Percy and Drake the Akita

Micah:  Hey, Percy, I understand you've been looking for a new apartment.  Does this mean you'll be moving out soon?

Percy:  You wish!  But I'm staying.  I'm just looking for a place of my own here.  There isn't much privacy, especially from you.

Micah:  Jan wasn't very happy when you knocked things over leaping to your latest apartment yesterday.  Why would you want to move onto a shelf over the toilet?

Percy:  There was only room for one.

Micah:  You made a bigger mess leaping out of your new digs.  Jan had to wash all her combs and hair items after they bounced around the floor.

Percy:  Well, entry and exit were a bit awkward.  I was going to work on them but Jan blocked access and now I have to find another apartment.  Looking is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Micah:  If you need any help packing, just let me know.  I can throw your things into a suitcase in no time.  Just say the word.

Percy: You sure are trying to be helpful for someone who doesn't like me.

Micah:  Believe me, packing your things would be my pleasure!


Taylor:  Marcus is taking a snooze in his crate.  He's a bit jealous, so this seems a good time to share pictures of another dog. 

Jan has been wanting some photos of a neighbor's dog for months.  He used to live two doors away.  Every time she saw him on the lawn and came inside to get her camera, he would be on the porch when she came out.

Two or three months ago, his owner moved away and the dog moved next door.  His owner John was working with him on obedience training yesterday, and he brought Drake outside the privacy fence so Jan could take photos. 

It was the first time Jan has ever seen him up close.  This is Drake.  Isn't he gorgeous? 

He is an Akiita and he is big - much bigger than Marcus! 

He has a sense of humor.  This is what Drake had to say about Jan making a fuss over him.

Mini Bear in Icing

Cyndi:  Hey, Marcus, have you seen our recent house guest in icing yet?

Marcus:  I don't remember having a house guest in icing.  Is that a new fashion?

Cyndi:  No, silly, it's a cake a new member brought to the local Humane Society meeting Tuesday.  Actually, it's a cupcake cake.

Marcus:  I never heard of a cupcake cake.  Is it made of cake or cupcake batter?

Cyndi:   It's made from cupcakes and icing in whatever shape a customer wants. Jan thought it resembled Bear and took some pictures. 

Marcus:  Hey, that does resemble her somewhat, but it's hard to tell for sure.

Cyndi:  How can you say it might?  It looks like her!

Marcus:  It's hard to tell since the closest look I had of her was when she was on her back pummeling me on the nose for being polite.  (The Mini Bear)

Cyndi:  You're several times her size and you were trying to sniff her butt.  What did you expect?

Marcus: It was a misunderstanding. 

Cyndi:  Yes, it was.  I hope you learned a lesson.

Marcus:  What lesson?

Cyndi:  Never underestimate the ingenuity of a female!  You'll get kicked in the nose every time.

The Mini Bear

Merci:  Meet Bear.  Seriously, this is Bear the chihuahua mix.  She - yes, she!  (You have probably already guessed that Bear the female chihuahua was named by a guy.)  She stayed with us June 1 - 5.

Percy:  She was so quiet we hardly knew she was here at first, but the next day (Saturday) Jan and her friend Miss Teresa took Bear to visit her human at the nursing home, and Bear came back with ATTITUDE and a voice.

Merci:  When she was suddenly taken from her home and left here, she thought she was abandoned.  When Miss Teresa returned the next day and Bear spent time with her human, Bear changed from fearful to happy and hopeful.  Also, Bossy.

Percy:  Jan says if Bear were her dog, she'd rename Bear "Hope". She looks like a Hope, doesn't she!

Merci:  She loved to go outside and patrol the dog pen.  She'd walk back and forth, stand up for a better look in the neighbor's yard, resume patrol, sit in the shade where she had a panoramic view, resume patrol, say it was time to go in, take a leap onto the first step and bounce up the rest.

Marcus:  She did not like being crated.  Jan gave her the larger crate so she wouldn't feel cramped and she hated it.  I'm the bigger dog.  I should have had the larger crate.  But no, the mini bear got it!

Percy:  Jan let her have it so you wouldn't argue over her being in your crate.  When Cricket was here last year (Cricket Goes Home) , you didn't stop complaining about having to move out of your crate so she could have the smaller one.

Merci:  She had picked out a corner behind the desk Friday and Jan had blocked it with a gate so she could relax in private.   Then Jan blocked it with a gate.to keep her out with us, either in the crate or loose in the house, but not hiding in a corner. 

Marcus:  But after Bear returned Saturday, she figured out how to get back to "her" corner.  While Jan sat here at the computer, Bear accessed the bottom desk shelf from the open side and pushed things out the front for a private entrance.

Percy:  As hyper and noisy as Marcus is, he was a very good boy for the duration. Jan would let Bear out of the crate and when Bear went back in on her own, Jan would lock it and let Marcus out of his.  Jan claims playing musical crates and outside patrol is w-o-r-k!

Merci:  She also claims Bear and Marcus took about five years off her life when they accidentally met one day at the kitchen door.  Jan heard terrified screams, turned around in time to see Bear turn and run with Marcus right behind her.  Jan caught up to them on the enclosed porch.  Bear was on her back ...  Actually, Marcus should tell what happened.

Marcus:  Bear hasn't been around other dogs and obviously didn't know proper canine etiquette because she was just plain RUDE!  I was following Jan into the kitchen when Bear, who was supposed to be sleeping in her corner, suddenly tried to pass me.  Being the polite guy I am, I started to say hello - the canine way by sniffing her butt.  She started screaming, "He's trying to kill me!" and the chubby little mini bear took off running, screeching like I really was killing her.

Percy:  Jan caught up to them and nearly laughed.  Bear was on her back with all four feet pumping like she was riding a bicycle, screeching like Marcus actually was killing her.  Marcus was standing over her trying to ... er, be polite.

Marcus:  Yes, I was being polite trying to sniff her butt but as I said she was RUDE!  Aside from her shrieking in my ears, she was kicking me on the nose with those pumping feet!

Merci:  Jan took Marcus back to his crate and gave him a treat to let him know he wasn't in trouble.   Then she turned to go check on Bear, just as Bear came sauntering through the doorway as if nothing had happened.  Yep, Bear definitely had attitude.  

Percy:  That Tuesday Bear's owner went home and so did Bear.

Marcus:  She wasn't a bad house guest, but she needs someone to explain the facts of canine etiquette - never kick a gentleman in the nose for saying hello!. 

Cricket Goes Home

Merci:  Well, it's about time!

Rusty:  It's about time for what?  We've already had breakfast.

Merci:  It's about time our guest left so I can have my private room back..

Rusty:  That's not your private room.  That was our guest room for the past few days.

Merci:  Well, it's mine now!  I'm going to take a long nap.

Rusty:  I hate to spoil your plans, but you had better make that a short nap.  Jan is planning to break this dog crate down today.

Merci:  Then get out of my bedroom so I can enjoy some privacy.

Rusty:  Privacy?  You really think a room with bars is private?

Some of you have asked about our guest since we mentioned one in yesterday's post.  Here she is.  She was picked up on a country road on October 29th by a young woman who reached out for help to vet her from the local humane society (not a shelter!) because the dog has an injured eye.  She could not keep the dog there too long, so last Friday this old lady came to stay with us while we searched for her owner. 

It has been an interesting few days.  As any regular reader of this blog is aware, Marcus is not a gentle soul.  He is hyper and a bull in the china shop.  We all know to keep out of his way when he's excited but this dog was old and small (6 lbs when she arrived and 8 lbs yesterday).  She would be easily injured. 

So Jan spent the time playing musical dog crates.  When Marcus would go in his crate to nap, Jan would let the guest out.  When she went back in her crate to nap, Jan would open his door.  And then there were all those trips to the dog pen at all hours for pee/poop detail.  Marcus and the guest did meet on a few occasions, with Marcus checking her out doggy style.  The times when Marcus would go hysterical because he was about to go for a walk, or eat, or go outside to play fetch, he would wake her up and she would eventually give one high-pitched yelp that to Jan sounded very much like "SHUT UP"!

Merci slept in her bed against the outside of the guest crate, but she really, really, really wanted to move in!  Jan had to keep shooing her out.

Yesterday Jan and Kay (both with Upson Humane) started a serious Found Dog campaign on Facebook and the pictures/info were shared, shared, shared.  Jan shut down about 10 pm.  At 1:30 am, the owner suddenly saw her dog "all over facebook".  Barbara, the owner, called Jan this morning. 

Jan immediately called Kay and as she was telling her the news, that quickly the daughter-in-law Michelle was at our door, with Barbara on her cell phone.  Our guest responded to her voice.  There was no doubt those two were family!  Kay "flew" here for the reunion, too. 

Cricket the dog is a Reindeer Chihuahua and is older than we thought, about 20 or 21.  She had just wandered off and her family, fearing she was dead, had been frantically looking for her. 

Now you know who was visiting with us and why.  Michelle and Kay (above) are ecstatic Cricket is safely home. We are, too, and so are a whole lot of people on Facebook.

Merci: Will you guys please type quieter!  I'm trying to nap before Jan kicks me out of my room again.

Farewell Cousin Andy

Although we try to keep the blog light as much as possible, sometimes life intervenes, as it has today.

Today's post is for Jan's brother Mr. Doug and Miss Teresa.  Cousin Andy lost his battle with lymphoma on Saturday. 

Run pain free, handsome boy.  You were sweet and greatly loved.

Some of you might remember Alex from Alexicon: A Kitty Kat's Life With His Hooman blog. After a long illness, his human  Nicholas Temple died in hospice on Saturday the 4th.  We're not sure where Alex is, but believe he is safe and in good hands.  Jan has been following his health trials on Facebook and it seems fitting that even though he hasn't blogged in a couple of years, his passing should be noted among the pet blogging community.

Energetic Excitement

Cyndi:  Hey, look at that dog riding in the wagon. 

Merci:  That's Moses and his human Stanley.  Moses rides around town in style in the wagon or in a back pack.  Sometimes he gets down and walks so he can explore.

Cyndi:  Moses is one lucky dog!  Stanley obviously loves Moses more than Jan loves us.

Merci:  What makes you say that?

Cyndi:  Look at him pedaling away as Moses directs where to go.  We cats don't go outside but you dogs walk Jan every day.  When is the last time you guys rode in such style while exercising Jan?

Merci:  Moses rides because they are going somewhere that's too far for him to walk.  We walk Jan so she won't be a couch potato. 

Cyndi:  I can picture you guys now riding in a wagon.  Jan is huffing and puffing up the hill.  Marcus is leaping around screeching with energetic excitement -

Merci:  Yes, he is.  I can picture it now too.  In fact, Marcus has so much energy, Jan pushes us out of the cart, climbs in, snaps our leashes, and yells, "Mush!"

Cyndi:  Mush?  Didn't she eat breakfast before she left the house?

Merci:  You know none of us eat until after our first walk of the day.

Cyndi:  Well, if you guys are going to become wagon dogs, you had better start eating first.

Merci:  I have a better idea.  How about if we forget the wagon and make Jan continue to hoof it down the road with us?

Cyndi:  Okay, but don't come home again and tell us how much you envy Moses.

Merci:  I don't envy Moses.  I envy Stanley.  He isn't being herded down the road by Marcus. 

Dennis, Saya and Trixie

Saya the Vampire-Hunting Vizsla

MERCI:  Last month we had a giveaway and Dennis the Vizsla from Dennis's Diary of Destruction won.

PERCY:  He won a breakaway safely collar and very generously offered to let his young sister Saya have the prize.

MICAH:  Do you suppose he could have been buttering her up so she'll protect him on future adventures?

MARCUS:  Hmmm.  Dennis gets himself into a lot of trouble and Saya the Vampire-Hunting Vizsla does sound like a heroine to the rescue. 

BUDDY:  Saya chose the color blue and sent us some photos of herself in her new collar.

RUSTY:  She said it's okay to post them.  In fact, Dennis said -

DENNIS:  hello funny farmers its dennis the vizsla dog hay shoor of korse yoo kan do a post showing how pritty saya is in her kollar!!!  altho of korse she is not as pritty as me but wel hoo is???  heer ar sum pikchers dada tuk of her owt in the yard chaysing and poynting at bugs and wotnot for yoo to chooz frum.

CYNDI:  She's a beautiful dog and it was nice of Dennis to let us post her pictures. 

DENNIS: And also a pikcher of me and trixie lukking on disaproovingly!!!  hay kid!!!  git off my lawn!!!  ha ha ok bye.

SAM:  Have you met Dennis, his siblings and friends yet?  We were striving to become more like him since he has perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but Jan says we should just be ourselves.

Ollie Goldendoodle and 'Tocks

MARCUS:  Jan and I passed a goldendoodle and his human last week on one of our evening walks. I wanted to go see him but Jan said I have to learn to behave first.  She's kidding, isn't she?  I always behave!

BUDDY:  In your dreams, Marcus. You came home, Jan grabbed her little walking camera and ran out the door without any of us dogs to protect her.

SAM:  Guess she didn't need any protection that time. As they walked by on the other side of the street, Jan asked if she could take a picture for us to post on our blog.  They both said yes.

 
MERCI:  Here are Ben the human and Ollie the Goldendoodle. Jan said Ollie is so handsome.  And friendly.  He wasn't pushy, wanting all the attention for himself, as one of us is wont to do. 

CYNDI:  He is evidently trained and well-behaved.  Ben would like Ollie to be a therapy dog because he loves people and is so calm, even at eight months of age.  

RUSTY:  Unlike a certain big-eared brown dog we know that is so hyper and constantly talking in a high-pitched screech.  Yes, I am talking about you, Marcus. 

MICAH:  October will be ending in a couple of days and we have nearly missed Angel Derby's "Tocktober-fest".  His brother Ducky carries on the tradition in honor of Angel Derby's October birthday.

PERCY:  Here are our 'tocks.  Puppy Marcus and Sam represent the canines and I represent us felines.  Please take note of which one of us is exhibiting some modesty. 

SAM:  We have a winner in our Petsafe Breakaway Collar Giveaway.  We numbered all the entries and used Random.org to pick a number. 

BUDDY:  Our winner is Dennis the Vizsla and as soon as we receive his shipping information, we will start the ball rolling so that he - or one of his siblings - can travel to new adventures with a safety collar.  Click here for collar color choices and size chart.


Today is Thursday -

Pepi Smart Dog is hosting the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  (There is always something to be thankful for!)

And don't forget Ruckus the Eskie, Love is being owned by a husky, and Barking from the bayou for the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop.  

Moses, Stanley and the Pup

PERCY:  Well, we weren't going to post today but the dogs had an adventure this morning and want to share it.

MICAH:  Yeah, if Jan hadn't snapped a couple of fast photos, we would think they imagined the whole thing.

RUSTY:  Buddy, Merci and Sam set off on a late morning walk with Jan.  We were all waiting for them to get home so we could eat.

CYNDI:  We'll let them tell it since we were in the kitchen waiting for our breakfast and missed the entire episode.

MERCI:  From a distance, we recognized Stanley's bike with the cart where Moses rides.  Stanley had an extra dog racing around.  He got off his bike and put a leash on it.

SAM:  As we approached on the other side of the street, we all started barking. They had to yell at each other to be heard but Jan thanked him for restraining the dog.  He said the dog appeared out of nowhere and was following them, so he'd take it downtown with him and call Animal Control. 

Stanley with pup in cart.

BUDDY:  The dog - a pup actually - was trying to get loose to come meet us.  It would be a long, hard trip downtown with the pup, so Jan offered to let Stanley put the pup in our yard and after we walked her, she would call AC for him.  We came back and Jan unlocked the gate.

MERCI: Before he resumed his trip to town, we got to meet Stanley in the flesh.  Moses, a little white dog, is our Humane Society's mascot. 

Stanley with pup and Moses in cart.

SAM:  And then we set off again on our walk.  We got as far as next door and Jan realized there were now four of us.  Yep, the pup was loose.  He was a nice, friendly pup and we tried to chase him off  but he followed us back home.  Jan brought us inside.  The pup wouldn't come in so she could call AC to pick him up.

BUDDY:  She put us in the back yard.  Fortunately, she checked first because the gate was wide open.  The latch must not have caught properly.  She went back to the front door and invited the pup inside.  Not even treats could entice him!  She grabbed a leash from a door and when she reached the porch, the pup was already up the street and disappearing from sight.

MERCI:  We're sorry, Stanley. but we want to let you know not to be surprised if the pup appears out of nowhere again. 

Vinegar and Hot Pepper

CYNDI:  We were not going to post until next week but Jan is on the warpath

CAMERON:  She sure is and we need to hide out somewhere until the storm blows over. 

RUSTY:  She's not angry with us but see that little dog in the photo?  Well, if he (or she) knows what is good for him, he'll hide out too.

MERCI:  We saw him Sunday evening on our first walk since Jan tried flying without a license and crash landed on the tv and stand.   He got confrontational, ran down the sidewalk and started across the street.  Jan kept yelling at him and he'd stop, then start.  Marcus and I turned Jan around and started back toward home before he left us alone.

MARCUS:  Today we were in the parking lot, well away from the road, when he suddenly appeared racing across the street challenging us again.  I almost made it out of my harness to chase him away but Jan got me back in it and made us keep going.  He followed us up the hill and would have kept coming if Jan hadn't kept yelling and then squirted him with water and vinegar.

PERCY:  Jan asked the woman who came out if that was her dog and she answered, "It's my friend's."  Jan told her to put the dog on the leash before she called the police.  The woman ignored her.  This was at top volume since they were on opposite sides of the street with her dog carrying on and our canine siblings straining to go after him.

BUDDY:  I'm too old for that kind of excitement any more, so I'm glad I wasn't there.  On the return trip, they cut through the parking lot again but the dog kept coming after them.  The woman was sitting on the porch step talking on a cell phone.  Jan said - okay, screamed -  there's a leash law, get the dog on a leash. The woman didn't even look up.

SAM:  So guess what Jan did?  If you guessed, she came home and called the police, you're wrong.  Even though she was in pain from being yanked around again, she came home, got her camera and hiked back.  The woman and kid were gone but the dog was sitting in the alley entrance.  Jan took a picture to show which house and to prove the dog is not leashed.

MICAH:  When she started to walk away, the dog started across the street after her.  She suddenly realized she had forgotten to bring the spray bottle with her.  But Jan can yell and that kept the dog across the street until she could pass it.

CAMERON:  That's when she really got angry!  That suicidal, aggressive little brown dog was deliberately left outside running loose where it could cause an auto accident running into the street or bite a human or animal.  It isn't the dog's fault.  It is the idiot owner's!

CYNDI:  She hates to report any animal, but when she came home, she sent the address with a photo of the house with the dog in the alley and a cropped picture of the dog to the local chief of police to pass on to animal control.

RUSTY:  And she said she had better never see that dog loose again because she is adding cayenne pepper to the vinegar and water.  Now you know why we're hiding out and being good.  We've heard cayenne pepper is HOT pepper.

No Room at Funny Farm

Cyndi  We intended to tell you this story a few weeks ago but things have been hectic and we forgot.

Buddy:  We never forget.  Jan forgets.  We get left without a keyboard.  That's not forgetting.

Cyndi:  Okay, then we lost our keyboard and ...

Buddy:  I didn't say we LOST our keyboard.  I said we get left without one.

Cyndi:  So where did we not lose the keyboard we don't have?

Buddy:  Jan has it, of course!  She isn't big on sharing, if you remember.

Cyndi:  Oh, right.  I'm sorry I forgot we didn't forget the keyboard we didn't lose.

Rusty:  Moving on.  Thankful Thursday seems like a good time to share a sad story with a happy ending.

Sam:  When we were walking Jan one morning in early September, a woman we used to pass walking her old dog parked her car and crossed the street to talk to Jan.

Merci:  She said she had a dog at her home she couldn't keep and asked could Jan take it.

Micah:  Jan had to say no.  There is no way she could possibly take in another dog, not even temporarily. 

Cameron:  But Jan listened to her story and offered to post on Facebook that the dog needed a home.  She got the woman's phone number.

Percy:  So of course she was home before it occurred to her she needed a photo.  She called and the woman came right over with the dog.  A sweet dog., 2 - 3 years old.

Boy

Buddy:  Her 73-year-old neighbor, Boy's owner, would not be coming back home after having a heart attack, so he had given the dog to her.  She only accepted Boy so he wouldn't go to the shelter.

Marcus:  She had had to make the unwanted decision for her old dog and she did not want to get attached to this dog.  Plus, the dog was young, untrained, and too energetic for her young granddaughter. Jan says he must have been a hellion like me.  What's a hellion?

Cameron:  Sadly, although her Facebook post was shared, no one contacted her about Boy.

Merci:  A few days later, the lady called and said she was waiting to hear if she would have to go into the hospital for a health problem.  If there had been no response, she would reluctantly take Boy to the shelter.

Percy:  Jan asked if she could possibly hold off a few days and let Jan give it another try.

Micah:  For those few days, she prayed the lady might become attached to Boy and want to keep him.

Sam:  Jan felt sad when she left a voice message for the lady a few days later saying there had been no response.

Buddy:  But when she and the lady connected after playing phone tag, she learned the woman had decided to keep Boy.  She couldn't take him to the shelter.  The vet that does the euthanizing had told her Boy would die there. Black dogs and cats are too often overlooked for adoption.

Marcus:  I bet by now Boy has wormed his way into that lady's heart, just like I did into Jan's. How could anyone not love this face ... um, I mean, that face!

Sam: You're awfully quick to brag about being a worm, Marcus.  I wouldn't add that to my resume if I were you.

If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

Please visit Pepi Smart Dog for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.

The Thoughtless Thursday blog hop is co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a husky

Splish Splat

Percy:  We had an eventful Labor Day.  (It's still Labor Day as we write this.) 

Micah:  It started with Jan getting up earlier than she planned.

Sam:  Good thing she did.  She put us dogs out in the pen and heard quiet banging noises.

Cyndi:  We know "quiet banging" is an oxymoron but it was quiet.  We cats never heard a sound.

Rusty:  Yes, we did, Cyndi.  We heard our dog siblings barking up a storm.

Merci:  We were barking at the black lab that kept appearing and disappearing at the corner of our yard.

Cameron:  Then Jan came barreling inside, changed from sleepwear to shorts and shirt and raced out the front door.

Marcus: She said later she went next door, rang the bell and knocked until the neighbor came to the door wearing shorts but barefoot.

Buddy:  She told him his black lab was loose and he woke up very quickly.  They came around his privacy fence and he said, "I don't see anywhere he could have gotten out!"

Merci:  He wasn't in a very good mood.  Guess he was planning on sleeping in.

Sam:  His dog came to meet him, a bit sheepish for having been caught.  He had gotten out but he couldn't get back in.  The boards evidently opened in only one direction for him.

Marcus:  He put the dog back in the fenced yard and nailed the opening closed. All was quiet.

Percy:  Until late afternoon when the thunder boomies and lightning started.  The rain poured down and the wind blew.

Marcus:  Jan and I had to cut our walk short and rush home.  We just made it before the storm hit.

Micah:  It was a bad one.  Jan shut down the computer and just before the storm ended, there was a close strike, a sizzle noise and the smell of something overheating. 

Buddy:  When the rain stopped and the sky got quiet, Jan and Marcus resumed their walk.

Merci:  This was nearby.  Jan could see it from our front porch.

Cyndi:  It was a fairly young tree - only a few years old - uprooted with a long white strip of missing bark.

Cameron: The tree was standing and there was no white strip when she hot-footed it home with Marcus.

Marcus:  We didn't do that!  Do you think the tree was hit by lightning?

Buddy:  Most likely.  I doubt anyone was out there in that storm with a knife peeling bark off the tree and knocking it over.

Rusty:  This is what happened at the top of the tree.  It took out our Neighborhood Watch sign. 

Sam:  I don't know about you guys but I'm glad this day is over and I think I'm going to sleep very well tonight.  It's been a long day!

Blogville Commentathons Today

We Funny Farmers are not feeling very funny today.  As you undoubtedly already know, the Houston Pittie Pack mom Sandra's house burned Thursday night.  She lost everything, including 5 of her 7 dogs. One of those dogs was the pet blogosphere's beloved Shelby who was rescued pregnant and abused and nursed to health.  The dogs were scared, they hid, and they died.  It is a devastating loss for Sandra.

She has put up a short post today, still in shock and grieving the loss of the furries. You can read her post on Kissa-bull, the pittie pack's blog.

Blogville has rallied to help.  There is a Chip In button in our sidebar if you would like to make a direct donation to a fundraiser. We know of two commentathons this weekend.  There are undoubtedly more but we aren't aware of them yet.

This is the last day of Mr. Pip's Operation Couch Occupation posts to protest the lack of a couch in his living room for him to sprawl on.  His heart isn't in having fun today but he decided to turn the final post into a fundraiser for the Houston Pittie Pack (HPP).  For every comment left until Sunday midnight, he will donate 50 cents to the HPP.  Please stop by and leave a comment - Couch Occupation Grand Finale and Commentathon for HPP.  His post is no longer about couches but about supporting his friends.  It doesn't cost you anything but a moment of your time.

**UPDATE **  Nubbin' Tails has offered to match whatever Mr. Pip donates from his commentathon.  (In the comments for Pip's commentathon, not posted on their blog.)  What a great gesture.  Some can afford to give more than others, so this isn't about the size of any donation.  It's about the "size" of a blogger's heart.

Princess Coco, Lady Godiva & Truffle are also having a commentathon this weekend.  They turned off the comments on their post yesterday, intending to turn them on at midnight.  Comments have still not been activated on their post but should be soon, so check back later if need be and leave a comment on Heartbreak in Houston.  They will also be donating 50 cents for each comment.  **UPDATE** Comments are now open on this blog.

Fred, Elephant Imitator

Hey, Cameron here. This is my response to today's post. My ears are ringing and I'm seeing double.

But don't run away. It's a fun video.

Meet Fred the bulldog. While watching a paper towel commercial, he decides to carry on a conversation with the elephant. I can just hear the conversation.

Elephant: Hellllllp! I'm being held prisoner in a paper towel commercial.

Fred: Okay, I'm coming to saaaaave you.

Elephant: Hurry! I'm in big trouble. I had an accident in the studio and they've put out an emergency call for giant boxes of paper towels to mop it all up.

Fred: Um, moo. Moo. (As in, Sorry, Fred, but my mom will kill me if I bring you home and you're not housebroken. We're out of paper towels.)

Buddy was going to offer to rescue the elephant but Cotton convinced him our litter boxes are not big enough. So we'll just let you watch Fred converse with the elephant.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Cotton on Comments and Kodiak

Hey, this is Cotton. For a while I thought you'd have to take my word for it since Blogger wouldn't post my picture. And suddenly it posted my photo three times (yes, three, but better than the 28 or whatever we had to delete one day).

Anyway, I have some news and a request for those who use Blogger and some sad news of a friend.

After all the work Milo and Alfie did to organize Livestrong Day among us furry bloggers, they were frustrated to the max yesterday trying to leave comments on blogs to thank others for participating.  They finally had to give up.

So yesterday we put a message directly above our posts and since it will come down eventually, we're going to put the information in this post too.  We are not having a problem leaving comments, but many are.  So, please, if your Blogger blog is not using popup comments, we implore you to change your comment form.

To help other bloggers -

Dashboard

Settings

Comments
   Comment Form Placement
      Pop Up Window
 
Scroll down and click Save Settings

That's it, you're done.  And many a blogger will thank you!


We were stunned to learn about the handsome Kodiak of the Thundering Herd yesterday.  He had to be helped to the bridge Sunday.  No one ever expects to have a dog collapse while away from home on vacation, but that's what happened while Kodiak was walking on the beach Friday.  Suddenly he couldn't walk and had to be carried.  He was a Sibe (Siberian Husky), big and heavy to pick up.  He was to a vet as fast as they could get him to one. 

It's a very sad story and you can read about it on The Thundering Herd blog, as well as leave a word of comfort.

And hug your furry (furries) today.  There is no guarantee we'll still have them tomorrow.  

Sam on Sheepdog Jack

Hey, Sam here with today's post.  It's going to be a quick one while Jan takes a short break from yelling at the monitor and threatening to beat up the Zazzle employee who came up with the dumb idea to make us reclassify everything in our store.

She's only finished two folders so far and the problem is that all the designs in them are -  not a dog and not a cat, but a dog AND a cat.  But there is no dog AND cat category, so she puts them in animals/pets and omits that dog or cat step and then finds that most are "dog" and a few are "cat."  She's hopping mad at this ridiculous waste of her time, so we're all in hiding till she stops for the day.

Enjoy the video on Jack the sheep who thinks he's a sheepdog.  Yep, he even herds his relatives like a dog.  We really enjoyed the video and think you will too.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

If you give your dog Milk Bone, you might want to check this "voluntary pull" of certain boxes due to mold. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/milk-bone-dog-biscuit-product-pull.html

And now, if you'll excuse me, I hear footsteps. Bye.

Adoptions, Buddy and Opus

September 17 - 25 is Petfinder.com's Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.



We hope you will open your heart to special needs pets.  Adopt the black dog or cat that is overlooked and often not adopted. Adopt the blind , the deaf, the disabled, the FIV positive, the old (even the elderly) or the much-maligned pit bull ...

They might be "different" but they can and will love and appreciate you as much as any other dog or cat would. Dare to think outside the box (doghouse or litterbox) and save a life.The pet you pick will be grateful for life!

Buddy is a feral cat that disappeared for 2 years but suddenly reappeared with a neck wound that Mr. Pip's mom wanted to get treated.  Unfortunately, when she trapped him and took him to the vet, she learned his wound was much worse than thought and Buddy's pain was gently ended.  Buddy was loved and his life mattered, so we made him a memorial badge.  You can read his story on Mr. Pip's blog.

If you posted one of the earlier invitations, please exchange it for this updated one.  The party will be held at Gracie's blog.

Mo Cats Day 2011

It's 09/09 (September 9) again. Time to celebrate cats on the internet.

First we'd like to introduce you to several non-internet cat types. Perhaps we can convince them to join the Cat Blogosphere.

If the video doesn't play, click here.

And then we'd like to introduce you to several internet kitties.Oh, wait, you've met them before.

Yep, the feline Funny Farmers. We're part of the internet cat blogging community. And we vote for mo cats - lots mo cats! - on the internet.

Cotton, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron & Rusty

And Mo Cats Day is seconded by our woofie siblings -

Buddy, Merci & Sam

Merci, Minnie, Max and Who?

Hey, Merci here.  We're all ready for this weekend's blog hop with a cute video of 3 pugs watching themselves on YouTube. I'm thinking if  Jan confused us like that, we should be swimming in treats for weeks. But in reality, Jan confuses us all the time. Mainly because between sentences she forgets the subject.

I don't know the name of the 3rd pug but Minnie and Max are two of them.  And you can follow them on Twitter @MinnieMaxPugs.

Enjoy your weekend!


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Percy, on Spike, Visa and Frontline

Hey, Percy here. We Funny Farmers have been very busy trying to learn to juggle and, like Jan, we're not very good at it, so if our posts are short, erratic or invisible, please forgive us.

We will be reopening jansfunnyfarm fair soon. Meanwhile, we hope you will visit our new blog, jff designs. Yesterday we posted the story of Rescue Pets Rock design.  It's a place to showcase our designs from our store, but not a sales blog. Our designs are unique and we're trying to spread the word inside and outside the entire blogosphere. We appreciate any and all help to do this.

I was a tiny kitten when Merci found and rescued me, so I asked if I could introduce today's video of two-year old Spike the pit bull and 2-month old Visa the kitten. Merci and I used to play like this, but we don't remember breaking any plates and cups, which evidently they did during filming. (Not seen in the video.)

I love the last line of their description, "And remember, pit bulls are not dangerous; people with video cameras are.  It made me smile.  They must be referring to Jan about the video camera. (Remember the goose convention?)


If the video doesn't play, click here.

On Tuesday, we posted a warning on counterfeit Frontline. It was updated today and the update is enough to tick off those who use Frontline. There is now a controversy over whether the counterfeit frontline refers to repackaged frontline product or if it was all a scam to send consumers rushing to their vet to buy from them so the sales reps can get their commission. You can read the details here.