Raffle!

Mustard, Coffee Lane

Prominent Sonoma County artist Jack Stuppin is known for his en pleine air paintings, celebrating the landscape in his distinctive, lively style. Jack and his wife Diane are dog lovers and also happen to be Sharon's neighbors on Coffee Lane. Their dogs stay with her when they travel, and they have seen how much --above and beyond her own kennel business-- Sharon gives to the community and to the dog rescue effort.

Jack and Diane have donated a beautiful artist-signed and numbered limited edition print to be raffled as a fund raiser for Sharon's dog rescue expenses.  The image is of a hillside on Coffee Lane, covered in wild mustard before a vineyard was planted there. It was a familiar sight driving down the road to Bundocks over the years. Print details: 8-color Pigmented Ink Print in an edition limited to 100, image size 24"x30" on 28"x34" paper.

The print is now displayed in the kennel office for visitors to see, and those who want a chance to have it on their own wall can buy tickets there or with a check to Bundocks by mail sent to Sharon Curry, 2405 Coffee Lane, Sebastopol, CA 95472. The suggested donation is $10 per ticket, or 6 for $50. If you would like to have your ticket stubs, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Sharon will fill out your raffle tickets for you with name and phone number. Even if you don't win, it's a great way to support Sharon and her efforts. The winning ticket will be drawn December 31st. 

Thank you, Jack and Diane for noticing and supporting a good cause in your own neighborhood by offering this wonderful prize. If you'd like to know more about Jack's paintings, take a look at jackstuppin.com.

I can't let this post end without a huge thank-you to Sharon. When the Cairn Terrier Club of Northern California needed a foster home for a very young part-Cairn and her eight (eight!!!) tiny puppies, Sharon took them all in. Amber and her puppies have all found good homes, and thanks to Sharon and CTCNC rescue, they got a healthy and well-socialized good start in life.

Amber

Signs of Spring

Thanks so much to the kind people who have exercised the PayPal button and sent donations to help complete the laundry building at the kennel. Sharon is so grateful for your help. Since she doesn't have a computer, she gets a call letting her know every time someone sends a contribution to the fund. She hasn't had time to thank people individually, but all the support she's received is tremendously appreciated and is already being put to use.

Good friend Maris is seen here painting the laundry. The trim will be light green when it's finished, and there's a plan to paint the front of the kennel building to match, so it will look smashing. Behind Maris, you can see the raised tub for dog washing. Out of sight inside the doorway are the commercial washer and dryer waiting to be installed. The walls are ready for insulation, and the sheetrock has been delivered. The propane installation is still looming, and that's an expensive job.

With an insurance settlement in legal limbo, Sharon's resources are extremely strained. Help is still very much needed. In this long stretch since the fire, all of the bedding for the kennel has to be washed at the coin laundry, and that's a daily expense that adds up to a small fortune over time. Amazing volunteers have been helping with this job all these months, but it's been a heavy weight to shoulder. Let's get the building done! Contributions of any size will allow both the laundry facility and demoliton of the old house to move forward.

Friends, clients, and the dog community... you are fabulous, and restore faith in humankind!

Button Button

Yes, it's been a long time coming, but the laundry building for the kennel is nearly done. Red tape slowed things down initially, and the heavy winter rains made the ground too saturated for concrete work during much of the past few months. However, the building finally stands. The commercial washer and dryer are waiting to be installed. The walls are ready for insulation and sheetrock, but a shortage of funds has brought the project to a halt. Money is needed to finish the job!

On the right side of the blog, you'll notice a new donation button. This is a PayPal link to the Sharon Curry Fire Fund bank account. Its aim is to make it easy to add to the fund with a secure online payment. Contributions to the fund will give that final boost to get this building completed, and any amount, small or large, will be gratefully put to use.

In the meantime, laundry help is still needed. If there are people who haven't been involved and want to be, that would give well deserved relief for those still left standing after all these many months! Sharon has been doing almost daily runs to the laundromat, but there are a few dedicated souls--bless them!-- who are still coming to pick up dirty laundry and then deliver clean, fresh bedding.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this effort in so many ways!

New Digs

When Sharon's house was lost in a fire last Thanksgiving, most of us assumed that by now she would have a new house under construction. Unfortunately, the insurance issue has turned out to be complicated, slow, and costly to resolve. (Don't ask! You can imagine how difficult it is for Sharon to deal with all of this, and it doesn't help to talk about it many times a day.) At present there is no money for the huge and expensive ($20-30,000) job of removing the debris from the burned house, let alone for rebuilding.

James, a kind friend, had given Sharon the temporary loan of an RV after the fire. When the time came that he needed it again himself, another good friend, Jeannie Bobbitt, stepped forward with an RV for her to use. However, in just the last few days, generous friends Lynn and Howard have given Sharon a year's loan of a gorgeous 40 foot trailer.

It's not a new house, and it's not forever, but for now, Sharon has a roof over her head and a working heater, and that's very much appreciated.

Cardigan Congratulations

Best in Show!

Ch. Deuces Shonleh BrandyStinger is a three times BIS winner, with two "Best Bred By" wins at this show. Brandy is co-owned by Sharon and Carrie Doucette. Congratulations to all!

Kennel News

Winter rains slowed the progress on the new laundry facility at the kennel, but things are moving again as the weather warms and the soil dries. The excavation is done, and concrete pouring is underway. (Sound of trumpets!)

A blown computer has kept the blog quiet for many weeks, but things are up and running on the cyber front, too, so please check back for kennel news.

Memory Loss

Sharon hasn't lost her memory, or her memories, but she has lost her mementos. This picture of Jordy, one of the many champions Sharon has bred over the years, was in her house when it was destroyed. Fortunately, Pam, Jordy's human companion and chauffeur, can make a copy for Sharon.

Helping Sharon replace her photo archives would be a nice way to support her in this difficult time. Because there is so little space right now, it might be a good idea for breed clubs to designate someone to receive pictures, and collect them until she has a house to put them in.. It would probably be easiest if that person had the know-how and computer capacity to collect digital images because scanning pictures and sending them via email will be best and most affordable for many. Not everybody has a scanner, but most of us know someone who does, or we have access to a scanner at a camera store.

For those who attend dog shows, it might be worth asking the professional dog show photographers to help with this project. Also, think about photos of the offspring or ancestors of Sharon's dogs, both candid and show photos, and pictures of happy times like parties and events. Let's replace the irreplaceable!

More Angels

Things are moving along at bureaucratic pace as excavation, plans and permits go forward for the new laundry at the kennel. There are now two phone lines in good working order, so the message machine is in operation again. With the RV on "real" power instead of a generator, things are wonderfully quiet, and Sharon and her house critters are enjoying that.

There seem to be more angels out there than some of us would have guessed, and a couple of businesses with wings deserve a mention. First, Sharon enjoys audio books, and sometimes orders from a company called Sounds True. When they heard that her recordings had been destroyed in a fire, they replaced several she'd ordered from them at no charge.

As most friends have observed, Sharon is not exactly a techie when it comes to the Internet, so a friend has been ordering flea prevention medication and some other items for her from an online business called PetCareRx http://www.petcarerx.com/. When they learned that a large recent purchase had been in the house when it was destroyed, they immediately offered a free replacement, worth over $200! Their generosity has made them at least one new customer.

Power Progress

Aren't these women beautiful? They are members of the laundry brigade, seen here dropping off bins of freshly washed and dried bedding and towels. Many many thanks to them and the others who are keeping the kennel supplied day after day. For some reason, their halos don't show up well in this picture, but believe me, they're there!

Another worker who deserves a pat on the back is the electrician, who is working long hours to restore utilities. The kennel, the well, and the parking lot are now on regular PG&E again instead of operating off the temporary service or generator. That's a big step forward in comfort and convenience. The phone company is also working on the service there today. Since all of the utilities were burned, a temporary line has been serving the kennel. Now an underground connection is going to get both phone lines working again in normal mode.

Plans are also moving forward to make a laundry facility at the kennel. This is a challenging and complex job, but in the long run will be more convenient than the old system of taking the laundry to the house and back. It's still in the prep and permits phase, but it will be a fun project to watch.

Life Goes On at Bundocks

In spite of the loss of Sharon's house, the kennel continues its busy work. Let's all be mindful, in telling people about the fire, to make it clear that the damage to the house has not slowed the usual boarding, breeding, grooming, feeding and all that goes on at Bundocks Kennels. These Corgi puppies, now old enough to go to new homes, are a good reminder of that! The holiday season is the busiest time of year, and Sharon's livelihood depends on the public making a distinction between her personal loss and the ongoing, undamaged business. It's still a good idea to make a reservation.

My two Cairns have enjoyed Bundocks vacations for their entire lives. In the past two weeks, as we turn and head up Occidental Road toward Coffee Lane, they begin those excited cries that are roughly translated as "Oh boy, we're going to camp!" When we get to the parking lot and pick up a bag or two of laundry without even letting them out of the car, they are shocked and disappointed. I've had a lot of explaining to do.

Talk about angels!

There is some fantastic news to report. Lynn and Christine, generous friends, have given Sharon a commercial washer and dryer! It sounds like these are serious machines, and just right for the job. Huge blessings and gratitude to them for such a wonderful gift.

Of course, a space needs to be created to house these laundry miracles. That's a big job, requiring planning, construction and a great deal of money, so it won't be an instantaneous installation. Laundry helpers are still needed in the interim, but there's hope for a new facility that's better than ever to handle towels and bedding for the kennel.

Speaking of money, some clarification is needed on the special fund that has been set up at Exchange Bank for Sharon's benefit. In the first blog post, information was given for the Sebastopol branch of Exchange Bank, where the fund was established. However, any branch of Exchange Bank can take donations, and they can also be mailed to the main Exchange Bank PO Box. Checks should be made to Sharon Curry Fire Fund (not "trust fund"), but if you've sent a check that's written slightly differently, the folks at Exchange bank should make sure that all variants get to the correct account. If there's any confusion, the check would be returned to sender. Here's a recap of the pertinent info:

Sharon Curry Fire Fund
Exchange Bank
720 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2808
707 823-3800

Thanks so much for contributions of any size.

Housing and Laundry and Storage, Oh My!

Everyone is concerned about Sharon's situation during this difficult period, so she wants to reassure friends that she is comfortably housed in an RV lent by James, who drove down from Lake County to deliver it. He was ferried back by Ann and Buff. The RV is parked in the parking lot, but please don't disturb Sharon if she's there. Life is overwhelming right now, and that is her retreat.

Sharon wants to pass some information on to the kind laundry angels. First, there are two batches of laundry that come up from the kennel. The first is around noon, and a second batch at the end of the day. Without a system, it's easy to imagine days when nobody comes, or too many people come. Carrie and Sharon suggest that we use the calendar on the yahoo page (click the link at the right for support sharon group) to sign up for a particular day and AM or PM. Also, she will leave bulk detergent, and if the laundry volunteers will bring a container, they can take enough for the amount they are planning to wash. No bleach, please. Some people may be going to the laundry to use the big washers, and some people may be doing smaller batches at home, so when you sign up, you could mention if you'll be taking a big or small load. Sharon's friend Kris is going to post more detail about laundry on the yahoo site.

A storage unit has been generously offered to Sharon. That's a fabulous resource, but take a deep breath before we start filling it up. Many items have been offered, so there's a risk of the storage space filling with duplicates or things Sharon can't really use. The last thing we want to do is create a new job for her. Let's continue to inventory the offers of furniture, household items, and appliances on the Database on the yahoo site. If an item must have a home immediately, then use the storage space, but if possible hang on to things for now. We hope the spreadsheet on the database can be modified to show when things have already been put in storage. Please don't consult Sharon on specific offers. There are so many urgent things on her plate that filling her future house is just not something she can process yet! Also, Sharon herself may have things to store in the interim.

Finally, food and clothing are still covered. Thanks for the offers!

Let There Be Light!

The big push today went toward getting the temporary power service functioning. At breathtaking expense, county permits for a temporary service were in hand. The crew had made many trips to the hardware store, and the pole was up. The initial pole and permit was around $700 plus monthly rental, and temporary wiring and junction boxes up to the kennel were another $600 plus monthly fees. However, it looked like there was no way a county inspector was going to make it out to sign off, and that's a requirement before the juice can be turned on. Great frustration all around.

Fortunately, the right phone calls were made, the magic lanterns were rubbed, the dog network did its own abracadabra, and ultimately an inspector arrived. The PG&E meter was set around noon! Sharon wants to give big thanks to John, Peggy, Carrie, and a whole network of helpful people who made it happen. That includes Bill at the county, who shows Corgis, Margie, the clerk at the county who ran down the inspector Scott in Guerneville. Scott skipped lunch to do the inspection, Burton cut down the trees to expedite getting the new service run, and the wonderful Geyserville PG&E crew finished another job in time to get over there and repair the service and set the new meter. Wow! All of us on the sidelines are thankful, too. Good job!

Now the kennel building is running on PG&E instead of generators, and the lights and heaters are functioning in time for colder weather. This is just a baby step in the face of all that needs to be done, but it was a big boost to morale.

Sharon also sends her thanks to the laundry angels. Nobody knows better than she does what a major effort it is to supply the kennel with clean towels and bedding. That help is much appreciated. It may be time to set up a routine to keep an ongoing and consistent flow until a temporary laundry is set up on the property. To make it easier to go back and forth between the blog and the daily support details, there's now a link to the supportsharon yahoo group on the right.

The Pole Is Up

Today the report is rather mixed. The temporary power pole is up, but the power line was damaged by the fire, and so the kennel is still receiving electricity from the generator. It looks hopeful for tomorrow, but there's still some work to be done before basic power is restored.

Insurance compensation is evolving slowly. That means that for now all expenses are out of pocket. Just today, that amounted to around two thousand dollars for the pole and other electrical materials. Our help is going to make a huge difference with the immediate expenses, so please contribute to the emergency Sharon Curry Fire Fund at Exchange Bank if you can. Even small gifts are big right now.

Some of you have had trouble leaving comments on the blog. (I'm very sorry!) It's set on minimum restrictions, so the difficulties are a puzzle. If you've got a google account, sign in first. If not, use your name and email address, or just use anonymous and then sign your name at the bottom of the message. Beyond that, does anybody have a solution?

The one restriction on comments is that they have to get an OK before being published in order to prevent spam. This usually happens quickly unless this blogger is sleeping or oblivious for some reason. Every comment that has come through has been approved at this point.

The yahoo group supportsharon is doing a great job of discussing ongoing practical details. One new development is that now there is a spreadsheet to keep an inventory of things people want to offer Sharon. At present there is no space for furniture, household items, appliances, etc., so this will help keep track of what's available for when there is a house again.

Dirty Laundry

Admit it. That got your attention, didn't it? In this case the dirty laundry is the large quantity of towels and bedding generated by a busy kennel. Sharon's washer and dryer have gone up in smoke, so one of the most constant needs is laundry.

If you live close enough to help out, one very useful thing to do right now is swing by and pick up a bag of dirty laundry, take it home, and bring it back clean and dry. There are two areas, marked dirty laundry and clean laundry, so it's easy to see what's what. This is in the upper parking lot, so friendly elves can come and go without any impact on the ongoing functioning of the kennel.

Sharon wants to pass on her gratitude for all of the help she's received, and for the many offers of assistance. She wants to let everybody know that the crew has things under control, and it's best that people only come if they have a dog to drop off or pick up for boarding. Her staff is not unfamiliar with the occasional power outage, and so they are doing fine. They're maintaining the usual calm operation of the kennel and don't really need extra hands at present.

Peggy at PG&E has been working like a demon (or an angel!)to get a temporary power pole up. There's a good chance it may be installed tomorrow, and then before long the generator won't be needed for electricity at the kennel.

Fire at Sharon's House

On Thanksgiving evening, there was a devastating fire at Sharon's home. Sharon is the owner of Bundocks Kennels. The house sat a distance away from the kennel building, which was never at risk. Sharon and her dogs are safe, but her house and all her personal possessions are gone.

The phone is ringing with anxious questions and offers of help, but the flood of calls is overwhelming. Sharon doesn't have the heart or the time to respond to each one right now. This blog aims to share information, offer a place to leave messages, and lighten the communication load until more normal life resumes. As always, Sharon is busy with her everyday chores that come with boarding, breeding and showing dogs.

First, the kennel is up and running on generator power, but electricity should be restored after the holiday weekend. Business continues as usual.

An emergency Sharon Curry Fire Fund has been established at the Sebastopol branch of Exchange Bank: 720 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472-2808 (707) 823-3800.

What can people do to help? Clothing and food needs are covered right now. As time goes on, there will probably be other ways to pitch in. Check back, or subscribe to updates on the right.

Until power is reestablished to the kennel, the generators are hungry for gas. If you live nearby and would like to bring a can of gas, they can be left in the upper parking lot. There is also a mailbox in the parking lot for cards and messages for Sharon, and they can also be left here on the blog as comments.