Friday, November 30

Someone's watching...

Ever felt like you're being watched???

 Come closer...do you see him??

 Ya, the little guy in the red suit...
the elf on the shelf.
Hey mom, looks like you need to dust!!  BOL

 He's been watching me and Schatzie for the past few days and taking notes
as you can see I'm avoiding my chores being good!! 



You do know I could take you out in one bite don't you??
Gracie!!!


 He's still there isn't he???


Hey Schatzie, he's watching you too!!

I know Gracie...
but, I'm doing what I'm told... mom sent me to get the mail!!

 oh great... the little guy put a star by your name.


Mom, tell me again how many days til Christmas??


Gracie and Schatzie 

Tuesday, November 27

Mail Call...

Things are getting pretty exciting around this neck of the woods. We have been receiving all sorts of goodies in the mail and they're not from our gramma.  Mom signed us up for the Blogville Christmas gift and card exchange. It's so fun to get all the cards, Poppy just rolls his eyes!! Now mom says we need to get some sort of card display thingy like Goose's mom made. Check it out here at Goose's Christmas Card Holder


Today the mail lady left a package at the door...it was for me, GRACIE!! It's my gift from Miss Daisy (my Santa Paws Pal) over at The Royal Coon Hounds  Thank you Miss Daisy!!  I can  hardly wait to see what's inside, my nose tells me it's going to be good. Mom says I can't open it until Christmas or at least until Schatzie gets her gift from her Santa Paws Pal.  Oh, BUMMER....


Christmas card count so far...including cyber cards
Girlz --7
Peeps--a big FAT ZERO!!   bol....


 Back off Schatzie it's mine!!

See right here??? it says it's mine,mine, mine!!!

Okay then, I get the cards.....

 they're mine, mine, mine!!


 Mom, how many more days til Christmas????


I have a feeling it's going to be a really long month...

Gracie

p.s. Mom is picking up our cards today....so with any luck the Christmas cards and our
 presents for our Santa Paws Pals will be in the mail this weekend.
Guess I better get my licker ready!!

Monday, November 26

Christmas Card Photo Shoot...


resulted in epic failure...












Oh well, it was worth a few laughs...my girlz just prefer the 
 natural look and frankly that's how I like them too!!


Sunday, November 25

Not your typical Black Friday...

Hi,
Gracie here...last week was crazy around here. Mom had a busy week at work, extra night of bowling, fixing goodies for Thanksgiving dinner and of course helping poppy FINISH, yes I said Finish the garage!! That is one project I for one, am glad to be done with, it's just too cold to be outside supervising for this old dog.

Anyhow, I wanted to share a story that actually happened to me in 2008.  A fellow blogger asked if we had any exciting Black Friday stories to tell....well, I do, but  it's not your typical Black Friday Story.

Let me set the scene....we moved to Molokai, Hawaii in the spring of 2008 (because of our office fire) but that's another story. Mom was a stay at home "Dog Mom" while poppy went the the dental clinic and did his filling and drilling. Every morning mom, Schatzie and I took a 4 mile walk to the Kalaupapa Lookout (overlook of the Leprosy Colony) We loved this walk as we would see lots of our friends. You could see and smell the ocean. Many times we would walk through the warm refreshing  gentle mists that blanketed the island. Some of the friends we encountered had dogs and we would exchange morning greetings. It was a pleasant little community. Life was good.

On Friday, November 29, 2008 it would be different. It was Black Friday and on Molokai there are no big box stores, just small mom and pop type businesses so there was not the usual hustling around in the early mornings to get the great deals. Mom would be home with us and hopefully later we'd  go hiking to the beach. I liked that.....

We sent poppy to work and mom got us ready for our walk. Today mom would put the backpack on Schatzie,  she was in charge of transporting our water.  Off  we went, a number of cars passed us by, which was normal. Tourist were making their way to the Mule Barn at the top of the hill. I offer this information as some of these tourists play a role in my story.

Mom didn't allow us much time to stop and smell the roses, we were on a power walk!!  We were nearing the Mule Barn when we met Susan and her 3 pit bulls(one was a very large blue one). Now we had met Susan on our walks many times in the past it had always been just a quick hello and we each continued on our way. This Black Friday was going to be one we will never forget.

Mom said hello to Susan and the next thing I know the three pits crossed the road and attacked me (for no reason)  It all became a blur. The big blue pitty got me good in the hind leg, I was screaming, as was my mom. All 3 of the dogs were on me, I was fighting for my LIFE. The dogs paid no attention to Schatzie. Mom wonders if her backpack had something to do with that.  I somehow managed to get away--screaming in pain when the blue one caught me again. My mom was yelling for help. Fortunately we were only  about 50 yards from the Mule Barn and a number of people (those tourists) heard us screaming and came running to help.  Mom tried to grab my collar to pull us apart, I didn't know it was her and bit her. The dogs were still attacking me.....A worker from the Mule Barn used a shovel and hit one of the dogs. It allowed me to get free again--only to be caught and attacked one last time. I was so afraid. Mom says she just knew I was going to be killed. By the grace of God somehow, someway the dogs let me go. However,  I was still yelping in pain and mom's hand was bleeding and she was sobbing.

We managed to get to the Mule Barn, where believe it or not the people that helped us were all dentists!! They had come to Molokai for the day to to do the Kalaupapa tour. Cell phone coverage on the island is spotty at best and we had a difficult time getting a hold of my poppy. So our good friend Diane was called and  came to our rescue. We rode home in the back of her car.  Mom was holding me tight--I was bleeding Mom was bleeding  we were both so scared. Poppy arrived home a short time later. I'm guessing he set a speed record in covering the 8 mile distance from the clinic.  We had to fill out a police report and then I was off to the Molokai Humane Society.  When we moved to the island there was a vet on island , but just a few weeks before this accident the vet moved back to the mainland--so we were now  vet less and I was in bad shape.

Fortunately, a wonderful vet tech named Tessa was able to help clean up my puncture wounds (over 50 of them) and we contacted a visiting vet that was able to prescribe some antibiotics and pain meds. They took me home to rest so mom could go to the doctor to receive 13 stitches in her hand and get her own pain meds. My peeps were praying that I would not have to go off island for treatment as getting off island is logistical nightmare especially for big dogs. If more treatment was needed I would have to be flown off island on a cargo plane that only flys M-F mornings or take the 1.5 hour ferry boat ride to Maui.

Once at home I began to swell and was in extreme pain, I didn't eat or drink. Mom bathed my wounds with epsom salt and stay right by my side for the next two days. Finally late on the second day I was able to go outside to potty (with help)and began eating a few bites.  The third day mom tried to get back into a routine with Schatzie and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride....Mom and poppy were amazed as I lifted my head and then  pulled myself up off of my bed and walked to the door all by myself. Mom said this was her sign that I was going to be okay.

Yes, I did physically recover a few weeks later, but the emotional wounds are still there, especially for my mom.

I don't blame the dogs in this situation. I blame the owner. The blue pit had a record, a rap sheet a mile long!!  He had killed a goat, and came very close to attacking a child. This was a dangerous dog. I  believe the dog should have been euthanized. It's difficult for me to say that but...that's what I believe.


Mom's been reliving  this all weekend. In fact it's the first time she's put it down on paper. I've seen a lot of  water in her eyes...we were both so afraid and it's a miracle that I'm still alive. Guess this is why me and mom have such a special bond.

So when Black Friday comes around  my mom is a little emotional--now you know why!!

Love, Gracie

Stop here...if you choose not to see a couple photos of our injuries.

 Gracie suffered over 50 puncture wounds all over her body.
The most serious were on her right hind leg and right shoulder where she did develop 
an infection that had to be treated 10 days after the original incident. 
At this time she was only 3 years old and very healthy--which probably helped in saving her life. 

 I sustained 13 stitches in my right hand.
A police report was made only because there was a dog bite,
because my dog bit me!!
No charges were filed against the owner of the other dogs.
They were just told to put a muzzle on him!!
One of the most frightening days of my life.

Gracie's Mom....





Friday, November 23

The LAST DAY!!!!

What a week....

Today is the last day to vote in the 2013 Dogs of Blogville Calendar Contest....
The top 12 dogs will be featured January-December. 

*All the dogs will be on the calendar!!**

How cool is that!

BUT.... The top vote getting dog gets the cover. 


So I'm asking you to vote ONE more time--let's see if we can get Schatzie on the COVER... 
(she's in 2nd place now)


MANY, MANY THANKS to all that have taken time to vote, I so appreciate it!! 

SO  CLICK HERE  to cast your final vote.
Scroll down to Dogs of Blogville Calendar Contest-Update and click!!

**if you are new to the voting, read the info about the fundraiser, check out the beautiful contestants,( do not click on the photos) you will see the lists of dogs and their blogs that are participating
 and than you will find the ballot. 
then
Click on the bubble next to your choice, scroll down and hit vote!!
Our entry for the contest is the photo in the Header above.

I'll let you know if we have a cover girl....and if not, I'm okay with that....
I think she would be a BEAUTIFUL Miss December.


Many thanks from a proud German Shepherd Momma
Val :)




Thursday, November 22

We are so Thankful...



for our kibble,a warm home, peeps that love us, friends who pray, aunties and uncles, 
grandmas and a grandpa that love us. 

We are thankful for new friends, old friends and  friends that treat us like family.

We are thankful for a Goose that shares the Gospel, a friend who rescues peeps, big brown dogs, big black dogs, little tiny white dogs, spotted dogs, freckled dogs, for all the Mollys, Wallys and beautiful Collies, the cool little doods, silly hounds from Canada, for romps in the rockies, dashing hounds and dogs named
 Blueberry,  the dogs on the shores, and all the crazy Shepherd peeps
We are thankful for all dogs with blogs :)


We are thankful for quilters, photographers, a lady that SNAPS, and a lady who rescues squirrels, dogs that write books and dogs that do tricks.  We are thankful for all those who help us see
 Beautiful and live Life to the Max.

We have so much to be thankful for--we are truly blessed.


May you be surrounded by those you love today.
Love, Schatzie and Gracie


Between bites of turkey and pie please CLICK HERE
to cast your vote for the Dogs of Blogville 2013 Calendar

Only 2 days left...contest ends Saturday, Nov 24 at 6 a.m.

Wednesday, November 21

So True....

****Warning****
They will steal your Heart 



It's HUMP Day and that means only a few more days of voting left.

Don't forget to hop on over to the Blogville 2013 Dog Calendar Contest to cast your vote.

CLICK HERE to VOTE!!

Thanks

Tuesday, November 20

So what does it Mean???

A few people have asked what does "Schatzie" mean?? 

Well, it's German for little Sweetheart!! 


She is a sweetheart....with a big heart and a big bark!!
 I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I want to thank all of you who have voted for our little sweetheart.  I know at times it hasn't been easy and I appreciate your patience and persistence. Only a few more days :) 
Please remember you can only vote 1 time in  24 hours.
ie.  if you vote at 3 p.m. today you can't cast  another vote til 3:01 p.m. tomorrow.
1 vote per IP address.

If you haven't done so already please read the stories of
that's why we're doing this contest, they need our help!!

Click Here to cast your vote for the Dogs of Blogville 2013 Calendar.

***If you are new to the contest page please read the info scroll down and check out the beautiful dogs, their blogs and then you get to the ballot.  Click on the bubble next to your choice and then click VOTE!!


val and the girlz 

Monday, November 19

Did someone say W.A.T.E.R???

WATER+ A GERMAN SHEPHERD


We learned early that we had a water dog 
and we were going to need  a bigger pool.

So we moved to Hawaii :)
When we lived on Molokai this was the largest pool I could find.
She would use this on non-beach days--poor thing!

We would hike to the beach almost every weekend.
The Girlz loved going to the beach...
Well, Gracie loved the beach, Schatzie loved the water.


 Notice the beach behind Schatzie...we had it all to 
ourselves nearly every time we hiked here.





 If you look closely Schatzie is out "snorkeling" with my hubby.

 The Duo....waiting to watch the sunset. 

Click Here to see Schatzie's Story

Click Here  to cast your daily vote in the Blogville Dog Calendar Contest

Thanks again for voting!!

Sunday, November 18

Schatzie's Story...

First, I'd like to thank all of you who have ventured over to Heart Like A Dog and voted for Schatzie. The voting continues all week and I would greatly appreciate your stopping by and voting for Schatzie everyday.

There has been some confusion in the voting...you can only vote 1 time every 24 hours, ie...if you vote today at 3 p.m. you can't vote again until 3 p.m. tomorrow. There is also a limit of 1 vote per IP address. Some have indicated that they are unable to vote. I communicated this to the Blog Admin. and she suggested that you may need to try a different browser. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to vote and am sorry it's seems to be difficult.

Okay, enough of that!! I thought you might be interested in a little history of my girl. 

Schatzie came to us via Paws to Love Rescue out of South Dakota (same rescue as Gracie) on Dec. 31, 2006. Hubby and I drove a couple hours in sleet, snow and very icy roads to pick up our new bundle of fur.

She was very shy...a breeder surrender(unknown reason) and didn't make eye contact with us for 3 days. 
I believe that she didn't meet the breed standard and the breeder just left her in a kennel with no socialization.

Never a lack of toys in this house!!

 She was about the same size as Gracie. 
Gracie age 1, Schatzie @4 months

 She is a bit of a clown

 Looking very regal...@ 4 months

 She has to put up with her crazy sister Gracie....

 Schatzie began her "police" career early...trying to keep Gracie in line!!!

Silly girl....

I'll share some more tomorrow.
Again, thanks for stopping by and now please head on
and cast your vote for Schatzie .


If you missed the post about the Calendar Contest CLICK HERE

val