Big Bottle Tree Delivery and a Critter Lecture ~ Sept. 27, 2011

    I just put 2500 miles on the truck delivering 15 bottle trees to Frederick MD, Charlotte NC and Chattanooga TN. I am WHOOPED!! People always ask me why I do all of my own deliveries and all I can say is “how else am I going to meet the people who are adopting my trees?” In Charlotte, there’s only one gallery there that carries my work and that’s Maddi’s Gallery. The owners have become great friends and I stay with them when I’m in town. In Frederick I stay with a couple who became friends with me via adopting one of my foster dogs and eventually purchasing a very large bottle tree from me. Because of my art I make sooooo many connections with really great people who open up their hearts and sometimes homes to me. It’s a different lifestyle for sure and not alot of people could do it, but for some reason it suits me just fine at this time in my life. The greatest accomplishments I’ve experienced on the road do not involve monetary gains by any means. If I’m able to not only do business, but to place one of my foster pups in a really good home then that’s a succesful trip. So far I’ve been able to place 2 pups in Frederick and still get to see them when I visit.
    Mississippi Public Broadcast just shot a mini documentary of me and my art at The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale a few weeks back and one of the questions asked was, “do you think your passion for your art equals your passion for animal welfare?” No hesitation on that topic….YES! Absolutely. There are many times when my art has to wait because I’ve got to trap, alter and release or things just come up with people who need help with a critter. (and I do have people in my life who think I’m absolutely nuts for this) But I refuse to take an animal into a shelter…REFUSE…..if I can help it. What people don’t realize is once you drop that animal off at a shelter, you’re only fooling yourself if you think he/she will go to a loving home. Their chances are slim to none at times because of the overcrowding and lack of people interested in adopting. Bottom line….just too many animals reproducing. I use Facebook as a means to bring awareness to the public on spaying and neutering. This is America and we are supposed to be the most powerful nation in the world. So then why is there so much animal cruelty and neglect? Ignorance, lack of animal awareness education and lack of severe punishment in regards to cruelty. I appreciate the gifts I’ve been given in order to take care of myself, but any recognition for my art and attention will be actively diverted toward those small beings that cannot speak for themselves.
    On this last road trip I had a great companion in a 3 month old pup named Tripp. He had to travel with me because he’s in the crucial training stages and constant contact with me and consistency only speeds his positive behavior. Because I get to see what his personality and quirks are, it’s easier to place him in the right home. I just concentrate on one dog at a time otherwise this would be too overwhelming. I’ve tried working with shelters, but those experiences were often negative. I have made friends with people out of several local shelters and we kind of stick together and do our own thing. We help each other out and we do it out of sheer love for the critters. Via Facebook and even this blog I hope to get the word out on the importance of spaying and neutering. We have too many animals being killed everyday while people are allowing their pets to continue breeding. People say, “I find good homes for all of my puppies/kittens.” That’s not the point, the point is that every time you bring a critter into this world you’re taking away a chance for a sheltered animal to get adopted. At one time many shelter animals were loved, but due to circumstances, ie: an owner’s death, loss of job, relocating, etc, these animals find themselves at our mercy and in need of help. I see them, I care for them and now I’m speaking for them. PLEASE think twice about not having your animals altered!! They rely on us to care for them and we’re doing a really bad job of it in light of the nation as a whole. Alrighty then, done preachin’. Time for me to go squeeze a pup.