Community yard sale today!

I always go back and forth about doing a yard sale - it's a lot of time and work and then people just want a bargain and don't want to even pay the low prices I put on things.

Today we did ok - we didn't get rid of too much, but made $31 - better than nothing.  The leftovers are being donated this week.  To Lupus, FOHA (to their upscale thrift store) and then Birthday Blessings Inc who is a friend's charity.

The things learned today -

1.  Always ask for double of what you want.
The person is going to offer less.  This happened SEVERAL times today.  I had a BRAND NEW purse that I was selling for $5 and was offered $3 a couple of times.  Come on!  Same with a brand new clock - I was asking $10 and then they offered $5.  Same with stuffed animals - I was asking $1 for a beanie baby (brand new), and they offered 2/$1.  I rather just donate and get a better tax deduction!

2.  People do not pay attention when driving around at yard sales.
I don't know how many times people drove by looking at our yard and there was either a car behind them or coming towards them.  Same with just pulling over at a moments notice.

One of our neighbors came over with their dog, Apryl - who has met Theo before, but he was in one of his moods and was growling at her.  Then he was growling at Apryl's dad too.

Don't know if it was because we were at our house and he was "protecting" it or what.

One of the things that I got rid of was a bunch of containers (shoeboxes and larger containers). I used them A LOT when I was stockpiling.  I haven't been stockpiling or couponing that much since I started my business (and that was 4 years ago!).  It became more of a chore than fun.

I still use coupons, but it's mostly online coupons that I print with MyPoints.com and using Couponmom.com for the sales on that week. Even then, there are times, when I'll do all of the work (look up the sales, match the coupons) and then not go shopping.

When I do have multiple coupons for items and they are on sale, I do stock up, NOTHING like I used to do.  I think some of it is because we are eating a little better - less processed/boxed foods. Still, when I do have a major shopping spree, I do save majorly - like 60% savings.

OH! We had a really good "dining" and "shopping" experience today.  We went to Chipotle - the one we always go to and it was CLEAN - like they were on top of cleaning as soon as the customer was gone, and the floor was swept.  I could tell that the manager was at the register because she gave excellent customer service -saying the extra comments, etc. I said something to her before we left - that we hadn't seen this place this clean in a long time.  I asked if she was new and she said she wasn't but I don't think we have ever seen her.

Then we went to CVS for water. The cashier was AWESOME. Chit chatting and asking if we needed help and making a joke "getting some water uh?" (because we got 4 cases).

Tell you what we were both in a good mood when we got home - just because it was a memorable dining and shopping experience.

Theo is my protector

Mama had a scare this morning on the walk.  We were walking the path and as we were coming up to an alley way, a loose dog (blond lab) came running up to Theo.  Then another loose dog (black lab). 

By that Theo was growling and I was freaking out and couldn't tell but thought the black lab was attacking/Theo was attacking.  I was just screaming and saying, get the black one because the wife was getting the blond lab who wasn't doing anything.

Everyone was fine, the owners, who I think I have met before, were nice.  They apologized and you can tell they are responsible and understanding owners.  

We stood there and chatted awhile.  They understood, of course, Theo was going to growl when two dogs coming running up - he was trying to protect me. 

Mentally, we (both Dan and I) need to get over the fact that we know he was in a dog fight before at the shelter.  Because of that, we are guarded when we introduce him to other dogs AND we think that is why he growls at other dogs.

Anyway, hopefully, we'll be able to introduce the dogs another time when both are on leashes.

Friends of Homeless Animals fundraiser Barktoberfest

Today was a fun day.  We went to Barktoberfest which is FOHA's (Friends of Homeless Animals) yearly fundraiser.

Theo did GREAT!  He loved all of the attention - from the volunteers and from strangers who just wanted to meet him.

                

              

He was great with all of the other dogs around and was exhausted by the time we got home.

With Spartacus, another FOHA Alumni
who was at the rescue for a quite a while.  

We got a lot of freebies from the vendors and purchased a gift basket that FOHA had for purchase.

The best part was that we got to hear his story.  We met the person who originally picked him up from Southern Virginia.  She said that she thought he was an owner surrender.

The other story we got to hear was when he was surrendered from the adopter who had him for 2 months.  He was dropped off at Dog University for training. He ended up reacting to the situation and acting aggressive towards the trainer.  The trainer ended up telling the adopters that he should be returned to the rescue.  FOHA came and got him back.  The volunteer said that the trainer had been using a animal control pole like this to get him in the crate at night and to lead him around.  She told us that when they went to pick him up, they could hear him growling and the trainer pulling him down the stairway to him.  She said that as soon as Theo saw her and Jack, the volunteer who we met and still keep in touch with, Theo recognized them and his body relaxed.

The adopters have put a bad review on Yelp! saying that FOHA doesn't let adopters know of the history of the animal.  SO NOT TRUE! We read the surrender papers and how he was "aggressive" towards others.  ANY dog is going to become aggressive when put into an unfamiliar situation and with a stranger.  PLUS - Shar Peis are known for challenging, independent, stubborn, and LOYAL.  What kind of trainer doesn't know the KNOWN personalities of a breed?

I will say this - we SAW that personality in Theo during his first few days.  He challenged us to see who was in charge/whether he could trust us.  We saw such a change in him within the first month.

Theo is an AWESOME dog.  He has fit into our lives and we are so happy to have him in our lives. We love him A LOT and was meant to be with us.  It makes me so sad that he had to go through what he went through.  I'm so glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  What if the adopter didn't take him back to the FOHA?  What if they had just put him down?  It's amazing how good he is considering what he's gone through.