North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue

Yappy Hour!! Come join the party!!

drhyan — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:17:50 +0000

Letters To Gunny

dgcranmer — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:09:46 +0000

Mrs. Stoneham’s 2nd grade class sent wonderful “letters to Gunny” last week. What hard work they did coming up with great sentences, thoughtful questions, and detailed personal info about themselves! Great handwriting practice on top of all the spelling and punctuation practice! Gunny and his Magical Pack got lots of hugs, thank you’s, and well wishes from the kids. All of the work was AWESOME, but when one boy wrote “Dear Gunny, you are a good dog. love (the boy).” I smiled. Later when he wrote to me and asked “Can you tell Gunny that I wish I could beat them up who did that to him.” I laughed out loud. And when he wrote more to me, saying “Thank you for the book. I could read it a hundred times. I wish I could see him and hug him a hundred times. and kiss him a hundred times.” I may just have teared up a little. Thanks to Mrs. Stoneham for doing awesome educationally-relevant things with a story about an abandoned dog!! And thanks to the students for working so hard, and showing Gunny and The Magical Pack so much love! And thank you to Victoria for buying the book for the class so that it could all happen! Gunny’s fans are the best!!

And from a different school, Mrs. Smith’s 2nd grade class had a few drawings for me when I popped in to say hello. It makes me smile EVERY time I see a drawing where the details mean enough to the kids that they remember to draw a dog with only 3 legs. In case you can’t see the details enough to read what one girl wrote, it says “gunny I am so sorry about the fight. I hope you are OK. I love you gunny.”

The Root of the Magical Pack

dgcranmer — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:53:48 +0000

One week from today would have been Tobbles’ 19th birthday. Her ashes have been sitting on my dresser for almost 5 months, as I waited for ‘the right day’. Tonight the yard looked great, the flowers were blooming in all different colors and the weather was lovely. Pack Daddy and I just walked all around the property, letting the indoor kitty, who loved her supervised outside time, free. At each tree or shrub or stand of gorgeous flowers, I could see her face peeking out from underneath. We ended up in the garden where the stones of The Original Pack lay, and Tobbles ended up back with her family who had left before her. At each stone, the pictures in my head were crystal clear, of each of them in their prime. In every possible way, The Original Pack is reunited. And yes, I have had a good long cry missing all of them. This is my favorite photo of Tobbles the week I brought her home from the pound, a 6 month old terror. Due to the age, you’ve got a cropped photo of a framed photo that I am too nervous to disturb. It gives you an idea…she was an imp as a youngster…and her nickname was ‘Trouble’.

Kids Say The Darndest Things!

dgcranmer — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:17:50 +0000

The Magical Pack had some adorable visitors today when their Mom came by to drop off blankets and towels for the dogs of NMAR. After reading their pawtographed copy of Gunny and the Magical Pack, the original question was “mom, can we meet Gunny?”. This progressed to “mom, can we meet The Magical Pack?”.

A great time was had by all as The Boys got as much attention as they could, and Hope got as much woo-woo’ing out as she could. Next question was “do your dogs know how to play fetch?”. Oscar was happy to answer that question with a responding YES!, and the end result was some tired dogs! In the middle of the game, while the girls laughed and squealed, their mom told me “our dogs aren’t nearly this much fun”. Little did she know, the dogs were probably thinking “adults aren’t nearly his much fun”!

As the kids left, and we got a lot of thank you’s, I was informed that “you are SO lucky to have The Magical Pack! They are really special.”

I WAS the News Today, Oh Boy!

dgcranmer — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:22:36 +0000

A little twist on the Beatles verse! Wednesday morning we had a fantastic opportunity when we were invited onto Fox Charlotte’s morning news show to talk about Gunny’s book. Being the old pro that he is, Gunny took it all in stride. He made some new friends, and visited with an old pal or two…this isn’t Gunny’s first rodeo at Fox! http://www.wccbcharlotte.com/rising/totally-tera/Gunny-and-the-Magical-Pack-205582201.html

Back In The Saddle Again…

dgcranmer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:09 +0000

Gunny is getting back in the swing of things with some community outings. It’s been awhile, due to his sister’s recovery and our need to keep her as calm as possible, and he was a bit out of the groove…but it’s like riding a bike. The only issue is that he gets so comfortable that he thinks he is allowed everywhere, like the new mexican restaurant in town, or the no-dogs-allowed-inside wine shop across the street.

Hope is fantastic. This week was the first time I have seen her run full-out in almost 20 months. It was equal parts terrifying and wonderful as I watched her tuck her bully bootie and just fly around the back yard. The best part was watching her face when she hit her stride…I could literally see her realize “hey, I can do this!” and what a look of joy came over her face. She’s off all pain medicines and feeling so good. Absolutely incredible.

The book is slowly making its way into the hands of kids in all kinds of far away places…California, Colorado, Ohio, Massachusetts and Canada to name a few. The feedback I’ve gotten has been wonderful, and has been accompanied by a LOT of requests to meet Gunny or even the entire Magical Pack. I cannot wait to see what unfolds as more kids learn about Gunny’s journey. I know it’ll be incredible. How could it not be? Everything about Gunny has been incredible…why should things change now?

And the Books Are Rolling Out…

dgcranmer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:52:04 +0000

Things at The Harrisburg Zoo have been pretty well focused on Gunny’s book for the last two weeks. This journey has been a continuous series of “OK, now things will probably slow down” followed shortly thereafter by “oh wait, I need to learn about that, which leads me to finishing this…”. But what a fun learning curve!

The best part has already started happening, and that is the responses from readers. So far, lots of positive feedback, with some really cute kiddo stories thrown in. It’s also been great to see where those comments are coming from…like California and Canada! I love to imagine kids in those far away places getting a good look at Gunny’s smiling face.

The animal members of The Magical Pack have no idea that hub-bub is even occurring, let alone what it is all about. They just go about their business, enjoying life. Hope’s recovery continues to amaze us, and she is stronger and faster and free of any signs of pain….all on zero pain medicine. For the first time in a year and a half, she has her girlish figure back and doesn’t have to eat servings portioned for a Chihuahua!

If you haven’t had a chance to take a peek yet, here is the official link for Gunny’s book. As always, thank you for all the love and support of The Magical Pack.
www.createspace.com/4180486