Miles & Samson... Still Waiting...

Miles is the black and tan guy standing, and Samson is the German Shepherd laying down. I don't normally write about the same topic two days in a row, but we are having issues with Miles that are directly related to their sending parties just taking a hike on us!

I have written about them before, when they first came to the farm last Fall. A rescue woman in Kentucky contacted us about Samson. Samson was actually in Georgia, not Kentucky. Another rescue woman was helping Samson in Georgia. He was out of time and was going to be euthanized.

We outlined our Intake Policy and asked these ladies to help us with fundraising. The one in Kentucky made a point to tell us how good she was at raising money for dogs, and she assured us she would have no problem raising funding for Samson.
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We did not ask for any money up front, but trusted that these two rescuers would keep their word. Our immediate concern was to save Samson!

It was only then that we learned, sort of back-handedly, that Samson came in to the shelter with a running buddy, Miles, and that Miles was in even greater danger of losing his life at the shelter.

We asked if they would be willing to save both dogs. We believe strongly that bonded dogs should never be separated. We felt that Samson and Miles should stay together, and these rescue women agreed.

Since Samson and Miles would live together, the cost for housing was the same as it would have been for Samson alone. The only additional cost was for operational expenses for a second dog. Suzanne Young in Alabama arranged the long transport from Georgia to Texas, and volunteers all along the route donated their time and gas to get Samson and Miles to safety.

Miles and Samson have been here at the farm since the beginning of November. We have nudged and reminded and begged and pleaded with these rescuers to remember their commitment to us and to Samson and Miles!

The one in Georgia signed up for $10/mo and says that is all she can do and she is much too busy to send around our email. The woman in Kentucky made a donation, says that she has sent out the Chip In, but has done nothing more to continue moving this forward.

The Chip In for Samson and Miles has been stuck $347 since November 15. We have only $10/mo in monthly donors for them. (We explain that since Paypal does not give you a place to put the dog's name, it is important for the fundraisers to email us when someone new signs on so that their dog will get credit.)

Since there was no activity on monthly donations except that $10, we calculated a year's monthly donations for each dog and added it to the Chip In. Sometimes it is easier to get a one-time donation than a regular monthly one. So when their Chip In fills, it will cover their expenses for a year, as well as build them a play yard and townhome.

In practical terms, it means that Samson and Miles have been waiting for a play yard and townhome for nearly two months, and are no where near having one!

Temporary housing for dogs who are waiting for a play yard and town home of their own consists of living in a "condo". The condos are each approximately 4'x4' and they are attached to one large yard that services several condos. Dogs spend part of their day in the yard, and then must return to their condo so that another dog can use the play yard.

It is not ideal, but it is all we have to house dogs who come without funding, until we can raise the money to build them their own townhome and play yard.

Miles is not adapting as well to condo-living as Samson. (Each has his own condo, since condos are too small to occupy together, unlike the townhomes which are more spacious, have an upstairs loft and unlimited access to the large play yard!)

Yesterday, Miles bit Manuel, one of our team members. Today, he bit Shawn, another of our team members. Condo dogs have to be handled more because they have to go in and out of their condos a couple times a day. Miles is not a bad dog. He just does not like going back to his condo, and the close proximity of other condo dogs puts him on edge.

This could have all been avoided if their funding had come in last November. They would already be living in their townhome and play yard, and not have to share a yard with other dogs.

It saddens us that people will tell us they will help with fundraising, but once the dog is here and is safe, they just melt away like the snow in the afternoon sun. And we are left holding the bag. It is sad that they just forget about the unfinished business of their last "rescue" as they move on to the next!

We don't regret that Samson and Miles came to Smiling Dog Farms. They would both be dead if they had not come here, and if all the volunteers who helped transport them had not made it possible!
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But two of our team members have been bit in the past two days because Miles doesn't yet have a play yard and townhome of his own. And if the rescue ladies who sent Miles and Samson had kept their word to keep fundraising until we reached our goal, this would not have happened!

Why Are We Always Asking for Money?

This is Dan. He is every bit as sweet and friendly and special as he looks in his photos, lounging in our bed! But Dan is the poster child for why we seem to always be asking for money! Let me explain.
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There are pretty much three ways a dog comes to Smiling Dog Farms: through a shelter, through another rescue or through a private party.
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Our goal is to make ourselves accessible to anyone who needs to send a dog here. We try to always say "yes". And we have the most liberal Intake Policy of any sanctuary in North America!

We don't ever want a dog to be turned away over money, and yet we have to acknowledge that every new dog coming here adds to our expenses.

So we ask the person or group sending the dog to help us with funding.

There are two kinds of funding we need help with. One is for housing and the other is for day-to-day operational costs.

Housing is a one-time expense. Our current cost for materials to build a play yard and town home is $1096. If a dog is a jumper or a climber, we need to add $96 for "jumper panels". We tell people sending a dog here, "If you have $1096, you need to send it to us. But if you don't, we will show you how to raise that money."

We create a Chip In fund raiser, and ask the person sending the dog to circulate this to all their friends, family and business contacts. It tracks how much has been raised and how much is still needed. All we ask is that the sending party donate time on their computer to keep moving around the Chip In fundraiser until we meet our goal.

Once we have housing covered, we still have to pay for the day-to-day costs of caring for a dog. It costs us $2.67 per day, which is pretty reasonable compared to boarding facilities. But that still adds up to $80/mo. That pays the salaries of our team members who service the dogs each day (Ricky and I do not receive a penny in compensation; we are 100% volunteers) and buys dog food and pays for vet care.

We don't ask the sending party to pay $80/mo from their checkbook. We ask them to donate more time on the computer to sign up monthly sponsors. Just 8 people at $10/mo will cover the costs for one dog. Or 4 people at $20/mo. You get the idea.

But we must cover our operational costs, or every new dog will just stretch our meager resources that much thinner. Everyone has sadly read of rescues which have to close their doors because they said yes too many times, without keeping an eye on the bank account. And then all their dogs are at risk!

We are clear with people sending dogs here that they must commit to meeting these funding goals. We provide the emails and Chip Ins to send out. They just need to dilligently keep sending them until we meet our goals.

So what does all this have to do with old Dan, you ask?

Unfortunately, he is an example of a sending party who wrote a check for his housing... and has not been heard from since! We have emailed her many times, but she has not responded.
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It means that Dan has no monthly sponsors to cover his costs. And there is no one even trying to find some!
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We agreed to take Dan in good faith, expecting that the sending party would do her part to find monthly donors that total $80. That is $80 each month we have to pay -- and we just don't have the extra money to do that!
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Every time someone sends a dog and does not keep their word to help us fundraise, it puts us in a real bind. Dan's case is not the only one like this. He is just one example of larger problem.
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We're glad Dan is here with us, where he is safe and loved.
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But as long as people don't follow through and keep their word to help fundraise for their dog, we will have to keep asking for money!
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It is sad but true that rescue is all about money. If you have it, you can do anything. If you don't have it, you can do nothing.

When Koda Met Blossom!

This is Koda, on the left. That is his new friend, Blossom, on the right. They met at the farm and they became fast friends immediately!
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Koda came to Smiling Dog Farms from California. His family loves him a lot, but his behavior is unpredictable. Sometimes he will bite, and it is usually without warning. His family has a new baby on the way, and Koda just could not stay.

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But they wanted a safe place for Koda -- a place where he could be... well... Koda!

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After searching the internet for alternatives, and having little luck, his family found Smiling Dog Farms. They asked if Koda could come live the rest of his life in peace and safety at the farm, and Ricky and Jay said "yes"!

Blossom came from a family in Dallas. The family was moving and could only take two of their three dogs. Blossom was the one they elected to rehome because she was more temperamental than the others.

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Blossom's family wanted her to go to a place that was safe, and where her behavior issues would not result in her being put down.

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They also called Smiling Dog Farms to see if Blossom would be able to live there, and Ricky and Jay said "yes" to Blossom, as well.

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Each dog needed a friend, and each seemed suited for the other.

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When we introduced them, it was clear that Koda was smitten with Blossom. His whole demeanor changed. He smiled. He became calmer. And they have been best friends ever since. They play together. They nap in the sunshine together. They bark at the squirrels together.

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Koda and Blossom are enjoying their new life together in their townhome and play yard.

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest FINAL POST

Stolen Election! Election Fraud Suspected!

Final votes totals were posted today and WE did NOT win First Place in Texas! They gave it to Basenji Rescue!

Here is what we know: We were 2.42% ahead of Basenji Rescue on Sunday, the last day of reporting. Voting ended Sunday at midnight, Pacific time.

We had 15.42% of the vote in Texas, to Basenji Rescue's 12.70% of the Texas vote Sunday. That is a 2.42% spread. If you watched the numbers daily, you noted that things only moved by .01 to maybe .03% on a daily basis... that is hundredths of a percentage point differece to move daily. We were two FULL points AND 42 hundredths ahead of them on Sunday, the last day of reporting.

You tell me if you believe that somehow, against all odds. Basenji Rescue piled in more than 2.42% in a single day?

Not the First Time an Election Has Been Stolen

One of our good rescue friends in Alabama had told us that they participated in this same contest a while back... that they were in first place the day the contest ended... and then somehow, miraculously, between Sunday and Wednesday when results were posted, the group below them eased into First Place!

This is apparently a pattern with the Animal Rescue Site. It is a tight little circle of the same groups exchanging opportunities to win the prizes. Outsiders are clearly not welcome.

Protest This Injustice

I am asking Team Smiling Dog for one more thing, before we wash our hands of this so-called contest. I am asking every one of you to contact these people and tell them of your outrage. Let them know that it is statistically IMPOSSIBLE for Basenji Rescue to have made up 2.42% IN A SINGLE DAY!

Our good friend Adele had the name of a contact person, Rosemary Jones and her email address is rosemary@greatergood.com. I would also challenge some of you to find an email address and a phone for the head guy at so-called Greater Good so you can pelt him with emails.

Apparently it is Greater Good for their friends and cronies, and Not Much Good for everyone else.. Apparently Basenji Rescue is on their list of "best friends". (pun intended)

No More Contests

We will never participate in a contest again. That is firm and final.

We had to fight IAMS to deliver the amount of dog food that was promised in their contest, which we won with more votes than any other group in the history of that contest.

We will only win $1000 from this contest. Which I might add we have NOT received yet! They said that the check had already been mailed. But that was over a week ago and it is still not here!

The second $1000 prize was stolen from us. There is no other way to put it. Numbers don't lie. Basenji Resue -- even Best Friends, the $43 Million Dollar Man who dominated this contest all along -- NEVER gained 1.00% in a single day, must less 2.42%. It is statistically impossible.

The fact that they report in percentages and not raw numbers leaves things open to fraud. If they are not manipulating results, then they should report in raw numbers so we know if we got 30 votes or 300 votes... and so we know what kind of numbers the others are getting. All we could ever deduce from percentages was that the $43 Million Man was getting roughly 3 times the votes we were getting every day. But were they getting 90 to our 30? 900 to our 300? If we knew the number, we might be able to make up the difference.

More importantly, please consider this: You have been working at this, diligently voting every day, sending emails to friends since September! We have poured immense amounts of energy and time into this rigged contest for over two months. For what? $1000, IF they ever send the check.

You have raised nearly 3 TIMES that amount for us in the past week on our end of year fund raiser!

Contests put our destiny in the hands of strangers who do not care about Smiling Dog Farms. This particular contest proves how much wasted effort we poured into this, trying to win the $10,000 prize against an organization like Best Friends which took in $43,000,000 last year to our $150,000. It was not a fair contest from the start.

In the end, we were relegated to picking up the crumbs. Based on your cumulative effort, we should not only have won $1000 for most votes in a week, but we clearly got more votes in Texas than anyone, including Basenji Rescue, their annointed winner. But we will never see that $1000 prize.

I will not waste my time and yours on a contest again. I hope you will join me in this resolve.

We need Team Smiling Dog's energy to focus on honest ways of raising funds to help us help the dogs who have no where else to go.

We are making plans right now for a BIG fundraiser in the Spring... It will be called Garage Sale Across America, and we will call on Team Smiling Dog in the different cities and states across the U.S. to have a garage sale on the same weekend to raise money. There will be more details as we flesh this out. But one of the concepts I want to include is to ask Team Smiling Dog in their various cities to donate 25% of the money we raise to a local rescue. That way we benefit, and local, traditional rescues will benefit, too!

Thank You Team Smiling Dog
for Your Hard Work and Effort!

You are the Reason We Are Still Here Helping Dogs Who Have Nowhere Else to Go!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Final

Martin and Lewis Team Up Once Again!

That's Martin on the left. He's the tall good looking one. And that's Lewis on the right. He's the funny one! These guys were doing their stand up act at the Wharton City Animal Shelter, when they learned that they had overstayed their welcome and were on the short list to be euthed!

Local rescuer Amy Lewing put out the word that these two funny guys were on the ropes and needed some help right away!

A number of rescue ladies formed a group and posted them all over Texas and the United States, looking for a rescue to step up and take them into their program.

But no one was buying their act. They had no where to go and were on the verge of being permanently cancelled as a comedy routine!

Then the group working to save this team asked Smiling Dog Farms if they could book thier act at the farm for an indefinite engagement! And Ricky and Jay said "yes"!

Martin (on the right) and Lewis (on the left) are seen here goofing around with a rope tug-toy, entertaining the standing-room only crowds at the farm.

Everyone finds them wildly entertaining, and they are happy to have a fresh start in their flagging career!

Martin and Lewis are both part of Smiling Dog Farms adoption program, and the goal is for each to find his own way to a family where he can be a successful solo act!

Rescue Loses a True Friend, a Tireless Worker

I regret to announce the passing of one of rescue's best friends. Her impact on the many dogs and cats whose lives were changed because of her caring involvement is incalculable. Marjorie Banks will be greatly missed.

Marjorie Banks Memorial Page:
http://www.remember-me-memorial.com/Humans/MarjorieBanks.html

Rufus Enjoys Life at the Sanctuary

Rufus is one of our classic "sanctuary" dogs. He came here to live out his life in a safe place, where he can be who he is. One of our friends put it this way: "Smiling Dog Farms is a place where a dog can be a dog!"

And that has been true for Rufie! He is the poster boy for why sanctuaries exist! Rufus is not a candidate for adoption.
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Rufus was rescued from a shelter in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by a group that thought he could be adopted. The way Rufie's advocate and friend, Dianne, explains it, Rufus is great 99% of the time. It's that 1% that gets him into trouble!

When Rufus arrived, he was such a gentleman in every way that we doubted Dianne's beliefs about Rufus. He was sweet and loved to be held and loved on. We thought that he had been unfairly labeled.

Right up until he bit Sarah, one of our team members here at the farm!

And it was just as Dianne had explained it. After being so wonderfully behaved for several weeks, he simply turned around and bit Sarah on the arm. There was no provocation and no warning from Rufus. He just bit her. And then wagged his tail and acted like he had never done it!

Another of our good rescue friends, Jodie, who has a lot of insight and experience with dogs, suggested that dogs like Rufus are having seizures when they bite. It does make sense. It is over in a hurry, and then Rufus acts like nothing happened!

You can see from this picture that Rufus can be very gentle and loving. You just never know when he will go into one of his "spells" and bite!

The sanctuary was the ideal place for Rufie to live. He can bite team members like Sarah with impunity here. There are no penalties for biting at Smiling Dog Farms!

He has a play yard of his own and one of our older model cottages. He has his toys, and periodically he receives a package with more toys and treats from Dianne, who still asks about Rufus.

We love and accept Rufus just the way he is!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Monday, Dec 20

Not much to report today!

The contest ended last night at midnight, Pacific Time.

We had a pretty significant lead over Basenji Rescue in Texas, but we urged Team Smiling Dog to keep piling up the votes right up until voting stopped, just to be sure we stayed Number 1 in Texas. We need to win that $1000 prize for 1st Place in our home state!

But the final results will not post until Wednesday, December 22!

So all we can do now is wait.

Thank you, all of you, who worked so hard for us. We have already won $1000 for most votes in a week. We are probably going to win another $1000 for being first place in Texas.

This would not have happened without your diligent, daily voting.

Thank you, Team Smiling Dog!

Woody & Buster: Grumpy Old Men!

Did you happen to see the movie, Grumpy Old Men? Woody and Buster do a great Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. They hate other dogs, but they hate each other even more!

This is Woody in his new townhome. Note that there is a ramp to the loft, but Woody has not yet mastered that. He is happiest laying on his big cushy puff. He is the "indoor" guy who prefers his bed and his townhome to his yard.

This is Buster. You can see that he is laying in the sunshine in his new play yard. He more of an "outdoor" guy. It helps that our climate is sort of like Tampa, Florida. It went into the low 70s today (Dec. 19) and tomorrow it is supposed to hit 76 degrees! He has a big soft puff like Woody, but he only goes inside his townhome if it is raining. Some nights, he even sleeps in his yard instead of on his puff!

If you look beyond Buster, you can see Woody's townhome and play yard right next door! Some days they will stand at their respective fences and bark menacingly at one another, for old time's sake, I guess.

Woody and Buster were originally used for fighting. They are both older guys now, but you can see all their scars.

They were rescued and sent to a facility where they were supposed to be retrained to lose their aggression toward other dogs. But it turned out to be a kind of scary place, and the rescuers wanted to get them out and get them to a safe, non-demanding place where they could just live out their golden years comfortably.

Buster is telling a squirrel that he has gotten too close to his play yard! I think he enjoys being "grumpy".

Beate and Sylva, the two advocates for these guys, worked as a team to get the dogs here to Smiling Dog Farms. It is difficult to find a rescue to take dogs like Woody and Buster. Smiling Dog Farms' sanctuary program seemed like a perfect fit for these cantankerous old guys.
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Because they are so strongly dog aggressive, they really are not candidates for adoption.
They are actually very sweet and gentle with people, and they have become favorites here at the farm. Everyone loves Woody and Buster, our two grumpy old men!
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They will live out their days here in the sanctuary, happily barking and grumping at the squirrels and the birds and each other from their yards!

Just like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Sunday, Dec 19

We Have Slipped Today!

Please vote TODAY - SUNDAY - from EVERY COMPUTER you can up until 3:00 AM Eastern, 2:00 AM Central, 1:00 AM Mountain, Midnight Pacific at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?

I am posting this at 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. We have exactly SEVEN HOURS left in this contest!

Between yesterday and today, we have slipped down from .73 nationally to .72! We need to find people to vote for us in the next seven hours to push us back to .73 or MORE when all the votes are finally counted.

Our lead over Basenji Rescue in Texas did not change. We are still 2.42% ahead of them.

Team Smiling Dog -- We Can't Take a Chance on Basenji Rescue dumping in a ton of votes just before 2 am here in Texas, midnight Pacific, and squeezing ahead of us to win the $1000 prize for Number 1 in Texas!

We have to find some votes to throw at this contest NOW, tonight, before voting ends!

Please don't take winning First Place in Texas for granted. Basenji Rescue is a seasoned competitor in these contests. They could be holding their votes until the very end, just before the contest ends, to catch us off guard!

That's why we MUST find some votes -- LOTS of votes -- between now and midnight Pacific (2 am Central here in Texas).

Please give it your best shot. If everyone could just find ONE new vote... one person who still has not voted from their computer today... we can lock up this $1000 prize!

Go Team Smiling Dog!
Let's Get the Most Votes Between Now and Contest's End!

My Quest for a New Life!

My name is Quest. I traveled all the way from Wisconsin to Smiling Dog Farms. You can't really tell from this photo, but I have scars from puncture wounds on my head and face and neck and front legs from fighting. I used to live at a place where they made me fight with other dogs. I didn't like it, but I didn't have any choice!
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I must not have been a good enough fighter, because one day they took me on a thick nylon lead to a wooded area and then tied me to a tree stump and just left me there to die! They didn't leave me any food or water... and it gets pretty cold in Wisconsin over night, too!
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I didn't know what to do. I was afraid that if I got someone's attention, I might get sent back to the place where I had to fight other dogs. And I sure didn't want that.

But if no one noticed me, I would just die there.
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I had lost a lot of weight and was down to just 48 lb when I finally decided I had no choice, so I started to bark and bark, as loud as I could.

Lucky for me, I got the attention of a really nice woman named Paula. She heard my barking and got me some help. I was taken to a place called the Humane Society where they took good care of me -- and they did not make me fight with other dogs there!

They told me that Paula was working to find some place for me to go where I could stay and would be safe. They said that with my background they would not be able to place me for adoption.

Paula got some of her friends to help her, and they were all looking for a safe place where I could go. But they weren't having any luck. The places they called either didn't have any room, or they didn't want to take a pit bull, or they did not want a dog who had been a fighting dog. It was always something. They were getting discouraged.

Then someone found Smiling Dog Farms. They contacted Ricky and Jay to see if I could come live at the farm... and Ricky and Jay said "yes"!

Paula and her friends found a great family-owned transport company that took me all the way from Wisconsin to Texas.

And now the same ladies are raising money to build a townhome and play yard, just for me.

I like it here at the farm. The temperatures a lot warmer than Wisconsin! And someone checks on me and makes sure I have food and fresh clean water every day. Best of all, I don't have to fight other dogs. Ricky and Jay told me I would never have to do that again! They said I might be able to be adopted, depending on how I get along with people and other dogs. But if I can't be adopted, they said I can live out the rest of my life right here in my own play yard and townhome!

They wrote a newspaper article about me, back in Wisconsin. You can read it by clicking on this link, http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2010/12/15/news/local_news/news1505.txt

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Saturday, Dec 18

We Held Our Own...
Let's Make the Last Day Our BEST!

Please vote TODAY from EVERY COMPUTER you can at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?
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Sunday is the last day for voting. Let's put more votes up than anyone else in the history of this contest!
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We are holding firm at .73 Nationally, which puts us in 9th Place among all the rescues in America who chose to compete, regardless of their size!
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The team that is in 10th Place behind us is still at .61. It is unlikely they could surge ahead of us on the last day, but we want to make sure we're as strong on the last day as we were on the first!
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We only gained .01 on Basenji Rescue today. But we are still 2.42% ahead of them. Still, being #1 in Texas is the only other way for us to win another $1000 prize, so we HAVE to pour on the votes to insure that we stay in 1st Place in Texas... because we need that $1000!

Please make sure you vote for us Sunday, one last time. We will let you know Monday if we won First Place in Texas!

Thank you, Team Smiling Dog
for Making This Possible for Our Dogs!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Friday, Dec 17

Team Smiling Dog -
You Guys Are Amazing!

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 2 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?
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You pushed us up another .01 today to .73 Nationally! The Cat Rescue at #10, right behind us, lost another .01 and are down to .61.
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Thanks to you, we look really solid to finish the contest in 9th Place Nationally. Considering the competition we faced, that is an amazing feat!
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And once again we put more distance between us and the #2 Basenji Rescue in Texas. Today, we are 2.41% ahead of them. That is a gain of .08 in a single day.
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We want to keep pouring on the votes Saturday and Sunday for a strong finish, just to ensure we retain 1st Place in Texas for another $1000 prize!
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Thank you for helping us win $1000
and for being positioned to win another $1000

Cookbook Reminder...

Just a quick reminder that if you wanted to give our Smiling Dog Farms cookbook as a Christmas gift, we can send you a color cover that you can wrap up for Christmas morning.

When we finally get the books published -- hopefully in February -- we can just send you an invoice then, and we will drop ship them. Cookbooks will cost $19.95 plus shipping.

We had really hoped they would be ready for Christmas but unfortunately that did not happen. Long story!

Send no money now. Just email me at hellerich@aol.com and let me know how many covers you would like us to mail you. Please also include a mailing address for us to send the book covers!

Thank you for your patience. I can promise you, they will be worth the wait! I am already trying some of these recipes in our kitchen! : )

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Thursday, Dec 16

Still Gaining!
Go Team Smiling Dog!

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 3 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?


We are still climbing! We have increased our lead over Basenji Rescue in Texas by another .15% today! We are now 2.33% ahead of them!

Nationally, we are still holding firm at .72 -- that is after being at .70 for a couple of weeks! The Cat Rescue in 10th Place is still at .62.

We have won the prize for most votes during the 12th week of the contest. That is $1000 they are sending us! Because of YOU!

All we have to do now is hold on to our lead in Texas for another $1000 prize -- this time for being Number 1 in our state!

Please keep voting.... every day, from every computer you can get behind! We don't want to take for granted finishing first in Texas. We need to work for it, right up to the end!

Thank You Team Smiling Dog
for Coming Through Again!

Rocky Wins His Court Battle, and Now He Gets to Go Home!

Rocky got into trouble in his small suburban berg of Desoto, Texas. He got out of his fenced yard and went exploring next door at the neighbor's.

Because Rocky is a bully breed, the neighbors panicked. He was barking at them through their patio door. They did not realize he was just being playful. They called police and animal control and reported Rocky as a danger and a menace!

By the time authorities arrived, Rocky had retreated to his own back yard again.

But a privacy fence was no match for Desoto's finest, who barged into the yard and confiscated poor, frightened Rocky and hauled him off to the town Animal Shelter.

With no evidence to support their charges, Rocky was declared a dangerous dog and a menace to the good people of Desoto and ordered out of the city limits. His mom, Sandra, was told that she could appeal their arrogant decision, but that Rocky absolutely could not stay with her, even if she kept him indoors.

Sandra is a single mom, just struggling to get by. She had no money for boarding and had no family who could take Rocky.

Fortunately, she found Smiling Dog Farms. We invited Rocky to stay here at the farm until the whole mess could be straightened out.

When Rocky arrived, he was afraid of everything! He had to be one of the most timid dogs we had ever met. It took Rocky awhile to get accustomed to us and to allow us to be near him.

As you can see from this photo of Rocky with Ricky, Rocky has learned to trust us in the several weeks he has been here. He will now let us love on him!

Fortunately, Sandra found an attorney who volunteered to represent Rocky in his appeal against the city. Rocky's attorney got the citation dismissed this past Wednesday, so now Rocky can go home for Christmas!

Rocky will not be allowed in his fenced back yard alone any more. Sandra will take him out on a lead and then bring him back into the house. The worry is that the police and animal control in Desoto will be "gunning" for Rocky, since he beat their trumped up charges.

Our advice to Sandra is to move from Desoto as fast as she can. There must be a community in Dallas-Fort Worth that is more dog-friendly and family-friendly than Desoto!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Wednesday, Dec 15

You Did It!!!!!!!!!

We won the weekly prize for most votes in week 12! That is a $1000 prize for Smiling Dog Farms! Thanks to every one of YOU! They just announced it today!

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 4 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?

Congratulations Team Smiling Dog!

Not only did we win $1000 thanks to your dilligent effort, but we moved up another notch to .72 nationally, from .71 yesterday and .70 the day before that! This is an amazing feat, up against the players we are competing against!

The SBU Cat Network remained at .62, so we have widened the gap over them yet again!

And in Texas, the news just gets better! We are still Number 1... and we are now ahead of Basenji Rescue by 2.18% That is an increase of .22 in a single day!

You have really come through for us, one more time, Team Smiling Dog. You really put us up on the board and demonstrated the strength of our team members!

I do have to report that Ricky read the Dark Horse rules more closely and discovered that it is reserved only for those who have not won any other prize. Since we have now won a weekly prize, we are no longer eligible.

However, we can still win a second $1000 prize for being No. 1 in Texas.

We don't want to stop now. We want to keep the votes piling up every day to ensure that no one can sandbag us on the last day of voting and scoot ahead of us in Texas!

This has really been a great day for us!

Thank You, Team Smiling Dog!

Luna's Big Weekend!

This is Luna and Hailey. Hailey brought Luna to live at Smiling Dog Farms about six months ago.

Luna has issues with other dogs. She just doesn't like them, and -- given the opportunity -- will go after them! Hailey and Luna lived in a neighborhood in California where there were lots of dogs and Luna kept getting into trouble.

Sadly, Luna could not continue to live with Hailey for her own protection. It is just a matter of time before a dog-aggressive girl like Luna will get into a fight and Animal Control will intervene. At that point, Luna could lose her life, if Animal Control decides she is the aggressor.

And so Hailey made the hard decision to bring Luna to live at the farm. Hailey said that the thing she liked about Luna living here is that Luna can be who she is. Another of our families once said that Smiling Dog Farms is a place where a dog can be a dog! And I guess that is true for Luna.

Luna has adjusted well to her new life at the farm. And this past weekend, Hailey took advantage of our Weekend Adventure program to return and spend the weekend with Luna!

You can see from these photos we took how excited Luna is! Hailey looks pretty happy, too!

It turned out to be a wonderful weekend for Hailey and Luna. Hailey flew in from California and rented a car at the airport. She picked up Luna Friday afternoon and checked into the Tee Pee Motel in Wharton.

After spending the night in the bed, Luna and Hailey were off to Galveston and the beach on Saturday! Luna got a bath from Hailey Saturday night, after frolicking in the salty Gulf waters. And another night in the bed with Hailey!

Sunday Luna and Hailey went to Brazos Park in Fort Bend County and walked the trails.

Weekends like this one always end too soon, and Sunday afternoon Hailey returned Luna to the farm. Luna had lots of stories to tell about her big adventure, and Luna is marking her calendar for the next time Hailey returns to spend a weekend with her!

We were really happy that Hailey was able to return to the farm and spend some time with Luna. Our dogs really enjoy these outings. We encourage families who have sent their dogs here to check them out and spend a day or a weekend or a whole week with them!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Tuesday, Dec 14

Wow!
Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 6 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?

You really pulled out all the stops! Good job, Team Smiling Dog!

Today we moved up .01 NATIONALLY to .71! To get some perspective, I don't think any other group did that today. Everyone else stayed where they were yesterday. The SBU Cat Network in 10th Place remained at .62, so we put a little more distance between them and us. We were the only ones who moved up!

We did even better in Texas! Yesterday the distance between us and Basenji Rescue was 1.82, and today it is 1.96!!! That is an amazing jump of .14 in SINGLE DAY!

If we can keep this up for the next four days, they cannot deny us the prize for most votes in a single week... and that is $1000 we really need for the dogs who live here!

Last night I playfully suggested to several people that they needed to go door to door, to every home on their block, and ask if they could vote for us on that family's computer!

We will give a FREE Smiling Dog T-Shirt to anyone who emails us a picture of them going door to door in their neighborhood, asking to vote for us on the neighbor's computer!! I will publish that photo right here in the Smiling Dog Daily News!

Extreme times require extreme measures!

There is $3000 on the table that we can and should be able to win in this contest. $1000 for the most votes in a week, this last week of the contest... $1000 for coming in No. 1 in Texas... and $1000 for the "Dark Horse" prize of a group who did exceptionally well in their first time out, even though they did not win the big prizes!

We can win those first two prizes fair and square by SHEER NUMBERS... We need to FLOOD them with Smiling Dog Votes in the next four days...

And then they cannot deny us the Dark Horse prize... because coming in #9 nationally, #1 in our home state (and a BIG state at that) on our first time out has to earn a Dark Horse prize, or no one is entitled to it! NO other newcomer has outperformed Team Smiling Dog

Whatever you did yesterday, DO IT AGAIN TODAY!

And remember... we'll print your photo and send you a FREE Smiling Dog T-Shirt if you'll submit a picture of you going door to door on your block, asking your neighbors to vote for us on their computers! ; )

Go Team Smiling Dog!
Just 4 More Days!!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Shelter Challenge Daily Contest Update for Monday, Dec 13

Team Smiling Dog :
Something is VERY Wrong Here

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 6 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?


You have really done your part this past week. We have gained in Texas once again, up .06% from the weekend to 1.82 today. We have now gained on Basenji Rescue every day for a week. We are up .21% over last week in Texas. Way to go, Team Smiling Dog!

Furthermore, we have maintained our position of .70 nationally every day, all week long. We never once dropped. And since we gained in Texas, we know that we had more votes coming in each day.

And while we were holding firm at .70, the Cat Rescue at #10 was holding at .63 nationally each day. In fact, today they have actually dropped .01 to .62, while we have held firm, so we have actually increased our lead over them as of today.

Now if I am just too stupid to follow the logic here, someone please inform me of my error.

But if WE are holding steady at .70 all week and #10 Cat Group is holding at .63 all week, how could they be getting MORE votes than us?

Granted, they make it much harder than IAMS to figure out how many actual votes you collect every day because they report only in percentages.

But let's assume we each got the exact, same number of votes all last week. For the sake of argument, say 100 votes. Those 100 votes would represent MORE of a percentage increase to them than to us because they are BEHIND us. Does that make sense?

So for them to get MORE VOTES THAN SMILING DOG FARMS, their percentage should have moved upward. But it didn't.

If you think about it, they stayed at .63 and we stayed at .70. What that means is that their RAW VOTES had to be LESS than ours every day, since it takes fewer votes to support .63 than it does .70.

We did not go backwards last week. We moved up in Texas -- our percentage increased by .21% over the course of the week, and we maintained our .70 percent nationally.

So can somebody please tell me how #10 Cat Rescue wins the $1000 prize for the most votes this past week?????

What am I missing here?

This is the last week of this contest. There is only one more chance to win $1000 for most votes in a week. Everyone above us and now two below us has already won and cannot win again.

What obscure group will come out on top next week, to ensure that we do not win that prize again?

If you read the 11 winners of that weekly prize, you will find everyone in the Top 10 plus The Basenji Rescue EXCEPT US!!!

Are you mad yet, Team Smiling Dog?

We have to DELUGE them in votes, more than anyone gets, even the $43 Million Dollar man. We have to find computers we didn't even know existed to vote on this week. We have to talk to people we don't even know, people we don't even like to get them to PLEASE vote for us this week. It is our last chance to win this $1000.

Frankly, since we have been pushed out of winning the weekly prize, I seriously doubt they will award us the Dark Horse prize, even though NO OTHER TEAM deserves it more that you guys!

There is no clear criteria for the Dark Horse prizes, so I think it is safe to say that one is off the table.

We have to FORCE them to award us the two remaining prizes by dropping more votes on them this week than they have ever seen before. They need to see to strength of Team Smiling Dog... especially when they rile us!

Don't just get mad... Get Even!

Go find some extra votes today... and tomorrow.... and each day for the rest of the week and FORCE them to award us the $1000 for most weekly votes, as well as the $1000 prize for #1 in Texas.

And let's make them look lame if they DONT award us a Dark Horse prize... because YOU have EARNED it, Team Smiling Dog!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Challenge Daily Contest Update for Sunday, Dec 12

Still Looking Good...

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 6 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?


I don't think they tabulate on Sundays, because the numbers across the board are unchanged from yesterday. We should see some more gains tomorrow, Monday.

I think we will win the prize this week for most votes in a week. That is $1000.


I think we are now on track to make sure we stay No. 1 in Texas to the end of the contest. That is another $1000.

And I think if we continue to pour on the votes at the end, we will earn a "Dark Horse" prize for a group who has never entered this contest before, but still made a good showing their first time out. Finishing in 9th Place nationally should qualify us for one of those prizes. That is another $1000!

We have a serious chance to get $3000 from this contest, if we keep voting from every computer, every day.

This is the LAST WEEK for this contest. It ends this coming Saturday at midnight, Pacific Time. We need to pour on the votes and not let anyone catch us by surprise!

Please try to find at least ONE new computer to vote from for the rest of the week. If everyone does that, we can double our votes for this week and assure ourselves $3000 in prize money!

Go Team Smiling Dog!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Challenge Daily Contest Update for Saturday, Dec 11

Still Inching Upward... Four Days in a Row!

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 8 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?
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We picked up .01% on Basenji Rescue again today. We now lead them by 1.76%. We have increased our lead every day for four days in a row now! We have gone from a lead of 1.61 to 1.76 in less than a week!

Way to go Team Smiling Dog!

We are still holding firm at .70 nationally which keeps us solidly in 9th Place. The guys behind us in 10th Place continue to hold at .63.

And as long as we increase our lead over Basenji Rescue, we will hang on to 9th Place Nationally and 1st Place in Texas.

We need to pour on the votes over the weekend and get a LOT of points up on the board.
We are down to the last week of this contest. If we can come on strong at the end, we should not only win a $1000 weekly prize for most votes, but also $1000 for being #1 in Texas and $1000 for "Dark Horse" -- a group which had not previously entered the contest and did exceptionally well in their first time out. And I think that describes us climbing to 9th Place nationally in our first time out!

I have heard from others who have done this contest before that sometimes groups will pull out all the stops on for the last day of the competition to "surprise" their competitors.

Let's not get caught by surprise. Let's try to DOUBLE the votes we have been delivering for this last week of the contest.

Please try to find one more computer to get voting for us this last week.

Thank you, Team Smiling Dog, for all you have done to get us this far!

Hattie Is on Her Way Home to South Carolina

Hattie came from BARC, the Houston animal shelter. Like so many other seniors, she had not been adopted and had not been selected by a Rescue. She had run out the clock, and would have been put down if she had not come to Smiling Dog Farms.

As awful as that sounds, please don't blame the folks at BARC. They don't want to put down dogs, and they work really hard to avoid it. But like shelters everywhere, every day they have a new batch of dogs come washing into the shelter, like waves at the seashore. There is only so much space at any shelter, and when a dog has had their allotted time, there is no choice for a shelter which must accommodate the newest arrivals, too.

Luckily, BARC contacted us about Hattie and we agreed that she could come here. In fact, I wrote about her right here in the Smiling Dog Daily News the same day we agreed to take her. Within 15 minutes of publishing her story, we had a request to adopt her!

Unfortunately, that did not work out because Hattie has some mobility issues and the potential adopter lived in a second floor home, which would have required Hattie to navigate a full set of stairs getting in and out of her new home.

Within just a few days of sharing that story here, we had another adopter for Hattie, this one without the long set of stairs to get in and out of the house.

Hattie's new mom came to pick her up on Thursday, and she is on her way to her new home in South Carolina!

I think these photos of Hattie reveal that while her body is older, she still has the spirit of a pup and an adventuresome soul! Hattie is up for anything, and you can see her sitting in Dione's car, ready for her journey home!

We are happy for Hattie that she has found a home where she will be valued and loved for however much time she has left!

Animal Rescue Site Holiday Challenge Daily Contest Update for Friday, Dec 10

Still Gaining! 3 Days in a Row!

Go Team Smiling Dog!

Please vote TODAY and EVERY DAY from EVERY COMPUTER to which you have access for the next 9 DAYS! Just go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?
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We have increased our lead over the Basenji Rescue to 1.75%! That is .04% more than our lead from yesterday. This means that we are steadily piling up more votes than them each day.

That bodes well for us winning the $1000 weekly prize for most votes in a single week. Everyone who is ahead of us has already won this prize, and so they cannot win it again. Even Basenji Rescue has won it, so they cannot win again either. We are looking good to win this prize this week!

And as long as we stay on top in Texas and continue to expand our lead each day, that is another $1000 prize we can count on.

And if we keep coming on strong for the next nine days, I think we have a very good chance of winning one of the eight "Dark Horse" prizes for $1000. These prizes are awarded to a new group which has not competed before and did surprisingly well for a newcomer. Landing in 9th Place nationally should certainly qualify us for that prize, too!

We are heading into the weekend, so let's not lose momentum! Please find ways to vote from new computers over the weekend -- maybe your neighbor will let you vote from their computer in addition to your own.

We are still at .70 nationally. Although we have not gone up, more importantly, we have not gone down. The guys in 10th Place are still at .63. Everyone seems to be locked in place nationally, and as long as we put on a full-court press for these last nine days, we will hold on to 9th Place in the national competition.

Remember... you can vote from as many computers as you have access to... You can't vote more than once from any computer. But you can vote from your iPhone and your laptop and that computer you put away in the attic when you got a new one! Your friends, your family can all vote from their computer.

It only takes 30 seconds -- literally -- to vote! Each day, for the next 9 Days, just go to the link above and your computer will already be registered, so all you do is vote for Smiling Dog Farms, confirm the animal's picture, and you are done!

Thank you, everyone, for coming back and helping us try to win the $3000 that is within our grasp!

Ella Will Be Home for Christmas!

You can see that Ella is anxious to leave on her trip to her new home, even if she has to drive herself!
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Ella's new mom has been approved and waiting for Ella for over a month! But today was the big day for Ella to finally be on her way. She is traveling from Texas all the way to New Hampshire where she is sure to have her first-ever white Christmas!

Ella is blind and Dr. Stern estimated she is about 13 years old. Her new mom, Tammy, will give Ella a wonderful "retirement home" in which to live out the remainder of her golden years.

Everyone at the farm was excited for Ella, today. We are glad that she will have a family of her own in her twilight years.