Wyatt and Storm

We seriously believe this "friend" deserves a swift kick in the pants by a hulking human. He would rather let the dogs his friend serving in Iraq entrusted to his care be killed than to divulge the name of his "friend" so he can be notified his dogs are safe and where they are. What a scumbag, a word we keep hearing on police shows. A definition of scumbag, by the way, is: A person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible.

Arizona - Despite being entrusted with the dogs' lives by a man off serving his country, the friend chose to turn the 2 dogs over to the Pinal County Animal Care and Control, rather than finding the dogs a guaranteed safe haven.

Boulder Falls Pet Resort wants to see the dogs reunited with their true owner and is currently housing them for free until every effort has been made to make that reunion possible. The rescue volunteers desperately want to contact the deployed soldier to let him know that his dogs are safe, and that they will be held until his return, but they have no way to contact him.

Yellow labs, Wyatt and Storm

The dogs are approximately 2-4 years of age, one male, and one female. One dog is named Wyatt and the other is named Storm.  If anyone has information about the person that owns Wyatt and Storm, they are asked to contact Rhonda Wagner Kuehn at Helping Orphaned Hounds at 406-697-5975..
 
You can read the rest of the story, "Soldier's dogs surrendered to AZ shelter - public help needed to facilitate a reunion" here.

We hope someone recognizes the dogs so their owner can be notified. What a horrible thing to happen while he is overseas and unable to do anything to rescue his dogs, possibly not even knowing they were dumped at a high kill shelter.  Or if he was notified the dogs were dumped at the shelter, he has no idea that strangers care and have rescued his dogs for him.  We send lots of purrs and tail wags that Wyatt and Storm will be safe and waiting for their owner to return for them.

Tiger, Dogs and Giveaway

Cameron

Hi, it's my turn to introduce today's post.

We have an amazing rescue story for your today.  A cat who saves her elderly owner from 4 dogs.  Congratulations, Tiger, you are a celebrated heroine now.

CLARE CO. -- It’s a modern day story of David and Goliath. A 97-year old woman, surrounded by a pack of dogs, is saved by an unlikely hero, her cat named Tiger.  You can read the rest of the story or watch the video here. 



And we have a sad story for you also, a woman who is facing jail time if she does not give up four of her six dogs. It would be nice if Animal Control and the city would work with her but ACs and cities we know of don't work with but against.  Still, we hope.  If she has older animals, we wonder whether this ordinance is new so she is grandfathered in.  We don't know the answer.

Silver Grove, KY - Many dog owners consider their companions to be more than simply canines - they are instead, viewed as treasured members of the family. Family is how Wanda Moran sees her 6 dogs and her loving perception of her dogs may force her to face jail time. You can read the rest of the article here.



Today is the last day to enter our Summer Travel Stories giveaway, sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul.  It ends at 11:59 pm EDT tonight. A winner's name will be drawn tomorrow.  The prize is a goody bag for a cat or dog, depending on which pet the winner has.  Click here for details and to leave your entry.

Merry Monday

To start Monday off with a laugh, we bring you Boxing Kitty. Look at him go!





If the video doesn't play, click here.

Don't forget that our giveaway/drawing sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul ends tomorrow at 11:59 pm EDT.  Details here.

Innocence, Health and Gracie

The other Funny Farmers asked me to do today's post because I have such an innocent face.

We all want you to know it wasn't us.  Even if we were using the computer after Jan asked us not to.  She was late going  to Ingle's yesterday and there was a storm coming, so she said she wanted us to leave the computer alone until she got back.

But we wanted to play the Daffy Duck Parachute game and we disobeyed.  It was neat, although his first couple of passes left Daffy kind of close to being impaled on the underwear pole.  On the third try, there was a loud bang and everything in the house went dead.  No ac, computer, answering machine (was Buddy ever happy about that -- the answering machine makes him howl!), nothing.  Then there was a second boom, even louder. We were really scared.  Jan was going to be extremely upset about us killing her computer.  A few minutes later we heard her coming up the porch steps and we all hid.  If we were lucky, maybe she wouldn't notice.

She didn't even yell for us, just went for the portable phone - that was dead too - and then spent about 15 or 20 minutes punching numbers into the regular phone but not talking to anyone.  When she finally spoke, she said something about, "I guess you already know a transformer blew near Ingles." She told us later the guy on the other end was with the electric company and he said, "Yes, but we don't know where to send our truck."  So Jan told him.  Seems she was halfway to the store when she heard an explosion behind her.  She turned to see what had happened and there was another explosion, with a big fireball. It was behind the next door neighbor's house, so she came home as fast she could to make sure we were okay.  There was no lightning in the area so Jan thinks it was pecan branches falling on the electric lines. 

A while later she decided she might as well walk to the store before it got dark or started pouring rain.  When she came home, she turned the computer on and it worked.  She hasn't yelled at us or asked what we did to cause that, so please don't tell her it was because we were playing with Daffy Duck after she told us to stay off the computer.  Just back us up.  It wasn't our fault.  We're innocent.


A friend sent us a link to a video on the new CPR for sudden cardiac arrest - continuous chest compressions - by the University of Arizona. We would like to share it with you. Hopefully, you will never need to know this, but if you should ....



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Our sweet friend Gracie's dad lost his mother Saturday.  Her mom and dad are very sad. We wish we could say something to ease their pain but we have no adequate words. Only, we're very sorry for your loss and we love you all.  You can visit Gracie and leave a message on Goodness Gracie.

Thank You, Auntie Deb

We would like to thank Auntie Deb of The Taylor CatSSSSS for her sweet post and for this beautiful graphic for our online yard sale. 

We have some of the nicest friends both online and off and we're grateful for each one of them. We won't embarrass anyone other than Auntie Deb, since we already mentioned her, but you all know who you are.

This graphic is on the Cat Blogosphere too. Thanks for posting it there, KC.We hope you will come by and browse.  We have some antiques, collectables (we like this spelling better because it reminds us of furniture - which we woofies don't chew on any more), etc.  We have not purchased anything to sell on Jan's Funny Farm Fair.  All items are Jan's - some belonged to her mother or her great aunt, perhaps some even older. As Auntie Deb said on her graphic, all money raised will go to helping fill our tummies.  And a couple of us have a really big tummy to fill. 

We didn't know Gail of Queen Bailee's Views as well as some of you did, but we were saddened to learn she recently passed away.  One problem with blogging is that so many blogs end suddenly and no one knows why.  So we are grateful to Gail's friend for letting everyone know of Gail's passing.  If you haven't already done so, please go by and leave a comment on the blog for Gail's daughter Tina. 

No Dogs Were Starved

Surely it's my turn again. I'm Percy. And Jan says the first thing I have to tell every reader is that no dogs were starved in yesterday's post. It's just that Buddy, Sam and Percy are food-obsessed and ... Wait, I'm Percy. I am NOT ... Oh, maybe she is referring to all the bags of cat and dog treats I've filched from her hiding places and ... Okay, perhaps I am food-obsessed. But Buddy's imagination was working overtime yesterday.  Not a one of us Funny Farmers heard the rumbling, growling, swishing and gurgling Buddy claimed was going on in his, Merci's and Sam's tummies. We kitties wore ear plugs.

Jan wouldn't buy another bag of the Purina Hearty Morsels because they would probably have the same bad smell to them the bag she returned did, so she ended up paying twice as much for a bag of the food she can't afford but it's something Buddy can eat.  We can't figure out why Jan worries about his allergies since Buddy is a canine vacuum cleaner and eats anything he finds on their walks. 

Sarah from Cats~Goats~Quotes left for the bridge yesterday. It's always sad to say good-bye.

For those of you who live in the area of the blogger meet up at Roger Williams Park Zoo, in Providence, RI, we hope you haven't forgotten the event.  We're too far away to attend but we've been waiting to hear how it goes.  Visit Shadow, Molly & Trooder's blog The Misadventures of Me for details and contact information.

Don't forget to enter our Summer Travel Stories giveaway.  It's easy to enter.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Corgis and Rumbles

Hi, this is Buddy bringing you today's post.  I volunteered to be the spokesfunnyfarmer today, even though I'm weak and faint from hunger.  Okay, I did have a few bites of chicken and rice with peas but not nearly enough to be filling. The problem is there isn't a bite of dog kibble in the house.  Not even hiding in a corner.  (Sam and I already checked.)  Jan says she can't get to the store until after noon to buy us any, so we canines just have to wobble around on trembling legs until then.  We'll tell you why in a minute. 

But first, we met some new friends when we posted about the giveaway yesterday. (You are aware we are having one, aren't you? Well, if you aren't, it's an easy one and you can read about it here.) They left a link to one of their posts as their entry and we thought we would share it with you.

There are 3 of 4 short videos in this post but our favorite is the first one where OC speeds around the beach having just as much fun as the other Corgis -- in her wheelchair. She is so cute and obviously having a time of her life experience. You can read the post and view the video at Corgi Country.

We're glad this group stopped by. There are just as many of them as there are of us (8) but they're all Corgis. No cats.

Now, as to why we're dying of hunger here.  It isn't Jan's fault.  She picked us up a big bag of Purina Healthy Morsels a couple of days ago because she noticed we were running out. She doesn't like to feed us that but she can't afford the Purina One any more and there aren't a lot of choices around here. Two evenings ago, she opened the bag to fill a container with the food so when she used the last of the old, she could just switch to the new food.  But when the odor from the food bag hit her, she gagged and nearly barfed up a hairball.  Oh, sorry, it's the cats who chuck hairballs.

Anyway, the smell was so strong and unpleasant, she put a scoop of it under a magnifying glass to look for anything strange, like mold.  She then did a sniff and magnifying glass test with our old food.  The food didn't look any different to her old eyes, but the odor was intensified many times with an odor she couldn't figure out.  She closed the bag, intending to replace it yesterday.  But she got busy and F-O-R-G-O-T about it.  Until she ran out of our old food last evening, opened the new and the odor again assailed her. It wasn't quite as bad by then but it was still overwhelming to her sense of smell. There was no way she was going to feed that to us, not even if we had to have short rations until she could get to the store.

She got on the phone and called Purina.  Purina does have well-trained, polite customer service.  The company will send a replacement coupon and a container to mail back 2 cups of the smelly formula for testing.  Jan duct taped the bag shut and put it in the car so we couldn't tear into the bag and eat any of it.  She put aside enough to send to Purina when the container arrived.  But we can't go without eating for 8 - 10 business days when the replacement coupon arrives. Jan won't buy another bag of that anyway in case there are more bags there like that so she's going to return the smelly food to Wal-mart and try to figure out what they have she can afford to feed us.

This is her third problem with a Purina product this year. Remember our Canned Mystery, the post about the exploding Purina ONE can in May?  In April, we were into our number ???? bag of Tidy Cat Litter, also a Purina product, that billowed dust even though Jan was leaning down to pour fresh litter into the pan.  Litter dust was coating everything in the house and causing Jan more breathing problems than she already has.

We're not knocking Purina or its parent company.  We want to remind you to report problems when you come across them.  Throwing away bad product does not help the manufacturer to track and fix problems. This problem might not have originated with Purina.  We read a while back that some places will store pet food in trailers in a parking lot in the hot sun.  So food can begin to mold before it hits your local store shelf or after you purchase it.  We don't know what the problem is with this food, but things go wrong, so pick up the phone or look up an email address and let the manufacturer know what is happening.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go point out to Jan that it is after noon.  Or it will be in 3 minutes.  

rumble .... rumble ..... gurgle .... swish

Sorry, that's the funnyfarm canine empty stomach trio.

UPDATE 12:24 pm:  Wow, this posting really works.  We got food before anyone even had a chance to read this.  Mr. Doug came by with half a pizza and half a bag of refrigerated Bil Jack dog food for us.  However, Jan appropriated the pizza for herself and we just got some dog food.  :(  It sure did help the rumblies going on around here, though.  Thank you, Mr. Doug.

Summer Travel Stories

This is Cotton. I'm bringing you today's edition of JFF news. And we have good news.

We had a collective panic attack this afternoon. (No, that isn't the good news.) Earlier this month we again partnered with Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul but we had a couple of Jan's senior weeks and we -- let's just say when we read Nikita Cat's post on the same giveaway (ends 8/28, 11:59 pm PST) , we didn't give it a second thought. After all, the end of August is near and we'd already finished our giveaway for the month.

Well, if you're reading this, you've probably guessed by now that we hadn't even started it.  And Jan wouldn't let us use the computer.  She had about 3 software programs open and 5 or 6 tabs open in the browser and the floor around the typing chair and the desk were littered with breakables. Glass and china items Jan was posting on Jan's Funny Farm Fair. (That's her "yard sale" of personal items. Stop by and browse.)

We have finally gotten possession of  been given permission to use the computer while Jan packs up the glass before we break something.  We don't know what she's worried about.  As hard as we've tried the past few months, we haven't managed to break any of her breakables.

Now we're ready for the good news.

We're off to a late start on this giveaway. You might want to enter right away so you don't forget. We're going to list the specifics, in no particular order, just numbering them so they stand out for you.

1) You must be a US resident to enter.

2) The giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EDT on Tuesday, August 31. We (probably Sam) will draw a winning name - from something non-breakable - on September 1st and post it.  Be sure to leave a blog url or an email address so we can get in touch with you should you win.

3) The theme is Summer Travel Stories. Share your pet-related travel stories or tips on how to care for your pet on the road or when you are away. Some of you take your pet camping or on a motor trip, some of you do travel on your vacation but have to leave leave your pets home - board your pets while you are gone or use a pet sitter. We look forward to reading your travel stories and your tips.  Have fun.

4) Entering is simple.  You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway.
     a) Just leave your story or tip in the comments of this post.
     b) Or post your entry on your own blog and leave a link in the comments of this post. 

5) The prize is either a dog or a cat "goody bag" from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. The goody bag will be pet appropriate, depending on whether the winner is a dog or a cat.

Stop by and "Like" the Chicken Soup Facebook Page.

Grey of Hubble Space Center took a turn for the worse and had to be helped to the bridge last evening. Purrs and tail wags for his family.

One other thing. We found the article "Mandatory spay/neuter: Sacrificing animal lives to ideology" posted on Pet Connection Blog to be interesting reading.

UPDATE 9/1/10 --  The winner is announced here.

Driving Under Pet Influence

Are you guilty of driving under the influence of your pet - in particular your dog?  In other words, is your dog unrestrained in the car, sitting on your lap, being a diversion?  Texting isn't the only distraction that causes accidents.

Safety experts have a new pet peeve related to distracted driving.In addition to texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, lap dogs and other pets left unrestrained inside moving vehicles pose a major distraction that could be deadly, a new study released Wednesday warns motorists.   Read more at The Vancouver Sun
.
Every time Jan reads information like this she wants to run out and buy all three of us woofies something to protect us -- and her -- in the car in case of emergency.  She's added this to her wish list for us.


We'd like to thank Dennis the Vizsla for passing on a couple of awards to us.

The Supportive Blogger

 

And the Sweet Blog Award

Percy is falling asleep on the keyboard so we'll have to pass them on in another post.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Breathe, Laugh, Snort

Hi, This is Merci. The other Funny Farmers are still laughing so I thought I would take this opportunity to post for all of us.


We figure we can all use a laugh break and our humans can use one as they begin another work week, so we decided to post a funny video. We found funny cats first so that's what we're posting today. We've seen parts of it before but there are some antics in here that are new to us.

We're so grateful some folks are good at making these fun videos and are willing to share them. Enjoy.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Coweta County Kicks JoJo Advocates

None of us Funny Farmers want to stand alone to introduce today's sad post.  So we stand united.

On Wednesday, August 11, we posted a story about JoJo, originally called "Old Yeller by the Coweta County Animal Control in Georgia, USA. The story is a sad one and it makes us angry to be reminded of it. But as this is a distressing update to that story, we need to suggest that if you missed it or have forgotten the details, you take a moment to read the original post so you can understand what is happening in Coweta County in retaliation for the publicity and responses generated by articles such as the one we linked to, which you can read here.

This is just the first paragraph of today's article -

"Last night, the Coweta County Commission approved amendments to their animal control ordinances, including one which requires rescue groups to obtain business licenses, and to submit to inspections from Coweta County Animal Control. This new rule comes just over a week after the uproar over the way Coweta County Animal Control treated a dog known first as Old Yeller, then renamed JoJo by his rescuers, the Georgia Humane Society. Many find the timing of this new rule highly suspect and openly wonder what business they think they have inspecting groups who save animals from the shelter when they can't maintain acceptable standards of care in the shelter itself. Rescues are already licensed and inspected by the state, but Coweta County Animal Control wants a piece of the regulatory action too and the Coweta County Commission gave it to them. Will they use it in a retaliatory fashion against rescuers who speak out about the killing and inhumane conditions at CCAC? We're going to find out."

You can read the rest of the story by clicking on this title of the article - Coweta County Commission adds insult to injury as animal advocates seek "Justice for Old Yeller by Valerie Hayes.

The really insane part of all this is that humans who are supposedly incapable of taking care of their own shelter animals have now been given the legal right to oversee (we figure that means harass) rescue shelters already licensed and periodically inspected by the Georgia Dept of Agriculture. This can potentiallycause any number of problems for the rescue shelters.  But in the end it will be the animals that really suffer because of what appears to be retaliation for publicity over a poor no-longer-suffering dog named JoJo.

RIP, JoJo. You deserved much better than what you received.

UPDATE: If interested you can check out Georgia Humane Society info on JoJo and cbsAtlanta.com.

Romeo's Vet Survey

Hi, Cyndi here  to bring you today's post.

August 16 - 22 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week and we joined with Romeo and his feline helpers to publicize it.


We have some good information for you, but first we want to give you a smile.  Romeo took a survey and we just wonder which category each of you fall into.


Quick survey of Romeo’s cat staff friend:
When going to the vet, please describe your cat's behavior (you may choose more than one) --


Somehow knows what's up and runs to hide before we even leave - 43%


Won't get into the cat carrier – 60.2%


Won't come out of the cat carrier once at the V-E-T – 44.3%


Yowls and complains the whole way to the V-E-T – 67%


No problem, my cat loves the V-E-T – 10.2%




What does the staff at the vet’s office usually say about your cat?


What a loverboy/lovergirl! 31%


Hi Handsome/Beautiful 76.2%


I better get some back up 17.9%


We had to sedate him/her 8.3%


I’ve never seen such a ______________cat! 28.6%


Funny answers: Interesting, fat, feisty, big, neurotic, relaxed (actually paralyzed with fear), vocal, chubby, unique, loving, exotic, interestingly named, well dressed, terrified, pitiful crazy,

We Funny Farm kitties all yowl all the way to the vet and back home but we haven't had any unusual experiences yet.


And now a few common illnesses that if caught early enough may not require extensive – or expensive – treatment:

Lower urinary tract disease
Stomach inflammation/gastritis
Renal disease
Intestinal inflammation/diarrhea
Allergies
Diabetes
Colitis/constipation
Ear infections
Upper respiratory tract infections
Hyperthyroidism.

So plan a feline visit to your vet annually. If you click on the badge in our sidebar, it will take you here where you can sign the form to receive an email reminder each year to take your cat(s) to the vet.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Sturdi Boxes

We jumped at an opportunity to test some SturdiBox Foldables and 4 colorful boxes arrived shortly: 2 cup, 1/2 gallon, 1 gallon and 2 gallon.

This is what they looked like when we unfolded them.

The strap on the bottom left snaps on the side so we don't chew it.   When the box is clean and dry, your human just unsnaps it, folds up the box and re-snaps it. The lining is made of urethane coated nylon taffeta and the outside is 600 denier polyester. The box is machine washable in cold or warm water and can be air dried or thrown in the dryer for under 5 minutes on low heat.  (Jan didn't test it in the washing machine.  She just washed it when she washed dishes.)

Possible uses:
A water or food bowl for pets.  Great for long walks, camping or hiking.
Llitter needs of your cat.  (Jan likes it as a water bowl for us dogs, so if she wanted to try it as an emergency or travel litter box she'd not want to use it again for water.)
A portable sink for backpacking or camping.
Storage or organization. (We should get Jan a kaboodle dozen of these!)


Buddy and Sam couldn't wait to try one. After Jan washed it, she filled the gallon box with water and Buddy took a drink.  Sam paced while waiting his turn.

Buddy continued drinking. Sam stopped pacing and lay down. "What's with Buddy's imitation of a camel? Isn't it my turn yet?

Pay no attention to Sam. He did get a drink.Eventually.

When the weather got hot, Cotton moved into the bathroom and only comes out to eat and use the litter box. She wouldn't leave the room to get a drink of water, so Jan filled the smallest Sturdi Box with water and placed it in the bathroom. This worked really well for Cotton. For Jan, it was a disaster. It wasn't that the box didn't hold the water. It did. As long as Jan stayed out of the room. She kept backing up, kicking it and flooding the bathroom floor. (It's a small room.  And as we've mentioned a time or two, Jan's a klutz.)

Jan has a fear of creepy crawlies and snakes, so she's not planning to take us camping.  But one of these portable boxes is pretty handy for when we walk Jan twice a day.  It's so hot and humid that water sure does taste good..   

And we want to include some Sturdi pet travel tips for humans who hit the road with their furry friends,

Safety First! Here are Top 5 Car Travel Trip Tips for Small Dogs and Cats: 

Safe car containment.  Sturdi Cargo Pop Ups work well in providing a zone of safety and shelter for your pet in the car. 

Fluids. Ensure that your pet is well hydrated during these hot summer months by bringing a clean source of drinking water in the car. 

Beat the heat. Never leave your pet unattended in the car. The heat for even for ten minutes can be very dangerous. 

Plan for breaks. Treat your pet like any traveling partner, whenever you take a break let your pet take a break as well. 

Control nausea. If your pet is prone to car sickness there are several natural remedies you can try, including Rescue Remedy to help prevent nausea. Always check with your vet first and practice driving short distances with your pet before jumping on the open road for an extended road trip. 

You can learn more at www.SturdiProducts.com.

We were not paid for  testing the Sturdi Product or writing this review. Any opinions expressed are our own.

Molly and Day Full of Tears

Yesterday was a day of sadness as cat bloggers tried to deal with the shock of losing two long-time blogging friends, Fat Eric and Luxor, and also baby Winnie kitty the previous day.  We have lost so many friends the past few years and we don't always blog about each one, but it isn't from lack of concern.  It's usually that after the shock, we forget to post. That's why we did two posts yesterday, to make sure we didn't forget when we started today's post.

But we still forgot something important.

About quarter to five (pm), Jan realized she had totally forgotten to feed us woofies breakfast.  And what's worse is that we forgot about it too.  We can't believe we forgot about eating.  We're very food oriented. We told Jan she could just give it all to us at once but she said, no, that much food at a time would make us sick. So we only got half rations yesterday. But sometimes food just doesn't seem all that important.

(Sam: Buddy and I love to eat, so I can't believe we just said that, but it's true.)

Graphic by KC & ML of the CB

Unfortunately, the bad news wasn't over.   Molly of Krasota Castle also left for the bridge yesterday morning.  Look at those beautiful expressive eyes. She was a beauty.

Graphic by KC & the CB

Last night the CB opened the chat room for "Day Full of Tears." This was an oppotunity for bloggers to grieve together. Losing one furry friend is hard. Losing several at a time really strikes close to home for those with an ailing or elderly furry. It is also a reminder of past personal loss(es).The Cat Blogosphere is really a community.  We're glad they accept us even though we were originally hesitant to participate because we're a blended family - cats and dogs - and weren't sure we'd fit in.. And let's face it, our blog posts are "all over the place."  Happy, sad, personal, informative, newsy, cats, dogs, zedonks, sometimes so far off the furry subject there isn't a pet hair within sneezing distance ....

And in the midst of all this, ML of the CB, was having a crisis of her own.  A thunderstorm did some electrical damage, fried her computer's UPS and a couple of circuits, and ...?  And during the chat she had an emergency and had to get offline very fast.  ML does an amazing job keeping up with the CB news, posting it and being there for those with a problem.  There's been an abundance of news lately, which keeps her busy.  If you haven't told ML (and KC) how much you appreciate her lately, this might be a good time.  A steady stream of bad news hits her just as hard as it does the rest of us.

So, ML (and KC), we deeply appreciate all you do to juggle your private and blogging life, always making time to do whatever is necessary to lend an ear or a helping hand, and investing time to make graphics for sick or departed furries for all who want to post them.

Ann, the Zoolatry Human, made two of the lovely graphics of Fat Eric we used in yesterdays posts. The others were made by ML.


Last night we remembered our old friends Rascal, TT, Pixie, Roscoe and all the other kitties who have gone to the bridge since we .first came across the CB. We didn't forget baby bean Sprout.  Or the woofies Lacylulu and Cammie and ...

Fat Eric & Luxor

This is one of those days we hate. Just after midnight we learned that 15-year-old Fat Eric had to be helped to the bridge on Monday while his mom is visiting in the US and she wasn't even able to say good-bye.  It must have been a hard weekend worrying about Eric with no internet service.

Graphic by Zoolatry

Even though we included Fat Eric in today's post http://jansfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/08/cold-feet-and-fat-eric.html, we are including him here too.


And then this morning we read the post on Luxor's blog by his mom. He had to be helped to the bridge this morning after a sudden turn for the worse. We used to enjoy his blog and were sad it was nearly closed after Lux got sick on a trip and they learned he had a heart problem. We're very sad for his mom. 

We see tributes to both of these Cat Blogsphere legends around the blogs.  They were well-loved and will be missed.  

Graphic by KC of the CB

We just read the latest post on Wintergreen (Winnie) and it seems only fitting to come back and to add her today.  A tiny seriously ill kitten rescued and loved for all of one day.  Such a short time.  She deserves to be remembered too.

On 8/17 her rescuer/new human wrote a post titled Heartbreak and today's is Tribute to an Angel. If you haven't read either, we hope you will go do so.  Have some tissues handy. 

Purrs and tail wags.

Cold Feet and Fat Eric

We love this Italian Greyhound's solution to cold feet. We think Merci and Buddy could manage this, but not Sam. 




If the video doesn't play, click here.

Just as we were going to publish this, the CB's Wednesday news posted.  And as we feared, Fat Eric has left the UK for the bridge while his mom is visiting in the US. It was very brave and loving of her to have given permission to do what is best for Eric, rather than try to prolong his suffering until she returns home. We send her purrs and tail wags and hugs.  We will miss him.

Zoolatry's tribute to Eric

Farewell Graphic by KC of the CB

To leave a message for Eric's mom, click here. She's also on Facebook if you have a FB account.

Otter Swim Lessons

It's already today (well after midnight) and Jan has to be up very early, so we only have a moment to post. We know you will enjoy this video of mama otter teaching her babies to swim.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Kings Firecrackers

Mondays are often kind of blah. It's back to work day for many of our humans, so we thought we would start this week off with a big bang. Wake up, all you furries and humans - the Kings Firecrackers are here!

The Firecrackers are a performance jump rope team made up of talented 4th-8th graders from the Kings Local School District in Ohio. Coached by Lynn Kelley, they perform at venues across the country. Some notable past performances have been at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Presidential Inauguration and an appearance on The David Letterman Show. (From the Firecrackers website.)

This video is from a performance at the U.S. Naval Academy. And yes, they are always so energetic.Enjoy.




If the video doesn't play, click here.

Now that you're awake, have a purring and tail wagging day.

Who Swiped Number 8?

We would like to thank our friends at the Animal Shelter Volunteer Life blog.for passing on this pretty Versatile Blogger Award to us.  According to the rules, we have to tell 7 things about ourselves.

1) Cotton - I'm a tortie and the oldest jff resident since we lost Crystal this year.

2) Merci - Before Buddy and Sam came along, I was a cat magnet. They followed us when I walked Jan.

3) Cyndi - I spent several days living in Mr. Doug's engine because his dog was hunting me.

4) Percy - I was originally named Birdie because I sounded more like a bird than a tiny kitten.

5) Cameron - When my siblings were adopted, Merci became my best (and only) friend. So I moved in with her and the funny farmers.

6) Buddy - I was dumped when I was only 3 or 4 weeks old. In mid-December.

7) Rusty - Jan spent their money on adopting me instead of on Thanksgiving dinner for her and her mother.

8) Samaritan -- What do you mean, there's no #8? It's my turn. Who swiped my number 8?

We're going to wait to pass this on. It's kind of late and we're being kicked off the computer now.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Jasper the Vizsla

We thought we would do something a little different today and just post on a new blog we found recently.

A few days ago we came across the story of a Vizsla with cancer. It's very well-written. The owner did a guest post on Petopia.tv which we would like to share with you to introduce Jasper and his human Todd.

An excerpt: Jasper’s cancer – officially a soft-tissue sarcoma – was first identified in October 2009. Over the past eleven months, he’s undergone everything from surgery and chemotherapy to radiation and experimental drug therapy. And yet he soldiers on. I could learn a thing or two about strength during times of adversity from him.


Jasper has never been an average dog, though. His breed is Vizsla – aka “the Velcro dog” because of their love of people. They’re also notoriously high energy. Not Jasper. He’s the calmest Vizsla around. Oh, and the sweetest, too. Every time he looks at me with those sad eyes, my heart just melts.

We hope you'll read  "The Calm Before the Storm" and then, having been introduced to Jasper, perhaps you'll stop by his blog. which is called The Adventures of Jumping Jasper-Roo the Vizsla Dog.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Callie Mae, Fragrance Free and Miri

We want to introduce you to a beautiful special needs kitty who is looking for a very special home. She was nursed back to health after having all four legs amputated. And be sure to note, despite her disability, she once caught a mouse.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Today, August 13th will be unlucky for chemical fragrance! Clean+Green by SeaYu has founded Fragrance Free Day (#fragrancefreeday), a social media event by which people are asked to tell the world via their social networks that they’ll go “fragrance free” for one day. 

Animals have faster metabolisms and smaller lungs than humans, so not only are they processing harmful chemicals used in the home more quickly, they are also breathing them in at a faster rate. Because animals are closer to the ground, they are more often in direct contact with these harmful substances making Fragrance Free Day of special importance for pet owners everywhere.

Fragrance Free Day gives concerned consumers a chance to help spread awareness of the dangers associated with fragrance/chemicals in personal care and household cleaning products. This awareness campaign comes at a time when, according a recent report by ABC News, “Congress and the cosmetics industry are both calling for tighter regulation of the chemicals used in cosmetics and other personal care products due to concerns over possible carcinogens and other toxic ingredients.” http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/toxic-cosmetics-draw-congressional-attention/story?id=11228491

According to the report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Environmental Working Group, “Not So Sexy, the Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrances," they found 14 secret chemicals not listed on the labels that are associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products. The study also notes that numerous other products used daily, such as shampoos, lotions, bath products, cleaning sprays, air fresheners and laundry and dishwashing detergents, also contain strongly scented, volatile ingredients that are hidden behind the word "fragrance." The Environmental Protection Association (EPA) has weighed in, too – they state that fragranced products – like air fresheners, fabric refreshers and traditional cleaning products -are one of the leading contributors to poor indoor air quality, which can lead to health issues. 

As part of the event, the company will host a live Q&A on Twitter, featuring SeaYu’s CEO Quincy Yu, organic chemist Dr. Stephen Ziman and veterinarian holistic pet health expert Dr. Carol <http://www.drcarol.com/> Osborne, DVM (http://www.drcarol.com/). Anyone with questions on the safety of products they’re using for personal care can Tweet them with the hashtag #fragrancefreeday on Friday, August 13 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST and have their question answered by one of the experts through SeaYu’s Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/seayu ).

**We hope you will join Clean + Green in celebrating this day.  Jan was surprised to read that air fresheners contribute to poor indoor air quality.  She did know they put out the pilot lights on our gas space heaters in the winter.  

This week Furriends of the CB Auction are offering sketch drawings by Katie Kat. Miri has improved but is still having trouble breathing. There are still many vet visits to follow. One hundred percent of the money raised for Miri will go to her vet bills. There are a limited number of sketches, ten, that will be offered to the top ten highest bids this week. From your photo Katie Kat can make sketches of kitties, doggies, ferrets, bunnies, hamsters, parrots and other little furries. The sketches are 5 x 7 and can be yours for a donation of $9.00 plus mailing.

Stop by and check out the auction. A Nonny Mouse announced that they will match all bids on the sketches to help Miri!!!!!

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Canine Intelligence

Cameron here with our post for today. We thought we would take a break and have some fun with a video we know you'll enjoy.

Now this dog is smart. He knows what he wants (the ball) as well as what he doesn't want (to get in the pool).  He has a very interesting and funny solution to attain both goals.  Anyone want to hire him as CEO of their company?




If the video doesn't play, click here.

We thought we would include this for those who use Blogger. We don't have the new comment system yet, but it will be interesting to see how well it works. It's very time-consuming to go from blog to blog having to type in word verification. But we understand what a pain it is to be spammed. New Comment System on Blogger

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

JoJo and Lyme Disease

Coweta County, GA - The Georgia Humane Society  (GHS) learned about Old Yeller on Sunday morning, they made the decision to pull the dog from the Coweta County Animal Control and take him into their organization as one of their sanctuary pets - in other words, offer the dog, whom they were told was 15 yrs-old, a permanent, safe and loving place to live.


This is one of those stories that make you shake your head in disbelief. How could any "shelter" allow an animal to suffer so much and have their "facts" so screwed up, not to mention they couldn't tell the difference between a dead and a living dog. And it happened here in Georgia! Please click on the title of the story below and do something in memory of JoJo -- called Old Yeller by the Coweta County AC and renamed JoJo by the Georgia Humane Society when they rescued him and took him to a vet.  As the writer requests, Please take a moment and write to the state officials in Georgia and let them know that you have had enough of this backwards mentality.  The information to do so is included.

You can read the rest of the story and comments - Gross failure at Georgia animal control leaves dog suffering needlessly.  Unfortunately, Coweta County is not the only Georgia shelter - or US shelter with a who-cares-it's-only-an-animal uncompassionate mentality. 


We are posting this video by Mercola Healthy Pets on lyme disease after receiving an email on the subject, including a comment about a personal experience with having a dog vaccinated. 

Some of you seem to be getting the wrong idea on the purpose of posting this video. It is not intended to send you running to the vet to get your dog vaccinated for lymes disease.  This vaccine is usually not necessary and can cause a serious, even life-threatening reaction. We are not giving medical advice. This is provided for your information only, to help you make an informed decision. And perhaps to spur you to further research.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Sprout, Zoolatry and Willow

Today is Sprout Day in honor of young Violette who was laid to rest on this date in 2008.

You can leave a message for Violette's mother and family on Monty Q's blog.

Miss Peach made this lovely postcard of love for the Zoolatry Human. Ann has been so generous with her time and talents and we want her to know how much we appreciate her. Vic needs your/our purrs and prayers.

You can visit Zoolatry here.

Late Sunday night we came across a plea to save Willow before she was pts Monday.  His story was a sad one and we went back to tweet about him. There are so many cries for rescue on twitter, facebook, blogs, news reports, emails .... it's overwhelming.  So what difference does one dog make?

A lot!  It's so disheartening to see so many needs and know so many of the animals are killed because no one has claimed or adopted them.  Today, with trepidation, we decided to check on Willow.  We first went to the petfinder page.  Of course he wasn't there. But for some reason we decided to check our original source.  We scrolled down to the comments and were elated to find Willow was adopted in time.  And a few hours later we read this article.  We wish every plea for help ended positively.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Bear Bear and Funny Pet

We're not sure what a Mutatoe is (we think it's an endearing nickname for Meeshka's sibling?), but it was kind of Meeshka to include us Funny Farmers in their list of those who support justice for Bear Bear. As Meeshka said, those blogs are just a small example of the outpouring of concern and support. You can read the list and the funny Mutatoe snake incident here.

The investigation into the shooting of Bear Bear in a public dog park by a law enforcement officer who obviously knows zip about canine behavior, even though he owns a German Shepherd, should be completed soon. 

We received this email comment on our post yesterday and were asked to post it: PetLover says: That cop and city would get their butts sued off if that happened to my dog. I've helped do it before with the wife claiming damage to her hubby's function to work and their relationship. That gets around the property value of the dog opening up a wide case for damages.

Meanwhile,Alasandra and the Cats posted a few other incidents of officers shooting family pets for no reason.  This is a trend that has got to stop!  One link is to a video of a dog chained to a truck that showed absolutely no aggression while police wandered around and an officer stood in the road with a gun trained on the dog.  The dog tried to run away when an officer attempted to use the catch pole. A NATURAL fearful response.  When the frightened dog was under the officer's control, he shot the dog.  The dog lay on the ground WAGGING his tail and the evil impersonator of a human being put a bullet into the dog's head. (You can read the story, but we advise you not to watch the video.  It will make your blood boil.)  But Artemesia, Scylla, Socks & Fenris did a good post on the subject of police shooting pets Sunday.  Bear Bear's death is not an isolated incident. You can read ASS&F's post here.

Jan can remember the terror of being home alone late one night with the drapes still open, when she saw a group of police officers rush directly in front of the window and pound on her door screaming, "police, open up!" And before her knees could buckle or the dog could bark, a quieter voice said, "We've got the wrong apt." And they were gone. But what if they'd rammed her door, burst in and shot the dog she had then? 

On another occasion, she was sitting outside reading when a group of police officers rushed a nearby apartment, rammed the door and burst inside. Right behind them were 2 Animal Control Officers, each with a catch pole.  They expertly caught the Doberman Pinscherwith and walked him back to their truck, one on either side, without a whimper and without violence.  And that was a dog deliberately trained to be aggressive and attack.  The tenants sold drugs and they used the Doberman to protect them when they made drug deals -  in the apartment, in the parking lot in the middle of the night, or wherever. They even used the dog to threaten tenants and management. (Unfortunately, that dog was back home in a day or two.)

A family pet is not a trained attack dog. Friendly, innocent animals are being killed for no reason, other than that 1) some officers are violent by nature and a policeman, fireman, or other public servant is just as likely as any other citizen to commit domestic violence or animal abuse -- having a gun and a badge just makes it easier for them to abuse/kill "legally" - and 2) law enforcement agencies are derelict in providing training for ALL personnel in how to deal with animals without unnecessary violence.

And on the lighter side....  We don't need to understand the language to laugh at the animal antics in this video.  We hope you enjoy it.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Gabriel and Stanley

We thought we would give you something light and happy today. Gabriel and Stanley are obviously good friends - best buddies as their human calls them. And by the way, Stanley is not declawed.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Today is World Cat Day.  Make today a special day for your feline(s).

Okay, this was going to be a light post but just as it published we finished reading Meeshka's post. .  One thing we are aware of is that law enforcement protects its own, which is not always a good thing.  When there is a violent incident such as a shooting, an off duty officer should not be treated any differently than a civilian.  If anyone else would be tested for alcohol and drugs, so should the officer.  If you or I would be questioned and investigated, so should the officer.  There are far too many casual shooting and killing of family pets by on or off duty officers.  We are glad Bear Bear's death is finally being investigated but it was a dreadful botched beginning and a black eye to law enforcement. Please stop by Meeshka's and read Justice for Bear Bear - An Interview with his Family.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Handsome Louis Vuitton

Hi, this is Sam. I asked to write today's post. Any opinions expressed in it are unanimous - we are all in agreement.

But first we need to clear up a misunderstanding from yesterday's post.   This is what we posted, with a photo of Buddy's chest.

"Many of you know we aren't rolling in dough here.  In fact, Jan insists she can't give us an allowance.  If you remember, when our new office chair was turned over to tighten the screws, whatever parts touched the floor were coated in small splinters. Within a few days, Jan had a thick area carpet covering where we like to sprawl out in this heat. If you missed the carpet post, click here.

"Several weeks ago Buddy took to crawling under the couch to sleep. And this is what Buddy's chest looked like when he rolled onto his back on the new carpet."   (You can see Buddy's photo here.)

We highlighted some of it because we evidently didn't explain it too well.  Some readers thought the carpet responsible for Buddy's injuries.  The splinters from the unsealed wood floor were. If Jan had not seen the splinters on the chair, she would not have run out to buy a thick carpet, and if she had not bought the carpet, the dogs would not have been rolling and having fun (splinters in the floor, remember) and she would not have known Buddy was injured until infection set in.  But she caught it and Buddy is healing fine. 



Now we want to give you the good news that the handsome pit bull we are writing about today is now a happy, healthy and loved pet.

But some of you might remember Louis Vuitton, a chained dog that was savagely beaten with a shovel, doused with lighter fluid and set on fire in September 2007. Why? Because Juan Daniels of Montgomery, Alabama, then age 20, was denied the use of his mother's car. So he took out his rage on her dog. His guilt is not speculation. He confessed and was sentenced to 9 years in prison. However, he is now up for parole.

This is a video of Louis today. Don't worry, it's a positive one. He is enjoying life!




If the video doesn't play, click here.

What this man did to his mother's dog is absolutely terrifying. What would he have done to his mother had the dog not been handy? What would he do today to a girlfriend or stranger in another rage?  We believe he should be denied parole and serve his sentence.  Such anger does not just go away because he has been incarcerated. In fact, we wonder would being locked up fuel that rage. 


We ask if you would take a minute to go sign a petition to help keep the perpetrator off the streets to repeat such an offense. Care 2 Petition

According to the information on Facebook, "the Parole Board said if we succeed in NOT Granting Parole a NEW BILL will be passed that supersedes "Gucci Bill" which helped to incarcerate him!!! GUCCI'S BILL: http://www.alvma.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=107 "  

For those who are not able to access Facebook and would also like to write or call regarding this case , we are posting contact information here:  Please contact the Parole Board before 8/24/2010.

The Board reads ALL letters sent to them concerning these cases.
The letters should be sent to:
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles
PO Box 302405, Montgomery, Alabama 36130
The letter should reference: "Juan Daniels, AIS#263875"

http://www.pardons.state.al.us/ALABPP/Main/ALABPP%20MAIN.htm

EMAIL:
eddie.cook@alabpp.gov
robert.oakes@alabpp.gov
sandra.cochran@alabpp.gov
questions4pardonsandparole s@alabpp.gov
lee.gunn@alabpp.gov

ALABPP EXECUTIVE STAFF PHONE #: (334) 353-3480

This is the type of story we hate to post.  Although it has a happy ending for Louis, he - or any other animal - should never have to suffer at the hands of an abuser.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Dennis, Stanley and Buddy

Well, we're still chuckling over the surprise we - Rusty, Sam & Buddy - gave Jan yesterday. She actually choked on her ice water when she saw the three of us (and our current header) appearing on Dennis the Vizsla's Friendliest Catch show. If she hadn't been so engrossed on the computer, she might have noticed we were missing for a few hours.


You have probably already read yesterday's Life with Dogs' update on Stanley the rescued pit bull who would not have left the shelter alive, until a Cocker Spaniel rescuer saw him, pulled him on Christmas Eve, a vet donated his services ..... There are thousands of Stanleys in shelters, overlooked and on the kill list. Rescue is one dog at a time.

While we were reading about Stanley, we came across an interesting blog post that just makes his story "perfect."  He is no longer in foster care. Stanley was adopted a few months ago -- by his foster family.We wish every dog and cat story had such a happy ending.


Many of you know we aren't rolling in dough here.  In fact, Jan insists she can't give us an allowance.  If you remember, when our new office chair was turned over to tighten the screws, whatever parts touched the floor were coated in small splinters. Within a few days, Jan had a thick area carpet covering where we like to sprawl out in this heat. If you missed the carpet post, click here.

We thought we would show you what Jan saw when we dogs rolled on the carpet after it was down.

Several weeks ago Buddy took to crawling under the couch to sleep. And this is what Buddy's chest looked like when he rolled onto his back on the new carpet.

Jan was quite upset.  Every time we ask for something we consider a necessity -- a new toy, a king size bed, raw meat at every meal - she insists we can't afford luxuries.  Needless to say, once Jan saw Buddy's chest, spending money on a carpet was not a luxury!  We are happy to report that Buddy's wounds are healing nicely.


Our prize from Love Meow's giveaway drawing arrived today.  Here is our kitty piggy bank.  We forgot to take a picture when Jan had it out of the package, but you can see the kitty peeking over the top of the bank with one foot raised to take the money Jan won't let us have to put in it. Thank you, Amy.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Two-Legged Lamb and Bear Bear

There's a little disabled guy with a real will to live.  Born with only 2 legs, one lamb's determination won the heart of the owner who would otherwise have killed him at birth  Funny thing is, he's the only one who doesn't know he's disabled.

Sheepish Cui, 38, says she would normally have killed the youngster at birth, but was so impressed by his struggle to survive she began to hand-rear him.

‘He was so determined to live he pulled himself up onto his own two feet and started drinking his mother's milk. I couldn't let him die,’ said Cui at her farm in Shangdong province, eastern China. You can read the rest of the story here.

For those of you who haven't heard the story of Bear Bear yet, stop by Khyra's or Meeshka's  to read his story. And then while you're all hot under the collar, get your humans to use the contacts listed to help get Bear Bear justice.  There are too many law enforcement officers of one type or another who are trigger happy when it comes to animals, often killing a pet in front of family members with no provocation or remorse.  They should be held accountable!  The investigation was reopened after a "flood of outrage" over the shooting.  You can read that story here.



Don't forget to stop by the CB auction for little Miri.  The anonymous donor who matched the bidding total for Maxie's last auction has offered to match the winning bids for Miri also. You can visit the auction here.

Miri, and the Pregnant Cow

Starting today the CB is holding an emergency auction for Miri, the little kitten Katie rescued and is caring for. Miri needs vet care for her asthma.   The auction will last a week. We hope you will stop by and help Miri. Even if you can't bid or donate, you can help by passing the word to your friends. 

You can meet Miri at Katiez Furry Mewz


Did you read the story of the pregnant cow that was ordered shot by a veterinarian at the California State Fair? No, this isn't a joke. The cow got loose so the "professionals" tried to herd her with an SUV and finally shot her -- and her unborn calf -- because she "charged" and trampled a bicycle.

Gee, we wonder why she might have been upset. She was due to give birth that same day and the "Keystone Cops" were chasing her like a fleeing bank robber. The folks working there weren't afraid of her, and they were shocked and upset when the 11 shots suddenly rang out. We have to wonder whether the vet and staff for the Livestock Nursery attraction actually knew anything about livestock. Perhaps they mistook the pregnant cow for a bull? 

We don't live on a farm but according to some of the comments, any 4-H kid, someone with a rope, or an old lady with a bucket of oats could have walked that cow back to where she was supposed to be.

You can read the story here.

The SPCA protested the shooting of the cow by returning a $1200 check -- giving it to the HSUS -- so it can be used to make changes in the way livestock are handled at the fair. We certainly hope HSUS uses the money for the purpose it was intended.  That story is here.