Another passion of mine...pets!

I have always been an animal lover for as long as I remember.  It is all thanks to my dad.  I have a huge soft spot for any animal needing help, as my mom still jokes...I was always bringing home the strays (which included in her mind my ex boyfriends).  From the time I was a baby we had a dog.  Then as I grew older we had other pets...a guinea pig, fish, hamsters, other dogs...and then there was our baby raccoon.  Long story short a mother raccoon was killed and we got special permission to raise her 1 day old baby.  Rascal was one of the best pets ever.  But he had to be released back into the wild before he turned 1 year old.  Then there was a baby squirrel, Chichi,  that we raised and released into our back yard.  For a while he'd come visit, but then he stopped.  And my baby duck who was blind, Henry, who despite the vets prognosis got his sight back, but then had to be put to sleep due to an infection that was killing his bill and feet.  Then I had a ferret and a few rats....all wonderful pets but passed on in their time.  Then I had my cats, Yoshi and Chezi, both Oriental Shorthairs...one of the two breeds that I am not allergic to that bad.  Yoshi was my baby, my first ever cat and my first pet while out on my own.  Age caught up with him and we lost him two years ago this month.  And now, 2 dogs and 1 cat.  Our two dogs are both rescues, Bella and Cocapuff (Poof for short), and both came from Pet Helper Inc.  Our cat, Kage, is an Oriental and one of the sweetest guys ever.

We have helped to foster dogs through Pet Helpers, which is something that I love doing.  Bella was actually a foster of my husband's before we got together, and he decided that she had found her home with him.  Fostering is such a rewarding experience all around.  For Jed and I, we are getting to help out with animals that need a home while looking for their forever home.  The girls are learning what it means to help animals.  Yes I think they'd love all the animals to stay here forever, but they are learning that what they are doing by playing with the dogs and showing them love while they wait for their homes is an important thing and keeps them out of shelters and possibly keeping them from their deaths. 

One of the things that I think a lot of people don't realize is how many pets are out there looking for homes, and how many are being put down because shelters can't find homes for them.  That is why rescue groups like Pet Helpers are so important.  The organization is all run by volunteers.  There is no shelter, only foster families.  Pet Helpers takes care of vet bills for the animals they take in, which in some cases can run into the $1000 or more range, and provides the foster families with the things they need for the animals they take in...puppy pads, litter, food, toys, collars, leashes, crates, kiddie pools for birthing, etc.  And all of this is made possible from donations and fund raisers.

That is why I am doing the silent auction for them.  Any little bit that we can make for them will really help out.  And 30% of all sales will be going directly to Pet Helpers.    All items will be starting at only $3...and if something sells for that amount that means Pet Helpers gets $0.90.  Might not sound like a lot at first but think of it this way...that will by a couple cans of cat food, or a couple cans of dog food, or almost 1 toy or collar at the dollar store.  Or pay for postage on two letters that they have to send out. 

So here is the info on the silent auction and how you can not only help Pet Helpers but also get some great jewelry for yourself:
* The items will be visible at 8:30am tomorrow (1/17) morning in the following album (currently you can view preview pics here):  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.359086500774568.105461.163803963636157&type=3
* Bidding will be from 8:30 am until 10pm on 1/17.  You can bid by either commenting right on the photo or by email if you are not a Facebook member or want your bids to remain anonymous.  The email to send your bids to is:  dirtygirldiamonds@yahoo.com   Winners will be contacted after 10pm by either email (if that is how you bid) or right on the photo if you bid there.
* If you need items shipped it will cost a flat rate of $3 for items in the US and $5 for outside of the US.  All payments need to be paid by paypal or arranged by other means with me.  If you are local we will arrange to meet and you can pay by cash, check, or credit card.
* There are no set bidding increments, bid however you like.
* Most importantly, please remember this is to raise money for Pet Helpers and even a small bid will help :)

Any questions can be emailed right to me.  Hopefully Wednesday I'll have great things to report back!!!

One other things before I go...Saturday on Facebook I did my Shout Out Saturday.  Here it is, please check her shop out...her things are really amazing!

Shout Out Saturday featured business: Simple Minded Bath Co.
Clarksburg, WV. She started it because she has very sensitive skin and had a hard time finding anything that she could use. Everything... she uses in her soaps and lotions are all organic and premium ingredients. I personally love the solid lotions, I use the one named Tan Lines and let me tell you…it smells sooooo great and isn’t greasy at all (a big pet peeve of mine of most lotions). She has an Etsy shop where you can find her wonderful products http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimpleMindedBathCo and she will sell locally (I’m picking up some soap from her tomorrow). And she has a great sale going on right now so don’t miss it! You can also find her shop page here on FB at http://www.facebook.com/SimpleMindedBathCo?sk=info and when you like her page, let her know you found her through DirtyGirlDiamonds. Not only are her products wonderful, but so is she! I know for sure you won’t be disappointed so please check out Simple Minded Bath Co.