Rescue Update

Good news! Hank got a great home! He'll have 2 little boys to play with and a very responsible mother. They got him microchipped and got all of the supplies he'll need to be a well-rounded puppy!

We got another puggle in today for rescue. His name is "Buster". He was born on January 3rd. He's a little freaked out today, because his parents couldn't keep him, so they brought him here today. He just got too big and strong for them. So he's in my kitchen right now...just hanging out. We gave him a vaccine and some dewormer and will get him all situated and settled in tonight.

Other than that, it's a quiet day here...BLACK FRIDAY is always slower for us...everyone's at the malls in the early AM, then sleeping in the afternoon. Is that how you spent your day???

BIG NEWS Revealed!

OK...so here's the secret we've been keeping...

Are you ready????

(Drum Roll)

We have a...

(Drum Roll)

GROOMER!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!! (Jumping, Leaping, Skipping for joy!)

Yep! That's right! We've got a groomer! All professional and all! It's been a long time dream that we would have a groomer on staff...now it's happening!

Here's the scoop though...

We are starting kind of slow...just a few days a week...so our staff can adjust to the changes and the traffic patterns of MORE CUSTOMERS!

If you would like to schedule a grooming appointment, give us a call at 740-695-4566.

Did I say "YAY!!!"????? LOVE IT!!!!

THANKSGIVING Update!

GOLDIE GOT A HOME!! That's right! Today at 5 PM, a couple from Weirton got her! She will have a Happy Thanksgiving FOR SURE!! YAY!!!!!!

There are 10 rescues, 19 Perky Puppies, and 17 Play N Stay Pet Campers spending Thanksgiving with us! Add in our 4 dogs and that brings us to 50 dogs to be with on Thanksgiving! How much do you wish you were me??!!?? I'll have more hugs and kisses tomorrow than most people get in a year!!! (Of course, I will smell like a dog, but fortunately, they don't mind!)

Oh...and while you're thinking about all of that...chew on this:

There are 92 rescue puppies available to us next week. Yes...I said, "92".

How many will we take? Not sure yet. Depends on what sells on Friday and Saturday and how much cage space is available. I've lowered the price on all existing rescues to increase the likliehood of their successful adoption. If there's one you've been watching, you better check out the website and plan to be HERE on Black Friday!

I'll have to decide on the rescues on Sunday. PLEASE do not let that keep you from adopting. We don't want you to hold out, waiting to see if there is something "better", because there will be less rescues available if nobody adopts these guys.

Thank you everyone for your support! Can't wait to see what next Thanksgiving looks like!!

XO
Jess

ADOPTED!

Well...we have had some busy days lately! Here's the scoop:

Peanut, Lucy, Jack, Ozzy, and Matilda have been adopted!! AWESOME!!

LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you! You guys are WONDERFUL!!

DONATIONS

Thank you to Wendy Schmitt for her contribution to The Lucky Puppy "Tributes" program.

Thank you to Nick & William for your donation.

Thank you to St. Clair Animal Hospital for the memorial donations, in honor of "Brie" Frame and "Calico" Ambrose.

Thank you to the customers and supporters who have stopped in to donate!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU on behalf of the Lucky Puppies!

What do you want to know??

OK...it's your turn...what do you want to know? Ask us your questions and we'll do our best to answer them right here on this blog. They can be anything from a dog question (yours or ours) to an advice question to career questions to "How do I follow my dream?" questions.

Simply hit The "comments" link at the end of this post and send them over! OR you can email me at jessica@theperkypuppy.com with "BLOG QUESTION" in the subject line (otherwise, we'll just think you have an email question and it won't get posted here).

We look forward to hearing from you.

WOW! SEE YOUR PET ONLINE!

You can see YOUR DOG or CAT online at The Perky Puppy website!

We just launched TRIBUTES!

Lucky Puppy "TRIBUTES" offers a unique way to Honor you favorite pet AND care for RESCUE Dogs & Puppies this Holiday Season!

TRIBUTES is a seasonal web program where you can honor and memorialize your favorite pets, both past and present!

Here's how it works:

1. Click the "BUY NOW" button on the TRIBUTES web page.

2. Send your donation(s) of $ 35.00 through fast, secure, and easy PayPal.

3. After your PayPal checkout, you will be asked to submit the pet photo of your choice, as well as up to 5 lines of text (up to 25 characters per line) via email.

It's that easy! We'll take care of the rest! On Novemeber 25th, the "TRIBUTES" link will change to a "TRIBUTES Winter Holiday 2008-2009" link. For two whole months (until January 24th, 2009), your pet's photo will be posted online for all of the world to see!

You can even send all of your friends and family to the website to view their pic!

AND...last, but not least...it's all for a good cause! ALL proceeds...100% of your donation...goes to The Lucky Puppy to pay for the care rescue dogs and puppies! LOVE IT!!!

We can't wait to see your pets!!!! Thanks in advance!

Go to the TRIBUTES page NOW!!

BIG Stuff Happening!!!

Oh Boy!!!

There's some really big stuff going on the scenes at The Perky Puppy/Lucky Puppy/Soapy Puppy/Play N Stay Pet Camp!!!!

I'm not at liberty to discuss what's up yet, but I can tell you that if it all works out, it will be HUGE!!!!! (However, if you'd like to leave a comment below, I will entertain some guesses.)

HOWEVER, I can tell you a little bit about something smaller that I'm working on (which is still a pretty neat thing):

Soon...you will be able to pay tribute to your favorite pets, both past and present, on our website. (Up until now, we've only featured testimonials from Perky Puppy customers on our Puppy Tales section of our site.) The new "Tributes" section will feature all of your beloved pets, no matter their origin!

The "Tributes" page will be available this week and will be structured as a fundraiser for The Lucky Puppy.

I'll keep you posted!!
Jessica

Donation

Thank you to Amanda Keesey and her dog, Cooper, for their recent donation. She used PayPal to donate and sent this quote:

"My Boston-- Jake, and I donated last month. However, my black Lab, Cooper, wanted to be in on the helping, so this month's donation is from him!!"

That's great! Thanks guys!

If you would like to support The Lucky Puppy through PayPal, you can always click the "DONATE" link at the top of our web site or to go directly to PayPal, click HERE.

Cross your fingers...

There are two appts. scheduled for Wednesday for Hank and Jack. I'd love to see both of them get homes!!

I got to see Poppy today! He was an early rescue for us. I cried like a FOOL the day he went home!! He is wonderful! His new life really agrees with him! He looked all dapper in his OSU collar and handsome grey sweater! He is spoiled, but not in a bad way...in a really GREAT way...

Poppy may be getting a new little brother (Male Brussels/Bichon)...he's the subject of some family talk tonight...

Great Puppies

Have you met Goldie? She is a VERY, VERY sweet young lady...very polite...very patient. She was rescued as a puppy from a local shelter, was quarantined, and was put through our intake process (shots, dewormings, etc.). That was a month ago. She's still here. Beautiful as ever...Lots of lookers...still hasn't found the perfect home. Pray that she gets one soon. She deserves it. She's the most love you can buy for $75.

How about Peanut? Have you seen him? He's the littlest, cutest Beagle mix that I've seen in forever. Housebroken. Loves his crate. Happy boy. Love him!

Hank and Jack are still lurking around here too...they are doing good on their housebreaking, but really need that one on one attention to get it perfected. They are both happy puggles! Their price just went way down. Jack is $100 (unneutered). Hank is $125. (neutered). Both are great pups!

I know there's somebody out there who has been watching these guys and you just need an extra nudge to make the call. YOU JUST GOT THE NUDGE. Call us for an appointment. 740-695-4566.

To see all available puppies, visit us on the web at www.ThePerkyPuppy.com

Sleeping Beauty

Wanna see the 4-legged love of my life? She's my tired little baby, a Chinese Crested Hairless, named "Calliope". (OK...so she isn't a baby. She's going on 5 years old.) She was so tired tonight from her big week at Play N Stay. Once the day settled down, she just wanted to sleep. Poor girl couldn't get much rest for all the picture-takin'! I LOVE HER!!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the breed, she was born hairless (except for her head, tail, and feet). It's a double-recessive gene that causes the hairlessness, so she had littermates that were fully furry (called "powder puff"). The hairless gene also causes her to not have a full set of teeth, so her tongue falls out of her mouth on a regular basis. Poor thing. She feels like soft leather and gets sunburned in the summer and cold in the winter if not protected.

She has the SWEETEST temperament of any dog I've ever owned, and I must confess that I would make a complete fool out of myself and would clone her IN A HEARTBEAT if I could afford it!!

Out my window...

Looking out my window at the play group of doggie guests at Play N Stay Pet Camp.

Today's guests include: Lola, Peanut, Hank, Jack, Shyla, Tanner, Tucker, Macy, Barney, Reese, Bosley, and Albert...all in one big group! Everything from a 16 year old chihuahua to a 3 year old Boxer! (All carefully managed of course.) They are having such a good time! This is so good for dogs!

My 4 (Calliope, Nike, AxelRod, and RockStar) just got back from staying for 4 days at PNS. They come home happy and better behaved than when they went! I love it!!

This has turned out better than I'd ever imagined!

I just have to say...I'm really brilliant some times, but I underestimated just how brilliant I really am...which, of course, means that I'm not really all that brilliant after all. (wink)

I'm so proud of the crew at Play N Stay! They rock!

Rescue Update

Well...today, we have 21 rescues available.

The ones who most need to make a move are Jack the Puggle, Goldie the Lab Mix, and Hank the Puggle.

I've lowered pricing on many of the rescues. If there's someone you've been watching, it's time to give us a call!! 740-695-4566

Unfortunately, we have been dealing with a pretty bad cough going around in the puppy room. Just about everyone has had it or has it currently. Just like people, some barely blink, just cough a little, and keep on playing. Others get down and need to rest for several days. We've been running through a host of products and medications ($$$$$$$$$) trying to keep things moving in the right direction.

We'll get through it. We always do. We deal with cough about 5 times a year. It's like a day care center with colds and snotty noses. When one gets it, they all do. We just have to wait it out.

I've scheduled some boys for neuter and Rabies vaccine next week. That's always a large chunk of change too.

Any donations would be appreciated. You can donate through PayPal here. Your gift of $30 will care for a dog for a month. $100. will pay for neuter and rabies vaccine on one male dog. Thank you in advance!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
WEEKLY BATHER: We are looking for a reliable volunteer to help with "kennel day" on Wednesday afternoons each week (from about 12 noon til 3 or 4 PM). This is a fun, but wet job...basically involves helping to bathe and dry all of our rescue puppies (most are under 10 pounds) in our sink. You will always have help and will never be asked to do something we wouldn't do. You will be assisting Becky, who will be clipping nails and cleaning ears at the same time, keeping these babies healthy, happy, and smelling good. You'll go home smelling like a dog, but smiling from ear to ear!

RESCUE VET TRANSPORT: We are also in need of a volunteer to occassionally (probably one or two times a month) help transport one or two puppies to & from the vet for spay/neuter. This would require reliable transportation, picking up at The Lucky Puppy (just prior to 8 AM) and dropping off at Dr. Steed's office (also in St. Clairsville). Then, that afternoon, you would pick them up after surgery and return them to The Lucky Puppy, to sleep off the anesthesia from that oh-so-important surgery! The scheduled days are somewhat flexible (must be a Mon., Tue., Thur., or Fri.) and can be scheduled at your convenience. If you want to play a big part in stopping unwanted litters of puppies, this is the volunteer job for you!

If you think that either of these would be a suitable volunteer job for you, please email me at jessica@theperkypuppy.com We'd love to have you join the team!

Church

Hi Everyone!

I'm back! It's been a busy season of globe-trotting on behalf of our church, Real Life. In May, we were at a conference in Atlanta (called "Drive 08"). In October, we were back in Atlanta ("Catalyst"). And just this week, I was in Loudonville, Ohio, at a conference called "the sticks".
(Which, by the way, is in "the sticks". This conference was all about churches making a big imact in small towns.)

For those of you who are unaware, Vanessa and I are fun-loving folks who have a blast "doing church" in a whole new way!

Now, most of you know that church is great for folks that like church, or at least like THEIR church. It can be tougher for people who don't understand or don't desire a lot of pomp and circumstance, church lingo, or aren't even sure about this Jesus-guy. These are the folks that Ness and I worry will fall through the cracks...the people who don't like church. So we are always studying and reading and talking with people who specialize in making church "cool".

We currently serve at Real Life UMC in Morristown. We serve coffee in church and play cool, contemporary music from a band that ROCKS!!! We're on the leadership team there and took 13 people with us to "the sticks". We had a lot of fun-being Real People living Real Lives!

Anyway...just wanted to let you know why I was AWOL. We're back now. All of the dogs and puppies were happy to see us.

And just so you know, if you have questions about God, Jesus, church, forgiveness, or need prayer, you can always email us at jessica@theperkypuppy.com

Thanks for letting me share!
Jess

Banks Needed!

Do you have a dog piggy/coin bank that you no longer use???

We need it for The Lucky Puppy!

We need to create donation banks for placement on the counter at vet's offices and convenience stores. Unfortunately, we aren't able to find any for under $10.00 that are cute.

SO...if you'd like to donate a bank, please email us at jessica@theperkypuppy.com with the words "bank donation" in the subject line.

Thanks!!

Oodles adopted!!

Great weekend here! Do not yet have the full count on the puppies that were adopted this weekend, besides we are still open for another few hours!!

The big news is that Bugsy and Vinny have homes!!!!! YAY!!

Also, one of the older puggles got a great home thanks to a referral from Dr. Steed! Their wonderful dog was put to sleep 2 years ago and the family has been grieving ever since. You know...we hear that a lot..."I'm not gonna get another dog. Nobody was as wonderful as _____. It hurts too much when you lose them..."

Those statements are all very true. BUT here's some other stuff to think about:

If you are a dog lover, there's nothing fun about coming home to an empty house.

There is NOTHING IN THIS WORLD that compares to coming home to a dog that is happy to see you! All those love and kisses makes any hurt in the long run worth the while.

And here's something else, that I credit to Michele Steed for sharing with me (she says it better than I do): If you love dogs, and there are dogs who are homeless and need the love of a family, then it is selfish to not open your heart and your home to a dog in need, just because you're afraid you'll miss it when it's gone. After all, anything worth having, is worth crying over.

I've also heard that some people are afraid to get another dog, because they are afraid that loving another dog would be like cheating on the previous dog. Listen...your dog loved you so much and your dog loved how much you loved him or her. Dogs have big enough hearts that they would never want to deny another dog that kind of love. They think to highly of you for that.

And one last one: I don't want to get another dog, because we want to be able to travel. Well...we've got the solution for you! Your dog can go on vacation to Play N Stay Pet Camp and have a GREAT time!! No guilt traveling for you and your dog! Your dog will LOVE you for it!!

So, now what's your reason????

Can You Do This?

BIG DAY!

8 Lucky Puppy Rescues were adopted today! 2 Perky Puppies were purchased today! We sold a BUNCH of starter kits and supplies! It was INSANE!!! There were people EVERYWHERE!!!

I talked so much that I felt like my tongue was three feet thick, but it was worth it.

Unfortunately, it was so goofy here that the 5 rescues at Play N Stay (Bugsy, Vinny, and the 3 puggles) never got looked at by anyone. Bummer.

In other news, the Lucky Puppy's Credit Card machine has arrived. We'll call our buddy, Ben Marks to do the download this week, so that the paperwork isn't so complicated (keeping Perky Puppy money and Lucky Puppy money sorted properly).

Life is Good and we are happy!

Love you all!!