The ever-happy, alway optimistic, alway cup half-full Golden Retriever

One of the reasons I l♥ve these dogs so, so much!

Today is SPAY DAY USA! Come on an' celly-brate!

Thought for the day...an' some FREE treats!

All of my pets have been spayed or neutered. Weird friends and relatives? WOWZA! The line would go 'round the block!

Wanna have some fun? Cruise on over to Teddy's place an' leave a comment. YOU could be the winner of some Newman's Own Salmon 'n Sweet Potato Treats. How cool is that! But you have to hurry - gotta get it done by Monday!

Only in America - or - maybe other countries, too?

PeoplePets.com  Schwan's Ice cream for dogs: too indulgent, or a pet owner's saving grace? Perhaps a bit of both, but when you meet Schwan's Doggie Sundaes, you'll be glad that someone thought up this treat.

Schwan's Home Service delivers all manner of frozen foods to its customers, and its menu now includes something for the canine in the house. The Doggie Sundae ($4.97 for a pack of four cups) is a frozen treat that looks just like a human ice cream cup, but is actually a beef-flavored protein treat that's filled with vitamins and minerals.

PEOPLEPets.com's official canine testers, a Maltese with an undiscriminating palate and a pug with a only a taste for prosciutto, both lapped up the Doggie Sundae with abandon. The Maltese, having a decidedly hairier face, was left with a beard drenched in the creamy substance, but a little face washing was worth it for having her be distracted for a full half hour. Judging by customer reviews on the Schwan's website, the appeal for dogs seems pretty universal.

A momma has to do what a momma has to do...

This is SO embarrassing. First I gets a bad haircut...

Then I get dressed up like a sissy-girl in one of momma's shirts

All 'cause I was 'kissing' my boo-boos too much an' momma said she had to hide 'em so they'd get betters

Guess I'll just sleep this off on my soft 'n fluffy ruffled pillow. Uhm, cur-ection momma's soft 'n fluffy ruffled pillow.

Note from the momma: Scout is healing nicely and enjoying his medication-laced hot dogs and cheese slices. He had a very rough first night at home. That made for a very rough night for me 'cause I couldn't take away his discomfort. He's back to his ol' self now and will go for a post operative check-up on Tuesday. Two of my grandsons spent the weekend with us making Scout literally glow with happiness. Little boys and lots of cuddles and extra snacks will do it every time!

Scrambled eggs 'n ham for Scout an' silence broken

It is confession time. Momma says that confession is good for the soul. We haven't been bloggin' much 'cause momma has been so worried 'bout me that she needed to just step back and go into her lil' hidey hole to think about things an' to think 'bout me an' to love on me lots. I guess you could say that she wanted to keep me all to herself for a while.

Ya see, a while back momma found a lump on my leg an' took me to the dog-tor to see what was goin' on. Our furry nice dog-tor found another lump on my same leg an' momma said that she thought she might have felt another swellin' on my side. Momma bawled at the dog-tor's like a baby whose ice cream cone just fell on the sidewalk, blubberin' 'bout Golden Retrievers an' cancer an' sayin' that the dog-tor had to promise that he would take extra, special care of me 'cause I was an extra, special boy.

Me - I knew that I felt furry goods and I heard that my blood-work said so, too! Even with good blood-work for a senior, as I am 10.5 years old, momma bawled an' worried an' kept kissin' me an' rubbin' my belly an' even made me popcorn when we watched movies for the next two weeks. I furry mucho liked that part - well, alla' them, to tell ya the truth.

So, yesterday really early in the mornin' momma took me to the dog-tor again an' left me there. I thought that my world had come to an end when I watched my momma walk out the door. We are a team an' we are always together - no matter what. Momma NEVER left me anyplace before - NEVER!

There I was, no breakfast, no momma an' the next thing I knew I was wakin' up with bare naked spots on me an' feelin' like a newborn pup - all wobbly an' stuff. I didn't know it but momma was at home waitin' fur a phone call - a furry im-paw-tant one to tell her that I was awake an' to tell her about my lumps an' my toofs cleaning. When the phone rang, an' she heard the nurse talk to her, momma got all happy again when the nice nurse told her that my lumps were fatty tumors - oh, happy day, BUT when I was sleeping an' the dog-tor cleaned my toofs an' found one that was really icky an' had problems so out it came. WOWZA!

When momma came to get me she collected pain medication an' auntie-biotics an' gave the receiptionist lots an' lots of green papers. She told the nice lady that it was money well spent (don't know what that means but momma smiled so that must be a good thing).

I sure didn't like not getting breakfast an' I didn't like getting a really weird haircut an' gettin' a toof tooked out BUT I sure loved the scrambled eggs an' ham (Sam I am) that I got fur dinner last night an' all the lovin' and the fact that I am home - back in my furever home where I belong.

So, folks, that is what has been goin' on in our house. Worry time an' then opreration time an' then a happy momma an' scrambled eggs 'n ham! Momma says that we will be 'round more now that she isn't pacing the floor an' being worrieds an' bawling.

An adoption to shout about: Marine's bomb sniffing dog goes home to his parents

PAUL J. WEBER SAN ANTONIO — A bomb-sniffing Labrador whose handler was killed in combat has new owners – the family of the fallen U.S. Marine who the dog loyally obeyed in Afghanistan.

Darrell and Kathy Rusk picked up Eli on Thursday. The 4-year-old military dog was discharged after his handler, Pfc. Colton Rusk, was fatally shot by a Taliban sniper in December.

Military officials say Eli is only the second military dog to be adopted by the family of a slain handler.

Eli wagged his tail eagerly upon meeting his new family, who live in Orange Grove, Texas.

The Rusks say they wanted to adopt Eli because their 20-year-old son talked about his best friend constantly, making the dog seem like part of their family.

100 sled dogs slaughtered in British Columbia after the 2010 Olympics

Mimi's note: I've shared with you about horrors that have taken place in Asian countries. In fact, most of the horror still takes place today. However, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be sharing what you are about to read below.

My sweet Khyra, and all of our Nordic breed friends, I am so, so sorry.

The heinous slaughter of 100 dogs in British Columbia has revealed a "dirty secret" of the dog sled industry, according to CKNW.

Following the 2010 Olympic Games, there was a slump in business at Outdoor Adventures Whistler. CBC News reports that an employee was ordered to kill 100 dogs from a pack of 300. The dogs were repeatedly shot and had their throats slashed before being dumped into a mass grave.

The employee describes one dog whose "eye was hanging off, and it was still running around." Another dog was dumped into the grave while still alive, and the Outdoor Adventures Whistler employee watched as the dog tried to climb out. The employee has been reportedly compensated for experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after conducting the killings.

It is unclear if the company will actually face criminal charges. According to Marcie Moriarty, general manager for cruelty investigations with the BC SPCA, it is actually legal to shoot an animal if it dies instantly. But the report seems to demonstrate that these dogs did not instantly die, and thus SPCA plans to now dig up the mass grave to determine if there is substantial evidence for a criminal investigation.

These 100 dogs were used for human entertainment, and were then murdered when humans were no longer entertained by them. While this story is horrific, similar events happen regularly - many race horses are slaughtered once past their prime, and up to 4 million pets are killed in shelters each year, often due to bored or unprepared owners abandoning them.