HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Week after week I receive notices that a dog, cat or horse needs a new home because the family home has been foreclosed on. It seems that the people who treat their pets as family would rather live on the street with their pet, then in a home without them – but that’s not everybody.

There are tips and programs to help keep people in their homes that I was unaware of.

• 1) Home Affordable Unemployment Program (UP): Individuals unemployed for 12 months or more and have obtained their mortgage prior to January 1, 2009 may be qualify for reduced mortgage payments during an approved period. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages do not qualify for the program. You must contact the company that services your mortgage to assess eligibility.
• Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP):If you cannot refinance your home due to loss of market value, you may qualify for HARP. The mortgage must be a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae guaranteed loan. The loan must be in good standing for 12 months, and the loan to value must be at least 80%.

The concept of money just feels so different to me than in the days I was carefully depositing pennies in my piggy bank. I could touch it and feel it, and could see that it was gone. Nowadays, money seems so transient. Even though there may be a healthy bank account backing one’s life, it just feels like it is “on paper.” It makes me wonder… There are folks who have the money but don’t seem to pay their basic utilities and their mortgage in favor of luxuries, or even just simply time getting away from them.

If this is you, or you seem to have yourself stretched far all the time:

• Go virtual. If you are used to doing everything online, many mortgage holders such as Aurora loans, are now provided access to managing and paying your mortgage online so you can keep tabs on what’s ahead. Ask your mortgage administrator if they offer it.
• Buy a starter home. Mom and Dad did it. If you are looking to purchase your first home, it is easy to fall in the trap of buying as much house as you can afford, or even more so. Consider a few hundred square feet less, the worst house in a good neighborhood, or something you will upgrade later rather than buying the status home now.
• Create a contingency plan for pets. Put some money aside so that if you must move, you can afford the pet deposit, or have a written agreement with a relative or a friend who loves your dog or cat that they will house them for a short period of time until you get back on your feet.

With a little investigation and foresight, a foreclosure might be something well avoided.

As you are scurrying to find your Valentine the perfect bauble to wear, whether it be red and heart-y or not, think of other folks whose hearts will be warmed by accessories that adorn their ears. Well, only part of it would adorn the tops of their ears. The rest would help them see a sewing needle, help them to read for the first time or to even be able to get a job that their vision precluded them from.

Both OneSight and the Lion’s Club accept donations of eyeglasses to distribute to those that cannot afford them in third world countries and right here in the United States. There are clinics run to match up folks with just the right glasses, too. They typically run a clinics series of days in an area, and then move on to the next.

Some Valentine’s Day glasses might be really fun to donate to a doctor in a children’s ward, or more so someone helping children in a disaster and working to keep the mood light for them. I remember a little girl who brightened up at the site of things that were pink or purple with sparkles, and the littlest things like that can bring a smile or convey a sense of normalcy.

Photo courtesy edendogbeds.com

A dog bed used to just be a dog bed. It was soft like a pillow or a thick special rug depending on canine preference. Ever since I have cared for my IVDD dog, the importance of specialized orthopedic dog beds has never been so important. He usually just beat up a blanket and arranged it as he liked. No matter how contorted he looked, I was happy as long as he was happy nestled in there.

Dogs get bed sores and develop pressure points just like humans do. Granted, smaller dogs are easier to manipulate and move into different positions than an adult person, but they do happen. Medical egg crate foam at the very least, or memory foam if you can afford it provides more gentle and even support to your pet, whether he/she has back issues or not. From there, you can even get beds made to look like antique furniture if you want to go fancy.

One may wince at the thought of the price of memory foam beds, but since you are buying a much smaller quantity for a pet than you would for a human queen- or king-sized mattress, sometimes with the cost of surgeries and long term care, you can’t afford not to. A comfortable bed can add a lot of to the quality of life of your pup who is not as spry as he or she used to be.