Since we launched our book, we have been committed to helping the efforts of animal rescue.  One of our primary recepients of our donations has been National Airedale Rescue.  Now that organization is returning the favor by adding us to their Affliliated Merchants tab on their website.  The site has just undergone a spiffy new update and you should find a lot of great information about how you can volunteer, stay updated and buy great Airedale stuff–like our book!  When you buy our book here on our Life to Max website, 25% of the book price goes to National Airedale Rescue when you designate it at check-out.  So buy a great book (if I do say so myself!) and do something even better for an Airedale in need.

We received the following email from Elizabeth Barry, President of National Airedale Terrier Rescue.  Please link to this post or pass it on in email.

Dear Airedale Lovers,

3 year old Schatzi

A female Airedale Terrier disappeared from a small Mexican beach town resort in Mexico while on holiday with her family. “Schatzi” disappeared suddenly on January 2, 2009, and no genuine sightings have been reported, although some people claim to have seen her.

The town is here:
http://larrymar.com/vallarta-photos/north-coast-guayabitos.htm
Rincon de Guayabitos is north of Puerto Vallarta.

Schatzi’s owner, Erika Reyes, has notified everyone she can in the area, but had to return home to Mexico City. She continues to make every effort to find her beloved Airedale. Her brother returned to the area and is again going from door to door and handing out fliers.

Please forward this email to everyone you know and publish it in your newsletters. If you have contacts with Mexican news organizations, politicians, prominant businessmen — please use them. If anyone has any contacts at all in this region, please ask them to be watchful and to pass the word.

Many Americans and Canadians retire in this area. It is possible that someone visiting found her and returned home with her – she could be anywhere. Forward this email to everyone in your address book. The more ears and eyes that are on alert, the better her chances will be.

Schatzi is young, only about three years old, and is well cared for. She is microchipped.

Erika’s email is reyesito@HOTMAIL.COM

There is a web page for Schatzi with a link to download the poster in Word or PDF versions.

http://www.airedaleterriers.org/schatzi.htm

Elizabeth Berry
Chair, ATCA Rescue & Adoption Committee
President, National Airedale Rescue, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Federal Tax ID# 27-0054363

Let’s hope Schatzi gets returned home soon!

Krissy with 'dale friends in Tucson

Krissy and I had a great time at the Home for the Holidays Fur Affair on Saturday in Tucson.  Krissy got to meet a lot of big Aire-heads and their dogs were nice, too!  Just kidding!!

Everyone was pretty calm here but when the boxers (dogs, not underwear) and Santa showed up, we had quite the vocal protest!

Toby, (pictured in the red “Adopt Me” vest), the Poster Child for Airedale Adoptees, thought Santa was some kind of monster alien!  We all thought Toby was going to tear Santa a new one, but when Krissy and I went over by Santa and Toby saw that Krissy wasn’t afraid, he finally decided it was okay-not great-but okay.  You have to wonder what Santa did to him in another life!

Sidney Hardie with Toby; Robin & Krissy

Anyway, it was great to meet some of the people we have been working with, but haven’t met face-to-face before:  like Sidney Hardie who heads up Southwest Airedale Terrier Rescue in this part of the country.  Sdiney has been a tireless volunteer for Airedale rescue for several years and I just loved hearing some of her stories about the dogs she’s saved, fostered and placed in forever homes.  Some of these dogs have quite the story to tell and you can find many of these tales under “Happy Tails” on SWAT’s website. To read these stories and find out more about Southwest Airedale Terrier Rescue, click here.

"Santa just took it out of me!"

At the end of the day, everybody was tuckered out and (fingers crossed) we think Toby may have a forever home.  Though the event was small, we were able to raise another decent amount to support Sidney’s efforts with rescue.  What a GREAT day!  Now this is living “Life to the MAX!”

With all the economic turmoil lately, there is no doubt that times are tough for a lot of people. If you think it’s bad for you, just think about the pets!  Every week, more dogs and cats are dumped in neighborhoods or left in abandoned homes. Maybe it’s just because I’m a rescue myself, but I think you should consider your situation from a canine perspective. Here are five long-term investment tips to help you when things get ruff:

1. Capitalize on the bond market. If you’re looking for a great investment with a high return rate, rescue a dog. There is nothing like the unconditional love and acceptance of a canine companion. This is one bond that will appreciate on a daily basis.

2. Create your own stimulus package. If you feel like you can’t afford to adopt a dog, volunteer to foster a pet or work at a shelter. The stimulation you receive from playing with a furry friend will take your mind off your shrinking 401K. In fact, the pet will never even mention it!

3. Invest in creature comforts. It doesn’t have to be something you bought from the store. Without much coaching your dog will cuddle next to you and lick your face.  Just petting your dog can lower your blood pressure. You won’t get that from the Dow Jones!

4. Get easy credit. Your dog already thinks you’re the greatest person in the world. Just give him a little attention and you’ll be very rich indeed. He’ll even let you win at Monopoly!

5. Profit from the fallout. If you act fast, you can get a great pet right now. With so many abandoned animals, shelters are full of healthy, adoptable pets from purebreds to mixed breeds. There is nothing more rewarding than giving a dog or cat a second chance at life.

Even with all the recent publicity, pets are still being left in foreclosed homes at an alarming rate. Sure, you may be scared, but just imagine how scared a pet would be to be left in an empty house. As I say in Maxim #1 of my book, “Worrying about it won’t change anything. Trust that you’ll get through it.” Instead of running away, take your dog for a run. It will take your mind off it for a while and it will ease the stress for both of you. And that’s something you can bank on!

This weekend you can find Life to the Max books for sale at the PACC911 booth at the St. Francis Festival. This annual festival at the Franciscan Renewal Center, 5802 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale, features a Blessing of the Animals at Noon and 2 PM as well as fun activities from 10 am to 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday for your two and four-legged family members. For more information about the festival, click here.

25% of the book price will be donated to PACC911 to support its animal rescue efforts. PACC911 assists animal rescue groups throughout Maricopa County in four distinct ways–adoption events, fundraising, education and medical assistance through the new PACC911 Emergency Medical Fund.

We won’t be doing a booksigning at this event, but if your look around, you might catch a glimpse of the author, Robin Reynolds with Max’s little sisters, Amber and Krissy.

On this special weekend when we celebrate the special relationship we have with the animals in our lives, there’s no better way to do than when you give someone Life to the MAX!

In today’s Arizona Republic, there was a story about local Valley volunteers who rescued 89 puppies from a puppy mill in Missouri. It made me sad that this country does not regulate this horrible practice, but also glad that there volunteers like Joey Penniston and Caron Lorber who were willing to drive more than 24 hours to rescue these puppies from certain death..

If you don’t know why puppy mills are so bad, let me tell you about the conditions under which these dogs live and often die. It is not unusual to find up to 1,000 dogs crammed into these commercial breeding facilities. In this environment, these animals are routinely neglected, abused–physically and emotionally–and do not receive vet care even when ill or injured.

In the puppy mill world, dogs are considered livestock and many are brutally killed just because they lack the desired physical characteristics or because they can’t breed. The rest are sold to brokers who sell them to pet stores and if the pet stores don’t buy them, they are put up for auction. If they are not bought at auction, they are euthanized.

Buying puppies at pet stores perpetuates this horrific cycle, so the next time you are tempted by a furry face in the window, remember that demand perpetuates supply and many more innocent puppy lives will be lost in order to replace the “inventory.”

Because of today’s bad economy though, shelters and animal rescue groups have no lack of “inventory.” So if you’re thinking of adding a fur friend to your family, go to a shelter or apply at a rescue. That’s what my family did and I will always be grateful to them! Also, I just happen to know that right now there are at least 89 little furkids who are looking for forever families.

For more information, check out the Republic article for the rescue organizations that are handling the adoptions of these puppies.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/23/20080923dogs0923.html

This year, Life to the Max is proud to be a part of the Airedale Rescue Quilt promotion, which is now underway at http://www.airedalerescue.net/a_day_in_the_life/. We have donated seven Life to the Max books to their annual fundraiser to use as incentives to buy raffle tickets. If you do not already know about the Airedale Rescue Quilt, here is some information about this unique project.

The Airedale Rescue Quilt originated with a core group of Airedale enthusiasts who had another common interest: Quilting. These members put together an Airedale Quilting Bee website and decided to make a quilt with pictures of their passion, Airedales, to be raffled to raise money for National Airedale Rescue. The proceeds help to re-home/re-educate every purebred Airedale that comes into Airedale Rescue’s care. Although many people suggested that this project seemed impossible, the members of the Airedale Internet community, who often resemble the feisty, focused breed they love, were determined that this project would happen.

A quilt that raises $15,000 can help out 30 healthy Airedales, yet well over 600 Airedales were reported to have entered Airedale Rescue groups in 2007. Although a $15,000 donation from the Airedale Quilting Bee may seem to be a lot of money, it doesn’t stretch far with the costs of bringing an Airedale into Rescue and finding a Forever Home. Sadly, we see a lot of Airedales in Rescue as far too many people get an Airedale because of the Teddy Bear look, forgetting that pet ownership continues even when the puppy/dog eats a hole in the Oriental carpet … or de-stuffs the sofa.

All the Rescue Quilts show humorous and imaginative design, and the quality of workmanship makes them into pieces of art. Airedale Quilting Bee members, all over the country, make up the pieces, then send them to a designated member who puts them all together, and adds the finishing touches on the Rescue Quilt. Now the Airedale Rescue Quilt is ready to head to Montgomery, Pa., where during early October each year, there is an All-Terrier “do”. This do is where the finished Rescue Quilt is to be raffled off. Everybody with a ticket has equal chance of winning, as you don’t have to be present for the draw.

The 2008 quilt depicts “A Day in the Life of an Airedale”. The scenes will be familiar to all who cohabit with this wonderful breed, starting at the crack of dawn when the Airedale “greets” the owner who would prefer to remain in bed and ending with a sleeping Airedale, dreaming of the high points of the day. For a sneak preview, go to www.airedaleterriers.org/quilts/ and click on the 2008 quilt at the bottom of the page.