Patch Pet of the Month: Meet the Mighty Marco

This guy is a real spark plug!

The face is all bulldog. The rest of him is anyone’s guess. This cute and spunky 2-year-old with the speckled tree-trunk legs—found as a stray near Woody’s Dog Wash— is a real spark plug. He might have been someone's dog once, but that's history and it's time for him to move on to a new home and a new life. The kennel is so frustrating to this eye-catching stud at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue. He uses those big, brown, shiny globes that are his eyes and his furrowed brow set in that blocky face to win over sympathetic volunteers so he can get out and play. He squeezes his plump frame against the front of his kennel to implore probing fingers to pet and scratch him. It's all very irresistible.   And when you fall for his well-rehearsed act, he…

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Patch Pet of the Month: Mad About Maddie

Do you have room in your heart and home for Maddie?

The life of a Labrador Retriever is what Maddie should be living. That magical life would be filled with long walks, playful jousts in the back yard and endless games of fetch. It is a life she was made for, but she spends most of her time in a kennel instead. She often appears as though she  considers  Angel Ridge her home now and it's maddening that she has yet to be adopted. There are times where you might catch her snoozing on her dog bed or with her tongue crammed inside a kong for the last vestiges of peanut butter, but there is a lot of time spent pacing, jumping up to the sky and barking because she is bored out of her beautiful black skull. And it makes the volunteers who are mad about Maddie, well, mad. The frustration has been …

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Your Turn

Goodbye Tootsie—You Were a Good Wife

This isn't your typical love story.

By Faye Klein The term, "an old married couple" is mostly thrown around with a tinge of sarcasm to describe and dismiss the crusty edged veneer that seems to have grown between or around the target couple, but I'll wager that the vast majority of people in the world secretly would not mind being there someday. After so much time together people, most pretense has ceased—one half stops laughing at the repetitious stale jokes, then stops excusing themselves for burping out loud and both give in to expanding waistlines. But under all that exterior stuff is almost always a deep, loyal and extremely conforting love that flows unspoken between the pair. That's how it has been for Tootsie and Charlie, the matriarch and patriarch of dogs at Angel …

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Patch Pets of the Month: Bros, Best Buddies—Babe and Jeeters

Do you have room in your heart and home for these two?

Just pick us up and we’re ready to go! We are brothers and since we have been together all this time, we want to be together for the rest of our lives. We are about four years old now, and very small dogs—only 11 pounds each—so we expect to be around a loooong time. Our names are Babe and Jeeters, which is easy to remember if you are a baseball fan. Just think—Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter!   We came from a home with too many dogs and we both had terrible-looking coats and bald spots, which are slowly improving. We are healthy, happy, friendly Pomeranian-chihuahua mixes that can mix it up with the best of them. We were housebroken when we got to Angel Ridge and would only need a brush-up to be neat and tidy again.   Walking us together is …

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Hot Dogs and Warm Puppies

An open house event is being held Sunday at nearby Angel Ridge Animal Rescue.

An Adoption Event Open House at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue has been scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Sunday. Organizers invite you to meet lots of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens for adoption. And they add: "Enjoy a hot dog and other goodies while you relax and meet some very cuddly critters." Interested? Email them at aranres@yahoo.com with any questions. Editor's Note: Here is the contact info for the shelter: Angel Ridge Animal Rescue 390 Old Hickory Ridge Road Washington, PA 15301 www.angelridgeanimalrescue.org

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Patch Pet of the Month: Viva la Vanna!

Do you have room in your heart and home for this gal?

Describing me as bubbly would be an understatement. I'm just passing the 8-month-old mark, and I am thoroughly engaged with getting to know the whole, wide world and I will let nothing stand in my way. I am enthralled, enthusiastic and effervescent, unafraid of anything and curious about everything. A few of the dogs are happy to spend time with me and the older ones just get out of my way. I like every dog and every person I meet and so far it has worked out quite well. With my gawky frame, over-sized paws and Streisand schnoz, I am a real cutey-pie. You almost don’t notice that I'm missing one of my long hound ears. I was one of a group of puppies whisked from the road and brought to the shelter by an attentive neighbor when we were just…

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'Puppies Galore' Event Scheduled at Angel Ridge

If you're looking for a puppy, this event Sunday is for you!

Looking for a cuddly puppy to add to your family? Because Angel Ridge is holding an event organizers are calling "Puppy Galore" from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Tractor Supply on state Route 19 in nearby Washington—just a short drive from Canonsburg, Cecil and North Strabane. "Come see us as we charm and delight you as only puppies can do," organizers said in a release. Available for adoption are hound mix and Labrador retriever mix puppies—which come in an amazing assortment of colors. Two litters of puppies are waiting to be adopted from Angel Ridge Animal Rescue. Interested? For more information visit www.angelridgeanimalrescue.org

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Patch Pet of the Month: Showin' Off Shelley

Who has room in their heart and home for this girl?

When Shelley smiles, she lights up like a sunbeam. Even when she is more subdued, with her perfect figure, terra-cotta coat, mauve nose and amber eyes, she is still a stunner. Lean down to say hi and she is quick to lick your face in a happy, enthusiastic greeting. Shelley is coming close to her 1-year anniversary at Angel Ridge, but she hasn’t given up hope on finding a new home to share with a welcoming family. She has been very patient and incredibly easy-going during her long stay. Volunteers vie to take Shelley for a walk and to spend time with her because she is so into people. Her story began when she was found at a construction site and led workers to her newborn pups that were stuck in a sewer grate. As expected, all the puppies …

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