Archive for May, 2015
In ‘Paddington’ style, Richardson rescue finds abandoned puppy with ‘Please Help Me’ note attached
It was like a scene out of the movie Paddington.
But instead of a talking bear at London’s Paddington Station, it happened in the middle of a busy Richardson street Wednesday morning. A volunteer with Richardson-based Take Me Home Pet Rescue discovered a malnourished 3-month-old terrier mix puppy.
The dog wore a shirt with a note pinned to it. The note read “Please Help Me”, similar to Paddington’s “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”
The note also identified the female puppy as Rainbow.
Elise Bissell, Take Me Home Pet Rescue’s director, said many shelters and rescue groups are full at the moment. So the nonprofit posted information on its Facebook page looking for someone to foster the dog.
Bissell approached another volunteer, Lisa Faulkner-Dunne, who runs a public-relations business.
“It’s interesting how this occurred, and because it’s so unusual, we asked ‘Hey, what do you think?’ ”
Faulkner-Dunne, who said she helps the nonprofit with marketing in addition to “cleaning up puppy poop” sent out a news release describing the Paddington-esque way the puppy was found.
“Someone could have just turned her loose,” Faulkner-Dunne said. “But they loved her in some way or they wouldn’t have tried to do it this way.
“It’s kind of an odd thing.”
The volunteer who found Rainbow is caring for Rainbow now. Fosters keep dogs at their home until they are adopted with rescue groups providing food and vet visits in addition to spaying or neutering the animals to prepare them for adoption.
“Hopefully, someone will submit a foster application that will have to be approved,” Bissell said. “We need someone who is home some because the dog is an energeic puppy.”
To foster Rainbow, contact Take Me Home Pet Rescue at (972) 238-7988, email info@takemehomepetrescue.com or visit takemehomepetrescue.com to download a foster application.
Pets Insiders blog written by Tommy Cummings on The Dallas Morning News website. Published on May 27, 2015
I am the richest person in the world!
As I sit here looking out the window at the wood duck taking her early morning dip in the pond, the finches grabbing their breakfast from the bird feeder and singing their cheery songs, the antics of the chipmunks and squirrels, all the while the pups snuggled on their blankets taking a snooze I realize what a wonderfully rich life I have.
I start reflecting on the choices I’ve made in my life. When I was 15 years old I worked at a little café named the Jolly Boy. The owner was my mentor and he taught me so much during the time I worked for him. He always talked about when he retired him and his wife were going to buy a motor home and travel all over the United States. Just months after he retired his wife had a stroke and they never got to follow his dream of seeing the country. That always stuck with me. I just couldn’t imagine waiting my entire life to do what I really wanted to do and then not being able to do it.
I decided that making a huge amount of money was not going to be my motivation in life. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a hard worker. I believe that you do the absolute best job that you can to earn a living, pay your bills, and feed your family. But spending time with my children and family, traveling, and enjoying life were always my priority and I did just that. Throughout my life my family went camping, went on vacations, and had many, many family gatherings as we still do.
Ten years ago my children were raised and gone from home. I had a wonderful job but felt that time was ticking away and I needed more time to do the things I enjoyed doing. So I quit my job, rented out my house and went to Alaska and started my new life of travel and adventure. I met new friends and had great adventures while I worked there.
After working in Alaska for several seasons my path eventually led me to pet sitting. This was the perfect fit for me. I absolutely love animals and I get to spend every day loving and caring for them while having the freedom to travel when I want to.
I also figured out how to travel inexpensively. This meant traveling all over Alaska sleeping in a VW van, spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square while staying in a hostel in Harlem, backpacking throughout Panama and Mexico, taking a three-month road trip around the entire United States and parts of Canada in my little 8-year-old Toyota Corolla as well as many, many other trips I have taken on a shoestring throughout the years. Here are some of the many places I’ve visited over the years.

I took an eco tour in Laguna San Ignacio and had a close encounter with a huge but beautiful mama and baby grey whale
Just recently I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a year taking care of my two youngest grandsons. Being a part of their lives in such an intimate way was such a gift and since I don’t live as a traditional Grandma does, I was able to form a bond with them that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. I will cherish that time with them for the rest of my life.
I have now returned to pet sitting. I am so blessed that I get to stay in so many different locations like the home where I’m staying right now, meeting wonderful people who have become an extension of my family and caring for all the different dogs and cats that I have fallen head over heels in love with. Here are just a few that I get to spend my time with.
And I look forward to where the next 10 years are going to take me.
So as I look out at the pond again and down at the sweet sleeping pups I think about how I, someone who in this society is considered poor, am the richest person in the world!