Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

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

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

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

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

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

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

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

Tick tock motherfuckers!

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Late Night Open Thread: Companion Animals

Late Night Open Thread: Companion Animals

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Hat tip to commentor AM in NC:

Worth clicking just for the pictures! From the Washington Post, “Soldiers reunite with their pets from overseas: ‘It meant everything to me’” [gift link]:

Soldier Nick Kingsley was about to have lunch at a mess hall in Kosovo where he was stationed when he came across a hungry stray puppy sitting outside.

Kingsley, assigned to Eastern Europe with the Massachusetts National Guard, took a closer look at the small pup that frigid day in November and saw that she was injured.

“I noticed she had a puncture wound on her head,” said Kingsley, 29, who then scooped up the dog. “When I picked her up and held her, I could see she wasn’t doing well.”

Kingsley said he snuggled the little black pup and fed her some of his chicken lunch, then tracked down the only veterinarian in the area…

Kingsley liked the dog so much he told his mom and sister in the United States that he wished he could bring Puma home when his year of service ended in March. He said they did some research and learned the organization Paws of War might be able to help.

The Long Island nonprofit is among a handful of agencies in the United States that help reunite military members with stray dogs and cats they bonded with while deployed overseas.

Kingsley said a volunteer near the military base offered to foster Puma for the remainder of Kingsley’s service in Kosovo because dogs were not allowed in the barracks. Paws of War then paid to have the pup flown to Kingsley in the United States after she’d had all of her vaccinations.

“It meant everything to me,” Kingsley said…

Earlier this year, Paws of War sent volunteers to an isolated military base in Kenya to find five dogs that were left behind and send them to the soldiers who had cared for them, he said.

“We deployed locals in fishing boats and used hand carts and little donkeys to get the animals out,” he said. “The people who’d had to leave them behind in that harsh area were desperate for us to help. Those dogs provided comfort and a sense of normalcy during a tough time.”

That’s how Daniel Rueda bonded with a stray cat named Jack while he was stationed in Kosovo with an Army Rangers National Guard unit.

“I met Jack when he showed up at the base one day while I was having lunch,” said Rueda, 33. “We weren’t allowed to keep animals on base, but strays would come and go at the entrance gate.”

“Jack would come hang out with me while I was stuck on base for three months because of an injury,” Rueda said. “He helped me from getting bored and it was fun to play with him and feed him grilled chicken.”…

Rueda said he formed an immediate bond with the frisky black cat.

“Whenever he would show up, I was happy to see him,” he said. “It got to the point where people would say, ‘Your cat is looking for you. He’s out in the hallway.’”

Jack was flown to the United States by Paws of War and put into quarantine, then a volunteer picked up the cat on April 20 and drove him to Rueda in Rhode Island.

“I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving him there and not knowing what happened to him,” he said, noting that pets help members of the military mentally and physically.

“Now Jack’s home with me, he’s exploring and he’s happy,” Rueda said. “And he’s probably gained two pounds from eating chicken.”

This cat may have ten lives. Another Washington Post mood-lifter: “Nearly 50 cats were rescued from a hot car. Now one is a Target model.” [gift link]:

The scene was heartbreaking: Nearly 50 cats were crammed into a hot car at a rest stop near Minnesota’s Twin Cities.

The cats were piled from floor to ceiling inside an SUV, and police soon learned that their owner had been living inside the car with them.

The owner agreed to surrender the cats to area animal shelters, but during the rescue, one of the cats escaped. Hercules, a gray and white feline, scampered off that sweltering day in June 2022, said Nicole Perreault, a veterinarian who runs Tuff Start Rescue, a Minnesota foster and adoption nonprofit.

Animal rescue volunteers searched for the cat for a month, she said, until Hercules was finally spotted sitting on someone’s doorstep in the area. His jaw was fractured, he was covered with maggots and his tongue was severely damaged, Perreault said…

“He ripped my heart out when I saw him,” she wrote. “… I decided we owed it to him to give him every chance to recover from this horrible ordeal, so that hopefully he can experience the love and TLC that awaits.”

Jill LeBrun, a pediatric nurse from St. Paul who has fostered dogs and cats for Perreault’s rescue over the years, was immediately interested.

“As a nurse, I’m attracted to medically fragile animals,” said LeBrun, 50. “I knew that Hercules was going to need to be fostered and I felt that I could do it.”…

“His jaw is a little crooked and his tongue almost always hangs out because of what happened to him,” added Perreault, 44. “But he’s a sweet, tough cat. The name Hercules suits him.”

Last fall, LeBrun said, she was scrolling on social media when she came across a post from the Animal Connection, a pet talent agency in search of cats with unusual faces. It was scouting pet models for Target, which is based in Minneapolis.

LeBrun said the agency loved the photo she sent of Hercules with his tongue hanging out. She was asked to bring her cat to a studio for a photo shoot so his personality and star appeal could be assessed.

“Hercules did great — he’s a friendly cat and everybody loved him,” LeBrun said, noting that she was paid $100 to participate. “They told me his picture would appear on something for Target in early 2024.”…

Finally… ‘Cuddle Buddies’ doesn’t permit video embeds, but it’s worth clicking over for this 3min video: Lost Dog Shows Up At A Cat Sanctuary.

Reader Interactions

33Comments

  1. 1.

    NotMax

    Open thread?

    Oh dear. One of those times when crossing the pond becomes linguistically hazardous.

    British TV drama episode viewed this evening; a police forensic examiner rattling off a list of items she’s subjecting to inspection and tests, ending with “and a bag of smelly old fag butts.”
    ;)

  2. 2.

    piratedan

    one of those things that we’re missing in today’s society is questioning and ethically provoking science fiction TV.  They challenged us via broadening the scope of science, society and morals with cautionary tales and not every episode provided moral clarity and often challenged us to find out what we believe to be right and recognize our place in the universe.

    Thank you Twilight Zone and Outer Limits for planting that seed.  You subversive SOB’s.

  6. 6.

    Liminal Owl

    @NotMax: ooh, thanks. Loved the book, didn’t know it had been filmed. (And don’t know anything about The Booth at the End but will check it out.)

  8. 8.

    piratedan

    @mrmoshpotato: so it seemed, but for some reason I kind of liked the messy endings of those shows I mentioned because they resonated with me as a reminder to check myself.

    while I can go into soapbox mode from time to time, these shows oftentimes were a reminder that you can’t know, much less understand everything.

  10. 10.

    patrick II

    I must be getting better at writing responses on “X”, because I am getting more likes.  Often from beautiful young women who are so enthused that they offer to send naked pics.  I have modestly turned them all down.

  12. 12.

    Mousebumples

    Re – paws of war, I wonder if a more pet focused approach would help with post military service PTSD and the like? Certainly not for everyone, but it seems plausible?

    I’m curious as to why no pets allowed in military bases (in general) vs not permitted in specific areas, too, if anyone knows.

  13. 13.

    Nukular Biskits

    Good mornin’, y’all!

    Normally, I’d be doing my morning walk about this time but all the physical activity (LOTSA yard work) over the weekend put a bit of damper on my enthusiasm for that this morning.

    Plus, I forgot to lay out my footie socks and I don’t want to go back into the bedroom and wake Ms Biskits whilst I rummage around in the dark to find some.

    One of these is an excuse for the other …

  14. 14.

    OzarkHillbilly

    My old man’s WWII bomber crew adopted a dog when they were on Saipan. I can’t remember his name (it’s rattling around my brain somewhere, something kinda silly, like Gasket or such) but I do remember his picture: Light brown (I’m guessing, it was B&W), 1 1/2 feet tall, about 30#, and a head like a jackal’s. From the way he talked about him, Pop was rather fond of that dog.

  15. 15.

    Geminid

    @Mousebumples: Last year a golden retriever named Sage deployed with the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford on what turned out to be an 8-month cruise in the eastern Mediterranean. Sage was assigned to the head chaplain and was designated an “Extended Operational Stress Relief Canine.” It was a trial program.

  19. 19.

    TBone

    @TBone: George, keep that can o’whoopass open, go George go!

    The judge in Trump’s new case against Stephanopoulos is not going to ignore Judge Kaplan’s findings. The judge will read what Trump has written in his complaint, and he will read what Trump has chosen to omit from his complaint, and he will conclude that Stephanopoulos told the truth when he said that Trump “raped” E. Jean Carroll.

    https://news.yahoo.com/why-trump-defamation-suit-against-191438069.html

  21. 21.

    TBone

    I bet Dotard cannot pronounce Stephanopoulos 😆 and will rail against George Washington instead

  22. 22.

    Geminid

    @TBone: Jackals, Wolverines and Badgers beware: the Orange Churl has two rallies scheduled on Wednesday, one in Waukesha, Wisconsin and one in western Michigan. Hump Day is Chump Day!

  23. 23.

    Mousebumples

    @Geminid: awww, that’s awesome. I’ll have to go find the reporting on that. Thanks!

    ETA – https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/3437406/creature-comfort-at-sea/

    Link above has photos of Sage. ❤️

    And 1 more article about the ship’s return to Port.

    https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/national/military-news/homecoming-day-for-5000-uss-ford-sailors-and-the-ships-only-four-legged-crew-member/291-01265bdb-84bc-49c0-976c-7aab47f509a6

  24. 24.

    Geminid

    @Mousebumples: Besides articles from Navy Times and other sites, there’s also some YouTube video of the birthday party sailors threw for Sage. She turned 4 years old during the deployment.

  27. 27.

    Mousebumples

    March 2024 update On Sage –

    While the Navy says post-deployment analysis remains ongoing regarding Sage’s effect on the Ford’s crew, officials believe having her around bolstered unit cohesion and encouraged sailors to attend more events where she was present.
    “Come for the dog, stay for the talk,” is how some Ford leaders put it, according to Naval Air Force Atlantic spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Stankus said.
    Ford likely made a quality test bed, given that the green crew was on a maiden deployment that got extended several times following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

     

    Another service dog, Demo, is currently deployed aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Middle East, and another one, Ike, is expected to deploy with the amphibious assault ship Wasp later this year.

  30. 30.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Weather tracker: US experts predict one of most active hurricane seasons on record

    Last week, the US National Hurricane Center issued its first advisory of the year, more than a month before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November. An area of low pressure was identified on Wednesday 24 April in the east-central Atlantic Ocean, about 900 miles to the north-west of Cape Verde.

    The low quickly dispersed as it moved into an area of stronger upper level winds. But although this disturbance did not cause any impacts, it is perhaps a sign of what forecasters are predicting will be one of the most active hurricane seasons on record. Earlier in April, the Colorado State University issued its Atlantic hurricane forecast, with a prediction of 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. For comparison, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average hurricane season between 1991 and 2020 comprised roughly 14 tropical storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

    The above-average season being forecast has been attributed partly to the very high sea surface temperatures (SST) currently in the Atlantic. SSTs in the main tropical storm development region were recorded at 1.2C above normal in February, a new record high for the month, thus providing plenty of fuel for any potential storm to develop. Additionally, forecasters are predicting a weakening of El Niño through the season, reducing wind shear which enhances the formation of a hurricane. A high wind shear can prevent a storm from intensifying by displacing heat and moisture from the centre and limiting the vertical accent of air parcels.

  31. 31.

    TBone

    @OzarkHillbilly: here’s hoping for a direct hit on Mar-A-Lardass.  Hope all those classified and newkewlar sekrits have been retrieved!  The servers survived the attempted flooding by the pool boys but mebbe will not withstand a hurricane.

  32. 32.

    Betty

    @OzarkHillbilly: Frightening forecast for anyone in the usual path of hurricanes.  I can’t imagine surviving another Hurricane Maria which looks like a serious possibility this year. Going forward, who knows how many more like this? Wish whatever bad fortune on Trump you like, but don’t wish a hurricane on any area.

Comments are closed.