Territorial Expansion

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If you let your pets sleep on your bed it is almost a given that they will find the optimum position to make you feel uncomfortable. Your comfort decreases proportionate to the size of the dog as well as the number of pets allowed on the bed.

Are Japanese Cats Nuts?

If you’ve been cruising on the internet you’ve most likely run across several oddities from Japan. Game shows, happy-go lucky music videos featuring energetic young adults, and of course anime. One thing that has jumped out at me recently are the various interesting cat videos that are out there.

One of the best known Japanese cat stars is Maru. Maru was originally made famous when he would dive head first into a box. From those humble beginnings we got to see even more of Maru and he’s become a YouTube superstar.

You can view even more Maru vids by visiting Mugumogu’s YouTube Channel.

That cat is almost as sweet as saccharine, isn’t it? But what if the cat isn’t so sweet and cuddly? What if, just by chance, the cat hates you? With that, I present to you Sashimi. And wouldn’t you know it:

Sashimi hates Shingo

There’s an entire series of videos which show Sashimi being really pissed off at Shingo Soejima. And could you blame the cat??

The Cat House on the Kings

A while back I read the following comic from XKCD (it’s a pretty geeky comic strip written by an engineer so you may not understand some of the other strips:

Oddly enough this is pretty true!

Why am I posting this? Because recently I stumbled onto the following video – The Cat House on the Kings:

I think it’s wonderful that she’s able to transform 6 acres of land into a no kill cat sanctuary…that has dogs! If you are curious or if you would like more information, then please visit their website at http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/.

Giving up your pet

I am the owner of a new pup and, as such, I have succumb to the trials and tribulations of owning a small, four legged shark with boundless energy. We come to love our furry little ones and they become part of our family. They are a part our lives and a part of ourselves. However, sometimes there are situations when we can no longer keep our babies; circumstances come which we cannot avoid the harrowing prospect of giving up our babies.

On June 17, 2009, the following appeared in the Seattle-Tacoma Best of Craigslist section -

Ten years ago, in tears, you turned your beloved dog over to the Bellevue Humane Society. You had to move and your 3 year old dog could not go with you. The workers said that you (a man) cried as you left her there. You even told the folks at the humane society that she was half chow, half lab…One look at this fuzzy brindle pooch and you knew there was no such thing as a brindle chow OR lab..but there are brindle pitbulls…with a pit face, funny looking tiger stripes and lots of fur, I’m certain you thought this was going to be the end of the line for her.

What you need to know is that my best friend adopted her. My friend called me and said, “now, you have to get past her looks…she REALLY is sweet.” Sure enough, she was sweet and for the next 10 years of her life lived the life you had hoped she would have. Her life was filled with swims, playmates, early morning walks, car rides, hikes and lots of love. She died in her bereaved owner’s arms last Saturday, succumbing to the affects of advanced liver disease.

When she was adopted, it was obvious she had been loved and cared for..impeccible manners, good basic training and she really wanted to please. I hope you see this post so that you know that you did the right thing in surrendering her and can stop wondering. She lived the life she deserved.

Here is the original link to the above post – http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sea/1226773949.html

I know that those of you that read this blog and also are clients of Woofie’s love your pets with all your heart. If you should ever have to unwillingly part with them then keep in mind the above post. All stories don’t end badly and your precious one may end up living a long, happy, fulfilling life.

Now, just to bring this to an even more personal level: I once had a black labradour retreiver named Zoe. She was absolutely gorgeous! She was all black and to make things even more special her birthday was on Halloween. She was my little goblin. I was living in an apartment complex in Cetnreville and one of my neighbors complained that she was too big: I had to find her a new home. At the time I couldn’t afford to move and my life was a complete shambles.

At the time it was one of the most painful experiences I’ve had. I was giving away my little girl. Through the Labradour-L emailing list I found her a new home on the Eastern Shore. I bawled my eyes out drivng home and there was an emptiness in me that I never thought I’d be able to recover from. As time went on I got updates from her new owners. My little Zoe, who had a penchant for eating my shoes and destroying my couch, was trained to get the newspaper by herself at the end of the long driveway of her new family. She had also become quite the accomplished swimmer and took boat rides, went fishing and had become quite enmeshed in her new family; her new life.

I was both happy and sad for her. As time went on I got fewer and fewer updates from her new family. I have faith, though, that she is in good, loving hands.

A heart ‘warming’ photo series

There are always going to be videos and images on the web. As a personal policy, I try not to post pictures which are controversial or shocking. There’s enough going on in the world these days, isn’t there? We really don’t need anything to bring us down.

In one of my last posts I wrote how easy it is during my down time to get lost in the internet’s web. Videos, songs, interactive sites and pictures seem to bombard most of your senses. However, every once in a while you find that gem of a picture; something that makes you look at it and at the very end say ‘Awwww!’.

I found the picture to the right on one of the various news sites that I frequent.  When I saw it I did exactly as I said – “Awwww!”. There are so many facets to this image which make it so adorable:

  • It flies in the face of the stereotypical antagonistic behavior between cats and dogs
  • The puppy seems so young and innocent
  • Are the puppy and cat merely attempting to stay warm or is there more to this? Is this a cure for lonliness?

Growing up we’re all faced with believing that cats and dogs have a hard time coexisting. We learn this from cartoons, movies, television shows, books and magazines. It has been drilled into us so much that we begin to believe it. Those of us who have a multi-species home no that both of these fine, furry friends can love each other and coexist under the same roof.

It’s a nice lesson to learn, isn’t it?

Regardless of species, this cat and dog get along well

Regardless of species, this cat and dog get along well

A Dog’s Prayer

I have seen this floating around the net and via emails. With all the trials and tribulations that we’ve had in the past few years I thought it would be nice to repost it here.  retreived this version from The Examiner at http://www.examiner.com/x-677-Dogs-Examiner~y2009m3d1-A-Dogs-Prayer

A Dog’s Prayer

Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

When it is cold and wet, please take me inside… for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements… and I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth… though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land… for you are my god… and I am your devoted worshiper.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest…and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.

–Beth Norman Harris

The Internet is a Black Hole

I need help. During one of the few periods of time during my day when I have free time I was sucked into watching the following video clip (from 2005). I have absolutely no idea why I find it so amusing but the song has been stuck in my head for most of the past two days:

I’m a Kitty Cat
YouTube Preview Image

For an animal lover the internet is both a wonderful thing as well as, let’s be honest here, both a great source of entertainment and a time suck. At one point I’ll be researching dog breeds, training and feeding tips, the winner of the Westminster Dog Show. It is amazing that I could find remedies for getting the stink of a skunk off my dogs (all solutions aren’t perfect!) and removing the smell of cat urine from a leather couch (don’t ask) and then…I get lost in Facebook, poking and prodding people, accepting gifts and telling them random bits of information about myself.

Then I get caught up in reading the news. News is EVERYWHERE. I could easily spend over 3 hours catching up on all the local, national and world news, entertainment, human interest, WTF, pet industry news. By the time I feel that I would be done catching up there would be even MORE news. It is a never ending cycle!

Then there are the web comics. I’ll admit that I’ll read some of the mainstream web comics. There are times, though, that I’ll catch up on others. Some are web only, others I sometimes don’t even understand. But they’re there and I MUST READ THEM!!

Finally, I get drawn into the videos. Holy cow.  Aside from the videos of Japanese game shows, people doing stupid things, amazing science experiments I wind up right back to what I know best – animals. I keep falling in love over and over again with videos of kittens and puppies, birds and fish, turtles and…well, pretty much everything!

The internet is both my friend and my weakness. Then again, who wouldn’t feel weak in the knees and fall in love with little puppy howling with his owner?

YouTube Preview Image

The curse of being a pet owner

The day after Christmas last year one of my dogs left this life and ventured into the next. He was a beautiful dog with a sweet and loving personality but over the year he had several medical issues that the fine doctors at TLC in Leesburg couldn’t diagnose, despite trying their best.

As I’m sure all of you pet owners are aware, we humans tend to outlive these fine, furry family members. And that, my friends, is our curse that we must endure. If we’re lucky, we get to see our animals grow from being a baby into adulthood. We get to experience the howling in their crates when they first come home or the clawing and scratching of your favorite furniture. We see them mature, act silly or serious and, for all intents and purposes, become an integral part of our existence.

If we’re lucky, we get to be with them when they pass.

As hard as it is to see your loved one go we gladly carry this curse with us for as long as possible, knowing that it will eventually end in heartbreak and pain. Why? Because even though we know the inevitability of the situation we are also sure that this curse is also a blessing.

I took it very, very hard when my baby passed away.  I think of him daily; missing his big, lumbering body that didn’t have a shred of grace nor coordination. But he was mine and he always will be.

When I was in North Carolina I remember driving around with my dogs in my truck and we were listening to NPR and Garrison Keillor’s ‘Prairie Home Companion’. On this particular show was Billy Collins reading his work “The Revanent“. Although it is a humorous piece about a dog’s ‘true’ feelings after passing, it helps bring some levity to an otherwise dire time.

Plus, we all know that it isn’t true :)

Old Dogs: Are The Best

I have a deep love for old dogs. Maybe it is because, for the most part, they’re nice and mellow. Old dogs seem to reach an age of maturity and you can see it in them. They’re wiser, more experienced and, for better or worse, set in their ways.

Old Dogs: are the best book coverI recently picked up Gene Weingarten and Michael Williamson’s 2008 book Old Dogs: are the best dogs and I can absolutely, without a doubt, say that it is one of the sweetest dog books I’ve read. According to the Amazon Editorial Review

This book is a tribute to every dog who has made it to that time of life when the hearing and eyesight begin to go, when the step becomes uncertain, but when other, richer traits ripen and coalesce. It is when a dog attains a special sort of dignity and a charm all his own.

Face it, the lives of our furry family members is fleeting at best. It is almost unfair that we humans live 4-5 times longer than our pets. But when we live with them and see them as they age we can’t help but feel that, no matter what, they have enriched our lives and have become a part of us.

If we’re lucky we’ve been able to watch our friends grow from a sprawling young mass of paws, teeth and fur filled with limitless energy to the more sure footed, graying old timers. Looking through the book and reading the stories reminds you how much you appreciate your friend’s life. Undoubtedly, you’ve been through much with your dog and Weingarten does a phenomenal job of telling anecdotes that you can relate to. When you look at the black and white images throughout the book and read of the dogs exploits and experiences you’ll see and feel that you’ve somehow seen your dog in this book.

There is also a companion website, Old Dogs: A book in progress. If you get the opportunity, look through the other dogs pictures and stories. It is a great read and will be sure to spark thoughts and memories of you and your pooch.

After 14 Months in Iraq…

A soldier returns home to his dogs. I watched the following video and I couldn’t help but get sappy. Since this automatically plays when the page is loaded I’ve posted the video after the jump. :)

Continue reading After 14 Months in Iraq…