Halloween Horse Show Photos 2010

(Double click on each photo to enlarge)

We had a great time at the Green Hill Park Equestrian Center Halloween Horse Show! We took Tallulah to get her more socialized. The little dog in the photo wearing the spider is my little Pughuahua Tallulah. She did very well considering all the kids and horses were in scary costumes. I had fun with these photos because I went into the Picasa Special Effects and added color through their saturation effect. It was fun to play with. Enjoy the photos. All of us at Bluebird Farm and The World According To Lexi (Lexi, Tallulah, Bailey, Montana, Skippy, Reiny, Chris and I) wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Pumpkinfest Is Here!

Here are some photos from last years Pumpkinfest put on by Q99. Today is the 11th Annual Pumpkinfest at the Salem Farmer's Market from 11AM - 2PM. For more details on Pumpkinfest click here

Bluebird Farm and Salem Virginia Fall Photos 2010

I looked on the weather report this morning and there is a big cold front with high winds heading our way this evening. The Midwest is getting hit today with the Ohio Valley to follow and then onto the Carolina's and Virginia. So with that being discovered I headed out to take my Fall 2010 photos just in case the storm takes a lot of the leaves down. I started out here on the farm so the first 3 collages are of Bluebird Farm and then I headed into town so the last collage is Salem. Salem has absolutely beautiful colors today. I feel so blessed to have gotten such colorful photos. I hope you enjoy them and much as I had fun taking them! Christina

(double click on each photo to enlarge)

Oh The Humanity Of It All! Dogs In Halloween Costumes...

With so many events coming up here in Roanoke and folks looking for ideas for their little furry friends for Halloween (or Howl-o-ween), I thought I would post some photos with dogs and their costumes from all over the US. This might give you some ideas for your pup. Also I noticed that Pet Smart and Walmart have costumes for dogs this year. Enjoy the photos of the dogs in their best costumes...I can hear them now just thinking "Oh the Humanity of it all"....

Here is a great website for ordering a costume for your dog...check out Oh My Dog Supplies
at http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplies/dog-costumes/

Is Your Dog Microchipped?

(story by Nadia Drake - Santa Cruz Sentinel - photo contributed)

Family  reunited with dog, dog Louie, after two years thanks to mircrochip

WATSONVILLE - The best present Austin Vojvoda received for his 18th birthday arrived a few days late - but it was worth the wait. Louie, the Vojvoda family's 4-year-old white French bulldog - Austin's best friend - had been missing for two years. But on Monday, Louie arrived at Santa Cruz County Animal Services in Watsonville where he was reunited with his family, just days after Austin's birthday.

"When I first saw Louie, he ran right up to me like nothing had happened. It was pretty much the happiest day of my life and probably the best birthday present I'll ever get," said Austin, a senior at Watsonville High School. Louie was found tied to the fence outside the Watsonville shelter early one morning, according to animal services coordinator Tricia Geisreiter. "When our staff arrived at 7 a.m., there was Louie," Geisreiter said. "He had a loose collar on. We're lucky he didn't slip out of it." Though not all animals are microchipped, shelters routinely scan incoming animals for a chip. Louie had a chip, and it revealed that Louie had a family: the Vojvodas, who live in Watsonville. "We called them, and they were here an hour later," Geisreiter said.
"It was pretty darn special," Geisreiter said. Natalie Vojvoda, Austin's mother, was stunned to learn that Louie was at animal services. "I said, 'Is this a joke? He's been missing for two years! Are you sure you have my dog?'"

Vojvoda said they'd had Louie since he was a tiny puppy. In late 2008, Louie went missing. "We'd been busy coming in and out of the house. There were deer outside and Louie was eagerly watching through the sliding glass doors," she said. "He loved to chase deer. When we turned around, he was running down the hill. That was the last we saw him." She said they put up fliers, contacted shelters and newspapers and left posts on Craigslist. "We looked everywhere," she said. "We checked roadsides. We thought maybe he'd been eaten. We were broken-hearted for two years."  Austin said after a year, he lost any hope of seeing Louie again. "He was my best friend," Austin said. Vojvoda said the loss of Louie was also hard for her dad, and for her husband Kirt's dad. "The grandfathers were really devastated," she said. This year, they considered getting another dog for Austin's birthday. "But we just weren't ready to replace Louie," Vojvoda said. "A few days later, he was home."

Louie appears happy to be home with his human family and canine sister Lola, a 6-year-old Chihuahua who belongs to Austin's sister Mackenzie, 14. "Lola and Louie are so happy to be reunited," Vojvoda said. "We have a video of him kissing Lola." Austin doesn't want to leave Louie's side and plans to bring Louie with him to college in San Diego. "He'll probably move down south with me," Austin said. His older brother, Drew, is in San Diego, and the family plans to meet Drew in Santa Barbara this weekend for a reunion with Louie.

Vojvoda said Louie is the same as when he left. "He's very lovable," she said. And he still knows his name, according to Austin. The Vojvodas are very grateful to whomever brought Louie to the shelter. Louie's whereabouts during the past two years are unknown, but he was in good shape when he arrived at the animal shelter. "Thank you," Austin said. "We are so appreciative. "Every dog should be microchipped."

Microchips

Almost any animal can be microchipped. The average microchip is the size of a grain of rice. They can be implanted by a veterinarian and are typically injected under the skin between an animal's shoulder blades. Chips contain a unique identifier number. Owners enter their contact information in the chip maker's database, where it is matched to the ID number. Database entries can only be updated or removed by the owner. Scanners used by vets and animal shelters can detect the microchips, and the ID number and database information can then be used to find a lost animal's owner.

Note from Christina and Lexi: Please get your babies microchipped. It is very inexpensive and could get your baby back home to you if he/she goes missing.

Don't You Just Love The Weekends?

I know me and all my friends always look forward to the weekends and usually by Friday afternoon we have already "checked out" of our usual work routine. The same holds true for my dogs. Here are photos of Lexi and Bailey on a Friday afternoon just hanging out together in the sunshine waiting in anticipation to see what thier human mommy and daddy have in store for them. Usually on the weekends we have more time to go on long walks or maybe take a long drive in the car with a couple of dog heads hanging out the window with their jawls flapping in the wind. Oh the weekends...what's not to love about the weekends? What are you doing with your dogs this weekend?

Photo Of The Week for The Week Of 10-18-2010

(Double click on each photo to enlarge)

Since this is Mint Julep Spaid's birthday (the cute Pom in the photo), I decided to release my featured pet in next week's Photo of the Week just a few days early. I hope you don't mind. Lexi and I would like to wish Mint Julep a very happy and healthy Birthday. Don't you think her name Mint Julep just fits her perfectly? She is just a fluffy little muffin. The photo in the lower right corner is her human mommy Rebecca Spaid. Can you tell Julep is a little princess? These amazing photos were taken by Kevin Hurley Photography. Didn't Kevin do a wonderful job? It takes a special photographer to work with animals. If you are interested in contacting Kevin to shoot your dog (horse or other animals) here is his link: http://www.kevinhurleyphotography.com/

October is Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month! Let's Have A Contest With a Grand Prize!

Let's Have An Adopt A Shelter Dog Contest This Month on The World According To Lexi.

Since October is Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month, The World According To Lexi is going to have a special promotion! This will be our first contest with a prize. If you adopt a dog from a local shelter and you can scan and email me the adoption papers when you get your puppy, I will put you in a drawing for a HUGE doggie prize pack (photos to follow). The prize will consist of a doggie bed filled with everything you will need for a new dog. So if you were getting close to adopting this would give you one more reason to do it this month. Also a lot of the shelters have a "special" on adoption fees. I know that the RVSPCA is full so there are lots of dogs to choose from. Franklin Co is also full. Just think if only 5 or 10 folks send me their adoption papers then you have a one in 5 or a 1 in 10 chance of winning. What do you think...are you game? Lexi wanted me to make it easy for you so here are some links to look at doggies in your area:

Salem Animal Shelter:

http://www.salempets.org/

RVSPCA dog animal gallery page:

http://www.rvspca.org/adopt/animal_gallery.php

Franklin Co Pet List on Petfinder:

http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=VA29&sort=pet.Identifier

Humane Society of Pulaski Co:

http://warmhearts.org/animals/adopt/dogs/

Here is a link to the New River Valley Animal Shelters Online:

http://www.nrvanimalshelters.com/

This Weekend Is The "Howl O'Ween Walk For Animals" for The RVSPCA

Sunday October 24,2010 be sure to bring your furry friends (and your regular friends) and join others for RVSPCA Howl-o-ween Walk for the Animals. The Walk for the Animals is a major fundraiser for the RVSPCA. Gather your friends, family, or co-workers and form a team to help raise the funds necessary to care for the thousands of homeless animals who call the RVSPCA "home" while they wait for their new families to find them.
**New this year**

All participants will be required to register, either online or by submitting a completed registration form to the RVSPCA, to qualify for fundraising rewards. $10 registration fee must be submitted with completed form.

Register your team and set up your own fundraising website by going to: http://www.firstgiving.com/walkfortheanimals

Teams and individuals who raise the most money will receive rewards at the Howl-o-ween festivities at Elmwood Park on October 24, 2010
Click on the link below for a schedule of event for the 2010 Howl-o-ween Walk for Animals:
RVSPCA Howl-o-ween Walk For Animals 2010 schedule

We Had A Great Time At The Salem Animal Shelter Open House This Past Saturday!

We had such a good time seeing all of our friends at the Salem Animal Shelter. We even got to hang out and visit with some of the Animal Control Officers. Thanks to Bill Bandy, Rebecca Hall and all the wonderful people that work at the Salem Animal Shelter (Roger, Jean ect.) who help to find these animals  "forever homes". We did see a couple of litters of puppies that will be up for adoption in a few weeks. The puppies in these photos are lab mixes and will be up for adoption in the next couple of weeks. There is also a litter of Jack Russell pups that will be up for adoption in about 4 weeks. If you are interested in any of these pups, you can stop in and fill out paper work that let's them know which pup you are interested in. By filling out an "interest form" when it is time for them to go up for adoption, they will contact and you can get the first option to adopt that particular puppy.

(photos taken by Christina Lee for The World According To Lexi)

I Love Dogs Used To Make A Point In Creative Advertising.

I have worked in advertising for the past 12 years and in those years I have written hundreds of commercials so when I hear or see a good commercial (that features dogs but has nothing to do with a dogs) and the ad really gets the point across I have to share it with my readers. This TV commercial was probably a tough one to shoot because when you have so many dogs working at the same time, it gets tough especially with so many handlers on the production set. I think they did a great job.  Enjoy and tell me what your thoughts are regarding this ad.

Photo Of The Week 10-11-2010

In honor of Halloween Here is a photo of Vampire Bailey Dog

Devil Dog Bailey - 2009 Halloween

What is your dog/dogs going to be for Halloween?

Photo of the Week for 10-4-2010

This is "Lightning Flash" sent in by Charlotte Hale. This is her 7 year old Bassett Hound. What a cute little hamball!

Where Ever I Leave My Bathrobe In The Morning Is Where You Will Find Tallulah

Lately in the mornings no matter where I leave my bathrobe I will find Tallulah all curled up inside of my purple robe. Sometimes I leave it on the bathroom floor or my closet floor and that is where I will find her. She actually seeks my bathrobe out in the morning while I am out doing horse chores. This morning I changed the linens on my bed and just picked up my bathrobe from the floor and set it on the bed and sure enough when I came back in from the barn there she was like curled up like a swadling baby. Here is the photo exactly how I found her this morning. I guess she loves the scent of her "mommy". She is my precious little girl who always gives me and her human "daddy" unconditional love.

Miss Lexi Relaxing In The Morning Sun

Here is beautiful Miss Lexi sleeping near a living room window on top of the couch to bask in the morning sunshine....she looks pretty relaxed to me. What do you think?

What An Amazing Sunrise At Bluebird Farm This Morning!

I rushed out and down my long driveway this morning with my small Nikon Coolpix camera as soon as I saw this sunrise. I only had about 3 minutes to shoot because it only lasted about 3 minutes total. You should have seen me running down the road in my bath robe. What a site for the school children getting on the bus next door (although I don't think they spotted me). I was hanging out behind my big oak tree in the front pasture. When I see a sunrise like this I know in my heart Our God Is An Awesome God! Enjoy this beautiful chilly fall day. Christina and Lexi xoxoxxo

Photos of the 2010 Dogtoberfest!

We had a great time at Dogtoberfest and there was so many beautiful dogs there! Tallulah our Pughuahua really was a good sport. She was a little nervous at first but then she settled down. Here are some photo collages from todays event. If this is your first time to "The World According To Lexi", then welcome. Enjoy! Christina, Lexi, Tallulah and Bailey

(Double click on each photo to enlarge).



Have you ever seen so many beautiful dogs in one place? What a great day and the weather was perfect. Kudos to Niki and all the staff at St. Francis Service Dogs for putting on an amazing event for all of us dog lovers!

Playing with Picasa with a Collage Of Overlook Farm & Jake

 

So I thought I would test out some of the collage settings on Picasa. They have a "superimpose collage" button so I took 3 photos and superimposed them. I think it turned out pretty cool. What do you think?

Photo Of The Week For 9-27-2010

This photo was sent in by Jerry and Renee Armstrong - This is Beau as a puppy.