Dear Fwiend,WooHoo! School’s out fur Summer! (Cue Alice Cooper) We don’t go to school but with longer days, warmer evenings, road trips, beach days, mountain escapes, backyard adventures and lazy naps in the sunshine beckoning us, we feel like all da kiddos on Summer Break! We’re ready fur summer fun… …just as soon as we get our fledgling-turned-juvenile birdy — Lil’ Birb — off and flying. The short version of a very long story is that our neighbor’s dog discovered a young crow in an area where he certainly wouldn’t have survived. Naturally, we moved him into our backyard so his parents could continue caring for him nearby. Little did we know Lil’ Birb would still be here five weeks later! It turns out he was already developing avian pox, a contagious illness to other birds that can be especially dangerous for young birds. Fortunately, our little guy is one tough cookie. Instead of spending his days isolated indoors at a sanctuary, Lil’ Birb has been recovering in Zachy and Lovey’s first outdoor catio — a giant enclosed chicken coop where he enjoys fresh air, partial shade and daily visits from neighborhood birds and squirrels. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet setup. Our hope is that once the pox clears, we’ll find a large protected outdoor space — perhaps a greenhouse or horse paddock — where he can strengthen his wing and practice flying. If that isn’t possible, Lil’ Birb may need to move to the veterinary sanctuary for additional rehabilitation and, hopefully, eventual release – but this will be away from home. We’ll keep you posted on his adventures. Regardless… Summer is here. We blinked and somehow we’re already in the middle of it. Summer always reminds us that some of life’s best memories aren’t expensive or complicated—they’re simply moments shared with those we love. This Summer, we’re dreaming about adventures big and small. 🐾 The Great Summer PawVenture ListDon’t let the world dominate your summer schedule! Instead, grab a piece of paper and brainstorm a Summer PawVenture Bucket List so you make sure you carve out time to do the things your heart desires too! Not a to-do list. A memory list. Some of ours include: ☐ Visit a place we’ve never been ☐ Revisit a favorite place ☐ Watch a sunset ☐ Eat outside ☐ Take a Sniffari somewhere new ☐ Find a hidden trail ☐ Have a picnic ☐ Read a book in the garden ☐ Take too many photos ☐ Make one unforgettable memory We Wuv our Bucket List Planner & Journal so much that we created a special Summer Edition to help you slow down, dream a little and make room for the moments that matter most. ☀️ Download My PawVenture Planner🌡️ Summer PawVenture Timing TipsOne of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is: Sometimes the best adventure isn’t somewhere new. Sometimes it’s returning to a place filled with memories. A favorite bench. Some places don’t feel like destinations. They feel like old fwiends. One of our favorite discoveries is that the same place can become an entirely new adventure depending on the season, the weather or, the hour of the day! If you have a favorite local spot, pawventure or pawcation destination, visit at different times or different months!
(Avoid Midday heat, sun, hot sand and hot pavement with your pup) 🌊 Bucket List Destination IdeasNew Places to Explore
🏡 Summer Fun at HomeNot every adventure requires a road trip. Some of our favorite summer memories happen right at home: ☀️ Backyard breakfast 🌻 Garden Sniffari, digging, planting, pruning 📚 Reading outside (don’t furget napping too) 🍉 Frozen dog treats 🌙 Stargazing 🦋 Butterfly watching 🐦⬛ Bird watching 📸 Backyard photos! 🏖️ Add a kiddie pool! 🌿 Garden NoteSummer can be stressful for pets. One of the best things you can do is create a shady “cool-down zone.” (Bonus: Near a rosemary plant – see last month’s love letter fur details)! A comfortable resting spot, fresh water, and a little time outdoors during the cooler parts of the day can make all the difference. Sometimes the best adventure is simply enjoying where you already are. 💌 We’d Love to Hear From You!What’s on your Summer PawVenture Bucket List? Are you visiting somewhere new—or revisiting a favorite place? Click Reply and let us know! 📚 From Scooby’s Garden Bench to Your HomeIf you’ve been enjoying these little letters, you may love the book that started them. Inspirations from Fwiends is a collection of Scooby and Mom’s photos, along with notes from fwiends, straight from Scooby’s Favowite Garden. We’ve received messages from fwiends who say they read one page before bed each night—like a devotional or gentle reminder to slow down and notice life’s little gifts. And that is exactly what we hoped for — a little reminder to slow down, notice life’s little gifts, and carry a bit of Scooby’s love with you.
🌞 Until next Wuv Letter, dear fwiend —Remember…Summer doesn’t have to be perfect to be memorable. Take the trip. Visit the garden. Watch the sunset. Go on Sniffaris. Make the memory. With love, the furSmith Family 🐾 and happy tails from heaven, P.S. If you know someone who loves animals or might need a little encouragement, you’re welcome to forward this so they can join our Fwiend Mail.
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May Love Letter: Don’t Furget to Stop and Sniff the Flowers 🌼
Dear Fwiend, Can you bewieve it’s already the end of May?! Spring is almost over and Summer is around the corner! Some of our favorite spring flowers have come and gone while new summer blooms are getting ready to wow us! Scooby’s favorite botanical garden—where his memorial bench sits—is like walking through a living, ever-changing painting. We WUV it! And let’s not furget the trees 🌳 Have you ever gone on a stroll with your pup and the air smells amazing—but you’re not sure where it’s coming from? Look up! Some of our favorite fragrant trees include Fragrant Olive, Orange, Apple, Crab Apple, Plumeria and Magnolia. Just below the trees you may find jasmine and Mom’s favorite—honeysuckle (it reminds her of childhood in Western Kentucky where it grew wild in her neighborhood). What flower, tree, or garden scent instantly transports you back in time? 🐾 Have You Ever Been on a Sniffari? One of our favorite dog activities is something called a “Sniffari”—a sniffing safari! Unlike a regular walk where humans often focus on distance or exercise, a Sniffari lets your dog be the guide. They choose the route, the pace and most importantly…the smells. Dogs experience the world through their noses. In fact, a Sniffari can tire out a dog mentally more than a fast-paced walk of the same length. While we admire flowers with our eyes, dogs gather information through scent. Every tree, flower, breeze and patch of grass tells a story. The best part? Sniffaris aren’t just enriching for dogs—they’re surprisingly relaxing for humans too. The next time you’re out for a walk, try slowing down and letting your pup investigate that interesting bush, tree or flower bed. Notice what you smell. Notice what you hear. Notice what you see. It’s amazing how much beauty we miss when we’re rushing. To celebrate Sniffari season, we created a special gift for you: 🌼 Scooby’s Stop & Sniff the Flowers Mini Field Guide Inside you’ll find Scooby’s Sniff List, simple nature prompts and gentle reminders to help you slow down and enjoy the little things.
Ahhh the garden—we’re planning a little refresh this summer in the furSmith’s backyard retreat! We have a wild backyard full of birds, owls, hawks, butterflies, squirrels, rabbits… and yes—coyotes too! Wowza. We love our wild neighbors (mostly from a distance 😅) and we’ve learned to design our yard so everyone has their space. 🌿 Creating a Pet-Friendly Sanctuary Did you know you can design a beautiful, safe garden for pets? Think:
It doesn’t have to be complicated—just intentional. 🌱 Let ChatGPT Inspire You! We’ve been using ChatGPT for pet friendly garden ideas and it even generated full yard plans! (Important: always double-check plant safety for pets—AI can make mistakes.) Try this prompt: 🦋 Important Monarch note: Milkweed is toxic to dogs. If you plant it for Monarch catepillars (they need it desperately), keep it in a protected area where your pets absolutely cannot access it (we put in pots in our front-yard zone). 🌿 Safety First Before planting, identify every plant, shrub, and tree already existing in your pet friendly yard areas. We like: Once identified, always double-check forpet toxicity. Just for funsies, ChatGPT suggested the following pet safe plants for our yard refresh (in addition to our Lavender): 🌿 Manzanita We’re still researching each one before planting, but we’re excited to start planning! 🌸 Step 3: Create your sanctuary Go plant shopping, design your space and have fun with it. Let your pets “help” (or supervise from a nap spot 🐾). 🌿 Extra Garden Note
Rosemary is a comfort plant. Dogs often choose to lie near it because the scent is calming to their nervous system. It’s also one of the safest aromatic plants around pets. If your dog has anxious evenings or pacing at night, try this: • Sit outside with them for 5–10 minutes at dusk • Let them sniff, don’t direct them • Don’t talk much You’ll be surprised how quickly they settle. Animals regulate themselves through nature. We regulate ourselves through them. 📸 Step 4 (Optional): Show us! 💌 We’d love to hear from you! What’s your favorite flower scent, Sniffari spot or garden bloom right now? Just hit reply and tell us—or send a photo. 🌼 📚 From Scooby’s Garden Bench to Your Home If you’ve been enjoying our Scoobylife Fwiend Mail Love Letters, you may love the book that started them. We’ve received messages from fwiends who say they read one page before bed each night—like a devotional… which is exactly what we hoped it would become.
🌼Until next month, dear fwiend— Don’t furget: life is better when you stop and sniff the flowers 🌸 And remember… You’re never too old to matter. With love, and happy tails from heaven, 💌 You can always reply to this email. We read every one.
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April Showers… and a little extra love 💛
Dear Fwiend,April Showers… The weather across the world this April has been weird, to say the least—do you agree? Here in our little beach town of Dana Point, it felt like we had way more than normal days of super heavy rain—which is much needed—we just wish it had spread out a bit so it could really soak in. Even our beloved Eastern Sierra had LOTS of new snow in late April—almost unheard of. Mammoth Mountain had just started closing their shorter-than-desired ski season… then wham—massive dumps of snow. It even snowed on the annual Eastern Sierra Fishmas Opening Day (on our Pawtography bucket list 🐾). It’s pretty special to see winter and fishing season overlap like that. Here at the furSmiths, we also experienced some unexpected emotional “rain.” We said goodbye to our uncle in Kentucky, another longtime human fwiend and several beloved fur fwiends. We will miss them all tremendously. And we noticed something else… So many of our longtime social media fwiends are also going through loss right now—saying goodbye to their furry soulmates and lifelong companions. So this month’s Love Letter felt like the right time to focus on LOVE and loss. If you or someone you love is walking through grief, we hope you feel a little comfort here. And if you know a fwiend who needs it, please share this with them so they can feel the WUV too 💛 Brings May Flowers! It’s important to remember that after the rain new blooms always follow. We have a few gentle ways to help fwiends move through grief: 🌿 Garden Joy Some plants symbolize remembrance, peace, and comfort—and a few are also safe for homes with pets. Our favorites: • White Roses (Rosa) – symbolize reverence and humility You can plant them, gift them or, simply sit near them and breathe it all in. We also love visiting Niguel Botanical Preserve, where Scooby’s Memorial Bench sits at the top of the hill. There’s something extra special about brushing against wild rosemary and releasing that calming scent into the air. 🌿 Artistic / Creative Joy 🐾 If you can’t make it to Scooby’s Favorite Garden, visit a local garden or botanical preserve and ask where their white roses, forget me nots and rosemary are located so you can enjoy! You can also visit your local garden center and, better yet, buy and plant them for your own mini memorial garden – don’t furget to to include a relaxing bench or chair. You could even pick from your personal garden and create a beautiful bouquet for your home or as a gift fur a fwiend experiencing loss. We WUV that idea! 🐾 Do you WUV to color? We created a special Scooby’s Paw Memorial Garden Mandala just for you—filled with roses, forget-me-nots, and rosemary. You can even journal on the back and keep it as a personal remembrance.
Grief doesn’t follow a straight line. One day might feel okay… and the next three might not. That’s normal. Give yourself grace. Give yourself space. And move through it in your own way, at your own pace. If you need extra support, we have resources on the site you can explore or share with a fwiend: Grieving Your PetPet Grief and Celebration
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You’ve Got Fwiend Mail! 💕🐾
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Dear Fwiend, Happy March and Welcome to our little corner of the world in Dana Point, California! We’d love to know where in the world you’re reading from — and the name of the furry (or feathery!) family member who shares your life. If you’d like, just hit reply and say hello — we love meeting new fwiends! Scooby sent Momma a message from Heaven to write a monthly Love Letter to our fwiends. We love the idea and agreed immediately! In a world full of AI and fake everything, it’s time fur us to stay connected and share real stories about life, PawVentures, PawCations, kitty news (mews) and all things interesting as fur families. Scooby changed how people see dogs. He and Mom always said to stop and sniff the flowers, so that’s what we’re going to do — pay attention to the things that really matter. 🌼 Lots has changed here at the furSmith house since Scooby went to Heaven in 2019. If you’ve followed our socials you may already know that by Thanksgiving he had already sent Ella and Luna to become furSmiths so they could have a life full of PawVentures and love just like him. Then in 2021, Zachy — Scooby’s bested brother and pawtner in crime — joined him in Heaven. Another tough loss for our home. Lovey Kitty was lost without him. Zachy had raised her and Scooby had always been her Superman. Scooby Angel must have whispered to Ella and Luna that it was their time to bump up the love. Before that, they mostly hung out with Lovey and enjoyed her company. But when she fell into deep sadness, they stayed closer. They began lying on the rug with her to play with her toys (we now call it the “fun rug”). They licked her face — and even let her lick theirs. Now it has become a full good morning kissy-fest each day! We’re so happy she’s happy again and that everyone has bonded even deeper. Good thing, because last summer Oliver arrived. He showed up as a young, scruffy, dusty little orange boy who somehow survived several weeks alone in the high desert surrounded by coyotes. He ran straight to Mom for help outside a medical building where she was working — then slept in her lap for the entire three-hour drive home. It took almost a year, but Mom says Oliver has become the best little fur citizen possible in the furSmith household. He worked very hard, and now we all spend our days together in sunny spots just enjoying life – together. Ella watches the squirrels now the way Scooby use to. Scooby isn’t gone from our home. Each month, one of us — sometimes all of us — will write to you and catch up. We’ll share life with dogs, with cats, young and senior life, PawVentures, rescue stories and love that doesn’t end just because breath does. Loving animals changes us in the best possible ways. We’re so glad you’re here with us. The mailbox is open again. Until next month… You can always reply to this email — we read every one. Paw prints from our hearts to yours, Ella 🐾 P.S. We think Scooby and all the furSmith Angels check the mailbox first. 💕
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Fwiend Mail Love Letter — March 2026
Happy New Year! Let’s Plan our 2026!
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Happy 2026 Fwiend!Are you ready fur the new year? We sure are! 2025 was all over the place fur us furSmiths so we’re ready to be way more intentional in 2026! We always use our 1 Year Bucket List Planner to map out what we really want to do each year. It’s Free so, download yours to get your thoughts down on paper! One of our new intentions is to stay in communication with you – this is our first Happy New Year Email ever! Hard to believe! We’re working hard to put together some fun and informative newsletters to send you throughout the year! We hope you’ll be pen pals with us! We had a couple of amazing milestones in 2025! In case you don’t follow us on our instagram we’ll fill you in: We got a new kitty brother! Well, that was totally not on our Bingo card – at all! His name is Oliver! Mom works in some remote areas during the week and on one of her desert appointments in May (2+ hours away) a skinny, dirty, orange and white young kitty came running up to her yelling as soon as she walked up to the clinic! They had named him Oliver and he was eating lunch scraps. Coyotes live in the vacant properties surrounding the medical building and somehow he had survived at least 2 weeks in the bushes! We were rescued from the desert too – not far from there – and its fur sure no picnic! S-C-A-R-Y! So, he sat on Mom’s lap in the car and slept for the over 3 hour drive home to join the furSmith family! He’s officially the youngest (and craziest) furSmith and life will never be the same with this energetic boy running around!
Our Pawcations were cut short in 2025 (due to above mentioned new boy) because Mom didn’t want Lovey living in the master bedroom for 5 days straight. She’s use to the whole house but Oliver plays way to rough when not supervised for our precious Lovey (who had her 15th gotcha birfday in October)! BUT, we were able to get one Eastern Sierra trip in just in time for Fall Colors (we have 5 videos on our Scoobylife Youtube channel so please like, subscribe and comment to help our channel grow)! Plus, we did one overnighter on Thanksgiving in our favorite desert town of Borrego Springs! Mom’s always wanted to go on a “winter” holiday and we had a blast staying one night! Winter through Spring is the dream time to go to Borrego Springs because it’s blazing hot in the Summer (it can get up to 124 degrees)! Um, no thank you! We also went to Mr. Ricardo Breceda’s Iron Art Gallery (he made all of the 130 giant iron scuptures scattered throughout Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs). We got to meet him too! Yay! In 2026 we are going to plan more day trips or one nighters just so Lovey gets to keep her preferred lifestyle! We hope to get one Eastern Sierra trip in but if not, we’ll try again next year! That is, unless ,you wanna kitty sit our brother at your house! (kidding) – well, maybe not! He’s super fun and gets along with everyone. He’s almost 13 lbs! Lovey is only around 8 lbs so his playing comes off extra strong fur our Petite Princess!
We had one more major milestone that we are SUPER proud of! We published our first book, Inspirations from Fwiends in May! It’s a full color photography book of Scooby’s garden, Niguel Botanical Preserve, where his Memorial Bench is! Mom and Scooby took all of the photos and Scooby is featured throughout the book which also includes notes written in Scooby’s “Say Hello” notebook (we attached to his bench in 2023)! The messages and drawings people leave are so heartfelt and amazing we had to share! We also created a gorgeous collectible version of the book that has gold embossing on both covers and spine, a silk ribbon bookmark and gorgeous sprayed page edges and beautiful into and outro pages. It’s even going to be included in the silent auction at Niguel Botanical Preserves Annual Fundraiser event on February 1st! If you live local you should get your ticket! Oh, and Scooby’s book is also featured on the Preserve’s website – alongside their cool branded merch! We’re so thrilled! So much LOVE was poured into Scooby’s book!
We had a couple of health hiccups – Oliver ended up in the emergency vet in the beginning with a scary urinary tract crystals (common and can be fatal in boy kitties) but, he’s ok now. Lovey’s labs came back a little progressed for her kidneys for the first time in years, so we’re focusing on keeping that stable. Oh, and WE got Rabies shots! WITHOUT being drugged or wearing muzzles! People we don’t know well scare us and the vet office scares us so that’s a BIG milestone! In addition to planning our 2026 PawVentures Bucket List, we plan on releasing Book 2 of Inspirations from Fwiends and Mom’s writing Scooby’s first of many short stories about all of his amazing PawVentures! We’ll keep you posted! Well, that’s it for our news! What’s your news? What are some things you really want to do in 2026? Let’s keep each other focused on achieving our best lives this year! XOXO, the furSmiths Luna, Ella, Lovey, Oliver, Mom and Angels Scooby & Zachy
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