New projects

So I am home from an awesome vacation and could not be more grateful for having the time to relax and enjoy, share memories and make memories with my family, and get started on some great new projects. I am still in that technical learning stage and can not seem to get the video of the Bay Bridge uploaded as it is in the wrong format. (anyone know how to convert formats ??) Oh well, onward and upward.

I was quite happy to complete my first childrens book while I was away. Now it's off to seek out a publisher. Wish me luck...

As my nephew has heard me say there is no such thing as luck. Right? Right! It is about mindset. If you know deep down inside that you are lucky; if you FEEL deep down inside lucky, then you can create what seems to be luck. Likewise if you know and feel unlucky then that is what you will create as well.

Take this concept out into the real world (wait I thought this was the real world). Apply it to the upcoming day. Go to bed the night before and see the next day being filled with things that are good. You catch the traffic lights, you find that premier parking space, etc. Wake up in the morning with such a feeling of gratitude for a great day ahead. Get out of bed and smile and know that good things happen to you all the time. This is the beginning of your ability to create that "luck".

On my last day of vacation, I was explaining to my nephew how he could help himself in baseball by doing visualization practice. I was coaching him on visualizing hitting a home run. At one point my younger nephew chimed in he wanted to visualize a donut. I told him to think and focus on it, taste it, smell it and really feel like he has a donut. Later that day we stopped at a family members home that we had not seen in years. After a little lunch she brought out dessert. I bet you have no idea what was for dessert? You guessed it, there were donuts right there in front of my nephew! The power of the mind. Makes you wonder just how great life could be if you monitored what you thought more often...

A Summer Vacation

I am sitting here in our cabin at Cherrystone Campground. I decided I actually needed a vacation and my family was doing just that. We drove up to Virginia and crossed the amazing Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The campground is just a few more miles after that. I have been catching up on my rest and relaxation, doing some light reading (Evolve Your Brain by Joe Dispenza), and writing my next few projects. It has been great to spend time with the crew. I will get some nice footage of the Bay bridge to post shortly.

The volunteers at the shelter have been doing an amazing job at keeping things running smoothly especially while I am away. Jan is making great progress with our shy boy Kito. I am so grateful to have the people I do and can't thank them enough. If you are looking for a fun place to volunteer, please give us a shout 
(inharmonywithnature.adoptions@gmail.com)

Once I return I will hit the ground running. The blogging will increase as well I will be keeping Facebook up to date. I am looking forward to adding weekly lessons and tips on the blog as our new tag line is "Peace and Harmony From Canines To Humans" . So stay tuned, spread the word and let's get ready to rock!
-Peace & Harmony

Well Hellllooooo again everyone!

Wow, it seems like I closed my eyes to go to sleep one day and I woke up months later already in the middle of 2010! Can you believe that? If you know me, you know how I burn that candle at both ends but I am excited to get back on the blog track and keep you updated on "What's goin' on with Kim Kapes.

If you haven't seen the new look on the web site, go take a gander. Kimkapes.com is almost totally polished. We have some things to fix up yet including a new great logo on the home page but the look is really neat and easy to navigate. I would still love your suggestions. Let me know at kimkapes@gmail.com.

So towards the end of last year the animal rescue was involved in helping some seriously neglected and mistreated wolf dogs. Check out the link and the story. Justice and Tiny Tim (our new names for two great woofers) are living happily now at the shelter. Come on by to visit. They would love the hugs. Click to read Big Tampa Rescue.

After Justice and Tiny Tim settled in, the Universe decided to send me one of those divine disasters. For that great news story click to read Kim and the Horse. I am feeling great now and am so thankful to everyone who came to my aid. I made some wonderful new friends, reconnected with old ones, got some much needed assistance at the rescue and realized just how important it is to be very precise in what you are asking the Universe for.

I want to say to a very special friend who has left the physical Universe and transitioned onto her next spiritual journey that I miss you dearly. I know you are close and I thank you for the time I shared with you! Creative Carrie, your the tops!

For those who live by the motto "Life is an adventure", my time in Boca Raton will surely keep me in that club. Back in May I adopted one of our younger dogs to a great family. Coco was going to be a "Boca Girl". Well, so we thought. Coco had other ideas. The first night with the new family became the start of my adventure. Coco got out of the yard and was lost in a very unfamiliar place. After commuting to Boca to search for three days I decided to stay down South. We had been getting reported sightings on her that kept our hopes strong. After another two days of driving, looking catching an hour or so of sleep, driving looking.... I finally spotted her. That took my adventure to the next level. A vacation in the woods of Boca. I literally went into a forested area to track her down and stayed there on my borrowed little beach chair for another five nights. I baited her in an area where I was able to set up a small camp and on day six was honored to bring the little girl back home safely. Melanie and Jorge (the attempted owners) were so instrumental in helping keep me in stock with water and food and any other supplies I might need. Jorge, that toilet paper really was appreciated!! Not only was this an adventure but this was in essence a vision quest for myself. The story is a great one and I will be working to get it into production very shortly.



I guess I have caught you up to date for the most part so from here on out I can go back to posting our regular happenings around the rescue. As you can read it seems that nothing is that simple or that regular with me. It is ALL GOOD THOUGH! I am happy and grateful to call all of you my friends and until next time, Peace and Harmony.

Finally, Back in Business

I know I owe you a Dog Listener Tip of the Week and I will be getting them posted shortly. I did not have the camera until today. I am back in business!

Mariposa is doing great. She is loving her new buddy but he caught her off guard here in the second photo and she has a face on her that is priceless!






Our girl Raja is coming along slowly. If you remember, she is the GSD momma that lost her pups to distemper. Raja came from Orange County Animal Control where she had been majorly traumatized by the catch pole. I can not enter the enclosure with anything that is a metal pole to clean up. She can only stand that pressure for a minute before she reacts. So, we are in the process of joining a second enclosure to her current one. Then I will be able to shift her over for cleaning. I can completely keep the pressure off and gain her trust. She will probably need about six months to a year for full rehab.

I will have footage of all our new babies that will be ready for adoption shortly. We have been helping several momma dogs and their litters. We have two pups left from a litter without the momma and we are hoping for a strong recovery from them. Once again the harsh aspects of an animal control facility have made it difficult for these little guys to get a healthy start.

Well, I am off to feed the dogs and I will see you again shortly.

Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser??

Last Friday I celebrated my 41st birthday. I am officially over 40! Age and my birthday really do not matter much to me but I had decided I would take advantage of the "go to Disney for free on your birthday" offer. The best laid plans... I never made it to the park and it seems the whole week has been one crazy event after another.

I don't have any photos or video for today as I have not had access to the camera. I will get that going again shortly so everyone can enjoy the crew and get to know who I am posting about. We have a load of puppies and they will soon be available for adoption. Stay tuned for some really cute pictures of little ones looking for new homes.

My Dog Listener tip of the week will be posted this weekend so please check back.

A great big Thanks to my friends at Park Ave Vet, especially Jessica for the tasty Birthday cake and for all the Birthday well-wishes from my friends on FACEBOOK!! I have really got to get better at the whole social media thing. That will be my next project.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

What a week! It seems that wolf dogs are having quite the time right now. Florida is a big breeding ground for wolf dogs and they seem to be needing rescue assistance all over the place. Just in the week I have helped a behavior client reunite his wolf dog with his Old English Sheepdog, I have evaluated three wolf dogs rescued by one woman who now needs help placing them, I assisted another wolf dog owner with behavior issues her girl has started to have, I have set up a time to evaluate another wolf dog who is getting loose and chasing neighbors animals, and I just took in a wolf dog girl tonight that was living her life on a chain and needed some better surroundings.

I am only dealing with a small part of the problem. Our fellow rescues in Naples, Shy Wolf Sanctuary and St Pete's Lost Wolf Rescue are also dealing with call after call, email after email. Loads of people enjoy breeding different percentage wolf mixes with Husky's, German Shepherds, Malamutes, and other breeds. The problems start when these breeders do not accept their animals back and do not properly screen new owners. Finding the right animal for a well intentioned owner takes some work especially when you are dealing with this specialized mix. Many people call them wolf hybrids but that is an incorrect term. They are from the same species so they are not hybrids, they are simply wolf dogs.

Many people fear them and some shelters will even euthanize them as fast as they enter a facility. It is true that they require specialized knowledge to understand their needs, however they are canine at heart. If you understand the canine language you will understand the wolf dog. They are not the aggressive monsters that people have been led to believe by stories such as Little Red Riding Hood. They are highly family oriented animals and prefer to keep it that way. They will run from you faster then you can ever run from them. There are some really social ones that love to be ambassadors for their mix but many tend to be very shy and aloof.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the wolf dog. Maybe it is because of their closer association to their wild counterparts. They have not asked to be here. The fact is for those that are here and need help, there are not many options of help for them. You think it's hard to place/adopt a pit bull... try placing a wolf dog. Like I said, my heart is open to these guys and as I listen to the ones I currently have howling outside now, it is my pleasure and honor to say " How can I help you".

A Great Start To a New Week

The report from Devyn is that she & Mariposa have arrived safely in Michigan. Mari was amazing in the car, she slept most of the time and didn't have a single accident. She's doing well in her new house, she's met her cats who don't seem to mind having her around. They stopped in Virginia to visit a friend of Devyn's who recently rescued a puppy. Mari did amazing with the baby. They both stretched out on their bellies and army crawled towards each other and were rolling all over the place. Looks like things are going to be just fine for Mariposa.

I made a huge step forward with Raja today. I was finally able to enter her enclosure to do some much needed cleaning. She is now starting to understand that I am not a threat. Of course I made no eye contact to keep any pressure off her and she simply moved to the opposite side of the pen. She was even able to relax enough to lay down. I am thrilled with this step and looking forward to posting more good news about her soon. If you would like more info or have questions on the process of how we conduct our rehab, please email me to learn more about
Dog Listeneing.

More great news!!! Rex has had a second visit from a great family and in a few more weeks he will be on his way to a new start in life. Rex has come through his bout with distemper and is one happy dog.





Last bit of fantastic news is that we have a happy ending and a soon to be new start for a boy in a tough situation. Daemon is a Husky in need of a place to come to peace. Mostly he has had people issues but because of that he had some bite issues in his past. I currently am over loaded with several serious rehab cases of aggressive or former fear biters and do not have safe space for Daemon. Pat Wright our Dog Listener in Conneticut has aggreed to take Daemon into her boarding kennel and help him find that peace. Now all we need to do is raise the funds to do the transport.



We will also be working to continue to raise funds for special transports such as with Daemon. The Dog Listener rescue organization in the UK Every Chance Rescue works hard to help give dogs every chance and the US Dog Listeners want to help as well. Click on this link to see how you can help us help the dogs.