Pet Adoption: Happy Tails!

"Toby is a wonderful five year old male Chesapeake Bay retriever. He is very affectionate and loves to be alongside his humans. His hobbies are walking and playing fetch.  He is house trained, occasionally vocal when there is something to bark about and an absolutely awesome foot warmer. He is going to make someone an amazing friend." That was the description in the NASAP Pets for Adoption listing.  When I read that and saw Toby's smiling face, I knew he'd be the PAWfect family member for us.

Toby came to us with his own set of baggage, and even though we became frustrated by his behaviours (breaking toilet tank lids, rearranging furniture, and destroying our closets repeatedly), he brought us so much joy. Toby helped thousands of people, he became a therapy dog and worked in a hospital (through Chimo AAT) and later went on tour - that's right!  He was the star of several books, On Toby's Terms (which is being made into a major motion picture) and Toby The Pet Therapy Dog.

I am excited to announce the new book in my Toby series for children, Toby The Pet Therapy Dog Says Be a Budddy Not a Bully

Toby also inspired me to start my own radio show for pets....PAWsitive Radio- All Things Pets. 

Every Saturday I interview the most amazing guests in the animal world...movie producers, authors, pet trainers, adoptive pet parents, to name a few.... http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond

You can listen to past shows on the archives here (link above) or listen live every Saturday at 3 pm MST.

Toby's story is an adoption story with many happy tails.... and one that the legacy just keeps on going. 

We would LOVE to hear your pet adoption story, please share with us!!

Rescues are PAWsome!

Toby was a rescue dog, from NASAP http://www.nasap.ca/, and was five years old when we adopted him. We have enjoyed being able to support rescues through hosting book and speaking events and joint fundraisers, drawing awareness to their cause, and sharing Toby’s phenomenal story. He is a great example of a rescue success!  Here is one of the first photos of Toby when he joined our family. He was a dog who lived life big…. And of course On Toby’s Terms.

This weekend I had a fun interview with Eileen Proctor, The Top Dog, about rescue dogs, then spoke with Lillian Brummet on her radio show about how you can help your local rescue origination this spring.  Here’s what we came up with:

•        Stop by and have a visit, meet the staff and volunteers and the animals
•        Volunteer as a pet walker at a rescue, this can be a family affair
•        When you are spring cleaning, check with your local rescue organization to see if they are in need of old towels, blankets and cleaning supplies
•        Next time you are grocery shopping, pick up a few extra cans of food
•        Collect your change and every month drop it by the shelter
•        Help spread the word about animals in need of adoption
•        Donate your garage sale proceeds to a rescue organization

You can enjoy the interview I did with Eileen Proctor, the top dog here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond/2012/04/07/guest-eileen-proctor

Here is the interview about rescue dogs and how we can support rescues in our communities:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions/2012/04/08/dog-rescue-therapy-dogs