Covenant Rescue Advocacy is taking a holiday sabbatical. We are regrouping for the new year. We are still taking suggestions for featured sites, products, "happy tails," etc. Send them in via the Contact Us page!

Bullies in Need (BIN) is a non-profit dog rescue based in Ottawa, Ontario [Canada], but we have several helpful chapters throughout Ontario. We pride ourselves on the quality of loving dogs we rescue while working with shelters saving the bullies (and sometimes non-bullies) off of death row. Bullies in Need has fostered great relationships with shelters and we truly believe that the animal control, shelter staff and volunteers are the heart and soul behind saving the abandoned animals that our society leaves behind. (From the BIN website)

"Bully breeds," or so they are often called, are commonly Rottweilers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and any variety of mixed breeds referred to as "Pit Bulls". In the United States and Canada, Bully Breeds are often the first to be chosen for euthanasia in shelter overcrowding situations, and sometimes they do not even make it that far. Often they are exterminated by virtue of their birth--they just aren't the "right" breed.

Part of that sensationalism we can thank our North American media for. Nothing sells news advertising time like a "vicious dog incident." So despite the fact that cocker spaniels, daschunds, etc., have higher bite ratios, the bully breeds have a history of being trained for fighting, like in bull baiting, dog-on-dog fighting, and other violent pseudo-sports, making them "scarier."  The bottom line is that most of these guys and gals just have a bad wrap and have a lot to offer owners, whether they be single owners, multiple-dog owners, families with older or younger kids, etc. Each one has their own temperamentand each one has their own special love to give.

We are Covenant Rescue Advocacy have a special affinity for "bullies" and we give our hats off to our Ontario neighbors at Bullies In Need. Well done!

See more CRA Creature Features by clicking here!

Etsy, a website featuring independent and local-to-you artisans, is "your place to buy and sell all things handmade". Right this very second, I am seeing listings for homemade apricot jalapeño jam ($6.50), nutty lil' squirrel glass vases ($14.00), turquoise/teal gloves with olive edges ($24.00), and a bullet shell necklace ($42.00). That's just part the main page!  One of the features that I find particularly helpful on Etsy is the "Shop Local" feature, which lets me input my ZIP code to receive a list of shops and artisans that live in my city! This is how I found one of my favorite local artisans, Fannie and Sprout!


Now, they may only be local to you if you live in the greater Detroit area, but Fannie and Sprout are worth checking out!

We are lifelong artists and crafters who adore dogs. We share our shop with the girls...Fannie, a bulldog of the English persuasion and Sprout, a spunky Brussels Griffon.

All artwork is original. Nothing is computer generated or enhanced. No prints or reproductions here!

Once I saw the great portraits that they did of dogs, I asked for a custom order for my husband's birthday. I provided some photos to Kellianne for inspiration and she took it from there. We ordered a 5x7" piece of our dog, Bruce, and another, smaller "ACEO" version for his desk at work. We ended up receiving those plus a bonus kitty ACEO of our beloved, nutty cat, Fluffer-Nutter, safely wrapped and, in the case of the 5x7", mounted to a nice matting.  We get compliments from visitors to the house all of the time. It stands to reason that I have now purchased a set of portraits as gifts for my family members. They were delivered yesterday and captured the spirit of their dogs, living and passed away, perfectly. 

The thing that sealed the deal when I was making my Fannie and Sprout gift choices, aside from the extraordinarily reasonable prices is the fact that they love rescue dogs as much as I do!  They are a part of the Etsy for Animals group and they make sure to note:

Fannie & Sprout hope you'll consider adopting a shelter dog. A portion of our sales are donated annually to our favorite rescues.

Now THAT is my kind of shop!  If dogs aren't your thing, they have other pieces featuring different breeds of dogs as well as other animals that are available for purchase right "off the shelf". Please take a few minutes to check out their shop. You won't want to miss them for that very special gift for a fellow dog lover. Kudos to Fannie and Sprout!

Chrys Wagner, a friend and fellow massage therapist (owner of Golden Flower Massage) lost her beloved pet Miles Silverberg Wagner on Halloween. The following is her story of how God kept her home to say goodbye to her most faithful furry companion as he prepared to walk over the Rainbow Bridge. It is bittersweet--heartwarming and sad. I think those of us remembering the loss of a pet or going through the same thing will find it inspiring. Thank you, Chrys, for letting us share your story.

Thank God for the leaky faucet that turned to a stream, and thank God for the shut-off valve under the sink that wouldn't work, and thank God for all the things that went wrong yesterday (Friday), because all those things kept me home on what turned out to be Kitty Miles's last night alive. I watched a spooky movie Friday night, with Kitty Miles curled up on my lap, purring away.

Our little furry friend was with us for 15 years. He was fine! He was happy and playful, and then, early this evening (Saturday) and without warning, he was gone. Right at my feet. I didn't even know what was happening. As he took his last breaths, I begged him not to go, but he couldn't help it.

Thank God I was home in my own bed this morning so Kitty Miles could wake me up one last time. Thank God I was home tonight, or else Kitty Miles would have died alone. Thank God for giving me an unexplainable sense that I needed to stay home.

Thank God for Lyn who graciously and compassionately received my first cries. Thank God for my sister who sat with me and cried with me and stroked Kitty's inkblot fur with me. Thank God for my daughters who left a wedding reception to come say goodbye. Thank God for their boyfriends who did what I could not do -- lifted poor Kitty's little body and placed him in a box with a blanket. Thank God for the 24-hr. operators at the vet who told me what I needed to do tonight.

Thank God for my daughters' father who will drive to MSU in the morning to bring Kate home so that we can all be together to say goodbye.

Thank God for little critters who bring us comfort and happiness and a measure of frustration. Thank God for this opportunity to learn about love and loss and grief, for the opportunity to look into his empty eyes and wonder, Where is he? What IS this thing that animates us? Cat, tree, human, we all die. What is this power that keeps us going and then, *poof*, gone?

My belief? This is God. This is the power that creates something from nothing, the power that brings order to chaos and tosses order back to chaos again, the power that sends the planets spinning and the power that holds them in place; this is the power that causes the earth to quake and the leaf to tremble, the rivers to flow and the body to sleep. What left Kitty Miles's body tonight was a tiny piece of God. A speck of holiness, now on my lap, purring, now at my feet, dying. One stroke, one beat of a heart and *whoosh*, it's gone. What else could I do but cry as it slips away, Don't go! Go if you must, but know that I'll miss you.

And this speck of a voice inside me says, "What's there to miss? I'm right here."

Mystery of mysteries. Life, I love you.

November 1, 2009

Scott, one of our first CRA supporters, has been great about sharing with those who share his love for animals. His is an unconventional tale of both dog and rabbit rescue that had premium results! His rescued lab, Harley, had severe separation anxiety. In the off-chance it would help, Scott and his family adopted two rabbits (one of which is Bear, above). Harley "settled right down" after they got the rabbits. Scott says that Harley "sort of had a maternal thing going for them," which is evidenced by these photos!

But wait! I am hearing your questions "magically" over the internet. I know what some of you are saying. "But how do I get my bunny and my dog to play nice?"  True, many situations won't be nearly as perfect as Scott's. Some dogs are born hunters and you will not be successful at getting them to "play nice," much less snuggle in the laundry basket. But the Wisconsin House Rabbit Society has some wonderful insight on how to socialize your dogs and rabbits. Click here to start reading up!