Archive for the ‘news’ Category

Today was another spoiled day in the life with Corky the shelter dog story as I got this stuffed toy owl from the flea market. For those from another state or planet, a flea market is NOT a place to get fleas, and besides that doggies should never have to buy them.

In some places a flea market is called a swap meet where people sell new or used stuff for a bargain. I didn’t see anyone swap stuff so why swap meet and I didn’t see any fleas, so why flea market? Humans are confusing!

Whatever you call it, Mom and Dad took me to the Orange County Fairgrounds Flea Market because they allow dogs. Last time we went I barked at half the people I met and some were scared. They don’t know the difference between a friendly bark and a you’re-gonna-get-bit bark. I only have a friendly bark (*Psst – look for the wagging tail as a sign of a friendly bark).

Anyway, the stuffed toy owl shown here was brand spanking new and made like the raccoon stuffed animal I got for Christmas. It’s lasted for months and months without a squeakerectomy, so the parents thought the owl was a good idea! Guess what. It wasn’t for sale.

Today I didn’t bark at half the people I met – maybe 1 in 10, and not at the man selling the owl toy. He LOVED doggies and thought I was extra extra cute and said “For Corky, it’s free!” He even gave me water and ice from his ice chest for a cool treat.

There you have it pals. If going to the flea market don’t worry about fleas. Next, always be friendly and extra cute and you might get free toys, too!

The residents of Winter Park should consider electing Steve Leary and Sarah Sprinkel to the city commission on March 8th for their public stand on Fleet Peeples Dog Park support.

The photo shown and taken earlier today is me, Corky the shelter dog, posing on a tree stump while exploring the wooded area of the park. Why do I endorse these candidates?

The city of Winter Park in Florida is home to Fleet Peeples Dog Park on Lake Baldwin, and last fall the city imposed a fee per dog to use the park effective January 1, 2011.

For now collecting the fee at the park is in limbo because the machine intended to collect the fee and issue a receipt has not been installed. Mr. Leary and Ms. Sprinkel are in favor of repealing the fee.

Quoting Mr. Leary from his website in reference to the park fee he states “The fees collected will not come close to equaling the expense required to enforce the fees. Only in government can you make such a fiscally, lopsided decision”.

Visitors to my website, my 3,200+ friends on Twitter, and fans of my blog and YouTube videos are encouraged to tweet their support for these candidates. Help me help them protect my most favorite place in the universe!

Visit their individual websites to learn more at Elect Steve Leary for Winter Park City Commission Seat #1 and Elect Sarah Sprinkel for Winter Park City Commission Seat #2 on March 8, 2011.

UPDATE 9 March 2011: Both candidates I endorsed won yesterday! Congratulations to Sarah Sprinkel and Steve Leary. With their support the repeal of the dog park fee at Fleet Peeples is one step closer to success! Puppy power may have helped!

FINAL UPDATE: Success! The access fee was repealed on a 3-2 vote by Ms Sprinkel and Mr Leary plus mayor Ken Bradley as reported in this article repeal announced in the Orlando Sentinel.

Today marks two years in my forever home since being rescued from doggy jail. Visit Corky the shelter dog videos on YouTube and you can see me captured and put in my jail cell or my interview with Mom before being adopted on this day in 2009.

I was a scruffy puppy when I was dumped on the street at 4 months old and left to wander. Having a nice family with 3 beds, food and safety, and a little older brother Sam the cat means life is grand.

As shown in this portrait of me in my forever home you can see I cleaned up pretty good for a street pup.

Want to help celebrate my anniversary?

Not all pets are as lucky as me, so on this two year forever home anniversary for Corky please consider adding a shelter pet to your family. I’m a mutt and sometimes a rescue mutt is your best choice for a special friend who stays loyal forever.

In my short puppy life the photo here shows how Corky celebrates Christmas 2010. My Christmas 2008 was as a 4 month old orphan dumped on the street.

I was rescued from doggy jail the next month and adopted into my forever home. Christmas in 2009 and now in 2010 have been MUCH happier times!

Shown here is me under our Christmas tree today, 25 December 2010, and I’m holding a stuffed raccoon toy with squeaker. I usually chew new toys apart to remove the squeaker. We call that a squeakerectomy.

I can’t explain why unless maybe I’m just more mature, but I’d rather play with my new toy than chew it open.

Though Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and for giving gifts, the best gift you can give a dog or cat is giving them a forever home. As you celebrate the Christmas season consider our 4-legged friends being held in animal shelters, and make room in your home and add a rescue pet to the family.

If not for rescue parents, Corky the shelter dog would not have a website with videos and the opportunity to tell his life story. Yes, Christmas is about giving, yet for abandoned pets looking for a home it will be enough if all you can afford is love. Trust me. I know.

Here I am, Corky the shelter dog, being a lazy boy on my La-Z-Boy recliner and watching television in one of several versions of this photograph. The blue background is a Snuggie™ blankie just in time for cooler Florida weather. That and the chair are MINE but I let Mom think she owns both!

The cropped version of the photo displayed here shows me reading the TV Guide and smoking a pipe while sitting in Mom’s chair! That’s digital trickery because 1) I am too young to smoke and 2) won’t smoke when I get older either! You can see the uncropped version of this trick photo of Corky on Twitpic or look at the original untouched photo on Flickr without the pipe or TV Guide.

Check out enlarged views of the TwitPic and Flickr versions for 1200px wide wallpaper to download, too!

Previously I wrote about 13 baby Muscovy ducklings born in late July and living on the canal near our home in Kissimmee, Florida, plus I published some updates of how they developed. In the course of nature the number of survivors dwindled down to 4 of the last 5 shown here. The 4 ducklings are now young adults and capable of flying away, so for this group this is the last chapter in my baby duck story.

While losing any of my little feathered friends is sad, this is the first group in several years to have at least some of the ducklings survive to become adults. The Mom (center) with her back to the camera and 2 of her ducklings flew away and live somewhere else. Poppa duck (far back) and 2 male ducklings have stayed on at the canal.

4 baby ducks have made it. Since my previous report a 6th duck was killed and eaten by a bald eagle. I know because Dad and I saw the eagle having breakfast one morning on the grass at the edge of the canal while going for a walk. **it Happens. The 5th of the young adult ducks shown here was killed in traffic when flying too low across a divided highway. I expect there will be another brood next Spring, so stay tuned for future baby duck news.

While at Fleet Peeples Dog Park near Orlando yesterday Corky the shelter dog had the opportunity to show off how he learned fireman rescue techniques. On the beach and not far from the edge of the lake other dogs had dug a deep pit in the wet sand.

While play wrestling with another puppy, Corky decided to show what he calls the Corky fireman rescue demonstration. In the photograph you can see how he climbs out of the sand pit while carrying a doggy actor who is pretending to be injured.

The same method of rescue could be used in a house fire, drowning rescue, mountain rescue, and maybe even situations like Timmy fell down the well! Take a closer look and you may notice that Corky stopped to smile for the camera to show he is super strong and has no problem carrying a doggy pal to safety.

This gives a whole new meaning to doggy rescue!

Earlier this afternoon when it was time to review Twitter new followers and tweets I checked in and won on Twitter! Yes, pals, talk about great timing.

My brand happens to be Nutro dog food (and Greenies), so I follow their reps and Natalie was doing a contest for the fastest answer to a product question. The photo here shows what I won including a NEW flavor of Nutro for small breeds.

Special thanks to Natalie at Nutro aka @NatalieatNutro on Twitter for such great timing, and Dad for being a fast typist! If you’re not already, follow Natalie plus ReneeatNutro and EdnaatNutro who are the other Nutro reps on Twitter (*pssst – all 3 are giving away daily prize packages this week).

I’m so excited I’ll be sitting at the window looking for the mailman every day, and promise I won’t scare or bite him!!

Footnote: Photo credit: Twitpic – would not load properly, so a copy was placed on this site rather than leave a BIG blank space there.

It’s my birthday! How time flies when you’re a rescue puppy in a forever home! I have nearly forgotten those distant memories of being dumped on the street at 4 months old, being scared about finding food and shelter, and then doing time in doggy jail including a jailhouse tattoo.

The photo below shows my new pal Beauregard met outside the groomers today on my birthday. He’s a rescue dog like me. I’m 2 today and Beauregard was born a day earlier only 3 years ago. If I’d asked “What WERE you… born yesterday?” his reply would have been “yes”.

That’s me (top left) and Beauregard (right) touching noses, and then two circle photo inserts of him showing off two more views in the lower corners with his BIG puppy eyes. He’s a rescue puppy and his parents live in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s hours and hours away yet they were in Kissimmee on business, and took Beau with them!

Besides the two puppy birthday boys, @PrincessGwenie my Twitter puppy gal pal and cutie patootie was 3 today! Happy Birthday to Beau and Gwenie!

The photo collage below shows 24 thumbnail photos of Corky the Shelter Dog on Flickr. Dad upgraded his Flickr account which allows unlimited uploads PLUS the range of sizes includes the largest original version. Download the big ones for desktop wallpaper!

Follow this link to Corky photographs on Flickr and then look for the other new sets with lots of pix of my favorite park that include the Dogs at Fleet Peeples Dog Park and the Fleet Peeples Dog Park Scenery.

The thumbnail at the lower right is a video! Yup. I have a mini-video on Flickr, too. The new Corky photo set on Flickr means I’m one step closer to “almost famous”. Thanks, Dad.