cat spayed or neutered...the price is right if you call the shelter @ 863-4444. It will help us save lives!

2008: Good Riddance!

Santa has come and gone.....I hope he was very good to each and everyone of you! I was expecting coal and/or ashes and switches, but instead I got a new Santa hat. BLECH! Gee thanks Santa.

I am not sure which is worse, probably the switches and my new hat does come in handy when I am visiting folks around Christmas time! Santa did not even bring me "spell checker" software which Mr Millwood at the Tryon Daily Bulletin strongly suggested I should have. Really Joey, oops, I mean Senator Millwood, the big paws just don't get it on the computer keyboard!

This year has been a year of ups and downs for many folks.....and as we all know "things" always flow downstream. This has affected the animals of the world as well. There are many more people and animals without a place to call their own.

I am blessed enough to have a home and a job, or two, maybe three, if you count my guard dog abilities. How lucky can one dog be?

Looking back over this past year, I have visited many different places. and this is my very favorite thing to do. I have met many new folks and enjoyed seeing my old friends as well. The Special Olympics probably had to be the highlight of my year as a therapy dog, but the FENCE Day Camp and local schools and assisted living places were all very special as well...and let's not forget the Farmer's Market with those wonderful doggie biscuits!

I have continued my old habits of stealing food, or paper towels, or whatever happens to be on the kitchen counter and chewing them into shreds.....and I have no plans whatsoever for any New Year's Resolutions concerning these forays.... Now that Santa is back at the North Pole until next year, why bother? You would think I would have outgrown this by now as I am no longer a pup, but it gets me the attention which I adore.

I have also been blogging this year.....although I will never make it as a twitter, mainly because I am too busy doing all my jobs to stop and twit. I am not talking about the TWIT that is "This Week In Tryon" here but I always look forward to reading their e-letter ( How's that for a plug, Doug?) I have often written about those less fortunate than I, especially the animals, because most of them truly have no voice....well, they do have voices, but sometimes no one listens! And I have tried to pass along information about "humane education", my word of the year, because I think this is a very important concept for all the beings on this planet.

I have been trying to decide on my "word for the year" for 2009, and I am open to suggestions. Please email me @ champtherapydog@gmail.com
with the word you think I should use and why you think I should use it. I don't know if there will be a prize for the winner, but there might be.


Happy New Year! I hope you have the best year yet!

As Oprah Winfrey says, "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!"


Woof

CHAMP


P.S. If any of you GOOD dogs out there would like to follow in my pawprints and try your hand at becoming a therapy dog, Petpals is going to be having a training session coming up after the first of the year. For more info on this, please call my "trainer" Katie Malone at 864-415-5804.

Any Soldier, Any Dog 2008

Any Soldier, Any Dog, 2008

Christmas is just around the corner, and it always brings to mind those serving in the military to secure our freedom, far from home over the holidays.

So once again I would like to suggest that if you would like to send Christmas cards, supplies, or gifts to Our Troops overseas, now is a good time to get started.

Over the last few years, I have personally sent dog toys, dog supplies, and dog treats to our Military K9s. This year there are a number of requests from K9 units and kennel masters for dog toys, leashes for large dogs with retractable leads, harnesses and the like. One unit in Afghanistan is requesting canned dog food, and they all want treats that can be carried on missions.

I am currently packing a box for Military Working Dog Handler Brian Meinert in Iraq. His email follows:

"We are the Military Working Dog Section and we each have a dog and they work hard but toys for them are not offered here, they really like kongs, balls, chew toys and other normal everyday house dog items. Our living conditions are not that bad but some things we do need are baby wipes, tissues, personnel hygiene products and other things of that nature, drink mixes, energy drinks. Our entertainment consists of a small variety of DVD's and a TV so if you have some used DVD's you would like to donate to this section where they would stay that would be great. Snacks of all kinds for us and the dogs so when we do go out we have something for the teams. anything will be greatly appreciated by all of us. Thank you for reading this and contributing to all of here in the K-9 section."

I cannot imagine the conditions in which these dogs, and their handlers and the other troops, are living, but I can guarantee that none of them has a bed as soft, warm, and safe as mine (or the one I think is mine!). And my bed is safe because these men, women, and dogs chose to serve our country by leaving their families and putting themselves in harm's way. It is the least I can do to send them things that will make their lives just a little bit better. And I do hope they enjoy the photo of ME in a red, white and blue bandana that I am including in the package!

I sent a package to a canine handler a couple of years ago in Iraq and I got the nicest reply and thank you...it was even addressed to Champ on the envelope!


If you would like to send a letter, card, or package to a member of our military, go to the website and read the emails from our troops. The link is at www.anysoldier.com - because freedom isn't free, just ask any soldier!

And when you are writing your Christmas cards this year, please consider sending one to: "A Recovering Soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue,NW, Washington, DC 20307-5001 .


Maybe for Christmas this year, we can all ask for PEACE......and hope that soon these brave men, women, and dogs will be able to come home.

Until then, here's to all the working K9s AND their handlers, and to all who continue to sacrifice so much for our freedom. Happy Thanksgiving!

Woof!

CHAMP

Stop Barking and Go Vote!

Because I am neither of the appropriate age or species to vote, I can say what I think about this hullabaloo. After all, I am neither an elephant or a donkey. I am a DOG, but even I know when enough is enough, and I am about at my wit's end with politics this year! I have heard, seen, and read, (OK,maybe not the latter) about some really disturbing assaults, flat-out lies, thefts, and other acts of ugliness and violence over this election. This is ridiculous and I am beyond ready for it to be over!

Both parties have made choices, spoken words, and taken actions that have been terribly divisive. Just because someone does not agree with your way of thinking does not make them bad, or stupid, or unpatriotic. It just means that they have a different opinion!


If you remember, my words for the year were "humane education", which is a process that encourages an understanding of the need for compassion and respect for people, animals, and the environment, and recognizes the interdependence of ALL living things". (Quote from World Animal Net) That means that every being has a right to be respected for who they are.

Why are folks stealing political signs......or painting them black? Why is there so much name-calling? Why is almost every ad on TV negative, and why is everyone slinging mud and assassinating the character of the other candidates? In my not-so-humble opinion, your species has sunk to an all-time low.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and beliefs -- that is a sacred right in this country for which men, women, and dogs have all sacrified their lives during times of war. What I don't understand is why some folks have no respect for any opinion but their own.

Surely you people have better things to do with your time than to steal or vandalize political signs, or to say hurtful or ugly things to your neighbors. Why not put your anger and frustration to work doing something positive? Why not volunteer to help your neighbors, or the animals, or the planet? You can volunteer to help the political party of your choice! Or volunteer to drive a neighbor to the polls -- no matter who they vote for!

At the end of the day, you are the one who will win -- as will the others who choose this path. If we're not here to help each other, well, why are we here?


Woof!

CHAMP

P.S. The Foothills Shelter on Little Mountain Rd. is having their Open House, this Saturday, November 1st from 11am until 2 pm. There will be free food, drinks, CAKE (YUM!), live music, pony rides, and photos with Santa! Dana Bergman will provide excellent music so please come out and enjoy this event...I hope to see you there!

The Any and All Dog Show

Come One, Come All!

Well, where else? The Any and All Dog Show is coming up on Sunday, October 12 at Harmon Field! This fun event is hosted by the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club for the benefit of the Foothills Humane Society. It has become an annual tradition for many folks in these parts and is a great excuse to get outside with your family and other animals!

I really hope you dogs will nudge your owners off the couch and out from in front of the TV for this one. Maybe you have what it takes to be the biggest dog....or the smallest dog....or maybe you look like your owner? Do you like to get dressed up? (I don't - last year I lifted my leg on my costume, much to my humans' chagrin.) Do you have the most unusual tail? I did one year! Or do you have the best trick of all the dogs in Tryon? Ha, I wish.....but then, I never did like to obey! And now there is a new class for "family dogs", dogs who may not be related but who live in the same household. Relatives by proxy, as it were. And don't forget, you can show off your very own human if you were adopted from the Foothills Shelter -- there is a special class just for you! This show is not only fun for the dogs and their owners, it is wildly entertaining for the spectators as well. And it is pretty cheap to enter....a buck per class or 5 bucks for all the classes you want to enter....


Father Doty will be doing a blessing of the animals at 1:30 pm and I sure could use blessing again this year......maybe this will get me through another year of being a "good" dog. Or maybe not.

They decided to have a Tailgate Contest this year.....get it, TAIL gate.....but I have considered going on strike about this. I think the dogs should judge who has the best tailgate spread. We could sample one of everything at each tailgate to decide the winner or, better yet, have the tailgate part be judged on who fixes the best dog food, and I don't mean just ordinary dog food either (blech) but something like peanut butter dog biscuits, or doggie deviled eggs, or peanut butter pupsicles.....I guess you get the picture!

The show starts at 2:00 pm but you have to register ahead of time, so plan to arrive between 1:00 and 1:30. I look forward to seeing all of you there -- with any luck, the only outfit I will be wearing this year is my Therapy Dog Vest!

P.S. -- a HUGE thank you to all who sent in the absolutely fabulous photos of their pets for the Po'Kitties All Pet Photo Contest. I have been truly amazed at the quality and beauty of these pictures! And
don't forget the Awards Ceremony on October 16 at the Red Clover Gallery in Landrum at 6:30pm. My dear friend and admirer, the magnificent Randy Grobe, will be hosting the gala affair, which means it will be a hoot! The photos will be on display at the Gallery from Wednesday, October 15 through Saturday, October 18 during Gallery hours. Stop by and take a look at these terrific photos! I think you will be impressed.

The other upcoming event is the Open House at Foothills Humane Society Shelter on Saturday, November 1. My good friend Dana Bergman will provide the music, and there will be food, drinks, and CAKE (my favorite)! There will also be pony rides for the children, and Santa will be available to pose in his sleigh for pictures with you and your pets. Between Santa's butt and my butt, it was a pretty tight fit last year! The Viewers' Choice Award for Best Photo will be announced (from the Po'Kitties All Pet Photo Contest) and if you're really lucky, you might even get to see ME!!

Woof!

CHAMP