Weekend Adventures: Walk N Wag

THE WEEKEND YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!! Okay, maybe I was just excited for it

For a the last 3 months I have been looking forward to this last weekend and the reason I have been bugging you and everyone else to donate money. (That means I won't be bothering you about donating anymore!) The Humane Society's Walk N Wag 5K event in San Jose raised a total of $256,064.19, and our "A Crazy Dog & A Crazy Lady" Team raised $300!

It was a fun time with friends and dogs, and I was surprised to see so many people (and dogs) there! It was a very very hot day in San Jose, but the Humane Society made sure to have plenty of doggie pools and water for everyone (obviously Luna was taking advantage of the pools). They had plenty of booths filled with dog supplies, sweaters and other things you would think crazy dog people would want.

Since it was hotter then hell, Casey, Shreya and I (plus the dogs) decided to start our 5k walk before the rest of the "official" group of walkers before it got too hot. And boy were we glad that we left early! There were no crowds, we could take our time, and we didn't have to walk behind/next to/in front of any annoying dog owners. PLUS we finished early! After 3.1 miles of walking in the heat with our furbabies, we decided to go get some In-N-Out to celebrate surviving our 5k.

Photo Credit: Mr Honi

Sunday, Drew and I had the day off together (I can't remember the last time that's happened). Since Drew got a new job, he is now going to have "normal" hours and schedule (aka 8-5pm Monday through Friday). I am beyond excited to finally do things together and go on more adventures with Luna. That being said, we decided to be pretty lazy on Sunday, since Drew's first day at his new job was Monday. I do like to relax, so I wasn't complaining.

On a different note, I keep forgetting to write about a couple weekends ago when Casey and I volunteered at Berkeley Human Society for their Bark (and Meow) Around the Block event. It was basically a huge event where other animal organizations (like Maddie's Fund) brought their adoptable animals to try to find them forever homes. The event also had a bunch of booths that had dog supplies, accessories, and more. 

Luna came along to volunteer, too! But people kept asking if she was up for adoption, and I'm over here like "Psh! Ya right! I'm her Mom, she has her forever home...Sorry I'm not sorry."(except I didn't say it like that, in reality I just said: Sorry, she's actually my dog, she's just here to volunteer with me.) She got her photo taken, because she was so adorable laying on the ground being all submissive and trying to play with every dog that went by. A photographer caught her in the act.

Photo Credit: Berkeley Humane's Facebook

If Luna wasn't laying on the asfault like the above photo, she was trying to be a lap dog and sit with Aunt CC (Casey).

After the event, we went home and Luna climbed under the bed (which she only does when she is ready to go to bed for the night). It was only 3pm when we got home. She was pooped! That's when you know you did good: a tired puppy is a happy puppy (and happy Mama).

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Volunteering Feels Good!

This weekend was very exhausting, but in a good way. The kind of way where you get back from a really tough work out at the gym, and every muscle in your body is throbbing but you know it was worth it. Well, I don't go to gyms, so I wasn't exhausted in a successful workout kind of way. But it was still a very rewarding outcome.

Friday afternoon, I got an email from the Volunteer Coordinator from Maddie's Fund saying that she needed one extra volunteer to help out at "Dog Dynasty's Charity Dog Wash" on Saturday. I emailed her back saying I would be able to help out, and if I could bring Luna along (since she needed a bath anyways). She said of course!

So saturday, Luna and I went to go help out at the Charity Dog Wash, and try to get people to sign up to volunteer or become foster parents to animals in need. Unfortunately, we didn't have to many people interested. A lot said that they are too busy (if you remember I HATE this excuse), and that maybe when they retire. I'm sorry, do I look a retired woman? Well I hope not! I'm a 23 year old woman who puts in a couple hours here and a couple hours there to give back to my community, and to dogs in need! Volunteering does not involve you spending hours on end with animals. I really don't get how "being busy" is an excuse not to volunteer...but what ever. 

Besides dealing with lazy people—okay maybe I'm being too harsh here—Luna and I had a grand ole time. She got a bath, she played with some dogs, people thought she was "Maddie" (the dog Maddie's Fund was founded upon), people thought she was up for adoption (hell no she's not!), she got to spend time with mommy, and on and on. Luna was so well behaved, the coordinator there said Luna could probably come to more events like this since she is so mellow. This makes me happy because one of the reasons I don't volunteer as much as I can is because I like to spend time with my baby girl. I feel bad leaving her to go spend time with other dogs...I'm cheating on her. And she knows it when I come home smelling like Mocha the Pit Bull, or Heath the Chi Mix. 

As much as I "cheat" on Luna, I know what I am doing is for a good cause and that it is to get other dogs to be in the same loving environment as Luna. So hopefully she understands ;)

Sunday, Luna was not able to come with me when I went to volunteer at Stand Down. This event is amazing. When I first went to my volunteer orientation, I remember them explaining this event, and I knew right away that I wanted to get involved somehow. Stand Down is an event that is held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds every year since 1998 (a man told me today). The community comes together to provide homeless veterans a second chance (or a third, or a fourth). At Stand Down, veterans are able to get medical attention, legal help, showers, haircuts, dental help, drivers license registrations, AA meetings, etc. Anything you can think of. The reason they do this is so the veterans can leave with a better chance of getting on their feet and finding a job and being able to provide for themselves.

Well, since this event is at the Fairgrounds, there are no animals allowed. A lot of these vets have pet dogs, so most are not interested in showing up to this event if their dogs can't join too! (I mean who could blame them! Would you be able to abandon your dog for 4 days to seek personal help?) But that's where Maddie's Fund come in to help. We work with Dog Dynasty to board these vets dogs and give them baths, medical attention, food, dental care, spay and neuter, etc. These dogs are in good hands. 

Stand Down is a 4 day event, Thursday through Sunday. The animals and the owners are apart for FOUR DAYS! Can you believe that? If you were away from your companion who you are with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would you be able to survive 4 days with out them? It definitely wouldn't be easy. Sunday, the owners and their dogs were reunited. And I was able to experience this. And it was AMAZING! I haven't seen dogs so happy to see their owners, and vice versa. There were grins ear to ear, tails wagging and tongues out all over the place! You could see that even though these dogs may not have houses to stay in, they had homes with their companions who loved them. They were not loved any less by these men and women who served our country. 

This was such a rewarding experience for me. I am still elated (6 hours after the fact) just remembering the happiness and greatness of this event. It makes me really remember why I decided to become a volunteer. THIS is why I became a volunteer.

Here are some photos I took from this event:

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Apologies!

Don't fret! Luna and I are alive! I know I've been really bad lately with posting our adventures and fun things. And I'm not going to use the excuse "I've been busy" because it is literally the most pathetic and lazy excuse known to man kind. So instead, I'm going to say that it's been a weird couple of weeks. Overwhelming, you could say. So again, I apologize for falling off the face of the earth!

To catch you up to speed on the last couple weeks that I've basically taken a hiatus. 

Luna and I have adventured around a couple new places that we don't normally go, or haven't been at all! I've been taking her to the dog park that Drew likes to take her to. And there, she found her new BFF. A 4 month old Siberian Husky named Obi. Such a playful couple. And Luna was very good about being submissive and playing on the ground with the much smaller Husky. I'm quite a proud mama.

We also have checked out 2 completely new places (new to us), around the Bay! The first place was in Niles, CA. A little lake area that you can "hike" around and bring your dog to the dog swim area. (I say "hike" because it was more of a paved walk... not really a hike if it's paved if you ask me). She had a lovely time, and the water seemed a lot cleaner and not as stagnet as Borris Lake in Pleasanton that we usually go to. The only downside to this experience was that Luna lost her decoy toy (it had a hole in it and she didn't grab it fast enough and it sunk. Oh well).

The second brand new place Luna and I visited was a dog park in Danville, called Hap Magee Ranch Park. Let me tell you, it was a fabulous park. It had a huge grass area that was open and not gated (so you had to keep dogs on leash there). Also had a playground and picnic benches for kids and BBQ's. And it even had a sand volleyball court! Plus the dog corrals (1 for little dogs, and another for big dogs). 

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The big dog park area was very nice. Grassy, had a lot of shade, and nice benches to sit at. The only thing I didn't necessarily enjoy was the dog owners. Not that I had a particularly BAD experience with one, but they were all kind of... how do I put it... let's just say they weren't as friendly as the owners I've met in Pleasanton and Livermore dog parks. They just seemed to not really talk to new comers, not very outgoing. Not that I am going there to be social, but it's nice when some one greets you and asks what type of dog you have and how old she is. You know, just common dog park etiquette. Well apparently, Danville dog parks you just keep to yourself. 

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Not to mention almost every dog there was a purebred, bred to perfection dog. Seriously though, there were 2 purebred Ridgebacks, still "intact" as the owner pointed out, at least 3 standard poodles there, 3 other Australian Shepherds, an Irish Setter, a Newfoundland, a Great Pyrenees, a Bull Terrier (who was a little shit), and some other dogs. There were a lot of dogs there, which was a good experience for Luna, but almost every single one was a purebred. I don't have anything against purebred dogs. I love dogs all the same. But it definitely seemed like the owners were very proud of their purebred perfect dogs that they shopped around for and paid an arm and a leg for. And if you don't know already, I'm more of an advocate of adopting dogs, not shopping for them. But to each their own, at least these dogs have good homes.

These last couple weeks, I have been volunteering a lot with my local animal shelter. It's really a great experience. It's very laid back and you can decide when you want to volunteer and for how long, which is nice to have a flexible schedule. But really, it makes me feel so happy when I am there with the other dogs that need homes. I wish I could do it more often, and save all the dogs in the world, but really, what crazy dog lady doesn't? So I do my part and try to get dogs to find their forever homes. It's definitely a bittersweet moment when you go into the shelter the next week and one of the dogs that you got attached to is gone because they finally got adopted. You're happy they found a home, but you miss their cute little face.

On Labor Day weekend, Drew and I officially were dog parents for a year! That's right, Luna has officially survived a full year in the care of two crazy people. It was a nice little moment, remembering back to when we first took her home and the first weekend being parents. It was definitely exhausting! Making sure Luna was fitting in well in her new home, and trying to figure out how to communicate with her and read her expressions and vibes. To think that a year ago, my little baby was hiccuping herself to sleep, and struggling to jump up on the couch, and fitting in my arms (barely) when I had to carry her up the stairs because she hadn't quite figured them out. So many memories just in this past year, I know I will have so many more to come. As my mom likes to point out that it was a very very expensive year for us because of Luna, I would never change it for the world. I love my little Luna-Bear. 

Our first family portrait :)

Anyways, sorry again for failing at posting our life lately. It's been overwhelming, but we are still alive and happy! Thank you so much to all of our supporters and readers out there (even if it's just 2 of you). Have a splendid day!

-Luna & Britt

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Weekend Adventures: Volunteer & Sick Pup

I signed up to be a volunteer for Maddie's Fund to help animals in need of a forever home. This weekend there was an adoption event at the Stoneridge Mall (as well as a bunch of other places, like Petco). The nice thing about volunteering for Maddie's Fund is that the coordinator sends out activities for that week that needs volunteers, and you can decide which ones you would like to attend (if any). They are very flexible and understanding of your other commitments, which works perfectly for me.

I decided to help out on Saturday, and I was a one on one volunteer with a Chi-Terrior mix named Brandi. She was the classic lap dog. Literally, all I did was sit in a chair and had her on my lap as people came by to pet her and ask questions. Brandi is such a chill dog. She reminded me of an old dog who is so mellow all she wants to do is sleep. But Brandi was only 2 years old! She, along with another dog (Reggie, a Wire Hair Terrior) and 6 other kittens are in a foster home together, and they were all at the adoption event with a couple other cats from a different foster.

A lot of people were just there to pet the cute animals and look. Some people asked me for medical advice for their dog, and another asked me how to get involved with volunteering. It was a fun day even though only 1 cat got adopted. Hopefully soon these animals will find a forever home.

When I got home on Saturday, Luna and I went to the dog park and had our usual amount of fun. We came back to our apartment and chilled until Drew came home and we made dinner. That night, Luna had the runs so we decided to put her on the "No Food Diet" for 24 hours to try to give her digestive system a break.

Basically, all of Sunday Luna and I were couch potatoes. Not moving around very much, and just relaxing. She slept all day, with the exception of a couple spurts of energy when her dad came home from work. Hopefully her "cleanse" has worked, I guess we will see how she does today. If she doesn't get better I might have to take her to the vet.

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