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Posted: 13 May 2009 01:03 PM PDT

It is time to introduce the nominees for Spike’s Pack for May 2009.  Voting will commence Friday morning at 12:01 AM and conclude Sunday night at 11:59 PM, all times EST.  Congratulations to all those nominated, and good luck in the voting.

Nominee #1 – Webster Lee

Webster found his mom as he was on the lam.  His mom had no idea at the time, of course.  When she pulled into a parking lot, in customary fashion, she opened the door and talked to him.  After a half hour of coaxing, he got in the car.  He went home with her, and he considered his options.  A life of uncertainty or a loving home with four females?  He eventually worked his way into the house where the ladies promptly fell in love with him, and he had a home.

His mother, being the responsible dog lover she is, immediately placed an ad in the paper to find his owner.  The owner saw the ad, responded, crushing his new mother.  She had fallen hard.  As luck would have it, he had fallen quite hard himself.   After three days, the original owner called again and said that he was miserable.  He would not eat, and he was generally depressed.  She asked if Webster could return, as he was heartbroken without the love he experienced.  His new mom welcomed him back into her loving home, and they have been together ever since.

Nominee #2 – Duke Richard II

Duke Richard II is 3.5-year-old Jack Russel mix, adopted from the Austin Humane Society.  At the time of his adoption, Duke was a scruffy dog with a long wiry white coat and a bad case of heartworm. His adoptive parents had him shaved shortly after they took him home and were quite surprised to learn he had TONS of spots underneath all that white hair!  Duke underwent heart worm treatment (that was a scary time) and is now healthy and happier than ever. Duke has the most personality of any dog I have ever known.  He loves to dance, cuddle, play, and keep the squirrels out of the yard.

Duke has a younger sister, Sophie, who was also adopted from the Austin Humane Society.  The two of them LOVE to play and wrestle, but most of all they love to spoon.  On a warm Austin day, you’ll find Duke swimming in Lake Travis and enjoying some Frosty Paws.

Like Spike, Duke is a working dog and very computer literate, writing his own blog.

Morgan was adopted from Furry Friends Rescue on Mother’s day in 2007.  He was only supposed to be a short term foster, a few days and then he would go into another foster home that could better care for the 3 month old puppy.  His mother fell in love with him in 3 days and he was there to stay.  He’s the first puppy his mom has raised on her own, and she was scared. She read books, talked to people and realized he was such a good puppy!  He hardly chewed on anything, learned commands really quickly and was house broken in a few weeks.

He has taught her patience, kindness and a value and appreciation for the simple things in life.  He adores her as much as she does him.  He is now an ambassador and outreach volunteer for Furry Friends Rescue.  He spreads the word about the value of shelter and rescue dogs, blogs for Furry Friends Rescue and even helps out at adoption showcase.  His patience for children and people is wonderful and he’s always ready to have a good time – whether hiking, going to the beach or enjoying an afternoon at the coffee shop.

He loves his treats, any kind of treats, (according to him, nothing with vegetables in it is considered remotely treat like).  He also completed 18 weeks of puppy training and is now learning Flyball, a dog sport.  He loves to play and is always looking for someone to throw the ball or play tug-o-war.  He lives a very happy life, away from a cold shelter floor and in a warm comfy forever home.  He hopes all animals find a place where they go from abandoned to adopted and adored.

Nominee #4 -Nick and Beamer Horne

Here are the whippets, Nick and Beamer, pride and joy of their household.

Nick is 3 years old and is quite the jokester. He still has a side to him that is pure puppy joy, hopping about when he is excited. He loves his stuffed animals and likes to play fetch.

Beamer is 5 years old and spends his day going from one comfortable spot to another, between couch, lazy chair and their own beds, perfecting the art of wrapping himself under his blankets. He is a daddy’s boy and loves to stretch himself on his lap, when he settles in for the evening. Nobody has told Beamer he is not quite a lap dog.

Both dogs run on the treadmill every day and Nick does it twice, because he absolutely loves it. In fact, if anyone opens the door to the basement, Nick will shoot down, get on the treadmill and wait for it to be turned on.

Nick and Beamer are Brazilian, just like their mom. Since dad is American, they end up responding to commands in Portuguese and English, so I guess one can say they are bilingual whippets.

They are both pretty obedient and Nick had the pleasure of attending training classes with Spike.  However, if a furry creature is spotted, both will go deaf to mom and dad. Since whippets can clock at about 35 miles per hour on a flat sprint, they are always kept on a leash when out for walks.  Given the opportunity, both boys will lay motionless for hours in the sun.

Feel free to spread the word about your choice (be creative by using forums, posting on web pages, and calling all of your friends and family) and vote as often as PollDaddy will let you.  Re-visit this same post after midnight on the 15th to kickstart the voting.  We will announce the winner on Monday.  Good luck to all of the nominees, their friends and family.

Get your vote on!