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November 1998 Contest Page
Summary:
Prize: One Year Subscription to Bloodlines magazine(see details below)
Featured Donation: The Henry Fund(see description below)
Winner: LeAnn Cayers (and her eskie Blossie)
Question: "Why are you thankful for the American Eskimo(s) in your life?"
You can scroll down to get right to the winning entry, but first are further details on the November contest:
Well...as has been getting to be the case, these contests are just getting better all the time. In fact, choosing just one "winner" is really not all that feasible anymore, but since we only had one prize ready this month, we still had to just settle with one; in the future, we do hope to have more prizes available each month, as many of the entries are really deserving of notice and posting! Although we ended up choosing just one "winner" this month, we are posting two other "honorable mentions" that we felt were best shared with others!
Our prize this month was a one year subscription to the UKC magazine BLOODLINES. YES...the organization that has supported the American Eskimo Dog for decades and their official publication. The magazine comes out every two months, for a total of six issues. In case you are not very familiar with the UKC or BLOODLINES, click here and you can read about it!
On our "donation" platter, we had a wonderful twist to the contest for this month, which will make future contests all the more valuable as well. Following October's contest, we received a generous offer from Lindy (Kohn) in offering $10 to The Henry Fund for the November contest. We had initially intended to move onto sending a donation elsewhere, but thought this was such a wonderful offer, we couldn't refuse! Turns out, it's an even greater offer....Lindy has offered to make the donation a "standing" donation...of the $10 EACH MONTH! So not only will The Henry Fund be receiving one more month's worth of attention, the fund also received $20 total this month($10 from Lindy and $10 from us)! In a note from Lindy, she had mentioned that she would like to see something done about all the "lost" dogs out there...ones that get separated from their owners, causing heartbreak for owner AND pet! In the future, we do hope to have something along these lines to help through one of the contests! She had also asked that their donation be made "in memory of Grimm", so we will make sure to note that! Lindy was our first to join in helping contribute to the contest, but others have joined in since then. It is nice to see others enjoying the giving end of this contest as much as we do...it really is what makes this contest what it is! Thanks to ALL our contributors since Lindy joined us!
As noted, The Henry Fund was the donation for the month, and if you're not familiar with the Henry Fund...here is a little info about the Henry Fund(as described by Stacey): For those of you who don't know: Henry is a male American Eskimo about 5 years old that I rescued a couple of months ago. He has an injured right front leg that was apparently broken at one point and then allowed to re-heal in the wrong position. We are raising money to have his leg surgically repaired and any donations should be sent to Carolina Veterinary Specialist at 5505 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27410. Please put ATTN: Stacey Dickey on the envelope and For: HENRY FUND in the corner of the check. He is neutered and fully vaccinated and will be needing a home after the leg is completely healed. Click here for Stacey's email address. Thus, we sent $10 to the fund in the winner's name following the contest. Not much, but every little bit helps, and this month, we're sending the "little bit" Henry's way. Stacey wrote to me during the contest, and I thought her words would be nice here: "I think it is great the way so many people have pitched in to help Henry. I will try to attach a picture of Henry with this e mail(see below). And you are right, every little bit helps!!! All of the 5-10 dollar donations have added up very nicely. Thanks again for thinking of Henry!!"
And, ...for the month's query....pretty basic, but it gets to the root of this contest....being that we want to keep reminding us all of why we so love our American Eskimo Dogs! And, being that we followed the contest up right after the US Thanksgiving holiday, when we are reminded to be "thankful" for all the things we are fortunate to be blessed with, what we wanted to know was:
"Why are you "thankful" for the American Eskimo(s) in your life?"
....and for our "winning" selection of the month, we couldn't help but settle on the entry from LeAnn and Blossom! We had heard part of their story before, but were delighted to get an entry from them, AND to hear more of the story. We think you'll all find it a wonderful story as well:
| And now...for LeAnn's Winning Entry: |
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The day we brought Blossie home, over five years ago, I never dreamed she would turn out to be the one thing that I am most thankful for in my life. To refresh some minds, I am Deaf, and Legally Blind. Blossie is now my fully trained, fully certified, Hearing Dog. How that came to be, is a story in itself. When she was three months old, Blossom, somehow, sensed that I could not hear. One day, I did not have my hearing aid on, and all of a sudden, my little baby girl goes flying to the front door. Yes, I went to the door, to see what it was all about. Of course, there was someone there...a friend of mine paying me a visit. I praised her to no end. Shortly after that, she began listening for me outside, alerting me to people and cars nearby. This went on, her "alerts" increasing by the day and months. Once she was a year old, I began searching for a Hearing Dog school that would be willing to take her to complete the formal training and obtain her certification. One by one, the schools turned me down, or rather her down, saying that since she was a pet, she was disqualified. For three agonizing years, I searched, to no avail. Then, one day, a close friend of mine spotted Lawana Langston, of Hearing Dog Companions, in Dallas, TX, at a Deaf Awareness event. My friend told her all about Blossom and me, and Lawana told her to have me call. Once I made that call, my whole life changed. Lawana tested Blossom, to see if she would be "trainable'. Of course, this little fuzzbutt of mine, already knowing her stuff, passed with flying colors. The formal training merely took four months, as opposed to six months or a year. We worked on developing her obedience skills, and refined her alerting skills. She became fully Certified in November, 1996, shortly after my father was killed in a tragic motorcycle-auto accident. Ever since, Blossom goes with me everywhere. She is identified as a Hearing Dog by her Orange vest and leash. This little fuzzbutt alerts me to the phone, the door, when it is safe to cross the street, cars coming behind me, the teakettle, people calling my name, and so much more. She has prevented me from getting hit by a car on several occasions by stopping, and refusing to allow me to move. She sleeps with me by my head, ready to alert me to anything that comes. The bond between the two of us is unbreakable. She is my life. She is my ears. Having her certified has opened up a whole new world for me. Now, how can I be as thankful for anything else as I am for my ears, my companion? |
Following the Contest, LeAnn sent a picture of Blossie in her "work outfit", and we thought it would be neat to add to this page!
....and for our first "honorable mention"...we just had to post this entry from Laurie Bame....we particularly found her comment about her dogs not being "possessions" a very inspiring point....as it is true that ALL our relationships in life are responsibilities and if we start feeling too possessive about any relationship OR possessed IN one....then things are REALLY out of whack. In all, dogs are to befriend and love. We also thought this story was very "eskie-ish"...
| Honorable Mention #1: |
|
Having two American Eskimo Dogs is wonderful, especially when they have opposing personalities. Despite their differences, they do share many traits that make me very thankful to have them in my life. The following are the many roles they play or traits they possess that endear them to me and make me feel blessed. My Eskies are alarm clocks that are soft, fluffy and warm and that give kisses and happy yips rather than loud, horrible buzzes or beeps. And they have no snooze button so I am sure to always be awake and on time every morning. I am grateful for their role as mattress and bed warmers - nothing like crawling into bed with the fluffballs all nestled against me. My American Eskimos are entertainers - whether they are simply sprawled about the house sleeping like a pretty portrait or romping about, one can never be bored for long with my Eskies around. Lucky happily yips for attention and dances around on his hind legs, and Madi playfully yips and pounces on me. A good game of ball is always entertaining as it becomes a race to see which one will get it first and then taunt the other with the victory. I am also grateful for their playful antics because they remind me to stop, relax, laugh, and take time to enjoy the moments and to not take life so seriously all the time. I appreciate their luscious coats of fur that shed - Seriously! I am a bit lazy at vacuuming, especially if the house looks okay, but with their fluffy hair, vacuuming regularly is a must, and then I know the house really is neat and clean. Plus, I find it very relaxing to run the brush through their coats - it is a great stress reliever. I am thankful for them as additional "children" - I know that as long as I have my Eskies, the normal angst of watching my human kids get older won't be nearly so difficult. My Eskies won't ever stop wanting the big, mushy hugs and kisses I give them. Lucky and Madi are so like human kids, wide-eyed and always curious about the world around them, only they usually listen better and don't have tantrums.
I am very appreciative of their intelligence - they are easy to train and then can accompany the family on trips and not be left out of the fun. Plus, it is great to get positive responses from people on how well-behaved they are! ( As well as beautiful!!!) "Does the human ego good!" I am thankful for their independent and willful nature - they can be frustrating but they are free spirits that challenge me and also remind me that though they will obey me, they are not mine to own or possess but to befriend and love. I am grateful that they tolerate the favors I ask of them. Even if it is obvious they aren't very thrilled about it, they seem so willing to do just about anything for me whether it is taking them to dog games or having them ride on a parade float for Christmas. Eskies are incredibly perceptive - I know that when I am feeling low or frustrated, that my American Eskimos will soon be near - they always seem to know when I just need to be loved or comforted. I can just relax running my fingers through those fluffy coats and the bad feelings seem to float away. I am thankful for these gentle but playful friends that expect nothing from me but the return of the love and devotion they give me. No words are necessary and when I look into those faithful and devoted eyes, I know that the world is truly a wondrous place. Laurie Bame |
....and for our second "honorable mention"....we just thought this was one was too cute.....from Patricia Siefert:
| Honorable Mention #2: |
I have two male eskies, Nikki and Frosty, Nikki is 4 years, I raised him as a pup and Frosty who is about 6 years, was rescued from the mean streets of Brooklyn, is with us almost 2 years now. I am thankful, for those two sweet faces and soft white fur that wake me in the morning, the joyful greeting and kisses I get when I walk through the door, the adoring looks from them that make me feel like I am the most special person in the world. I am also thankful now that I can leave my shoes on the floor without Nikki taking them. |
....and though we only printed these three entries, we want to thank EVERYONE who sent in entries for your wonderful contributions! These contests are only as good as the entries we receive....so mega thanks to all of you!
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