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Meet Jake and Zack. Both boys are pomeranians and, though not brothers, clearly have a lot of cuddly love for each other.

I’m sure your first instinct may have been a heartfelt “awww…” However, if you look closer, you’ll notice that Zack is missing his right eye. If Jake’s mouth was open, you wouldn’t see a single tooth. And though their bodies are being held in a big hug, what you don’t see are the massive patches of fur that have been ripped off and the deep wounds that cover their bodies.

Jake and Zack were seized just two weeks ago from a hoarding breeder within BC and, if you can believe it, were forced to engage in dog fighting. Yes, these little 3 and 7-pound pomeranians were forced to rip at each other. Now they’ve got a loving – yet temporary – home with Jordy’s former foster mom. These boys are just two of many dogs that you have the opportunity to help out.

Do you have a craft, some dog toys or supplies, a business, a service or just something extra lying around that could fetch a price?

Please consider donating to the silent auction that Furever After Small Dog Rescue is holding in late November. Jordy is just one of many dogs who’ve been helped and re-home through this fantastic organization.

If you’d like to help out, please leave a comment or contact me directly. Donated items are tax deductible and 100% of the proceeds help dogs like Jake and Zack.

Do you paint? Run an auto shop? Knit? Distribute books? Own a shop of interesting and unique treasures? Provide a service that benefits the community? I’d like you to consider for a moment the fact that whatever you do can be of even further benefit if you wish.

When I first set out to bring a dog into my home, I found a wide range of rescue organizations across BC that were taking care of – literally – thousands of dogs that were neglected or homeless. Through that search, I stumbled upon Jordy’s profile page. At the time he was living in a foster home in Duncan on Vancouver Island, being cared for by a non-profit group known as Furever After Small Dog Rescue.

Monty, pictured above, was one of Jordy’s foster brothers. When first brought into care, Monty was filthy, emaciated, his teeth rotted and his fur was so horribly matted that the weight of the knots caused sores and bruises all over Monty’s tiny body. Both Rebecca and I had the chance to meet Monty and see the progress he’d made in foster care on the day I went to pick up Jordy to bring him home. Today Monty has bounced back triumphantly, only through the care and funds of Furever After.

Most of these dogs require emergency dental care, as well as even basic veterinary care (and most aren’t spayed or neutered), food, shelter and rehabilitation in order to be adopted out. This coming November, Furever After is holding a charity dinner and silent auction to raise these desperately needed funds. The group is entirely run by volunteers, and when the money dries up, the expenses must come out-of-pocket. 100% of money raised goes to helping the dogs!

If you have a service, product, item you’ve made or the like that can be auctioned off at this dinner and silent auction, please contact me as soon as possible. No item is too big or small and the dollar value isn’t important. Tax receipts can be provided for all items with an attached invoice/receipt detailing item value and business information.

For more information or to donate your item or service, please send me an e-mail. Any help is much appreciated! To learn more about the fundraising dinner, please click here or visit the Furever After Small Dog Rescue website.

While the residents of Vancouver are sharply divided on the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games, related constructions projects are starting to wrap up across the Greater Vancouver area. Rising above the waters of False Creek one will find the Olympic Athletes Village, designed to hold nearly 2,000 competitors. However, it’s the large influx of tourism that is going to really impact Vancouver’s population, driving it from just over 2 million to just under 3 million.

With a desperate need to house Vancouver’s less fortunate and those that will be visiting the City, a project has emerged that I can finally throw my support behind. Home For The Games is non-profit group uniting homeowners and tourists for a great cause in an effort to meet critical needs in Vancouver.

Photo: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Local homeowners that are renting out spaces to Olympic spectators can register with Home For The Games and see their rental income put to good use. While homeowners maintain 50% profit, the other 50% is divided between Streetohome and Covenant House.

Some of Streetohome’s current initiatives “include funding and facilitating the creation of housing for people who are homeless, including supportive housing for homeless mothers and babies.” Funds donated to Covenant House will support “young people who often have no on else—people between the ages of 16 and 24 who have fled physical, emotional or sexual abuse or have been forced from their homes.”

It is hoped that some $750,000 will be raised for these two fantastic charities.

For more information, to volunteer or to register with Home For The Games, please visit their website.

I’ve been there and done that. I’ve tried a whole gamut of different skin care products and, while I normally end up settling on Clinique, the seven-month itch has hit me again. Clinique is a great line, but I feel after several months’ use, my skin becomes immune to it and craves something new.

Photo: jay.tong on Flickr

In recent years I have, in fact, tried no less than the following:

• Clinique
• Aveeno (Never. Again.)
• Neutrogena
• Kiehl’s
• Ren (Love this but it’s quite pricey…)
• Noxema
• Stella McCartney PURE

I’m sure there are more but I can’t recall. I’m overwhelmed by department stores at the best of time and really don’t know which direction to head in next. While I’m leaning towards trying Aveda, I’m hoping for some input.

The skin care line needs to leave my skin feeling fresh, ideally needs to be under $100 for a cleanser, toner and moisturizer and, most importantly, needs to be a line found on PETA’s list of companies and products that do not test on animals. (You can check if your brand tests on our furry friends here.)

Okay ladies (and gentlemen)… the floor is yours. Tell me what you use.

Yesterday I woke up to a blue sky and shining sun and was eagerly anticipating the BCSPCA Open House at the Vancouver shelter. After hopping on the Skytrain, Rebecca, John and I found ourselves amongst shiny balloons, flipping pancakes, live music, barking dogs, purring cats and so much more.

Through generosity, the BCSPCA was donated a Smart Car to help raise awareness at various community events!

Both Bully Buddies and HugABull were on hand to educate and advocate for those dogs that normally get a “bum rap.” This little guy is only a year and a half old and a totally affectionate sweetheart, but was severely neglected, so he looks much older than he really is.

Any day that I get to see my good friend Angela is a day that’s a little brighter than others. This woman has, in my opinion, the best job in the world – she’s a Special Provincial Constable with the BCSPCA and is out there tirelessly doing everything she can for neglected, abused and abandoned animals.

Photo: Angela Mead

This sign says it all…

…but with these faces, no words are needed.

Not just cats and dogs were on hand… the SPCA were also caring for chinchillas, rabbits and birds.

My companions for the day, John and Rebecca.

My friend for the long haul, Rebecca and me.

Angela crafted her animal cruelty awareness booth to look like a giant cake, but took the liberty of teasing me into thinking there was actually cake on hand.

She means business.

I was also fortunate enough to meet Karen of the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association – a no-kill, non-profit, organization committed to finding foster care and ultimately forever homes for orphaned kittens. She brought along two one-week-old kittens with her and both were unbelievably sweet!

Needless to say, the open house was a huge success and I’m very happy to tell you that many animals found their forever homes! A lot of essential services provided by the SPCA all around BC have been cut or eliminated lately due to the economic crunch, so I’m excited to register for the Paws For A Cause fundraiser on June 1. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help me help the animals!

I’ve long been a supporter of the British Columbia Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC-SPCA) and the heroic work they do on behalf of all animals in British Columbia. There’s a misconception out there that the BC-SPCA only deals in cats and dogs, but everything from gerbils, horses, birds, farm animals and wild animals benefit from the BC-SPCA.

Unfortunately, when the economy takes a hit and families are affected, it’s usually household pets that are the first to suffer.

To celebrate ‘Be Kind To Animals’ month, the Vancouver branch of the SPCA is holding an Open House this Saturday, May 23rd, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This event features face painting, a pancake breakfast, live entertainment, activities for children and an opportunity to meet the animals available for adoption.

Aside from the fun festivities, the Open House is also a great chance for the community to learn more about the shelter and the incredible effort the staff and volunteers put out on a daily basis.

Right now, the need for foster homes for sick cats and kittens is at a critical level at the Vancouver shelter. Please come down this Saturday and consider whether or not this is something you can do to help. Also, donations of food, toys, supplies and money is also graciously accepted.

Keep in mind that annual government funding is little more than a fistful of dollars, so the animals really depend on you and me to give them a helping hand. If you aren’t able to make it into this weekend’s Open House, please click here for other ways in which you can help.

I’ll see you there!

The Vancouver branch of the BC-SPCA is located at 1205 East 7th Avenue (just off Clark near the Clark-VCC Skytrain station) and is easily accessible by transit. A map of the shelter’s location can be found by clicking here.

This Sunday will mark three weeks since I brought Jordy home to live with me. In that time, he has grown literal leaps and bounds, coming out of his shell and displaying a unique personality all of his own. For a dog that I expected to have so many behavioral issues, he continues to surprise and amaze me in how well he has seemingly adapted.

Change, however, isn’t always a forward motion I have learned. Sometimes that kind of progress is two steps forward, one step back.

We have our usual morning routine: we get up and go outside so he can pee, he eats, I shower and then we go for a 20-minute walk before I leave for work. Jordy has always done his “business” on our walk, much like clockwork, for the past two weeks.

This morning I got out of the shower to find that he had done his “business” in five different spots on the living room carpet and peed on the leg of the freshly-washed jeans I had laid out to wear today. I was totally disheartened and had one of those “what have I gotten myself into” mommyhood moments of self-doubt as I fought back tears. Who was I kidding? Raising a dog on my own?

When I was in negotiations to adopt a rescue dog, the group’s director cautioned that I’d have a few months of hard work ahead of me. I think perhaps I have been getting comfortable in our life together, forgetting that Jordy is one-half of the equation and maybe he hasn’t caught up to me. Three out of the last four nights this week, I have gone out after work. I had planned to again tonight, but this morning’s events were a huge wake-up call.

While I have adjusted to life with a dog, Jordy hasn’t adjusted to life with mommy in a new apartment in a new city with new toys and new food. His behavior hasn’t otherwise changed, and he’s still the same lovable ball of energy he’s been from day one. What I have realized, however, is that it’s me that needs to take a step back.

Henry David Thoreau said “things do not change, we change.” My life isn’t just about me anymore and I was shown that in a rather obvious way just an hour ago. All my experience with dogs in the past is meaningless in some regards because no two dogs are alike, and Jordy has specific needs that only I can meet.

I think the best thing I can do involves a little bit of self-sacrifice, meaning sacrificing my weekday social life in evenings for the next month or so. I can’t provide a routine that Jordy can get used to without some consistency. Maybe only then can we start to dip our toes and paws into different streams.

Please tell me Jordy and I are not alone in this.

Today is Raymi’s birthday.

She is there and I am here.

Big sigh and little tear.

Happy two-six, Raymi. ♥

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P.S. I need your help! So much about my move tomorrow has fallen into place beautifully, except this: I have all these wooden-framed Ikea mirrors stuck to my concrete walls with double-sided tape and can’t get them off for the life of me. It’s ridiculous. I tried using a blowdryer to heat the tape and it didn’t work either. I need a quick fix and fast! Doesn’t Mike Holmes read my blog?

Sit back in your chair, clear your mind and breathe deeply. Now ask yourself the following question:

“Does anything in these three pictures appeal to me?”

Photo: Conductive on Flickr

Photo: Jaako on Flickr

Photo: Aaron Landry on Flickr

That’s what I thought. I’ve spent all afternoon boxing up more of my life (and tossing other parts of my life) and will be moving out of this apartment in exactly one week. It’s a bit of a juggle as I have to move all my belongings out of my apartment and into storage in the basement on the 29th, and then move it all again into a truck on the 1st to set up my new apartment.

Here’s where your chance to score some good karma for yourself comes in…

Next Sunday afternoon, I need some strong arms to help me take a few loads down the elevator to get everything out of my apartment. I’ll be supplying ice cold Island Farms milk and my favourite cookies made of deliciousness from Capers on Robson – they’re to die for!

On Wednesday, April 1, I have a few happy helpers (Rebecca, Angie and Tania) to trek it all to the new place, but one or two more would be even better. There’ll be frosty bottles of beer and piping hot pizza once all’s said and done!

So throw your hand in the air, yell “oi!” and tell me you want to help.

When I was 11 years old, my dad took me to my first concert. U2’s Zoo TV tour stopped off at BC Place for two chilly nights in early November that year. I remember the incredible flutter of nervousness in my stomach as we stepped off the Skytrain and made our way to the gates.

For longer than I can remember, U2’s music has had a profound, lasting and remarkable impact on my life. Somehow the majority of my key formative memories include their music, so it should come as no surprise to know that their records account for a significant chunk of my record collection.

I can’t stress how personally poetic it is that the band released their 12th studio album, No Line On the Horizon, on the day I began to pack up the last five years of my life. And believe me, the irony in the record’s title is not lost on me either. This record will be my soundtrack for 2009.

The packing process will be swift and efficient. I plan on tossing a lot of the old to make room for what’s new (including this, this or this). That being said, here’s where I need a few good men… and women too.

On Monday, March 30th, all of my belongings need to be brought to my apartment’s basement to be stored for two nights. On Wednesday, April 1st, the lovely and gracious Rebecca has rented a big, badass pick-up truck to haul the few loads across to the other side of town. It would be superb to have two strong people help me on Monday evening and two more people to assist Rebecca and I on Wednesday afternoon. Can I lure you with the promise of delicious cookies and milk on Monday or beer and pizza on Wednesday?

C’mon… you’re not gonna let these two superbabes carry a big heavy bed all by their lonesome, are you? (Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr)

If you’re my friend and you know me and you want to help, pop me an e-mail. If I don’t know you, well, it would just be weird having a stranger help me move. And if you do know me and just don’t want to help, that’s actually okay because I know how much moving sucks, so I won’t take it personally. But I have cookies. And pizza. And beer.