Animal Lessons

Right now Mugsey the golden lab is in the chair snoozing, Dispatch the bichon is on the couch snoozing with husband (he got up early early to help my brother load a car on a trailer, bro is 68 and races cars, this one is a 56 chevy, first one he raced). My dogs are always pretty laid back but happy to see me, they say cats are aloof but my kittens race to the car after I stop it when I get home and try to climb in it with me?
So what are the lessons we can learn from these animals? First of all let go, what will be will be. I'm sure the dogs aren't aware of the economic downturn, they do know we didn't GO as much this summer when gas was high because there weren't so many car trips for them to enjoy. Did they pout and worry? No their just glad to have people around WHEN we are around. OK the bichon is a little weird for the first 15 minutes after I get home and he tends to pout when I'm gone and he is here with someone else but otherwise they are just grateful for what they have right NOW. When someone else comes home the animals show their joy at just being in their presence, we don't have to bring food or treats they just want to know we are close.
Sometimes they are overachievers but mostly they just try to please, what ever happens happens and they may not like it but they don't try to force the situation. OK once again the bichon is the exception, if we try to teach the lab tricks the bicon is like I'll do three backflips and walk 10 ft on my hind legs just GIVE ME THE TREAT! He does understand when mommy is on the computer it doesn't always work to do the bichon bounce to try to get me to play either.
2008 may have not been the best year which is an understatement but we in the midwest are rather protected from the economic downturns. My own personal economic crisis came in 2007 and we are much better off than we were last new years. So this new years eve lets be thankful for what we do have, hopefully we in the USA can pull together under the new administration, be thankful for our blessings, and don't forget to step back and just be in the momet. Oh and give your dog or cat or iguana an ear rub of whatever they prefer. Happy HOLIDAYS!!
BTW the story of our Christmas is on the blog florenceview.

Plum Borough PA Shitzu puppy pulled from Well

Seems and adventuresome little Christmas ShihTzu puppy fell in a well and was pulled out with a vacuums help.

Here's the story......

From Baghdad, With Love by Jay Kopelman

A story of a dog named Lava and the people he inspired to save him. I got this book for Christmas and I'm not just saying I liked it because it was a gift, it was a great book, not only for the dog story but for the human side of the war.
Like so many others I suspect I followed the war closely @ first, plus my son was over there, but then life got in the way, this book explains what life is really like in Baghdad or was a couple years ago. For this reason this book is just not for dog lovers but everyone who has any stake in the war which means all of us.
Melinda Roth is a co-author with Jay Kopelman, I would like it if they had written a little more verbosely but the short paragraphs lend themselves to the story.
You can buy it @ Amazon here.

Two Days Before Christmas

I work @ Wal Mart part time. Have for 6 months now. After having a "desk job" (running my husbands business) for the last few years it's been a culture shock. I had to cashier yesterday @ the front of the store but as they say @ Christmas EVERYONE is a cashier. For awhile the store manager was behind me cashiering, they don't lie, everybody does what they can to keep everything running smoothly. Here in the mid-west we are gearing up for another round of ice and snow, that coupled with the Christmas season made for extremely long lines @ the cash registers but everyone was patient and curteous that checked out @ mine. I don't cashier most days so I may have been slower than some but most of the people left laughing, don't know if that's in the job description or not. I have to work marking down Chrismas items in the early am Friday, trust me I will NOT be standing by the doors when the store opens Friday morning.
My husband was @ home asleep in his recliner when I got home with the three kittens curled up on his lap. Anyway the wild kittens were hissing @ everyone when they came in the house after their mother disappered right before Thanksgiving, now they stand up and beg like the dog for attention. Here's a picture of them asleep in my dads old office chair, Ok Crusoe the survivor isn't asleep, he's begging for food or me to pick him up. My husband keeps saying they are really wild cats, they think they may be dogs and I may be their mother but they aren't sure, they really don't like those big cats outside.
I confess this is for 3 blogs, have to leave for work in less than an hour, haven't had much time to read but I'm still working on The Toss of the Lemon which is an excellent book but just too much going on this time of year. Plus Wal Mart fed us yesterday, good ole holiday meal of bar-b-qued pulled beef and pork and ribs, plus salads and beans and desserts, it was excellent.
I hope all are safe in their traveling this season. Hopefully we won't lose electricity with the storm and those still without get it back soon in the northeast.

Christmas and Animals

In Britain the recession deepens just as it does here and it seems to be effecting the number of abandoned pets also as it does here. Remember your local Animal Shelter and if you can't adopt or aren't so inclined please take a minute and think about donating.
Here's a link to the story about British animals.

Much closer to home there seems to be a lady in Ardmore Oklahoma who cares for 100 stray dogs. Not a big deal you say, the lady lives in a van, has for years, it seems she cares for these animals on her $700 Social Security check and she is 71! She was employed for years, used to work for the humane society in TX but fell on hard times and landed in Oklahoma. A local animal shelter sometimes takes part of the dogs but she is always getting new ones.
Link here.

If you have a pet and are getting it a Christmas present, think twice, go ahead and get the present but maybe a smaller or cheaper one (trust me the pet won't care, he/she/it thinks you hung the moon anyway ) and donate the rest in the form of food or cash to the animal charity of your choice. I think I read that 75% of animal owners give their pet a gift for Christmas and a google search of "Christmas presents for dogs" gives 11 pages of returns.

Newman the English Bulldog

I hope my nephew Mikey doesn't mind me using his words but his email was just too much this morning. I asked him if he was coming for Christmas and his reply was...... Then of course, I have this super huge growth named Newman that I must lug around with me and that becomes problematic at times because he is a big oaf. We bought a PediPaw, "the revolutionary nail trimmer for your dog or cat. It’s the newest and fastest way to keep your pet’s nails trim rounded and smooth with no mess," the other night for him and just in case you were wondering, he does NOT like it. I'm gonna do it again today because he scratched my face last night. I looked somewhat like a battered woman. He poops outside though and so it is all good. Why's JJ want my address? She want the dog back? Wants me to change the name? I'm not sure that would be possible.

I'm sure everyone can relate. Newman used to be Runt, he's named after Newman on Seinfeld. Here's his halfway grown and baby pictures.

Marauding Creatures of the Night

Do these look like marauding creatures of the night? They are, trust me. It started with the crocheted doilies and the glass bowls in the living dining room. Our house is long with the family room/used to be garage @ one end, living/dining room and then the bedrooms, kitchen is off to the side of the living room. The kittens were in the family room, THEN as all of my kittens do they discovered this whole other big wonderful world of HOUSE. Plus two picture windows where they could see for 1/2 mile or more. Only problem was there were lace doilies on the tables by the windows. With glass bowls of potpourri or candy or whatever on various surfaces. Kitty FUN. Then they discovered mama sleeps @ the other end of the house and they could annoy the white bull of fluff most people call a bichon by jumping on the bed and just creating havoc. So the family room door started being shut @ night with kittens imprisoned. Then the family room door started being shut 75% of the time when I discovered a bowl about to be pulled off of a table. Nevermind candlesticks and lamps and various other silly things I have in my living room. (Presently they are jumping in the plant making the leaves crunch that is by the front door, had to go see)
So @ night I shut the door and kitties sleep out here. Last night I couldn't sleep (wasn't a good night, phone calls, cold, etc) so I got up about 3:30 am. Didn't turn on light but I could see the evidence by the computer. Kitties had had a paper towel/paper clip party. Gotten a little wire bowl of paper clips and a almost used roll of paper towels off my husbands desk and shredded and scattered respectively. Not a big mess but still?? Husband says it's time for them to go outside, I said NO, it's too cold. BTW I was feeling guilty about the outside animals being outside and it's so cold (they have a log cabin with straw in it they can go to if they want so please no angry emails). I look outside now and there is a pile of dogs out by the highway romping and playing, the neighbors and mine?? This is on top of a hill in MO and the lawn chair just went scooting across the patio from wind and it's 10 outside?
So I guess the kitties will go outside soon. My husband was raised without animals in the house so I can't really say anything, I have a dog inside, sometimes dogs, sometimes the cats come back in. Supposed to be fairly warm here after our annual before Christmas cold blast and snow/freezing rain storm so maybe I will let them out a bit then.