Time Is Running Out - Can You Help?

 ***I am re-publishing this post because time is running out to purchase a calendar to help support the GSD Rescue group that is working so hard to save the lives of these precious dogs. The deadline is the end of this month - May 31st. Please consider buying a calendar. Misfit Shepherds (The Rescue group) could really use the support!!***

If you feel inspired, you can help save the lives of German shepherds who are about to be euthanized? All you need to do is buy a calendar! 

Here's the back story: There is this wonderful gal named Susan whose personal mission is to help organizations who are working on behalf of German shepherds that are on the euthanasia lists. Every year she holds a calendar contest as a fundraiser. She does this out of the goodness of her heart and she doesn't make any money from her efforts. 100% of the profits go to a German shepherd rescue group to help them keep saving lives! 

I came across Susan because her pick for a Rescue group to receive this year's calendar proceeds happens to be Misfit Shepherds out of Camden, South Carolina. They are a rescue group (run by Michael and Roxane) that I have been following with awe because they are doing so much good and because they are doing things in a way I have always dreamed of. They are not just saving the lives of German shepherds but giving them everything they need to prepare them for a new loving home. 

Susan has 8 different calendars for 2027 and she is taking orders NOW - between April 1 through June 1, 2026. You may not be thinking about 2027 yet but now is the time to place your order! (Yes, 8 separate calendars. You could make a big dent in your holiday shopping list by placing a big order!)

I decided to submit Lucky's story for their Rescue calendar. Much to my delight, Lucky was picked to be in the calendar and then she ended up winning second place!! Susan even let me choose what month Lucky would be in the calendar and since we celebrated Lucky's birthday in July (Six months after I won her in the adoption lottery in January of 1996), I thought July would be the perfect place for her picture! (Here is the picture of Lucky that I submitted for the contest). 

For those of you who don't know Lucky's story - she had been used as bait for a dog fighting ring and then thrown into a dumpster with a bunch of other deceased puppies. She and one other dog were barely alive and were rescued. I "won" Lucky in an adoption lottery and I made it my mission to help her recover from all the trauma she had experienced. It was a long road of recovery but we did it!! (I shared our journey in my book: Lucky For Me - a Journey of Healing and Self-Discovery. Link to purchase: CLICK HERE TO BUY PRINT BOOK or Buy e-book edition).  If you met her in her adult years, you would have never known what she had been through in the first part of her life. She taught me everything I know about love, trust, courage, forgiveness and determination. She was not only my inspiration for my own healing journey - she was also the love of my life. 

Those of you who know me and/or read my blog probably know how passionate I have always been about saving the lives of German shepherds (and how deeply I care about assisting ALL animals who are in danger and/or not living the lives they deserve). With all my years of volunteering for GSD Rescue groups, (both while Lucky was still with me and after she passed away) it is truly an honor to have won a slot in the Rescue calendar to help raise money for another GSD Rescue. Here is a picture of Lucky and I "volunteering" at a GSD Rescue event.

That day she helped out in the booth where we were educating the public about the importance of Rescue and what our group was doing to save shepherds facing euthanasia in the local shelters and matching them up with a new loving homes. Lucky loved attending these events. She was the perfect ambassador - showing people what was possible when a dog is given a 2nd chance. 

So here's the big favor I am asking . . . 

Would you consider supporting this fundraiser by making a purchase? Since there are 8 different calendars - you have lots to choose from and believe me, I have seen the winning submissions for all the calendars and there is not a bad picture in ANY of them!! Do puppy pictures melt your heart? Do you prefer jaw-droppingly gorgeous pictures of adult German shepherds? How about beautiful heartwarming pictures of senior dogs? The pictures are all stunning - you seriously can't go wrong with any of the calendars. *(Susan was nice enough to put together collages of each of the calendars so I have added them at the bottom as this blog. There are some minor formatting issues that I can't seem to resolve but hopefully you can still enjoy the collages).

No matter which one(s) you choose, the profits will go to Misfit Shepherds to help them continue with their lifesaving work. (If you want to learn more about them and the phenomenal things they do, you can find them on Facebook.) Given how important their rescue efforts are and how they keep so many German shepherds from being euthanized, I want to help spread the word about this wonderful and easy way you can assist them. 

Below you will find the instructions on how to make a purchase. 

Since Susan does this fundraiser from her heart every year, fueled by her own passion about keeping German shepherds from being needlessly euthanized, I would be so grateful if you considered buying a calendar (or several). By doing so, you will help Misfit Shepherds continue to save the lives of these majestic dogs!

Instructions to purchase from Susan:

The calendars are $30.00 dollars for people that live in the United States.

All other people out of the US the calendar are $40.00 dollars.

I will take orders from April 1st - June 1st. After that time, I will have the calendars printed. 

There are many different calendars. Please be sure you state specifically in your email which calendar(s) you want to purchase as well as the mailing address you would like the calendar(s) sent to.

Puppy Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place
Adult A Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place 
Adult B Calendar - 13th Place through 24th Place 
Senior Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place 
Rescue Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place
"My Best Friend" Calendar A - 1st Place through 12th Place.
"My Best Friend" Calendar B - 13th Place through 24th Place. 
"My Best Friend" Calendar C - 24th Place through 36th Place. 
Please email me your order to my email which is Whiskydog95@yahoo.com  (No "e" in Whisky)
After I get your email, I will send you a link that will be from my husbands email account:  Kanajoe1@yahoo.com - You clink on the link and it will send you into paypal. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ACCOUNT WITH PAYPAL to do this. Just click on the link and pay with your credit card. You're done.


Puppy Calendar (#1)





Adult calendar A (#2)







Adult calendar B (#3)





Senior calendar (#4)





Rescue calendar (#5)





Best Friends calendar A (#6)





Best Friends calendar B (#7)



 Best Friends calendar C (#8)

What If We Don't Know Everything?

Today I feel inspired to put some thoughts out there for folks to consider. Given what I am seeing so rampantly lately, I invite you to ponder is this: How good are you at accepting and processing new information? From a broader perspective, I have been observing some concerning trends that have me pondering what is going on. Are we terrified at the thought that we might not know everything? or expect ourselves to be right about everything? Are we afraid of being wrong? Or are we uncomfortable with the thought of having to assimilate new information / beliefs?

Lately, I've been observing how much resistance people have to hearing anything that doesn't match their current beliefs and also noticing how often they admonish anyone who has a differing view or different information.  

I see people lashing out at a person when they have attempted to shine the light on something or share something they believe is true. These folks react by ridiculing the person or flat out bullying them with negative comments, shutting them down, labeling them with harsh things like "idiots, conspiracy theorists, etc." or demanding that they "prove that with irrefutable scientific evidence." 

It can be incredibly disheartening when you see how downright ugly we can be to each other when we are presented with something that we are not ready to consider. I've also observed that the more we don't want to believe something is true, the more resistant we can often be.

It makes me wonder: Why we are so afraid to be open to the possibility that we may not know the truth about everything?

Over the years, I have come across a lot of information that I didn't want to believe at first. Seeing someone that we have believed in or thought was a trusted authority figure crumble before our eyes can be difficult to wrap our brains around. I get it. It's hard to process when someone we looked up to has fallen off the pedestal we had put them on. Sometimes it is a case of finding out about a piece of new information that has you shaking your head in disbelief because it doesn't "fit" with what we thought we knew. Maybe it is something we don't want to see. Or we don't want to believe that what we are being shown could be possible. 

There's that feeling of overwhelm that can come with it and we can be hit with the fear that everything we thought was true will come crashing down around us if we accept this new piece of information. 

So how do we process new information? 

What I have learned is this: Even though something can initially have me reeling, it's a good idea to just sit with it. I've learned to wait and see if more information on the topic comes across my path in the coming days, weeks and months. I've learned to keep my eyes and my mind open so that if more information DOES come along that either confirms or refutes what I had read before, I will see it and be able to process it. I've learned to let the internal "dust" settle as I process new information because that is often when I get clarity. 

Given that the only thing we can truly control is ourselves and our reactions to things . . . that's usually a good place to start. Another thing to consider is that when someone says something that riles us up, rather than lashing out at that person, maybe we can stop and ask ourselves "Why is that bothering me so much?" 

Is it possible the person is sharing information that you just don't WANT to believe? What if what was being shared WAS true? What would it mean to us and our lives? Would we be able to continue living as we assimilate the new information? or would our world truly fall apart if we accepted a new "truth" into our reality?

If you still think the person is an idiot or a conspiracy theorist, can you keep that to yourself rather than demeaning the person with those labels? Can you just file it away and accept that everyone has a right to believe what they believe? Maybe even consider the possibility that there might be some truth in what they shared?

Sometimes new information forces us to let go of some of our old beliefs. That isn't always a bad thing. Think about how your beliefs have changed throughout your life. (For instance, I used to believe that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were all real)  :-) 

Why is this relevant now?

I have a feeling that many of the things that have been "hidden" from us for decades (and centuries) are going to start coming out with greater frequency - that we are going to be told things we may not want to know or be shown things that we don't want to accept. It seems like now is a pretty good time to prepare for it, to look at ourselves and see how we react and respond to information that is outside our comfort zone or outside of our "reality bubble" . . . 

A question to ponder: Can we look for ways to process new information that we might not initially be comfortable with? or believe are totally wrong? Can we do it in a more peaceful way - where we don't have to make others WRONG? It could shape whether hearing new information is a terrifying experience or an experience that ultimately allows us to begin spreading our wings - it is entirely up to us. 

I'd Like To Teach The World

 

How many of you are familiar with the song "I'd Like to Teach the World" by the New Seekers? I often wake up hearing songs in my head and this is one of the songs I have been hearing a lot in the last year or so. The lyrics have always touched my heart.

Here are the lyrics in case you aren't familiar with them:

I'd like to build the world a home

And furnish it with love

Grow apple trees and honey bees

And snow white turtle doves

I'd like to teach the world to sing

In perfect harmony

I'd like to hold it in my arms

And keep it company

I'd like to see the world for once

All standing hand in hand

And hear them echo through the hills

For peace through out the land

(That's the song I hear)

I remembered the song from a Coca-Cola commercial when I was a little girl but I didn't know if the song was used as a jingle or if the jingle was turned into a song. For fun, I did a little digging around and found some interesting information. Here is a link for those of you who like to know more about the history of how things came about.

https://www.historytools.org/resources/the-birth-of-id-like-to-teach-the-world-to-sing

Regardless - the lyrics are so poignant for these current times . . . if there was ever a time where my heart was wishing for all these things, it is now!  

And it makes me wonder what would happen if we all held the intention that this will be our new reality.  Our intentions can be quite powerful, especially when they are aligned with our hearts. Even more so when more than one person holds the same intention. Anyone else out there want to see our world shift to this?  As I always say, it can't hurt to try. Who is with me? 

Can You Help Save the Lives of German Shepherds?

If you feel inspired, you can help save the lives of German shepherds who are about to be euthanized. All you need to do is buy a calendar! 

Here's the back story: There is this wonderful gal named Susan whose personal mission is to help organizations who are working on behalf of German shepherds that are on the euthanasia lists. Every year she holds a calendar contest as a fundraiser. She does this out of the goodness of her heart and she doesn't make any money from her efforts. 100% of the profits go to a German shepherd rescue group to help them keep saving lives! 

I came across Susan because her pick for a Rescue group to receive this year's calendar proceeds happens to be Misfit Shepherds out of Camden, South Carolina. They are a rescue group (run by Michael and Roxane) that I have been following with awe because they are doing so much good and because they are doing things in a way I have always dreamed of. They are not just saving the lives of German shepherds but giving them everything they need to prepare them for a new loving home. 

Susan has 8 different calendars for 2027 and she is taking orders NOW - between April 1 through June 1, 2026. You may not be thinking about 2027 yet but now is the time to place your order! (Yes, 8 separate calendars. You could make a big dent in your holiday shopping list by placing a big order!)

I decided to submit Lucky's story for their Rescue calendar. Much to my delight, Lucky was picked to be in the calendar and then she ended up winning second place!! Susan even let me choose what month Lucky would be in the calendar and since we celebrated Lucky's birthday in July (Six months after I won her in the adoption lottery in January of 1996), I thought July would be the perfect place for her picture! (Here is the picture of Lucky that I submitted for the contest). 

For those of you who don't know Lucky's story - she had been used as bait for a dog fighting ring and then thrown into a dumpster with a bunch of other deceased puppies. She and one other dog were barely alive and were rescued. I "won" Lucky in an adoption lottery and I made it my mission to help her recover from all the trauma she had experienced. It was a long road of recovery but we did it!! (I shared our journey in my book: Lucky For Me - a Journey of Healing and Self-Discovery. Link to purchase: CLICK HERE TO BUY PRINT BOOK or Buy e-book edition).  If you met her in her adult years, you would have never known what she had been through in the first part of her life. She taught me everything I know about love, trust, courage, forgiveness and determination. She was not only my inspiration for my own healing journey - she was also the love of my life. 

Those of you who know me and/or read my blog probably know how passionate I have always been about saving the lives of German shepherds (and how deeply I care about assisting ALL animals who are in danger and/or not living the lives they deserve). With all my years of volunteering for GSD Rescue groups, (both while Lucky was still with me and after she passed away) it is truly an honor to have won a slot in the Rescue calendar to help raise money for another GSD Rescue. Here is a picture of Lucky and I "volunteering" at a GSD Rescue event.

That day she helped out in the booth where we were educating the public about the importance of Rescue and what our group was doing to save shepherds facing euthanasia in the local shelters and matching them up with a new loving homes. Lucky loved attending these events. She was the perfect ambassador - showing people what was possible when a dog is given a 2nd chance. 

So here's the big favor I am asking . . . 

Would you consider supporting this fundraiser by making a purchase? Since there are 8 different calendars - you have lots to choose from and believe me, I have seen the winning submissions for all the calendars and there is not a bad picture in ANY of them!! Do puppy pictures melt your heart? Do you prefer jaw-droppingly gorgeous pictures of adult German shepherds? How about beautiful heartwarming pictures of senior dogs? The pictures are all stunning - you seriously can't go wrong with any of the calendars. *(Susan was nice enough to put together collages of each of the calendars so I have added them at the bottom as this blog. There are some minor formatting issues that I can't seem to resolve but hopefully you can still enjoy the collages).

No matter which one(s) you choose, the profits will go to Misfit Shepherds to help them continue with their lifesaving work. (If you want to learn more about them and the phenomenal things they do, you can find them on Facebook.) Given how important their rescue efforts are and how they keep so many German shepherds from being euthanized, I want to help spread the word about this wonderful and easy way you can assist them. 

Below you will find the instructions on how to make a purchase. 

Since Susan does this fundraiser from her heart every year, fueled by her own passion about keeping German shepherds from being needlessly euthanized, I would be so grateful if you considered buying a calendar (or several). By doing so, you will help Misfit Shepherds continue to save the lives of these majestic dogs!

Instructions to purchase from Susan:

The calendars are $30.00 dollars for people that live in the United States.

All other people out of the US the calendar are $40.00 dollars.

I will take orders from April 1st - June 1st. After that time, I will have the calendars printed. 

There are many different calendars. Please be sure you state specifically in your email which calendar(s) you want to purchase as well as the mailing address you would like the calendar(s) sent to.

Puppy Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place
Adult A Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place 
Adult B Calendar - 13th Place through 24th Place 
Senior Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place 
Rescue Calendar - 1st Place through 12th Place
"My Best Friend" Calendar A - 1st Place through 12th Place.
"My Best Friend" Calendar B - 13th Place through 24th Place. 
"My Best Friend" Calendar C - 24th Place through 36th Place. 
Please email me your order to my email which is Whiskydog95@yahoo.com  (No "e" in Whisky)
After I get your email, I will send you a link that will be from my husbands email account:  Kanajoe1@yahoo.com - You clink on the link and it will send you into paypal. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ACCOUNT WITH PAYPAL to do this. Just click on the link and pay with your credit card. You're done.


Puppy Calendar (#1)





Adult calendar A (#2)







Adult calendar B (#3)





Senior calendar (#4)





Rescue calendar (#5)





Best Friends calendar A (#6)





Best Friends calendar B (#7)



 Best Friends calendar C (#8)

From Chaos to Peace

 Just like humans, animals have the same desire to be seen, heard, understood and appreciated. 

It is my belief that we ALL deserve these basic things . . .  and yet sadly, most people and animals don't feel this way. They don't feel seen, heard, understood or appreciated.

The good news though is it isn't difficult to accomplish this . . . it often only requires us to be present and to really listen.

Sometimes I wish I had video taped my sessions with animals back in the early years when I was doing all my Animal Communication sessions in person so that I could play the videos for people who don't believe animals are as capable of thinking and feeling as they are. 

One of my favorite examples of this is from many years ago, but it made a lasting impression on me. I met with a woman and her three dogs - two large dogs - and one small dog with a big personality. If people could see what transpired that day, I think it would easily dispel many of the beliefs people have about animals. People would see evidence that animals understand everything we say. They would have no doubt that animals have feelings and that they can process information. They would clearly understand how much animals appreciate being heard and respected.

The guardian of these three dogs had contacted me because the dogs were exhibiting new, strange and sometimes destructive behavior. She told me that Mickey, the German shepherd and Emma, the standard poodle had been with her for many years. Tony, the new little guy who was a mix - a white fluffy ball of energy, had recently joined their family. As I asked her questions about these new unwanted behaviors, she began to realize that many of the issues she was dealing with started shortly after Tony came to live with them. 

When I first arrived, they all greeted me, but Mickey went almost immediately to lay in his crate, clearly not too sure about me. As I visited with Emma, Tony and their guardian, I began learning more about the new behaviors that had recently cropped up and was trying to get a sense of what was going on with everyone. When we walked into the room where Mickey's crate was, he let out a small, deep growl to let me know he needed his space. I understood and respected that, although, I'll confess, I was a little bummed to discover that my deep connection with my own German shepherd, Lucky, didn't give me an immediate "in" with all German shepherds. :-)

We called Mickey over a few times to talk about what was going on, and while he did come over each time, he didn't show much interest in interacting with me and would go back to his crate within a few minutes. I could tell that he wasn't sure what to think of me and was definitely on guard, silently watching me out of the corner of his eye, not ready to trust me yet. 

A few minutes later, the dogs noticed someone walking in front of their house. Mickey jumped out of his crate and ran to the front window to bark and let them know the house was protected, and right on his heels was Tony who ran to the front window too and began barking. After a minute or so, Mickey seemed irritated with Tony and went back to his crate, while Tony continued to bark and bark. I could feel Mickey's frustration and I kept sensing he was feeling kind of defeated, although I didn't understand that part just yet. I just knew Tony was bothering him.

As I sat there tuning into the energy, I could sense some "role confusion" . . . and pieces began to click into place. Mickey always felt it was his job to protect the house, to protect her, but now that Tony was here trying to play such an active role in protecting the house, Mickey was feeling confused and a little frustrated. I suspected it was why Mickey had been engaging in one of the new odd behaviors (pulling food off the island in the kitchen for all the dogs to enjoy). I suggested that maybe the role of protecting the house should remain Mickey's role and that we could find another "job" for Tony to do. As soon as I made that statement, Mickey came out of his crate, walked right up to me and licked my cheek. I could feel his gratitude for my being able to articulate what he was feeling and I also sensed he was a little more convinced that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that I was there. 

A little while later, the guardian wanted to show me the backyard. I can't remember what the impetus was for us to go back there, but as we got to the backyard, she pointed out that the dogs used to have access to the whole entire backyard, but that now they only had access to the side yard. I asked if we could all go into the backyard together and she said yes so all three dogs joined us in the backyard. As we continued to talk and I asked her why the dogs no longer had access to the whole backyard. She explained that in the first week Tony was there, he fell into the pool and she was so worried it would happen again, that she wasn't letting any of them go out there.

I told her that it was likely a contributing factor in the new unwanted behaviors. They were no longer allowed to enjoy the backyard like they used to and that wasn't making them very happy. As I was explaining how Mickey and Emma felt about that, how it made them even less excited that Tony joined their family (since his presence had actually taken away some of the things they enjoyed most), Mickey came over to me again, licked my face and then rolled over on his back at my feet, letting me know a belly-rub would be appreciated and accepted. To see the transformation in him, from growling at me, to licking my face, to rolling over on his back, it was undeniable that the change in his attitude towards me was directly related to how I was speaking on his behalf. Animals appreciate being "heard" just as much as humans do.

Their guardian and I talked about how it would be better for Tony to learn how to walk around the pool (and not fall in) than to keep all the dogs out of the backyard. As we were discussing some different options for how she could teach this to Tony, Emma came over and offered me her paw, as if saying, "Why thank you very much, what a pleasure it has been to have you here today." :-) She was so darling about it and I could feel a lightness in both she and Mickey that hadn't been there when I first arrived. We were making some real headway!

One of the other issues their guardian had been dealing with was that they all were acting very needy and competing for her attention, which was something they hadn't done before. When she sat down in a chair, if one of the dogs came over to get some pets from her, the other two would rush over and try to push each other out of the way to get her attention. If she picked Tony up and put him in her lap, things got even worse -  Emma and Mickey would try climbing up there too, which wasn't a good thing because it could result in her getting physically injured. It was definitely a competition for her attention and one that shouldn't continue. 

I suggested that she could try giving them attention one at a time, so they each got some of her undivided attention. I went onto explain that they would also need to learn that they couldn't ambush her anymore so clear boundaries would need to be set and consistently upheld. We decided to have me give it a try first to see how it worked. Initially things were going great. I sat down on the floor to pet Mickey and when Emma and Tony came over to try and horn in on the attention, I told them it was Mickey's turn for attention and they would get their turn soon. Much to my delight, they both accepted that and sat down, quietly and patiently watching us.

Then when it was Emma's turn for attention, Tony tried to push his way in and I explained that it wasn't his turn yet. Mickey lifted his head off the floor, and I could tell he was contemplating a move over in me and Emma's direction too but I said "Mickey, you just had your turn, it's Emma's turn now" and he put his head back down on the floor and closed his eyes. Their guardian and I were both so pleased with how this was going, excited to see that they were understanding and respecting the boundary we were trying to set. I continued to pet Emma for a while, while she gleefully soaked up the attention. 

Then it was Tony's turn, so I called him over to me and reminded everyone that it was now Tony's turn for some attention, at which time Ella and Mickey immediately ambushed me and no one was listening anymore. It was total chaos in a matter of seconds. Their guardian and I couldn't help but laugh . . . clearly this was going to take a little more practice to put into place. It was evident that while Mickey and Emma respected each other, that respect did not include Tony just yet and it was going to take some time for them to trust him and show him the same courtesy that they showed one another. None the less, it was an encouraging first attempt. 

That particular appointment was a stand-out for me and has stuck with me all these years. It is such a great example of how much animals want to be seen, heard, understood and appreciated just as much as us humans do and it is one of my favorite aspects of the work I do (both with animals and with humans) - when I can assist in opening this door and see the positive reaction.

So my question to you is this . . . what can you do today to help the people and/or animals in your life feel seen, heard, understood and appreciated. Whether it is at work or at home, what action could take? 

Maybe it is YOU that needs this - and if so, how can you show up for yourself? What can you do to honor and respect yourself? Are you listening to others more than you are listening to yourself? If so, maybe today is the day to ignore everyone else's opinion and follow your own heart, your own inner guidance. If people don't appreciate you and the things you do, can you spend a few minutes each day appreciating yourself? 

No matter what you do, chances are you might be pleasantly surprised by the positive shifts it creates.