Dogwood Loves Dogs

Hello, peeps! I know I usually post Wordless Wednesday pictures on Tuesday nights, but I'm so excited to tell you about my school, that I figured I'd go ahead and spread my story right now. I'm participating in Fenced in by Love's Campaign to find the organization of the year that makes a difference in surrounding dogs with tenderness and affection.

Although Dogwood Elementary School's mascot is the dolphin, maybe it should

Ms. Pittman gives treat to Penny

be the dog for there's no shortage of love for these furry animals at this school in Germantown, Tennessee. For the past two years, dogs who accompany their kids to school receive a tasty treat and multiple pats on the head through the car window. These same dogs can gobble up a second goody at the end of the school day. 

This Dogwood tradition provides a fun human/animal connection for fourth and fifth grade safety patrol members, staff working the car line, and the dogs as well. The kids eagerly watch the cars to see if Cookie or Max will be pulling in soon. When the dogs arrive, students must learn compromising skills for determining who will be the lucky kid to give out a treat. The kids know all the dogs by name and what kind of car they will arrive in. As a staff member, I too enjoy visiting with our fur babies. I've especially enjoyed watching one puppy triple in size.

Kona

Many parents have reported stories about their dogs waiting at the door to go to school on Monday morning, as if they instinctively know the week end is over. Our snow day (or rather freezing rain day) proved to be a huge disappointment for Penny, the dog pictured above, without her twice daily visit to school. She arrives each morning with a puddle of drool dripping down the side of the van. Although her owner must constantly wipe the side of her car, she still brings our friend to school. Penny even brought donuts to car lane workers to celebrate Christmas one December morning.

Kona at Work

Dogwood Elementary School also enjoys a therapy dog on Wednesdays. Kona has been certified as a therapy dog and as a reading dog. He tries to visit school each week to allow special education students to read to him, as well as some struggling readers. The children light up at the chance to read to Kona. His services also provided a popular auction item at the fund raiser because every kid wants a chance to read to Kona. 

So what's next for Dogwood? Get this: Hollywood Feed Pet Store plans to donate the biscuits for the dogs and two aprons with treat pockets for the lucky school auction winners who will get to feed biscuits to our friends during the morning drop off. This should be a great way to continue the dog love at Dogwood Elementary School.

This post was sponsored by Fenced In By Love by Dog Fence DIY 2014 at Dog Fence DYI as part of their Fenced in By Love Award.

Musical Time: Grow Old With You

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Sick of No Snow

I'm sick of no snow. The white stuff never sticks to the ground or whitens our world. We peer out the

window at drab, weedy grass. Every night, the news reports of the massive snow storms across the country, but nobody talks about us. The snow swept north across Missouri and blanketed Atlanta to the south. Even the Sunshine state saw white. It's as if there's a little ring of nothing surrounding Memphis, Tennessee.

It's the same pattern over and over again. Cold enough to change precipitation into a powdery white, but noooooo. Our skies are as dry as Gun Barrel City, Texas on a Sunday morning. As soon as the temperature rises above freezing, rain pounds the city. In fact, it pounded so hard at 33º, we figured it would ice over at night and keep us out of school. Ya think? The temp rose to the forties until all moisture was gone. Now, we're down to 23º. What's in store for the week? 

Cold enough to snow if it weren't for the sun symbol peaking out behind the clouds. When the temps drop that low, we might as well get snow and stay home. Precipitation will return as soon as the temperature warms up, and I will have to go to work another day.

It's not just kids who dream of snow days.

But wait . . .
     driving home from work tonight, I saw a few flurries.

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                    It's already stopped, and this isn't pretty. :(