Cameron has a Question

Hey, Cameron here with a question for you.

Would you ... could you? Then how can so many humans do this to a pet that has been raised dependent on them?


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Merci Defines BSL as Bull

Hey, Merci here. Since Buddy, Sam and I are dogs, I want to do this post on a serious subject. Today, it's Lennox and other dogs. Tomorrow it could be any one of us - or you. But first I need to explain the title.

Yes, BSL is bull!  All us Funny Farmers believe this.  When used this way, it could have one of two meanings:
1) Obscene word for unacceptable behavior.
2) A serious and ludicrous blunder.

We need to point out that since we're not allowed to use bad words, we are using definition #2.

BSL stands for breed specific legislation and we believe it is ... well, to be polite, a serious and ludicrous blunder for any area to condemn all dogs of a certain breed to death.

Yesterday the family of 5-year-old Lennox went to court in Belfast, United Kingdom, to try to save their dog from a death sentnce - and lost. They plan to appeal and continue the battle, but they have not seen their dog since it was taken away from them May 19, 2010. Lennox didn't bite or attack anyone. He didn't do anything threatening or dangerous. The family has complied with every local law, but he was seized because tape measurements classify him as a pit bull.

This video shows Lennox, happy and healthy "pre-arrest" and a recent photo of him sitting inside a small cement cell with sawdust on the floor - not a healthy environment for any dog! But then, they're planning to kill him, so why worry about his health?


If the video doesn't play, click here.

You can read more about Lennox and the fight to save him on his web page. Be sure to click on the tab "About Lennox" for details of his story. He also has a Save Lennox page on Facebook.

We noticed Life With Dogs has also posted on Lennox. If you are interested in contacting the Belfast City Council to voice your opinion of Lennox's situation and of BSL, you can find a list of members' email addresses. Please be polite when you write.

Cyndi Admires Gracie

Hey, it's my turn to post. I'm Cyndi.

I want to introduce you to a wonderful dog today. Her human is a writer and she tells an inspiring story about her dog Gracie. In fact, her human Saralee has written a book about Gracie, The Dog Who Walked Me.

In Saralee's own words: "The story is about my dog who became my caregiver after my spinal cord injury, the initial devastating effects on my marriage, and my cat who kept me sane throughout."

We haven't read the book, so this is not a review.  (Actually, we're not even sure it's published or for sale yet.) We just all liked Gracie's story and her role in helping Saralee's determined efforts to learn to walk again, so we want to share it with you. This is an excerpt from Gracie's story posted on Christopher Reeve's Foundation site.

Amazing Gracie's Devotion
By Saralee Perel

This month, I began writing one column after another for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, but nothing clicked. I finally realized my mind's been on a subject that I've been postponing putting into words. But now it is time.

My dog, Gracie, is coming to the end of her life. From the very moment she saw me in my Miami J neck brace after my spinal cord surgery, she was no longer just my dog; she was my lifeguard. This is my tribute to my beautiful friend's life.

She was a year old when she was found abandoned on the streets of Fall River, Massachusetts. When my husband, Bob, and I brought her home, she was terrified of us.

One day, a few years before my SCI, she was next to me while I was making soup. As I often do when I cook, I was singing. When I belted out "Oklahoma," I raised my large spoon toward the ceiling for emphasis. She hit the ground on all fours and, petrified, scooted away as if I was going to hit her with the spoon. Clearly she had been abused. She wouldn't even let us hug her. You can read the rest of the story here.

Saralee has a website and a Facebook page.


And we'd like to remind you that Dogs in Brazil is in danger of losing their home and the 16 abandoned, old and/or special needs dogs they have rescued. They have fed many street dogs out of their meager earnings from their bakery that was closed when the flood and mudslides hit Brazil in January. They hauled pet food through the devastation to help dogs in harder-hit areas.

They are in a poor area of Brazil and have been trying to find funding to help. They would really like to not only save the 16 they have now but others. Dogs and cats are not valued in their area and there is no help available there. If you wonder why they only mention saving dogs, it's because they don't have the room or finances to feed and house cats too.

If I remember correctly (and remember, we furries have somehow acquired Jan's bad memory), they are wanting to open a no kill shelter to help even more animals.

Visit Dogs in Brazil blog and check it out. And if you feel inspired to donate a few dollars to help, they would appreciate it. If you would like to donate but can't, you could help by passing the information along on Facebook or Twitter or ...

Yeah!  We are celebrating having consistent DSL internet again.

Cotton and DSL Weather

Hi, Cotton here.Yes, I know the title of this post is a bit strange but it goes well with how things have been going around here. 

What a weekend. We spent much of Saturday and Sunday under either a tornado or severe thunderstorm watch. When a neighbor asked Jan yesterday if she was huddled in the hallway when the siren went off at 4 am Sunday morning, Jan had to admit she hadn't heard the siren over the all-night squawking of the weather radio. Which was probably a good thing since we don't have a hallway to huddle in should a tornado materialize.

Sunday morning brought another bad storm. And there was a lightning strike way too close for comfort just before the transformer next door got hit. A couple hours later Jan turned the computer on for us but we had no internet. She spent much of the afternoon trying to get online and calling our DSL provider. They finally said they'd send a tech out today before 5. She called a neighbor who said, yes, she had internet ... wait, let me check ... no, I can't get online ... my son-in-law is checking ... no, he can't get the internet ... we got online after he rebooted. (Rebooting didn't help our problem.)

Later Jan called another neighbor and she has the same provider. She turned on her computer. No internet. A while later Jan decided to call our provider again to tell them she isn't the only one with a problem, and since they check for a signal, she turned the computer back on. And a few minutes later, she had internet. So she called and canceled the service call.

The tech didn't get the cancellation and showed up early this morning.  Jan explained our internet was working again. The guy said he had a lot of DSL calls to make and left. A couple hours later Jan turned on the computer ... and you guessed it - no internet! She called and a guy told her the ticket was still open so he couldn't put in a new one. And, no, he couldn't call anyone to try to contact the tech to come back. Jan hung up the phone and tried one more time - and got online.

So Jan called Windstream back and during the conversation, the alert lady said, "I don't see a signal, you're not on the internet." "Yes, I am ... oh, no, I'm not." Fortunately, she knew the procedure to pass on the message to the tech, who called a short time later to say he was on his way back.

He told Jan, "When I got to the office this morning, I asked what we have and was told all the guys were sent out on 3 calls. But by that time they had 47 more in the office and they were still coming." Guess most folks either didn't know they had no internet until this morning or waited until business hours to call.

We hope we will still have internet access tomorrow but life is full of surprises, so we'll see you again tomorrow ... or we won't. There are more storms coming and it's going to be a wet week. We know some of you are still having snow and/or freezing temperatures, so we won't complain. 

Oh, and one positive from this is the tech discovered our DSL filter had gone bad. He was surprised it lasted 5 years. He was even more surprised we even get a DSL signal since we're only supposed to use a 15 foot cord from the jack to the DSL modem and we're using either a 50' or a 100' foot one. See, there is only one place to plug in the computer and only one jack. The outlet and the jack are on opposite sides of the room, so Jan compromised and put the desk in the middle of the living room, so the phone lines to the computer have to be run up over the doors, across the walls and down the closet door behind the computer. It's unorthodox and a real pain, but we work with what we have, so as long as it works ...

To cheer us all, we have a sweet video today. The cute little boy with a dog is now 5 years old and for his birthday he asked for donations to help the animals instead of presents and raised over $400.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Buddy does not Squee

Hey, remember me? I'm Buddy, but it's been a while since I've posted, so I shoved all the others out of the way ... uh, won the race to the typing chair today to bring you a fun video.

This is a squee video. You know, one of those with cute little animals that make humans go squee! Notice I said it makes humans go squee.  I am a hound.  A male hound.  I bay.  I howl.  I do not squee! 

These are a couple of baby otters at Longleat in the United Kingdom.  Their names are Sumalee and Kasem.  We seem to remember reading something about their mom having a problem caring for them as babies, so they have been bottle-fed and are now learning to swim so they can be returned to their parents, Rosie and Romeo.

Baby otters have to be taught to swim and they would be just as determined to climb out of the water if their teacher was their mom. But once they get the hang of it, it's fun! And they even have a rubber duckie and other toys to play with in the water.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Darcy is a Maine Coon cat with serious dental problems which are not the fault of the breeder (she was a breeding cat in her first home) or her current family. She has an autoimmune problem that requires the removal of all her teeth ASAP!

Her mom writes: "Darcy has the worse case of stomatitis the vet had seen in 5 years. Not only that but she has Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions. Resorptive Lesions is when the cat's body attacks the teeth and starts dissolving them and eating away at them."

The extent of the problem was discovered during dental surgery to remove a few of her teeth. It was a shock to her mom and she could only afford to have 14 of Darcy's teeth removed the other day. You can read Darcy's story and if you would like to help, there is a Chip In button for donations.

From all of us - have a great weekend!

Sam Asks for Help

Pssst, Sam here. I wanted to post today to remind you all of a couple in Brazil who currently have 16 dogs they have taken in from the streets - abandoned dogs, older dogs, dogs with health problems. There are so many dogs in need there but they can only rescue as many as they have room to keep. Some live inside the house and some live outside.

Now 16 might not sound like many to those of you involved in rescue, but we're not talking about a rescue in the United States. This rescue is in a poor area of Brazil. Not long ago the husband ran a bakery trying to make enough money to pay the bills and even though it didn't make much, he still fed the starving dogs in the area, even if it was only bread.

Then came the floods and the bakery no longer exists. But still they have 16 dogs and themselves to provide for. Instead of sitting at home crying about the situation, they got involved in helping with dog rescue and feeding in areas hit worse than they were. If you scroll down their posts, you can read about some of their ventures.

Since there is no bakery and no income, they are again facing the loss of their home and the dogs they have rescued and vetted. For a while they were getting a few donations but the donations dried up and ... well, we hate to think of them losing everything after having accomplished so much with the dogs. If you can possibly spare a few dollars to help, there is a Chip In widget at the top of their page, They aren't aware we are posting this, but we know they would be grateful. We hate to think of them losing everything after giving so much.

You can visit the Dogs In Brazil blog here. And Emmy the GSD is now on Twitter. @emmydib

Cameron with Happy Tail

Hi, it's Cameron here and I'd like to share this positive story from the recent tsunami in Japan.  Perhaps I should have used "tale" in the title, but I like "tail" better since this story ends in a wagging tail.

A man let his dog loose in the yard, then ran door to door to warn his neighbors of the approaching tsunami. When he tried to go back home for his dog, it was too late and he had to head to higher ground. His Akita, Shane, was caught in the tsunami.

But six hours later, after swimming in chest deep water, Shane arrived at the shelter - a place he'd never been before - where he was reunited with his human. It's amazing how Shane found him. He cut his elbows, perhaps by clinging onto debris, but he is home and receiving care for his wounds. You can read about the reunion here or more details on this story and why you should take your pets with you when evacuating.

And speaking of Japan, Sachie of My Himalayan Cat Goma blog is from Japan and has family there. Although they are safe, she has wanted to do something to help. Check out her Hope for Japan stickers. She is selling them for $5 each. They are water and sun resistant and can be easily peeled from one item to be transferred to another.

Cotton has a Poison PSA

Hi, This is Cotton with a PSA (public service announcement) for you today. But first a related story.

Because this is a mill town, even though the mills have closed in recent years, we have wharf rats here. Jan heard of them but never saw one for the first couple of years or so she was here. Then one day she saw a cat with a shiny coat sunbathing in the yard. She went out on the porch for a better look. She walked a wide curve through the yard so she wouldn't scare it away. She got as close as two or three feet from it before it suddenly got up and ambled off and down into the sewer.

Only it wasn't a cat. What from the back had appeared to be a healthy looking cat with a shiny dark coat had a pointed face, bare feet, and a long naked tail! Jan's first thought was that possums don't come in that color. She still has a hard time believing a rat can grown that big.

A few short years later, a hot water pipe under the house broke the day before Christmas and we were without hot water until some time after New Year's. The poor plumber who finally showed up was sick and he was probably quite a bit sicker after crawling around on the frozen ground, but he did manage to install new hot water pipes.

A couple of days later, Jan found Crystal in the bathroom trying to dig through the side of the bathtub. And something on the other side was trying to dig through just as vigorously. Jan had to physically remove Crystal, Jenny and me and close the door. She left a message for the landlord but this kept happening. So she reluctantly called someone in the neighborhood who had some rat poison from the city. Rat poison was thrown under the house and things were quiet for a while.

Then the noises started under the tub in the bathroom again. And in the bathroom wall. Once there was what sounded like the frightened squealing of something small. It gave Jan chills. She could follow the critters as much by where we cats were investigating as by the rustle as they walked between the walls of the house. She kept leaving messages for the landlord. She had more poison thrown under the house, terrified a neighbor's cat would get hold of it.

One night there was the sound of chewing by the front door. Behind the fireplace. Over by the closet. Over by the door to the inside back porch. It was an invasion! Crystal, Jenny and me were racing from one spot to another, trying to dig through the walls. Jan totally lost it. This time she left a late night phone message for the landlord (we should clarify this is an ex-landlord), begging him to send someone over to plug up the opening the plumber evidently left under the bathtub. Her message was tinged with hysteria and it did the trick. She never saw the plumber so he must have come when she wasn't home, but the opening under the tub was finally sealed and the unwelcome visitors have not been heard from since.

We watched a video today that reminded me of this story and I'd like to share it with you. Because even if your human NEVER EVER uses rat poison anywhere on your property, you could still be poisoned, even if you're an indoor kitty. In this video, veterinarian Karen Becker discusses the best ways to protect your pets from ingesting rat poison and what to do if they accidentally have some.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Percy on Springing a Leak

So this is what a peeing car looks like. Not very impressive, is it? Now, Sam, he really knows how to take a leak.

Oh, sorry, I forgot to identify myself. This is Percy. No, not the photo below. I'm the kitty in the photo above.

The car's radiator level has been dropping and Jan's brother did find and fix a leaking radiator whatchamacallit last Friday. So Jan went to Walmart yesterday to buy some more coolant. But she got right back in the car and came home empty-handed after she saw the puddle forming underneath. She raced in the house, grabbed the camera and ran back out the door.

She thought that white line was a string and when she tried to pull it off in the Wal-mart parking lot, her finger went right through it. It was warm and wet. Thankfully, not hot!

It's a good thing she noticed the leak because two or three hours later, after she was sure the engine was cool (actually because she finally remembered), the radiator was full when she checked it. And since she is parked on the lawn, she wouldn't have known about the engine draining.

Since this is the only kind of entertainment Jan's had this year, maybe we need to get a job to cheer her up. Anyone looking to hire some adorable furries? We can eat and sleep and play and journal, so between us we have lots of experience.That should make us worth lots of green papers.

Not right now? Well, keep us in mind. We'll go practice sleeping some more so we don't forget how. You know the old saying, use it or lose it. Or should that be snooze it? zzzzzzzzzzzz

Merci Shares Photo Changes

Hey, this is Merci. We're still supposed to be on break but I decided we really need to post this subject before some of you Blogger users run out of photo storage room and have to resort to buying more Picasa space.

Picasa has been giving users 1 gb of storage space. When that ran out, you could buy more storage space from them. It isn't expensive but why buy it if you don't need to?

The good news is that this year Picasa has changed their storage rules. You still have 1 gb and need to buy more if you run out, but it's calculated differently. And a lot of bloggers are not yet aware of it. So we're going to share what little we know on this subject. And we're not kidding about knowing little. :)

If you don't know where to find your Picasa photos, it's easy.
A) Go to your dashboard,
B) Scroll down and click on Picasa Web Albums.
C) In Picasa, scroll down to bottom where it says, You are currently using ......

If you keep your photos under 800 x 800 pixels now, they don't count against your storage space. The same for videos under 15 minutes. If you are new and don't know how to resize photos or don't already have a photo editor, we suggest downloading Picasa onto your computer if you are running XP, Vista or Windows 7. It is a good photo organizer and it is very easy to resize blog photos from your computer with Picasa.-

A) Pick a photo. It will appear at the bottom left.
B) Click on the top GREEN button to the right. Hold cursor over it and it will say, Hold Selected Item. Repeat for any other photos you want to resize.
C) Click folder - Export.
D) Small window will open. Choose size. Check out your options. You can even add a watermark to the photo with your blog url or a copyright notice.
E) Click - Export - in the window. The folder will automatically open on your computer.

If you close the folder and want to find it again, go into My Documents/My Pictures and scroll down to Picasa. The Export folder will be found there. A simpler way would be to scroll down your photos right in Picasa and locate the folder "Picasa"; the folder "Exports" would be under it.

There is also a program called Irfinview
A) Open a photo.
B) Click drop down menu - Image
C) Click - Resize/Resample
A box will open telling you current size and giving you resizing options. Once you've done it once or twice, you can open, resize, and save quickly.

There are more resizing options in Irfinview than in Picasa, but for a blog photo, you don't really need a lot of options.

For corroboration of the new Picasa online storage rules, we offer a couple of links.

Google makes subtle changes.

"Photos less than 800 pixels x 800 pixels and video less than 15 minutes long that are uploaded to Picasa Web Album, Blogger, or Buzz don't count towards your storage quota." We had to search to find what they meant by 800 pixels and this quote can be found here.

And Google Operating System.

So resize those photos before posting them in Blogger/Picasa and enjoy unlimited free storage. We're really pleased because now we can make our photos larger since we were making them small so we didn't run out of room.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Fur Coat

Pssst, this is Rusty. This is what we're doing today. And planning for tomorrow.

We're still on a short break but I couldn't resist sneaking over to say hello and post this video for today's blog hop. Enjoy.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We'll be back soon.

Word Wednesday Challenge 2011

It's time for the Wordy Wednesday Challenge 2011 and Ann of Zoolatry has done a lovely job of portraying JFF residents with the one word we chose for each of us.

Buddy is much like Jan with a one-track mind and hard to distract when concentrating on something. Buddy was a born clown, always making others laugh at his antics. That's why he was the inspiration for this blog and the star of many posts, especially in his younger days.

Cameron is always well-dressed and ready for any occasion in his immaculate, custom-made tuxedo and debonair manner.

Cotton is the resident tortoiseshell and as everyone knows - or will soon learn if they are adopted by one - a tortie has tortitude. Cotton is no exception. She keeps us in line.

Cyndi is the resident groomer. She keeps her own coat clean and groomed and even helps Jan a little now and then. Jan doesn't mind her hair being washed, except when Cyndi starts pulling out a hair here and there.

Merci is shy until she gets to know you. And then she'll be your forever friend. When Mr. Doug stopped at the dog pen to say hello yesterday, Merci was so excited to see him, she ran laps around the pen.

Does the work nosy really need an explanation? Percy is into everything, turning up in places Jan can't figure out how he even got there, hunting bags of treats and eating them, and even on top of the doors. Nothing is safe from his prying eyes or probing paws.

Sam and Rusty are not included today because they participated in the Word Wednesday Challenge 2009 and we thought making six graphics at one time was enough of a task. Click here to see shy Rusty and magnetic Sam.

Thank you, Zoolatry, for enabling us to participate.To find other participants, scroll down and check out the Mr. Linky list for today on the Cat Blogosphere.

With this post, we're going to take a break from blogging. We don't know for how long, but Jan needs some rest time so we're going to keep her company.

Cyndi Updates Minnie

Hi, Cyndi here with today's news.

On February 2 we posted about 4 cats needing a home. This was Minnie.

This lovely special needs kitty needs a new home because she is in a bad situation - living alone in a basement.

She is spayed and vaccinated. She is a little over 1 year old and need some TLC. She was born with her front legs curled in slightly. She needs a foster or forever home with someone who has a litter pan on the same floor. She cannot climb steps. Right now she is in a basement because the husband will not allow a litter pan upstairs.



Update Feb 7, 2011: This first lovely lady with the special need is a Maine Coon mix named Minnie. And we have just received word that she has no longer living alone in a basement and is safe in a foster home. However, she still needs a home of her own.

Today's update: We don't know what happened with the other three cats in that post but we are happy to pass on the news of this lovely special needs kitty - word for word as we received it. Minnie is adopted!!!!!!!!!!!! She was adopted through PAWS with a wonderful and loving senior Persian and they will happily ever after!

We're so happy for Minnie and for her new family. Hopefully, the other 3 cats in the post have also found a new home.

We can't resist including this cute little guy as he wages war against an ice cube.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Voting in Brian's St. Patrick's Day Contest is today and tomorrow, so be sure to go by and vote before you forget.

Sam wants to help Apollo

Hi, Sam here with some serious news about a dog in need.

If you haven't heard about it yet, Trixie, Lily, and Sammy-Joe are hosting a blogathon/fundraiser for Apollo, a black lab mix that was rescued by Almost Home Foundation and adopted into a new home before it was discovered he was born with a serious medical condition. You can read the details on their blog. The fundraiser runs through March 15, so stop by and check it out.



Here is the link to Apollo's story on his Chip In page.

Remembering Mickey

Good-bye sweet Mickey. You lived a long life - 18 years - had a loving family and a lot of friends. We are saddened it came your time to leave.

We send purrs and tail wags for Mickey's family and a hug for his mom. We know how much it hurts to lose a furry friend.

Percy Sniffs and Cotton Checks

Hi, it's me, Percy. It's my turn to do a post and today I am going to pretend to be Buddy at work. You all know our Buddy. He's a hound and his favorite pastime is to drag Jan down the road as he follows a scent.

Now I am not going to drag Jan around, but, yes, I am going to follow a scent to sniff out pet odors on our drapes. I don't normally go around sniffing drapes, but we do have litter pans indoors, and since it will make Jan happy ... (I hope making Jan happy will translate into treats.)

Jan is trying to use less chemicals in our house and she was just about to go to the Clean+Green site to see if they have a fabric freshener when we received an email asking if we would like to test their Furniture Refresher.

"The product is formulated to tackle tough pet stain and odor sources, but works beautifully on soft surfaces (couches/furniture, bedspreads, curtains and more) in any home. Clean+Green uses a patented Advanced Encapsulation Technology(tm) and an Advanced Eliminator3 Formula that naturally encapsulate and eliminate stain and odor on contact - even skunk odor! - by naturally biodegrading the stain/odor source. The all natural formula - ingredients are cane sugar derivatives, a proprietary blend of botanical extracts, hydrated cellulose, purified water and a natural aerosol propellant (nitrogen) delivers instant results in a safe, non-toxic,
eco-friendly solution."

The first can they sent was probably dropped on its head in transit and it suffered some major head trauma, so Clean+Green sent us a healthy can. We Funny Farmers would test the product all by ourselves but we lack the ability to shake the can and properly point the nozzle to spray. So we have enlisted Jan's help. All she has to do is point and shoot spray. We hope she is up to the task.

Our first project was the bedroom. Buddy and Sam are wimps and like to sleep on the bed at night. I sniffed the top blanket and Jan sprayed it. Then I sniffed the drapes and Jan sprayed them. So far, so good. I might not fire her.

But what's that smell? It was a bit perplexing. The Furniture Refresher is "fragrance free'" however, there was definitely an unusual odor arising from the blanket and drapes. Not stinky, just unusual.

Next we went to the porch where the litter pans are kept. I sniffed the drapes there and then the set in the bathroom. Jan sprayed all the drapes. Again, that unusual odor.

I waited a while and then made the rounds to sniff everything again. Hmmm, they smelled much better, even the bathroom drapes which had sported a musty odor since there is no ventilation in that room.

Cotton followed behind to double-check and gave everything her paw of approval. She said I have a keen sense of smell for a youngster, which made my fur stand on end until I realized she meant young compared to her. I guess it was intended as a compliment.

What we like most about Clean+Green products is the ingredients are non-toxic and harmless to pets and people: And another plus is that it is non-flammable. Jan had to stop using aerosol sprays in the winter because they turned the gas space heater pilot light flames orange and occasionally extinguished one. And once they're out, she often can't relight them. But she can use Clean+Green products year round.

We couldn't test this product with the gas heat on because our budget is such that when we had a warm spell last month Jan worried about the financial waste of the space heater pilots and finally turned them off. Of course there was an immediate change in the weather but since she can't turn them on without help and they need to have the dust/hair blown out first, we have been without heat for 2 or 3 weeks.

Jan did okay spraying the drapes so we won't fire her for that, but we were certainly contemplating it this morning when it was 50F in here.

We don't pee on the furniture - and certainly not on the drapes - but should we have an accident, the Furniture Refresher is supposed to clean and eliminate the odor. You can learn more about Clean+Green products here.

This is not a paid product review, but we did receive a can of the product to test.

Cotton has Giveaway News

It's me, Cotton, the senior Funny Farmer, with a post on a fundraiser/giveaway.We love giveaways and we enjoy helping animals in need. 

Many of you know Pet Care Bev and her dog Tyler. Well, Tyler has a twin known as Flat Tyler who not only travels around and gets his picture taken, but Flat Tyler has his own blog and he's having a giveaway.

First, we want to tell you that Bev and Tyler are raising funds for veterinary bills for Small paws Rescue. Tyler knows the rescue well. He and Bev came together through Small Paws.

Bev says: Even before Tyler, Small Paws has been important to me. Small Paws is a courageous group of 800 volunteers and 6,000 supporting global members. Over the past 12 years they’ve helped over 8,000 Bichons, Bichon Blends, and dogs who have had a passing affiliation with a Bichon to find forever homes. Volunteers foster dogs in their homes across the United States. Small Paws Rescue embraces the philosophy of  “no-kill”–nearly all their donations go to pay vet bills. And the little fluffy dogs that Small Paws rescues usually come from horrible situations. So there’s always vet bills.

So, during the month of March, to encourage people to donate to Small Paws Rescue (and to increase the flat pet population), Bev will give away 4 flat pets.

Also, Karen Nichols, a Catster blogger and Skeezix's Food Lady, not to mention the owner of the famous, traveling Flat Skeezix, has also offered to create one of her amazing, personalized mixed media pet portraits to use as a give-away during the Flat Tyler Small Paws Fundraiser! This is an incredible prize worth $100.00! You can see some examples at Karen's Etsy shop. The pet portrait will be given away at the end of March.

You can find the details at Flat Tyler's or at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/flat-tyler/small-paws-rescue-inc.

For some reason, we were unable to access Flat Tyler's blog for the longest time today. The page kept "loading" blank. Eventually it did load but it is very slow for us and we have no idea of why. So if you have the same problem, just go to the firstgiving link. It has the same information and loaded quickly for us.

Sam is 5

See, we told you Jan would forget about Samaritan's birthday. A few of you have already stopped by to remind us and we thank you.

Happy 5th Birthday, Sam!

You have been a delight to have as a brother. You are witty and fun, rivaled only in the comedy department by Buddy and Percy.

Mardi Gra Party

The furry Mardi Gra Party with our friend Gracie as parade queen has started, thanks mainly to the beautiful designs and graphics by Momo, Socks, Asta, and Karl. So we're going to send you over to party with all your old and new friends. Click here to join the party.

Cyndi is Newsy

Hi, It's Cyndi again. Please excuse me but I'm checking out the wrapper of a package I think contained some goodies. And Jan must be hogging them cause we haven't had a nibble of them yet. Yeah, computer hog, goodies hog - she's racking up some points in the minus range here.

As soon as I finish this post, I'm headed back to a warm bed for a snooze. It's a bit chilly and damp in here today, but we're not having sleet, so we're not complaining. Just snuggling.

We have an inter-species video for you today, an antelope in Africa grooming a cat. That's not something most of us are likely to see up close and personal in our lifetime.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

As we mentioned the other day, Jan had to make a small change to some of our older Zazzle designs, so as long as she had to delete them and re-post them for sale, she redesigned some of them. She said we could post samples here but we didn't know she would actually write "sample" on them. I hope she never takes a picture of one of us in the litter box because she'd probably write "pee" or "poop" across it for all of you to read.


This is one Jan needs to memorize but the wisdom leaks through the holes in her head ... um, we mean it leaks through her ears.


This is one we live by. We don't worry, just relax and let our cares float away


We still like this one of Merci and Buddy. They were the canine "Odd Couple" when Buddy was a puppy. Merci was a neat freak and Buddy was ... well, messy. Jan would make them a neat bed and Merci would collect all the cat and dog toys into a neat pile, then Buddy would "straighten up."


Buddy has always been the clown of the Funny Farmers. But he just didn't know his own strength in this one.


Cotton says that when your human messes up, they should apologize to another human with flowers because flowers speak volumes. We furries, however, would prefer treats.


We just have to feature Sam's handsome face and blue eye.


Sam also has a sense of humor. He's quite the clown competition for Buddy.


And this one is for anyone who has misplaced their memory. Our celebrated brain surgeon Dr. Buddy can help! Well, he can help anyone but Jan. She says it's not good practice for any surgeon to operate on a family member.

These and other designs are available at our Zazzle store.

Cyndi Wants Thumbs

Hey, it's my turn again. I'm Cyndi. We don't have any big news to report. We had a week or so of nice weather and we enjoyed having the back door open during the day, but the weather has turned colder and damp so we're all taking this opportunity to catch up on our naps.

We do have a fun video for you today. We know it has to be fun because we started this post earlier and just now we opened two emails from friends who have sent us the same video link on the same day. Must be a popular video.

Blogging kitties keep saying, "If only cats had opposable thumbs ..."  Well, we Funny Farm kitties will join you in raising a glass to toast the power of the thumb.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Jan is still hard at work on photos but she finished playing with the problem TIF files. Now she is busy working on making some changes to a few of our Zazzle designs. She started out with the intention of making just one minor change to each but decided as long as she will have to go through the whole process to re-post them for sale, she might as well have some fun with them and make some major changes. We would ask why, but we understand she used to do this major moving cycle with furniture. We would prefer she resume moving furniture so we can use the computer.

Cesar Millan And The Demon Dog

Posted by Darwin Garza

If you have not yet watched the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel you don't know what you are missing. I like to watch this program on Satellite TV Channels because we can't get it on cable. We found this program one evening when we were looking for something different to watch. Once we started watching, we understood that we could throw out everything we ever thought we knew about dogs.

We had a little chihuahua that thought she owned the house and everyone in it. She especially thought that I was her possession and nobody else could get close. This was awkward whenever somebody came to visit. We could not even hug or shake hands without her trying to bite their hands off.

After we started watching the Dog Whisperer we learned so much from the techniques that he used with dogs that behaved pretty much the same way she was acting. I remember the episode about the demon dog. This little chihuahua was doing the same thing that our Susie was doing. We didn't leave the room while this episode aired.

After watching this one we used the same techniques Cesar did and soon had her acting like a regular dog. She no longer tries to bite friends and family and actually acts like she likes them.


In keeping with our policy to be upfront with our readers, this post is sponsored.

Rusty Says Thanks

Hi, Rusty, here again. I'd like to thank all of you for coming by to have a slice of my birthday cake. You know, the cake Jan had to run out to buy after she read about it on the CB. The one she was too cheap to even buy enough candles for.

Anyway, Sam's birthday is coming up next week. By then she will have forgotten about Sam too. **sigh** She really needs to learn to read her calendar.

Oh, and by the way, the catnip-scented, stuffed candy corn cat toy I'm enjoying in the photo is the one Sam ate last year. Yep, the whole thing. We did a post on it a while back.

Rusty is Seven

Happy 7th Birthday, Rusty!

We're so glad you joined our family. You are the gentle giant of the Funny Farm. Well, the gentle giant kitty. Merci is about your size but Buddy and Sam tower over you.

Rusty, we have a chipmunk video for you. We know you like chipmunks. So enjoy the Chipmunks doing the happy birthday dance.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Now we'd like to invite all of you to have a piece of birthday cake with us.

Jan, where'd you hide Rusty's cake? You know, his birthday cake. You what?

Uh, we apologize but there will be a slight delay in cutting the cake. Jan forgot to buy one. Or make one. Or even borrow one. She's on her way to pick up one now. Just as soon as she finds her car keys. And some money.

*** Toes tap, tap, tap impatiently. Buddy paces the room. Percy searches the internet for a last ditch quick cake delivery service.***

Oh, here she comes. Hurry, hurry, hurry .... okay, let's see what you got? Uh-oh, Sam did you eat two of the candles before they were lit? Oh, Jan only had enough green papers on her to buy 5. Well, this will just have to do.

Okay, let's dig in and have some cake.

We need to work on Jan's preparedness skills. She doesn't have any. If we hadn't seen Rusty's birthday on the CB this morning .. uh, if we hadn't remembered this morning .. Oh, congratulations, Rusty, we'll all try to be more prepared next year.

PS - Please forgive us if we appear to be missing more than usual. We are. We are trying to read your blogs but we aren't getting to comment much. We had 283 TIF files from 2004 - 2005 with problems and they have been causing us some headaches, so Jan has been losing her mind working diligently to make a copy of each and move the problem files out of the Picture folder. Most of them are of us, especially Buddy when he was very small, and she doesn't want to lose any of them. So we're here, we're just quieter than usual.