Singer/Songwriter/Storyteller Michael Gaither

Blame the old physics rule that says “Opposites attract”. Sometimes like-minded souls just do not get along. Even when they’re a couple of spunky, very cute Labrador/Border Collie mixes.

Three year-old Maggie lives in Sacramento with her “sister by adoption” Bailey and their owner, Sara. Unfortunately, both pups are female, both want to be the alpha in their packette, and neither of them is budging. Sara’s tried her best, but Maggie and Bailey simply won’t gel. (Separately, they’re both wonderful dogs.) Bailey was there first, so Maggie is now at a friend’s house until she can find her new forever home:

Maggie’s in the Sacramento area. She’s a typical Lab/Border Collie mix: She’s affectionate. Loves exercise. Is great with people and is house- and leash-trained. She also prefers a yard with a fair bit of running room. And she really does get along great with all other dogs. Her only caveat is that she probably can’t live with another female.

If you’re interested in learning more about Maggie Mae, contact Sara at 916-213-0951 or by email at saraisbrown@gmail.com.

Everyone has a story. Though sometimes, they can’t tell you their story, so you make one up. And if you make up a really good one, you make it into a song, but that’s a topic for another post.

This is Jax. (Yup, we named after the main character on “Sons of Anarchy”.) Jax is a five-year old Pomeranian. No idea how, but he recently ended up at the Stockton Animal Shelter with no collar or chip, and seriously underweight. He was literally on the list (yes, there’s a list) to be put down. His luck turned when Sue, our local pal from Animal Friends Rescue Project, happened to be on the phone with the shelter, heard about him, and said, “we’ll find him a home”. So he’s now in our care. Our job is to fatten him up a bit, so he can be fixed (yeah, he wasn’t even fixed) and adopt him out. Read the rest of this entry »

I dread it. I keep quiet, and I always feel a tinge of guilt, but I still dread it. We’re driving along, totally minding our own business, and then we see a loose dog, obviously not street smart, haphazardly sniffing his or her way through an unfamiliar neighborhood. I secretly hope my wife won’t see the critter. But she does. And I oblige, since I’m also worried about the dog even though we’re late – we’re always late – for wherever we’re heading, and stopping to find this pup’s home certainly isn’t to help.

But it beats returning later and seeing that same animal flattened on the pavement – hey, it’s happened. So you see a stray and want to help. What do you do? Pretty simple: Read the rest of this entry »

Funny how an older-ish song can become “new”: “Roselle”, from the “Dogspeed” CD, was released back in 2009. Both the story – and it’s a great story – and the song are suddenly getting attention. I’ve been yammering about the song a bit, but I don’t think I’ve documented it yet here in a blog. Here’s the story:

Roselle was a guide dog. Raised here in the bay area. Trained at the San Rafael campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind. On 9-11-2001, she was 80 floors up in Tower One of the World Trade Center with her owner, Michael Hingson. The planes hit, and we all know what happened. What most people don’t know is that Roselle – who was sleeping on the floor as most Labradors do – calmly woke up and walked Michael Hingson to the stairwell. In interviews, Michael has said that “since Roselle didn’t panic, neither did I”. Read the rest of this entry »

Man, this one was tough. I’ve heard that Aussies (Australian Shepherds) really bond with their owners/keepers. I think in this foster’s case, it was the other way around. We brought in Bodie a few weeks ago. He originally came from a reputable breeder who keeps tab on her pups. His owner had to move to an assisted-living facility and turned him back to the original breeder to find a good home. She contacted Animal Friends Rescue Project, and we ended up with him.

Bodie quickly found his place with our pack of knuckleheads. But he always tended to hang out with the human faction of it. Mostly, when I worked at home, he was at my feet. Great dog. See where this is going? Read the rest of this entry »