Over. Done. Finished. Finito.

The Adopt 07 Stroll & Contest is done, and entries are no longer being accepted. The judges will announce the winners soon. Stay tuned!!!

The Second Annual Adopt Stroll and Contest!

You can start submitting your photos to the stroll and for you pups that weren't adopted or belonging to pawrents not active in rescue, you can start pawmailing Gibbon and I your written entries, details of both are listed below:

Who can enter?
All Dogsters are welcome!! Dogs who have been adopted or have parents that are active in rescue can enter just a photo. Those of you don't fit either category are more than welcome to enter, but we ask that you, in addition to entering a photo in the stroll, take the time to post somewhere on your page: whether it be a picture caption, a diary entry, or one of your bio fields why you support adoption. It can be a sentence or a book, a poem or an essay: as long as it's on your page! But you MUST p-mail myself or Gibbon so that we know that it is on your page for the contest so we can let our judges know.

What's the Deadline?
Pictures must be entered before Monday, May 14 th @ 6pm Dogster time. Yes! It's a month long! I mean c'mon, it's a big deal! *bol*

Can I enter more than one picture?
Only one picture per pup. If you have multiple dogs, each dog can have one individual photo entered. Entering more than one photo can cause you to be disqualified!

What type of picture?
Photos must capture 'the good life'. Whether it's lounging on a comfy couch, playing fetch with your human or wrestling with your siblings: it has to show something great that dogs in their furever homes enjoy. It can be anything.

Pictures can be animated, edited or anything else to celebrate adoption and rescue but no special consideration is given for photoshopping!

What's the tag for the stroll?
adopt07stroll - tag the photo of your choice with that and make sure you check out the other entries!

Who are the judges?
There are about a dozen of us, with a tie-breaker or two in there. Gibbon and I are the only ones who have been revealed, but if you can track us all down, you'll get a surprise prize!

What are the prizes?
Check out the following list!


We've got remarkable prize list this year, thanks to assistance from HQ and also many of your favorite Dogsters. We hope you get as excited about them as we are!!

1st place:
11x14 pastel portrait of the winner from Mickey of Critter Alley
Personalized Dogster T-shirt
A Zazzle Mug
Dogster plus
$75 donation to rescue of winner's choice
30 blankets to the rescue of the winner's choice
A Gift Basket
1 bandana
100 pack of Zealies
3 stars
5 rosettes
5000 bones

2nd place:
A Zazzle Mug
$50 donation the rescue of the winner's choice
20 blankets to the rescue of the winner's choice
Dogster plus
1 bandana
40 pack of Zealies
2 stars
4 rosettes
2500 bones

3rd place:
$25 donation to rescue of the winner's choice
10 blankets to the rescue of the winner's choice
Dogster plus
1 bandana
20 pack of Zealies
1 star
3 rosettes
1000 bones

5 honorable mentions
$15 donations to the rescues of their choice
2 rosettes each
1 bandana each
500 bones

Get to tagging [and writing if you need to!!]

There's a Dogster 'round hurr...

that's doing more than any other pup I know of to help out animals in shelters and rescues. Her name's Dixie. She's the bees knees. She spends all her free time sewing warm, cozy blankets for shelters dogs and cats, which is quite a feat I tell ya, being as she doesn't have opposable thumbs and all!! Not only that, but she's been gracious enough to donate more time that she doesn't have to helping out with the Adopt '07 stroll. Listen here, find me a better canine and I'll eat broccoli! I just don't think one exists.

She runs the organization Blankets for Babies, you know; the one with the big logo I have linked on my page. In addition to that, she has organized two contests for us Dogsters to participate in, with great prizes and of course, for great causes.

The 1st is Project Shelter Stockup 2007. Now, I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous that I didn't come up with this idea on my own it's so gatdurned great, but I'm glad I can help advertise it here in my lil' ol' diary. Now, all that has to be done is this:
Donate a few bucks or some toys or necessities to a shelter or rescue.
Or donate a few hours to one instead.
Notify Dixie of you're efforts and that's that. She'll enter a few times into the contest. The more you donate [and that's not monetary, we're talking time and/or pennies if need be], the more entries you receive. And the end of it all, the winners get some grrrrrreat prizes! Now this here's a list of all the prizes being offered up:

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Sassy: $50 to shelter of your choice
Cherokee: $50 to shelter of your choice
Dixie, Ally, and Chelsea,: $10 5 blankets to shelter of your choice 1 rosette for each winner and 1 for the 2nd and 3rd places.
Sparky: 1 rosette for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
Prince Brutus:
1st place- a rosette, $10 to their shelter, and a blanket to the Blankets for Babies in their name.
2nd-a rosette and $5 to their shelter
3rd- a rosette
Clover offered $50 to shelter of your choice
Shiloh offered $50 to shelter of your choice
Sammy offered 1 star for the winner of the most entries.
1 rosettes for each of the other winners (total of 2)
1 rosette for 2nd place
1 rosette for 3rd place
Daisy Mae CGC offered:
3 rosettes for 1st place
2 rosettes for 2nd place
1 rosette for 3rd place
Roxie Doxie has offered a matching leash and collar to one of our winners.
Shaela has offered a winner $25 to the shelter of their choice....
Princess has offered a winner $25 to the shelter of their
Scottie has offered:
1 star for the winner of the most entries
2 rosettes for 2nd place
1 rosette for 3rd place
Tessa Lee has offered:
$10 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place drawing (total $30)
Copper and Trixie Beaglesworth offered $50 to a first place winner
Kathryn from http://www.bealsstudios.com has offered a gift certificate to a winner for a portrait done!

And we have a MYSTERY PRIZE offered generously by a pup who will remain nameless. You'll LOVE it!
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Aint that just somethin'? Just tickles my fancy to know that there's such a great pup among us! But that's not the end of it! Now Dixie has started a raffle, with all proceeds going to benefit Blankets for Babies. Here's what's being raffled off:

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A wonderful painting done by Kathryn Beals
A custom portrait by Ms. Texas Belle's Dad, Pete
1 large basket full of doggie toys and treats
3 smaller baskets full of doggie toys and treats
1 basket full of "mommy" treats
20 blankets donated to the winner's shelter of choice
40 pack of zealies
1 Dogster Plus Membership
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Now tickets are only $5 and those portraits for @ least $200 a pop! If that, and the fact that's going to help pups in need isn't good enough for ya, I don't know what ever could be! I suggest that all you pups looking for a good deed to do take part in these events. Think about all the critters that'll be mighty grateful for a good long while!

*listening to Lynyrd Skynard and hearing the good ol' country name of Dixie brought back my Carolina accent, so you'll have to mind them southern colloquialisms. Believe me, I won't be posting nar' 'nother entry like this!*

Horrible, horrendous, horrific news...

We found out today that our friend Paris has gone to Rainbow Bridge. We adore his mother, and she's one of our closet friends here on Dogster and we know how hard this has been on her, to have to deal with his illness, and his fragility.

She was a ray of light for us dealing with what now seems like our trivial problem of adoption, the most supportive and giving person we knew and we wish so much that we could help her out through these times.

But because we're unable to, we'll just use the forums, this diary, and our pawmail to let her know that she's in our thoughts.

Paris, you were gifted with a long life, with people that adored you.
Hopefully, you romp around with Clover, Isabelle, Ares and all the others there on the other side furever and ever.

*Chica Chica Booom BOOM!*

There was a rescue organization's fundraiser a few days ago @ the local dog park. One of the adoptable dogs said he didn't know what all the fuss was about, this home thing. He wanted to know what it was and what was so great? He was happy with his pals in the shelter, getting meals and having a warm place to sleep. That was heavenly compared to what he'd known in the past.

I put my ears back and laughed. Home? What's so great about home?

"I'm talkin' suede covered couches, mushy smushy carpeting, a pig for a sister, my own assigned seat in the car; the GOOD life. Human food. Bottled water. A yard so big that you can poop and play and never worry about mixing the two. And humans that actually, really, truly love you. That's what all the fuss is about."

I've been where he was. And I can confidently say that I'll never go back. And I'll never have to worry about being transferred to another home. I'm home. And it's awesome.

My momworks with children and I get to go to work with her sometimes. Those kids love me and some of them remind me of the biped babies I left behind with Other Mom. Bella, especially. My dad works outside and I like to go with him too, unless it's cold and windy. Yes, I have a sweater, but that's not the point.

Why does the wind always blow when it's freezing outside? Sheesh.

There is some white, crunchy, cold, mushy stuff outside on the ground though that I'm not really into. It makes my paws feel like pawsicles. Other Mom says that they're having it in NC too. Sucks. My moms are strange. Whenever they get the chance talk to one another, at least one of them leaks from her eyes. I used to think that was a bad thing, and only happened when they were sad, but this happens when they are smiling. And that's indicative of happiness right? I don't get it. *sigh* Humans.

This Mother's Day, Other Mom wants to come to visit me here. She was going to come for Christmas but it wasn't possible. It's a really long drive with the kids. She thinks I might not remember her but psk! of course I will. I know I'd better get some more of her home made cookies and a new Cuz or two though: for old times sake.

Maybe I'll post up some new photos in the next few days.
For the stroll.

Oh yes. It's time again, for the stroll.
Gibbon and I are already @ work on the details.

New Photos!

So I'm having a ball @ my new home.
Even though my old family lived @ the beach, I never went because they don't allow dogs on the sand there [prissy dummies!] but @ my new home, I'm able to go to a special Dog Beach here! I can see why my mom despises North Carolina! *BOL*

See my sister? Her name is Sophia. She's great. She was afraid of me @ first, but now we get along great. I'm happy where I am. My mom misses me and I miss her, but everyone is adjusting okay. Mom says Bella asks about me every single day still. I sniff around for her too.

Haiku's back!
good food family and friends
a pig to call sis
this is what forever is

Short Questions & Shorter Answers.

From Maria-

I've gotten a few PMails asking if Lucia's new family knows the whole story of what was surrounding her adoption. The answer is yes.
I've been upfront about the entire situation from the get.
They know more about everything than most of the people involved.
They agreed with me and stood by their decision to adopt Lucia.

Thanks to Dogster.com for providing the link between me and them.
Without this site, Lucia might not have the great home she does.
Who knew that anyone would actually pay attention to the little thing that says 'Adoptable' in the right profile?

For Your Information.

You will not get me back.
I have found an awesome home.
And still get to keep in touch with my mommy.
I love it here.
You won't find out where I am.
I'll never teeeeelllll!

Someone else will love me...

but not as much as my current mommy does.

In the short while I've been up for adoption on the Hot Water available dogs page, there have been over 2 dozen applications for me! Barbie's excited. Mom isn't. Well, kind of. But she's not happy about any of this...

She's decided to at least keep my Dogster page after I'm gone. She wants to hold on to part of me. And she doesn't want to lose touch with the great doggies and owners she's met so far.

Yet Another Home...

So I'm moving again.
The bipeds are getting divorced and so mom's stay with her grandparents is permanent. I have been staying outside because her family doesn't like dogs in the house, and mom can't let me live that way.
Mom was a stay at home mother so she can't afford to take care of me like she should. And dad will barely give her anything for the human babies, so she knows it's pointless to ask.

I don't really understand everything, but I know she's only doing what's best for me. And she and Barbie will personally decide on my new home so I know I'll probably keep in contact with them. I'll really miss Dogster and all my new pals, but maybe I'll be back!