From commentor Jebediah:
We are adopting a little pup right now. We have Otto already (World’s Greatest Dog, for real) and my wife had been thinking of a companion for him. Otto is ninety pounds, she was thinking a small dog, meaning about 20-30 pounds. We ended up with Juno, a chihauhau-something mix (if you ignore the chihauhau bug eyes, she resembles a mini JRT to my eyes) that weighs in at all of seven pounds. Super timid and peeing and pooping inappropriately, although we are starting to get that under control and her personality is starting to show as she comes out of her timidity a bit. I have always considered myself a big dog person, but I am really digging this little nutbag…
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I am not particularly stoic, which might explain why I get teary every time I think of animals in shelters.
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Juno really bonded with my wife first, and when she came through the door, Juno would turn into a whirling dervish of joy and excitement, spinning from one end of the couch to the other.
Congratulations to Juno for getting the home she deserves… and to Otto, Jebediah & his wife for making a friend for life!
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Pet photos and brags used to be a regular feature here, but I think John lost most of his backlogged “stash” due to a FYWP glitch. If you want to see your darling(s) highlighted here, email me pics — my address is near the top of the right-hand column.
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And a note from commentor Pasquinade:
International Homeless Animals’ Day: Make a Difference
Saturday, August 21
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Some suggestions…
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Check out local animal groups’ Facebook pages. Often they post about animals in dire need of rescue at the kill shelters, or lists of supplies needed.
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Thrift stores are great for blankets, towels, etc., especially if they have 50% off days, like my local stores do. Additionally, I’m always on the look out for cat-related items to brighten the rather dismal environment of the local high kill shelter.
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Post notices asking for volunteers at senior housing centers. It could result in more volunteers, and perhaps some adoptions.
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Skilled at grant writing? Digital photography? Get shelter cats and dogs pictures on Petfinder, etc.
Anybody want to tell us more about “International Homeless Animals’ Day”? Are there events scheduled for your community?
Dork
That is one of the coolest dog photos I’ve ever seen. The contrast in size is just amazing. I wish I had more money and a bigger house to take in a few more dogs. Le Sigh.
MikeJ
@Dork:
Spike is my pal!
cindy
from cesar millan’s website: http://www.cesarsway.com/news/cesarspeaks/International-Homeless-Animals-Day
(sorry, couldn’t get link to work)
MattR
@cindy: Good stuff. If you click through a few links, you can get to this schedule of events around the country
Kilgore Trout
Last summer we lost both of our rescued cats within a week of each other, one to renal failure and one to cancer. Coming less than a month after my wife and I both lost our fathers within three days of each other, it capped a dark, dark period of our lives.
It’s always hard to deal with the loss of a pet, and was extra hard as we had fresh emotional wounds already. We vowed to never have pets again.
But of course within a couple of months we had rescued another cat from the city animal shelter. Kona is the most affectionate cat we’ve ever had, maybe she sensed where we were at in our lives and tried to fill a void. She jumped right onto my lap in the “get acquainted” room at the shelter, and that was that. She is never far from us in the house and leaps out of bed when I get up in the morning and then waits for me to get out of the shower.
Then in December we went to the NOAH shelter near Stanwood WA, a secondary shelter that takes hard to place animals from city shelters around the area. We talked to one of the folks there, explaining what we were looking for, and she said “You sound like you’d love ‘Bear'”. Bear is a big, black, long haired cat who we adopted on the spot. Despite her name, her mew is a tiny squeak, and she loves to play fetch with toy mice, bringing them back and dropping them at our feet to get thrown again. She can do this for hours.
We’d like to think that their previous owners can sense that they’ve both found good homes, and we’re probably going to adopt one more after our upcoming vacation.
General Stuck
A little birdy told me
asiangrrlMN
Awww, that pic of Juno and Otto is simply precious. It made me smile.
@Kilgore Trout: So sorry about your multiple losses. I’m glad that you adopted more cats, though, especially a black cat. They are so hard to find homes for. Pics?
@General Stuck: That is amazing, General–simply amazing.
TaMara (BHF)
That’s an adorable shot. Good luck to the whole family.
We have good news here. His name is Patches and he’s going home tonight. Big sigh of relief from me.
House Guest Update.
Violet
@TaMara (BHF):
Oh, that’s excellent news! Patches is such a cutie. I’m so glad he’s owner has been located. I bet they’ve been worried!
Juno and Otto are so cute together. Juno looks ready for action and Otto looks like he could pin her down with one paw, should he decide he needs a nap. LOL.
Violet
@General Stuck:
Oh my gosh! That is an AMAZING photo. I saw my first hummingbird of the migratory season today! Very excited. I’ve got to unearth the feeders and get them out. Can’t wait!
Svensker
@General Stuck:
Fantastic shot.
@TaMara (BHF):
Yay for Patches! That’s great news.
I wish we could have a pet, but the hub is deathly allergic to cats and some other family members are allergic to dogs. So I’m “grandma” for the boxer next door and that will have to do for now.
suzanne
Here’s my husband dancing with our Luna, who we adopted last month from the local Humane Society. She’s been such a joy, and has very quickly filled the doggie-shaped hole in my heart after losing my Siberian Husky this Easter Sunday.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4902553864/
She’s getting so dang LARGE. And getting along better with the cat, thank God.
@Kilgore Trout: God, I’m so sorry. So happy to know that the little furball is helping to soothe your pain.
@TaMara (BHF): Faaaaaabulous!
@General Stuck: That photo is frickin’ beautiful.
asiangrrlMN
@TaMara (BHF): YAY. Glad Patches found his home. He does NOT look 15 at all, cutie.
@suzanne: Luna is a doll! That’s me commenting, by the way.
debit
Jebediah, that is a fantastic photo and two great dogs.
@TaMara (BHF): That’s a good end to the story. I’m sure his owner was relieved beyond belief when s/he made contact with you.
@General Stuck: Amazing and beautiful photo.
sab
Ouch. Sob. We just lost (yesterday) our shelter dog to lymphoma after ten years (ten years of dog, several months of cancer). Best dog ever and he looked exactly like Otto.
Jebediah
@sab:
I’m so sorry. We lost Daisy in similar fashion. I remember how much it hurts – I wish there was something I could say to ease it, but I am sure you have the sympathy of everyone here and the empathy of quite a few, too.
Kristine
@TaMara (BHF): Patches is 15?!? Wow. I have heard that terriers stay young and crazy for a looooong time, but still. Wow.
Kristine
Amazing photos, one and all.
Jebediah
Thank you Anne Laurie for putting this up! It was a thrill to see my pups right there, and of course the kind comments are pretty nice, too.
I put some more of each of them here .
They look like such a couple of buddies in that picture, but in reality Juno is still a bit intimidated by Otto. He is a sweetie, though, which is helping her get over it pretty quickly. They can go for walkies together, but I still have to feed her separately. And I am still adjusting to her size – on my way out the door to work this evening, she gave me a smooch on the nose and her entire tongue went inside my nostril. Never had that happen with Otto. (He is more of a hugger than a kisser, anyway.)
Any of you all in or near Culver City, Otto is standing by to accept your belly rubs…
Jebediah
@suzanne:
I love that picture! And not just because your husband and I look quite a bit alike.
debit
@sab: I am so sorry. There will be other pets, but none will exactly fit the hole left in your heart. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.
Jebediah
@General Stuck:
Amazing picture – but what did the birdie tell you?
debit
@asiangrrlMN: Black cats are the most beautiful. I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t want one. BTW, I keep meaning to thank you for the comments you leave on my photostream. They always give me a smile.
Jebediah
@Dork:
Thanks!
As she gets more comfortable with us all and her personality starts to show, I am wondering if she will start to try bossing him around. That should make the contrast even more fun.
Jebediah
@MikeJ:
When my wife first wanted to get a smaller dog as a companion for Otto, she did say that that was sort of what she envisioned, except with the little dog not so small. But we ended up with pretty much that size ratio.