Cutest Dog Competition

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=CF279968C75209FB53616BCA020C0790

Our dog, Steve Irwin, is a contestant in the Cutest Dog Competition sponsored by All American Pet Brands.

(Steve) Irwin's Bio: He is a mix of Austrailian Shepherd and Belgian Malamar (Shepherd) and is quite the naughty 1 year old. He is a great fella, who loves to constantly play and is extremely friendly. He loves socks, squirrels, stealing new rolls of toilet paper, picking on our cats, and rough housing with my husband Brad.

If you could vote for him, we would greatly appreciate it. Voting is allowed once per day. The contest runs until October 23, 2009. Judging will occur on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanks! Irwin and I thank you very much!

A Matter of Faith

Faith

A friend of mine sent me a story about a dog, named Faith, who has overcome a physical handicap that was the result of a birth defect. It truly is a heart warming story of courage and determination that touched my soul profoundly. Faith is a very special dog, as you will soon learn. Here is the story in its entirety, as it was passed along to me:

"This dog (Faith) was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which need to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him. His first owner also did not think that he can survive.. Therefore, he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She is determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him 'Faith.' In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the movements. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around. Even the other dog at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward."

"After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being. Faith loves to walk around now. No matter wh ere he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies."

"His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'. In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows.Faith is the continual demonstration of the Strength of Life. "

Author Unknown

Today’s Green Construction~ Father’s Day Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway

Today's Green Construction is having a Father's Day contest; they are giving away $100 gift card for the Home Depot. Follow the link to enter:

http://www.todaysgreenconstruction.com/

Let the Cats Speak for Themselves

Talking Cats - Watch the best video clips here

Stains, the Australian Shepherd

If you are a fan of It's Me or the Dog then perhaps you already know Stains, the Australian Shepherd (pictured just below with the cupcakes). I have to say that I ran across Stains, not on the show's website or on television, but rather on VideoGum. Apparently, Stains has a huge problem with getting into and eating human food, like cupcakes.

We have an Australian Shepherd mix, and I definitely can relate to this video. Every time I watch it, I can't help but laugh because it reminds me of our naughty dog, Irwin (shown below and to the right). We are still in the older puppy stage and really need someone like Victoria to help us out. Sometimes it does indeed feel like I want to say "it is me, or the dog- pick one." Irwin chews and rips apart anything that he can get his mouth or paws upon. He has never met a pair of dirty socks that he doesn't like! We have holes in our underwear, socks, clothing, the underside of a favorite chair, and countless shoes are now "dead." We even have holes in our holes. He is like a bandit or thief with ninja like abilities; an unseen creature stealing your just folded, clean socks from the counter top.

I have come to the conclusion that we are either going to find some form of humor in the situation or we are going to be crying A LOT. Irwin is a charmer for sure, in spite of his extremely bad manners. It seems that Australian Shepherds are quite the characters and will make you laugh, no matter how badly they misbehave. He is also an incredibly bright dog. Irwin has won our hearts and it is things like what Stains does on the show, It's Me or the Dog, that really endears us to our canine friend that shares our lives. I definitely can say that I am a big fan of Stains now. Anytime I need a really good laugh, I get on the Internet and look into the eyes of a charming Australian shepherd named Stains and eat a cupcake in his honor.

The video of Stains at VideoGum is very funny, but it does have profanity in it- it is taken from a segment of the show Talk Soup. If you want to see the video go here: http://videogum.com/archives/animals-on-film/stains-the-zombie-dog-is-going_048151.html

This is the link to the show's website for the Discovery Channel that features the episode with Stains: http://animal.discovery.com/videos/its-me-or-the-dog-stains-the-cupcake-dog-full-episode.html

I have also found out that Stains has his own official website: http://hypnodog.com/

(It's Me or the Dog image from: www.zoomroomonline.com)
(Image of Stains from: www.animal.discovery.com)

Therapy

My friend, Donna, emailed me this today on how a person can maintain a healthy level of insanity in their life. Pretty darn funny, if you ask me- have a gander. I am not sure if I would do any of this, but it is funny to think about the silliness of such acts.

I edited the list to exclude the entries that would be ill advised to do; wouldn't want anyone going to jail. Besides, I am not giving you any bail money. Entries 1 through 10 are from my friend. Anything from 11 and up, I decided to add on.

1. Page yourself over an intercom (like at work). Don't disguise your voice.
2. Every time someone wants you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
3. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks (at work). Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addiction, switch to Expresso.
4. Skip down the hall (at school, work, the mall) and see how many looks you get.
5. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat- with a serious face.
6. Specify that your Drive-Thru order is To Go.
7. Sing along at the Opera.
8. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you have a headache (this outta go over well).
9. When your money comes out of the ATM, scream- I won, I won!
10. Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
11. When at the Drive-Thru of Burger King, order a Big Mac (act very disappointed when they tell you they don't have them).
12. When at McDonalds, order a Whopper (act very disappointed when they tell you they don't have them).
13. Run around the outside of your house 20 times- the neighbors will wonder what the heck you are doing. That is, unless you're me, because they would already know the reason.
14. Page yourself at the mall- when you hear your name called, walk back up to the customer service desk and ask them, "Did someone page me?" OK, this one might get you kicked out of the mall- but it would be funny.

Chocolate Giveaway!

Who doesn't like chocolate? No, make that love chocolate? Chocolate Covered Katie is giving away a case of Jocalat Bars (now, say that ten times fast- I dare you!).

Entries must be received by March 19th, so hurry on over!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/so-what-about-this-chocolate-giveaway/