Photo of the Week for 1-31-2011

Thanks to my friend Danielle Toms for sharing photos of her beautiful pup Lester. Isn't he just beautiful? I love his intense blue eyes!

Can A Deaf Dog Bark?

When folks meet Nitro for the first time, and learn that he is 100% deaf and see how well behaved and quiet he is they always ask the same question "does he know how to bark?" So I thought I would share this video with all of you to enjoy. Not only does Nitro bark when our dog Bailey ignores him (and Nitro wants to play and won't take no for an answer), but he also barks when he is exhausted like a small child having a tantrum when he hasn't had his nap. His bark is very loud because he can't hear himself. See for yourself and tell me what you think.

May God Bless All The Men In Rescue Ink!

This is Rescue Ink's 'Forever Young" - A Tribute to Our Dogs...I love the music and this video has a very powerful message....I wish we had more folks with Rescue Ink's "in your face approach" when it comes to confronting animal abusers and protecting the vunerable animals among us.

Warning: This is a graphic video but it shows before photos of the horrific condition of the dogs prior to Rescue Ink's stepping into save them. The after photos are what the dogs looked like after they were saved. Basically they are photos of the happy endings....

Let It Snow....Let It Snow...Let It Snow...

When it started to snow today, my friend Lynne Powell Hill took some photos outside at her farm in Buchanan VA and they are awesome! I decided the colors were so perfect for me to have some fun and do some special effects on them so I could share them with all of you.

Photo effect details: In Picasa I went ahead and brought the light and highlight levels way up and the contrast way up. Then in Picasa Picnik,I went into  and used the following special effects: Winterized, snowflake frame (costume colors) , frost frame (costume colors) and then did some costume frame and matting colors. The last photo I added "texture" after I changes all the light levels. I think they turned out kind of like a winter wonderland fairytale....what do you think?

This last one I put a paper texture on the photo after I lightened it but as you can see the texture did darken the photo a bit. Thanks Lynne for sharing your beautiful photos with us on this cold dreary day!

oxoxxo Lexi and Chrstina

Another Big Snow Storm Coming! We Are Sending Warm Thoughts Your Way!

Since it seems to be turning into a very long winter, I thought I would share some "warm thoughts" with all of you. Below are photos I took walking around Bluebird Farm in the summer time. I hope you enjoy looking at them and dreaming of summer as much as Lexi and I do. xoxox Lexi and Christina

Tallulah soaking up the summer sun...aaahhhh....

Photo of The Week 1-24-2011

This is my friend Lynn Powell Hill's sweet furbabies. Her tabby cat and her sweet Yorkie just "chillin" together on a cold winter's day.

A tabby cat is a cat with a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed.[1] In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the general mixed-breed population. The tabby pattern is a naturally occurring feature that may be related to the coloration of the domestic cat's direct ancestor, the African Wildcat.

A Yorkie is a Yorkshire Terrier. The Yorkshire terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the historical area of Yorkshire, England. The defining features of the breed are its small size, less than 3.2 kg or 7.03 pounds, and its silky blue and tan coat. The breed is nicknamed Yorkie and is placed in the Toy Terrier section of the Terrier Group by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and in the Toy Group or Companion Group by other kennel clubs, although all agree that the breed is a terrier. A winning show dog and a popular companion dog, the Yorkshire terrier has also been part of the development of other breeds, such as the Australian Silky Terrier.

Nitro Snoring!!!

***Warning, this is a very cute video so make sure you turn your volumn all the way up before watching. Enjoy!

This Is So Cute - A Porcupine Who Thinks He Is a Puppy!

Thanks to my friend Charlotte for sharing this link with us this morning. According to my dog Lexi, she thinks that this is very strange that a human wants to play with a sticky, stinky old Porcupine when there are so many soft, sweet smelling lovely dogs around. I had no idea these little critters were so playful. Who knew?

Photo Of The Week 1-17-2011

Kristin Guffey was kind enough to share this beautiful photo on Lexi's Facebook Page of her

11 year old Greyhound Roxie napping with her 9 year old Whippet Xander. This is such a beautiful shot of them sleeping in the afternoon sun. Kristin has a beautiful dog blog in which she writes about how much she loves her dogs. You can check out Kristin's dog blog Dogs Rock here 

All of Kristin's dogs are so elegant and graceful. I really enjoyed looking through your photos, videos and posts on your dog blog. Thanks so much for sharing.

Did you know the Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing? There has been a recent resurgence of popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed. A combination of long, powerful legs, deep chest, flexible spine and slim build allow it to reach average race speeds of, or in excess of, 18 metres per second (59 feet per second) or 63 kilometres per hour (39 mph).[1][2][3]

Read more about the Greyhound breed here

Did you know the Whippet like the Greyhound, is a breed of dog in the sighthound family? They are active and playful and are physically similar to a small Greyhound. Their popularity has led to the reuse of the Whippet name on a large number of things, from cars to cookies.

Read more about the Whippet here

*** If you are interested in owning a Greyhound, we have a Greyhound Rescue right here in Roanoke. Check out Star City Greyhound Rescue's homepage here

Check Out The Animals From Angels Of Assisi At The Greater Roanoke Home And Garden Show

I decided to stop by the Greater Roanoke Home and Garden Show yesterday because I heard Angels of Assisi was going to have some animals up for adoption. There was a very nice crowd gathering at their booth for the "meet and greet" with the animals. It was hard to take photos with so many folks visiting the animals and the animals moving around so much (so please forgive my photography). They had a few beautiful cats there, a nicer more laid back older dog (photo of black and white dog), a pair of yellow labs, a Heeler/Lab mix (I'm guessing here), and a chihuahua mix. If you are going to the Home and Garden Show at the Roanoke Civic Center this weekend, be sure to stop by and say hi to the nice folks volunteering thier time for the animals. They are excepting donations at their booth. If you get a chance check out Angels of Assisi's blog called Rescue Stories

 According to my dog Lexi she thinks this little puppy below looks just like the puppy in their flyers above. What do you think? I think she may have a point!  What a cutie-pie!

These two beautiful yellow Labs are siblings. Hopefully someone will adopt them together. Maybe some of our readers from http://www.horseva.com/ will consider giving these two sweet dogs a home on a farm.

This is a really nice laid back dog that would be perfect for a farm or an older couple.

I'm not sure of the breed of this dog but it almost looks like an Aussie/Lab mix or a Blue Heeler/Lab mix.

They had some beautiful cats up for adoption. Angels of Assisi has a special program to save ferel or skittish cats called Barn Cat Buddies

Also for our horseva readers and Lexi's followers, Angels of Assisi has a farm sanctuary where they have farm animals up for adoption. Click her for more info on Harmony Farm Sanctuary

If you can't get by The Great Roanoke Home and Garden Show this weekend, but would love to make a donation to a great animal cause, click on Angels of Assisi donation information page
Your contributions to Angels of Assisi help us make a difference for animals and assist in community education and outreach efforts.
Angels of Assisi is a 501 (c)(3) organization. All contributions are non-refundable and fully tax deductible. Whether you are a long-time supporter or you have just discovered the work we do, thank you for your help and everything you do to help maintain the preservation of life for all animals. Together we can make a difference.


Hugs and kisses! Lexi and Christina

Nitro and Tallulah Napping Together!

Do you know how it is when you first get a puppy, and you have smaller dogs, and every time the smaller dog wants to take a nap the puppy pounces on the smaller dog? Well, for the last 7 weeks that is how it has been around here at Bluebird Farm. The puppy wears Tallulah out and the minute she lays down to rest, KAPOOOOW! The puppy tackles her to the ground and bites her. Finally the other day (for the first time ever) they ate together, played together and then they took a nap together (hallelujah). So there is hope in the near future that things around here might just settle down a little bit after all (I know, I know, wishful thinking on my part but a girl can dream can't she?). Anyway, I took some photos of them napping together. They are so adorable! Do you have photos you can share with us on Lexi's Facebook page of your furry babies sleeping together? According to my dog Lexi, she would be thrilled to see some of your photos on her new Facebook page. Here is the link: The World According To Lexi Facebook Page

Photo Session for 1-11-11

This afternoon while I was working on my computer in the living room (sitting on the couch with the dogs), I happened to look up and this is what I saw sitting next to me. Lucky for me my camera was on the coffee table in front of me so I decided to snap a few shots of my sweet dogs.

 Peek-a-boo...

 Lexi posing for the camera...she is such a star!

 This is Tallulah trying to get Lexi's attention. She always touches Lexi's face with her paw.

 still touching....

 still touching.....

Have you ever seen such a sweet face? Don't answer that question because I know you have in your own home....

Look at Nitro...he is standing next to the two little ones just watching them and taking everything in....

The end....

Photo Of The Week 1-10-2011

Our Photo of the week was submitted by Renee Armstrong and this is her beautiful St. Bernard.

The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famouse through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.

The ancestors of the St. Bernard share a history with the Sennenhunds, also called Swiss Mountain Dogs or Swiss Cattle Dogs, the large farm dogs of the farmers and dairymen of the Swiss Alps, which were livestock guardians, herding dogs, and draft dogs as well as hunting dogs, search and rescue dogs, and watchdogs. These dogs are thought to be descendants of molosser type dogs brought into the Alps by the ancient Romans, and the St. Bernard is recognized internationally today as one of the Molossoid breeds.[3]


Read more about the St. Bernard here

What is Wrong With This Picture?

I was sitting in the parking lot of the local Taco Bell yesterday (eating an amazing soft shell toco which I should not have been eating because I am on a diet). This particular Taco Bell parking lot sits at an intersection with a stop light. As I sat there eatting my delicious taco, I noticed a woman driving with her Yorkie on her steering wheel barking and jumping out of control. What is wrong with this picture? This is a huge distraction for the driver and if this woman gets into a wreck, her air-bag will deploy and her little Yorkie will be TOAST (if you know what I mean). This not only endangers the life of her dog, herself but also everyone else on the road driving near her. I know we love our dogs, but can we please use some common sense when it comes to safety? We all want to be around a for awhile so please be a good doggie parent and put your pups in the back seat (preferably with a harness on which attaches to the seat belt to keep your dog safe and secure).

Nitro Makes It In Our Local Paper!

Our new white Boxer puppy Nitro (who is a special needs dog because he is 100% deaf) made it in our local news paper yesterday. We adopted him from our local shelter and the local newspaper got wind of his special needs. The story first appeared on-line on 12-23-2010 and then again yesterday on 1-7-2011 in our local news paper. What a nice surprise. Here is the article link:

Salem Family Adopts Special Pup In Time For The Holidays

Here are some recent photos of Nitro taken a few days ago.

Nitro had his second puppy class and he did very well. He knows how to communicate through ASL signs. He can come here, sit, stay, lay down, and get into his crate. He also is picking up the signs for water, dinner, lunch, do you want a treat, get into your crate, and go potty. He is doing well socializing with other dogs and he is learning to get along well on a leash. We put a dog cover in the back seat of my car with a small blanket and a couple of toys. Now when he gets into the back seat of the car he just goes to sleep. All in all, he is doing great. I call him "Nitro my wonderdog"...he is such a character!

PS: According to my dog Lexi, she is starting to warm up to Nitro but she does not want to play with him yet because of those huge feet!

The Championship Rodeo Is Here!

I stopped by our local Civic Center to get some photos of the Championship Rodeo horses this afternoon. They were all enclosed in one arena so I took some photos of them hanging out. It is pretty cold here and it is starting to snow. Check out the thick winter coats. The Kroger/Valleydale Championship Rodeo starts tonight at 7:30PM. All seats $ 15.00

For tickets, times and additional information on the Kroger/Valleydale Championship Rodeo click here