FUNNY CATS....Check out this video

Yes, it's all about cats, but I'll bet that even some of you "non-cat" people will find yourself smiling too!

This is Benelli. He's a 3 1/2 year old Spinone Italiano that I adopted this past New Year's weekend.

I had been wanting a Spinone for quite a while. I didn't know if I'd ever really have one of my own when almost magically, I found out about this guy needing a home. Not only was he at a rescue and up for adoption, he was only about an hour away...right here in Michigan! When I was chosen as his new mom, I was thrilled. Life around our house has never been the same!

Benelli's beginning was pretty rough. He was a sick, skinny boy when he first came to live with us. I think the stress of being moved around wore him down. He got kennel cough and it quickly turned into pneumonia. It took about a month to get him back to good health, but all that work was well worth it.

Spinone personalities are unique. They are funny, loving and gentle. I call him our "pacer" because he's always on the go. His favorite things are going for a walk or a car ride. If he sees me grab a leash, his tail starts wagging and doesn't stop 'til we're back home. I love taking both he & Freckles for a walk. It's a great workout for all three of us. Freckles is the consistent one. She just trots along and Benelli spends his time trying to make sure he's in front of her. As a result, he keeps wanting to speed up. With those long legs of his, it's all I can do to keep up with them- while not getting their leashes tangled at the same time! I'm sure we're quite the sight.

I love his clownish personality & looks. I'm thankful every day that he's part of my family (even though he IS the messiest drinker in the world and a sock eater)!

My 4 legged family as of last fall

This is one of the few recent pictures I have of Freckles....
My dog Freckles HATES cameras. I really think it's the flash that she's afraid of but the sight of any camera makes her "run for the hills"!

I had to trick her to get this picture. I set up the camera amongst some bags of groceries that I was carrying into the house and used my remote to actually take the picture.

JoKitty on the other hand is a real ham! She will pose nicely whenever she thinks she's going to get to model. I have a ton of pictures of that girl.

Bear, The Anatolian Shepherd

Bear was a BIG boy, but his size didn't reflect his personality. He was the most calm, gentle dog I've fostered so far. He was a year old, but he must have shed his "puppiness" early. My dog, Benelli loved Bear. He really missed him when he went to his new home.

Bear (who is now named Parker) was adopted by a super nice lady & her 7 year old son. They were the perfect new family for him. Bear didn't like being left alone and his new mom worked very hard to help him feel safe when she left for work. This is a huge testament to the caring, patient person she is! I couldn't have gotten luckier finding a new family for him.

Angel, my first foster dog

Angel was a super sweet 1 year old black Lab. What a smart dog she was! She could retrieve a toy better than any dog I've EVER seen! She was adopted by a family with hopes of training her to be a future Therapy Dog...how exciting! Her new family renamed her Marley. Isn't that a cool name? I love it!

Being my first foster, I cried many tears when I handed her over to her new family. Letting her go was difficult, but the excitement that her new family had, convinced me it was the right thing to do.

Dave (my fiance') didn't think I'd really be able to adopt out a foster. He thought I'd end up keeping every one I took in. I knew I had to follow through with this first adoption or I'd never be able to be a foster mom. Mission accomplished!

My Poodle Fosters

Here are two of my foster dogs. They were Standard Poodle brothers.

Buddy (the white one) was adopted by a cool couple that re-named him "Buddy Moonshadow". Eiffel (the redhead) was adopted by a sweet family who re-named him "Oliver". There was a ton of interest in these guys. I was thrilled that they both went to wonderful homes.

These guys were super nice dogs. My son liked them so much, he wanted to trade my dog, Benelli for Eiffel!

I never thought I would've considered owning a poodle, but these guys changed my mind. A Standard Poodle is cool because they have a big dog personality-with the non-shedding characteristics that poodles are known for. I really, really like the non-shedding part!