Sorry...tried to put a link here and failed miserably...
I may have to go the "photobucket" route...
Stupid technology.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Gimme Shelter
We recently received pictures from Lola's foster mom of a new set of puppies and their recently rescued momma. The Momma was a surrender, and she was ready to POP. Thankfully, Bullmastiff Rescue of Michigan was ready to step in and it looks like the mom and pups will be OK.
I have made no bones (sorry for the pun, couldn't resist) about how I feel about Breed Rescue and the good people who make it all work. These folks are wonderful and make little lives like Lola's possible. I would be remiss if I didn't mention another group that does some of the same stuff, but in a more public way...your local animal shelter.
Most of us have read the horror-stories about botched euthenisations and starving animals, but I really believe that most County shelters and the staff that runs them have the best interest of the animals at heart. To that end, I ask that you consider lending a helping hand if you can. These are times that produce more strays, not less. More need for volunteers and donations. More basically, of everything.
A quick scan of the phone book should give you a contact number. Ask what they may need and what you can do to help. Do the dogs need walks? Baths? Play-time? Could they use dry food? Mats or blankets? Toys? Collars or leashes?
I know that some of the money for your pets' license goes toward funding the shelter, and maybe a bit of your property taxes as well, but every little bit helps. It could give a dog or cat the little extra time it needs for someone to come in and give it a forever home...
Thanks again for following along...
A safe and happy 4th to you and your pets.
Gregg
I have made no bones (sorry for the pun, couldn't resist) about how I feel about Breed Rescue and the good people who make it all work. These folks are wonderful and make little lives like Lola's possible. I would be remiss if I didn't mention another group that does some of the same stuff, but in a more public way...your local animal shelter.
Most of us have read the horror-stories about botched euthenisations and starving animals, but I really believe that most County shelters and the staff that runs them have the best interest of the animals at heart. To that end, I ask that you consider lending a helping hand if you can. These are times that produce more strays, not less. More need for volunteers and donations. More basically, of everything.
A quick scan of the phone book should give you a contact number. Ask what they may need and what you can do to help. Do the dogs need walks? Baths? Play-time? Could they use dry food? Mats or blankets? Toys? Collars or leashes?
I know that some of the money for your pets' license goes toward funding the shelter, and maybe a bit of your property taxes as well, but every little bit helps. It could give a dog or cat the little extra time it needs for someone to come in and give it a forever home...
Thanks again for following along...
A safe and happy 4th to you and your pets.
Gregg
Friday, June 5, 2009
Where did our puppy go...?
We were looking at Lola the other day and it occurred to us that she was losing her puppy face. You know, that cute little fuzzy face with the eyes that didn't quite focus just so. She's losing that face. She has a big-dog face now. Not quite a "I've been around the block a few times" face, but definitely not a pup any more.
It's funny, but we couldn't wait for her to grow up. To stop pooping in the house. To learn her place and where she sits in the pack. To understand commands. To be a dog. Now here we are, lamenting the loss of her "puppy-ness". Weird. She was a cute little thing. She's still cute, but in a different way. I'm glad we took pictures.
Speaking of which, we'll eventually have to figure out how to post a few of the better ones. Maybe a chronological group of head shots. Definitely a few of her and Cocoa. The first one will have to be "baby in a basket". Hard to believe that was only in November...
Oh...she might have proven the theory of learning by osmosis. She never saw Cocoa "hunkering", but it seems Lola will be our second to exhibit this most peculiar trait. She hasn't flung herself at the ground yet, but she gets that little butt down to the ground and off she goes in crazy circles.
Rylee would have stared in amazement. Mags would have walked away in a huff, thinking "waisted motion if you aren't chasing a cat". Cocoa, I'm sure, would have been proud.
It's funny, but we couldn't wait for her to grow up. To stop pooping in the house. To learn her place and where she sits in the pack. To understand commands. To be a dog. Now here we are, lamenting the loss of her "puppy-ness". Weird. She was a cute little thing. She's still cute, but in a different way. I'm glad we took pictures.
Speaking of which, we'll eventually have to figure out how to post a few of the better ones. Maybe a chronological group of head shots. Definitely a few of her and Cocoa. The first one will have to be "baby in a basket". Hard to believe that was only in November...
Oh...she might have proven the theory of learning by osmosis. She never saw Cocoa "hunkering", but it seems Lola will be our second to exhibit this most peculiar trait. She hasn't flung herself at the ground yet, but she gets that little butt down to the ground and off she goes in crazy circles.
Rylee would have stared in amazement. Mags would have walked away in a huff, thinking "waisted motion if you aren't chasing a cat". Cocoa, I'm sure, would have been proud.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What happened to Winter?
What's up with the weather? It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that it was November 12th and we had our first snow. And wasn't it just April 6th...our last snow? If my math is right, that's almost five months of winter here in Northeast Ohio. If that wasn't the longest Winter in Cleveland history, it has to be in the top three. Where's all this global warming we keep hearing about? Oh ya, it's called SUMMER!
Anyway, the warm weather is finally here (OK, so it frosted last night, sue me). With warm weather comes increased activity levels and increased demands on our pooches (and us). Remember, our dogs can't pick up the tin cup and bang the crate bars. They need us to remember to keep the water bowl full. Treats are great...belly rubs are wonderful...nothing beats a good scratch behind the ears...except a nice clean drink of H2O.
Let's get out there folks. Off to the beach. Over to the Dog Park. It's frisbee season at the playground, so get out there and have fun with Mans-best-friend. After that game of catch or that jog through the Metro Park and you're enjoying a cold beverage (I'm not implying anything here), don't forget to give you four-legged friend his or her big gulp too!
Now...where did I stash those shorts and sandels back before that last ice age????
Anyway, the warm weather is finally here (OK, so it frosted last night, sue me). With warm weather comes increased activity levels and increased demands on our pooches (and us). Remember, our dogs can't pick up the tin cup and bang the crate bars. They need us to remember to keep the water bowl full. Treats are great...belly rubs are wonderful...nothing beats a good scratch behind the ears...except a nice clean drink of H2O.
Let's get out there folks. Off to the beach. Over to the Dog Park. It's frisbee season at the playground, so get out there and have fun with Mans-best-friend. After that game of catch or that jog through the Metro Park and you're enjoying a cold beverage (I'm not implying anything here), don't forget to give you four-legged friend his or her big gulp too!
Now...where did I stash those shorts and sandels back before that last ice age????
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
PAUL NEWMAN DIED...
THE DAY PAUL NEWMAN DIED
As most of you know, veteran stage and screen star (and notable racecar driver) Paul Newman passed away. His life and times were well reported, as they should have been. By all accounts Mr. Newman was a good man, husband and citizen. He stayed out of trouble, stayed married to the same woman and created charities that bear his name. Something else happened that day...I just thought it was important that you know...
You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley. It's November-14-1965, LZ Xray, Vietnam .
Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 to 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in . You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is half-way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear the sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey.
But it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses...and he kept coming back.
13 more times. He took about 30 of you and your buddies out, guys who would never have gotten out. Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died on a Wednesday, at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. (Oh ya, Paul Newman died that day too. I guess you knew that. He got a lot more press than Ed Freeman.)
With everything that is happening in the world, and the superficial nature of our news media, I just wanted a few more people to know about the Ed Freemans of the world...
As most of you know, veteran stage and screen star (and notable racecar driver) Paul Newman passed away. His life and times were well reported, as they should have been. By all accounts Mr. Newman was a good man, husband and citizen. He stayed out of trouble, stayed married to the same woman and created charities that bear his name. Something else happened that day...I just thought it was important that you know...
You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley. It's November-14-1965, LZ Xray, Vietnam .
Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 to 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in . You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is half-way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear the sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey.
But it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses...and he kept coming back.
13 more times. He took about 30 of you and your buddies out, guys who would never have gotten out. Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died on a Wednesday, at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. (Oh ya, Paul Newman died that day too. I guess you knew that. He got a lot more press than Ed Freeman.)
With everything that is happening in the world, and the superficial nature of our news media, I just wanted a few more people to know about the Ed Freemans of the world...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tassel and Morterboard
Great news...our little Lola is smart! (that may be tha last time you ever read those words).
Lola graduated from Gestapo School.
Sit. Stay. Heel. Leave it! Good girl.
It looks like Lola will be going on to intermediate obedience. We would like to get her the Canine Good Citizen confirmation. Who knows, maybe she can become our second "working" dog. Lola is affectionate and very "kissy". She seems to love strangers and certainly likes being the center-of-attention.
First things first, she needs to pass second grade. Then I guess we'll see how she does. We don't want to force her into any situation she isn't ready for. If she ends up just hanging around the house making goober bombs, that's OK with us. Every house needs a 100 pound lapdog, or not.
Thanks to Barb at Happy Tails, Lola is a more confident, better socialized and hopefully happier pup. Lola is smart...who knew?
Lola graduated from Gestapo School.
Sit. Stay. Heel. Leave it! Good girl.
It looks like Lola will be going on to intermediate obedience. We would like to get her the Canine Good Citizen confirmation. Who knows, maybe she can become our second "working" dog. Lola is affectionate and very "kissy". She seems to love strangers and certainly likes being the center-of-attention.
First things first, she needs to pass second grade. Then I guess we'll see how she does. We don't want to force her into any situation she isn't ready for. If she ends up just hanging around the house making goober bombs, that's OK with us. Every house needs a 100 pound lapdog, or not.
Thanks to Barb at Happy Tails, Lola is a more confident, better socialized and hopefully happier pup. Lola is smart...who knew?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The loss of a friend...
Feel free to skip this one if you want. There is pain here. Chances are you've felt it. Knife to the belly pain. Can't breath pain. Curl-up in a little ball pain. I hate this part.
We lost Cocoa. Cancer took her. Rotten son-of-a-bitch. I hate that word. Cancer.
Why do we feel this much pain for a dog? Seriously. It's a dog. Four legs, a bottomless pit for a stomach. Slobber. With Bullys, lots of slobber. Think of the expense. We pay to get them. We pay to feed them. Vet bills. Chew toys. Crates. Blankets. Leashes. Every year another licence. What do we get? What do they give us?
Everything.
Everything they've got. The food, the toys, the walks...it's all gravy to them. They get us. It's all they want. They get food, toys and walks. We get everything they have. That's why it hurts. That's the knife in the gut. That's why it hurts. Everything...man.
My brother once told me..." better to take them one day too early than one day too late".
Intellectually I understood what it meant. One day early means no suffering. One day late...
Intellectual understanding does not mean emotional rationality. We waited a day too long with Mags. She was our first loss. We didn't KNOW. She was hurting and she needed us to make it stop. Sorry Mags. We didn't know. It kills me to say this, but I waited one day too long with Rylee as well. Not because I didn't care. I couldn't separate myself. It was my call and I blew it. Rylee was so full of love I know she forgave me. I didn't deserve it.
Hopefully we got it right with Cocoa. Letting her go was our last act of love. She was a really sweet and gentle dog. She deserved to go out with dignety. I hope we gave her that. If ever a dog deserved a graceful exit, it was Cocoa. Goodbye Cokie.
Owning a pet is a responsibility unlike anything I have done before. We aren't parents, so these really are our "kids". They live such relatively short lives that it is important that we get it all right. Cradle to grave. Their end should be just as important to us as the beginning and the middle. I'm not preaching, honest. Imploring is more like it. It was a hard lesson to learn. Dear friends suffered. Not because we didn't care, but because we did. We will lose other canine friends. I hope we can give them all the exit they deserve.
Did we do Ok, Cocoa? I hope so...
We lost Cocoa. Cancer took her. Rotten son-of-a-bitch. I hate that word. Cancer.
Why do we feel this much pain for a dog? Seriously. It's a dog. Four legs, a bottomless pit for a stomach. Slobber. With Bullys, lots of slobber. Think of the expense. We pay to get them. We pay to feed them. Vet bills. Chew toys. Crates. Blankets. Leashes. Every year another licence. What do we get? What do they give us?
Everything.
Everything they've got. The food, the toys, the walks...it's all gravy to them. They get us. It's all they want. They get food, toys and walks. We get everything they have. That's why it hurts. That's the knife in the gut. That's why it hurts. Everything...man.
My brother once told me..." better to take them one day too early than one day too late".
Intellectually I understood what it meant. One day early means no suffering. One day late...
Intellectual understanding does not mean emotional rationality. We waited a day too long with Mags. She was our first loss. We didn't KNOW. She was hurting and she needed us to make it stop. Sorry Mags. We didn't know. It kills me to say this, but I waited one day too long with Rylee as well. Not because I didn't care. I couldn't separate myself. It was my call and I blew it. Rylee was so full of love I know she forgave me. I didn't deserve it.
Hopefully we got it right with Cocoa. Letting her go was our last act of love. She was a really sweet and gentle dog. She deserved to go out with dignety. I hope we gave her that. If ever a dog deserved a graceful exit, it was Cocoa. Goodbye Cokie.
Owning a pet is a responsibility unlike anything I have done before. We aren't parents, so these really are our "kids". They live such relatively short lives that it is important that we get it all right. Cradle to grave. Their end should be just as important to us as the beginning and the middle. I'm not preaching, honest. Imploring is more like it. It was a hard lesson to learn. Dear friends suffered. Not because we didn't care, but because we did. We will lose other canine friends. I hope we can give them all the exit they deserve.
Did we do Ok, Cocoa? I hope so...
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