Joy | The Joyful Springer

Key Up The Music

Posted February 4, 2012 By Ande and has 6 comments.

Aldous Huxley said, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”

Joyful Springers key up the music. They use music to help them experience a full range of emotions and find the secret treasures in their hearts.

Music is more than entertainment. It’s a way of sitting up and finding more of the magic in the world and in your soul. Find ways to have more music in your life, and you’ll have more harmony too.

[Meet Luke. David and Leila Morris are fostering this handsome 19-month old. Leila says, “This super happy boy was lost in the woods and when found had 30 wounds from losing a few fights with wild things.” Some of Luke’s wounds were abscessed and required stitches, but now the wounds are healed, and Luke has gained 14 pounds. He’s ready for a new home. Leila says that in spite of everything Luke has been through, “he LOVES people and is now a housetrained Velcro Springer.” She says, “He usually howls when I play piano but would not do it for a picture. It was tough to play piano and hold a camera.” Well, I think Luke’s handsome enough just sitting pretty on the piano bench. Thank you, Luke, for being a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer.]

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Categories: Beauty, Joy, Springer Spaniel

Tags: aldous huxley, Dogs, English springer spaniel, expressing the inexpressible, music, spaniel, springer, Springer Spaniel

Join The Jolly Clique

Posted December 23, 2011 By Ande and has no comments yet.

Is laughter a big part of your life … or not?

Joyful Springers join the jolly clique. As if Santa was at their backs, they frequently laugh so hard their bellies shake like bowls full of jelly. They also seek out others who love to laugh, and they share their laughter so easily that they inspire others to laugh.

Laughter has some powerful health benefits: it boosts immunity, it lowers stress hormones, it can decrease pain, it relaxes your muscles, and it can prevent heart disease. So give yourself, and others, the gift of some Santa-inspired jolly belly laughs as often as possible. Life is a lot more fun if you choose ho, ho, ho over oh no, oh no, oh no.

[Pump, Butch, and Jeter are back. These North Carolina beauties (their momma, Helen, calls them "the 3-pack") are definitely "in" the Santa crowd. Santa is Helen's and her husband, Rich's, friend, Bill.]

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Categories: Fun, Joy

Tags: English springer spaniel, jolly, laughter, santa, spaniels, springer spaniels, springers

Ground Yourself

Posted October 12, 2011 By Ande and has 5 comments.

British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote,“The only use of a knowledge of the past is to equip us for the present. The present contains all that there is. It is holy ground; for it is the past, and it is the future.”

Joyful Springers ground themselves. They understand that life is lived in “holy ground” of the present, and a constant focus on what’s done or what will be prevents them from allowing their irresistible essence to shine.

When you define yourself by what you’ve done or what might happen to you in the future, you can’t fully be yourself. Be here now, in the sweet beauty of your truth. This is where you’ll find all the joy you desire.

[Triscuit is back. Joan Howe took this photo of her now 13 year old "independent" girl, the first day she and her husband brought Triscuit home. Joan says that Triscuit was so timid that this was the only pose they could get out of her. Later, this photo won 1st Place in a puppy photo contest and was on the cover of SPRINGER EXPRESS magazine in the Fall of 2000. These days, Triscuit is an older girl with arthritis and hearing issues (although she can hear very well whenever food is involved). She’s been through major surgery for Cushings' Disease and has had both ACLs done, but she’s still a happy girl. ]

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Categories: Focus, Joy, Springer Spaniel

Tags: alfred north whitehead, Dogs, English springer spaniel, Joy, spaniel, springer, Springer Spaniel, The present contains all that there is

Get Your Bunny On

Posted April 24, 2011 By Ande and has 6 comments.

You’ve heard of getting your groove on, right?

Joyful Springers get their bunny on. They know they can get in a hopping great mood just by acting as if they have an ear for only the good stuff in their world.

Getting your bunny on is a attitude of positive expectation and an energetic leap into the best parts of every day. It’s something you can choose to do right now (furry pink ears are optional).

[Mattie is back. Brenda's lovely lady was kind enough to "get her bunny on" and pose for photos on a recent sunny North Carolina day ... even though Mattie knows she doesn't need the ears to hop into great fun. ]

Happy Easter from Ducky, Tim, and Me!

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Categories: Feeling Good, Fun, Joy, Perspective, Play, Positive thinking, Springer Spaniel

Tags: attitude, Dogs, English springer spaniel, Feeling Good, Fun, get your groove on, Joy, spaniels, springers

Trample It

Posted March 28, 2011 By Ande and has 2 comments.

Too many of us live careful lives these days. We’re so aware of what could go wrong, we hold back and don’t engage with the world the way we would if we felt totally safe and excited about life.

Joyful Springers trample it. They don’t focus on what could go wrong. They focus on the fun to be had.

Life was meant to be savored. Don’t tiptoe through your days. Trample them with passion and enthusiasm.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

[I know it's Spring, but I had to get in one last snow picture. Ducky was so excited about her first ever encounter with more than a dusting of snow that she had it trampled down in a matter of minutes. ]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

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Categories: Feeling Good, Focus, Fun, Joy, Passion, Springer Spaniel

Tags: enthusiasm, focus on what's right, Fun, Joy, Passion, spaniels, springer spaniels, springers

Be Encircled

Posted March 25, 2011 By Ande and has 1 comment.

Many of us go through our lives feeling alone and separate. There is, however, a better way.

Joyful Springers are encircled. They know they’re surrounded by love and joy all the time.

You are never, ever alone, even when it seems like you are. If you keep in mind that you’re encircled by divine energy all the time, you will always have the strength you need to handle whatever comes your way.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful RESCUE MIXED BREED.

[Mollie's back. This mixed breed girl takes her ball playing seriously. She uses it to help bring balance into the busy life of her momma, Donna, who's a life coach teaching people how to create fun and fulfilling lives. Thanks, Mollie, for being a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer.]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

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Categories: Energy, Joy, Love, Springer Spaniel

Tags: connected, divine energy, Dogs, English springer spaniel, Joy, Love, spaniels, springer spaniels, springers

Let A Little Pirate Out

Posted February 2, 2011 By Ande and has 2 comments.

Author Kurt Vonnegut wrote, in Breakfast of Champions, “The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish.”

Joyful Springers let a little pirate out. They have an enormous capacity to be astonishing … in a good way. Just by allowing their happiness to shine out in the world, they fill others with joyful wonder and amazement.
One of the best gifts you can give to others is to find your own joy and let it erupt all over the place. Don’t hold it in–even in the face of another’s suffering. People love being surprised and delighted. So astonish them and make their day.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

[Angel Riley is back. This sweet nine-year old from North Carolina makes an adorable pirate, don't you think? Thanks, Riley, for guest starring again on The Joyful Springer.]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo

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Categories: Feeling Good, Joy, Springer Spaniel

Tags: Dogs, English springer spaniel, happiness, Joy, kurt vonnegut quote, spaniels, Springer Spaniel, springer spaniels, springers

Observe Good Things Intently

Posted January 14, 2011 By Ande and has 2 comments.

The world is full of things we can pay attention to … things both good and bad. We have a tendency to pay more attention to the bad than the good.

Joyful Springers observe good things intently. They may see tragedy and pain and injustice, but they give these little scrutiny. They shift instead to look at love and fun and beauty.

The world is a big smorgasbord of delight and despair. When you choose to intently focus on the delight, you’ll find that the delight grows to turn the world around you into a more joyful place.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

[Muggins and my parents' dog, Mickey, who passed away in 2009, always observed intently when Dad was working in the kitchen!]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

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Categories: Appreciation, Beauty, Focus, Joy, Springer Spaniel

Tags: Beauty, deliberate focus, Dogs, English springer spaniel, Focus, Joy, Love, positive focus, spaniels, Springer Spaniel, springers

Ring Happy Bells

Posted December 31, 2010 By Ande and has 5 comments.

Poet Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote,“Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

Joyful Springers ring happy bells. At year’s end, they’re delighted to ring out the old and ring in the new. They have no use for the false but only dig up the true.

You’re on the verge of a new year as crisp and unspoiled as an expanse of fresh snow. Whatever bad happened this year, let it go. Ring out the old. Ring in the new. The false is done. Be ready for true joy in 2011.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

[Meet Millie. As you can see, this three year old girl from London, England, is very HAPPY. Millie loves to play ball, which is obvious. Her mum, Christina, says Millie is well known in her local park "for her gentleness and speed." People love to throw the ball for her because she so joyously retrieves it. She also captures the idea of ringing happy bells because she helps her mum, Christina, foster dogs and cats and puppies and kitties who need care before they find their forever homes. Millie herself is a rescue dog too. Christina adopted Millie when she was 9 months old. Christina says Millie was underweight and nervous then, but now she loves to make friends, even if she's a little shy at first. In the coming weeks, you'll see Millie again, and you'll see how her happy, loving energy radiates out to touch those around her. Thanks, Millie, for being a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer!]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

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Categories: Joy, Springer Spaniel, Truth

Tags: dog, English springer spaniel, Joy, new year, ring in the new, ring out the old, spaniels, Springer Spaniel, springers, tennyson

Join The Pile

Posted December 22, 2010 By Ande and has 8 comments.

I usually do just one daily post, but I just got this photo today, and I’m so excited to be “debuting” this sweetie to the world that I had to jump on it. Plus, she’s wearing her holiday finery.

Everyday, we have a choice. We can either link into the “chain of pain” in the world–the complaints and problems and crud–or we can join the “pile of presents”–all the fun and beauty and love.

Joyful Springers join the pile. They know that even though pain is of course present in the world, they don’t have to add to it by focusing on it incessantly. They know that for every loss there’s a gain, and they choose to pay more attention to the gain.

Even when it seems that everything is going wrong, there’s always something going right. When you put all your attention on what’s right, you build up that pile of right; and everything get’s better and better.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

[Meet River! This six-month old bundle of love and energy is Abigail LaPan's new Springer, who joined Abigail and her family this summer. River has big paws to fill. Abigail's last, beloved Springer, Oliver, passed away in February. It was my privilege to honor him on this site in April, when Abigail and her family were still deeply grieving his passing. Abigail says that River has helped bring Abigail peace about Oliver's death.

I can so relate to Abigail's feelings because Ducky has done the same for me regarding Muggins' passing. So this post is in celebration of River and all the new animals who come into our lives to remind us that though loved ones' physical bodies may leave, their love never does. And this post is dedicated to Oliver and all the other remarkable animals who give their devotion to us and touch us so profoundly that their imprint lasts forever. Thanks, River, for being a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer!]

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

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Categories: Beauty, Dogs, Focus, Fun, Joy, Love

Tags: dog, English springer spaniel, Focus, Joy, Love, Positive thinking, spaniel, Springer Spaniel, springers, thought focus

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Doggone Awesome Inspiration For Happy Living

Happy Easter from Ducky, Tim, and Me!

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful RESCUE MIXED BREED.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.

I usually do just one daily post, but I just got this photo today, and I’m so excited to be “debuting” this sweetie to the world that I had to jump on it. Plus, she’s wearing her holiday finery.

… another wise tidbit from a joyful English Springer Spaniel.

Would your dog like to be a Guest Star on The Joyful Springer? All dogs can fit the definition of a Joyful Springer. Click here to find out how to submit your photo.