He’s trying…

German Shepherd Rescued…

Rescued!!!

A German shepherd, Vash, was left at a Baldwin Park (Calif.) Animal Shelter in early June. His dejection, his profound distress, are observable in his eyes. The clock is sadly ticking away on Vash’s life. I am not posting this as gratuitous, emotional tweaking. Perhaps one of you, in the LA area, knows someone who could save the pup. Animal Shelter (626) 962-3577. Sadly sobering.

Update 7/23/2015 from the very kind LBal: “Vash was adopted by Jack K. from Palm Springs… he saw the ad… and drove down to Baldwin Park on a whim and took him home… with the idea to find a good home for him…. he is so wonderful though that he found his home right here…. happy dog!” 

Cute Beagle

PUPPY DOG EYES…CHEMISTRY

Is it silly or insignificant?

The loss of a loved one…a human is profound. What is it about the loss of a pet that we take into our lives, or is it the other way around? Profound loss, I say. Months later it brings tears. So powerful was the influence of Emma Louise in our lives that even today the mere mention of her name or her image causes a pause for reflection and an audible or silent homage.

Less evident are the pet’s feelings left behind. I am convinced they suffer affliction to their routines, patterns and yes hearts! Harley, was very close to Emma.

 

Harley has seemed at a loss for the last six months since Emma passed. Time has passed but the routines are different now. Harley seems to be much more dependent now even with lots of loves. The nuisance and teasing of two cats has not lifted Harley’s spirits.

When I come across the postings of folks that lose a pet, my eyes well up for their loss and for my unresolved loss. So it is.

You Snooze….You Lose! Pup Corn

Some 20 years ago, an idea was hatched by me in the presence of my family. I had the idea of flavored pop corn for dogs, and I called it Pup Corn! My family thought the idea was fun and the name was clever. It became the family joke, me saying ‘someday, I’m going to develop the recipes for the “Pup Corn” and make a fortune’. Year after year I said this, especially as I tossed pieces of regular popped corn to my dogs. And, year after year I never did anything about the concept. No recipes, no drawings of marketing concepts, just a lot of talk and jokes.

So, imagine my surprise as I visited the pet food section in a supermarket and came upon Pup Corn!! OMG! I could hardly complain. It’s not like I had a product on the market and was being infringed upon. No, I had taken a perfectly great concept, but had no idea of how to implement the vision. You snooze, you lose. I guess the product came out in the last five years or so and has had a bumpy ride re quality assurance. Now when I mention Pup Corn, if I do, it will be feigned irritation over having been robbed of a great idea. 

Concern

My friend and I were hiking up a coastal river scouting probable holding water for Chinook Salmon, in the months to come. We moved upstream to a beautiful, secluded hole. I spoke loud enough, above the sound of the tumbling water, for an equally interested visitor to come bounding down the bank on the far side of the river, barking as he approached. We held our position, where upon the dog jumped into the river and proceeded to swim back and forth as if to say ‘Hey, this is my stretch of the river!’ His expression seemed to be fixed in the vigilant and concerned mode. I snapped a shot and moved on to let him have the hole, for now.

Things You Don’t Notice

Two dogs and two cats use this spot to view the world. They especially use it watching for the return of ‘family’ members. ‘When will they be home…I’m hungry’. Cat’s swiping claws and the dog’s sniffing noses have played havoc upon the screen. 

Pets: Loyal…Hopeful…Waiting

Yes, it is one of those posts. About pets you’ve never met. Either you don’t have pets and don’t care to or you have your own and the sun rises and sets on their furry backsides. Who cares about someone else’s? I know. But, I am always fascinated by the observations of our pets. Their dependency, their patterns and conditioning, their sense of humor, their tenacity, their internal alarm clocks and pack mentality…even cats and dogs combined, to get what they want (food!). And, dare I say it their ‘love’ or loyalty.

When anyone leaves the house, they become ever watchful to the sights and sounds that alert them that their ‘loved one’ is home. Their happiness to the return is often a raucous, tail wagging, floor rolling, jumping demonstration. Below are some fuzzy (or is it furry), quickly snapped images of the four pets waiting for the arrival home of my wife…they like her better I suspect.

 

A Bit Too Grim? The 3 Faces of Penny The Cat

I seem to have been churning out some grim, heavy visuals of late. So to help break that cycle until I can escape to the outdoors with rod and/or camera in hand…I bring up Penny the Cat. Do you remember the movie, The Three Faces of Eve? The story of the woman with three distinct personalities, it brought to the forefront the multiple personality disorder. Well, I am here to say the obvious…cats suffer from Multiple Personality Disorders as much as women….no, no, I meant Eve.

This is common knowledge for many/most cat lovers. But, watching a “personality disorder” in a cat around passive dogs is a thing to behold; something worthy of scientific study. The mood swings, the personality changes turning on a dime. Sleepy, Passive, Hyper Vigilant, Kill Instinct, Loving all flow freely from one face to another.

Pet Ownership: What’s Another Mouth to Feed?

Two cats and two dogs awaken me each and every morning without fail. The youngest, a Calico, is so aggressive, I finally give in to the paw tapping on my cheek, nose or ears. Today, we came across a rescue opportunity and had to weigh carefully whether we wanted to introduce yet another rescue into the mix. We passed on this one.