Grateful Dead

I just finished reading some beautiful anecdotes about peoples' pets. Our family is grateful to have had some loving pets over the years that came to shows and camped out with us in Atlanta and North Carolina. One dog in particular, Jesus (a female lab), used to love walking around making friends outside the venue early in the day. She could feel the good vibes. Our cat Domino used to go on tour too. Today I live on an old southern plantation in the former slave's quarters behind "the big House". My wife and I have the most wonderful pot belly pig named "Oingo-Boingo". She is an air conditioning pig that is a mind reader. Some other friends include Navidad (a feline rescue from a McDonalds dumpster), Jenny (a 45 year old donkey who likes sweet rolls), Casper (a white feline rescue) and the outside friend of Navidad, Sweet Pea (the 25 lb. barn guard cat), a horse of a different color named Tony, Baby the endless eating Matriarch horse, Bo (Jenny the donkey's "baby"), and a wild horse named Ellie. These animals are like family members and my wife and I are grateful to have such a wonderful life with them. Our home takes a bit of maintenance to keep things cleaned up and presentable; but the animals all are less trouble than you might think. They want to please us and make our lives full of unconditional love. This is only the current population. Many others came before them; and we know that if an unwanted pet makes it to us, they will have a great life. Gratefully, GK

For those of you who sent prayers and well wishes to my horse, who was struggling for his life after a terrible accident, I wish to thank you. Unfortunately, we lost the battle. He has moved on and is out of pain now. We did our best to help him, but lost the battle. I am sadden by this deeply. Such a beautiful, kind, loving creature. There will never be another like him.....

Sounds like he was a wonderful boy.

A Wire Fox Terrier. I got the name from the Tesla Coil because I knew she was going to be one energetic dog. We say she doesn't sleep, she "recharges." :) She was very energetic as a puppy but has settled down somewhat in middle age (6 years old). She loves to "play ball" (fetch), and once I tried the old Tootsie Roll commercial, if anyone remembers: "how many throws does it take to tire out Tessie?" I stopped after 110. :) She sniffs a treat first to see if it's palatable, then takes it gingerly from your hand. If there's any dirty laundry around, it becomes her new bed. She "stalks" a rabbit like a cat before she runs after it (must be part cat!). It is so funny: like the rabbit won't see her if she sneaks up on it. She is an absolute joy. We laugh at her antics almost every day.

Alisandra,I think I would like your Tesla Coil. I have two Yorkies, and the female loves to play fetch. BTW, I changed my avatar yesterday after feeling an urge to do so and before reading this post. In fact, I rarely visit this thread, for some reason but had another urge to do so today. The mechanics of magnetism are truly wonderful and remarkable. That was a Tootsie "POP" commercial, btw (but I knew what you meant). Tootsie ROLLS are what my dogs leave me for a "treat" when I don't get home from work on time. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."

As I said in the previous post (and in another post, in another thread), I have two Yorkies, in addition to my other children. They are not "dogs" so I'm ambivalent about even posting this info here in this thread. Their paws rarely touch ground because they are usually being held like babies and they are somewhat spoiled. They are twin brother and sister from a litter of my dad's brood. Let's just say they have trained me well, a fact I am not proud of but one I relish when I return home each day. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."

My parents bought an akita puppy a little whhile before i was born and named him Kuma (japanese for bear). Kuma became very much like an older brother too be while i was little and protected me and my mom from all possible harm. he was very gentle with me and very zen like. one day unfortunately my younger brother decided that pulling kuma's tail was a fun game. Kuma put up with it, for a few days. then, he finally snapped and gave my bro a small scratch. The next day my dad gave Kuma away despite much crying from everyone even my little bro. I recently learned that Kuma died last year at the ripe old age of 15.

i have two peach-faced love birds.on is classified,as Europe import.the other is a masked lovebird,which i call him peaches on of his fav foods.he is tame loves attention takes naps on neck area probably the heat.and chacha well shes nesting shes the mumma bird right now this is her seconed clutch.i had another love bird who passed he flew into the ceiling fan that was not taking into cosideration when they opened the cage.poncho.she was a hell raiser.but chacha likes to play birdie soccer w/these balls i have and peaches will hang out on my shoulder all day if i let him.their charectors.chacha is also known as my great escape artist.they require alot of time and attention,which im in position to do at this time.injured from work.thats another song and dance.i love them.and they have their own personalities.even down to the things i feed them one will like one fruit the other wont,so on...

I Have my shadow Stella a weimeraner person I swear this dog knows me bertter than any human does...shes truely my best friend. She loves my cooking shes quite the critic with very vast tastes....instead of Stella blue shes Stella POO. I have a pretty white cat sissy poo the sissy part was what was on the cage at the pound and the poo just kinda resonated from the dog....Next there is my mouse Sweetie (because he is) He was more of a drunken purchase but hundreds of dollars later on tubing and cage hes quite the traveler. Finally I have Jack,he's a betta fish...he got the name because I found him on a walk with stella...he was abandoned on the sidewalk no lie! He was inside a Jack Daniels bottle hence the name. He currently resides in a pirates of the carribean tank next to davy jones. Hes the only one that Stella is jealous of its funny I go to clean the tank and she barges in between like "Don't you love me more?" They all co-exist in harmony except for the occasional beating the cat gives the dog/ ~Free your mind and your ass will follow~

Buddy is our old Akita Chow mix who's having some trouble with arthritis. He's ten and has seperation anxitey. Last yr. the upright members of the family went out for dinner and upon our return home Buddy was sitting on the front porch. He'd busted out of the window, just to sit and wait. He's very sweet, but he really smells!Maurice is a beagle and he's a few months old. So cute and getting fatter everyday. Buddy did not know what to think of him at first, but now we call them the Furry Freak Brothers bc they are great friends! I believe Maurice has put some pep in Buddy's step:-) Benny is our cat. Part siamese. Cassidy chose him when he was very young and named him Jennifer bc we thought he was a girl. Later on to our surprise ... So, my husband and I started calling him Fag Benny (no orientation slurs meant to offend, I am the non judging type, unless it has to do with The Dead) Quite a large fish group as well. Those bottom feeders get pretty scary looking. We had "pet mice" for a while, but that did not work out too well!

i got some peach faced love birds,you cant tell the sex of a bird unless you have a dna or sexing test done.im poor.wouldnt do it anyway.so the'MALE'poncho was his/her ha ha name had eggs.so their goes that one.anyways he passed on.and chacha which i thaught might be the imfamose male...well digdong i was wrong she had eggs.now heres the dilima got another so chacha wouldnt be lonley and long and behold another clutch.in the mean time this babyis one horny lil'bird.so we'll see the out come.in a few more weeks if their fertile.so tell your hubby that story,you guys arent alone!!!hee hee. peace heathaafeathaa

Hear you loud and Clear heathaafeathaa. Horny Lil' Birds- That's funny.A few yrs ago a good friend asked us if we wanted to adopt her pet mouse Lucky. To the distate of many friends & family members we said alrighty then. After a week or so the kids said that Old Lucky was feeling Old Lonely. We hop in the car and visit our local pet store to pick up Max. We had been assured Lucky and Max were of the Male persuasion. I'm sure you can already see where this is headed. A couple of weeks go by and we now have 5 hairless wonders. By the way mice apparantly turn to Cannabilism, so the 4 remaining babies get their own cage. Now friends, we were doing OK until a some of those little bastards houdinied (sp?) out of there cage and into my bedroom. I guess we were all feeling horny, bc our 3rd addition was due at any time and I was not sharing my space with the mice. The live traps did not work- I think bc they loved my husbands bedside drawer where he kept his own stash of Candy and nuts. So, here's my FAT ASS trying to catch these escapees by hand. It really was a trip bc I'd be laying in bed and see one streak by. White Lightening! Finally I managed to get the last one and we all hopped in the car and headed back up to the pet store. Good Luck "Lucky" and Good F**kin riddance!

my schizophrenic kitty took off back in April, and we thought the coyotes got her. six months later, i saw her hanging out across the street on this guy's porch. but she wouldn't come home. now she is back, but is sooo messed up. she does not like , or is afraid of my boyfriend. she has been staying in the towel cabinet in the bathrroom and only comes out to eat. anybody have advice on how to have a calm, cuddly cat???? maybe she needs some Elavil or something nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile

Heee hee, I just got sent this.... http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html just open the site and type in some commands! Wish my mutt was that obedient!

Any good dog psychologists out there? Our dog seems to be very depressed. My wife and I travel a lot, but not normally together, so one of us is normally here, but there is a lot of coming and going. On rare occasions when we are both away our lovely neighbours look after him and spoil him rotten. He gets a one or two hour walk in the woods nearly every day, has a big enclosure in the garden, lots of games, other dogs come to visit etc. When we are all 3l here he is a bundle of fun, when not he is so miserable. Symptoms; off his food, restless, wants to go out, wants to come in, grumpy, won’t look at me, I tried to give him a treat this evening (an egg) and he half growled at me. I feel very sorry for him but am at a loss as to how to help. Anyone know how to cheer up a depressed dog who cannot bear it when his little pack is incomplete.

and I really hate to leave him, but he has a nice dogsitter who comes three times a day and has my cellphone number. He's usually pretty upset and reproachful when I get home and doesn't really settle down till we go get Callie, who boards at the vet's. Then they sleep for the rest of the day and all is normal. (Callie, be it duly noted, LOVES boarding at the vet's, but Rex has severe cage issues stemming from his year at the shelter and doesn't do well at all in that setting, while Callie can't be left home unattended, pretty much. Long story.) So I don't have any real fixes, but I feel your pain. One thing that might sound loony but is worth a try: change his food. Rex, who's always been inclined to think the sky was falling at each departure from routine, was fretful and anxious for months for no discernible reason earlier this year; one day I noticed him kinda avoiding his food and just for grins bought a different brand. (At the time they were on AvoDerm lamb and rice, which Callie of the Bad Tummy was doing well with. I changed to a mix of Nutro Ultra and Canidae.) Within 36 hours he was a different dog, is now off the anti-anxiety meds, etc. Yes, I am worried about how he'll be when I get home next week, but I'm not getting frantic calls from his dogsitter either. What does his vet say? I think the egg-growling incident might call for a checkup to see what's up, as it's a pretty big departure from his normal behavior, no?

is being naughty again i can hear the wife shouting at him for chasing our cats He is a nine month old GSD and is "quite" large Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

Thanks for the advice and reassurance Marye, not loony at all: you were absolutely right. :-) In the end we took the dog to the vet on Christmas eve. It is a very rural practice, normally far more concerned with sheep and cows than neurotic mutts. But the surgery was very quiet so we got the full service. The vet said that when under stress, dogs can develop an allergic reaction to their normal food and we should switch him to a fat free diet of plain boiled chicken and rice for a while. After 3 days of that and some stomach calming meds he is back to his normal troublesome self, so now we have to wean him onto a different brand of food (and after midwinter indulgence we humans need a few days on the chicken and rice!).

About how to convince a grumpy, half senile old cat that the dog is not a dangerous cat eating demon in disguise? Or am I asking the impossible? China is a freak who adores meeting new humans, and even plays the courteous host to any cat who occasionally comes calling, but the dog is another matter altogether. Am asking (probably too late) because New Year's Eve is coming, with all of the animal horrors of fireworks on the normally peaceful streets in Hüttenfeld, and is kinda hard to comfort both at the same time, when the cat won't even come downstairs when Samba is inside.********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens

yes, that boiled chicken and rice has been a staple of Callie's life over the years, and of course both dogs love it. Also the mashed potato variant. So glad the dog is restored to his normal self! Tigerlilly, I have no bright ideas except perhaps to give the cat a quiet room of his own for the festivities.

We have a peacock, well sort of as he is wild. He appeared out of nowhere this summer and has been hanging around ever since, roosting in a tree overhanging the street at night. Must freak out drivers as he usually flies up to his spot in the tree every night at dusk just as a car is coming down the street. He hangs around all day in our yard and is not aggressive or scared of us. My boys and I call him El Peacocko, my daughter calls him Penelope, and my wife calls him Mr. Peacock. He responds to all three. We just go about our business and he sometimes will be standing right next to us, occasionaly fanning up his cool feathers showing off. Last summer, shortly before we were having some family over, my wife put some food out on a picnic table with an umbrella over it. I told her to keep an eye on the food so no critters or the peacock went for it. When I went outside to check on it, he was perched on top of the umbrella almost as if guarding the food. He also likes to stare at us when we are inside through the windows. A couple of months ago I was napping in a chair in front of a window and my daughter came in and started cracking up, pointing behind me. When I turned around he was about a foot away from my face staring me down. What a way to wake up. We had seen it a couple of times at a house up the street from us in the past. Last Feb. my wife was diagnosed with cancer. In Aug. her brother was killed in a car accident. Needless to say 2007 is a year I would just assume forget ever happened. A few days after the accident he appeared at our house. We like to think he is a sign that her brother is still here watching over. My wife decided to go to the house up the street a few days ago and ask the people where it came from. They told her that on New Years Eve 06 they had a very dear friend over who suddenly said she didnt feel well and died of a massive heart attack on their living room floor. Our neighbor was devestated as this was her life long best friend. When she asked for a sign that her friend was still there, the peacock appeared the next day. Turns out the friend loved peacocks. I dont mean to bum anyone out with all the tragedy, but feel it is significant to the story. We have been told they are a sign of immortality. Word has it there is a peacock farm a few miles away and some of them escaped a while back. Its also not uncommon in the rural area we live in for the local farmers to let loose certain animals when they get aggressive, especially roosters as they can be nasty little f&%*ers. We dont see that being the case as he is not nasty. My only complaint is he leaves giant turds all over the deck and porch. Oh well. We really know little about them so if anyone out there knows more, please drop me a pm. Thanks Peace, y'all!

thanks for telling us about him.

We have two awesome dogs named Muggs and Cally. Muggs is a boxer and Cally is a lab/chow. Our long lost Bean passed away this time last year. Simon and Lilly are our cats. They've reached the point in their lives where they are basically fuzzy furniture. They only move when there is food involved. We can't forget Oscar the super cat. We had to put him down a few years back but his memory lives on! I still find shit broken and blame it on him.

Rex and Callie are enjoying a restful snooze after lunching on the Badger's Dog Diet of boiled chicken and rice. Well, I had some carrots in the fridge so they went in too. Some yogurt on top, too, always good for the digestion. I thought a little change would do them no harm. They clearly thought they were getting away with something, so much that Rex forgot to object when I went outside for a minute because he was too busy eating. So we raise a virtual dog treat in salute to our esteemed colleagues in France...

Koki the dog had rice tonight too..we always cook extra when we have it as he adores the stuff (well he was born in Asia..) He is being very affectionate and friendly since his 24 hour escapade, but I know it's all plot to get me to let him off the lead again.

I once had a great dog named Jake who i am convinced was a very confused angel in disguise. We rescued Jake from an abusive home where he was only being used for breeding as it was a puppy mill. Jake had many emotional issues, but was a big sweetheart. He was abused again by our neighborhood teenagers, who shot him with paintball guns. He got along with everyone, and was one of the most gentle dogs ive ever met. He died last year of Liver and kidney failure. I hope he was reincarnated because there are many in need of a dog like Jake.Kid

i love to read and hear animal stories.they all are like angles.well back sometime ago my lovebird had a couple hatchlings,which didnt make it.i was told that the first time parents sometimes it'll happen.well she had another clutch.and one hatchling so far.shes feeding it and keeping it warm.which is good she had nothing to do w/the other two.so hopefully this one makes it.i'll keep ya posted.it's a pretty cool thing to watch how they feed and take care of each other and help out,the papa bird is crazy,he is very proud!!he sleeps in the nest at night w/them which i think is kind of strange,now i know why they call them 'lovebirds',these two definetly live up to the name..ha,ha. peace

stellablue, that's an incredible story about the peacock! thanks for sharing : ) when i was a little girl i went to summer camp at St. John the Divine cathedral in New York where i live. they have peacocks roaming freely on the grounds, these great beautiful blue regal things. i used to follow them around secretly- they were nowhere near as sociable as your friend - i wish! I've got three wonderful old cats, each with her own little quirks. or perhaps i should say they've got me. We adopted the first, Rosie, when i was just seven years old (i'm 16 now). She used to stalk me and pounce on me from behind. On her first night in our house, she somehow found a way to scramble up the (very vertical and flat) ladder to my old bunk bed. (i still don't know how!) i found her purring next to my face only to have her bite my cheek the next moment! i ended up having to walk around the house with a spray bottle until she decided to be nice. My mother called it "showing her that i was the dominant cat." Over the years we adopted two more, Socks and Angie. Each newcomer on the scene has changed the dynamic of the house in her own way. Rosie is now a fat and furry old lap cat, but still with a temper if you rub her the wrong way (pun semi-intended...). Socks seems to me the oldest soul of the three, a wise graying silky siamese-tabby. I like to have conversations with her - she makes me feel so peaceful. And Angie, our youngest cat is a character if there ever was one. She's black and angular and wired. When we first adopted her, the doctor who was supposed to spay her picked her up, paused, and said "...This cat is pregnant!" She had three beautiful kittens, but two of them died (one shortly after birth, one of pneumonia later on). The last, Pololo, lives in the building next door to us now, and i still occasionally see him. He is pitch black like his mother, except for a white splotch on his chest and all of the area around his nose. His mom's getting old as well, but she still likes to run top-speed down our long hallway and halfway up the wall at the end -- when we're not looking, of course.

We have two cats and 1 dog a scottish terrierPumpkin was chosen at a Cat Rescue event- he is somewhat ferril but very friendly on HIS terms. He is orange and white. He can open up doors and loves to walk around at night turning off and on our lights. He will actually come and touch me with his paws if I am behind schedule in his feedings. He loves Ivory our other cat. Ivory is a white fat cat. She is 90% blind due to her being slammed against a wall by her former owner. Cat Rescue called us because they know we would give her a great home. Ivory "sounds" by sqeeking as she walks. She will cry and cry until someone answers her and then she will find that person. She also brings us her "babies". These are Beenie babies that she carries in her mouth. She deposits 4 or 5 outside of our bedroom door at night. She is very affectionate. she is very spunky and adores Pumpkin but lets him have it if he gets too "romantic" Then there is Barnie a very rascally Scotty he is like a big goofy kid who loves everyone and is full of energy and joy. He loves to play in my garden and is a great friend. I think he likes the GD when I have ona DVD he watches our HD very intently. He does not like the Mickey and Jerry as Spock and Santa he always barks at that segment for some reason. And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee

I do this somewhat sporadic pets column for one of the local radio stations' Web sites. I set out to write one about a couple of nice dogs awaiting homes at Peninsula Humane, but like a number of things in my life, it wound up being all about Callie. (Introduced in the first post in this topic.) If you're so inclined you can read the result here: http://www.kgoam810.com/article.asp?id=634980

I followed your link & just wanted to say, what a wonderful article. Its great to see how people have changed over the last decade. For those who have felt hopeless in the midst of a trying time & to prevail, giving the animals a life that many thought would be impossible. Right on & thank you that 18 is a cutie, I hope he & Cristal found loving families PEACE

Sheba had her operation to remove a Round Cell tumor. Am told the laser surgery lasted about 20 minutes. She is doing very well. Bless you all!

to you and Sheba, with an extra dose of tumor-begone!

Every time you visit the website freekibble.com, 20 pieces of kibble will be donated to help feed homeless dogs and cats. Saw the story last night on NBC news about the 12 year old girl from Bend, Or. who started the program and it brought tears to my eyes to see this young person doing such a good work. Canidae is one of the sponsors and that's what I feed my dog and it's good food.

I'll think of these folks kindly as I pour the Canidae Platinum into Rex and Callie's dishes...

and thanks for the beams for Sheba!

too cool, she says, weeping onto the keyboard.

difficult question, doubly difficult issue: is it really ok to put a pet down? luckily I have never had to face this issue, we have always moved around too much to have a 'steady' pet. there was a beagle we bacame attached to, as he shared our garden in one place we crash for a few months out of the year. he was old, and sick, deaf, too in the end. smart, smart dog; would only bark at strangers walking by, remembered and recognized us even after months and months had passed... anyways, his owners, and I never talked to them about this, let him die in his own time. I suppose the beagle suffered tremendously those last few weeks, and certainly the last few days. but, would it have been "ok" to have put him down? I certainly could never make that decision. I hope this is not a bummer to think about, but something I've always had very mixed feelings about. just wondering what others here think. peace.

there is no one answer to this and it depends on the animal and the situation. What I am quite clear on is that it is evil and obscene to use the word "euthanasia" for any killing that is not driven by the welfare of the animal. "Humane euthanasia" as practiced by the "animal shelter" industry is simply mass killing for the convenience of humans. In short, I think it's fundamentally up to the animal, and it's on you as the animal's caregiver to be clued and attentive enough, and conscientious enough, to respond appropriately to what's going on with them. I've euthanized cancer-ridden dogs whose quality of life took a sudden dramatic turn for the worse (if they don't want to eat, big clue...). I've euthanized a cat when the subcutaneous fluids stopped working. I've had others go on their own. I've got two geezers right now. Rex is certainly a lot creakier than he used to be, but he still likes to go to the dog park, still likes to run around and check things out, still gets excited when it's time for a walk. Callie is a darn likely candidate to make it to 20. Which is to say, the issue looms large in my mind. It's part of the deal when you take on an animal that you are most sacredly obliged to do right by that animal for the rest of its natural life. Not that the animal has to fit into your life or your convenience. So no, you may not kill your animal because he pees on the floor. You may not kill your kitten because she sheds on the furniture. You may not kill your animal because you can't be bothered to provide proper care and medical treatment. The only reason you may kill your animal is that there is no other way to relieve intractable suffering, and at that point you're arguably obliged to do so.

I hear you, mary. and I WAS only thinking about putting an animal down because they were suffering, sick, or something like that. the idear that people would murder an animal because he pees on the rug, or shreds the furniture, etc. that didn't occur to me. well, I am naive. people abandon pets all the time, too; don't they? why those people should be taken out and shot! (bad joke-- sorry) many a truth found in jest, though... ( -; may both your friends live long, happy lives and pass on in their own way and in their own time without suffering. someone once said, human heaven is where all of the animals/pets you have ever loved are. peace.

According to the last figures I saw, two million dogs and cats are killed in "shelters" every year in the U.S., because people can't be bothered to take care of them. And that's a huge drop over the days when it was more like six million. As far as I'm concerned, ONE is unacceptable. On the plus side, I spent major portions of last week going back and forth to the Oakland shelter with a friend to get her lovely new dog last week, so there's one with a happy ending.

Of the six dogs my wife and I have had in 33 yrs of marriage, 4 have been shelter rescues, and they all turned out to be about the best dogs you could ever ask for. One was a last-second reprieve against "euthanasia" -- the shelter workers couldn't bear to put Sadie down, kept her a week past her time. Our vet networked the info to my wife, and we got her out of there the next day. Our newest dog was probably a pre-emptive strike against a shelter drop-off: our neighbor got drunk and bought his son a puppy...then a few days later realized that they didn't have the time nor wherewithal to actually raise a puppy. I was away when we acquired little Dixie (a golden retriever/dachshund combination -- looks like a very short, long Golden, irrepressibly cute and at now about 2 yrs old, still looks like a Golden puppy), and don't know the details of the acquisition, but I have a sneaking suspicion that thievery was involved. She was our first puppy in many, many years... we tend to adopt more mature dogs from the pound. She's keeping our 10-yr old Gussie (black street-dog kind of mutt) young and us in constant stitches....cuteness being impossible to ignore.

good work, people. 2 million pets. WTF?. sheesh!! some kind people in other organisations around the world, too peace.

the Soi Dog folks are well known over here too. Bless their hearts.

cool. I've met some folks in the Bangkok chapter, big problem in south east Asia with rabid strays. even in the big city of กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์ or Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit, bastardized into the English Bangkok by some western mook; (major digression into a tangent) Even in Krung Thep, local folks tolerate strays A LOT more than in the 'civilized' western world... feeding and caring for them. not hauling them off to death camps for execution as often we do in the good ol US of A or Europe.

well, so long as I'm showing off here: The proper name of the capital city of Thailand (which, the country; incidentally used to be known as Siam, is now ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anajak Thai in Thai language) The name of the capital is translated into: The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn is a translation of กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์ The country, known internationally as LOS or The Land of Smiles. Though I would like to point out, I do think the nick name came from the human tendency of Thais to smile: nothing left to do but smile smile smile peace.

so, it's Thanksgiving, so the dogs got an extra trip to the dog park this morning. They're getting up there in years (Rex is now 14 and Callie 11), and have varying degrees of creakiness. But today Rex came bounding across the park at me with a big grin on his face and his right hind leg ALMOST working, and Callie was bouncing around like her puppy self. They should sleep through my various culinary adventures today, and enjoy the results, as they like most of what I'm making for dinner--roast chicken, stuffing, cauliflower from the farmers' market. They are the light of my life and I give thanks for every minute I have with them.

well this is awesome! I am super passionate about animals both wild and domestic.. I have a 4 yr old Shepherd/Pit mix named Lexi (can you post photos on here?)...she is the love of my life and we do everything together lotsa roadtrips and such! I adopted her from the shelter and rescue dogs are the best! She is the smartest dog ever, I always get compliments on her smarts. And she is just a sweetheart. (spoiled too) She was the 1st pup I saw at the 1st shelter I went to in Cage #1 and she scratched the crap out of me when I met her and I just knew she was my family. I also am involved in rescue, and I foster cats. I am really more of a dog person, but I don't have the time or space to foster dogs right now. I got into fostering when my sister called me to help her!! cause there was 3 kittens on her doorstep. Well it was cold out so I took them, and ended up getting involved with a rescue org that I know foster for. I have found homes for around 15 kittens that were rescued from outside or other situations in the past year. I love it and it is very rewarding! I have 4 cats of my own, and my friends call me a crazy cat lady. I have my 18 yr old senior girl, Whiskers, and she will not be here much longer.... I adopted Jazz a younger male off the streets, well he found me.. his name is Jazz cause his voice was so loud and musical... Then I adopted Vegas, my black cat who is the most troublesome cat in the world but that is why I love him. He has a peculiar relationship with my dog, they LOVE eachother. He is crazy though and will chew holes through my window screens and all sorts of stuff, he chews everything. I have wires spliced all over the apartment cause of him. I also adopted DaisyLou, a 14 yr old Calico last yr, her family was giving her up, and when I was told about it, I could not stand to see a 14 yr old go to the shelter, thinking about my senior girl. So that is my big happy family, I have plenty of entertainment and company at all times. After Whiskers passes, I plan to start travelling the country, and everyone is coming along. I do assume some silly little mutt will capture my heart and I will have a new buddy on my travels though!