"Tis the Season of Giving...and Learning

Four fat boxes of goodies are en route to Afghanistan.  I sent the K9 care packages this past Saturday with much appreciated help from Matt and T, and with only 2 small meltdowns of my own. Hopefully, they'll reach the soldiers just in time for Christmas, bringing a bit of home to the stark unfamiliarity of being overseas.  But most importantly, I hope these soldiers get a small sense of the respect and pride we have in them.  I can't think of a better way to start off the Christmas season for Arwen's Pack.

Since I started asking for care package contributions for the military working dogs and their handlers, I've seen some generous and beautiful acts.  I've had total strangers send me packages to pass on to the guys.  A friend of mine who is a vet nurse and single mother was the first to contribute for the packages and later also  contributed cash towards shipping.  Another friend and vet receptionist gave fat, colorful rope toys, and one of my favorite clients (Mom to 2 adorable Poms) from the clinic where I work called in an order for treats and chewies for the dogs. At least one Cub Scout troop and a couple of blogs also sent packages of their own!  I sent some of my dogs' Frontline, new dog toys, treats & rawhides, magazines, toiletries, a couple of backpacks, and playing card sets.  

All this will eventually smoosh into boxes...

Another view...

Through other care package websites, we found out that para-cord bracelets are popular with soldiers.  They're wristbands made of braided para-cord that the guys can unweave if they want to make use of the sturdy rope.  Matt and T made a ton of them to send, weaving well into the wee hours of Saturday morning.

para-cord bracelets (sorry about the blurriness)

And I'm not done yet - I don't think thoughtfulness has to be a once yearly event.  Here is my last post with the correct addresses.  I've asked the soldiers if they have any requests or if they care to share their thoughts with us.  I'll let you know if I get any responses.

When Dorothy of FiveSibes tried mailing her care package and was told the APO address was wrong, my heart sank.  I felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me.  Words can't describe the feeling of dread I experienced.  Here I was, sending people out to mail packages to a nonexistent address!  I felt like a scam artist and a fool.  Luckily I got all the correct addresses fast and I my heart resumed beating, oxygen finally able to get through again.

What I learned from doing care packages:
1) Start earlier  - organizing anything takes time.
2) Triple check addresses - duh!
3) Expect the best to shine in people - you never know what will touch someone to open their hearts.
4) There's magic in connecting with others for a good cause - new friends are a gift!
5) Doing something you believe in takes perseverance but pays off in unexpected and delightful ways.
6) If you want to ask a teen to contribute of themselves, show them why it's meaningful (I'm so thankful for YouTube military working dog tribute videos!)
7) And finally, it's best to keep big, overflowing boxes of treats and new toys on a top shelf - we had 3 snooters working overtime to provide K9 care package quality control.

Arwen's Pack sends enormous hugs and positive thoughts to our soldiers in all those dangerous places so far from home.  We hope those amazing dogs will help keep you safe until you're home with your family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

"We'll be in a Sit / Stay until you get home!".  Here's Fenway in his Red Sox starter jacket :)

Let's Spread Some Holiday Cheer to Military K9's and Their Handlers!

Recently on Facebook, there was a post by a German Shepherd group that I belong to, German Shepherd Tips that really tugged on my heart strings.  This holiday season, as with each one in years past, there will be men and women serving in the military far from home and away from their friends and family.  I know we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet, this might be a good way to get in the spirit of giving!

I can't begin to imagine the sacrifice these handlers are prepared to make each day.  I'm the person that starts crying like a baby when I know an animal in a movie is about to die.  Not only do these handlers risk themselves personally, they are also responsible for their ever-loyal partners, too.  Nobody can work side by side with these dogs daily and not become firmly attached to them.

I'm hoping some of you might consider participating in donating to a care package.  I think we might run the risk of making an overseas, deployed holiday, a bit less horrible for a few K9 Handlers and their dogs.  Here's the original post:

I know there are some enormous hearts out there in blogville.  Do you think we could gather supplies for these handlers and their dogs?  The list above is a great start - anything you add to it would surely be appreciated.  I was thinking - tennis balls, rope toys - the kinds of things that wouldn't be standard military issue.  For the Handlers - digital cameras, stationary, pens, jump drives (do they have computer access?).
Medical supplies for both handlers and their dogs aren't needed as they're provided for by the military.

Most importantly, please include a little note or letter with a few kind words.  I know if I was overseas away from home, reading a letter from someone that cared enough to think of me would mean a ton.  You can send the package yourself, or you can mail it to me and I will send a group package.  If you send your package directly, please keep in mind that it takes about 2 weeks to arrive and you must have a soldier's name (in this case - Clint Reynolds, Program Manager K9 Unit APO AE 09321 - see in letter above) or your package won't make it there.  I'm aiming to send a group package around the first week of December.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me at forpetssake2@yahoo.com , or you can send your package and letter to me directly at Webldr LLC, my hubby's software company that's graciously donated the temporary use of their PO box!

Webldr LLC.

Grace Foley (K9 Package)

PO Box 631508

Irving, Texas 75063

Nyxie dreaming of all her military cousins serving  abroad

Daddy's Home!!

Matt has been working from home for a couple of weeks now with his friend's software business.  No more daily commuting and working for a hated boss.  Now there's the stress of invested labor - somehow a much more satisfying stress than working for somebody else.  One of his first assignments has been to sell a number of their company's Apple MacBook Pro's.  So that he can do so, we're playing host to these computers in their boxes, all in our itty-bitty apartment.

What the dogs' see: "Agility Obstacles!!!  Wheeee!!!"
Now I understand why when we say we have 3 dogs, people always ask if we have a big yard.  Nope - we sure don't...

Since the big transition to Matt working from home, the dogs are rarely in their crates, and have more flexibility overall.  Matt's there to walk and feed them, and they can have cuddles at will.  But they are NOT momma cuddles.

"You're leaving us here with HIM?!"

For the first few days, the dogs greeted me with the wild-eyed look of kids after a night with a 1st time babysitter.  Matt's home to walk them at lunch, so I don't have come home midday, either.  This makes me a far less rushed, crazy woman.  After about a week, the kiddos have settled into their new routine, content and calm.  I hate to admit it, but they're doing just fine without me - all of them.  Except for maybe the apartment itself which still needs my TLC...

So in an effort to help me care for the poor, neglected apartment, please consider buying one of these acBook Pro's from Matt's company, WebLDR.  While I love the idea of an at-home exercise course for the kids, high-end computers do NOT make good agility poles.  Having these computers here at home, I can honestly say they're really nice refurbished computers for a very reasonable price.  The hard drives were totally wiped and brand new operating systems have been installed, so they run like new.  I can understand the reason for the whole Apple craze.  To see another description, you can see Matt's local Craigslist listing here.  Send along your email or phone # with any questions! To reach Matt directly, call (214) 937-9979.

Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch

I have a couple of new articles up:
The Examiner: Walking the Dog Like a Pro
HelloDallas: Cutting Back Fido's Food the Easy Way
I've also recently discovered StumbleUpon - to "friend me, my username is ForPetsSake.

The Rhythm of the Ocean

On Mondays I work in the afternoons, so I get to sleep in.  Matt is working from home now so he scooted T off to school and let the dogs sleep in with me.  I opened my eyes to realize I had all 3 dogs curled around me on the bed.  The room was dark, and I could feel their proximity and feel their chests rise in rhythmic waves.  I thought of the ocean and how driven we are to it.  For so many reasons we're driven to the ocean, but that ebb and flow of the water is the enormous breathing of some great big being; the breathing of our great planet.  The tie that beckons and binds is that interconnectedness.    

I didn't want to let the world in on this moment. I was caught in that cloud of sleep that fogs the break of day.  I wanted to close my eyes and resume my own breathing, another rhythm to join the three.  I reached out and found fur which wriggled under my palm, but fell again into that rhythm in seconds.   I wanted to close my eyes with the tightness of sleep, and forget all the preoccupations and responsibilities of the day and the week beyond.  I tried to fool my body back into sleeping.  I tried to snuggle in deeper to the warm press of Fenway's tiny body.  I tried to relax my palm on Nyxie's soft fur, but stroked it instead.  

It was no use.  My brain was awake, the fog was lifting, my eyes were focusing and the rhythm of my own breathing was just a hair faster than the three beside me.  I stretched and pulled myself out of the ocean of sleep.  It's those moments of safety and rhythm and balance that feed the rest.  As I stretched, the dogs came alive beside me, each stretching and yawning and nuzzling one another as they do each morning.  Then the dance begins.  That dance of joy that celebrates that we've made it through the night together and now there will be feasting!  

"Hooray for a new day!"

I have so much to learn from the three...