Giving is so wonderful and it feels wonderful to do. When you help someone, their smile, thanks, and gratitude can create a warm feeling in your soul.

One of the ways we give back is by volunteering our time. The dog rescue we have been involved with extensively for the past few years is Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue.

We have helped out by attending many adoption functions, photographed adoptable dogs, and even fostered and done a bit of training with a variety of pups like Bonnie and Olive ourselves for awhile. We would include the foster in our training whether it was morning puzzles, leash manners, taking a trip to the store, learning tricks, or going for a hike to help the dog develop skills that would transfer to their forever home.

We even continued fostering for awhile even after Kronos was added to the family. However, training two young dogs full time (basic manners in addition to trick, performing, sport, and regular training) in addition to dog-sitting multiple dogs and teaching a foster dog basic human living rules and manners while living in a small house and with a small yard was pretty draining to do solo. So, after our last foster, Lacey, we decided to take a break from fostering.

However, one of the other ways we were able to give back was to help out with taking portraits and putting together a video from an adopter’s media files for a grant application through Petco Foundation. The application was prepared and submitted back in October 2014. And just last week we were notified of wonderful news-that Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue was a recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Petco Foundation! It was such incredible and amazing news! Here is the entry that a team of ACDR volunteers prepared for the application:

There were so many other wonderful organizations who were recipients as well. And the winning video of Hercules for the Animal Alliance of New Jersey gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes (what a sad story, but ultimately a wonderful ending and heartwarming story). You can view and enjoy many of the stories at your leisure.

Congrats to all of the grant recipients-each one certainly deserves it because of the wonderful work each does to make a difference in the lives of animals.