Our blog made it on to an anonymous spammer's automatic list to hit. We've received unwelcome comments two days in a row so we've had to activate the comment verification feature. We hope that this isn't too much of an inconvenience for y'all.
If you are looking for a unique Holiday gift, please take a look at David Coalburn's original drawing of a golden retriever! David is a highly respected artist, who has won numerous awards for his work. David supports Almost Heaven year round with eBay auctions of his artwork. Please click on the link below to place a bid on this original David Coalburn drawing!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160378908696
And, please don't forget to shop with all our other eBay sellers - who also support us with their auction efforts. When shopping for the holidays, take a look here - - - - - - - every sale benefits Almost Heaven!The inventory of goods for sale changes almost daily, so if you don't see something you are looking for today - check back tomorrow!!!!!!!!!
Just click on the link below - and scroll down for a complete listing of auctions for Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue.
Thank you for your continuing support! And a extra big thank you to all our eBay sellers for your unwavering support.
Carol
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The weather meant that everyone was inside all day Friday and Saturday and that made for some close quarters in the kitchen; kind of like submarine duty. Heck, Alex had to drape his tail over Sophie just to get a drink. And of course we had to go out for business purposes and then we'd track in MUD SOUP. Mom and dad gave up on the floor Friday evening and dad will take the Hoover floor machine to it later in the week when things dry up a bit.
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MONDAY MYSTERY GUEST:
The Monday Mystery Guest is one of our followers as listed at the top of our blog. Here are the clues for this week, including yesterday, which we didn't post, and for today:
1.- The MG is the same as the number of Stooges. There were 3 Stooges.
2.- The MG is really GReat, like a lot of us. Most of us are Golden Retrievers.
3.- The MG's names have an international quality: one is like and Italian statue, one is like the inhabitants of what is now mexico before the Spanish exploration and colonization, and one has a name that is reminiscent of a crisp tortilla filled with ground beef, shredded lettuce and cheese and chopped tomatoes. That would be the Venus De MILO, the MAYAns, and a TACO.
4. The MG is probably very fond of the gentleman who can be seen and heard by clicking HERE. That would be the Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli.
5.- The MG's mom and dad recently visited US. They visited Southern California at los Angeles and San Diego.
6.- The MG must eat a lot because chow is a favorite vocabulary word. It's pronounced like "chow" but is spelled "ciao." Used to express greeting or farewell. [Italian, from dialectal ciau , alteration of Italian (sono vostro) schiavo , (I am your)
So we have three Golden retrievers in Italy. What's your guess. Why of course! It's Paco, Milo and Maya. Why not visit their blog.
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WE NEED BUNCHES OF YOUR VOTES - PLEASE.
Radar, your Voting Team Captain, with my daily plea for your HELP! Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary (AHGRR) was up to #161 in The Animal Rescue Site monetary grant voting this morning. We obviously need lots of help to get into winning range. Please consider appealing to your social network friends on Facebook, My Space, etc. Our mom did and she got all positive responses. Do it for the homeless pups during this Christmas Season of love and charity. I've been trying to give you reasons to vote for AHGRR and I'd like to give you one more; his name is Buster. Buster has been patiently waiting for his new furever home for a quite a while now. Perhaps you could find room in your heart and home for Buster. Maybe you can help sponsor Buster while he waits for his new home. Even if you can't, you can still vote for AHGRR and possibly help Buster. Here's a biography on Buster:
2 - 3 year old Buster was taken away from his owner when he could no longer care for him properly. Buster is one of the nicest dogs we have ever had here. He is housebroken, gets along with other dogs and cats, and would be right at home in just about any household. If you would like to offer Buster a forever home, please submit and application which you can download from our website (www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org) Please email or mail it to AHGRR.
- Radar and The Bumpass Hounds and Kitties
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ABBY'S EASY TIPS FOR A PET-SAFE HOLIDAY SEASONDecorations Can Be Dangerous. Holiday decorations such as breakable ornaments, string, ribbon and dreidels should be kept out of paws’ reach. These traditional decorations can cause choking or severe intestinal problems if swallowed. All holiday light strands, loose wires and electric cords can also pose serious dangers to your pet, especially puppies, who may chew on them.
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In order to minimize the pain and suffering to our readers we have convinced our most loving, kind and gentle dad to put all of his Army-Navy Game stuff in one section of the blog post so that in those extremely rare circumstances where someone might possibly, for some insane reason, not be interested in THE Game they can simply skip this section. Remember, all Plebe vocalizations to any officers and upper classmen begin and end with the last two words to The Star Spangled Banner (our National Anthem), which are:
One legend about the first association of the goat with Navy football tells of a pet goat who died at sea while on board a Navy ship. The affection for the goat was such that the officers decided to save the skin of the animal and have it mounted upon arrival in port.Two young officers were entrusted with the skin when the ship docked in Baltimore. On the way to the taxidermist, the ensigns dropped in on their alma mater where a football game was in progress. With them -- for lack of a suitable storage place -- was the goat skin.
The first service match of the 20th century brought out both teams’ traditional mascots for the first time. The mids again borrowed the goat from the USS New York and decked him out in a fine blanket with a gold "NAVY" emblazoned on both sides. On the opposite side of the gridiron, the Army mule was attired in West Point colors and bor e on one side the words "No Ships for Me," while on the other flank was "I’m Something of a Kicker Myself."
That game in Philadelphia ended with an 11-7 victory for Annapolis and added prestige for the goat. On the return trip to the Naval Academy, the goat was led on a victory lap through the train and did not leave the mids until they reached Baltimore. It was then that the goat was dubbed the now celebrated name "Bill." The name was borrowed from a pet goat kept by Commander Colby M. Chester, Commandant of Midshipmen from 1891-1894 and the first president of the Naval Academy Athletic Association.
The next year a new goat, named Bill II, was called upon to assume the role of Navy mascot. Along with him, however, were two easily spooked cats who ran for the nearest exit when released from their bag. Navy lost again and goat advocates protested against the joint attention the cats received.
In 1905, the fifth goat, a large angora animal from Princeton, N. J., was given the name of Bill III and bestowed with the duty of bringing victory to the Navy, who had lost the last four years to Army. That year the teams deadlocked 6-6.
The following year, another goat wore the blanket, and it was this mascot which was destined for fame. Originally called Bill, this goat was dubbed "Three-to-Nothing Jack Dalton" after the star midshipman who kicked the field goals that helped Navy defeat Army 3-0 for two successive years.
In 1912, plans were made to honor the goat which had acted as mascot for the previous seven years. Late in November, "Jack" was measured for a new blue and gold blanket, but one week later (November 20) he was stricken with colic and died.
Elaborate plans were made for a funeral, but it was decided instead to have his skin mounted. "Three-to-Nothing Jack Dalton" can be seen today in the foyer of the Academy’s Halsey Field House, mounted in a glass case, reared on his hind legs in a fighting pose.
A brown goat was enlisted into mascot service in 1914, and his wicked temper earned him the name of Satan. Luck seemed to be on Satan’s side, as he was the only goat allowed out of the state during a livestock quarantine to attend the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia. But Satan’s luck was short-lived, and disgrace was heaped upon him when his esteemed blanket was taken away after Navy’s defeat that year.
Finding a goat that could bring victory over Army was beginning to look like an impossible task. To solve this problem, the following ad was run in an Annapolis newspaper in 1916: "WANTED: the meanest and fiercest goat possible . . . Would like to see same before purchasing."
Navy got what it wanted: a mean goat and a victory over Army. He was called Bill VI.
Bill VIII was a large, white goat with a wicked eye. With horns painted blue and gold, the goat went to New York for the West Point contest. Given every amenity to insure victory, he was given an entire room
filled with straw on the twenty-second floor of a hotel. Bill VIII victoriously returned to Annapolis with the mule’s blanket and remained with Navy for several more seasons.
After World War II, the Navy turned to an angora named "Chester" for goatly guidance. Named after Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the midshipmen changed the mascot’s name to Bill XIII. Rather ominously, he died on the eve of the 1947 game with Army.
His successor, Bill XIV, was presented during the emergency by an Annapolis barber. A loyal mascot, Bill XIV was a frequent target of kidnapping by rival schools. Another of the Navy’s most famed goats, he had a 5-5-2 record over Army and a twelve-year reign, the longest of all previous goat mascots.
Since that time there have been a number of goats who served as the honored mascot of the Academy, and several of them have unusual stories.
In 1968 Bill XVI, a gift from the Air Force Academy, died of accidental poisoning from weed killer sprayed too closely to his pen. His successor, Bill XVII, met the same fate three years later.
Bill XIX and Bill XX died of natural causes after each served three years of faithful service, in 1975 and 1978 respectively
Bill XXI led the midshipmen to their best record in years, which included a 23-16 victory over Brigham Young University in the 1978 Holiday Bowl. He is also credited with two Navy wins over Army, which then brought the competition to 37 wins apiece for the two arch rivals.
Bill XXVIII, was introduced in October 1995 and passed away in November 2001.
The current Academy mascot is Bill XXXI with back-up from Bill XXXII.
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Life Lessons From Boru
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
Please go to this website:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3
The webpage is somewhat temperamental but the above link is correct. Please give the page enough time to fully load to "Done" before proceeding. Then we want you to enter the following red data into the boxes provided:
Country: United States
State: WV
City: Capon Bridge
To simplify things, you can actually just select "WV" in the state drop down menu and type "Capon" in for the City. Then click on "Search." The page will then do its' thing and will end up showing the location of AHGRR: Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. Capon Bridge, WV 26714. And, more importantly, a "VOTE" button will appear. Click on the "VOTE" button. You will then have to identify a particular animal in a photo to confirm your vote; this eliminates machine voting. You then will be thanked for your vote to indicate that your vote has registered. You can cast one vote every day for your favorite rescue organization. Voting began on September 14th, 2009, and ends at midnight (PST) on December 20th, 2009. The more friends you can rally to vote for your favorite rescue organization, the better its chances of winning. Every vote, every day counts - shelters can pull ahead even during the last few days with enough support. Get people involved! The homeless pets awaiting adoption at Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary are counting on us.
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