RESCUE SUCCESS

Friends of Madison County Animals and the Madison County Animal Shelter showed up in true form at Saturday's Heritage Festival.

Of course they brought along the cutest puppies and dogs of various sizes and breeds hoping to find new homes for each and every one. Thanks goes out to the volunteers who spend countless hours giving all they can to these animals. And special thanks for letting me take a shift in time to see this little bugger land in the arms of his new found mom.

Welcome Algadore

We were pleased to welcome this last weekend Algadore and mom, Donna. Algadore won our contest on Dogster.com for a free weekend at Ponder Cove. As you can see from this photo taken on his hike to Max Patch he is divine. Algadore submitted an essay on why he deserved a holiday at PC. His writing style was impeccable but it was his heart warming content that won me over. As he explained mom over time has rescued many a dog. Each time Algadore scoots over selflessly making room for another less fortunate in his house. So, this was his chance to have mom all to himself. He immediately made himself at home and we agreed Algadore deserved his time away with mom.

Hope to see you again soon Algadore, m

PUPPY LOVE

How lucky are these two amazing pups? One minute their future unknown as they lounged within the walls of a shelter. But as only fate could determine in walk my friends Gary and Frank to the rescue. Obviously it took no time at all for these kids to adjust to their new home perched on top of their very own mountain. Life is good in Sandy Mush.

DOGS ARE AMAZING

Everyone must go to this video. It is one of the most courageous acts I have ever witnessed.......DOG SAVES DOG FROM FREEWAY!

DOG OF THE DAY!!!

Welcome the Wigleys....uh oh....Pops got cheated out of his mugshot being on the blog. But let me introduce you to the most important member of the family, Tiny pictured here with his lovable mom. Here goes another amazing rescue story. Tiny first belonged to great grandparents....they passed. Tiny took his tiny broken heart and moved on to the grand parents...they passed...Tiny took his broken heart and moved on to parents...Thank goodness they didn't pass but look where he landed, a perfect ending for a perfect pup! I can attest that there are no remnants of a broken heart and all is well. So many dogs....so little time. Today TINY is the DOG OF THE DAY!!!!!

Little Pearls

When first coming to North Carolina Gary and I were fortunate to attend our first fund raiser supporting a wonderful non-profit organization called LITTLE PEARLS. We were so impressed with the quality of these tiny films with so much impact that we sent copies to lots of friends in an effort to support this organization. One of their new "Little Pearls" centers on what precious canines can teach us. Enjoy and read more about Little Pearls and meet Katie and Gracie .http://www.littlepearls.org/katieandmitch.html

DOGSTER.COM

Ponder Cove is featured on the main Dogster.com FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS Blog. Join today and you just might win another opportunity to scoop up a couple of free nights at the Cove. Well, your dog might win and if you behave I bet they will bring you along..."Sit owner...fetch owner....Feed me owner...take me to Ponder Cove owner". Good luck.

PONDER COVE RESCUE NEWS JUST IN

Another great rescue story from our guests Jeanie and Stan. "We are SO delighted to report that our pack has recently grown to three schnauzers. Amy and Zelda--our two seven-year-olds who came to see you twice in recent years-- have a new little brother that we literally picked up on the highway along the Florida Gulf Coast. His owner subsequently gave him to us because he was no longer able to care for him in a way that he thought the little dog deserved. He is five years old and adorable! We so love Ponder Cove and think you guys are great."

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SWEETIE
Bret Marquis, Owner

Her future is so bright she had to wear shades.

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Maizey Grace, LAB

Karen and Meredith Hall, Owners

My name is Maizey Grace and my humans caught me in the middle of one of my beauty treatments! A girl has to work hard to maintain her looks you know! A Southern lady tries not to let her secrets out but I was ambushed! I am another LFS dog. I am originally from the great state of Texas and was brought to Georgia as a Christmas gift. While my original family loved me, my parents both worked full time and crated me for 12-15 hours a day! That does not make for a happy puppy! Fortunately they found Labrador Friends of the South and asked them to find me a new forever home! My first and only adoption event was on a cold,sleety Saturday in February of 2006. I was under the table when a sweet young girl named Meredith found me. Her first Labrador Grover had passed away after ten years with her and she was looking for a new friend! We fell in love with each other immediately! Her Mom saw the love and gave in pretty easily! I joined Meredith, Divot her brother dog and her two cats Uba and Peaches! I was so happy and while I had some bad moments--what's a girl to say? I have now settled in and also have another brother Hank the Tank --another LFS friend! I am living proof that blonds really do have more fun!!!

Love, Maizey Grace and Meredith

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Hunter, Boxer
Neena Gulley, Owner

My name is Hunter but this past December, my parents decided to name me Rudolph the Big Nosed Boxer. I was very unhappy with the new moniker. You see, my parents decided to bring a screaming, ear-pulling baby into our lives this past November. Not that anybody asked me what I thought about that. We were all just humming along happily, and suddenly this horrible red screaming thing arrives and ruins everything. Except, around Christmas I decided to finally give her a chance, very reluctantly, mind you. Turns out, she's not so bad, although please don't think that I like her or anything. Because I don't. I really don't. Except for sometimes, when no one is looking, I like to sneak over to her and give her a few kisses. Definitely not because I like her or anything, but us red-nosed boxers like to stick together. Happy year, everyone! The holidays are long over, but the celebratin' is just beginning.

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Nick, Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix

Scott and KellyAnn Madsen

Hi! My name is Nick and I'm a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix.I was wandering through the woods on Christmas Eve morning in 2005 and I stumbled across a yard that had another Lab in it! I was really sick, very hungry, and weighed very little. Since we don't know when my birthday is, the vet says that I'm about 3 1/2 years old. After my now parents tried desperately to find my home, they decided that the best home for me was with them! I'm so happy to have a brother, a Black Lab, who always wants to play and we keep each company. Some of my best friends are from Labrador Friends of the South. I'm very laid back and love to watch the clouds go often picturing them of yummy dog treats. I love doggie ice cream, swimming, camping, chasing flies, and sleeping (that's actually what I do best). My parents always say how lucky I am that I found them, but I think the joke's on them, they are so lucky to have me.

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Georgia,Bluetick Coonhound Dobermann mix
Sandi and Kevin Rapillo

My Dad is a drummer and he was playing a benefit for the "Bobby Cox Paws Because ... They Are Worth Saving Fundraising" in Atlanta. As he was walking around he found me in a little red wagon and called Mom in Nashville and said he fell in love and could he bring me home...

Well, two years later I've come a long way from that parking lot in Atlanta that someone left me and my twelve brothers and sisters (who all found forever homes too!) I had mange, people thought I was getting cute white spots on my black coat...not so cute in January.

I took my first people vacation to Ponder Cove and had a great time, Martha and Gary made me feel really welcome, and my Mom and Dad met a couple from Nashville that they are now good friends with!

I take Agility, Rally and my latest class is Freestyle Dancing! It's a funny class because there is a Great Dane, Coonhound, Beagle, Basset Hound and of course the show off—a Poodle. You should see the Great Dane trying to go through her owners legs! We all have a big laugh because none of us (except the poodle) are very good...

But my favorite thing in the world is to wrap my paws around your neck and give you a big hug and if there is a treat involved, I'll even throw in a big kiss!

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Belle , American English Coonhound
Neal and Joy Anderson

We searched everywhere for the dog that needed us. That's when we met Belle. When we arrived to meet her, a wiggly ball of mud burst forward into Neal's lap. Her lot was only 15 feet square and she shared it with her brother. She informed us she needed a home with places to run and fun things to do. We brought her home and after her first bath we discovered she was not red but white with red spots. The wiggly didn't wash out. As we have lived together we have found we need her much more than she needed us. She takes care of everyone around her, not just her family. Once she found a young rabbit injured in the yard. She brought him to us and we rushed him to the vet where they saved him. The vet said Belle saved him by finding him so soon after the hawk attack. We would never have seen him without her excellent nose and concern for others. She even found Ponder Cove while she was watching TV one day. So for our 6th anniversary we took our 3 year old coonhound to Ponder Cove and she wanted to stay forever. She is such a big part of our family she even visits Joy's classroom from time to time. Everyone seems to know Belle even if they don't remember our names. She was shy but has blossomed into a loving, sweet, and friendly pup. We feel blessed to have her in our lives.

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Digby and Gryphon, LAP PUPS
Karen Hodgdon, Owner

They are 3 months old and so much fun!

Digby is bouncy and floppy and very playful. She is living up to her name by digging at everything. She is curious and bold and courageous, which is good because her brother is a bit more timid.

Gryphon is my thinker; he's also a cuddler. He's slightly bowlegged, so he can lay on the floor like puppies do, with his back legs sticking straight out behind him. He likes to sneak up and jump on Digby, which usually starts the wrestling match.

They are both generally appeased by rawhide - as you can see in the photo. It is a great distraction. Right now they love this big bed, but I don't think it'll be long before I'll have to get another one - they are growing up FAST!

Labrador Friends

This is a very successful adoption agency. All interested parties check it out....http://www.labradorfriends.com

JUDGE JUDY KNOWS ALL

I was very impressed Angela Jergler's (Reece's mom) e-mail signature. So, I decided to pass it on.

"There must be a special place in hell for people who torture animals. Until you get there, you'll deal with me."

- Judge Judy

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RITZ. Chi Pom
Colleen Keyes, Owner

Meet, the queen of the house. She is a rescue and at 8 lbs., she packs a lot of personality into a small frame. Her favorite activity - chasing the 12 cats we have (though she never catches or hurts them). Ritzi will be making her 2nd trip to Ponder Cove this fall!

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ZEUS, GOLDEN RETRIEVER
MARTHA PRICE, OWNER

Zeus loves water and it is almost impossible to take him out of the pool!! Zeus knows how to smile and he loves to do so when new people come to our house. He has this weird combination between crazy and sweet at the same time…so even if he does something he does not suppose to do, you can’t get mad at him…his sweet temper makes your heart melt in minutes! HE is my treasure, my baby.

When we got Zeus, we were living in a apartment…thanks to him my husband finally took the step to invest in a house..after the manager of the apartments was knocking our door almost everyday saying we needed to get rid of the dog…I told my husband: get rid of my dog? Heck no!! we get rid of this apartment and get a house where Zeus can run and play, and that is how we got our house and Zeus has plenty of room to run and play safely!!

Zeus has definitely made our lives much better. I feel I am exited after a day at work to go home…I call my house home since we have him…he makes everything much better and enjoyable!

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Jo Jo ( Paradice's Jo Jo's China Bistro)
owner Wendy Ryan

Jo Jo is a 5 year old male Chinese Crested Powderpuff. He was given to me by a client of mine and even though I've always been an owner of large mixed breed dogs, I fell in love with his tiny self. He is so brave, friendly and outgoing. He gets along with every dog he meets and of course loves all people.