"Adopt a Shelter Pet" Stamps to Raise Awareness

Starting on April 30, 2010, the US Postal Service will be selling stamps to raise awareness of the need to adopt Shelter Pets. 

The USPS website states that the goal is for "more Americans to know about the millions of shelter pets that need good homes. Nearly half of the animals that enter animal shelters are euthanized. Many of these cats and dogs would have made a wonderful pet...if only given the chance."

They say:  "You can make a difference. Adopt a pet, volunteer at a shelter, or just get the word out by buying these stamps."

There are 10 different stamps.  All of these pets had been homeless.  At the time the pictures were taken, all but one had been adopted!  Featured on the stamps are:
Teddy Jack Russell Terrier
Willow Maltese Cat
Trevor Yellow Lab
Bianca Calico
Buddy Golden Retriever
Peaches Gray White and Tan Cat
Bindi Sue Aussie Shepherd
Frankie Black White and Tan Cat
Jake Boston Terrier
Lucas Orange Tabby

The USPS website offers a variety of products including stamps, mugs, artwork and notecards featuring these pets.

Ellen DeGeneres (Animal Advocate and co-owner of Halo Pet Food) is the spokeperson for this campaign.  Halo will be donating meals to feed 1 Million shelter pets.  You can visit stampstotherescue.com to see an update of how many meals Halo has donated to feed homeless pets.

I have my stamps! Do you have yours?

Carole

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Mother's Day Gift Idea!

Mother's Day is a little more than 2 weeks away! Cloud K9 ® has a great gift idea for Mom...especially for Dog Moms!

Let Mom keep a picture of her favorite kids and furkids in one of our locket necklaces.

Our locket necklaces are made from vintage molds and are available in over 35 different breeds of Dogs, plus a Paw Print, Rabbit, Cat, or Horse (with horseshoe).

A great gift idea that is sure to be treasured for years to come!

Carole
Cloud K9

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!
Please take care of the Earth!
It's the only one we have!

Save the Fishies ~ Part 2

We placed the liner in the pond.  I was suprised that the liner was far, far heavier than it looked!  Then we filled the pond with water (over 2,000 gallons)! YIKES!

As you can see, my friend reshaped the pond from its original "figure 8" shape to a "kidney bean" shape.

Then, the water needed to sit for 24 hours to adjust the temperature.  Water coming out of the hose is cold at this time of year.  Plus, chemicals (to remove chlorine, etc.) needed to be added to the water so it would be safe for the fish.

After 24 hours, the fish were ready to be transitioned to the pond.  First, they were put in a plastic bag with their original pond water (that they were living in during the time in the smaller container) and floated in the pond to adjust them to the new temperature.  Then, some new water from the pond needed to be put into the bag to adjust them to the new water.  I think each of these steps was for about 15 or 30 minutes for each step.  Note: Please consult an expert for the exact specifications of adjusting fish to a new location since these types of transitions can be fatal for fish.

Then, the fish were ready to be put into the pond!  Everything went well!  There were about 20 fish in all and ALL of them survived the move!

I can truly say the fish look so happy in the pond.  Maybe they are happy to be out of the small container and in the pond again.  Maybe they can tell they have more room to swim with the new shape of the pool.  Who knows!?!  But they were definitely swimming and playing joyfully!

Yes! Mission Accomplished! The fish are safe!

Carole
[Text and photos copyrighted. All rights reserved.]

Save the Fishies ~ Part 1

My friend built a small pond in his backyard over 10 years ago.  The pond is really cool with the fish swimming in it! 

The pond liner has been leaking since last Fall...so the obvious was coming.  Eventually the pond liner would need to be replaced...which means draining the pond and temporarily relocating the fish!

Lately, the water level in the pond was getting much lower, so I volunteered to help with the project to save the fishies (Koi and goldfish).  The fish spend the winter in the pond, since it is deep enough for the fish to survive the cold Midwest winters by hunkering down in the bottom of the pond.  It was important that we completed the project before the temperatures get too hot.

Replacing the pond liner is a major project!  The fish needed to be caught with a net and relocated into another container (which has the original pond water and also an air pump to aerate the water).  The water content and water temperature need to be very similar to that in the pond so they don't die.

Then, over 2,000 gallons of water needed to be drained from the pond!!!  YIKES! 

The sediment had to be removed (yes! I was in the bottom of the pond dredging out the sediment) and then we removed the liner.  The pond has several different levels to allow for different types of water plants (which lives at different depths in the pond).  This is what is looked like after the liner was removed:

This is Part 1! Stay tuned for Part 2!

Please Note:  Fish need special conditions to survive while a pond is being fixed.  Please consult an expert if you are relocating fish for this type of project.

Carole
[Text and photos copyrighted.  All rights reserved.]

In the Pink

These gorgeous pink Azaleas deserve to be seen!

They are fantastic!

The flowers this Spring are absolutely spectacular!

Carole

Cloud K9

[Photo copyright Cloudk9.com   All rights reserved.]

Tulips

Spring wouldn't be complete without the beautiful flowers that come from bulbs...like tulips!

A Trio of Tulips

This purple tulip is spectacular.

With its muliple petals, it almost doesn't even look like a tulip!

Carole

[Photos copyright CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Reds and Pinks

A few more lovely spring blooms in reds and pinks!

A beautiful Azalea to enjoy!

Friday's weather is supposed to be much cooler.  Back to regular temperatures.  It was fun while it lasted!

Carole

[Photos copyright CloudK9.com   All rights reserved.]

Flowers in White

More flower pictures! Today's theme is Flowers in White!

The Dogwood Tree in bloom!

Another view!

From Viburnum......to Lily of the Valley.....a beautiful contrast with green foliage and white flowers!

Enjoy!

Carole

[Photos copyright Cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

Can't Seem to Get Enough of the Spring Flowers!

This weather for this week is also predicted to be amazing...with temperatures warmer than average for this time of year!

It seems like everywhere you look, the flowers are in bloom!

These wild violets look so sweet!

Happy Spring!
Carole
[Text and photo copyright CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Busy Bee

Well, the little finches that were on the porch earlier, looking like they may build another nest, did not return.  So apparently they are building their new house elsewhere.

However, a carpenter bee made an appearance! Yikes!
Talk about a busy bee!

Carole
[Text and photo copyright. All rights reserved.]

Trees in Bloom

Although we are all enduring lots of pollen as the trees bloom in Spring, the trees are truly spectacular!

The plum-colored leaves and

delicate pink flowers

make this tree one of my favs!

I adore the beautiful flowers of the red bud tree.
Even the tree trunk has a profusion of blooms!

I hope that your Spring is as lovely as ours is in the Midwest!

Carole

[Text and photos copyrighted. All rights reserved.]

More from the Garden

Textures and patterns are always interesting elements in any garden. 

This plant is called "Lamb's Ear."  As you can see from the shape, the name is appropriate.  In addition, the leaves also feel "furry" and soft!  This texture makes the name even more appropriate!

Years ago, the Missouri Botanical Garden created a special garden for the blind.  This plant was included in that garden because its texture appeals to the sense of touch.

This plant is a new addition to the garden as of last year.
A friend gave me some extra from his garden.

He calls it "Ribbon Grass."  Likewise, this is an appropriate name since it is long and narrow like a ribbon.

I like the varigated pattern on the leaves of the Ribbon Grass. 


While the Ribbon Grass and the Lamb's Ear are both variations of green and white, they are each very different...and add their own special charm to the garden.



Happy Spring to all the Green Thumbs...and Not So Green Thumbs out there!

Carole
[Text and pictures copyrighted.  All rights reserved.]

Springtime Flowers!

The weather continues to be absolutely gorgeous, here in the Midwest!

The Bleeding Heart Flowers are always some of my Spring favorites. There are 2 color variations in our garden:

Bleeding Heart ( Red )

Bleeding Heart ( White )

It's easy to see from the shape of the flowers why this lovely plant is called "Bleeding Heart."

Happy Spring!

Carole

[Text and Photos copyright.  All rights reserved.]

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A Lovely Week to Come

The weather for this week is predicted to be incredibly nice (actually about 10 degrees warmer than average for this time of year). 

The plants in the garden are coming out of their long hibernation!

Even the dog statue looks so different from the picture I posted in December, when it was dusted with snow!

This week, I will share photos from the garden.  Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful Spring!

Carole

[Text and photos copyrighted. All rights reserved.]

Hoppy Easter

Paisley the Rabbit...our Easter Mascott

Hoppy Easter Everyone!

Carole
[Photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Can You Find the Bunny in the Photo?

Can you find the sitting bunny in the photo below?
(Answer at very bottom of page.)

Carole
[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]
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Answer:  April Fools! There is no bunny in this photo! :-)
See this previous blog post for the picture of the hidden bunny!