Your Furry Valentine Contest Winner - 2008

I am not a cat person. Maybe you can see where this is going
just from that sentence, but in my case, it's true. My
childhood pet was a sturdy little Norwich Terrier (who looked a
little like the love child of Toto from the Wizard of Oz and
Duncan McTavish, the Westhighland terrier who fought crime). I
thought I would always have a dog in my life, preferably just
like the one I'd had when I was little. My love of dogs led me
to the local animal shelter where I volunteered to walk and
socialize the dogs. I enjoyed working with them, both the
behaviorally challenged ones and the sweet tempered ones.

After volunteering there for several months, the shelter
director offered me a job. I was happy to work there, though it
was the hardest job I've ever had, both emotionally and
physically. Like anyone who has worked at a shelter, the
stories I have are both devastating and inspiring. I held a
tiny kitten over a vaporizer as it gasped its last breaths; I
pulled a three-week-old kitten out of a sealed tupperware
container that had been left on the shelter steps; I watched as
a badly beaten dog was euthanized while its owner was simply
reprimanded. I also saw a cat who was hit by a car learn to
walk with only two legs, becoming the friskiest cat in the
cattery; I saw a dog who growled and bit out of fear from abuse
learn to trust and love being petted and held; I watched a cat
with only one eye get adopted by a four year old girl who
thought he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

There are so many love stories from my time at the shelter, but
only one has become lifelong; that's the love story of me and a
cat named Minky. I saw a homeless, sick, and sad little cat,
weighing only four pounds and missing part of her ear, come
into the shelter after complications with a forced spaying.
She'd been caught from a feral cat colony outside of a trailer
park. When she was spayed, the vet discovered that, even though
she was only about four months old, she was already pregnant.
Her complications led her to a slow recovery at the shelter
where I worked. Minky always rolled over in her cage to say
hello when I came in, and she always tried to grab a sip from
my Starbucks travel cup (to this day she tries to drink my coffee).

I'm not sure what exactly it was that made her stand out from
the other 106 cats who all had strong and moving stories. Maybe
it was that, even when sick, she had the softest fur in the
world. Or that she would follow me with her eyes as I moved
around the shelter, making chirping sounds if I came near her
cage (she had the cage in the uppermost right corner, on a wall
of 54 occupied cat cages). It could also be that, no matter how
many times I had to give her pills, injections, or clean her
ears, she never bit me, scratched me, or even narrowed her
bright green eyes at me. She always purred. She still does. She
came to the shelter nameless and I came to call her Mink,
because of her soft fur and because, as she got healthier, she
would try to ride around on my shoulders like an expensive
stole. She melted me. She sleeps on her back, curled in a ball,
and purrs every second of her life.

When I left the shelter to take a full time teaching job, I had
to take her with me. I couldn't bear the thought of her waking
up, excited to sneak a sip of coffee and chirp at me as I
worked, only to find me not there. When I brought her home, I
thought she would hide for a little while, but she walked the
perimeter of the house, then came to curl up in my lap. Now,
she lives not only with me, but with my husband and two small
children. She wraps her little paws around their heads while
they watch television and she grooms them, licking big clumps
of their hair and purring loudly. They love it and are
disgusted by it. She's still never bitten or scratched anyone,
and her motor is always running.

Sometimes we think about her life before she came to our
family, about what the E! True Hollywood Story of Minky would
be like. Truth is, she's the most gentle, kind little animal
I've ever known. Now, when people ask me if I'm a cat person, I
tell them I'm a Minky person. I couldn't leave her there in the
shelter, but she's given me more than I've given her. She makes
every day of our lives better by gracing us with her purr. We
all love our pets this much; I'm so grateful she's mine.

Your Furry Valentine Contest Runner-up 2008

I don’t just have one furry valentine… I have three. My pups are all so different and each has captured my heart in different ways. They all have their own stories, but at the end of the day, we are our own little family.

Sullivan is my incredibly handsome Labrador, and he was my first dog. He’s a true Southern gentleman who, although a little bashful, gives his heart completely to anyone who offers him food! I love the fact that he’ll fetch and swim all day long, but he’ll curl up with me on the sofa for hours at a time as well. He was a single dog in the beginning, and he was painfully shy. I couldn’t take him anywhere or he would tremble in fear… definitely not a typical, confident lab. So I began working with him to give him confidence and help him overcome his fears. Gradually – week by week, month by month, year by year – he has turned into a different dog. Although he still is shy, he is healthy and happy. He can travel with me and have a blast at the beach. We can have houseguests and he’s actually happy to see them! One of the biggest influences on Sully was actually the next little orphan to come into our family…

I actually discovered Oliver on Valentine’s Day a few years ago after he had been dumped at six months of age off a country road. He was dirty, starving and cold, and his big pink ears were badly sunburned. I scooped him up and took him home. I left him on the back deck to go inside to get a towel to dry him off, and by the time I came back out, he had crawled into a big flower pot and gone to sleep. Soon after I took him in, I realized he was deaf. But he is such a little survivor and has learned all his commands with sign language. And because he’s deaf, he’s often more in tune with my body language and how I’m feeling than the other two hearing dogs. I adore this little guy and his wonderfully happy attitude. He also depends a great deal on Sullivan. As soon as they met, it was almost as if Sullivan realized Ollie would need assistance. So Sully never goes anywhere without him. Because Ollie can’t hear, he depends on watching Sully to know when things are going on, and Sully makes sure that he’s always in Ollie’s line of sight. The two brothers are inseparable, and once Ollie had settled in with us, I thought our family was complete. Oh, how I was wrong!

I call Mona Mae my “Drive-through Dog.” I found her late one night as I pulled out of my local fast food drive-through. She was trying desperately to find food. She came home with me, and at the vet the next day, we discovered she was expecting her second litter of puppies at only one year of age. So she settled in with me and had a litter of six beautiful puppies (who have all gone on to wonderful new homes) on the Fourth of July. When I rescued Mona, I fully intended for her to be a temporary rescue and planned to find her another forever home. But during the weeks of helping her raise her puppies, I fell completely in love with this bossy, brilliant and loving little dog. So now, two years later, she runs the household. And I can’t imagine my life without her. She has gone through two advanced obedience training courses with me, and we are currently working on her Pet Therapy Partner certification. She visits nursing homes with me and although she is full of energy and attitude at home, she goes through a complete transformation the moment we walk through a facility’s door. She becomes quiet and gentle and will sit for hours on end allowing her self to be petted, kissed and loved. Everyone who meets her is completely smitten.

Finally, one of the biggest reasons I adore my three furry valentines is that they allow me to continually rescue other pups in need. My house is constantly topsy-turvy with different rescued dogs (and cats) coming in and out. My house is always just a place for them to rest, get some love and care, and then I find them forever homes and send them on their way. But all three of my dogs take this in stride. They always welcome other animals – sharing their toys, their beds and their hearts. Without their kind indulgence, I couldn’t continue my rescue efforts.

They are indeed a motley crew… no serious pedigrees, blue ribbons or fancy titles. But all three are so incredibly special to me, and I am so grateful that each has come into my life.

Lucky in Love

Once again, the love stories have poured in and they have warmed our hearts. Choosing the winners was a very difficult task. We laughed, we cried and we were reminded how much our furry friends mean to us in so many different ways. Thank you to everyone who shared a love story with us. We would like to officially declare everyone a winner as you all recognize the love and devotion of your furry valentines.

The First Prize winner of the contest, and a $200 barker & meowsky gift package, is Anastasia Fitzwater & her cat Minky (now we’re Minky people too!) Our first runner-up is Ryan Dawkins and her three pups Sullivan, Mona Mae and Oliver. Ryan will receive a $75 barker & meowsky prize pack.

The winning stories will be posted here for all to read. The barker & meowsky team would like to thank Steve Dale for his help in the difficult task of choosing the winners.

Haiku by You

Our furry friends are definitely well-springs of inspiration. Send us a haiku about your best friend and receive a special coupon code to be applied to your next online or in-store purchase. All haikus (three lines consisting of 5 syllables, 7 syllables then another 5 syllables) will be published here on our blog.

Here are a couple of examples to get you started:

Spring is now here and
my dog rises to greet the
morning sun – her twin

Labrador brings me
fuzzy rabbit toy and more
Please put down the cat

Zoe loves barker & meowsky

Hi, my name is Zoe and I live in downtown Chicago with my person Jacky.

She adopted me from the anti-cruelty shelter. My name was James then (after the
elderly gentleman who dropped me off). James the person wanted me to live with
someone who could take care of me for a long, long, time. I knew when my person
agreed to foster me that I could convince her I was staying for good. I mean come
on, look at this face! She was in the palm of my hand in no time.

I have 3 brothers who LOVE me, whether they want to or not. Everyone in the neighborhood loves me too, especially the guy who sells streetwise on the corner, he is very nice to me. I used to go to Starbuck's everyday with my person - even the staff was happy to see me, but as I got older I didn't like it as much so we stopped going. I don't like loud noises and the train is LOUD. I got to ride the train once. I went to barker & meowsky and everyone swooned over me. We got some kitty food and kitty hooch and THIS BAG. It is the best bag EVER !!

Zoe's person, Jacky, volunteers at the Anti-Cruelty Society.  We
encourage everyone to visit their local pet shelter when looking
for a furry friend. 

Our Furry Valentines

Here are some of our favorite pictures that came along with the "Your Furry Valentine" submissions. It's definitely not hard to see why these bundles of love (and fur) are so adored!

Click on image to enlarge