I know I get annoying when the Maryland SPCA March for the Animals rolls around but it’s for a great cause. They really do depend on donations from the community to keep the place running. I’ve been taking part in this event for I believe 5 or 6 years now and every year it gets bigger and better. This year Duff Goldman is the Master of Ceremonies. You know him as the guy from “Ace of Cakes.”

I know that times are tough and it that you might not believe that even a dollar helps but it does. I appreciate every donation no matter how big or small it is and I know the Maryland SPCA does. Last year my Pack was able to raise $2,518! Isn’t that amazing? This year I hope to be able to raise $3,000. $1,000 of that is my own personal goal. Please, if you have an extra $5 laying around consider making a donation. If you can’t please just spread the word and share the link. Just imagine the money that could be raised if every person donated $5 and then challenged a friend to match that donation. It adds up quickly!

Again, I thank everyone who’s made a donation this year and in the past. I thank everyone who’s spread the word and helped out. Events like this prove just how wonderful and giving the Internet can really be!

Yup. It’s that time of the year again. It’s time for me to start bugging people about donating/supporting me during this years Maryland SPCA March for the Animals.

The event will be on April 19th. Once again I started a team and our goal is $3,000. That’s about half of what the winning team raised last year. My personal goal is only $300. I’m trying to focus more on ways that the team can raise money instead of just myself. Remember, there is no “I” in team!

If you’d like to donate you can visit this link. Remember that every little bit helps and if you can’t donate please feel free to spread the word. The more people that know the more money that can be raised to help the animals at the Maryland SPCA.

That’s right! We’re now entering the home stretch for the 2009 Maryland SPCA March for the Animals. As of right now the team has raied $490 which means we’re still $3,510 away from our goal. I know that sounds like a big number but it’s not! If people donate $5 here or $10 there, before you know it we’ll be at the $4,000 mark!

The Maryland SPCA adopts out over 3,000 animals every year. Can you imagine the cost of running the facility let alone how much it costs to take care of each animal? I know what you’re thinking, they must receive funding. Wrong. The MD SPCA is a private, nonprofit, independent organization and is not affiliated with any national animal organization, and they do not receive any government or United Way funding.

It cost $300 to take care of an animal at the MD SPCA while he or she is waiting to be adopted. Remember how I just said they adopt out 3,000 animals? Exactly. That’s a load of money that’s needed every year JUST for animal care. That doesn’t include the cost of keeping the facility running, supplies, food, soap and other much needed items.

I know this year has been hard on people with the economy the way it is but if you have an extra $5 to spare I know the Maryland SPCA would grealyt appreciate a donation. I strongly believe that every little bit helps.

If you’d like to donate just use the link below and please freel free to pass this along!

http://www.marchfortheanimals.kintera.org/stag

Thank you in advance!

I want to introduce the newest addition to my household. This little lady is Honey Bear. She’s a Black Bear Hamster and I bought her Sunday! Isn’t she adorable? She’s very sweet too. I held her before I bought her just to make sure we’d get along and I knew right away I had to have her!

On July 8th, Barney, the baby bird we had rescued passed away. She had a short but happy little bird life. Perhaps she just wasn’t meant to be.

On the night of July 12th, while I was in PA dogsitting, Raz better known as “Big Eyes” passed away. She had a pretty long life for a hamster. I believe she was around 3 when she passed away. We knew it was coming but we didn’t think it would be this soon.

I had another hamster death. Sunday I discovered that Taz aka Red Eyes I had passed away. I hadn’t seen her in awhile and when I went to move some shavings away from the entrance to the sleeping box, I uncovered her little body. I knew her time was coming soon but it’s still sad and a shock. I actually took this death a little harder then when Squeakers passed away.

I know she’s in a better place though and lived a long & happy life.

I wanted to thank everyone for the nice comments! It’s really touching. We had her little funeral service yesterday. She was burried in a little wooden box with food, treats and shavings.

Last night I discovered that one of my hamsters, Squeakers, had passed away. I hadn’t seen her lately and I tried knocking on her cage to wake her up. My mom got some treats out and she always comes out of her little house for treats. Needless to say I lifted up her little house and there she was, all curled up. She passed in her sleep. She had just turned 3 before Easter which is very old for a hamster.

Even though she was mean, she was still my baby. Last week I actually got to hold her for the first time. Sure, I had to trick her but that’s not the point. She’ll be missed.

Last night I had “Red Eyes” out and noticed something was wrong with her ear. When I was able to take a closer look (which is hard as hell with a little ass hamster) I could see there was something in her ear! It’s all red and kinda crusty looking and is a pretty good size. I don’t think it’s ear wax. She hasn’t been scratching her ear or acting weird but I’m still worried. She shares a cage with “Big Eyes” and I don’t want her to catch it if it’s something contagious.

I called our regular vet this morning to ask if they see hamsters and they don’t. I asked the receptionist if she knew of any that did and she gave me the name of two different vet clinics. I called the closer one and they have one doctor who treats hamsters. He’s there today from 11am-Noon and tomorrow from 11am-Noon & 5pm-7:30pm. It’ll cost $38 to see the doctor which really isn’t too bad. The kicker will be if she needs any medication.

I just hope it’s nothing really serious. I love all my critters and it would suck ass if she had to be put down. I will say this is a first though, I’ve never had to take a hamster to the vet before!

If someone told me what I’m about to tell you, I wouldn’t believe it myself.

Monday night we’re all sitting around watching TV when the phone rings. My sister answers it and she does the typical “Hello” and what not. Then she looks at me laughing asking if I want another hamster. I thought maybe someone had a hamster that had babies or something. Of course I say yes, the parents say no. We ask who’s on the phone and it was our neighbor. Now, I know my neighbor doesn’t have critters because of allergies. That rules out the baby hamster scenrio.

Are you ready for this? My neighbor was driving down the street and almost ran over a hamster! I’m serious! He slammed on his breaks and jumped out of his truck to check it out. It was a little gray, scruffy looking female hamster. He picked it up and had placed it in their mailbox and then called us. Once I found out it was a rescue mission I ran outside to check it out. Sure enough it was a hamster in a mailbox! You could tell it had been handled and was someones pet before. It didn’t bite or make noises or anything. It climbed right into my hand! It was a little wet from the rain and we had no idea how long it had been outside.

Needless to say I brought it into the house and cleaned out an old cage I had and made a new home for Hobo. She made it through the night and has been eating and acting pretty normal. It looks like I’m now mom to 4 little Furbabies!

I took everything I collected up to the MD SPCA on Saturday. I was able to fill two boxes with toys and treats for all the dogs and cats. I seirously think I collected enough that each animal could get a toy. How awesome is that? The people at the SPCA were really appreciative and kept thanking me for all the stuff.

Of course I had to go look at the dogs which was kinda sad. I did notice a handful of them had been adopted and were going to be picked up soon. I think some people were waiting for the stress of the Holidays to be over with. One little boy was there to visit the dog his family was adopting. His name was Shadow and he was a chow mix. I asked the boy if he had everything at home for his new dog and he said yup! A Beagle was being adopted as well and a Pit Mix who was very pretty. She was white and tan and was the sweetest thing!

The saddest dog was the 12 year old named Kojak. I don’t know what his story was but it was sad to see an old dog waiting to be adopted. It seemed that everyone at the shelter was pulling for him to find a new home. I took some extra time to talk to him and pet him and anytime a shelter worker passed they would ask if we were going to adopt him. It broke my heart. If I had my own place or if Wolf was social, I think I would have left with him. He didn’t even have an adoption fee!

It was sad leaving but I know I helped make their stay at the shelter a little nicer with all the stuff that I took up there. One lucky dog is going to be getting a new dog bed! Hopefully they give it to the old guy.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and be safe!