The  service may seem a bit pricey for sites that revolve around personal hobbies or blogging, but if your site is also about your livelihood, such a high percentage of business comes from the internet these days, it could be well worth it to you.

Looking for a way to fill your spare time?

Looking for likeminded people who you can make a difference with?

Try out VolunteerMatch.org.

Organizations small and large, in your own backyard, and 1,000 of miles away have hundreds of unique volunteer opportunities.   Whether you can drive, you are good with your hands, or you are looking for something you can do from home - you will not be disappointed.  You can let the organization know you are available right on the site.   Organizations range from orphanages to animal sanctuaries to anything else you can imagine.  Try it out!

It is difficult sometimes to determine which is the best web hosting for you. There is an article resource at WebHostingRating.com that helps you sort it all out. Look in particular at the articles concerning the benefits and pitfalls of cheap webhosting services.  I, for one, dissuade people from using free hosting services.  The primary reason is because there is no guarantee that your site will always be up, as stated prior, or it will have the bandwidth to support your traffic.  The other reason is something I have not thought about but is highlighted in an article. Sometimes “free” sites are breeding grounds for malware. Free hosts are trying to combat it by limited the number of accounts an individual can have, but it is difficult to police.

It might save you some headache researching a little bit first before venturing out with your own spot on the web.

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I have a great dog. He’s a little on the fat side, but he’s really active. He’s great with kids, unless they try to pull his nubby tail. He’s really friendly to people who have food. He loves to have his teeth brushed, but is resistant to having his feet touched. He can smell a little doggy, and the tooth brushing does not appear to improve his breath, but I’ve smelled worse. When I read some of the things on this board, I wonder about other dogs out there and how they fare in the world. I’d just like to say the following:

* I recently moved. I found an apartment that was in a great neighborhood in a building with other dogs and dog friendly folks…..this was because did a little work and looked for a place that was right for me and the dog, and stumbled over this fantastic place where I now live.

* I recently got a new job that requires that I spend more time at work. I was worried that this would negatively affect my little pup, so I make an effort to get up earlier so that we can go for a good walk before I leave, and I arranged for someone to spend time with the little guy for a while during the day while I’m at work. My career chugs along and my little guy is still happy.

* I live in a tiny, tiny apartment, but this does not negatively affect the dog in any way. Granted, he is a little guy, but the fact is that between walks before and after work, and extended play time outdoors in the evening, the size of the apartment doesn’t hurt my pup’s quality of life (or mine, for that matter). He has never chewed up anything I own, broken anything in the house, or done any damage to any structure that I have lived in. He does bark a bit when people walk by my kitchen window, but mostly that’s because he’s crazy. Or maybe because he thinks that everyone loves him and maybe that person wants to come in and pet him or give him a treat. I don’t speak any dog, so I can’t ask him.

* I don’t have a high paying job (or career, for that matter), so I don’t have a lot of disposable cash, but I do have money saved in case the dog has a minor medical emergency, and the information for Care Credit in case he has a major medical emergency.

* Admittedly, I don’t have any kids (I am both unpleasant and squishy, which makes finding a baby daddy trialsome), but I distinctly remember having pets when I was a kid, and I have six brothers and sisters that my mom had to watch over. She seemed to do OK with seven kids and a dog, and while I find her an extraordinary human being, I don’t think that she has any kind of pet-care superpowers.

My dog makes me laugh and he cuddles up against me and he provides me with an opening to meet some very nice (and some very interesting) people when we’re out walking and he hides under the blankets when it thunders and lets me feel like I’m soothing him and he brings me toys to play with when he gets bored and he rolls over in the grass and reminds me how much fun it is to be alive. He gives me all of this and more, and all I do is walk him, feed him, and play with him.

I hope that all the people who post their dogs for adoption on this list have done every possible thing that they can do in order to keep it before they give up on themselves. I just want to say to all of you who think that it’s too hard to take care of you pet: YOU CAN DO IT! Your pet believes in you, and I believe in you, too!

A knee jerk reaction would be to say that the “system” is against them. More often than not, it really comes down to poor planning. You can’t honestly think a rescue will last long on the premises if the deed restrictions to your community indicate that you can only have three dogs. That may not seem fair, but the rules were not written necessarily by people who don’t like animals. The bottom line is, that the individual knew the rules when they decided to embark.  Another complaint is that their insurance comes after someone who lives on a half acre of land because they have twenty dogs and no kennel license. Another common misconception is that if you have a big backyard, you are qualified to run a rescue from it. Wrong again. In some neighborhoods, when housing that many pets, you would be required to have a kennel license. Or, the other scenario is if you are having meetings, having adopters come in and out, and having dogs come and go, you may be considered a business.

Before getting carried away with a vision, it is a good idea to consult with someone who knows commercial space. Whether it is in a small town, a rural area or even London, Tokyo, Boston, or Austin Commercial Space. You get the idea.  There are just so many variables of negotiating a lease, or even more so, buying the place that really is zoned for what you are doing.  Nothing is worse than getting into a lease and then finding out you cannot retrofit the space. I know Don Cox Associates handles such matters in the Austin area.

The big taboo is the word “business.” Rescuers think that it means they are being lumped in with breeders who sell dogs. On the contrary, it doesn’t mean that the group is selling for profit, it just means that their establishment is a public place.   People other than the principles of the group may be coming to visit.  While you don’t necessarily have to rent a space if the pets in the rescue’s care are all in foster homes, but it sometimes helps to have a public place with neighboring establishments that compliment it.   The space could even start out at first with a volunteer to answer the phone and to meet with potential adoptive families, even if you are not at the point of being able to have a large scale shelter.   Want to fight city hall about the pet limits in town?   More people will listen if you are a good neighbor in the business district.

Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., is holding an online auction this coming October-November!

Donatons are currently being sought to auction off in this event. If you are an artist, crafter, collector, business owner, or just an individual with something to donate…. send an email at info (at) savingshelterpets.com with your contact information, a description of the item you would like to donate, and the item’s approximate monetary value.

**Please Note** Due to the fees involved with the charity auction site we will be using, we can only accept items valued at $20 or greater at this time.

Please spread the word so we can make this auction a huge success for all the dogs & cats helped! Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., has several wonderful programs including Spay & Neuter, Puppy Promises (puppies are intercepted from ever entering a shelter environment), Bernie’s Buddies (help for heartworm positive shelter dogs), Rescue & Transport and more!

Click the banner to travel to the SSP site, or click HERE to read previous stories from this blog on SSP.

Cavender’s Boot City sells exclusively online. You can get everything from cowboy hats to tried and true Wrangler jeans, to, of course, boots!

On Saturday, October 4, Riders will “Saddle up for Babies.”   The ride the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan benefits the March of Dimes and your horse is welcome, and encouraged, to attend.  Just like a dog would need a rabies shot to come to an event, your horse will need a current coggins test.   There will be awards given to the riders who raise the most pledges, and there will be a raffle as well.

Check Out all the details HERE.

October 24 through November 3, 2009, World Horse Welfare will be hosting the ILPH Aztec Challenge. In otherwords you have a lot of time to plan, but you need it as you would have to check with regulations about bringing your horse, but I have heard its very doable.  Check their site for more info.

From the site:

Come and spend some time in this fascinating part of the world. Based around the huge lake Valle de Bravo, which is about 2 ½ hours drive west of Mexico City, youwill ride through evergreen forests enjoying panoramic views across the Sierra Madre Mountains.

There are many more that I haven’t mentioned. Maybe I will find an event you can take your goldfish to next!

There is a charity auction coming up (details to follow soon!) and I was toying the idea of tickets as one of the items to donate for it. Since any ticket booth is too far away, I was looking at Online Tickets at Stubpass because it seemed very well organized. I expected to see sports and concert tickets, but there were some pretty offbeat selections, like the National Farm Machinery Tractor Pull.  Of course, the recipient of the tickets would have to drive or fly to Kentucky, but there is some beautiful scenery along the way.  

There are enough events on it where you could definitely find something to fit the theme of your fundraiser if you decide to buy tickets to purchase to reward a volunteer or raffle off for your charity.   I would definitely check to see what StubPass has to offer.

This story hits very close to home.   When I was six years old, my parents bought their first home.    The lady who owned it had two beautiful dachshunds, and was looking for homes for them as she was moving to Manhatten.  She managed to find a home for the four year old male somehow, but did not have one for the five year old female.   Her answer was to euthanize her if she didn’t find a home.

Long story short, that summer we moved into Heidi’s house.   The moving truck came and picked up the boxes, and left Heidi home alone behind a babygate in an empty house.    Then boxes started coming in again, this time with photo albums, dishes, and toys owned by a three and a six year old.     She became my best friend.   When I talked about how many siblings I had, an inevitable conversation starter when you address a six year old, I proudly stated that I had a human brother, but Heidi was my sister.

My dad was transferred out of state, and we moved from the house only one year later.   Boxes were piling up again, and Heidi was behind the babygate so she wouldn’t be under foot.   All day shey was sort of mopey and making under the breath little whistles.    If dogs smile, and I believe they do, she had the widest smile that day.   Sometimess, a tear comes to my eye when I think of how excited and relieved she was when she was lifted and placed in the car, never to be left behind ever again.

I have driven through New York state to get somewhere else, and I have been in New York.  I still look for that “No Dogs Allowed Here” sign that apparently the gal that owned our dog thought she saw.

Heidi is no longer with us now.    When I was nineteen years old, my heart was shattered.   I was a mess when she died.   She lived until she was eighteen, almost nineteen, so had a long life.

This is why left behind dogs always touch me the most.   That dog, if given the chance may be just as special as my left behind dog was.

The odd thing about Nikki’s photo is that the car in the photo looks like a station wagon my mom droved during the second half of Heidi’s life.   Not too many white station wagons with paneling around anymore, are there?   He is in Washington State.   For more information on Nikki, please visit the HomeZookeeper.  Leave Megan a comment if you can help him!

Luckily, there are a few websites now that offer some heavy duty medical items for home delivery from DHP. For example, the diabetic Travel Socks that they charge you 50 bucks a piece for at the hospital! More so, there are various wound care, diabetic, and surgical items as well.  I wish I would have looked into it earlier.

Now that I am driving A LITTLE, I sort of have being a shut-in down to a science.    There are so many things you can order online that the only thing one really has to go out for is fresh produce.   Of course, I don’t recommend you getting a medical condition that prevents you from driving anytime soon!

When an organization mentions in its literature that it is 501(3)c pending, it means that the necessary paperwork has been submitted, but the process will take some time.  Some organizations wish to post this, to let people know they are taking the steps and will soon be a 501(3)c.   That designation allows them to legally solicit funds.  You may, of course, give money to help their cause prior to that, but they cannot openly solicit (mount donation drives), and it will not be tax deductible for you.

Guidestar has a good resource (http://guidestar.com) for beginning your search on a charity.   Of course, this does not mean the charity meets your personal standards as far as mission goes.  That is up to you to choose a charity to give to or volunteer for whose cause you agree with.  However, it will answer the primary question: Are they a real organization?

When the reporter asked what he was doing, he replied, “I am going to stay and defend my property!”

I wanted to climb through the tv and say, “Hey look, Buddy, the storm isn’t going to be intimidated by you and your rifle. If it comes your way, and you don’t move, it won’t care.”

I know a number of volunteers who have done cleanup after the storms, but regular people don’t exactly have all the equipment needed to pump people’s houses out. A restoration company usually comes in and takes care of the things. Of course, they don’t work for free. Insurance companies pay for them sometimes, or individuals pool together and hire someone like Waterrestortion911.

Once the biohazards have been taken care of, volunteers can then move in and restore a home. Don’t try to be a hero, especially with water that has been standing a long time!  There are some people faithfully rebuilding homes in the Gulf area every single month.  They have let the pros come in first, and now that it is safe, volunteers are rebuilding homes and lives. I will talk more about them as the weeks go on.

Dino was the “cover model” for the 2008 SSP calender

Travel to SSP to check out Dino all grown up! CLICK HERE!

In fact, they are probably the same ones that Gertrude Hawk Chocolates offers to this very day in a variety of flavors.

These days, everyone is reinventing the wheel when it comes to various fundraisers.  Sometimes old fashioned things are big successes for a reason. We could have just directly asked people for money, but I think we learned something about business better this way, even though we bought a lot from eachother.   I guess you could call that “knowing your consumer!”

What did you do to raise money for your class trips back in your day?