A Message from Best Friends

Help the animals of Haiti!

The earthquake in Haiti was devastating to humans and animals alike. But today, you can help.
100 percent of your donation will go directly to help animals suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake. Best Friends is a part of the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), and your support will provide food, water, rabies vaccinations, safety and more for countless animals.
Thank you for being a beacon of hope!

(The above is reprinted from the Best Friends Newsletter. Click Here for more information!)

Nia and Sadie - Crazy Kind of Love

We should all get along like cats and dogs! View a sweet moment caught on film with my new Flip Video Camera!

Caption this Photo!

This picture cracks me up. Mostly my pups (Nia's the black. Cheyenne's the blond.) are sweet, but they sure don't look it here. They look... I don't know. Like they've got an attitude. What do you think they're thinking?

Make my day and caption this photo!

Giddy-up!

Our family grew up with horses. Well, not with them, but they were always around. When I was a kid, we had several. I had my own pony. Her name was Topsy-Turvy and I showed her in 4-H. I even won some ribbons!

Later, I graduated to horses. I remember the first time a horse reared--with me on it! I fell off and wrenched my wrist. I also remember the first time a horse bit me. And when one tried to kick me. But mostly my memories are fond ones.

I. Love. Horses.

That said, I haven't been around them in years. Haven't ridden in eons! So, unlike my sister Barb--a fantastic horseman--I was a tad nervous when we went riding in the mountins on our recent trip to Wyoming.

Luckily, my mount, Jack, was a doll. Although he did jump a creek instead of walking down into it. But I held on and stayed on! I was so proud.

Barb was a pro. She even helped the wrangle saddle our horses!

We had a grand week long adventure, but I have to say, that horse back ride was a highlight for me. Such magnificent animals. To share that moment with my sister was a huge treat! Did I mention, I love horses?

SIS Beth

Moosing on the Cake

All week long we were on a search. A search for the moose. We wanted so badly to see one, to be able to check it off our list but darn it, it stayed away. Until...

the last day of the trip as we're driving off Flat Creek Ranch. It takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to get down to Jackson Hole. 1 hour and 15 minutes of going 5-10 mph in a Suburban. 1 hour and 15 minutes of being tossed from side to side of said Suburban. Picture yourself in a barrel and being pushed down a rocky, steep mountain. Yep, that's how it felt. But it was worth it. We were driving around a bend in the road when we saw it. From a distance at first but I knew, KNEW it had to be our moose and guess what folks? He was amazing!

~~SIS Barb and SIS Beth~~

A Wild Beauty

So yesterday, after spending about 10 hours at Yellowstone National Park, we were making the 2 hour drive back to our hotel. I admit, I was speeding even though there are signs everywhere not to because of all the wild animals. However, we were ravenous and there are no restaurants between the park and our hotel. Anyway, we're cruising down this hill when we see a ton of cars parked on the side of the road. Another NO NO. They have what are called turnouts and you're supposed to use those, but there wasn't one and we knew they must be looking at something, so I slammed on the brakes, skid in the gravel, grabbed the camera and hopped out.

This is what we saw. So beautiful, so solitaire, so amazing. We've seen a number of wild animals since we've arrived and we'll share them all with you, but this is the closest we've come...yet!

Play Hard, Sleep Hard

Meet my beautiful fur-kids, Nia (the crazy pup) and Cheyenne (the sensitive dog). Nia's the black lab mix and we think Cheyenne's a cross between a Belgian Malinoi and a German Shepard. They both like to play.

Although Nia's the rougher one. A definite Tomboy. Or is that Tomdog?

Usually Cheyenne poops out first, but eventually Nia winds down, too. I think they're the cutest dogs ever. Well, at least in the current Ciotta household!

SIS Beth