Welcome SaraBella

Sometimes it is just worth the effort. My friends Faye and Ken Prewitt drove all the way from NYC to Ponder Cove, spent the night, got up the next morning and drove to Telluhoma, Tennessee to pick up their new Brittany puppy SaraBella. Then back to Ponder Cove for SaraBella to meet and bond with her godparents (that's me and Gary) and back the next day to NYC. (Ken, you may know as the financial reporter from Bloomberg Radio and you can follow him on Facebook) As you can see she got home in time for the big game and is rooting all the way for one more Yankee win. It was sad to see them come and go so quickly but worth the visit and just look at this babe.

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.

PONDER COVE DOGS CAN STAY!

OK, that is a bit of an exaggeration. Because of course they were going to stay. But Dollie Mae, Buck and Ponder were in serious need of an attitude adjustment. Well, I am happy to say help is here. We just finished our first session with Kim Brophy. Kim is a certified animal behaviorist and I can not tell you what a help she was.

Thank goodness as she explained...My dogs are doing nothing wrong (in their eyes). I just didn't have any tools to handle the situation. Between the three of them they are jockeying for the alpha position at all times. That is usually between Buck and Ponder. Then when guests' dogs show up Dollie Mae being the third man around here tries to dominate them. I was all concerned about my anxiety level but what she made me realize was Mom is not suffering half as much as my sweeties. That hit my heart and I want life to be better for them. So, with some great behavioral modifications for Gary and I and a dose of Melatonin (for them not us... but check with you vet as Kim insisted) I have a new situation on my hands.

Ponder is our aging dude and she made me realize it is our job to insure his position as alpha as he ages. It was a brilliant session and after Kim winning International APDT
2009 Outstanding Trainer of the Year we can't believe our luck that she is in Asheville.

So, come on down and stay at Ponder Cove and make your appointment with Kim. You will be glad you did.

xxoo
martha and her happy pups

FASHION WEEK NC

Don't you agree....I think the search is over for Ponder Cove's new Fashion Editor. In this video you will find a behind the scenes moment before this divine Diva hits the catwalk. Meet Ms.Zoester

READY SET GO

One of my greatest pleasures is coming up the drive and watching the dogs get all excited. "Mom is home! Mom is home!" They bark. Up they run as fast as they can and then plop faster than I can get out of the car, exhausted from the climb, spent from such a burst of energy...but they took it on without a second's hesitation...just because they are glad I am home.

I was reading Raquel Wynn's book today STRETCH YOUR DOG HEALTHY and ran across a great passage. "The life of a dog is high-impact. Hours are spent playing in yards, chasing critters, sleeping on hard floors, hanging out, leading family walks and just trying to get the most out of life. They are ready at a moment's notice, they greet us with complete enthusiasm every time we come home, and they loyally support us--this takes a lot of energy." We can learn a lot from our dogs...but today I learned my dogs deserve a massage for that outpouring of enthusiasm much to the chagrin of their joints.

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.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

The sun is shining and all is well at the Cove. We hibernated more than enough and are thrilled to see our guests coming again. Our wedding season has started and what a way to kick it off. We loved having Bethanie and Aaron saying their "I Do's" at Ponder Cove just last week. Congratulations and come back real soon. Hugs,m

RAQUEL WYNN ROCKS!

just a reminder -

tune into Rachael's show "wynn with dogs" on www.petliferadio.com and learn how to win with dogs!

spread the word!

FREE CALENDAR FOR YOU

Enjoy this little tool as a gift from Ponder Cove. I hope you take advantage of this on-line calendar. I have used this for years and just love it. It's an easy download, doesn't take much space and can be forwarded to all of your family and friends. If you missed it go to www.dtesusa.com/pondercovedogs for the Dog Contest winner calendar and celebrate all of these cutie patooties.

Then there is our gorgeous nature calendar featuring Gary's photos that I have reissued......

Just in from our frequent guest Christine. Just in time for your e-mailing card list. Save a stamp and give your friends a big dog lick instead....http://www.sloppykisscards.com/ecards.php.
HO HO HO....martha and critters

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!!!!!

GEORGIA IS ON MY MIND

That Georgia says the seetest things....from her IPHONE....trendette and glamour puss that she is. We miss you Ms. G

"had a great time at ponder cove! thanks. love, Georgia"

SABA and DEER on YOU TUBE

Well, don't say we don't get our share of celebrities. You won't even believe this video. This is the infamous Saba who has caused quite a stir on YOU TUBE....Click here and you will know why.

BLUE EYED BABES

Meet Alex and Maya...two local lovelies hailing from Yancey County. Their proud owners Steve and Jose can't get enough of these two and I just had to share this pic as they stare lovingly into their Pops camera.

HOW DAWGS DO TRAVEL

Meet Mulligan, Tyler and Sage....all packed up and ready to go. But heh you guys...get out of the car. You're not due to Ponder Cove until October. See you then. In the meantime enjoy a nice Fall in NYC.

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."

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

SPENCER, DAWG

Nancy Tracy, Owner

Spencer, star of stage, screen and Las Vegas recently finished his tour as Harry Pupper. Sold out audiences across the land were left spellbound with his amazing wizardry. POOF...your a dog bone.

Raquel Wynn's Book Release

YEA! SHE DID IT
We are excited to announce the release of
Raquel Wynn's first book.

Raquel and her husband Phillip are two of our favorite PC guests and
we are thrilled with Raquel's completion and publication of this book.

If you are in the Nashville area don’t miss this chance to meet Raquel

Saturday, August 23rd, 1-3pm
Davis Kidd Bookstore, Green Hills Mall

We look forward to making STRETCH YOUR DOG HEALTHY available for sale at PC

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Ginger, Lab/ Pit Bull Mix
Mark, Krista, Brittany and Taylor, owners

Ginger has been a wonderful addition to our family. We were so lucky to adopt Ginger
from Labrador Friends of the South on December 31,2006. It was a wonderful way
to ring in the new year. Our entire family is crazy about her. She absolutely loves to
be with her family. She has a weak spot for squeaky toys. Ginger loves to wake our
girls. Every morning she serves as the alarm clock. She loves to shower people with
kisses. I can't imagine our life without her. We feel very lucky to have her as a member
of our family!

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Cerys ( pronounced Kerris), Lab Mix
Kiki and Phil Jones, owner

Cerys is the Welsh word for love. We went to a Labradorfriends meeting on 15th Dec 2007. They had a 'Box of puppies done up with Christmas tape' and were hoping to find homes for them. They had named them after Santa's reindeer. Cerys was then called Cupid and was the smallest. She was wrapped up in a little blanket and despite that was shivering all over. She was about 12 pounds in weight and beautiful, but very, very frightened. We had not thought of adopting a dog before that day but our hearts melted when we saw her. She was described as a Lab mix and people are still amazed when they see her for the first time as they expect her to be bigger.

She now weighs about 26 pounds at 11 months and is like a mini-lab (as a friend called her) perfectly proportioned and a wonderful honey colour. As she grew it was obvious that she was quite a nervous dog who still tries to run the other way when we get close to storm drains, but she was probably wild for a time with her family, so who knows what happened to her. She has changed our lives, but for the better..We have had nothing but support from Labfriends in the early teething stages when she was so terrified of everything, the dishwasher, the car, the friendly baby rabbit in the garden. You name it and she was terrified initially. With patience and few cross words she has settled into her new life and made ours richer. We think she has 'Star quality' but that will have to be left to your good judgement