A New Life For Luke

CYNDI:  We are really glad to write today's post.  It's one of the happiest we've ever published.  But first we'll give you just a short background refresher. 

BUDDY:  Do you remember this handsome face?  It's Luke the Pee Machine.  He arrived on July 13, 2013 and lived with us for five weeks and then was returned to his owner. We introduced him in This Intruder Chews.

MICAH:  We still have some photos we intended to publish of some of the things Luke chewed, but we never got around to it.  For example, he chewed two extension cords.  Jan bought two replacements and laid them on the desk.  Percy knocked them on the floor and then there was only one replacement cord.

Teresa and Luke

CAMERON:  Unfortunately, Luke "loving" family was not loving.  A kind neighbor let Luke stay in a dog house in his fenced yard so he didn't have to live chained or locked in a shed.  His sister-in-law, Teresa, bought Luke from the family so he would be safe, even though she couldn't keep him.

MARCUS:  I was just a little guy when Luke came over for some play dates.  He was a gigantic dog by then.  At least in comparison to me.  Teresa worked very hard to find Luke a home and eventually did. But one day this winter, the people contacted Teresa and told her to pick him up right away.  She had no place to take him.  We can't take in another dog, so Jan contacted someone she knows locally who helped Teresa get Luke into an out of town rescue.  Teresa paid to board Luke for a week and then drove him to Atlanta.

MERCI:  In a few days, Luke was on his way to Alpha Dog Rescue in Maine. Luke went into foster care and we all (including Teresa) prayed Luke would not only get a happy home but be able to be an inside dog again.  After a while, we learned he had been adopted.

PERCY:  Then on Friday the 13th, Jan opened an email titled "Pupdate on Luke" and started crying.  We thought Luke had died.  (Humans are so weird!)  We asked permission to share this with you.

Hello there!!
We are writing to give you an update on "Luke" aka "Nonodon'tdothat" aka "Pee Machine". We have re-named him Benny!
We adopted him about a month ago from Alpha Dog rescue up here in Portsmouth NH.
He is still a ball of energy, occasionally pees in the house, chews literally EVERYTHING, pulls when walking on a leash, and can be a toy stealer!!!
Regardless, he has completely stolen our hearts with his big brown Bassett mix eyes!!! He LOVES everyone and is eager to give kisses!! He is extremely smart, he learned to ring the bells on the door  to go outside after us showing him once (our other pup still doesn't get this!).
He has become quick friends with our 3 year old American Bulldog, Rosie and is a typical younger brother. She sometimes gets annoyed and will go off on her own for some peace and quiet, but usually she loves his playfulness!!
We ALWAYS have him on leash, except at the fenced in dog park. His nose gives him an uncontrollable wanderlust and we are not tempting fate!!! We're saving to fence in our yard this year!!!
We know he needs some basic training and some manners, but he is a one-of-a-kind lovebug, that's for sure!
We wanted to thank you for your kind heart and helping Luke/Benny through his tough time. If it wasn't for you we wouldn't have been able to give him his forever home!!!
A big thanks from Elise, Matt, Rosie and Benny!!!!

SAM:  And then they sent photos for us to share. Here are Luke and his new sister Rosie.  They also sent a video of the two playing with a tug toy but we aren't posting it.  It warmed our hearts to see he is so happy. Teresa will be elated!

RUSTY:  Luke/Benny will turn two years old in a month or two. He's had some very rough times, but now he has an indoor home and a forever family.  We wish all stories could have such a happy ending ... or rather, a new beginning.  There are a number of folks who have helped him in some way, including Mark in Texas, but Teresa deserves so much credit for all she has done to find him a good life.  And thank you, Elise and Matt (and Rosie) for opening your hearts and home to him.  We hope he will be ringing your bells for many years to come.

Rescue vs Breeder

Rusty:  Friday is one of our favorite days of the week. 

Micah:  Oh, I don't know.  We seem to be partial to every day of the week, for one reason or another.

Cameron:  True.  But today is Funny Farmer Feline Friday and we post another Mousebreath interview.

Cyndi:  This week we interview Savannah and Sage from Savannah's Paw Tracks.

Percy:  Many of you are already familiar with their blog, but we're sure you'll learn more about them when you read Princess Savannah and The Kid Sage.


Buddy:  Now that the cats have finished their post, we'd like to be upfront on where we stand with Rescue vs Breeder.  This was thrown in Jan's face this week when a friend asked Jan to help "them"  with something.  (We'll use they or them instead of he or she because the person wishes to remain anonymous.)

Sam:  Jan posted this on Facebook Wednesday and had some polite suggestions on adopting from a shelter or rescue instead.

A friend is looking for a reputable breeder of AKC Yorkie or Westie or Toy Poodle pups. In Middle Georgia area. This pup would have a great home! But I'm not sure how to find a reputable breeder who has reasonable prices, so I thought I'd ask - *****  - and anyone else who would might be able to help. Thanks.

Merci:  Suddenly, Thursday a rescue we'd never heard of started leaving angry messages.  We have stripped off any identifying info and are only printing the exchange between Jan and the rescue, no one else.  Please bear with us.

Rescue: Why in the world would you be looking for a reputable breeder with so many Yorkies and Poodles being put down in shelters? We are cleaning up their messes.

Jan: Anyone who knows me understands I have a great respect for rescues and no kill shelters. Rescue is expensive, time-consuming and often thankless. So, in case no one has done so lately, I'd like to thank you for helping to save canine lives. I also wanted to say, that although I understand your position, I also understand that there are those who want a specific pedigree type for whatever reason and there is no reason to try to make them feel guilty for this.

Rescue: I am a Stae licensed Animal Rescuer for 28 years. I want them to feel guilty for this when there are dogs that they would love -if someone would point them and educate them into the right direction You are not helping rescue

Jan:  And you are not helping your cause. You do not have the right to decide what others can or can't do.

Rescue:   I have every right . I am the one as many other rescuers are that are taking care of the dogs Poodles/Yorkees that are being dumped . I am not trying to help my cause. I am trying to help the animals. You are looking for a BREEDER for friend??Help her to adopt one from a shelter.

Jan:  You are being rude and trying to start an argument. You aren't helping the animals either. Kindly back off and think about what you are posting. This is not your business!

Rescue: Save the dogs in the shelters and I will!! When someone is trying to help a FRIEND BUY an expensive dog when they can go to a shelter or rescue and find any breed they want for $40.00 . And other wise would be put down. I don't have to know them.. No one can defend this type of thinking and say they shouldn't feel guilty.  It doesn't matter whether a Breeder is Reputable or not. Their dogs are winding up in shelters also. And being put down. You are not getting the meaning here. You would be saving a Life!!!   Who cares about anyone being right?If you have helped with Rescue- you should know better!!!! You just don't get it!!!!!

Jan:   No, sadly YOU don't get it. You aren't the Gestapo but you are trying to act like you are. Please vent your anger elsewhere. Your brand of rescue isn't welcome here.

Rescue:  Where is here? Upson County where all the animals are dying Miss Scarlett??????  If trying to save as many animals from dying makes me a JERK- I want to be one!!!!

Buddy:  We know many of you are involved, some heavily involved in rescue.  We understand it is an up and down emotional roller coaster ride between tears for those that die and happiness for those that take the freedom ride. 

Merci:  We all stand solidly behind Jan and disagree with the rude, extreme and uninvited opinions expressed by this rescuer.  We are all for supporting a reputable rescue, but no one has the right or authority to demand, command, require (whatever word you want to use) others to adopt only from shelters or rescues.  Nor to try to shame or guilt another human being because their decision isn't the one you want them to make. 

Buddy::  Jan said this mindset / attitude turns potential adopters off to all rescues.  A local person agreed with the rescue, saying, "It's hard for any rescue to be a fan of breeders."  Rescues don't have to be a fan of breeders.  There are both good and bad breeders, just as there are good and bad rescues.  And it is not their choice to make.  It is the adopter's choice. 

Sam:  If rescues want respect, they need to stop bad mouthing all breeders (as this rescue did)  and adopters.  She was disrespectful toward adopters too.

Merci:  Rescue is about the animals.  We will continue to support animal rescue in ways as we are able.  We will also support potential adopters who want to adopt a healthy puppy from a reputable breeder.  Whether anyone in rescue agrees with us or not!

Buddy:  Now you know our view on rescue.  We would be interested to hear your view, whether or not you are involved in it.

Marcus:  Garth Riley was our hero.  He stepped in and defended Jan.   Thank you, Garth.

PS - Buddy:  We want to add a couple of links to good posts appropriate to this subject.   Garth Riley's mom wrote anarticle on Want a Purebreed Puppy? 4 Things You Need To Know.    Last month Bailey posted I Love My Purebreed Dogs and I'm Not Afraid to Show It.  Yes,adopting rescue and shelter dogs is great but we advocate that humans need to offer and accept a balanced approach to rescue vs breeder adoptions. 

Today is Rascal & Rocco's Pet Parade blog hop.  We can't wait to see which blogger is featured favorite this week.

There are no rules.  Any pet blogger can enter. And you can promote your social media too.

Their co-hosts are Bionic Basil, Barking from the Bayou, Love is being owned by a husky and yours truly (Jan's Funny Farm).

An InLinkz Link-up

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The Pittie Brothers

Buddy:  Today's post is a happy one for us because we a couple of dogs have weighed heavily on our minds for the past two weeks.  Remember the two pit pups that were abandoned by our neighbors?  We posted about them - Luke, Pups & Marcus.

Sam: Jan contacted a rescue coordinator before they arrived at the shelter, but because of circumstances beyond everyone's control, it took nearly a week to get a photo for the rescue list.  (Jan couldn't do it.  We don't have a car now.)

Merci: Although each got $150 in sponsorship, they didn't have a place to go. And we feared the worst when the shelter opened Tuesday morning after a 3-day weekend. 

Buddy: Tuesday night Jan received a facebook message that made her cry.  The pittie brothers left the shelter with hope of a better life.  Eight dogs were pulled by rescues and we are happy for each one, but the pittie brothers were special to us because Jan knew them personally..

Sam: This morning we had more good news.  The pittie brothers and the 6 other pits that left our shelter Tuesday went north to a pittie rescue.  They will have a chance at a good life now.

Buddy:  We can't thank Connie enough.  She worked hard to find a legitimate, thoroughly investigated rescue for the pittie brothers since Jan emailed her the 7th of this month, before Connie even had a photo to send out. She does so much to help rescue animals and she's an expert at finding help for so many that would otherwise die in shelters.  And thanks to Gayle and Peggy for the photos and answering Jan's frantic "are they still alive" emails and letting us know the pups are safe.   

Merci: The neighbors' other dog, Luke, was sold prior to abandoning these two.  The nice lady who bought him loves him but can't keep him.  She wanted to protect him.  He is currently looking for a good home and he is doing well.  He came by for the afternoon Monday and we'll be posting some photos of the canine reunion soon.

  

We're joining Pepi Smart Dog for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.











And this is the first co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie  and Love is being Owned by a Husky. 

Old Texas Grouch

Sam in thundershirt

Hey, Sam here. We've been having some thunderstorms lately, so I've been wearing my thundershirt again.  I'm so grateful Khyra shared this part of her prize with me a while ago because this has helped. Over time, I've become less frightened but I still stick to Jan like glue before and during a t-storm. I've stopped shaking like a vibrating cement block, though. (A little humor there.  My nickname is Brick Butt, you know.)

But I'd really like to share a happy ending adoption story with you today.  Our Texas rescue friend Mark posted it on facebook and he said it's okay for us to share it with you for Thankful Thursday.  He's helped a LOT of dogs, including the vetting of little Luke, the lost puppy who stayed with us for five weeks.  Luke went home last Friday.

I'll let him tell the story in his own words. 


Last Friday, after having lunch together, a friend and I went by a rescue org I used to go to every day to give treats to all the orphans in the kennels - before I had the stupid hemmorhagic stroke when my blood pressure went through the roof from being involved in a cruelty case that wasn't moving fast enough. GRRRR!

Anyway, while we were getting out of the truck, there was a lady I knew with her little girl.  They had been visiting the orphans. I asked if they saw any they liked, to which they replied, "Yes, a kitten and a young lab male."

 I asked if they wanted to adopt them and the woman said they were short ten dollars, to which I replied I could get that much discounted. We went in and I made it happen. The kitten and the young lab went home where they will be inside and loved the rest of their lives. Makes you wonder why, or how, timing happened like this. Is He keeping an eye on me again?

That is the cutest kitty. Blue eyes, silver and white fur, with a loud yowl when it's not being held. The pup will whip you to death with his tail. LUVIT when things go like this.

Yep, Mark Crider, the Old Texas Grouch is coming back.


It's been a long, hard journey but nothing - not even a stroke can diminish the love Mark has for the orphans, as he calls the homeless furries. Welcome back, you old Texas grouch. You continue to make a difference.

Enter your Thankful Thursday post in Pepi's blog hop.

Luke is Home

Luke resting with a small portion of his toy pile and shredded papers.

We weren't going to do a post today but we have an exciting story we want to share.

Luke arrived unexpectedly for a weekend and stayed for 5 weeks.  It has been a time of mixed emotions.  He's been cute, he liked to cuddle (for half a second), he's been fun, he's been a pain in the butt, he's kept Jan busy cleaning up after him, he's been destructive ....

He was found early one Saturday morning playing in the street.  A concerned man rescued him and when he couldn't find an owner, a neighbor suggested Jan.  She accepted Luke rather than let him run loose and be hit by a car.

Jan couldn't locate an owner either.  He seemed to be just another young animal abandoned in this area. So she borrowed a crate from the local Humane Society.  A few days later she contacted  an out of area rescue coordinator who found a rescue to accept him.  The rescue located a foster. But transportation didn't come together.

Meanwhile, he needed to be vetted. Enter Mark the gruff Texas rescuer with a soft heart.  This Thursday, thanks to another ride from kind neighbor, Luke had his boosters and rabies vaccination, etc. 

Friday morning, Luke was alone in the back pen when he ran for the gate and stared, tail wagging.  Jan couldn't see whoever was passing.  A few hours later there was a knock at the door.

Luke's family had only had him for a few days when he went out to do his business and disappeared.  A neighbor told him about the woman walking the dog around the neighborhood trying to find an owner, but he'd lost the phone number and couldn't remember where Jan lived.  They had given up hope of ever seeing him again.

Until Friday when they just happened to be walking by and saw Luke in the back yard.  He sure looked like their puppy, although quite a bit bigger.  (Luke is a bassett hound mix and he has grown!) So the man and his oldest son came over to ask about the dog.

After a lot of questions to be sure this wasn't a hoax, Jan brought Luke outside.  He was so excited to see the guy, he peed on the porch.  And when the guy's mother (Luke had been a gift to her) came walking across the street, Luke took off to greet her.   Later the man came back to return our leash and introduced Jan to his wife and two younger children.  They were all thrilled to have their puppy back.

As you can guess, his name is not Luke.  Jan gave him that name for his medical records.  She thought he was lucky to be rescued but she didn't think Lucky suited him.  Luke did and he answered to it from the first.  When she looked it up recently, Luke means Light and a nickname is Lucky.  He will always be Luke to us.

And Jan finally understood why Luke was still here after five weeks.  So he could go home!

There are several people who helped with Luke in one way or another: Kay, Chief Greathouse, ACO Bobby, Peggy, Connie, Mark, Cindy, Pat, the rescue and foster who were willing to take him in (Luke going home opens a spot for another dog in need).  Did we leave out anyone?  Oh, yes, Mr. Doug.  He took Jan to the store today to buy another bag of Puppy Chow. 

We should all sleep well tonight!  Luke has been harassing all of us old fogies to play with him.  It will be nice to not be barked at or have our ears pulled.  On the other hand, it's going to be too quiet around here for a while.  We've kinda gotten attached to the little monster. Guess we'll miss him.  sniff ... sniff ... Anyone have a tissue handy?

PS - If you haven't read this week's Mousebreath interview, you'll find the link in yesterday's post.

PPS - Our giveaway ends at midnight tonight.  Anyone in the US, UK and Canada can enter.

Cheesecake Loves Doxies

Hey, Cameron here. I want to share some interspecies bonding fun today.

*Buddy: Hey, they already know we Funny Farmers cats and dogs have bonded.*

No, not us.  I mean species other than cats and dogs bonding.  For example, in this very short video, Cheesecake the capybara has mothered daschund puppies someone locked in a plastic container and dumped.  They are quite happy and healthy, thanks to Cheesecake.

Here, see for yourself.


If the video doesn't play, click here. 

Rather than try to contact all the blogging cats we've interviewed since we changed the badge a few months ago to add Micah, we're just going to post a message here.  We have emailed every cat from 2013.

If you were interviewed and received the above badge to post with a link to your story in your sidebar, please contact us so we can email you the correct one.  Your should have received the badge that reads: My blog was featured in an interview by the Funny Farmer Felines on Mousebreath.

Sorry for any inconvenience.  The interviews will continue on Friday.

We Love Happy Stories

Hey, what's better than one dog hosting a post?  Well, three dogs hosting a post, silly.  Yep, we're sharing the duty today because this post is about dogs.  (Sorry, Funny Farmer Felines.)

We've spoken of our friend Mark a number of times over the years.  He's a grouchy old six-shooting Texan (his words) who has such a soft spot for animals, we wouldn't advise standing in his way if there's an animal in need or being abused.  Yep, he's a good friend to have if you're a furry. (Jan says he's not a bad one to have if you're a human either.)

He emailed us about a new book on dogs.  It's co-created by a friend of his and includes a couple of special Mark tales.

Here's a little about the book.

Hey dog lovers and rescuers .... a brand new book on dogs will be released nationally on Dec. 11th. However, it is already available on Amazon.com. Bookstores should have it within a few weeks.

It was Co-Created by a friend of mine, Kathleene (Kathy) Baker, who has been a friend for many years and participates in promoting dog rescue . . . along with me. I’m also very proud to say I have two stories in this book.and is the 3rd book to be published in a brand new anthology series by Publishing Syndicate.

The creators of this series were with Chicken Soup for over a decade. Becoming tired of serious and sad stories, they launched the Not Your Mother’s Book anthology series.

I'm pleased to say I have two stories in the book! It's not your typical "cry your eyes" out book. The only tears found within the pages are tears of laughter and joy. No death/dying stories! And, the majority of the stories are about rescue dogs...Kathy was thrilled as she read hundreds of stories to see that people are finally doing the right thing.

The perfect Christmas gift for the dog lovers on my mailing list! ENJOY...
Mark

You can check it out and even look inside it on Amazon.com.  Barnes & Noble also has it listed.  More book stores will have it soon.  Personally, we can't wait to read it.

Oh, to satisfy the federal blogging rules, we do need to mention that we were not paid to write this, it is not an ad, and a copy of the book was not provided for this post.  It really is just us telling you about our friend Mark's stories stories in his friend Kathy's new book.

Sponsor a Leg Lap

Hey, it's me, Cameron.  I'm stealing ... um, borrowing the computer for a few minutes to do a quick post.  I have some news. 

Most of you know Khyra's mom has been doing dog transport for years.  She drives a leg (lap?  well, some human body part) to help rescued dogs travel to a new life in a Northern state.  A while back Khyra came up with the idea to donate a leg / lap to help others.  She has offered a one-time sponsorship to various woofie auctions and there have been bidding wars to be the lucky winner.  The woofie in need gets the entire donation and the winner has a lap / leg and the corresponding blog post dedicated to him / her. 

Well, Khyra the Siberian Husky / honorary cat blogger has generously put a sponsorship up for auction on Furriends of the CB auction (item #30) to help Zoolatry's Ann and Poppy Vic with overwhelming medical expenses. 

Be sure to stop by and check out the other items in the auction too.  Peggy has donated a couple of her wonderfully soft hairy blankies.  Forty Paws has donated a couple of their popular ham-micks.  There are books and jewelry and who knows what else will show up, as the list is growing daily. Ann has made so many free graphics for cat and dog (and other) bloggers over the years that every furry wants to give something back now that she has a need. 

Now we know the auction is for a kitty blogger, but woofies are welcome to bid.

So pass along the news to your friends. You just might be the sponsor of a woofie-saving leg / lap transport.  (Try and say that 3 times real fast.) 

Have a sunny Sunday. 

Jourdan's Lovely Smile

We haven't been posting much in a while for a variety of reasons, including health and transportation problems.  Guess you could call it a discouraging time.  But two weeks ago Jan was asked to come back to the shelter to take photos for Petfinder one afternoon a week.  Last week a woman came in to pick up 2 Beagle pups for rescue and Jan took on another volunteer job, that of mailing out the photos she takes.

Our local shelter is high-kill and it's been hard for rescuers to get a foot in the door to pull dogs in the past.  But things appear to be changing  

This is where the woman Jan met last week enters the picture.  Her name is Connie and she is a rescue coordinator who lives about 2 1/2 hours from here.  She networks with rescuers, emails out photos and information, drives long distances to shelters to pick up for rescues, takes animals to a vet - whatever is needed. 

Most of the animals at the shelter have no name, so Jan uses the random name feature on Petfinder to "name" them.  She was amazed to find Connie knew the name of every dog on the shelter Petfinder site. That's how hard she works to find a place for them; she'd memorized their information. 

Jan had to be at the shelter today for something unrelated and was fortunate to still be there when Connie and a rescue friend arrived in separate vehicles to pull some animals.  This was a day Jan had thought would never come.  Multiple animals of various breeds (4 dogs, 2 cats and 7 kittens) at one time left the shelter alive for a better life.  She came home feeling happy but teary.

"Placid"  - young English Bulldog

"Road Rash"  -  young Lab. He wanted his photo taken on his back, so it was.

"Saquera" - adult Lab

"Dot" - Dot is actually 2 female Siamese and their 7 kittens with goopy eyes.

Plus a young husky mix. Jan would have taken his photo tomorrow but now she won't need to.

Now if only someone would adopt "Jourdan" of the lovely smile   ...

the adorable flappy ears of "Freeze" ...

the wistful charm of "Snowdrop" ...

Any of our local dogs or cats on Petfinder would make a great pet.  We hope, with Connie and however many will be helping, that more of these great animals will find a home.  They offer unconditional love in exchange..