OSCAR ATE MY MUFFIN

Rescued Bestie Feature No.7 (Celebrity Edition): Maddie the Coonhound!

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Maddie, 3 y/o Red Tick Coonhound 
Rescue Facilitator: Cobb County Animal Shelter, Marietta, GA

Despite what some may think, rescued and re-homed dogs are every bit as beautiful, trainable, loving and faithful as those born to champion parents, and in some cases, they actually exceed expectations for canine greatness in the most outstanding of ways. For our newest "Rescued Bestie" post, we're featuring a very special, red-freckled little lady who has managed to capture the attention of the entire internet due to a handy talent for balancing on things. If that tip didn't have you squealing "Maddie the Coonhound!", you've clearly been away from your computer too long, and you best read closely - this is one rescue story to top them all.

What we know of Maddie's story began in Georgia, in 2011, where a 29 y/o Theron Humphrey found her in the Cobb County Animal Shelter. Theron, a professional photographer, was about to embark on a year-long, 50-state tour via pick-up truck, and channeling a vision of the great John Steinbeck, he posited that the best companion for such a trip was a dog: a hound dog, to be exact, just like the ones he'd grown up surrounded by in North Carolina. Upon examining his adoptable options, his initial meet and greet with then one y/o Maddie was not the moment of insta-love that he had imagined - the "spark" it seemed just wasn't there. But on the walk back to her kennel, where he intended to return her, Maddie (perhaps sensing the urgency of the opportunity) leaned into his leg with every step... and as anyone who has ever been solicited for attention by a 4-paw will agree - it's darn hard to say no to that touch.

Maddie went home with Theron that day, and they've been inseparable ever since - most of that time has been spent on the road. Besides the obvious companionship, Theron is quick to point out that Maddie has grounded his perspective in a number of important ways; at the head of the list: "She always wakes up in a good mood. She's always pumped about life." Leave it to a hound dog to dispense the daily affirmation.

Theron's cross-country trek was originally motivated by a single "Wild Idea" (a project well worth checking out, if you're into great photography and powerful story-telling) - but as luck would have it, a second wild idea (that began as a test shot, and evolved into an epic series) was born on the trip - ignited by one gifted pup through the lens of an iPhone on the interwebs. And it wasn't long before Maddie's talents were being shared around the world. 

On the back of a horse in South Dakota; inside a refrigerator in San Francisco; straddling the gap between two shopping carts in Wisconsin - it didn't seem to matter where Theron placed her, but when he gave the command, Maddie was a natural pro at holding a pose. And with each new set-up in each new state, Theron snapped a photo and passed it on to his followers via Instagram. The photos led to followers, the followers became a following, the following led to a book deal, the book release went on tour - and just like that, Maddie and Theron ended up in Boston this past May, speaking about their travels, and stamping the inside covers of hundreds of copies of Maddie on Things.


If you've been following Maddie's documented travels, you've probably been impressed by what a strikingly calm, zen-like hound she appears to be - how else would a mere pup be able to perch atop the fine rim of a basketball hoop, or contort within the pear-shaped confines of a guitar case, if it weren't for exceptional focus and naturally steady poise. Well, having met this fine young canine in person, I can tell you - she's every bit the graceful star when the cameras switch on... but at the end of an exhausting day, with hours of quieted exuberance wound up like a spring - when given a "release" from her duties, this stayed and obedient girl is refreshingly still a DOG. And good gracious does she know how to shake the hell out of a squeaky toy... 

I love flipping through Maddie's year in deliciously clever photos - each image a frozen moment of whimsical contemplation and reflection - but I absolutely ADORED real-time Maddie, who pounced and bounced and shook and spun and reminded everyone there to witness it that the secret to a rich life is a balance of stillness and motion, of elegant control and rapturous spontaneity. Clearly, this dog does always wake up pumped about life - what dog doesn't?! The fact that her soulmate found her in the concrete barracks of county animal control is really just the luck of the draw.

*Meet the Maddie on Things book tour in your city (support your local booksellers!), or just keep up to date on where she's been and where she's headed at the Maddie on Tour website.

Rescued Bestie Feature No.6: King & Storm

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canines: Storm (left) & King (right), 4 y/o Great Danes 
Rescue Facilitator: Great Danes Around New England & Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

King and Storm, a steely-blue Great Dane brother and sister pair, first appeared on my radar when I spied them in an urgent post on facebook from the Big Fluffy Dog Rescue (a network of locations from states in the South all the way thru New England). In a photo, the two stood shoulder to shoulder on a beach, and they were... MAGNIFICENT. Danes often have a grand nobility about them (when they're not goofing about like Marmaduke, of course) - these two might as well have been wearing crowns. They were just the type of dogs I internet-stalk late at night (a perverse kind of window-shopping for animals I can't take in that leaves me wishing I had 100 acres and unlimited resources with which to adopt them all...). 

The most proactive thing I could do to help these particular beauties was to forward the posting to a few friends and cross my fingers that the two would be able to find a home - together. It breaks my heart a little to see adult animals end up in shelters who arrive already bonded to a sibling, relative, or best friend. Rescues know enough to advertise for a home that can absorb the influx of more than one adoptee at a time - to eliminate the additional stress of separation - but these homes are not nearly as common, and the larger the dogs, the lower the chances of finding one. With that in mind, there must have been a Dane-loving spirit watching over this team of heavy-weights, because within 48 hours of their initial facebook posting, Storm and King, together, had found a new forever home. By chance, the couple who took them in were friends of a studio mate, and a week later we were discussing an opportunity to meet up.


It turns out, Kathryn and Doug had been searching for a Dane to add to the family for years. Breeder searches didn't seem to be the answer, so Kathryn made a habit of regularly scanning rescue sites, with hopes that a local beast of their preferred temperament would surface. When King and Storm caught her attention - on the same Friday afternoon that I spied them on facebook - she made an immediate inquiry. The rescue responded right back, with urgency. Apparently, this wasn't the first time the two dogs were surrendered for adoption, and as striking as they were, their reappearance in the system set off a chain of alerts through Great Dane Rescues around New England. 

Expecting the process to take days, even weeks - if they were even selected as adopters - Doug jumped in the car that weekend and headed over to take a look at the siblings, to make a quick assessment before they invested too much effort in the chase... And in case you didn't see it coming, he didn't just give them a star of approval, he drove home with a car unexpectedly full of Great Dane.

Despite the intensely hurried adoption process, King and Storm could not possibly have landed themselves in a more wonderful environment. Kathryn and Doug have done more right in their preparations, rearranging of living quarters, and coordinating professional training consult, than I see most new puppy owners do. Whether it's the physical scale of the situation (the dogs combined weigh roughly 300lbs!), or just a powerful sense of responsibility for these two, sweet animal souls (on their 3rd home in 4 years) the couple wasted no time making the successful integration and well-being of their new family members top priority. Never mind that two massive dog crates now dominate the far end of their tidy living room; excuse the fact that a mattress-sized double dog bed now obscures most of their pretty, patterned area rug; and try not to mistake the tasteful raised feeder under the window sill for a coffee table - Kathryn maintains a lovely home - but what truly ties the interior of this house together is the pair of great, snoozing, grey giants curled into soft boulders on the floor. And having witnessed firsthand the structure and firm but loving guidance that is already shaping a beautiful new human-canine relationship (squared!), my money is on this "forever home" lasting.

Rescued Bestie Feature No.5: Brady

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Brady, 9 y/o Shar-pei 
Rescue Facilitator: North American Shar-pei Rescue

When most people think of a Shar-pei, a blocky, hippo-faced, pig-eared critter with a bristly coat comes to mind... At least that's what present-day breed standards would have us imagine; a neat/lean build, athleticism, and affectionate attitude would not be appropriate associations... until you meet Brady.

A purebred Shar-pei, this jaunty little sweetheart has some of those popularly "correct" SP characteristics, but an AKC specimen he is not* (I've always thought he could easily pass for a creature from Harry Potter's Magical Managerie... he's just that curious in appearance). It was speculated that he found himself on the doorstep of a shelter precisely because of his unconventional looks (the victim of a breeder who would rather abandon a puppy than admit that he/she had bred something so far from the standard), but his exact history wasn't of concern to the couple in Massachusetts who saw his striking mug on the North American Shar-pei Rescue (NASR) website, and immediately fell in love... 

*Coincidentally, Brady looks very similar to old-world, "traditional" Chinese Shar-peis - also known as 'bone-mouth' Shar-peis (a not-so-odd nick-name when considering the moniker of today's exaggerated-type, modern predecessor: the 'meat-mouth'...).

As purebred rescues often do, NASR originally scooped Brady up from a high-kill shelter in Anderson County, South Carolina, and placed him in foster care. I'm told that the shelter he was originally abandoned at euthanizes more dogs in one month than the entire state of Massachusetts does in a year... a staggering, but sadly not uncommon statistic when comparing the state of homeless pets in MA to that in more southerly states. Thankfully, unconventional as he may be, he was still distinctive enough to catch the eye of his breed rescue, and at 6 m/o, Brady was posted to the rescue's Petfinder listing, where he quickly found his forever home with Steve and Andra.


Steve and Andra's previous dog had been a beloved Shar-pei, so they were already familiar with, and quite fond of, the unique quirks of this ancient, Asian breed. When it came time to seek out a new pup, they had a Shar-pei type in mind (thus making them perfect candidates for breed rescue). Lucky for them, there appeared sweet Brady - a perfect match...

Rescued Bestie Feature No.4: Callie

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Callie, 7 y/o herding mix 
Rescue Facilitator: Northeast Animal Shelter, Salem, MA, & Save a Sato

If there is one dog in our neighborhood that can get Oscar's grumpy old bones running, it's Callie. A pistol of a little black & tan girl, Callie pretty much has 2 speeds: frozen (eye's locked on a target), and flat-out running. Though her exact breeding is unknown, she exhibits the classic belly-crawling creep and ankle-nipping dart and dive so characteristic to herders - her body-type backs that up, with a compact, agile frame, and the most lovely, medium-length "sport coat". I've always gotten a chuckle from her perky pigtail ears, which look as though they must surely be tied on by ribbons of some sort - Pippi Dog-stocking style.

Unlike Oscar and his completely ill-suited-to-snowstorms short hair, Callie looks perfectly at home in the moody climate of Massachusetts - you'd never guess that she was born in Puerto Rico... 


Callie is a "sato" - that's slang for "street dog". Roughly 3 years old when she was rescued from scavenging in alleys and sleeping under vehicles, she had already had at least one litter (determined by vet exam). She was taken in by a compassionate non-profit called Save a Sato when she hung around the same back door long enough to be lured inside.

Headquartered in Puerto Rico, but partnered with a handful of select shelters in the Northestern United States, SAS is "dedicated to easing the suffering of Puerto Rico's homeless and abused animals... rescuing satos from the streets and beaches, giving them medical care, food and shelter, and plenty of love". The dogs are cared for in shelters around Puerto Rico, until they can safely be transported north: Thanks to a clever "escort" system through American Airlines, SAS is able to pair their furry cargo with random travelers to the island - the dogs simply become additional checked baggage on return flights home! SAS covers the airfare for the dogs, and their staff takes care of all dog-prep and documentation at either end of a flight - volunteer travelers need only stand as liasons for the animals from port to port - it's a marvelously efficient arrangement...


As for Callie - she may still dream of breezy sunsets on the beach, and rummaging through dumpsters without the confines of a collar and leash... but at the end of each day in this life of hers, I'll bet she also thanks her dog-stars for a warm bed, effortless meals, a terrific family, and bestie beasts like O-Town, who live for a good game of chase, just for the fun of it. 

Rescued Bestie Feature No.3: Serafina

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Serafina, 5 1/2 y/o Plott hound mix 
Rescue Facilitator: Northeast Animal Shelter, Salem, MA

Serafina, since day one of her introduction to the neighborhood 3 years ago, has been a total love of a dog... a snugglebug... a mush when it comes to human attention - but a HOUND at heart, with a nose that will take her anywhere there might be food. One of 13 puppies in a litter originally adopted out from a shelter in West Virginia, she and 4 others were sent north. Rather tragically, two of her northeasterly sibs (both having found a home together in NJ) were killed in an auto accident before they were a year old... but Sera fared much better, and at 12 weeks old she found her forever home with Catherine, a retired librarian, and wonderfully wise older woman.

Sera is a striking brindled Plott hound mix - the streaky, variagated pattern that covers her is one of my very favorite coat colors, though optically, it has a tenency to look grizzled, aged, or muddied - an illustion that can bely the true age of it's wearer. At just over 5 y/o, Sera is nowhere near a senior, and it takes but a rambunctious play bow to confirm it. Catherine, on the other hand, is well beyond anything that could be perceived as rambunctous... and yet, she quite skillfully gave Sera one of the most structured and smart puppydoms possible.


Diligent with her training, tireless in her desire to be the center of Sera's universe, and exceptionally consistent in her routine, Catherine is a woman who both understands dogs, and has the humility to know that physical strength and agility are not the keys to good inter-species communication. She is a brilliant, compassionate soul, and I give her immense credit for taking on the lunacy of such a young hound dog (let's be honest, aaaallll puppies are NUTS!), at a stage when most people would be switching to sedentary house cats.

This being a dog blog, I will leave Catherine's portrait to your imagination, dear readers, but as an assist - what I love most about the vision of Catherine and Sera, together, is that they appear literally cut from the same marled, brindle cloth: a little ragged around the edges, perhaps not as sleek as those around them, but get up close and you discover their vibrance, and their perfect compliment in each other's energies. This exceptionally well-read, unflappable human being, and her bursting-at-the-seams, bright-heart of a dog - together - make one unmatchable pair.

Rescued Bestie Feature No.2: Stella

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Stella, 16 y/o cattle dog mix
Rescue Facilitator: Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, Springfield, MA

The sweet soul in the painting above is ever so sadly no longer with us. I contemplated keeping my focus of this series on those pups alive and barking, but the truth is, few dogs have made such a lasting impression on me as Stella, and nearly 2 years since her passing, I still think of her frequently, and fondly.

I met Stella when she was well into her teens: upon moving to Cambridge 5 years ago, she was one of the first dogs to welcome us to our local park. Clearly showing her senior status, with greying fur and a stiff gait, she had at the time just undergone a rather unsettling period of health problems and had a significant patch of her coat shaved down on one side, to make way for a procedure. Due to her age, what should have taken weeks to begin covering over in new fur took months - which became the topic of repeated humerous discussion... but soldier on she did, and eventually medication adjustments and diet changes finally aligned to create a stable new normal for her, and for a number of years she thrived as a determined old senior.

Stella was rescued from a western MA shelter when she was about 6 years old. Her original owners apparently ceased to be able to care for her, at which point they passed her on to a relative. It was the relative that gave her up to the shelter. Among all the other dogs up for adoption on the day my neighbor strolled through the kennels, I'm told Stella was the only dog not clambering at the door of her cell, desperate for (no doubt deserved) attention - apparently, this girl was too proud to beg... and her dignity gained her a new home that day.

Dignity, strength, soul... Stella just had a presence about her, and concentrating it all, like a perspicacious tractor beam, was her ultimate focus... on what made her happy. She was a rock solid tank of a cattle dog mix, but age and illness routinely knocked her down. Brilliantly, through all of her many and periodically quite serious afflictions, her attitude - that dignified determination - outshined the tough stuff, and a more courageous, hopeful animal I have yet to meet. Her motivating force? That timeless canine pacifier - the stick.

Stella was no stranger to tennis balls, but a good branch to trot around with and she was on top of the world. It always began with "the look" - that upturned expression of anticipation... and drive... a sparkle in the corner of her eye that signaled the stick thrower to get on with it. No matter how stiff or sore she was unquestionably feeling, if she thought she could rally a human into a few rounds of fetch, she'd crank up the game face and prepare for a retrieve. And even when her arthritic joints caused her gait to resemble a wind-up tin toy, she still mechanically strutted after her wooden quarry with the kind of heart you just couldn't ignore. In her later days, her weakened limbs would occasionally let her down, and she'd flop to one side in her zeal to chase or return with her prize - never once did I see her loose that stoic spark, however, and she'd be back up, unashamed, ready for the next step, as quickly as her feet allowed. The girl had FOCUS, and she knew where she needed to point it at all times.

You were a role model for all species, Stella, and you will forever be missed. 

Rescued Bestie Feature No.1: Josie

Initiative: Rescued Bestie Feature, in collaboration with The 13 Project
Featured Canine: Josie, 11 y/o miniature poodle
Rescue Facilitator: Poodle Rescue of New England

Many people who begin the search for a shelter dog to adopt are seeking impresionable, energetic, young dogs that have their whole lives ahead of them, and plenty of room yet in their little peanut brains to bond fiercely to a new home; these people are often under the impression that adult/senior dogs are somehow past their prime, and perhaps even incapable of really syncing with a new "pack"... to all those people, I say, come spend an afternoon with Josie...

Josie is an 11 y/o miniature poodle who lives with close neighbors of ours. For most of her life she belonged to a backyard breeder - surrounded by 20 some-odd other poodles in various stages of pregnancy, she was fortunate enough to be considered a mere house-pet, but was surrendered when that status rendered her more trouble and expense than her worth. Like many toy breeds, she was born with a congenital defect affecting the knee-caps. Never treated properly, the condition gradually resulted in rather arthritic rear legs, and a profoundly deformed gait (imagine a Dr. Seuss character waddling about on ankles pinched in and toes pointed out!) - luckily, her characteristic shuffle appears to be entirely cosmetic and she has never needed medicated treatment for it.


Unlike so many masses who scour shelters for those plucky, Buddha-bellied little homeless puppies, our neighbors set out to find themselves a DOG. Two young, married, working professionals, with the goal of someday soon starting a family, these friends didn't want the crazy drama of a puppy, or an animal that couldn't be trusted alone in the house for more than a few hours - they wanted a calm, mature, low-maintenance (a decent bennie of maturity in most breeds), and decidedly UN-puppylike adult dog... and their criteria led them striaght to Josie. 

Josie may be an odd little specimen but from day one of their new life together, this match was clearly made in Heaven - she is absolutely, 100%, ALL of the snuggling, ever-present companion animal, and exceptionally little of the crazed daily maintenance that a hyper younger dog demands. At 7 years young when adopted, she bonded immediately to her new people - faithfully shadowing them about the house - and at this point, the greying grand madam has also proven her salt 10X over as a rock-solid family member, since her doting mom and pop added a brand new baby to the house about 3 years ago... Josie welcomed the little human with all the respect and grace of a seasoned canine nanny, and has perfected the art of simply slipping under the couch when she's had enough of toddler playtime - how wonderfully civilized!

Poodle Rescue of New England is always on the look-out for good homes... and if you're wanting a dog but not sure if you can manage the uber-commitment of glorious canine youth, PLEASE consider adopting a senior! Full-grown (in size and personality), house-broken, and many already armed with basic commands, adult and elder dogs can make TERRIFIC, reliable, low-key companions, with just as much (if not more!) of that prized canine loyalty, heart & soul... Rock on, old friends - the best is yet to come!

The 13 Project, with a Twist!

Well, the compassionate, respectable soul of the interwebs has done again... rising above the lol cat memes and pig-riding baby monkeys on youtube, a truly heart-warming viral campaign took root this month, and like Ryan Gosling to an okapi, it had Oscar and I at "Hey Girl..."

Started by dog blogger diva Serena Faber Nelson, of Pretty Fluffy, The 13 Project is a valiant initiative to rally support and spread kindness for animals, with the underlying message that anyone can do something if matched with the right tasks. As of last week, there were but 13 short weeks left in 2012, and for each week, Serena posted a (totally manageable!) goal. The bloggers rallied, the suggestions rolled in, and at this point, the combined lists of all contributors includes a magnificent and steadily growing array of wonderful ways to help animals - some so easy you could tick them off this minute! 

Now, as grand as these admirable to-dos are (we've made our own short-list below) Oscar was keen on adding a little twist to the mission - one-upping a powerful call to action by marrying it with a celebration of what efforts like this help facilitate: the remarkable joys and accomplishments of rescued animals in their forever homes.

We happen to count numerous rescue pups among our very best friends, and as inspiration to start your own 13 Project list... We'll be doing a Weekly Feature Series! Starting today, Oscar has agreed to share a little of his blog real estate with portraits of some of his brilliant, adopted besties. We'll present 13 dogs in total, and the posts will be short and sweet, but we hope they make clear the many, many ways rescue* matches can be the very best kind of matches.

*As a serious breed enthusiast, and Oscar a discernible papered lad himself, we'll be placing extra emphasis on the efforts of breed-specific rescues - purebred dogs are not at all immune to neglect and abandonment and thousands end up in need of assistance each year too... 

And what of our 13 Project list?! We're starting here:

1. Add a badge to the blog sidebar with a direct link to a cause near and dear to the Beast: Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue - boo-yeah!...
2. Holiday shop for our canine friends at the following fine establishments - all of which pledge a % of proceeds, or make other focused efforts, to assisting animals in some way (Planet Dog, Rescue Chocolate, Found My Animal)...
3. Grab a friend and sign up to walk a few dogs at our local MSPCA Boston Adoption Center - this is such a win-win!..
4. Pledge to create a print piece for sale through this blog (Holiday 2012??) by which a donation may be made to Ridgeback Rescue...
5. Sign up to run on the 2013 Animal Rescue League of Boston marathon team! (for realz - the application has been submitted - fingers crossed! - and I'm lacing up my fund-raising shoes!)...
6. Invite all our critter-loving besties to join the 13 Project...

And with that, Oscar and I urge you - go forth and do good for the animals!
We'll post our first "Rescued Friend Feature" this evening...