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When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

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Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Bark louder, little dog.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Dog Rescue Open Thread

Dog Rescue Open Thread

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Went over this morning about an hour ago and brought some water and more food, carefully navigating the deck so I only stepped on beams, and made it past the scene of the crime without another incident. Beneath all the hair loss and the hideous hip bones poking out, he’s such a sweet and good natured dog with deeply soulful eyes and a mature grey beard. He’s good people. I wonder how he behaves around cats.

At any rate, I called the vet, and I didn’t want to take him during the day when other clients would be there, because I really don’t know anything about the dog and whether he is carrying any infections or diseases and I would hate to get someone else’s little buddy sick, so they agreed to let me bring him in this afternoon at about four.

I still don’t know his name and am trying to come up with one that fits. I was thinking LZ as short for Lazarus, but that would imply I am Jesus and that is too pretentious.

I’m feeling fine, a little sore and bruised but I will make it.

Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    Kari Q

    You’re good people, John. Thank you for taking care of this dog. Wish there were more like you around.

  2. 2.

    Immanentize

    Poor abandoned pup. “Shane” might work as a reverse abandon name.
    But the jerk who left the dog to die — the police should arrest that mofo if only for the hassle factor of a cruelty to animals charge. Judges HATE cruelty to animal defendants even if the ultimate statutory punishment is not too severe.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I wonder how he behaves around cats.

    I’m thinking we all might have a chance to find out.

  4. 4.

    Betty Cracker

    Grey beard…Gandalf? He also came back from the dead! Glad you’re okay and that you’re helping another animal.

  5. 5.

    Mobil RoonieRoo

    I wish I could think of the perfect name but I know you will find it as you get to know him. My heart is broken for this dog. However he is the luckiest because it was you who found him.

  12. 12.

    pat

    LZ sounds too much like Lazy.

    I’m sure Cole will find the perfect name.
    Lucky just kind of works for me, tho.

  14. 14.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    This poor thing has haunted me all day, and the depth of anger and contempt I have for its owner scares me – I could actually beat him to death with my bare hands. I just don’t understand any of it. Good luck John. Apparently your karma in this world is to have this keep happening to you, and you will be repaid. If there’s a fundraiser for bills, count me in.

  16. 16.

    Immanentize

    @raven: LZ seems fitting:

    Well I remember one night, Tex and me,
    Rappelled in on a hot L.Z.
    We had our sixteen’s on rock and roll
    And with all that fire, I was scared and cold
    I was crazy, and I was wild
    And I have seen the tiger smile
    I spit in a bamboo viper’s face
    And I’d be dead, but by God’s grace

    Cash, of course.

  21. 21.

    SWMBO

    Call him Homie. That way when you move him to your current house and then move him back, he’ll be back home again.

    Also ask the dog. When we rescued our old girl, she turned and looked every time we used a word starting with P. She wound up being Pixie, Pumpkin, Princess, Pork Chop. She was happy with any of them starting with P.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    Well, you picked two names of people stranded on an island for the pups, so continuing that theme, how about Crusoe?

  23. 23.

    kdaug

    You’re fine, Cole, Your pain ain’t yet begun (“Teal towels in a sunshine yellow bathroom? Or the coral ones?” Ad nauseam)

    I like Betty’s Gandolf. Plenty of opportunities for “You shall not pass!”

  27. 27.

    Paul Wartenberg

    You ARE Jesus to this puppy. Offering charity and grace as well as love and food. All the things he needs.

    Names for puppies:

    Big Beat
    Fellah
    Dark Guard Of Your Fever Dream
    Obamacare
    Norton
    Flareon
    Gilgamesh
    Harrison
    Jay-Jay
    Cray-Cray
    Bruce Wayne
    Progressive
    Joe

  28. 28.

    sherparick

    Glad you are okay and feeling better. Thank you for taking care of “Dog” (which I always thought was a great name for a dog), although I know you can’t help yourself.

  30. 30.

    CaseyL

    John, you are the goodest of good eggs.

    Pup’s name – do you know what, if any, name he had before? If so, make sure his new name sounds NOTHING like it. If the walking pustule who abandoned him even bothered to give him a name, he associates that name with cruelty.

    I like Lazarus, but it’s a bit long; he’ll be nicknamed “Laz” pretty fast.

    So I thought of Lazarus Long, which leads to Robert Heinlein, which leads to… Bob.

    Call him Bob. (Nicknames: Bobby. Boballoo. Bobster. Etc.)

  32. 32.

    greennotGreen

    I actually like “Cash” for the dog’s name, as in Man in Black. Johnny Cash had been through some shit in his life and came out on the other side, now remembered and honored by almost everyone. This dog could end up the same. But no name until after the vet visit because the news might not be good.

    However, just because he’s not barking now doesn’t mean he won’t. He’s probably so weak from hunger he doesn’t have it in him. When you get a “woof”, that’ll mean he’s getting better.

  34. 34.

    CaseyL

    OT: Latest thing on Twitter is a politico story claiming that GOP insiders want Trump to drop out.

    Leave it to the ever-wonderful Bill Kristol to ensure that doesn’t happen:

    Bill Kristol Verified account ‏@BillKristol 25m25 minutes ago
    “RNC is authorized to reconvene the national convention.” Could be done by Labor Day. Nominee would defeat Hillary.

  35. 35.

    Pogonip

    I think if he’s alive now he’ll survive, thanks to St. Cole (the patron saint of atheism and critters down on their luck).

  38. 38.

    Barbara

    @gindy51: What kind of psychopath would do that? I get wanting to hurt your ex, oh believe me I do, but to do that by imposing extreme cruelty on an innocent and helpless creature — well, it makes me think her ex was probably the “lesser guilty” party in one way or another. Seriously.

  39. 39.

    Trentrunner

    I thought I couldn’t support Hillary any more strongly. From former CIA chief’s endorsement of HRC in today’s NYT:

    I never saw her bring politics into the Situation Room. In fact, I saw the opposite. When some wanted to delay the Bin Laden raid by one day because the White House Correspondents Dinner might be disrupted, she said, “Screw the White House Correspondents Dinner.”

    (emphasis added)

    A-fucking-men.

  46. 46.

    lizzie

    You are a good person. I’m a lurker but I just want to say thank you for rescuing that poor creature. Thinking about him starving, sad, lonely, and scared, broke my heart.

    I have a habit of jotting down potential pet names. Here are some I’ve collected:

    Ambrose
    Wolfgang
    Rooster
    Tecumseh
    Ulysses
    Palafox
    Aubrey
    Rufus
    Alonzo
    Melvin
    Jethro
    Peregrine
    Cornelius

  47. 47.

    LeeM

    John, check with the vet first. Usually they need to rehydrate (IV if possible) and get electrolytes in balance before food is introduced. If his system doesn’t have sufficient water and electrolytes, he can’t produce the enzymes, bile and other juices to digest the food, and you’ll get even more GI issues. Your vet will know about “refeeding syndrome” if they’ve seen starved dogs before. It breaks your heart not to feed them at first, but they need to go through a restart process.
    I’m not a vet, but have been married to one for 23 years, so this is from experience and osmosis.

  48. 48.

    debit

    John, thanks for the update. My offer from the original post still stands. This guy deserves a home for life.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    “Lucky” is a good, down-to-earth name. Someone suggested that yesterday. And lucky he is.

    Or “Rollie” (pronounced “raw-lee”). That’s a good name.

    Whatever you pick, make sure it’s a good “call” name, in case you find yourself having to yell at/for the dog in public.

  51. 51.

    TaMara (HFG)

    I’m forever grateful for the day I stumbled onto Balloon-Juice. Stuff like this just makes my day.

    I was already laying odds for this sweet soul to end up a member of the John Cole family.

    Glad you’re doing okay today, John and keeping a good thought on our newest BJ member.

  54. 54.

    Elie

    You are doing a blessed thing with the dog and I send you all the kind and wonderful karma from the universe… We see your heart and so does the dog…

    Have a wonderful day, John!

  55. 55.

    p.a.

    Gus, Zeke are cool generic dog names.
    C.B., for comeback, when he gets better.
    Foundling is goofy, but Founder, Foundy. kinda fonder about founder.

  56. 56.

    MattF

    Supposing, for the sake of argument, that you set up a recurring payment to donate to the Trump campaign. And then, continuing in this vein, suppose you change your mind and want to stop the recurring payment. You can’t.

  58. 58.

    JGabriel

    John Cole @ Top:

    I still don’t know his name and am trying to come up with one that fits. I was thinking LZ as short for Lazarus, but that would imply I am Jesus and that is too pretentious.

    If you want something with a similar connotation, wouldn’t Phoenix be the obvious next choice?

  62. 62.

    Shalimar

    Don’t forget the tetanus shot. Let’s face it, even if it turns out you didn’t need it now, this won’t be the last time you get cut during renovations. Get it today and you won’t need another one for 5 years.

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    @JGabriel

    “Officer, there’s a strange man running down the street screaming “Pen1s, here Pen1s” at the top of his lungs!”

  66. 66.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Lazarus, but that would imply I am Jesus

    You could name him Phoenix, that would just imply that you’re Jimmy Stewart.

  69. 69.

    Capri

    I would second Cash. Sounds good on its own, plus the Man in Black reference. Hope your animal control is on the ball, unfortunately there are far too many places in the country that would do nothing to the ex owner.

  77. 77.

    MazeDancer

    @lizzie:

    Excellent list of doggie names. Kind of you to release to the world at large.

    While Lazarus is a good name, fortunately, the doggie didn’t die and knock wood won’t. And perhaps a name that doesn’t refer to his miserable past would be better. So that every time his name is called it is not a reminder of the insanity of humans but is about this pup’s good future. (more knocking wood)

    Plus, sweet doggie needs to be more himself, or at least not starving, before his name will be clear.

  79. 79.

    Juju

    John, I’m glad your injuries are minor. For me, the first day after a fall like that is usually the worst, then it’s sort of a breeze to get through the rest. I hope you have the same experience.

    As for names, I like Hector or Otis.

    He is a lucky dog and I’m glad you found him in time. Give him a hug for me.

  80. 80.

    MazeDancer

    @lizzie:

    Excellent list of doggie names. Kind of you to release to wider world.

    While Lazarus is a good name, this sweet doggie, fortunately, did not die. (And knock wood for good health returning). So maybe a name that is not about his past but celebrates his future. (Knock wood some more for future). So that every time he’s called to come have a treat or go on a walk, his name doesn’t remind about the insanity of humans, but is just about him.

    Also, he may need a few days to reveal his true personality.

  84. 84.

    J R in WV

    @gindy51:

    I clicked through – the picture of the woman makes it clear that she didn’t care about the dog, or the punishment she was facing. Her name is mud, anyone who looks her up on Google will see what a piece of crap she is. Forever.

    That’s her real punishment, to be excluded from the human race for the rest of her life. Imagine how her kids feel about that big beautiful loving dog they grew up with being abandoned like that. All else said, she did need some jail time, which would be something she couldn’t talk around. Being gone for 3 months, no hiding that from the family in a cloud of words.

  85. 85.

    bluefish

    Delurking, having posted here in many years, to say that I’ll be thinking of you and the sweet dog this afternoon as you head off to the vet. I can only imagine how happy the dog must have been to see you walk through that door yesterday after a period of extended and criminal neglect. Remarkably lucky little guy. Definitely kizmit.

    I’ve had a dog for little over a year now and truly believe that he helped save my life. Among other things, I’ve managed to get and stay off booze in the last several months, have lost quite a bit of weight, and have come to see that self-respect can be the best medicine. Pets offer so much in the way of love and communication. My little guy talks and listens to me in his inimitable way all day long. Waking up every morning to his sweet face still manages to surprise me — that’s how shut off I was.

    So … good luck. I think of my buddy as the captain of my heart and health. His name isn’t Captain but it might have been.

    Congrats on the house too. Re your unfortunate and painful going through the boards, think of it this way perhaps: You created that hole to allow pent up energies to vamoose the structure. Consider it a purification — and try not to do it again! Take care.

  88. 88.

    scav

    Call him Porch. (ok, it was technically a deck but Porch sounds more like pooch and is just namier).

  89. 89.

    Culture of Truth

    Grey beard? “Dave” for David Letterman

    “Dave, Steve. Steve, Dave.”
    “Yo.”
    Hey.”
    “This is my house. But you can stay.”
    “Thanks.”

  92. 92.

    Jack the Second

    @NotMax: Hiroo Onoda was the Japanese soldier who held out for 29 years on an island after WWII ended (for everyone else).

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    I love the “Gandalf” suggestion, but since all of your other pets have human names, he probably needs one, too. And don’t forget, if he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the pack for some reason, commenter debit was ready to take him on the spot, so you have options once he’s back in good health.

  98. 98.

    Hify

    Bless you, John Cole for being such a kind hearted man. LZ is a fine name, landing zone or Lazarus. Nobody is going to think you’re pretending to be Jesus, especially Jesus Christ, who knows you well.
    Lily, Rosie and Thurston already think you are God. Steve, of course………

  100. 100.

    satby

    @debit: Email John and copy Anne Laurie so that he doesn’t lose your offer in the threads. I hope you and he get matched, for a happy tail ending for you both.

  101. 101.

    debit

    @satby: I will. Just waiting on the prognosis for the poor pup.

    Hey, congrats on your new house! Over the last two months I’ve been in a flurry of packing and nervous hysteria (had less than 60 days to find, buy and close on a house) and then moving, so I haven’t done more than scan replies here, but I wanted to let you know that you have all my sympathy for your house drama. So glad you found a great new place and hope your move goes better than mine. :)

  104. 104.

    Mj_Oregon

    John’s old pup is luckier than many, I fear. This appeared in The Oregonian today. The ones rescued look to be mostly tuxedo kitties. I’m still mourning my two boys, Buster and Charley, that I lost three and two years ago respectively. People like this need to be put in very small, very dark and very cold places for the rest of their miserable lives.

  105. 105.

    Barb2

    Let the dog choose the name.

    My first Chihuahua came with a name she didn’t like (Birdy). She ignored it. So I tried out many different names and she pretended to be deaf. I made up a silly name – she responded to that name. She choose her name.

  107. 107.

    Capri

    @Barb2: I found my current dog as a a courtesy post on the Facebook page of a local no-kill shelter. She was supposed to be a whippet, and the in the picture posted she could sorta pass as one. Being a lover of sight hounds and in the market for a new pup, I contacted the owner and adopted her. The name she came with was Devo, which is as cliche a name as one can get for a whippet. After seeing her it was immediately apparent that only someone who had never seen a real whippet in their life would think she was one, she’s not even close. So we wanted to find a name that had the vowel sounds of Devo, and came up with Reno. She has always answered to it.

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