And the winner is ...

Hi, everybody ... it's me, Phoebe!  

Ok, sorry, I'm here now!  You know how it is when you get an irresistible urge to roll in the grass for no good reason at all?  Well, that is how I felt ... but I've gotten it out of my system now and I'm ready to announce the winner of Scout's Chip In raffle! 

And that winner is none other than everyone's good pal ... Pip!  Pip and his peeps are tireless advocates for animals in need through their work with The Red Door shelter, so I thought it was fitting that he was the winner here!  

But I also want to thank everyone who donated, no matter how large or small the donation, as well as everyone who spread the word about Scout on their blogs or Facebook pages.  And although Scout is, I'm sure, thankful for all the help and support she has received so far, she is still in need of more assistance, and her Chip In is still going on HERE.  So if you maybe couldn't donate before, but you can now, it's not too late.  And if you feel like spreading the word on your blogs, Facebook pages, etc. we would be most grateful.  

Meanwhile, many congratulations, and thanks, to Pip.  Pip, you are the winner of the gift basket and the Organic Dog Biscuit Kit from The Organic Pet Boutique.  

Please have your peeps email Mom or Tucker at tuckertellsall@gmail.com and give them your address and they'll make sure your prizes are sent to you right away.  And thanks for your help, buddy!  

The Miracle of a Second Chance

As 2011 comes to a close and we look forward to the New Year, I am, as I do every year about this time, beginning to think about my New Year's resolutions.  I have a list started, and some of the items on the list are pretty trivial in the scheme of things (clean out every closet in the house, learn how to make a really good risotto), and others that are not so trivial.  I won't share all of them with you here, but one very important one I actually already blogged about a few days before Christmas.  

And then on Christmas Day, I happened to have been made aware of a little dog named Scout who needed my help. 

Photo credit:  Heidi's Legacy

 I made a donation of course, and in the past, that would probably have been the end of it.  As I said in my previous post about Scout, asking for help is not something I'm very good at.  I'm more a go it alone type of girl.  But this help isn't for me, it's for Scout.  And the truth is, Scout needs more help than I am able to give right now.  Which is why I'm turning to all of you.  For a little over a year now I've been a part of this wonderful world of animal bloggers, and I've seen the miracles that can happen when a bunch of like-minded people get together.  I've been honored and humbled to play a small part in  some of the miracles that others of you have wrought, and now I'm asking for your help in making a miracle happen for Scout.  If you can make a donation (which I know some of you have already done, and I thank you!), that would be wonderful.  But if you can't, that's ok, too.  All I ask is that you put the word out on your own blogs and FB pages, so that maybe this message will reach someone who IS able to donate, since as of right now, Scout is still $491 away from her goal.

Scout has a wonderful foster family who is lovingly caring for her as she recuperates from a broken leg, a very painful injury which actually got her mistakenly labeled as a fear biter and unadoptable in the shelter she was in, and was nearly responsible for her never making it out of that shelter alive.  When I think about this it just tortures me.  Imagine being in such tremendous pain from an injury as serious as a broken leg, and having people not only not realize that you were injured and in pain, but also assign you a false label such as "fear biter" as a result.  

From all accounts, Scout is a bright, happy dog who, now that she is on the road to recovery, is enjoying socializing with other dogs and loves her foster mom.  With any luck, she will make a full recovery from this injury and go on to be adopted by a wonderful family who will love and cherish her, the way I do Tucker, and of course, Phoebe, who is herself an alumni of the very same rescue, Heidi's Legacy, that is currently fostering Scout.

Recently, I came across one of the photos of Phoebe that her foster mom sent me when we were working to finalize the adoption:

Adorable, right?  And check out that CURL!

And here are some of my favorite more recent photos of Phoebe.  (Notice the curl is still very much in evidence!)  

Phoebe back then was adorable no question.  But Phoebe now?  What a difference!  And the difference is that now, unlike when that first photo was taken when she was in her foster home, there is the confidence born of feeling loved and secure shining out of her eyes.  Not that Phoebe's foster mom didn't love her.  She loved her very much,  I know. But now, almost four years later, those frightening days in a large, overcrowded shelter are, I hope, all but forgotten.  Phoebe is very dearly loved, and she knows it.  She wakes up loved every day, and at night the last thing she hears before she falls asleep is my voice wishing her sweet dreams.  Through the efforts of Heidi's Legacy, she went from being "just another dog" in a high kill shelter facing a very uncertain future to a dog whose future, I hope, holds nothing but love and happiness, or at least it will if I have anything to say about it.  Every dog deserves a happy ending like the one that Phoebe, thanks to Heidi's Legacy, is living.  Unfortunately not all of them will get it.  But little Scout is already well on her way, and she just needs a little help from us to make her dreams of that rosy future a reality.

Meanwhile, Phoebe has dug all of her toy and treat money out from under the sofa cushions or wherever it is she's been hiding it, and has purchased some raffle items that she would like to give away to a random winner.  All you have to do to be entered to win is make a donation of at least $20 to Scout's ChipIn, leave a comment at the Chip In page mentioning Phoebe's name, and leave a comment here.  We'll announce the randomly drawn winner  here on January 2nd.

Item #1:  Interactive Toy Basket for Dogs, a $40 value

This basket contains two interactive toys (a Tug-A-Jug and a Twist N' Treat) and a bag of Zuke's Naturals treats, suitable for training or for use in either of the toys). 

Photo credit:  www.organicpetboutique.com

Item #2: Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook Kit (with 3 cookie cutters), a $20 value 

 

Photo credit:  www.organicpetboutique.com

The winner will receive both of these items, not just one.  

NOTE:  Because Scout is a dog and not a cat, I chose dog appropriate raffle items.  However, if you want to help Scout but live with a cat or cats, know that it is not my intention to leave you out.  If you should make a donation and should win the drawing, you will receive a $60 gift certificate to Organic Pet Boutique and they do have many very nice cat-appropriate items for you to choose from, in which case, since Phoebe has already chosen and paid for these items, we will draw a second winner and award two prizes.  Sound fair?

P.S.  If you have ALREADY donated, all you need to do is comment and let me know so I can enter you into the drawing.

Hoping for a Christmas Miracle ...

Everyone ... I'd like you to meet Scout. 

 Scout is currently in foster care with Heidi's Legacy, which happens to be the very same rescue organization to which I personally owe a huge debt of gratitude, as they are the ones who pulled Phoebe (then called Gissel) out of a Miami shelter, got her into a foster home, and then allowed me to adopt her.

Adorable little Scout was, herself, left at a kill shelter and, having been labeled a "possible fear biter," it was doubtful that she would make it out.  However, Scout's foster family saw her, and offered to help her through her issues, whatever they might be, and so she was able to be saved.  Once out of the shelter, though, it was determined that one of Scout's little legs was broken, and was obviously causing her intense pain, which was undoubtedly what was causing the alleged "fear biting" problems. Scout has now had surgery, and it is reported that despite the pain she is still in as she recovers, she is a very sweet little dog who hopefully will make some lucky person or family very happy once she is recovered enough to be adopted.  Scout's orthopedic surgery and follow up care will total close to $1,000 at the present estimate and that, my friends, is where you come in. 

A link to Scout's Chip In page is HERE and as of this writing, Scout is still about $700 short of her goal of $1,000.  I know how great the blogging community is about getting the word out about animals in need, and it would mean a lot to me if you would all spread the word about Scout.  I know it's the holidays, I know that money is tight for many of you, and frankly, it's rather difficult for me to put this out there.  Asking for help is, actually, not something I'm particularly good at.  But although I'll probably never meet Scout in person, her plight nonetheless feels very personal to me because she is being fostered by the very same organization whose selfless work on behalf of animals in need made it possible for Phoebe to be rescued, and for me to adopt her, Phoebe who is lying next to me on the couch as I write this, lying, actually, on top of Tucker who is lying next to me, as she does almost every night, and every now and then when I reach down to cup my hand over the small, warm dome of her head, her little tail switches back and forth in response, even in her sleep. 

This peaceful, happy scene of love and contentment would not have been possible without Heidi's Legacy.  Because of this wonderful organization, Phoebe's life, and mine, and Tucker's, were forever changed for the better.  And now, because of them, little Scout has gotten the surgery she needed, and is receiving the loving care of her foster family as she recovers.  And maybe some day very soon, she'll be adopted by a family who will love her every bit as much as I love Phoebe.  This is important work that this organization is doing.  Lifechanging.  Indeed lifesaving, for the many animals they have stood in the gap for since the organization was founded in 2002.  Please consider giving whatever you can spare to further their cause and help little Scout, and please pass the word along on your own blogs and Facebook pages.  Let's get Scout her Christmas miracle.

Season's blessings,  

Tucker, Olivia, Tanner, Phoebe, Finn, and The MP