Cool things for dogs ...
... and their people!
Founded in 1975, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, CCI is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs, and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. The result is a life full of increased independence and loving companionship. 
Canine Companions for Independence
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Seven Oaks Dog Park Project
Follow the progress of the planning, and hopefully, the construction of a brand new dog park in our very own community, Seven Oaks in Odenton, Maryland.
CoolThingsForDogs.com will journal the progress in order to give community residents and supporters an inside glimpse of what it takes to accomplish such a task, from inception to hopeful completion.
See what a "feasibility study" looks like and hear what our Home Owners Association (HOA) has to say about it all. Sign-up for email updates and drop us a line of support. This journey oughta be interesting .....
Click Here for the latest .....
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Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets
Back in 2004, there was a real possibility we would head to Korea as a family. We were relieved we could all go together, but realized the trip would be too much on our old dog Kodi. We agonized about what to do with her. Luckily, we didn't end up leaving for Korea or having to make a difficult decision about where to send Kodi.
Thankfully too, military families now have other options. Take a look at the following and spread the word...
"Guardian Angels are carefully screened, selected, and chosen for the honor of caring for our Heroes’ pets due to a deployment or an emergency hardship.
Thousands of pets each year are surrendered to shelters because there was no other option and our mission is to provide a viable solution to this terrible tragedy, so our Heroes won’t feel so helpless. We could not accomplish this without you.
There is no monetary compensation for our Guardian Angels. Costs related to pet care such as food and medical is normally covered by the owner and in some cases by GASP when funds are available. Guardian Angels are needed for short term and long term fostering; all Hero pets come to you healthy with a veterinarian issued health certificate and all current inoculations. If you wish to be considered for fostering a beloved pet for a Hero , please visit our website: Guardian Angels for Soldiers Pets and tell us about yourself; we want you.
Let us lessen one more sacrifice for those who serve and those who have served."
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Healthy Pet Net
Here's a great, all natural, healthy dog food formulated by a real veterinarian. If you're looking for the same things in a dog food that we were for Otis, then know that this one, in our opinion, is head & shoulders above the rest.
When we brought Otis home we knew we wanted to feed him a good dog food, a healthy dog food, but we weren't really sure what brand. After all, there really are a lot of choices out there, and while several are good, many, many more are not so good.
So we started researching the better, all natural, holistic premium dog foods out there. And this is the one that we decided was best for Otis. It's all natural, no fillers, no by-products, no preservatives, has lot's of good-for-your-dog stuff, AND we can get it delivered right to our door! All for about the same price as any of the others.
Otis has been eating it for a few months now and it really seems to agree with him (when he takes the time to actually chew his food!). His coat has become incredibly shiny and soft. The dandruff he was experiencing when we brought him home has disappeared and no longer causes hives for Diana when she holds him and gives him lovin'. His stools are fewer and firmer, and, bottom line, he's happy and healthy!
If you want to learn more about the human grade ingredients and health benefits of our choice of dog food (and a whole lot more about what goes into a dog food), check out www.HealthyPetRegimen.com . They've also got a ton of great all natural treats, and a line designed specifically for cats.
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"It's a Dog's Life, but It's Your Carpet"
Can a Chihuahua and a Great Dane mate? Can I get my dog's ears pierced? Why do dogs eat their own poop? Why does my dog drag his butt on the ground? Are animals ever gay? Why does my dog like the “tootsie rolls” in the kitty litter box? Why do dogs lift their leg when they pee? Can dogs get drunk?
Everything you ever wanted to know about your four-legged friend, but couldn't find the scientific answers to!
We met Dr. Justine Lee - a bone-fide veterinarian, critical care specialist, and dog lover from Minnesota - through Facebook and fell in love with her and her book. Justine has made appearances all over TV and Radio and is one the coolest Vets we've ever met.
Check out Dr. Lee's credentials at www.DrJustineLee.com and pick up a copy of "It's a Dog's Life, but It's Your Carpet". And if you happen to be passing through Minnesota, look for Justine at a local book store. You might just find her and her best friend JP autographing copies!
So ... ummm ... Justine, why do dogs lick their ... ummm .. ya' know ... "boys"?
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Puppies Behind Bars
We're big fans of service-dog training organizations because the trained dogs help so many people, including, among others, disabled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This is particularly close to Rick's heart, as he himself is still in the Army and is a veteran of the Iraq war. But in addition to those that dogs eventually go to, Puppies Behind Bars plays a huge role in helping those that are actually doing the dog training. This is not your ordinary service-dog training organization. Watch this report from NBC Nightly News -
The organization has started a new training program, specifically to help war veterans, called " Dog Tags" . With this program, they train the service-dog, and then bring the disabled servicemember, plus one family member, to their training facility in Colorado. There, the dog and his new companion are introduced and the servicemember receives training on how the dog can best help him/her. This adds up to about a $30k investment when all is said and done - and it's all at no charge to the servicemember. Please visit the Puppies Behind Bars website for more information on their programs and to make a donation.
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Autism Service Dogs of America
Diana has long dreamed of training dogs and especially of being involved with service dogs. Training dogs to help people with disabilities has got to be one of the coolest things ever. One of Diny's favorites is Autism Service Dogs of America - Special Dogs Helping Special Kids.
ASDA is a non-profit, community based organization that provides uniquely trained service dogs to children living with autism and their families. The placement of a dog with the child enables the child and family to increase their mobility and socialization as a family, and the child individually. In most cases the dog accompanies the child at all times when the child leaves home. The dog goes to school with the child and the presence of the dog calms the child, reduces emotional outbursts and serves as a positive social link for the child to their home, school and community.
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Paws For Patriots
Here's another one close to Rick's heart. An Army veteran himself, Rick finds any organization that reaches out to help Servicemembers, absolute tops!
Southeastern Guide Dogs offers the "Paws for Patriots" program to assist veterans who have been blinded and/or otherwise wounded during their service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Professionally and humanely trained guide dogs are given, at no charge, to visually impaired veterans. Soldiers who have endured other injuries are provided with therapy and companion dogs, again, at no charge.
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Suzannes Art
When Kodi passed away, we put together a little photo album to commemerate her life. It was soothing to see her in her glory as we flipped through the pages. However, we missed her staring at us from her place in front of the television.
A few weeks after we began to heal, Diana's wonderful Aunt Suzanne sent us a hand painted rock of Kodi's likeness. It was really cool! She managed to perfectly capture Kodi's beautiful brown eyes. Diana cried at the remarkable resemblance, and ever since, we've been able to look Kodi in the eye again from her perch on the TV shelf.
Needless to say, Aunt Suzanne is a terrific artist and puts a great deal of herself and her beautiful spirit into her artwork. She's got lots of custom spiritual artwork and has samples on her website. Please head on over and take a look at some of her work.
