Ground Zero veteran Max recognized with Scout & Zoe’s first Exceptional Canine Award for his versatility and can-do attitude

ANDERSON, IN – Now here’s a dog’s life even a cat could love. Max, a German Shepherd from Indianapolis, has proven himself time and time again as a search and rescue dog with Indiana’s FEMA Task Force One.

The 15-year-old, who worked 12-hour shifts as a search and rescue dog with handler/Mom Annette Zintsmaster following the 2001 World Trade Center tragedy, is being recognized for his career of service with Scout & Zoe’s inaugural Dog Lore Exceptional Canine Award.

Max received his award in a special ceremony which was aired Friday, July 9, at 5:25 p.m., on Indianapolis’ WISH-TV, Channel 8.

“We are so pleased to honor Max as our first Scout & Zoe’s Exceptional Canine recipient,” says Cindy Dunston Quirk, owner and developer of Scout & Zoe’s Natural Antler Dog Chews. “He is a true hero and exemplifies our ideal of an exceptional canine. With each Exceptional Canine Award Scout & Zoe’s bestows, we will endeavor to showcase how vital dogs are to each of us during our life time not only as companions offering unconditional love but also as guardians, life assistants, rescuers and being our eyes to the world.”

As a Scout & Zoe’s honoree, a collectible card has been created for Max that will be included in packages of Scout & Zoe’s chews. The card features his photo, statistics and a recap of his achievements at Ground Zero and other sites, including a long career with FEMA, where assignments took him to sites all over the country.

Max and Annette were on the scene within hours after the 9-11 terrorist attack in New York City. They worked 12-hour shifts for seven straight days, reverently searching smoldering stacks of twisted metal and concrete for survivors. Max drew extra duty at Ground Zero as a therapy dog, providing an invaluable source of comfort for firefighters, police officers and other first responders who needed a silent embrace.

Annette’s husband, Tony, recalls the somber scene at Ground Zero. “There were fires burning all around us,” he says. “We were in ankle deep gray dust, there was twisted metal and glass everywhere; smoke from the fires and continuous secondary explosions made it difficult to see, and the noises and the smells were overwhelming. People had a rough time, so did some of the dogs, but most of the dogs remained focused. It’s amazing how they were able to work. No training could prepare any person or any dog for what we witnessed.”

Max retired from the search and rescue business at age 7 but remains active, enjoying daily romps in the yard with doggie buddies Kaiser and Jago.

Know about an exceptional canine in your area? Submit your DOG LORE story at www.ScoutandZoes.com.

About Scout & Zoe’s: Scout & Zoe’s Natural Antler Dog Chews are 100 percent natural deer and elk antlers, harvested through either natural shedding or cutting from farm-raised animals. Losing antlers each year is part of the natural life cycle, and cutting helps prevent the farm-raised animals from harming one another.

Antler chews are the right choice for the 15 to 20 percent of dogs, who suffer from allergies to beef, chicken or have other digestive issues. They’re a safer choice for any dog, because antler chews don’t splinter like bones. Owners like them because they don’t wind up in a gooey mess like rawhide, and best of all they take away the need for pets to chew on furniture, shoes and other things around the house.

Scout & Zoe’s are superior to other chews in helping dogs maintain clean, healthy teeth and contain trace minerals such as calcium and phosphorous which add to the pet’s overall health.

Typically lasting four to six weeks, Scout & Zoe’s chews are available in a variety of sizes to suit every breed. No animals are harmed and no violence is imposed during the gathering of the antlers.

To order Scout & Zoe’s chews for your pet, go to www.scoutandzoes.com or call (317) 457-7222 to find a retail outlet near you.

I have really enjoyed meeting and getting to know Max and his parents, Annette and Tony Zintsmaster. Max is our very first Exceptional Canine Award recipient. Once a quarter, Scout & Zoe’s (www.ScoutandZoes.com) selects a doggie hero and awards him or her the Exceptional Canine Award for bravery in the face of adversity. In Max’s case, his heroism is legendary. Max and Annette braved the surreal scene looking for survivors at Ground Zero after the Twin Towers were demolished by terrorists in 2001.

The Zintsmasters welcomed me into their home and shared their tale of courage as well as the thrill of interacting with Max.

Max is a sweetheart. The years may have taken the sparkle from him eyes and the spring from his step, but his heart has never beat stronger. He welcomes each visitor with the determination of a champion. Each time I visited, he met me at the door and entertained me until I left. He is a very vocal guy and talked with me during the entire visit.

Each time as I returned with more guests and he rose to the occasion and greeted each individual enticing them to come and play….spend time with me…..I am worth getting to know. And he is. Everyone should be so fortunate to meet Max.

I have only known Max a little over two months now but my eyes grow misty when I consider a world without our exceptional canine, Max. Thank God he followed Annette to her truck 15 years ago. Thank God Annette gave into her heart to train this curious little pup. Thank God the two of them set aside their daily duties and answered the call for first responders on September 11, 2001. We needed Max and Annette to give us hope when we were hopeless. We needed Max and his brother Kaiser to hug when the search for survivors produced no survivors.

We will never forget you Max.

Thank you for your service and for your determination. Thank you for your loyalty and spirit. Thank you for being all heart.

We love you with all of ours.

My creative side is constantly expanding and I am pretty talented these days….if I do say so myself.

So I am paying this forward for all the pups, doggies, kitties and cool cats to help them find forever homes.

Watch this video.  If you are moved, donate to the Humane Society for Hamilton County.  Or, if you are located outside of central Indiana, donate to your local Humane Society. They need your help. From blankets and towels to laundry detergent and bleach, if you bring it, they will gladly accept it.

Oh yes, they also take cash, checks and credit cards.

The staff of the shelters thank you.

The volunteers of the shelter thank you.

But most of all, the gentle animals in these shelters thank you.

Consider adopting one of these precious souls. No only will you change that dog or cat’s life, yours will change as well.

Apparently, the site has not had the traffic it needs to meet its quota for the food donations.

Come on. It’s easy. It feels good. And it doesn’t cost you any money. Just the click of a mouse once a day.

Here’s the link. http://tinyurl.com/2tsjrv

You can also click on the Animal Rescue Site logo in this post. It will take you to the donations page.

Do something good and never leave your favorite chair.  I’m going to click now while I sit next to Scout and Zoe, my doggie pals, in our warm house sheltered from the cold wind tonight. They are both sleeping after having eaten until they are full.

Not all animals are given this kind of love and attention. Give food to animals who could really use a helping hand.

In today’s world where spell check and grammar check are readily available in word processing software, I can’t seem to forgive incorrectly spelled words. Yes, I do realize if you are creating something in Publisher, Indesign or a similar program, checking your spelling might not be as easy as one or two clicks of a mouse. But come on people!

Read what you are writing and creating.

As a broad sweeping statement, we all have a high school degree. And a pretty high percentage of us have college degrees or at least some college courses under our belts. We should know how to spell. The advent of the computer has just made it easier for us to check our spelling.

It has made us lazy.

One of the problems with spell check is it normally won’t catch a correctly spelled word (think your instead of you’re) until you run a grammar check.  And even then, it might not catch it.

So you have to kick it old school.

Read what you write and create with a critical eye. As I was ranting about this yesterday, someone near me advised reading documents backwards so errors can be caught. Harder to do, yes. But it will help to see what is actually on the page rather than see what you want to see or expect to see.

Have you received the email that has most of the text in incorrectly spelled words?  Quite a few words have vowels left out or have letters transposed. Our mind still reads it correctly because it sees what it expects to see. Sort of a controlled reader effect.  (Remember controlled reader from elementary school?)

If you aren’t great at proofing your own work, email it to two or three friends and have them look at it. You’ll be amazed at what they will catch.

But for goodness sakes, check your spelling as well as your grammar.

Nothing brings out my inner school marm editor than receiving correspondence from a business that is chocked-full of errors. Makes me bring out the red pen and start marking away……

I have to tell you, I am not the same person I was just a couple of years ago.

Now, I ask for help when I need it. Heck, I even verbalize my needs and wants (sometimes those two items are the same; sometimes not) aloud to anyone within earshot as well as to the etheral.   The universe, and that includes God and all the angels watching over me, listen to what I am asking for and watch what I am doing.  Ever heard, “Be careful what you ask for, for certainly you will receive it?”

That statement is more true than you can imagine.

I have found I hold my own destiny in the palm of my own little hand.  I shape and create my future.  I am the reason things —good or not so pleasant– happen to me and for me.  Boy, as I was realizing that point, it really stung quite a bit!

Every experience I have had has shaped me into the person I am today. And the thoughts I have and actions I complete shape my future. Thoughts become things. So have positive ones.

Such a simple concept.  Why did I, well all of us, have such a problem understanding that?

I have the ability for greatness on any level I choose. As Daddy used to say and Mama still says, I can be anything I set my mind to.  I can accomplish anything I want. My ability to create is limitless.  Notice I didn’t say the sky is the limit.  I said it is limitless. Endless.  The possibilities just keep on coming!

I don’t want to settle on just the sky or the stars. I want the full E ticket ride all the way out to the part of my imagination I haven’t yet conceived.  And beyond!

For me, the ride will never end.  I will seek and expect more for me every single day.

How very cool is that?

“Dwell in possibility.”

- Emily Dickinson

What a beautiful and poignant thought this is. Just reading these words inspires me to take up residence in this place Emily Dickinson calls “possibility.” The fact is, however, life is filled with possibilities and they’re all around us.

The only things that aren’t possible are the things we decide are impossible and give up our quest for them. Every time I make this statement there are bound to be a handful of folks who want to argue the point. They begin to throw a verbal list of things at me that they “know” are impossible and expect me to debate these issues with them.

I usually just agree with them that there are some things that are impossible: the wheel, the silly notion that the earth is round, the light bulb, a machine that will replace the horse and buggy, a machine that can fly through the air carrying passengers around the world, vaccines for Polio and so many other diseases, cell phones, space travel, computers, the Internet and all the other miraculous discoveries that will be possible in the future because someone refused to believe that anything is impossible.

Those who carry a mental list of all the things that are impossible appear to me as fools. The fact is that the things they rattle off as “impossible” could not be in their minds if they were not possible. Stay opened minded and realize that someone, somewhere, someday will eventually bring to fruition all the things believed by some to be impossible today.

Today, I just have to put this out there. I think there are many people who will benefit from my post today.

I have been trying to do business with a local company so I made the initial contact. I waited a couple of days for the return phone call and didn’t receive one, so I called back. Once again I waited for a couple of days for the company representative to contact me. No call. No email. So I called again. I made three calls letting the company know I wanted to engage their services.

And three times, they did not respond.

I am going to take off my paranoia hat and know that it just isn’t me. This company doesn’t know me or my company. For all they know, I could spend a $100 or $10,000. They just don’t know. And they won’t now.

I won’t call back again. Three times is my limit.

I just can’t beg someone to let me pay them for my business. No company or person is that good at anything. There is something in my DNA that won’t allow me to do it. Just goes against my grain.

Perhaps the company is too busy to take new clients. That is a good thing for the company. The down side of that is I will contact their competitor.

So the positive take away here is when someone calls or contacts you, RETURN THEIR PHONE CALL OR EMAIL. Until you return the call, you don’t know the scope of the opportunity that awaits you. Could be nothing or it could be enormous. You will never know until you pick up the phone and talk.

Opportunity knocks at our doors daily. Don’t look through the peep hole to see who is there, open the door wide to embrace the challenge. Take the time to see who or what awaits your reply.

Let’s see.  There is the good and the not so good.  We watched our new president settle into his first year in office.  There were the economic woes that left no one untouched.  Families were separated by another year of conflict overseas.

And 2009 held plenty of enlightenment.  At least, enlightenment for me.  I took me all year to realize this but I am in control of my future.  What happens to me is for me to decide.  It is my own doing.  From the amount of happiness I enjoy to the size of my bank account, the buck stops here.  With me.

I have learned I must continually educate myself in order to grow.  If I am not growing, I am dying.  The success of my  business depends on me and me alone.  Set the vision and then chart the course. The more clear the vision, the more quickly I’ll get there.

I have also realized I am my own worst enemy.  I knew I was my own worst critic but the enemy thing was hard for me to swallow.  All too many times I have gotten in the way of my own success.  I haven’t totally figured out how to side step myself but I am working on that.  I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

One of the biggest things I have learned this year is I need to be more open and receptive to love.  For far too long I have built walls around me and my heart to protect me from the pains of the world in which I dwell.  If people can’t get through my walls, I can’t receive the love they offer. There is no two way street through a brick wall.  If I can’t receive it, I can’t give it either.  Life here is too short for that to occur.  Next time I see you, tell me you love me and enjoy me being in your life.  I do that as often as I am able.

Be true to yourself.  Be the person you were meant to be. Be open to your own greatness.  Be open to receiving the joy and happiness people and things around you have to offer.  Give your dog a good tummy rub.  Go for a stroll with your sweetie.  Take a nap in the sunshine.  Enjoy all those small blessings that make your life experience deep and interesting.

I’m shooting for the stars in 2010.  Hope to see you on the way.

Here’s to the making your new year your personal best.

Happy New Year!

Something that I was unprepared for was the wave of emotion that engulfs me each time I visit his final resting place. On special days–Father’s Day, Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day–almost all the graves have beautiful flowers near the granite headstones. What has touched me most is what happens each December.

Each and every December, a company in the northern part of the United States sends wreaths out to all of the National Cemeteries around the country. These wreaths are accepted by willing volunteers who consider it an honor to spend their Saturday in the chill of the morning to gently, respectfully and lovingly lay each wreath at the grave of a brave service man or woman.

If you don’t know about this program, it is called Wreaths Across America.

On December 12, 2009, my mom, one of my sisters and I got up really early and traveled to Georgia National Cemetery.  Precisely at 10:00 am, there was a prayer and then we laid a wreath on Daddy’s final resting place.  After lingering at the granite marker, I quietly and respectfully gathered several wreaths and laid each one at the grave of a service man or woman also resting in Georgia National Cemetery.

Each time I laid a wreath, I studied the name on the headstone.  I said the name aloud and then thanked that person for their service to our country.  After a few moments of silence, I touched the granite marker and said, “Rest well.  You are not forgotten at this special time of year.”

And in just a few moments, all wreaths had been laid.  A sea of greenery and red bows adorn all of the resting places in the entire cemetery.

A lone bugler began playing Taps.  A second bugler answered the first.

Icy cold winds swept across the mountain top.  The hundreds of volunteers never seemed to notice the temperature.

We were all there to remember our fallen; our fathers and mothers; our sons and daughters at Christmas.

Wreaths Across America relies on donations from individuals and businesses.  If you want to see a perfectly awesome site and remember how it feels to be patriotic, find a national cemetery near you next December and behold the site.  It is one you will not likely forget any time soon.