Wherever I go, I tell people about Turtle Gardens. I met a man today while walking Teya & Gryphon. His dog was a rescue, a young lab mix who was abandoned and tied up outside after the owners moved away. This man seemed to take an interest in TG and of course I whipped out one Sara’s brochures before he had a chance to make a getaway. He said he would love to buy some raffle tickets but explained he was unemployed and couldn’t spare any cash, but he’d be able to buy one ticket if that was ok He apologized profusely about his ‘small’ contribution, and we agreed to meet next week when the tickets would be ready.

Then that got me thinking about Stan’s blog, the one he wrote other night, ‘warm hand’ and ‘some do’, and there is no doubt this little bit of ‘volunteer’ work that I do to help TG has really connected me with a number of interesting, intriguing and charitable people. They all have one thing in common besides the obvious. These individuals are truly inspirational with their acts of thoughtfulness and compassion. Some ‘do’ more than others but they all ‘do’ something to make a positive outcome in their community and in the lives of animals. Whether you are involved in Rescue, or whether you’re just going to buy just one raffle ticket like this man, this is something you ‘do’ and it WILL make a difference to the lives of the dogs at Turtle Gardens. Now pretend I am standing on a podium, now read the following with expression and passion…. I hope everyone recognizes what we are trying to accomplish with this raffle, we truly want to make a significant ‘difference’. It’s not so much about purchasing the truck, or about the prizes, it’s about getting the TG name out there, and finding homes for these dogs while we do our little ‘bit’ to improve the quality of their lives.

Still having feelings of warm and fuzzy? Several people emailed me and said they will try to sell raffle tickets, they have never sold anything before, three of them said this is out of their comfort zone. But because they believe in Turtle Gardens and what the Labattes do, they will try their best. This is exactly what Stan is talking about. These are the “some do” people, and it may not seem like much in some people’s eyes but it is the accumulation of these small acts of kindness which make it possible for Turtle Gardens to keep their doors (and their hearts) open.

One person I would like to acknowledge is Jean. She is a ‘warm hand’ - and wrote a beautiful post on her blog about Turtle Gardens and our fundraising efforts. Jean is an artist with words, and writes deep from her heart and soul. http://mylifewiththecritters.blogspot.com is posted up on the top of the sidebar. We were able to get the donation of the pet portrait by Deborah Strong because of Jean’s connection. You may already know that the portrait of her beloved Caleb, was a surprise gift from Jean’s friends. Caleb passed away in Feb. from cancer at a very young age. Deb no doubt captured the very essence of Caleb’s spirit in this portrait. Whoever wins this prize will always have their pet’s spirit live with them forever. Thank you for writing about Turtle Gardens.

Back to raffle ticket sales again, please email me at cyndasgot3@gmail.com you can buy or sell, or just need more info. Tickets are limited in each price category. Don’t worry if you can’t sell all your tickets, you can return them. Ticket buyers must be 19 and over, but ticket sellers can be under 19.

Got a request, here are 3 more photos of Everett Crowley Park in Vancouver, the location for the Turtle Gardens reunion on Saturday August 30th, “Take a Hike with TG”

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Rest in peace my little one! You were very loved.

Since opening our doors to strays in 1988 several very unique or temperamentally challenged dogs have found their sanctuary with us. We have since learned how to rehabilitate most dogs who come to us using behaviour modification, positive reinforcements, ttouch and our own unique foster group therapy. Our youngest non-adoptable is 10 years old! Sophie arrived here 18 years ago. She is still Auntie Sophie to all the puppies. She is slowing down and her face is very gray!

Sophie with the husky pups:

Sophie taken last week!

But she is still unique and special. This is her story:

Dogs have been known to have some very unique characteristics. Sophie is one of these strange little dogs with different personalities. She came to my safe haven from the Hazelton SPCA. She has a fine foxy face, large upright ears and the strangest orange - yellow eyes. A call to the Smithers Biologist confirmed that our coyotes can be crossbred with dogs to produce a hybrid. There is a distinct possibility that Sophie is one of these hybrids. She yips, yodels, and yowls. No barks. Mice and rats are no longer safe as she is a superb hunter. There are no squirrels or feral cats in the immediate vicinity. Yet she does not bother the chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys or my exotic birds; though she does steal eggs every chance, she gets.
She is very fastidious! You never see her with dirty feet or coat. She cleans herself like a cat, and like a cat, she seems to require a higher protein food. She is devoted to one person friendly with those she knows and is aloof with strangers. She does not roam.
The strangest aspect of her behavior is her affinity to puppies. She is Auntie Sophie to every litter of puppies that come here. The mothers all accept her; without exception. As the pups reach their fourth week, she starts to visit them. She cleans them and plays with them while the mother rests nearby. Soon she will call them with a special whine and the pups come out of the nest to be with her. She will take them for short walks and show them where to do their business away from the home site. (We have found that “her” puppies are very easy to house train.)
She will also “mother” motherless litters even to lying with them for protection. She calls them out to play or, if I ask her nicely, to show them to prospective pet homes.
She has taken toys from a box for my grand-kids and brought teddy bears and squeaky toys to her puppies.
Sophie is a unique animal who is happy because she has a job to keep her occupied. Without the puppies, she could have been a serious problem. Understanding the temperament and capabilities of the hybrid ensures that she has a place in the scheme of life. She is not an ordinary dog and can never be treated as one.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

This last group of Sherriff dogs - the salukis are a steep learning experience. They have severe separation anxiety, they can jump high fences, were totally unsocialized, and have no learning skills - they don’t know how to learn. They also have very poor immune systems and have taken a very long time to recover from their ordeal. We still owe $1300 on their vet bills and Isaac is still undergoing treatment for his demodex (thank you Cynda and Tom for the increasing donations of medication/vitamins and supplements that are so helping Isaac improve.) they are sleek, elegant dogs - so very beautiful. I am so hoping they will improve emotionally and be ready for adoption. Soon.

This is their fenced yard which until today kept them in. This is Pharaoh!

This is another view of their yard. Trip, Phantom, Pharaoh, Clifford and John B live here.

This is where I saw Trip today:

If you look really hard you will see where Trip is.

Then she jumped back into the pen!!

This is a picture of my hummingbird feeder/windchime planter! It is rustic but then we are surrouded by woodland so i thought it was fitting. Thank you Calvin (my grandson) for finding this perfect branch! It will really look pretty when the sweetpeas (flowers!!) and morning glories bloom (if any morning glories survive the frost)

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

After living many many years in a place with no S.P.C.A I think I have a different out look on the world - I am

sure that our environmental influence, our beings/souls and out look on humanity. Imagine for a minute a

place where when you witnessed or experienced pain and suffering there was no 911. When you were hungry

and starving there was no food bank,when you had no place to sleep there was no shelter. When you finally

succumb to exposure and starvation, you find your self lying on the cold side walk looking up, as people

stepped over you trying to pretend that you’re not there,and trying to hide that fact that they care. Finally

after hours people get tired of stepping over you, and kick you out of the way. Out of all the souls to walk

past you suddenly one stops and offers a “warm hand”. What do you say to such a being. I don’t think there

is words. Would you wonder why they stopped and no one else did?


It’s hard to believe that there are still places like that in the world. Some times in life we have experiences in

life that stick with us forever and change the way we look at the world and humanity. Many years ago Mom

and I had to go the bank, now this seems simple but when you realize that mom only leaves the house twice

a year it’s rare. Also the reason we were going there was no food, none for the people or the dogs.  Mom was

the only one that could do the banking at this bank, it was the “emergency only” account that only she could

get in to and only to avoid starvation.  It was a lot different in the beginning before the ‘net and all the

wonderful things it has done for our furry friends. Food was one of the biggest challenges mom faced in her

day to day life for them and the dogs.

We walk into the front of the bank to use the bank machine.  It’s very cold out side -20 or something, there

in a long line up. We are all standing in the small confined space, we’re all uncomfortable like we are

standing in an elevator. Nobody is talking. Just kind of staring with blank looks. All of a sudden a very well

dressed bank employee rushed into the small confined space, and began using her feet to push/kick a

broken down little dog back out into the cold. She was mumbling to her self “I can’t believe you’re back in

here, look you got poop on my shoes. These are 200 dollar shoes.” The whole line up of people just stood

there. No one moved.  No one said a word. She now in her best damsels in distress voice “I already had to

clean up her horrid poop, I have to get her out before she does it again.” Looking at the line up hoping there

was some one there to save her from having to touch the broken down poop covered soul on the floor. The

line again just stood there looking at their feet. Finally Mom who is very shy and not much of a people

person at all pushed me saying “Stanley (using my full name her signal that she was upset) go and pick up

that poor starved half to death little thing” she said it in such a tone that the whole line became ashamed of

themselves and she gave the bank lady such a look she  became very embarrassed and scurried away and

hid. Here she was getting her last 50 bucks out of the bank to buy food and she still couldn’t ignore the

broken down lost soul. I have re-lived that moment many times, now many years later I have learned how

rare people are that stop and offer their “warm hand” and I respect them very much.


So when people like Cynda and Jude ( who I nicknamed the “pit bull sisters”, they are gentle sweet and loving

wives and moms. But also have tremendous tenacity and courage and never back down.) See T.G.  They don’t

judge. They are “some do” kinda people and they do. I really respect them and who they are. They are the

“warm hands” of our world.  What they have done with this raffle is simply amazing. They have spent a whole

month, searching for as many  “some do” people that they could find and put them all in one place at the

same time. Imagine how much courage it takes to just call someone up and ask them to

give something away for free



Here is a pic of escapes.ca travel and Chris Rollinson.  It looks like any other travel

agents’ office, and he looks like any other travel agent. There is no way that you can tell he has a “warm

hand” or that he is a “some do” guy. Here is the whole list of “warm hands” and “some do” people.

WWW.escapes.ca

Chris &Tomoko at Skyland Travel & Escapes.ca for donating the grand prize of a 7 day all-inclusive trip for 2

to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the Canto Del Sol Resort. Includes a round trip for 2 from Vancouver

International Airport, 7 nights accommodation with all food, and domestic beverages included. Some resort

activities are included as well.

Daphne from Butchart Gardens in Victoria for arranging a fantastic getaway weekend to Victoria including

return flight donated by Harbour Air from Vancouver to Victoria, one night’s accommodation at the

Executive House plus vouchers for sightseeing and more…

Carol from Victoria Adoptables, people and dog goodies basket

Bev from Second Hand Chances Rescue, hand made quilt

Carrie from Animal Advocates Society, Home Depot gift cards

Deborah Strong, www.catnmousedesigns.com, pet portrait

Elaine, gift cards

Holly, gift cards

Rock Island Tape Centre in Trail, gift card plus 2 cellphone packages
Melynda, Avon gift basket

Alicia, Van Houtte coffee

Jim, gift card

Jean, gift cards

Jana, gift card

Angela, gift card, + Starbucks coffee

Susan, gift card

4 Anonymous donors, gift cards & assortment of prizes

Bev, from Malamute Rescue, hand-made necklace & earring set, choker necklace, keychains

Lynda, gift card

Melinda & Dr. Seiko Lee,dental whitening package

Peoples Drug Mart, 571 W. 57th Ave, Vancouver, gift cards & assorted prizes

Pat, gift cards

Beth, movie passes

Sue, gift card

I once again find my self searching for words. but realize there are no words to thank the “some do” people

of the world. And the last thing they want to hear is “Thanks”. I think the most important thing Mom taught

me that day was “actions speak louder then words”. Her simple act of offering her “warm hand” changed the

entire rooms’ attitude towards the poo covered blinded lost soul. They were all embarrassed to have not

done anything. Now I understand how truly smart my Mom is, by changing society’s outlook and perception

it just might become too politically incorrect to just walk by the poor broken souls,and with enough action it

might become politically incorrect to even let any souls get broken. Yes Mom, one person can make a

difference!!! So if actions speak louder then words lets all of us “some do” people join our “warm hands”

together and act together. If you’re planning a trip, please talk to Chris or Tomoko at Escapes.ca   If you’re

going to the Island, think of flying “Harbour Air”, if you’re in Victoria maybe think of staying at the Executive

House hotel, and stop by and say hello to Daphne at Butchart Gardens.  And if you’re in Victoria you most

certainly stop in and give the bull dog, Sara,  a big hug for me and buy an umbrella or a t- shirt. You will

have to guess why I nicknamed her - the bull dog. Maybe take a sec to remind them that you enjoy the

company of a “warm hand” “some do” people of this world.

Stan Labatte

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

When Escapes.ca donated this fabulous vacation, this was the moment that this raffle started taking a life of its own. Everyone we’ve spoken to are so excited about all the prizes. We appreciate every donation, large and small – we have 30 prizes to give away, how awesome is that?
I know I’ve mentioned Chris and Tomoko several times already but this travel company is an industry leader in several ways. It is a Canadian owned and operated company that has been in the travel industry for over 25 years and is one of the leading online travel agencies in Western Canada. Escapes.ca is proud of being environmentally aware and showing community responsibility; $2 from every online booking is donated to the World Wildlife Fund and to Offsetters carbon offsetting. They also like to get involved with various local charities to help give back to the community. The Labatte family and TG supporters would like to formally thank Chris and Tomoko for donating this generous prize and we hope our projection of ticket sales will go above and beyond our expectations.

For those newbies who haven’t read the earlier blogs, the vacation package includes round trip air for 2 from Vancouver International Airport, airport transfers in destination, 7 nights accommodation at the Canto Del Sol Resort with all food and domestic beverages included, as well as some activities.

I have friends of friends who just returned from Puerto Vallarta and they stayed at the Canto Del Sol resort. They were very pleased with their accommodations, and said the food was fabulous, just as good as any buffet in Las Vegas!

Here are a few terms and conditions of this trip before you start booking time off from work….
1. The trip is valid for 2 adults sharing 1 room and is subject to availability at time of booking.
2. Escapes.ca reserves the right to substitute an alternate resort of equal value at time of reservation
3. Trip prize cannot be substituted with cash
4. Prize does not include transfers or accommodations required for travel to and from Vancouver International Airport
5. The following black out dates apply: Dec.15 – 31, 2008, March 13 – 23, 2009, April 10 – 13, 2009
6. Travel insurance not included

There are a few more additional terms but we’ll give it to you on paper when you win the trip!

Just one more thing, I’ve had several people ask if they can purchase tickets on-line.
(using Visa or Paypal). The answer is ‘no’. Section 9.3, page 14 of the BC Gaming Procedure Handbook says, “Purchase and sale of raffle tickets via the internet is not permitted by the Criminal Code of Canada. Internet web sites may be used to receive orders to purchase tickets….”

My email is cyndasgot3@gmail.com if you can buy or sell tickets. Check yesterday’s blog for ticket prices. Sara, who is multi-talented, and is becoming a real computer techie is working on a poster advertising the raffle, it should be ready very soon and will be available to download and print.

Here comes the radio announcer! BC Gaming Event License # 8775, know your limit, play within it!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Dave and Bear went to Smithers the other day to pick up cremains and check out our food depot - Smithers Feed (thank you for providing a place for people to drop off food and supplies and for giving a discount to people if they buy a bag of food for TG!!) There was a bag with collars and a few doggie sweaters and t-shirts. One of them looked about Sweetpea size so I put it on her. Well - I don’t think Sweetpea is a t-shirt kind of girl!! Have a peek at Sweetpea - Pretty in Pink?

Whatcha got on?

She is NOT impressed!

She tried rolling it off!

Now that’s better!!

And here are some pictures of the small dogs.

Cara:

Mairin:

Trinket:

Hobbes:

They are all gaining in confidence and are not hiding anymore. They all are cuddly and sweet. Mairin has the chihuahua attitude - she is a big dog inside! Cara is more pom like in personality while Trinket is slowly starting to trust. All are going outside and are learning potty 101. Mairin has been spayed while Cara and Trinket will be done on the 25th. Hobbes has seen our veterinarian and we also found his records - our dear little Hobbes is 18 years old, has a serious mouth infection and is on antibiotics and pain medication. He is already much livelier. He is a follow you little fellow - he has to see what everyone is doing. He doesn’t want to be left out!! He is eating well and loves his treats.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

We got our BC Gaming number this afternoon, so this draw is officially underway. I didn’t realize there were so many rules and regulations (40 pages!)….everything from
the size of the font of “Know your limit, play within it” and to all the mandatory statements with regards advertising and selling. So from now on when we mention anything about raffle tickets for sale on the web, on the blog, in emails, posters, etc,
I have to include (now put on your best DJ voice and read aloud as fast as you can in one breath)
“Ticket purchasers must be 19 years of age or older. Chances are one in 185 to win a prize. Actual odds depend on number of tickets sold. Problem Gambling Help Line, call 1-888-795-6111 or log onto www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca. Know your limit, play within it. BC Gaming Event number 8775.”

Tickets should be ready by next week. The last day to sell is Aug.22, 2008.
The draw date is August 30, 11:00am at Skyland Travel in Vancouver. Thanks to www.escapes.ca and travel agents Chris and Tomoko – the fabulous grand prize to Puerto Vallarta has a lot of us daydreaming about sun and sand in Mexico.

If you can sell or buy tickets, please email me at cyndasgot3@gmail.com with your mailing address.

To make it more interesting, the Gaming rules require a different ticket colours for each price category. Discounted tickets (3 for $10 etc) cannot be split and sold separately. Single tickets must be sold as singles.

Ticket prices are as follows:
1 for $5, a books contains 10 tickets
3 for $10, a book contains 30 tickets (10 sales)
25 for $75 (If you work in a office with 5 or 6 people, why not split a book?)

Back to the prizes. Our second grand prize is a romantic getaway to Victoria!
It includes a flight by Harbour Air Seaplanes from Vancouver to Victoria, one
night’s accommodation in a one bedroom suite at the beautiful Executive House
Hotel, plus vouchers for Butchart Gardens, Imax Theatre, Royal BC Museum and more….Thank-you so much to Daphne at Butchart Gardens for putting together this package.

And to all the Turtle Gardens supporters out there – you guys rock!! The prizes are fabulous and Yvette says Starbucks is opening up in most Safeways up north. And no, there’s no such thing as getting too over-caffeinated! The total value of all the prizes are (drum roll please) $6455!!

When you have a chance, check the sidebar for the ‘List of Prizes’ and “Thank-you page”.
Yvette will be posting those up very soon.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

I sure know now why Minnie and Moses wore out their welcome! They are nuisance barkers - of the worse kind - non stop. They have obviously been left outside alone without any supervision - how else would they bark with no one stopping them? At first I tried “shut up” and “quiet”. Nope - didn’t work - they had no clue that they had to stop. So it was time to implement “TIME OUT” Each time they started barking - I would yell “quiet’, once. If they didn’t stop then I went outside and grabbed them by the collar and brought them indoors to a crate. They were let out 15 minutes later and allowed to go back out. This was repeated over and over and over again for two days. Today I yelled “quiet” once and they stopped. They have been quiet all day so far. They aren’t dumb just not educated.

There is no noise at night because they all sleep indoors. These are family companions - they learn to live with manners indoors with us. There is no noise at night. So all of us can sleep undisturbed. We had guests last week - two bicycle tourists camped beside the river just down from us - they did not know that there was that many dogs just a curve down the road - there was no noise!! Good luck on your touring!

And another Update - this time it is Hercules now renamed Hank!!

Hi Yvette!

Just an update on Hercules (now Hank). He’s been here with us for about 3 weeks now, time sure flies… He’s really enjoying it with us, and our other dog Brodie has deigned to look at him every now and then. Each time Brodie does something even remotely friendly, he gets treats. I think he’s figured Hank’s not so bad after all. Brodie’s quickly getting over his snoot.

My son Fraser is his new best pal, and it’s really cool to watch Hank follow him around, and put his head in Fraser’s lap and lie on his feet. Fraser’s nine, and he’s in heaven, a boy and his dog. Hank came with us this weekend to a U12 girls field hockey tournament, where he met hundreds of people and about a thousand dogs. Tail wags all around. He gets a lot of attention, I think just from his sheer size. Some folks give us a wide berth, and I don’t blame them. Hank looks intimidating if you don’t understand the doggie set.

Anyhow, all is well. He’s happy and in good health. I’m trying to initiate some training with him. That might be an uphill battle (he’s got the mastiff stubborness)…but I’ll have a go at it. He deserves it!

I’ll send photos when I can figure out how to get them out of my camera phone.

Thanks again,

Jackie, Holly and Fraser

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.