January Pets of the Month
Thanks for the post and the great pic!
Thank you to everyone who has submitted pictures of their pets! If you have a great picture of your pet (showing off our tag would be nice!), you can submit it here.
If you haven't seen your picture submission in our newsletter, check out our facebook page. Once there, you can see lots of pet pics, submit more and chat with us or other pet fans!
A Dog for Christmas
Hallee Fuqua is a sophomore at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. And Hallee really loves dogs. For years, she's been trying to convince her parents that they should get a dog. But with Hallee living two hours away from home, they told her that she needed to wait a couple more years until she had a place of her own. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it made sense. She reluctantly agreed and found a great solution while she waited for a dog of her own. Fuqua began working at the Stillwater Humane Society allowing her the opportunity to volunteer in a very fulfilling way while spending time with dogs, dogs that desperately needed her love and attention.
Especially a dog named Rambo. A two-year-old Plott Hound mix, Rambo was brought to the shelter as a stray. Big, adult dogs like Rambo, often have a harder time finding homes. Hallee and Rambo bonded almost instantly. The two spent more and more time together. As they went on walks or just spent time cuddling, Fuqua would send pictures and videos to her parents. While watching one of the videos, something completely unexpected happened for Jessica Fuqua, Hallee's mom.
“I just knew he belonged here. I’ve said ‘No’ long enough,” Jessica said. “I think he belongs in our family.”
She and husband, Lance began plotting to adopt Rambo and give him to Hallee for Christmas. They had to figure out how to do it secretly from over a hundred miles away. They first contacted the shelter and found that it was against their policy to "hold" animals. Of course, the shelter staff were aware of the special relationship between Hallee and Rambo, so they were on board to make this surprise adoption happen. They put a secret hold on Rambo until Lance could come and pick him up just before Christmas.
The plan was in place and would have gone off perfectly except for one twist- someone contacted the shelter through the adoption pages of their social media and inquired about Rambo. They had no choice but to respond that Rambo had been adopted. Hallee saw the reply as she was about to go home for winter break.
The news hit her hard. Of course, she knew this was great news for Rambo, and she knew she should be happy that he found a forever home. But she was crushed. She'd assumed that he'd be waiting to see her when she came back from break. Instead, she'd missed her chance to say goodbye.
Back at home, a little more than a week before Christmas, Lance and Jessica agreed that they couldn't wait any longer. Lance and Jessica had Rambo, sporting reindeer antlers, waiting in the front yard. Jessica then texted Hallee to open the front door. Jessica captured what happens next in a short video that you'll want to watch more than once. Get a tissue.
You can read more and see the video on the Stillwater News website. Or go straight to the Facebook video for better quality.
Lost On the Ice
Winter time up in the Great Lakes means ice, and the US Coast Guard is tasked with keeping the shipping lanes open for commercial vessels. That's what the 240-foot cutter Mackinaw was doing on January 2nd on the St. Mary's River, running along the Canadian border. On the north side, St. Joseph Island, a large island that's part of Northern Ontario and to the south, tiny Lime Island, a Michigan State Park. It was just another cold day on the water until the Mackinaw approached the pier at Lime Island. Someone spotted something running around out on the ice, seemingly coming towards the ship. It was a dog, and it was definitely out of place. Lime Island is uninhabited, and the nearest homes are miles and miles away and across more than a mile of river. As they watched the dog crossing the ice, the worst thing possible happened. The ice broke, and the dog disappeared into the frigid water. They could do nothing but keep an eye on him as he tried to swim, pawing at the crumbling edges of the ice. They were relieved that he eventually made his way to shore, but he was definitely in trouble. After they stopped at the pier, 20 or so of the crew decided to search the island to rescue the dog. But he was undoubtedly cold and scared. He was holed up somewhere. They built a small fire and scrounged up some macaroni from the ship's kitchen and left if for him. They had done all they could.
They spent the next day motoring up the river breaking ice and then turned around to make their way back to their homeport in Cheboygan, MI. As they approached Lime Island, they didn't expect to see anything but strained to look just in case. To their surprise, sitting on the pier where they left the macaroni, was the skinny dog, ready to be rescued. They picked him up, and the ship's medical team checked him over. He was very underweight, and his paws were raw and partially frostbitten but he was okay. Most importantly, he was wearing a collar and a pet ID tag (!). They made the call.
Kailaan Walker didn't recognize the phone number displayed on his ringing phone. Walker, who lives in Lower Ontario, Canada recognized the area code as being from Michigan, and decided to answer.
"I answered, and it was one of the members of the USCG calling and saying did you guys lose a dog? And my heart just stopped,” Walker, said.
Walker and his girlfriend, Lydia Selin had been visiting her father on St. Joseph Island for Christmas. Walker's husky Logan was along for the visit but disappeared Christmas Eve. They called for him and searched but it's a vast area and they feared the worst. They posted on social media but only got responses of support; no sightings. Only Logan knows how he ended up stranded on an island, miles away and across over a mile of ice. Walker guesses that Logan was “on a quest, heading south back to his home farm.”
“I was just starting to make peace with the fact that we had a lost a big member of our family and amazing dog and companion,” Walker, added. “It really seems like a miracle, that it worked out."
Walker and Selin were waiting on the dock in Cheboygan as the Mackinaw pulled in with Logan on board. You can see a great video of the story on the WWTV website. Kudos to the crew of the Mackinaw. Without them, it's hard to imagine how Logan would have ever been rescued.
New At The Factory: Funny Tags!
Silly and fun messages in a silly font. Engraved on our round plastic tags with your 5 lines of information engraved on the back. Choose from six messages, 5 colors in three sizes. Funny Tags!
Have a great idea for a new Funny Tag? Let us know and if we decide to use it, we'll make it for you for free!
Valentine's Day Tags for Pets and People
Valentine's Day Tags- looks just like a Sweetheart! Dress up your pet or give them to your human friends too! Any message engraved on reverse.
Is Your Pet's Chip Working?
The majority of pets are microchipped and that's a good thing. But there are some problems with the system that you should absolutely check now, BEFORE your pet needs the microchip to help get home. Read the article on our website.
Video Funny
Even without sharing the language, it's very clear what this dog is saying.
(16 sec)
youtube
Swimming in kibble.
(40 sec)
vredd.it
"Good kitty."
(17 sec)
imgur
Pets from the Internets...
Just cute and funny pet pics found online:
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