Pirate Frankie Friend or Foe

We are so pleased to join a host of others to write a chapter in the book, Life of Frankie Furter Pirate King of Blogville.  He looks pretty good in his pirate patch, but thankfully he is only wearing it for today.  Last month his mom had a scare.  She thought Frankie would be losing his eye, but fortunately he will not be.

Dachies with Moxie came up with the idea and you can find the list of participants on their blog.  Each chapter is written by a different blog. 

In his honor, this is our pirate experience with Frankie Furter.  It's a very scary tale, so pull up a cushion and have a cutlass handly.

Buddy:  We heard the news that Frankie Furter, Pirate King of Blogville, is in our area and might drop by to check us out.  We are on high alert, not sure whether he is friend or foe.

Cyndi:  We hope he will be our friend, but if not, we have a cutlass aboard to defend ourselves.

Cameron:  Will one of you please explain to me how we are all supposed to protect ourselves when we only have one cutlass?

Merci:  That's easy.  We share it.  Surely he'd be fair and give us time to pass the cutlass around?

Micah:  Girls must have different rules of war than guys.  We don't stop fighting to change defenders.  We fight to the death!

Percy:  Not with a cooking knife we don't!  What kind of pirate calls a galley knife a cutlass? 

Sam:  Well, hopefully he'll be a friend and we won't need to worry about our lack of cutlery... er, weaponry.

Rusty:  *crash*  Shhh.  Did you hear that?   *crash*  There it is again.  Do you suppose Frankie is already aboard?

Buddy:  *bang, crash*  That can't be him.  A pirate king wouldn't be crashing about.  He'd want to sneak up on us and attack without warning.

Cyndi:  Who's got the cutlery knife?

Micah:  Uh-oh, I left it in the galley.

Merci:  You mean we're defenseless?

Sam:  Afraid so.  Perhaps if we crowd together, we'll have a better chance of survival.

Cameron:  You're joking, right?  If we crowd together, he could decapitate all of us with one swing.

Rusty:  *moves away from crew*  Right.  Spread out now and find something to brandish for a weapon.  Merci and Cyndi, find somewhere to hide.

*CRASH, BANG, CRASH*

Percy:  He's coming closer.  If I haven't told you guys before, I should tell you now, it's been fun knowing you and I'm sorry I found Jan's hiding place and stole most of the treat bags for myself.  

Marcus:  Hey, guys, where are you?  I can hear whispering but I can't see anything.  How did you all manage to find your way up to the deck without breaking a leg or something? 

Buddy:  Marcus, I told you to go put on an eye patch to make Frankie feel at home here.  One, just one eye patch.  What goofus puts on two .... Never mind.  You gave us quite a scare with all that racket.

Marcus:  Is Frankie here yet?  Did I miss him?

Sam:  No, but we have a score to settle with Percy.  Now, what was this about stealing our treats?

Percy:  Is that what you think I said?  Fear must have clouded your hearing.  I would never!

*voice from abaft*  Ahoy, there mateys, it's Frankie Furter, Pirate King of Blogville.  I come in peace with a flagon o' rum.

*collective sigh of relief from entire crew*


You can read the next chapter at Two French Bulldogs.

On a different subject, there is a special post and commentathon to benefit Austin Pets Alive in memory of Angel Abby, who would be 15 today.  Please stop by Manx Mnews.

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.

Asta, Link and Gracie's Mom

Hey, Cameron here, stopping by with a few tidbits of breaking news.

To celebrate her 5th birthday tomorrow, Asta is having a commentathon. Any comment left today or tomorrow will benefit a rescue shelter of one lucky commentor's choice.

Asta's mom is an artist. Road Dog Tales has posted an interview and some of Ami's lovely paintings. So be sure to drop by Asta's blog for the link and to leave a comment.

Gracie's mom threw a great 16th birthday party yesterday for Gracie's niece, even though she was sick. Today she went to the doctor and learned she has sinusitis as well as "surprise" pneumonia in her left lung.  We hope she will quickly recover.  Feel free to use the graphic if you'd like.


Link Bartholomew's mom is preparing for her wedding, so Link was sad he wasn't able to participate and post Monday, September 19  for Meow or Woof Like A Pirate Day.  So we sent his mom proof that Link sailed on the same ship we did.  This is Link, Scoundrel of the Seas, and if you haven't met him yet, be sure to stop by and share a glass of grog. 

Cyndi and Bouncing Foxes

Hey, Cyndi here. We want to thank all who stopped by yesterday for Cotton's 12th birthday. It was very hot and humid, so she spent a quiet, sleepy day. 

We think it's much too hot to exert energy but we don't mind watching others having fun in the sun. Here are a couple of bouncing feral foxes playing on a trampoline.


If the video doesn't play,click here.

Yes, we know watching that wore you out and you're ready for a nap, but before you zzzzzz out, stop by Derry's & Sparkle's first.

Derry’s of Fuzzy Tales blog has a birthday today, June 24th, and they’re having a commentathon in support of Forever Home Cat Rescue in Oakville, Ontario. Web site The rescue blog is House of the Discarded.

It's Sparkle's birthday too and she'll make a donation for each comment to Cathouse on the Kings.

It's really nice of Derry and Sparkle to celebrate by sharing. We think it's such a neat idea. Leaving a comment is a donation to the shelter and it won't cost you anything other than a few moments to leave the comment.

Merci Intros Summer the Sheep

Hey, Merci here today. Yesterday was the first warm, windless day in a while, so Buddy, Sam and I had a bath. Buddy's lampshade ... sorry, Buddy's cone collar got a bath too.   Sam got scrubbed cause he's had a big dirty patch on both sides of his white coat for months that just wouldn't wash off.  It looks better but whatever he did, he sure ground it in.

I have a neat video for you today. For months, Summer was unable to stand or walk on her own due to neurological damage to her spinal cord caused by a parasite.  Without treatment she would have died.  Still, she might never walk again.  So this is a video of Summer the sheep being fitted with a special wheelchair designed by Eddie Grinnell of Eddie's Wheels in Massachusetts, who has helped dogs, cats and even farm animals with mobility issues.

We'd take our hats off to Eddie but we aren't wearing one at the moment. However, Buddy has volunteered to take off his lampshade ... uh, cone collar.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Hey, don't forget to go by The Furry Bambinos. Meerkat and Panda Bear are celebrating their 4th birthday and for every real (not spam) comment they receive on their post by this Sunday, May 22, they will make a donation of $0.50 to the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL)"

There isn't much time left, so how about all of you kitties and woofies and even humans who put off dropping by there go leave a comment and help the Cleveland APL.

We commend them and all those who do a commentathon to raise money for a cause. It doesn't cost the reader anything so none can complain they can't spare a donation. And it means even those with empty pockets can participate. So don't pass up this opportunity to help some furries. Go visit and leave a comment.

**Sam, you can stop looking under the furniture for lost change now.**

Cyndi Dishes Dog News

Hi, Cyndi here. Since Sam did kitty news yesterday, I thought I would do woofie news today. It's really cold here but some of you have colder temps than we do, so I'll wait till the post is finished before burrowing under a blanket.

Today is the blogoversary of Mayzie's Dog Blog and she is having a commentathon. For each comment, her mom will donate 25 cents - up to $100 - to Second Chance Animal Rescue Foundation, the place that rescued Mayzie. Plus, she will have a drawing and - Here, let her tell it in her own words:

One lucky, drawn-at-random winner will also gets a MATCHING DONATION sent to the rescue or shelter of their choice! So that means if we raise 100 green papers for Second Chance, another rescue gets 100 green papers, too!

So be sure to go by and leave a comment to help Mayzie celebrate and to help Second Chance.


We had this woofie post already finished last night when we learned Boris Kitty's sister Abby has gone to the bridge.  Her family is very sad.  If you haven't already, please stop by to encourage them.  It's always hard to lose a furry. 

Yesterday we received a request through a friend from a lady who is working on her thesis in Interior Design at Virginia Commonwealth University. We asked if it is okay to publish (as opposed to just emailing our friends) and were told yes, so if you have a dog, we are asking for a minute of your time to fill out a short questionnaire. The data she collects will be anonymous - no personal information requested, not even an email address. Just general questions about your dog(s).

I will complete my thesis project this semester and I need your help. I'm designing a dog day care center within a residential neighborhood and I need information from dog owners. I need to find out the average number of dogs owned per household, how far you're willing to travel for your dog(s), etc. I've designed a short 10 question survey to find out the answers to my questions.

If you have the time, please feel free to take my survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RBLK8RK. Also, if any of your friends are dog owners, could you please pass the link along to them if it isn't too much trouble?


And another reminder that our neighbors Friends of Pike County Animals needs your daily vote to get an adoption and education center in their rural Georgia county. You can vote here. Voting will end January 31.

Cyndi is 7 and Dogs in Brazil

We can't believe our Cyndi is 7 years old already.     And we have been so busy, we all forgot her (assigned) birthday. We don't actually know the day she was born. She was trapped under Jan's brother's car by his pointer for nearly a week before he and Jan were able to capture her.  And was she elusive!  You wouldn't believe how many places there are to hide in the engine and underneath the body.

We were reminded of her birthday after midnight when we checked today's Cat Blogosphere post.  Thank you, KC, for keeping on top of special dates.  And since this is Cyndi's special day, she would like a special present.  We'll let her explain it.  Go ahead, Cyndi.

I have a favor to ask of our readers.  Would you please stop by Dogs in Brazil blog and leave a nice note for the blog owner? We ran across the blog the other day when the owner asked about some special bowls we reviewed quite a while ago.  We're not sure how much it costs to mail a package to Brazil, but after Christmas we want to find out and donate the bowls for a couple of their "special needs" dogs. 

We went through and read quite a number of posts.  It broke our hearts to read about the terrible conditions for dogs and dog rescuers in Brazil. (If things are this bad for dogs, we fear they are worse for kitties.) This rescue couple has spent all their own money saving street dogs and are losing (or have already lost) their home and are worried about where they will go and what will happen to their dogs, all of which have medical needs. They have a bakery but it doesn't bring in enough money to pay all the costs.  They have a small purse but a big heart for the forgotten and abandoned dogs in Brazil.

One of her original posts mentioned how folks in other countries don't care about the plight of animals in Brazil and we all think that maybe it's time we learn about them and try to help them, even if only in a small way.  Conditions for animals there are terrible.  Can you help?  It's Christmas, a time for giving.  If you can spare a couple or a few dollars (we say few because Chip In is PayPal and they take 2.9% plus 30 cents off the top of every donation, plus an extra 1% for over the border payments.)  But even if you can only spare $1, it could help them.  Dollars add up.  If you can't donate, you could still help by leaving an encouraging comment letting them know that folks in other countries do care.  And your humans could say a prayer for them to be able to find a place to live where they can keep the dogs they are helping and pay off their vet bills.
Yes, this is what I would like for my birthday - help for these determined folks who work tirelessly to save lives. They have a Chip-In button in a post.  We hope they will move it to the sidebar so folks can see it when they visit.  We just stopped by and they have added an update.  We hope they will be greatly blessed for all they have been doing without financial help or encouragement. 

And on a cheery note, we Funny Farmers would like to thank every kitty, woofie and human who participated in our Bark It Furward commentathon over the weekend.  Milk Bone is donating $1 for each comment to Canine Assistants.  We had so much fun spending Milk Bones' money.  :)

Bark It Furward Commentathon

We have never done a commentathon before because much as we would like to donate to a worthy pet cause, we just don't have a piggy bank to break open.  But today we're going to do our first one on Milk-Bone's Bark It Furward dollar.  Yes, you read that right.  Each comment left on this post will be worth $1 US. 

For 12 years, Milk-Bone has donated a portion of the proceeds to help Canine Assistants.  In 2010, Milk Bone created Bark It Furward, a program created to raise awareness and funds for Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization that trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities. Founded in 1991, Canine Assistants has provided 1,000 service dogs to people across the country, giving them the chance to have more independent lifestyles.

Canine Assistants has their own breeding program at the Milton, Georgia facility, primarily Goldens or Labs, but they occasionally adopt from local breeders or organizations. Puppies begin training at two days old and training lasts about a year and a half. Some of the tasks the dogs learn to perform include turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects, summoning help and providing secure companionship.

Many people in need of a service dog depend on Canine Assistants to pay for the lifelong care of the dog. Without the help of any government funding, Canine Assistants relies on the generosity and private donations made by philanthropic partners like Milk-Bone to help pay for the training of these special needs dogs.

We hope you will leave a comment to help raise funds for Canine Assistants. And if you are interested in participating with a blog post of your own, just send us an email or include your interest in a comment.  Bark It Furward will run through January 4, 2011.

Before you go, take a minute to meet young Zoe and her canine assistant.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Learn more about Canine Assistants and the Milk Bone Bark It Furward program..


And we hope you will check out our Zazzle store if you haven't already.