Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

When Mac was in the Marine Corps, I became friends with Barb. We met through an online Marine Corps wives/girlfriends group. She and I became close friends, even though we were several states apart. She helped me weather a lot of challenges, and we stayed in contact, even though we both stopped frequenting the group. Years ago, to help her son, she adopted a pup named Milo. She didn't know just how much Milo would help her son, and how much Milo would change their lives. Milo helped save her son's life one weekend, and from then on, they were extremely bonded. What Barb didn't realize was that where they lived had BSL. One day, she opened the door to police officers who told her that based on how he looked, Milo needed to go. If she failed to get rid of him, they would. Instead of surrendering him, Barb moved to another township, where she could keep Milo. To her, Milo was family, and she wouldn't abandon him. Since March, Milo had been having health problems, and...

I've been very busy with school, Eastern Star, the dogs, and cooking dinners for Mac's Blue Lodge. I just realized that I never posted an update after Mauser passed. Losing Mauser was so incredibly difficult. He passed at home, on Saturday, October 3. I still cry over him sometimes. We swore we'd be a two dog house after Mauser, as Mauser was a last minute addition to save his life. Within two weeks, we'd both decided the house was too quiet, and decided that Mauser would send us a dog that he thought needed us, when he thought we were ready. At the beginning of November, by chance, I saw a posting for Jackson, a 9-year-old German Shepherd mix, surrendered to Staten Island AC&C due to allergies. Mauser had been named Jackson at the Manhattan AC&C, but didn't answer to it, which is why we named him Mauser. A few begging messages, and this Jackson became ours too. I picked him up in Matamoras, PA, while Mac was in Idaho, hunting. He didn't want to an...

Mauser joined our family at the age of 10, after being found tied to a fence at the corner of Jackson and Grand Streets in Manhattan. At New York Animal Care and Control, he developed kennel cough, and he was scheduled to be euthanized. A volunteer described him as “He is a little opinionated, like barking back when I put him back in his kennel. His upset is short lived though and soon enough, he is kissing me through the bars…Or, when I first pointed my camera at him, he protested than got used to it. He is like my old grandpa but a spunky version of him.” An urgent plea on Facebook found its way to us, and an hour before he was to be killed, we reserved him. His adoption built and strengthened friendships and bonds, before he even left the shelter. He came home from Manhattan on September 20, 2014, and immediately found his place in our pack. He lived his life with us showing his spunky side. Once he felt better, his spunkiness really manifested itself, as did his...

For the last few weeks, Mauser hasn't been doing well. He's had an intestinal bacterial infection that the vet likened to colic in babies. His arthritis has been getting worse, and on Monday, his front legs gave out, and he fell down the outside steps. He's 11, and for a few days, I wasn't sure he'd give me my wish: to give us at least one good year. But, he rallied late during the week of his adoption day (September 20), and until this last Monday afternoon, it seemed like he might give us far more than a year. Watching him is more than tough. I cry before work, I cry at night before bed, I tell him goodbye and that I love him every time I leave or go to bed. I knew when we adopted a 10-year old dog with arthritis that it would be tough at some point. I just didn't think it would be this tough. He had been eating chicken and pasta three times a day, and was still spunky enough to spit out the pasta when he only wanted chicken. So, we fed him what he...

I hope Michael Vick is worth it to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I really do. Signing him has upset a lot of fans, a lot of rescues, and has a lot of people trying to justify how he's "turned his life around," or "done his time." I've been a lifelong Steelers fan. I'm 37, and some of my earliest memories are watching games with my father and going to training camp every year, as a Daddy-Daughter day. I remember the One for the Thumb t-shirt that was huge on me, as a child, but that I proudly wore. Steelers football days were Daddy-Daughter days, and the Steelers were always something that my father and I could discuss, a tie to bind even as I was looking to find my own way. One year, on Christmas Eve, when I was maybe 8, my father slipped on ice and broke his leg. A few days later, I remember watching a Steelers game with him sitting in his recliner, me on the couch. They started showing a replay of the Immaculate Reception, and as Franco Harris somehow fou...

Wow, it's been ages since I took time to write! I started a new job a few months ago. It's at another engineering firm, but it's only a few minutes from Mac's job, so that will be nice when we find a new house. It has changed where we are house-hunting a bit. I'm still selling Pampered Chef on the side, and if anyone wants to place an order for anything, I have a fundraiser for Mended Hearts Rescue right now. The link for that is: http://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/wendylunko/guest-landing/8908395822235;jsessionid=C5723B2FD4543152EE0CE5B6A7DEA0BB Mauser is getting along quite nicely with the rest of the pack. Geno gets very possessive of me, but it's usually more that he'll insist on pushing his way in and climbing onto me if Mauser is nearby. Mauser has a good amount of energy for a 10-year-old dog, although in the past few days, it's been obvious that his arthritis is acting up, as he's not wanted to do much but hold down the furniture. He's comf...

Since I'm trying new things this year, I figured I'd participate in the 52 Snapshots of Life project at The Lazy Pit Bull . Every week has a different theme, and you post a photo of that week's theme. This week's theme is "new." My photo for this week isn't a "new" photo, but since Mauser is "new" in our lives, I figured this is his chance to shine! The photo is his "adoption" photo--we'd just walked him outside of the NY AC&C Manhattan shelter.  

Yes, you read that correctly... I'm now unemployed, as of Tuesday. That said, I'm now working on writing a book, and have launched a kickstarter campaign to cover publishing costs. If you want to donate, here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/287148108/wendy-writes-a-book. I've been wanting to write a book for years, and so I'm taking this as a reason to do so! That said, if you have any leads for marketing, corporate communications, or proposal preparation, feel free to let me know!

In exchange for my post, I will receive a CoolFit™ Foam Contour Pillow.   Thanks to Smiley360 , I was given the opportunity to try out the Sleep Number Sleep IQ technology, and in exchange for writing a blog post about it, I'll receive a CoolFit Foam Contour pillow. To try out the technology, one must go to a Sleep Number store. Mac and I checked out Sleep Number a while back, but we decided to postpone buying a new mattress until we move, because we'd like to upgrade to a king-size bed. We currently have a queen-size bed, and with three dogs, and our bedroom doesn't have quite enough room for a king-size bed, plus two nightstands. I've been intrigued by the "DualAir" technology, and the concept of selecting a mattress's firmness based on what I want that night, and how I feel. I'm also curious about how I actually sleep, and if I'm getting restful sleep. This Sleep IQ technology claims to provide answers to if one is getting restful sleep or...

On Thursday evening, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw that a friend's dog page had shared a photo and description for a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois at Manhattan Animal Care & Control. Named Jackson, he was set to be killed after 12 PM on Friday. Mac and I talked at length about it, and on Friday morning, I bit the bullet and paid for his adoption fee online, reserving him for us. If we didn't pick him up in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon, he would still be euthanized, and I'd forfeit the adoption fee. So, Mac and I ventured up to Manhattan on Saturday, arriving around 2 PM. Knowing how quick to kill the NY AC&Cs can be, I was braced for a horrible trip. I'd heard stories of how the employees would try to discourage adoptions, and how they'd deny adoptions if you didn't bring everything with you, and I was prepared for the issues, including them possibly saying that for whatever reason, we couldn't adopt him, and they were going to...

A "friend" that I've known for over 10 years is now looking to rehome her second or third dog within a year. The other one I'm sure of nipped at her kids, so that dog was rehomed. This one is a 6-month-old boxer puppy, who digs, chews, and jumps. Last week, she asked for training suggestions. This weekend, she posted that her "heart is breaking," but they need to rehome the dog, because he digs holes in the yard and keeps chewing things, from the sofa to the walls to his bedding. It's a puppy!!! Puppies chew, puppies dig, puppies jump, because they don't know not to do that! They need training and exercise! Boxers, when bored or not given enough exercise, dig and chew. Add both together, and you get what she's experiencing. I first tried suggesting that she go through rescues, if she's determined not to try to keep the dog. Then, when I couldn't sleep last night, because I was that upset over it, I felt the need to really share my opi...

A friend who runs a rescue recently posted a story and a few questions on Facebook. A friend of hers was looking to adopt, and became very frustrated at the rescue process. In general, she asked a few questions about if it is unreasonable for rescues to insist on things like home visits, references, etc., and how rescues can improve the process. There were a lot of posts on her status, ranging from her friend doesn't deserve a dog to solid discussion on how to solve these problems. It caused me to think for quite a while, because I understand both sides of the equation. I understand why rescues screen people like they do, as you never quite know. I also understand why people opt to buy or go to a shelter that doesn't take the time to check references and such--rescue policies can seem very intrusive and can turn off people to the whole rescue concept. For those who don't know, I understand her friend's feeling about "here's the money, let me adopt a dog,...

In the world of pet ownership, adopted generally means that a dog or cat from a shelter or rescue has a new, furever home. Adopted means saved, rescued forever, etc. For the purposes of this blog entry, going forward, I'm going to limit this just to dogs, but to some extent, you can apply this to cats too. Adopted does not mean, "I purchased my dog from a breeder." To me, saying a dog that was intentionally bred and sold for money is just wrong. If you buy a dog from a breeder, please do not say you "adopted" the dog, because you didn't. You overpaid for a dog that has a higher chance of having health problems, and to some extent, you basically sentenced a dog in a kill shelter to death because of your choice. Perhaps we should make it mandatory that when you choose to buy a dog from a breeder, you must first go to your local shelter and select a dog to be killed, and then watch while they kill it. Harsh? Yes, absolutely! Intentionally harsh, but that...

Thank goodness, at least as of when I left for work this morning, both of mine were still alive and kicking, so I'll reassure everyone that my two are fine! I've mentioned before that Mac and I drive a lot of dogs on rescue transports. We drive because we know we're helping these dogs reach loving, welcoming homes. I also monitor some of these transports, so drivers know if we're on time, behind schedule, etc. In one instance, many of us came together to drive several dogs from North Carolina to Pennsylvania and Maine, and the transport was featured on the Weekend TODAY Show. http://www.today.com/pets/rides-rescues-mutt-movers-transport-dogs-hundreds-miles-happy-homes-8C11097186 (If you pay attention, you can see a certain blogger's legs and hands while playing with Cole, the boxer around 2:50 of the video). Occasionally, the rescue will send an email a while after the transport with an update on the dog(s) and their new home(s). Sometimes, the update isn'...

When perusing Facebook recently, I noticed a sponsored post for "Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co." I clicked on the post, because there isn't much I like better than coffee and dogs! I figured it was probably a single coffee shop somewhere that allowed dogs or such. I was thrilled to discover that it's not a coffee shop like Starbucks, but rather, a company that sources fair trade, organic coffee throughout the world, and then roasts it, and sells the whole beans to consumers, via their website, groundsandhoundscoffee.com. I know, you're thinking, "That covers the coffee. Where do the hounds come into the picture?" This is why I was so excited to discover Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co!!! They donate 20% of all Grounds & Hounds revenue to no-kill rescue organizations across the country! Why would a business give up 20% of their revenue to help no-kill organizations? On their website they say, "Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. was born out of our...

Mac and I are frequent visitors to Chick-fil-A on the weekends. I won't get into political views, because that's usually not what my blog discusses. We enjoy it because their breakfast is decent, it's inexpensive, we don't feel rushed, as there's not a server looking to turn over our table for another tip, and we can sit and catch up after what can amount to some pretty crazy weeks. I also occasionally stop in for a quick breakfast to go during the week. It's not the healthiest, but I can usually make the points work, and I never wait long. So, some of the regular morning employees know us, and know our orders, or they try to guess our orders. I stopped by on Wednesday morning for breakfast, and the employee working guessed at my order when she saw my car pull into a parking space. She included coffee, but since I'm currently tasting various Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. coffees, I've been ensuring that I bring coffee with me to work, so I can real...

If you’re new to the blog, I’m into animal rescue. I drive rescue transports, I monitor rescue transports, I adopted two rescue dogs, I occasionally do temp fostering, etc. I’ve transported rescue dogs straight from shelters, I’ve transported rescue dogs who’d been in boarding for ages, I’ve transported rescue dogs from a temporary foster or even a long-term foster. I’ve had dogs pee and poo in my car. I’ve had dogs with ticks in the car, usually because their flea and tick medication hasn’t kicked in yet. If you see a loose dog on the side of the road, and a woman outside of her vehicle, trying to get to it, that’s probably me! I keep slip leads, treats, water, and bowls in my car. I’ve stopped to pick up strays, and I’ve politely asked dog owners to take better care of their dogs when they get loose. In February or March, Mac and I were visiting my parents, and we were on our way home from a late dinner. It was very cold, late (after 11 or so), and a block from their house, we s...

On July 4th, one of the sponsored posts that popped up in my Facebook news feed was for SummersPaw.com. It advertised a free bag of Fromm dog treats for liking the post and sending your address via PM. I was a bit skeptical, but figured why not? I was reassured by the response to my PM, and I shared their post and tagged a few friends with dogs to share the fun! I wasn't expecting the treats to arrive this week, and had, to some extent, forgotten about it. It was a rough weekend last weekend, and it's not been a good week, thanks to poison ivy and a sinus infection. Mac and I went to our standard Saturday breakfast, and when we got home, the mail had already been delivered. Cobaka and Geno received a USPS Priority Mail box from Summer's Paw. I was a bit confused, and said to Mac, "I don't remember ordering anything from there." When I opened it, I realized that it was the free treats! There were two bags of Fromm treats: Lamb with Cranberry and Parmesan Ch...

I've realized that while everyone tells you not to sweat the small stuff, at least in my case, it should be, "Don't sweat the bad, small stuff. Embrace the good, small stuff." When Mac and I got married, I knew he'd never send me a dozen roses for every year we were married, or sweep me away for a spur of the moment romantic getaway. That's just not his thing, and being realistic, it's not really my thing either. Roses die, and at least now, with the dogs, spur of the moment is taking them to the dog park on a Saturday after breakfast, rather than heading back home! I'm fine with that. As Mac's said, we're probably two of the most boring people. We don't like drama, we try to avoid drama, and we're content to have quiet nights at home quite often. It's also the little things that make me appreciate him more and more every day. We were having leftovers for dinner last night, and I told Mac that I'd get dinner started once I g...

Friday was my Friday to leave work at 12, and I took full advantage of that. We had friends coming in from Kentucky for the weekend, and I wanted to be sure the house was very clean. Mac met me for lunch, and then we headed home and started cleaning. I tackled the bathroom, kitchen, and living room while he tackled the spare room. Everything was in great shape by 3:30. They got to our house around 7, and we had dinner. John and Laura cooked dinner--bacon-wrapped meatballs, homemade pasta sauce, and spaghetti. It was very yummy, and it was nice to not cook for once! John and Laura arrived in York so early on Friday that they checked in to the hotel Friday, so they could nap, rather than waiting until we were ready for them. While I was disappointed, at least we have a very clean house now! On Saturday, we went to breakfast and a gun show. After the gun show, we all headed back to the house, and Mac gathered up several guns so we could head to the range. We shot handguns first, then ri...