Joy's Tale

Rescued. Adopted. Loved.

Category Archives: Animal rescue organizationa


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The Heart of a Dog

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I wish that the heart of mankind could be like a dog’s. Today my friend Steve Dale, who appears on WGN Radio, TV and writes a column is an animal advocate. The story he posted today shook me up in regard to a law President Obama had created to protect defenseless animals. Here is the story http://stevedalepetworld.com/u-s-will-support-killing-defenseless-animals.

It has made me crazy all day after reading it There is no reason to be able to go kill innocent bears and their cubs as they sleep or any other wildlife as the new administration wants to allow Whether this is to appease the gun lobbyists as Steve guesses, or to allow trophy hunter killers like #45’s sons, it is wrong on every level.

Animals love unconditionally.  They occupied the earth long before we did, so in my mind, they should have the upper paw. Their hearts are pure unlike those of mankind and it is obvious that the “man” who is in the WH, does not give a damn about animals, he doesn’t even have a dog or cat. There are 32 presidents, including President Obama, who had dogs in their lives. That means that ONLY 13 have not, in our entire history!  I am actually glad he does not have a dog because it would probably be treated poorly. I am only trying to illustrate that there are people who love to share their lives with animals and others who kill them for fun. While he is not a hunter himself, his sons are and I doubt he ever had an issue with it or his youngest son would not be posed for a photo shoot while sitting on a stuffed bear in an article that once appeared in People Magazine, let alone the gruesome “kill” pictures his sons have so proudly shared with the world.

I can only believe that karma will take care of this in some way soon. If you love animals like I do, please share Steve’s story with everyone you know and call your congressman or congresswoman today and demand this bill not be overturned. I cannot ever imagine killing a bug let alone an innocent animal. My dog Joy would never hurt a fly, she just wants to herd things around and play because a dog’s heart is better than man’s, especially the one in the WH.


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As Your Birthday Approaches Joy…

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When my husband goes fishing with his buddy Paul, Joy and I always do something together. The other morning we headed to the beach despite the rising temps in the Spring of Southwest Florida, when the heat and humidity swell and make life quite uncomfortable until we head back North.

To get to the part of the beach where dogs are allowed on leash, it takes about 20 mins to get there. After dropping off the boys, we were there by 9:15 and as soon as you hit the beach, you can feel the ocean breeze which makes the heat seem a bit more tolerable. Still, Joy is chocolate brown and white and she is just like me. We get hot quickly and although I put 40 minutes in the meter we only lasted 30. It was a nice 30 minutes though.

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Most Border Collies love to get into the water. Not Joy. She will stick her paws in the ocean with encouragement, but she won’t swim. She loves to get in the shower and be clean but her adversity to getting wet in any other manner is deep rooted, I think, because of being born into a horrific Amish puppy mill situation, where little wire cages, as small as chicken coops, were stacked floor to ceiling, which means getting peed and pooped on was the disgusting norm.Thankfully she was rescued by a small (but mighty) rescue called Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue.

We adopted Joy on May 11th, 2012, which was the day before Mother’s day that year. She was just going to turn 2. A friend, looking at some Facebook pictures I posted of Joy, the other day, commented that I am such a good mother. As a woman whose children have four legs, not two, I have prided myself on being a great mom to the many fur kids that God has put me in charge of in the course of my life.

Joy is exceptional and so easy to love because she is so loving. She is so very grateful for her life, which is pretty exciting. She gets to live in two states and never has to put up with winter.

As her birthday nears, I am equally grateful for the opportunity to be her mom.Not just anyone could have filled this role how Joy needs it to be. I have to credit Victoria Summers, the founder of Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue, with that “thing” that tells her heart and then her head, “yeah this person is the best one for this dog.”

She was right and thanks to that intuition, Joy has the best family for her and she is the greatest girl for us, especially me. Mom. Dog Walker. Adventure Seeker. Playmate. Comfort and Love Giver and everything in between.

 

 

 

 

 


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Days of Joy

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This picture was the day we adopted Joy, the day before Mother’s Day which was May 11, 2012. To this day Joy still barks at strangers, yet when we came for her it was as though she knew she was going to her forever home because she came running over and kissed both my husband and myself. I was so happy about that and I thought of this moment today when we were out for a ride in the car as she was barking at people passing by.

Victoria Summers, her rescue grandma, told me that Joy and I were going to be a perfect match before we ever met her or Joy. With an amazing sense of everything Border Collie, Victoria turned out to be very right and as we approach our 4th year together I know I am as grateful for Joy as she is for us, and especially me. I am the true animal person in this house and always have been. I do not believe in life without cats and dogs because I think that would be no real existence.

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Joy has an amazing life. Her paws never see snow because like us, she is a snow bird, or in her case, a snow dog with no snow. FL in the winter and western PA in the summer. Her life is filled with as much sunshine as God bestows upon us. She doesn’t like being in the water (except to get a shower) but she loves being on or by the water. When she came to us our beautiful Cat Safari was 11 years old. My big orange boy crossed over the Rainbow Bridge last year at age 14-1/2. We knew she would want another cat so Sabie the kitten cat was adopted from a local shelter. I always have to say, “Joy quit chasing Sabie” and then I think, Chasing Sabie would be a great name for a book.

There is nothing greater than knowing you have been part of the process of rescue and adoption. It warms my heart everyday to think how lucky Joy was to have been rescued by Victoria out of a horrible puppy mill situation and adopted by us. No work I do gives me a better feeling in my heart than that.me and my joy

I love this little girl with all my bones and I know the feeling is mutual. If you have never known this kind of love, you need to experience it to make yourself aware of who you really are and who you can truly be.

 

 

Jumping for Joy!

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Aside from my husband, no one loves me like our dog. Yes, our cat loves me too, quite a bit actually, but no one reacts quite the same as Joy after you have been gone for a while.

After returning from a cruise this week, Joy pretty much muddled me to the ground with her happy greeting. She jumped at my face so hard to kiss me I had to be careful she doesn’t knock my teeth out! She also jumped on my husband but he is second to me that is for sure. She is young, powerful and her energy should be bottled since it’s better than any vitamin because it’s simply pure love. There is nothing else that compares to that feeling of complete and unconditional love of a dog. Her rescue Grandma, Victoria Summers, named her Joy and it could not have been more on the mark. Joy is always smiling with that big Border Collie tongue hanging out – I love it.

Adding to my own happiness to seeing my furkids was the still joyousness I felt from reading a book I took on the trip. It’s called Dogtripping by David Rosenfelt and his hilarious experience in transporting 29 dogs across country to move into their new house from Southern California to Maine. He and his wife Debbie rescue mostly senior Goldens, sprinkled in with some others, and the story is just so heartwarming. While reading it, it made me miss Joy and Safari so much more. I always said the first cruise line to initiate a trip where you can take your dog would be sold out in moments.

Joy certainly did not disappoint me with that Jump for Joy greeting she gave me. Safari, our almost 13-year Orange Tabby sauntered in, saying, Oh finally you are back; it’s about time! It’s also unconditional love for after all he is a cat and they just have a different way of showing it and I have had cats my whole life. Joy is only my second dog but oh is she special.

I own my own business. I am always busy and there never seems to be enough time in the day, but furkids tend to make you stop. As much as I needed a break, I am always happy to return to doing those routine things like feeding them and even cleaning up their messes. I love being their mom and home is truly where love flourishes everyday with “Joy.”

Joy, a Name For All Seasons…

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It’s been so long since I have written here mainly because Joy keeps me so busy. It’s only our second Christmas and her name is everywhere I go and I just love that. When her rescue grandma, Dr. Victoria Summers rescued her, she named her Joy. When I first saw her adorable face on Petfinder, her name was only a bonus. When I called about her she told that she had named her Joy because she is one. How could you not fall in love with that idea?

When we wake in the morning, Joy is always scratching even though there is no reason to. She is healthy and eats better food than most people as I often cook for her and she is corn/soy/wheat free. I think she does this out of habit from being born into a horrific Amish puppy mill situation in Ohio. When cages are stacked on top of each other and there are no bottoms, feces and urine must be getting all over the dogs – it sickens me and I do work to help stop this abuse. I tell her every morning that she is clean, safe and I kiss her a thousand times a day. I am so happy I have the ability to share our life with Joy & Safari, our gorgeous Orange Tabby boy.

When I think about the end of the year and all the cats and dogs that need forever homes it makes me so sad but then I think of all who are rescued. We do what we can; I only wish more good, loving and caring people would be helpful and kind toward innocent animals either by adoption or by donation to their local rescue. These are my children. I have had many kids over the years and I would not have had it any other way. I love them all and miss terribly the ones who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Joy stands for love and I stand for her, paw in hand.

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Purina is Right! In Pet Adoption, 60 Really is the New 40!

 

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Yes, Joy and I both agree, that Purina has the RIGHT idea for people AND Dogs and Cats! With their new program, Pets For 55 Plus, Purina is helping those 55 and over adopt dogs and cats at no cost! What could be better than that? Read the article below and find out all the health  benefits that keeping a furry companion offers! As many of you already know, Joy came from a very special place: Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue. www.indiansummers.org.  Her first adoption anniversary and birthday all collided this year on Mother’s Day and what a wonderful day it was. Joy not only brings smiles to our cat Safari and to my husband and me, but to all her neighbors and friends around her who she mauls with sweet cuddles and kisses! If that does not keep you young, nothing will! We LOVE Purina for helping shelters and rescues and hope their new program leads to many more good adoptions that lead to happy forever homes with loving people.

Here is some great information about the program!

With Love from Joy and Me!

They Say 60 is the New 40.

Add a Pet, and it Could Feel More Like 25.

 

It’s no surprise that having a pet in your life can help you feel healthy, happy and more engaged with the community. And they definitely help us feel young at heart.

The impact of pets in the lives of older adults can be exceptionally amazing. In the article For Seniors: Pets Are Just Plain Healthy, written by Ed Kane, PhD, we see some of the benefits to older individuals in particular:

 

  • Pets promote social interaction, decrease the feeling of loneliness and isolation, and increase morale and optimism.

  • Pets encourage playfulness, exercise, and promote laughter.

  • Pets satisfy the need for touch and to be touched, and give nonjudgmental warmth and affection.

 

  • Seniors with dogs go to the doctor less. Dogs are preventative and therapeutic against everyday stress.

  • For people aged 65-78, dogs are a major factor of conversations with passersby. Companion animals readily elicit friendly responses.

  • Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

  • Pet owners have fewer minor health problems, lower medical costs, better psychological well being, and higher one-year survival rates following coronary heart disease.

You can find even more articles about the benefits of pets to older adults at http://www.petpartners.org/page.aspx?pid=334.

 

So, what do you say? Are you ready to experience the clear benefits of having a pet in your life?

 

Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue is part of a special program, created by Purina®, which allows eligible adopters age 55 and older to adopt a pet at no cost. So, what do you have to lose? Come find your next companion today!

www.purina.com/petsfor55plus


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A Joyful Birthday…

This year on Mother’s Day will be Joy’s 4th birthday. We adopted her on May 12, 2012, the day before Mother’s Day. In a perfect twist of fate, her first year with us, her birthday and Mother’s Day all collide into one happy day.

I have always been amazed at how all creatures come into our lives and just fit right in. Maybe this is not everyone’s experience. but this is how my life has always been. Joy is no exception. She is as beautiful inside as she is outside. Like Bailey, everywhere I take her, people compliment her on how pretty, cute or beautiful she is. She likes when they call her beautiful, because Joy is truly a diva in every sense of the word. I remember her Grandma Summers telling me that she is a dog that expects you to fluff her pillows! She was NOT joking around. Joy loves to have her head on a soft pillow.

As our first year comes to fruition I am happy and proud that we were able to give this wonderful girl a truly happy home. I think this enters my mind daily since adopting her. When I think of all she went through, first being born into a puppy mill, having her babies stolen from her and then thrown into a pound, I am so thankful that Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue was there for her and that we was there for ISBCR, in return. That is what makes rescue work. Good rescue groups finding good homes. The most important aspect of rescue in my opinion, is finding the right family, so the animal is not returned after being adopted.

Border Collies are not for everyone. In fact, they are not for most people. I think you need a special personality to be able to provide the give back of their boundless energy and need for attention. This is not a sit on the couch kind of dog. Today it has not stopped raining. I welcome the time to actually get some work done uninterrupted except for feedings and out in yard pit stops, but then again there is something amiss about not throwing a few balls after lunch for a little while. On rainy days, Joy relishes in a chance to relax I think. She has just lazed around all day which I think she is enjoying. It’s at least giving her extra-working, extra-jumping Border Collie legs a rest!

Joy continues to live up to her name in every aspect of the word.


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A Sheltered Life No More…

Joy, the latest addition to our full and loving life, continues to amaze us with her sweetness and unlimited amount of love and willingness to experience new things. This was certainly a concern for us as we split our time between two states and since she was adopted spent an entire 6 months in Western, Pennsylvania and then she was off on a long road trip adventure to the South. I wondered how she would react. Would she think we are moving from the first forever home she has known? Would she miss it or would she adapt, as my friend Patty says dogs so when they are truly loved, like Joy.

Safari, the cat love of our life, is used to the drill. He has been travelling with us for years and he is a sunshine guy without a doubt. Four day in and so is Joy. She loves it here and I knew one thing for sure. She would love Angel and Zoe, my neighbor Kevin’s and his sister Pat’s dogs. I love their dogs so much and I could not wait for Joy to meet them because I knew she would love them. Angel, a beautiful Golden play so sweetly together. One catches the ball and then gives it to the other, over and over and over. Adorable, if you love dogs like us.

This is Kevin’s golf cart and he lets us use it. Her first ride on it was a few days ago. Today I borrowed it while Kevin was in school for a quick ride, later we all rode on it together before dinner – that will be the next picture.

I do not think a day goes by when I don’t think about Joy’s early life in a horrible puppy mill. Thankfully when she was rescued by Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue, she was loved too, not just rescued. This is an amazing place filled with love, hope and care and as Dr. Summers says, a shelter is not a home; it is a temporary one, but not a real home – but I like to think it was really a great start for Joy. It was akin to a jailbreak,  that puppy mill. Some do not survive, some are tortured mentally for the rest of their lives and some are tough like Joy and determined (Yes, that is THE WAY of a Border Collie) to find their way.

Joy is very young, still a puppy herself. She had just turned 3 in May when we adopted her. She is first getting to experience the world. She now has travelled through 7 states! She went to her first doggy park yesterday and met two new boy friends that she loved, Willy and Sandy, a Westie and Sheltie, respectively. Her future days include many fun activities which I will continue to write about as they transpire.

Joy, you are no longer leading a “sheltered life” you have a piece of the world pie and it’s our privilege to give it to you, with love and kisses, everyday.


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The Ultimate Trust…

You never forget the day you adopt a dog. It’s so exciting, yet you wonder, will she like us? Will she want to leave the rescue home she is in now? Will she look at y ou and say with her eyes and soul, “sure I will go with you.”

It’s only been five months since Joy joined our world and we joined hers. I am so amazed by a dog’s ability to trust even after being harmed by humans in many cases, including hers. Joy was not physically abused, but she was neglected in the horrific Amish Puppy mill in which she was born and her puppies were taken away much too soon, causing her to have some fears, but they are dissipating very quickly because she is surrounded by love. She was lucky to be at Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue (www.indiansummers.org) for a year before we came along. Each day she gets better.  At first sight, she still likes females better than males, except her daddy, of course – she loves the kisses out of him everyday…

If it were not for the many wonderful rescue organizations out there, it would be nearly impossible to have as many dogs, cats and other animals find good homes with the right people. I cannot say enough about people who are on the rescue end in the process of adoption. It takes so much dedication, care and most of all time ,to do right by these furry people with whom we choose to share our lives.

Joy is so grateful for the life she has now. Everyday she learns and see new things that she had not been exposed to before. She is such a puppy and watching a dog or a cat learn is so much fun and there is not a day that goes by that she does not make us laugh and smile.  October 28th marks the day our Bailey crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Her blog, www.baileysjournal.com has happily for me, become an inspiration for many people all over the world.  Bailey promised me that she would find us the perfect girl when the time was right and, as always, Bailey was on target, like a true Border Collie–focused and strong-willed. We even were amazed that her name was Joy. Bailey knew how sad we (especially me) were and she needed to get our Joy back for us, literally and figuratively.

We could not be happier to have been lucky enough to be led toward finding Joy because she lights up a room and truly lives up to her name. Hands or paws, all anyone wants is to love and be loved. Joy, without a doubt, you are.