Friday, November 27, 2009

A Kitties Christmas





More and more cats are discovering Astrid Nicole Etcetera bandanas fit them great! Here's stylish Minn and her brother, Mister Kitty posing in their reversible Christmas bandanas.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Therapy Pet Visit


Six dogs along with their people spread smiles and fun at today's visit to Pineville Living and Rehabilitation Center. This was a rather large group of very large dogs....including a German Short Hair Pointer, Astrid, a Rottie mixed up with a few other things, three beautiful rescued Greyhounds and biggest of all, a Great Dane. This month is Astrid's anniversary month of one full year as a therapy pet.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Howloween Party At Day Camp





A friend of mine and I agreed the other day, Astrid's 'school experiences' are probably better than our own children's were! Actually, it's a day camp for dogs Astrid attends called Best Friends. She attended this years Howloween party as Cher...which she modeled for me several days before the actual party...hence, the difference in bandanas. The party was complete with a spooky craft and take home treats. Someone was quite creative with using the dog bones as little tombstones in the mini-cupcakes! The last picture shows Astrid, after the party....a very, very tired Astrid, still wearing her Halloween bandana.

Monday, October 26, 2009

The Pumpkin Patch



Astrid and her dad and I sent to the pumpkin patch Sunday, to pick out just the perfect pumpkin, or two or three. It was a beautiful day and a little on the crisp side. Wandering among the pumpkins, Astrid drew the regular 'oh how cute' and 'can I pet her'. There was one not so bright incident, though, where a little girl of about 10 stated very loudly and not in a very pleasant tone "why does anyone bring their dog to a pumpkin patch."

Well, we do because we can. Companion pets are meant to be just that...companions, and not to just lie in the corner with nary an interest shown in him/her. I would have liked to have told her that dogs are very social creatures, craving interaction and adventure...even if that adventure is only a trip to the pumpkin patch. Well trained dogs enrich our lives, especially when we can include them in our outings and fun. I'm sure someone has told this little girl that dogs stay home, are for your amusement, and if you are lucky they will cause very little disruption to your life. I hope she learns someday the satisfaction of interacting with her dog, sharing travel, picnics in the park....and the occasional pumpkin patch...because she can. Not every dog's person can say that about them. Spend some time, interact, socialize.........and say it about yours. There's nothing like it.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Ah Autumn...


We just couldn't resist these great autumn 'props' that we're outside the Living and Rehabilitation Center that we visited yesterday.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Autumn and all that implies

Today is the first day of Autumn. Seems that we have an endless supply of fun holidays to look forward to this time of year, beginning with Halloween. While kids are the focus for this fun day, the pupsters in your life don't want to be left out either! Anyone who has been to a pet Halloween costume contest has probably heard the sighs of those with dogs who refuse to wear clothes. There are lots of ways to bring some lighthearted fun into letting your dog enter those contests, though, as the true focus should be the socializing that goes along with it. How about a big puff of cotton taped on their rear end and entering as a bunny, or tape that same puff on their sweet little heads, showing that they have 'their heads in the clouds'!

Of course, the well dressed pup will definitely want a reversible Halloween bandana. We have a nice selection in our Astrid Nicole Etcetera Etsy shop for all sizes. Think of flipping down the edge, and you'll have four looks in one for your dog! Best of all....our bandanas all benefit the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ where Astrid made her home for an undetermined length of time, coming to live in her forever home with us on December, 28, 2006.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Tyler...writing a new story now

This little boy's name is Tyler...smart, very cute, loving. Tyler is also a rescue. He wandered into a yard on a Thanksgiving Day and found himself a loving home. We'll never know the story behind Tyler, or any of the other pups waiting in shelters across the country but we do know one thing. In this case, one person's carelessness, cold heartedness or possibly even an unavoidable accident of life became another person's very bright spot in life!


We appreciate Tyler's mom's generosity in letting us use his picture. It helps spread the word behind the mission of Astrid's Etsy bandana boutique. Doesn't he look proud modeling his Astrid Nicole Etcetera bandana? The proceeds from it's purchase go to aiding other shelter pets who find themselves in the same straits as he once was in. At Astrid's former shelter, the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ, all of the friends she left behind are welcome in the shelter for as long as need to be there, whether it is a day, a week or a lifetime. Hopefully they too can go from this Photobucket to a happy, loved and loving boy like Tyler. If you are thinking of getting a new companion, remember Tyler, Astrid and all the wonderful pets in shelters and consider adopting.

(Later picture is Astrid, December 2006 just before coming to live in her forever home with her mom and dad.)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Such A Pretty Girl

Photobucket




When it comes to dogs, what is a girlie girl dog? Nope...it is not a derogatory term as many would think. A girlie girl dog can be one or all of the following: beautiful, smart, loyal, loving and ALL DOG! Above, Harbor proves it all to be true as she models a very girlie bandana from the Astrid Nicole Etcetera Etsy boutique collection. She feels especially good wearing this bandana because she knows that the proceeds from all sales at the shop benefit the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ where her friend, Astrid, made her home for an undetermined length of time.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Get Your Sparkle On! It's Almost The 4th of July

It's almost that time of year when spirits run high, noise is good and we especially want to strut the red, white and blue showing our pride in the USA. As a companion animal advocate, I take pride in the fact that we value our pets so very much and the special contributions they make to our lives. Our newspapers are carrying articles about how the vast majority of us don't consider our furry friends just as 'pets', but as members of our families. Below we have Sasha and Maizy, two members of one of those loving families modeling their patriotic neckwear in anticipation of the upcoming holiday.




Their mom supported the Santa Cruz Humane Society in Nogales, AZ with her purchase. All sales at the Astrid Nicole Etcetera's Etsy shop benefit this shelter where Astrid also made her home for an undetermined length of time, coming to live in her forever home December, 28, 2006.


When adding to your family, remember the many homeless pets just waiting for that special person to walk through the door making 'happily every after' a reality for them too. Adopt, don't shop!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Dog Days of Summer




The dog days of summer are almost here. During this parching period Sirius, the "Dog Star," rises and sets with the sun from mid-July until September. This period is typified by the hot, sultry weather of July and August. You have probably observed how animals instinctively deal with the heat associated with dog days. Driving by country farms, you'll notice cows and other farm animals all gathered under the shade of a tree, not moving, sharing each other's company, much the same as people used to enjoy their front porches long before air conditioning.


This time of year is also a time for picnics, strolling through street fairs and just lounging with the family in the air conditioned comfort of home. Shown are Tucker, Sasha and Sugar doing exactly that in their Astrid Nicole Etcetera original bandana designs.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Giving Back Feels Good







Sunday's visitation to the Alzheimer's Center was a lot of fun. This is a beautiful center that reminds one of a luxury hotel. It consists of two buildings, with one being a locked door center requiring a code to enter and leave each wing.





So many of the residents share stories of their own pets while enjoying Astrid's visit. Astrid was showing off her repetoire of tricks and one lady remarked 'girls don't shake hands, they give wet sloppy kisses'. She then leaned forward for a few smoochies from Astrid who, when invited, will give little gentle kisses. Another lady would have liked Astrid to sit in her lap which, of course she couldn't due to size and safety.






Many of us want to 'give back' something to the world. Therapy Pet work is a wonderful way!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Therapy Pet Visits...therapy for all involved


Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of another therapy pet visit to a local Charlotte living center. While all are special, this particular living center has recently become our responsibility to organize. Formerly known as Greyhound Therapy Group, our mentor and therapy dog 'tester' is growing our local program and while concentrating her efforts on a living center newly added to our Pet Therapy list of centers, has entrusted this one to our team for its organization.




Another individual that was in on the ground floor of the development of Pet Therapy, Inc. visitations in our area, Barb, just recently had forwarded a discussion on building better skills during our visitations and helping us make more of a difference to those that we share time with. Two techniques noted in this briefing that I've added to individual visits were 1) shaking hands during initial greetings and 2) a new, more effective way of talking with the residents. Shaking hands seems like a no brainer, but somehow, the value of it escaped me until reading this and working with it. Granted, there are those in these centers that may be too weak or have lost interest in physical human contact, but to those that were receptive, it improved our human connection as two individuals and a dog that would like to share a few moments together.




In this 'Building Better Skills' pamplet, it was suggested that when confronted with a situation where a resident wants to discuss their condition, share their fears, or simply ask for help, that we build on what they are saying to us. If a resident is distressed, share their concern and use the words they are using. One special lady we met kept repeating her name, several times repeating my name is Florence ****er. Florence looked into my eyes and said "can you help me". My first thoughts were that she was going to ask me to do something I could never do for her such as help her leave the center. Remember what I had just read, I simply said "what can I do to help you"? Florence, in her very weak voice, told me she would like to sit up better. What a simply request that I would have never even known of if I had followed m old ways. Of course, having no knowledge of her medical condition, I couldn't do that myself but a quick trip to the 'nursing central' brought a friendly face that DID have knowledge and had Florence sitting up and happy in a matter of minutes. Florence could have lay there uncomfortable all day. I could have felt I had done a good job as a pet therapy team, but have really missed an opportunity to make a very small difference in someone's life that day.




Deciding to become a pet therapy team through Therapy Dogs, Inc. has been a more rewarding experience then I ever thought. It is therapy for Astrid, a big, black and often object of discrimination and fear Rottweiler, as she walks the halls and enters the rooms of the residents. She is changing minds and hearts about her breed. It is therapy for the residents of these living centers who so often miss their pets of yesteryear that they could hold and pet. It is therapy for me and Astrid's dad in that every time we leave, we feel just a little more in touch with humanity and what it really means to be interconnected with our fellow humans.




There are lots of therapy pet organizations out there, each with their own special mission. We found a perfect match between our big, black former shelter dog and the Therapy Dogs, Inc. visiting group in our area.

Friday, May 15, 2009

 




Joining online photography groups sometimes open up opportunities. Having recently joined a group called Dogs with Flowers, Astrid is discovering flowers everywhere in our neighborhood. While we once walked past them with barely a notice, we know assess the best angle, most beneficial lighting...and we are both pretty proud of what we come up with at times!
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Monday, May 11, 2009

The Colors of Summer




We took our inspiration from the colors of Summer, namely the colors of found in a beach ball when we created Astrid's Summer line of bandanas and collar covers. Blue, orange (our favorite), yellows....they are all there. Each is reversible to a co-ordinating color that might feature swirls or twirls of the featured color.






Originally designing only for the big dog...50# and over...requests that we include the smaller pooch were quickly obliged.






Astrid lived at the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society before coming to live with us in her forever home on Dec 28, '06. In gratitude for her care during her stay, we donate the entire amount above cost to the Society. We are currently involved in the cement slab project, which will eventually pour cement slabs in every kennel at the shelter, providing a cleaner, healthier environment for the guests of the shelter.

Astrid keeps a busy visitation schedule as a therapy pet at local senior living centers here in Charlotte, NC.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Just waiting around .

Sometimes you just have to wait around until someone opens the door.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Trending Colors

Find me on Polyvore





Who would have thought orange would be such a fashion forward color! Everywhere we looked, we found others who must have been inspired by thoughts of orange sherbet on a summer day. Astrid looks so sweet in her bandana whether she is wearing the print side or flipping it over to the swirly pattern side. Even sweeter is that every sale from her Astrid Nicole Etcetera Etsy store benefits the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ.

Lazy Daz

 

After a big day at doggie day camp on Tuesday playing with her best friend Zelda, Astrid had a lay around the house day on Wednesday. We all need one of those once in a while! Zelda has been Astrid's best friend at day camp since she started attending camp at Best Friends in Pineville, NC two years ago.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A Nice Lazy Afternoon Smelling The Flowers

 

Sometimes you just need to take time and smell the roses. We're lucky to have a long rose season here in NC, but when it does get too cold, Astrid can always enjoy the sunflowers you see on her bandana.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

My Teacher, Sarah




I have been going to a class on Sundays at my day camp, Best Friends, for almost nine months now. Today is the last class that I will ever have with my teacher, Sarah. She is moving to Alabama because she has a new job. She is going to develop programs that will help doggies in shelters be more adoptable. You know how when you go to a shelter and some dogs just sit in the back of their kennel and everyone passes them over even though they might have made the absolute BEST pet ever? Well, she has ideas to teach them to come to the front, say hello and have a better chance. She has lots of other ideas too, like teaching them little tricks like putting their paw up on the kennel for a 'high five' when someone looks at them. Anyway, she is moving this week, so today is my last class.

Sarah is really good at teaching tricks, and helping us dogs get ready for things like the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and therapy pet tests and just all sorts of things. I, along with my mom and dad, will miss her lots, but we know that lots more dogs at this shelter in Alabama will now find homes because of Sarah.

We are giving her a good bye present today. My mom made it and the card too. It's to carry lots of stuff in for her new job. I hope she fills it with treats for all the new doggies she is going to meet.

Friday, April 10, 2009

It's Easter Weekend!


Astrid wants to update her blog and show off her Easter outfit. Of course, the bandana is another Astrid Nicole Etcetera original, available only at Astrid Nicole's Etsy store. Astrid special ordered the matching Easter basket and mom filled it with the plastic eggs. On Easter morning, the eggs will be filled with treats, freeze dried liver and pieces of Mellow Mutts, and hidden around the house. This will be a true test of the nose of Astrid Nicole!

We continue our mission with our Etsy store of giving back to the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ for the great care they gave Astrid during the undetermined length of time she spent in their shelter. Due to the generosity of pet owner's, we have many pets out there looking way stylin' in new bandanas and collor scrunchies, while the guests of the shelter are enjoying newly poured cement slabs in their kennels. So far, Astrid's Etsy store has been able to provide funds to pour three of these cement slabs.

Visit the SCHS website and click on a few of the dogs listed that need homes. You'll find some enjoying these cement slabs! Of course, a project of this magnitude takes time, but when completed, with the help of Astrid's friends, other pet owners and simply those that want to support our cause, we excitedly anticipate the next project we can turn our Etsy shop's attention to.

Monday, March 2, 2009

We Are Getting Cleaner and Healthier With Each Sale


Thanks to friends, supporters and their fashion forward canines, Astrid was able to pour another cement slab in one kennel at her former shelter, the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ. She met her goal of raising another $175 - the price of the cement slab - and had it on it's way a few days before Valentine's Day. Because of several recent adoptions, some new canine guests of the shelter will be enjoying the healthier surfaces this will provide while waiting for their forever homes. As space frees up at the no kill shelter, dogs thought to be most adoptable are brought in from the Animal Care and Control in Nogales. Animal Care and Control is the agency charged with the rescuing of strays off the streets of this US/Mexico border community and are taken to their holding center where they stay (for 3 days) awaiting pickup by their owners or.....well, you know. More adoptions at the shelter mean lots more room and opportunities for more great dogs.

As exciting as the fashion and glamour of Astrid's Etsy store, Astrid Nicole Etcetera, is she still found time for a few additonal accomplishments. Having met the testing requirements of Therapy Dogs, Inc. back in November, she's begun a regular curcuit of visitations which include living and rehabilitation facilities along with Alzheimer Centers. Just yesterday, Sunday March 1, we spent a couple of hours visiting and talking with the residents of The Havens and The Laurels in Charlotte. Pictured above is Astrid, wearing her Canine Good Citizen bandana, waiting to leave for the ride there. The stories of the pets they have to share are such fun to listen too and we always see how pleased they are when we part ways, reminding them 'see you again very soon'.

Therapy visitations, learning at classes and Day Camp keep this big, black and brown dog along with her family very busy!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Hands and Heart for Nogales, AZ Animal Shelter - our Valentine goal


This isn't Astrid, but it could be mistaken for her...they look a lot alike. This is Negra. Negra lived at the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ at the same time Astrid did. Negra is still there, Astrid has been with us for over two years now. Notice that the floor of Negra's kennel is just rocky dirt. That's what the land is like in the high desert country where Nogales, AZ is with its elevation of over 3800 feet. Many of the kennel floors are now a nice cement slab, with gravel in the other half of the kennel. That is much cleaner and healthier for the resident dogs and much, much more comfortable. This is a story of how we are working to help the shelter make all the kennels cleaner, healthier and more comfortable.

We reached our goal of raising $175 with Astrid's Etsy dog boutique and we did it just in time for Christmas. The Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, Az where Astrid made her home for a period of time is pouring cement slab in every kennel and each slab costs roughly $175 . To reach our goal, we sold bandanas, dog collar scrunchies and greeting cards through our online Etsy shop.

Visiting southern Arizona this Christmas, '08, we stopped at the shelter to pass out treats to the guests there and to hand deliver our check for $175. The improvements we saw at the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales were extensive. When we found Astrid there, she was in with two border collie type dogs that had spent their entire young lives in that shelter. My husband and I dubbed them 'the bros' for lack of knowing their names, if they had any names at all. These two dogs quarreled a lot and maybe Astrid was, with their shortage of space and her even temperment, about the safest dog they could put in with them. We are so happy that, for some time now, 'the bros' have been gone. You see, the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society is a 'no kill' shelter so someone, somewhere, must have seen the hidden miracles in these two scruffy black dogs.

As in all shelters, there was, is and probably always will be, over crowding. Compounding this overcrowding problem, was a lack of seperate kennels and many dogs were kept in one large kennel. This situation has dramatically changed, too! There are seperate kennels now, with one or two dogs in each. They are seperated by fencing according to their temperament and size. Now, each kennel is continuing the makeover with a cement pad being poured in each. Helping this project to reach its goal, Astrid continues to raise money with her Astrid Nicole Etcetera doggie boutique.

We had a wonderfully successful Christmas season. This being the first year that we have worked on our Etsy for Nogales' Shelter project, we had no idea what to expect. We were kept mighty busy as people we knew from dog social networking sites bought Astrid's bandanas, collar scrunchies, and greeting cards. We were kept busy by people we didn't know, that had heard of our project, or simply liked our things and wanted to share them with their own dog or someone else's dog. Now, we are headed into 2009 with the same goal...to help the shelter continue to pour cement pads in ALL kennels at the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, ensuring that the canine guests there will have a healthy and clean environment while, like Astrid did, they wait for a special forever home to open its heart and doors. We'd like to reach our second goal, a second cement pad paid for by the Astrid Nicole Etcetera shop by Valentines Day. We've even given our St Valentine's Day goal a name...hands and hearts for Nogales, AZ animal shelter.

And Astrid? How is she doing? She just became a member of Therapy Dogs, Inc. She is spreading joy one touch at a time in nursing homes and alzheimer's centers in Charlotte, NC, where we all moved just five short months after she took that ride home to her forever home. She also considers herself representative of shelter dogs every where after earning her AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate. She attends day camp once a week where she spends an entire day playing with her 'own kind'. She has probably pretty much forgotten shelter life. We wish all dogs could.

90% of the proceeds from each sale are donated to the Santa Cruz Co Humane Society in Nogales, AZ. The remaining 10% will be used to buy fabric for making new items for Astrid's Astrid Nicole Etcetera doggie boutique on Etsy and to pay postage when we ship these items out. We want to help the shelter finish the cement pouring project and we want to be part of the next project, and the one after that.

This story would not be complete without this message. Please, when you consider getting your next canine companion, consider adopting, not shopping.