September 11

The new prison dog

Here are a couple of photos of the new prison dog, Danno. (Yes like, Book'em Danno!) Danno started today as the new K-9 Corrections dog for The Humane Society of Knox County. It took us awhile to find the right new handler but one finally turned up. He has owned Great Danes in the past and sounds like he has some good dog experience to bring to the program. Danno is abit reserved with people so getting some good one on one time with a handler and getting lots of positive attention (paired with food for some classical conditioning) from the population there will certainly help him learn that people are good. He was originally abandoned at our shelter so we don't have much background on him. He passed his SAFER test with flying colors though so we have high hopes he will do very well on the program. He certainly is a beautiful boy with that wonderful coat. I'll be sure to share more pics as we go. (The bandages in the photo above are from dewclaw removal they did when they neutered him. Apparently they were pendulous and getting torn regularly.)


P.S. I added some of my favorite pics of the dogs to the right sidebar. Scroll down to under the archives section to see them.

The never ending debate

This is Georgia, one of the rescued Michael Vick dogs. I fell in love with her when I watched her story on DogTown on the National Geographic channel. Yeah a good show (that showed POSITIVE training!!!) on the same channel that brings us (dun dun duhhh, music for dramatic effect) the "Dog Whisperer". (Tell me seriously, how can you not LOVE that face?)

Check out a great post, and the resulting interesting discussion about this show and how it compares to their other "training" show.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dogtown-versus-dog-whisperer

My opinion of the DW is this, he is very uneducated (which he himself admits in some of his books) and uses outdated and sometimes dangerous methods. His dog language reading skills could use some work. If they were better he wouldn't get bitten quite so often in my opinion. (of course if he didn't use such extreme tactics the dogs wouldn't feel the need to defend themselves either) He has taken a true method of training, called compulsion or traditional, and bastardized it to suit his own needs. If you find the need to use compulsion in training, PLEASE use the Monks version, at least they use it more fairly for the dogs. (Their updated version where they recanted the Alpha Roll since it was originally based on misinterpreted wolf behavior.) Compulsion training does have it uses and does work, but timing is everything. And suppression of behavior isn't changing behavior for the long term no matter what you call it. (Dog psychology? Why doesn't this guy have to meet the same standards as other canine behaviorists?) Also be aware that traditional training started back when they trained dogs for wartime situations and needed to weed out "soft" unsuitable dogs. So there are some dogs it just isn't good for. Real training is about communication, not domination. There end of rant. Back to our reguarly scheduled dog info.

And the update on the stars of the DogTown show for those that watched like me:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dogtown/3684/Overview#tab-vick-dogs-update

Updates of my own: As I left the shelter today little miss Angelica was being walked by a potential adopter. She's gonna go fast. I'm so happy for her but do hope she stays local so I can see her around. I wuff her!

Jack LOVES the new food, I used to have to add stuff to his kibble to get him to eat. Not anymore! My only negative comment is that is has a very distinctive odor I do not find all that pleasant. But in the defense of the food, I am a HORRIBLY picky eater. My husband says I don't eat anything with real flavor. If in doubt of a new food I smell it before trying and if it doesn't smell good I pass. Yeah I know. Not good, but understandable considering I grew up on plain meat and potatos almost every night as a kid.

Missy and Jenny also love the new food but their vote counts considerably less considering they also love the taste of their own poo. Just saying.

*Note to Hannah* I keep forgetting to say, Congrats on your engagement!!! Are they gonna be in the wedding? Apollo would look great in bowtie and Jenna could carry the basket and be your flower girl. I want pics of course. :-)

A new day, a new plan & dream girl pics

So I have made the plunge. After thinking about it for quite some time I have decided to try a raw food diet for the gang. I have always supplemented with raw meaty bones during hunting season (hubby runs a game butcher shop) but this is a much more defined long term plan. I am starting with Jack and Missy since they are about to run out of food. The plan is to feed them regular kibble in the morning and give them Primal Pattie for dinner. Then I will add the dehydrated food for their breakfast after the kibble is gone. (I was told you shouldn't feed both types in one meal since they digest it differently) It seems to be the best raw food option for me since I don't have the time, nor the inclination, to prepare food for the dogs. Heck I barely prepare foods for me and the human members of the family! One who knows me well might even be amazed I have kept them all alive to this point. (my secret is marrying a guy who cooks) So wish us luck with the new plan. I will certainly keep you posted. (Thank you Lauren for all your help talking me through the process. You rock!)

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THIS is the girl I told you about. Isn't she just Divine? And her ears do the cutest things! Her name is Angelica.

Photos don't do her justice. I'm sure she will get adopted quickly. She is so sweet and good with other dogs too. And believe it or not she is afraid of cats. I guess she never read the dog handbook.

This poor sweet old girl is Misty. She was found stray. Can we say dumped? One of the smallest female dalmatians I have ever seen. We need to get her coat fixed up and some tumors removed. She is looking for a great retirement home to spend her golden years in. It looks like she had a few litters in her day as well.

I hate to admit but I forgot this boys name. He is 8 months old and a possible lab mix. (In person he looks possibly pit/pointer cross) Obviously in need of a neuter.

They are all available for adoption at our local shelter: http://humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/

Yesterday I headed to Wal-Mart after a client in search of paper for my son. When I got there I saw something very similar to this.

On an 80 plus degree day squarely in the sun, tied to a bench was an older pit female waiting for her person to come get her. Now there are a few things I find wrong with this situation. One is the fact that she was directly in the sun on a hot day without water or shade. The other is that anyone had access to her at any time. Disturbing to me because we have some people in our area that aren't nice to animals and aren't totally stable. To ME tying a dog out and leaving it in this situation is a very bad idea for the safety of the dog. What if someone hurts the dog and it reacts by biting? What if someone lies and says the dog tried to bite them? Why put your dog in that situation if you don't need to?

So I stood there, using my body to provide some shade for the poor girl until her owner returned, over 30 minutes later. Somehow I managed to speak calmly to her and explained that it was to hot to leave a dog out in the sun for that long. Her reply was that it was better than in the car. My response to that was that while that was true she could have tied her on the other side where there was shade available. That is IF she was insistent on leaving her dog unattended where it's safety was in question. I told her I wouldn't trust everyone in this area to that degree. To her credit she calmly said thank you for the advise and said to have a good day. Hopefully she reconsiders this option next time even if she found me to be a meddling b***h. The dog was a very sweet older girl who's name I found out was Bella. I took a photo of her with my phone camera but have no idea how to download those on the computer.

Check out the new toy from the Loyal Biscuit. It is supposed to be a favorite with pugs and other small dogs. I figured Jenny and Missy would be pleased.

Jack and Jenny would disagree and say they are a favorite with ALL size dogs.

It is a good thing for Jenny that Jack doesn't mind sharing. Missy waited til they were both done then stole it and tucked it away in her crate with all the other hoarded toys.

Poor Jacks hotspot area is healing unevenly. To the point where I think it is time for a thyroid test. Thyroid issues are very common in akitas so it is something I recommend you do with your akita even if they don't show physical signs. It is also something I recommend for any dog with aggression issues to rule it out as a possible cause or exacerbation of an issue. (FYI Tufts university does a full thyroid panel on ALL dogs brought in for behavior consults dealing with aggression.)

Missy relaxing in her crate after I claimed all the toys back. (How can that be comfortable?)

You're not gonna believe this

I wish I had some photos. I will definitely try to get some soon to add to the post so you can see.

She is real and she is at our local shelter. I swear I couldn't make this up if I tried. A sweet, smallish, mostly brindle with some white markings pittie type. She looks and acts just like the girl in my dream. I have to admit it freaked me out seeing her there in the flesh. Her head has an interesting shape though that makes me think she has some bull terrier in her, right around her eyes. She ignored all the cats we tested her with and loves to be touched. Very submissive but loves to jump up high. (a great agility prospect for someone) Horrible on a leash, (strong!) but responds to attention well. Her name is Angelica. (unsure if she has been tested with other dogs yet) Could definitely use some training.

What I would love to do next, since my adopting her is out of the question, (I have spacial issues) is to put her in our prison program. Unfortunately they do not allow us to send pitbulls there. I have the wardens ok, but some of the other guards are resistant. Because of that we decided not to send any until people are more comfortable with the idea. The last thing we need is for someone to do something to a dog and jeopardize the whole program because they are ignorantly prejudiced. One person in particular threw quite a fit when he thought we were bringing those "vicious dogs" in to the facility. He found a bunch of myths off the Internet to prove his position. Yeah I know. I took a copy of "The Pitbull Placebo" by Karen Delise over to them in hopes he will open his mind enough to let us accept them on the program. He did see some video of a pit I was allowed to bring over to play with another dog we had there. He wasn't working that day and I was allowed to bring her because I was supervising/handling her and not leaving her there. (I figure every little bit helps!) He did admit that she seemed like a great dog. So maybe there is hope for him yet.

We will be starting a new dog soon. Please feel free to send good thoughts our way in hopes we will be allowed to train pitbulls there someday too.

Check out Zena and Zora. They are also available for adoption on Petfinder.com

Perchance to dream

Last night I had one of the most vivid dreams. It involved me winning a pit bull at a baseball game. (Hey you know dreams.) She was a cute and super sweet smallish female. Lots of tail wagging and smootching was going on. I remember feeling very pleased. She looked sort of like the photo above. (of a female named Pita from www.petfinder.org that needs a home BTW) My girl had less white though and was a lighter brindle. It was realistic enough that I was figuring out logistics of introducing her to my 3 already in residence. For the record I have no intentions of adding a 4th canine to my motley crew. Heaven help me if during one of my shelter trips she is actually there. (shall I admit I checked for her photo on a bunch of pit rescue websites?) Perhaps it was simply induced by the Animal Witness story I watched last night I had previously taped off Animal Planet. (which had far to much dog fighting footage if you ask me) Being a fan of the pit bull (type of dog, it isn't technically a breed) it probably brought up my desire to have one of these wonderful and much maligned creatures.

Someday.

Until then, I shall wonder where my dream girl is.

Pug-a-licious and toy safety

First a safety warning about ball toys with only one hole. Some of the photos are graphic:

http://thechaistory.blogspot.com/

(Thanks Hannah)

Today DS and I went to Augusta for a pug meetup with an area pug group, www.pugusta.org. It is about a 45 minute drive for us. It was my first time. I tasked DS to take some photos and unfortunatly he was in a shy mood and didn't get as many as I would have liked. He said he had a great time though and it was much more fun than he anticipated. (we also did Wendys for lunch which is a treat since we no longer have one near us) Here are all of the better ones for your viewing pleasure.


This is Grumpy, also a rescue.

Missy in pink and Shadow in camo.

Another of Missy.

This is Lilly, a 5 month old puppy.

Roscoe doing a play bow to Jenny. He is 8 months old.

And Jenny deciding to play back. Pugs in attendance were:

Lilly, Missy, Lacey, Shadow, Thunder, Grumpy, Zach, Roscoe, Blue, Precious and Jenny. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.) With 11 pugs all running around playing it was tons of fun to watch.

I wish I had more and better pics but since it was Jenny's first time I was doing the eagle eye to be sure she was ok. We were in a shady spot which is great for the dogs but makes photos dark unless you use your flash. (which we didn't know how to turn on since it was the husbands camera) I would have loved to let her off leash but just didn't dare to in case she had one of her episodes. It was a beautiful park but unfenced. I'm not sure how far she would run if she had a spell. Call me a nervous Nellie. I do think it was most likely due to her ear infection but it is to soon for me to relax about it just yet. I want her to go longer without a spell before I try anything off leash for her safety. Yes I felt like the over protective mother today. It was still alot of fun and I'm sure we will do it again.

Greyhounds and new stuff

Today I watched a very good video about the Maine Greyhound Placement Service. http://www.greyhoundplacement.com/ It is a rescue group located here in Maine for retired racing greys. Retired really just means they stopped winning at the track and had been scheduled for euthanization. I have been facinated by Greyhounds for years after watching a documentary about the breed. They are georgous and sweet with an interesting history and are in great need of being rescued. Once again a great example of man at it's best and worst. When are we going to stop using animals as entertainment and then disgarding/destroying them when they can't produce anymore?

Thankfully there are people like Scott Bruns, and all of his amazing volunteers, stepping up and doing what they can to help the castoffs in this case. The documentary I saw had some tough footage of racers being put down and their multiple bodies stacked in wheelbarrows being dumped into trucks for disposal. That is imagery that I will never forget. (and share here to point out that it happens EVERY WEEK somewhere to these beautiful animals) I think one day I may have one of these amazing animals of my own. Until then I will keep spreading their story to other potential adopters. They make wonderful companions. And because they have been used in racing they are already good on leash, crate trained and used to being around other dogs. They also have many good years left in them to share with you.

I know many people think they need a lot of exercise because of their racing background, but they are very content to spend their days sunbathing and snuggling on the couch. (They are sprinters and not built for endurance like other high energy breeds.)

So spread the word or consider a retired greyhound as your next best friend. Unfortunatly there will always be some in need of rescue. Can't adopt but want to help the cause? Check out their website and buy something. They raise money and you get cool new stuff. http://www.greyhoundplacement.com/

Speaking of helping rescues, check out my new t-shirt from PRoNE. http://www.pugrescueofnewengland.org/ (I think I am going to make a habit out of buying new shirts from rescue groups. I get clothes and support good causes. It's a win, win!) Here is the front,

and the back. Jenny is also sporting a new collar from http://www.ifitbarks.com/ that we picked up at The Loyal Biscuit Co.

My son said he would prefer she have a camo collar but I didn't think that camo was girly enough for her. He got a PRoNE shirt in Kahki. And a new pug book also from the PRoNE site.

It has some great info and pics.

This years Boatyard dog shirt. This was last years winner, a border collie named Kylie. Hopefully next year Trumans photo will be featured.

Here is a pic of Jenny cuddling with Jack on DS's bed. If you look close you can see his hot spot near his tail. Let's just say my vet saw alot of us this week. He also got a bit of a new hairdo I will share photos of later.

And Missy doing what she loves, hoarding all the chewies and taking turns with them.

P.S. To Caveat. I still can't leave a comment on your site for some reason. And yes you talk about politics but it is DOG related so it passes muster. LOVE your stuff! VBG :)

We are the champions

We won!!! Truman the shelter dog is the official 2008 Boatyard dog winner. Check out this photo of him in action during the competition. (photo by Daniel O'Connell)
Youthlinks Hound Wins Boatyard Dog
By Broadreach Family & Community Services Dan Bookham

ROCKLAND (Aug 11, 08): Two weeks ago, none of the teens on the Youthlinks Boatyard dog team had ever trained an animal. Two weeks ago, Truman the hound had never been trained beyond basic commands. Today thanks to his Youthlinks handlers, their advisors, and his intelligence and sweet nature Truman is the 2008 Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors Boatyard Dog champion.

Youthlinks exists to help connect local adolescents with the volunteer needs in their communities, so when the opportunity arose to raise awareness about animals in need of a home at the Humane Society of Knox County (HSKC) the teens and staff naturally jumped at the chance. It didn't hurt of course that the awareness project promised to be a lot of fun.

At the end of July a group of Youthlinks participants taking part in the program's free community service summer camp teamed up with the HSKC, professional dog behavioralist Marie Finnegan, (**Oops slightly wrong info. I am a dog trainer, not a behaviorist.**) Rockland's Loyal Biscuit Co., and a hound named Truman and began training to take part in the Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors Boatyard Dog competition. The contest has become an attendee favorite, and consists of obstacle courses, jumping in and out of dinghies, a "freestyle" performance piece by dog and handlers, and at least half the team finding themselves jumping into Rockland harbor.

Under the guidance of Finnegan, Youthlinks Program Manager Caitlin Schick, and staff at the HSKC the teens transformed themselves and Truman within two weeks into a confident, disciplined and fun-loving team with a kid/canine secret agent skit that ended up stealing the show.

To the sounds of the James Bond and Pink Panther themes Truman and his handlers cleared the obstacle course, leapt from a tippy dinghy, disarmed secret agents, kissed a femme fatale, responded to commands in a multitude of languages, knocked a villain off the dock, and resumed their cover as an everyday family and their dog. After a tie-break performance crowd acclaim lead to Truman and his Youthlinks team mates clinching the championship.

"Not many adults would feel comfortable standing in front of a huge crowd trying to lead a young dog through a complex routine while performing themselves" said Youthlinks Program Director Amie Hutchison, who added "To be able to do so with such confidence and showmanship that they won the whole competition speaks volumes about the quality of the teens who live in our communities."

Truman, the 2008 Boatyard Dog Trials champion and loving hound in search of a family, is awaiting adoption at the Humane Society of Knox County. Youthlinks' free summer camp continues for two more weeks; regular after-school programming resumes in September.

Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to all youth ages 11-17 from anywhere in mid-coast Maine. They are funded primarily by the generous donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations. All programs are free for participating youth. For more information on Youthlinks, visit www.youthlinksonline.org or call 594-2221.

Back row, from left to right: Youthlinks Program Director Amie Hutchison, K-9 Solutions' Marie Finnegan, Youthlinks Program Manager Caitlin Schick, Margo Arruda, Lexi Moody.Front row: Miles Swanson, Jordan Carpenter, Truman (not pictured: Emma Spencer). **Also not seen is his underdog cape made by my mom. It was fabulous.

Here is Truman showing off his beautiful lobster collar and leash set donated by the Loyal Biscuit Co. and made by http://www.bowchies.com/
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Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show bounces back after soggy start
By Daniel O'Connell and Emily Sapienza
**Snippet of longer article:
That excitement is not lost on the public who come from near and far to attend the event, the apex of which is the World Championship Boatyard Dog competition held Sunday morning.
Six teams of dogs and handlers competed in this year's event, though one team was made up of a pair of dogs.
After the event's obstacle course was completed, teams also performed free-style acts of both daring and obedience. In one such act, handler Kip Boetsch fired a toy lobster out of a mini cannon into the water, whereupon his dog, Captain Caleb, fetched it from the water.
Two teams were tied after round one. Kelvin and Cody, two Chesapeake Bay retrievers competing on the same team, were tied with Truman, a hound mix that is currently up for adoption at the Humane Society of Knox County.
Judges Dr. Bjorn Lee of Pen Bay Veterinary Associates, Lucinda Lang, a spaniel aficionado, and Holly Sherburne, editor of Downeast Dog News, scored the dogs on the first round of competition. The free-style tiebreaker round, however, was judged through audience applause.
Kelvin and Cody brought professional experience to the competition; they were trained as Chesapeake safe harbor rescue dogs. (**More wrong info-they are dogs adopted from the Safe Harbor Chesapeake Rescue Group. Perhaps they are trained rescue dogs but I think there was some miscommunication or assumptions made based on the groups name.**)
Truman, on the other hand, was the product of a home-town project: Students from Youthlinks, a youth enrichment program based in Rockland, had worked with Marie Finnegan, the resident trainer at the Humane Society of Knox County, to train Truman for the event.
After competing in the tie-breaking free-style round, Truman won the event with overwhelming applause from the audience. Truman is still available for adoption at the Humane Society of Knox County.
http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/
End of Boatyard dog stories. :-) What a great ending to a very busy two weeks. The kids all did a fabulous job and much fun was had by all, including Truman who loved all the attention lavished upon him. Hopefully his new home can keep up with his rock star status. I only wish I had video to share.
Jenny is doing much better today and we haven't had any more episodes since Sunday. Our fingers are crossed that it was related to inner ear issues and not neurological after all.

A problem with Jenny

The boatyard dog show was fabulous. I will have photos and news soon I promise. Unfortunatly something else has cropped up that is foremost on my mind.

So last night around 6pm Jenny had a weird episode. She started screaming and running around trying to hide while evacuating her bladder and bowels. The only word to describe her was terrified. She came out of it after a few minutes and I figured she either heard a strange sound that triggered a bad memory or had a sharp pain from a current ear infection (that I was going to call about Monday morning) or maybe even snagged a nail on the heater vent while walking over it. I kept a close eye on her and took note of time and place and surroundings to try to figure out the trigger.

Fast forward to today. Same thing happens around 3 pm. Only this time it started while she was sitting right next to me on the couch. OK that was pretty weird so I call the vet. We decide to wait until morning to bring her in. Cut to 4 hours later and she has another episode. I call the vet and say I would rather bring her in now. She seems ok when we go in but a bit timid which is unusual for her. Normally she is a pretty confident girl. We talk about inner ear pain and decide to do bloodwork just in case. It isn't a typical presentation of a seizure in her opinion tho nothing is impossible. They take Jenny out back for the draw.

I hear her having another episode. The vet comes out and says that now she has seen it in person it does look like it might be neurological. By now my nerves are shot. I hate seeing her go through this and the neurological scenario doesn't sound good. They give her a shot of a steroid for the skin and the ears and medication for me to use. The bloodwork should be back tuesday. (thyroid test and full blood screen) Instructions to time all future episodes and keep a log. If it is epilepsy then we can try phenobarb after the bloodwork comes back. (Her glucose was normal)

She did eat her supper fine when we returned home. She has had two more episodes since we got back but the last was milder which makes me hopeful.

Best case scenario is it is inner ear pain from the infection and not neurological. Second best case is it will be something we can control with medication. I refuse to think about other case scenarios at this point. I have to admit part of me is freaking out. I love this dog so much and I haven't had her nearly long enough. (I should say we, she is technically my sons dog) She is 2 and a half and we have had her for almost a year.

I welcome any thoughts that might help if anyone has gone though anything similar. In the meantime I am asking for good thoughts sent our way.

Up to no good

That's what my mom used to say if us kids were quiet for to long. "They must be up to no good." Yes I admit I have been a very bad blogger. Not posting regularly is one of my pet peeves for other favorite blogs and here I am guilty of it myself. Well I do have a pretty good excuse, I am tuckered! Plus I have been undercover on a secret mission. You can check out the details here: (Reposted from the Village Soup website)


Boat Yard Dog Entrant Unmasked as Youthlinks Double Agent
By Broadreach Family & Community Services Amie Hutchison & Caitlin Schick

ROCKLAND (Aug 1, 08): In a breach in Youthlinks’ super-sensitive security system, the identity of secret canine operative Agent K-9 has leaked. The agent’s real name is Truman, and he is an adoptable two year old hound mix from the Humane Society of Knox County. His mission, which he chose to accept, is to be briefed by Youthlinks summer camp secret agents (under the direction of Marie Finnegan, a trainer with K-9 Solutions) to take part in the Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors’ Boatyard Dog Trials. To compete as Agent K-9 in the trials, Truman is being trained in cutting edge spy tactics: stealthy physical maneuvers, courage, patience, charming the ladies, and finesse in all things.

The recruiting of K-9 Solutions’ Marie Finnegan for the Boatyard Dog Trials mission was a strategic move by Youthlinks worthy of James Bond himself. Finnegan has volunteered her expertise as the Humane Society of Knox County’s resident trainer for years, helping dogs with their behavior and manners so they can become better candidates for adoption. Her skill under pressure makes her a natural mentor for Agent K-9, who will need to negotiate dangerous obstacle courses, treacherous dingy-hopping, and a secret freestyle event with panache.

Youthlinks campers have been working with Finnegan every day for two weeks on a crash course spy school, readying Truman for his debut. Because every good secret agent needs the right equipment, Rockland’s Loyal Biscuit Co. generously stepped up to outfit Truman.

For reinforcement, campers are also training a double agent, a one year old Walker hound mix named Brady, who will act as a stand-in if Truman is thwarted by enemy sabotage. This cunning move has ensured that an Agent K-9 will be ready for competition, campers will have gained training experience, and two adoptable dogs are ready for welcoming families.

On the day of the mission, campers will lead the canine super-spy through the gauntlet of events at the Boatyard Dogs Show with the hope that a lot of training, frequent socialization with children and other dogs, and a little press will grant Agent K-9 the ultimate finale to his extreme mission; a loving home.

To watch Truman and his team of spy trainers in action, attend the Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors’ Boatyard Dog Trials on August 10th, 2008 on the Public Landing in Rockland. The event will commence at 10:30 am.

Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to all youth ages 11-17 from anywhere in mid-coast Maine. These programs help youth learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks is funded primarily by the generous donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations. All programs are free for participating youth. Call 594-2221 or visit www.youthlinksonline.org for more information.

Emma Spencer of Rockland works with Truman, aka Agent K-9 (Photo by Caitlin Schick)

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Unfortunatly being in secret ops means a lack of free time usually spent doing other things like keeping up with e-mail and blogs. I just can't do it all! (Not if I want to sleep that is. Trust me, you don't want to see me with out any sleep.)

* And here are some cute pics of Jenny in her new winter outfit courtesy of Lauren and The Loyal Biscuit. (To keep her warm of course, I lack fashion sense of my own let alone for my dogs.)

To bad we don't have touch-o-vision. It is so soft!

"Hey who turned out the lights?" (Yes file this under stupid things people do to their pets. I couldn't help myself. And yes I think it is cute. No animals were harmed in the taking of this photo.)

Now my ears can stay toasty too.

You can almost see her thinking "Are we done yet? I have things to do." She is such a diva. Thanks Lauren!!