Animal health specialists, rescue volunteers and medical supply makers all say they've seen a growing willingness in the American public to adopt or care for pets with ailments that once would have met with certain euthanization.So says this article in the Winnipeg Free Press. We're just tickled that it refers to our friends Leslie over at Pawsible Marketing, Ed and Leslie at Eddie's Wheels
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An Update on Tashi
Those who've been following Almost Perfect Pets for a while will remember Tashi, the little gray tiger who serves as mascot for Tabby's Place Cat Sanctuary in Ringoes, NJ. I've blogged about him before, when he came to visit to represent Tabby's Place at our Prevent Cruelty to Animals Week presentation a couple years ago, and again when I did my MLK Jr. Day of Service last year at Tabby's.Photo
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Something We Can Do Something About
Too often on this blog, we have to deal with sad situations that are out of our control; situations that result in injured or disabled pets. But today I want to remind you that there is one situation that too often results in these things, but this doesn't have to happen. I'm talking about natural disasters.With today being the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina striking the Gulf Coast, I
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Happy Birthday, Frankie!
Just had to sign on for a quick well-wishing to our little pal Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog. Frankie's ten years old today, and has now been bringing her parents, Barb and John, joy for a decade!Frankie's one of the first special needs critters who welcomed us on the scene back in 2008 when we first released Almost Perfect. Since then, we've gotten to be very good friends and even got to meet
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You've Heard of Fuzzy Dice...
...but have you heard of Operation Fuzzy Mice? No, seriously: It's a program in California, put together by a woman named Michelle Lyon, to provide vet care and other pet-related resources -- either by paying for it directly or by referral and networking -- to low-income families who own pets, and who would otherwise have to relinquish, abandon, or euthanize their pets for inability to provide
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Pet News and Views Likes "Almost Perfect!"
Michele Hollow's blog has a little something for all critter lovers!Our friend Michele Hollow over at Pet News and Views has posted a positive review of Almost Perfect, and we sure thank her for her kind words. She says, "This compilation of true stories about animals with disabilities and the people who care for them is uplifting, and at times quite funny."We couldn't agree more, and we're
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We Tink Dis Is Pawesome!
Tink was born without front legs.Okay, if this isn't the embodiment of joy, I don't know what is. Say hi to Tink, and learn more about her over at FidoBlog!
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A Truly Oscar-Worthy Performance!
Oscar, the world's first bionic cat -- or, as I like to think of him,a very modern pirate kitty. He's stolen our hearts. ARRRRRRR!Oscar, a native of Britain's Channel Islands, lost an argument with the business end of a combine harvesting machine. The results weren't pretty. Having seen the results of a similar accident with a kitten when I was very small, I can say this with
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Amazing Grace
Thanks to our friend Caryn for this latest cute kitteh, star of today's love story:It really needs no other commentary, so I'll just share it with you here. Always happy to have some GOOD news to spread around! And here's the song to go with it!
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Haiku for a small gray cat
I was going through some files today and ran across this little poem -- a long haiku -- I wrote about Idgie. I wrote it three years before Almost Perfect came out, and can see the beginnings of my frustration with people's attitudes toward special needs pets.Art is kewl. I need rain or at Least I could use a lesson From a small gray cat See me,
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She's BAAAA-AACK!
Barb Techel and Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog visit with Bryan, the very nice producerand co-host of The Breakfast Club on WCUB-AM 980 radio in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.Okay, I can't believe it's been almost two months since I posted here. Bad, BAD blogger. Well, I'm back, and happy to be here!Truth is, I needed a break -- from the blog, from the office, from my life -- so I took one! Spent most of
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Teleseminar Rescheduled!
This is a bittersweet post today. I'm very happy to report that our FREE teleseminar,Inspired and Inspiring – The Rewards and Challengesof Living with Disabled Petshas been re-scheduled with Conscious Cat host Ingrid King to 8 PM EDT on Thursday, June 24th. I'll be joining Ingrid and Barb Techel, mom to Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog, for what I'm sure will be a lively and interesting discussion
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Merci me, Jan's Funny Farm likes Almost Perfect!
Merci reviewed "Almost Perfect" at Jan's Funny Farm!If you haven't visited Jan's Funny Farm before, I recommend you mosey over and give it a sniff. Lots of great stuff there for animal lovers of all sorts, and we were especially gratified to see that Jan's pupper, Merci, decided to review Almost Perfect. Happy to report it was a hit!
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Idgie Has A New Pal
Barb Techel and her little girl, Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog, have become Skype pals of Idgie's and mine. Wanted to share Barb's blog post over at Joyful Paws on the subject with you.I never would have believed how creating Almost Perfect has changed my life, especially through all the wonderful people and their pets I've met since then. What a blessing this has been in my life. Thanks, everyone
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Teleseminar Postponed; Tune in Friday for a radio show
Hey, everyone -I'm sorry to have to report that our upcoming teleseminar with Ingrid King and Barb Techel has had to be postponed. I'm especially sorry because it's due to trouble that Ingrid's having with her dear tortie cat, Amber. She's been in the emergency room with her after days of trouble with her digestive tract (I think). So please hang in there with us and I'll let you know when we've
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Inspired and Inspiring
Okay, Y'all - I'm excited!In less than a week, I'll be appearing (well, my voice will be, anyway) with Barb Techel, mom of Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog, on a FREE Teleseminar titled "Inspired and Inspiring: The Rewards and Challenges of Living With Disabled Pets." Our host will be Ingrid King, author of "Buckley's Story," as part of her Conscious Cat Teleseminar Series.Join us on Tuesday, May 11
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Stamps to the Rescue!
If you're like most folks, you sigh every time you put a stamp on a letter. Forty-four cents, for pete's sake, to mail a first-class envelope! You can't even buy three stamps for a buck anymore. But today, you can feel a little better about spending your money on postage.That's right. This month, you get a little more for your money. Or, more accurately, you help another creature get a little
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How Pets Rescue Us
Winkie saves me from another boring day at the office.I've just finished reading a very interesting blog post that discusses the scientific approach to gauging the interaction between rescued animals and people who are somehow in need of rescue themselves. It includes a really great passage about a prison program through which inmates work with animals who were rescued from overcrowded shelters,
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Lemon Likes Us!
Lemon the DuckI can't remember if I ever posted this review from Lemon the Duck and her mom, so sharing it with you now! Lemon also has her own book.Almost Perfect would make good beach reading, so if you're headed out for a vacation any time soon, pick up a copy and take these critters with you. I promise they're all great traveling companions. Ruby even brings her own wheels!
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Kudos to an "Almost Perfect" Author!
Sharon's friend Julia shows Sharon's whippet, Scout,to a championship at the Eurasia Dog Show in Moscow, Russia.Taking this opportunity to congratulate Sharon Sakson, one of the authors who contributed to Almost Perfect, on her whippet's win at the Moscow Dog Show. Sharon's dog, Scout—also known as Champion Hitor Go Your Own Way in Paris—was named Champion of Eurasia for the whippet breed.It's a
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Spring's Rebirth: Service Dogs Bring Hope for PTSD Vets, Inmate Trainers
Photo courtesy of the New York TimesMostly we talk here about disabled pets, but seeing as we're in Spring and the Easter period -- a time for new beginnings and rebirth -- I thought it appropriate to share this video with you. It's about how dogs being trained as service companions for military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are healing not just the veterans, but the men
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The Unbearable Cuteness of Being
This is so not about disabled pets, but I was close to disabled by the cute-ification I received from watching it! This kitty looks a lot like Idgie did when she was a kitten. Enjoy!
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WOW! Almost Perfect has touched a chord!
Almost Perfect's Facebook Fan Page garnered 400 fans in its first two weeks!I'm so thrilled to report that Almost Perfect's new Facebook Fan Page has garnered more than 400 fans in its first two weeks of life.Wow.That's all I can say. I've mentioned it here and there, but not really pounded the promo, and four HUNDRED people found us and decided our discussion of the way almost perfect pets are
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HAPPY UPDATE: Edwina Lives!
Those of you who've been with us a while here at Almost Perfect Pets will remember that back in September, 2009, I posted an angry rant about the cruel person who took a hunting knife to a sweet white-and-gray cat who came to be named Edwina, after the generous benefactor who not only covered her extensive medical treatment but also put up $5,000 as a reward for identifying and catching the
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Here Comes the Sun...
No, the hydrangeas aren't out yet, but they will be soon...Hey, everybody -- Happy Spring! I can't remember the last time I was this glad to scoot Winter out the door and fling the door wide open for Spring to come through. Here in eastern Pennsylvania, we enjoyed a solid weekend of sunny skies and temps near 75° -- and Boy Howdy, did I need that! Idgie, Weaver, Winkie and Boo Kitty also enjoyed
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Go Go Update
Okay, just a followup to a post from late last summer. Those of you who were with us here at Almost Perfect Pets then will remember the story I shared of my cousin getting a new (actually used) Jack Russell terrier named Go Go. Remember the skinny little girl whose photo I shared then?Well, no more. Ms. Go Go is now a healthily filled-out, happy little dog who lives the Life of Riley with Cousin
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Find a friend at Jan's Funny Farm
When things get busy, I save up links for when I'll have time to post. Today's post is one of these. Back in late October, I came across a great post from Jan's Funny Farm, a blog about...oh, what else? Critters!This particular post is titled "Rewards of Disabled Pets." Guest blogger Dr. Susan Wright discusses the extra effort required to live with disabled pets, and the extra rewards one earns
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Day of Service
It's been a while since I posted, and I wanted to catch up on something I did last month.As a freelance writer, I get assignments to write about all sorts of things, many of which I know little or nothing about. That was the case when I was assigned a story about volunteers in my home area, Bucks County, Pa., for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The gist of the story is about programs that
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A Quack Grows Quiet
As you know, AlmostPerfectPets is a blog about all disabled pets, not just cats and dogs. Today, I'd like to share with you the too-short story of Sebastian the Duck, discovered struggling just to stay alive by her adopted mom, Sharon.Sharon and baby SebastianShe picked Sebastian out of a garbage pile and raised her without even an inkling of what to do with a duck, especially one that couldn't
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Transformation As The New Year Turns
Okay, so everyone loves the stories about the cute little well-groomed puppy, right? Well, this ain't that. This is a story about a snarling, shaking, nervous dog with matted fur on the front and almost no fur toward her back, trying to bite the camera. But then...This is about a miracle. A three-day miracle that took a little dog named Chase from terrified to...well, watch the vid. It's a little
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A New Book You'll Want To Check Out
Here's an appropriate title to start out a Happy New Year with:If you've been with us for any length of time here at AlmostPerfectPets, you've read my mentions of another author of books about disabled pets, Barb Techel. She writes and blogs and gives speaking presentations about her dear little dachsie, Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog. Well, Barb's gone and done it again, folks! Her new book is
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