Odessa Rescue Auction - Buy Cool Stuff, Support a GREAT Cause!

My friends at Odessa Rescue and Rehabilitation are holding an auction to raise money for their rescue.  Odessa Rescue is a Richmond, VA-based 501(c)(3) organization staffed entirely by volunteers.  They rescued my good friend Rita the Naked Pit Bull and have helped LOTS of pups find forever homes.  (You may remember Rita from my Blogville Pitty Post Day Post, Meet My Pittie Friends.)  We think Odessa is a wonderful organization.

This is one of my favorite photos of Rita

Rita in one of her many dresses

Mom has donated some of her crafty things priceless works of art to the auction.  She is offering 5 of her hand-crafted bone-shaped personalized polymer clay ornaments (like some of the prizes she made for my Silly Photo Contest), as well as one of her frames that she paints and decorates with polymer clay bones and beads and little glass stones and stuff.  (Some of you may recognize the ornaments in the photos -- mom used the ornaments she made for Casey and Reuben as examples.) (Don't worry, she's not auctioning off Casey and Reuben's prizes.)

In addition to mom's crafty things priceless works of art, you can bid on earrings, a purse, Marilyn Monroe stuff, super-awesome looking toy/treat packages, a faux fur dog collar, doggie t-shirts, human t-shirts, etc., and you can even get pawtographed photos of Rita for a sponsorship of $25 or more.

The auction items are posted on Odessa's Facebook page, at the following link:
Odessa Rescue Fall Auction 2012 
You bid by posting a comment on the picture of the item you want. I've copied and pasted the rules below for your convenience.

Auction Rules:
Thank you for participating in our Fall Auction!
1. Be polite. 
2. Tag Team Bidding is allowed.
3. Auction will run until Saturday, October 7, 2012 at 8pm EST. 
We are a 501(c)(3) animal rescue group based in Richmond, VA. We are strictly run by volunteers, so you can be sure that your donation is going directly to the benefit of the animals in our care. We use monetary donations to pay for medical care, good quality dog food, training and community outreach. Winning bids must be paid no later than October 14, 2012 or the winning bidder will forfeit to the second highest bidder. Shipping is the responsibility of the winning bidder unless otherwise noted in the item descriptions.Our PayPal address for winning bids and sponsorship funds is odessarescue@hotmail.com. You may also mail a check to Odessa Rescue, PO Box 191, Mechanicsville VA 23111.
Happy bidding!

Check out what they have -- you may find something you like!

Rita really appreciates your support!!! 

Sadie Saturday!

Yesterday my black lab cousin Sadie came to visit!!!  We had LOTS of fun.  (We always have fun together.)

We played tug

We played in the yard

We ate Frosty Paws

We kept an eye on the neighborhood

But I think Sadie missed her mom and dad

This is me after Sadie went home

Fabulous Frosty Paws Friday: a VERY Special Delivery

(I'm a little blurry 'cause
I was SO excited)

Yesterday, a guy in a big brown truck delivered a big box to our house.  It was addressed to ME!

Mom usually lets me help open packages, but she said this one had  something called dry ice in it, and she didn't want me getting into the dry ice.  So she opened it for me.  LOOK what was inside!

The very very very nice people at Nestle Dreyer's sent me a big package filled with boxes of Frosty Paws!  I guess they must have liked my blog post about my big win at the Frosty Paws Eating Contest.  

I really wasn't expecting any type of compensation for the right to reprint my blog post in the Full Scoop (I was actually quite honored when they asked), but when they offered to send me as many packages of Frosty Paws as could fit in my freezer, I said SURE, twist my paw!

Just look at all these Frosty Paws!

(My tail was waggin' SO HARD)

My cousin Sadie is in town this weekend, so I shared my Frosty Paws with her.

Mom had to help out Sadie
by holding the cup for her.

I didn't need any help

Nom nom nom
Peanut butter Frosty Paws is the best stuff EVER

I may have to have some friends over for a Frosty Paws party!

Thank you thank you thank you Nestle Dreyer's!

My Own Calling Cards!!!

For months now, I've been trying to convince my mom that I need my own calling cards.  I have therapy dog cards, but I wanted cards with my blog, Facebook, Instagram and email addresses to give to people we meet in non-therapy settings.  People are always asking dad for my blog address, so now he can just give them one of my cards.  And next year Blog Paws will be held in Virginia, which means we are definitely going, and I'll definitely need calling cards to give to everyone I meet there.

My cards came in the mail last weekend, and they look fantastic!

They look very professional

But it's hard to read them upside down

Mom ordered the cards for me from Moo.com.  She signed up for a free trial of SmugMug, and that's how we found out about Moo.com.  (SmugMug has partnered with Moo.com to do business cards.)  You can order facebook cards (for a limited time, you can get 50 for free, you only have to pay shipping - this is a GREAT deal) or regular business cards.  We couldn't decide which to get, and since the facebook cards were free, we ordered a set of both.

The ordering process of selecting photos and text was fairly simple, so even my mom was able to figure it out.  Mom really liked that she was given the option to print out and proof-read the final version of the cards before placing the order.  

The prices were very reasonable.  I got 50 two-sided business cards (photo on one side, info on the other) for $22.99 plus $7.75 for standard shipping, and the Facebook cards (a box of 50) were free.  Since we weren't in a hurry, we selected standard shipping.  We ordered the cards on September 10 and they came on September 15, much sooner than the promised delivery date of September 21.  

The cards came in nice little boxes made from recycled pulp.  The facebook cards were made from paper from sustainable forests, and the business cards were made from 100% recycled paper.  The cards looked and felt very high quality, and the pictures turned out wonderfully.  I can't comment on how they taste since I haven't yet sampled one.   

The cards come in these nice little boxes

The pictures on the cards look great

If you order using this link, you get 10% off and I get $7.50 off my next order.

They also do greeting cards, post cards, and address labels.

This post is entirely my own opinion.  Moo.com didn't ask me to write this, nor did they compensate me in any way (although I may get money off my next order if anyone places an order using the link above).  I'm writing this post just to share info about an excellent product that may interest my friends and fellow bloggers.

Weekend Fun: Hiking with Bailey!

We had a great time on the Dog Scout hike on Sunday.  Most of the troop had conflicts, so it was just me and Bailey and our humans.  

We missed our other Dog Scout friends, but that didn't stop us from having lots of fun.  Here are some photos mom took during our swim break.  (Every hike at the river must include a swim break.) 

Bailey

Me

A lot of the time I just hike with mom, and I always enjoy that, but it's really nice to hike with one of my doggie buddies.  I'm so glad Bailey came along.  

I've Been Published!!! In Print! On Paper! I'm a PUBLISHED PUPPY!!!

Remember when I won the Frosty Paws Eating Contest at the Furry Friends Jubilee back in May?  That was awesome in and of itself, but it gets better.

Can't you see I'm reading?

A couple months ago I got an email from the contributing editor of the Full Scoop, the employee newsletter for Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company.  Nestle Dreyer's makes Frosty Paws.  (For my friends who live outside of the United States, Frosty Paws are these incredibly yummy, drool-producing frozen treats for dogs -- kind of like ice cream for dogs.)  A Nestle Dreyer's employee had apparently stumbled upon my blog post about winning the Frosty Paws Eating Contest, and the editor asked for permission to reprint my blog post in the next issue of Full Scoop.  I was incredibly flattered, so of course I agreed.

The latest issue of the Full Scoop just came out, and I got my copy in the mail today.  And there I am, on the back page, with my snout deep into a Frosty Paws cup.  It brought a huge smile to my mom's face -- I guess she never thought she would have a dog who was a published writer.  Mom and dad are both very proud of me, and mom is thinking about framing the page of the newsletter that contains my photo and blog post.  Mom says she's a bit concerned that my big block head may become even bigger.

It's ME

This is good stuff

I'm still reading

I'm hoping that the back page of the Full Scoop will make some Dreyer's employees smile.  It sure makes us smile. 

Am I gonna' need a warning label?

I just received the Addictive Blog Award from the Key West Collies!  Thank you SO much, Essex and Sherman!  I'm really flattered to have been chosen by a couple of collies who have been blogging for over five years.  In dog years, that's like 35 years!

I suppose I should get mom to draft a warning label and perhaps a waiver for my readers to sign.  

I wonder if I should have an attorney on retainer . . . 

Anyway, the Addictive Blog Award rules say I should thank the blogger who gave me the award and link back to them, talk about why I blog and why I began my blog, post the award, and then nominate 10 other bloggers.  

It's pretty wild that I should receive this award from the Key West Collies, considering that my blog was inspired by a trip to Key West.  My first post ever was about our Florida Keys Adventure last fall, and my first four posts were about some aspect of our trip.  I started the blog as a way to share our adventures with our friends, and it all started with our Keys adventure.  

At that time I had been Facebooking for a while, posting unbearably cute photos and incredibly witty comments, but I wanted to do more than just post an album of our Keys trip photos on my Facebook page.  My Facebook friends were always telling my mom how much they enjoyed my posts, so I thought they might enjoy hearing more from me.  And they have!  But I had no idea how much mom, dad and I would enjoy it.  We have met so many wonderful people and creatures all over the world as a result of blogging, and made some great friends.  Blogging gives my mom a much-needed creative outlet, and it gives my whole family a way to laugh at ourselves and relive our adventures -- whether it's last week's hike or a two-week trip to the Keys.  My mom loves to write, and she is an introvert, so blogging has provided her with a connection to other people that she just wouldn't have otherwise.  We have found blogging itself to be addictive.

We made a friend when we were in Key West -- a fireeater -- who always says at the end of his show, "Do something kind for someone every day -- even if it's just making them smile."  

Making people smile is a little thing, but it can mean so much.  Blogging for me is another way to make people smile.

And now for the nomination part.  It's always difficult to nominate others because there are so many wonderful blogs out there.  I could probably think of a hundred to nominate.

Reuben of Floppy Tongue Joy

Casey of The Legacy Chronicles

Sheba of Sheba's Life Story

Echo and Link of Husky's Life (it's really called Vie de Husky but it's translated into English in case you don't speak French)

Norwood of Norwood Unleashed

The Teacher's Pets

Jacobi at The Dog that Doesn't Fetch

Ruby and Bart at Rottrover

Murphy at Murphy's Law

Nola at Dachshund Nola

My mom and I had way too much fun with the Warning Label Generator, which we discovered today.

We also had way too much fun taking photos for today's September photo challenge word - incognito.

This is my lobsterman look
(Friendship Trap Co. makes lobster traps in Friendship, ME)

This is my Blues Brothers look

This is my Tom Cruise Risky Business look

This is my "git-this-darn-thing-offa-me!" look

What do you mean it's not Mardi Gras?

What do you mean it's not Mardi Gras?

Are you suggesting that I need a reason to wear beads?

Well, I don't.
I'm just out on the deck playing with my tennis ball,
wearing my beads.

Parrot Head Pup (Growing Older But Not Up!)

Last weekend, Jimmy Buffett played his annual Labor Day Weekend Show at the Jiffy Lube Pavilion in Northern Virginia.  Since there was no hurricane this year to interfere with things, of course my parents had to be there.  And this time, I got to tag along!

Not quite sure I approve of Dad's clothing choice

But this could be an adventure

Mom says decorating the car is half the fun

In the parking lot at the show

Dad rocking the grass skirt look
(just try to ignore the white socks)

This total stranger asked to have her photo taken with me
(these things happen when you are famous like me)

Waiting in line

We got GREAT seats

Enjoying the show
(and it was a GREAT show)

Mom says Jimmy Buffett always looks like
he's having a good time

The Daddy-Dog-mobile found its mate

Proof that my parents weren't the only ones being silly

Mom says that one of the many things she loves about Jimmy Buffett concerts is seeing a bunch of middle aged people like herself being totally silly.  Mom and Dad are both very much in favor of "growing older but not up".

But sometimes they take silliness a little too far . . .

 They tried to put the shark hat on me while I was sleeping

Not liking the shark hat

I liked going to Northern Virginia and staying in a nice hotel and smelling Northern Virginia smells.  Mom and I found some pretty flowers on an early morning walkie the day after the show.

But why can't I go swimming in the pond in front of the hotel?