I want to thank everyone for welcoming me with open paws.  It’s great to see so many Dogsters participating on the blog and commenting on the articles.  To give anyone who wants  a place to bark back to me directly, I’m restarting the group “Dogster Dog Blog Barkout”.  Here you can find out answers to questions you may have about me, leave comments on articles,  or give suggestions about topics you would like to see.  Whatever you want, this is the place to bark about it.  Look forward to seeing you there.

Thanks to Dogster Lena Malik for barking in about this great cause and Angel Mica’s Crusade to Beat this terrrible disease.

Dear Joy

I am hoping you could read my friend Angel Mica’s latest diary entry in regards to IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia)

I have lost close dogster pals to this disease and have other good pup pals who currently battle this infliction.

Mica’s family honors her memory with their dedication and hope to raise awareness in others and someday find a cure.

Thank you! sincerely, Lena Malik

Here’s Angel Mica’s post:

hi mates.
many of you have heard i advocate for and am seeking a cure & prevention of a disease that took me, and way, way too many even since i earned my wings by IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia).

a very kind GSD tried to help us last fall- we raced for pals & corrals. he lost a k9 officer pal to IMHA and believes in our quest for a cure. this ONE dog is doing the kind-hearted thing that the rest of you can help with, simply with a click.

because mirra & i have WOOFDAYS in MAY, we will receive a dollar per corral ON my list until the midnight hour of mirra’s 1st woofday, THIS friday 30 MAY. as you see, time is also running short.

please help me not only reach 10k in views, which will bring a rainbow star, but bring dogs to my page, in a effort to learn about this disease that often goes too long before it is diagnosed and then, for many it’s too late. there IS NO CURE, and we could use your help.

so many dogs write me about family members they lost to this disease too, or have just been diagnosed. others write to say what they learned actually DID save their lives.. 2 dogsters are among them.

WHEN a dog corrals ALL 3 of us in the family, there is a donation made. the DOLLAR per CORRAL contest ENDS at least where the philanthropic GSD is concerned, on mirra’s woofday at midnight. BUT!while you’re at it, please come wish my baby sister a happy 1st! she’s simply adogable.

WITH blessings and many thanks for your efforts on our behalf, to all those who wrote in their diaries or in groups about me, and those who came by to help in dogperson.

finally, a dog named Takoda also offered a gift, (a stunning piece of art) to be drawn randomly from those who corraled us in MAY. details will be in my diary after the event, or see his now.

If you would like to learn more about IMHA, here’s the beginning of and a link to an article on the subject at VeterinaryPartner.com.

Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA)

(Formerly known as autoimmune hemolytic anemia or AIHA)

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia is a condition where the patient’s immune system begins attacking its own red blood cells. What occurs on a microscopic level is that the branch of the immune system that produces antibodies begins to direct them against the patient’s own red blood cells.

The red blood cells become quickly coated with tiny antibody proteins, essentially marking these red blood cells for destruction.

Follow this link to read the rest of the article.

And there are some excellent prizes too!

Here’s some of the information from the Dogster Forums:

It’s time for The 3rd Annual Adopt Stroll and Contest! As promised to our pal, Lucia, the creator of this contest, we will keep on rockin’ with the Adopt Stroll and we are super excited! We miss you Lucia! This one is for you!

Who can enter and what do you need to do?
All Dogsters are welcome!! Pups who have been adopted, awaiting adoption, transport pets or volunteer or who just support adoption! That’s pretty much every pup! BOL! You do not have to be adopted to be eligible. Your entry MUST include a picture and a diary entry or bio on your page. The entry/bio can be a story, a poem, an essay so long as it’s on your page! It must reflect adoption – and what it means to you.

What’s the Deadline?
Pictures must be entered before Sunday, May 11th @ 9 pm Dogster time ~~ that gives you plenty of time to decide on your entry!

Can I enter more than one picture?
Only ONE picture per pup. If you have multiple dogs, each dog can have one individual photo entered. Entering more than one photo can cause you to be disqualified!

What type of picture?
Photos must capture ‘the good life’. Whether it’s lounging on a comfy couch, playing fetch with your human or wrestling with your siblings: any picture that shows the positive impact of being in a great home!

Pictures can be animated, edited or anything else to celebrate adoption and rescue but no special consideration is given for edited pictures!

Follow this link to find out how to enter and see the fabulous prizes.

Of course Dogster and Catster are the MOST fun on the web! But what makes Dogster the MOST fun is having members who come up with the BEST ideas for fun. Take the Dog’s Fun Forum for example.

The group’s motto is “Where being bored is not a choice.” And I have no idea how anydog could be bored with this group around! Admins Roscoe, The Cali Crew, Bambi, Peanutty, Sugar, and Luckee must spend 20 hours a day thinking up fun things to do and games to play. They have Zealie Ball, photo contests and generally fun games. So if you are looking for a hot new Dogster group, check out the fun-loving dogs over at the Dog’s Fun Forum!

Aren’t Dogsters and Catsters just the best?!?!? I know you probably get tired of me saying that (I don’t) but it’s soooooo true! We know Dogsters and Catsters are there to support each other in bad times. Look at the Chapel of Hope Dogster Odysseus set up in the Dog Park PlayGround and Pawty Place.

Welcome to the Chapel of Hope!

We welcome all our members to come in and have a look around.

If you, your family or a friend is in need of prayer feel free to tell us about it here.

If you would like to set up a new candle page for the ones in need go here. Click on an unlit candle. It will bring you to a page and enter the group initial you want your group to appear under.

You can pmail me the page’s location or post it here as well.

We are all here to help support each other in times of need as well as to have fun together.

If your needs are to get married pmail me or Rex and we can help you begin your preparations.

Samson’s foster furmom Jayne barked in about a fundraising effort going on in Georgia.

If you’ve adopted a dog from a northeastern shelter you may very well have a dog with a southern accent. Keep that in mind when considering whether or not to make a small donation to Saving Georgia Dogs.

Jayne and Saving Georgia Dogs are an inspiration for us all! Here’s a link to the Dogster Forum page for Saving Georgia Dogs.

And please notice that Samson is looking for a new home. If you are looking for a new furbaby check him out! He’s got a great smile!

Hi Joy,
I don’t know if you remember me, but last year you posted a thread on the Blog about a bad situation at the animal control facility in Tipton County, TN.

That situation really inspired me to expand my work beyond local rescue (which I still do) to help with dogs in the South, and in particular TN and GA (two states that have HIGH kill rates in their shelters). I am now on the board of directors of Saving Georgia Dogs, Inc. a non-profit GA rescue that rescues dogs on death row in GA and transports them to rescues all over the country (sometimes metro-Atlanta, but more often the Northeast U.S. where the adoption rates are much higher).

We are trying to implement many programs including a spay/neuter clinic in Griffin, GA ( a county about an hour south of Atlanta), a heartworm treatment/preventative fund for owners who can’t afford it and shelter dogs whose HW status stands in their way of adoption/rescue, a humane education program for area schools, and a program to help women in domestic violence situations who are forced to surrender their pet to seek refuge in a shelter or other location.

One of our main obstacles is awareness. I know this may seem like a localized problem, however many people have similar situations in their own states that they may not be aware of. Also MANY people who adopt from rescues may adopt a southern dog without even knowing it, so I think many people would view this as a good human interest story.

Right now Saving Georgia Dogs, Inc. is in a contest with Parade Magazine/6 Degrees foundation to win a $50,000 grant to help fund some of these programs. I have contacted Dogster’s HQ who gave me permission to post in the forums about the contest and try and fundraise, and I am wondering if you could write a little story about us on the blog, it doesn’t have to focus on the contest at all, but maybe that could just be a blurb at the end.

If you need anymore information, please let me know.

Thanks,

Jayne G.
Saving Georgia Dogs, Inc.

The Douglas Sisters barked in to invite everyone to participate in this year’s Caring and Sharing Contest and Stroll. This is a great Dogster tradition. Sinply you and your Dogster do some good in your community, take some photos and join in the fun of Caring and Sharing 07. And there are some great prizes, too!

The first thing you have to do is something Caring or Sharing for people or animals in your community. (Like take your dog to a Nursing Home, Do something for your local Humane Society or Soup Kitchen, Etc.)

The second part is take a great picture of what you do and put a great description/ caption with it.

Deadline is December 26, 2007 at Midnight so complete and post your contest entry by then.

Limit 2 Photos per dog! But they can’t be of the same activity. (If you have any questions just ask.)

Tag Your Photo’s: Caring and Sharing 07

Judges:

1. Mr. NuNu

2.Bambi

3.Roxie ♥ Doxie

4.Shadow

5. LASSIE

DONATIONS:

The Douglas Sisters are donating great Gift Baskets to each 1st, 2ed, & 3rd place winners.

The Douglas Sisters are donating 5 Rosettes, 1 Zealie, & 5000 bones to 1st, 3 Rosettes, & 3000 bones to 2nd, & 1 Rosette, & 1000 bones to 3rd.

Mr. NuNu is donating a $10 zealie package, and stars and rosettes as needed.

Kipopo is donating a $20 Petsmart Gift Certificate to 1st place, a $15.00 Petsmart G.C. to 2nd place, and a $10.00 Petsmart G.C. to 3rd place.

Loomis and Family is donating a 40 Zealie package to the Winner.

Leroy is donating a Star to the Frist Place winner.

Jessi Fuzzball is donating 5 Stars.

Sienna, NPC, CGC is donating a Basket to the Winner.

Gabia is donating a Star to 1st Place, 3 Rosettes to 2nd Place, & 2 rosettes to 3rd Place.

Annie is donating a Star to the First Place Winner!

Penny -My Angel 1987-2005 is donating a Star for the 1st Place Winner.

Bailey,NPC is donating 10 Rossettes.

Toulouse a Catster is donating 20 Zealies.

*~*Abby*~* is donating Some Rossetes.

Peaches is donating hand crafted necklace’s to the top 3 winners.

Nugget CGC Nugget and Daisy Mae are donateing a gift basket of goodies to a winner.

Mi Ty Chi Chen (Ty) is donateing a Spi-Dog, it is the Spiderman version of the I-dog, speakers for mp3 players.

Timber, Tina, Little Bit, Buck and Molly are donateing Stars & Rosettes.

Brittney, Zeus’ furmom, barked in to invite all Dogsters in the Independence, MO and Olathe, KS areas to join her in protesting the very despicable Petlands. The first one is tomorrow, September 29th and I wish all the best to the protestors!

This past Saturday the 22nd, I got a call from my friend on her way home from work, saying there was a mob protesting our Petland in Olathe.

This hits me very close to home, as my Zeus came from that specific Petland. He has had countless health problems that add up to several thousands of dollars, and Petland has all but ignored my inquiries to them (though he has a
“lifetime warranty”).

The leader of this protest, Stephanie Henshaw, has purchased 4 of her dogs in the past 5 years from this Petland. All of which, have serious health problems. While on the phone with her a few minutes ago, she told me that at 4 years old, her Rottie had to be euthanized because there was nothing that could be done about her hip dysplasia.

Stephanie was featured on the FRONT PAGE of today’s Olathe Daily News. (Joy note — the Olathe Daily News does not have an online archive so the article is not available.)

Since noon today when I found all of this out, I have contacted her, and we have already formed a tight bond and relationship through our (defective) Petland dogs.

Stephanie will be organizing protests at all of our local Petlands.

This Saturday the 29th, she will be protesting from 2pm-4pm at the Independence, MO Petland.

In a couple of weeks, on a Saturday (date yet to be determined) she will be protesting Petland Olathe again.

I will try my best to attend both of these, and will be trying to take off of work to drive up to Independence with her, with Zeus in hand!

For more information, I started a thread last Saturday in all of my exictement in the forums.

I would SO appreaciate it if we could get the word out about protesting Petland and their puppy mill puppies through the Dogster Blog. It would mean SO MUCH to me!

Anybody could contact myself at miss.bull@yahoo.com or Stephanie at shenshaw@everestkc.net

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

How sick is this? It’s one thing to mess up your own head with crack cocaine but giving it to an innocent kitten?!?!?! Pete, when you feel it’s time to get your cat high with you, it’s WAY PAST time to check yourself into the nearest rehab!

Thanks to Ashlye Delicious Dazzle for meowing this petition into the Catster Forums.

Here’s what it says on the Care2 Petition site:

Pete Doherty, British pop star and ex-fiance of model Kate Moss, appears to have been caught on video GIVING CRACK COCAINE TO A KITTEN WITH A SPECIALLY MADE PIPE!

Sickened pals who leaked the picture claimed the warped rocker regularly gets the pet smashed. And news sources say after repeated abuse, the kitten is suffering from withdrawal symptoms. “It has lost some of its balance and takes huge risks jumping over things that are too high. It thinks it can fly. It’s really distressing to see.”

This act of cruelty is not the first controversy for Pete Doherty. He has been has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence, possession of heroin and cocaine, and physical assault.

Doherty’s abuse of an innocent kitten is unacceptable! Please boycott Doherty’s music and any magazines featuring stories of Doherty or his band(s).

Follow this link to sign the petition.

If you’re free and in North Texas this Saturday, some Dogsters wouls love to have you join them at Dog Day Afternoon. Sounds like lots of fun and for a great cause too!

Thanks to Daisy Mae for barking this lovely invitation in to the Plus Friendly Forum.

Join us on Saturday, June 9th (9 am-1 pm) for a day of FUN and BONDING for your FAMILY and your DOGS benefiting the homeless animals at OPERATION KINDNESS – North Texas’ oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter. Dog Day Afternoon is a day to celebrate dogs. We begin with an HONOR WALK around the lake in honor or memory of a loved one, plus CANINE CONTESTS, great ENTERTAINMENT, PRECIOUS PET MEMORIES, DOGGIE MALL, BREED RESCUE and SERVICE GROUPS, food and fun!

Howl-dy Everywoof! Smoke here. *poke*

DOGSTER FURRIENDS, JOIN US!

We are inviting all of our Dogster Furriends to join me and Boudreaux (of the Shreveport 4G’s Pack) at this special event. Join our fundraising team and help us spread the Dogster love to Operation Kindness! They’re the rescue group that helps dogs like Mercy.

If you’re in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, bee sure to register for the entire event and come walk with us. *poke* There is sure to bee lots of doggone good fun with all the contests! *whispers* There’s even a costume contest and I know that Dogsters have the best costumes!

If you’re not able to join us live and in dog, you can join as a virtual team member and help too!

Register for the event, the TOP DOG package is the best value!

TOP DOG PACKAGE (Best deal – $30 value) – $20 pre-reg, $25 on event day (includes 1 person in Honor Walk, 1 dog in Canine Contests, 1 Photo, t-shirt, bandana and goodie bag)

Then JOIN our team!!! The team password is dogsters2007.

We’d love to meet you there. Boudreaux is driving all the way from Shreveport! I’ve gone to a couple of dog walks with him in his home town. We have always had so much fun! You can too!

Smoke and Boudreaux, *poking* out a plea

ps – Our main goal is to get a great DOGSTER FURRIENDS Team going. Then we can all get our in the fur furriends, family and neighbors to donate to our individual goals.