YAY HTML!

This is Jess's IT supervisor. The Yummers page should now be working properly. At least is it on my end. If anyone is still having trouble getting to the Paypal page through the "Give" candy link, please comment below and let us know so we can make sure it's absolutely operational for all :)
Thanks!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Do you hear that?
That is the sound of time ticking by. And do you know what that means?
It means that we are that much closer to the launch of the Kissing Booth and the King and Queen vote!
However, you still have a few hours to get your photos in. So, if you were a bit shy, but have been thinking that you want to join the fun, send your photos to:
purple DOT tidalwave AT gmail DOT com
so we can enter you! We don't want anyone to miss out!
***
Also,
Shasta
you may want to check out the "Loved recipients" page. There is a message for you. ;)

Going once, Going twice...

The deadline is quickly approaching for your smiling faces to be added to the Kissing Booth or the Valentine's Day King and Queen vote. In approximately fifteen hours, the entry will close and the pages will be posted for your viewing/kissing/voting pleasure.
So, if you would like to be a part of our Kissing Booth or have a chance at being voted Valentine's King or Queen, don't delay in sending in your photos to Jess and Glacier at:
purple DOT tidalwave AT gmail DOT com
There is no cost to have your photos added, but remember, that each kiss and each vote costs 1 American dollar.
We'd love to see you!
*Note: prizes are being awarded to the lucky creatures voted Queen and King*.
P.S. Thank you to Amber for letting me know that the Yummer's "give" button is not working. We are working on it. If anyone else is having any technological problems, please do not hesitate to send me an email to the address above. We want this to go as smoothly as possible and to be as fun as it can be. So, send in your questions/comments/suggestions.
PPS: To those of you using a screen reader, I personally couldn't get my screen reader to interact with the "give" buttons. I am not sure if that was because the buttons just weren't working or if they are not blind friendly. If it the latter, please let me know and I will find a way to make sure you can participate. :)

Fur My Sweetie: By Roscoe

Guess whats everyone?

I haves a date to the Blogville Valentine's PAWTY and hers is a very lovely Lady. I'm sure you all knows hers too! It's the beautiful

Maggie Mae!

Isn't hers beautiful?

Can you believes it? Hers said she wanted to go dancings with me. With me! I am sooooooo excited! Mom said hers will give me dating lessons so that I am a complete gentleman for Maggie Mae. Mom says I needs to learn hows to open doors and hold them for my Lady; I haves to get hers her drinks at the PAWTY; I also needs to learns hows to hold my arm so hers can walk with me. There's so much stuffs to learns!

And do you knows what else?

It's Maggie Mae's birthday today! So, I gots hers a present.

Do you likes it Maggie Mae? It's a Yummer just fur you. I knows that theys are fur Valentine's Day, but I thought that you should have a yummer fur your birthday too.

 I hopes you haves a wonderful birthday!

XOXO

Roscoe

Say Cheese

Can you believe it, Blogville?
Just over two days for you to get your photos in for The Kissing Booth and vote for Valentine's Day King and Queen.
The pages are coming along very nicely and everything should be ready to launch on February 01. That means, if you want to pawticipate in the vote or in The Kissing Booth, then you need to get your fabulous faces into me by midnight January 31. That is not very far off.
Email your smiles/puckers/pouts to:
purple DOT tidalwave AT gmail DOT com
*There is NO cost to enter your photos*!
This also means that voting and kissing can start on February 01. Each kiss costs 1 dollar American and each vote also costs 1 dollar American, which will go towards helping Dog Foster Mom pay for the necessary privacy fence.
So, what are you waiting for?
Send us your photos and hurry.
We don't want anyone to miss out.
Happy Sunday :)
P.S. Don't forget that the Yummers Fur your Sweetie shop is open. Stop by and check out our (virtual) selection of treats and pick one for your honey. Or, there have been a few birthdays in Blogville as of late; maybe someone would like to get a plate of cookies?

A Valentine's Request From Roscoe

Hellos Blogville:
This is Roscoe, doing this Blog thingy. I haves never done this before, but Glacier says it's easy. Easy for himms. I ams still confused by this typing thingy. Hims says he'll spellcheck for me when I'm done; whatever that is.
Anyways, I haves given up my very impawtant job of sleeping on the couch and protecting my Mom-Hers is  my Mom, but Glacier's girl; very confusing-to ask a very impawtant question. And that is:
Are there any available ladies still left in Blogville?
When I saws that everyone was getting dates, even Glacier, I decided that I hadn't been practising my dance moves fur nothing. No, ssirree. Since I don'ts do this Blog thingy, I don't knows any of you lovely ladies and so would be most honoured if one of you wanted to take me-oh no, wait-if you would go with me...that's right isn't it? I take you rights?
Anyways, I knows I would be the most pawfect escort because I have the same job for the Daddy that Glacier has for my Mom; AKA hims girl.
I'm a guide dog. I would be ables to keep your paws from getting stomped on and make sure you didn't run into anything while we were grooving. Very impawtant stuffs.
Oh, Glacier says I shoulds show you who I am since you don't knows me. So, here it goes:

Here is me.

Me is so handsome. Wouldn't I look good on yours arm? Erm, you on mines. I am telling ya! This dating thingy is almost as confusing as this blog thingy. I ams a fast learner thoughs. I'll take dating lessons befures the PAWTY and be the pawfect date.
What Glacier?
Ohs another one.

Heres I am agains.
As you can sees, I ams a dog of many talents. I can snuggles, plays computer games and...erm, I don't knows whats I was doing in that other photo thingy. The Daddy has a sick sense of humours sometimes.
Anyways...Ladies?
Would someones likes to go to the Blogville Valentine's PAWTY with me? I pawmise, I'll take dating lessons befures February fourteens.

My Girl Can't Sit Still

Hi there: Glacier here. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but my girl has itchy feet: she can't sit still. It amazes me that she can sit down and read a book without jumping up to do something.
Right now, hers is doing 87 million different thingies! No, really.
Hers has started volunteering with Labrador Retriever Rescue Scotland; hers is constantly doing thingies for the Blogville PAWTY; hers has another blog (you can read it
here. and hers Highness Crazy Lady is training for a triathlon! And, now! Hers has decided it's a good idea to train for her triathlon AND raise moneys for the Labrador Retriever Rescue Scotland.
I tell ya! Hers doesn't know how to stay still!
Can anybodies come and tie hers to the couch?
XX
Glacier

My Dog Dream

Things with the Labrador Rescue have been moving right along at a very quick pace. C has been amazing and hasn't said "no" to any of my ideas/suggestions, which has completely surprised me. Some of my ideas/plans have been a bit ambitious, but she just keeps giving me the green light and encouraging me.

This woman is truly Heaven sent. Where has she been all my life?

Actually, I'm glad it's taken me this long to find her. It has given me the opportunity to learn more about dogs, fundraising and a lot of other things that I think make me a better volunteer for the rescue.

Before Mr. K and I moved to Scotland back in August of 2011, I had created a website called

Furdemonium

that Mr. K designed for me. I haven't done much with it since moving to the Uk because I felt that I wasn't quite equipped to enter the world of dog training. I didn't have any contacts, no resources and I really wanted a mentor. After speaking to C over email today, I think I will be resurrecting Furdemonium and breathing some life into it.

C has given me the "go ahead" to be a follow-up resource for the people who rescue from Labrador Rescue. I will serve as a go to person to help with settling a dog into a home, training enquiries and other dog related issues. C even added to my duties by suggesting that I act as  a resource for people who are thinking of re-homing their Labrador. She says often, a phone call or two can rectify a problem a person is having and she thinks that if she could send me to the person, that perhaps even more re-homings could be prevented. I just can't believe she is giving me so much responsibility with regards to the dogs.

One of my other tasks is to find a company willing to free source clickers to Labrador Rescue. I had asked C if she gave out starter kits with the re-homed Labradors and she said that in fact they did. However, clickers were not provided, which was something I suggested be in the package, and she said I could  start looking for a "clicker sponsor" of sorts.

Other organisations wanted me to hand out posters and here C is encouraging me to train dogs.

All I can say is "wow."

Furdemonium will be used as a tool for aiding Labrador Rescue as well as providing a resource for owners. Who knows where this adventure will take me, but perhaps my dreams of working in the pet industry will come true. I'm just so excited that I can do what I love so much and help out such a wonderful person, C, and organisation.

A Whole Lot of Excitement

There is so much going on that I hardly know where to start. So, here are a few updates, just in case you may have missed them.
First of all, the Yummers Fur your Sweetie page is open. This is where you may go and buy a (virtual) treat or two for your sweetie for Valentine's Day. You fuzzy creatures stealing your Mama's "plastic thingies," don't forget your humans. :)
All you have to do is go to the page, pick your treat and hit the button underneath it, which will bring you to a Pay Pal page. The cost of a treat is 1 US dollar and all proceeds go to Dog Foster Mom and helping her build her privacy fence.
*Note: Please remember to fill out the comment section on the Pay Pal page. This way, we know who bought what and for whom. If you don't want to be recognised, no worries. Just don't fill out that comments section. Once your payment has been confirmed and I have read your comment, I will make it public that so and so has bought a treat for so and so. There is a separate page for that*.
That brings me to my next thing. There is a page that displays the Yummers bought for sweeties. Please check this page as you may have received a Yummer. If you decide to purchase a yummer, please feel free to take the image of the yummer, display it on your blog and tell your sweetie yourself that you bought something for him/her.
Next item of business:
If you are unable to participate in the Blogville Valentine's Day PAWTY, or just want to contribute more to Dog Foster Mom's fence fund, a "general donation" button has been added to the Updates and Information page found on this blog. This button allows you to select the amount you want to donate.
Thus far, all of the photos sent in for the Kissing Booth and King and Queen vote have been added to their respective pages. I'm gonna tell ya Blogville: we have some very lovely four leggers out there. There is still time to get your photos to me and we welcome them. If you have a photo for the Kissing Booth and/or for the Valentine's Day King and/or Queen vote, please email them to:
PURPLE DOT TIDALWAVE AT GMAIL DOT COM
You have until midnight on January 31. Got it? :)
Also, if anyone is looking for a fuzzy one to go to the dance with, I know Roscoe is looking for a date. Tune in tomorrow because he will be taking over the blog for the first time...ever!
I think, for now, that is all. If you have any questions about any of the activities, please do not hesitate to contact Jess and Glacier at the email address above. We always love your suggestions/comments/questions.

Good Stuff

Glacier and Roscoe have been on a raw diet for just over two weeks now. Mr. K and I decided to go with a pre-made  food for now as getting the ingredients for a raw diet may prove difficult as of right now. The food we selected, after many hours of research, was Natural Instincts and let me tell you, we, the dogs included, are very happy with the food.
As most of my readers know, Roscoe has a few allergies and commercial kibbles often make the allergies flare up. We had found a wet food, Nature Diet, that seemed to work for a while, but his stomach seemed to disagree with it after a while as well. His ears would become stinky and overly waxy after a few weeks, which would require the use of an ear cleaner. Both dogs' "deposits" were small, but the consistency wasn't quite right. So, I went on the hunt for a high quality, raw, pre-made food. Natural Instincts has a "Working dog" line, which we feed the boys, not only because it has more vitamins, but also because, for some reason, it is cheaper than the other Natural Instincts Options. I also like it because there is a variety of proteins to pick from and so the boys may get chicken one day, turkey another and beef yet another. The shipping was incredibly fast and the food arrived still frozen in little coolers. Their customer service is also quite satisfactory as I emailed at one point, wondering where our order was, and they phoned me back within a few hours of me sending the email. Yes, the food is a bit more expensive than what we were originally feeding Glacier and Roscoe, but I calculated it and they are eating 1100 grams of food less a day. That is huge. That means, that they are metabolizing the food better and actually using what is put into their systems.
Their coats are thicker and shinier, ears are clean, no paw chewing, poop is itty-bitty and their stinky doggie breath isn't nearly as bad. And, the boys love it! I mean, they are Labs and would probably love anything I put in front of them-Glacier has eaten velcro-but they are so excited for their meals now, I can hardly contain them.
At first, I thought they were starving and that I wasn't feeding them enough. The quantity of food I was feeding them had dropped drastically and I was concerned that they were not getting enough food. So, to experiment, I doubled their portions one day and they still acted crazy when it was meal time. It wasn't that they weren't getting enough, it was that they loved it so much.
Both boys know when it's close to meal time, as I am sure all dog owners can relate to. Roscoe starts prancing about and if I'm not fast enough, he will start talking to me. Ever since we made the food switch, he prances even more vigorously, even to the point where he runs around the living room like a mad man and talks even more vehemently. Glacier will move around, plunking into a sit and then moving to a new spot. He knows he has to sit for his food and perhaps he thinks that if he sits adamantly, then I'll feed him faster. This is at supper time. The mornings are a whole different story.
In the mornings, both boys start tap dancing next to my side of the bed and thrusting their cold noses under the covers. Glacier is tall enough to get his head on the bed without putting his paws up. If I am unresponsive, and Mr. K isn't in bed, Roscoe will leap on to the bed and start stamping on me and snuffing my face. If I move at all, indicating to him that his antics are working, then he starts hitting me with his front paws. The instant I throw back the covers, Roscoe has launched himself off the bed and lands in front of  the bedroom door, where he resumes his tap dancing. I can't get the door open fast enough for the two of them. They both hold their "sit, stay" while they wait for me to dish it out, but they are quivering with anticipation.
Basically, we, all of us, are very satisfied with the food we have chosen. The dogs love its taste and the humans are happy with the results. I think we may have found a winner this time around; let's just hope it stays that way.
*Note: the opinions expressed here are mine and I have not received any kind of endorsement from Natural Instincts for my review; although, that would be nice*. :)