With just a little over a week to go I’m getting very excited! It’s almost time for our fifth annual Poppy Mart, and while the ultimate goal of being able to help more dogs than ever is thrilling, I’m also really excited about the whole bidding process itself. If you haven’t participated in Poppy Mart before, I can tell you that it’s a whole lot of fun. You can take your time looking through all of the items from the comfort of your own home. As a volunteer, the process started months ago. I love soliciting for items, because before I know it the packages start rolling in. The UPS and Fed-X people must wonder what’s going on as I open the door all smiles and accept box after box. I bring them in and open them with the excitement of a young child at Christmas, oohing and aahing over collars and dog beds, trying to find places to hide toys from my own dogs, and having my husband hold up the artwork so I can see what it looks like from a distance. We have some really great stuff this year! It’s difficult to say which items are my favorites, since there are so many different types of things, but there are a few that come to mind.
First, we are fortunate to have some amazing artists donate their work this year. One of them is Nancy Schutt, who is local to me (Seattle), but whose work can be found in collections across the U.S. and internationally. She has donated a beautiful framed giclee on canvas of a gorgeous pit bull whose eyes will pierce your soul. Another is Christine Head, who found a way to combine her incredible artistic talent with her rescue endeavors. She has a brand new Vintage Style Poster coming out, and she was kind enough to donate the artist’s proof to our auction. It’s called Mopito, with a beautiful black and white pit bull and a subtle message about BSL. Next, anyone who knows me and my dogs knows I have a little
bit of a collar fetish. So of course I eagerly look forward to seeing our collar selection. We were lucky enough to get a few gift certificates from Paco Collars http://pacocollars.com/ so you can pick out exactly what you like. If you haven’t checked this company out yet, their collars and leashes are incredibly high quality as well as being gorgeous. You will see lots of pit bulls modeling them too since the entire company is named after the owner’s gorgeous pit bull named Paco. Other collar donations include many quick release type clip collars. Comfortable and washable, these collars are great for everyday wear. There is one with ballerinas on it that really caught my eye. Ballerinas are graceful, agile, and strong, which definitely describes a lot of pit bulls. 
I am also admittedly a book-a-holic, and there are two books that would be great additions to your bookshelves this year. The first is a signed first edition of “Dog Years” by award winning poet and memoirist Mark Doty. It looks
like it might be a tearjerker (not sure), but I have a feeling it will be one you won’t be able to put down. The other is more of a coffee table book, a signed copy of “Street Dogs” by Traer Scott, who is the same photographer that did “Shelter Dogs” (which will also be available in the auction), which I own and also really love. 
The last item that really piqued my interest has nothing to do with dogs or animals whatsoever. Strangely enough, it’s a pair of pajamas that caught my attention. I am the volunteer that will be shipping this item out once the auction comes to a close so I got to see them in person. All I can say is that they are “oh so cute”! I hope that you all take part in the auction as there really is something for everyone, and at every price level, all for a fantastic cause! There are dog treats, beds, jewelry, toys, clothing, music, DVD’s; the list goes on and on. It would be impossible to talk about all of my favorites. Good luck and Happy Bidding! ~ Arlene
Register for the auction here.
Poppy Mart 2008
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