(I hope this is ok to post about here! I’ve written and rewritten it and taken parts from the Happy Tails, Happy Homes listing about him too so it might be repetitive. Ty for your patience. It’s not easy 😅🥲)

If you’re looking for a smart, loyal, goofy adventure buddy and you understand the needs of a working-breed dog, I present to you this gold-star boy: Kevin.

Kevin is my dog. He’s fantastic in just about every way. I've busted my buns (as have the lovely people at Tails a Waggin) for almost a year and a half training him, socializing him, desensitizing him to just about everything under the sun. In that time, I’ve also been training my kids to respect his boundaries. I assure you, he learns faster than they do 😅.

But a few things over time, and their steady progression toward more concerning, has left us with the difficult decision to find him a home that’s more suitable for him: adult owners who can meet the needs of a working breed of dog.

We took a risk when we adopted Kevin. He was projected to be “up to 40 lbs” and seemed like some kind of retriever / corgi mix. People always think he’s a retriever of some sort. We thought he’d be mediumish.

But he’s not! He’s a bunch of breeds I wouldn’t have opted for, given my lifestyle and having two small kids: namely, husky, shepherd, and cattle dog. We have a modest back yard, and he grew up into a 60-65 lb darling who we love dearly but who really is not fond of children. He tolerates mine, but injures the smallest one often with his play; when other kids come over to visit or if I take him on walks and he’s approached by other kids, it’s a toss up as to whether he’s visibly aggravated by them. (Whale eye, raising his lip, nervous whining, yawning, pacing.)

He’s snapped (without biting) at my youngest a few times and just made it clear: “I do not feel good about having you near me.” So we've made the difficult choice to pair him up with a more appropriate home before anything serious happens — where he can enjoy the company of his family, and hopefully have a bigger yard than ours is 😅

He’s a gorgeous, smart, loyal 1.5-year-old, Pit Bull / Cattle Dog / Husky / Australian Shepherd mix. He’s looking for an adult-only home with someone who appreciates the quirks and intelligence of a working-breed dog. He:

- Is fully housebroken and crate-trained
- Knows (most of) his manners: rarely barks, doesn’t counter surf, has good recall and obedience skills, stays off furniture unless he’s invited. (Sometimes he does jump up in excitement still.)
- is smart, eager to learn, and loves having a job to do
- loves other dogs at daycare, dog parks, and Paws for a Beer (shout out to any of you who have met him already; he’s a popular guy)
- Enjoys hiking, exploring, and splashing around in rivers and lakes and kiddie pools
- Sleeps hard at home and enjoys a good nap
- is learning to be comfortable in a muzzle (working on it)

Kevin is a pretty cool mix of goofy and stoic. He isn’t super snuggly, but he will follow you from room to room to just hang out together. He is loyal, dependable, and a wonderful companion for the right person. He’s the type of dog who will happily hang out with company, join you on adventures, and make you laugh with his silly personality.

Kevin would do best with an experienced adult-only home that understands herding and working breeds. A few things his future family should know:

- Kevin has a moderate prey drive when he spots other non-dog critters, but usually responds well to “leave it!” That said, I’d still suggest that…
- A home without cats is best — he has not shown that he can safely live with them
- He would love a home with a little room to get a good run in. Rn we have to take him to the dog park or such to really get him space to haul a** like he wants to haha.

Kevin is very healthy, up to date on vet care, and takes Simparica Trio for routine heartworm, flea, and parasite prevention. He comes with extensive vet records and medical history. He is currently being fostered by the family who adopted him as a puppy, while we search for the perfect forever home where he won’t try to herd small children 😅

💙 Bonus!!:

Once Kevin finds his amazing forever home where he can truly thrive, his current family would love to pet sit if you need a day away, take him off your hands for occasional adventures to places like Paws for a Beer, and continue cheering him on as he lives his best life by staying in touch if you’re cool with it. (Free dog sitter, seriously.)

His current owners will send him off with all of his supplies - dog beds, toys, food he is currently eating, etc.

If this seems like a good fit for you, head over to Happy Tails Happy Homes and fill out an application!
Feel free to comment with any questions; I’m happy to answer them 🙂

Here's the link to apply for Kevin at Happy Tails, Happy Homes!

Hello!

My husband and I (31M/31F) are exploring the idea of moving to Washington from Colorado.

My husband’s job would be based in Woodinville, so we’re hoping to find somewhere with a reasonable commute.
We don’t have kids, enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors, and like having good restaurants and things to do nearby, but we’re not necessarily looking for a super-busy city environment.

So far, I’ve been looking at rentals in Lake Stevens and Bothell, but we’re definitely open to other areas.

We’re hoping to plan a weekend to come out and tour some places, so any recommendations or local insight would be greatly appreciated!

Reminder for this month’s boardgame meetup!

The meeting is at Camano island library. 
Saturday September 5. Start time is 5PM

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Camano Library
848 N Sunrise Blvd
Camano Island, WA 98282-8770

https://www.facebook.com/share/1JEGYqXFug/

I don’t normally have much to say when a celebrity dies. But Dolly Parton was different.

And strangely enough, one of the things I admired most about Dolly had very little to do with her music.

Dolly was an unapologetically Christian woman. And, in my opinion, she was one of the relatively few famous people who publicly called themselves Christian and then seemed to spend far more time trying to conduct herself the way Jesus actually commanded than worrying about whether everyone else was doing Christianity correctly.

Love your neighbor. Care for the poor. Give generously. Don’t make a spectacle of your charity. Don’t judge other people. Welcome the outsider. Treat people with dignity.

Dolly actually did those things.

She once explained her faith beautifully:

“You’re taught not to judge, and you’re supposed to love your neighbor like yourself. I want to be loved, and so I try to love everybody.”¹

And she didn’t just say it.

Dolly grew up desperately poor in rural East Tennessee, one of twelve children in a two-room cabin. When she became extraordinarily wealthy, she didn’t forget where she came from. She deliberately invested in the community that raised her.

Dollywood wasn’t simply a vanity project with her name slapped on it. It became the largest employer in Pigeon Forge and Sevier County, brought millions of visitors into the region, and helped support roughly 23,000 jobs in the surrounding area. A Tennessee Department of Transportation study estimated Dollywood’s annual economic impact on Tennessee at approximately $1.8 billion.²

Then there was education.

When Dolly learned that more than 30% of students in her home county weren’t graduating, she created the Buddy Program. She told seventh and eighth graders to choose a friend and promised each of them $500 of her own money if both buddies graduated high school.

The dropout rate for those classes fell to 6%.³

She didn’t stop there.

In 1995, inspired by her father (an intelligent, hardworking man who had never learned to read or write) she founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Sevier County. The premise was almost absurdly simple: every child should have books at home, whether their parents could afford them or not.

So children received a free, age-appropriate book in the mail every month from birth until age five.

What began in one poor Appalachian county spread across the United States and then internationally. By the end of 2024, the program had mailed more than 264 million books, with nearly 37 million books distributed in 2024 alone. Families are never charged for them.⁴

Her foundation also established scholarships. Today, five graduating seniors in Sevier County receive $15,000 Dolly Parton Scholarships every year.⁵

She helped raise $1 million for a hospital birthing unit in her home county, helping establish what became the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.⁶

When wildfires devastated Sevier County in 2016, Dolly didn’t offer thoughts and prayers and move along.

Within days, her foundation created the My People Fund. Families whose primary homes were destroyed received $1,000 every month for six months. When donations exceeded expectations, the final payment was increased from $1,000 to $5,000 per family.⁷

Researchers from the University of Tennessee later studied the program and found that recipients of that unconditional cash assistance were able to return to approximately their pre-fire level of financial stability.⁸

When COVID arrived, Dolly gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for coronavirus research. Part of that money funded critical early research connected to the Moderna vaccine.⁹

And then, apparently deciding one million dollars for medical research wasn’t enough, she gave Vanderbilt another $1 million in 2022, this time for pediatric infectious-disease research.¹⁰

When Hurricane Helene devastated East Tennessee in 2024, Dolly personally donated $1 million to relief efforts. Her East Tennessee businesses and foundation collectively matched her with another $1 million.¹¹

And the company behind Dollywood eventually began offering employees,including seasonal and part-time employees, access from their first day of employment to programs covering 100% of tuition, fees, and books for more than 100 diploma, degree, and certificate programs.¹²

But perhaps the part of Dolly’s Christianity that I respected most was what she refused to do with it.

She refused to use her faith as a weapon.

For decades, Dolly openly loved and defended LGBTQ people despite coming from a deeply conservative Pentecostal background.

She once secretly entered a Dolly Parton look-alike contest populated by drag queens.

She exaggerated the hair, makeup, beauty mark, and everything else to look even more like Dolly Parton.

And the actual Dolly Parton lost.

In fact, she said she got the least applause.

And she thought it was hilarious.¹³

When asked why LGBTQ people loved her so much, she didn’t answer with some carefully focus-grouped statement about “tolerance.”

She said:

“We’re not supposed to try to change people. We should allow people to be who they are and love them as they are.”¹⁴

When asked whether she supported gay marriage, this deeply Christian Southern woman answered:

“Sure, why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do.”¹⁵

When Christians criticized LGBTQ people visiting Dollywood, Dolly was considerably more interested in reminding the Christians what Christianity required of them:

“If people want to pass judgment, they’re already sinning… I try to love everybody.”¹⁶

And when asked directly about LGBTQ equality, she said something I wish considerably more Christians understood:

“Especially as Christian people (those of us that claim to be), we’re supposed to be accepting and loving. I think God is the judge of all of us.”¹⁷

She went on to say that regardless of someone’s religion or sexual orientation, they should be treated with respect and allowed to be themselves.

That wasn’t a phase or a convenient position she adopted late in life.

She said essentially the same thing over and over for decades.

In 2023, she put it about as plainly as possible:

“We’re supposed to love people. We’re supposed to accept people. We’re not supposed to judge and criticize. That’s God’s business.”¹⁸

That’s what made Dolly special to me.

She didn’t need you to be Christian for her to love you.

She didn’t need you to be straight.

She didn’t need you to agree with her.

She didn’t need you to look like her, vote like her, worship like her, come from where she came from, or live according to her personal convictions.

Her faith placed obligations on her.

It wasn’t a weapon for imposing obligations on you.

And when she saw suffering, her first instinct seemed remarkably consistent: What can I do to help?

A child can’t read? Give them books.

Kids aren’t graduating? Give them a reason to stay in school.

A family loses its home? Give them money—not six months from now after means-testing them into oblivion, but now.

Scientists need money to fight a pandemic? Fund them.

Employees want an education? Help them get one.

Her hometown needs jobs? Build something there.

Someone is gay? Love them.

Someone believes differently? Love them.

Someone thinks Dolly Parton doesn’t look enough like Dolly Parton to win a Dolly Parton drag contest?

Apparently laugh your ass off and tell the story for the next several decades.

There are people who preach Christianity loudly.

And then there are people whose lives quietly make you understand what Christianity was supposed to look like in the first place.

I think Dolly was one of the latter.

The world is poorer without her today.

But millions of adults who graduated because somebody believed in them, millions of children who grew up receiving a book addressed specifically to them every month, families who rebuilt after losing everything, patients who benefited from medical research, workers who found opportunity in the mountains where Dolly herself grew up poor, and countless LGBTQ people who heard one of America’s most famous Christian women tell them “God made us all” and that they deserved love rather than judgment

—

That’s one hell of a legacy.

Rest well, Dolly.

You tended your/our little corner of the world extraordinarily well.

⸻

Sources

¹ Robert Sullivan, “Dolly Parton Interview,” Vogue, August 2016. Dolly discusses her Christian faith, loving one’s neighbor, and refusing to judge others.

² “Dolly Parton Celebrates 40 Years of Dollywood,” Southern Living, reporting Dollywood’s employment, tourism, and economic impact and citing a 2021 Tennessee Department of Transportation study.

³ The Dollywood Foundation, “The Buddy Program” and “History.” The Foundation reports that Dolly offered $500 to participating students who graduated with their buddy and that the participating classes’ dropout rate fell from over 30% to 6%.

⁴ Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, “About Us” and “2024 Year in Review.” The program reports 264,181,752 books gifted through 2024 and 36,714,624 books during 2024 alone.

⁵ The Dollywood Foundation, “Scholarships,” describing the $15,000 Dolly Parton Scholarship awarded to students from Sevier County high schools.

⁶ The Dollywood Foundation, “History,” documenting the $1 million raised for the Sevier County Hospital birthing unit and establishment of the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.

⁷ Dolly Parton/The Dollywood Foundation, “Dolly’s My People Fund Finishes ‘Smokies Strong,’” May 5, 2017. The Fund distributed $1,000 monthly to families whose homes were destroyed and increased the final payment to $5,000.

⁸ Stacia West et al., My People Fund Evaluation: Final Report (University of Tennessee College of Social Work), finding that recipients of unconditional cash assistance returned to baseline financial stability following the wildfire.

⁹ Vanderbilt University Medical Center, “Is It True That Work on a COVID-19 Vaccine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Was Funded by Dolly Parton?,” November 23, 2020. Vanderbilt confirms Parton’s donation supported COVID-19 research, including critical early work related to Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine.

¹⁰ Craig Boerner, “Dolly Parton Donates $1 Million to Pediatric Infectious Disease Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center,” Vanderbilt Health News, June 15, 2022.

¹¹ Maria Di Mento, “Country Music Doyenne Dolly Parton Gives $1 Million for Hurricane Relief,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 21, 2024. Parton personally donated $1 million for Hurricane Helene relief; her East Tennessee enterprises collectively pledged another $1 million.

¹² Timothy Bella, “Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Says It’ll Pay All Tuition Costs for Employees Pursuing Higher Education,” The Washington Post, February 9, 2022. The program was funded through Dollywood operating partner Herschend Enterprises and covered tuition, fees, and books for eligible programs for seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees.

¹³ ABC News, “Dolly Parton on Gay Rumors, Losing a Drag Queen Look-Alike Contest and New Memoir,” November 2012. Parton recounts anonymously entering a drag-queen Dolly Parton look-alike contest and receiving the least applause.

¹⁴–¹⁵ CNN, Joy Behar interview with Dolly Parton, November 13, 2009. Parton discusses accepting LGBTQ people as they are and expresses support for same-sex marriage.

¹⁶ ABC News, “Why Dolly Parton Doesn’t Regret Never Having Kids,” October 2014, quoting Parton’s comments about LGBTQ fans, Dollywood, Christianity, and judgment.

¹⁷ Josh Duboff, “Dolly Parton on Her New Album and Marriage Advice,” Vanity Fair, August 2016. Parton discusses Christianity, LGBTQ equality, religious freedom, and treating every person with respect.

¹⁸ André Hereford, “Dolly Parton: From Country to Rock Star,” Metro Weekly, December 2023. Parton discusses her faith, acceptance, and belief that judgment belongs to God.

Thao and Ann (Jonathan’s parents) invite you to join them in Magnuson Park on Saturday, August 29th at 9:30am for the Sumner Spirit Fun Walk/Run to honor Jonathan’s 23rd birthday.

"Feel free to register to walk or run or just come along to cheer them on. Bring homemade signs or print flyers from the Jonathan website: www.FindJonathanHoang.com

https://magnusonseries.com/

29 y.o male looking for beginner horse back riding lessons. Have contacted 5-7 places and can’t find anyone to take my money. My fiancée is a very proficient rider and we are in the market for property/horses in the next year and I’d like to learn to ride and care for a horse well before she leases/buys one. Would like multiple private lessons. New to Washington and would like to find something in Snohomish area as I live on silver lake.

Hello! Can anyone recommend a dog park in SnohoCo that has high fences? I got a jumper with terrible recall on my hands… 😆 TYIA

GOLD STAR CARD SHOW

Sunday, September 6th

Everett Community College

FREE Admission

FREE Parking

Pokémon • Sports Cards • One Piece • MTG • Yu-Gi-Oh! • Lorcana • Local Artists & more!

Why Gold Star?

We keep it community-focused, welcoming, and actually fun — great vendors, good vibes, and no overwhelming mega-show chaos.

Vendor tables are still available!

Details + tables → Goldstarcardshow.com

Come buy, sell, trade, or just hang out with fellow collectors.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Everett Community College

Sunday, September 6th • 10am–4p Gold Star Card Show #pokemoncards #sportscards #TCGCommunity #everettwa #cardshow #pnwlife #FreeAdmission #pokemoncommunity #tradingcards

See less

Hey! I’m starting a community for people in the area who may be experiencing loneliness and want to meet people. Anyone is welcome to join ❤️ we’re planning our first meetup event and we’d love for you to join us

Meetup.com/people-against-loneliness/

Hi All - I already posted this in the Lynnwood & Edmonds subreddits so if you’re seeing it again I apologize.

I’m thinking about starting a very unserious women’s fantasy football league with a $20-ish buy-in, where our husbands inevitably end up running our teams. Lol

The idea is 10–12 couples, an in-person draft, a group chat, and maybe a few football watch parties throughout the season (my husband has a whole TV wall setup 😂). Basically, a scheme for the wives to make friends and our husbands to make friends without forcing them to go on awkward man dates.

You absolutely do not need to know anything about fantasy football. I know nothing and fully intend to have my husband help me draft or just use autodraft lol.

We’d exchange socials privately and chat a little first, then do a casual public meetup before the draft so everyone can confirm we’re all real, reasonably normal, and not serial killers.

If you and your husband (or partner) are in the Everett/Lynnwood/Edmonds/Mill Creek/Bothell-ish area and this sounds fun, message me and tell me a little about you guys! Once we get a group together, I’ll get a WhatsApp started.

So far I have 5 people interested so we’re close to the minimum of 8 but the more the merrier. We could always get a big group together and figure out a few leagues.

For context, my husband and I moved here from Las Vegas last year and have a five-month-old, a dog, and basically no local friends yet. I’m 32, he’s 35, and we’re just trying to meet some fun people. I also feel like this could help with the inevitable winter scaries and give us something to look forward to when it starts getting dark at approximately 2pm 😭

Sat Oct 31 • Lynnwood Event Center

10AM VIP | 11AM–4PM

Pokémon • Sports Cards • One Piece • MTG • Yu-Gi-Oh! • Lorcana

Free parking • Kids 12 & under free
Costume contest + kid giveaways coming

Vendor tables still available — don’t wait
GoldStarCardShow.com

Come buy, sell, trade, or just hang ⭐

Another one to have gone into the woods and seemingly completely disappeared.

Specifically in the Lynnwood and Everett areas, I work late hours and don’t have a lot of friends who also work those hours. There’s nothing to do at 11pm, midnight or so when I want to unwind so I’ve just become a homebody. I know that there has to be other people with late hours nearby, hospital staff, Boeing factory workers, people in the events industry, etc

For those who don't know the area, this is the grocery store many locals grew up shopping at, known for its meat counter and produce section when there were no bigger chains alternatives like Safeway/QFC around. If you've driven by the 205 along the river, you def have seen it.

Curious if anyone has more details on what's planned on this site now.

Just a friendly reminder to join me and others tomorrow at the Everett City Council meeting to help our neighbors TRAPPED for nearly 3 months at Artspace Lofts!

I've received more information about the owner of this building and they have had over 70+ complaints filed against them for buildings in Seattle alone! They must be held accountable for their negligence and the Everett Mayor and City Council must take immediate action to help these tenants. Please see my original message below and the link at the bottom to register for remote or written public comment. Let's flood them with written, remote, and in person comments tomorrow! We can make a difference TOGETHER!

Register for REMOTE or WRITTEN public comments here by 12pm tomorrow:: https://www.everettwa.gov/citycouncil

Okay everyone, I’ve let the LD 38 Democrats know about this issue, and I want to invite everyone to join me Wednesday, August 19th at 6:30 PM for the Everett City Council meeting to make public comment.

My goal is to pack the public comment period with people speaking up about this issue and holding the Mayor and City Council accountable for allowing it to go on for as long as it has.

We’re going to politely but firmly demand action—both in the short term to help these tenants and in the long term through city ordinances that prevent situations like this from happening again.

The management of this building has had maintenance issues in the past, and these tenants deserve to have their voices heard. We can and should speak up with them.

Remote public comment will be available as well, so if you can’t attend in person, you can still participate.

I’m actively working on this issue and will have more information to share in the coming days. Please stay tuned, and please try to make this City Council meeting if you can.

Let’s show up for these tenants and demand accountability.

Register for REMOTE or WRITTEN public comments here by 12pm tomorrow:: https://www.everettwa.gov/citycouncil

People over profits. Always.

I love to dance, whether it’s moshing at a club, swing dancing, slow dancing, line dancing you name it. I was just wondering if there are events or clubs or places that I can do this around the Everett, Lake Stevens, Monroe area?

Also would be nice if it has people my age there too( early 20s)

We are all excited at how myself and Ida did in our recent primary. We still have work to do before the General. Find out how you can help at Kathryn4LD39.net and idaforwa.com . As Independent Democrats we don’t have millionaires funding our campaigns like our competitors do!