Time for Fun

Will it ever rain here in Southeast Texas? Will it ever cool down? Will we ever see a decrease in the intake numbers at our Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter? I don't have the answers to these troubling questions, so I offer these tidbits from around the Interwebs.

First, from "Married to the Sea--The Champagne of Comics":



From Flickr:




From The Historic LOLs site:



Have a bark-a-licious Friday!

Just for Fun

This hilarious video was posted on Facebook by "Operation Pets Alive!". It is a must-watch! And be sure to read the film-maker's explanation about how they got the dogs to do this. The video was shot in one unedited take! If only my dogs had such good manners! If only my children did!



Our neighbor sent us this cell phone shot of their cat, Bentley, enjoying the scenery in Florida from the back seat of their SUV. It's amazing that he rides so calmly!

Just for Fun

Allie's adopted dog really wants to please, if only she knew how!

My daughter had me read a post on "Hyperbole and a Half", a zippy, irreverent blog by "Allie" last night, while I was in the middle of struggling over how to summarize my current volunteer situation. I haven't laughed so hard all week!

Allie's adventures with her adopted dog and her amazing drawings done with MS Paint (the simplest drawing program for a computer) are spot-on, to work a well-worn pun! Read through her "Dog" post and enjoy!

-*-
Drawing courtesy of "Hyperbole and a Half"

Dogs vs Men

This is a video from Pawsitively Texas, a local web hub serving the Houston Metro area. It's short and cute. Watch it!

D.C. with Dogs

We are on vacation, and my little dog and all my fosters are at their get-away digs, too!  In fact, the MinPin, "Sam" is now back at my house with my college-age son, who had to head home to work. Sam's foster mom said he was well-behaved at her house (she has seven dogs, including fosters and rescue transients).

We spent four days in New York City and are now in Washington, D.C., staying with my sister-in-law, who works high up in the FBI.  This cute little Chihuahua was on tour with his owner at the Lincoln Memorial.  His owner says he goes out to see the D.C. sights almost every weekend, riding along in her backpack.

My daughter said I just had to have a "dog fix".  She was right--I felt better after seeing this cute little guy. re We' heading out to visit Arlington Cemetery today to pay our respect to those who have died for our freedom, then we're off to Mount Vernon.  Did George Washington have a favorite dog?  I plan to find out.

Fun with My Dogs

This is my daughter (yes, she has dyed her hair blue-green for the summer) holding a reluctant "Teencie" as we are now calling our skittish little Chi foster girl.  Teencie wants so badly to be held, but she isn't quite yet brave enough to let us do so.  We can scratch behind her ears, and hold her (firmly) for a few moments.  She whines and howls in her crate at night, so now she's sleeping with my daughter.  That is, she is sharing the bed.  This has made Teencie more confident.  We've had a her a week and she has improved tremendously.

This is Tucker, my other foster, right before his June 10-11 heartworm treatment.  He received the 2-dose, back-to-back Immiticide shots.  He's doing fine--the biggest problem is keeping him quiet.  He loves to run after birds and squirrels.  One of my Vet Tech friends says her clinic is out of Immiticide, and it doesn't look like they will be able to get more for awhile.  Our Shelter clinic ran out of the drug earlier this year, and so when I took Tucker home, I put his name on a wait list.  When the Immiticide doses arrived, I got a call--I made sure to get him in so he wouldn't lose his place in the line.

This is my dog, Cross.  She isn't really taunting you,  She is about to lick.  She has a licking problem.  She is powerless over her desire to lick.  She needs a 12-step group.

And Now for Something Completely Different

This YouTube video was on BoingBoing, A Directory of Wonderful Things, where you can find all things geeky, wonky, and wild and weird.  The post's author wonders whether the dog "actually enjoys dancing in that frilly skirt."

The comments made by Boing-Boing's readers reflect the site's core audience--some are perturbed because the hind-leg hopping might be hard on the dog's joints. Others are impressed by the partnership between the dog and its handler:  "Smoobly" writes, "The dog enjoys having a job to do, doing it well, pleasing hir human, and being rewarded. That the job entails dancing around in a frilly skirt is purely incidental. Good dog!"

"Libraryboi" is worried about other issues:  "Dogs aren't supposed to stand on their hind legs. It's not difficult to imagine the damage that is inflicted on their joints and subsequent pain from doing this repeatedly over years. Simply because we can train dogs to do this doesn't mean we should for mere human amusement."  I suppose fly-ball is bad, too, because the dogs jump high and land hard.

Others noticed only the pretty hostess, or made flip comments about skirts.  I'm convinced that since the dog is a Golden Lab, it doesn't give a hoot what it wears while dancing, just as long as there are treats or tennis balls afterwards.

Melodies of Canis lupus

Interesting.  From "Boing Boing:  A Directory of Wonderful Things"

Swallow. The. Pill.

Courtesy of "Married to the Sea:  The Champagne of Comics," February 10, 2010.

We normally don't have this much trouble giving the monthly heartworm prevention tablet, but I have kept this pinned on the bulletin board for the duration of my dog's illness.

Taco is still taking meds 3 times daily--we give him 3 syringes worth of vitamins and antibiotics/pepcids twice a day, plus I have two other tablets that I try to sneak down with pill pockets.  I hold him in the Vet Tech Hug and my daughter (who has become quite skilled at this) handles the syringes.  The pill pockets are tricky.  He can work the tablet out with his tongue, and yet he gets snappy if I try to approach him while he's guarding the slobbery pill pocket.  If we lucky, he bolts down the pill and the pill pocket mess before I can intervene.

Rusty Is Housetrained

Rusty Is Housetrained
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

Just for fun--even though some people object to "housebreaking" (as opposed to "housetraining."

My foster dog, who is almost done with his one-month of rest from Heartworm treatment, has had to put up with my Mom's four dogs, including a Chihuahua puppy who sometimes will use the pee-pee pad but who much prefers to tinkle on the carpet.

Hook 'em Horns Dog

Ginger, a French bull dog-pit bull mix, loves her foster mom. Ginger is a year old, sweet, smart and athletic. She isn't good around cats.

As an added bonus, Ginger sports the University of Texas logo on her left flank! And her soft coat is that burnt orange color that Texas Longhorn fans absolutely adore. Here in Texas, it's not uncommon for rabid UT fans to decorate their entire house in the school colors (Burnt orange and white).

I told Ginger's foster mom that we should call her "Beva," (since "Bevo," the Longhorn mascot is a steer!). Hook 'em, Ginger!

You can find Ginger, and other great dogs at the Montgomery County, Texas, Animal Shelter, at www.fmctas.org.

Premio Meme Blog Award

I wanted to thank Everyone Thinks They’re Good Drivers for awarding me Premio Meme Blog Award.

The rules associated with this award are that I am to write seven little-known facts about myself, and then pass this award to seven of my fellow bloggers.

Seven Little Known Facts about Calsidyrose
1.I just received word that my mixed-media piece, “Landfall,” (a Hurricane Katrina piece) has been selected by Susan Davidson, Senior Curator for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, for the first ever Rauschenberg Tribute Exhibition, an International Juried Competition hosted by the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, Texas. My piece will be on display with the work of 33 other artists from August 30th through early October 2009. This is the first time my work will appear in a juried art show, let alone a show with pieces chosen by such an esteemed judge.

2. I am an Oil Brat—I was born in Tulsa, but my Dad’s job took our family overseas. From 1967 through 1976, we lived in foreign countries, including Venezuela, Libya, and Bahrain. I owned a horse when we lived in Libya and we used to take trail rides across old battlements left over from the fighting in World War II.

3. I hold a 3rd degree green belt (one level below brown) in Shotokan Karate, although it has been many years since I have actively practiced. I started Karate because I was a devoted fan of the TV show, Kung Fu—“When you can snatch the pebble from my hand it will be time for you to leave.”

4. I had my photo taken with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at their Victorville, California, museum in 1985. I can remember watching re-runs of Roy Rogers’ TV show when I was very young. I wanted to be Roy because he got to ride Trigger. I still adore Trigger and keep a vintage Trigger lunchbox on display in my office.

5. I majored in Classical Civilization, which means I studied Ancient Greek. I had to memorize the first 20 lines of Homer’s Iliad in Greek for one of my classes.

6. I used to do free-lance landscape design for clients I met through my job at Roger’s Gardens, a 7-acre nursery in Newport Beach, California.

7. I have written three complete novels and have received a stack of rejections from New York publishers. All three novels are set in the American Southwest. All three books feature something involving horses, even if it’s just a cameo appearance!

I am bestowing this award on the following blogs:


One Bark at a Time
Dogs Deserve Freedom
Painting a Dog a Day
Garden Antiques
Magpie Ethel
The Dog Geek
Shakespeare Geek


I have a long list of bookmarked blogs on a variety of subjects, and I’m a big lurker. I didn’t start leaving comments until I launched my blog, and since I try to stay on topic, I limit the WDRP Blogroll to dog-related blogs.

Thanks again for my award, and I hope those who received it enjoy it as well!

p.s. I read somewhere that people like to see the blogger, so below is photo of me with one of my favorite Shelter dogs, JoJo, the pit bull! My 15-year-old daughter took the portrait!

JoJo Gives Me Kisses
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

Adopt a Kitten Month

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Dont u luv LOL Kittehs? Gets yur own kitteh for photo ops.

Craigslist Made Me Smile

I'm sure the busy-bodies will have a flagging heyday with this ad in our Houston-area Pets Section, but the text (minus the photo of the sweet "pet") is below, unedited as I found it. Read on and enjoy!

Pure Bred Needs Good Home... (Katy)
________________________________________
Reply to:comm-5g9nk-1202470559@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-06-02, 8:09PM CDT

Although it saddens me to see her go, I am interested in rehoming my 89 year old pure bred White Anglo Saxon Protestant grandmother to someone who will give her a good home. She has the cutest little wrinkled face and shiny silver hair! If someone does not adopt her I will be forced to put her in a retirement home. The retirement homes in my area are unfortunately too full already and most new additions are put to sleep immediately since they simply don't have room for them. She responds to "Edith" although you can call her whatever you want since she can't really hear too well. I've had her for as long as I can remember but unfortunately I just don't have the time to give her the attention she needs since I am having a baby, moving into an apartment where they won't allow pets, my boyfriend has allergies, and I have to pay for some unforeseen medical bills. She is in excellent condition and is up to date on all of her vaccinations. She is mostly housebroken and is able to do some cool tricks like drive to WalMart (as long as it isn't more than 2 miles away), misplace objects like her glasses in her pockets, or do the laundry even if only 1 pair of socks is dirty. She subsists mostly on frozen Eggo waffles heated in the toaster and microwaveable mash potatoes and meatloaf with an occasional treat of peanut brittle when she has been extra good. For some reason she enjoys heating drinks like orange juice and 2% milk in the microwave before consuming them. We have spoken to a vet about this and they have assured us it is perfectly normal for a specimen her age. She's good with kids and other pets and has tons of stories to tell them or anyone else who isn't listening, unfortunately I have heard them all already. Her natural habitat is a 10'x10' room crammed with old couches, pictures, dusty lamps, and other crap. It is also very important that she has access to a TV with no remote (too complex) and only three channels; the weather channel, QVC, and the Tele-evangelist network. The last piece required for an ideal enclosure is a window overlooking at least a mailbox and preferably a neighborhood street; a large majority of her time and energy will be spent observing the proceedings in the neighborhood and commenting on them out loud to herself. I originally paid $50,000 for her, plus an additional $10,000 for her enclosure, but I am only asking a small rehoming fee of $15,000 to cover her recent knee replacement surgery which she has recovered from nicely. This is a unique opportunity for those of you who have kids who will neglect and lose interest in their pets after several months since this is the environment that she thrives in. I hate to see her go, but I know someone out there will be able to provide her a better home for the several years she has left. I will include her habitat as well as all toys and accessories (including her beloved electric heating blanket); local pickup. Serious Inquires only please.

•Location: Katy
•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

The Dog Lady Van

This is my 2001 Town & Country Chrysler mini-van. I’ve clocked 124,400-plus miles on the odometer. While the vehicle has provided faithful service as Band Mom car (I have hauled in one trip a full set of tympanis, one concert tuba in a hard case, two trombones and three full-size music stands), as our primary travel vehicle (including one trip from Southeast Louisiana to Green Bay, Wisconsin and back), and as a college student-hauler (four trips from Houston to Lubbock, TX, and back), this road-seasoned red minivan is primarily the Dog Lady Van.
•Most animals transported in one trip: 17 (cats, dogs, puppies and kittens—all crated).
•Average number of dogs transported per week: 8 animals.
•Number of crates I can fit inside with third row seats removed: 2 medium-large wire crates; 2 small wire crates, two small plastic crates.
•Number of bags of 50 pound kitty litter I’ve hauled in one trip: 25 bags.
•Number of times a dog has hurled or pooped in a crate while being transported: 6 times.
•Amount of dog hair accumulated over the course of one year: Ummm…a lot, according to my husband.
•The service provided for abandoned animals since 2002: Immeasurable!

Decision-Making

More precise than the Magic Eight Ball! Less confrontational than Rock-Paper-Scissors! Get the answers you need--just ask yourself, "What would the dog do?" Spin the spinner! Take action--Eat! Sleep! Poop! Or, the ever-popular: Bark!

But wait, there's more! Act now--operators are standing by--and we'll include two WWDD Decision-Maker tools for the same low, low price! That's right--two tools! Now you and a friend can have a bark-off, or launch a sleep-a-thon. The possibilities are endless! Ask any dog--don't wait until somebody bites you!

Must be 18 or older to order. Offer void in some jurisdictions. Prices higher in the State of Texas. Not available in Louisiana. Not recommended for use around cats.

Happy Foster Mother's Day!

Spike, a young pit bull mix currently available at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in Conroe, TX (www.fmctas.org), is counting to three in hopes that he will find a foster-mom, or even better yet, a forever-mom who will teach him how to be the dog that he can be!

Happy Mother's Day to all the women who volunteer to help make the world a better place for animals--the Puppy Holders, the Kitten Cuddlers, the Dog Transporters, the Kennel Cleaners, the Towel Washers, the Chief Poop Inspectors, the Paper Filers, the Blog Writers, the Dog Walkers, the Dog Bathers, the Photographers, the Advocates and the Legal Watchdogs!

Whiskers

Photo: Catahoula-Australian Shepherd mix puppy; Montgomery County Animal Shelter, Conroe, Texas.

My early Mother’s Day gift was a new digital camera. The long-running joke in my family is that my husband rarely buys me jewelry, but instead gives me awesome hardware. I’ve been writing fiction since my teens and started as a technical writer in 1985. I got my first computer as a gift in 1985—an Atari ST. The most romantic Valentine’s Day gift I’ve ever received was a Mac Powerbook 65 (at the time it was cutting edge with 40 megabytes of hard disk space!) with all my files already downloaded. Over the years, my husband has upgraded my computers, given me printers, scanners, cameras and lenses as tokens of his love.

I’m currently shooting with an EOS Rebel XSi, an upgrade from a Canon Rebel XTi digital camera. The XTi is a superb camera, however, my 15-year-old daughter is a videographer who is taking a summer class at Texas A&M Galveston for SLR Digital Cameras and needed an outfit. My husband decided we would give my daughter my 2-year-old XTi and I could upgrade to the newer STi. This way we can swap lens (but not batteries, alas).

I’m an amateur photographer. I see so many wonderful photos of dogs on the various blogs, which has inspired me to try for more creative approaches with my camera. The problem is that I often shoot quick snapshots because I have other duties when I’m with my Shelter dogs. My current goal is to retrain my artist’s eye so that I can better utilize the technology of the Canon EOS Rebel. To that end, I am taking a bit more time to set up the shots whenever possible.

I am also pushing myself to experiment more with Photoshop, learning to use more than the crop tool and auto-enhancement. I’ve been on Flickr for a year (I just passed the 6,000 view-mark) and I’m posting photos, post-processed digital artwork, plus scans of items from my vast collection of ephemera. Feel free to check out my Flickr Photostream.

This blog forces me to carry the camera and get it out more often. And that’s a good thing.

Fun and Games

On the blog “One Bark at A Time” by “Fred” (see my Blogroll for the link), the April 23rd post was about a dog with a toothy “smile.” My dog Taco has a grin, too, which is quite distinct from his “ugly face.” It started spontaneously when Taco would greet my husband, and now he’ll do it whenever any of us returns home, if we encourage him with the command, “Hey.” Offering a biscuit helps, too. It was hard to capture this “happy face” smile on film, so we put the best shot we could get through the “I Can Has Cheezeburger” LOL-maker, and here’s what we got!

Gonna Getcha

Taco, my nine-year-old miniature pinscher, still has plenty spring in his bounce as he tries to get at this grumpy possum on Easter Sunday.

Taco can jump even higher than this, but he'd been harassing the possum for several minutes. Taco has a strong prey instinct--he kills rats,frogs and has even cornered a copperhead (we moved the snake out of our backyard before it bit him). Taco is oversize for the American breed standard, 12 inches at the shoulder, and 17 pounds of muscle. He embodies the old-school characteristics of the German Pinscher, which was bred to kill vermin in the kitchen pantries and stables. He is headstrong and assertive, so we have to employ "Nothing in Life is Free" type training techniques to keep his bossiness in check.