Tell Me A Story: Animal Rescue

Showing posts with label Animal Rescue. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2014

CUSTOM CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT CARD

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas!

I think about you all the time,
and LOVE you more each day.

Merry Christmas!

GOD Bless Your Dreams!

Create Custom
Christmas Ornament Cards!

I photographed this big, beautiful, red ornament
at Menards in Osage Beach, Missouri.

This photograph would make a great cover
on a Christmas card - all by itself -
but look what else you can do!

I used Microsoft Publisher, and added
family photos and text to create custom graphics.

Hint: ADD TEXT
You can do the normal
"Draw Text Box"
OR
Go to "Insert" tab and click on "Word Art"
to add multi-colored text.
To change the text, RIGHT CLICK
on the text and find the "ABC" to edit text
in the top little box. Move mouse over
other options in the little box to
change shape of text and other options as well.

Granddaughters Megan Jewell and Emily Grace. Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

Hint: When resizing photos
HOLD DOWN on the "Shift" key
the entire time as you "pull" the photo
to a larger or smaller size
- so the image does not distort.

Daughter Kristin & Son-in-law Dave, Grandchildren: Emily, Joshua & Caleb. Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

Hint: Picture Tools/FORMAT tab
(TO change the way text wraps around objects)
Click on "none" if you want no text wrap.

SAVE FILE

I saved each graphic two ways:
1) as a Publisher file,
and
2) did an additional "save as" in a jpg file.

Grandson Joshua (High School Civil Air Patrol). Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

Grandson Caleb. Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

Granddaughter Emily Grace. Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

I imported and cropped each jpg file
into a new Microsoft Publisher page,
to create this Christmas family collage.

Again - I saved this design two ways:
as a Publisher file, and did another
"save as" in jpg format.

These are great designs
to post to facebook, and email to friends.

Have copies made for cards:
Email jpg files to
your local Office Depot,
or copy them at home
to create beautiful Christmas cards.

Optional:
Print and cut out ornaments,
to make actual ornaments
for your Christmas tree.

Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

They are just SO much fun to create!

Imagine the possibilities!

Our Puppy Pack!

Pearl Ming Zhu Norwood (Rescued Peek-A-Poo)
Daisy Duke Norwood (Rescued Chinese Crested/Chihuahua)
Tilly Hickman Norwood (Shi-Poo)
Izzy Belle Norwood (Rescued Schnoodle)

We adopted three of our puppies
through our friends at LL Dog Rescue.

https://www.facebook.com/LLDogRescue


Our newest puppy: Tilly! Copyright 2014 Marcia Norwood

M e r r y C h r i s t m a s !

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often,
and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

Saturday, January 4, 2014

PUPPY LOVE: DAISY

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

PUPPY LOVE

The first puppy we adopted through *LL Dog Rescue, was our sweet Daisy Duke. She came to us Christmas Eve 2009, just seven days after our beloved Silky Terrier, Rascal, died.

Daisy did not replace Rascal in our hearts, she just gave us a reason to love again.

Daisy was our 2.5 pound Christmas Miracle.

Her mamma was a Chihuahua.

Her daddy must have been a powder-puff Chinese Crested.

Daisy looked like a Webkins toy puppy....especially when her hair was full of static, after a bath.

Webkins Puppy

Everyone in our family fell in love with Daisy, and her sweet disposition.

She's smart.

She just can't hold her "lick-er."

Daisy gives and receives love so easily.

Daisy obeys, and comes when she is called.

She is smart, and easy to train.

She anticipates....really...anticipates what you want her to do. If you reach to pick her up - she jumps up to you. If you lean in to love her...she leans in to you. If you hug her - she hugs you.

She catches balls in mid-air.

She dances the Tango. You'd have to see it to understand.

She understands what we say. She gets it.

She can spell M-A-I-L and O-U-T-S-I-D-E. We're sure of it, because when we say or spell either word - she goes to the door and begins to sing.

Oh, yeah. She sings.

She's a lady.

She doesn't mind it when we dress her up, and pose her for photographs.

Daisy was almost one year old, when we discovered SPOTS on her skin. It was quite a surprise to discover what my girls called polka-dots under that pretty white fur!

Fun in the Tub: Daisy and Granddaughter Emily Grace. Copyright Marcia Norwood

"What is she?" we all wondered.

Her mamma was a Chihuahua, which daughter Faith pronounced: "Chi-ha-ha."

Her daddy must have been a powder-puff Chinese Crested.

Daisy was indeed our baby, and we were devastated when she got sick with some of the same symptoms that Rascal had before he died.

Frequent attempts to urinate
Pain when urinating
Difficulty urinating or straining to urinate
Urinating in unacceptable places
Urine leakage
Urine odor
Lack of urine control (incontinence)
Blood in the urine
Lethargy/fatigue
Decreased appetite
Small quantities of urine when urination is successful

An expensive trip (x-rays, catherization, sedation, intubation, medication) to the same animal emergency and referral hospital that finally diagnosed Rascal the night before he died, verified that Daisy (like Rascal) had a urethral obstruction.

Actually Daisy had multiple obstructions: large and small stones...13 stones in fact. She had tremors, and must have been in terrible pain. Surgery was required to remove the stones.

Thank God, Daisy survived, but within days, our other new puppy, Izzy Belle, started exhibiting the same symptoms as Daisy and Rascal. Izzy Belle also had a urethral obstruction that required surgery.

Three different breeds: Silky Terrier, Chihuahua/Chinese Crested and now our Schnoodle.

Same horrendous diagnosis: urethral obstructions: bladder stones.

One dog food: Science Diet.

Results: One death (Rascal) and two puppies (Izzy Belle and Daisy) with painful symptoms requiring surgeries and medications, and even more expensive prescription dog food.

Cost: Physical and emotional pain to pets and humans, plus financial burden: approximately $1,000 per dog: upwards of $3,000.

I began to ask questions, and not just from our new vet, who sold Science Diet. I like our new vet. We don't agree on everything, but they listen to what I have to say. After surgery, the vet prescribed medications for Izzy Belle and Daisy and also suggested Science Diet Prescription dog food to prevent future urethral obstructions.

I wanted to know WHY three of our dogs had the same problem, and what I could do to prevent it from happening again. I asked for advice from the folks who work in pet stores, and from animal rescue people.

All agreed DIET was a major contributing factor to our pets' decline in health.

All agreed that GRAIN-FREE dog food was the way to go.

Check out the dog food packages and COMPARE ingredients.

Beware. Not all measurements are listed correctly on the package either. Some companies disguise the content in other terms.

We purchased the even-more expensive Science Diet prescription dog food (from the vet) - which was, by the way, grain-free. The research we found; however, with the help of my daughter, Faith, shows NOTHING special about Science Diet prescription - except that it is grain-free.

Duh.

I now refuse to buy anything that is Science Diet.

We use Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Food. It's GRAIN-FREE. Proceeds from all sales go to rescue dogs.

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/

What do you feed your pets?

Symptoms Of Bladder Stones In Dogs

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.vetinfo.com/symptoms-bladder-stones-dogs.html

Our Three Puppies: Pearl Ming Zhu (Peek-A-Poo), Daisy (Chihuahua/Chinese Crested) and Izzy Belle (Schnoodle)

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

*LL DOG RESCUE

Email: lldogrescue@yahoo.com
For Dogs Available for Adoption and

Adoption Applications:

Web site at: www.lldogrescue.org

Mail to: LL Dog Rescue

PO Box 8545

Shawnee Mission, KS 66208

Thursday, January 2, 2014

RASCAL

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Rascal

Meaning:
1) a mischievous person or animal who causes trouble or does things that annoy people.

Look at that face.

That face stands out in a crowd.

Meet Rascal.

One of the best dogs ever.

Rascal Comes Home

By Sarah Norwood

We looked online for puppies to rescue and adopt at www.petfinder.com. We found a little Yorkie/Silky Terrier at a shelter in St. Louis. We drove to St. Louis, in 2000, to meet the puppy we picked out. The drive to St. Louis was boring, and I got car sick.

We drove to a farm just outside St. Louis, where a lady and her husband kept puppies they rescued.

The first time I saw the puppy we were to adopt, I knew his name would be Rascal. I was six years old, and he was two years old in people years. He wagged his tail and jumped all around. He even jumped up on me and scratched my leg with his nails!

          Rascal sat on my lap for four hours on the drive back home. He was happy to come home with us.

      Rascal loved to play ball and run with me. Sometimes he slept on the floor, but most of the time, he slept with me under the covers in my bed, with his head on my pillow. He snored, and he kicked me in his sleep.

I have a scrapbook with all the pictures I took of my puppy, Rascal. We kept the name the rescue people gave him, Rhett Butler, and also gave him the name Rascal. It fit perfectly. He was an ornery gentleman.

By: Sarah Norwood

Sometimes we took Rascal to the groomer, and sometimes Sarah pampered him at home.
Sarah ZK and Rascal. Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Remembering Our Beloved Rascal

December 17, 2009

Marcia Norwood

Today we said "Goodbye" to our beloved Silky Terrier, Rascal.

It's so hard, but I believe it's an important part to be honest and open about the death of pets and family members with children.

Sarah, Faith and Megan, each spent time with Rascal this morning saying "Goodbye," and telling him how much they loved him.

I believe God will reunite us with our beloved pets in Heaven.

We have been telling "Rascal Stories" all day.

Rascal prayed. When we prayed as a family....Rascal put his two front paws together...as if he was praying. too.

Rascal surprised me the first time he sat in the passenger seat of the van and used his paw to put the window down and up with the electric power control. Actually Rascal put the window down and stuck his face out...and I would put the window up....and then he would put the window down again...and again...and again.

Rascal loved to travel with us. He learned to pack a suitcase. Whenever we put suitcases out to pack - Rascal gathered his toys and put them in the suitcases. Sometimes I would go on a trip by myself and find one of Rascal's toys in my suitcase.

Rascal often lived up to his name. He was an escape artist who ran into neighbor's yards and into their houses through their pet doors. He was also infamous for jumping straight up and flipping plates filled with food off the center island and onto the floor....helping himself to steak, pizza, breadsticks...or whatever anyone left too close to the edge of the counter.

Rascal once jumped up and knocked off a bottle of medicine and carried the bottle of meds to me in his mouth. He had chosen his own medicine bottle that had been sitting between three other meds for our family. We bragged that Rascal could read...even the small print on the medicine labels.

Rascal ate money.

Yes, he did.

He didn't like coins, and he didn't like 1's - or even 5's. He preferred $100 dollar bills and $20 dollar bills. He ate $100 from my sister, Gloria's purse, and he ate $300 that our son, Ben, left on the table downstairs. I caught Rascal - in the act - trying to grab a $20 that was near the top of my open purse.

Ed swore that Rascal learned to eat money from watching television. Ed claims Rascal watched a show with him one evening where a dog ate money. Immediately after the segment - Rascal went over to my purse and took out a $20. That's Ed's story, and he's sticking to it.

We are all going to miss our beloved Rascal Rhett Butler Norwood, an ornery gentleman, who was a member of our family for ten years...since we rescued him from a shelter in St. Louis.

2014 Update

Rascal's death on December 17, 2009, came as a shock to all of us. Rascal was in perfect health until a trip to the vet two weeks before he died.  Our regular vet was busy, so Rascal saw another vet in the office, and was given multiple vaccine cocktails.

We have since switched vets, and later, we switched from the deadly- Science Diet pet food, to the amazing Rachel Ray's Grain-Free pet food. We believe both the wrong vet and wrong pet food contributed to Rascal's early death.

I once thought Science Diet was the best pet food around. I even modeled in an advertisement for them. My photo is on a brochure somewhere as a scientist studying renal failure in dogs and cats. Most vets (who sell the stuff in their offices) still promote Science Diet.

I know better. I've paid the price. Two of our new rescued puppies had to have surgery to remove stones from their bladder as a direct result of Science Diet pet food.

We now have three beautiful, healthy rescued puppies that we adopted through LL Dog Rescue. Their amazing staff and volunteers care for, and find homes for precious animals.

LL DOG RESCUE

Email: lldogrescue@yahoo.com
For Dogs Available for Adoption and

Adoption Applications

visit our Web site at: www.lldogrescue.org

Send Mail to: LL Dog Rescue

PO Box 8545

Shawnee Mission, KS 66208

The first puppy we found through LL Dog Rescue, was our sweet Daisy Duke. She saved us that Christmas 2009.

Daisy did not replace Rascal in our hearts, she just gave us a reason to love again.

Daisy was our 2.5 pound Christmas Miracle.

Her mamma was a Chihuahua.

Her daddy must have been a Chinese Crested.

Her brothers and sisters had different dads.

The litter was called The Bright Pups.

She came to us on Christmas Eve 2009.

Watch for more stories about Daisy in another blog!

Daisy
could be
a show dog, or
song leader.

Really.

Guess what she can do?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Tell Me A Story

TELL ME A STORY

Thursday, December 4, 2014

CUSTOM CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT CARD

Saturday, January 4, 2014

PUPPY LOVE: DAISY

*LL DOG RESCUE

Thursday, January 2, 2014

RASCAL

Remembering Our Beloved Rascal

December 17, 2009

Marcia Norwood

LL DOG RESCUE

AMERICA'S STORYTELLER, Marcia Norwood