Belle and Chloe Added New Donation Dropoff Locations!

Belle and Chloe would like to give everyone that has donated to The Mercury's Fill The Media Lab food drive four paws up!  We are still looking for locations to set up boxes to collect human and pet food, so if you are a business and would like to help, please let us know! 

Today we dropped off boxes to several locations and the hubby and I ordered from Boneyard Joe's.  Let's just say, all of the rumors were true!  We ordered two dinners and a small side of fries and it was under $25 with tax included.  We each got the ribs and chicken dinner that came with 2 sides and cornbread.  I was amazed at how much meat was in the meal.  Normally, you are given large sides and a small order of meat if you go somewhere else.  I could not finish my dinner, as the portions were very generous.  I chose mac and cheese and fried apples for my sides and they were delish.  Belle and Chloe were going bonkers begging because everything smelled and tasted so good!  If you order lunch or dinner when dropping off donations, you will not be disappointed!

Chesmont Storage generously donated boxes for us to fill and allowed us to put 2 boxes at their location. 

Pottstown Roller Mills has also allowed us to leave boxes at their location.

Belle and Chloe are tail-wagging excited that you have so many choices as to where to drop off donations!

Tails of 2 Dogs has donation boxes at the following locations:

• Chesmont Storage - 1500 Industrial Highway, Pottstown, PA 19464  (610) 323-3660

           Hours of operation: Monday thru Friday: 9 am to 6 pm
                                         Saturday: 9 am to 4 pm
                                         

• Pottstown Roller Mills - 625 Industrial Highway, Pottstown, PA 19464  (610) 323-8620

          Hours of Operation: Monday thru Friday: 8 am to 5 pm
                                         Saturday: 8 am to 3 pm

• Boneyard Joe's - 148 Shoemaker Road, Pottstown, PA  19464  (484) 524-8816

          Hours of Operation:  Monday:                     11 am to 8 pm
                                          Tuesday thru Friday:    11 am to 9 pm
                                          Saturday:                     11 am to 9 pm
                                          Sunday:                       11 am to 8 pm

• Joe Paws Dog Bakery - 18 South Reading Avenue, Boyertown, PA  19512  (610) 369-2523

           Hours of Operation:  Tuesday thru Thursday:  10 am to 6 pm
                                            Friday:                          10 am to 5 pm
                                            Saturday:                      10 am to 3 pm

Also, please do not forget to help Belle and Chloe raise funds for Bark For Life.  Chloe and I are walking together and Dirone and Belle are walking together.  We have a friendly competition going in our house to see who can raise more money.  To support Cristie & Chloe, you can donate here:  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11PA?px=19780321&pg=personal&fr_id=41530.  To support Dirone & Belle, you can donate here:  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11PA?px=19780440&pg=personal&fr_id=41530.  This is a secure site for Bark for Life, so your information is not shared.  We only see how much you donated and your name if you choose to disclose that.  This is a great cause, so please donate whatever you can!  EVERY dollar counts!  Chloe and I would love to win this challenge and have bragging rights in our house!  We cannot wait to see who wins this challenge!

Belle and Chloe would like to thank each and every person that has taken the time to read our blog and also the people who have chosen to donate food to help pets and humans in need.  There are more people than ever that need a little help and anything you can do is appreciated!

Updated Dropoff List for Fill Our Media Lab

WOW!  More than 100 people viewed my blog today!  Thank you for taking the time out of your day to check out this page!

I received a message that Boneyard Joe's (House of Great Sandwiches and BBQ) in Pottstown would like to serve as a collection point for our Fill The Media Lab fundraiser.  You can donate pet food or human food and/or laundry detergent at this location.  They are located at:  148 Shoemaker Road in Pottstown.  This is behind Comcast and across the street from McDonald's.  This dropoff location is super convenient, as you can drop into Walmart, Target,Giant or Weis to pickup items to donate and then drop them off.  Boneyard Joe's hours are:

Mon:	11:00 am	-	8:00 pm
Tue - Fri:	11:00 am	-	9:00 pm
Sat:	11:00 am	-	9:00 am
Sun:	11:00 am	-	8:00 pm

The owners of this company are huge animal lovers, so we are more than happy to connect with them. Since this is a small and local business, PLEASE support them by picking up something to eat when you drop off your donation.

Would any of you be interested if we had a meet and greet with Belle and/or Chloe when you drop off your donations?  I was discussing this with someone who thought this would be a good idea, but am afraid no one will come out to see our girls.  If you would like to meet Chloe and/or Belle when making your donations, please comment!

While we have your attention, I would also like to plead for donations for Bark for Life.  Chloe and I are walking together and Dirone and Belle are walking together.  We have a friendly competition going in our house to see who can raise more money.  To support Cristie & Chloe, you can donate here:  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11PA?px=19780321&pg=personal&fr_id=41530.  To support Dirone & Belle, you can donate here:  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11PA?px=19780440&pg=personal&fr_id=41530.  This is a secure site for Bark for Life, so your information is not shared.  We only see how much you donated and your name if you choose to disclose that.  This is a great cause, so please donate whatever you can!  EVERY dollar counts!  Chloe and I would love to win this challenge and have bragging rights in our house! 

Thank you again for your support for both of these great causes we are supporting.  We look forward to exceeding The Mercury's goal of 20,000 food items and 1,000 laundry detergents.  We also look forward to raising funds for Bark for Life. 

Belle and Chloe NEED Your Help!

Belle and Chloe are so much more than "just dogs" to my husband and me.  These adorable girls can make either of us smile when we are having a bad day just by being there.  I know many other people feel this way about their pets, as well.  Sadly, many people are being forced to give their beloved family members away because they cannot afford to feed themselves, let alone the pet that has been there for them through their struggles and asked for nothing in return. 

The Pottstown Mercury has challenged their bloggers to "Fill the Media Lab" with food donations to benefit area pantries.  Our goal is to reach 20,000 items and 1,000 bottles of laundry detergent by the start of Passover.  The Pottstown Cluster is in need of pet food donations, so I am challenging each person that reads this blog to donate one bag of food to this great cause.  I cannot imagine being forced to give Belle or Chloe away or one of our two cats, Pumpkin and Daisy, because we don't have enough money to purchase food for them.  We are not asking for top of the line food, a $2 bag of food will last awhile and you will be making someone's life a little brighter no matter how much you spend.  The important thing is to DONATE!!! 

Joe Paws Dog Bakery has given me permission to place two boxes at their location: one for human food and one for pet food donations.  I have heard wonderful things about this Bakery, but have not been there yet, but am looking forward to spoiling Belle and Chloe with some treats when I drop off the boxes.  I have heard dogs cannot resist them and they are very reasonably priced.  This can be dangerous for me, as I love to purchase fresh baked treats for our girls when given the chance.  The Bakery has a website: http://www.joepawsonline.com/ and is open Tuesday - Thursday from 10 to 6; Friday from 10 to 5; and Saturday from 10 to 3.  They closed on Sunday and Monday.  Donations can be dropped off at: 18 South Reading Avenue, Boyertown, PA  19512.  While you are there, reward your pet with a freshly baked treat to show them how much you love them! 

You can also drop off your donations at The Mercury's Offices at Hanover and King Streets in Pottstown. 

There are more people than ever that are struggling to make ends meets, so your help is greatly needed.

Thank you for your support!  Our family appreciates it, but the family your donation allows to keep their beloved family member appreciates it more!

Is It Really February?

What a gorgeous day! The weather was perfect, so we decided to take the girls out and about.  Chloe had her first taste of Rita's Vanilla Custard and loved it! Belle was a regular customer at the Pottstown Rita's last season, so we thought it was time to introduce Chloe to this treat.  We order a child size vanilla custard and request one of the wider clear cups so it is easier for the pups to eat.  I could not believe the manager remembered how I ordered Belle's treat!  Talk about service! Belle and Chloe each had their own cup and loved it.  Chloe didn't know what to do at first, but quickly realized it was a treat.  She looked so cute with custard all over her face after putting her whole face in her cup. Talk about the wrong time to forget a camera! 

After Rita's, we went to Petco and purchased one of those Take Two leash attachments so we can walk both dogs on the same leash.  It has been a challenge taking the girls together, as Chloe wants to walk next to Belle, but gets tangled in her leash when she gets too excited.  This attachment is supposed to make it easy to walk two dogs together, but I am not sure if I like it yet.  I will keep you updated!  The girls still got tangled a little (not as much, though) and Belle drug poor Chloe a little.  We are going to keep experimenting with it, though!  I hope you had as great of a day as we did! 

Another Fun Weekend at the Dog Park!

Belle and Chloe had another fun Saturday afternoon at the Pottstown Dog Park!  We met Patches, their Beagle friend and the girls got wild and crazy!  We really enjoy having a park so close to home.  Does anyone else go to this park?  Here are some pictures of the girls.  Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Belle and Chloe Want Spring NOW!

Anyone with one dog will tell you that their dog goes stir crazy when they can't get out to play during the winter.  Imagine having two high energy dogs!  Belle and Chloe love socializing, but the weather has been too cold and/or wet to get out too much this week.  The girls' activities this week have consisted of chasing our two cats and running laps through our house together.  Unfortunately it looks like we will be spending some more time inside this week, as there is rain in the forecast, which means all of the dog parks we frequent will be too muddy to visit.  Does anyone know of any indoor dog parks that are inexpensive and local?   Wouldn't it be great if Bark for Life could rent out one of these and host a weekly play group?  I know we wouldn't mind donating $5 for an hour or so of play on a cold Saturday morning.  It would be worth it not to have to give our two girls a bath afterwards.  Just think of how much money this amazing charity could make over a winter if they did this!  Not only would our dogs have the chance to get out and socialize, but we could help a wonderful cause, as well!  Belle and Chloe give this idea two paws up! What are your thoughts?  Please comment if you agree!

The pictures were taken of Belle in Rehobeth Beach in April 2011 when she was 7 months old.  She is looking forward to returning this Spring with her new sister, Chloe!

It seems like every time I talk to someone about taking Belle and Chloe to dog parks, I am asked if there are Pit Bulls there.  It is funny that this is the question that pops into people's heads when I talk about dog parks.  If someone tells me about a new place to take the girls, I usually ask how far away it is, if it is big, muddy, etc., so I do not understand why people jump right to asking about Pit Bulls.

It is a shame that these dogs have such a bad rap.  The aggressive and mean Pit Bulls normally come from abusive homes and are taught to be aggressive towards people and other dogs.  The people who try to do right by this breed are the ones that pay the price for these bad owners, as they are forced to pay higher property taxes (if their insurance will even allow them to have a Pit) or cannot find a place to rent if they are renters.  In turn, they may be forced to give up their beloved pet. 

Anyway, back to Pit Bulls and the dog park!  I have seen a few of them at dog parks when we have been there and they have been as full of energy as Belle.  One time we were at West Chester and a couple came in with a Pit Bull with a harness and sweater on.  In typical dog park tradition, people started to leave when they saw this couple and their dog.  The couple just stood in the middle of the park with their dog on the leash and looked around.  They looked so lost and out of place, so I went over and started talking to them.  They told me that it was their first time there and they were afraid to take their dog off of his leash because people thought he would be aggressive.  They told me their pup was only 16 weeks old, but he was as big as Belle.  I told them he looked like he would be fine, so they took him off of his leash and he flew over to Belle and ran around.  I think that is the most fun Belle had at that particular park, as they chased each other for awhile!  This is a perfect example of how the attitudes of non-Pit owners can affect the attitudes of Pit owners.  This poor couple almost allowed other people's opinions to jeopardize their fun.  Thankfully for Belle, that didn't happen, as she had a great time with her new friend that day!  Chloe slept through it all in her carrier, as she was still too young to play.  

Hopefully, Belle's experience allows you to see that Pit Bulls can be just as much fun for your dog to play with as other breeds!

Dirone and I finally got around to checking out the dog park at Memorial Park in Pottstown this past week.  It is a very large area and does not get too crowded.  We went with our friend and her beagle and the girls had a great time running around!  My only concern is that the park is down a long road that is deserted if no one is at the BMX park.  This is a safety concern, as you do not know if someone would be coming from the park down the road with an unleashed dog or if someone is hanging out there up to no good.

I think Pottstown gave the dogs a great size area to frolic in!  It would be nice if they sectioned it off into two separate areas, though.  It is always nice to have the big and little dogs separated if the park gets full.   It is nice to have somewhere local to take our girls, so we will definitely be back.  If anyone knows of any other parks, please let me know! 

Dirone and I frequently take Belle and Chloe to area dog parks and have been told to check out the one in Oaks, but never got around to it.  Since today was so Spring-like, we packed the girls up and decided to check it out.  As dog park regulars, we were impressed with our experience.  There were two fenced in areas in use that were across the parking lot from each other.  One side was for big dogs and one was for small dogs.  So, what is a family with one of each to do?  Dog park etiquette would dictate separating our dogs since there were two of us and two of them.  We tried this, but Belle wouldn't play because she was worried about her little sister and Chloe was terrified to be with a dog that was not her sister in the small dog area.  I couldn't stand Chloe's cries and broke down and took her to the big dog area, as it was a calm crew today.  You would have thought they were separated for weeks!  They were so happy to be together and were running around.  Once more dogs started showing up, we moved them to the small area after checking with the other owners to see if it was ok for Belle to be there.  Our girls had such a good time and didn't get too muddy.  All in all we had a great time at this newfound hangout and will definitely be back!   Hopefully, we will see you there, as well! 

The pic above is of the girls settled in after their baths.