Brandy and Val

We are two of the most loving, caring, gentle, fun dogs around but we’re angry and we’re not going to take it anymore!  First there were the Katrina dogs (Val is a member of that group), then there were/are the foreclosure dogs and NOW?  Now there are the oil spill dogs, given away by families as a result of the Gulf Oil Spill.  What are we angry about?  Plain and simple:  we, as dogs, family pets, etc.  do not feel we are disposable items once we are adopted into a family.  Do you give away your children?  We think not.

We will provide unconditional love, friendship, companionship and “warm-fuzzies” for the rest of our/you life if you just treat us with some respect!

We know mom has mentioned this before but DO NOT ADOPT US unless you can afford to keep us and love us.  As puppies, we grow up, and for some, become less “cute.”  Consider that.  Once we hit the adult stage it does not give you permission to abandon us.  We get sick and need maintenance against fleas, ticks and the like. Therefore, we incur VET bills.  Please be sure you can handle them.  We require food.  That means FOOD bills.  Please be sure you can feed us and provide us with water.  We require nuturing and love and exercise, like your children.  Without it, we can become angry and mad and mean.  We may even misbehave.  You also must teach us how to behave in your home.  Consider that before adopting us. Think of us as infants needing to be taught.  Seriously.   Also,  spay and neuter us and help control our population.  DO NOT IGNORE us once you’ve given us shelter. That is simply not enough.

There are way too many of our family members being given away, being abused and being abandoned.  Stop the insanity.  Thank you.

NOTE:  Our mission is “to do good where good is needed.”  We help our fellow pups by donating sales from our books:  BRANDY AND VAL, BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS and BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY to animal rescues and sanctuaries.  Your support is greatly appreciated.  Mini-Brandy and Mini-Val toys are also available.  We help children by participating in various pet therapy programs.

We would love to hear from you.  If you have a great cause or blog idea, contact us at:  info@BrandyandVal.com

REAL DOGS WITH REAL TALES

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer!  Brandy and Val are enjoying their ice cream to beat the heat and we hope you are having your own “fun in the sun.”  Our big news is that Brandy and Val, LLC just celebrated its’ first anniversary.  We are very proud of our accomplishments this year in “doing good where good is needed.”  To name a few, the following charities have benefited from the sales of our products: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary; Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary; Prader-Willi Association; Cabrini Connections Tutor-Mentor Connection and, of course, Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue, where Brandy and Val were adopted from!  So, a big thanks to all of you who have supported us throughout our first year and who helped make this possible.

Continuing to make news with our fabulously fun books and toys for tots, we appeared this past month in PET PRODUCT NEWS and NATURAL DOG.  If a child you know doesn’t have one of our books or toys yet, order one now as they make great diversions for the kids while on car rides, at the beach or anywhere toddlers become restless, in other words, EVERYWHERE!

We would LOVE for you to comment and suggest stories for our blog, “What We are Barking About” and don’t forget you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too. Also, look out for our article in the September edition of Women’s World magazine. I hear it will be on newsstands in mid-August.

In closing out the month, Brandy and Val also want to say thanks to the Center for Independence Camp for allowing us to read to and work with your special children.  We hope that through our pet therapy duties, we can enhance the lives of children in some positive way!  Please contact us at info@BrandyandVal.com if you would like Brandy and Val to visit a school, library or children’s program in the Chicago area.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.  As always, thanks for your support,

Ilene Fine, Author,

Brandy and Val, Brandy and Val’s Favorite Things, Brandy and Val’s Special Story

Now that the Dog Days of Summer are upon us, did you ever wonder where some of the most widely used dog expressions come from?   Well, I decided to check a few out and thought I’d like to share my findings with you….

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER  finds its’ origins in the stars, specifically the constellation Canis Major or big dog.  The brightest star in this cluster that resembles the outline of a dog is called Sirius.   Sirius is 20 times as bright as the sun and twice it’s size and it was believed that  the period between July 3 and August 11 (approximately) represented “extra summer warmth,” hence, the “dog days of summer.”    In actuality, the timeframe represents the 20 days before and the 20 days after when Sirius and the sun are perfectly in line.

DOG TIRED  Seems to date back to the 1800s when Alfred the Great’s two sons would go out hunting with the dogs; whoever would catch more at the end of the day would have the honor of sitting next to their father at the evening’s supper.  The exhausting competition left the sons “dog tired.”

RAINING CATS AND DOGS  This is a puzzler.  In my findings there seems to be no consensus of where the term exactly comes from.  Several theories abound ranging from Norse mythology where sailors likened violent storms to be caused by cats (bringing the rain) and dogs (the wind).   Another says that, during the 1500s, dogs and cats would sleep on or hide in the thatched roofs of houses in England and during storms, they would washed out of the thatch.  It it also theorized that perhaps Jonathan Swift penned the term in his 1710 poem, A Description of  a City Shower.

SICK AS A DOG Ok, this one’s relatively simple.  Dogs eat anything and everything, right?  And sometimes it doesn’t work out for them, right?  In other words, you’re left cleaning up a big mess on the floor.  So, back in England in the 1700’s the phrase was coined.

What doggie expressions are your favorites?  Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales, would love to hear your comments!  We love to “do good where good is needed” and it is through this blog, our sales of our books and toys and our pet therapy appearances that we want to spread the word and benefit the lives of animals and children.

We are so excited to have guest blogger, Jane Davis, share the story of her rescue dogs Hogan and Magic with us!  At Brandy and Val, our mission is “to do good where good is needed” and for months, we have been extolling the virtues of adopting abandoned/sheltered animals and the virtues of pet therapy.   Jane and Hogan make a special team…..

HOGAN & ME
by Jane Davis

As I was waiting for a ride from a friend down her “off the grid” road,  a flash of energy came bounding toward me. I knelt quickly on the ground  while a spotted white, brown and black dog leapt upon me. He was  emaciated, dirty and determined. I played with him for a few minutes until  suddenly he sat still, smashed his right paw on my left shoulder and  stared into my eyes, his icicle blue eyes piercing my soul.

“Ghost eyes,” I thought.

“You get it?!” he seemed to say. “You are mine. I am yours.”

As soon as I acknowledged, “Yes, I hear you,” he started jumping all  around.

But he would not get into my friend’s car. I communicated to him that  he had to come on his own. He refused, so I said goodbye.

Two miles later, glancing out the window, I saw him running alongside  the car, a slight grin parting his mouth. He jumped into the car.

But my landlord said, “No dogs.”

We moved.

Two months later the new landlord said, “Dog can’t stay.”

We moved twice more before we found our final home, where we have been  for the past three years.

For the first year, Hogan thought it was fun to play his favorite game  throughout the night: head butting. He would take a running leap onto the  bed and smash his forehead into mine. He remained unsocialized despite the  training he was receiving. Finally, a friend suggested that I spray him in  the face with water. Two sprays later, the head butting ceased. I worked  closely with him, attempting to train him while keeping his wild spirit  intact. We went to puppy training and the dog park. He became increasingly  accustomed to everything in his new life. (more…)