LiveSTRONG today in honor of l♥ve lost yesterday...

Do you know why today is LiveSTRONG day? Because October 2nd was the day that Lance Armstrong received the devastating news that he had testicular cancer. That was a life-altering diagnosis for a man who was young and healthy and vital. Lance took that diagnosis and he LivedSTRONG to the best of his ability and knocked his disease to its knees on more than one occasion. Never once did he give in to defeat. He'd get shoved down and would get right back up again - an example to all of us.

I'm sure that all of us know someone who faced the demon named cancer and came out on top. I'm sure that all of us know someone who fought the good fight and lost the battle even though they faced each day with courage and strength. Every day when we close the door to our home behind us we are surrounded by valiant warriors who are unknown to us. They go about their day without making us aware of their struggle - their battles - and their fears and sorrows.

My mother and I. She fought the good fight against breast cancer and lost - but fight she did and with a passion.

We are also surrounded by family heroes who go by the name of mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter and friend - people who support those they love dearly who have been informed they have cancer or that their cancer has returned.

Last, but certainly not least, we are surrounded by those warriors who fought the good fight and won! They took on a foe that makes most of us cringe and shudder in our boots. They had the mastectomy or prostate surgery or amputation or lumpectomy and then they endured weeks and months of toxic chemicals being poured into their bodies. Medications that made them so sick they wanted to just lay down and die. But, they didn't - they kept on and they came out the other side triumphant holding the banner of remission or complete cure!

Whether you live with cancer or died with cancer YOU are my hero. If you love someone or help to care for someone with cancer YOU are my hero. If you have stood by a grave (as I have) and mourned for love lost too soon, YOU are my hero. The fight against cancer is filled with heroes and heroines - those we know about and those we have never heard mentioned. Those people are all icons of beauty and strength and courage and triumph. I stand before them humbled because no matter what I have endured in my lifetime, I yield to their impeccable example of character in the face of a foe that has the capability of taking a 200 pound man and dropping him to his knees in fear when he hears that he must don his emotional armour and fight the good fight for his life.

My h♥art-dog, Tony, who died in my arms in 1987, killed by hemangiosarcoma. No heart has beat with more courage or love or devotion.

Did you know that LiveSTRONG has a web site with literally volumes of information and assistance and links that guide and instruct US and those we love about what we need to do to stand up and take that first step to live the remainder of our lives strong and healthy? Take a look, you'll get lost reading its volumes of fantastic information about a myriad of healthy topics. You will be able to participate in support groups to help you as you diet or stop smoking or begin to exercise or get into your kitchen to learn how to cook healthy. It's all there. It's all FREE. What are you waiting for? Let's all LiveSTRONG today and tomorrow and all of our tomorrows - for us and for those who are fighting the good fight and for those who fought the most difficult battle of their lives and lost.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Good, sound advice.

And, last but not least: October is National Breast Cancer Month. Wear a pink ribbon on your blog in support of all the courageous women who have faced down this demon and told it to 'go to h*ll'.

Help OPERATION BAGHDAD PUPS WIN a $20,000 Prize! Bring home our soldier's dogs & cats.

Mimi's note: Taking in a homeless cat, kitten, dog or puppy when so far away from home is sometimes the only comfort that our brightest and best soldiers have at the end of what most be horrible days and nights. PLEASE vote for this organization now and tomorrow and the next day. Numerous animals have been brought to the USA and reunited with the first love of their life - the soldier who gave them refuge from the horrors of war.

We OWE it to our military to do each and everything possible in each and every way. Let's bring home those pets that gave them so much love when they were so far from American soil. 

It is CRITICAL that we bring to the US as many dogs as possible due to the fact that the Muslim religion dictates that dogs are unclean and cannot be pets and that all black dogs should be killed. (I make NO determination about the Muslim religion or Islam good or bad. I am only sharing what I have learned and fact-checked.)

God bless you for helping and God Bless the United States of America.

During the "Friends of Naturalizer" contest running September 30th through October 3rd, Naturalizer will donate $20,000 to a charitable organization dedicated to one of these important causes - disaster relief, clean water and the safety and well-being of animals. It's up to YOU to decide who wins this sizable donation. Voting takes just two clicks!

Cast your vote for animals!

We need YOU to vote daily today through Sunday, October 3rd for SPCA International and Operation Baghdad Pups!

Vote Now and Vote Daily!

Please share this information with your family and friends to maximize your impact!

LIVESTRONG EVENT - October 2nd - You snooze, you lose

Miss Camille Suzanne wants everyone to remember that October 2nd is LIVESTRONG DAY across the world and the blogosphere. You can register your bloggy to attend and do a special post that day to honor a loved one that left for heaven because of that horrible Cancer disease or you can show your support of all who are 'fighting the good fight' right now to defeat the C-deamon. However you chose to PAWticipate - please DO. It will take each and every one of us to stand side by side to conquer Cancer in our lifetime.

Grab our sidebar badge, add it to your bloggy and display it proudly because now you are a warrior in the great army doing battle against the BIG C.

Florida man builds kitty village as sanctuary for homeless cats

Mimi's note: Usually I post a little introduction to my entries; however, this is such eye-candy I'd like you to use all of your time to enjoy!

By Jerry James Stone, Planet Green Craig Grant didn't like cats. But that changed when his son moved out, leaving his cat, Pepper, behind. And just when Craig was getting used to having one cat, he found out Pepper was pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five kittens later, Craig was ready to adopt them out until his son said they must stay with their mother for 8 weeks. "It wasn't long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains," he notes on his website.
The cats started to be a problem for Craig. Not only were neighbors complaining but the cats were being harassed, like being shot with B.B. guns. A newspaper advertisement led him to a tree farm 100 miles away from his Jacksonville condo.

He immediately loved the tree farm and bought 30 acres where he quickly erected an office trailer as a cat shelter. It had pet doors and padded shelving for long cat naps. The sanctuary is in the middle of 100 acres of wildlife.


(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

Craig moved there himself in 2003. By that time he had 11 cats -- he had adopted strays and abandoned cats. By 2004, he had 22 cats. As you can tell by these pictures, he now has quite a few more than 22.


(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

"We [currently] have 660 cats, we have barely touched on the first 5 acres of the 30 acres of land," says Craig. But that many cats in one location comes with serious concerns. Outdoor cats definitely affect bird populations to the measure of being an invasive species.

"Whenever you host a large number of domestic animals in one place, responsibility is key," says Jenny Powers at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "You don't want to run into unexpected environmental impacts like high amounts of animal waste in waterways or negatively impacted vegetation or critters." She points out that looking for sustainable solutions before a probem begins is the best way to ensure there's no unintended consequences associated with a good deed.

Craig's website says: "Caboodle Ranch has the seal of approval from the Tallahassee Humane Society and the Tallahassee/Madison County Animal Control. Representatives from both have been to the ranch and both have liked what they've found."


(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

The expenses for the nonprofit sanctuary come out of Craig's pocket and donations from the public. Each cat costs about $550 a year to tend to, and that is without extraneous vet bills. All the cats are spayed or neutered, and their shots are kept up to date.


(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

And while Caboodle Ranch is beyond cute, it is also hard work. Craig puts in 14-plus hours a day. The ranch's biggest challenge is finding dedicated volunteers. The novelty of the sanctuary surely attracts visitors, about 30 or so each month, but they don't always stick around.


(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

But don't go to Caboodle Ranch looking for a pet. The cats are not up for adoption. "The reason the cats are there in the first place is that there were not enough homes [for them]. The cats at the ranch have their forever home now. We prefer people adopt cats from humane societies, animal control, etc., where those cats are on death row and are in desperate need to be saved," says Craig.

(Photo via caboodleranch.com)

Let's fill some hungry tummies and show our l♥ve - Pedigree adoption & food drive

Mimi's note: The faces you see above are my shelter babies. Each of them was homeless before I adopted them and provided a FURever home. There are millions and millions of gorgeous companion animals housed in your local shelter  just waiting for a chance to give you their love. Let's do what we can to keep them fed until they leave the shelter in the loving arms of their new momma or dadda.

Our shelters' finances are severely strained in our miserable economy. What you do today just might save a life - I know it will provide a full tummy.

How often have you had a chance to have a 20 pound bag of dog food donated to a shelter simply for writing a blog post? It’s really that easy. Pedigree has upped the ante big time. And please spread this message: The food drive is not limited to pet blogs. Imagine if we could spread this message beyond our circles and see how far it goes? The numbers could be substantial. Here is the full scoop:

• Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

• This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1  million bowls have been donated.

• Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

• Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19,  the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers will host a Blog Hop, to help raise awareness for the “Write a post, help a dog” effort.

It is so easy to make a big difference. Please set aside a few moments to write a post. Include the bullet points above.  Copy the pics if you’d like. Add whatever you’d like in addition to help get the message out. Because this is not limited to pet bloggers, there is tremendous potential. Know bloggers in other categories that might be interested? Please share this post with them, write one of your own, and be here Thursday to leave a link to your post. Let’s make this huge. It would just feel great.

September 11, 2010 - God Bless the United States of America - We will NEVER forget

Petey's brofur Mica is going to heaven this afternoon. Hurry over there to give some l♥ve.

PLEASE run as quick as you can over to Petey's Playhouse. Petey's kitty brofur, Mica, is going to heaven this afternoon and his momma would like all of us to join paws and ♥s to be with them in spirit - to express our solidarity. Even sometimes when we know that we are doing the furry best thing for someone we l♥ve it is still one of this life's most difficult things to endure.

Rest in peace, Mica. You were loved dearly and gave much love to your fambly. No greater legacy can be left on earth by man or beast.