Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

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

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Republicans in disarray!

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

“But what about the lurkers?”

In after Baud. Damn.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

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Mid Morning Open Thread

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I know there are lot of posts up for you right now, but I just had to share this picture:

I was sitting here working, heard tandem snoring, looked around and found the two top fillies in my heard snuggling like they had been together forever. I can’t tell you how remarkable this is. Lily has always been an angel, but she is not really fond of snuggling with other dogs. It’s not that she is mean or aggressive, she just has no interest in them. When Thurston gets up in her grill she’ll just turn her head and look away and leave the area.

But with Yuki, they just seem to get each other- the “Yeah I was on the dark side in a bad place too we’re safe here.” I’m starting to think that Yuki needs to become a canine good citizen and go to a home with a special needs child.

And then there is Thurston.

Reader Interactions

71Comments

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’m starting to think that Yuki needs to become a canine good citizen and go to a home with a special needs child.

    I’m starting to think that’s already happened.

  7. 7.

    Amir Khalid

    two top fillies in my heard

    It’s telling, isn’t it, that John Cole already considers Yuki part of the herd.
    (This once, I’ll let the typo slide. ;-) )

  9. 9.

    John

    Hey John — I just messaged you about Yuki. I’d take her in a minute if you’re still looking for a home for her.

  11. 11.

    The Moar You Know

    I’m starting to think that’s already happened.

    @SiubhanDuinne: I know greatness when I see it. This comment is greatness.

    Everyone, pack it up and go home. You won’t be able to touch this one.

  12. 12.

    Gretchen

    End of dream – first waking thought for me this morning was “John’s going to keep that white dog.”

  13. 13.

    The Moar You Know

    John, I know dogs. Those are two happy dogs. You really should just bow to the inevitable and keep Yuki.

    And every dog should be able to pass CGC. Sort of the minimum requirements to leave the house and associate with society.

    Miniature pitbulls actually exist? How cute.

    @Sab: They don’t. The previous keeper of the animal (can’t bring myself to say “owner” because that would imply that they were responsible) starved her brother to death and tried to do the same with her but failed. She’s small because of savage neglect.

  15. 15.

    Sab

    A tiny bit of warning. Among my many dogs I have had two rescues from very deprived backgrounds. Normal dogs are close to their full size sometime in their second year (i.e. age one to two.) Deprived dogs keep on growing once they get enough food. I adopted a boxer husky mix at age one. Humane Society said he’d gain about 15% more. He doubled in six months. I was happy. I like big dogs.

  19. 19.

    Sab

    @The Moar You Know: See my response on dog growth. She is really cute, but she won’t stay small. I do wish there were miniature pitbulls because she is adorable as she is, but I do realize she isn’t tiny by genetics, but tiny by “neglect” (what a mild word for such savage behavior.)

  21. 21.

    Sab

    I don’t think John should keep her. She’s still a puppy. Lily is lovely but she is old. Yuki seems to be afraid of other household pets (Steve and Thurston). Someday Lily will be gone. Will Yuki be happy then?

  24. 24.

    Nicole

    @Sab: Her paws aren’t THAT big, though. I use them as a guide for how big a puppy is going to be. She may grow some more, but I don’t think she’d top 40 pounds, even if she gets to whatever her full size should be.

    She’s a mix of some kind. Pit bull’s not really a breed; it’s a generic term for a terrier-esque looking short-coated dog with a blocky body and a square head. There’s the American Pit Bull Terrier/American Staffordshire Terrier (depending on which Kennel Club you adhere to), but most of what you see in shelters are mutts.

    And Suki is a doll. I wish to heck our “pit bull” (mix of some kind) wasn’t so darn terrified of other dogs. Ours is okay with calm cats (go figure) but a feline would kill my husband (literally; he’s that allergic). Not that our vet still hasn’t tried to talk me into taking one of the fosters that she has hanging around the office. ;)

  25. 25.

    Another Scott

    @Sab: Dunno. “Lola” and her sister down the street are pretty small – maybe 30 pounds. And they definitely are some sort of majority pit bull variety. And they weren’t neglected.

    Not saying that Yuki will stay this size – you could very well be right about that.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  27. 27.

    Elmo

    You guys are seeing pit mix, but I swear I’m seeing a mix involving an English Bull Terrier, which is NOT the same thing at all. Look at her stop (the part of the forehead sloping down into the nose). It’s usually pronounced in pit breeds, and nearly absent in EBTs.

  29. 29.

    Sab

    @Another Scott: Does John have any thirty pound Dogs? All of my dogs are over fifty pounds and several were over one hundred because I like big dogs.

    John’s dogs are all under twenty pounds. It’s his choice, and Yuki seems to be an amazingly lovely dog, but she might be large.

    My stepdaughter likes chihuahuas. They have several chihuahuas and another dog they adopted as tiny. She’s a wonderful dog but she’s well over fifty pounds and a bundle of energy. She doesn’t fit into her household at all, and everyone is miserable. All of them are loyal, but I’m just saying they all would be happier if she were in a household that accepts who she is.

  31. 31.

    Anotherlurker

    John, I think you should keep Yuki. She looks like a real sweetie.
    12 years ago, my ex-GF, a NYC cat rescuer and all-round gentle soull, found my Bella, an abused, abandoned Golden Retriever. Eleanor brought Bella to my house, without telling me. When I walked in the door, Bella greeted me with her tail wagging and my sneeker in her mouth. I looked at Ellie and said: “You put her up to this, didn’t you?” .
    Well, I swore we would get her cleaned up and then give her up to a rescue agency. I lasted 2 days with cuddles, adoring brown eyes and scritches and tummy rubs.
    Bella had many problems. Including a heart murmur, an infection caused by flea bites, Thunder/Fireworks Phobia and many allergies. We had 8 beautiful years together. When she passed, I swore that it was going to be at least a year before I adopted again. I lasted 1 month and 11 days.
    Yuki seems to be a great fit in your house.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    @Sab: We have a Pit/Lab mix (I’m guessing her Pittie half is really AmStaff). When my mother moved in, she brought her Chihuahua mix.

    Guess which dog is the alpha.

    ETA: Luna (Pit/Lab) is about 75 pounds, and Chica (Chihuahua mix) is about 8 pounds.

  34. 34.

    Tinare

    Hi John – I sent you a message through the “contact a front pager” thingy expressing an interest in possibly adopting Yuki. Just wanted to raise my hand here in case that doesn’t actually work. It sounds like you might have a few potential adopters if you don’t cave and keep her youself. It looks, though, like she may have made her choice.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    Lily obviously loves Yuki. I notice that Yuki is no longer glued to you, so just in a matter of days she is settling in and getting less needy. Lily never asks for anything except to love you, and here she is bonding with Yuki. I am tearing up at the thought of our sweet Lily missing Yuki if you don’t keep her.

  36. 36.

    Sab

    @Suzanne: I assume it’s the chihuahua. That’s a lot of dog in a tiny package.

    Internet wisdom, which might be wrong but probably isn’t, is that chihuahuas were tiny burglar alarms living on the first floor and also under the house, warning about intruders.

  37. 37.

    Suzanne

    @Sab: You are right.

    I absolutely believe that Chihuahuas were bred to be alerts. This one goes off when I come home from work, FFS. AND IT’S MY FUCKING HOUSE. When a delivery comes, forget it.

  38. 38.

    Kristine

    From what I’ve seen, at least three folks have expressed interest in adopting Yuki. And then there’s Cole. Wondering how it will end.

    Also, adding my Brava! to SD’s comment.

  39. 39.

    Sab

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: So Yuki is also right about being afraid of Steve.

    We took in my stepdaughter’s tiny Rott mix about five years ago. She is 50 lbs of muscle now, but in her first half hour in the house she was attacked by our 15 lb tuxedo/siamese who launched himself with all his claws over a coffee table and a tall armchair to attach himself to her back. She ran to the door but couldn’t get out. We peeled him off her back and they have been at war ever since.

    All the other cats love her. He is constantly trying to warn the other cats that she is dangerous. They just say meh and move on. However she and he are still at war, and she lives in constant fear of his attacks.

    I wouldn’t want to live in the constant stress that this cat is subjecting her to.

    Weirdly, he is my favorite cat, but I also love this dog. She needs to live in a friendlier environment.

  40. 40.

    Sab

    @Sab: I am also very grateful that the no longer tiny rottweiler mix hasn’t eaten the beloved but obnoxious cat, which she could do, and which I would hold against her, but she doesn’t know that. She’s just being loyal, that family is family, irrespective of breed or attitude.

  41. 41.

    Schlemazel

    As long as dogs are the topic
    We have a Wednesday night ritual of meeting at a tap room for a beer and reading the Flathead County police blotter.

    Last night there was a dog complaint and the caller described the dog as “either a Chihuahua or a husky” . . . Made me really want to see that in person!

  43. 43.

    zhena gogolia

    @Schlemazel:

    That’s like Gogol’s story “The Nose” in which the nose appears as a life-size man and as a nose-size nose at the same time, depending on whether the policeman has his glasses on or not.

  45. 45.

    MazeDancer

    Everything @WaterGirl says is exactly right.

    Lily has never had a doggie BFF. You can’t take Yuki from Lily. Or Yuki from being with her “herd”.

    You love Yuki, John. Lily loves Yuki. There are all kinds of miracles happening. Do not stop all this love. People interested in maybe adopting Yuki can find dozens of dogs who need homes at a local rescue. And make their own miracles. Yuki has found her home.

    May all your animals be safe and healthy. But you said Yuki is another Lily. I lost my beloved cat Kip two months ago. Now my sweet Abigail has lymphoma. What I wouldn’t give for another Kip or Abigail. You have another Lily now. Don’t let her go.

  46. 46.

    trollhattan

    @Schlemazel:
    Whatever impoverished young j-school grad is manning the Flathead County police blotter desk for the local rag must really treasure stories like that.

  48. 48.

    Sab

    Meanwhile my 30 inch tall St Bernard mix is continuing her refusal to eat. Been to the vet multiple times. Much blood work, also x-rays. Declining appetite. Today she won’t eat at all. Used to weigh 80 lbs, weighed 50 lbs at last weighing and weighs much less now.

    Helpful commenter eclare suggested our state agricultural school vet college but that’s two and a half hours away, i.e. five hours on the road plus the vet consultation. The trip alone would kill her. If you live closers to a state vet college I think it’s a great idea.

    I am heartsick, watching this lovely girl die in slow motion. On the other hand, I’ve put healthier dogs down that I love to avoid the pain with cancer since dogs dont have hospice.Old age sucks.Hopefully this girl dies at home with her family. More hopefully our vet a 3 figures out a miracle cure.

  49. 49.

    Miss Bianca

    @Major Major Major Major: Me, too. My mind was blown at a tender young age by this story. It was such an illustration of the idea that certain concepts were brain candy – how could you ever *film* “The Nose”? (you might be able to animate it, but it would take a hell of an imagination!)

    So, you had a wild night at the museum in London Town?

  52. 52.

    debit

    @Sab: I am so sorry. I know it’s a long shot, but have you tried a few plain McDonalds cheeseburgers? When Ellie had pneumonia and refused everything (even chicken) she inhaled McDonalds.

    Again, so sorry. I hope your vet thinks of something.

  53. 53.

    Miss Bianca

    @Major Major Major Major: oh, that’s right, you’re about 7 hours ahead of me.

    @Sab: So sorry to hear it. Sometimes our loved ones just get stricken by something and it’s enitrely a matter of chance and timing whether it’s diagnosed properly in time to do something.

    One of my Siberians, Larry, was stricken with something that was killing him by inches before our eyes, and we could not figure out what had happened. Finally, our vet at the time, a supremely gifted diagnostician, ran a test that indicated he had a parasite that was normally found only in fish! I’m pretty sure he must have got it from the chow we were feeding the doggies at the time, which was fish meal-based. At any rate, I had pretty much said good-bye to him in my heart before she figured it out and managed to cure him. He lived for several years after that and died peacefully under his favorite tree. Hoping for a good outcome for you and your pupper.

  54. 54.

    Suzanne

    @Miss Bianca: I am looking to get a Siberian to add to my crew. I have had three, and I think they are just the best. Not a lot around here. I would happily rescue, but am having no luck locally.

  55. 55.

    Miss Bianca

    @Suzanne: You’re in AZ, right? Have you tried these folks?

    http://www.ashra.org/

    Looks like they have several they are desperate to place – and their adoption fee has been waived! Larry was a “special needs” adoption-fee-waived guy – his hip had been broken in a car accident and the people who owned him refused to take him to the vet to get it fixed properly, so his leg healed completely stiff and almost useless – and he turned into a dream dog.

    These guys too – Paw It Forward
    :
    http://azhuskyrescue.com/

    Apologies if I’m giving you redundant information. It’s just that I love it when people say they want to adopt Sibes, because I adore them.

  61. 61.

    woodrowfan

    @Kristine: From what I’ve seen, at least three folks have expressed interest in adopting Yuki. And then there’s Cole. Wondering how it will end.

    people want to adopt Cole??

  62. 62.

    MoxieM

    @Sab: My heart goes out to you and yours. Please take care of yourself through this crisis. Only you can make the decision about your lovely dog, but if she’s not having any kind of decent dog life, what do you really think?

    Wishing you strength and sending you light.

  66. 66.

    Anne Laurie

    @Another Scott: The original Staffordshire Terriers (“English Staffs”), rootstock for all today’s ‘pit bull’ breeds, run around 30-40lbs. And there’s a whole new line of Minature Bull Terriers specifically bred to be half the size of the standard Target dogs, specifically for people who don’t have the space or strength to deal with 60lbs of “three-year-old in a dog suit”.

    @Sab:

    Internet wisdom, which might be wrong but probably isn’t, is that chihuahuas were tiny burglar alarms living on the first floor and also under the house, warning about intruders.

    Most of what we now call the Toy breeds were developed in part as personal alarms for vulnerable individuals. “Lhaso Apso”, for instance, means “lion bark dog”; they were originally pets for Tibetan monks. Apart from serving as intruder warnings, being noisy was a tiny dog’s best defense against getting stolen; that’s why Border Collies tend to be almost silent, while Shetland Sheepdogs are notoriously noisy.

    @debit:

    Lily’s little face is all white now.

    Redheads fade early; it really seems to be related to the gene(s). I knew a chocolate lab and a black lab from the same litter where the ‘red gene’ dog had a white nose by his third birthday, and his sib was still solid black at age seven. I’m told it’s the same story for red (roan or bay) horses. And I can attest it’s true for human redheads — got my first grey hairs before I was old enough to drink!

  68. 68.

    Kay (not the front pager)

    @SiubhanDuinne: Ding ding ding ding!

    Also, Lily is getting a little gray in the muzzle. I think she needs a simpatico companion dog to keep her company and keep her young longer. Just as they do for people, companion dogs keep older dogs healthy longer. Rosie and Thurston aren’t really companions to her, they just live in the same place.

  69. 69.

    Kay (not the front pager)

    @Schlemazel: I literally LOLed at that. We have a couple of (sort of) Maine Coons and a hairless chihuahua. The 20 lb. cat has the absolute highest soprano meow you have ever heard, and the 6 lb. chihuahua is, well, he’s a chihuahua, so LOUD. My daughter-in-law, to whom the chihuahua belongs, says passers-by must assume we have a huge dog and a tiny kitten.
    @Sab: Yeah chihuahuas are def alarm dogs, whether or not they were bred for that purpose. Ours barks when a truck drives by the house.

  70. 70.

    Skepticat

    I am absolutely not going to weigh in on whether J.C. should keep Yuki, but I can’t wait to find out where her furever home will be. Whether it’s at Casa Cole or with one of the kindhearted Juicers stepping up, it’s going to be wonderful. This site is indeed Animal Central!

  71. 71.

    eemom

    Showed the pic to eedad and reminded him we need a 3rd dog. And then he had to go and point out all the reasons we couldn’t possibly do that right now.

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