Please Don't Honk at Me: A Plea From the Missaroo

If you see the Missaroo and me walking down the street, please, PLEASE don't honk at us! It scares the crap out of her. OK, I'll admit, my feet sometimes leave the pavement too but I'm not attached to a leash. Case in point: Last night we were walking when the obnoxious HONK came from behind us. Missy not only jumped, she got caught in her leash. Her foot went through the handle. It was dark and she was freaking a bit and it wasn't fun to try and get her untangled and settled down.

The night before, another HONK. This time Miss almost ended up in the road. Again, not good. Especially at night. Especially when she's spazing. Unfortunately for us, the people that honk are mostly strangers and will never read our funny, little dog blog. BUT this is a fair warning to the rest of you out there.

Sure, I don't see all of those friendly waves. And for that I really am sorry. I enjoy waving at people I know, but I don't always recognize cars. And hey, if it's the morning a little honk from the opposite direction or when you aren't DIRECTLY behind us is OK. It's the full on HONK we don't see coming that is just downright scary sometimes. So this is our plea, Please don't honk at me!

A New Low

Missaroo hit an all time clumsy low last night. We were almost home from our late night walk when she just had to walk along the curb as we walked through the apartment complex parking lot. I was against this idea and tried to steer her in the opposite direction to no avail. It wasn't long before she fell off the curb and into A PARKED CAR!

Thank goodness it wasn't one of those with an alarm system. It was dark, after midnight, and I'm super sure no one saw. But if that car alarm would have gone off I'm not sure what I would have done. Maybe ran for it? We were pretty close to home after all. OR maybe just sat in the middle of the road waiting for the owner to come out. Who knows?

But that is a new low, even for the Missaroo. I mean, turning your head into a pole is one thing, but falling off a curb and running your head smack into a parked car? I'll steal a line from my mom on this one, "Good thing you're pretty Shmoo."

Missy's Chair

When I first adopted Miss in the Tri-Cities, I had exactly one piece of furniture in my living room, my reclining chair. I of course had to have one just like my dad's so he would feel comfortable when he came to visit. I can remember being at the store with my mom picking it out as she asked me "do you really want a blue one? Every chair you've sat in has been blue." Uh, habit I guess. Guess what color my dad's recliner is? I ended up going with a brown one.

After moving to Spokane, I accumulated more furniture. Most of which was given to me for free by my Tri-Cities family. I received a small little sofa and another recliner. It wasn't long before the Missaroo claimed the non-rocking recliner for herself. See, she doesn't like my chair that much because when she tries to get in it, it moves. She barks at it and then walks away. Now she's to the point where she doesn't even try, she just goes for the other one.

Lucky for the Miss, we've only ever had one other person in the apartment at a time. We're not much for entertaining so the "other chair" has really become Missy's chair. Sure she sleeps in her doggie bed, with me in my chair, curled up with or without me on the sofa, but if you're watching TV and looking to see where Miss went, just look across the living room. Oh yeah, you'll find her bone buried in the arm of it too.

Poor Paw!

Nothing sends me spiralling into worried dog mom mode faster than a hurt Missaroo. Last night, it was her paw. Something was wrong but I don't know what. She wouldn't let me near it but she seemed to be going to town. I'll I could do was hope she just had something stuck in it and there wasn't an infection. ((oh yeah and catch it on video for you)) She seems to be OK today but it still made me worry and either way, poor paw! Poor Missaroo!

Missy Goes to College

I thought since Miss is so mad I'm not around as much on my "days off" I'd show her where mommy is while she's at home. I took the Missaroo to Eastern's Spokane Campus where I take classes. I had to buy books today anyway, so I thought I'd take her along for the ride and then we could get our walk out of the way there too. Like any good mom, I was proud of my little girl on her first day at school. So proud I had to take a few pictures:

This was a close as I could get her to an academic building sign while seeing her and the sign and not my hand....

And then I took another one just for good measure. This is her thinking face, I think.....

Either way the Missaroo went to college today and I'm oh so proud. :)

And So It Begins

Missaroo is mad. She's so mad, she barely let me sleep last night, which in the long run is only going to make her more mad. Why is the Missaroo so mad? Because yesterday was my first day of class.

The day began a few minutes before the alarm went off. Missy's internal "have to pee" alarm clock typically goes off any where between and hour to three minutes before the actual alarm does. This time it was ten minutes. Just enough time to take her downstairs and come back to the sound of the alarm clock. For a dog, she has a great sense of time.

Then we hit the road running, but it was only a few hours into my day that I hit the road running, alone. Missy spent about three and a half hours alone in the morning before I finally made it back to let her go pee again. 45 minutes later I was out the door again and didn't return until after 9pm. Just in time to let her go pee again ((are you starting to catch on)). Then it was time to finish up the to do list and make dinner. Then one more trip out the door for me without the Missaroo. By the time I finally rolled back in for the night, all I wanted to do was get ready for bed and go to bed. That made for one unhappy puparoo on my bed.

I begged and pleaded while I mumble to myself how I just wanted to sleep. Mommy needs sleep honey, we'll walk tomorrow if only you let me sleep. A few barks and another pee break three hours later and she finally left me alone, until the time she had to go again before the alarm went off this morning that is. Bribing her with milk the night before turned out to be a horrible idea.

Unfortunately for the Missaroo she's going to have days like that. Yesterday was an extreme with meeting after meeting and appointments all morning long. But they will happen. I'm doing my absolute best to take not good but GREAT care of her. Today we'll hit up the pet store and the park to try and make up for last night. But this is only because I don't have homework yet. I hope I can keep it up though. Luckily, my energy level remained pretty high throughout the day, until I passed out around midnight that is. 

I'm doing the best I can to burn the candle at both ends and still be there at the end of the day for Miss. I'll let you know how it goes.

Get Your Face Out of My Face

It's nearly impossible to stay mad at the Missaroo, but getting mad at her can occur once in a while. It usually only last for mere seconds mostly because she just has that face:

But another reason I can't stay mad at the Missaroo has to do with the ridiculousness of the situation ((and I'm not talking Jersey Shore)) Last night was a prime example. After a long day and a couple of walks, all I wanted to do was go to bed. Like always, Missy had some other ideas. The night before I stayed up with her just so she could chew on her bone, but I knew today was an early rise, all day event so I needed to get some sleep. I was trying to push her out of the way with my body as I tugged on the covers to get comfortable. That's when she got me right in the face with her nose and I told her to get her face out of my face, but it came out more like GET YOUR FACE OUTTA MY FACE WOULD YA? GEESH! And that's when I realized I sounded like an old school ((think Joe Pesci circa 1992)) Italian mobster. And I was trying to intimate my dog. I started to giggle under the covers and Missy attacked, but it wasn't long before we were curled up like a couple of bugs in a rug. Get your face out of my face, who says that?

Harry the Chicken Backfires

Our struggle to find a great dog toy continues. A couple of days ago I introduced you to Harry the Chicken. He is great in so many ways. He isn't stuffed so Missy won't get sick destroying him, plus she can't destroy him as easily. And then there was my personal favorite, how obnoxious he is. Two squeakers in that little body? It makes me laugh so hard I can barely play with Harry and Missy. But after a few days of tossing him around the apartment, his down side became evident, and by evident I mean here's the evidence:

Every time Harry's bright red legs or head hit anything white in my apartment, ((you know like the walls and my closet doors?)) He leaves these marks. Not Cool.

I still love Harry and so does the Missaroo. I'm just going to have to work on not trying to bounce him off the walls and into the bedroom from the living room any more. Will we ever find the perfect dog toy?

Should We Trick-Or-Treat?

Missaroo and I were at Petsmart the other day searching for her new toy. We came across all of the Halloween toys, so I decided to check those out. Among the toys were little doggie Halloween costumes. Now, I've always said from day one, "I will not dress my dog in clothes!" But is a costume different? Especially for one day out of the year? Obviously, the thought crossed my mind. But the thought of buying her a costume didn't really float my boat. I mean, I'm poor with a capital P right now, and my tuition is due soon. Not happening I thought.

But on the way home I kept thinking about how funny it would be to take her out trick-or-treating on Halloween. As kids, my brother and I HATED Halloween. We were horrible costume wearers, and if you know anything about the Chicago weather at the end of October and our mother, you'd know, no one ever got to SEE our costumes anyway. Once we realized we could dress up and stay home and pass out the candy, well that was a game changer. Halloween became fun. Then in high school my entire varsity volleyball team dressed up as the football team for Halloween each year and went trick-or-treating. That was tons of fun!

I want it to be fun for the Missaroo too! Right now I'm thinking semi-home made costumes. Actually, I know exactly what I want us to be ((yes I said us, let the judging begin)) but I want it to be a surprise. Of course, on Halloween there will be tons of pictures I'll share with you.

And for those of you who know how my last Halloween went, well let's just say all the more reason to spend it with the Missaroo instead right?. :) Let us know what you think. Anyone else take their pets trick-or-treating???

Harry the Chicken

Everytime I buy Missy and new toy at pet store I have one goal: To find the most annoying one I can find. So far so good. I'm so good, each toy is more annoying than the last. They even annoy my mom, long distance over the phone! I might have out done myself this time. Harry the Chicken is SO annoying I can barely play with the Miss because I'm too busy laughing from the SQUEAK!!!!

Sleeping Like an Adult

So I'm not really sure the title for this blog post makes any real sense, but whatever the opposite of sleeping like a baby is, that's how the Missaroo and I slept last night. One or the other of us was adjusting, tossing, or turning all night long. Until about 6:30 am anyway. Because that's what time Missy had to pee and it's also exactly one hour before the alarm goes off. Of course!

I've had trouble sleeping on Friday nights for almost the entire year. I won't get into it for the billionth time, but let's just say I think too much and Fridays are the worst. I sometimes wonder if Missy can sense that a little bit. She had trouble sleeping too, and well she's a dog, she doesn't really think too much. But I do think she has a great sense of feeling. She seems to just "get it" when I'm having a bad day or even a good day. Now, sometimes she doesn't really care what kind of day I'm having because she just has to pee, but she does get it.

So maybe I am onto something here though with my "sleeping like an adult." That's the problem, adults think too much, babies don't. So maybe in my case I should try to sleep like a dog?

Sleeping Like a Baby

Missaroo and I did something last night we haven't done in more than a year, we slept like babies. I'm not sure if it was because of our adventurous day, or the nice rain that fell last night, but whatever it was, it knocked us out cold. It started on the couch.

Sometimes Missaroo can be a pain in the rear when it comes to laying on the couch with me, usually because she doesn't want to lay, she wants to be petted. But last night was the exception. She gladly jumped up and laid down with her head on my legs, starring at the wall. Sounds weird, but she probably finds it strange that I stare at the TV.

Then it was time for bed and she was still looking pretty darn comfy. I left her there while I got comfy myself in my own bed. When I was ready, I called her and she came running. I rubbed her belly for a little bit and calmly rubbed her face. After that, she did what has come to be known as the "tighty-tight." ((It's a term first used by a dog dad I work with. It's when your dog makes that tight circle)) And there she slept in my arms for the first time in a very long time. We slept like rocks.

The last time Miss slept that well next to me, literally in my arms, we were staying in a hotel. I was in the process of moving to Spokane and my mom had come to help. We spent about four nights in a hotel after two moves in three months. We were still pretty much without everything we owned, except for Missy's toys and crate and my clothes. Everything else was in storage. Missy didn't know where we were going or what was happening, but she did know she was for sure coming with, always.

If you're judging me or thinking I'm weird by now, well you are definitely reading the wrong blog. Missy is my kidaroo and the only constant thing in my life for the past year and a half. I lived in a lot of places, moved a lot, and faced a ton of uncertainty, but I had her and her smiling face to get through it all. And more importantly, she always had me.

Back to School

My three week vacation from graduate school is almost over which is another sure sign summer has come and gone. I take night classes on my weekends, two days a week. This is horrible news for the Missaroo. Now instead of spending my "downtime" playing, I'm spending it reading. I try my best to make up for it by holding my book in one hand and her toy in the other, but it's just not the same. Mostly because Miss doesn't get my full attention, and I guess neither does school.

It also means a more grumpy dog mom. I'm not grumpy because I'm back in school. I'm a total nerd and love class. I'm grumpy because I get so darn tired. Just thinking about my class load, added volunteering ((mandatory for class)) and work scheduled has me exhausted. But when I think about most of the people I go to school with, I actually have it pretty easy.

There are some super single moms in my program. They work, go to school, and have real kids, not just puparoo replacements. Plus, like me they are doing it alone. I'm sure they have fantastic support systems, they must. Luckily, the Missaroo is a dog and has the memory of one. She's never going to look back at this stage of her life and think, mom wasn't around that much while she was going to school. In fact, Missaroo doesn't look back AT ALL. That's the beauty of a dog, they only think forward, not backward.

I'm going to try my best to stay extra motivated and extra energized this quarter, for my sake and for the Missaroo's. I would love to still be able to make as much time for her and our adventures as possible. But if you don't hear as much from me, at least you'll know what my excuse will be. I'm back to school.

The End of Summer

Summer is coming to an end and the Missaroo and I did a horrible job at accomplishing our goals. I really wanted to take her swimming. Fail. I did buy her a doggie pool and filled it up with water once. She hated it.

I also wanted to have her Facebook page "The Missaroo" really take off. We were able to get a handful of new people to join, but sadly I'm still four away from my goal of 120. Her Twitter account has also come to a standstill. Apparently I'm not so great at social media. Chalk goal number two up to another dog mom fail.

Lastly, I wanted to come up with a continuation of Best Buds Day. It was something we did throughout the month of May. ((I guess that's the producer in me. I basically did it as a blog "Sweeps" idea)) Every Friday, Missy and I headed some place new to walk and spend time together. It was great fun, but I quickly ran out of places to take her. I wanted to come up with new and fun ways to entertain her this summer as well. I did a better job at it than the other two goals but still not great. Fridays in the summer turned into Pet Store day. Every Friday we walked down to the Petco and walked around the store looking at the critters and smelling all of the doggie treats. We would also sometimes drive to Petsmart in addition to our walk and spend some time there as well. Late in the Summer, I discovered Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene. I wish I would have known about it earlier. That hike was AWESOME! I wish it would have been our Thursday thing to do all summer long. We will go again tomorrow if the rain holds off, but this late in the year, there are no guarantees. 

I do want to say a big thank you to everyone who reads our blog. It helps keep me accountable for the goals I set and forces me to look back on the progress I've made. Without you, these would simply be thoughts in my head. Each and every one of you make me a better pet owner day in and day out. So the Missaroo thanks you as well. Keep up the good work!

Back in the Swing of Things

I don't know how I was able to function without a 30 pound dog attached to me for five whole days. I think the experience made me love my mom's cat Goldie even more than I already do. He sits on you with all 8 pounds of him and you don't even notice! Its also funny to me because my mom and her husband act like Goldie is so loud and so annoying. Um, the cat is pretty much non-existent compared to Missy. Her barking, jumping, and licking of the face don't even compare to a tiny cat meow and a little gold colored cat resting his paws on you. I mean look at how small and cute he is:

 And as you can see, he's not actually on top of me either.

But now the Missaroo is back home and I'm back home and you really wouldn't know anything has ever changed. I have to admit she did a lot better than I ever expected and so did I. Last time I left her, when I came back I would have to stand in the bathroom with her while she ate. She refused to be in a different room as me for the next week or so, and if that meant no eating, well she was OK with that. Right now I'm blogging and she's laying in her bed on the balcony.

Today is also back to work for me. This means we'll go on our walk, eat, and hang out before I head across the street. Then another walk and more eating when I return. I'm glad that Miss and I are both growing up. But she'll always be my puparoo.

Be It Ever So Humble

There is no place like home. It's been a long journey and I'm very tired. So is the Missaroo. She had a GREAT time at daycare and I am so thankful for that. She was BANANAS to see me this morning when I went to pick her up and told me ALL about daycare the whole way home. I'm sure the neighbors missed her too, but don't worry she's been barking at them all day to make up for it. I'm sure I could probably come up with more to write but I'm just too darn tired, so I'll let you check out our pictures from today instead. Enjoy!

Missy Makes a Friend

I called to check on the Missaroo again on Saturday in between wedding events. The second time I got more of a report on how she was doing and it turns out she's not doing great, she's doing FANTASTIC. The Missaroo has a new best friend!

There is a 1year old Blue Heeler that has been boarded with her the whole time ((the vet thinks the Missaroo might be part Heeler because of her size)) and the two of them have become best buds. They run and play with each other everyday and then head to bed exhausted. I was also told that Miss is not sick and her room is always clean! That's my girl! I can't wait to see the Missaroo tomorrow morning, but I am so glad she's doing so well. Who knew?

This is my last blog from the great state of Illinois. Tomorrow I'm flying into Denver ((fingers crossed)) and then from there to Spokane. Hopefully the Missaroo will still be excited to see her mommy! As always, I'll let you know how it goes. Love you all!

Holding Up

I've already called on the Missaroo, exactly one day after I dropped her off. They told me what I already knew, she was doing great. I'm not doing too bad either. I'm holding up, she's excelling. Today I'll call again and check on her, mostly to make myself feel better.

It hasn't been all bad without the Missaroo either, I've been able to spend time with my other favorite Shmoo, Goldie the cat. Now, poor Goldie is a boy with a girl's name. He was a stray I found when I was about 12. My parents let me bring him inside and it wasn't long before he became our cat. He moved with my mom and me a year later and has been with her ever since. He's my original Shmoo, the first rescue pet of my family. I wish I could take him back to Washington with me, not sure how the new Shmoo would feel about that, probably wouldn't go over well. The Miss is an only child.

In a couple of days, I'll be back home and the Miss and I will be reunited again. I wish someone would be there to help me document that moment.

Blogging from the Road

Sorry I didn't come up with a more clever title for this blog post, but hey, I'm blogging from the road on about four hours of sleep and I'm about to tell you my airport story from hell. So gear up.

I dropped the Missaroo off at pet hotel/doggie daycare at 6:30 this morning. Boy was she excited when she finally figure out where she was going. She knew she was headed somewhere, especially once her bed made its way into the car, but she wasn't so sure where this latest adventure would take her. She wined the WHOLE way there. It made me feel terrible. BUT once we pulled into the parking lot it was a whole other story. She was happy as a clam, or a dog about ready to spend the day running with the other puparoos. The bad news was, at 6:30 in the morning, there was only one other dog there. She happily strolled down the hallway without looking back. I was still saying goodbye to her when she had made her way to the other side of the door. She was pumped! I was not, but I didn't cry after all. Not yet anyways, there's still time.... BECAUSE it's 4:30 and I still haven't left the state of Washington. I did, however, manage to make it an hour in the opposite direction from Chicago. That's right, I'm blogging from Sea-Tac airport in Seattle.

So how did I get here? Well I arrived at Spokane International Airport around 8am and everything seemed to be going great, until we went to board the plane. It turns out there was one little boy who just couldn't keep his hands to himself. He ended up pulling the lever that makes that little connectible tunnel go up and down. He nearly ripped the door to the cabin right off and much to every one's horror our flight was canceled ten minutes after boarding began.

A two hour wait in the ticket line later and I was told the earliest I would be landing in the Windy City would be midnight or about 11 hours from that moment. Awesome. I had to fly out of Seattle no matter what at this point so I jumped on the first flight to Sea-Tac. Here there is Wi-Fi, food places, and even Butter London. I ended up treating myself to a 15 minute back massage. If I'm going to have to wait, it might as well be here instead of Spokane. So here I sit, waiting for my flight with this unbelievable story to tell. Who knew I could have this kind of adventure without the Missaroo?

Tomorrow I'll be calling daycare to see how she's doing. Hopefully I'll be able to update you along the way. You can also keep up with me on Twitter @bdollymargaret

Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I'll be in Chicago.

The Countdown Has Begun

I have exactly two nights left with the Missaroo before I leave her for five. She is officially going to doggie daycare during the day and pet hotel at night. I'll drop her off before I head to the airport. I might just cry.

I think she's already figured out something is going on around here, even if she doesn 't know what. Starting with Friday night when I got home from a party, she has refused to leave my side. She's also sleeping extremely close to me at night, like a person. It's cute and a nice extra layer of warmth on what's turned out to be several chilly nights.

But I figure it will still probably take her a day or two to figure out I've really left her. That gives me some comfort as to how she will adjust, as for me? I'm just avoiding thinking about it all together..... Deep Breath..... I can do this.

I know one thing, I'm really, really looking forward to that greeting she'll give me when I go to pick her up. She'll probably bark the entire way home and it won't be long until I'll wonder why I even missed her in the first place.

Just in Case

My mom doesn't often humor me without being asked, "Can you just humor me ma?" But this time she played along. I called her yesterday and asked her to write down the name and number to Missy's pet hotel, just in case. You know, just in case the plane goes down? Yep I'm one of those people. I think if you say it out loud then it won't happen. Fingers crossed.

I also made my mom promise if something were to happen to me, she has to come and get the Missaroo. Now, my mom would probably come out to get the rest of my stuff anyway, but the rest I don't care about, I only care about what happens to the Missaroo. I promised her many times in the last year and a half she would never have to worry about going to a shelter or back to a foster home. She has a forever home, and I do mean forever, not just as long as I'm alive.

I told my mom, "you don't even have to keep her, I bet Dad would take her in a heart beat." She asked if I had actually talked this over with my dad to which I replied, "no of course not". Because I know I just have to Tell my mom somebody else will take her as long as she comes and gets her. Once she flies here and back with the Missaroo there is no way she'd actually let anyone else take her. I used the same kind of tactic on my mom in the third grade. We had a class bunny and spring break was just around the corner. We could all put our names into a drawing to see who would take the bunny home. I convinced my mom everyone wanted to take the bunny home and the chances of my name actually being picked were slim to none. Turns out I was better at convincing then the other third grades and ended up being the ONLY name in the drawing.

Well at least this time my mom knows my plan. I told her all about how I'm just telling her she won't have to take the Missaroo so she will come get her but I know she'll actually keep her in the end. She laughed at how well I have this all planned out, but wasn't at all surprised by any of it. But remember, this is all a "just in case" plan. I have to make sure my puparoo is taken care of.

The Great Hike

Missaroo and I went hiking today, and that's not a term I use lightly. We went on a real hike up and around Tubbs Hilll in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It took us about an hour, but we weren't in a hurry and we did stop once to let the Missaroo have a rest. I worry about her getting too hot as you know, but today it was 75 and sunny with a light breeze and plenty of shade. It was the perfect day for our first hike.

It was hard, but not in an overwhelming kind of way. It pushed us to our limits without being too difficult to overcome. It felt like quite the accomplishment to say we did it, but unlike climbing a mountain, something I would definitely do again and soon! The best part was I think it also mentally challenged us more than our typical neighborhood walk. Missy and I had to think about each step we took. We couldn't just wander along, we had to think about the next step, the next rock, and yet we could still take in the beauty that surrounded us. We worked hard just moving through the hill so that the hard work was effortless because we didn't have to think "what can we do to push ourselves." We were just doing it by being there. Walking was a harder task than it would be normally just high tailing it down a busy street.

I loved every moment of it. Even when we came across other dogs it was much better than when we see them in the neighborhoods. Everyone there, but me of course, had a friendly dog. None of them barked at the Missaroo, so it became much easier to pull her off to the side and make her behave while the other dogs went by. For as many dogs as we saw, that's the least amount of barking she's done in a really long time. Now, I also think part of that was because she was tired and barked the entire way there in the car. We saw A LOT of motorcycles. I mean, a ridiculous amount of them. Thank goodness for her seat belt restraint.

I'm sure there are still doubters out there who don't believe I love where I live. I might never be able to convince those people because they just choose to believe what they want. But let me tell you, as we walked along our hike today I couldn't help but think, the Missaroo is NOT a Chicago dog. She's a Northwest gal, who loves the great outdoors and our great hike. She also has a great sense of direction. It proved true today. Every time we came to a turn or curve in the path, I would stop and look to see which way I wanted to go. Most of the time I was kind of undecided, but the Miss knew which way she wanted to go and since we were in no hurry and didn't have a map, I let her chose. She was right every time. She's quite the navigator.

Another bonus from today, when I talked to my mom on the phone she knew EXACTLY where I was talking about. She even described it to me! She said, if you're looking at the lake from the resort it's off to your left! Yes! She was right! It was a pretty cool feeling that I could share what I did with my Missaroo and my mom today. What a great hike!

Right and Wrong: Clear Battle Lines in the Fight to Save Lives

The Missaroo and I have been watching a lot of Animal Planet shows lately. I think it's to gear her up for pet hotel next week ((she gets a TV in her room that is always on Animal Planet)). One of the shows I just can't help but watch is "Confessions: Animal Hoarding." These people are actually nothing like I expected.

I have seen two cases of animal hoarding, both right here in Washington. The first was a horrific case of animal abuse in the TC. I won't go into the details but it was a massive effort and it was all triggered when my dear friend and fellow dog mom Molly got involved. She really saved those animals while everyone else pretended like it wasn't happening or like there were just too many dogs in need of help so there wasn't anything one shelter could do about it. Molly didn't buy it and thanks to her, she saved those dogs. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who thought there wasn't anything we could do about it. Boy did I learn my lesson! Once again, Molly inspired me to save lives. She is the reason I have the Missaroo.

What I'm most surprised about when watching the show is how much these people love the animals. They have a slew of problems, each one usually different. But the reason for getting the animals in the first place is often for some of the same reasons I have the Missaroo. Almost all of them say they didn't want to see the animals killed, and everyone says they were lonely. Wow! Two very good reasons in my book to adopt, but these people often suffer from problems greater than what one companion can fix, so they continue to adopt, rescue, and not spay or neuter the animals. It soon becomes out of control and is unhealthy both for them and their pets.

I am always thrilled with the happy ending episodes where one or both people featured give the majority of the animals to the Humane Society. It doesn't always happen this way though. Sometimes I can't even watch the whole thing. Missaroo and I end up going for a walk in the middle of it or drive to the pet store. I often joke to her, well I don't ever have to worry about becoming a hoarder, not with the Missaroo around, she wouldn't stand for it.

If there is one thing I've learned in my journey as a dog mom it's bystanders are just as guilty. It is the same as moms who stand by while other kids in their children's class are bullied to death. We can't stand by and pretend like nothing is happening. We can't pretend that animal hoarding is OK just like we can't pretend that kill shelters are doing the right thing. I really do hate to turn this blog into any kind of soap box, but this is life or death. I'm not trying to change your political or religious views really, I'm trying to draw a clear line between right and wrong. I am so, so guilty of this; Being a bystander. I did it in the Tri-Cities, but I will never do it again. Molly showed me the power of a single, loud voice. She literally saved HUNDREDS of dogs just by speaking up, saying this isn't right and making endless calls until someone picked up the phone and listened. Not all of us can be like her, I understand that, but none of us should stand by and do nothing.

Saving Lives

Yesterday I was able to donate blood for the first time. I've never met all the requirements before but this time I passed with flying colors. I felt so good about my decision and the best part is one donation can save the lives of three people! Wow! I've never saved any one's life before! I recommend it to every one who is able to give. The high of helping others will last much longer than you expect.

But the Missaroo is right on my tail. Her blog, group, and page have worked to save two lives! We know at least two people who have adopted pets thanks to the story of the Missaroo. She's just that awesome!

I hope that we don't stop here! Missaroo and I want to save more pets, more people, and overall just make life better for everyone we know. It's why we share the stories we share in this blog. We want to let people know, yep it is OK to have a bad day, and if you're having more than one, well we know what that's like too. Have people you love in your life who just live like crazy people? Yep we have that too. We don't have the solutions to any of these so-called "problems" and we probably never will. But maybe we can all figure out life's "problems" together.

We love each and every person and pet who reaches out to us. It means the world to know people are reading the blog, joining the Facebook page, and commenting on the wonderful Missaroo pictures posted. We've also received a lot of love via Twitter. Have you adopted a pet ((aka saved a life)) too? We'd love to hear and share your story with others.