HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I am pretty tied down to my desktop computer. When there is so much going on, I often wish I had a laptop, so I could just “go” when times are what they are.  I would dart from home, to coffee shops, and to anywhere on the road that had a signal.  My husband has one, and I considered replacing mine and getting a laptop when we were in a better state of financial affairs.  One small problem: My “over the hill” computer is the hub of the home network.   With a purchase also comes the need to upgrade the internet service, as the new computer would fly.

Maybe the answer for me is to look into Charter.  They offer high speed internet and phone service, but right now they are offering extra incentive.   I might just lucky and winning one in the Charter Laptop-a-Day Giveaway. An HP Compaq Presario C770US will be given away each day for 30 days. When you place an order online for Charter services, not only will you have a chance to win the computer, but you will receive a gas card worth $100.    The odds in winning are very attractive and make folks like me, who never seem to win anything, believe they can win.   Afterall, I have a 1:1 chance of winning a gift card for gas.  I like those odds!

My dog, Ollie, is really funny sometimes.  He barks at dogs on television, which is understandable.  However, you can put a line drawing of a dog on tv and animate it and he somehow oddly still recognizes it is supposed to be a dog.   My husband tries to quiet him down by explaining that its  a”TV Doggie” and therefore not actually here.

I wondered to myself.  If the Flintstones’ “dog” was a dinosaur, what kind of pet would a vegetable have?

The Sproutwells just added a dog, Phyto, to their family.  He looks a bit like a baby watermelon to me.  I think its so cute the way his little tongue keeps flopping.   He reminds me of my Ollie.   My dogs actually really like their carrots and little bits of watermelon, so I don’t think they would do well at the dog park together.

They say there are only a few plots in the dramatic universe: Innocence to Experience, The Quest, Fish Out of Water, Man/Woman vs. Self, etc.    One new Fish Out of water Story is actually a Vegetables Out of Garden Story.   The sproutwells are a family of fruits and vegetables living life among humans.

Freshfunds.com is behind this series of cartoons.   When you buy specially marked Fresh Express and Chiquita products, enter the code on the item and you will start racking up Fresh Points.  You can make donations, bid on weekly auctions, or win prizes with your points.  Right now, bids are being taken on a Wii Fit.

I am glad I found this, as I happen to have a salad bag in my fridge right now that is almost used up.   I could have thrown valuable points in the trash!

I just know if Ollie was sitting on my lap at the moment, he would be barking like crazy at the “Watermelon TV Doggie.”

Sweet Cindy is a little different than all the other dogs that come into Heard County Animal Control.  The main reason is that Cindy has a family that knows she is there.   It is not a family that has tearfully said goodbye to Cindy because of a hardship. On the contrary, the family is toying with the idea of what to do.  They sent their teenage child into the shelter today to scope things out to see if it really was their Cindy after getting calls and notices.    But she didn’t take Cindy with her.   How heartbreaking it is to see a family member…only for them to turn their back.

Cindy is now passed the time that they are supposed to hold a stray at Animal Control.

The teen was presented with the idea of the family paying the fee and spaying her, but there was protest because “Cindy is pregnant.” Does she look pregnant to you? It is thought that Cindy had been allowed to wander the neighborhood in heat and may or may not be pregnant. But if she actually is, it is just barely.  And if the family cannot take care of her, what are they going to do with a litter?  It set  seeemed like they would rather have her dead and unspayed than alive and spayed.

Cindy is a boxer mix – she looks like a very high mix at that.    She is now eligible for adoption by anyone, not just her family.  Her “time up” date is this coming Friday.  Technically, she can be euthanized at any time, but the schedule for all the dogs and cats is Friday.

My heart breaks for Cindy.   I know I always like to see a dog reunited with a family, even if it occassionally involves a little education and changing atitidues (like spay so Cindy will never be wandering and picked up as a stray again).  Sometimes it involves knowing it may not be all perfect, but she’s home.    But my heart breaks for her to have  a family who may never come back for her ever.   She may sit and wait and because people may hold out hope that they will come, she loses her life waiting.   She deserves so much to have a family who would be worried sick if they were seperated from her.

If your heart aches for Cindy and you would like to be her safety net, please contact Kaylene at Heard County Animal Control, or leave a message for me in comments, please.  Out of area adoptions welcome.  This shelter is small, and very off the beaten path and the dogs and cats there need all the help they can get.

Heard County Animal Control Center
11818 Ga Hwy 100
Franklin, GA 30217
Phone: 706-675-3570

There is also one other dog at this shelter that needs extra exposure.  (don’t mind the date on the camera, the camera was on the blink!)  This dog is sweetness personified.  She just simply loves everyone.  The reason rescues have shied away from her is that she has mange.  It is HIGHLY treatable but no boarding facility will take her.

I don’t know why she is listed as a shepherd mix.  She is less than 30 lbs, and her ears look more like an Ewok in this photo.  She was spared because a woman named Karen (or Caren, or Karyn: If you are out there, please let us know!) called to adopt her right before euthanization started on Friday but has not of yet followed up with the shelter so this sweet girl is back on the euthanization list! I know there is someone out there reading that will be touched by her.

It seemed like just yesterday, it was Mother’s Day. Okay, I am figuritively speaking. I know “just yesterday” was Memorial Day. Mother’s Day was just a second before that, it seems. Now, Father’s Day is creeping up on us. 

Charter has cooked up quite a contest, Father’s Day in HD! Your father could win the biggest high definition television in the whole country? How does he do that? It is quite simple.  Their adoring child will write a short essay explaining why their dad deserves the “nation’s largest HDTV.”   As part of the prize, he wins Charter HD service and The Charter Bundle™ FREE for life.    I see many Saturday afternoon Creature Feature’s in my dad’s future if he was the lucky one.   He could sell tickets to sit on the lawn and watch it through the window.   I should stop imagining about it. The contest ends June 8th, so I better get my act together.

There is one small catch.  Your dad has to live in the Charter service area.   It is easy enough to type his zipcode into Charter’s website to figure it out.  Maybe if it involved owning the biggest HDTV in the nation, and perhaps the world, he would move.  (It is a 63″ flat panel!) 

I can just imagine my dogs going over there and flipping the dog show or Animal Planet on.  They get so excited.  I can’t imagine what they would do if those dogs were “life sized.”
 

In a previous post, I talked about the Renuzit TriScents “Transform Your Home with Tanya Memme” contest.  There is a $20,000 home makeover on the line.  Someone very lucky is going to get the sights and smells of their room made over.

Did you enter? If you didn’t, it is a little too late.  The deadline has passed to submit your entry.  However, it is not too late to have your voice be heard.   

Please visit the semi-finalist gallery where you can browse the entries.   Entries encompassed both videos and photos paired with short essays.  The

At left, this entry caught my eye.   It is from a desperate couple who are dealing with a home whose previous owner had many cats.  Apparently, the owner wasn’t too dilligent about tidying up after them, and there are cat stains everywhere.   The smell is so overpowering, that even with cleaning and a new family, the house still has reeks.   In fact, they have been putting off the housewarming party that people want to throw them because of it!  They are desperately hoping that they will win a scent makeover.  

There are nine other entries, and you are sure to find one that appeals to you.  Register for the site, if you haven’t already, in order to vote.  You may vote once per day for your favorite(s) until June 7th.

I found another contest where you can Win $1000 with FinGad for your efforts.

I know that would make a great donation to your local charity or to subsidize all the gas you have been using for running around town and state for your volunteer efforts.

FinGad.com is an online financial community that is hosting a competition to see who is the best stock picker. Don’t worry, only “virtual” money is used. You don’t have to make an investment of anything other than time in order to play. The entrant with the healthiest account of pretend money at the close of the competition wins a prize. Click here to check out the official rules. This contest ends May 15th.

I previously mentioned that Renuzit TriScents and Tanya Memme of A&E’s Sell This House! are running a home makeover competition. Just a reminder that if you wish to ender the Transform Your Home promotion, you needed to hurry up! Put the finishing touches on that video and start that essay! The deadline for entries is April 30th. The prize in question is worth $20,000 to transform your home.

What will I do if I win? Here’s a clue!

When we moved in, the house was new, and the carpet that was present was a “Five Year” berber carpet. Well, I don’t have to tell you if you have pets, that berber, unless it is the highest grade, is a sponge for dirt and pet hair. After three years it was looking pretty sad, even though we clean it and are careful. We adopted our younger dog as a six month old pup. His prior owner never bothered to housebreak him so we had a few accidents in the beginning. No matter how many times we clean it, the spot from several years ago still “comes up.” It makes our whole living room not look or smell as good as it could.

We would tear the carpet out and put ceramic tile down if we won. This way the scents we wanted to use in our home also wouldn’t have to be selected on how they blend with the smells of the old carpet, but we could select them based on our personal preferences. We would like guests to think we just baked cookies, not washed a dog!

To enter, register for the site. Then, get ready to get creative!

You are required to create a video or submit photos and an essay on why you deserve the prize.

The video can be no more than 2 minutes in length and 20 mg in size to convince them of your worthiness. Please be sure to follow the official rules! Of course, it goes without saying, that you must show the house in the video and present your plea demonstrating on why your house merits a makeover, rather than just sail on your sparking personality.

If you choose to send in an essay, the photo is limited to 500KB and the essay must be 250 words or less, in English.

I am being very generous aren’t I? I could have given you false information, giving me a better chance to win! As this blog talks about charity and good causes a lot, you know I wouldn’t do that to you. Have fun!

Are You on Facebook?

If you have answered YES:

Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., needs your help to win the Facebook 50 Day Giving Challenge.

If you answered NO:

I know you have been thinking about starting a Facebook profle (or didn’t know you did.)Saving Shelter Pets., Inc. has a chance to win the 50 day Giving Challenge. You could really help out!

Possible awards are as follows:
• $50,000 to the group with the greatest number of unique donations
• $25,000 to the groups in 2nd and 3rd
• $10,000 for the groups in 4th through 13th!

Here is the scoop:

Facebook is running a 50 day Giving Challenge which ends February 1st at 12:00 PM EST. There are only 3 days left and SSP is SO CLOSE to finishing in the money. It is not the highest AMOUNT of donations, but the NUMBER of INDIVIDUALS who donate that counts. SSP will received all money donated to the cause, plus the award money if they finish “in the money.”

This is a cause that is EXTREMELY close to my heart and it would not only be a thrill if they won, but would save many more lives. This is a very fiscally responsible group, and not to mention all the money goes towards saving lives. They have other fundraising to pay for their administrative costs such as site hosting and tax filing. All of their volunteers are true volunteers with no paid employees.

715 Dogs and 8 Cats were rescued last year!
In addition, 63 mother dogs who remained with their families were spayed though the Puppy Promises program.  

I do not currently have the numbers from the spay and neuter clinics conducted in Ohio and in Georgia, but will report back.

Please go here to read about it and donate!

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/57747?recruiter_id=12425970&h=mfrdb

For more information on the great work that SSP continues to do, click on the “saving shelter pets” category on this blog (left hand column) or visit them on the web at http://savingshelterpets.com

More Valentine’s Day Stuff.

Overstock.com’s Game O Love runs between now and February 11th. When I went to site, I was expecting to find a page requiring multiple scrolls outlining all the rules and regulations of the contest. However, all I found was a non-clickable graphic of a heart with the explanation:

“Pick your Valentine’s Day Gift from thousands of products on Overstock.com and let your sweetheart win prizes for you the old fashioned way..By Force”

I was imagining the “old fashioned way” as walking around a fair and throwing a dart, and someone winning a big stuffed bear or dog or frog, or one of those little mirrors with the cardboard frame that said Def Leppard or Bud on it (dating myself, I know.) Maybe it involves some sort of online version of this. You never had to worry if you don’t have a sweetheart, there is usually a guy or gal who is willing to win you something as they can’t take it all home themselves or as a way to break the ice.

However, the “FORCE” part leaves me intrigued. Two part question: Does this involve “feats of strength,” and is a Festivus Pole involved?

The site does not reveal that yet. I entered my email address for more details on GameOLove, so will keep you posted.

So, what would I like to win for my sweetheart? I am not going to mess around with candy if “anything” is on the line. It is a complicated question, really, because I have three sweethearts and not just one. If I could win something for all three, the doxies would get a giant Bagel Dog Bed, way too big for each of them alone, or one of those comfy covers for the back seat of the car. For my husband, I would go for a new mattress, particularly a bigger one than we have because two 15 lb dogs tend to take up 3/4 of the bed. This way, he would actually get more than 6″ of the bed to sleep on and that would help immensely with his recovery.

Since my dogs are the “best dogs in the world,” when I catch sitcoms that feature canine characters I always say to myself “my dogs are smarter/better/cuter.”

You have seen all the stars take their walk down the aisle, and now Happy Tails Canine Spa Line, maker of canine Spa, Grooming & Wellness Products, is giving your dog, the world’s best dog (to YOU of course as I know my dogs are the best) the chance to be in the spotlight like they deserve.

On Oscar day, your dog’s name could be announced at the Luxury Pet Pavillion in Los Angeles by celebrity judge Lanease Adaoms (“The Bachelor.”) There are two categories: Best in Show – Video, and Best in Show – Photo, but three winners. The owners of the honorees will receive a vacation package valued at over $1,000.

To enter, go to www.happytailsspa.com, and submit a short essay on why your dog deserves to win, along with photos or a video based on the category of choice. Deadline for entry is February 21st at Noon, and winner will be announced on Oscar Day, February 27th.

In celebration, everyone can save 25% on the Happytails Celebrity Dog pack now! You can indulge your favorite canine with the set of all-natural products, which includes Dog Smog Remedy, a breath freshener and digestive solution, plus a few other goodies that you will have to check out on the website. Just use promotions code HTCCA08