Happy Little Cottages By The Sea

Cottage Charm, Coastal Calm

Guide Dogs

Paw4Vets Fundraising Success!

We had an incredible turn out last Saturday for our Paws4Vets fundraiser! If you didn’t make it, you missed a lot of fun and friendship! Saturday, January 28th, Seaside Sisters on Tybee Island totally “went to the dogs!” We gathered there to help raise money to support Paws4Vets and to help fund the training of one very special puppy. Jimmy, an 8-week old Golden Retriever puppy named after our beloved Jimmy Kelleher of Seaside Sweets, will be trained by the wonderful people at Paws4Vets to be a service dog; he will go on to be the companion of a soldier right here in the Savannah area.

Through the Paws4Vets Assistance Dog Placement Program, our Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members (or their dependents) with physical, neurological, psychiatric, or emotional disabilities can receive Psychiatric Service Dogs, Mobility Service Dogs, and Rehabilitative Assistance Dogs free of charge. All Paws4Vets Assistance Dogs are trained by federal inmates within one of five federal prisons and/or the Paws4Vets Wounded Warrior PTSD Intervention and Assistance Dog Training Program. It’s a wonderful thing, and Mermaid Cottages is proud to sponsor such a great cause!

Saturday was certainly amazing! Paws4Vets founders Kyria Henry and her veteran father, Terry Henry, other service dogs from Paws4People, and soldiers from Ft Stewart and the surrounding area with service dogs came out to celebrate and help in the effort! Mary Kay Andrews was there as well with a fresh haul of wonderful vintage lovelies in tow, and pen in hand, ready to sign books for fans. There was an amazing silent auction full of treasures on which to bid, which included, among other things, a signed copy of Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible!  Mermaid Cottages was there with our Beach Bum Biscuits and tee shirts. The proceeds from the sales of those items, as well as 10% of each purchase made in Seaside Sisters that day, went to the fundraising cause! And, to top it all off, there was a bake sale to end all bake sales. It was a wonderful day!

We were also honored to see GiftShopMag.com and SavannahNow.com feature our fundraiser on their sites! Make sure to head over and read the posts. We are so excited about them!

In all, the fundraising efforts raised $1000 to help Paws4Vets! Thanks to everyone for coming out to Seaside Sisters and supporting this great cause! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Paw4Vets Fundraising Success! Read More »

Knight Takes A Snow Day

A few weeks ago, Mermaid Cottages introduced Knight, our newest puppy in training to become a Guide Dog or Service Dog for a person with disabilities.  He’s just a wee lad and everything is all bright and new to him.  Until it’s time to get his training vest and attend “big boy” school, he is in the care of Sandy, our wonderful Puppy Walker.

Sandy includes Knight in every part of her day to day life, introducing him to the sights and sounds of our wonderful world and teaching him his basic socialization skills.  She makes sure he gets used to being out in public among people and other animals and teaches him very valuable life skills that some day will make a difference to the person he eventually gets paired.

Rencently, Sandy headed north and Knight experienced snow for the first time!  In true wide eyed, fascination and excitement, Knight carefully inspected the cold and fluffy white stuff and then took off running and playing.

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Welcome Knight, Our Newest Sponsored Guide Dog!

Sandy and Knight!

Everyone at Mermaid Cottages is excited about the news! December 3rd, our good friend Sandy picked up our newest guide dog sponsor, Knight! That’s right, the same special little guy you all helped to name. Isn’t he just the most precious little thing? There’s nothing cuter than an eight month old black lab puppy!

Knight got his name thanks to everyone voting in our Name That Puppy Poll on our Mermaid Cottages Facebook Page. We received so many wonderful names (and reasons for those names) that a poll just seemed like the best way to choose the perfect fit, and boy did you guys come through! Knight won with 62% on the vote! Knight was submitted by Rob S. from Florida in honor of a good friend that passed unexpectedly November 23 at the young age of 36. Albert Knight, Jr. gave of himself each year by participating in the Relay for Life. He continued giving after his passing through organ donation and even a donation to Locks of Love. Since childhood, Al enjoyed spending much of his time at the beach and always lived life to the fullest, as if each day was his last. And now, his name will be carried on and his memory honored through the life of Knight, our newest sponsored guide dog!

Knight seems to be making himself right at home!

Sandy tells us Knight seems to be a very sweet and calm puppy so far. He really enjoys the company of his new friends, Aldo and Tony. Aldo (on the left above) is also a guide dog, and Tony (on the right) is Sandy’s big, beautiful Golden Retriever. Tony is about 105 lbs. to Knight’s about ten, so we ought to really be able to watch Knight’s growth when he sits next to Tony! Cuteness overload!

We are so proud to welcome Knight into the Mermaid Cottages family. We just know he will live up to his name and grow up to do wonderful things as a guide dog! Remember, every time you stay with Mermaid Cottages or purchase our Beach Bum Biscuits, you help us sponsor a service or guide dog through The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and  Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Puppy Sponsorship Program, so thank you for helping us help others!

Welcome Knight, Our Newest Sponsored Guide Dog! Read More »

Name That Puppy Poll!

Well, submissions are now closed! We have really enjoyed going through all the name submissions for our newest Guide Dog sponsor pup. It was difficult, to say the least, but we have come up with our top six favorite names, and now we need your help!

Today is the day! Head on over to our Name That Puppy Poll on our Official Mermaid Cottages Facebook Page and vote for your favorite name now! Here are the names, and why they were submitted:

Curry– in memory of Chris D.’s grandfather, father, and brother, who all served in the military

Scout– in honor of Connie D.’s parents, always supportive of the Scouts and “because a good scout helps people.”

Deen– in honor of Paula Deen and family and all they do for the community.

Knight– in honor of Al Knight who passed and helped many through organ donation and donation to Locks of Love.

Kevin– in memory of Kevin Pape who was killed in service to our country in Afghanistan.

Drum– in memory of Miss Sylvia, Tybee treasure and percussionist extraordinaire.

The poll will be open for voting until November 30 at 5 p.m., so don’t wait! Sandy, our good friend and puppy care taker, is picking up the newest addition to the Mermaid Cottages Sponsored Guide Dog family December 1st, and we really want her to have something to call the little guy when she gets there.

Vote now, and tell your friends to vote as well! We can’t wait to know our newest’s addition’s name!

Name That Puppy Poll! Read More »

Say Thanks With Puppy Love!

Would you like to give Thanksgiving for the memory of someone who has inspired you?

Mermaid Cottages just learned our next Guide Dog  puppy will be arriving soon and we want you to help us name him!  He’s a  spectacular pure black lab male, eight weeks old and there’s nothing cuter in this world.  Our wonderful dog walker, Sandy, will pick him up in New York on December 1st and he’ll begin a journey in which we can all take part.

If you would like to help name our new puppy here’s how to submit your nomination:

Email your nomination to diane@mermaidcottages.com

 

Email Diane your name suggestion and tell us in whose memory you’re making your nomination.  Tell us about the person and why you would like to honor his/her memory (public/community service, mentoring, philanthropy, etc).

All nominations must be received by 5 PM, Sunday, November 27, 2011.

 

Diane will choose her top six names and post them on our Facebook page for everyone to vote.  The Facebook Poll will start on Monday, November 28 and votes will be collected through 6 PM, Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

This young lad will be in training to become a Guide Dog for a person with disabilities, so his name should be in honor of someone whose life was lived in service to others.

Mermaids Make A Difference.  Be Inspired.  Give thanks for Thanksgiving.  Give thanks. …

Say Thanks With Puppy Love! Read More »