Ain’t too proud to beg, or Fedoralady seeks supporters for critters in need

 

In case you didn’t already know this, Fedoralady is a sucker for animals. I grew up on a farm surrounded by critters, from cows and pigs and chickens to the dogs and cats who patrolled the property. When I married, Benny and I started adopting pets–and we’ve never stopped.

 

We will celebrate our 30th anniversary in June, and in that time we’ve shared our homes and properties with Smokie, Ginger and Mary Ann, Thumper, Lucky, Puddin,’ Callie, Scarlett, Rascal I and II, Daisy, Junior, Seabee, Greedy, Teeny Weeny, Tom, Cheeto . . . well, you get the idea. Some were adopted from a shelter or humane society; others came to us via a good Samaritan or simply showed up on our doorsteps.  Did we choose them–or did they choose us? I’ve never been completely certain.

Right now, I’ve got Scarlett, who once resided in the city animal shelter, bathing on my legs. Callie, formerly a semi-feral kitten roaming the nearby woods, is roosting happily on my shoulder and chest. They are beautiful, bright, very spoiled and very much adored.

Our beautiful Rascal, who was part of a litter of puppies abandoned on the side of the road in a neighboring county. All of the photos in this post, with exception of Second Chance collage, are my own work.

Pets have brought a lot to our lives–love, affection, friendship and companionship. Laughter. Snuggles. Fun. For some people, the love of a pet is the only unconditional love they will experience.

I hate seeing animals who are healthy and adoptable being euthanized. It seems like such a horrible waste. In my part of the country, sadly, there is a greater supply of dogs and cats than there is a demand to adopt them. That means some animals end up being put down. However, the number being euthanized at the Greenville Animal Shelter has dropped in the past two years by 83 percent.

How have we done this? Lots of work on the part of our wonderful animal control officers, Kristi and Christy along with our Butler County Humane Society and its Second Chance Rescue, which is a no-kill facility operated by my cousin by marriage, Kandys.  The shelter and humane society work together with reputable animal rescues around the country to find homes for the homeless critters of Butler County.

 

Here are Kandys and Tommy,  who is one of her hard-working assistants at Second Chance Rescue. These people have hearts of gold.

Animals are driven out by relay transport by volunteers to other states and even flown to new homes through the generosity of Pilots n’ Paws. The number of animals being adopted locally has also risen as the shelter actively promotes available dogs and cats on FB and Pet Finder. Humane society member serve as foster parents to pets awaiting adoption or rescue commitments when the shelter and Second Chance facilities have no “room at the inn.”

Obviously, we can’t save them all, but we strive to save as many animals as possible.

As one of our members pointed out, all this takes love and money. We truly do have big hearts, but we live in a largely rural county that is far from wealthy. We seek assistance through corporate grants  and donations from caring supporters from near and far. We also hold several fundraisers each year. And we ain’t too proud to beg!

 

Four of the fifteen private planes that were a part of the “Great Sunshine Fly-In” in January 2015 that transported more than 200 felines and canines from the Greenville Airport to various parts of Florida where new homes awaited them.  😀 The Butler County Humane Society sponsored the event and the Greenville Animal Shelter helped coordinate it.

One of the Pilots n’ Paws volunteers with a precious pup who will be flown to a fur-ever home in Florida. 

So here’s the deal.  Take a look at the Booster.com campaign.  Consider making a small donation online via PayPal or major credit or debit card, or buying a shirt to donate as a prize for one of our fundraising events, such as bi-annual Bark in the Park.  The campaign ends March 18 and we are currently one-third of our way to selling 75 shirts.
And thank you from the bottom of my critter-loving heart for whatever you can do.  😀

EDIT: THIS FUNDRAISER IS LIMITED TO US RESIDENTS–FOR READERS OUTSIDE THE US, PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETY IN SOME WAY! ❤

https://www.booster.com/butlercohumanesocietytshirt

 

 

Check out pages from our calendar! Make a date to help homeless pets.

Me-owy Christmas and a Dog-Gone Happy New Year to you all!  Several of you out there in the RA fandom supported our Butler County Humane Society and its 2014 Pet Calendar with your generous donations and your pet photo entries. I only recently purchased my own copy and tonight I downloaded some photos I took of some of the pages, which I want to share with you. Sorry I didn’t manage to do this sooner!

Nadia, your copy will be heading towards Belgium next week. If you look closely, you will see pet photos submitted by Perry, Alyssa, Sebastian and Heike along with yours truly featured on pages from the calendar. In fact, almost everyone has more than one photo of their precious canines or felines found within.

Here’s some info on our wonderful Second Chance Rescue run by my cousin by marriage, Kandys. Kandys and her helpers, foster parents and rescue volunteers do a phenomenal job helping make a difference in the lives of animals in our rural county.

Now, I am not shy about asking for help for our organization. We do a lot of good, but it takes funds, more than we are currently taking in, to do it. Donations of all sizes are most welcome. And if you’d like to order a calendar of your own or would like to send one (or two or three!) to a friend or family member as a gift for the New Year, they are just $10 each. Postage is as follows:

Domestic postage for calendars
1~ $2.12
2~ $3.12
3~ $5.80

Overseas postage for calendars
1~ $7.15
2~ $9.50

Payments can be made through the donation button here at the site. Indicate the donation is for “pet calendar.” We can also accept checks from here in the U.S. made out to “BCHS” and mailed to Butler County Humane Society, P.O. Bx 264, Greenville, AL 36037.

I’d like to point out that Richard Armitage (in the guise of Plush Thorin) even made it into this calendar . . . and I should also point out Thumper is a “she” and not a “he.” But she’s across the rainbow bridge now, so she doesn’t mind.

OT: Pet Calendars to Printers. Do you want any?

Just to update those of you have followed along on my quest to support our Butler County Humane Society: the 2014 edition of our pet calendar has gone to the printers in Montgomery and is *supposed* to be back by the 25th, if not a couple of days earlier. Herbert, our president, asked me to count heads as far as the number of calendars needing shipping out to out-of-area and international animal lovers. Then I can get back to you with costs for shipping (and I will need to collect physical addresses).

The calendars are $10 each, NOT including shipping, and are chockfull of great animal images like these: (first two images by Angie K Long and third image by Sebastian Roslund)

So if you do want a calendar (s), please let me know, along with your country of origin and number of calendars required.  Once that is sorted out, payment can be made domestically by check or money order mailed to: Butler County Humane Society, P.O. Box 264, Greenville, AL 36037 or you can submit payments through the “Comic Con” button once again here at the blog and indicate it is for “calendar purchase.”

To be perfectly honest, our operational expenses are currently exceeding our organization’s income and it’s a struggle to pay our bills with the local vet, the Montgomery spay/neuter clinic and the veterinary supply company. Thankfully they are patient. We are pursuing grants and I am trying to organize two more fundraisers before the end of this year.  But the financial forecast is distinctly gloomy.

A few years ago we were lucky if we adopted out a dozen dogs a year, saved from being put to sleep at our city/county shelter. Today, in additional to local adoptions, our Second Chance Rescue Operation averages sending 40-50 animals a MONTH to new homes through partnerships with rescue groups across the eastern US. We are a small-town operation doing big things, worthwhile work that is making us part of a documentary being filmed right now!  But it all comes at a price. We need every dollar we can raise.

Thanks again, and if you can’t afford to support us through calendar purchases, please just grant us your positive vibes and prayers.

Nothingbutkittycats on FB

Where my head is at . . . and it’s not a bad place, really.

Where my head is at . . .

My brain is busy. It’s tired and there’s always worry lurking there—I am my mother’s daughter, after all—but things are getting accomplished, too.  I am making progress. I completed two pieces of video editing for the homecoming dance DVD and I am really pleased with how it turned out. Scarlett and I are watching the “rough draft” DVD right now to vet it for Benny and I am snapping a few screencaps along the way and typing up a few notes for things that need tweaking.  Samples . . .

And here is a photo I took and edited from the recent bar mitzvah we covered.  I love it. Mama loves it. And if Mama loves it, that makes me happy.

I also stood up and said “no” to one of my volunteer duties for the humane society.

I am the recording secretary and PR chair. I write and submit articles and photos to the local newspapers, I manage its FB page which I update daily, I create numerous graphics for ads and flyers, I assist with taking photos to submit to the pet rescue groups, I am going to completely redo the website at some point—so did I really need to be the scheduling person for the spay-neuter program, too? It’s not as if we don’t have dozens of other members—although, as with many organizations, a very small number of folks do most of the “heavy lifting.”

I said “no” and the world didn’t fall apart and I felt something lifting off my shoulders. You gotta do what you gotta do.

My husband’s birthday was last Sunday. I set a goal to raise enough money to buy him a good tablet—not an iPad, because he really isn’t a Mac kind of guy, but an Android with a good track record and the bells and whistles he needs and wants.

I went the cheap route last Christmas and the darned thing has already died. And his old iPod Touch I gave him for Christmas years ago isn’t going to last much longer.  He needed something other than his desktop. And what profits we’ve made in our video production biz has gone into camera equipment and other business-related stuff—nothing personal.

So I flogged some of my jewelry on FB.

And between my darling sis’s generous donation and my bling-lovin’ FB friends, I raised $400 and bought him a Samsung Google Nexus 10. He was showing me the voice response feature last night. “Angie K Long,” he told it, and what do you know—a familiar pair of eyes looking over her sunglasses appeared. Cool! The display is beautiful—better, some say, than the iPad—and he really likes it. And that makes ME happy. 😀

A month from today, I will be making my entrance, speaking the first lines of dialogue in“Dying from a Drink.” I have been rehearsing my role at home, practicing my “drunk face” and appropriate body language in front of the mirror. Never a heavy drinker, I haven’t been inebriated in this century. So it IS a bit of a stretch for me.

O.K., it’s just a role in a short two-act play for a small-town community theatre, one our cast of six will perform in the banquet room of a local restaurant as part of our first-ever mystery dinner theatre.

Still, I want to be good. I want all of us to be good, to remember our lines and deliver them with feeling and make that small, intimate audience laugh and puzzle over just who wants to do in the tipsy wealth widow I am playing . . . so I take my Big Black Hat to rehearsals, put in my blingy earrings, and put on my best slurry voice . . . and think about Richard Armitage and what he’d say and do!

“Go forth and give your best paranoid drunken murder victim-to-be, Ange!”

“Oh, and think about these lips. Puckering up to give you a congratulatory kiss when you ace it . . .”

Hmmmmmmm . . . . oh well, I can dream.

I actually could get some kisses from this gorgeous creature . . . and my sweet hubby. 😀

Pet Photo Contest closes today . . . thank you for your support!

While today is our official deadline, I will say we will definitely take additional photos over the next few days. We want to have plenty for the calendar! I want this to be the most gorgeous one yet! 😀 Still hoping for some photos from Guyity now that she’s back home.   Digital copies can be sent to butlercountyhumanesociety@gmail.com

A friendly reminder from our favorite green-eyed smiling puppy dog.

~~~

So far, $300 has been donated by our generous blog readers which is a tremendous help in covering the expenses incurred in have the calendar assembled and printed by the company we use. We could probably have it done a little cheaper elsewhere, but I don’t think the quality would be as good.  My friend Betsy has submitted 13 photos and already bought 15 calendars to give away as gifts–that’s an animal lover putting her money where her heart is! We appreciate all animal lovers both near and far. I don’t know how much we’ve collected in total re entry fees, but this adds up to over $500 we’ve already taken in and the calendar hasn’t been put together yet! Whoo-hoo!

~~~

Because of issues with our current BCHS website (mainly the fact it’s a effing nightmare in terms of user-friendliness and yours truly will probably have to start from scratch to build a new one when she has the time) we are still taking donations and entry frees for photos submitted through the “donate” button here on my page. Checks and hard copy photos can also be sent to our address: Butler County Humane Society Pet Photo Contest, PO Box 264, Greenville, AL 36037.

And now, here’s a video from one of the animal rescue groups featuring some homeless animals from right here in Butler County on their way to forever homes in other states. I do love a happy ending, don’t you? 😀

I have one more non-RA post to throw up, and then I will get back to Mr. Armitage. Ah . . .  glad I don’t have anywhere to go today. Especially as it’s now thundering and about to rain yet again.

Related articles

• Send in those pet photos, ladies & gents. The pet calendar is going international. (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)
• OT: My Other Passion . . . (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)

What I’ve been up to: Furry Babies, Facebook, Facing Endless Rain & More

I am not dead or dreadfully ill, but I have been both busy ( writing my new column, volunteer duties for the Humane Society and working on a musical montage video for Pecan Ridge Productions. I love video editing but it is time-consuming work) and somewhat under the weather. And that’s true in more ways than one in regards to the latter. My FMS is flaring as the grey skies and gloomy, wet weather linger with us.  It is an unhappy combination.

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day . . . like in about a month. I swear, this has got to be one of the soggiest summers in south Alabama I have ever experienced. It’s late July and we have often faced drought conditions by now, only likely to be alleviated by rains in hurricane season.

Not this year. This was our road this morning BEFORE the latest torrential downpour, which came less than two hours later:

The continued rains are causing headaches for our local farmers, forcing the cancellation of a lot of outdoor events, and making us all go a bit stir crazy, not to mention bringing on fears that a bad hurricane season could mean LOTS of trees toppling in the over-saturated soil, causing widespread damage and power outages (which we experienced with Hurricanes Opal and Ivan). Almost 5,000 Pioneer Electric Coop customers, including yours truly. lost power yesterday. We were among the lucky ones who had power restored within an hour; many did not get the lights back on until today.

Things are certainly still green here, what with all that precipitation. But I long for a bit more of the sun–even though I have to be so careful with my pale eyes and skin. I miss it this year!  So I have to edit it into some of my photos . . . though I have captured a few somewhat blue skies.  A touch of it here peeping through on the right . . .

But already turning grey in a photo taken earlier on the farmhouse’s brick front porch.  Definitely needed some sunshine enhancement here!

I am certain my canines wouldn’t mind a bit more sunshine and some dry days, either. We have gotten in a few walkies in between the showers in recent days–new pics!!

Rascal with his soulful caramel brown eyes.

That elegant and charming lady, Seabee.

Our sweet, exuberant, green-eyed puppy, Buddy.

I mentioned Facebook. It’s a good tool for me to promote our video production company–the last couple of events we’ve booked have stemmed from there–as well as a place to promote our humane society and the current pet photo contest for our calendar. I have had two generous donations made via PayPal here (thank you, thank you!) and several photos emailed or linked to me. Here’s one of them . . .  lovely Sammy as photographed by his proud owner, Sebastian, aka Gisborne’s Boy. 😀

Our deadline on entries is a week from today–July 31–so there’s still time, folks!!  Visit our Facebook Page and “Like”    https://www.facebook.com/BCALHS?ref=hl

And speaking of Facebook, I do find some fun stuff there~

Come on–who doesn’t love a smiling hedgehog???  And I find some wise words, too~these courtesy of Hayley Williams of Paramore . . .

And then there are images that just make you giggle like a kid. Which is very nice, too.

Benny returns to the doctor tomorrow for his follow-up. I can tell the antibiotics are taking a toll on him. He looks so tired every night, poor thing. Supposedly we will have two rain-free days Thursday and Friday. I guess I will believe that when I experience it.

Saturday, I am planning to attend this:

Courtesy of The Greenville Advocate

http://www.greenvilleadvocate.com/2013/07/23/library-hosting-second-annual-star-wars-day/

Methinks it will be fun. 😀   I plan to video it. If you haven’t visited our Pecan Ridge Productions FB Page yet, check it out at https://www.facebook.com/PecanRidgeProductions?ref=hl  I fear I’ve neglected it a bit of late, but girlfriend can only do so much multi-tasking, it seems.

 

Some actual Mr. Armitage is planned here for later, my darlings.

Oh, and I have a Facebook Page for him, too. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Richard-Armitage-Effect/204658943015664?ref=hl Go show it some love, too, if you will. 😀

 

Send in those pet photos, ladies & gents. The pet calendar is going international.

You all know how much my pets and animal welfare in general means to me. I hope you all know how much YOU mean to me as well, my multi-national band of clever, witty, kind, generous and beautiful  sisters (and brothers!) who also admire Mr. Armitage and his many fine qualities. Richard Armitage sets a good example by supporting charitable endeavors and so do I.  And working with the BCHS’s fundraising projects as its new PR chair is one of the ways I do that!

I FINALLY have control over the Butler County Humane Society website and I will be giving it an overhaul (hasn’t been updated in ages, it appears) and while I am still waiting on the banking information, there will be a PayPal donation site on it soon.  Not worrying about entry fees or donations right now as much as PHOTOS. We need them. People around these here parts have a bad habit of procrastinating on such matters. We are now getting entries online and via snail mail, but we need many more. Our calendars are designed with photo collage pages rather than a single pet featured per page. That means more pets get featured and there are more beautiful, funny and cute photos for us all to enjoy and “oooh” and “ahhhh” over and more reasons for more folks to purchase them for themselves and as gifts for friends and family.

And of course, the more entries ultimately means more funds raised. More funds to help more homeless animals in our county, many of which are transported through animal rescue groups to new homes in the Northeast and in Florida. It’s a win-win situation!!

If you have pet photos, old or current, of pets from past or present that you want to share, please send them to me at angie.longATcenturytel.net and copy to butlercountyhumanesociety@gmail.com  This will help me keep track of your participation. Please share a caption about your animal as well–name, age, breed, something about personality.   We DO have a Memorial Page, for which I am contributing photos of two of my pets, Ginger and Thumper.

  If you wish to go ahead and pay your entry fee ($5.50 per photo entered) you may do so now by using the Comic-Con button on this site and indicating the payment is for “pet calendar photos.” Any payments made to my PayPal account will be transferred to the BCHS.  Those of you who live here in the U.S. may also wish to send your payment by a check made payable to “Butler County Humane Society” to: Butler County Humane Society, P.O. Box 264, Greenville AL 36037.

Most important of all — send those photos and send them SOON!  Just the thought of your entries is making Buddy smile.  😀

And because it’s Whoa Wednesday, here’s a little whoaaa for you courtesy of Mr. A, who thinks it’s such a great idea he’s overcome with the need to remove his clothes and get into a clinch with someone. Ladies, line forms to the left . . .

Richard and I, wondering what’s next?

Production on The Hobbit trilogy, in terms of filming, is steadily winding down; in recent days, many of the actors have tweeted and posted messages announcing they have wrapped on the project. Peter Jackson posted these photos and message today.

Tonight Martin Freeman finished his last shot as Bilbo Baggins. The end of an incredible two and a half years. I cannot imagine anyone else in this role – a character that Martin has nurtured and crafted with love and great skill.
We have… said goodbye to our elves, humans, wizards and now the hobbit. We now enter our final 2 weeks of pick-ups, and it’s wall to wall dwarves. These pick-ups have been gruelling and intense, but I’m so happy with what we’ve been shooting. These next two movies are going to be pretty great!

Benedict “Smaug” Cumberbatch checking out Martin’s Bilbo feet.

I look ahead to the day when the dwarves wrap and Richard, perhaps, makes a little speech on their behalf, and I feel myself getting all choked up. What an amazing journey it has been for these folks, cast and crew alike, and I can only imagine what an emotional moment that will be.

Richard in Thorin gear, posing with his favorite makeup artist, the talented Tami Lane. I think those two have established a firm friendship.

There’s got to be euphoric feelings; that sense of accomplishment, great pride in what you’ve created together, many wonderful memories of experiences shared. Mixed with those must be a certain sadness that it’s  largely over for the actors. (Plenty of post-production work to come, I am sure, by those busy beavers at the studio . . )

Yes, there will be the publicity juggernauts before the remaining films’ premieres and prior to the release of the DVDs, gatherings at Comic-Con and various fan events; still, it won’t be the same. It never is. Life moves on. Richard Armitage moves on.

What’s next? We know from Tweets today by Todd Garner and other involved with Black Sky, the film RA shot last summer in Michigan, that the film was screened last night. No release date yet, but it’s surely looking a lot more promising now.  Don’t know about you, but it can’t happen fast enough for me.

I am in a state of flux myself; still working to get the video production company established, trying to do my best to raise the profile and raise funds for our humane society and all the good it does in our county, maintaining my presence in Armitage World and attending to my pets and husband(who still hasn’t gone to the doctor, and the fever is BACK) and occasionally to this house, which looks like it was hit by the Black Sky tornado.  I now maintain/assist with four FB pages, a business website and blog, personal blog, have Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest accounts, and am about to start rehabbing the Humane Society website.  If I kept up with all this properly, it would be a full-time job, I do believe. But (most of it) doesn’t pay too well. 😉

Now I have been invited to return on a part-time basis to my old newspaper to write a bi-monthly column and do some stringer reporting along the way as I am out and about. They want my name and face and words to be a presence there again; I don’t mind admitting I have missed it. And readers have told me I have been missed. And I will get paid.

I have also been trying to take better care of myself.

And this is true. I am done with diets. Been there, done there, lost lots of weight, gained it all back and a lot more. The extra pounds I am carrying are detrimental to my general health and wellbeing and they exacerbate my FMS, not to mention issues with blood pressure and my heart. I don’t need a quick fix or to follow some crash diet I cannot possibly maintain. I need to make sensible, permanent changes.

I’ve been following the DASH plan, which is designed to help lower blood pressure. I eat a lot less processed stuff, more fresh fruits and veggies, whole wheat breads, low-fat dairy, lean meats, watch the sugar, salt and fat consumption . . . nothing complicated. DASH isn’t a diet as such, yet I have already lost several pounds. I’ve been walking when the weather would allow it and doing some isometric exercises indoors. Overall, I feel better. I am in it for the long haul.

I don’t know exactly what is around the corner for me; good things, I hope. Better days ahead, I like to think.

I certainly don’t know what is to come for Richard Armitage. Another role in a blockbuster film, work in a smaller, more intimate indie, a return to television, to the stage, more voice-over work . . . only he knows. And he’s not telling.  But I don’t expect him to rest on his laurels for too long, that beautiful and talented workaholic.

Whatever paths he chooses on his journey, I wish him well. God bless you, RA. looking forward to seeing you in Black Sky whenever it does happen and to your return as the majestic Thorin in December.  Live your dreams and continue going from strength to strength, my dear fellow. Can’t wait to see what’s next for you!

Related articles

• Martin Freeman Finishes Last Scene as Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy (aceshowbiz.com)
• Richard Armitage-The Contender (armitageagonistes.wordpress.com)
• New Stills And Character Images From THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (comicbookmovie.com)
• Somewhere over the rainbow . . . you’ll find RA and the gang (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)

OT: My Other Passion . . .

As you might have guessed, it’s for animals, particularly animals with no homes and no one to love and cherish them. Here in LA (Lower Alabama) we have all too many homeless cats and dogs and some folks who still need educating about the pet overpopulation situation. We are not a wealthy state. There are families and individuals who really want pets, who want to enjoy the friendship and companionship these wonderful animals can bring, but who also need assistance in getting medical needs taken care of in order to be able to afford that kitty or canine.

Our beautiful Seabee, the dog we took in with Jack *sniff* early this year.

Our Butler County Humane Society, which has members from not only our county, but several adjoining counties, works hard to make a positive difference in the lives of homeless (and endangered/abused) animals in our area. Some of the stories we’ve encountered are heartbreaking; thankfully, many do ultimately have a happy ending. 

Hundreds of animals each year are saved from being put down at the Greenville Animal Shelter, the city-operated pound, because of the no-kill “Second Chance” shelter we established just outside the city. My wonderful cousin-in-love Kandys, a long-time animal lover and owner of a pet nanny business, runs Second Chance with volunteers and faithful part-time employees, including a gentle giant named Tommy. 

Many of the animals that have gone to Second Chance have either been adopted locally or been transported to other states where they have found fur-ever homes.  No healthy animal, or animal with a condition that can be cured with treatment,  that comes through our doors is ever put down.  At times there are overflows and these animals are fostered at satellite locations around the county.  We also work with and provide transport to and from a clinic an hour away, Alabama Animal Alliance, which provides low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to citizens of our county (including yours truly) and we have performed a large number of Trap-Neuter-Returns with feral cats.

Buddy with Uncle Rascal. Can’t tell you how much these two add joy and laughter to our lives.

All this takes money.  We hold various fundraisers throughout the year, we have collection jars in area businesses, we seek out and obtain grants and send out donation letters to supporters. We took in more than $60,000 last year. That’s great. The problem is, we spent more than $80,000.

Our biggest expenses are medication and food and medical costs. We pay a portion of the costs for locally done no-cost and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and for examinations of animals in cases of suspected abuse/neglect (thank you, Dr. Josh, for working with us). We are always looking for ways to cut expenses, but it must be without sacrificing care we provide for the animals.

One of our annual fundraisers is a pet calendar, for which we hold an pet photo contest through the month of July.

My question for you, my readers is this: would you be interested in submitting photo (s) of your own pets for our calendar? You do not have to be a resident of Butler County to participate–just an animal lover. And it doesn’t have to be a dog or cat. Horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds, lizards–all are welcome.

We just need good high-resolution images, black and white or color, with digital files preferred, along with a little information about pet and owner. There will also be a memorial page to honor those loved and lost.  I think we’ve usually charged $5 per calendar entry with the memorial page cost a little higher.

I am looking to set up the ability to order the calendars (which sell for $10 each) online and have them shipped to customers. Obviously there would be a postal fee. All of this has to be worked out and Susanna (our calendar chair) and I still have to discuss all the particulars and get some approval on things.

The calendars are beautifully done by an area printer and I think you would be pleased with the results. At least one of you out there has one of the 2013 calendars, I do believe. 😀

I am trying to get a feel for how many folks would be interested in supporting this so please let me know what you think. And thank you for all your recent support during the loss of our dearest Thumper Cat. It means so very much to both of us.

The serenity of the late, great Ginger, our “Mona Lisa” cat.

And I promise to get back with an Armitage-related post VERY soon. Thanks for listening!