I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games trilogy so when asked to review the movie, of course, I was excited to do so. My enthusiasm waned; however, after realizing that I was less then enthralled with the Hollywood version of the book.
Our Central Valley has a black eye with its high animal kill rates; but, there are some exciting things happening with our small communities and change is just around the corner.
I was slightly uncomfortable to admit to everyone I had read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The idea that I was reading a “young adult” book shook my pride just a little but I soon overcame that insecurity when adult after adult told me how much they enjoyed the book. Yes, it is written for young adults and is; therefore, an easy read, but that doesn’t detract from the story. The plot is creative and the story hooked me right from the beginning.
In honor of Valentine’s Day I thought I’d share two of my favorite foster love stories. In the rescue world we face a lot of heartbreak and often see the dark side of humanity so those glimpses of love and the angels that come along side and take our broken little ones home, make our journey worthwhile.
We receive e-mails from time to time from adopters who like to give helpful advice to our foster families. Just recently we received an e-mail advising one of our foster moms not to allow puppies to kiss her face, according to our adoptive mom; it is a terribly disturbing behavior when it is carried forward into their permanent home. A while back, a foster mom was chastised for not teaching her foster kitty to forego the very problematic habit of counter surfing. Obviously, the foster mom lacked discipline as this very curious kitty was jumping on the kitchen counters in her new home.
The Grinch is a fictional character created by author Dr. Seuss in 1957. This funny looking green goblin was featured in the children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas and has become a symbol for anti-holiday sentiments and also is used to describe someone with an unforgiving and greedy attitude. Oddly enough, even the Grinch had a dog. His only companion is Max, a Coonhound who stands faithfully by his master.
Ninety-nine percent of rescue work is consumed with taking pets that for one reason or another have lost their home and need a new one. The drill is pretty much the same, assess, vet, foster, and find that happily ever after. It is fabulous work, and is a job we take very seriously. Most of the animals in our care were facing death sentences: they either came from a shelter or were on their way there. We love saving lives!
We see the beauty in the eyes of a senior dog that is not readily apparent to everyone. The clouded eyes emit truth and wisdom of a long life that cannot be otherwise shared. Seniors are usually calm and quiet and easy to have around yet we are always thrilled to see the occasional blast of youth that sends them running through the room, or throwing a toy in the air.
Recently I was reading an article on exercising your brain (not that I think I’m losing mine or anything) and ran across a little game where you try to tell a story in just seven words. I thought this might be a fun little thing to run by our ACT Facebook friends so I asked them to tell us their rescue story in just seven words. I expected a few to respond but never expected close to seventy!
I was honored this past weekend to speak at our Women’s Ministry breakfast. I prepared faithfully. My PowerPoint was loaded with great photos, my narration was polished, and the technology was all checked the night before. All systems were go.
I was honored this past weekend to speak at our Women’s Ministry breakfast. I prepared faithfully. My PowerPoint was loaded with great photos, my narration was polished, and the technology was all checked the night before. All systems were go.
