Monday, August 31, 2009

Samantha & Mr Tigger Need Help

Update, Tuesday: Good news! Enough money was raised to keep Samantha and Mr. Tigger boarded till they move into their new apartment. What a relief! You can read about it on their blog.

In case you missed their post or the news on the Cat Blogosphere, Samantha & Mr. Tigger, who are long time cat bloggers, just moved from Florida to Texas and, since things often go wrong, their boarding funds have run out and they need a place to live until their apartment is ready to move into in 1 1/2 weeks.

Their mom was trying to find someone in the Austin area who could take them in for that time period. But they really do need a temporary place to live, so Mom Robyn of House of the Mostly Black Cats, with permission, has added a paypal button to their post to try to continue their boarding. If you can possibly donate a dollar or two to the fund, it would really help. Their mom is staying with her son who is very allergic to the cats.

Things don't always work out the way we plan them and sometimes in life humans just need a helping hand to get through an emergency. And the idea of those two kitties not having a place to stay .... We don't even want to think about that. Their family does NOT want to have to take them to the shelter. Please help, if you can.

Lakemore Cats Update 2

Hey, Eric is still in desperate need of help to rescue the last 21 of the Lakemore cats, as well as to foster, socialize and/or help with adoptions. Can you help Eric keep these cats moving from the house -- ASAP! -- to the vet's for spay/neuter, to Eric's garage for recuperation, and to a safe environment for socialization and preparation for adoption? If you are anywhere within driving distance of Akron, Ohio and can help, please contact Eric. Think about what an undertaking this has been for him and what he has been sacrificing -- time, sleep, personal life, etc -- to rescue and fundraise for these cats.

This is his update for week 7:

I still need help to finish this rescue. I need groups to hold socialize and adopt cats now.

Found out last night when I called the ----- brothers, the house was scheduled for sheriff sale and paperwork filed by the Bank on August 24th, A ten day notice was filed and sent out. They got the notice Saturday in the mail. The auction will be this next month Sept. {date unclear} . I called my Attorney this morning at 7AM. She said he may want to file bankruptcy. This would hold off the bank for at least 30 days or longer. I will see both brothers today and know more.

The bank would not give me any information when I called last week as I am not the owner. The house will be auctioned "as is." I can't believe they will do nothing with the mess inside. Now I am going to get ten more cats today out of the house and sterilized tomorrow and Wednesday. The crunch is on now. I am still unclear about the time line from the bank.

There are 21 Cats left at Lakemore house. Not bad from 98 in 7 weeks. I have been worried this day would come, but I will get ready and somehow will get the 21 remaining cats out , spayed/neutered, vetted and in my garage or somewhere safe.

Eric

Contact Eric at 330-864-2879 or email him at Ages @ neo.rr.com (delete the spaces in the address before you send it).

Water Dogs & Cutest Dog

Love him or hate him, Senator Edward Kennedy evidently liked his dogs. He didn't train them well but his 3 Portuguese water dogs went to the office with him -- even on occasion to the Oval Office. Kennedy's Dogs Will Be Missed On Hill. That must have been an interesting office to work in. If you were a dog lover.

In Water, Computer & Merci, we posted a comment we left on the Cutest Dog Contest post. It was the 3rd comment we left on their blog. And guess what? They deleted that one too.

Wonder what part of the comments they didn't like. Perhaps the part that stated our friends were often unable to vote, for one idiotic reason or another. No, we didn't use the word idiotic in our comment, but this is our journal so we can say that. Or in the last one, perhaps they objected to our mentioning they deleted our first two comments. Well, we get to mention that here too. It's really nice to have our own journal where we can meow and bark to our heart's content and post our comments to the CDC without them being deleted.

If you're still game to vote for Merci --
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250


JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Dutch van Kirk

We spent the day locked inside the house alone. Jan went to a luncheon and then to a public presentation. We think we got gypped. She didn't even bring us any crumbs.

The luncheon was in honor of this man, as well as local World War II veterans:

You probably don't recognize him but he is one who has a special place in American history. Now age 88, Theodore "Dutch" van Kirk was the navigator of the Enola Gay -- the stripped-down B-29 bomber -- that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Mary Ann Ferebee, widow of Tom Ferebee the bombardier on the Enola Gay, also attended.

Van Kirk was in town to sell/sign copies of his book. His visit was hosted by the Historical Society, VFW, American Legion, etc. And the city took advantage of the opportunity to recognize their own WWII vets.

Jan was invited to the luncheon to take photos for the local VFW post. The community was invited to attend the free presentation afterward. It was quite an interesting day -- for Jan. Again, we were locked in the house without a computer, a camera, treats, or a working TV.

Jan wants to say that if any of you have the opportunity to hear van Kirk speak in your area, it would be well worth your time to attend. It's extremely interesting to hear a WW II veteran speak of a generation that is rapidly dying off and a war that is "ancient" news to the youth of today. It's American history.

But, as Jan left us home alone while she went off and had fun today, we aren't going to let her tell you any of that in our journal.

Percy: What, Buddy? Speak up. I can't hear you.

Buddy: Pssst. You already told them what Jan wanted to say.

Percy: Blast it, Buddy, you're right. I'll just have to delete .... Oops, hit the wrong key. It's published.

JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

PS -- A new weekly Cutest Dog Competition starts Sunday. Merci says she doesn't know whether she wants to continue, since it is such a hassle much of the time for voters. We decided to see what idiocy they come up with this week before making a decision. Should you want to vote anyway, her direct link is http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250 Thanks to all of you who persevered even when we were offline and not reminding you.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Raffles & Merci

Pet bloggers are a great group, always helping each other whenever they can. Sometimes the idea of a raffle arises as a means to provide help, but there are always unanswered questions. At least with us there are because we're curious.

So tonight we googled to try to find out whether raffles are legal. Evidently they are in some states and under certain conditions, but ..... There's a big but. Raffles are considered a type of gambling. And this short explanation seems to cover it the best.

"In the states where raffles are legal, the proceeds must benefit a registered charitable organization or school. The raffle cannot be a for-profit money making venture for a business or individual."

Are raffles legal in the United States? Read more about it on rafflefaq.com.

We're being kicked off the computer tomorrow, so we might not get to post.

We haven't posted Merci's link to the Cutest Dog Contest this week but a new week begins Sunday a.m. http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Lulu & Lolly Declare Merci A Winner

We love Lulu & Lolly's website and blog. And our Maltese friends have outdone themselves this time. Jan nearly fell out of her chair laughing when she read their story on Merci and the Cutest Dog Contest.

It's been one of those weeks. The computer was down for 5 days. Yesterday we didn't have water for about 24 hours. (Those water department guys kept their word and didn't leave until they got the area's water restored at 11 PM last night.)

And today was stressful because after many months Jan finally had an unused copy of Photo Shop Elements 6. (Our processor is too slow to load PSE7.) She watched it install. She spent half an hour trying unsuccessfully to get it past our firewall to register it. And then she opened the program. Looked at it for a couple of minutes. And closed it. She has no idea what it is or what to do with it yet.

So, Lulu & Lolly's timing was a perfect stress-buster. They have written a hilarious account of trying to vote for Merci, weaving in various posted comments and correspondence. Girls, we can't thank you enough for declaring Merci the cutest dog!

Our post for today is to send you over to Lulu & Lolly's to read their Wednesday post, Maltese Dogs LuLu and LoLLy Declare Merci "Winner".

We think you'll enjoy it. And if you left a comment on one of Merci's voting posts, you just might have a speaking part in the story.

As for us, now that we can, we're going to go have a long cool drink of fresh water.


Update to Cutest Dog Contest. There is a post on their blog about cheating will not be tolerated and they change the rules to make this "FUN." Is anyone who has tried to vote been having fun?

We just posted this comment, which will undoubtedly be deleted as were our other two.
I see some of my own complaints here. Such as deleting comments from your blog and not answering them.
Changing the rules to make folks have to register to vote. Wouldn't be too bad except you then redirect everyone AWAY from the dog they came to vote for. There is nothing fair about that.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Water, Computer & Merci

This is what our area looks like today. Yeah, hope you're wearing your waders. It's wet. Lots of water outside running down the streets but no water inside since sometime last night. Oh, a dribble this morning. It even dripped several inches into the washing machine for some reason. But now -- nothing in the pipes but air.

Another city water main broke, this one practically on our doorstep.


And this is what it looks like now. We sent Jan over to take some photos while it was quiet and a guy told her they will have the leak fixed before they leave tonight.

Guess this means the city finally shut off the water to the leak instead of just to the houses. Anyway, the shutter stuck halfway open on the camera again and she had to go back to retake the shots. This time a crew was working so the photos are more interesting.

Jan's being a ham. She's wandering around the house singing about cool, clear water. Wait a minute. Hot day, no water, just what's in our bowls. Excuse us, we all need a drink.

As to our computer blackout, we still don't know what caused it to shut down and try to reboot, but Monday evening Jan checked to be sure all the gadgets were properly plugged into the tower. They were. However....

Buddy: Don't you dare try to blame me for what happened. I was NOT crawling under the back of the desk when the machine went bananas!

Cyndi: We know that Buddy, but you might have loosened the cord during the number of times you DID crawl under the back of the desk to sleep at Jan's feet.

Well, however it happened, the cord that connects the USB Hub to the computer fell out of the hub, and the external hard drive with all our photos was connected to it. It took Jan's brother going into places we aren't even allowed to know exist to get the computer to boot and Windows to load. But it's running a bit hot, so we're not sure if a fan went out or the computer is having hot flashes or high blood pressure. There is an ac unit behind it and Jan has put a fan in front of it, so we hope it will keep going at least a couple more months. Cross your paws, please.

And today Jan sent a message to both of the co-sponsors of the Cutest Dog Competition since the CDC has not responded to any of her questions and has deleted her comments off their blog. There was one auto reply from dog.com saying they answer within a day or two, so they have not had time to respond, but we would like to post the message here as it was sent.

I entered my dog Merci in the 2nd week of the Cutest Dog Competition which you're co-sponsoring and am thorougly frustrated. Not just the things I'm reading elsewhere about the integrity of the contest, but the problems I have been experiencing myself. I am short on time so I am going to refer you to my blog www.jansfunnyfarm.com where I was putting Merci's link in every day until my computer went out last Friday. The last two posts there have been on the contest and they have not been positive.
When I tried to vote Sunday from a neighbor's computer because mine still would not start, I spent an hour getting Out of Service messages and when I finally reached Merci's voting page, I was told to "register your email and get a password to vote." Well, I registered when I entered Merci and didn't have the password with me or even know if that is the one that was wanted. Then I found everyone else was having to re-register and some still couldn't vote after that.
And when I went back this morning, I was told to register again. I didn't even bother to vote for my own dog. I had no idea voters were having to register to vote. I assumed we just had to register to enter a dog. What does an email address have to do with an IP address? Is it the one with the most email addresses or the one with the most IP addresses or the one with both that will win this? Whichever, this contest does appear to give an unfair advantage to those who can and would cheat.
I have left 2 comments on separate CDC blog posts and both have been deleted, asking how the few can get thousands of votes while (I can't speak for others) me and my friends are constantly thwarted in our efforts to even get through. One of the comments deleted from the CDC blog is posted on jansfunnyfarm.com. I've been working to network more votes each week on my blog, on Twitter and through emails. Many of Merci's voters never get through because of of some problem. If this is happening to us, it is happening to others. And that makes for a very poorly run and monitored "competition."
On top of that, I learned this morning that not only can IP addresses be faked, but "with blind or blinding firewalls that blab out random IPs the programs can blast a voting thing like this, overwhelming it." So, if this is true, how is the CDC monitoring votes to be sure someone isn't cheating?
I would be interested in your view on these problems. I will continue to post and to tweet on what is happening to me and my friends who tried to vote for Merci and to seek answers as to what is going on. It would be nice to win but I would not want to win by cheating and I do not want to continue to ask my friends and blog readers to waste their time attempting to vote for Merci until this is cleared up.

Sincerely,
Jan's Funny Farm Poop & Scoop Janitorial Staff (No, Jan didn't really sign it this way, but the title helps keep her humble.)

So that's where we stand right now. We've had comments and emails from a number of you stating you had problems voting for Merci. We're sorry for the inconvenience we caused you. Had we imagined it would ever be like this, we would never have entered Merci. She is a winner in our book!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

We Think We're Back

Just a quick note to let you know Jan's brother came by this evening and we're back online. No telling whether we will still be tomorrow. :)

We have a lot of catching up to do, but we'll try to post again soon.

We are so exasperated with the cutest dog contest. The comment we posted to their blog on Sunday we copied and posted to JFF also. Our comment on the CDC blog was deleted and for the second time our comment was removed and not responded to. We would still like to know why we and our friends are so frequently blocked from voting with Out of Service or some other problem. And now we're not even able to vote because they haven't answered our question about why we're supposed to sign up again and if we're supposed to use the ID and PW we entered Merci with or has this become a contest of who has the most email accounts instead of one vote per IP address.

We hope you have a good Wednesday and we hope to be back by at least Thursday.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Cutest Dog Contest

We only have a moment and we're kind of upset with the Cutest Dog Contest. It is not well-run and many are questioning if it is actually a scam. We are wondering the same thing.

Since our computer is down and possibly dead, we sent Jan to a neighbor's to vote for us but she has been unable to get through for the last hour or more. She finally got through and ... Read it for yourself. She's kind of steamed because she can't even vote and even if they answer her, she won't be able to read the response for at least several days and she doesn't have access to her original password because.... surprise, our computer is down.

JFF put on CDC blog Sun, Aug 23, 2009. A comment we made last week was deleted from this same post.

Oh, great, the voting site is constantly Out of Service and yet the few are able to get through to rack up thousands of votes. I left a comment the other day here and it was deleted. What is going on? My computer is down since Fri PM and I finally get to vote and Out of Service, OoS, OoS, OoS. Now I get "register your email and get a password to vote." Are we supposed to use the email and pw we used to enter our dogs? Is this now going to become a contest of who has the most email accounts?


http://cutestdogcompetition.com/blog/index.php/2009/08/20/hardware-failure-extends-contest-an-extra-day/#comments

And because we have no idea what is going on with this new development, we're not asking any to vote this week.

Thanks for all who have been voting regularly -- or at least trying to. Perhaps by next week we'll know what is going on and have internet access again.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Jan, Merci, Litter & Flu

First, we need to tell you our computer is down and nothing can be done before Monday, so please, please, please VOTE MERCI EVERY DAY!!!

We have another hodgepodge for you today. Don't you just love the way our minds jump from here to there and off the cliff?

Cotton: We like to tell on Jan when she does something wrong. Today Merci has some good news to share with all of us -- Jan did something right.

Merci: Yes, Cotton, a couple of days ago, when we woofies were walking Jan, she stopped and turned around to look at something. My new collar popped open so I trotted around Jan and waited to see what she would do. I am very pleased to tell you that Jan did not take advantage of this rare opportunity and try to run away. She could have, of course, with only the big guys Buddy and Sam to hold her back.

Cameron: Maybe we should do something nice to reward her. How about some fresh catnip or some furry mice for Jan? **** sees Buddy glaring at him **** And maybe some woofie chews. Any of you guys have any green papers or do we need to ste ... uh, borrow them from Jan's purse again?

Buddy: We moved the CDC voting post. We were going to leave it there until the contest ends, but it is in the way of our regular posts, it freaked out one reader who thought the calendar had lost ten days (they were kidding), and we're posting a link every day, so it isn't necessary. Unless, of course, we forget to remind you and post the link.

So here it is for today. A direct link to Merci's voting page in the Cutest Dog Contest: http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Or click on Merci's photo --

A reminder for cat litter savings: A few months ago we JFF cats tested and reviewed World's Best Cat Litter. The company opened a new website and to kick it off, they are offering a $4.00 savings off your next purchase of World’s Best Cat Litter™. The website officially went live the 19th, thus the offer started August 19 and ends August 29. To view the new site and details about the saving, click here.

When we tried the litter, some of us loved it and a couple of us feline die-hards as usual refused to try something new. Jan loved it because it's a natural clumping litter and doesn't coat everything in the house with dust or cause her to have breathing problems. And if Merci wins the Cutest Dog Competition, Merci is going to treat Jan to all the WBCL she can use. Uh, we mean all the WBCL us kitties can use.

We read an interesting article from a vet on canine influenza:

"Forget about H1N1 for the moment. Let’s talk H3N8.

"Now that more states have experienced this nasty strain of the Canine Influenza Virus (there was an outbreak in Virginia last week and now New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado are seeing it) the so-called “dog flu” is again in the news media." You can read the rest here.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Lakemore Cats Update

Before we get to the Lakemore cats, don't forget to vote for Merci today. There have been some problems with the voting site, as many of you are already aware. Several bloggers and the Cat Blogosphere have added her photo and voting page to the sidebar, which we appreciate very much. @happysquid has been retweeting our Vote Merci messages on Twitter. And we've been meeting some new friends through this.

Part of message from Cutest Dog Competition: On Wednesday at 3pm PST, hardware failure brought the server and the Cutest Dog Competition down until 5am PST. Due to this we are extending the contest an extra day. This means you have until Sunday at 12:00 am PST (Saturday night at midnight) to get as many votes as you can. This is true for all 9 remaining weeks. They will run from Sunday morning until Saturday night.

Did you understand all that? We didn't either -- not quite. But this is her direct link:
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And vote for Miss Peach (she is # 113 and #131) in the rubber stamp contest -
http://www.rubberhedgehog.com/PetContestPhotos2009Entries6.htm Look for the blue and white box down the page to vote.

The participants in this week's As the Paw Turns are listed on Zoolatry, who made the lovely graphics. We hope you are following it and letting the actors know you appreciate their efforts. And don't miss Khyra & Zoolatry's Maggy riding the motorcycle.

And now that we have the 'fluff stuff" out of the way, we want to update you on Eric and the Lakemore cats. The easiest way to do this is to just to let Eric tell it.

**I have been swamped with work here. 15 to 40 new emails come in each day. I am trying to go back through over 900 email I have saved about the Lakemore Cats in four weeks, plus many calls. I am going as fast as I can with little help. I own 14 special needs cats myself that need care on top of the 98 Lakemore cats I took on the rescue of. They require an insane amount of time and work.


#23 Tiger white female

*Cleaning cages at my home garage, feeding, cat laundry -- and most important, socializing frightened cats -- posting, blogs, web site, calls, photos, vetting transport, recovery time for surgeries -- this all takes hours.


#24 Tiger white female

*Driving each day to Lakemore house, feeding, cleaning & disinfecting, trapping new cats for surgery, etc. The water has been shut off at the Lakemore house, so now I have to take water in 5 gallon containers over too. We have the electric on their in our name for two weeks now.


#25 Siamese lynx with blue eyes.

*I also am starting a new gallery/shop here in Akron Ohio for my tribal arts business with remodeling a century house and painting, moving inventory and trying to open in 30 days. I have to deal with contractors each day also.


#29 Tiger white female

*44 still need homes out of 98 cats. 54 Lakemore cats are safe or in new homes within four weeks -- 30 still need to be vetted & spayed/neutered and those are still in the Lakemore house. I can't make room for more in my garage until the 14 here are gone to homes or rescue groups . That is my bottleneck. No rescue groups have taken any this week!

*ALL THIS IS OVERWHELMING!

Many of you reading this will be unable to help, but perhaps you know of someone or some group in the Akron area -- or within driving distance of the Akron area -- you can contact that might be able to foster and socialize one or more of these cats. It is critical that all of those cats be moved out of that house because it is in foreclosure.

One thing that does need to be mentioned. Whenever there are free animals, the hoarders and dingbats show up wanting one or more, so one of the tasks Eric has but didn't mention is checking potential adopters.

Contact Eric at 330-864-2879 or email him at Ages @ neo.rr.com (delete the spaces in the address before you send it).

Some of Eric's needs for the cats are listed in our previous post on the Lakemore cats.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Fun, Law & Boogy

Notice anything new in this photo?

Take a good look.

Okay, how about if we give you a hint?

No, we're the same 3 dogs. It's the carpet that's different.

After Jan spent 3 horrible days with that splinter under her fingernail ("Dr. Buddy On Call"), she bought an area rug so we won't get splinters too. But 2 weeks later it had a number of pulled threads on top. So Jan checked the underside and the rubberized backing was coming off in places. So she moved furniture, wrestled the 8' x 10' rug back into the plastic zipper bag and hauled it back to Wal-mart. She told the clerk it was coming apart top and bottom but all the clerk said was, "Sign here." She didn't make up a defective slip, so Jan fears that rug ended back on the shelf to be re-sold. Whatever you do, don't buy it!

She went to Home Depot and couldn't find anything we could use -- well, anything she could afford -- until she found some indoor/outdoor 5' x 7' area rugs in the back. She bought two and thinks they will last much longer than the other rug did. We hope so too. After all, carpet should last longer than 2 weeks, right?

And all this furniture moving is too much exercise for us to watch again. Boy, are we glad we didn't have to lay those carpets out. Jan muttered and sweated, and we snoopervised -- for 2 days -- until she got those carpets lined up to our satisfaction.

We hope you will take a moment now to go vote for Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition. Trying to vote is turning into an endurance test. We left a comment on the CDC's blog yesterday asking why it's so hard to get through and a few hours later we noticed our comment was missing.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And vote for Miss Peach (she is # 113 and #131) in the rubber stamp contest -
http://www.rubberhedgehog.com/PetContestPhotos2009Entries6.htm

Katie n da Kats found information on a MA state bill to stop devocalization of dogs and cats. Cats? We haven't heard about this being done to cats, but any human that would do this to a dog is capable of doing it to any animal. Please read this. And if you live in Massachusetts, please contact your state legislatures to help get this bill passed. This is a horribly cruel and dangerous practice. You can read about some of the reasons people devocalize, including for illegal activities.. Our suggested solution would be to make the abusive owners have the procedure done on themselves first. They would quickly change their minds about doing it to their pets. We have posted on this subject before and we will again. Every state needs legislation to stop this.

This is another great video link from Mark. This will really get your paws tapping and your tail swishing. (Good exercise.)



If the video won't play, click here.

And if you enjoyed the music, visit TommyJohnsonMusic.com.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Litter, Ponies & Unicycles

We hope you will take a moment now to go vote for Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition. On Tuesday we had a terrible time getting through for quite some time. We got a number of "debug" messages and even one that said Merci doesn't exist -- and the site is slow loading, but we hope you will persevere. We met two of the contestants, Harley the Rescue and Muffy on Twitter. Of course we hope Merci wins but we wish the other contestants well in the competition.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

PS -- We are still getting Out of Service much of the time. How can one dog already have over 2000 votes when so many can't even get through to vote? Having problem w/Cutest Dog Contest voting? Leave polite comment on their blog. We did. http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/blog/ Seems the easiest way to reach someone.

And did we mention we're getting as memory-deficient as Jan? We wrote this up for today and accidentally, belatedly sandwiched it in yesterday's. We took it out of Tuesday's, but we don't want any anipals to think you're losing your minds. It has moved. And here it is in the correct post --

Jan is kind of snowed under trying to do what she doesn't know how to do without the tools she needs to do them if she did know how, so *** stop, deep breath **** so if we don't get around to your blog or we do get around but we don't leave a comment, please don't think we're ignoring you. It's all Jan's fault.

A few months ago we JFF cats tested and reviewed World's Best Cat Litter. The company is opening a new website and to kick it off, they are offering a $4.00 savings off your next purchase of World’s Best Cat Litter™. The website officially goes live today, thus the offer begins today August 19 and ends August 29. To view the new site and details about the saving, click here.

We really enjoyed this video and we think you will too. We don't speak the language so we don't actually know what it is. We just know it involves ponies and unicyclists. It's synchronized and fun to watch. So enjoy



If the video doesn't play, you can find it here.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Pee Puppy, Votes & Vick

We could not believe our eyes when we saw this upside down pee artist. This little guy's bladder holds more than our Sam's!



If this video doesn't play for you, click here.

We hope you will visit the next sites in a new tab or window so you don't forget to come back. :)

Vote for Merci for Cutest Dog Contest. She needs your daily vote. We thought she lost last week by a few hundred votes, but it turns out it was more like several thousand votes. Some of these dogs evidently have a fan club. Click on this direct link to her voting page.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And don't forget to
vote for our friend Miss Peach in the rubber stamp contest. She is #113 and also #131.

Coats for Cubs: Donate Your Old Furs to Wildlife. We were not aware of this part of HSUS until Evelyn sent us a link. It sure would be a wonderful thing for anyone to do who has inherited a fur coat. We say "inherited" because we know furry lovers would not purchase a fur coat of their own. http://www.hsus.org/furfree/campaigns/c4c/index.html

Michael Vick opinions abound. We recommend one written by veterinarian Dolittler, "To Vick After 60 Minutes."

And if you missed our story on the Lakewood cats, click here. Perhaps you can help.




Monday, August 17, 2009

The Lakemore Cats

This story came up just before midnight after a grueling day, but we stayed up to pull it together and post. After collapsing at 4 a.m., we are kind of "brain dead" but Eric's need has become critical, so we will attempt to update. We're not going to rewrite the original post. If you have already read this story, you might want to scroll down to read it again. You just might know someone to forward a link to this story or someone who can help in some way.

Eric writes, "The Bank is now active about the foreclosure and I may NOT be able to save the remaining cats without your help. I have 14 special needs Cats of my own for years now, {three FIV} I have NO room at my house for more. My single garage is full of Lakemore cats being Socialized. THE 36 REMAINING CATS AT LAKEMORE ARE IN DANGER OF BEING EUTHANIZED BY AKRON ANIMAL CONTROL. HELP ME PLEASE, Don’t let the 36 cats be put down in Akron Ohio.

911 ****** Desperately ***** needed are RESCUE GROUPS from anywhere to take CATS - - even ONE or TWO -- to socialize the cats, post, adopt out to good homes. Cats will come FREE, already spayed/neutered, FIV/FeLeuk tested, wormed, and flea free.

Time and resources are running out!

And now back to our original post which explains who and what the Lakemore Cats are.




This is one of those animal rescue stories that moved us to cancel our scheduled post at the very last minute. In Lakemore, Ohio, a resident moved out leaving behind 98 cats in a foreclosed house. The owner's brother was feeding them, but banks are not disposed to look kindly on 98 cats squatting on their property. So up stepped Eric Schickendantz of Katmandu Rescue in Akron.



The gist is that Eric cleaned and disinfected the house and assumed responsibility for finding shelter for each of those cats. The latest news (as of five minutes ago) is, "No one else would help. Our shelters are full. I never thought I would have to do this alone, but the bank would have called animal control and put them down long ago if I had not gotten all the press. I have found safety or homes for 50+ so far. I still have 33 in the house and 9 here with me in my garage.

"We kept finding more & more in air vents, backs of furniture etc. As I have 14 special needs & FIV cats, I can not take more here. I use my one car garage to socialize & care for them after surgery and vetting. A HUGE bottle neck. I need to have places for the remaining 36 at the house soon. I can get them all vetted with funds I have raised -- $3600 within two weeks. But I need groups to take some cats for socialization and adoption.



Right now, there is an IMMEDIATE need for the following:

Monetary donations to One of a Kind Pet Spay/Neuter Clinic 1700 W. Exchange St. Akron, OH (330) 865-6890 in order to spay/neuter 36 remaining cats. Indicate that the donation is for Eric's Lakemore Cat Rescue Fund.

Desperately needed are foster homes to socialize the cats, so good homes can be found later. Cats will come to the foster home already spayed/neutered, FIV/FeLeuk tested, wormed, and flea free. The cats are healthy.

There may be a need for a garage or outbuilding near Akron to house the cats until they can be adopted since the cats will not be able to stay in the foreclosed house for an indefinite time.

Technical help to upload pictures of cats ready for adoption on a website.

Volunteers to screen potential new homes.

Volunteers to find homes by showing cats at Petsmart and Petco in the surrounding Akron area.

Time and resources are running out. All other avenues have been exhausted. To make matters worse, one of the major rescue group in Akron surrendered around 110 animals in late July because of animal neglect charges. These two situations have overstressed the humane community in Akron.



You can read more by visiting Eric's Animal Rescue page. It has a link to one news story. Dozens more can be found by googling Eric's name.

If you live anywhere in the Lakemore, Ohio area and can possibly volunteer to help in some way, contact Eric Schickendantz at 330-864-2879 or Ages @ neo.rr.com (delete the spaces in the address).

Eric told me to google his name and I would find any number of stories on the cats. This has really had publicity but, still, interest died down after the first couple of weeks. As I scrolled down at one of the sites, there was a picture of 3 barrels full of dead cats and the question, What did you think happened to your pets when you drop them off at the shelter? Might not be the exact wording, but this is why so many people invest their time and money -- to try to keep some of these cats, dogs, horses, etc. out of the trash.

Oh, and by the way, although we are against enforced spay/neuter laws, this is another example of why voluntary spay/neuter is so important. The original two or three cats now equal 98 cats. And some were newborns.

PS -- Don't forget to vote for Merci today! Her direct link is:
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Rescue Ink

Our friend Mark sent us a link to a trailer for a show called Rescue Ink. We saw a video of these guys before but now they're going national. We'd love to see it but not only don't we have cable but we haven't had television since the switch to digital on June 12th.

In case you haven't met them before, they are a tough-looking in-your-face group of 8 guys who stand up to abusive and/or neglectful pet owners.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Don't forget to vote for Merci by clicking on her photo at the top of the sidebar or on this direct link.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And while your voting finger is all warmed up, would you click here to vote for Miss Peach's face to appear on a rubber stamp. She is #113 and also #131. (We're kind of partial to #131. You can see her pretty face.) Whether or not she wins doesn't depend on your vote. The ones holding the contest will make a decision. But voting for her is a good way to let her know you love her. She's held a number of auctions to help other bloggers. If you don't know Miss Peach, go meet her at her cozy cottage.

Also, Daisy the curly cat's brother Harley is entered in the Cutest Cat Competition. We know many of you are on Facebook, so you would be eligible to vote. Just go to Daisy & Harley's blog and click on Harley's photo at the top of the sidebar.

But before you go anywhere, meet Hugo, the neighbor cat that saved a man's life. It's a really nice story.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Murphy, Mercy & Merci

Some of you will remember Murphy whose previous owner hit him over the head a couple of times with a sledge hammer. Murphy, with a severe skull fracture and hypothermia, was rescued by Robert Kennedy. Today Murphy lives with Kennedy and Charlie, a Golden Retriever.

Joe Waters, the man who tried to kill Murphy, had a pre-trial conference. You can find the link to the Atlanta story on Murphy's Website. If he doesn't accept the offered plea deal, Waters will go to trial.

On another topic (mercy), we recently posted that Banfield, Pet Hospital, stopped the cosmetic and convenience cropping ears and docking tails of dogs -- and devocalization. We applaud them. Unfortunately, although the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has toughened their stand, the American Kennel Club (AKC) is in disagreement. Can we assume no one from the AKC has had his or her ears cropped or tail docked?

The AVMA vs the AKC here.

And we can't forget our little Merci. She needs your daily vote for the Cutest Dog Competition. All the votes will be wiped out and a new contest will begin Saturday. One vote per day per IP address.

We know we didn't even come close to winning this week, but we will try again for next. Just click on her voting link and click "vote cute."

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Our friends Lulu & Lolly wrote about Merci in their Roundup Report. Thanks girls. We're glad you're so confident about Merci's chances.

Riley's little heart stopped while the vet was clearing his chest Friday. Stop by to leave a word for his brother Tiki and family at Riley & Tiki (& sometimes Kesey).

Friday, August 14, 2009

Auntie Deb Loose Screw Day


Auntie Deb really does have loose screws -- in her back, not in her head. (She fell at work.) She had a procedure done this week and she has been leaking spinal fluid. But today we all get to tell our loose screw jokes to, hopefully, make her laugh. She probably needs a few laughs.

We haven't been able to come up with anything original, so this is our only joke.

Why did the man go out and buy a set of tools?
Because everyone kept telling him he had a screw loose.

We did find something the other day that should make Auntie Deb feel good about her doctor. Imagine this guy as the surgeon doing any of her procedures or surgery.

An excerpt from the short story in the London Free Press by Chris Kubinski:

"First, let me say that alcohol played no part whatsoever in my misadventure. Time of the accident was in the neighborhood of 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday. I don't drink before noon. How did it happen?" You can read the full -- and funny -- story here.

http://lfpress.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=228310&s=mmagazine

Auntie Deb, even though we, along with the Cat Blogosphere, are joking about your loose screws, we all hope you will be feeling better soon. And we know you're sad about Charlie cat going to the bridge because you helped ML rescue him while you were visiting her. Visit Auntie Deb at The Taylor CatSSSSS.

And again we're asking for all of you that can to please vote for Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition. She hasn't a chance this week, but if you get in the habit of voting daily, perhaps she can win next week, or the week after. The weekly prize is $500 and we could really use the money. We have pledged $50 (10%) to whatever need we are aware of at the time should we win.

Click on Merci's photo on the sidebar or under the header at the top of this page or on this direct link to her voting page.

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Vote Merci As Cutest Dog

As you are aware, Merci is entered in the Cutest Dog Competition. To be brief, each Sunday for 12 weeks all contestants revert to 0 (zero) points and a new competition begins. You can vote once a day every day for Merci and we hope you will do so. We really do need your daily vote in order to win!

To vote, click on Merci's photo (not the text) in the graphic at the top of the sidebar or just click on her direct link --
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Should we win any week's competition, we will donate 10% ($50) to a blogger in need or a rescue or ..... We won't try to be specific as needs change and emergencies arise, so it will just be a need we are aware of at that particular time.

Runnerup Crystal & Charlie Taylor

Our Crystal will receive one of 5 runner up prize in Boris Kitty's Birthday Contest. (Our original post is here.) Crystal won a hunting mouse. Not a real live squealing mouse but a squeaking one.. Jan would freak out if Boris sent Crystal a real live mouse. And you'd probably see her racing past your window -- no matter how far away you live. But a toy mouse to hunt. If Sam doesn't eat it first.


We want to thank all of you who voted for us in this contest. And it was entering this contest that helped us screw up our courage to enter Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition.

Boris has posted the winners here. The winner is #10 Sam the Cat. Congratulations to Sam, the runners up and to all the entrants. It was a fun contest and there were a lot of neat entries.

Of course, we're going to mention again that Merci needs your vote for the Cutest Dog Competition. We're not even close to having the most votes for this week. We need your vote every day. This week's competition ends Saturday and a new one begins Sunday with all contestants at 0. Since at least one dog has over 900 votes so far, zero sounds depressing.

Please click on the photo of Merci at the top of our sidebar or on Merci's personal voting link.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

There have been a number of losses in the blogosphere again and although we don't always post them, we do visit each grieving blogger we are aware of.


We hope ML doesn't mind us borrowing this graphic, but we are typing this on Wednesday, just after learning that Charlie Taylor has had to be helped to the bridge. He is a good example of yesterday's Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Day. Charlie was an older cat -- 14 years old -- when his owner suddenly went into hospice. ML & Auntie Deb rescued him as soon as they learned he was alone in the home. No one knew he was there, so he got very sick and spent a long time at the vet's. Although he survived, it was discovered he was in renal failure that couldn't be treated because of heart problems. So each day was a gift to his family. And although their time with him was too short, they wouldn't have missed loving Charlie. If you haven't already, please stop by Missy Blue Eye's and leave a purr or two.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Day & Merci

Please don't forget to click on Merci's photo at the top of our sidebar or the link below to vote for Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition. If we don't win a spot in the semi-finals this week, we'll keep trying over the next few weeks, until the contest ends. Last night we had 100+ votes, but we stumbled across one dog with 800+ votes, so if you can help us, we do need your daily vote.

As we type this, the Cutest Dog Competition site is back up after being down much of the day for maintenance, so be sure to vote for us -- if you want to, of course. Bookmark us, put Merci's widget in your sidebar (we'll gladly send you the code), whatever it takes to remind you. Whether we win or lose, we appreciate your support.

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250



Today is Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day at Petfinder.com. We encourage adoption of those aging, handicapped, less "attractive," etc. A 3-legged cat can purr and snuggle just as well as a 4-legged one. An older dog is less hyper and your furniture doesn't look as appetizing to it as to a young pup.

Buddy: I remember a newspaper story a while back on a family with an older dog (10 or so) and a puppy. It showed the puppy inside the house with the family and the older, "smellier" dog sadly looking through the glass door. The family was considering euthanizing the older dog because she didn't seem to have quality of life any more. An outspoken letter to the editor writer stated bluntly that it was no wonder. Why was the older dog relegated to the outside looking in? The idea of considering killing a pet just because you're bored with it is unacceptable to our thinking.

Cotton: If you already have a "less adoptable pet," give him or her a hug and an extra treat today. You have a treasure.




Perfectly Parker's mom's birthday present wish is a very worthy goal. She wants to donate $200 to Save Homeless Animals. You can read about it here. She is approaching her goal, but perhaps you can help.

We're still kind of lost on Twitter, so if you tweet, we'd like to find you. We're easy to find. We're @jansfunnyfarm.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Largest Model Railway

We have a boomy flashy storm arriving, so we're going to make this post short. Please don't forget to vote for Merci daily. She needs your vote. And if we win any weekly vote, 10% ($50) will be donated to a furry or an organization in need at the time. Click on Merci's photo at the top of the sidebar or click on her direct link:

http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

And now for the interesting part of the post.

What will humans think of next! Bill sent us a link to a video of the largest model railway in the world. It is supposedly built to painstaking detail. It's called the Miniatur Wunderland of Hamburg, Germany.

Our question is, are cats allowed to chase the trains? We don't think there would be room for dogs to chase the them, but we kitties could have a blast. After hours, maybe?





If the video won't play for you, click here.


Enjoy!

Stop over at Zeus kitty's. He is appealing for a Jeff Patyk who is training for the Marine Corp Marathon to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lumphoma Society. He has a way to go to reach the necessary monetary goal of $1800.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Thank You & Vote Merci

We want to thank a few humans and bloggers today for some very nice things they have done for us recently.

Our friend Mark gave us some dog and cat food last month, and Jan's friend Johnnie drove her 30 miles (each way) to pick it up. Thanks, both of you! We're just about halfway through it, and we sure are enjoying it!


Cyndi is checking out the stuffed lion KC's ML bought in Katie's auction and sent to us.


Doesn't Sam look cute here? He's checking out the lion too. The little one is a key chain. With these, Katie sent 10% of her auction proceeds. Very thoughtful of each of you, Katie & KC's ML.


Our friends Bill and his Peke Little Girl gave us dogs a bag of Hill's Science Diet t/d for treats to clean our teeth. We would have taste tested them but Jan couldn't get the bag open. She said she'll open it later.


And this package arrived today from Molly, Shadow, Troo & Jake of The Misadventures of Me blog. As you can see there was quite a bit in it. For us cats, some fresh cut cat mint, all natural Chicken Bite treats, 4 pouches of moist food in gravy-- mackerel & lobster, chunk tuna, whole sardines & squid, and chicken & salmon -- a light chaser toy and 6 mice. We dogs got a big bag of pork flavored rawhide links, a bag of treats and a plush dog toy. Thanks so much. We will really enjoy it all.


They let us know they were sending something but when it arrived today, we were surprised to find it was a Paw It Forward box. We were very touched since we weren't able to participate in that. But their note said we aren't to paw it forward.


Percy: Now, if you look closely, you will see where two of our mice went before we cats even had a chance to sniff them. Guess Sam was trying to stock up before dinner. But Jan rescued the slobber-covered mice for us.


It was really hot and humid today and we're not fond of the flashy box, so we cats hung way back until Jan opened the cat mint and gave us a leaf. Cyndi was the first to reach it. Crystal is the one with the glowing eyes behind the scratching post. Then Cotton, Percy & Cyndi.


Wonderful presents and surprises. Many thanks to all of you!

And we'd like to remind you to vote for Merci daily in the Cutest Dog Competition. Those of you who read the original post missed this part because we didn't think to add it until a few hours later. But -----

"We took a vote and it is unanimous. Should we win any week's competition, we will donate 10% ($50) to a blogger in need or a rescue or ..... We won't try to be specific as needs change and emergencies arise, so it will just be a need we are aware of at that particular time. At the moment, we are aware of Katie n da Katz, Romeo the cat's monthly fundraiser, a Poodle Rescue Houston in dire need of funds....."

We hope you will take a moment to vote. This is the direct link to Merci's voting page:
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Angus Mohr left a comment that he's not only voted for Merci, but he's added her voting widget to his sidebar so he won't forget to vote daily. If any other blogger wants to add it, give us or Angus Mohr your email address. Angus noticed the code on Merci's voting page is too wide for the sidebar and had to be modified.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Merci in Cutest Dog Competition

We have entered Merci in the Cutest Dog Competition. The grand prize is $1,000,000. We don't expect to win that but the weekly prize is $500 and we can enter once a week until the contest ends in October. Only one vote per day per IP address! We assumed the new week began today, Sunday, but it began yesterday, so we have already lost a day. We would appreciate your vote ... today, tomorrow .....

You can click on the graphic or the link below it to go directly to Merci's voting page. We appreciate your vote, but if you can't vote for us, that's okay. Thank you anyway.

CutestDogCompetition.com
Vote for my DogSponsored by All American Pet Brands makers of premium dog food.


Direct link to Merci's voting photo:
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

We took a vote and it is unanimous. Should we win any week's competition, we will donate 10% ($50) to a blogger in need or a rescue or ..... We won't try to be specific as needs change and emergencies arise, so it will just be a need we are aware of at that particular time. At the moment, we are aware of Katie n da Katz, Romeo the cat's monthly fundraiser, a Poodle Rescue Houston in dire need of funds.....

(s) JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Saturday, August 08, 2009

World Cat Day 2009



We've been told today is World Cat Day. So with the help of the Zoolatry Human, we JFF dogs would like to honor the JFF cats.




(s) Buddy, Merci & Sam

PS: Can you find us 3 dogs in Zoolatry's dog photo? We a're honored to be included.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Rainbow Bridge Gang, Fraggle

We are privileged to call Bill Walker our friend. We met him after he wrote "Tinker and Poo... The Boys Write." It's a collection of anecdotes about his two Pekingese dogs who, sadly, left for the bridge in 2004. Since then, when anyone he knows suffers a loss, he immediately writes a short welcoming Rainbow Bridge story by Tink and Poo. As someone recently expressed it, he and his Peke assistant Little Girl have a knack "for helping people through their grief in losing those they love." With his permission, we are posting the story he wrote for Fraggle.

But before we do, we'd like to tell you why Fraggle was so special to Jan. She was a sweet dog and that would be enough. But she was also the first abandoned puppy Jan found the courage to help. In the state of Georgia it is against the law to feed or shelter a stray or even to help an injured one. You can be arrested for theft. No joke!

For some reason, Georgia deems it more humane to make people turn an animal over to the police or Animal Control and the animal to be killed than for an pet to be returned to its owner by someone who can/would care for it for an extended time, much longer than 3 days. That also applies to abandoned animals. But to a logical mind, if you abandon it, you are no longer the owner.

But still, even knowing without a doubt this puppy had been abandoned, she also knew Little Hitler. To keep the story short, making the decision to help was an extremely hard one for Jan and it took several agonizing, almost sleepless days to find the courage. The solution came to her as she prayed while walking home after telling the homeowner where the puppy was "hiding" something she hates to tell anyone in this county -- call Animal Control. So instead of a death sentence, the terrified puppy went to a loving home and was named Fraggle.

Samaritan: And although Jan had been helping cats for many years, she didn't have the resources, the room or the contacts for dogs. But the next abandoned dog Jan helped was me. So without Fraggle, Jan might have been afraid to help me and I would have been picked up by Animal Control and killed at the shelter.

Rainbow Bridge Gang, Fraggle
Tink and Poo
tinkerpoo2000#yahoo.com

It is with heavy hearts today that we rolled out the welcome mat for a new member of the gang. Fraggle is the name. This poor girl may have had only three years of happy times. You see, she was one of those that didn't have a good home till about three years ago, when she at last found a true lover of puppies.

Well, today she took a walk, and was hit by a passing car, killing her. But the young man stopped and found who she lived with. Not only that, but the lad helped dig her resting place. Now this doesn't happen every day.

Fraggle told us how she was loved and how she loved Doug, and Teresa - and she must not forget Jan, who stopped by now and then. She got to meet with the other members of Jan's Funny Farm Family also

We know… well, Fraggle told us enough to know that she was loved and your hearts are breaking. We got her all fixed up. Well, the Angels did the work. She has her bed, bowls, and a bag of treats to chew on.

She will be here watching and waiting for her people to come up the lane some day. The people she so dearly loved that gave her a happy home for three years.

The movie tonight? Fraggle Comes Home. She will have a front row seat and lots of treats.


Thank you, Bill, for all the tears and time invested in each of your Tinker and Poo bridge stories. You can learn more about Bill (and read "The Funny Farm Meets Tinker & Poo") by clicking here.

(s) JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Farewell Fraggle



This beautiful girl was my brother's dog. Today, after I wrapped her in a shower curtain with her favorite dragon toy, he picked her up and carried her limp body to the spot he was going to bury her. It was hard to keep it together until after it was all over and I could leave. I was remembering a day 3 years ago when he picked up this terrified puppy in his arms and carried her to his car to take her home.

Abandoned and frightened of adults but not of children, she had been hiding in a fenced yard, coming out to try to make friends with Merci and Buddy whenever we walked by. This was only a couple of months before Sam came to live here. The homeowner gave permission to "trespass" to catch her, and when we did she went home with my brother, although she usually stayed at his girlfriend's.

Fraggle turned into a friendly home-loving dog but she and a dog down the street took turns visiting. I guess it was her turn today. She was hit by a pickup and killed instantly. Not a mark on her. It just snapped her neck and her collar flew off.

Steven, the 16-year-old driving the pickup did the responsible thing. He checked to see if the dog was alive, then went looking for the owner. And he stayed and waited. I got there shortly after my brother, then a friend and my brother's girlfriend's son. The guys, including the teenager, took turns digging a grave in the rock-hard ground. While they did, I wiggled her wrapped body into a black plastic bag.

The teenager's parents can be very proud of their son. What happened was an accident. Still, he didn't just keep driving, and even though my brother told him he wasn't obligated to help dig a grave, he did. He has character and courage.

I took this picture of Fraggle on July 4th-- her last photograph.

Mr. Doug and Ms. Teresa, thank you for taking in Fraggle and taking such good care of her. I know it wasn't always easy. After possible physical abuse and abandonment, she just could not stand to be alone. You loved her and gave her a happy 3 years she would not have had without you.

She is really going to be missed. Even by the Funny Farm. Before my mother died, they used to play together in her fenced yard. And they've met a few times since.

So if you don't hear from any of us for a day or more...

Jan

Katie & Crystal

Today, we would like to let you know of a need for a fellow blogger by pointing you to a post on her blog. Many of you know Katie . She has been struggling with health problems, her mother's health problems, and .....

Some of you are already aware of her situation and have helped her these last months. Well, an emergency situation has arisen regarding her home and she might need to move suddenly. If so, she won't be able to take her cats with her until the house she would be moving to could get repairs. She is trying to look at the worst case scenario and that might mean taking some or all of her cats to the local shelter within the next day or two. We all know what generally happens to cats at a shelter, no matter what a shelter offers. So please read her post and if you live anywhere near her area, perhaps you can can offer to shelter a cat or two for a short time. Visit Katiez Furry Mewz!.

A couple of our non blogging friends emailed last night that they couldn't vote in Boris' birthday contest. We checked and the voting box was broken. It's fixed today but according to Boris, it was broken by a "votey / clicky war." He has shortened the contest from the 16th to the 8th because of it. Well, we sure don't want to participate in a votey/clicky war, but the one vote per day still applies, so we appreciate any friends who would care to vote for us. We don't have a chance of winning, but that's okay. It's just fun to participate. You can vote here -- Gotcha Day & Birfaday Pawty Contesty. Crystal is #28.

We also have a number of friends in the contest, so check out the entries first. You might want to vote for one of them instead.

Note: Jan received and accepted an apology from the blogger who said Crystal's name is "Jan's selfish blunder." She sometimes has foot-in-mouth too and things don't always come out the way she means them.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Mr Turtle & Crystal

Buddy, straining at the leash: Hey, guys, look at this. We found a new friend.

Sam: What is it?

Merci: We saw him a couple of weeks ago -- or one of his relatives. Jan said he's a turtle.



Buddy: Oops. Guess we got a little too inquisitive. He's backing into his house.

Merci: His shell, Buddy. It's called a shell.

Buddy: But it's where he lives, so it's his house.


Sam: Well, I hope he's not looking to be adopted because we don't have any room at the Funny Farm for him.

Buddy: Don't worry. Just start walking fast and Jan will have to follow. She can't grab him if she's running.

Sam: Jan running? Do you think she knows how?

Merci: No, but let's teach her. Heeeeeeeey, not so fast, guys. I have short legs.

********


Remember, you can find Crystal on "Gotcha Day & Birfaday Pawty Contesty." He's #28. If you don't have a pet entered or another pet you'd rather vote for, we hope you will vote for Crystal. As Boris says, "Voting will runs until August 16, 2009 (ends midnighty EST). You can votes once a day so come backs every day! Tell you furends to come and votes fur u too! Crystal was doing well but 2 or 3 are really running ahead of him and the rest of the contestants.

Jan: And speaking of Crystal, there is something that needs to be clear, so I am going to repeat it. Crystal is a male kitty. He was not named by "Jan's selfish blunder," as one blogger commented yesterday. Nor is he going to be called Chrys or Chris. His name is Crystal. Look it up in the dictionary and the definition is not "it's a girl's name." If you can't get past it as a "name, consider that Crystal is also a last name. The word Crystal is not exclusively associated with female humans. I don't know whether the writer of that comment intended it to be offensive or funny, but it nearly had me in tears.

I enjoy reading your comments and it's okay to disagree with any opinions expressed on JFF but personal "attacks" are not welcome.

Now back to the post. I hope you will go vote for Crystal.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Vote for Crystal

Boris Kitty has posted the photos for the Birthday Contest. We entered our Crystal. There are a number of great entries, so we hope you will go by to check them all out and to vote. And if you just happen to vote for Crystal, we'd be ever so grateful. Of course, if you vote for another furry, we'll still be your friends.

This is our entry.


My human, Jan, named me Crystal even though I'm a boy kitty because she said I am as handsome as crystal glassware is beautiful. My furry siblings think I should enter your contest. You see, I turned 11 years old on June 1st and I don't know how many days ... I mean years ... I have left, and I've never had a birthday party. That never bothered me before. I have an endless supply of crunchies, a roof over my old head, a warm bed in winter, a big family to keep me company, and a human who scoops my poop. What more could a kitty want?

Well, I hate to admit it, but before I go, I dream of having a birthday party where we all wear a silly hat, agile mice deliver my cake, balloons float freely, a huge table bends under the weight of food and beverages, and all the furries attending get a present -- not just me. So I think I'm going to start checking the couch for loose change so next year I can afford to invite all my friends and family to a big birthday party.

You can find Crystal on "Gotcha Day & Birfaday Pawty Contesty." He's #28.

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Hey, you undoubtedly remember we have a collective bad memory. We've been asked for some Canadian pet blogging sites. We can think of a couple offhand, but it's hard to remember where everyone is from, so can you help us remember some furry bloggers from Canada? Thanks.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

More Addicition, Luxor & Twitter

Samaritan: Hey, we received a package with more Addiction food. Someone must have told them we like to eat. So we ate it!

Rusty: Yeah, here we are checking it all out. It arrived right after Jan fixed the woofies that big pan of .... of....whatever it was. ( "Chef Needed, Apply Now")

Crystal (the kitty in the background walking away because the food hasn't been opened yet): We kitties received 3 cans of King Salmon & Potatoes, 2 cans of NZ Bushtail & vegetables., 1 bag of Viva La Venison and 1 bag of Salmon Bleu.

Buddy: We woofies got a box of raw dehydrated Steakhouse Beef & Zucchini Entree, 2 bags of Viva La Venison, and a bag of Premium Protein Formula La Porchetta.

Rusty: The first day Jan opened one of the cat cans of salmon. Here I am enjoying my share.


Percy: I ate my share of salmon too. However, when Jan opened the first can of NZ Bushtail, Rusty, Cameron and I turned up our noses and walked away. Sorry, Addiction, but it's true.


Cameron: I enjoyed the salmon but for some reason the NZ Bushtail doesn't smell fishy. What kind of fish doesn't smell fishy?

Cotton: Pssst, Cameron, I think bushtail is a posssum. Possums don't smell like fish.

Crystal, Cotton, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron & Rusty: We kitties enjoyed the salmon, but 3 of us didn't like the NZ Bushtail. And although the last time we ate the grain-free Venison without a problem, this time we all refused to eat it until Jan mixed it together with the bag of Salmon dry food. We would apologize but we are cats, and therefore we not only have the right but the duty to be finicky.

Buddy, Merci & Sam: We woofies ate everything without a fuss. We would have eaten the kitties leftovers too, but Crystal quickly dispatched them. (He's turned into a regular vacuum cleaner. Maybe we should make him an honorary woofie. )

Sam: Thanks, Addiction, for letting us try more of your pet food. For the most part, we enjoyed it. And although Jan refuses to try any of it herself, she likes that it's made from natural ingredients. Some of it is hypoallergenic for sensitive pets and some is grain-free.

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Every once in a while we visit Luxor's blog, hoping for a new post. Unfortunately, Lux got very sick while on a trip with his humans last Christmas and was diagnosed with a heart condition -- dilative cardiomyopathy, where the heart walls become thin. Since then, his posts have been sporadic and few. We hope you will stop by today and every so often to let his human know Lux has not been forgotten and you still care. She lost her heart for blogging when Lux became sick, which is understandable. Perhaps you can leave an occasional note of encouragement, not so much for her to return to blogging, but just to let her know you're here for her. Pet bloggers are a community and they care.

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And although we know it is hard to believe -- hey, we still doubt it! -- we signed up with Twitter today. Right now we haven't a clue what's what, but if you tweet, look for us. We're jansfunnyfarm (big surprise!).