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There are no words, people. Just no words.

This letter was forwarded to me from the editorial department. It was such a lovely note I wanted to share it with you:

Kinda hard to start this letter-guess it began  last September when my wife and I got back from a Virginia Tech game.

Our 16-year-old dachshund, who was the love of our lives, was waiting for us to get home and feed him. His name was Ramsay and he had gotten to the age that he could barely walk in our mulch. Long story short, I let him out to do his business and I went inside to get his dinner. Much to our dismay, he went missing.

We spent half the night and most of the next day trying to find him without any luck. Well, we grieved for a while and decided we needed to find another dog-not just another dog, mind you, but a rescue dog.

I was a bit skeptical until she came home with this gorgoeous little labradoodle that was listed by the (Henry County) SPCA as a male. Because of her/his listing, I named him/her Buddy after Bud Foster.

As nervous as I was about adopting a dog, I cannot express how happy I am with this beautiful lady, named Buddy, who will greet me at the door with so much love and excitement in her eyes to see me home!  We have a porch that overlooks our neighbors house and our Buddy will stick her head between the pickets to watch the children play or listen to the cardinals sing with her tail a-wagging.

She seldom barks at them but seems just to glorify in the day, happy to be alive and taking in all the sounds and smells. My message is, if you want a true challenge with much in return, adopt one of these beautiful animals that for some reason was given up on. If you are as lucky as us, you will be much surprised by the love they will give you back.

-Mark Sizemore

I was a little amazed, and confused, about the gender identificaion, so I asked Mark for a little more detail. Here's what he wrote back:

We adopted Buddy from the Henry County SPCA when she was, by their estimation, almost 6-weeks-old.  Her entire litter had been dropped off and was destined to be shipped off to the North Shore Animal [League] when they were a little older.  

Once we had checked out the puppy's 'plumbing' at the shelter we didnt bother to check it again, we simply told them we would foster the male puppy until we made up our mind or it was time to send them to North Shore. We filled out the paperwork, they presented us with a beautiful blonde furball, and we went home for a week. 

We didnt realize the mistaken gender for another week and a half when we took him/her to be neutured.   Our vet just laughed and pointed out that our furball had a "hoo-haw and not a wing-ding". 

What a hoot - Bud Foster was a girl!  By that time, Buddy already knew and responded to her name, and our hearts were already given over to her - there was no going back!

Over 20 years ago, I lost my dad, whom I loved dearly, to liver cancer. Almost 10 years ago, my good friend Robert Wall lost his battle with luekemia.  Two years ago, we lost our dog Missy to a spinal tumor.

I will keep all of them in my heart at the Bark for Life relay on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Six Wags Dog Park in Salem from 5 to 9 p.m. 

The event, intended to celebrate cancer survivors and honor those lost to the disease, both human and canine, will add to the fundraising efforts of the Roanoke Valley Relay for Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society.

A one-mile walk around the almost 6-acre park will be led by two- and four-legged cancer survivors and will be followed by games and contests, including:

• Best costume
• Best trick
• Dog/owner look-a-ike
• Longest tongue
• Best smile
• Best dancer

Baths and massages for the pooches will be offered, and the Roanoke City K9 unit will perform a demonstration. A Wall of Hope will be built of purchased paper bones in memory of those who bravely battled cancer.

To register you can click here, or call 774-2716 or visit the American Cancer Society office at 2840 Electric Road, Suite 106, in Roanoke.

Don't you love the warm summer evenings when you can bathe your dirty dog outside? And don't you love spending warm summer evenings at the ball park watching a game?

Combine two favorite summer activities at Bark in the Park, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Tickets go on sale today for this event that includes a bath and admission for your dog to the Sunday, Aug. 16, Salem Red Sox/Kinston Indians game at Lewis Gale Field at the Salem Memorial Ballpark. One human gets in to the game free with each paid pooch.

Dogs less than 20 pounds can come clean and cheer for the Sox for $20. Heftier hounds get the same deal for $30. Each additional human can get a ticket for $8. Season ticket holders can get a voucher for the wash, $10 for pocket pooches and $20 for big sweeties.

Two area animal shelters are having "Christmas in July" drives to put a little kibble in the bowls for hungry pets.

The Roanoke Valley SPCA has been participating in the month-long drive in conjunction with area senior services organizations. Donations can be dropped off at senior care centers all over Roanoke (for a list of drop off locations, click here) or at collection boxes at Kroger, Ukrop's, K-92 Radio Station, the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, and the RVSPCA.

Donations will benefit the animals at the RVSPCA and dry food will be repackaged for distribution to the pets of recipients of Meals on Wheels and for the Bethel Baptist Church, Botetourt and Manna Ministries food pantries.

To cap off the "holiday" season, Loyalton of Roanoke will host a cookout on Friday, July 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  A bag of cat or dog food and a $5 donation will get you a hot dog lunch. Loyalton is located at 3585 Brambleton Avenue.

The Franklin County Humane Society is also celebrating Christmas in July and is looking for donations of Purina One kitten, cat, puppy and dog food, cans of Fancy Feast or Friskies kitty food, Iams dog/puppy food, bones and treats, or Wal-Mart or PetSmart gift cards.

(In case you wonder why sometimes shelters specify a particular type of food for a donation, it's because it's best to keep animals- especially ones in a shelter environment which, no matter how well maintained, is stressful for social critters- on a consistent diet. Much less chance for stomach and digestion problems.)

Donations can be dropped off at the adoption center on U.S. 220, the Pet Clinic of Rocky Mount, the Uttermost Company and Westlake Veterinary Medical Hospital.

I also got e-mails from Jenny Richardson and Anita Scott, two of the volunteers I interviewed for my column about the new adoption center. The FCHS took in seven dogs surrendered by a backyard breeder this week and they are hoping for cash donations to the shelter to cover the medical bills for these pooches.

The dogs are various toy breeds, including Pomeranian, Shih Tzu, a Pekingese, and range from 3- to 7-years-old.

All of the dogs have hookworms; two had to have teeth extracted and one had bladder stones. Another dog, Fiona, gave birth to two puppies after the shelter took her in. Each of the dogs had to be bathed several times and shaved because their fur was matted and crusted in dirt and feces.

Lloyd- before

Lloyd- after

Scott said all but the new mother and her litter have been committed to rescue groups. Fiona and her puppies will be in foster care until they can be adopted. If you want to donate, go the shelter's Web site for PayPal, or send a donation to the Franklin County Humane Society, P.O. Box 2118, Rocky Mount, Va., 24151

iStock photo

Mine is a family of road warriors. For us, car trips are all about the destination and we want the journey to be as short and efficient as possible. We are the pack-up-the-vehicle-bring-a-few-snacks-and-stop-only-when-absolutely-necessary types.

So having fewer rest areas due to state budget cuts will be a drag for us when it's just us humans in the car. It's really going to be a drag if we travel any distance with our pooches and will not have those convenient areas for potty breaks.

Will having fewer rest areas dampen your plans to travel with your pets for summer fun? Will you feel as welcome walking your dog at a fast food restaurant or gas station as you did at the pet-friendly interstate rest stops?

Here's some good news for our southern neighbors who may be experiencing puppy growing pains. I got this press release yesterday from Chase Inman, director of marketing and development and volunteer coordinator for the SPCA of Martinsville-Henry County.

"Being a new pet parent can be challenging, so the SPCA hopes to help!  This class is for the whole two-legged family members!  Come learn the basics of pet parenthood and how to make your family's adjustment as smooth as possible.  This one hour orientation is purrrfect for new pet parents and those experiencing training issues."

To register call Alice Ann Blevins at 276-632-7424.  Class will be Saturday, July 25, from 1 -2 p.m. Inman said the class is just for pet parents, so leave the pups and pooches at home. The plan is to cover doggy-related issues, but if you are having a kitty conundrum, please let Blevins know and, if there is enough interest, there could be a cat class added to the curriculum.

Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick was released from federal custody yesterday after completing most of his 23-month sentence for dog fighting.

Halle and Tacoma

On a more pet-friendly note, one of the dogs rescued from Vick's dog fighting ring and placed in the care of Best Friends Animal Society has found a new home.

Halle and 21 other of the most traumatized dogs taken from the illegal dog fighting operation were placed with the no-kill animal sanctuary in Utah for rehabilitation, where they became known as the Vicktory Dogs.

More than 50 dogs were recovered from the suburban Virginia house where Vick and three others operated Bad Newz Kennels; the others dogs were placed with pit bull rescue groups across the country.

According to a news release on Best Friends' Web site, Halle is now officially the pet of a woman who had in the past adopted another dog, Tacoma, from Best Friends. After a six-month waiting period in foster care, Halle's new pet mom Traci was eligible to officially adopt her.

Click here to read the story of Traci, Tacoma and Halle.

(Photo from Best Friends Animal Society Web site.)

Click here to read today's Happy Wag newspaper column about the Franklin County Humane Society's Inglath and Mac Cooper adoption center.

The center has been the home to adoptable cats and kittens since May, but just last week adoptable dogs were able to move in as well. The adoption center is a big step in the right direction of reducing the number of homeless pets euthanized in the county.

For a long time, ending up at the municipal animal control shelter was practically a death sentence in Franklin County. The work of the volunteers at the humane society and the addition of an adoption specialist at the pound has made a world of difference. Where the euthanasia rate had once hovered between 80 and 90 percent, the municipal shelter puts down less than 60 percent of cats and only 25 percent of dogs now.

Most of the pets, however, will find their forever home somewhere outside of Franklin County. A majority of the adoptable dogs and cats are shipped out of the county to rescue groups as close as Roanoke and as far as New Hampshire. Those placements are made possible through the efforts Faye Hicks, the pound's adoption specialist, and an army of volunteers including Anita Scott, Jenny Richardson, Elizabeth Little who work tirelessly to move these pets so they can find their new families.

Hicks told me last week how much she appreciates the support of the FCHS, Angels of Assisiin Roanoke and groups in Martinsville-Henry County that help these kitties and pooches have a second chance at a loving home.

Pets can be adopted directly from the Franklin County municipal pound for only $10.

(Photo by Eric Brady, The Roanoke Times)

As as I have written many times before, two of my passions in life are good wine and happy pets. I consider myself blessed beyond measure to have plenty of both in my life.

The Wine Gourmet, a local purveyor of fine spirits populated with pet lovers, has chosen the Roanoke Valley SPCA as its charity of the quarter. This is a wine-win situation.

From now until September, $1 of the price of each bottle of Rabid Red, a blend of Cabernet sauvignon and petite syrah, and Rock Rabbit, a sauvignon blanc, will be donated to the RVSPCA to help homeless pets.

The red wine is described as full-bodied and a good pair for steaks, while the white is recommended for cool sipping on a hot summer day. The shop will be sampling both of the California wines tomorrow from noon until 5 p.m.