DogShirtStore.com Donates!

Quite a few years back, I had three feline furbabies. Unfortunately, one was a bully. Well, really, he had mental problems and was on medication which kept him sane until his kidneys failed and I had to take him off the meds. So, once he was off his medication, he started picking on the oldest and more gentle cat. It wasn't pretty - I had to break up a particularly bad fight once, and I wound up in worse shape than either cat.

Since then, I'm on a new generation of felines and I've added a few canine kids along with a husband, and we have worked very hard to build a harmonious household with the cats and dogs. So, although we would love to be able to foster and adopt hundreds of homeless dogs and cats, the nightmares of those years of cat fights still haunt me and I just can't bring myself to open our home up to any outside influences.

Instead, I've tried to help animals in other ways, including joining the board of an animal welfare group, only to find a few of the other directors seemed to have less than altruistic motives for being there. I couldn't handle the politics. After all, we were SUPPOSED to be there to support the animals, not our individual agendas! Still wanting to help our four-legged friends in need, years ago I decided the best way I could do that would be to fundraise. I wanted to bring awareness, and hopefully some cash, to several active and effective animal welfare organizations. Although I can't Rescue, Adopt, or physically Love animals in need, I am grateful that I can Care for them through fundraising (and love them in my heart, of course).

One of our newest ways of helping is through our Pet Awareness Ribbon. It's one of our original designs, and it has quickly become our favorite! There are two different shirt designs and we also have a sticker and a vehicle magnet. We are donating a portion of the proceeds of these products to animal welfare. Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah (home of the TV show Dog Town on National Geographic) (www.bestfriends.org) will be the main beneficiary, although if a supporter of one of the other organizations we work with, such as Greyhound Rescue & Adoptions of Tampa Bay (www.great-greyhound.org), places an order, that organization will receive the donation.

We are also pleased to offer a smaller version of the ribbon as a $2.00 addition to the back or sleeve of any shirt, 100% of which will be donated. It looks great with any design, even our non-pet related ones!

DACOF 2010 Under Our Belt

Well, another DACOF (Dog Agility Competition of Florida) is over. It was a fun weekend, with lots of exciting runs! Our youngest Miniature Schnauzer, Trooper, was the only one of our three kids who ran this time, and he did really well. His only disadvantage was his handlers, my husband and me. :-)

Trooper ran with me for the first two runs on Saturday, but I wasn't feel well, so Del took over. He hasn't been training as much with Troopie, but I think he did great, all things considered (including taking an embarrassing spill). So, of course, we just have to show our runs! Enjoy (especially 3:25 into the video)!

Yes, You CAN Do It!

My husband, Del, and I love words.  We debate them, argue about them, research them, and enjoy reading them.  We are also adult literacy volunteers, helping adults to read so they may get better paying jobs, manage their households, and broaden their imaginations through reading a good book.  And maybe, just maybe, eventually venture into the world of writing.


A few months ago, we found out about a short story contest called "First Line Fiction", which is a monthly writing contest designed to help you expand your horizons if you are a "wannabe writer".  Del, always having words in his head, decided to give it a try.


First Line Fiction is a "peer review" contest, meaning that the contest entrants are assigned six stories to read from their competitors, and they must rank them from most to least favorite.  Anyone who fails to rank their six stories is disqualified from winning.  Only the first three placing stories receive cash prizes.  It's not big money, the main thing is the exercise of writing.


The first story Del wrote was in May 2010, and it did not make the top three, but if you'd like to read it, you can find it here:
http://firstlinefiction.com/contests/contest-9/the-mischievous-factor/


In June, he entered another story, but of course with no real expectation of winning.  To our surprise and delight, it won third place!  http://firstlinefiction.com/contests/contest-10/the-little-big-day/

Sometimes we wonder about stepping outside of our "comfort zone", and although we often fear it, you never know what might happen when you do.

 If you're an aspiring writer, you may want to give First Line Fiction a try.  If you have other aspirations, we encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and give them your best shot, too.  You just never know what will happen!