Thursday, December 09, 2010

Meet Sasha the husky. Can you bring her home for the holidays?


Passing along a lovely note from Cate Martin, president of the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association and friend of furries:

“Friends,

Sasha, a dog that I have been fostering for North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, will win you over quickly. She is looking for her forever home. Let me tell you about her.

Sasha is a 2-and-a-half-year-old husky that has been with me for about eight weeks.

She had a rough start in life. She had never lived in a home and was tied to a tree for her first year and a half. She was then found roaming around.

It took some time, but the rescue was able to catch her. Huskies are not easily caught and Sasha stayed true to her breed in that respect. She was then placed in the shelter.

Sasha was skin and bones when she was found. In fact, so malnourished that she didn't have her full coat. She was heart-worm positive and had a handful of other issues.

Sasha didn't do well in the shelter. She wasn't eating and therefore, not gaining weight. The heart-worm treatment was especially difficult. So much so, the vet decided not to continue with the rest of the treatments. Life was hard for Sasha, but she's a fighter.

Here's the good news. Miraculously, Sasha is now heart-worm negative. She is gaining weight (approximately 40 pounds) and her coat is almost back to normal. She is healthy, calm and quiet, very good with kids and dogs. She LOVES her walks and is great on a leash.

Best of all, despite her neglect, she is full of forgiveness and love. You see, animals can teach more about love and forgiveness than we could ever teach them.

Because of her quiet nature, Sasha would do well in a home where she is the only dog or a home that has one other dog. She loves to lounge around on soft dog beds.

Like most huskies, Sasha craves the companionship of people. Most importantly, huskies are notorious escape artists and are driven by their exploring instincts to roam. Huskies are perhaps the most commonly lost dogs. That said, Sasha needs to be inside.

Maybe you know someone who is looking to add a dog to their family? Please pass this e-mail on to your friends. The adoption process is through North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, but I am very glad to show off Sasha to anyone interested in adopting her. Please feel free to contact me if you want more information. Just maybe, Sasha will find her forever home for the holidays.

Check out the
North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue website.


As you think about the holidays this season, please take a moment to remember animals like Sasha. If you're not ready to adopt, perhaps you could make a donation. You see, one reason I advocate for North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue is because they help all kinds of dogs, not just the adoptable ones.

I wish you all the happiest of Holidays. Thanks again for passing on this e-mail.”

Fourth annual Merry Oaks Holiday Sale and Studio Tour


The fourth annual Merry Oaks Holiday Sale and Studio Tour is this Saturday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come shop really local and support your artist neighbors.

Here’s a list of artists and studio locations:

Beth Brown and Raed Al-Rawi
3430 Draper Ave.
Painting and drawing

Rebecca Jones and Alex Clark
3430 Draper Ave.
Encaustic and oil paintings

Adrienne Dellinger and Greg Scott
2109 Arnold Drive
Ceramics and painting

Meredith Hebden
1911 Graybark Ave.
Photography


Questions?
See Greg Scott, at gascott@carolina.rr.com or 704-996-9869

Monday, December 06, 2010

It's not too late to band your trees to fight cankerworms in Charlotte



No, it's not too late to band your trees in Charlotte to fight damage from cankerworms in the spring.

The banding, and smearing of the bands with Tanglefoot or some other sticky goo, prevents the female wingless moths from climbing up the trunks to lay eggs in the tops of the trees, primarily willow oaks. The moths make their climb in early winter after leaves have dropped. That leaf drop only happened at my house in the last couple of weeks.

In the spring, eggs hatch and then defoliate and weaken the trees. First to fall victim are the willow oaks, and then anything from dogwoods to maples, if the year is particularly bad, as 2008 was for the cankerworms in Charlotte.

Need help? Several local companies are available. I used Steve Barilovits, a chemistry student at the University of North Carolina and a Plaza-Midwood resident when he's not at school. Reach him through e-mail. That's him and his mom, Jane Laurent, in the photo.

If you're another local company offering to band trees in Charlotte, feel free to leave a note in the comments.

Background on the evil cankerworms: From 2009, including a lovely closeup of the evil female wingless moths;
From 2006, showing the damage that can happen to dogwoods if the worms don't have enough willow oaks to eat.