To Protect Them All

At dinner the other night,

my brother asked if there are any charities that focus on getting armor for Police Dogs.

Though I didn't know what it was called,

I knew that there must be one.

Not surprising, there are a few,

but some of them focus on many different aspects of protecting K-9's.

After a little searching.

I found just what I was looking for.

"Vested Interest in K9's, Inc."

It's not an Oregon Charity,

but they do exactly what my brother was asking about.

And the BEST PART, 

is that there is a Groupon right now,

where $10 can make a huge difference in the lives of Canine Officers.

Donate Today!

Groupon is exactly what got me interested in Fences For Fido a couple years ago.

Who knows, maybe this Grassroots Groupon with help others get involved too.

It's difficult to imagine, 

that dogs are put into life threatening situations without any protection...

but it happens every day.

Canine Officiers do amazing work,

and just like their human partners,

they deserve to have their vital life systems protected.

 According to their website, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

"Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab 

protective vests and other assistance to dogs of Law Enforcement and related agencies 

throughout the country. We exclusively offer a state of the art bullet and stab protective 

vest made in the United States that offers ultimate protection for K9s at an exclusive rate of $1050.   

Each vest has a value between $1795 – $2234 and a warranty of 5 years."

Wow! For only $10 we can make a difference in protecting these amazing dogs.

No matter what you think about different police situations,

all officiers deserve protection.

I've donated.

Will you?!

 Groupon for Vested Interest in K-9's 

Bake Sale Time

Please order by Friday, February 7th 
so that I can have your treats to you by Valentine's Day.  

VALENTINE’S DAY: Baking With Purpose
Everyone needs a little love.
For me, love means a happy tummy.
I love to bake.  I love helping animals.
So how can you help? Well, it's simple...
you buy cookies, treats, or pies.
Together we can make a difference.

High-Maintenance Cookies (Specialty Cookies)
Just like people, some cookies are a little high-maintenance…
they take a bit longer to create perfection.
Therefore the price reflects the extra pizzazz that it takes.

-German Chocolate Cake-Frosting Center
-Red Velvet Cheesecake-Cheesecake Center
-Cream Cheese Sugar
-GF/Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk
-GF/Vegan Cowboy (Almond Butter)
                
High-Maintenance Cookies
can be ordered by
- Full Containers will be $15.00
- Half Containers will be $7.50

Classic Cookie Flavors

-Peanut Butter Chip
-Compost (Monster) Cookies
-Mexican Hot Chocolate 
-Oatmeal-Raisin 
-Soft Sugar Cookies 
-Lemon Crinkle 
-Ginger-Molasses 
-Snickerdoodles 
-Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie 
**Classic Cookies can be ordered by
- Full Containers will be $12.00
- Half Containers will be $6.00

PIES:        $12.00 each

-Apple
-Dutch Apple
-Pecan 
-Chocolate Cream

Cakes:    $15.00
6" 3 layer cakes...choose your cake and frosting.  
It's a little piece of heaven. 
Cake
-Chocolate 
-Red Velvet
-Vanilla

Frosting
-Vanilla Buttercream
-Chocolate Buttercream
-Cream Cheese

***Payment by cash, check, or credit card. How easy is that?!
If you would like to order, please email me at livesimplywithsparkle@gmail.com

 or Facebook message me.

The Power of the Paw

Date: September 9, 2013

Location: The Oregon Public House

Cause: Fences for Fido- What else is there?

Watching tonight in action I knew that I was watching
the power of paws.

Us, dogs folks are all alike...

Besides being basically the best humans on earth,

we, like our furry best friends are ready and willing to lend a paw.

Whether the paw is for play, or difficult work, we stick together.

Need help? Sure, I'm in!

Need food? Gotcha covered.

Need a sympathetic ear? You got it...I'm here.

See, dog folks are instant friends.

We don't have to exchange long introductions, or even names really,

we're just friends.

We like each other because we have commonalities that make us connect.

We love dogs.

Period.

What more needs to be said?

I knew all of this,
but as I was leaving I realized how many folks I had spoken to
and how I only knew their dogs' name!

But the funny thing was, as I introduced myself (walking out the door) 

one of the owners that I had spoken with all evening said,

"Names?! Does it really matter?! It's all about the dogs!" 

Ha! So true.
So true.

We don't need names, we're already fast friends.

Tonight was amazing.

It was fast paced.

It was hot and loud.
It was a packed house.
It was beautiful.
It was filled with smiles and laughter.
It was a night to remember.
And the best part?

It will change the lives of dogs throughout 2014.
All it will take is hungry pub consumers going to eat at The Oregon Public House
and selecting our name from the board.

We had one night.
One night to show The Oregon Public House
what happens when dog advocates come together.
One night to make it on the charity board for 2014.
What is that you ask?
Oregon Public House is the first of it's kind...
the first non-profit pub in the nation.
And they choose 8 local charities to donate all of the profits to over the course of the year.
We had one night to bring in $3500 in sales to make it on the board.
"Could we do it?" we asked ourselves.
Well, we can't do it alone...
But when we join together, it's a powerful force.
Not only did we raise $3500 dollars in sales,
we exceeded that amount by $1300!
$4800...now that is an example of The Power of the Paw.
And now we have another partner in un-chaining dogs with
The Oregon Public House.

Spring Cleaning with a Purpose

Wait! Don't throw that away!

We can reuse that!

I woke up thinking about cleaning.

Rotten way to wake up, right?

Yeah, I agree.

But see, I have this dog living in my house...

Yes, you Murphy.

 Don't pretend that you don't know how stinky you are today.
Stinky boy!

With the endless splashing in the creek and in his splashy pool,

it smells a little like wet dog. 

Yuck!

That is not the smell that is very welcoming.
So, it's a cleaning day.
Spring Cleaning Day!
WooHoo! or woohoo...
Cleaning isn't my favorite activity, but I do love the end results.
Are you spring cleaning?
If so, please set a few things aside.
Sure, you can put items aside for the Goodwill,
but if you find any towels or blankets,
please set those aside for Dove Lewis Animal Hospital.

With all of the critical and life-saving work that they do every single day,
they go through a lot of towels and blankets to make the animals comfortable.

And if you're also like me, you have a large supply of towels and blankets.

No, I don't really need ALL of these items.

Yes, Murphy is a stinky, wet dog on a daily basis,

but really I only need 7 dog towels, not 20!

So, until the end of June I will be collecting towels and blankets to donate to Dove Lewis.

If you live in the Lake Oswego, West Linn, Wilsonville area,

I'd be happy to meet you to collect them from you.

Of course, my dear friends, you know that I'll drive to your homes to collect as well.

Basically, if I know where you live, you can contact me,

leave them on your porch and I'll get 'em.

 

If you are feeling extra generous, I'm also collecting other supplies too.

Here is a full list of things that I'm looking to collect.

Dog toys for our canine blood bank

Cat toys for our feline blood bank

Beechnut Baby Food (stage 1 turkey, chicken or beef)

Reusable wee pads for dogs

Yesterdays News Cat Litter

World’s Best Cat Litter

Towels or blankets

I haven't mastered the whole coupon thing, but I'm sure some of you have.  Maybe you can find coupons for the baby food or cat litter? When people are worried about their animal, the last thing that they should have to worry about supplies for their care.

 

Spring Cleaning is way more fun when you can find a way to reuse your unused items. :)

Too bad I can't find a way to reuse the Murphy stink...ewwwww. 

He seems to have an endless supply of that! 

But at least he won't be stinky for long and then I can begin the real work,

spring cleaning and collecting items
for Dove Lewis.

Can you help me too?

Remember, message me if you live in the area,

and I will happily pick up your donation.

Together we can help Dove Lewis, who is always helping us.

Thank you to all of my dear friends and family

who have already filled the back of my car TWICE!

As always, you amaze me

and fill my heart with love.



Dashing is Better With Friends

Murphy is a nervous dog.

I know he looks relaxed here, but that's not always the case.

He doesn't feel comfortable in new situations.

And since he is fear-aggressive,

this can be problematic.

Every year there is a fundraiser, The Doggie Dash, 

for one of my favorite local shelters,

The Oregon Humane Society.

I have gone for years and Murphy has joined me since his adoption...3 years now.
Each year has been a different experience.
Year one, he was nervous, but still just a young pup trying to figure out the world.
Year two...very nervous.  He was a teenager feeling his oats and unsure of all of these strange dogs.

And now, year three...still nervous, but there was a big difference.

His sweet friend, IO was there with him.

As soon as they saw each other, both of them knew it was going to be a fun morning.

In IO fashion, she danced around Murphy greeting him with exuberance. 

All wiggles, leaps, and jumps!

Murphy just soaks in all of the love with a HUGE smile on his doggy face.

She gives him confidence to face all of the strangers, human and canine.

You see, IO owes a lot to OHS.  She was a Second-Chance dog.

IO was at another shelter and wasn't being adopted, instead of putting her down,

The Oregon Humane Society took her in.

Man, are we thankful!

Not only did OHS give her a 2nd Chance,

but Kathy our neighbor adopted her so that Murphy could have a furry best friend.

How lucky is that?!

 

 

 

 

This was a beautiful morning.

Not just because Murphy was super happy and friendly with everyone,

but because all of the people who were there loving dogs and raising money.

Portland, Oregon is such a special place.

I'm so thankful to live somewhere that views animals as family members, not just pets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For one morning, we celebrated our love of animals and supporting local charities.

And together we dashed celebrating that The Oregon Humane Society saved IO's life.

All is well in the world...even just for a moment.

Let's all just bask in the love.

Happy Mother's Day to all...whether your "kids" have two or four legs!