Nov 23: In case you don’t know what a yurt is (like me), it is a circular, domed, portable tent used by nomadic peoples of central Asia. There are two yurts at the Best Friends rescue center outside Tylertown, Mississippi. One is used by volunteers, with sleeping bags and air mattresses spread around. The other one is the Yurt Clinic, used for dogs ..

Nov 23: Mystic, a Border collie/springer Spaniel mix, is one lucky dog. He was rescued by Robert Bice four years ago just one day before being scheduled to be put down at a local New Orleans shelter. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Robert and his wife took both Mystic and their other dog, Buster, a chow/pit mix, with them when they evacuated New Orleans ..

Nov 23: She was turned into the Best Friends rescue center on September 20, and, like the other rescued dogs, she was assigned a number: 390. 390 was described as a female, white, Eskimo/shepherd mix. . In the next stage of her journey, 390 left Mississippi for a foster group -- the Animal Ark Shelter in Hastings, Minnesota. From there, she was taken ..

Nov 22: After one day at the Best Friends rescue center, “experience” has a new meaning. The dogs and cats are amazing. Words like full of spirit, courageous, ready to get on with their lives only partially describes what you see in their eyes. Maybe better words are determination, grit, and knowing they are in loving hands. The feeling I got from everyone ..

Nov 21: It looks like a combination thrift store and bargain basement in Tylertown. And the best thing about the dollar store at Tylertown is that everything there is free. You can stroll the two aisles and find boxes of dog collars, dog and cat shampoo, toys for all the rescued dogs and cats, and oh yes -- something for the volunteer crew as well. ..

Question from Laurel: There seem to be quite a few rescuers whose experience tells them that vaccinating just prior to a dog's departure from a shelter will cause the dog that has been exposed to a disease such as parvo or distemper during their time in the shelter to break with symptoms very quickly, faster than they might have had they not received ..

Question from Jan: I am with a shelter that requests incoming animals be vaccinated prior to admission by the relinquisher, and that all records be brought at the time of surrender. However, the records often do not accompany them and much time is spent "tracking down" this information, as the owners are sometimes not very good historians ..

Question from Ingrid: I have a smallish (6 lbs) tortie cat who, after her first FVRCP shot a few years ago, walked around like she was slightly drunk and couldn't even jump up on the couch (she missed and fell!). I thought she was brain-damaged. Then after a few days regained her normalcy again. I was afraid to take her back for another vaccination ..

Time to party - the Members Search function is now working! Click the Members button on the left navigation panel on your screen, and the Member Search page will come up. It's great fun meeting people of all different interests and backgrounds - and most everyone loves animals (hurray!!) and there is something special about them. Click a state and ..

Steve and I went hiking at Bryce one sunny spring day.. this squirrel (same squirrel in each photo.. just posing slightly cuter in each one...) was trying his hardest to get us to give him some peanuts. He just about did it, too.. but it's not good to feed wild squirrels! So, we had to suffer through his cuteness.. and take a bunch of pics in the ..