What kind is he?

I rescue pit bulls (sometimes they’re pit bullish). Further, I am a foster mom to up to four furbabies at a time and countless bottle babies, Bandit being my current. Of the little ones, always I am asked, “What is it?” (Sarcasm answers, “A dog.”) Notice the picture of Bandit in this post. Can you tell what he is? Better yet, how come it matters? Am I going to change my mind about helping him just because he might be a breed I don’t particularly care for?

Nope. I save all dogs, regardless. I pick up strays regularly. I have been known to chase a dog around my neighborhood for hours, hoping to get close enough to grab its collar. I believe every single animal on this planet deserves a fighting chance at a safe and happy life. Bandit is a baby who needs a little extra attention and I’m more than willing to help.

The constant inquiry about his breed got me thinking about humans and how we place people into categories, race and gender being the biggest, most obvious examples.

Think about it.

When we meet someone new, most of us try to “place them”, or slap on a label that often pigeon holes them into a type. Then forevermore we use those basic assumptions, aka stereotypes, to inform how we are to deal with them and others like them in the future. On occasion, when we find someone that doesn’t fit into a single category or for whom labels don’t apply, we cast them off as strange, weird, odd, and even scary. The propensity for ignoring said person is high because they make us uncomfortable.

Many of us feel a strong urge to ask about an individual’s ethnicity when it is not immediately obvious. When other aspects of their self are visually and/or audibly accessible yet we cannot place it, such as an accent or facial feature, we may feel a strong urge to ask.

Once I attended a camp session where a young British man was also in attendance. My friend kept asking him to say her name every time she saw him because she liked the way it sounded. After a full day of this, he grew weary and she didn’t get the hint. Noting his fatigue, I asked her to chill out for a bit, to give him a break, then reminded her she would have gotten equally as frustrated at being asked to repeat something over and over again just because she sounded cool.

In my own life, I do not like to be labeled. However, I’m easy to peg: white, lower middle class, single mom. On the outside, I took like the typical WASP. On the inside, I am anything but. Many of us attempt to project a certain appearance so as to fit in, keeping our inner most selves a secret until we get to know one another better.

And that is something I try to keep in mind when meeting new people as should you. Worry about labels later, if/when they might actually apply.

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Has it really been that long?

It's much harder to produce posts worthy of a readership when you're working full time, getting more involved in various outside activities such as pit rescue, spay/neuter programs, YWCA hospital advocacy, trying to have a life, etc. Not to mention I get in trouble for spending too much time on the internet at work.

Needless to say, I really want to get back into this so I'm going to make a concerted effort to post a few times a week at the very least. After all, crazy me is starting grad school in just 2 weeks (hopefully but that's another story for another day).

So y'all wanna see my newest foster baby? Her name is Radar and she's got a lot of terrier in her which isn't bad necessarily, but instead needs a little more attention.

I'm sure you can see from her ears where her name came from. Don't let them fool you either; she is full pit with strong cartilage in her ears hence the sticking straight up factor. I found her wandering my neighborhood with, surprise!, no leash and no collar. And no one, almost a full month later, has come forward to claim her either.

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Here I Am!

Don't I look different? The hair is longer and brown again. I still wear the same glasses but that's because they're so damned expensive. Peanut took this picture at my request so I could have some doggie and me pictures of my very own.


Peanut is covering Memphis' eyes because he thought I was taking pictures to show potential adopters. I had to reassure him that I was simply taking them to show the world pits love kids and are cuddle bugs even with half-pints.

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Meet Memphis Blue

He's our foster pup for Ring Dog Rescue and he's been the greatest dog. I got him at the beginning of August because I had an open space for a dog but wanted to do something good so rehabilitation/fostering was a great fit for us.

Memphis was approx 20lbs when he first came to the shelter, had lots of missing patches of fur and was heartworm positive. He now weighs 45-50lbs, has a beautiful coat of blue grey fur and is now heartworm negative. He has even found his 2nd puppyhood!

He is my snugglebug and sleeps on the pillow next to me each and every night. He loves to lay on me if not right next to me and I'm going to miss him when he's gone. We're all going to miss him when he's gone, even my other dog, Penelope.

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Friday Dog Blogging: The New puppy!! edition

Isn't she cute? Her name is Penelope (yes, Homer's Penelope) and last Friday my downstairs neighbor found her wandering around our alleyway. She knocked on my door to show me this cutie pie and we've been in love ever since.

Amazing though not all to suprising, no one has come forward to claim her. I've listed her as found with the local shelters, walked her throughout the neighborhood and still, no one seems to be missing her too much.

She looks pit bull at first glance but I think there may be wonky breeding practices or simply another breed involved. If you look at her ears though, she's got the telltale floppy ears of a pit bull puppy.

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I don't do this often

But a NYC Council Member has decided city residents should no longer be allowed to own pit bulls.

New York City Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. said the city should ban residents from owning pit bulls and he is calling for the repeal of a state law prohibiting breed-specific legislation. Overturning this law would clear the way for NYC to enact legislation banning city residents from owning pit bulls. North Shore Animal League America opposes this campaign and encourages you to send an email to Councilman Vallone, Jr., encouraging him to reconsider his campaign to ban pit bulls from New York City.

"Dear Mr. Vallone,
North Shore Animal League America of Port Washington, NY, would like to respectfully express our concern and disagreement with your pit bull breed legislation campaign. After reading your statement in the New York Sun, it has come to our attention that like many people who share your fears and concerns regarding "pit bulls," you may be misinformed regarding the behavioral, psychological and physical attributes of these collective breeds, which usually contributes to this common confusion."

"Pit bull" is a general title used to describe several breeds of dogs who share similar physical characteristics. Commonly, the American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier fall under the category of "pit bull," though many others are often associated with it as well. However, using such a generic term, like pit bull, is as non-specific as saying retriever or hound. Therefore, we request that you clarify which exact animal you are referring to so we can all fully comprehend your notion and feel confident that you fully comprehend it as well.

Please sign the open letter today and let Vallone know how you feel about breed specific legislation, which has been proven not to work because owners will either move out of the city or move on to a different breed of dog.

Would this ban include pit mixes? How about dogs who look like pits but really aren't? Who exactly is going to foot the bill for regulating these dogs? Are they going to give city animal control workers a raise? How about a bonus?

Or, an interesting concept would be to actually start cracking down on dog fighting, taking it and what it does to the animals involved, seriously. I bet that would work much better at fixing the real problem instead of blaming the dogs. Like Supernanny told some parents last night (except she was talking about kids but it applies to animal mommies and daddies, too), "How dare you blame the dogs for how they turned out. They didn't ask to be put here."

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They aren't "just dogs"

Nor will they ever be to me. Hell, even a squirrel isn't "just a squirrel" when they can figure out how to outsmart a bird feeder that designed to keep them out in mere weeks, then somehow manage to let their friends know how to do it, too.

This story is sad but it's not a one time thing. I'm sure there have been many more instances of such horrible cases of animal abuse; we just don't get to hear about them as much as the drive-by's. After all, they're "just dogs," right? Or in some cases they're "just cats." Fuckers.

A Denton County man has given police two different versions of how a 10-month-old puppy was burned over 60 percent of her body:

She bumped against a barbecue grill, he told police. Later, he said two men burned her because he owed them money.

Deshann Brown, 21, was arrested shortly after midnight in Corinth, a community in Denton County, and charged with animal cruelty, said Senior Cpl. Jamie Kimbrough, Dallas police spokeswoman.

The 10-month-old puppy, named Mercy, died Sunday despite efforts to save her from extensive injuries. She had been cut, stabbed, doused with gasoline and set afire, police said.

On April 13, witnesses saw Mercy, ablaze, running through the parking lot of a north Dallas apartment complex. The witnesses extinguished the flames by dousing her with beer, police reports said.

The witnesses told police that the dog belonged to Brown, who was questioned a short time later.

He told police "he was attempting to grill on his patio when his dog, 'Brandy' - a pit bull mix - accidentally bumped (the) grill and ignited herself," the reports stated.

In succeeding days, however, witnesses told a much different story to police and animal control officers.

A woman said Brown wanted his dog to mate with hers, but that his dog "would not cooperate." She told Brown to remove his dog and he became angry and repeatedly kicked his dog as they were leaving, the reports said.

The woman followed Brown "at a distance and next observed his dog to have cuts (and) stab wounds."

Another man said saw Brown's dog on fire and running through the parking lot; he later saw Brown carrying a gas can, the reports said.

The dog had burns over 60 percent of her body, and she was turned over to Operation Kindness, a non-profit shelter in Carrollton that tries to find homes for abandoned or abused animals.

Officials interviewed Brown again April 17, and he told them that he lied to them about the grilling incident four days earlier. Brown then told them that "he owed money to two guys for an Xbox and they had retaliated by burning his dog," the reports said.

Witnesses called the media, accusing Brown of being a torturous thug and complaining that he wasn't swiftly arrested.

Kimbrough said police were working with animal control officers to develop the case against Brown.

She said undercover officers from the North Central Deployment Division obtained a warrant for Brown's arrest and set up surveillance on several North Texas locations he was known to visit.

Included was his mother's home in Corinth. The officers saw him driving from there shortly after midnight Thursday, and they followed him, Kimbrough said.

Patrol officers from the Corinth Police Department stopped Brown for a traffic violation and turned him over to the undercover officers, Kimbrough said.

He was subsequently placed in the Lew Sterrett Justice Center and charged with animal cruelty, a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in jail, plus possible fines up to $10,000. Bail is $50,000, Kimbrough said.

This asshole was indicted on a third degree felony charge by the Dallas County Grand Jury and goes to trial April 23, 2007. I hope he gets the maximum 10year sentence and $50,000 fine. Thank heavens he will never be allowed to own another animal as a result of this conviction; however, unless there is someone enforcing it, a piece of paper will do nothing to stop him or others like him.

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It's been so long!

And I've been mad busy yo.

The annual conference at Shrine Mont is coming up - in fact, I leave Friday morning sometime to head up there - so I've been a busy beaver.

I've also been on call 2 nights this week for the YWCA doing hospital advocacy and will be again tomorrow night. I've been spending those (and tomorrow's) nights at Nascar's house since he lives 10-15 min away from any of the hospitals. So far I've not had any calls though.

Then there was the dog bathing to help with their fleas and ticks. There have also been rounds of meds so they don't get the parasites in them, too.

And hey y'all, I've been having a fairly active social life!

But I need to tell you a story or two. Nascar Nut's kids will forever herein be referred to as the Pit Crew in order to distinguish between his kids and Peanut so y'all don't get confused. There are actual names (or positions rather) for them, too, but I can't remember what they are right now. (Yes, I just used y'all twice. I'm from the South, it's what we say a lot here, get over it.)

Saturday evening me, Nascar Nut and the Pit Crew went to Kings Dominion for a few hours. While walking to Water Water Canyon, the youngest of the Pit Crew looked up at her dad and asked, "Are you almost married?" We of course chuckled a bit. It wasn't until we were almost on the ride that we found out who she was referring to when Nascar looked down, as M. looked up at him, and asked, "Who am I supposed to be almost married to?"

Without moving her head, she shifted her eyes to me. Naturally we laughed and I added a resounding, "Not even close."

Well, the next day we all wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean but it was sold out. So we went to play putt-putt instead. We were probably at the halfway point I would guess when we came upon a green in the shape of a ribbon on an incline. The Pit Crew, who had all gone before me, had tried to get it up and around that ribbon with absolutely no luck. When it came time for me to try, I succeeded (naturally :). As I was waiting for it to stop, M. who is only 5 and the youngest referred to above, yelled, "You suck!"

It was almost enough to have us on the ground laughing so hard tears were coming because it was so unexpected. She reveled in this bit of comedic timing of course and tried to recreate it as we played the rest of our game.

After that, we went to a really good ice cream place where I got Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip on a sugar cone. M. ended up wearing most of hers because she had to get what I did but ended up not liking the Peanut Butter therefore was trying to eat around it in order to eat only the chocolate.

*Sigh*

This evening I get another husky, Kitka, who was so tick infested they were crawling the walls once the folks at the shelter put frontline on her. In case you aren't aware, ticks, especially in hordes, can kill a dog and/or cat because they suck the blood out; they work like leeches. This is why it's important to use something like Frontline (or something like it) because it protects your dogs/cats from diseases as well as death.

When Kitka and I get home, it'll be more shots and med's then back home for me where I'll do laundry, more Shrine Mont stuff and generally get my shit together since I'll be at Nascar's house again tomorrow night while I'm on call. Then my friends, I won't see you again until next Thursday at least. Maybe tomorrow night I'll put out a long mommy post for this new mommy blog carnival on the west coast I've been invited to participate in....

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Weekend Adventures and then some

On Thursday I believe it was, Peanut grabbed his wooden flute and headed outside. My sister said to him, "That is a great toy to be taking outside."

His response, "Well, it's not a toy, it's an instrument."

My sister and I looked at each other and said, "Um, okay then."

---

About a month ago, I went zooming by a sheriff's car, getting off my cell phone as I went. Of course he came zooming after me. I didn't have my current county sticker on so I knew it was going to be a fun stop.

He let me off with a warning.

Two weeks ago I had turned onto the road that led to my street; I was a mere 5 minutes from home. Then a sheriff's car slid passed me.

I turned left onto my street thinking I'm safe. Nope. I look up from text messaging Nascar Nut to blue lights whirling in my rearview mirror. Since I was mere seconds from my driveway, I kept going. I'm sure the sheriff was wondering when the hell I was going to pull over.

Well, this time I didn't have my seatbelt on and of course the sheriff noticed. He asked me where my county sticker was, inquired as to my seatbeltless status, then noticed Peanut was out of his. When I responded that I had taken it off at the light and Peanut knows he's allowed to take his off as soon as we hit the rocks, he nodded and said he'd be right back.

He was back approximately 10 minutes later with a summons. Yay.

This morning I got stopped again and you know, it's just my luck that cops keep noticing the bright yellow sticker on my windshield when I drove around in my maroon Honda Accord for 1 entire year with both an expired inspection and county sticker. I wish they'd go to the no sticker rule already and be done with it.

I got lucky with this sheriff though because he dropped my license in his car somewhere and couldn't find it. He said he laid it on his ashtray (which he showed me but there were so many techy gadgets in there I had no idea where in the hell the ashtray was....because I was too busy looking at all the cool stuff) but it fell and he couldn't get it out. *sigh* So I'm driving around licenseless until he gets someone to dig it out for him. I guess because he felt bad, he's going to dismiss the charges in court. I think it's because he knows how much trouble I can get into if I'm stopped and don't have my license with me. (Of course, I also think he pulled me over just because and that is kind of freaky.)

He did tell me to scrape the expired sticker off my car because then cops would have to run my tags in order to figure out my county/city of residence. My question to him was, "But what good is that really going to do when you guys (because here all but 1 of the sheriff's are male) will stop me anyway?" I'm thinking he told me this because they're lazy and having no sticker is a deterrent or a way to have an *oh well* attitude. Isn't that kind of shitty though? It’s also kind of scary.

I can't really complain because that's one less ticket I have to pay for.

---

Friday I saw XMen 3 and it was okay. Of course they left it open for a 3rd since the comics themselves don't end after just 3 issues.

On Saturday Nascar Nut and I attended another adoption event for the huskies and I've decided that Kazu is going to be mine whenever I move out. This means no kitties for me because he'll eat them up quick-like.

Saturday night we went to Kings Dominion, got a buzz off their strawberry daiquiri’s and stood in line for 1 ride for about 1.5 hours. It was nice though because we were there with no kids! We rode the Hypersonic XLC which shoots you off like a freakin' rubber band, slingshot style. You don't go up high, but you lose g's because of the speed at which you are shot off. (We did get to see a Luna moth freak people out, though. Luna moths are absolutely stunning, have no mouths and only live for 11 days, just long enough to mate then die.)

On the way to Nascar Nut's house though, I caught the smell of antifreeze wafting into the car. Not. Good. says I. So I tell Nascar Nut to pull over quickly and what does he do? Miss the exit because speed racer himself didn't want to cut another car off (which he wouldn't have and anyway, who cares, my head gasket was at stake!).

We ended up pulling onto the side of the highway just passed the exit. He puts the car in park and I reach over to pop the hood. I then get out, open the hood and watch as liquid squirts out and steam rises up. Then I got back in the car to call my sister. It was 11pm at that time and she reached us around 11:40pm. Nascar Nut learned something about me this weekend but I'm not going to tell you. Maybe he'll tell you in comments.

Sunday morning, if you happened to be going South on 95 (in Virginia) near the Ashland area, you saw my ass hanging from underneath the hood of my car, fixing my 2 short bypass hoses. Yes, I know how to fix those, too. It's great fun because you get to cut them off with a knife which can sometimes exert a certain amount of satisfaction, :).

I got the one off then we drove to Advanced Auto Parts where I purchased a piece of hose that was double what I needed for $1.73. Overjoyed I was because that meant I had enough to fix both hoses as both had been bulging near the brackets but only the one had exploded.

Back at the car, I tore off the 2nd one, measured it against the new hosing and cut it in half. Of course, the rule of putting clamps back on hosing is you can't do it too tight or you risk them cutting into the hosing. Everything under your hood rattles, shifts and groans while driving any speed so the clamps have to be kept away from the other hoses, too. While doing this, a brilliant man I will refer to as Bubba drove by, honking his massive 18-wheeler horn as he went. He was driving a Dodge Ram.

After a bit of tweaking by Nascar Nut, everything was a go. We drove both cars to Sheetz where we quickly found the radiator cap to not have been on tightly enough. We fixed that, put more water/antifreeze mixture back in 'til it was full, then drove home.

And yay, my car runs again! Well, until someone gets the bright idea to replace the struts, strut mounts and tie rods in the front end of my car, which, in case you don't know, is the entire front suspension.
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Maybe I should have saved this for Friday, but....

I found this video embedded in a link that describes the various colorations of husky eyes as natural, so don't go thinking just because your husky has one blue and one brown/green eye, s/he isn't purebred. 'Cause I picked up Domino today and he has one full blue eye and one parti-eye, meaning it's blue with some brown sludge in it. He's beautiful and definitely a kid dog because once Peanut got in the car, Domino wouldn't budge from the backseat, not even to get some of my sandwhich.

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Friday Cat Blogging: NEW KITTIES!! edition

Aren't they the cutest? Sunday will make them 2 weeks old and I was there right after they were born, too. In fact, that's an interesting story I've been meaning to tell.

There are 3 kittens snorgled in the corner just in case you can't tell. On the other side of the orange one is a tabby. This picture was taken when they were only a matter of hours old.


Nascar Nut and I went out of town for the weekend and so did his parents. (We attended Pet Harbor's adoptathon in front of PetSmart where 3 huskies found homes, yay!) Sunday we showed up for his youngest daughter’s 5th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese's. It went as most parties go.

Anyway, when we arrived back at Nascar Nut's house, we walked into the kitchen to find the tortoise shell kitty lying in the middle of the floor, umbilical cord and what I'm guessing the placental sac still attached. Apparently she began to give birth in the kitchen but not feeling safe there (it was very much in the open and cats love to hide), moved into the next room that is jam packed with stuff.

I immediately checked Little Dude to see if s/he was still alive while Nascar Nut set out to find Casper. I was elated to hear a tiny *mew* and see a shaky head jolt when I touched her/him. Not knowing Nacsar Nut's house, I screamed for scissors which he promptly ran into the room to provide me with, then resumed his search for Casper.

Hah! But my demands were not over!

I cut the cord then screamed for a towel since Little Dude was very cold and still very much soaked in all that birthing fluid stuff. Nascar Nut again provided me with what I needed. Once I had settled the little dude inside, both Nascar Nut and I began wandering around trying to locate the other little *mews* we were hearing. After a bit, I set to cleaning Little Dude off since s/he was kinda gross and smelly. I know the mom's clean the kitties off and dispose of every bit of waste the kittens create, but we were having a hard time locating her at that moment.

Finally Nascar Nut found her. Surprise! She was in the very room I had warned them about. But whatever. Don't listen to the animal lady and see what happens? :) It's all good.

I checked in on mom and much to her dismay, moved her in order to figure out how many she had given birth to. (Mom's clean their newborns completely after chewing off the umbilical cords. From what I understand, the mom's also eat the sacs that come out with each but don't quote me on that.) I needed to know how many Casper had birthed and to add Little Dude to her pile. She immediately began cleaning him off and when I came back a little later, her/his hair was sticking up at odd angles meaning her tongue had definitely racked over Little Dude's fur.

The sad part came later when I went back again to double-check Casper's belly more personal parts. I wanted to make sure Casper was okay and didn't need anything. Well, right at the end, lying oh so very limp on the floor, was a 4th kitten. Saddened, because I want them all to survive all the time, I picked her up (yes, I want to believe it was a she) gingerly, laid her in my palm and made sure she was really dead. Nascar Nut's step-dad came in the room at that point and I informed him that a 4th one had indeed been born but it had not survived.

I know it's not unusual especially given that Casper was mostly an outside cat (who had not been spayed, *cough*grumble*) and they tend to have small litters mainly for safety reasons with survival factoring in there, too. I know it's not unusual, but it's still sad. Yeah, I love animals way too much.

So we buried her in a fairly deep hole at the edge of their yard. I have to say, both Nascar Nut's step-dad and I were having a hard time covering her with dirt because it just made it all so final. Then there was the worry were really burying something alive; we were afraid we might have been killing it again.

Once we did refill the kitten grave, we chatted for a bit then I went back inside to wash my hands. I knew the kitten was dead because it had been covered in feces and reeked of urine, which meant it had struggled and most likely suffocated while in the birth canal. That upset me because had I been there, I could have helped and maybe she could have survived.

But I reminded myself that Nature works this way and she is more mysterious than god herself.

I had to eventually leave Nascar Nut's house to pick up Peanut but I left instructions. You know the funny part of it all? Every single cat I've had has been spayed or neutered almost immediately. I've only had one cat in heat ever and that was a HUGE mistake. I've simply paid attention through all my animal loving years and learned from it all. Did I mention that I love animals very much, right down to the wolf spiders and the snapping turtles who are constantly trying to cross the road?

Alas, Sunday means the kittens turn 2 weeks old. Their eyes will be fully opened and their crawling abilities will have gotten better. This means they will soon be tearing through the house in search of each other or something to get into. About their 3rd week, they will begin weaning from their mom and needing kitten formula as a supplement. In about 6 weeks they will be fully weaned little kittens tearing up Nascar Nut's house.

It isn't until 8 weeks that 2 of them, hopefully together as that is highly recommended, will find a very good forever home where they will live peacefully inside to live out the rest of their days.

Not to mention the fact that Casper will be getting spayed as soon as the kittens are fully weaned. The female kittens can be spayed as early as 10 weeks; the boys can't be neutered until their balls drop.

I will be watching for them like its New Years Eve.

Keep reading....

Friday Dog Blogging: Check out the New Kid edition

His name is Kazu, not Kazoo. I thought the martian dude on The Flinstones at some point or another was Kazoo, but turns out his name is really The Great Gazoo. What a shame. Then there is always Kadzu, which is an evil vine that takes over everything wherever it touches. Once it shows up, it's hard to stop. It does look nice, but it suffocates the vegetation around it, essentially killing everything. That's not good.

But Kazu is such a sweetie. He's kinda dirty from being a stray and a husky. Try giving a husky a bath someday and you'll understand why it's such a pain in the ass. Anyway, Kazu is very shy/skittish meaning he was abused at some point in his short 2 to 3 year old life. Even still, he'll make someone a great dog someday soon. Unfortunately, he wasn't neutered so he can't be adopted 'til that happens. He loved the car ride home, even adjusting my side mirror for me! Tomorrow he goes to the vet to be tested for heart worms and such. Cross your paws and hope he's negative!!

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It's My Life

and I'm livin' it. Or however the song goes.

Thursday Peanut decided he wanted to hide himself in the closet (in his class) after he was told he couldn't get water immediately because he didn't come in from recess immediately. Then the teacher bumped his head when she was trying to get him out of the closet for which he got mad and threw a book nook chair. At some point in his day, Peanut also decided it would be hilarious and, in keeping with his "usual goofy self," pulled a chair from under his classmate.

Friday was much better and so were the 3 days prior to this incident.

Saturday Peanut thought it would be neat to steal Auntie L's $11 out of her glove compartment. When they were in the McDonald's drive thru, she went searching for it and when she realized it was missing, Peanut suggested to her that "it might be in [his] pocket."

Argh.

Thankfully dear 'ol Dad punished him for stealing and actually stuck to it.

Hence, I got back a totally different kid on Sunday evening and I loved it. Yesterday and Monday were excellent days in terms of temper/anger management so I'm hoping maybe if Dad is more like a parent from now on, Peanut's overall behaviors will start to get better.

Now on to me.

Saturday Nascar Nut and I spent the day at an adopt-a-thon for our beautiful siberian huskies. (I'd show you pictures, but blogger is still not liking the picture part of the blogging deal so hopefully I will be able to get them up soon.)

Three of our furry babies were adopted this weekend!

So of course that was a great weekend for both the sibes and the humans that care for them! We're very glad they have been adopted and it really looks like they will not be back. Yay!

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Friday Dog Blogging: Meet the Crew edition

These pretty boys and girls are who we have right now waiting to be adopted. Tomorrow and Sunday is our adopt-a-thon event at a PetSmart in Stafford so here's hoping some of them go home (or at least get good applications that eventually lead to good homes).

Shimmy and Asher have been with us for a long time. Supposedly Asher is 4 years old but acts more like he's 4 months and Shimmy is only 1.5 years old, is a wonderful dog and would prefer to be outside all the time.


Kara is tiny but loves to run and play with all her foster siblings. She looks purebred, just a little on the smaller side. But heck, good things come in small packages, right?


Luigi, on the other hand, is my man! He really is a great dog but prefer he be the only male dog in the house because he's more than just a little Alpha. However, he loves people and will cuddle up to you as long as you want. He's a great listener and learned all the tricks/commands C taught him in about 1 or 2 weeks. Unfortunately, he thinks, at 80lbs or so, that he's a lap dog, : 0.


The only thing Mario wants you to do over and over again? Throw the damned ball. If you don't, he'll stand there and bark until you do. The cool thing is, he'll bring the ball right back and place it in your hand whereas my dog, Shia, drops it about 2-3 feet away then slowly rolls it in your direction when you don't get up right away. So if you know anyone who wants an older dog who loves to play fetch, Mario is the one for you!

I've introduced you all to Trini and Neil on two other occassions so I'll stop talking about them now.

Edited to add: Shimmy, Trini and Luigi all got adopted this weekend, yay!

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Damn, you can tell it's spring!

I've been fairly busy at work because it's nearing the end of the academic year which is when we recruit, recruit, recruit. And we've added a summer genetics internship to our roster, too, so we've been getting things set up with that. Oh, did I mention that progress reports on our grants our due in a few weeks and one of our grants is ending (thank fucking god)? So I've been busy.

Shrine Mont is almost upon us, too, plus I've agreed to help another friend put together a Christian youth conference called New Beginnings which will be happening one month from now. Since it's mostly a last minute group (kids ya know), the work is just now officially starting. Then I have the beautiful huskies I spend a lot of my afternoons with, the women's shelter and a kid so, wow, I'm busy.

But I really like it this way doncha know. I love all the work I'm doing and wouldn't trade it for the world. Not even for all the stupid people who should never own a pet of any sort.

I do have a post in the works that hopefully I'll get up today while I'm at work. I head to an overnight gig with the Shrine Mont gang later this evening after I drop Peanut off early with his dad so I'll be busy until Saturday afternoon.

Oh! I forgot to mention that I also have a new manfriend who you all know as NASCAR Nut. I don't give a shit for NASCAR - I can't even pretend to be interested. But I let him have his fun and he let's me have mine, hehe. Besides, who can turn down a guy who loves animals as much as I do? He does do some other things that I'll just keep to myself. We were going to head out to Kings Dominion tomorrow but damned if the weather ain't gonna be shitty. But who knows, maybe we'll be wrong. It sure as hell wouldn't be the first and I'm definitely sure it won't be the last.

On the other hand, my sister reminded me of something my niece said a while back:

She told Peanut she was going to college because there are better playgrounds there.

A few weeks ago, Peanut asked me this:

Mom, when we move out by ourselves, can we adapt a husky of our very own?

Doncha just love kids?

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Friday Dog Blogging: Look! New huskies!

And they're off!

These are the two I picked up 2 Friday's ago and when we finally got back to the house, they had so much energy we let them run around to play for a bit (well, it was more like 2 hours but they loved every minute of it!).


Isn't he beautiful? Atlas actually sits like this a lot and is most polite and kinda shy. Aren't his eyes wicked? He is a bi-eyed wolf-grey male husky who might have a home this weekend. Yay!
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Friday Random Ten: "I didn't realize just how eclectic my musical tastes were 'til I got this GoGear" Edition

Seriously, I'm not joking. NASCAR Nut jokes that I'm the kind of person who needs 3 10disk changers in my trunk with 2 12" speakers and a very powerful amp.

Huh, he just might be on to something there....

1. Dixie Chicks Top of the World
2. Kid Rock Trucker Anthem
3. Brandy Who Am I
4. Celtic Woman CD The Butterfly
5. Martina McBride Where Would you Be
6. Disturbed Stricken
7. Bette Midler Night and Day (Nora Jones also does an excellent cover of this song.)
8. Dixie Chicks Ready to Run
9. Michelle Branch Something to Sleep to
10. Joss Stone The Chokin' Kind

I downloaded some Michael Jackson songs Wednesday night, namely the 2 used in Free Willy, which Peanut thoroughly enjoyed. He loves those movies.

Now be sure to check out the video below of Peanut playing with 2 huskies. Yes, that is me laughing in the background but hey, it was hilarious! (It actually went on for about 10 minutes but digital cameras won't record for that long.)

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What to donate when you have something to give away

Since beginning to volunteer for both a women's shelter and an animal rescue, I've come to the realization that a lot of people donate without ever thinking that perhaps the recipient organization may need something other than what you're willing to give. Sure money is good, but real tangible items are sometimes desired oddly enough.

Take for instance the women's shelter. The women who come to live there often appeared with only what they could carry with them at the time. Sometimes there is time to pack more, especially when she has 4 kids, but even then it's only what is absolutely necessary. This means, when they leave, often into Section 8 or government subsidized housing, they will need household items to make them feel more at home.

This is where giving money to the actual organization only serves to help the women and their children while they are living in the shelter, but does nothing for them individually. If you were to donate, say, dishes, salt and pepper shakers, towels, lamps, etc., you could help get them started into living a life on their own without their abusers. This kind of giving goes a long way but do keep in mind space and/or storage issues.

Couches are always a nice thing to have, but you may have an organization in your area that takes such things as these, tables and the like in order to give them to those who need it most for free. We have one here but I haven't found it yet unfortunately.

Also, I belong to an online community called Freecycle where I can often find stuff for free to bring to the women at the shelter. Every once in a while I get some really good clothes or household items for the women and/or their children. (Recently, I asked for a Snugli and got 3.)

Do keep in mind that donations, such as your time, are needed year round, not just at Christmas or when the tax season is about to end. When I discussed volunteerism with the woman in charge of it at the shelter, she expressed this need greatly. She also added that, at Christmas, she actually had to start turning people away.

Another thought is to spend a few hours a week in the shelter or even a few hours a month. You could also come in and cook a house dinner; they love that kind of thing. Hell, even if you bring in a bunch of pizzas you would be warmly welcomed.

This advice can apply to just about anywhere with humans such as the homeless shelters in your city. We have three here but I'm already spreading myself pretty thin, ;). Sometimes there is an AIDS/HIV support program that could use a set of hands a few hours a week or month. You never know 'til you ask, right?

As for SPCA's, animal rescues and animal shelters, it's quite simple. They prefer monetary donations or sometimes you can specifically sponsor an animal. This is because vet care gets to be expensive and they'll save any dog worth saving. Trust me, having to cut off a limb or remove an eye doesn't stop them.

What they also need is volunteers to walk the dogs, sit and play with the cats, help to clean out kennels and cat boxes, etc. Doesn't sitting in a room with a bunch of kitties, allowing them to interact socially with humans (which is a plus as it increases their chances of getting adopted), sound like fun! And seriously, if you're as big a dog lover as Peanut and I, walking the dogs and playing with them is great therapy, too. There are days when I just go to the Dog House and sit amongst the kitties or doggies, the latter licking or hugging me for at least 10 minutes.

There is also a great need for transport, such as what Peanut and I did on Thursday. Cheap spay/neuter programs aren't always close by so Peanut and I transport the huskies to Richmond and back home again since we commute to Richmond daily from where the huskies actually live.

Animal rescues need the most help, I think, because they are generally run solely by volunteers to begin with. A lot of time and effort (and sometimes money) goes into taking care of a bunch of dogs at a time so that they can definitely find forever homes instead of only having a 3-6 week window.

For those of you with children, ask and your kids might be able to come along, too. The only exception might if your state has an age-specific law. Here in Virginia, it's a law that volunteer's have to be over 14. (Peanut mostly jumps on the trampoline or holds a Cat Voting School when we're hanging out with the animals.)

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These are just suggestions and a way to move forward. There is so much out there that needs to be done so why not volunteer a little bit of your time to help shape the future, even if it's just a little bit? This can mean donating your blood and/or platelets to giving all your unwanted books to women and men in jail to participating in a Relay for Life or some other rally for a worthy cause (one that you deem worthy even).

P.S. I laughed when I wrote this because last summer, my now Non-Friend S. asked me when I was gonna do some activism that summer because she didn't think I was doing enough for women's reproductive choice. *sigh*

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Felony Animal Fighting Bill Passes the US Senate

and unanimously at that. Yay!

You can click here to see if your House Rep. is a sponsor of this bill and if not, send them a letter or give them a call to urge them to support it.

This bill makes interstate trafficking of various animals and "weapons" used for fighting purposes a felony. Did you know that most often younger, helpless animals (such as puppies and raccoons) are used to bait pits into fighting?

It's disgusting. Even if you don't have any animals of your own, hopefully you will take the time to support a bill that could prompt lawyers and police officers to actually enforce and search out the assholes that create monsters out of such great animals.

(And just so you know, roosters can be very mean but I still don't think they should be pitted against each other unnaturally.)

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Pets are People, too

At least I think they are and so, if I were faced with leaving my home to escape an impending Cat5 hurricane or stay to keep my animals safe, I could honestly and sincerely tell you that it's either me and my animals or none of us. How could I leave them knowing their lives were as much at risk as my own and that their basic survival also depends on me?

That said, I will also acknowledge that I have a car with ample room to transport my three dogs and cats to safety and I have places further north to go if it were ever a real emergency.

Which is why I think PETS (The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2005) is an outstanding piece of legislation as it ensures organizations like FEMA will do what they can to get people and their animals out of harms way.

Requires local and state emergency preparedness authorities to include in their evacuation plans how they will accommodate household pets and service animals in case of a disaster. Local and state authorities must submit these plans in order to qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In addition to the trauma experienced by evacuees who are forced to abandon their animal companions and the subsequent suffering the animals endure, there are serious health and safety risks to disaster areas that are exacerbated by the abandoning of pets. Many of these problems can be mitigated or eliminated simply through the proper planning.

So click the link to find your Senator and House Representative and let them know that you, too, support this compassionate measure because pets are important people.

(more animals saved after Katrina pictures here and here.)
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