I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.

For me they are the role model for being alive.

~ Gilda Radner

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Meet Pabst, 2009's Worlds Ugliest Dog





What I like most about this competition is it seems most of the dogs are rescues. Many of them found, barely a live and because of their age and looks a poor chance of adoption. I'd be willing to bet that the alot of the dogs the results of BYB and puppy mills.

I haven't found any more information about Pabst, other than he is well loved and going to get filet mignon as part of his reward.

See more ugliest dogs and read their stories read at: http://www.ugliestdogs.net/

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it...

Stumpy comes to work with me every day. I volunteer and manage a food bank/thrift store. We have been so busy that I go in a full two hours before we open just to get through SOME of the paperwork.

Stumpy works hard, too. First she pulls out all the stuffed animals (encouraged by the other volunteers.) Then she makes the rounds of the property. While doing so, she stops and visits with each volunteer to make sure she hasn't missed any treats.

The hardest part of the day is next....



Her bed is a cardboard box with a pillow under my desk. people come and go from my office and never know she is there. Occasionally, I don't know what gets into her, the door will open and she bolts for it, but stops at the thresh hold, looks back at me as if to ask if it's ok. At which time she gets admonished and sent back to her bed. If only she's just make the break...shhhhhh....don't tell her that!!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The countdown



Stumpy and I are getting ready to head east for a month. Stumpy knows someone is going but she is not sure exactly who. She sees the suitcases and knows what they mean. She is so afraid she will be left behind. Stumpy suffers from separation anxiety and me going to work, in the morning, is enough to push her over the edge, even though she comes with me every day. The suitcases have her in total turmoil. She's underfoot, in my bags, taking things out of my bags and doing anything she can to remind me not to forget her.

Poor girlie. How can she NOT know she's a permanent fixture, in my life. In the two years we have been partners, she has only been left for a couple of hours at a time, and that hasn't happened very often.

The picture above, is Stumpy's petfinder picture, she was 6 months old, about 15 pounds and looking scared to death. Cute as a button, though!!! I couldn't resist her then, anymore than I can now.

Leave her behind... AS IF!!!!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Breeders Tell Fans of Water Dogs: Keep Your Paws Off

I wrote about the future of Portuguese water dogs after the Presidential family brought Bo home. If the article below is any measure, the future looks bright.


Breeders Tell Fans of Water Dogs: Keep Your Paws Off

By NANCY KEATES
from the Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124545926120333167.html

After two interviews, three applications and months of anxiety, Nicole Grayson, a stay-at-home mother of three in Portland, Ore., finally got the nod. In April, Ms. Grayson learned she had been chosen to purchase a $2,000 Portuguese water dog.

Breeders "made it clear I had to prove myself worthy," she exults. "We were really nervous." Now she relishes the attention her puppy, named Capri, attracts at her son's baseball games. She has also set up puppy play dates with another Portuguese water dog in town.

Ever since the Obama family anointed Bo the country's First Dog, requests for Portuguese water dogs have been soaring, jumping by about 100% in the U.S. and 122% in the U.K. from a year earlier, according to officials at the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. The breed's new vogue has made it harder than ever to get a "Portie," a cute and intelligent dog jealously guarded by its breeders.
[Presidential pooch Bo]

Presidential Pooch Bo

Since the early 1970s, when the first few dogs arrived on U.S. shores, the nation's estimated 200-odd water dog breeders have kept a tight leash on the adoption process in the name of protecting the dogs. Even before Bo, many prospective owners had to submit to an interview with the breeder and fill out an application that can run 11 pages.

Sample essay questions: "How would you describe the ideal dog for you and your family?" and "What other breeds have you considered?" and "Of the dogs you have owned, what do you enjoy most about dog ownership?"

According to Art Stern, the Texan who bred Bo, the President and Mrs. Obama weren't subjected to the usual scrutiny when they accepted the puppy as a gift from Sen. Edward Kennedy and his family. But Mr. Stern, who usually insists on a face-to-face meeting with children to determine an adopting family's suitability, says he carefully considered the behavior of 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia on television and concluded they were water-dog-worthy.

"We weren't about to throw a wrench in the process," Mr. Stern says. The first lady, through her press secretary, says Bo is "a perfect fit."

Just 1,400 puppies are born a year, which means the Bo boom has created acceptance rates worthy of an Ivy League college. Amanda Ford, a breeder in Carnation, Wash., says she has seen casual inquiries for puppies increase from once a week to once a day. Her rejection rate -- before Bo -- was 10 to one.

"We try to discourage people," says Mary Eadie, a breeder in Annandale, Va., who says she has had 300 calls since Bo Obama came on the scene. She says she narrowed the field by eliminating anyone who wanted a dog immediately or wanted a female to breed. Then she weeded through applications, finally inviting the final 30 for interviews to vie for the 10 puppies her two females gave birth to in March. "We try to educate the public about the commitment involved in taking on this dog," she says.

Ms. Eadie has a Web site and is on the water dog club's list of breeders. She says that with demand raging, she has created a few other parameters as well. She will sell only to people who can stay home with the dog or take it to work, who have a fenced-in yard and don't have children under the age of 6. And winners don't get to pick their prize: Ms. Eadie says she tests the puppies' temperament herself to make the perfect match.

As for the losers, "I don't tell people they'd be a bad owner," she says. "I just tell people we don't have a puppy for them."

Andrew Weitzer, a 57-year-old owner of an outdoor advertising company in New York, says he tried repeatedly to persuade a breeder to sell him a puppy, which he imagined frolicking happily at his country house. But Mr. Weitzer says he was rejected several times because his kids, then just 2 and 2 years old, were too young.

Once rejected, some would-be buyers find themselves forever scorned. Julie Pincus, a 48-year-old graphic designer, barely escaped breeder banishment. Unable to have children and having battled breast cancer, Ms. Pincus decided a few years ago that she wanted a little company and underwent the lengthy review process, only to conclude her $1,500 dog had an underbite, a genetic flaw that compromises its value. She returned the dog to the upset breeder.

The Search for the Presidential Pet

The Obamas had quite a few role models in their search for the perfect presidential pet. Take a look back at pups and other pets from Coolidge to Reagan.

A few months later, Ms. Pincus found a breeder in a different state, reapplied and drove three hours to the interview. Suddenly the breeder changed her mind. Only after many calls did the breeder confess she'd heard about Ms. Pincus's prior experience from the first breeder and had decided to reject her application. "They're all nuts," says Ms. Pincus, who was eventually able to persuade the second breeder to allow her to adopt her current dog, Milo.

Breeders say they're tough because they care about the puppies' welfare and contend the caution is needed because the breed demands a lot of attention. Historically, the dogs lived on fishing boats, where they fetched tackle underwater and acted as couriers, strengthening their hind legs and sharpening their retrieval skills. According to the water-dog club, the dogs, considered sacred in pre-Christian times, require regular and extensive grooming, need a lot of exercise, think independently and, as puppies, can bite.

Ms. Pincus wouldn't dispute that. Even after expensive dog training, she still muzzles Milo when they go out so he won't nip people in their building or go after strangers in unusual clothing. Still, she says, she loves his funny, canny ways, like the way he spins his favorite stool with his nose or presses a button on the oven to hear the sound it makes.

Milo's "wormed his way into our hearts," says Ms. Pincus, adding that she'd add another water dog to her menagerie, if only she didn't have to reapply.

Write to Nancy Keates at nancy.keates@wsj.com

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Nooter the dog


This blog is great, you gotta check it out. Just the name of the blog is awesome isn't it???


http://www.nooterthedog.com/

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

I received this in my email and thought it was worth sharing...

"Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do a
nything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa
told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty
or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard
a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and

being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

  • Live simply.
  • Love generously.
  • Care deeply.
  • Speak kindly.
  • Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
  • When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
  • Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
  • Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
  • Take naps.
  • Stretch before rising.
  • Run, romp, and play daily.
  • Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
  • Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
  • On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
  • On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
  • When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
  • Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
  • Be loyal.
  • Never pretend to be something you're not.
  • If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
  • When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
  • ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!"
For my lil brother,Waboso, I miss you every day.

And my lil sister, Jibesek, aka Stumpy, you're da bomb!!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Animal Rescue Site needs a few good clicks


Help feed rescued, abused and neglected animals by adding this gadget to your blog.

It's easy...just click on the link below, copy and paste the code you choose into "gadgets" on your dashboard settings. It couldn't be any easier to help the animals!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/linktous.faces?siteId=3&link=ctg_ars_linktous_from_home_leftnav



When the site meets it quota, they can get free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. Corporate sponsors and advertisers donate the food in exchange for advertising.

Learn more at:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Saturday, June 13, 2009

a special request

This is how Stumpy looks when she just wakes up... a good thing for one dog to know, in case he is pondering the future...



This is Stumpy, giving me her "look," when she has waited quite long enough.



"OK, I'm sitting, I have been sitting and your point is?"


Stumpy goes to get the ball, and has several other stops to make before she can return. Oops, she will have to go back and get the ball. Her priorities and my priorities are quite different, frequently... Pretty soon, I will be out of balls and have to do a recon mission. The yard is full of balls, but she will only bring one back if it has just been thrown. If she is in the mood.


Note the attractive black band at the beginning of her tail. According to some, that is a genetic trait that ties her to "Hall's Heelers." Thomas Hall is said, by some, to have bred the original Australian cattle dogs. The ancestry of the "heeler" is argued to this day, Down Under. Stumpy, being one of the rare, sooooo highly valued blue dogs, if legend is to be believed, also has some blue blood.

Stumpy was found with her litter mates, all stumpy tailed cattle dogs. By the time she came into my life, we could not find any of her litter mates :( We named her Jibesek, which in Potawatomi, means rotten little stump.

Once Stumpy woke up from her nightmare of a life and came out of her shell she turned into rotten little holy terror of a dog (Jezebel and DeeDee for devil dog were the other choices.) She is called Stumpy in honor of her littermates. We hope and pray they are safe and happy.

Another little known fact...Cattle dogs should only have stump tails if born that way. Of course, here in the good ol' USA we have to improve upon the breed, and that includes chopping off some poor puppies tails.


The End.