Wonderful Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser this Saturday

This Saturday October 26 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. at St. Ann Community Center 1 Community Center, St. Ann, Missouri is a wonderful spaghetti dinner fundraiser. The dinner will include spaghetti, a salad, roll, dessert and a drink for a small cost. Adults cost $10.00 and kids ( 6-12 years old) cost $5.00. Children under 5 are free and seniors meals are $8.00. All the proceeds from this dinner will benefit the Rescued Racer organization and their greyhounds and help take care of their medical needs. They are the only greyhound rescue group in the United States who will accept all greyhounds. They have an open-door policy which includes senior, injured or ill greyhounds. They have never turned away a greyhound since they opened their doors. They believe special needs and senior greyhounds deserve a home just as much as healthy ones and go out of their way to find all their dogs wonderful and loving homes. Down at our lake house we had great neighbors with two adopted greyhounds who have since moved away. I loved playing with their greyhounds and they were so beautiful and sweet. One was very shy but sweet. I hope you can all join them for dinner as they have a great organization. You can check out their website at www.rescuedracers.com for more information about them and this fabulous event on Saturday. If you would like to help them by fostering one of their dogs or would like to learn more about their foster care program you can email their foster coordinator at poppywithap@aim.com

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble
getting enough people to click on it daily to meet
their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and
neglected animals.

It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to
go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for
animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate
sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to
abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://ssomail.charter.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.theanimalrescuesite.com%252F

Holiday Happenings this Saturday

The St. Charles Humane Society this Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 10-3 are having a Holiday Happenings Event at Harvest Ridge Elementary school in St. Charles. It is a craft fair with the proceeds going to the St. Charles Humane Society. They are the only no kill facility in St. Charles.They have booths with Mary Kay, Creative Memories, Longaberger baskets, Tupperware,tons of pet toys and beds, Discovery Toys and Thirty One Purses and Tastefully Simple and many more. They have 48 booths. If you'd like more information call Kim at (636) 795-1754 or go to StCharlesHumaneSociety.org.They have a fabulous website. If you'd like your pets picture with Santa then call (636) 949-9918 for an appointment but they will accept walk ins.

Questions To Ask Yourself When Deciding On Purchasing a dog

First of all you need to sit down with every member of your family and ask these questions of each other. Have everyone first write down their answers without anyone else seeing them and then discuss them as a group. Here are the five questions you need to answer before buying a dog in my opinion.

Hudson's Five Questions Every Family Should Ask Themselves Before Buying A Dog

***Name 5 reasons you want a dog then list them in order of what's the most important to you.***

***Name 5 reasons you think a dog would fit into your life***

***Name 5 things that would annoy you about having a dog become a part of your family***

***Name how much time you can devote to a dog per day***

***Name how much money you are willing to spend on a dog***

Other things to consider when buying a dog is if you have a fenced in yard and how high the fence is when selecting your type of dog. If you select a dog who can jump over a shorter fence easy then this will be a problem.I have known many dogs who are crated all day and I know people think that's okay but I think it is cruel to purchase a dog just to crate it all day long while you are gone. A dog needs to be treated kindly and not like a trophy that only gets taken off the shelf to entertain you.If you have to crate a dog 5 hours or more a day then maybe you shouldn't buy one. It's just my opinion and I'm Kind Of A Big Deal but who am I to tell you what us canines want. It is very important that you don't choose a dog just because it is cute or it is free or a great price. It is so important to find a dog that fits into your lifestyle and that you have the time for.We need your love and should not be brought into your home unless you have the time, money and energy for us. It's the simple things that make a difference with purchasing a dog for your family. If you love to jog and want your dog to jog with you then you need to find a dog who loves to run. Some breeds don't want to jog everyday with you although most of us LOVE to take a daily walk with our family. You don't want to select a dog who is hyper if you have a sedentary lifestyle and you don't want to play with a dog who is on the move constantly. If dog hair everywhere bugs you then you can find dogs who don't shed as much. In selecting a dog you will have to compromise before you buy one on some issues though I assure you.You can't have it all, that is why it is important to rate the reasons in order and determine what you want the most. You might have to say who cares about dog hair all over as this type of dog is perfect for our family. Even when you narrow down your search you will still have to realize it takes a tremendous amount of time and love to have a dog join your family. I suggest one family member takes a week off work minimum to be devoted to training the dog when you first bring it home. This will be worth its weight in gold in the long run. If you can wait to adopt a dog when the family can devote a large amount of energy to it this is even better. I will give you some great dog training tips coming up shortly.Remember the love we give you back is 10 folds if you open your heart and home to us. Honestly I don't know what my family did for entertainment before I came along. Talk to any dog owner and they will start bragging about their dog more than their children half the time. Remember never purchase a dog from a pet store as 98% of them are from puppy mills. Go to your local shelter or call a rescue group. A great paper to get free dog information and the names of tons of local rescue groups in St. Louis is called St. Louie Tails magazine or you can ask your vet. Please consider buying an older dog from a shelter as they can offer so much love and be so much cheaper in the long run for you. You don't have all the shots, neutering or spaying cost and vet visits that you do with a puppy. If your thinking about having a dog be a part of your family go to your local library and start researching dogs.

Soldier wants to bring puppy back home

A soldier who saved the life of a young puppy in Iraq and expected to bring him back home with her could not be allowed to take her dog when she comes home. Sgt. Gwen Beberg befriended puppy Ratchet while serving in Iraq, and sent regular dispatches to her home in Minneapolis charting the dog's process, with 100s of fans tuning in on Facebook to follow the pup's life. When the military started to burn a large trash pile they heard yelping coming from the pile. She was handed the dog out of the burning pile of trash in Iraq.But the U.S. military takes a strict line with soldiers befriending animals, and confiscated Ratchet as Sgt. Beberg prepared to fly home from Baghdad Airport at the weekend. The practice forces the military to be the bad guy. According to General Order 1A, a broad set of prohibitions for service members stationed under the Pentagon's Central Command, which includes the Middle East, service members are prohibited from "adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal." The reasons range from obvious health concerns to the dangers of forming a bond with an undisciplined animal in a war zone to possible conflict with local residents.I'm sure their safety of their soldiers are important and the Army is concerned about diseases dogs could carry back with them but I hope they can work something out here. I can also understand how soldiers having dogs could compremise their positions and put other soldiers life at risk. A dog in the middle of a war zone is a cruel place for the animal to live at best. I can also see how this soldier feel in love with this dog and wants to bring her home. Now animal charity Operation Baghdad Pups, which has the motto 'No buddy gets left behind', is pleading with the U.S. Army to allow Ratchet to fly out of the country. Sgt. Beberg's mother Patricia said: 'This year has been extremely difficult on my daughter and her family. It has been a year of disappointments, loneliness, and fear because of all the sacrifices Gwen has done for her country. I don't know how my daughter will cope. Ratchet has been her lifeline.' Sgt. Beberg is also under military investigation for befriending the dog that saved her life. A close friend of Sgt Beberg said: 'It hasn't been easy for her - and the puppy she saved has been one of the few things that has kept her going. She's shared pictures of him as he grew from a frightened ball of fur to an adorable young dog. Gwen with 'lifeline' Ratchet in Iraq She's kept us up-to-date on his travel schedule, and badgered us into contributing money to bring him home. Soldiers can face immediate court-marshal for befriending animals.'It was so close... Ratchet was on his way to the airport.One soldier wrote to Baghdad Pups: 'I have sacrificed a lot to serve my country. All that I ask in return is to be allowed to bring home the incredible dog that wandered into my life here in Iraq and prevented me from becoming terribly callous towards life.' The charity Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International has joined Baghdad Pups in asking the U.S. Army to show clemency to Ratchet, and allow the dog to return to Gwen's parents in Minneapolis and friends of Gwen have launched a campaign to get American senators to intervene. Ratchet as a puppy: An international campaign has now been set up to save the Army's policy. This story has made headlines international and hasn't been resolved yet. If your curious google it on your internet for updated information on this story.I'm sure the Army and Gwen will work this out and Ratchet will find his way to the USA.

Howl & Yowl (October 11th-12th)

This dog event rates in the top ten in St. Louis and a must event to attend. Take it from me you don't want to miss this one.This is the DOG EVENT you don't want to miss. Pets and their families are welcome to come from 11 am until 5 pm this Saturday and Sunday at 739 Weidman Road. This is located and sponsored by Country Acres Rescue which is located 1 mile north of Queeny Park in Manchester. They will have pet costume contest with prizes, face painters, clown, caricaturist, adoption booth, vendor booths, balloon art, wonderful carnival games, scarecrow corner and marshmallow roast. They will have live music by Tim Session and Emily and Ali from 1-3. They will be special guest appearances by Fred Bird and Star Wars Legions. Country Acres Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non profit, St. Louis based organization who's primary concern lies with the over population and unnecessary suffering of domestic animals in our community. They are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, socialization and placement of homeless, abandoned, and abused/neglected cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies. They are committed to promoting better care and understanding of animals through education with an emphasis on the importance of spaying and neutering. Country Acre Rescue does not euthanize, unless a serious medical behavioral problem exists. This is a fabulous rescue to support and a wonderful fun event for the entire family to attend. For more information call (636) 227-1919 or go to their website www.countryacresrescue.org

18th Annual Canine Carnival

What an incredible fun day we had at the 18th Annual Canine Carnival at Tilles Park. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. then the carnival kicked off promptly at 10:00 with the coronation of the Carnival King and Queen and the games and activities began. Carol House Furniture Pooch parade started at 10:15 and was led by Jennifer Blome from KSDK. At 10:30 was APA Adoptable Dogs on stage but this was our first year there and we didn't arrive until about 10:30 so we missed these fabulous events. As a new comer we didn't see the main booth you were suppose to register at when you arrived until we were leaving. I think quite a few people got confused with this as numerous people were saying they didn't see it either until they were leaving. It was jammed pack by the time we arrived with every kind of friendly dog imaginable having a blast meeting other dogs and spending time with their families. We met so many different types of dogs and their owners. We checked out all the booths at first then made our way back to the games. They had tons of games for dogs we could play for a $1.00 a ticket that had to be bought at a booth. We played several games, meet a ton of other dogs ( this is Big Moe and me) and their

owners and just had a blast mingling with everyone there. I even got to show off my Frisbee skills a little while we were there. They had contest throughout the day for Best trick, best kisser, best barker/singer and best costume by a dog. My suggestion is come early so you have an easier time parking. I have to admit it was fun walking with my owners all over first as we parked really far away. The games dogs could play were cheese ball toss, kitty couldn't come, the maze, hat trick, hide and find, beggin strip lucky puppy, spoonful of fun and T-bone steak wall were just some of my favorite ones. They also had people doing pet portraits, sketch artist who would sketch your dogs and a huge kids area of games and crafts. The Animal Protective Association of Missouri sponsored the event and is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing people and pets together, advancing humane education and creating programs beneficial to the human/animal bond. I had an absolute blast and would highly recommend this event to other canines and their families.