Run/Walk Festival

The Celebrate Animals Run/Walk Festival was this past Saturday, so I wanted to post some pictures from it. Dixie had an absolute blast! I think she went up to every animal to say hello. She is such a social creature! She was so excited by the time she got out of the car, that she was literally running into the event. She really enjoyed the walk, which was great because she needs her exercise! After the walk, they had baby swimming pools out for the dogs so that they could re-hydrate. Well needless to say, Dixie is used to getting into pools, so she sat right down in one. Everyone thought it was hilarious & then some pit bulls next to her had plopped down in the pools too. It was too funny! Anyway, here are the pictures below. Thanks for everyone who donated to the event!

This is Sammy. Her family was sitting right next to us. Dixie loved her..

Amanda & Natalie came. Dakota dressed up as a devil.

Dixie & I...

She was so tired by the time she got in the car! She slept the rest of the day...

Daisy & Lily when we got home......They immediately wanted to go out onto the porch!

Night in Marietta

So I am really sleepy this morning. I have been up late studying this past week and last night, one of my best guy friends from UK, Craig (who lives down here as well), invited me up to a concert in Marietta- Kelly Pickler (country girl from American Idol). She was so cute & was great! So anyway, some of my girlfriends & I went up there, & we had a blast but we didn't get back until late last night. It was at the North GA State Fair & by the time we got there we were starving! Needless to say, I ate so much that I felt so sick by the time I got home. My friend, Natalie, got these deep friend Oreos. Now, I had never even heard of this concoction much less sampled it. Oh my gosh though, they were absolutely delicious, so I got my own plate! Here are some pictures below:

Craig, Natalie & Amanda playing some fish game....

Dixie- Dress Up As?

Okay, so we had such a busy weekend this past weekend, & I really don't need to be posting right now because I have a ton of stuff to do this week & tonight, but anyway, my aunt sent me a funny halloween dog costumes email. So I wanted to post. The collies below remind me of my collie, BJ, that I grew up with. He was such a good dog!

Anyway, back to my original point: this weekend at the walk Dixie & I are going to, they are having a costume contest for the dogs & I want to dress Dixie up. What do y'all think I should dress Miss Dixie up as? Mom & Maggie have already given suggestions, but I wanted to see what everyone thought!

They are so cute!!!!

Celebrate Animals Atlanta

Good Morning everyone! So I wanted to share my fundraising page (in case anyone wants to donate) with everybody. Dixie & I are doing the Celebrate Animals Run/Walk next Saturday which should be just fabulous in Heritage Park. They are having an expo (you know I love that!) as well as animals up for adoptions.

It's a great cause & I know Dixie will enjoy seeing all the other dogs. She is such a social golden retriever- never ever meets a stranger!!! One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to WellPet (new Veterinary hospital here in Atlanta). They work on indigent animals who have life threatening cases. Such a great place!

Here is my website: http://www.firstgiving.com/sarahmorganwhitfield

On another, note, I wanted to post my friend Melissa's website. She is a great photographer here in Atlanta if you are looking for one! Here's her site: http://www.melissaprosser.com/

Why It's So Important to Adopt

A friend sent me this email & I had to post this poem because there are so many homeless animals in shelters & out on the street just waiting to be loved & adopted.....

Dirty Old Stray

There once was a kitten who used to have fun, but now is a cat that belongs to no one. She walks through alleyways, tripping people's feet,while searching for dropped hot dogs along the street.

Her eyes once bright and green, are now quite dull, the color not longer to be seen. Her coat, once soft and full, now covered in dirt and ash,since her only meals are from unwanted trash. Still trusting and wishing, the cat runs to people, purring to employ,"Please take me home, I'll be a friend to your little boy!"

But humans do not see the feline's words of love, so they yell and give her a shove. Men, women, and even children wrinkle their noses and say,"Who would want a dirty old stray!" No one wants her today, the cat's eyes are clear, so slowly she sulks back to the alley, her heart fills up with tears.

She slips into a cardboard box, finds a rubber band and pretends to play, for you see my friends, small ones have no words and she has nothing to say. Winter arrives with chills in the air, so our little cat is forced back into her lair. Everything has frozen, no garbage to pick, so our little stray becomes quite sick.

She's so tired and weak, no longer wishes to roam, maybe God will give her a loving home, So unwanted and forgotten, our little one curls up and quietly passes away...For you see my friends, who would want a dirty old stray?

Dirty Old StrayAuthor: Gina DeNofa

Back from Kentucky

Last Thursday, Dixie & I packed up the car & headed home for the weekend. It was a great weekend, but it went by too fast! Dixie loves to go home to Kentucky, but hates the drive. It normally takes around 6.5 hours to get home, but with Dixie, it takes around 7.5 hours. With a 120 lbs. golden retriever, I have to stop & walk her for a long time. So by the time we reached Nashville, we stopped at Sonic & I got us both cheeseburgers. She was happy after that & slept the rest of the way until we got home.

Jack had a football game & Maggie had a soccer game, so needless to say most of our weekend was spent at football/soccer games & restaurants. Dixie enjoyed seeing her cousins: Little Dixie (our golden retriever at home), Indy (our beagle, whom Jack calls "BB", she goes by both) & Casey (our cat-she wasn't too thrilled). Here are some pictures. I didn't take too many because we were so busy, but here are some. Thanks for all the great food & fun, we miss you guys already!

The first thing Indy did when we got in that night was to stalk Dixie's food. She is such a piggy beagle!

Mom eventually had to take the food from BB. Such a pig!

We went out to dinner with Mamaw & Papaw before the ballgame. My mamaw & papaw have been married for 52 years. Aren't they cute? I just love them!

Jack is #12. He's a freshman & the only freshman that gets to play a little bit of Varsity.

Jack again...I think he got tired of me taking pictures! I felt so old at the football game even though I've only been out of highschool for 6 years!

Dixie & I

Sunday night we all went over to Mamaw & Papaw's for dinner. Dixie of course loves going over there. I think she'd stay if I let her, she loves the farm & all the food Mamaw is always fixing! Anyway, she stayed right underneath Mamaw & Mom in the kitchen. Too funny!!!

Faith the Dog

A friend at work (fellow big animal lover just like myself) sent me this email today. I had to post so I could share this story with everyone. It is just too sweet & wonderful to share. For all the unwanted & special needs animals out there, this is music to my ears! What a joyful spirit Faith is. Here is the email below:

Her name is Faith.This dog was born on Christmas Eve in 2002. She was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which had to be amputated. She of course could not walk when she was born. Even her mother did not want her.


Her first owner also did not think that she could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of putting her to sleep. At this time, the present owner Jude Stringfellow met her and wanted to take care of her. She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by herself. Therefore she named her 'Faith'. In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let her feel the movements of the water. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and to reward her for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home helped to encourage her to walk. Amazingly, after only 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on her 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, she can now walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where she goes, she just attracts all the people around her. She is now becoming famous on the international scene. She has appeared in various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled 'With a Little Faith' being published about her. She was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies. Her present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching job and plans to take her around the world to preach, that 'even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul.'

What a wonderful display of God's creatures here on earth....

Cutest Puppy

So on a lighter note, I'm still upset from yesterday but I wanted to post this picture. My friend Amber got a new puppy, Foxy, so they came over last night before we all had dinner. Dixie loved her but Foxy was so scared of Dixie. Poor Foxy! Isn't she the smallest puppy ever?

Absolutely Horrified

So this is my 3rd post of the day, way too many I know, but I just had to share this with everyone, as most of you all are animal lovers, since I am just now sitting down from having dinner with my girlfriends & getting Miss Dixie asleep. Anyway, so this just absolutely horrified me today as I am sure it will you as to what happened this afternoon at work. Most days people in my department will get around talk about things going on & it just so happened today that I mentioned the Vick case & how sadistic of an individual he is.

You cannot dispute the fact that my views on animals/animals rights are quite different than that of my coworkers. However, one of my coworkers, you all know who it is if you're reading this, said that Vick's crime was not as bad as everyone is making it out to be because animals have no emotions. I absolutely went off the roof at this comment. I could not believe this idiot actually had the audacity to make this statement. Animals show such great emotion: fear, happiness, sadness, compassion & the list could go on & on. I was so mad leaving work that I could hardly contain myself. I mean where did he get his DVM???

Just like Dad said though, some people are so ignorant & lack utter intelligence that we must disregard the comments they make. I just am appalled that so many of us fight for animals & Vick's case which is one of the worst cruelty cases we have seen in America is being blown off as something insignificant in my workplace. God help these individuals eyes to be opened to the horrific nature of what these animals went through.....

Georgia

Since my post this morning, I decided to read more on National Geographic's website about the show that aired last Friday since it's so dead at work today. I remember mom talking about Georgia, one of the dogs. So here is Georgia (photo courtesy of National Geographic), one of the pit bulls Vick owned. She was repeatedly bread over & over. Furthermore, they cut down her teeth so she could not defend herself. What a beautiful girl who is now getting all the love she has always deserved....

Busy Weekend

Good Morning everyone! We were so busy this past weekend & I meant to bring my camera in to post pictures, but I forgot. I have been so scatterbrained since I realized I lost my debit card yesterday as I was on my way to church. On Saturday a bunch of my girlfriends & I went out & we all had to stop by the bank. Needless to say, I was in such a hurry that I got my money, rolled up the window & completely just drove off. I am so OCD that I have never done that. I still can't believe I did it. Anyway, I was able to go to the bank this morning & get my card back. Thank goodness!

Anyway, we also went out Friday night to eat at The Cheesecake Factory & it was so yummy. I love that place! Dixie & I also went to the Hootch, which took some extra effort to get her out of the car because she has started associating the park with being tired. She cracks me up because she immediately will sit down in the backseat like "I'm not getting out of the car" but once she gets out, she loves the park & the water. On another note, some of my girlfriends have also gotten new puppies. They are so cute & little. We have our dinner tonight & I can't wait to see my friend Amanda's puppy, Dakota-- she is so cute & little. She is even smaller than Lily & Daisy. Imagine that! My friend Amber also got a new puppy & she named her "Cheesecake". How funny is that?

On another note (sorry I keep on rambling on) Mom watched DogTown this past Friday night on the National Geographic Channel & told me all about it, so I had to share. It was the story of Micheal Vick's pit bills that were rescued from the raid. They now live in a sanctuary in Utah where they have been rehabilitated. I wanted to post the link (we are headed out of town this weekend, so I'm hoping we can catch it but probably not) if anyone wanted to watch it. I'm so happy the pit bulls are now experiencing love & goodness after all the evil they suffered. It is definitely a testimony of good crushing evil. Attached is the link:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dogtown/all/Overview

Just Rambling

So it is really quiet in my office today, you can almost here a pin drop. Anyway, I thought that I would post because I have become absolutely addicted to this blogging phenomenon! A couple of weeks ago (about two to be exact), I got the Trident Magazine (my sorority's magazine- Delta Delta Delta) in the mail & within the magazine was an article on blogging. There were also other blogging Delta sisters in the magazine so since I love to look up layouts, I was able to see a lot of different ones. I have tried to change mine since then, but it always ends up in disaster! The whole thing messes up, so I'll be keeping my layout until I can get someone who knows what they're doing to change it!

Anyway, this morning as Dixie & I were walking around 5 a.m. (yes, it's way too early to be up but I have to walk her before I get ready for work) we saw a stray black stray cat- poor thing! Like I need another cat or animal!!! Anyway, I tried to get him/her to come up to me but he/she was just scared to death of Dixie. The thing about Dixie is that she loves cats & could hardly resist wanting to give the stray a kiss. I just hate to see strays because I want to take them all in. There are so many without homes & it breaks my heart. Here is http://www.petfinder.com/ where you can go to search in any area that you live in across the United States that links pets that are in shelters, rescues, etc. Y'all have a great weekend!

So Happy to be Home

Miss Dixie was happy to get home from staying at Wieuca all weekend!

Back from the Beach

So we had a great time in Destin this past weekend! We were not ready to leave at all because the weekend just flew by. We were able to make it through downtown very quickly, which is so suprising because they have been doing road construction for ever it seems like, so we really expected to sit in traffic but luckily we didn't. Thank you God! The weather also held off, it was so beautiful the entire time except for some rain showers on Sunday afternoon when we were on the beach.

The room was also huge! We stayed at the Hilton in Sandestin & we just could not believe how big the room was. It had 2 large beds, a couch, bunk beds (down the hall) & it was great because we had 7 girls in our room. Seven girls is a lot in one room. We had a great weekend & we also went to a lot of great sessions (we go to Buckhead Church) & we all were down there this weekend. Did I mention that in my last post? I can't remember. Anyway, the speaker was great & it definitely renewed & strengthened my faith. One of the verses that sticks out in my mind is Ephesians 2:10 that says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us." For me, this is so strong because I know that in my life I'm trying to get to where God wants me to be in every aspect of my life.

But overall, the weekend was so much fun. We were just so glad Gustav held off. My camera ran out of batteries at the beach when we started taking pictures, so here are some other pictures. I'm going to copy the others from everyone else that we took at the beach because they were cute, but my camera was not working unfortunately.....

Some storms that did come in....