Puppy Love, Part 2

So last time I wrote, I was mourning the loss of my Percy. I still miss him everyday but I am excited and touched by some of the good that has come after his passing. I donated to Florida Little Dog Rescue and after reading my post, my sister Katie followed suit and did the same. One of the things I love about the group is that they will post pictures of all the dogs they want to save and then credit the person who donates to allow them to save each dog. So Katie and I both got to see who our money saved.

And then there's my mom. Not only did she donate money, she took it upon herself to write to FLDR tell them about me, Percy, and this blog. Here's what she wrote:

Dear Little Dog Rescue,

I have made a donation to your group this evening, following the example
of my two daughters, Kristen and Katie in honor of one very special

little guy.  Three years ago Kristen adopted a miniature poodle from LDR

(originally named Snowflake) and renamed Percival, aka "Percy".  Sadly,
Percy passed away last week, but not before making a big impression in many
people's lives.  Kristen writes a blog about various events in her life.  I
thought you might enjoy reading the blog post she wrote about Percy.  I
have attached it to this email.  Thank you for all the hard work you do and
the difference you make in the lives of so many dogs.  Your site pulls at
my heartstrings just as Percy did.
Sincerely,
Jane

Then, amazingly, they wrote back. 

Oh Jane....

I am so saddened to hear about Percy. My heart is breaking and tears are flowing.  He was so blessed to be so loved. What an amazing gift your daughter gave him, for him to truly know "the good life" before he crossed the Bridge.  In that last picture you can really see how safe and loved he felt.  There are not enough words to express our thanks for Kristen giving him that comfort and love.  You raised your daughter well, she is one special woman:)

I will be thrilled to save one in his honor.  I met a very special little girl tonight at Osceola Animal Control, a very scared 7-9 month old silver yorkie mix.  Her owners just dumped her off when they decided a puppy was too much work, and honestly, given her condition, I don't think they ever did any "work" with her.  The kennel manager asked me to come up tonight and see her, to see if we could please rescue her Monday morning when her hold time is "up". (this is how I spend my Friday night - dropping my kids off at dance and going to see emergency dogs at animal control after hours!).  I told them of course we would save her.  

That is who your donation will save, and if it's ok with you, I would like to name her Kristen.  I have attached her picture here.

Laurie

I'm not ashamed to admit it...by the end of that second letter, the tears were streaming down my face. Saving animals is hugely important to me and honoring Percy through donations means so much as well. But to have a little one actually named after me touched me more than I could have expected. I am so happy she's getting a fresh start and I can't wait to follow her journey through grooming, foster care, and eventually a furever home. And of course I promise to share that journey here. But until then, please meet my namesake, little Kristen :)

Love,
KayCee

Puppy Love

My Percival passed away last week. He'd been having many health problems over the last 6 months and eventually his little heart just couldn't take it anymore. But I like to think that his heart just wasn't big enough for how much love he tried to hold in it. I got him as an older adult from a rescue group 3 years ago because I wanted to give my love and home to an animal who needed me, but who didn't necessarily require the time and attention a new puppy would. Little did I know, Percy would reignite my passion for those who have lived unfortunate lives and cannot speak for themselves. He'd been picked up as a stray and it was obvious by his weight and the length and state of his hair that he'd been fending for himself for quite some time. It took a little bit of time for him to grow accustomed to knowing he could trust me, but once he did, he showed me why dogs really are (wo)man's best friend. Never have I felt such amazing, pure, unlimited love from such a little creature. And I will forever be thankful for all the cuddles, nub-wags, and happy squeaks awaiting me every time I would come in the door. He was the highlight of my day over the last three years and the apartment feels so much emptier without his little 6-pound body. Percy, your mama loved you so much and misses you every day. But I find peace knowing you're at rest now, without pain, and that Prancer was across that rainbow bridge waiting for you.

Percy cuddling up on his warm mountain of freshly washed sheets

Bravely showing off his bandage after one of his procedures last fall

My little man and I getting ready to celebrate New Years Eve 2013

The two of us cuddling the day before he died. In his last few days, resting on my chest seemed to be the only thing that helped him breathe easier. Today, I am so thankful for this last picture with him.

So, number 16 on my 30 Before 30 list is to "Donate $50 a month to 12 different causes I feel strongly about for one year." In honor of Percy, January's donation went to Florida Little Dog Rescue which is the rescue group I adopted Percy from. I cannot say enough good things about this group. All of their animals are dogs that they've saved from Death Row at animals shelters. Every single one of these dogs would be put to sleep if FLDR hadn't of stepped in. And not only do they save the healthy dogs, but they are not afraid to step up and save the special needs dogs, the animals with problems that need medical or surgical attention before being placed for adoption. These are the animals that are usually put down without a second thought because they're not "worth" the time, attention, or money it would take to rehabilitate them. These are the animals that need us the most! Here are some of these animals stories:

Here is Houston, who was dubbed a "throw away" dog because his owners literally just discarded him. A lab mix, he came in incredibly underweight at only 26 pounds with gashes on his ear, a fever, skin rashes, and actively throwing up. FLDR gave him the vet care and medicine he needs and he's now being fostered until they find his forever home.

Above is a before and after of Rojo, who came in severely underweight and suffering from pneumonia. Look at what a turn-around he made in less than a month of just a little TLC!

Above is a picture of Liam, who picked up by Animal Control, unable to walk due to a shattered pelvis and two broken back legs. Through FLDR and their donations, Liam had extensive surgical repairs and is on his way to a full recovery. And here he is, all happy and healthy after a bath:

These are sweet, loving, beautiful dogs that don't deserve what life has dealt them. FLDR unselfishly donates time and money to the rehabilitation of these animals. Each dog will be individually fostered in a home so when that dog is adopted out, the foster parent can accurately account for the dog's likes, dislikes, fears, behavior, etc. And when you adopt a dog, whether its from FLDR or another rescue organization, you are paying $75-300 for an animal that comes fully vetted with all their shots, spayed or neutered, and the knowledge that the money you're paying is directly going towards the care and rescue of another animal in need. You can't get that confidence or feeling from a breeder or pet store! 

I urge you all to go to the FLDR website and take a look at all the work they do. Their special needs cases are chronicled so you can read updates and all their adoptable and recently adopted dogs are showcased with pictures and stories. Additionally, there is a place where you can make donations. Forty-five dollars can save a dog from Death Row. Seventy-five dollars will not only save a dog, but will guarantee the care of a special needs dog who just needs a little extra help to get their life back. 

In honor of Percy, once known to FLDR volunteers as Snowflake, I am donating $75 to kick off my year of donations. I know Percy would be proud to know the people who once saved him from a life on the streets are being provided the means to continue to save the lives of more deserving souls. 

Love,

KayCee

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Two of my biggest passions in life are animal welfare and protecting the environment. I'm not sure where these passions originated from, except they are just values that were instilled in me when I was young, but I can honestly say there probably aren't any two subjects that I feel more strongly about. In light of some disagreements I've had recently with a friend about the importance of being environmentally friendly, I've decided to write a series of blogs about a few topics that are close to my heart. While most of what I say may not be new to you or touch you the way it does me, if it makes even one person think, I feel like it was worth my time. 

The place to start with this is the easiest one in your life to adjust: recycling! I could probably go through any random person's trash can and pull out 30-75% of what was tossed that could be recycled instead. Pretty much ANYTHING made out of glass, plastic, aluminum, or paper can be reused. Jars, glass bottles, hard plastic containers, paper cereal boxes, plastic grocery bags...ALL of this can be recycled. I know the idea of this seems like a lot of extra work for you, but the truth of it is, recycling is as easy as placing that beer bottle you just finished into a different 'trash' container than the one you normally use. (Look to the bottom of this post to find out how to get recycling services to YOUR house or neighborhood) 

Everything I was able to recycle from making just one dinner and packing the next day's lunch

A few facts about recycling: 

1. The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste. 

2. An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now! There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can be recycled. 

3. The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years. 

4. Approximately 1 BILLION trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.
5. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year! (More on this later) 

6. Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!  

One of the things I find most offensive about our lack of compliance with recycling is something I've realized very few people are aware of. Did you know there is a 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'?? It is the largest landfill in the world and it is on our oceans! This gigantic vortex is estimated to be more than TWICE the size of TEXAS and weighs more than 3.5 MILLION TONS. It is visable during air travel on the way to Hawaii. Roughly 80% of the debris comes from land, washing out to sea from lakes and rivers and the remaining 20% falls from cargo ships and other oceangoing ships. In Japan, Alaska, and a few of the smaller Hawaiian islands, trash has begun piling up to over 10 feet high on some of the beaches as a result of the trash circle. More than a million marine mammals and birds die every year from ingesting debris from this circle that they confuse to be food (see picture below). Plastic accounts for over 90% of the trash floating in the world's oceans and is the most harmful of all debris because it does not biodegrade. There is no natural process that breaks down plastic, so it pollutes forever.

For more on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, please go to THIS blog post that I found which does an amazing job of illustrating the horror of it and what you can do to help.

Some pictures of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch:

Source

Source

Source

So what can you do? Like I mentioned, the easiest thing you can do to start is recycle! Two of my favorite ways to reduce my impact are using reusable canvas bags whenever I go to Publix or Target (they're about $1 a piece, you can fit more in them than plastic bags, they make fewer trips in from the car, and they're good for years!) and to buy a BPA-free reusable water bottle for work/gym/pool and continue to refill it with water instead of using water bottles. Not only is it good for the environment, think of how much money you'll save by filling the same bottle with filtered or Brita water as opposed to buying case after case of bottled water!

 For those of you living in my neck of the woods, here is a link to the Hillsborough County Recycling Webpage with everything you need to know about setting up recycling services at your house and in your neighborhood. It also offers links to where you can find similar information if you live outside of Hillsborough County. I urge you to go, take a look, and make use of the information there!

For the sources of information in this post or to research further, please visit the following websites:

http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/43575.aspx

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm

Love,
KayCee