SPIRITUAL TALENT

Several days ago, we told you about the pet portrait fundraiser we are doing for ALAiredale Rescue, and showed you a jpg of the portrait that Artist Linda S. Young did of My Jack so that you could see a sample of her work. It was beautiful. Mom put the jpg on her iphone so every time she picks up her phone, she can see Jack.

It’s hard to judge the quality of a painting by looking at a jpg, but Mom and daughter Amanda thought they could see an aura shining softly around Jack. They couldn’t bear having to wait to see the real artwork. But they did have to wait. Ms. Linda was sending it to us by Fedex. Because we live on a skinny road way deep in the woods where trucks can’t turn around, Mom told Ms. Linda to have Jack’s portrait delivered to Amanda’s house in town. It was supposed to arrive within 2 business days.

Day Two came and we missed the Fedex delivery lady. WAILS OF WOE and GGROWLY GNASHING OF TEETH ensued throughout the Hooligan nation.

We missed Fedex on Day Three too! What the heck?? Is that delivery lady waiting around the corner to see when Amanda has to run pick up the kids from skrewell???

The painting finally arrived, perfectly packaged and intact and Mom went speeding from her office to get it. She was panting with excitement. When she got home with it, we all crowded around for the great unveiling.

Okay, here’s where we let Mom describe it to you. She says to tell you that  Ms. Linda has a spiritual talent and that the painting expresses Jack’s noble, loving spirit perfectly. Mom says to tell you, she cried when she saw it.

For a $5.00 donation, you can register to win a portrait by Ms. Linda of your own pet. The proceeds all go to benefit ALAiredale Rescue (Alabama Airedale Rescue Coalition, www.alairedalerescue.blogspot.com has the details). The fundraiser goes through June 1^st, 2012. The winner will be announced on the website. You can purchase as many chances as you like. What are you waiting for?

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

"My Jack"

portrait by Linda S. Young

My Jack (aka Gentleman Jack aka Jack Daniels, aka The Jackman) came to live at Hooligan House in 2002. He was approximately 2 years old and was in rescue. We fostered him and the rest is history. A canine DNA test done a couple of years ago confirmed that Jack is an Airedale Terrier – German Shepherd mix. He has the amazing learning quickness and temperament of ADTs and the loyalty and steadfastness of German Shepherds. Jack is a most wonderful doG in all ways. He's a retired therapy dog and service dog. And he’s the one who turned us on to Airedale Terriers and got us into Airedale Terrier Rescue.

So, it’s only fitting that Jack is the poster doG for AlAiredale Rescue. As we go forward with our rescue efforts, we increasingly see the need for fundraising efforts. We have expenses like fuel for transportation, shelter fees when we pull a dog from a “pound” situation, health exams, heartworm treatment, vaccinations, and all that other behind-the-scenes stuff that is necessary to get a rescue doG ready for adoption. Most of it, we provide from our own funds. Occasionally, we receive donations from lovely people who deeply want to be part of a happy story like GG’s.

A friend of ours has graciously offered to donate her talent and time and energy to help us with a fundraiser. She is an Artist with a huge heart. And the winner of our fundraiser will receive a portrait of their own pet, done from a photograph they will provide. And for a donation of $5.00, your name will entered into a drawing to receive a portrait of your own pet, done from a photograph you will provide (and of course, you may enter more than once!). This painting is valued at $500.00.
All you have to do is send a check or money order for $5.00 to Muriel Donald,

P.O. Box 1121, Grand Bay, AL 36541

Or, you can go to www.alairedalerescue.blogspot.com and make a Paypal donation in the amount of $5.00. Be sure to send us an email with your name and email address when you use Paypal.

To see examples of Linda Young’s art, visit: www.lindasyoung.com

Linda S. Young is an award winning artist originally from Brookline, Massachusetts who now lives in Cape Cod and South Carolina. She works in Pastel, Oil Pastel and Oil. Her ability to capture the nuance of a scene has helped her win many awards including two Best in Shows. Linda is a signature member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. She is a member of 21 in Truro, several Art Associations, and has been in numerous group, juried and solo shows and is in many national and international private collections. In 2012 she will be included in the book "100 Southern Artists".
   As an active member of the artistic community, she believes in helping others attain their artistic goals. Since 2002 she has been Artist Mentor through the School to Careers Partnership Art Internship program.

The winner of the ALAiredale Rescue fundraiser will be announced June 1^st, 2012 on this website.

IT'S WHAT TERRIERS DO

Duke stayed out all night last night. 

This morning he met us at the back door

 with a look of sheer joy on his face. 

And some twigs in his beard.

Naturally, we had to find out where 

he had been digging for hours and hours and hours. Maggie found it first.

She decided to enter the hole. No worries, 

it's big enough to hold TWO hooligans.

See how hard Duke worked all night?

Can you imagine how much fun we're

going to have getting him clean?

IF we can ever get him to leave the hole, that is.

He's back in the thickets now, 

digging and digging and digging.

Can you see him?

We just hope the gopher tortoise

who lives in the hole in the thickets manages

to get away during the daylight hours today.

Otherwise, tonight is going to be real exciting.

AAARRROOOOOOO! 

UPDATE ON CAMMIE

We know you all are looking forward to an update on Cammie (GG) and her adoption. It is with great joy that we report to you that Cammie is happy in her new home near Dallas, Texas. Her new sister, Lillie, is happy. Her new mom and day and human kids are happy, too. They have been sending us updates and photos all weekend.


Saturday morning began with Cammie inspecting her appearance to be sure she was ready to meet her new family. She'd had an oatmeal scented bath the night before and her fur coat was glossy and soft.

She hopped into the car happily and we started our trip to Baton Rouge. Cammie is a great traveler and she enjoys looking out the window to see the traffic passing by .

We were meeting the adoptive family at the Petsmart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was a long ride but Cammie cuddled close to me in the back seat all the way over. She snuggled as close as she could get, and chewed on my garnet ring. And for much of the time, she held my hand.

We got to Baton Rouge about thirty minutes before her new mom and dad did, so we walked around Petsmart and gave Cammie time to sniff dog food and dog treats and look at other dogs. New Mom sent me a text message when they were close to the store, and we said our goodbyes before they arrived. I kissed Cammie several times and she licked me reassuringly. She gave Steve a farewell hug.



We all decided to handle things as quickly as possible. They signed the placement contract that says if things don't work out for some reason or if their circumstances should ever change, that Cammie will be returned to us. I handed the leash over to Stef and Wes. Steve took off in one direction. Wes & Stef gave me a beautiful pink potted camellia bush to plant for Cammie. I left FAST as they began walking Cammie in the opposite direction.

Yes, of course I cried. We stopped at Bass Pro Shop for lunch and I think I ordered everything on the menu. Including a beer. We got back in the car and I cried some more. Then Stef sent me a text message to tell me that she was sitting in the back seat with Cammie and that Cammie was snuggled up tight against her, chewing on one of Stef's rings. That made me laugh, which felt good. We had bought some fudge at Bass Pro Shop so I decided it was time to try that. We did, and it was delicious.

Cammie arrived at her new home around 7 pm Saturday night. She met her sister Lillie and the human kids. She and Lillie have shared treats and toys, and have eaten their meals in the same room without any problem. Yesterday morning they ran ran ran through the house together and played bitey-face like fiends. I think it's going to work out beautifully. What do you think?

Cammie claiming Lillie's bed

Plastic Bowl Nasal Dermatitis

My nose is black again.

AHAH! You didn't even know it was ever not black, did you? Because Mom has been so involved with GG she didn't stop long enough to TELL you. She didn't even stop long enough to take a pickshure of my nose to show you what it looked like. So I am gonna have to put up a pickshure of a different hooligan that had the same problem. But that's okay, cause you would have been sad to see MY nose not being black.

That's what my nose was starting to look like and it just happened OVERNIGHT. One day my nose was shiny black and the next day Mom looked at it and said, "WHAT IS THAT PINK STREAK ON YOUR NOSE???"

I said, "I don't know." And she looked at it close and she said, "You are allergic to your plastic water bowl." And Dad said he never heard of such a thing. And Mom said, "That's because you aren't an expert." I guess she told him! She teases him like that alot.

Anyway, she got up and went to the store and bought three ginormous stainless steel water bowls and now we are all drinking our water out of those. She threw away the plastic ones. (We have always eaten our food from metal dishes.) It took about two weeks but now my nose is completely black again.

I thought you all would like to know about this. In case you've been using plastic bowls for your Hooligans to drink out of.

AAARRROOOO!!!!

A HAPPY EVER AFTER "AIRE-Y TAIL"

Once upon a time there was a Aire-grrrl named Lillie who lived in Texas with her hooman mom and dad and their two kids. They had a very happy family. But Lillie wanted a four-legged sister too, and preferably, a Hooligan. So Lillie's hoomans talked to Airedale Terrier Rescue and pretty soon they found out there was a beeyouteefull Hooligan grrl waaay over there in Alabama. Her name was GG and she was looking for a family of her own.

So, the people at Texas Airedale Rescue went to meet Lillie's family and they told GG's foster family that they thought GG would be very happy in Texas. Tee shirts were picked out for both grrls to wear so that they could permeate the cotton with their own personal perfumes. The shirts will be exchanged through the mail and Alabama Airedale Rescue Coalition has tentatively scheduled GG's trip to Texas for Saturday, March 10th. GG will be lying on Lillie's tee shirt during her ride west, and Lillie will be lying on GG's tee shirt while she waits for her new sister.

And none of this, NONE OF THIS, could have been done without your help.We thank you all who read GG's story, who forwarded her information around the internet, who held happy thoughts, and who were instrumental in helping find just the right forever family for GG. We also want to thank some Airey-Godmothers who donated the much needed funds for GG to have her health exam and her spay surgery.

This isn't the end of GG's story, by a long shot. It's a happy, smiley, laughing, tail wagging, dancey chapter in the very middle. We'll keep you all updated as her story progresses. THANK YOU, AGAIN!

Lillie, with a bag of GG's favorite treats AND

a new red collar for GG.

"Hurry up, Sis!"

ANOTHER CLUE

GG models her own tee shirt for the pupperotzi cam.

Hmm.... what can this mean?

WHO IS THIS HOOLIGAN?

and why is she wearing a tee-shirt????

TO BE CONTINUED....

And A Good Time Was Had By All!

PetsMart was busy! Our friends Guinness and Maizie were there, and so was a little white dog named Stella that looks alot like our up-North pal Popie. GG met some puppies and some dogs that are smaller than she is and she did great! She met a few new hoomans, too, and made friends with them. We walked past the birds, the reptiles and the hamster habitats and GG didn't turn a hair at any of them. But when we went past the cats, it was a different story. WHEW! GG gave the cats some unwanted attenshun that Mom had to put a stop to because the cats didunt appreciate it.


Then we went to the grooming salon and GG got her nails done and I got lots of treats from the trainers 'cause they hadn't seen me in awhile. Mom said GG was a perfect lady in the salon. Here are some pickshures of our trip. Mom says we will go back again next weekend so that GG can meet more people and dogs. 


It was alotta fun today and we both slept alla way home but we can't wait to do it AGAIN!

pedicure in progress. See how good GG was?

meeting a Popie puppy

all tuckered out!

ANAVENTURE!

TODAY we are going on ANAVENTURE! 


Me and Mom and Dad and GG are going to the pet supply store. It will be GG's first time there. She is going to get her toenails dremeled down. That ought to be fun! I can't wait to see what GG thinks about the dremel!

 AAARRROOOOOOOOO!!!!

GG contemplates the definition of "dremel"

WE LOVE YOU, DAD!

Jack and GG playing with Dad last night.

Hooligan kisses are the best!

An Explanation

Y'all know that I, Mom of Hooligans, am a retired (mostly) dog trainer. Along with our Jack, I taught basic obedience and Therapy and Service Dogs. And y'all know that sometimes people write me with training questions. Also, my husband I do Airedale Rescue Volunteering as well as rescue of other four legged Hooligans besides Airedales. That means that we are always looking for ways to pay for extra vet bills for fosters, gas money for transport, and other things that lucky dogs need when they are rescued.

Recently, we've had alot of communications from people who want to know what kind of dog toys to buy, what books to read and things like that. We generally buy most of our books and supplies through online shopping. And we thought, this might be a nice way to raise a little money for our Rescue work. SO... deep breath here because I don't want to offend anyone....

At the bottom of our howlinghooligan blog there is now something called an "astore" (amazon.com store) that will show you book titles and dog accessories and supplies that we use for our own dogs. If you decide to buy one of these items and click through our link to do it, we will make a few dollars here and there that will add up to pay for things that our rescue work needs in order to continue.

Everything in The Happy Hooligan astore has been tested and approved either by the humans at Hooligan House or by the dogs. We hope you don't mind this commercial message.

HAPPINESS IS....

ADOPTION APPLICATIONS!

On Feb 16^th, the Howling Hooligan sent out an announcement that GG was ready for adoption. Less than 12 hours later, we received this response:

My husband and I have been loving the stories on GG’s fast progress and patiently waiting for her to be ready for adoption. We would love to adopt Miss GG. We live in Texas and have a female Airedale and two children ages 12 and 10. Please let me know what steps we need to take in order to get this ball rollin’ so Miss GG can come live in her forever home with us.

Since then, Hooligan House has been in a frenzy of excitement. Phone calls and emails and digital photos have flown back and forth across the miles. Airedale Rescue in Texas is helping coordinate the adoption application. The veterinarian references and personal references have checked out as GREAT.

The home visit is scheduled for this weekend. And, while all this was going on, we got 3 more applications to adopt GG! One family is in Florida and one is in Louisiana and one is in Alabama. Those apps are also being followed up and home visits are being scheduled for them. We don't know for sure who will be approved to adopt GG yet, and although there can be only one forever home for her, the other applicants will have good things to look forward to. They will go on a waiting list for Airedales that come to us in the future, or they may be matched up with an Airedale who is waiting for love in a neighboring state.

The very most exciting thing is that all these applications are from people we have never met but who are following our blog. There’s no way for us to know how many followers we actually have, but we appreciate all and every one of you so much! You have forwarded the blog stories to your friends and families and you have made a joyful difference in GG’s life. THANK YOU!

Sissy is at THE VET today!

Sissy has an ouchie: an abcessed tooth. She is at the vet's office today and Dad will pick her up in a little while. The office closes at noon on Wednesdays and Dad doesn't get off work until 4:30 today, but it's okay.You know you live in a small town when the vet calls your Dad and says, "Sissy will be outside in a locked kennel. I will leave the key to the kennel and a bottle of antibiotics under the mop bucket at the back door."

TURKEY CRANBERRY MEATBALLS

Mom has been pouring over internet recipe sites for something she can serve to her hooman family as well as to us when everybuddy comes over for Thanksgiving dinner. One of her e-List groups sent out this recipe yesterday. Mom's gonna try it out on us Hooligans before Thanksgiving Day! AAAARRRROOOO!!!

Turkey - Cranberry Meatballs Recipe

In a food processor, combine:

1 pound of ground turkey, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 egg,

1 slice of whole-wheat bread, 1/4 cup of dried cranberries.

Form into balls and bake on a greased baking sheet at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through.

Let the turkey meatballs cool to room temp for your Hooligans. Mmmmmm! The Aire in your kitchen will be divine! 

NOTE: Before giving cranberries to your own Hooligans, please read the following information from the ASPC website.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/cranberries.aspx

I would like to give cranberries to my dogs to prevent urinary tract infections. Is this safe?

- Ginger P.

To our knowledge, there is no data at this time indicating that cranberries (Vaccinium spp.) are toxic to dogs, Ginger, beyond the possibility of gastrointestinal upset that can be seen with ingestion of any plant material. But considering that 10 years ago the toxic potential of another fruit—grapes—was not known, we are not comfortable making any type of absolute determination on the safety of cranberries when given to pets. Instead, we recommend that you contact your veterinarian for advice on the best way to maintain your dogs' urinary tract health.

"WHERE DO I SEND IT?"

Our friend G.M. read our blog about being a voice for the animals and then placed a phone call about animal cruelty laws in her community. G.M. was put on hold when she made her phone call, and no one ever came to the phone. Can you imagine that? Surely that was a one-time incident.

But just in case it happens to you and, like G.M., you want to know where to send the letter -- we are posting the following hyperlinks that will help you find telephone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses of your elected officials. Local law enforcement agencies will be listed in your telephone book.

1.  Enter your zip code here and it will take you to the list of your elected legislators.

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

2.  Need to find your senator? Try this link.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

3.  AND HERE'S A BONUS FOR YOU!
Live in the United States? Visit this site to find out about the animal cruelty laws in your state.
http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/animalcruelty/


Thank you to everyone who read the blog about being a voice for the animals, who made that phone call or sent that letter or email. Thank you for talking to your friends, family and co-workers.

 PAWS ALL OVER THE WORLD

ARE APPLAUDING YOU.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME & MAGGIE

It was cold at our house this morning. How cold was it? Well, Dad got up around 3:30 to let Maggie out for some personal time. He rested in his recliner for a little while and covered up under the purple afghan that Mom leaves on the sofa for decoration. When Maggie came back inside, Dad tossed the afghan back on the sofa, and he went to bed. Leaving the afghan alone and unprotected.

Mom and Dad overslept this morning and when they did get up, they almost tripped over a pudgy purple lump on the den floor. It was snoring. Only the tip of a big black nose was sticky-outy. Mom told Dad to grab his camera phone from beside the recliner to take a pickshure of Maggie and he said no. Mom said, "She looks like a purple sausage! Get the camera!" Dad said no again because he wasn’t quite awake yet. I’m sure that was the reason. Otherwise he would never say no to Mom. ( ! )

But all that talking woke the Princess up and she scurried out of the purple afghan and went running to the kitchen for a real sausage breakfast (Maggie likes to eat first thing in the morning). And so a great photo op was lost forever.

I asked Mom how she knew Maggie was the purple clump and not me.

Mom said, “Because my dear, the floor has never been comfortable enough for you to sleep on all night no matter how many afghans you find unattended.” She knows me so well. I would have been on the sofa with the afghan. With my head on a cushion.

AAARRROOOOOOOO!

LET'S GET A DIALOGUE GOING

Many of you have written and are continuing to write us about our blog updates that spotlight the animal cruelty spree in Mobile County, Alabama. THANK YOU for caring! You've asked that we continue updates here, so we will do that (by the way, we haven't yet received an email response from that reporter at WKRG we told you about yesterday).

Our good friend at the Panda Pig Guinea Pig Sanctuary commented on our blog updates (http://howlinghooligan.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-news-is-not-good-news.html  and  http://howlinghooligan.blogspot.com/2011/10/zero-tolerance-for-animal-abuse.html ). Yum-Yum said...

“Is anybody really listening or do we all have to fly there on our broomsticks and have one of those "1%" demonstrations on behalf of the WAY MORE THAN 1% of ANIMALS ROUTINELY ABUSED EVERY MINUTE YET NEVER REPORTED, INVESTIGATED, OR ACCOUNTED FOR? Recently a hoarder dumped 150 guinea pigs off at a shelter in Southern California and the stories go on and on... How do we make a difference? Let's get a dialogue going.”

Mom of Hooligans has made a commitment to call the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department twice a week to inquire on the status of the ongoing investigation into dog killing/mutilations near Citronelle, Alabama. Could everyone reading this blog commit to emailing or phoning their local government rep and going on record as wanting stronger laws against animal cruelty? And to take it a step farther, could you do that every six months?  

TO  BE  CONTINUED...

Application to Adopt An Airedale Terrier

Ready to adopt an Airedale Terrier? Please print out the following application, fill it out entirely, scan & email it to Alabama Airedale Rescue. Our email address is at the bottom of the application. 

Application for Adoption

Name:_________________________________________   Telephone:______________                                                                          

Address:________________________________________________________________

City:______________________________  State:___________  Zip:________________

Occupation:_______________________________  Work Telephone:______________

Would you prefer Male or Female:__________________     Age:_________________

Have you ever owned an Airedale?_________________________________________

What other breeds have you owned? ________________________________________

Tell us about your current pets.       

Breed                          Age     Sex      Neutered

______________        ____    ____    ________

______________        ____    ____    ________

______________        ____    ____    ________

______________        ____    ____    ________

How and when did you lose your last dog?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever given up a dog?  ( ) Yes   ( ) No

If Yes, please explain______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Under what circumstances would you consider giving up your dog?

_______________________________________________________________________

When will you be ready for your new dog?___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Where will your dog stay when no one is at home?____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

For how many hours per day?_____________________________________________

Is your back yard fenced?________________________________________________

Type of fence & approx height:___________________________________________

Is the fence detached from the home so that you have to walk into it or does the back door open directly into it? _______________________________________________

Approx size of the fenced area: __________________________________________

                                          

What type of residence do you have? (house, apt, condo, manufactured home, etc)

Do you own or rent your home? __________________________________________

Living Arrangements:

Where will your dog stay when no one is home during the day?_________________

_______________________________________________________________________

                                                         

For how many hours & how often?_________________________________________

Will your dog have the run of the house? ___________________________________

If your dog is confined, where will he/she stay?______________________________

Will he use a crate? Where will it be located? _______________________________

Where will your dog sleep? _____________________________________________

Will he be allowed on the furniture? ______________________________________

When you travel, where will your dog stay? ________________________________

References:

Your Veterinarian:_______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________    State: ________  Zip: ______________

Groomer Reference: _______________________  Telephone: ___________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________    State: ________  Zip: ______________

Personal Reference: _______________________________ Telephone: ____________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________    State: ________ Zip: _______________

Are you prepared to make a donation to our rescue organization?  Each ADT takes almost $300 to rescue.  We never turn down an application because of the lack of funds, but we sure could use the help!

Signature: ___________________________________  Date: _____________________

Please Return the completed application to:  ALAIREDALES@yahoo.com

                                         

Thank you for your application.  One of our volunteers will contact you to set up a convenient time for a pre-acceptance visit to your home.  Please understand that follow-up phone calls and house visits are routinely made to insure that all is well with the adopted Airedale.  We reserve the right to refuse placement.