BarbaraSher.com

Back in the spring of 04 I wrote about a dream to open a campground just for people with dogs and worked toward it for about a year. http://www.barbarasher.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=9870 DOGS - Can't camp here without 'em. Well the dream evolved slowly and I thought that a few of you might be interested in hearing what happened in the past 15 months or so. I moved to a rural area in sw Virginia in the Blue Ridge mountains and got involved in the world of animal rescue. The motivation behind the original dream was to be able to spend lots of time with my own dogs in a setting where they could have open space to run, a nice place to swim and to be able to share some of that with other people who were as crazy about dogs as I am. Since I have a good pension any money I made over and above operating costs was intended to go to helping save dogs. I wound up with a farm on 28 acres, a pond and 800 foot of creek for swimming and I think that I am happier here than I would have been up in Mariposa. So could do the campground thing but I don't think that it would be very successful since there is not a large metropolitan area near enough to draw clients from. DC is about a 6 hour drive. But am involved in the lives of hundreds of dogs because I joined the local Humane Society and also do a lot of driving for transport of dogs going from high kill shelters in the south to rescues in the northeast. So now I have 5 dogs of my own - 3 of them are seniors, one is about 5 or 6 and the baby will soon be 3. Two of the dogs that came with me from CA have since passed on and I've adopted 3 since getting here. Those 3 are all senior black lab mixes. Old dogs, black dogs, big dogs are much harder to place into new homes so this has become a mini retirement home for some oldsters like me and I will continue to adopt only old black labs. I also foster dogs and have had about 15 so far - one litter of ten pups was quite a hand full but they soon went east to a rescue group that has a much higher demand for dogs than this area. So I would have to say that the dream evolved into something better, something more fulfilling and rewarding although it only pays in pooch smooches, not money. I would encourage anyone with a dream to stay open to the possibility that it might evolve in ways you hadn't considered and be even more enjoyable than then original.

So I would have to say that the dream evolved into something better, something more fulfilling and rewarding although it only pays in pooch smooches, not money.

Excellent news! What a great life! People who love animals are the best people. Their hearts are gentle and their souls are blessed.

Hey- How great is your life! You could still do the camping for dog lovers, I think. Play on the \"Virginia is for Lovers\" theme. Many people, us included, would camp at your place. I think the most important thing is the setting. We stayed in a cabin on a lake in the UP of MI last year w/o a large city anywhere. (it was wonderful) Campers usually are getting way from cities! Good luck- Patty

I am very pleased that you have found something that fills you with joy.

Tricky Grama wrote:Hey- How great is your life! You could still do the camping for dog lovers, I think. Play on the "Virginia is for Lovers" theme. Many people, us included, would camp at your place. I think the most important thing is the setting. We stayed in a cabin on a lake in the UP of MI last year w/o a large city anywhere. (it was wonderful) Campers usually are getting way from cities! Good luck- Patty

I second what Patty says, you are relative close to the big metro areas of DC, Baltimore and Philly and Richmond of course. Is your place set up to accept RV's, it has become a popular way to vacation. Remember, the more money you make the more pooch you can rescue, I moved in VA a year ago and I know that your rescue is sorely needed. Congratulations!!!

Thanks for the example of how dreams can evolve. I'm trying to be open to that in my own life. One part of your original goal was to offer something to other dog-lovers, and you're definitely still doing that! I live in the Northeast, and (as you know) there's a real puppy shortage due to the high spay/neuter rates. A couple of my neighbors foster dogs here on the final step of their journey from the South to new homes, and it's cool to hear from someone on an earlier leg of the trip. It's fabulous that you can give older Labs a happy place for their golden years. Enjoy! -Celia

That is FANTASTIC! 2 THINGS I LOVE... Dogs, and Virginia! (I live in Georgia now, but want to live in Virginia someday...)

Congrats on achieving a dream. A dream that evolves over time is a dream that I believe is worth putting action steps together to get closer to, and realise. Congrats and wishing you the best of all puppy love and doggy smooches. Fiona Fell (fellow dog lover)

Thank you, that was very inspiring...