SpokesDogs and Balto Half

Looking for a new BFF? This cutie could be yours - she is available for adoption. Contact me for details.
Carol came to the shoot this morning to help me handle the doggies.
With the WJZ broadcaster for the earliest shoot - 6AM!

As usual we are crazy busy here at Casa Sheely-Wood! Last weekend we ran the Baltimore Half Marathon together (thanks to Coach Bob for letting CDW be his bandit runner). This was our first race ever together! Can you believe it? It is also my first race since the Shamrock Marathon in 2007, after which most of you know I struggled with years of IT band and knee issues. Our time wasn't great, but we have both had a lot going on lately so we were not as dedicated to training and rest as we would have liked to be. In addition, I have been experiencing some issues with my hamstrings as a result of all of my yoga classes. I had a few really tough miles, but overall we tried to focus on having fun. We gave lots of high-fives to spectators and the kids out in East Baltimore (thank you for cheering us on), thanked all of the wonderful police who came out to direct traffic, and took all the beer we were offered (thanks to Matt and Tasha at mile 11). Natty Boh really hits the spot at the end of a tough race.

This morning Caele and Jackson were spokesdogs on two Baltimore morning newscasts. They each donned their Halloween costumes to promote BARCStoberfest, BARCS animal shelter's biggest fundraiser of the year! Caele was a piggy, and Jackson a lobster (there is a costume contest at BARCStoberfest). We hope that lots of you will check out this fabulous event tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 23 at Patterson Park from 11 - 3 (near the Pagoda).

In work news, Chris attended a riveting workshop this week in Philadelphia. He said that he has learned a lot that will be useful to him at work immediately. I have been trying to keep up with my yoga training, which includes at least three classes per week, and a hefty reading list. I recently finished the Bhagavad Gita, and have begun Autobiography of a Yogi. I have also been slowly reading a book by bankruptcy law goddess Elizabeth Warren (The Two Income Trap - I highly recommend that everyone check this out), and a recommendation from my vet called Calming Signals (you will never look at your dog the same way again).

Game day dogs, Blood Bank, and Caele turns 9!!

Game day with Sheely-Wood dogs.

College game day. Caele needs to put a UVa bandana on her Christmas list.
Caele and Abbi. Waiting for their celebration biscuits.
Jacks and his daddy after donating blood.
Jacks and Dr. Ann of EVBB. Lots of tummy rubs and biscuits for blood donor dogs!

We are so proud of Jackson; today he became a canine blood donor. We didn't know that there was such a thing until we saw a news story about it. We had never thought about where blood comes from if our doggies need it. The sad fact is that in many places dogs are kept alive in cages just so that they can be blood donors - and that is no quality of life. The good news is that this can change if enough doggies give blood voluntarily! That is what happens at Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank (http://www.evbb.com/). Dr. Ann and her team take blood donations from dogs like Jackson so that there is blood available for dogs when they need it. And Jackson really doesn't mind too much - he gets lots of belly rubs, yummy snacks and peanut butter, and mom and dad treated him to some Boston Market chicken afterwards. Jackson's blood has the potential to help up to 4 other dogs! If you have a healthy dog under 7 years of age, please look into canine blood donation in your area - it is something that you and your dog can feel wonderful about!

In other news, Caele turned 9 this month! I can hardly believe it; she doesn't look a day over 5. We all love her to pieces here at Casa Sheely-Wood, but I am especially thankful for her presence in my life for what is almost a decade. We had the usual celebration with a new toy and some tasty snacks. See her tonite at the pre-BARCStoberfest at Little Havana; we'll be arriving early to scope out a good table on the patio!

Admiral and Princess

Willa - now Princess Tinsleydale Schnuggalots.
JoeJoe, now Admiral Winston Purrington.

This is a really exciting week for our little Charm City Family. Yesterday we celebrated Abbi's first birthday. Who are we kidding - we all know Abbi is older than one year old, but we only count from the day she came to live with us last year. The celebration included special doggie treats, and a birthday gift for Abbi.

Tonite Willa and JoeJoe went home with their adoptive family. We are so excited - they were adopted together by a fabulous couple who lives right here in the neighborhood! They were very excited to pick up their little kiddos, and of course we couldn't be happier with how things have turned out for these little kitties; they have come a long way from a bush on Eastern Avenue!

More Lone Star

Lone Star Weekend

CDW is in Austin, Texas right now. He's there with his boys from UCLA to cheer the Bruins to victory tomorrow. Go Bruins!

JoeJoe, Willa, Yoga Training

Willa.
Joe Flacco (JoeJoe).


Something about us seems to attract stray animals. Last week I stopped by the vet's office to pick up some prescriptions. Outside the vet's office were three middle school students, and they were playing with kittens. I asked them if the kittens belonged to them (they weren't in a cage). The kids told me that on their way home from school they saw the kittens in a bush at Johns Hopkins Bayview (right off of busy Eastern Avenue!). The kids caught the kittens - not knowing what to do next they brought them to the vet. The vet's office turned them away - some ridiculousness about them not being a SPCA. So now the kids were sitting in the parking lot, wondering what to do with these kitties. I wish we heard more stories in the news about kids in Baltimore City doing great things like this. I agreed to take home the kitties, and foster them until they could be adopted. Meet Willa and Joe Flacco (we call him JoeJoe).

The vet thinks they are 4-5 weeks old now. Joe F has a case of ringworm, but that is pretty treatable. These little guys are growing quickly; when we first got them they seemed a little underdeveloped; they were the slowest kittens I had ever seen (I was able to catch them, which means that they are really slow). We've been feeding them KMR (kitten formula) and they're putting on great weight, and more playful by the day. They have been admitted into Recycled Love's adoption pool, which means that they will be placed in wonderful forever homes as soon as they are vaccinated/spayed/neutered/ringworm free. Many of you probably remember Recycled Love as the organization we worked with for our foster dog Abbi. We're so grateful to them for the work they do for homeless and unwanted animals in Baltimore, and we're thrilled to partner with them. You can visit their website at http://www.recycledlove.org/

This last weekend was also exciting because I started my yoga instructor training course. This is a huge commitment - 20 hours/weekend for 9 months, and 3-6 yoga classes per week. We also have a long reading list, and have to learn some Sanskrit. At the end of our first weekend my hamstrings were achy, but I was surprisingly energized. We ate communal vegan meals all weekend, and the energy of the class as a whole is tremendously positive and welcoming. This is going to be an intense year, but I am excited about this journey. If you are in the Baltimore area, I need lots of practice teaching and providing assists, so please let me know if you are interested! You can see a photo of our class here:

http://www.charmcityyoga.com/blog/

Labor Day Update

Abbi got her hair cut really short this summer. It has been awesome. Much less hair in the house, and she seems to feel wonderful.
Deep fried Snickers bar at the MD State Fair. Worth every single calorie.
I don't understand this one, but the Deep Fried Twinkies are popular.
Giant turkey leg at the MD State Fair. Caele was patiently waiting for a piece to fall . . . but it never happened. Caele came with us to work the BARCS booth at the Fair - she was a "representative" of the rescue dog community - but we had plenty of people asking if she was available for adoption!

We have been so very busy this summer! Turns out that job hunting was a full time job, then when I found a job that was also a full time job! I have neglected the blog, but want to bring folks up to speed on some cool things:

- I am working for the State of Maryland/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene/Family Health Administration/Office of Health Policy and Planning as a Public Health Policy Specialist. I really like it; my boss is a super lady, co-workers are good people, the work is very interesting . . . gush gush gush. Right now I'm working on a big Needs Assessment document about Primary Care in Maryland, as well as learning the process for getting areas in Maryland certified as federal Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA's). Soon I will be working in our legislative unit as Maryland figures out how to put the laws passed into action here in our state.

- We have started volunteering at BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter): http://baltimoreanimalshelter.org/

Adoption and care used to be part of Baltimore City's Animal Control unit, but 5 years ago that part of the operation was split off to a separate non-profit agency (BARCS). Since then, adoptions are up 3000% (that's three thousand percent, not a typo!!). This is such an exciting time at BARCS as they have made tremendous progress, but there is still so much work to be done in Baltimore City where many people don't understand how to care for an animal, the importance of spaying and neutering, and that pets are lifelong commitments. We are still in training, but so far we are really enjoying ourselves. We have met lots of wonderful people who also care about animal welfare, and what a great feeling to take a shelter dog for a walk and give them a belly rub; they are so excited to see us. We hope that all of our Balto area friends considering adding to their family will look at BARCS first as there are so many wonderful animals there. If you're like us and the "inn is full," please mark Saturday, October 23 on your calendar for Barcstoberfest - BARCS's biggest event of the year. Held at Patterson Park it's a wicked awesome festival for dogs, people, and people who like dogs. We'll be there!

- Next weekend I start a 9-month training to become a certified yoga instructor. This is going to be pretty intense.

- We're still running. I'm registered for the Baltimore half marathon, as well as the Manchester City half marathon.