So What's a "Pointy Snout" Anyway?

A girl's best friend!

We got our name from one of our dogs - Sprocket. Sprocket is, as far as we and the vet can tell, a whippet and collie mix (also known as a lurcher, a cross between a working dog and a sighthound). He's also one of the sweetest, most caring and generous dogs I know. Now I know some of you are saying "wait, wait, wait. She's ascribing anthropomorphic characteristics to her dog!" or "Oh no! Not another dog nut!" But bear with me, here.

Sprocket was an unwanted dog. He was brought in to a local shelter and was due for euthanasia after he was spotted by the lovely Ms. Sandra Stealey of CanineWorks Rescue in Coolville, OH. She was in to rescue another dog from a similar fate and she found him and just couldn't leave him there, but as anyone who works shelter rescue knows, the costs build up fast and she didn't have the funds on hand.

She ended up going back, armed with money raised in a bake sale by a group of school children. She got Sprocket (then called Liam). She took him into her rescue and started working with him and trying to find him a good home.

I was at a very lonely point in my life. My husband was working through an injury we thought would leave him disabled for life. We weren't exactly getting along the greatest with the hardship his injury caused us. Besides providing me with some emotional outlet for all the love I had, we thought it would be good for him to get up and moving and a dog would provide just such an opportunity. I also suffer from severe depression and anxiety - I thought having a dog with me would encourage me to get up and about and moving, even on the days I didn't want to. And so I looked around on Petfinder.com and searched for a dog who was both similar to what we wanted (we were looking for a Corgi or Corgi mix!) and someone whose temperament and personality was good for us. And I found Sprocket.

A couple months later he came to live with me. I had no clue what I was doing - I'd never owned a dog before in my life. Thankfully, Sprocket's demeanor proved true. He's a nurturer by nature - he is keenly aware of and in-tune to the emotions and feelings and comfort of those around him. I'm told it's a lurcher thing.

He's so in-tune and caring that when I started doing animal rescue and fostering of my own (cats, due in part to our other dog, Marty, who is not too keen on dogs he doesn't know within his territory. But Marty's story is for another time), Sprocket was right there with me. Kittens come in and they're cold and hungry? Sprocket cuddles up to them for warmth. Cat feeling under the weather? He grooms them until they feel better. Is a spat between the resident felines and the fosters breaking out? Sprocket is right there, putting his pointy snout right in the middle to break things up and make sure both parties are OK. He'll bring me items to assist, or if an animal is in danger and I don't recognize it, he'll bring it to me or draw me to it. He does the same thing for our human baby - he acts as a mother hen.

So I decided to include my boy Sprocket as part of my business name. I hope to embody the same characteristics he has - he's goofy-looking, fun-loving, absolutely caring and dedicated and provides love to and brings beauty into the lives of  anyone who needs it. Some say he's an oddity himself, but I just call him my best friend.