That's a Good Boy!

As some of you may have noticed from my "picture of the week" on the left hand side of my blog, I'm a bit obsessed with dogs. But wait, there's a perfectly good explanation (for my obsession and my endorsement of Perfect Paws)!

**insert sad violin music here**

You see, growing up, I never had a dog. Actually, to be completely honest, I was terrified of dogs until the age when I was bigger than all of them. (Too many large dogs chased me as a child - and by too many I mean two.) So I had absolutely no desire to even be near a dog until I was well into the double digits. My family has always had cats and, don't get me wrong, I would never turn down a cat for a pet (they're just so cute and snuggly!). But now, I think, I'm trying to make up for all that time I lost without ever having a dog, or really ever being near one for a great length of time.

**music starts to pick up into a jaunty little tune**

My fiance, between his two families, has four dogs and one cat. Being around these animals for six years now leads me to believe that I have been missing out on the world of dogs. And, even though I cannot own one and have it live in my apartment (stupid policies), I have become a shelter/rescue website checker on a regular basis. Whether this soothes my craving for a furry and playful best friend or simply makes my heart wrench a little more, I can't say. I consider it keeping my options open for when my lease is up.

**some sort of inspirational music begins**

My fiance's stepmother is the founder and organizer of Perfect Paws Pet Rescue, Inc. She and volunteers take in dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens that are unwanted or uncared for and put them in temporary homes until they can be adopted by people or families that are willing and able to commit to their pets. I cannot tell you how great I think it is that she does this. Perfect Paws is a no-kill rescue and the animals are provided with up-to-date, age-appropriate vaccinations and tests, including spay/neuter surgery. Plus, each pet goes home with a leash, collar, and training DVD among other things.

So obviously I have a personal tie with this organization, and I think the idea of it is great, but you want to know the main reason for putting the pictures on my site? They're so darn cute! Very rarely does some other picture beat out one of these cute puppies/dogs for my picture of the week. If you have a little time, please check out the Perfect Paws site and take a look around (I'm also helping her with the aesthetics of the website and keeping it up-to-date, so let me know if you see something that should be fixed!). If you are at all interested in adopting, learn about her organization and the animals she has available. If you are interested in simply being a foster home for one of these cute little guys until they can be adopted (and there is almost always a need for foster homes) let me know and I can get you in contact with Tammy (or really just email her from the Perfect Paws site). I can't help but want to help! And it sort of gives me a puppy fix, so really it's a win-win!


(This beautiful girl is Hannah. She was last week's picture, but I just can't get over how cute she is! Plus, I think she demonstrates my point perfectly. Or at least helps explain why I'm addicted to checking this site.)

**music fades and is quiet**