tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71931726533476404572024-02-20T14:50:29.664-04:00Let's talk dogI’m a dog lover, dogs, dog behavior fascinates. In Illinois I run a dog school, boarding, doggie day care. Improving our relations with dogs my passion; happy dogs my goal since 1983. In Puerto Rico I listen to island dogs “satos” or street dogs tell me about their lives contrasts and comparisons of our pets, island dogs and wild dogs’ behavior. Dog language and social interaction is far more amazing than I could have imagined. Exploration the lives of canis familiaris by Tricia CarrAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-87264749471066828232016-07-13T09:11:00.000-04:002016-07-15T08:35:21.797-04:00New Animal Advocate Group Organizes<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">A new dog group in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";"> rises in the shade
of stately trees in el parque Luis Munoz Marin, which by the way is a wonderful
par</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">k. A circle of about twenty
passionate animal lovers discussed the problems of dogs suffering in the
streets and what they do to help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The organizers have various rescue affiliations,
but the majority are members of OICA, which is a group of Animal Cruelty
Investigators. To a one, I thought they were lovely ladies. Gracias!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Being one of the foreigners interested in solving the
problem of dogs on the island, may I congratulate you on your high level of
commitment; the Puerto Rican people mobilize against a huge problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Please, forgive my lack of Spanish; my senior
tongue gets tied. I’ve been documenting the Puerto Rican island dogs since
2006. This is now my home; I <i>am</i>
involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The speakers fervently spoke of working on a
solution. I love that can do spirit. If you’re <i>going</i> to do it, you’ll need to do it right with a mission
statement, organizational plan and a whole bunch more, so you need a lawyer
ombudsman. At the meeting I didn’t get if you have a lawyer in the group or
not; sorry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> has many abogados sympathetic to the cause of
dogs. For your board of directors reach into the community for successful
business people, bankers and clergy; who do you know from the tourism industry?
These supporters should be the ones to get the coveted 501C for a non profit
and provide business and legal insights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I wish you all the greatest luck, especially with
getting a secretary to transcribe minutes; good minutes are so valuable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Good hearts rising on the island; many hands share
the burden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">God bless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-26179522274757756322016-06-02T09:20:00.001-04:002016-06-02T09:20:49.755-04:00Another Pup Abandoned in the Road<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Headed home on a quiet country road, enjoying the
verdant beauty of the island, and running directly towards my car was a little
yellow puppy, all alone. The pup ran as fast as a baby can; I slammed the
brakes, opened the door, and the next thing I knew without getting out of my
car, I suddenly had a puppy in my lap. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNrygjvFXn2I-aUNPMA63PajMH1XeskNXuNykLHmLLzROXtt0oWuYIez-eTes3lSrGeY6rBeFjOsI5zp4nYiPCHt9S5do1DRjyjVzJKWnjsGcUujsdsI-eKH_NgUuSloTBQtjbJuZ5CQ/s1600/puppy+in+the+road+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNrygjvFXn2I-aUNPMA63PajMH1XeskNXuNykLHmLLzROXtt0oWuYIez-eTes3lSrGeY6rBeFjOsI5zp4nYiPCHt9S5do1DRjyjVzJKWnjsGcUujsdsI-eKH_NgUuSloTBQtjbJuZ5CQ/s320/puppy+in+the+road+001.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJLHazBFitY8N3nRYU8KLNlSTX-lM8PoyoPhoI54uGUGtBtPk8IPzmtjnfu8gN6sYtEtmxsaSMQs-rYVj8sF-uaFCSDTxYrmmwHQrR81vPdzy-7xUCt_Rx0Q5rheYRwBaeLXZJlyMkUI/s1600/puppy+in+the+road+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJLHazBFitY8N3nRYU8KLNlSTX-lM8PoyoPhoI54uGUGtBtPk8IPzmtjnfu8gN6sYtEtmxsaSMQs-rYVj8sF-uaFCSDTxYrmmwHQrR81vPdzy-7xUCt_Rx0Q5rheYRwBaeLXZJlyMkUI/s320/puppy+in+the+road+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXC7yG9nvmXMofd-Hoh-yEntEHBYorwGtgVTyj6vQjkZz_K39FBfNTB10WZz2nyxghvbGfdpXN_rtf3zQSnH4EqpSOH9iGzzkMNq8aItINrAIDVRK5WEEs-j7YRb6edNP9iwi8l4qIhUk/s1600/puppy+in+the+road+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXC7yG9nvmXMofd-Hoh-yEntEHBYorwGtgVTyj6vQjkZz_K39FBfNTB10WZz2nyxghvbGfdpXN_rtf3zQSnH4EqpSOH9iGzzkMNq8aItINrAIDVRK5WEEs-j7YRb6edNP9iwi8l4qIhUk/s320/puppy+in+the+road+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I don’t want another dog, but the baby fell asleep
on my leg before I turned on to my road. My dogs don’t want any more dogs here.
Who wants this small thing? I stroked its head; it moaned and grunted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Robert Redford, Blondie, and Lucky greeted me at
the bottom of my driveway and raced the car up. Whining they waited for me to
open the door. The pup perched on my forearm; I allowed them a sniff before
bringing the critter inside where we wondered what’s next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-70608174501479117112016-05-29T10:07:00.002-04:002016-05-29T10:07:37.533-04:00Abandoned Puppies<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A
couple of people are feeding these cuties on PR 453. The look better this week
than they did last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I
believe in trap, neuter, and return, but these are babies. Perhaps a local rescuer will get them. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaGnOtduzRklrYEmM0CGE97HOc5EzZqBrYD15jsbHRAtzAvy7pKe3uPh8zI5quKYsRDC34wYJjENkfuSFR0CXgyrGEioGlSM4bDHq7meFWgT9ryQD9vKDrm_zciLL4HxgLsigyA84v-I/s1600/art+museo+n+puppies+on+453+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaGnOtduzRklrYEmM0CGE97HOc5EzZqBrYD15jsbHRAtzAvy7pKe3uPh8zI5quKYsRDC34wYJjENkfuSFR0CXgyrGEioGlSM4bDHq7meFWgT9ryQD9vKDrm_zciLL4HxgLsigyA84v-I/s320/art+museo+n+puppies+on+453+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPwwGRFsAITgwwoPox7LKljtOiEej9FQDhAg5KXpItnXP63Tt-NSx_Vcfjz5ePPTVfjACMQ0mxM9FLW5osf6oEDkn9wCfPUYoDsp8zcQeJECvSGjzlCN3EeA3cIjRrmQ184Phk52whRw/s1600/art+museo+n+puppies+on+453+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPwwGRFsAITgwwoPox7LKljtOiEej9FQDhAg5KXpItnXP63Tt-NSx_Vcfjz5ePPTVfjACMQ0mxM9FLW5osf6oEDkn9wCfPUYoDsp8zcQeJECvSGjzlCN3EeA3cIjRrmQ184Phk52whRw/s320/art+museo+n+puppies+on+453+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-69853815748604039912016-05-29T08:52:00.000-04:002016-05-29T08:52:04.591-04:00Animal Control Puerto Rico<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">According to Bill 2950 the tourism industry is
losing fifteen million a year because of the dog problem. The tourism industry
must support vigorously endeavor to reduce the dog population by curtailing
reproduction. To entertain a bill about animals in the middle of a financial
crisis indicates that the time has come for change; animals will no longer be
collected and killed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is so
wonderful. </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bravo to those who
envisioned this bill!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How much money will be budgeted to support the
enactment of the bill? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How much would it cost to sterilize all the dogs on
the island? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">According to the bill, if I read it correctly,
there are 300,000 dogs on the island. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If sterilization or spay/neuter, if you prefer,
will cost according to the bill $35- $50, let’s take the high end $50.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">300,000 X $50 = $15,000,000<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One year’s loss for tourism would neuter all; isn’t
that interesting?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-51298302167375997442016-05-28T09:30:00.000-04:002016-05-29T08:41:31.058-04:00How the World Lived With Dogs<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Picture life on a Caribbean island</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> two hundred years ago with no cars, no Iguanas,
but dogs walked with the farmers to market or to the fields in search of yame
(yams).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquT2nTJZbsPgsWFta5xuSLyariiOPYU9HsNHoRDMfFIfu6J-ycF_2Uo1gE7f-1FuZ29jU_CLS00vH1cyoaYrNhXHAwB1CuVppdHw8nrEWMSoeRxNyrhtGIkoPTSkP5OqwssGnnAZsZz0/s1600/1+14+15+Cuba+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquT2nTJZbsPgsWFta5xuSLyariiOPYU9HsNHoRDMfFIfu6J-ycF_2Uo1gE7f-1FuZ29jU_CLS00vH1cyoaYrNhXHAwB1CuVppdHw8nrEWMSoeRxNyrhtGIkoPTSkP5OqwssGnnAZsZz0/s320/1+14+15+Cuba+034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dogs and cats roamed the woods around the house at night hunting rats
or mice. People slept soundly at night certain the dogs would sound the alarm if
anything stirred. They fed leftovers to the dogs without a sense of ownership. The
dog that went to the market with the farmer might follow his neighbor to the
river to fish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The community dog concept is a large part of
everyone’s heritage, if you go back far enough. </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">North America</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> is different because massive European migration
interrupted the normal flow of life. Each settler brought a dog, which they
valued for protection from predators. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In small human hamlets dogs wandered through the
community, almost as freely as man. The humble life of the hamlet dog is part
of our history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Within the last two hundred years rabies finished
the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> tolerance for free ranging dogs. Americans can’t
tolerate wolves in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Yellowstone</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">; dogs roaming in forest preserves, waiting to prey
on children strikes fear. It’s a
national phobia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Other parts of the world continue with the community
dog concept or local variations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Is the question how to bring the animal population</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> into compliance? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Is there a way to respect cultural heritage and do what’s best for health and safety without killing dogs? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-50464074676108649302016-05-24T12:09:00.000-04:002016-07-22T10:12:28.020-04:00Puerto Rico Opens Door to Volunteer US Vets<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Hey guys, read this! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s part of proposed law
2950. If I read it correctly, it opens the door for volunteer veterinarians, at
least from the states. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The terms sound similar to
current laws, but I’m sure somebody will explain how it will work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Sounds exciting!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 (c) By this law, and the term thereof provides that<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 US licensed veterinarians can perform in Puerto<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 Rico vaccination clinics and sterilization high volume at
low cost<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 and / or free, for which all they need is to work the
clinic<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7 conjunction with a veterinarian at a shelter or welfare
organization<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 animal, and that the director (a) of this organization
sends a communication<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9 sworn with acknowledgment on such management to the Board
of Examiners<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 Veterinarians of Puerto Rico, with at least sixty (60)
days<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
11 advance. This communication must include all information<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12 corresponding to the clinic and vet the credentials<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
13 <st1:country-region>United States</st1:country-region>
experienced in clinical vaccination and sterilization<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
14 high volume, including your name, address, telephone
number, state (s)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
15 where he practices veterinary medicine and medical
license number.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
16 Furthermore, it should be anejar copy of (the) document
(s) attesting<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17 effectively is licensed veterinarian force. Board<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18 Examiners may refuse the use of any medical<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
19 <st1:country-region>US</st1:country-region>
veterinary previous actions and have proven<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
20 bad medical practice veterinary medicine. to the Board of
Examiners is authorized<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
21 veterinarians to amend its rules so that the same<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
22 resulting in accordance with the provisions of this section.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Rescuers, there are two
black puppies, maybe 7-8 weeks old in the bushes on the side of PR 453 about
13.5 km. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I and somebody else are
feeding and watering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-4906552658576644592016-05-19T10:31:00.000-04:002016-05-19T10:31:26.602-04:00Good Job Everybody<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The dog rescuers in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> amaze me with their hard work. In the areas I pass
on PR 119 and PR 453, little groupings of dogs that I recognized, are absent. I
see rescue notices on Facebook in places I now recognize. The cooperation here
is outstanding.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe4QVSMF1ma69MrAI_opwuR4YoC7XxuIz4uVPTrDch5_ebOQ3zXToJRuUjV91ljod-331PZc63BYphxLDh-TFKouwCuExrpMlVVXsqFe8QDQMf4wnVyiuMIsf8XwzDGfhqWTSaB70L7U/s1600/9+18+14+movie+dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe4QVSMF1ma69MrAI_opwuR4YoC7XxuIz4uVPTrDch5_ebOQ3zXToJRuUjV91ljod-331PZc63BYphxLDh-TFKouwCuExrpMlVVXsqFe8QDQMf4wnVyiuMIsf8XwzDGfhqWTSaB70L7U/s320/9+18+14+movie+dogs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Animal Advocates of Puerto Rico I salute you; this
is some hard f’ing work. To get dogs off the street and on a plane to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> is a major accomplishment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pricey pure breeds move over; here come the Sato
Ricans. They’re cute, hip, and street smart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Good work everybody. And THANKS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-19011045626162147932016-05-15T12:38:00.000-04:002016-05-15T13:20:19.480-04:00Retirement Gone to the Dogs in Puerto Rico<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Retire to the tropics, say so long winter weather;
that’s how I planned it. Live on a salad bowl island and travel from there;
that was the plan. And if it weren’t for the dog situation, I’d enjoy my
retirement in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> so much more.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrGMHpGqKTAMjU90X4TRgMjkhMTCgjTXiqjHgDx6GIxRPYFYXAuvMcWQA2O3rlATca7pQhufZqkd5gZqrRYrfQwkTjgpZoLrR61MA1DCqqnuIt3_eswciuZOUululzxZTT7EGztWUSMM/s1600/Puppy+socialization+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrGMHpGqKTAMjU90X4TRgMjkhMTCgjTXiqjHgDx6GIxRPYFYXAuvMcWQA2O3rlATca7pQhufZqkd5gZqrRYrfQwkTjgpZoLrR61MA1DCqqnuIt3_eswciuZOUululzxZTT7EGztWUSMM/s400/Puppy+socialization+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">For the first time in my adult life I planned to be
dog less. I love dogs, but my life’s plan was to travel. The fates in the form
of the Great Recession screwed with that pretty hard, but if I budget I can
have a<i> few</i> fine travel experiences.
It’s amazing what I’m willing to live without in order to travel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">From the very beginning retirement planning
included waiting for a time when our dogs passed from old age. In the mean time
we visited our house in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto
Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> getting accustomed
to life on the island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dogs began to show up at our door. Cute dogs of
differing breeds and sizes wanted a little food, some water. There is no place
to take the dog where it will be cared for and not killed, so what does a dog
lover do?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-CnS6AOTew6GSIem9TQ0eCRmpH66uWEx_x_bq33SPZAg3iOeCecvVVnroY5Ou5qMJaln0h9wFGYZyxb8L3vZnbe1ekppO-nQPnCx9AJgkfbDuemCuSzwM8ugLAsmM_RgRhxUXnPiqX0/s1600/Puppy+socialization+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-CnS6AOTew6GSIem9TQ0eCRmpH66uWEx_x_bq33SPZAg3iOeCecvVVnroY5Ou5qMJaln0h9wFGYZyxb8L3vZnbe1ekppO-nQPnCx9AJgkfbDuemCuSzwM8ugLAsmM_RgRhxUXnPiqX0/s400/Puppy+socialization+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Damn, right you feed! You water, you treat,
medicate and sterilize; it’s the right thing to do. Dogs came and went before I
started counting how much money I’d invested in the flow of animals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Whoa, I’m on a fixed income, not the retirement I’d
planned; there is no room in my budget for a steady stream of dogs. I’ve paid
for enough sterilizations and vaccinations that I’m starting to get pissed. Oddly, it’s more because I get the dogs
neutered, healthy, and trained; and then, they disappear. All these missing
dogs and no bodies; it doesn’t add up.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbqd3aAuZ6qyOQqh_1hLdLAJyEKLMIoOGUIYE1n-EIH87PADvcgEnAakezrSXBaAo2V5nDlPddg52y8Bl_ARpdouWeB8qdyiLFZRD0NjWdGpo8XNnajGAeVetL-QIBvLjHGVl3xY0hFQ/s1600/Dominic+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbqd3aAuZ6qyOQqh_1hLdLAJyEKLMIoOGUIYE1n-EIH87PADvcgEnAakezrSXBaAo2V5nDlPddg52y8Bl_ARpdouWeB8qdyiLFZRD0NjWdGpo8XNnajGAeVetL-QIBvLjHGVl3xY0hFQ/s400/Dominic+054.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So let’s get this straight, according to the law
154 if I feed it, it’s mine. But assholes can drop a dog out of a car window at
the bottom of my driveway for me to provide the animal’s rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The sheer numbers of dogs that come through here
make it impossible for me to ever hope to sterilize, vaccinate, or more than
feed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I can return to the states so I’m not forced to see
the dogs in need. But how does that help the dogs?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-8092038581391202862016-04-26T11:44:00.000-04:002016-04-26T11:44:41.944-04:00R.I.P. My Great Friend Chi-Ping<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Chi-Ping, twelve pound Boriqua dog with attitude,
author of many canine tales on my blog is gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIBQu49xrGVhHb_5Cc4vXiK7_blcIP7GurLaVK6ceTT-tIqWHibncK_bKgZct2x9qzg5ckeIyer7scT66x9R1KXtiaCNg55kaXutWrUUKoDH24xyaiv39n4j5Eo26wK077UumXoQa-Pg/s1600/chi+head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIBQu49xrGVhHb_5Cc4vXiK7_blcIP7GurLaVK6ceTT-tIqWHibncK_bKgZct2x9qzg5ckeIyer7scT66x9R1KXtiaCNg55kaXutWrUUKoDH24xyaiv39n4j5Eo26wK077UumXoQa-Pg/s400/chi+head+shot.jpg" width="389" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">About six years ago the little terrier girl refused
to leave the spot where the big SUV dumped her off. She fought the big street
dog determined to chase her away, took the bites and held her ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKYLrbGblc2naUWK0doiWdsXhqtaEDHrJ5fUZluwtoePNTAWCJcwKgloRIBYoROv74WrTIQwcE3Rmbe3I8WSMk01zMup3zHcipZXLayqiGrd1loBG0BLqNqpk_X_5cb2Nd2fuwcBUWNc/s1600/chi+ping+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKYLrbGblc2naUWK0doiWdsXhqtaEDHrJ5fUZluwtoePNTAWCJcwKgloRIBYoROv74WrTIQwcE3Rmbe3I8WSMk01zMup3zHcipZXLayqiGrd1loBG0BLqNqpk_X_5cb2Nd2fuwcBUWNc/s320/chi+ping+040.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She wasn’t a pushover for just any human wanting to
be her friend. Trust with her needed to be earned. Chi made an exception for
Kirt, my husband; she melted into his lap the first time they meet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With head and tail held high <i>Chiwi </i>strut through airports aware of those admiring her, my
shining star. She slept in the bend of my knees or the small of my back, giving
me comfort on many lonely nights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWcMCROpeS2JCcSFQzgiQcOZo05L3kGdTGghGI_uWV7xA0Zg0jbn2piGPCbeFWoIfnoa_RqrpVRApTqaHcFZYPXcLQINVK6L9CTIUsu-q7ec60yWPlkxmlNS72tNHnNjcRN-xq__bHl4/s1600/dominic+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWcMCROpeS2JCcSFQzgiQcOZo05L3kGdTGghGI_uWV7xA0Zg0jbn2piGPCbeFWoIfnoa_RqrpVRApTqaHcFZYPXcLQINVK6L9CTIUsu-q7ec60yWPlkxmlNS72tNHnNjcRN-xq__bHl4/s320/dominic+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I don’t in fact know that’s she’s dead, so there is
no real closure. Two weeks ago she disappeared; that’s all I know. I miss her
and thank God for her little light in my life. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-22031269920431865162016-03-29T20:38:00.000-04:002016-03-29T20:38:07.574-04:00Fur Family<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If it weren’t for the dogs, I could just close the
house and go for as long as I like, but there are five depending on me. I
planned to be dog less so I could travel, but these dogs bark at strangers in
the night. Many days I talk and they listen; these days they’re the only ones
who do. We’re friends, so I provide for them when I travel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bAy__OrYrv5BYmhR4jVNpGpbKRVAy-KZCWEv-bGZyuPplQ1knFMXNcDU-op3O0xUBW7PbREqydLokCq2X8p-HR1xIrhHm6pOUD8KoiO-KNczx-rPhpblx9SX7PB39H71xwr5MTa3ljc/s1600/dogs+play+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bAy__OrYrv5BYmhR4jVNpGpbKRVAy-KZCWEv-bGZyuPplQ1knFMXNcDU-op3O0xUBW7PbREqydLokCq2X8p-HR1xIrhHm6pOUD8KoiO-KNczx-rPhpblx9SX7PB39H71xwr5MTa3ljc/s320/dogs+play+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">About ten years ago, when Kirt and I bought the
house in PuertoRico, we fed dogs that came and went; only Stormie, the border
collie stayed. A couple of years later we returned to be greeted by Blondie,
who was then a young adult of at least a year, probably a year and a half.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CzqK_qaZA2Jgtbbut2OYcrrmYie2rFON9a2sJ3JIeI6m9BEbFFG2wpikpWUoqSoW48TkhMwmax9sesf_-XQ1lpy794iDVBw9oj6kB1UQfAR1SvD7AAajvsaC8c1PyDGsOEhn9ww16Qk/s1600/blondie+pups+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CzqK_qaZA2Jgtbbut2OYcrrmYie2rFON9a2sJ3JIeI6m9BEbFFG2wpikpWUoqSoW48TkhMwmax9sesf_-XQ1lpy794iDVBw9oj6kB1UQfAR1SvD7AAajvsaC8c1PyDGsOEhn9ww16Qk/s320/blondie+pups+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Every trip to </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> for a few years we were welcomed home by Blondie
and Stormie, and then someone in a big SUV dumped Chi in front of the neighbor’s
house. Every year other dogs migrated past our door. Kirt never didn’t have a
problem with feeding the strays, but had philosophical discussions about what
was our problem and what is the island’s problem; and he was as kind hearted a
man as I’ve ever meet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We left the world of pure bred champion dogs behind
in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Illinois</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana;">, said farewell to cold weather and life with dogs
as the epicenter, but now, we had </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Verdana;">two Puerto Rican street</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> dogs going with us to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">New Orleans</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana;">. Blondie and Chi loved the Big Easy; raccoons
under a house were way better than squeaky toys, but for a new invention, the
leash, they’d have a raccoon for doggie games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In the last months of Kirt’s life Lucky and Robert
Redford appeared in the same week. Kirt and I agreed we needed a couple of boys
to balance the girl-boy ratio. Along
came Lola with marks of physical abuse still visible, her feet swollen giving
her a sadly endearing gait. Before he
died, we had a family of five fur kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here I am almost three years later with my family of
five. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-90714604610363959812016-03-21T17:33:00.000-04:002016-03-21T17:33:19.002-04:00Cowboy the Pit Puppy Finds a Home<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Puppy Update</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tPI9dvCJqfTYHm57Dxfe161ZhOmZzbLTOEBhuCqKcTlQE3RPrm3kxyUE9p3ktOjalzbEzfpbJHLjzP_CXoDPKsOx5eGbG_8StfM_cm0S2QrLNkWKM88vA23H1x25ZCMWDtSiciH9jrs/s1600/older+puppy+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tPI9dvCJqfTYHm57Dxfe161ZhOmZzbLTOEBhuCqKcTlQE3RPrm3kxyUE9p3ktOjalzbEzfpbJHLjzP_CXoDPKsOx5eGbG_8StfM_cm0S2QrLNkWKM88vA23H1x25ZCMWDtSiciH9jrs/s400/older+puppy+007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The red and white puppy found his way to my door
all the way from Counselor’s Ridge, which is about a mile or so away. He stood
at the bottom of my driveway with a couple of people who were gathering
coconuts. I came out because my dogs were barking at the people.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsj7a6WsO3A0X_dNxYHrxWtF182zZTAFRFdadURh0N_5yvytwf1sFdd3WGgCd_BWyQCm7-Ci8ENvV3medH6Pdmxl4RTVkohqIP3X6GDtQFDMFdE_swrQ1kw6pPcvqYNS2ZdbWtoEDOz0/s1600/older+puppy+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsj7a6WsO3A0X_dNxYHrxWtF182zZTAFRFdadURh0N_5yvytwf1sFdd3WGgCd_BWyQCm7-Ci8ENvV3medH6Pdmxl4RTVkohqIP3X6GDtQFDMFdE_swrQ1kw6pPcvqYNS2ZdbWtoEDOz0/s400/older+puppy+010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The boney boy stood in the road with ears and tail
down, so as to not attract attention. He watched the Sato Hill Crewe come down
the driveway in full protection mode, as the man stood on the roof of my
neighbor’s garage and his wife gathered the coconuts dropping in my driveway. The dogs’ focused on the people; until the
puppy recognized me. His eyes widened, head came up, ears went forward, and his
tail burst into a full speed wag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lucky, Robert Redford, Blondie, and Chi-Ping turned
as one from the people they had focused on, to the little guy doing the happy
dance. They went into stalk position, which scared me, since they were already
halfway down the drive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The woman in my driveway saw the dogs’ predatory
posture, freaked out yelling, “Hay dios mio,” and ran around her car, while her
husband tried waving the long rod he used on the coconuts at the dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“NO,” I boomed at the man. “TRANQUILA, tranquila,”
I soothed the woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“No,” I said again in my serious dog voice; the
dogs actually looked at me, <i>big sigh of
relief</i>. “GOOD GUYS!! COMEON, LET’S GO TO THE HOUSE!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lucky and Robert Redford flew up the hill; <i>what good babies!</i> Blondie and Chi
weren’t convinced to leave the people <i>or</i>
the little competitor with the wagging tail, but minus the boys’ support the
girls regrouped halfway up the driveway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Boys in the house, Blondie and Chi, my old friends,
came along. I haven’t had them in the
house much lately, so the hounds were happy, allowing me to find the puppy, who
had headed up the hill in fright.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixxbW3QvGNOzL5BBTwrRw-QuyDSDWCFZuGhsU5Cn7-TJu_3F2rgajNb9kqf3tUy401YAkZYf8mn1UjovvGyOyfuTbiLflanQCLzavJwEqcmxw34Q-zqGs7QC-ES0ATy88HEz9r22A4Ig/s1600/older+puppy+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixxbW3QvGNOzL5BBTwrRw-QuyDSDWCFZuGhsU5Cn7-TJu_3F2rgajNb9kqf3tUy401YAkZYf8mn1UjovvGyOyfuTbiLflanQCLzavJwEqcmxw34Q-zqGs7QC-ES0ATy88HEz9r22A4Ig/s400/older+puppy+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is a pit bull puppy; <i>he</i> only retreated to the other side of my neighbor’s garage, where
he greeted me with joy. About a week ago, <i>the
only time we met</i>, I fed him on the way to feed the litter in the lane. A
good ten dogs I’ve seen for quite some time have disappeared from that lane,
which gives me more surprise to see him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Down the lane where the big cows graze my little
Cowboy came. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-44519082956332259312016-03-15T13:01:00.000-04:002016-03-15T13:02:12.113-04:00Good Night for Dogs in Puerto Rico<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">God bless the </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: "verdana";">municipality</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> of </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Manatee</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> for sponsoring the first ever, if I heard right, really big dog
training event in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto
Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. I had a blast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oXBGWf7kV7Ze3NtbAqG6ZJ77Zkz_L8k4sp5DDDOeBX51tekV8hqWHcEXSC-p-MhYCYQYbJ6-ExWuGFVucdMYAhyphenhyphenVhHKUM1KuFOdEZQ5OMOSyoG3XfMNpQqZ7nmF167OOJhN3M7o4L2c/s1600/dog+traning+in+Manatee+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oXBGWf7kV7Ze3NtbAqG6ZJ77Zkz_L8k4sp5DDDOeBX51tekV8hqWHcEXSC-p-MhYCYQYbJ6-ExWuGFVucdMYAhyphenhyphenVhHKUM1KuFOdEZQ5OMOSyoG3XfMNpQqZ7nmF167OOJhN3M7o4L2c/s320/dog+traning+in+Manatee+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Before the speeches began, as people assembled I
meandered through the crowd saying hello to everybody. Siberian Huskies, a
Great Dane, a Basenji, a Bulldog with a ton of personality were good to meet
along with friendly people, who laughed </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">goodheartedly</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> at my Spanish. (It’s
appropriate.) It seemed to me that there were quite a few young puppies. It’s
not a good idea to teach adults and puppies in the same class for many reasons,
so I suggested the division to Alma, who agreed. When I made that suggestion, I
had counted twelve for the puppy class I would teach. No sweat, I thought even
though I haven’t taught a class in five years.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A crowd of more than sixty dogs and their people
listened to opening speeches and introductions. We stood on the steps of a
coliseum; the rules of the event were clearly stated by the ranking police
officer. The organizing dog trainer, Alma Febus, announced where the puppies
should gather. The training planned for outside had to suddenly, be moved
inside do to rain that began no sooner than she announced the separation of
classes, so Carlos Cardona, the officer in charge told us where the puppies
would be meeting, a long narrow area where people wait to get inside the
coliseum, <i>but</i> we were under a roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Have you ever looked at a situation and felt
confident? Twelve puppies, a piece of chocolate! I entered the vestibule where
the puppies awaited. Wall to wall people and pups greeted me. Holy! Holy!!
“Just puppies, here,” I yelled in Spanish, “Solomente peritos, por favor!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Nobody</span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> moved; this massive tangle just looked. Oh, my,
what the!! I quickly grabbed a couple of cones, “People with puppies line up
between the cones. People without dogs, please stand along the opposite
wall.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As everybody shuffled into place, I counted puppy
dogs. I stopped counting at forty puppies. The place was crowded so I took a couple of
cones further down and divided the class.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Yes, forty in a class is overwhelming; who knew the
pent up demand for dog training was so great? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Teniente Carlos Cardona and his staff should be
congratulated for offering to the citizens of Manatee a program that they so
obviously want. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Thanks to the efforts of my volunteer assistants:
Joselito Moye, Officer Tanya Roman, Genesis Rodriguez, and a beautiful lady
whose name I never got, but impressed me with her capability and calm demeanor.
These people rock!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Joselito is the bomb; he <i>gave</i> the class to a darn big group. Occasionally I’d run over to
observe, and I have to tell you; the man did a fine job! He saved the day
because I could not have done justice to forty in one group. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">One of my goals in life is to improve our relationship
with dogs. When I’m doing that, I’m having fun. After all these years, I’m
still a dog lover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-89641335776172990512016-03-10T21:17:00.000-04:002016-03-10T21:17:41.083-04:00Puppy at my Door<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The puppies are gone, the pit bull mommy is gone,
the white boxer boy is gone, so are the Counselor’s Ridge dogs except for the
new arrival red bitch.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOVxY-eSKKcOwzUZrMkJ3SXtssSZfARVSGKxvpHtqdDmuPIQOkkoeYo7ryKChyphenhyphenvjSaBAR86sUZaLbbVFsSwGm79I5MdfqvGbAE5p9_OQfm5hA74fO6XVanROCw3lbARXTq9oaSNX1B2E/s1600/older+puppy+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOVxY-eSKKcOwzUZrMkJ3SXtssSZfARVSGKxvpHtqdDmuPIQOkkoeYo7ryKChyphenhyphenvjSaBAR86sUZaLbbVFsSwGm79I5MdfqvGbAE5p9_OQfm5hA74fO6XVanROCw3lbARXTq9oaSNX1B2E/s400/older+puppy+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNaVxN_WXOiM6F5xuJDY57I4WMaQ9L7X_Uo2rrSTguwd8sL6bRsmso-xxvTjMdBxmRhrxBZW5HrekjPS5LijzvbwwSyHZF2FIUtOezWIvNUi6NXCxQCsb-8x8hmGmaf3iJ9YIcLvFY-s/s1600/older+puppy+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNaVxN_WXOiM6F5xuJDY57I4WMaQ9L7X_Uo2rrSTguwd8sL6bRsmso-xxvTjMdBxmRhrxBZW5HrekjPS5LijzvbwwSyHZF2FIUtOezWIvNUi6NXCxQCsb-8x8hmGmaf3iJ9YIcLvFY-s/s400/older+puppy+007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Surprise! Today the five month old puppy from up
the lane showed up at my house. I couldn’t NOT feed him; I brought the other
dogs in the house, while he gobbled down a big bowl of food. By the time I let
the dogs out one at a time, they understood he was staying.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3BeUDoDzXPCCaq3tjV7JWpURnIDjbtCMq-2vwgoYpECUbjhxN-jC2hg2vTwOOCCtCpU2ej5eRYiHOAxZ8l27IzUv5SPn4j_gUqgn7DOJrekpzBcDG5QkNOMl-PieiDMBsuWgcDBvrSg/s1600/older+puppy+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3BeUDoDzXPCCaq3tjV7JWpURnIDjbtCMq-2vwgoYpECUbjhxN-jC2hg2vTwOOCCtCpU2ej5eRYiHOAxZ8l27IzUv5SPn4j_gUqgn7DOJrekpzBcDG5QkNOMl-PieiDMBsuWgcDBvrSg/s320/older+puppy+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blondie, Lucky, and Robert Redford ignored him.
Chi-Ping tried to terrorize him, which is standard small terrier behavior. He’s
this tough little Cowboy, so that’s what I’m calling him. He’s a happy
boy. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0NH41QfoGEAWpJPyW3sm0dQOxCQ8-G9x5NbfaSstRzRSCtevlUBKVZL3uBYXP_TdYdCzU70uL_BCGlE3tCqs_kP3keZexKpJTJCngVJ3IelVDdpjiTsyDm51aCh_ZFIWXpbWfLceqy8/s1600/older+puppy+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0NH41QfoGEAWpJPyW3sm0dQOxCQ8-G9x5NbfaSstRzRSCtevlUBKVZL3uBYXP_TdYdCzU70uL_BCGlE3tCqs_kP3keZexKpJTJCngVJ3IelVDdpjiTsyDm51aCh_ZFIWXpbWfLceqy8/s320/older+puppy+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See those horrible feet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I need my head examined, but what am I supposed to
do, when a puppy shows up at my door?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-7212778824123508512016-03-08T13:01:00.001-04:002016-03-08T13:01:22.959-04:00Where Have the Puppies Gone<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Monday morning fed the dogs, made a nice breakfast
for myself, and then took off in a gentle rain to feed the puppies on the way
to the gym.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvVMkEeqwxtyiG9yyDk9FyizuQ81IgKD5xPDkNsPvynP-pwPi6z9LU1ma_EJN2ZMHYhA-S38IOUgn-Deo7H99Mu2W56kIlLvAHqXR1bcuvno16ZqO8wRKPg3KVMiFptlfs23DL5k3Y8k/s1600/puppies+day+four+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvVMkEeqwxtyiG9yyDk9FyizuQ81IgKD5xPDkNsPvynP-pwPi6z9LU1ma_EJN2ZMHYhA-S38IOUgn-Deo7H99Mu2W56kIlLvAHqXR1bcuvno16ZqO8wRKPg3KVMiFptlfs23DL5k3Y8k/s320/puppies+day+four+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No puppies, how odd, I called and no reply. Could
someone have rescued the adorable rascals? I hoped with the dog food and
scrambled eggs still on the front seat. Plenty of other dogs would enjoy this
meal, so I watch for the Counselor Ridge Crewe, but only see a red spaniel I
haven’t noticed before. She’s very scared, but runs up to the bowl as soon as I
leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At the gym I wonder if the other person feeding the
pups managed to collect them. A safe home, regular meals, what could be better?
I didn’t spend much time with the puppies; maybe the other person sat on the
ground with them stroking their ears. Perhaps they just moved to a dry
location. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the way home that afternoon I drove down the
lane. The puppies weren’t there, but someone had left a pan of kibble; apparently,
the other person feeding the pups hadn’t gotten them. At </span><st1:time hour="16" minute="0"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">four o’clock</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> I saw none of the dogs that usually lounge in the
road; how odd, but not unheard of. I went home to get ready for a training
session I was giving that evening for volunteers assisting in a beginner dog
training class to be held in Manatee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sadly I didn’t have time to drive the lane on the
way out, but about </span><st1:time hour="9" minute="45"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">quarter to ten</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Verdana;">, when very few are out in the country, I drove
slowly up the lane, stopping in all the familiar haunts. Not a single dog could
I find; I went home pondering that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-86417023065643130102016-03-07T07:41:00.000-04:002016-03-10T20:47:50.549-04:00Feeding Starving Dogs and Abandoned Puppies<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">On a country road so narrow two cars must slow
almost to a stop to pass the three puppies hide among the bushes where they
were dumped days ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Sunday morning my dogs, the Sato Hill Crewe, and I
have scrambled eggs, mine with toast, theirs’ with kibble. Shortly after I head
up the road to feed the pups I named Curly, </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Moselle</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, and Larita.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWd-JUA_XY5KeFcE5Iq_b-vpf4Dty-wRfq6eLlliu9CzmfDdwRtYj3oqZ-WOuOR47_PzPgfz2C41VqbP7DGpsjc_NGXeXEKeFFErBh77lZi67VXj-R9gV9JxaJULfTuuNq9nSJJv4hqY/s1600/Puppy+socialization+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWd-JUA_XY5KeFcE5Iq_b-vpf4Dty-wRfq6eLlliu9CzmfDdwRtYj3oqZ-WOuOR47_PzPgfz2C41VqbP7DGpsjc_NGXeXEKeFFErBh77lZi67VXj-R9gV9JxaJULfTuuNq9nSJJv4hqY/s400/Puppy+socialization+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s Sunday morning on back country roads, so I’m
not dressed to meet people. I’m just feeding the puppies and going home, so I
don’t bother to put a bra on; these pups are less than a mile from my home. Can
you sense the mistake? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Where the country lane intersects with my road, I
see a wild eyed spaniel in the field with dairy cattle. I stop the car and call
the spaniel and she comes running to me. I pour a bit of food on the ground,
but just before she arrives a jeep whips into the intersection between us. She
bolts in panic. She’s gone, no point fooling here any longer, so I head up the
lane. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SnnvNCTiKa-LHBjMrlc9jgkz3wV8C1jgaWmOPHj4-ZVbH4BvX2BIUnjTa1GwB-elFgSv-YedR61-OT4MHUr3WFnja1qx0FAHD2hHfdE0HnRAFHaRKoJ1gOwAvrt5YTnMoqJAVMUarNY/s1600/Puppy+socialization+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SnnvNCTiKa-LHBjMrlc9jgkz3wV8C1jgaWmOPHj4-ZVbH4BvX2BIUnjTa1GwB-elFgSv-YedR61-OT4MHUr3WFnja1qx0FAHD2hHfdE0HnRAFHaRKoJ1gOwAvrt5YTnMoqJAVMUarNY/s400/Puppy+socialization+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">About a hundred feet into the lane I see a very
pregnant black pit bull bitch; she’s been here a while, the poor thing. Someone
feeds her in a cast iron pot, but there’s no food, so I oblige the sweet girl,
while a car with three men stop to watch. They say nothing; I’m uncomfortable,
so I hop in my car and head around the bend where two men are loading a pickup
that’s partially blocking the lane.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoopFsGZuHK5OH75zZyeTy9vsoJI7TBVTagvHq6AlHQS5O9cQw62CELpsjTiYKEz1tXK8i_Wsmf23a88C_-mD09Y8aZpOPM7DpEmp4W23OJ3U8rfJPtY0iea-hKitQ2vfBeJ6hwle8CA/s1600/Puppy+socialization+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoopFsGZuHK5OH75zZyeTy9vsoJI7TBVTagvHq6AlHQS5O9cQw62CELpsjTiYKEz1tXK8i_Wsmf23a88C_-mD09Y8aZpOPM7DpEmp4W23OJ3U8rfJPtY0iea-hKitQ2vfBeJ6hwle8CA/s400/Puppy+socialization+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A red pit bull pup about five months old is
with the men. As one of the men waves me past the truck, I ask him if the puppy
is his; he says, “No.” This dog can use a meal and some water, so
against my better judgment, I got out of the car to feed the starving, wormy
looking youngster. The men were polite; don’t get me wrong, but hate it when a
man stares at your tits when he’s talking to you. This fella had so much to say
and didn’t bother to disguise where he was looking, which made me feel self
conscious. I became annoyed enough that finally I just thought the hell with
it, fed the pup and wondered if the three babes would still be in the woods.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6v5lX00Letv-JZ1OZTBEpusq222XiXofsjaPTbQskQIyrbobNpzB436BInruIEgGoa0nZvc8lT1wbGCDNb_UnAv3Qh0i2Cb-R38KP-mjI1FPK9wWxqFIbYM9Vq6YyFF0IG5WIvbOsfzQ/s1600/Puppy+socialization+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6v5lX00Letv-JZ1OZTBEpusq222XiXofsjaPTbQskQIyrbobNpzB436BInruIEgGoa0nZvc8lT1wbGCDNb_UnAv3Qh0i2Cb-R38KP-mjI1FPK9wWxqFIbYM9Vq6YyFF0IG5WIvbOsfzQ/s400/Puppy+socialization+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The shy little buggers came within inches of me, so
that’s progress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Someone fed them in an aluminum pan; they have
people who care. It makes me feel good to know that, even on a lonely country
road, helpless critters have a community of advocates doing what they can for
them. That helps to offset the heartlessness others suffer from, but it’s no
answer; is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-49805826204382684582016-03-06T10:04:00.001-04:002016-03-06T10:04:31.327-04:00Feeding Puppies Living Down the Lane<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Saturday is my day to do nothing or clean house,
whatever comes first. My dogs and I enjoyed chicken livers for lunch. We had
our feet up on the porch doing nothing, when I thought about the puppies.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-obq-4odTMTBNsJl1gdHhhXnYl1RgURM_x6h42Mkepnp0CT1cqvRLnFic0aJHFBLofbj7G63ChsXicnM7DqSdojYL78XLUGNjjZr020DimBQ07MADPwnMvjKanU0npHT2lvk6iRE7q9E/s1600/puppies+day+four+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-obq-4odTMTBNsJl1gdHhhXnYl1RgURM_x6h42Mkepnp0CT1cqvRLnFic0aJHFBLofbj7G63ChsXicnM7DqSdojYL78XLUGNjjZr020DimBQ07MADPwnMvjKanU0npHT2lvk6iRE7q9E/s400/puppies+day+four+007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With all the wonderful animal advocates on the
island these babies may have been rescued already; I wondered, but mixed a tray
of kibble with a coating of liver, yum, just in case. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouJUKhVwbrnoaxJupUnJ3J9mXowddyJHIEM6Hi1BqB2zkyH9fK2plcnuJHuo177FKnWs7W8r31UY37Y2aDEswmQXpGdo74iHDoOfWjvP9rkcD2HWYD88HQ_wo2lmrR4paCGzYP0POrRU/s1600/puppies+day+four+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouJUKhVwbrnoaxJupUnJ3J9mXowddyJHIEM6Hi1BqB2zkyH9fK2plcnuJHuo177FKnWs7W8r31UY37Y2aDEswmQXpGdo74iHDoOfWjvP9rkcD2HWYD88HQ_wo2lmrR4paCGzYP0POrRU/s400/puppies+day+four+018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">They ran around my car barking, clearly excited to
see the food I bring, and then scurried into the hole in the fence for safety. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m guessing that the only time they’ve been
handled is when the culprit snatched them from their mom for a car ride to the
country.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcIGtYgHw3k7STF4GaNa5Hh00CNu28ZGUpwIVwtQXAR7ENb9vub33LhxJBfUN3OSj-oeZJhdP7ETCj0sa0sgonO28G90VxaAwcz5oPspUZGNADAZTm_7zoFpHfbtzQOGxM9PjI4iMOXM/s1600/puppies+day+four+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcIGtYgHw3k7STF4GaNa5Hh00CNu28ZGUpwIVwtQXAR7ENb9vub33LhxJBfUN3OSj-oeZJhdP7ETCj0sa0sgonO28G90VxaAwcz5oPspUZGNADAZTm_7zoFpHfbtzQOGxM9PjI4iMOXM/s400/puppies+day+four+013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely Larita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If anyone will catch them again, they need some
pleasant time with a human, so I toss liver soaked kibble at their feet. They
still act as if they don’t know what kibble is and they hesitate to eat, but
soon they gobble what I toss a safe distance. Tossing and talking. Tossing and
talking; gradually they calm in my presence, but are far from trusting to the
point where I realized they are in a fear period of development. Since I know a
thing or two about puppy development, I spent more time tossing and talking
before putting the food trays down.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CMNJ5nJpFa2dWSeMIhlRzUEMekXUq3NoKDCMe0o-44HkFogq7k-0R4SpcQm2_kYTGR2FZeLGiApIPd7xwvRBbGbfEX9wBY3eNmxCmOTyG52ukuoffR8P5hIGkEzMwTLU2_fFBTAbJcQ/s1600/puppies+day+four+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CMNJ5nJpFa2dWSeMIhlRzUEMekXUq3NoKDCMe0o-44HkFogq7k-0R4SpcQm2_kYTGR2FZeLGiApIPd7xwvRBbGbfEX9wBY3eNmxCmOTyG52ukuoffR8P5hIGkEzMwTLU2_fFBTAbJcQ/s400/puppies+day+four+009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moselle watching.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga41ysRsUUUD-Ss9Vdjrks3W6rtbpImZBrfriRMFzsQGa0L1hxrN6MXOrjn80IJ0o1u_qTEVdxVGNwgnDkdRxDL_SPd-7Om40h6bD-cD5M2sSAzWxZZHcBQvVcEvom6leuSDH75R7QRtA/s1600/puppies+day+four+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga41ysRsUUUD-Ss9Vdjrks3W6rtbpImZBrfriRMFzsQGa0L1hxrN6MXOrjn80IJ0o1u_qTEVdxVGNwgnDkdRxDL_SPd-7Om40h6bD-cD5M2sSAzWxZZHcBQvVcEvom6leuSDH75R7QRtA/s400/puppies+day+four+020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curly leaning into the dish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Frightened little puppies leaned into the food dish
as if something would grab them. I left so they could finish their meal in
peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In the rear view mirror I saw a couple of the
Counselor Ridge Crewe crouching towards the food. These are dogs so betrayed by
man that I can’t get near.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-30907730194044231892016-03-05T11:08:00.000-04:002016-03-06T09:13:37.813-04:00Abandoned Puppies in Puerto Rico <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">New born always feel so magical to me; they are
hope for the future, fresh life with no past only what’s ahead. Somehow deep in
my soul I wish them well; I want them to thrive.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmu6PKPrdQVGaqgFtXE5CzFE6gPhsh0yDJGqCAdArfiQJZLB9IPbBOy61coQX6hKJSpbixQSvNv8x7n7kn7LFrXY-I7ZMxoD2AWdgGD5myKS-kmFgWT33m7uZnBg2qWSzzLRHIl4DO0k/s1600/puppies+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmu6PKPrdQVGaqgFtXE5CzFE6gPhsh0yDJGqCAdArfiQJZLB9IPbBOy61coQX6hKJSpbixQSvNv8x7n7kn7LFrXY-I7ZMxoD2AWdgGD5myKS-kmFgWT33m7uZnBg2qWSzzLRHIl4DO0k/s400/puppies+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So when I see puppies abandoned on the side of the
road, I can’t help but feel how bankrupt a society is that would toss them out
without a care. In truth this <i>is</i> a
bankrupt little island. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHNirzjozm1Wq4R94jKOAmpk_ZGL2zQuU3KQhWO86XVnZxbOBpo_-eZQBSGFyhvPVLQaLMgclj936BlMrrv_B9otFVxtBXIV4HloeLv0obFuc9S5r8ItZ_0zt5vdy0JxvesPcR8k-EfI/s1600/puppies+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHNirzjozm1Wq4R94jKOAmpk_ZGL2zQuU3KQhWO86XVnZxbOBpo_-eZQBSGFyhvPVLQaLMgclj936BlMrrv_B9otFVxtBXIV4HloeLv0obFuc9S5r8ItZ_0zt5vdy0JxvesPcR8k-EfI/s400/puppies+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If it weren’t for the wonderful animal advocates
feeding and rescuing, I would believe this place to be morally bankrupt as
well, but in the three days I’ve been feeding the three little rascals left in
the bend of a country road I noticed evidence that someone else is feeding
them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94BlQxmQbDfxhpEyvr68NLkRmie1JOcsSwyPSkzocPMht7cDCIZGL6QhqNv9Z8dECfkBGk8pYKTpTAz3fBGYpjlC8SEkMKu2Ce0hWdbs_rcFcXiHoeAZEt6cUh14sL3IX0DXM_RIQa20/s1600/puppies+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94BlQxmQbDfxhpEyvr68NLkRmie1JOcsSwyPSkzocPMht7cDCIZGL6QhqNv9Z8dECfkBGk8pYKTpTAz3fBGYpjlC8SEkMKu2Ce0hWdbs_rcFcXiHoeAZEt6cUh14sL3IX0DXM_RIQa20/s400/puppies+009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Three scared babies have hope to live thanks to
someone who cares. When its so easy to feel overwhelmed by badness, it gives
hope to see evidence that loving spirits care if the least among us have a
chance to live because life <i>is</i>
magic. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-3458186545775267012016-03-02T10:33:00.000-04:002016-03-02T10:55:26.607-04:00What to do about Dogs<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Thirty years of training dogs and teaching people
to have a better relationship with their dogs came and went; I retired. For the
last five years I’ve done no training, no teaching. I can’t tell you that I’ve
missed it; I simply haven’t thought about it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFRYs63TCbbxso_U7BcjjaOH8WKEe7hB7eUi68pMRvTdgGVf-AZRm2LjBAU1uUIdiWyTIaE3tMJQCk4EWoEIHsYrjZrK2Ri9N7gEoo6e010jWJ8DTcKWWHNM-ynOCHJ_GPKDmFo7WaW0/s1600/Dominic+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFRYs63TCbbxso_U7BcjjaOH8WKEe7hB7eUi68pMRvTdgGVf-AZRm2LjBAU1uUIdiWyTIaE3tMJQCk4EWoEIHsYrjZrK2Ri9N7gEoo6e010jWJ8DTcKWWHNM-ynOCHJ_GPKDmFo7WaW0/s320/Dominic+031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Living with four dogs who come and go when they
want has been interesting, but I haven’t trained them. I don’t have fun with it
the way I once did. Once in a blue moon I’ll do a few sits and downs with Lucky
and Robert Redford; the old trainer in me still has a pulse albeit a weak one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The dog situation in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> is deplorable despite the efforts of many
wonderful animal advocates. Yesterday I fed the counselor crewe and gave them a
big bowl of water; these dogs live in the woods on the ridge overlooking the
lake. The members of this little crewe change rather frequently; at the moment
a small red spaniel seems to lead the fearful hounds living near an enclave of
houses where a couple of lawyers live on counselor ridge. I didn’t feel well,
so I tossed down the food and water and left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">No more than a hundred feet away in the bend of the
road huddled a litter of three puppies maybe ten weeks old. I gave them all of
the food I had left and a bowl of water. This pisses me off because someone
dumped these babies there. The clean healthy pups will change in days to
bedraggled, gaunt creatures within days without help. Their best hope is for
the counselor crewe to adopt them. This is where I am lately on the subject of
dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So I’ve been asked to teach a beginner dog training
class on Monday nights in Manatee. I met with the class volunteers, who are
wonderful dog lovers. We played with a few of my friend </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Alma</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "verdana";">’s dogs and worked on name recognition. Yes, me
remembering the people’s and the dogs
learning theirs’ when said by anyone other than </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Alma</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">My journey continues; wish me well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-8548916217173542992016-02-15T12:52:00.000-04:002016-02-17T07:38:45.504-04:00Studying Dogs<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Another year of studying dogs is beginning to be
more interesting than ever; that’s dogs for you. In my years living with a
dozen or more Rottweilers and/or Bullmastiffs in a fenced ten acre compound I
saw them co-operate, communicate in various ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I wish humans were intelligent enough to speak dog,
the way they understand us; most of all I wish<i> I</i> could speak dog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">My big guard dogs did a perimeter patrol when the
spirit moved them, but they went to dog shows, school fairs, nursing homes, so
we had activities. They worked as a team when cornering wildlife in our yard. A
family of coyotes lived just the other side of the fence. My pure bred,
Champion stock stayed near the house, but heaven help anything that strayed in
too close; in short they were not obsessed with interlopers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, the
stray dogs, having been accepted by a household, become very possessive. There
is a network of trails in the woods. Remember tracking wildlife when you were a
few years younger? We don’t have wildlife; we have farm animals, rodents,
mongoose, and various size lizards. Dogs and cats are sort of wildlife. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDp5w4rvKeiDHG5rT7KxksCRRydlNcIYzC-XJr6B9sTbP1v-THYfMGpZqBC0c6uTTlVGgF8J8QYObB-sBeODUImg9eU1x39YEaqfYS3BKixOHfb4_kzF4dNkY5wzZ8Ku6AEWrQLT__Fo/s1600/Dominic+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDp5w4rvKeiDHG5rT7KxksCRRydlNcIYzC-XJr6B9sTbP1v-THYfMGpZqBC0c6uTTlVGgF8J8QYObB-sBeODUImg9eU1x39YEaqfYS3BKixOHfb4_kzF4dNkY5wzZ8Ku6AEWrQLT__Fo/s400/Dominic+054.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Pet dogs have puppies, survivors get a free one way
trip to a better part of the island, where they get their asses kicked by dogs
already living there or beaten off by a man driving them away with a stick.
Dogs wander through the woods in search of a meal and safety. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Sato Hill Crewe patrols the woods like the
devil will sneak in to steal their last sandwich. Now, that our baby Border
Collie is patrolling I’m seeing the more subtle cues these dogs send. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This was written before Dominic went missing. His obsessive
personality raised the level of perimeter protection; I learned much about my
group’s communication while he lived here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There has been a recent cull; neighbors from down
the hill told me about ten dogs that were poisoned and another stolen from a
yard. Perhaps that’s why there’s less activity in the woods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Life with dogs in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> gives me a very different vantage point of our
relationship with dogs. In </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Illinois</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> I always saw dogs as belonging to someone or in need of rescue; here
I see dogs visiting people who feed them, but belong to no one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Because of the density of the dog population where
I live, threat warnings have become ritualized with an obligatory howl to sum
it up. Dogs are dumped regularly, the survivors learn from the old timers in
the neighborhood. The traits and survival strategies a dog must have in order
to live on the street are easily observed. In
a maybe not so odd evolutionary twist small and cute does well; some
woman will take small and cute in over night! Smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dogs fascinate me as much today as they did almost
a hundred years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-77846707120377201742016-01-17T13:45:00.002-04:002016-02-04T18:36:42.854-04:00Sato Hill's Border Collie Missing<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">On the two and a half year anniversary of my
husband Kirt’s death, I’ve lost my beautiful Border Collie, Dominic, Dominic
Perignon. <i>And</i> I thought 2016 would bring healing.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8y8PEtKzlQTM9PRgLVN5Ln9DLYuwkw7wXU9U7aGTvgU522y2QOnTzsswahHe_-KZLFSUyEHRIMXcxVvkQcR5Q6tMiM4syFnm2vr2_OujE3ZrCya90Cocl57H8OA0-ggdAlBQo9ympo6c/s1600/dominic+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8y8PEtKzlQTM9PRgLVN5Ln9DLYuwkw7wXU9U7aGTvgU522y2QOnTzsswahHe_-KZLFSUyEHRIMXcxVvkQcR5Q6tMiM4syFnm2vr2_OujE3ZrCya90Cocl57H8OA0-ggdAlBQo9ympo6c/s320/dominic+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I’m
lonely, so I’ve writtten to single men on a friend finder line. All I can say is
if I’d buried my husband, I’d be crawling in next to him before I deal with any
more slicksters telling me how beautiful I am and our love is written in the
stars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dominic
got dumped at the bottom of my drive early last spring. He hid in the weeds,
when I came to get him with a towel. I always wrap new babies and give them a
bath welcome to Sato Hill. Black coat, flashy white paws, and perfectly folded
ears; he had me before his feet hit the ground. I cooed sweetly to my heart
throb; instantly he Velcro’ed himself to my leg, my scared little boy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In
the eight months Dominic lived here, puppy to young adult he matured into a
crewe member, even Blondie went hunting with him. Dominic was full of himself
in all of the ways young boys push and test boundaries. He thought he was the
smartest in the room, which annoyed Chi-Ping, and me upon occasion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSSuIs686j1oV9HlQ_GJfEuMmpZvwqUG0w0GFDSw76OLWE0tQDzB22O51MjrAfqUX5w9YbXFEDS7od1V7hr8erH1reCkK8xa8MjYeZ4xjKqNVTo-VxXy2DLGTf_vr7gaRm9gI_jTokco/s1600/dominic+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSSuIs686j1oV9HlQ_GJfEuMmpZvwqUG0w0GFDSw76OLWE0tQDzB22O51MjrAfqUX5w9YbXFEDS7od1V7hr8erH1reCkK8xa8MjYeZ4xjKqNVTo-VxXy2DLGTf_vr7gaRm9gI_jTokco/s320/dominic+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">From
clingy to challenging I gave him what he needed to mature into a great dog, a companion. My darling boy, who chose to sleep outside was wanting
in at night again; patience paid off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Whoever
took him, I pray they give him a good home. This hurts because I don’t believe
that many dogs on this island get good homes. Tied in between house and garage
is not a good life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">At
least I gave Dominic eights months of a wonderful life. I enjoyed getting to
know him. LOVE. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-24129957467685034612015-10-14T12:48:00.000-04:002015-10-14T12:48:57.947-04:00Hola, Tolola, the Abandoned German Shepard Mother<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One
morning a few weeks back I glanced out the window to see a pick up truck stop
at the bottom of my driveway. For a country road this one can get rather busy,
so I thought nothing about it, until a few minutes later when I went outside to
water plants; there stood a magnificent German Shepard bitch with large upright
ears and noble expression. “Lola,” I gasped, <i>seeing</i> the gorgeous girl, who died
two months after my husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She
wagged her tail. I could feel my face light up; I ran to the top of the driveway,
where she wagged her tail in the way that says, “Good to see you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Stroking
her long nose, I cried, while I thought of my lost husband and dog. We had
enjoyed our lives here for a short time. The new Lola raced down my drive in
the long strides of her breed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
Sato Hill Gang barked warning from <i>in</i> the house; thank God. I called, “Lola.” She sniffed around in the
road where she had been dumped with a frantic look on her face; her tits
flopped to and fro with every step, the sagging tits puppies recently suckled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
<i>new</i> Lola ran up the road; I waited in the driveway talking to her, hoping she
would connect with me. Before long her ground covering trot carried her around
my yard; here and there she stopped to sniff. The food I offered her, she
gobbled before tiptoeing across the porch to the water bowl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Since
the dogs were settled in the house and I was on my way out, I hoped she’d be
there when I returned; she wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Days
passed; each time down the road my eyes scoured the countryside for her. My route
varied to increase chance of sighting her. This fine animal deserved a good
life with a family; they are bred to passionately love somebody. I needed to
find her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In
the afternoon I take the road home that goes over the hill, so I can see the
lake; it’s always treat. As I rounded a curve near the horse pasture, a man
leaned against a fence post watching a dog; it was new Lola. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“Hola,
</span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana;">como</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> esta? Es su perro?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“Bien,
gracias.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He
shrugged his shoulders in answer to the question, is that your dog. We talked
for a while; it turned out that he owned the house with my favorite view of the
lake. We both admired a fine German Shepard and he would think about keeping
her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In
a desperate attempt to assure her of a good home, I promised to have her
spayed, if he would just give her a home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Two
days later, I drove past hoping to see her proudly protecting his yard. No one
was home. Further up the road she chased a rooster, while a young boy threw
rocks at her, and a woman yelled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh,
crap that will never do. I got out of the car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">“Por
favor, no.” I said to the boy, who stopped immediately. The woman yelled some more in
rapid fire Spanish. The rooster raced past us screaming for its life with Lola
in hot pursuit and ready for breakfast. The woman screeched so loudly I wanted
to get in the car and go; I opened the door and called, “Lola, come on pretty
girl. I’ve got food for you on the porch. The other dogs are in, so you can
enjoy the yard all to yourself, good girl.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hot
damn, she sauntered to the door and hopped in like she knew what she was doing;
that went well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What
in the hell am I going to do? Supporting five dogs costs plenty with food and
monthly anti-pest topical treatments; not to mention vet bills when they get
sick. Ugh, I can’t afford another dog. My property has no fence, so wildlife
comes and goes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Where
else can I take her, but home? I texted a couple of rescuer friends, who wanted
a photo; that’s just great because the camera on my phone is dead, grrr. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lola
number two ate on my porch. I hoped she’d feel more comfortable the second
time. Her tits were shrinking nicely, she lost weight, but still fine. I had
plans for the day; would she stay?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How
could I get so freaking torn about something I should not do? The dog had
better sense than I; she left when she finished the food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Did
she migrate over the hill as before? The man with the vacation house
overlooking the lake had been good to her, so maybe; I drove the hill road day
and night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lola
one died of a disease I exposed her to, when I brought her to a friend’s; I
blamed myself. She loved me intensely, at a time I had lost most of the love in
my life, then I ran out of money, she ran out of help; that sucked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This
Shepard has the black saddle, whereas, Lola one was a light sable. Tolola’s
face is the color of a fawn with intelligent brown eyes. One of my favorite things about German
Shepards is you feel so smart because they know what you want with such little
effort on your part; not all breeds train so effortlessly. I appreciate the
attributes of this marvelous breed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All
I can say is that I pray I find her alive and doing well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-87405015784896322432015-10-06T12:36:00.000-04:002016-01-18T22:18:25.757-04:00Spaying Street Bitches<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Rounding up stray bitches for sterilization is more difficult than
I thought it would be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Far out of my comfort zone is talking in Spanish to
strangers. I can see it in their faces; they don't trust me, when they
finally understand me. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">One family, I offered to take the six puppies to a shelter
my friend runs, the woman's granddaughter told her in Spanish, right in front
of me, "The gringa is going to make money off las perritas." The
puppies vanished, I don't know how or where. A year later the pregnant shaggy
terrier mom disappeared from the yard, only a handsome young son remains; and that’s
my neighbor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Since I’ve lived here, any dog moving in gets vaccinations and
neutering on me. Little puppies wandering in the street break my heart. I don’t
make money; I donate time, energy and money to improve life for dogs. Our
relationship with dogs began in the caves, they’ve served us since then; don’t we
owe them? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Free roaming carnivores maintain a balance in rodent population,
if the dogs hunt is another topic. Too many
dogs is the problem; I think of it as finding an ecological balance and believe
that the barbaric practice of collecting and killing them should be replaced
with trap, neuter and return. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVVEa7C8nh8lETc9-IU1rWoh98qi6iHjbp8Zqu49A16Vy2mbdXNJ7wY403pMr6vedvQg6ZvZrhP-wjkCRBInRULJOcm4jJp3UtFQ7Jnr0UczjfC4622aPAMC_i3-X8255J_MQNze3uEY/s1600/9+18+14+movie+dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVVEa7C8nh8lETc9-IU1rWoh98qi6iHjbp8Zqu49A16Vy2mbdXNJ7wY403pMr6vedvQg6ZvZrhP-wjkCRBInRULJOcm4jJp3UtFQ7Jnr0UczjfC4622aPAMC_i3-X8255J_MQNze3uEY/s400/9+18+14+movie+dogs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Returning a post operative dog to a vacant area doesn’t set well,
so going with people at least somewhat interested in it appeals, comes with
other perils. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> I'm going further away from
home talking to people. I need to enlist help from local people.
Catching dogs the night before spay day, even dogs I feed when I see them, is
hit or miss, so where I see dogs hanging around, I know that a person cares
enough to feed at least occasionally. These are the people I need to support to
end the huge reproduction cycle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Understanding the street dog problem in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Puerto Rico</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> has taken a long time. Finding a boots
on the ground part of the solution I can believe in; halleluiah, I’m blessed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Each week I’ll be bringing up to three females/hembras to the vet
to be spayed. In my valley, over the years I’ve learned where dogs are fed; the
dogs hang on the outside of the fence. I believe these are the people I need to
say hello to, but people get weird looks on their faces when I speak; you have
no idea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Well, wish me luck! </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-45979832121605905272015-07-27T12:42:00.000-04:002015-09-04T07:49:47.140-04:00Street Dogs in the Night<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At one in the morning,
without warning, all hell broke loose; the neighbor’s dogs barking sounded
scared. The Sato Hill Gang awoke from a snooze on the porch, galloped down the
drive to investigate. The two terriers from up the hill joined the uproar with
their fiercest, we’ll rip your ankle off bark and growl combos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before I could get out of
bed, dogs were circling my house. The
yip of one in pain sounded close; it was here, by my house. Was someone kicking
a dog? Puerto Rico is a poor island, so once in a while men walk the roads at
night in search of opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The pained yips came from my
carport. Good heavens, my car, I looked around for a weapon; not seeing one in my
currently stressed out state, I prayed turning the lights on would frighten
away any mal-traitor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Barking continued in all out
panic at my neighbor’s, but only Blondie barked on my porch. My boys weren’t barking.
Lucky and Robert Redford, two year old adult males defend the house bravely, so
I calmed somewhat and opened the front door. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WX7d1y2WLAsSZ72V0wILel7DtNA1n9paXefKtG2m5mXXYeaZ6dT9NwEcIK9MJtfbNLkvAwsEUpvSN221htS569XaJbWu-s0717W1vJ1BLNIW7WlIqdeah1DU2WRHkDVIkImGIMc7WD8/s1600/dominic+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WX7d1y2WLAsSZ72V0wILel7DtNA1n9paXefKtG2m5mXXYeaZ6dT9NwEcIK9MJtfbNLkvAwsEUpvSN221htS569XaJbWu-s0717W1vJ1BLNIW7WlIqdeah1DU2WRHkDVIkImGIMc7WD8/s320/dominic+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dominic, the baby border collie
jumped on my leg wanting re-assurance or, better yet, to go in the house.
Robert Redford sat near the open door; Lucky followed him into a sit. I opened
the door; they quickly filed in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Blondie barks from the
carport sounded halfhearted, but clearly, she had something cornered under my
car. I knew it had to be a female dog, a bitch. If it were a rat, I’d have to
pry <i>all</i> the dogs away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Not wanting my face too near
whatever hid, I walked to the bottom of the ramp. From there I could see the
outline of a fat, short coated, brown dog with little prick ears crouched by a
front tire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Blondie stood between the
car and the kitchen door, her now occasional barks were followed by a whine, which
told me she was losing motivation. Goody, I called Blondie in the house. She’s
not a girl to give up her power; she looked long over her shoulder toward the
car before heading through the open door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Alone under the stars, I
waited for chubby brown dog to stir. The light by the kitchen door allowed me to
see her every move; the sweet face followed me, but she wouldn’t come out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lit by the Milky Way, my
valley is a tropical paradise, so I walked around the yard, stared at the lake
before peering in at the huddled creature under my car. Would she be here by
morning? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The dogs already in their
sleeping spots, only lifted heads, when I came in to go to bed. The neighbor’s
dogs continued to bar another half hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-69466014714013904212015-07-11T20:42:00.000-04:002015-07-15T15:55:19.848-04:00Different Life Styles With Dogs<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hi Terry, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Blue Cross
in India running S/N & vax programs; is this the same as Blue Cross/ Blue
Shield? I want to get more info on any possible funding source. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Anne,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I love your
description of the dogs co-existing rather than belonging to humans. The energy
dynamic is different. When I first arrived in Puerto Rico, the independence of
dogs living outside the gates amazed me. I had never seen dogs self-determine
their lives before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I have noticed
that the dogs in the more agrarian areas are healthier than the beach dogs of
more densely populated parts of PR. To me, lean, injured and mangy seems to correlate
with overpopulation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Beach dogs with
lepto from eating rats, I’ve seen, but not where I live in the country. My
colony goes ratting most mornings. They prefer fresh meat to kibble. A rat’s
last defense is to urinate in the dog’s mouth before the dog delivers the death
bite. Some inexperienced hunters release the rat early, when they shake their
heads to expel the urine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What you said
about the koori people having little consideration for their dogs reminded me of
the groups of young men 18-20 year olds strolling the roads in Cuba with a
number of male dogs. The dogs were completely
ignored by the boys, but the dogs were hanging with them. It intrigued me
enough that I followed them for some distance. When the boys would stop to
visit with other people, the dogs would go sniff something or lie under a tree.
Why did the dogs stay with the boys, when they paid no attention to them, no
re-inforcement that I could see; I hope to return to solve this mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Colonizing dogs
already at a site means that the dogs are neutered, vaccinated, vet checked,
and monitored during daily care visits. There is no way to confine this many
dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If I picture life on PR a hundred years ago, I
envision the dog situation to be similar; don’t you</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193172653347640457.post-45966544490400523402015-07-08T11:01:00.000-04:002015-07-08T11:01:54.380-04:00What Dog Traits Benefit the Group<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hi,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Puerto Rican island dogs
forage alone, and sometimes in packs. The sound of dogs rushing through the
brush with rats leaping for their lives in front of mostly mixed breed, Satos,
some with serious grimaces, others clearly enjoying the chase with play face, quickens
the pulse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A hound mix, I called Owl,
shared my porch for a time. He hunted lizards the way I shop for chocolate.
(Yeah, yeah!) To quote an old Cab Calloway song, everybody eats when they come
to my house. Kibble is served twice daily. Owl still shopped lizards with
enough zeal that the other satos tried little lizards; a couple tossed their
heads and spit it out, but others picked up the habit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I watched a yearling German
Shepard bitch teach six month old pups, Lucy and Robert Redford, to roll
coconuts down my driveway, so the coconuts would crack open when they hit the
side of my neighbor’s garage; but Blondie taught them to hunt rats, the supreme
delicacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In general, dogs’ behavior
varies with the availability of resources. Hungry dogs are volatile around
food, but well fed colonies can be social as dogs in doggie day care, which I
ran for a dozen years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After years of reading your
thoughts in the dark; why am I posting? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My experiences are written
in my blog, as they happened. I’m writing this to encourage you with the
multiple degrees to come, visit my island before the dog catchers round up the
alphas, the docile, the elders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Could you picture a holiday
hanging on the beach watching a colony of free ranging dogs rummage in the
brush? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You <i>may</i> be interested in advising me as I develop the protocols for
maintaining dog colonies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dog problem: 100,000 to
300,000 free roaming dogs on island size of Connecticut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Current solution: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Round up to euthanize every
free running dog you see until a numerical limit of what the municipality will
pay is hit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Rescuers pic up every dog
they can fit in their bac yard. Some are adopted or shipped to the states. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Colony keepers Program:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> If trap, neuter, and return programs are to
develop public support, a follow up control, support system should be in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As part of the protocols, I
want to identify the dogs that are more valuable to the colony, so they will
escape culls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If people come to observe
these fascinating animals, the government of this broke ass little island will
co-operate in handling the dogs in a more humane way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Watching a bunch of males
(dogs) poking around on a walk is my idea of fun. My travel goals include other
places to watch dogs. Moscow to ride the trains with the dogs tops my bucket
list; I’m guessing I’m not alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Can you envision
behaviorists visiting colony keepers to enjoy dogs behaving old school except for
the hunger and rampant reproduction. Picture January on a tropical island, hmm;
that’s how I got here. Is this a crazy goal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The protocol should identify
traits of benefit to the colony. Any suggestions? Questions? I hope I’ve
explained it adequately. Thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Oh, and Terry I’ve read a
number of studies you’ve supplied links for; thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13633430210745779151noreply@blogger.com0