Here in this house...

I found this on Pawcurious and loved it. No author was listed but I wanted to share it.

Here in this house…

I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs “out there”.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I’ll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun’s heat, and the rain’s coolness, and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.


Here in this house…
There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and even if I don’t understand, I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!


Here in this house…
I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve people’s images of themselves.
I will be loved because of who I am, not someone’s idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone’s anger,impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, my teachers will blame themselves, not me.


Here in this house…
I can trust the arms that hold, hands that touch…knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, or too unruly, or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that my humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.


Here in this house…
I will belong.
I will be home.

Bed hogs..

No room left in the bed for Bill. Sorry hon looks like the spare room for you tonight. Normally they spread out all over the bed and he can at least squeeze in somewhere.

Goodbye My Friend

On Tuesday I lost a friend.. Today with his family I celebrated his life and our friendship. George you were a wonderful friend and an honourable man. I will miss you..

George A. Wootten 74, of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, passed away on September 22, 2010, after a lengthy illness. George was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 4, 1936 to George R. and Lillian E. (Kennedy) Wootten. George was a member of the R.C.M.P. for 35 years. During that time he was posted in the Northwest Territories, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan. He retired in 1993 and relocated to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He leaves to mourn his wife of 47 years, Lois (Mitchell) Wootten, his daughter, Jane, (Jay), his son, George, (Heather), his brother, Ken, (Diane), his sisters Georgia Jordan and Bev Hogan, his Aunt Hilda Byrne and his friend Elizabeth Andrews. His constant companion of ten years, Molly, his Golden Retriever, will miss him deeply. At George’s request, there will be neither a visitation, nor a funeral service. Flowers are gratefully declined. Memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the Canadian Diabetes Association.
"He did it his way."

Flyball Class was Awesome!

Raider loved flyball and do did I. I can hardly wait for the next class. He wasn't used to the jumps but we just walked him through them.. I will get a jump or two built so he gets used to them. He did great with targeting and by the end of class was using both paws!!
The dogs in the class come in all sizes..

Little ones

A puppy!

A little one Raider was terrified of..

A very shy one...

These ones were waiting for the next class while their Moms helped out with our class. I was going to stay and watch but it was too hot to leave Raider in the car, but it will be cooling off so I will get a chance soon.

Flyball starts today!

Raider and I start Flyball classes today, I can hardly wait. I know he will LOVE it. There are balls involved and there is no better toy in his opinion.. Stay tuned for pictures as I am taking my camera. Lets see how an Addison Dog does with Flyball, bet he rocks it!

Mr. Simon

Just thought I would update everyone ( all 7 of you hehe ) on Mr. Simon, as the neighbourhood children have decided to call him instead of just plain ole Simon.
He adores the children, all of them! He is becoming the neighbourhood cat. We live off the main road and he was obviously an outdoor cat and we just cannot contain him in the house even though we tried.. He spends time every day with any neighbour who happens to be out in their garden or roasting hot dogs by a campfire ( yes we live in the country ). He is always on the lookout for a back scratch. Considering how badly he was abused he certainly has a lot of trust in people.
When I get home from work everyday he comes bounding across the lawn to greet me and then becomes my shadow, even following me to the field when I take the dogs for a run. He also likes to go along and supervise when the dogs all go swimming.. He is always in every night and sleeps on the bed with us and at least two of the dogs.. He gets the best spot on the bed..

To remind you of what he looked like in May.. Here is his picture ( May 2010 ) two weeks post amputation and the day I met him and decided he was mine. He was about 7lbs then and weighs 12 now. It is hard to believe it is the same cat.

This next picture is Simon about 2 months post amputation. 

This one was taken last week when I was getting the groceries out of the car and he decided he wanted to sit in my seat..

Children and Dogs

Raider wants a cookie, and can I have one too please....

But I don't want to go to bed... well then can Chauncy go to bed with me... please...

This is an old one, over 10 yrs ago when Caley was a puppy and so was Emma . Emma adores animals and I like to think this is where it started. She has grown up with Caley, Chancy and Raider. Hard to believe Emma is almost 11 and chomping at the bit to go to Vet camp at the Atlantic Veterinary College..

Picture of Raider

My awesome son in law put these two pictures together for me using Photoshop....

Wish I could do this but when I have a very talented graphic artist for a son in law why bother hehe

We survived Earl

Earl came ashore as a Cat 1 so it was not as bad as Jaun. There is certainly damage and lots of trees went down but we were spared any serious damage. The only thing that happened here was we lost Bill's building ( metal pole frame with plastic cover ) and when it went it damaged his van. Now before any of you feel any sympathy for him, let me tell you the story.. The building was over at our daughters for a couple of weeks so they could use it for a yard sale ( it is very big ) and afraid that it would go down in the hurricane Angie wanted it moved and I suggested that it be taken down rather than moved.. I mean it's a wind catcher. But Bill and friends moved it and Bill insisted it would not go anywhere ( sound familiar ladies ). He put lumber down on the frame and drove his Miata in it.. I suggested that was a big mistake but what did I know. At the height of Earl we could see it moving. As I was on the phone calling my son in law for help Bill said, "I'll get rope and tie it down" ( like that was going to help )  There were too many things for this to crash into.
While I waited for Bill and my Steven to show up with tools ( Bill was looking for rope  )  I stood on one of the poles that was in the air and almost immediately it lifted 3 more feet. Not sure whether to jump off or hang on, I hung on and it did drop and then I got my ass off of it. It was like a gaint balloon. The only thing that kept it from going was the fact that now it was wedged against Bill's van which he so thoughtfully parked beside it. As we worked to get it taken apart ( in torrential rain as well ) you could hardly see or get a grip on the poles to pull them apart once the bolts were out. Neighbours Bob and Sally showed up and the extra hands certainly helped get it safely down with no more damage to anything or anyone. Men never listen... As I can say was good thing it was his Van that got damaged and not my car...

Hurricane Earl

We are preparing for Hurricane Earl which is supposed to begin hitting us in about 15hrs.. or 9am atlantic time tomorrow. Wish us luck...