<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:p="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:powerpoint" xmlns:a="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:access" xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882" xmlns:s="uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-00AA00C14882" xmlns:rs="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset" xmlns:z="#RowsetSchema" xmlns:b="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:publisher" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:c="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:component:spreadsheet" xmlns:odc="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:odc" xmlns:oa="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:activation" xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:q="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:D="DAV:" xmlns:x2="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/excel/2003/xml" xmlns:ois="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/ois/" xmlns:dir="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/directory/" xmlns:ds="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#" xmlns:dsp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" xmlns:udc="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:sub="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/2002/1/alerts/" xmlns:ec="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#" xmlns:sp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/" xmlns:sps="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:udcxf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/xmlfile" xmlns:wf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/workflow/" xmlns:mver="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns:mrels="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/relationships" xmlns:ex12t="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types" xmlns:ex12m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages" xmlns:Z="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:" xmlns:st="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Californian FB";
panose-1:2 7 4 3 6 8 11 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
color:black;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFBF0" lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Happy
Holidays droolers! I have to say I am so glad I signed up for the card
exchange. They are so special, each and every one of them. I will cherish
them forever (or until a dog gets into them and shreds them to bits, whichever
comes first). Now on to the news…we got our first ever fosters this
weekend!! I received a call from Helping Hands about two boys, brothers,
who were given up because they “chew too much”. (I know, I
know…some people!) They were in a kill shelter and had two days
left when they were pulled by HHBR. Well, we were hesitant at first, taking
both of them on at once our first time fostering, and I almost said no.
But I thought about it for all of 5 minutes and it occurred to me “what
if I say no, and so does everyone else? Do these boys sit in a kennel
rather than get the loving home they deserve because it is too inconvenient for
me?” So I put on my big girl pants and never looked back. These
little guys are about a year old, and they’re mixed basset and german
shepherd, I think, but they are the sweetest little cuddle bugs you could ever
meet. One of them, they call him Dave now, has crystal blue eyes that are
striking to look at, and the other one, Axel, craves petting and belly rubs and
will lift your hand with his nose if you stop petting him. Ooh, and on a
side note, they have been with me since Saturday, and haven’t chewed one thing
in my house. I have rawhides throughout the house as far as the eye can
see, and whenever they have the urge to chew, they go for those. I am so
glad that I finally made the decision to start fostering. Every time I
look into those beautiful, trusting, precious eyes and see how much it means to
them to be loved and taken care of and how thankful they are just to have a
warm place to sleep, I feel so wonderful inside. It’s payment
beyond what money could buy. I know I can’t save them all, none of
us can, but I take comfort in knowing that to these little guys, these moments that
would otherwise have been lived out in a kennel or never lived out at all, mean
everything. If you’re on the fence about becoming a foster like I
was, I encourage you to give it a try. I wish I would have sooner. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Californian FB","serif";
color:#007122'>Jessica L. Sutton</span></b><span style='font-family:"Californian FB","serif";
color:#007122'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Californian FB","serif";
color:#007122'>Momma to Diva & Sophie and fosters Dave & Axel and fat
cat Choncey Beaureguard (who doesn’t find any of this very amuzing at
all!)</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>