Dedicated to Sammy - Please be careful

This is not our usual posting.  But there was a terrible accident on Thanksgiving Day. Sammy a beloved pet/friend was electrocuted.  I thought this was worth sharing to warn others of the danger.

 This is taken from http://www.queenanneview.com/2010/11/27/qa-pet-tragically-electrocuted-on-thanksgiving-day/
Queen Anne resident Nancy Bostdorff and her daughter, Lisa McKibbin, have just lost a beloved friend—their dog Sammy. While walking Sammy along Queen Anne Ave N on Thanksgiving Day, he was tragically electrocuted. The unpredictable accident upset his family, and inspired them to help inform residents in the hopes of preventing other animals from being killed in the same way.  Lisa started a blog in memory of Sammy. A beautiful German Shorthair Pointer.  Please visit if you get the chance & support them  in this VERY hard time.


http://sammysbigheart.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/goodbye-sammy/


If you go to Sammy's blog and/or the newspaper you will find other comments about stray voltage. This is something I have not ever really thought about.  Except for when doing wiring or when a tree or storm has brought down power lines. 

Our thoughts & prayers are with them.  Thanking them for sharing the information & for reaching out to others during this terrible time to warn us of the dangers that lurk that we may not even be aware of.

Ernie,Sasha, & Chica's Mom Barb
 

Snow!!

It was a cold and snowy time!! Hi, Sasha here!!  Did we ever have a good time.  Wish it had been deeper but you know the little ones would have gotten lost in it.  Ernie and I would have had to break trails.  So maybe this was better.

We think maybe this was the first snow for the fosters.  Fritz really liked it .  He has such short little legs he acted like a little snow plow & collected snow on his belly hair.

We hear he has a meeting Sunday with some people who are interested in him.

Here I am following Ernie and Chica up the stairs.  Mom says I am doing really good  on the stairs since I have been taking stuff called Gluecoesammy.  Whatever that is...

Not much snow compared to what some pups get, but it had just started.

See how the little ones follow me.  They follow Ernie too.  I think we are the heroes & leaders.

Caya ran back down the steps into the basement.  When none of us went down, she came back up.  She didn't want to miss all the fun maybe.

There's Ernie with Fritz & Caya  checking the fence line.  They didn't find any cats this time.  Cats must have been hiding inside.

 Caya with double coats on.  She still shivered, so didn't stay out too long.

Mario, Frits, Chica, and Lucas playing and running.  Notice how Chica & Lucas got air.....They started racing  & chasing each other.

The guys, Ernie,Luca, and Mario playing.  In this picture they were just talking trash & waiting for one of them to make the first move.

Caya & Mario surveying the area.  Trying to decide what to do next.  Their little feets were getting cold.

This is Chica and me.  She wanted the wanted the yellow ball I had in my mouth but when I wouldn't give it to her, she took off to get into some other mischief.  It tasted like snow but felt like a tennis ball.

More snooping and sniffing.

Handsome Ernie.  He was starting to look like a snowdog.  He was turning white.  The good thing is he really shows up in the snow.

For a little guy, Mario really likes it in the snow.

Ernie again.  What a camera hog. 

Hope all our furiends had a great Thanksgiving!!

Sasha, for Ernie & Chica

OMD!! What were you thinking

He everybuddy, Ernie here.  It seems M can't be trusted.  Here it is Thanksgiving & people are coming to visit.  And cousin Murphy too.  And what does she do???

 Well, I'll tell you.... This is Fritz.  He came on Saturday.  M says there was an urgent need to move some pups.  So she said yes.  Don't know what she was thinking. 

 I have to agree Fritz is cute and fun & easy to be with.  But there is a limit??? maybe..

 We still have Caya. She still loves Sasha.  I have to say she has a cute tongue but Sasha  looks a bit pained with all the kisses and stuff.

 Oh yes,  then she agreed to take Mario.  He is tiny about 5 pounds.

 He is beautiful.  But is afraid a lot.  If in doubt he hides in his crate.  But when M leaves the room he bolts out of it and follows her.  If she turns around he dashes back into it.
He came home with M & D on Saturday too.

 He loves to play & sniff & follow all of us around the yard.  He likes to come out of his crate all by himself. If M reaches into it, he plasters himself at the very back.   So the door is opened and when left alone he comes out easy. It is his safe place. He is already getting more comfortable & actually takes a treat from M & D.

Lucas "You brought how many home?!"  Than makes 7 of us not counting Cousin Murphy...

I gave Mom "the stare".  I couldn't believe my eyes.   Looking on the bright side....It is not boring & there are lots of pups to play with.  

Wonder why M likes her glass of wine at night......

Later

Ernie, for Sasha & Chica too

An Odd Couple

Hi everyone,  It's  the furkids Mom here with a different kind of post.  I received an email from our dog rescue group.  I thought it was very interesting  and worth sharing.  I have to admit to being /or having been  prejudiced against certain breeds.  That was before I smartened up.  But I have always thought that usually it wasn't the dog, it was THE OWNER that made it a "bad dog". Anyhow, here's the story of these 2.  Or you can check out the link  for the whole story. (If I have included it correctly.)

The Oddest Couple in the World

By Diane Herbst
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 10:00 PM ET
A male Chihuahua's tenacity in guarding his beloved pit bull girlfriend helped save their lives. Now, the couple is inseparable.

Sometimes even an abandoned, injured dog with a bad rap ends up doing great things. And so it was with a female pit bull, being guarded by her beloved boyfriend, a Chihuahua.


What the Pennsylvania dog warden did not realize when he rescued the pair on Labor Day, was just what a sweet story these two dogs had to tell.

Once the pit bull got into a crate on the warden's truck, the Chihuahua would not follow. Instead, he put himself between the two, barking and growling at the warden.

"So I sat on the ground ... all the time having a conversation with a Chihuahua that was guarding a Pit Bull!," the warden writes in a story about this odd couple.

"Eventually he let me get close enough so we could have a face to face & heart to heart discussion. I told him that his intentions were very noble and would not go unrewarded for the both of them."

The warden would not follow his usual routine when finding a pit bull — to take the dog to a facility that could euthanize her within 48 hours. "Due to this little guy's tenacity and I do believe true affection for his Pit Bull lady," the warden writes, "I was not going to let that happen." Cute couples, it turns out, melt hearts.

The warden found them safe haven at the no-kill Washington Area Humane Society. He asked the staff, could they please find room in their already overflowing no-kill shelter for just two more dogs?


"We truly didn't have room but we could not let them go," says Alice Wancowicz, assistant manager of the shelter in Eighty Four, PA. "They stayed in the bathroom for two days until we could get a run open."

And so, the staff embraced the pair, naming them Bonnie and Clyde. "We were trying to think of a good duo kind of name," says Wancowicz. "They're kind of like rebels but they're not, they stick together."

Now, it is Bonnie who protects little Clyde. "They are just adorable together," Wancowicz says. "Bonnie just lays there and Clyde jumps all over her. They are totally inseparable." The couple goes on walks together, eat together, sleep together, with Clyde snoozing on top of Bonnie or cuddled within her front arms.

"When Bonnie got spayed, Clyde was beside himself," Wancowicz says. "He wouldn't settle down, was crying, on your lap, off your lap, you could tell he wasn't himself."

So it comes as a surprise that they have not been adopted. "They would fit in anywhere," says Wancowicz. "They don't have issues with adults or kids."

The dog warden writes that we need to change our opinions of pit bulls: "You may find a loving, loyal and dedicated companion to fight for like our Chihuahua friend did. Perhaps this story will give you a second chance to revisit your thoughts and opinions concerning Pit Bulls. They deserve the opportunity to overcome a stereotype that can most certainly lead them to death."

We know that Tonic readers like to take action. If you want to help out Bonnie and Clyde, click here (www.washingtonpashelter.org) to visit the Humane Society's website. Or, you can call them at 724-222-PETS (7387)

Photos courtesy Washington Area Humane Society.

Thanks for visiting.  Thanks to Ernie,Sasha, & Chica for letting me share this.  I thought Diane Herbst wrote a very touching & interesting article.  Maybe it will help others see things with "new eyes"
Barb

Hi blogger friends,  It's my first try at a post.  It took a lot of conversation with Ernie.  But I convinced him. I can be pretty convincing at times.   Actually he needed a bit of vacation.  M tried something new.  She made us 3 Chi's  something she called a "muscle shirt".  This is her second try. The 1st one was a sleeve out of a sweatshirt, I thought it was cool.                           

The video clip is of Caya & Lucas playing outside.  It was cold so they did a lot of running around & were so fast M couldn't keep them in the viewer thing of her camera.

 
After the adventure outside of exploring & running, Lucas & Caya crawled up on M's lap for a nap. They do the curling up together a lot.  I like it there too so somtimes it gets crowded (but we manage - it's like a nest of puppies)

 Another pic of Lucas & Caya playing.  You might wonder why so many pics of them & not so many of the rest of us.   Well..... M was trying to get new pics of them for Petfinder to update their profiles.

 Finally one of Ernie,  Showing the fosters the ropes for sniffing & checking things out, & being dogs.  Actually it looks like Lucas is trying to be the leader.  But they really like hanging around Ernie.

 Not so flattering pics of us 3 Chi's in our blue camo muscle shirts.  They feel good when we go outside cuz it's been cold, gray, & rainy.

Sasha looks a bit fuzzy in this one but just as the pic was taken she caught scent of a treat....  She is getting whiter around the face. I love her & is a great friend!!!
Bye for now...
Chica, Ernie,Sasha
PeeEss:  It's gonna get busier around here soon.  More to come.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 Foggy Day hike at Discovery Park.  Gnarly Old tree & lighthouse.   Fun Day.

Who is that guy??!

Hi, it's me Sasha.  Ernie is out guarding the back fence against the cats.  He has taken on
that job.   Some of the cats look bigger than our lil Chica & her Chi friends.  Yesterday this big truck came to our home & stayed for what seemed like a long time.  We all had to stay in the bedroom because they kept coming in & going out.  Not much fun I'll tell you.


 

Another view.  Rumor we heard is they are coming  back again today to do more work.  Heard M say she might need to unretire & get a job.  We can't let her do that.  She needs to be here with all of us.

 M made me stick in a picture showing the leaves. She just finished raking.  Maybe one more time & she'll have it under control.

 Here I am playing with Chica & Caya.  They are trying to pull me.  HeeHee.  Never happen.  I am big & very strong.  I let them have the rope sometimes just so they won't feel too bad.  Check out Caya, sticking her foot in my mouth.  That's not gonna work.  She is also one big kisser.  She is always kissing me, cleaning my eyes, teeth, inside my mouth, always trying to snuggle. Think she likes me.  But I'll tell you sometimes I have to "growl"  cuz it gets old.  Doesn't work too well most times, she goes away & comes back again.  She's not afraid of me I guess.

 This is Lucas.  He is very sweet & loves to play & loves M.  M says he is very submissive & is afraid of men.  We are all working on that.  We even heard he is a submissive peeeer.  Any ideas how to cure that????

The plumber is here AGAIN.  Guess we'll be in seclusion while he is here so we don't get in his way or out the front door when he goes in & out.  We'd probably just be wanting to be near him & give him kisses.  Anyhow, thanks to Ernie for the chance to post.  Enjoy the day.  We have sun again.  Cold but sunny.

Tanner's home, Lucas is here

Hi furiends Ernie here.  It's been a busy week.  Lots happening.  Tanner went to his forever home with some really nice people.  The same day Lucas came.  Caya is still here.  For awhile there were 6 pups here.  I have to admit, some of the fosters have been & are fun to run & play with. This is me & Lucas.  We are a blur cuz we run so fast......

We have a nice lady who lives next to our back fence.  We have her trained to give us treats.  She only gives them to us when we don't bark.  We are going to have to work on that so she will give us treats anytime. We are lined up waiting cuz she went in to get us treats,  so we had to stay near the fence & be quiet till she got back.  We got some good ones.  She likes us. 

Caya, Sasha, & Lucas posing for Mom.  You can see Sasha isn't really interested in anything but sniffs.  This picture was added to Caya's & Lucas's profiles on Petfinder.

We didn't quite all get into the pic.  Only Sasha's feet, but the rest of us are playing bitey face.  All in good fun of course.  Sasha has cute feet don't you think???

Chica & Lucas.  They are almost twins.  Chica has the most white markings. 

T

They are still at it.  Chica is doing her impression of a turtle on its back. Lucas has a fuzzy head in this pic.  We are just too fast sometimes for M & her camera.  

Another adoption event tomorrow.  Maybe someone will be interested in Caya & Lucas.  If not tomorrow, then some day.  We have all been having fun together & the sun has been shining.  That has been a good thing.  We like that.  Have a fun weekend!!
Tailwags
Ernie,Sasha,Chica