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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Early Morning Open Thread: Travellin’

Early Morning Open Thread: Travellin’

by Anne Laurie|  October 24, 20103:19 am| 36 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Rescue

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From commentor Louise:

This is my rescue dog, Mackenzie. She’s a terrier-spaniel mix (we think) and in the picture, she’s enjoying a boat ride in Northern
Wisconsin.
__
I walked into the SPCA in Dallas, TX nine years ago and looked around at the enclosures. The first dog on my left was a kind I was allergic to. The dog on my right was, too. Then I looked at the enclosure right in front of me, and there she was, looking directly at me, quiet as a mouse. She had been dropped off by someone, so they knew she was about a year old, and her name was “Angel.” She was extremely thin and undernourished — about 15 pounds underweight as it turned out.
__
I took her home, and named her Mackenzie (with silent apologies to the person who had named her). For the first month, she didn’t make a peep, much less bark. It was immediately clear she’d been hit and kicked, as she cowered when hands or legs came at her from certain directions. On our walks, she was right at my side, shying away from most everything. Holidays were traumatic because of the large pumpkins or inflated Santas people had on their lawns. If anyone came to the house, she crawled under a table and shook.
__
But my roommate and I let her get used to things, and gave her lots of love (which, as most dog rescuers have experienced, was welcomed at any time, as long as it was us), and gradually, she opened up.
__
Mackenzie is now 10 years old, has lived in three states, has many dog and human friends, and — while she’s still neurotic about (a) men who don’t have a dog by their sides, (b) schedule changes, and (c) the dish her food and water are in (they must be plastic)
— she’s lived a happy life and made my life immeasurably better.
__
Before Mackenzie, I had only had pure-bred dogs from breeders. Now, I can’t imagine not choosing a mixed breed rescue.

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36Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    October 24, 2010 at 3:25 am

    Obligatory PUPPEH!!

    I wish my school’s team had a defense. Our sophomore QB is lighting up the scoreboard something fierce.

  2. 2.

    Davebo

    October 24, 2010 at 3:40 am

    Dogs love boats. I love dogs.

    Seriously, is there anything any better than a day on the lake with a dog on the boat?

  3. 3.

    Restrung

    October 24, 2010 at 3:49 am

    7+ hours of college football o.t., and …

    I love this story and pic because it’s so ordinary. Simple lovely things happen all the time.

  4. 4.

    Martin

    October 24, 2010 at 4:00 am

    @Davebo: A day on the lake having sex on the boat? Up to you whether you bring the dog or not.

  5. 5.

    Gina

    October 24, 2010 at 4:11 am

    @Martin: Just make sure you use plenty of sunscreen.

  6. 6.

    PeakVT

    October 24, 2010 at 4:34 am

    The eyebrows on that pooch crack me up.

  7. 7.

    valdivia

    October 24, 2010 at 4:35 am

    very cute.

  8. 8.

    MeDrewNotYou

    October 24, 2010 at 4:44 am

    Nerd story time.
    Background: A couple of months ago, I got my sister interested in Star Trek. She was already a Star Wars fan, and since I started with SW, then Trek, then the wide world of sci-fi books/stories/etc., I thought she might be pretty similar. She’s really gets into linguistics, so I showed her the TNG episode Darmok. (Great episode. Enterprise meets aliens, but can’t communicate, Picard kidnapped and brought to a planet with the alien captain, we learn how the aliens communicate.) Since then, she’s a faithful watcher of both the BBC America airings of TNG (WTF is BBC airing an American series? Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis are the only Brits on the show!) and whatever other series happen to be on.

    So I come home for the weekend and we watch some DVRed episodes of TNG. For some reason, we get into a discussion of the most attractive character from the Trek universe. She says reboot Spock is the hottest, but Data has the best personality*. I’m torn; Hoshi Sato has a great personality and is pretty good looking, but there’s something about Ezri Dax that really does it for me. Since DS9 hasn’t aired since I got her into the franchise, I assume she doesn’t know who she is. I start to tell her about Trills, but she knew about them already. Since there’s a TNG episode about a Trill ambassador, I assume that’s where she learned. I then say, “After the woman that played Dax left the show, they got a new actress to play the her, that’s the one I’m talking about.”

    “Drew? Dax was the Trill. I hope you mean Ezri, the woman.”

    She had nitpicked me over Star Trek! I had never been more proud of my little sister. It turns out that she’s a huge fan already and has read half of Memory-Alpha.org already. Embarrassingly, she probably knows more than I do after only 2 months.

    *If I were gay, I’d agree with reboot Spock, but Geordi has always seemed like he’d make a great boyfriend/husband. ETA: She didn’t have a same-sex match but did mention that Troi seems like a really great friend but a, quote, “real bitch to date.”

  9. 9.

    Martin

    October 24, 2010 at 4:47 am

    @MeDrewNotYou:

    WTF is BBC airing an American series? Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis are the only Brits on the show!

    It’s BBC America, so pretty much any US show with Brits works for them. They did a pretty fun series of movies featuring Brit bad guys.

  10. 10.

    MeDrewNotYou

    October 24, 2010 at 4:53 am

    @Martin: I’d only seen Robin Hood: Men in Tights before, but when they were airing those movies, I saw Prince of Thieves. That plus seeing Sweeny Todd has given me an Alan Rickman mancrush when he plays a villain.

  11. 11.

    Resident Firebagger

    October 24, 2010 at 5:10 am

    Headline: Leaked Iraq War Files Portray Weak, Divided Nation

    Hey, they could almost be talking about America there. But you know they’re not.

    Brave WikiLeaks showing us how Iraq will crumble if we ever, ever leave. You have to be impressed with the cahones/American exceptionalism that produced the mind-boggling spin for this story.

  12. 12.

    bob h

    October 24, 2010 at 6:45 am

    I seek advice about how much to feed dogs, who seem to be hungry all the time whatever you give them.

    We have a 125 pound Rottie, and a 25 Cocker (rescued)

    The Cocker gets 1/3 a can of Alpo a day, together with about two coffee cups of dryfood. The Rottie gets twice that, and is staying lean while the Cocker is bulking up.

    Are we doing something grossly wrong in either case?

  13. 13.

    burnspbesq

    October 24, 2010 at 6:57 am

    After six straight days of rain in SoCal, I get on a plane and find bright sunshine in Ireland. Weird.

    Cute dog.

    I think today is the anniversary of the first time Laettner came in the house, after a month of hanging around by the front door.

  14. 14.

    valdivia

    October 24, 2010 at 7:44 am

    @burnspbesq:

    oh Laettner! How is that cutie? We want pics.

    Hope you have a great trip in Ireland.

  15. 15.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    October 24, 2010 at 7:59 am

    @MeDrewNotYou: See a young and very fit Mr. Rickman as the baddie in an Australian western, Quigby Down Under.

  16. 16.

    J.

    October 24, 2010 at 8:03 am

    Another great-looking dog, and an Angel-ic story.

    Thanks for sharing, Louise and Anne.

  17. 17.

    JPL

    October 24, 2010 at 8:17 am

    What a cute dog. After rescuing a mutt, I agree with the sentiment expressed about rescue pets.

    Normally, I don’t bother reading Dowd’s shrill but today she has written a screed on Ginni Thomas and the Roberts court in general. link

  18. 18.

    caune

    October 24, 2010 at 8:32 am

    Another great story of a great and oh so cute dog and an even better owner.
    This really is the best site on the web for smart politics and heart warming stories..nice combo!

  19. 19.

    snarkypsice

    October 24, 2010 at 8:41 am

    @Martin: It didn’t used to be that way but it was taken over by US management a few years ago. Pretty much sucked ever since then.

    McKenzie is adorable. How could anyone hit or kick such a darling? Thanks for the sweet story and the photo.

  20. 20.

    Chyron HR

    October 24, 2010 at 8:55 am

    @MeDrewNotYou:

    WTF is BBC airing an American series? Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis are the only Brits on the show!

    Patrick Stewart is British?! I never would have guessed, that French accent being so convincing and all.

  21. 21.

    R-Jud

    October 24, 2010 at 9:00 am

    @MeDrewNotYou:

    (WTF is BBC airing an American series? Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis are the only Brits on the show!)

    The BBC in the UK airs American TV quite a bit. We get Mad Men episodes a few weeks after you guys do, on BBC 2. They don’t get primetime spots, usually, but exceptional US TV does air over here. ITV and Channel 4 run House and Dexter as well.

  22. 22.

    WereBear (itouch)

    October 24, 2010 at 9:35 am

    I think Mackenzie is an awesome name for such a sweet dog.

    @bob h: check the grain content on the dry food. Dogs may be omnivorous, but the wheat and corn farmers never had wolves raiding their crop. For a good reason.

    The whole purebred/rescue controversy shouldn’t be one. You get a purbred when you need or want a high possibility of certain characteristics. Mixes are more of a lively gamble.

    Which is why I always say, The joy is in the mix

  23. 23.

    RedKitten

    October 24, 2010 at 9:42 am

    Boats, cute doggeh and Alan Rickman? This thread is starting out QUITE nicely, thank you very much. Add in some chocolate cake, and it’ll be the Perfect Thread.

  24. 24.

    MeDrewNotYou

    October 24, 2010 at 9:54 am

    @Chyron HR: My brand new conspiracy theory is that it was Brits who actually conquered France in 1066, not the other way around. The French were so outraged that, to this day, they use a phony accent when dealing with outsiders. If you’re very careful, and they let you into their trust, you’ll hear everyone from France sounds like a Yorkshire-man when talking amongst themselves.

  25. 25.

    Mike in NC

    October 24, 2010 at 10:07 am

    Iraq will crumble if we ever, ever leave.

    Is this good news for John “100 Years in Iraq” McCain?

  26. 26.

    Kristine

    October 24, 2010 at 10:14 am

    @bob h: All dogs are different, but a friend of mine feeds her 20-something pound Corgi a single cup of dry food a day. I’m guessing she feeds one of the no-grain foods.

    I’m trying to get some weight off my King, and the vet advised me to eliminate the couple of tablespoons of canned food that I would add to his dry food as a topper. She said that canned food is often high in fat. That knocks him down to 4 cups of dry food a day, plus coat oil and joint meds. It’s hard to limit him like that, but he’s half-Lab and they can pack on the weight.

  27. 27.

    SIA

    October 24, 2010 at 10:46 am

    @Kristine: We started mixing in ground dried liver to their dried food as a way to make their meals tastier without adding the fat from canned foods.

    McKenzie is adorable! So glad she and Louise found each other!

  28. 28.

    Kristine

    October 24, 2010 at 11:07 am

    @SIA: That’s a good idea. I can try that with King. Gaby is limited to duck because of her IBD, but I occasionally slip her pea-sized bits of other food, along with hypoallergenic treats. So far, so good.

  29. 29.

    Gary Farber

    October 24, 2010 at 11:09 am

    (WTF is BBC airing an American series? Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis are the only Brits on the show!)

    The BBC in the UK airs American TV quite a bit.

    The original question should have been “WTF is BBC America airing an American series?”

    To which the answer, of course, is that it stars Sir Patrick Stewart, and the P&L statement looked right for the projected cost and ratings.

    That the BBC and other British tv networks broadcast American tv series is kinda on the utterly irrelevant side.

    Since it’s an open thread, if anyone is interested, I’ve been blogging a mite again at both my own blog, and also at Obsidian Wings.

    Still moving to Oakland.

  30. 30.

    Jackie

    October 24, 2010 at 11:45 am

    What a beautiful dog. I love how she trusts men if their dog vouches for them. I’ve noticed that in dogs and it fascinates me. I’ve never been able to spot the cue they get and speculate it is olfactory. Anyone know?

  31. 31.

    JMC_in_the_ATL

    October 24, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    OMG! She has Grumpy Old Man (TM) eyebrows! I love her already.

  32. 32.

    quaint irene

    October 24, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    MacKensie, a cutie! She looks like she has a little German wire hair in her. Reason that came to mind is I’m designing a couple of wine labels for a client who wants his German pointers featured on them, and I’ve downloaded a lot of photos for reference.

  33. 33.

    trollhattan

    October 24, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Jeez, that puppeh has a cute face. Another fine “awwww” story.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    October 24, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    @Martin: @Davebo: Hey, isn’t there a game like this where each person has to add one new thing?

    A day on the lake, having sex on the boat, with fireworks in the sky, and the dog at your side.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    October 24, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    @WaterGirl: @Gina: It was too late to edit by the time I saw the sunscreen!

  36. 36.

    WaterGirl

    October 24, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    @bob h: Holy shit, batman, that’s a lot of food for a cocker spaniel! My cocker spaniel started having issues with his weight, and rather than going with diet food or smaller portions, I switched him to Eagle Holistic Select. The weight just kind of fell off him. In this case, though, I recommend cutting the quantity of food as well as moving to a higher quality food.

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