Courtesy of PitBullLovers.com

Although I may not agree 100% with all of these, I think it’s good information know and pass along. Anything with an * by it is my personal addition to the tip.

1. Exercise your dog everyday. Pit Bulls are high energy dogs that need some way of burning off that pent up energy. Even a short 10-15 minute walk or game of fetch in the backyard will help burn off energy that can lead to behavior problems. *Separation anxiety is a common behavioral issue with this breed. Daily exercise can severly help the sympotms and make your dog a much happier dog.

2. Never leave pit bulls alone with other dogs (or any animal). Even if you’re dog gets along great 99.9% of the time with other animals the Pit Bull is known for animal aggression and it is possible something will happen. A good piece of advice I received a long time ago was, Never trust your Pit Bull not to fight. *Always remember that if your pit bull gets into a fight, no matter what dog started it, it will ALWAYS be the pit bulls fault due to media and the already bad stigma around these dogs! Good dog owners (any dog) are always on the defensive and prepared for the worst possible scenario.

3. Always have your dog on a leash in public. Most if not all towns, cities and states have leash laws. Obey these laws. This will help people see your dog in a positive light and keep accidents like getting hit by passing cars from occuring. *Because of the breed police are more inclined to ticket you before another breed owner. Also remember the “gang” stigma of these dogs and don’t assist in any more assumptions.

4. Always supervise your dogs and never allow them to roam free. Loose dogs are often hurt by cruel people and accidents can happen as well. Always know where your dog is. *Loose dogs are inclined to be aggressive due to fear and can be a danger to the community, that goes for ANY breed. Imagine how scared your dog would be without you, in an unknown area, with strangers coming after them; thats a receipe for disaster.

5. Supervise your dog with small children. This is a must. Small children are often hurt by dogs not out of anger, but because dogs can scratch them, step on them, and otherwise injure them. * Pit bulls are one of 3 breeds noted for their love of children and therefore can get overly excitable around them. With their size, energy level, and enthusiasm they can knock down and accidently injure children when proper supervision is not provided.

6. Spay or Neuter your dog. Unless you plan on doing something where the dog can not be spayed or neutered get it done. This will reduce accidental breedings and stop roaming males from getting loose. *Spaying and neutering can help with medical and behavioral issues. 3-4 million animals are euthanized every year in shelters, be part of the solution not part of the problem. See your local animal shelter or Humane Society for reduced cost spay a neuter information.

7. Train your dog. Take your dog to obedience classes or hire a private trainer to help you train your dog. This is very important for Pit Bull owners. If you can not control your dog bad things will eventually happen. Get your dog into training as soon as possible. *Proper training and socialization is imperitive for the health and balance of your dog. Do this EARLY, it’s much more difficult to do as they get older. Also remember how other people view your dog as they are misbehaving, this is only adding to the misconception about the breed.

8. Avoid dog parks. Dog parks are a breeding ground for disaster. Young dogs have been killed in dog parks by bigger dogs and taking your dog to a dog park is simply not a good idea at all. A better choice is to enroll your puppy into puppy socalization classes. If you have a rescue dog I would also recommend these types of classes as well. Some trainers do have them for older dogs. Your dog will have a far better chance at proper socialization in one of these classes than at a dog park. *Even the most well behaved dog can react badly when a proper introduction is not conducted. Proper introductions are impossible at dog parks. Remember who will be blamed if a fight does occur. Even 2 of the BEST dogs may not get along.

9. Socialize your dog. Take your dog to as many places as you can, meet new people and while they are young meet as many other dogs as possible. Socializing your Pit Bull will help curb any future problems that might occur. *Do a proper interaction with all dogs (not face to face). START EARLY! This is all about desensitization to exciting and new places, people and dogs. The more they get into new situations, the less exciting it will be.

10. Keep your dog properly confined. Pit Bulls are known to be great escape artist. Make sure you have the means to keep them in your yard and properly confined. Installing a six foot privacy fence is not a bad idea either.

Responsible ownership starts from the time your Pit Bull comes to live with you. Irresponsible owner’s are one of the major causes for all the problems the breed faces today. It’s our hope here at Pit Bull Lovers we can spread the word and educate more owners to take responsibility for their dogs actions.

In order for things to change, we must change the way we look at our own actions and how they effect the world around us *and the dogs we love and live with.

What are Moshlings?

Moshlings are little pets for your monsters that are found in the wild places around Monstro City, from Potion Ocean and Mount Sillimanjaro to the Bongo Bongo Jungle and the Candy Cane Caverns.

Some Moshlings even live in a parallel vortex!

Some are friendly, some are shy. Some are scary, some can fly. Some like sipping lukewarm coffee and brushing their teeth with sticky toffee. Others like doing the splits and marmalade with bits. Some are common, some are uncommon. Some are rare and some are ultra rare.

Some even like pilchard popsicles. Yuck!

The one thing all Moshlings dream about is living in a cozy home. And that’s just as well because Moshi Monsters love looking after them. Rumor has it these titchy critters bring good luck but most monsters just enjoy showing them off.

Moshling-ologists have identified 40 weird and wacky species, from Stunt Penguins and Silly Snufflers to Cheeky Chimps and Fancy Banshees. And there are more to come!

There are Spookies, Birdies, Kitties, Foodies, Ninjas, Ponies, Fishies, Dinos, Beasties, Fluffies and this just came in today! The Moshling-ologists have identified a new specie and likely a new set of Moshlings, an Undercover Yap Yap!

How can I get a Moshling?

These fickle little critters are only attracted by certain flowers and colour combinations. There are eight different types of seeds and each one grows into a beautiful flower.

Visit your garden from the map and grow 3 flowers. When they’ve grown you’ll see if you’ve attracted a Moshling. If you haven’t, don’t worry, the Cluekoo will help you out.

Lucky for you the Cluekoo and Scarecrow live in your garden and keep a watch over things when you aren’t there.

Some Moshlings are easy to catch and will be attracted by any color of flower, but the really rare Moshlings are picky, and you can only attract them if you get the exact flower colour right.

They really love flowers, and if you grow the right ones, they’ll become your life long friend.

So don’t dilly-dally. Buy some seeds on Main Street and at the Port. Plant them in your garden and see if you can tempt a little Moshling to come and live with you.

Good luck Moshling hunters!

]]> http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/national-shelter-dog-month-sunday-a-puppy/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:00:57 +0000 marthasteward64 http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/national-shelter-dog-month-sunday-a-puppy/

“If you ever pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and man” – Mark Twain -

A thought to ponder when we save a rescue dog, we see a miracle before our eyes.

Moshi Monsters is the world of adoptable pet monsters where you can play games, get creative and connect with friends.

HOW TO ADOPT

Visit the adoption center and choose your Moshi Monster, color it just the way you want and give it a name, now you’re ready to take your monster home!

CARING FOR YOUR MONSTER

Every monster has a personality that changes and develops the more you play. Treat your monster well and you’ll have a loyal pet, treat it badly and you might set off a fiery temper!

There are many ways to take care of your monster: play with it, feed it, and customize its house – you can design it any way you want!

EARNING ROX

Play puzzle games to earn ROX – the currency of Monstro City. Rox are magically created for your brainwaves, and the better you do the more stuff you can buy!

SHOPPING!!!

Head to the shops for a huge range of monster gear. There are new items all the time so you’ll never know when you might find something super rare!

MEETING NEW FRIENDS

Just like you, your monster needs friends. Add them to your buddy list and your monsters will hang out even when you’re not there! The more your friends visit, the bigger chance you’ll have of becoming Monstar of the Week!

DAILY NEWS UPDATE

Look on the news to find out all your monster adventures and what your friends have been up to.

SAFE CHAT

See something that catches your eye? Leave a message on your friend’s pinboard! Don’t worry, Moshi moderators make sure all the messages are safe!

MOSHLINGS

Go to your very own moshling garden and plant a combination of seeds to catch a moshi moshling. Moshlings are adorable little pets for your monster. Keep 2 Moshlings or collect all 40 Moshlings! Your monster will love it!

The Moshi Monsters world is always growing! The Moshi construction team is hard at work adding new features and bringing you and your monster new shops, games and MORE!

Now get on over the Adoption Center, a little Moshi Monster is waiting JUST FOR YOU!

]]> http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/national-shelter-dog-month-saturday-a-puppy/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:00:07 +0000 marthasteward64 http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/national-shelter-dog-month-saturday-a-puppy/

“Woof”…’Woof”….let’s go play…here’s the ball…”Woof”.  Take a moment to play and laugh at the pure enjoyment ” Your dog is calling for you.”

And now Daphne has brought her three surviving kittens to the house.

Save us.

Bunjie, Sterling and Sid still reside here.  Bunjie will meet with the Airedale again, maybe they’ll have a chance to get comfortable with each other this time.  I don’t know.  I hope so-the dog’s owner is certainly the sort of person with whom I’d gladly place a pet.  She’s responsible, caring, and all round good.  If the cat and dog work out that would be a lovely home for Bunjie.  It’s a big if, though-we don’t know if Bunjie would tolerate enough of the dog’s attention to make a peaceful co-existence.  The dog is delighted with Bunjie and thinks this is great fun.  I really like the dog, he’s entirely lovable.  But he is indeed excited about a cat and is vocal about it!  A prayer please, that somehow Bunjie has a home by Christmas.

I’d be pretty happy if Sid and Sterling could have their permanent homes by Christmas too.

Westie will be spayed on Thursday, 3 December.  She won’t be ear-tipped as I think she may make a good pet cat. She’s very sweet and loving and demands attention by blocking our path!

I need to get Daphne trapped and spayed.  Daph will be ear-tipped as I doubt she’d ever be a pet.  I’m very worried about her-she has had a squinty eye for nearly a week, and in the last few days developed a swelling on her cheek below the eye.  She’s eating well which is good, and I certainly feed her whenever she comes by.  But she’s also been caving in the shelter nearest the garage door, which worries me terribly as she never needed to be so close.  Her kits are nearby but not in the pan with her.  I can’t do anything but pray for this cat.  For a feral, she’s getting on, she’s three years old now.  I would love to see her recover from whatever this is and live comfortably.  I wish she’d just take shelter in the garage where she’s out of wind and rain and snow, it’s a little warmer than outdoors, and she’s protected from things that would do harm.

Now it’s Lollypop’s turn.  IF you can’t adopt one of my fosters please go to Lollypop and give one of their residents a place in heart and home.  This week’s Cat of the Week is Lisle, a lovely tortie.

LISLE

#8526709

Lisle is an 8-month-old female kitten who was brought to Lollypop Farm because her family was having personal problems that left them unable to keep her. She has a beautiful soft coat and a sweet, gentle disposition. Lisle gets along with children and other cats. She has lived with a dog, too. She came in with her sister Lydia and they would love to go home together! Lisle loves being petted and starts to purr right away!

For most families have the long weekend to spend time with and eat left overs. Shop the stores on Black Friday for great deals. While we focus on to Christmas there still is a need, there are only a few days left of National Shelter Dog Month to help draw the attention for shelter animals. However the message continues into and through on a daily basis. While shopping think of a gift you could provide a shelter… a blanket, water dish, maybe a bag of food for the animls.

It has indeed been a few days since my last entry here, but I wanted to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all and to bring you up to speed on current happenings here at the shelter! 

Red Stripe is assimilating well into our pack.  As I had mentioned in previous posts, he came to us as a foster child from the American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue (www.coonhoundrescue.com) and even before he got here, I suspected that he would become part of our resident ‘pack’, which he clearly has!  He is a cutie and quite the good looking man, with a fair amount of puppy left in him.  He has 2 brothers in other foster homes that are in need of ‘forever homes’ and I can tell you, they will be welcome additions to any home.  You can have a look at them on the website at this link: http://www.coonhoundrescue.com/MICROBREWS09.html  If you’re looking for a great companion and vary smart pup…these may be your guys!  If you are looking for something other than a pup…there are LOTS of hounds in need of rescue on their site and they would all LOVE to have homes for the holidays!

Speaking of foster care, we are looking for folks who are interested in becoming foster parents.  It’s not a job for everyone and requires some effort, but your rewards are many.  If you’re interested in becoming a foster home, e-mail us at info@uh-s.org and we’ll be happy to fill you in on all of the details and get the process started.  Hounds are tremendous companions and they reward your love by giving you plenty back in return, however they do require some attention.  Bloodhounds must be kept in an enclosed area or on the lead or they are bound to follow their primal instinct and let that nose take them wherever they may.  As a large breed, they also require a fair amount of exercise…the old cliche of a lazy dog laying around all day is just that, a cliche.  Young hounds are quite active and very inquizative…they need attention and love and prefer to have a fair amount of interaction with other hounds or humans.

All in all, hound dogs make GREAT pets and are, like all others, wonderful companions.  If you can do anything at all to help, please think of them this Holiday season and do what you can.  For more about us, visit us online at www.uh-s.org or call us at 717-458-2786, we are happy to provide information and assistance!

MY toy!

*Jakarta Globe, 11 December 2008

In the far corner of a house in Cimanggis, 40 kilometers from Central Jakarta, a boy walks by, pushing an empty wheelchair.
His gait is rather strange, his legs twisted at odd angles. He walks carefully, relying more on the wheelchair than pushing it. The quietness is sporadically shattered by screams. Short and high in pitch, like a frustrated toddler grappling for words that refuse to form.
In its sprawling compound on the main road of Jalan Raya Bogor, Wisma Tuna Ganda houses 30 children and adults with various forms of cerebral palsy and autism.
Most have lived here since they were toddlers. Fifty percent are over the age of 30; the oldest is 40.
Kristanti, the deputy head of Wisma Tuna Ganda, explains: “We treat residents for a maximum of 20 years, but some stay longer because their families are hesitant to take them back or have abandoned them completely. Where else can they go? So they become our responsibility.”
In a bright room with open windows, residents sit on safety chairs playing with colorful sets of shapes.
Most stare emptily into space, saliva dribbling from their lips.
Rusdi, the only one with coherent speech, answers in a slurred voice when asked his age and the name of his father.
Blind, the 36-year-old holds a forefinger to his left ear whenever he speaks, as if straining to hear.
The institution does not provide residents with a formal education.
“It is enough to teach them how to interact, understand who they are, and daily survival skills like putting on clothes and feeding themselves,” Kristanti says.
A caretaker is teaching Icha, the youngest resident, how to play with blocks. She does not look like she was born with a defect. But she is autistic and has yet to walk or speak at 3 years of age.
“She responds to her own name,” says Kristanti with a smile, “which means at least she understands who she is.”
Polo shirts, T-shirts, shorts and pants hang in the garden in neat rows under the morning sun. A man sits at the end of the hall, his legs crossed, eyes closed, swishing his head from left to right. There is a big grin on his face. On approach, gray hairs can be seen on his head.
“Fikri is one of the older ones. He is mobile but blind,” says Kristanti as she rubs Fikri’s head. At times his hands flutter up, as if playing  an imaginary piano. “They live in their own world,” Kristanti adds.
Neat white tiles dominate the physiotherapy room where chaos reigns. The floor is littered with bodies, prone and writhing. Three caretakers in dusky pink uniforms heave a child up and strap her to a standing frame. To the left, two children hang on frames like forgotten puppets; their legs and arms bound to splints of padded steel to keep them from stiffening and bending. The children wear heavy orthopedic shoes so they will not develop flat feet or curling toes. They are strapped to boards with cloth straps, hands hanging limply above their heads. For an hour they rest that way to straighten their muscles and practice standing.

“At first, they were angry and would struggle against it,” says Rita Komala who has been a physiotherapist and caretaker for 11 years. “But now they have gotten used to it and some can fall asleep.”
The room is clean and the physiotherapy equipment new —a  noticeable difference from the past when there was an absence of generous donors. Prior to funding, treatment was not maximal due to the high cost of equipment for therapy.
“Shoes for preventing flat feet cost Rp 2 million,” comments Rita.
It is hard to tell the boys from the girls, or the men from the women. Everyone has short hair, cut off for convenience, and wears a T-shirt and pants. Their names are written in permanent marker on their clothing. Rizka, on the middle standing frame, flashes a big grin. She has sharp features, like a bird.
A commotion occurs in the middle of the floor. Ribs jutting out of his thin skin, a tall teenage boy is being undressed by caretakers. He has relieved himself in his pants and they are removing his adult pampers. They turn him over to powder him; his pelvic bones are visible.
One caretaker squeals upon seeing his erection. The 17-year-old’s pimply face remains expressionless. The caretakers laugh off the incident, quickly dressing him and strapping him to a chair. A napkin is placed under his chin like a bib.
“He leaks at both ends,” jokes a caretaker. “Like a tap,” says another.
A caretaker takes hold of another child and sits her down on a padded wooden seat. “They have to learn to sit,” says  Kristanti, “so their spines can be trained.”
“Susan,” she says pointing to a child with painfully thin and distorted limbs who is lying on her back, “cannot be trained to stand because her legs have become too spastic. If we force it, her legs will break.”

Lying stiff on the corner of a thin foam mattress, Vivi, in lollypop-pink stripes, blinks her large eyes and grunts. She wears splints, except on her right arm which was injured in a wheelchair accident.
“When Vivi was born, she was a healthy baby who had the chance to run and speak,” says Rita. She succumbed to cerebral palsy at 18 months.

Once everyone is strapped into standing positions, seated or stretched straight on the mat, the room falls quiet. Sounds from a soap opera blare from a television set. No one pays attention to it. The caretakers sit around the room and joke with one another.
Renni, who has regularly visited the home since 1993, comes bearing snacks. Renni went to physiotherapy school with Rita and is a freelancer now. She comes to volunteer for a few hours every week and says she feels something is missing when she does not.
“How are you, Ika?” she says as she high-fives Rizka, whose hands are tied above her head.
The 17-year-old beams beautifully, her mouth filed with sharp, black stumps that were once teeth. To her left, a plump girl grunts, laughs and shakes her head.
The caretakers crowd around Renni and eat her offerings.
“Rizka was so pretty when she was younger,” recounts Rennie. “But once she started menstruating, and through lack of care, her teeth have gone bad.”
Popping a peanut into her mouth, a caretaker speaks of Nano, who was left in a dumpster in Ancol, North Jakarta, when he was 5.
“He will always yell for food if he sees any,” she laughs. Nano is now 22.
“Many parents just leave them,” says Kristanti. “Some move houses without telling us their new address. Most never ask about their children. Sometimes when we feel a child needs their parents, we even pay for the parents to come here.”
An hour later more children are carried into the physiotherapy room. These are the ones who have finished their lessons next door. The caretakers busy themselves by massaging baby oil onto the atrophied limbs of the newcomers and joke with the children. Rizka and her two friends are released from their standing frames and left to roam the floor, their leg splints still attached. Little yelps and mini-screams are heard around the room. It is hard to tell whether the children are expressing pain, boredom or pleasure.
Rita and Rennie dote on Icha, their backs to Vivi in the corner. Vivi’s forehead turns lobster-red when she wails.
“Leave her, she is only seeking attention,” says Renni.

“Icha is cute so everyone hugs her and plays with her,” says a caretaker. “No one hugs Vivi.”

Vivi’s cries eventually brings a caretaker over to remove her splints. Once freed, her left arm bends inward and hardens. Her legs jerk shut. With emaciated limbs she resembles a sparrow with broken wings.
“They cannot move so their muscles athropy, their limbs getting smaller and smaller,” Renni explains.
Rizka, seeing the snacks near the mat, pulls her body along with her arms to take a crisp. She chews quietly. Crumbs fall.
Icha, the smallest, strapped to one of the standing boards, hangs like a cartoon character with her upright ponytail shooting out of the top of her head. Slightly cross-eyed she has a look of constant awe. She smiles and laughs at a caretaker who sits and dangles a camera phone in front of her.

Dani, an apple-cheeked girl with gorgeous dark eyes that disappear when she smiles, bangs her body against the standing frame next to Icha’s. Beside her, Putri, mouth agape, is silent and peers passively from behind her upright arms at the scene around her, slowly moving her head from left to right.
Rizka has another go at the snacks. She takes a few nuts then throws them on the floor.
“Leave it, she will eat them from there,” says a caretaker as Rizka picks a nut off the tile.
Buck-toothed and sporting blue socks featuring a superhero, Nanda is out of her shackles and is being trained to sit on a padded seat. She curls her head down and purrs in delight when someone rubs the back of her neck. After sitting for a while, she belches and throws up. A caretaker rushes over to clean her and rub minyak kayu putih, or cajuput oil, on her stomach.
“We’re going to lie you down on the floor, OK?” she says to Nanda.
Meanwhile, Dimas runs around the room creating havoc, pushing an empty standing frame and swinging the support straps. Physically he is in fine form but Dimas is autistic and cannot speak. He starts yelling and pulls people toward a hanging strap, wanting to play.
Lunchtime rolls around. All the children are taken off the standing frames and are left lying on the floor in various distorted positions as the caretakers prepare the food. Dani, effervescent, keeps laughing as a caretaker removes her splints. Vivi is spoon-fed on her back, her head propped up. The mashed up meal dribbles down her chin. Yellow and soft, her lunch also lands on her nose.
Putri sits upright beside her, solemnly flattening her rice before slowly bringing it to her mouth. A tiny dark-skinned girl by her feet stretches an arm toward her, eyeing her plate.
Dimas swoops in and steals her prawn cracker. Her reaction to catch him was too slow. She resumes her meal without a fuss.
On the opposite side of the room, Icha sneezes and looks surprised. Dani breaks out in laughter. Vivi, clean after her meal, suddenly throws open her sticks of arms, her huge eyes bulging toward the ceiling. She looks like a crucified child.
In the main house, the air is calmer and the atmosphere somber. Here lie the children too ill to move, in beds that have bars to prevent them from falling out. Above each bed is a wooden board listing each child’s name, birth date, origin, date of entry and ailments.
Tiffany, 6, is the frailest and the worst case. “Blind, spastic, mute, paralyzed,”  Kristanti reads.
In the dark, the whites of her wide eyes glow like sunken torchlights as a caretaker brings a spoonful of tomato soup to her mouth.
Yunas, 18, has been living at Wisma Tuna Ganda for 13 years. Although mute, he has full comprehension skills and responds with sign language and gestures. He often acts as a guide for visitors.
Upstairs, in the girls’ and women’s quarters, is Teresia. The T-shirt she is wearing says Dyna but Yunas knows it is her.
Aged and lined, with bony bent limbs curved like a meditating yogi, Teresia is the oldest resident. She arrived five years after the place opened in 1975. In the bed nearby, a girl squeals, happy to be playing with a handful of black pebbles.
There has only been one recorded case of adoption since the institution’s inception.
“It was in 1975 and a Dutch person adopted a boy. Of course, the child was active and could be independent,” Kristanti says. “No one would take a child who couldn’t move. It is too much hassle.”
Rare is the occasion when a child is taken back by their families. The fortunate few who are able to be productive are placed in other institutions to learn trade skills which are not provided here. But most residents die in the institution, often forgotten or abandoned by their families.
“An institution like this is not a place to break ties. A child has a right to be loved and cared for, here or at home,” Kristanti says. “But most people abandon their responsibility once they give their child over to us. Parents don’t realize they cannot forget their children.”

(Photos: Titania Veda)

This thanksgiving I am really sad that I cannot adopt a turkey. Being the poor college student that I am, I just can’t spend the extra dough. It’s really eating me up inside. I am going to do it over the summer, when the cash rolls in a bit steadier. I heard about the Adopt-A-Turkey Project when I was so young I didn’t have a debit card to even donate myself. Now, I remember each Thanksgiving, but because money is the worst thing in the world, I can’t adopt a turkey to be saved for Thanksgiving. Go adopt!

So for me today is a nice walnut salad (how autumny!) and some spinach lasagna my mum prepared for me. My Grandparents are coming to my house, and then afterwords my parents and I are going to go see A Christmas Carol to get in the Christmas spirit! Its a tradition of my family to go see a film after Thanksgiving dinner when all of the guests leave. We do the same on Christmas Night.

So have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Photo via Kitchen Project

May your day be full of fun with family and friends. Remember your pets and the business in the house… keep them safe and provide a quiet place for them. Have a great day.

Well the day before Thanksgiving, and we are running around packing, or preparing for guest, in the kitchen. I wanted to share…what I am thankful for. I am thankful my boys will be home for Christmas, my brother in Canada is having F>U>N FUN ; ) and I have good friends and neighbors. My folks are well and active.

My wish for you…have a safe Holiday – day and weekend.

Remember I am still pondering the next Dog in my life and Yes The DOG will come from a rescue program/shelter.

I am musing today about the nature of mothers and how they seem to be the same everywhere you go, and across all species.

As many of you know, I am perpetually ‘calf clucky’. I just love them. Until recently, we had plans to adopt two bobby calves that were marked for the meatworks and hand raise them. Then we started a horse charity and suddenly our land has been earmarked for horses destined for the meatworks!

We still have plans to get calves, but they the timing just isn’t right at the moment.

For the time being, I have to enjoy my neighbours’ calves through the fence. I have calves on two sides of our property and today, the newest arrival, a gorgeous little calf that we’ve named “Freedom” (because his new owners have named him “Freezer”… why? Apparently because “that’s where he’s going”… grrr) was up for some play.

He spotted my dogs as I wandered around doing the midday horse and chicken feeds and came to fence to say hello. He’s only about the size of a Golden Retriever and they had fun touching noses through the fence, until one of my dogs started barking loudly in his face. He startled backwards, looking a little shaken. Now, his mum (who is huge!), was nearby and had been calling out cautionary moos to her little man to be careful. When he jumped backwards, she rushed to his side, shook her head at the dogs in a scolding, protective gesture, then began licking and nuzzling the little man all over to check that he was okay and to ease his shock.

I stood watching this with a smile on my face, enjoying just how strong the mothering, protective instinct is across all species. I’ve seen it in horses, and cats, and cows and humans. And it’s all the same.

While “Freedom” may not be destined for the life I would like him to have (i.e. wandering around and living out his days in comfort and style), I am at least pleased that he and his mother get to enjoy this sacred mother-baby time together, rather than being separated at a few days old and experiencing all the grief and trauma that accompanies it. I do hope she gets to see him grow up.

inscribed on the tomb of scipio africanus:

‘ingrata patria, ne ossa quidem habebis’

UNGRATEFUL FATHERLAND,
YOU WILL NOT EVEN HAVE MY BONES

General Scipio III of Rome, responsible for the final sac and devastation of Carthage at the end of the third and final Punic war, was the adopted son of General Scipio (II) Africanus. Scipio (II) Africanus, given the name because of his incredible exploits on behalf of the Roman republic– is the general and force behind the defeat of one of Rome’s greatest enemies and threats to ever exist– Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, of Carthage. Yes, that Hannibal– the Carthaginian military mastermind that almost brought the Roman republic to its knees before the Roman empire really started to spread. That Hannibal–who crossed the alps and has inspired and obsessed military tacticians and historians ever since– whose ilk ranges from the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte himself to German tacticians during the first World War and so on.

Of course, history is full of great orphans and adoptees. When you read about them, their stories and their exploits– they stay with you; they become your great historical spectral-guardians who urge you on— beyond pain, beyond the  feelings of blinding loss, beyond the loneliness. Fight, young one. Who needs ‘em? You have us. Then you wonder sometimes, about their ambition— their motivations—  their shame— their hunger— their loss— their anger. You wonder if that sickening burning crises twisting your guts connects you to your great historical guardians—whether sleepless torment before dawn links you to them and all the others across time and space. You walk in the footsteps of the greatest of Roman emperors and generals, archbishops, prophets of earth-shattering proportions, mythic gods and kings, authors, conquerors, politicians, scholars, artists, and heroes of human civilization.  It is we who are remembered, young one. It is our stories that are chronicled in ancient, dusty tomes, retold around fires, studied in crowded classrooms, forever mythologized and anthologized. We are the human condition. We are loss, we are ambition, we are fire. We are remembered. You fight for your rightful place amongst us.

Now—who has a Superman complex?

Every now and then there is a GREAT story that is inspiring and a reminder as to why we fight the fight.

This picture says it all. This beautiful guy was saved as the result of networking thru Facebook, email, MySpace etc…

Look how majestic he is after only 3 months of love and care.

If you cannot foster, volunteer, adopt, or donate then NETWORK!

You CAN make the difference, even if it’s just for one dog.

]]> http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/national-shelter-dog-month-tuesday-quote-oh-a-puppy/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:56 +0000 marthasteward64 http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/national-shelter-dog-month-tuesday-quote-oh-a-puppy/

It’s been almost 2 years since Darby past away. I am starting to feel having another dog again would be great. The happy memories I shared with Darby will be there for ever. You the reader can share those memories with me and Darby. The book is written to celebrate his life and the hope of all rescue dogs.

First I ask my self do you have the time?

 The reason I ask this.  My animals are more like people than animals. Each have there quility moments or two…. : ) I work from home. So I am here. What if in a year my schedule requires me to leave the house for days … what then. I know the cats hate the fact I leave to go grocery shopping! Let alone away for a couple of days…….

With the Holidays coming ever so quickly. Many families think about a family gift. For the little girl a pony, or for the boy a dog. Before you go and buy. Seek advice… sometimes 2 weeks at a horse camp would be safer and more fun. For the boy and his dog… read Darby’s Story for guidence. This delightful children/family book helps you/the family look at your home life style, the house and the safety concerns of space in the back yard to how close the house is the road.

I would like your feedback concerning animal gifts for your family. This will be the topic of discussion for a bit.

PUPPIES are simply Irresistible… remember to laugh and play often. Have a tranquile Sunday.

Booksigning for Darby’s Darby at Wild About Books on Olympic Ave. Clearlake Ca. 3pm.

Here is the quote for the day. From Just Goldens by Tom Davis, ‘Puppies and mud go together like Astaire and Rogers,… This goes a long way toward explaining why puppies and carpets are usually a bad mix.’

I hope everyone has a great day : )

Nov. 18^th

Two weeks later, Sunny is still hanging out and being bossy.  She’s definitely come a ways though.  At our last adoption event, she didn’t bark at every passing dog.  Most of the day she sat calmly in here crate enjoying those who came to see her.  What a change!

She now automatically sits when coming inside, has learned get off, knows her boundaries, stays for short periods of time and is no longer jumping up on people but sits while being petted.  For us, it’s been difficult to learn how Sunny responds.  None of the old and faithful tactics truly work all of the time for this sweet girl.  She doesn’t care to be praised or petted; she’ll wait until she has an itch.  She doesn’t want treats; she’ll wait until dinner time.  She doesn’t want to be scolded, she run to her nearest safe spot and plant herself for an hour.

Sunny is truly a loving lady.  She wants nothing more than to snuggle or a good belly scratch.  Very content to just listen to you read.  She is still struggling with coming when commanded. I feel it’s partly my fault as I haven’t learned an appropriate teaching method.  Other flaws: stuffed animal destruction (she loves to throw the fluff everywhere), chair dominance (though she’s learning that it’s big enough for another), and the occasional kitty nibble is just too irresistable (all in love).

(My journal entry on November 5^th)

Wow, we just weren’t ready for you Sunny. We’ve never had an alpha female in the house.  Here we were, foster family spoiled with Miss Josie and Sunny comes over.  Oh how she asserted her dominance quickly.  She was here to rule the roost, or at least one dog and two kitties – she wasn’t going to boss me around, she just didn’t know it yet.

At first glance, you’d think Chihuahua, but think twice the size and spunk.  Sunny snooped around those first few hours, jumping up on me, running away just so I knew she didn’t care that I wanted to pet her, growling and snapping at Pebbles. Oh she was in for a treat.

She ignored me. That is until she heard that scoop hit the dog food.  She was mine.  First step to asserting dominance – food control.  You do not jump on me for food, you do not rush at the bowl, you do not scarf it down. She ate in her crate.  Then, to the leash.  She would learn that I’m a patient one – I will wait until she obeys.  Nope, she wouldn’t sit. Not yet.  Sunny’s a stubborn one.

That night, spent in a crate – she let us know just how unhappy she was there.  Determined to be let out of that crate, every hour or so she’d start to whine.  Not just any ole whine, this whine was so shrill and loud that I could hear her in the kitchen beneath us and at the back of the house.  At 3 – we moved her to the garage.  Didn’t do much to help.  Two nights later, she was tied to the dog bed at the foot of the bed – not a peep.  She even sits there quietly in the morning until I’m ready to let her loose.

Sunny has a long way to go.  Pebbles will be a great help there.  Coming from a house full of precious little Chi’s and other fosters, she had tons of love and lots of play time, but as an alpha dog – she needed more one-on-one time obedience training so that she can be the best adopted pup she can be.

The quote today comes from, “Just Goldens” by Tom Davis. ” The old dog knows; the young dogs want to. Natural inquisitiveness and intelligence are many where the journey to wisedom begins, but the long road of experieince can put that soulful, knowing look in a golden’s eyes.”