Pets blog, dogs, Cats, Clothings, pets health, mini pets

Today Post::Remembering the Good Guys

2009-11-09T13:17:00.004-08:00

One of the best parts of our job is meeting people who swim against the current to help nearly forgotten animals in their corners. In so many cases, those people are shelter workers who work to help those ostracized pit bulls without the cushion of a supportive community. (We are so spoiled in the SF bay area!) BR

Today Post::Barn-A-Go-Go: A new matching challenge!

2009-11-09T13:17:00.003-08:00

In between rescue work and conferences, the barn raising has been moving right along. We’ve been able to get the roof on in preparation for the winter weather that promises to soggy up our work crew. Since our last update, we’ve raised a big fat $9607! towards the goal of making this project a reality. It was truly a

Today Post::Happy Halloween!

2009-11-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

For some people it’s their favorite holiday. It is one of the few chances during the year when we have an excuse to dress up, down, be a super hero, be provocative, or for men to wear a tutu. I’ve seen a few costumes already this weekend, the most ironic being being a tall homeless man wearing an extra tall Uncle Sam

Today Post::a little cat mix

2009-11-09T13:16:00.011-08:00

Today I have a few cat things from all over, starting with this perfect fall image of a black cat - a kuroki neko - in a tree, painted by Japanese artist Hishida Shunso in 1910. (Thanks, Wikimedia Commons.) Hishida died just shy of his 37th birthday, and had labored under kidney and retinal disease in his last years

Today Post::belling the cat?

2009-11-09T13:16:00.010-08:00

Today I have for you a graceful Art Nouveau bell with a compact yet sinuous cat as its handle. You’ll find it at The State Hermitage Museum, and while it hasn’t any info as to its provenance or even what it’s made of, the website has a neat feature that turns it all round for a 360-degree view. Enjoy.

Today Post::Average Cost of Pet Ownership

2009-11-09T13:16:00.009-08:00

Pet …………….First year cost ………Annual costsmall dog ………1,050 …………………580medium dog…. 1,260……………….. 695large dog ……….1,435………………… 875Cat……………….. 1,035 …………………670Rabbit ……………1,055………………… 730Guinea Pig ……….705………………… 635Small Mammal… 340……………….. 300Small Bird …………270 …………………200Fish…………………… 235………………….. 35 Prices do not

Today Post::more on the rabbit in the moon

2009-11-09T13:16:00.007-08:00

In the last post I’d mentioned in passing the Indian tale of Lord Indra rewarding the sacrifice of a rabbit, which I’d never heard before and found touching. Looking for details, I turned up some more rabbit - moon links in an old book review: The Hindus called the moon casin, or Sasanka, ” Marked with the Hare,”

Today Post::late breaking treat! cute little bunny cakes!

2009-11-09T13:16:00.005-08:00

Actually cute little bunny manju, a Japanese treat made of flour wrapped round sweet bean filling. I stumbled upon these just as I was about to head out for the night, but thanks to an excellent blog named The Food Librarian, you get to dream whether to eat these or make squee-ing sounds of joy. Bunny cakes here!

Today Post::the dainty dog: from 1902

2009-11-09T13:16:00.003-08:00

A DAINTY dog had chanced to noteThe breakfast of a greedy goat,—Half-rotten grass, a shocking pile.” Fie!” said the dog; ” what wretched style!Good taste demands, you clownish beast,A dish to eat from, at the least.And as for food, that garbage foulWould even make a camel scowl,Would make a very buzzard groan,Would ”

Today Post::pets eternal and otherwise: halloween

2009-11-09T13:16:00.001-08:00

National Geographic, in time for Halloween, includes in the latest issue an article on Egypt’s animal mummies. The article is available here, as is an interactive map of many finds; but the lavish photo gallery you’ll find there is the biggest treat. There are cats, of course, and touching and beautiful they are.

Today Post::a boy's heart

2009-10-31T16:17:00.004-07:00

Christine Allen’s son Sam turned four fingers old on Tuesday. We’ve had the pleasure of watching him grow from a babe to a boy with a special connection with dogs, starting with his love for homegirl Izzy, then later as one of V-dog Teddle’s very first and bestest friends. Sam’s been such a true heart to the dogs,

Today Post::Wanted: Crystal ball

2009-10-31T16:17:00.003-07:00

These are the days when we sure could use a crystal ball. This sweet soul presented us with a new mystery when he came into Oakland Animal Services, shook up from his past misadventures. He sat in his run looking very forlorn while the days that his owner could come collect him him ticked away. Poor kid almost got

Today Post::An Update

2009-10-31T16:17:00.001-07:00

I know it’s been forever since I’ve updated here ~ sorry.Closing the store and getting rid of 4 years of stuff in the basement has kept me busy!Just a quick update: the woman who was going to adopt Jazper never showed up. To his benefit, the first few evenings with him in the apartment were less-stressful than I’d

Today Post::Halloween Not Good for Black Cats

2009-10-31T16:16:00.006-07:00

The New Zealand Veterinary Association is warning trick-or-treaters to spare a thought for their pets this Saturday night. Halloween is a bad time of year for black cats, with their long-standing connections with witches, hubble-bubble and evil. Veterinarian Pieter Verhoek warned petowners to keep black cats away

Today Post::dogs with what it takes

2009-10-31T16:16:00.005-07:00

(Note: Thanks for the good wishes folks! I look forward to being healthy again. Not exactly yet though) If you’ve been a Museum member for a while, you probably recall that I am a big fan of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and have been since 9/11. Did you know that the dogs would get so sad finding

Today Post::Tips for Holiday Travel with Your Pet

2009-10-31T16:16:00.004-07:00

The winter holiday season is a time for family and friends to gather, often traveling a great distance to be together. Many families consider pets to be part of their family and choose to take them along. Traveling with pets is not always easy, especially when the family dog or cat experiences fear of travel, or

Today Post::The Holidays are Coming!

2009-10-31T16:16:00.003-07:00

Today Post::one-stop, hip cat shop

2009-10-31T16:16:00.001-07:00

I regret to say that whatever flu it is I have keeps me from my usual hunting-gathering-curating activities. But that’s not going to stop me from telling you to go look at Moderncat, a source for all things stylish+latest+coolest+cat. Check out the post on cat-o-lanterns!

Today Post::Vick: Still not sorry (we checked)

2009-10-26T09:46:00.033-07:00

This coming Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles will be landing in - gulp - our hometown to play the Oakland Raiders. What to do? In the spirit of moving forward, we decided to invite Michael Vick to meet his victims while he’s here so he could look them in the eye and extend his apologies. Yeah we did. It was a tough

Today Post::out in Iowa and back at home in Oakland

2009-10-26T09:46:00.032-07:00

There are always so many unspoken heroes behind the scenes of those larger criminal cases involving dog fighters. They stay in the background while making us look good by helping us get the dogs to safety. I was glad when Rita Mason (below) and Scott Wilson gave us the okay to tell people who they are. Rita is your

Today Post::just elizabeth

2009-10-26T09:46:00.031-07:00

She looks so sweet there, doesn’t she? And then she woke up. ; )

Today Post::kitten on the (electronic) keys

2009-10-26T09:46:00.030-07:00

Why do synthesizer enthusiasts gravitate towards cats as pets/sidekicks? It’s been discussed, with varying results. This is another one of those niches that took me by surprise - every time I think I surely must have played out (unintentional Keyboard Cat reference) every known avenue of pet culture, something pops

Today Post::axis bold as mutts

2009-10-26T09:46:00.029-07:00

If you’re a Mutts fan, as I very much am, perhaps you’ve wondered at Patrick McDonnell’s title panels every Sunday. There’s something. . . familiar about some of those panels, though they often have little or nothing to do with the rest of the cartoon. There’s a reason for that! McDonnell often bases his Title

Today Post::SECOND ANNUAL PET ‘NET EVENT

2009-10-26T09:46:00.028-07:00

Pet-Centric Bloggers & Site Editors To Raise Voices In Unison To Shine Spotlight on Pet Safety Organizer Petside.com To Feature Event Hub At www.petside.com/pet-net-2009 New York, NY (October 15, 2009)—In an effort to heighten awareness about critical issues related to pet safety, Petside.com (http://www.petside.com

Today Post::the coolest building in riga

2009-10-26T09:46:00.027-07:00

Or at least so far.I’m talking about The Black Cats’ House, built in 1909 in Riga, Latvia. Legend is that about 100 years ago the owner of the building was excluded from the local guild. He didn’t find this fair, and to express his displeasure he topped off his lovely Jugendstil (the German variant of Art Nouveau)

Today Post::from 1883: thoughts on dogs

2009-10-26T09:46:00.026-07:00

In 1883, Verson S. Morwood (”Lecturer to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals”) put together a volume of musings on the facts and phases of animal life, suitable for edifying the minds of the young. The writing is appropriate to the time, carefully phrased and stilted, but honest and kindly for

Today Post::Dangerous Foods For Pets

2009-10-26T09:46:00.025-07:00

Part of the Pet Net Safety Event We’ve all heard that chocolate is bad for our furry friends, but there are many other everyday foods that could be potentially harmful to our pets. Americans spend over $10 billion dollars on pet food and despite buying the best food available, some pets would rather eat what we eat.

Today Post::Bed Bugs Beware of Dogs

2009-10-26T09:46:00.024-07:00

Sleep Tight; these dogs will do the rest! Article from Chicago Tribune about canines trained to detect signs of bedbug infestation.

Today Post::Many pets living longer

2009-10-26T09:46:00.023-07:00

Some dogs and cats reaching 15 years or more, veterinarians say. According to any article on MSN, just as humans are living longer, so are pets. A combination of a lot of factors are at play, including breeding, better health, and better awareness. Check out the article for some interesting details.

Today Post::finian, a welsh terrier

2009-10-26T09:46:00.022-07:00

all 3 photos copyright J. Arnel My dear friend Jill of Caninecopywriter.com submitted these peeks at a certain Welshman she once knew: “This was Finian, a Welsh terrier I adored for 16 years. He had terrible manners, chased cars (and bitches).” “The ones of me and him are circa 1956 and/or 1957. The solo one is a

Today Post::Sports heroes among us

2009-10-26T09:46:00.021-07:00

It was a very different kind of Sunday in Oakland: In Defense of Animals gathered up a group of animal lovers at the coliseum for the Raiders game and pushed their message out to several news outlets (well done, guys - news), our banner got off the ground AND the Raider! s kicked some serious Philly butt. Woof!

Today Post::My Dog is Family Photo Contest - Now Closed!

2009-10-26T09:46:00.019-07:00

We’re still peeling our jaws off the floor from the high powered maneuvering that went down with last night’s photo contest deadline. What a wild ride. Just when we thought the finalists were settled and the contest was wrapping up, four huge donations came in inside the last 15 minutes and pushed long standing

Today Post::And another batch of bust dogs is freed

2009-10-26T09:46:00.017-07:00

This is a bad luck / good luck story about yet another group of bust dogs who’ve been given the green light to live… Good luck. This wonderful creature was removed from one of several midwestern dog fighters along with 34 other dogs in the summer’s big seven state sweep. Bad luck. She was taken to a location where

Today Post::caption this

2009-10-26T09:46:00.015-07:00

Today Post::Halloween safety tips for your pets=?UTF-8?B?4oCP?=

2009-10-26T09:46:00.013-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care Helps to Promote Humane Halloween Halloween may be full of tricks and treats for humans, but the holiday does not hold the same appeal for our pet counterparts. In fact, Halloween can be a downright frightening time for pets. Paul Mann, Founder of Fetch! Pet Care, the nation's largest provider of

Today Post::"My Dogs at Play"

2009-10-26T09:46:00.011-07:00

The joys of a new toy!

Today Post::Pet Awareness Month

2009-10-26T09:46:00.009-07:00

October is National Pet Wellness Month (http://www.npwm.com). SeaYu Enterprises has just sent me some surveys they did of customers to find out what matters most about pet wellness. Pet owners in the survey consider nutrition to be the most important aspect of their pet's wellness (60%) followed by affection/play (

Today Post::Stressed People Leads to Stressed Cat

2009-10-26T09:46:00.007-07:00

Are you stressed? If so, you’re cat may be stressed as well. According to Petplace.com, our cats pick up on our emotions and react to the chaos in our lives. When we’re tense, they’re tense. When their lives feel chaotic, they become agitated. Our stress certainly impacts our four-legged friends. And there are

Today Post::orange cat, left shoulder: lilla cabot perry

2009-10-26T09:46:00.005-07:00

thanks a mill Wikimedia Commons Oh, I remember well how this feels - a chunky little orange beauty draped over the left shoulder (never the right; never figured out what was up with that). This is Lilla Cabot Perry’s (1848-1933) Woman with Cat (date not found so far), oil on canvas. Perry was an Impressionist

Today Post::the clockwork pet: roullet and descamps

2009-10-26T09:46:00.003-07:00

A prim white kitty in spectacles fans herself. A basket of pink flowers holds a bunny surprise. And a kinda disreputable lion can still leap, though he’s a hundred and nine years old. All these fantastical things are late 19th - early 20th c clockwork toys - automata - from the Paris firm of Roullet & Descamps.

Today Post::artist: nicole zeug - and a beloved dog

2009-10-26T09:46:00.001-07:00

Image copyright Nicole Zeug, Arts and Dogs This is one of my finds on DeviantArt: Nicole Zeug’s 2008 aquarelle/watercolor portrait of her own Golden. I was pleasantly struck by the unusual angle in conjunction with her careful naturalism, making not only a rendering of a dog, but The (Beloved) Dog. Who hasn’t

Today Post::an unlucky kitten finds a good person

2009-10-11T15:52:00.002-07:00

I’ve been reading Robert Roberts’ A Ragged Schooling: Growing Up in the Classic Slum (New edition: Mandolin, 1997). This autobiography of a childhood spent in the poorest districts of Salford, UK during the Edwardian era is gripping, sympathetic, and by some alchemy of Roberts’ character and talent, only sad in the

Today Post::presidential dogs

2009-10-11T15:52:00.001-07:00

Did you hear President Obama retelling how his young daughters took the news of his Nobel? “You got the Nobel Prize, and it’s Bo’s birthday, and we get a three day weekend.” Something like that. I had to smile at the sheer excellence. Of course the dog’s birthday is right up there. And Bo is right at the end of

Today Post::kitten mistreatment with happy ending

2009-10-10T14:23:00.001-07:00

Today Post::Countdown - Seven more days

2009-10-09T14:22:00.002-07:00

Seven more days to submit your photo (if you haven’t already) and corral all your friends to vote you onto the BAD RAP 2010 My Dog is Family Calendar. I’m feeling Moose this morning, loved by Angie Reuter in Flemington, MO. Angie’s story is as moving as her photo: “There are no words to describe this dog. He is like

Today Post::Dogfighting videos = free speech?

2009-10-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

So about a week ago, I started reading media sources and a variety of dog-related forums about how the Supreme Court was going to hear a case about whether creating and selling dogfighting videos was illegal. Well, I finally read the transcripts of oral argument yesterday, and as it turns out, the case isn’t really

Today Post::"Swine Flu Paranoia?"

2009-10-09T02:23:00.002-07:00

Today Post::vintage photo

2009-10-09T02:23:00.001-07:00

copyright: me, now Another Ampersand find, this one with nothing on the back to clue me in. Clearly, someone was proud of their cat and how fine he or she looked on their cement bench in the back yard. (I do believe you can get precast benches in this pattern today.)

Today Post::dog as officiant: sagdid

2009-10-06T02:22:00.001-07:00

In the Zoroastrian religion, a dog steps up to perform an important part of a deceased person’s leavetaking of the world. The ritual is called sagdid, meaning “dog-sight,” and the dog must be what is called “four-eyed,” meaning it has two eye-like spots above its own eyes. This ritual meant a great deal in the days

Today Post::let's go to the pet circus

2009-10-04T02:43:00.001-07:00

Up up up the fuzzy pole the kitty goes to the pie-sized platform many feet in the air. The pole is being held steady by a strong man, but is that cat really going to jump that far down? Yes, he is. But he will land safely in a fat green pillow held by a red-headed clown. Meanwhile the four white matching Spitz

Today Post::luck of the Clover

2009-10-02T15:22:00.002-07:00

It’s a good day when the media recognizes that pit bulls are as American as apple pie. Contest entrants Kevin Flanagan, Monica Hernandez and their pooch Clover found their way to the Sacramento Bee yesterday with this crazy-fun photo and nice plug for the photo contest. How much do we love this family? Clover’s

Today Post::Ridiculous

2009-10-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

Today Post::momoyo torimitsu: cute as discomfort

2009-10-02T14:23:00.002-07:00

Big bright vinyl bunnies, too big for their space, crushed down over you. They ought to be cute and funny. Are they? There’s so many of them. They aren’t fitting comfortably. Something isn’t right here. Exactly, according to Japanese artist Momoyo Torimitsu. The bunny installation was called Somehow I don’t feel

Today Post::update on that four-legged raving loony candidate

2009-10-02T14:23:00.001-07:00

Apparently Lord Sutch’s spaniel was named Splodge, not Bob. Gathered from Sutch’s obit in the LA Times.

Today Post::pet life in a raving loony party

2009-10-01T02:23:00.001-07:00

A British political party that has stood in elections since its inception in the 80’s, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party actively embraces the absurd as a means of pointing out the frequent foolishness in UK government. You will find there pretty much what you would expect from an entity founded by a 70s

Today Post::Seattle bound, and announcing a Photo Book!

2009-09-30T02:23:00.001-07:00

I’ll be speaking be about Shelter Strategies for Pit Bulls at the Pacific Northwest Animal Care & Control Conference this coming Friday and Saturday. If you live in the area and are curious about better ways to help pit bulls, please set part of your Saturday aside to be there. Sat’s session is open to rescue groups

Today Post::7 Incredible Pets that Will Surprise You

2009-09-29T14:23:00.002-07:00

By guest blogger Mary Ward Do you Digg ItLooking for the perfect pet can be a tall order, until you consider some alternative options. There are some excellent pets out there that can bring about hours of enjoyment, and sometimes the least expected choices make the best ones.1. Hamsters: Sure they are rodents, but

Today Post::more medieval cats on pages

2009-09-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

As you probably have figured out by now I do love a sprightly manuscript detail. Turns out the Getty Museum has one I’ve missed. From England, about mid 13th century, a couple of white cats go after brown mice, with mixed results - or perhaps it’s a comic book-style telling of a cat’s failed bid to hang on to

Today Post::dog on the weekend

2009-09-28T14:23:00.001-07:00

This was Cash dog yesterday, being all happy because he got to go bird hunting with his dad and John-of-Robin-and-Finchy. He’s 12 and this is what he lives for. For it is the weekend and the perfect time to find a happy spot.

Today Post::That's what I'm saying ... !

2009-09-26T20:13:00.033-07:00

Claremore Animal Shelter makes the newsIt was great to see Oklahoma’s Jennifer Cummings in the news for her part in helping the bust dogs. And in the Washington Post, no less. Congrats Jennifer .. And thank you again for your good deeds. WA Post Article + Photo On the left is the same cute doggy shown with Jennifer

Today Post::Cleaning Hazards

2009-09-26T20:13:00.032-07:00

According to the Environmental Protection Association (EPA), typical household cleaning products and air fresheners are one of the leading contributors to poor indoor air quality. The agency reports that poor indoor air quality can lead to health issues; animals have faster metabolisms and smaller lungs than humans,

Today Post::Celebrating life, Ritualizing death

2009-09-26T20:13:00.031-07:00

This has been a weird summer of celebrating and grieving. The dogs from the Missouri centered dog fight bust have been front and center of our activities and brain space and, while many of the released dogs are doing well, others that have come with difficult medical or behavior issues have not had the happy endings

Today Post::updates

2009-09-26T20:13:00.030-07:00

Sorry I haven’t kept up with updates on Bella and Jack like I should. My business life has been an emotional roller-coaster lately, and it’s taken a toll on my blogging. Anyway ~ Jack and Bella are still with me. The person who wanted to adopt Jack basically said they don’t take their cats to the vet, would not

Today Post::Okie girl countdown and barn progress

2009-09-26T20:13:00.029-07:00

We’re looking forward to seeing this little munchkin (who needs a name) land in CA. She’s still in Oklahoma, healing from her spay surgery and making up for lost time by schmoozing every human that her new friend Molly Gibbs introduces her to. She’s practicing her craft here with Jennifer Cummings of Claremore Animal

Today Post::a couple more from the fair

2009-09-26T20:13:00.028-07:00

(All photos courtesy & copyright John McDermott) Baby bunny mini-lop in the petting zoo. (Don’t worry, it was a very well controlled zoo.) The cat that won the biggest ribbon at the 4H cat show!He loved being judged and having us all look at him and say “Ah kitty.”

Today Post::cat gummies, cat goma

2009-09-26T20:13:00.027-07:00

Katjes of Germany and their candy is not new to me exactly, but it’s been many years since I ran into a bag. And to date I hadn’t run into bags of their Katjes-Kinder, Katzen-Pfotchen, and Ohren (Kittens, Cats Paws, and Ears) all at once. Turns out the entire company’s genesis in 1950 began with a 1910 recipe from

Today Post::once there was a pig named cupid

2009-09-26T20:13:00.026-07:00

Cupid the pig lived in Plymouth, UK, in the mid-18th century. He was the beloved friend and companion of a woman named Emma Gilbert, and is said to have shared her meals at her table, even accompanying her to London. As it happened, Emma was the Countess of Mount Edgecumbe, married to the 1st Earl of Mount

Today Post::1844: a lost lady holds a little dog

2009-09-26T20:13:00.025-07:00

Thanks as usual, Wikimedia Commons In 1844, Carl Timoleon von Neff (Baltic Germany, 1804/5? - 1876) painted this portrait of a striking young woman holding her little dog. All I can find of her is the title: Lady Barrett of Belhus. While I didn’t find many of the answers I sought, I did find some other curious

Today Post::World's Most Expensive Dog

2009-09-26T20:13:00.024-07:00

It would have been much cheaper to adopt…. What does a $582,000 dog look like? A Tibetan Mastiff has apparently broken the record for the world’s most expensive dog. It was sold to a young Chinese millionare. You can read the complete article as found on MSN.com.

Today Post::a video blog from Tim

2009-09-26T20:13:00.023-07:00

I heard Tim chattering away in his shop today and wondered about the long conversation he was having with the foster dogs. What were they talking about? Turns out he was video-blogging. My resourceful guy. Here he talks about the barn raising and why he’s looking forward to having a place for the dogs to wrestle

Today Post::the spy's dog

2009-09-26T20:13:00.022-07:00

There was a brief period during WWII when a great deal hinged on one woman’s grief for her dog. The woman was Nathalie Sergueiew, a Russian whose family had fled to France in 1917 to escape the Revolution. In 1939 she began working for German intelligence - and very shortly thereafter became a double-agent for the

Today Post::See this

2009-09-26T20:13:00.021-07:00

I sure needed me some Mavis this morning. We came back from the midwest with a THUD and have been having a bit of a time climbing out of the jet-laggin’ hole and back into business as usual. But Mavis - Photo Contest Diva from Madison WI - She put it all back into perspective with her photo and owner’s words. Thank

Today Post::223 cyber stars, and counting

2009-09-26T20:13:00.019-07:00

We hope everyone is enjoying the daily arrivals of the My Dog is Family calendar photo contest as much as we are. Some have suggested that we find an additional way to get the contest entries in front of public eyes. Thanks guys - Great idea. We’re spinning some thoughts around and will see what we can come up with

Today Post::The life and times of Rosie - In memorial

2009-09-26T20:13:00.017-07:00

I opened an email headlined Rose Caldwell 2001-2009 early this morning and was confused for a few minutes. Who died? My bleary brain started working as I read on. Rose - our little Rose. She was one of our all time favorite dogs. She lived with us for the good part of a summer while recovering from a rough

Today Post::Jazper

2009-09-26T20:13:00.015-07:00

One of the most difficult decisions about closing The Wren’s Nest was knowing that I would have to find a new home for Jazper. Unfortunatley, while he loves kittens, he just cannot get along with other adult cats. I haven’t blogged much about my failed attempts at integrating him in with the rest of the

Today Post::Fish Tank Update

2009-09-26T20:13:00.013-07:00

I recently wrote about my trials and frustrations with buying a new fish tank. The tank is up and running and doing well. I’ll have to put up some pictures soon, once my home projects are done and things calm down a bit. I only lost one fish in the process. The minimal loss is because I used filter media from a

Today Post::A Day to Reflect

2009-09-26T20:13:00.011-07:00

I think every generation is defined by historical events beyond our control or even comprehension. For people my age, 9/11 is that day when our lives all changed. Take time to reflect on what’s good in your lives and appreciate that special someone or pet as we remember those not only lost in the attacks, but in

Today Post::Shear Poodle Madness

2009-09-26T20:13:00.009-07:00

It’s time for Shear Poodle Madness…the pictures of what people do to their poor poodles…..Check it out!

Today Post::vintage photo time

2009-09-26T20:13:00.007-07:00

Another of my bulk-bin-at-Ampersand finds. Written on the back of this one: “Trixy the dog”

Today Post::from the puyallup fair

2009-09-26T20:13:00.005-07:00

Yes, I spent a happy sunny Sunday with Tara & John (of Robin & Finchy fame) checking out the critters at the 2009 Puyallup Fair. What you see here are the usual cellcam photos (= terrible quality. I know). But T&J were so kind as to give me a few of theirs, which are professional quality, so stay tuned for some

Today Post::elizabeth on a late summer evening

2009-09-26T20:13:00.003-07:00

They are alike, prim scholar and perfervid lover:When comes the season of decay, they both decideUpon sweet, husky cats to be the household pride;Cats choose, like them, to sit, and like them, shudder. (from Charles Baudelaire, The Cat)

Today Post::Long Journey For Cat

2009-09-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

A woman’s pet cat was found alive after being buried beneath debris from a house fire for 26 days! According to the Huffington Post, Sandy LaPierre said that she assumed her 1-year-old female cat Smoka had died from the Aug. 10 fire in Franklin, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. Then 26 days later, a demolition

Today Post::18th-c. rabbit hoax!

2009-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today’s post was inspired by a note I received from A Few Good Cats, who drew my attention to this most odd and fascinating bit of history. Warning: rabbits misused. Dear me. In 1726, a woman living in Surrey, England “gave birth” to animal parts. Her name was Mary Toft, and she would become (in)famous for her

Today Post::it's vintage photo time again

2009-09-25T04:56:00.001-07:00

“B. Ames 1952″ says the reverse of this photo. This is so far my personal favorite of the Portland photo finds. Seriously, if I’d been alive in ‘52 and about this old, this is pretty much what I’d have looked like (right down to the socks). Look! She’s got her best game face on, but it’s agony having her picture

Today Post::Bust dogs wag big thanks to Oklahoma

2009-09-10T22:49:00.004-07:00

While we’ve been distracted by frustrations in Philadelphia, it’s good to note that things have been going the right way for some pit bulls — in Oklahoma, to be exact. A tiny shelter not too far from Tulsa just waved farewell to the last dog from the group of 12 that came from this summer’s big bad ass dog fighting

Today Post::Your dog's face in our calendar

2009-09-10T22:49:00.003-07:00

If you’ve ever been to BR’s facebook page, you’ve probably given over part of your day to the amazing photos that people have been submitting of their pit bulls. I can spend hours in there Oooing and Ahhing. We’ve been brainstorming ways to help more people see these gorgeous images. Lightbulb moment! Why not

Today Post::Barn News - A new matching gift challenge

2009-09-10T22:49:00.001-07:00

The barn raising project has brought the added bonus of helping us realize just how many people care about the disenfranchised pit bulls of the world. It feels so good. Tim wrote earlier about the personal notes that cross his desk during his late night catch-up chores and the unexpected emotions that come up when

Today Post::BAD RAP to Philly: Seize the moment

2009-09-10T22:45:00.016-07:00

Animal groups in Philadelphia are meeting with team officials from the Eagles franchise today to discuss … What? Dog fighting. Vick. Money, we would imagine. Source We don’t envy the difficult position this puts Philly animal groups in. How do you accept help without compromising your values? We have some thoughts.

Today Post::the Car Ride of Life

2009-09-10T22:45:00.015-07:00

TugTug reminded me the other day that Life is one big long and bumpy car ride. It’s exciting and fun and sometimes it makes us a little (or a lot) sick to our stomach. Even when we barf

Today Post::Sweet Jasmine - An angel passes on

2009-09-10T22:45:00.014-07:00

Sad news - Our little hero girl from the cover of Sports Illustrated has passed on. We were sad to learn that Sweet Jasmine was struck by a car and died yesterday. We don’t know any of the details, but we can imagine that her adopted family is absolutely devastated. We’re all so proud of her family for giving her

Today Post::Ruby Tuesday Chloe

2009-09-10T22:45:00.013-07:00

I’m afraid this is what Chloe thinks of the continuing “invasion” of kittens:

Today Post::Ten Questions

2009-09-10T22:45:00.012-07:00

I was just having this discussion with someone this weekend and I’m going to share it here. It is the unusual horseperson who never considers breeding a horse of their own. Most of us, at some point, will own a mare that we think is just awesome, one that we would like to make more of. Or we will fall in love

Today Post::Bad show, good show!

2009-09-10T22:45:00.011-07:00

Shame in the Horseshow Ring beat me to this story and I still can’t believe it! Talk about not having any control over your horse. And the dude is a trainer!I know I shouldn’t condone violence but I gotta say, I think it’s pretty damn awesome that the filly’s owner popped studmuffin’s trainer Ty Hornick a good one.

Today Post::happily ever after can be temporary

2009-09-10T22:45:00.010-07:00

Sweet shelter dog Ella just scored a home that will give her everything she ever dreamed of: Stuffed animals, cookies, visitors, friendship, love. Dogs are zen masters about living in the moment, so we feel good knowing that, even though her time is temporary, she doesn’t know (or care) what a calendar is. She’s our

Today Post::baby, i'm a STAR!

2009-09-10T22:45:00.009-07:00

An exclusive look inside the dressing room of famous facebook feline star Little Isis.

Today Post::A Trip With Your Best Friend

2009-09-10T22:45:00.008-07:00

For dog owners who like to travel, there is the inevitable issue of what to do with your dog. A new business venture encourages you to take the dogs with you. Canine Club Getaway (www.canineclubgetaway.com) is, quite simply the ultimate vacation for dogs and the people who love them. The first Getaway is scheduled

Today Post::Good news comes in threes

2009-09-10T22:45:00.007-07:00

Petal’s challenge has been MET! Guess who showed up to help us with the last chunk of change needed to push us over the mark? It was Lolo’s brand new family - Oaklanders Meg & Thomas Cosby! What a cool thing. Our primary help for Lolo’s broken knees came from blog readers. You helped us save this girl’s life -

Today Post::Barn Raiser Update

2009-09-10T22:45:00.005-07:00

Nelly can’t stop smiling. Check this out!…The barn raiser is inching up, steady as she goes. We’re now only 963 bucks away from meeting Pedal Berkey’s 10K matching gift challenge! Once we hit that mark, the bar will hopscotch right up the chart - on our way to halfway home. Huzzah! A big shout out to our friends in

Today Post::Well, here are some feet for you...

2009-09-10T22:45:00.003-07:00

KarenV sent me these pics of her new rescue. He arrived tonight and promptly wrote “GET ME A FARRIER!” in the sand of her arena with his cute little Morab nose. Yeah, I’m kidding but hey, he should have. Actually he should have planted that sharp sticking-out part good and hard in the middle of his previous owner’s

Today Post::Amora Therapy for Dogs?

2009-09-10T22:45:00.001-07:00