Email from Michigan

A note from my human:

Today I received this email.

Today my husband and I were driving down the 90 frwy near Rapid City when we passed a dog on a motorcycle. Later that afternoon we were talking about at a restaurant in town when the waiter said, "You saw Emma!" she eats here too. He gave us your postcard and that is how we found your delightful website.

What I want to sure with you are our observations from when we first saw you.
The dog was rubbing it's head vigorously on the front of the bucket she was sitting in and pushed some glasses off her face. My husband said, "watch her smack that dog now." The lady on the back reached over and took the glasses off even more. Then wiped the dogs eyes and next took the heal of her hand and gave the dog a good eye rubbing! She put the glasses back over the dogs eyes and then... kissed the dog on the nose!

All this love and care at 60 MPH.

I have a lot I could say about what I saw though I will end with just one statement, "it was beautiful".

Marcie from Michigan



I can't believe the kind of emails I have received about Emma since we have been on vacation. The number of people she touches and the time they take to express themselves to us. It is just amazing how many people her life touches. If this is the by-product of loving your dog as much as I do and from taking them everywhere with you, even on vacation. Then I will never leave home without my dog...

Oh yeah I never do. :-)

First Five?

My Mom would like to take credit for this thought, though actually the question came out of my Dad. He is watching a show about an undercover operation in Pet Land Pet Stores. People, go to Animal Planet and see this show or educate yourself. So that first we can act different, then make better choices and then make a difference. The program is shocking. http://animal.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=15.15976.129051.0.0

But in the middle of it he said, "Do you know how a child's personality they say is form in the first five years. Do you think that is true for dogs?"

Could this be the reason so many "pure breeds" from some pet stores and breeders are so spastic or sickly?

Give us your input. Conversation starts awareness.

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER!!!

Signed, Emma Zen the Shelter Survivor!

I am...

This evening I chased a rabbit behind a barn under a rainbow.

I am dog!

It happened so fast

One day I was a pet. One day I belonged to the world. One day I was me. One day I was famous. One day I was a dog. One day I was an actor. One day I was a family member. One day I was a model. One day I was young. One day I was older. One day...

Whatever your day brings may you enjoy it... It is but a page in your own book!!!

A note from my human

Today I took Emma to Therapy. There was a man with a cane who was laid out in a recliner stretched all the way back. I took the other recliner and pushed it up next to his and had Emma get up and lay in it. She curled up in a little ball and rested her head on the now 2 wide arm rest. Soon she fell asleep with the man's hand on her head. As I watched them both from a few feet away I saw him too close his eyes and then simultaneously, as if on cue, they both took a deep breath and sighed.

It was beautiful.

This is life.

There are no camera's allowed in this center and yet the picture was so beautiful. It makes me pause and wish to remind everyone to stop doing and just be. To put down the cameras, the computers and the cell phones. To go out and then come home with the vision of a yellow flower, or the memory of a good smell or the visual of such contentment. It is within those moments, the ones documented from our own accord that we actually feel alive.

Live on!

(Emma's human.)

What my human learned from me

Yesterday I had a bad day or at least that is what one could assume. You see, me at home all day without my human is stressful. I suffer from separation anxiety. But when Mom walked in the door I stood up and gave her my happiest slow, head down, ears cute, butt wiggle walk I could! I was so happy to see her and it was that happiness I wanted to share first.

Debra, my human, took off early in the morning. Early of a terrible morning, after a terrible nights sleep, with terrible news. Her head had so many things running through it. She was off though to lunch with a friend. She thought of the story above, or days like that where I had met her with such enthusiasm even after the following of a no good day and she though, I will not go to my "friends" house, lay my woes at her door. For then I will only have to complain and be more negative and no time to heal or be possitive. So she did this and yet even though it was a struggle it was far less traumatic then pouring out what made her day bad to begin with.

Then she left and her day got worse. Much worse and it wasn't much better the next day. But what I have seen my human do is to try. To know in her own head what has to been done and to do it and to not perpetuate the negativity by overly repeating it too much or everywhere she goes. I have watched her smile, hold back a snarly, listen to others and I swear today I saw her wag her butt!

I think it is working. She looks like she is getting grounded again.. My human has learned from my behaviors. Dogs, be good. You never know who you are affecting!

Emma

It's all in our heads

So today Mom and I were in the car sitting patiently in the driveway of a gas station in the ready to exit position. The cars in the first lane were at a stop due to the light. Then car two inched up as close as possible to car one, anxiously starting back and forth at us as if it were one for all race for second position. Mom and I just sat there.

We weren't going to go anywhere so we sat there while she rubbed my head and then all of a sudden, "honkkkkkkk" a car screamed. We looked up and there was car three, completely inpatient, constantly looking at us like we weren't in enough of a hurry to take the now mile long space she was offering.

Mom noticed. One person did the wrong thing or a mean thing at least, and one person try to attempt a nice move. However both people were in the same head.

Dogs, unfortunately suffer from this too. See tell me to sit and stay and I am find. Have my Mom leave the room and I look good on the outside but on the inside "I'm Panicking!" It all in our heads too.

I don't think actions speak louder than words: I think it's all in our heads. Don't aim for perfection just be aware and they aiming for more often then not, they could be a great improvement for many. I am not perfect either I suffer from the same internal chatterm however my episode seam to few and far between in comparsion to your kind. So I suggest, when your listening to your head you stop and put your dog, it may give you a different perspective and allow you sit where you are in peace.

Emma