April's Column - Pet Gazette
Hi everyone, it’s the Banana! I am enjoying the warmer weather are you? I like it because I can go outside and play with my toys and friends. However, the only drawback is that I get mega-wicked tired at night and cannot stay up to watch my television shows. Anyway, guess what? I turned one year in March! Mom held a cool party for me and I got tons of cookies and toys. I also got treated to a manicure and pedicure at my favorite doggie spa. All in all, my favorite part of my birthday, was my cookies!!! I tried to tell Mom and Dad that cookies are like potato chips…you just cannot eat one! They think I am funny.
I also got a job! Yep, me, Hanna Banana is working for a living. It’s actually a mega-wicked cool job with the boxer rescue league. I am an official Volunteer for Boxer Buddies! However for the young pups out there, a volunteer means you really do not get paid for your work, but my mom is great and rewards me on the side.
Here is the low down on my job. I travel with my Mom and Dad to do home evaluations for people who are interested in adopting a dog that needs a home. If the prospective home already has a dog(s), then that is where I come in. I make sure that they are dog friendly and play nice with me, and show no aggression. It’s mega-wicked cool because I can meet new friends. We play and in the end, I am really helping a dog in need of a home get a home. So that makes me feel good about myself. Mom thinks I do a great job because I am so friendly and of course love to play. I could make a profession out of playing, but then no canine would ever take me seriously.
This past weekend I met a boxer named Lola. Her Mom and Dad are looking for a brother for her, and felt that rescue was the way to go. So I played with her, and we had a blast. She shared her toys, and man does she have some cool toys. We traded e mail addresses and I told her to keep me posted on her new brother when they get one. She was mega-wicked cool, I like Lola.
That was a happy story. With every happy story there comes a sad story. Mom and I also did a surrender evaluation. What this means is that someone could not keep their dog and we needed to go in and evaluate them to see if they were dog friendly. I guess this evaluation determines what kind of foster home they need to go to. Well it was a sunny Sunday and we headed into the city to evaluate a dog named Rocky. When he first came out to meet me, I was like “Wow, what a Hunk!” He was a big brindle male, white markings and very strong, he has tons of muscle. I knew if Shelly Belly (by best friend) and I saw him at a dog park, we would be in love at first sight! Ok, sorry for getting side tracked.
Rocky is being surrendered because his parents moved and left him with an older couple that just did not have the room to let him run. Rocky is the kind of dog that needs some cardio, not just lift weights. We chatted for a bit, and he seemed to be sad. He liked his current family but knew they were only doing what was in his best interest. Then I told Rocky about my home evaluation from the day before, and my new friend Lola. I told him not to be sad, but because he is going into a great program that is going to find him a forever home where he can live like a king, have room to run and possibly brothers and sisters. He may even get mega-wicked lucky and find a family who lives on the ocean, have a room with a view and dine on doggie caviar. He seemed better knowing that his life was going to possibly have the opportunity to be better, and not worse.
He then told me that he was talking to some dogs around the complex that made fun of him saying he was going to go to a shelter and this may be his last year to live if no one takes him. He said he has his quirks but is only 2 years old and has a lot of stuff that he wants to do yet. I told him not to worry. Some dogs go to places like that and others get into the rescue program. The bonus of the rescue program is that they do not do what those complex dogs were talking about. That’s all bark and is not what is going to happen to him, and I gave him my Banana Word. Rocky is mega-cool and I got his number (shhhh…don’t tell mom) and hope to track his progress though my fellow volunteers at the rescue. Mom took some pictures of him, and then when she was asleep I sent them over to Shelly Belly like “Check out this hottie”, we had a good Boxer laugh.
So I have learned a couple of things from my first week on the job. I learned that sometimes someone else’s loss is another’s treasure. Lola is going to get a mega-wicked cool brother and in the case of Rocky, I know that he is going to be fine. However, canines need to spread the word of the rescue so hopefully they (the Rescue Leagues) can find homes to foster or even better forever homes for dogs like Rocky. So when Lola gets her brother and Rocky his home, I can go to bed a night knowing that Hanna Banana made a difference in the Canine World!!
I also got a job! Yep, me, Hanna Banana is working for a living. It’s actually a mega-wicked cool job with the boxer rescue league. I am an official Volunteer for Boxer Buddies! However for the young pups out there, a volunteer means you really do not get paid for your work, but my mom is great and rewards me on the side.
Here is the low down on my job. I travel with my Mom and Dad to do home evaluations for people who are interested in adopting a dog that needs a home. If the prospective home already has a dog(s), then that is where I come in. I make sure that they are dog friendly and play nice with me, and show no aggression. It’s mega-wicked cool because I can meet new friends. We play and in the end, I am really helping a dog in need of a home get a home. So that makes me feel good about myself. Mom thinks I do a great job because I am so friendly and of course love to play. I could make a profession out of playing, but then no canine would ever take me seriously.
This past weekend I met a boxer named Lola. Her Mom and Dad are looking for a brother for her, and felt that rescue was the way to go. So I played with her, and we had a blast. She shared her toys, and man does she have some cool toys. We traded e mail addresses and I told her to keep me posted on her new brother when they get one. She was mega-wicked cool, I like Lola.
That was a happy story. With every happy story there comes a sad story. Mom and I also did a surrender evaluation. What this means is that someone could not keep their dog and we needed to go in and evaluate them to see if they were dog friendly. I guess this evaluation determines what kind of foster home they need to go to. Well it was a sunny Sunday and we headed into the city to evaluate a dog named Rocky. When he first came out to meet me, I was like “Wow, what a Hunk!” He was a big brindle male, white markings and very strong, he has tons of muscle. I knew if Shelly Belly (by best friend) and I saw him at a dog park, we would be in love at first sight! Ok, sorry for getting side tracked.
Rocky is being surrendered because his parents moved and left him with an older couple that just did not have the room to let him run. Rocky is the kind of dog that needs some cardio, not just lift weights. We chatted for a bit, and he seemed to be sad. He liked his current family but knew they were only doing what was in his best interest. Then I told Rocky about my home evaluation from the day before, and my new friend Lola. I told him not to be sad, but because he is going into a great program that is going to find him a forever home where he can live like a king, have room to run and possibly brothers and sisters. He may even get mega-wicked lucky and find a family who lives on the ocean, have a room with a view and dine on doggie caviar. He seemed better knowing that his life was going to possibly have the opportunity to be better, and not worse.
He then told me that he was talking to some dogs around the complex that made fun of him saying he was going to go to a shelter and this may be his last year to live if no one takes him. He said he has his quirks but is only 2 years old and has a lot of stuff that he wants to do yet. I told him not to worry. Some dogs go to places like that and others get into the rescue program. The bonus of the rescue program is that they do not do what those complex dogs were talking about. That’s all bark and is not what is going to happen to him, and I gave him my Banana Word. Rocky is mega-cool and I got his number (shhhh…don’t tell mom) and hope to track his progress though my fellow volunteers at the rescue. Mom took some pictures of him, and then when she was asleep I sent them over to Shelly Belly like “Check out this hottie”, we had a good Boxer laugh.
So I have learned a couple of things from my first week on the job. I learned that sometimes someone else’s loss is another’s treasure. Lola is going to get a mega-wicked cool brother and in the case of Rocky, I know that he is going to be fine. However, canines need to spread the word of the rescue so hopefully they (the Rescue Leagues) can find homes to foster or even better forever homes for dogs like Rocky. So when Lola gets her brother and Rocky his home, I can go to bed a night knowing that Hanna Banana made a difference in the Canine World!!
posted by Hanna's Banana's at 9:43 AM
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