I was “in the area” of the Multnomah County Shelter last week and decided it was a Friday afternoon and I should drop in for a visit. It’s always good to keep the licenses up-to-date and a little stroll through the “available for adoption” area couldn’t hurt either.

While I was there, I met the sweetest, most regal dog I’ve seen in a while, Pinky Lee!

He was calmly gazing in my direction as I strolled by, no barking or whining – just a simple little tail wag let me know he was happy to see me.

Although I don’t have the space in my home for this fine fellow at the moment, (He doesn’t want to run as much as I do, either.) I am hoping one of you readers is ready for a kind, mellow and loving companion.

Remember, if it’s not your day for Pinky Lee, there are always more beautiful dogs and puppies there that are waiting for homes as well.

Among the group last week I saw a 10-month-old Australian Shepherd, a Dachshund, a Bloodhound, and a Flat-Coated Retriever! There is so much love and companionship out there, go get some for yourself!

Have you experienced this kind of devotion from a pet of yours? Have you had to make this difficult choice; saving yourself or saving your pet? This is an inspiring story from KCTV 5 News, also blogged at Life With Dogs. Hopefully the first of many changes in domestic violence shelter policies.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

So, I was settling in to a basket of fresh-from-the-dryer laundry today and I turned on the TV. We have weird cable at my house, which includes so many channels that most of the time I don’t even bother looking. If I feel in need of some senseless diversion I just watch whatever’s on. (Lucky for me, it usually L&O.) But today, today was special – today was Little House on the Prairie! And it was just starting!

Ok, I grew up on this and so although it’s not exactly cutting edge, it’s interesting to see what my little mind was taking in from 1974-1985. (Hopefully not that whole time…) I’ll get to the point; I think one of the reasons I love dogs so much is because the horrible Harriet Oleson hates them! Witness Nels Oleson, the kind man and his devotion to his dog. Enjoy.

Check us out in today’s Oregonian; in print or online here!

I’m watching the World Series right now, game 5.
My laptop is warming the muscles in my stretched out legs as I stare at the screen wondering what I should write.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a TV in my main living area, but here it is, in it’s 32″ glory- and it”s on! The moving picture box generally doesn’t bring much inspiration but I love baseball and…

A car commercial just came on with a perfect couple, in a perfect car driving around trying to catch their dog! The driver and passenger were holding squeaky toys out the window and squeaking them, trying to entice their little runaway to come back to them.
I thought was kind of cute and a little charming- car makers are finally tapping in to what we use our cars for these days.
But then, from out of nowhere comes my fearless soldier, Polly, running straight to the TV! Now this was good…Polly wants the squeaky toys!
She stares at the screen and whines, until the perfect couple drives away and she walks over to look behind the TV and find out where they went with those toys.
This is fun, but her all time favorite commercial is still that one with Lassie showing off some Kung-Fu.
I wonder how many dogs in the US are staring at this commercial tonight, whining to play with the squeaky toys on television?

 

It’s the half mile mark, and we’re already drenched in rain, and mud. We’re scurrying down a steep Forest Park trail decline, which is more like a mudslide than a trail on this misty morning. We’ve got another 12.5 miles to go.

Helen, our in-house ultrarunner, leads the pack. She organized today’s half marathon to raise funds for the Forest Park Conservancy, where she runs most of her dogs each day -she knows these trails like the back of her hand. She and her canine companion Marley speed ahead.

Jen follows close behind. She’s a race veteran with a lot of miles under her belt. Today’s half marathon is great training for the Banks-Vernonia Marathon that she’s gearing up for next month.

Helen and Jen are small dots on my horizon- I’m running significantly slower than my coworkers. This is my first half marathon, and I know I wouldn’t be out in this rain if it weren’t for Helen’s encouragement. She made a good point when she convinced me to do this- on any given day I’m likely running at least 13 miles with all of my dogs, so I might as well do it all at once in good company.

So I’m here, and I’m running. I’m actually finding my stride as I chat with fellow racers about my dogs – Elsie the speedster, Remy the herder, Bella the happiest dog alive, and Maxwell the crazyman. I tell stories of how high Elsie can jump and how Remy reminds me of my German Shepherd growing up, and suddenly… I’ve arrived at the halfway point. That wasn’t that bad.

And then suddenly, I can see the finish line, and Helen cheering me on.

“You just ran your first half marathon!” she yells.

Wow, I guess I did. And thanks to my dogs and fellow dog runners, it was a breeze.
- Emily Hutto