Since I Lost My Blankie

 

Marcus:  ♪ ♫ Since I lost my blankie.  ♪ ♫  Since I lost my blankie.

Percy:  What are you wailing about now, Marcus?

Marcus:  I'm singing The Temptations' old song "Since I Lost My Blankie".

Cyndi:  I never heard of it.  Are you sure there is such a song?

Marcus:  Of course there is!

Percy:  So where did you lose your blankie?

Marcus:  Right here.  It used to be inside my crate but now it's outside.

Cyndi:  I hate to say this, but that's not a blankie, it's your bedding.

Marcus:  Okay.  ♪ ♫  Since I lost my bedding.  ♪  ♫  Since I lost -

Percy:  You have not lost your bedding either.  You pulled it outside your crate and wadded it up.  if you want it "found" again, just drag it back inside.

Cyndi:  Oh, and by the way, The Temptations never sang a song called "Since I Lost My Blankie".  It was "baby", "since I lost my baby"!

Marcus:  That's just plain silly!  How could they lose a baby?

Percy:  I don't know.  How did you lose your bedding while sleeping on it?  

Cyndi:  If you don't believe us, here it is.  Baby, since I lost my baby.



If the video doesn't play, click here. 

Missing Green Gloves

Rusty:  I have a short story for you.  A true story.

Weeks ago, Jan lost the green gloves she likes to use to "brusth" us because we like the massage and it's less work for her than brushing us.  They were here.  She could very distinctly remember the last place she saw them.  It was in a tray on her desk.   In her mind's eye, she could see one of those green gloves sticking out from under some papers.  The image was as clear as glass.

She checked every container of any kind.  Took everything out of each.  She went through our storage containers on the porch.  Several times!  She crawled under the desk, checked the closet, moved furniture, even looked in the fridge. They were here.  But where?

After about three weeks she gave up looking.  She must have moved them and just couldn't remember where she put those green gloves.  They had to show up eventually - she hoped.

Now they were not just any green gloves.  They are not a pair.  They are actually two separate right-hand gloves.  She'd just turn the one on her left hand around so she could "brush" us with both hands.

Then one day a couple of weeks ago, she moved something on the shelves beside the cat tower.  And there were her green gloves.

However, she had one minor detail wrong

Yes, these are her green gloves.


Oh, and I just gotta tell you those new dog safety collars work.  hehe

Yesterday Jan dug out the winter coats for the older dogs Merci and Buddy.   She put Merci's new harness on her and tried to snap on the leash through the small hole.  It didn't reach.  So she reached inside the coat, grabbed Merci's collar and attached the leash to the D ring.

They were quite a way up the road when Marcus yanked hard on the leash and Jan pulled him back.  But something didn't feel right.  She turned and there was Merci some distance back sniffing in the grass.  She looked down and the leash was still attached  to the collar.  Merci's hearing is bad so she just kept strolling and sniffing.  Jan walked back and tried to snap the collar back on.  That's when she realized which collar Merci was wearing and it had TWO D-rings. 

Jan has no idea how far they walked with Merci wandering on her own, but she figures it was a good distance, most likely from when Marcus suddenly tripped Jan and almost sent her sprawling.  So, you can tell your moms the safety collar does work.

Baby Bird in Dog Pen

Taylor:  Hey, how did the baby bird get in our dog pen?


Rusty:   I've been wondering the same thing.  Last week Jan let Marcus outside, saw the bird and decided Marcus needed to come back inside right away.

Marcus:  Yes, I was walking down the steps and Jan suddenly said, "Marcus - she calls me Marcus -

Taylor:  Of course she does.  That's your name.

Marcus:  She said, :"Marcus, let's go back in the house."

     "But I have to pee," I said. 

     "Later."

     So I dutifully went back in the house and sat for hours with my legs crossed

Taylor:  It was only for a short time, Marcus.  Jan went outside to take some pictures.

Baby bird:  Mama, where are you?  How did I get here?  Where am I?  Who is this crazy person following me around telling me to smile for the camera?

Taylor:  Baby looked dazed and lost.  Did he fall out of a nest in our tree or did his mama kick him out and tell him not to come back until he graduated flight school?

Rusty:  I begged to go outside to help him, but Jan hooked the screen door to lock me inside.

Marcus:  He wandered around the pen, hopped a little, flapped his wings here and there, and looked around a lot.  At first I thought he'd dropped his nest keys, but then I realized he was lost.   If I didn't have to keep my legs crossed, I could have taken him a map.

Taylor:  What happened to him?  Did his mom ever show up?

Rusty:  Not that I know of.  He slowly made his way across the pen, stopping here and there to practice lift off, flapped through the chain link, landed and disappeared around the neighbor's tree.

Marcus:  And finally I was allowed outside to pee!

Taylor:  I hope Baby is okay.  Perhaps he'll come back and visit us again.

Marcus:  I hope so.  I'd like to invite him to lunch.

A Little Fairy Dust

TAYLOR:  I'm a bit confused about our blogging stories. Why did Cyndi and Percy fib in our last post?  (Missing Pet Poop Bags)

MERCI:  You mean about Jan losing things, or about losing her stash of pet poop bags?

TAYLOR:  Oh, Jan is always losing things, but I thought we are supposed to be honest and always tell the truth.

MERCI:  We do.  But sometimes we have to take a little poetic license -

TAYLOR:  We write poetry too?

MERCI:  Not that I know of.  Maybe I can explain it this way.  Our stories are true, or at least based on truth. We do write the occasional totally imaginative post, but they are clearly fiction.  Sometimes we sprinkle some fairy dust on a true story for a little humor.

TAYLOR:  Jan gets very upset about the amount of mud and dirt tracked inside from the dog pen.  Doesn't she get upset when you sprinkle fairy dust?

MERCI:  It isn't messy dust.  It means we mainly tell the truth.  For example, that post originated because Jan lost the calendar she uses to keep track of when she pays bills and other important facts.  She wanted to jot a couple of notes but one of you kitties (I won't mention Rusty's name) had knocked everything off the desk and she couldn't find it.  Who wants to read some boring story about Jan spending 45 minutes searching for a calendar?

TAYLOR:  But it was funny to watch her move furniture, crawl around the floor, open and close drawers, and wander through the house in case she had left it somewhere.  About the fourth time she went through that routine, she even checked inside the refrigerator.  It would have made a funny post.

MERCI:   Yes, it was fun to watch her believe she was losing more marbles.  She did finally stand in the right spot to notice a corner of the calendar peeking out from under a chair that had a blanket hanging over the back.  The calendar had sailed in the opposite direction from where all the other items go when you kitties clear the desk.

TAYLOR:  So why didn't Cyndi and Percy write that story?  They were sure snickering behind their paws the whole time Jan searched.

MERCI:  When you've been blogging with us a bit longer, Taylor, you'll understand that some occasional fairy dust  makes others smile.   Cyndi and Percy had fun posting about Jan losing our poop bags instead of a calendar.  Their story isn't so far-fetched.  Jan can lose anything!

TAYLOR:  *scratches head*  I'd like to try a post one day.  Where can I find some of that fairy dust?

MERCI:  Amazon.com.  They sell everything.

Missing Pet Poop Bags

CYNDI:  Where, oh, where has the week gone?

PERCY:  What do you care?  Do you have somewhere you have to be?

CYNDI:  No, I'm just repeating what Jan has been going around saying all day, "Where, oh, where -

PERCY:  Yes, I heard you the first time.  Why don't you call Channel ... oh, I can't remember which channel it is, but they do investigative news reports.  Maybe they could find Jan's missing week.

CYNDI:  Jan has been saying that for weeks.  Months.  Actually years.  It's become a mantra with her.

PERCY:   Old people lose everything, their glasses, their shoes, their car keys, even their minds.  Evidently there is a storage locker somewhere with all of Jan's missing items, her memory, and her missing weeks.

CYNDI:  It would sure have to be a giant storage locker.  Do you think if we took up a collection, we could hire a private investigator to locate her valuables?

PERCY:  We don't need to hire a private investigator.

CYNDI:  We don't?

PERCY:  No.  All we have to do is to find a receipt or cancelled check to tell us where all those missing items are stored.

CYNDI:  Then we might have a problem.

PERCY:  What's that?

CYNDI:  Jan has been very forgetful.  What if she forgot to pay the storage fee?

PERCY:  Then whoever bought the storage locker contents purchased all those missing pet poop bags Jan uses when she scoops our litter boxes and when she walks the dogs. 

CYNDI:  You don't mean -

PERCY:  No, no, Cyndi!  Unused ones.

Join hosts Rascal and Rocco with co-hosts Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Owned by a Husky.

Packing Jan's Brain

RUSTY:  What's this about you dogs needing to be sure Jan has packed her brain before you walk her?

MICAH:  I evidently missed something while I was in the kitchen snacking.

BUDDY:  Well, we took Jan for her morning walk yesterday and thought everything was okay.

SAM:  But about a block and a half from home, we stepped off of the sidewalk onto the grass for a young woman to pass.  Three or four yards past us the woman called out, "Do you have three dogs?"

BUDDY:  Jan thought it a strange question since she was so obviously walking three dogs, but turned and said, "Yes."

SAM:  "There's the other one," the woman laughed, as Merci came around the bushes dragging her leash.

MERCI:  We can't check out the bushes on the corner from the sidewalk, so when Jan dropped my leash, I  grabbed the opportunity to sniff around on my own.

BUDDY:  We arrived home.  Jan threw away our poop bags from the morning, carried sticks to the curb for pickup, and walked around the back of the dog pen to the opposite side of the house.

SAM:  We strolled across the yard and the sidewalk.  Merci whined her, "Oh, look, I see someone" whine.  Jan looked up and there was a strange dog coming around the bushes - the route we usually take.

PERCY:  Oh, this is my favorite part of the story.  I wish I could have been there to see this.

MERCI:  But then Jan thought the dog looked familiar, so she turned to count dogs and there were two of us and an empty harness attached to a leash. 

BUDDY:  Jan left my harness loose so I could be comfortable, but when it became too loose, she kept forgetting to tighten the straps. I can't believe it but Jan just walked off and left me behind.

MARCUS:  Oh, that sounds like fun.  I wonder why things like that never happen when I walk her?

CYNDI:  From what I've heard, Jan has to keep a constant eye on you.  And you tend to walk in front of her, not in back. 

MARCUS:  Oh, no wonder Jan continually tells me I'm such a good boy on our walks.

BUDDY:  Continually?  For real?

MARCUS:  Well, maybe not continually.  But at least she hasn't lost me ... yet.

Mutton Hollow Interview

We are pleased to introduce the kitties of the Mutton Hollow Critters blog - Ruby, Hootie, Zeek, Moosie, Scuby & Sylvester - as our interview subjects this week.  If you haven't met them yet, stop by Mousebreath to read their story, Cat Critters of Mutton Hollow.. If you've already met them, you might get to know them better. 

Bhu, Empire Opurrator

This week we interview the handsome Bhu from the Pattyskypants & Bhu blog.   He was not originally  intended to be a part of the blog, but he's just so darn cute, he quickly became  the S-T-A-R. You can read the in-depth interview exclusively at Mousebreath, Bhu, V..P. for Empire Opurrations. 

We'd like to add a couple of links for bloggers.

1)  We have written a number of times about the frustrations of word verification, so we were glad to see this story on The Real Blogger Status - If you Use CAPTCHA .. Try Publishing a Comment as a Guest.

2) If you have ads or write reviews on your blog, you need to be aware of and follow the latest FTC regulations.  They've made the rules stricter.

Prancer, Pip and Puddles

This week we have the cats from the Prancer Pie blog as our interview guests.  We're sure you'll learn some things about them you didn't know - or have forgotten.  Stop by Mousebreath to read their story, The 4 Ps ... Prancer, Princess, Precious and Princeton.

As many of you know, Princess left for the bridge very unexpectedly last Saturday, so this - her last interview  - is dedicated to her. 

Prancer will be visiting the vet Monday and his mom is very nervous after losing Princess last Saturday when she took her to the vet, so purrs would be welcomed.  

Today, March 15, is a very special day for the Dynamic Duo of Puddles and Pip.  They have brought so much joy (and mayhem) to our lives that Blogville's Mayoress Madi has declared this Pip and Puddles Appreciation day.  And they are being awarded the following Blogville honors- Pip will be bestowed the title "Blogville King of Cheeseburgers"  and Puddle with the title "Blogville Queen of Merriment and Mayhem."

We are so happy for both of them, knowing full well they deserve this honor - and more.  For example, Puddles should have her driving privileges restored in North or South Carolina (or both?) and anywhere else she's currently only licensed to walk, not drive.

Pip and Puddles, we will never forget the day you came to visit and we had so much fun (and only caused two accidents).  Riding the rails at Six Flags Over Georgia, speed-boating down the Flint River with the wind blowing Buddy's ears, pigging out at an all you can eat catfish buffet, and sharing Cheetos with the feline Funny Farmers (who had enough sense to not ride in a sports car with Puddles driving).  Sometimes we go back and read 6 Flags and 5 Fruitcakes again.  We don't ever want to forget that perfect day. And we only received 3 letters of complaint after you left.  That's probably a record for you two.

Mr. Pip and Nurse Puddles, thank you for being our friends.  We will always treasure your friendship.

Enjoy your special day.  Tomorrow Madi will send you a bill for the party damages to Blogville. :)


Today is another special event at the Tabby Cat Club -  Beware the KittIDES of March!!!  Hosted by Sparky.  Stop by and check it out.

Trout Talkin Tabbies

Some of you have already met Da Tabbies O Trout Towne.  Those who haven't are in for a special treat.  We suggest you grab a cup of nip tea and head over to Mousebreath to read Trout Talkin Tabbies ... Boomer, Dai$y, Sauce & Tuna.    We think you'll enjoy it.

And then you can stop by to visit Trout Towne for some mackerel hot off the grill.  We're still laughing over their blog post on the interview.

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Happy Hanukkah  (or Festival of Lights) to all our friends who are celebrating it

The computer hog has been at it again, so we're even more behind than usual.  Our Christmas card will be posted soon.  

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We received an email from Toby Franks this morning and decided to share it with our readers, in case any of you are from or know someone from Barberton, Ohio.

Barberton Feed Ban will be voted on Dec. 17 - Video from Fox 8 News

http://fox8.com/2012/12/13/cat-fight-feeding-pets-could-cost-you/

While most communties are moving away from arcane animal control practices and embracing non-lethal methods, Barberton City Council plans to fast-track a vote on a feeding ban on Monday, Dec.17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Barberton City Council Chambers - 576 W. Park Ave., Barberton, Ohio 44203

Barberton residents who feed an outside pet when it is dark can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $50 a day by one of four enforcement agencies. One of the enforcers according to the ordinance is Summit County Animal Control.

This feeding ban was passed in an open meeting of the subcommittee. Carol Frey, chair of the subcommittee, said that there would be no further discussion. Law Director Lisa O. Miller, wants one reading rather than the normal three readings. Concerned Barberton residents will not be able obtain clarifications or explanations. Barberton residents should be able to provide care for their pets, feral cats, or the occasional lost or stray pet. There should be three readings so that citizens can be informed about the ordinance.

Please attend the City Council meeting on Monday Dec 17th. You can speak for five minutes. If you cannot attend, please call Barberton City Officials, send emails & faxes to express concerns, ask questions and ask for more time to obtain clarifications and explanations and to remove the punitive aspect of this ordinance.

A public record request showed that there were only 13 complaints in all of Barberton in an entire year -- not all of them were about feeding and not all of them were found to be valid. A complaint is counted numerically even if it is called in anonymously and even if no problem is found. An earlier version of this ordinance was unanimously withdrawn by Barberton City Council in 2007 and by the Barberton Safety Committee in 2010.

The President of Barberton City Council is Fred Maurer, and his email address is fmaurer@cityofbarberton.com

Here is the contact info for all Barberton City Officials:

http://www.cityofbarberton.com/govt/departments/council_clerk.shtml

Marg and Joe's Friend Jasmine

Remember Joe the donkey and these lovely kitties from the Bora Bora trip last year?  Well, they all belong to Marg.  She has two miniature donkeys, dogs and cats - including ferals she feeds.  She does this on a small retirement income.  She is also the volunteer auctioneer for Furriends of the CB auction blog, helping raise funds for others in need. 

Her dog Jasmine is in kidney failure and she could use some help with the vet bills.  If you could spare a couple dollars to help out, Marg and all the furries would be grateful.  Thee is a Chip In button in her sidebar.

Visit Margs Pets blog for updates on Jasmine and for the Chip In.

The post on Jasmine from the other day is here.  There was also an update today and there will be more coming.

And if you can't chip in, you can still help a kind comment and a prayer..

Meezers and SweetFeets

Whew!  We survived an interview with the mischievous Meezers - Sammy, Miles, Nicky & Billy..

Fortunately, Sammy didn't ask to drive Jan's car.  (We doubt she carries enough insurance.)  But they did manage to pull a prank on Miles again.  He did survive the "shipping" and is safely home.  The box with the food that they shipped him in?  It didn't fare quite as well, but we all just brushed off the dirt and ate the slightly squished ham sandwiches.  Buddy, Merci & Sam got the leftovers.  They thought the dirt added flavor.

All in all it was a lot of fun.  But now we all need a nap.

We hope you will go by and read the interview - Sammy, Miles, Nicky & Billy Meezer – SweetFeets.

Oh, and in case you wonder why Billy is so keen on Dr. Buddy - you're a new reader or you've forgotten the story - stop over and enjoy Billy's Brain Surgery.   Dr. Buddy truly is an amazing surgeon and we Funny Farmers make a great surgical team.

Rusty Rambles

Hey, Rusty here.  Happy Monday to you.  It's rainy, cold and dreary and but we're sacked out in front of the heaters trying to "unchill."  Yes, I'm aware there is no such word but it's descriptive so I'm adding it to the Funny Farmer dictionary. 

We're sending out some purrs and woofs to Jan's minister who is having (or has already had) partial knee replacement surgery this morning.  I was going to say how lucky we are not to have knees to need surgery, but Jan ruined my day by saying cats and dogs have 2 knees and knee pain is a common cause of lameness in us furries.  Before you gush about how brilliant Jan is she only learned this three minutes ago.

I can't figure out whether the number of cats lost in transit by airplane is climbing or if the numbers remain the same but lost animals are getting more publicity.  We were glad to read that at least one airline takes a missing pet seriously!  When Wenty's empty carrier arrived in Seattle without her, Alaska Airlines didn't drag their feet and lose valuable time.  They went to great lengths to help find Wenty.  And Wenty was found! 

"Using everything from *Karma’s nose, high power spotlights, a search camera, an amplified listening device, and digital wildlife cameras, MPP conducted a detailed “area search.” Alaska Airlines gave the team unrestricted access to the baggage area and the tarmac area."  (*Karma is a Missing Pet Partnership cat detection dog.)

You can read the rest of  "Alaska Air Stops at  Nothing to Find Lost Cat'" on Mousebreath.  After some of the horror stories we have read on lost cats entrusted to an airline, this was a breath of fresh air.  Missing pets should be taken seriously.  Kudos to Alaska Airlines!


On a different subject, this title is a mouthful but we suggest you read it, especially if you are a newbie to blogging. There are a lot of folks out there who are anxious to take advantage of bloggers. Our Reading Lists, Hijacked By Spammers, Who Have Conned The Owners Of Blogs That We Follow.

Don't be conned by spammers.  They are numerous and they are sneaky, so we furries need to be on our paws and remain smarter than they are.


Cat curiosity aroused: We've had a couple of contacts in the past few months asking if we take text ads on our blog and when we ask for more information, we're told all we have to do is to put their ad link in a post or two for them - not a new post, a prior post. This doesn't make any sense to us and doesn't seem particularly legitimate, so we've turned them down. But our whiskers are twitching to know why anyone would even ask. There must be some advantage to someone wanting to pay to have an ad placed in a "used" post or two, but we can't figure out what they get out of it. So we thought we'd ask our more knowledgeable readers if any of you know why someone would want to pay to "hide" an ad in an old post.

That's all the news I have for today.  We have photos and a post or two to catch up on but Jan hasn't downloaded them from the camera yet.  Perhaps by spring?

I'm going back to my blankie in front of the gas heater now and catch some zzzzzzzs.

Rusty

Kujo Come Home

Hey, Sam, Merci & Buddy here.  We were going to take the day off after a busy weekend but we came across something we thought should be posted.  We made Jan do the full circuit, even though it's still quite warm, so while she's catching her breath, we're typing as fast as our paws can manage.


Kujo disappeared nearly a year ago but his owner is still diligently searching for him within a 60-mile radius. We met Debbie this afternoon while we were walking Jan and decided we would post his Missing flyer here. As she said, a dog taken from one side of town is often taken to the other  which is why she is searching in our area too. And one never knows how far a dog might travel in 11 months, whether on its own or in transport by humans.

We hope Kujo will be home before long.  

Memorial Day 2011

In memory of those who have died in service to their country.

Arlington, sung by Trace Adkins.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We are not back. With Blogger acting up, this is a good time to be on break. We just want to honor those who gave their lives for our country.

And we are asking, if you can help these folks in any way, please do so. They applied to become a non profit in Brazil and they have been trying to find funding but they are losing their home and all the 17 rescued dogs. Who will take the rescues in and give them a good home? Most likely they will end up killed.

These folks lost their business in the January 2011 flood when whole villages in Brazil were wiped out with mudslides and flooding. Their home was spared because they were on higher ground and instead of just worrying about themselves, they donated their time to helping the rescued sick, injured and suddenly homeless animals in other villages.

Please donate a few dollars, if you can. And pass this on. These folks have worked hard and done without to save dogs no one else cares about. The Sunday post is titled "last Days." Don't let this be their last days!

Dogs in Brazil

Rabies, Blogger and Oliver

This is a grim reminder of why we all need to keep our pet vaccinations up to date. It doesn't have to be your pet that bites another animal or a human. A bite by another animal, in this case a coyote, can mean the difference between life and death for your pet because if you can't afford the expensive quarantine, your pet will have to be euthanized. So keep the date marked on your calendar. That way, if the reminder from your vet's office is lost in the mail, you will still know he or she is due for a booster.

We just had a similar case locally but we don't know what choice the pet owner made. You can read the news  story here.


For those of you who use Blogger, we thought we would post this from The Real Blogger Status blog, in case any of you get an urge to change your blog name or email address and your Google account no longer recognizes you.


We would like to refer you to Life With Dogs' post today on Oliver Alert.  It is traumatic to lose a pet and never know what happened to it.  Oliver is still missing, but his disappearance is helping many other lost and found pets to be reunited with their family.

We hope you haven't forgotten what we look like.  Jan is still hogging the computer and we only get crumbs.  But we have some posts coming up whenever we can sneak some extra time to blog. 

Microchips and Veterans

No, we are not advocating microchipping veterans. Those two words just describe our two separate subjects of the day.

Animals get lost for a variety of reasons and many folks whose pet is microchipped assume that if the animal is lost or stolen it will be returned. Well, some are, sometimes even years after they disappeared. But many aren't. And as Jan keeps telling local folks, the chip is worthless if the shelter doesn't scan or doesn't scan properly. It's also worthless if the owner does not register the chip or does not keep the information updated. Many a microchipped pet has been euthanized because either the owner or the shelter was derelict in protecting the animal.

In the interest of time, we stole ... er, borrowed this from Jan's September Paws column for the local Humane Society (not the shelter). It's posted on UpsonPets.com. We don't think she'll mind and if she does, you'll all protect us, won't you? Anyway ....

Last month I reminded you to not rely solely on a microchip for the return of a lost pet. If the shelter or vet does not scan animals, the microchip will not be found. If the animal is improperly scanned, the microchip will be missed. Chips can and do migrate to other areas of the body from where implanted and in rare cases are implanted improperly and fall out.

Let’s suppose your lost pet is scanned at the shelter, the microchip is found and read, the shelter checks the database for your information so they can contact you and … Oops. The database is blank. Many either don’t bother to register or forget to. You are not automatically entered into a database. You must register the chip number and your contact information. If your information changes for any reason, it is your responsibility to update it. So be sure to keep the information current. Some pets have been returned many years after they were lost.

You can’t remember if you registered the chip? Or you have lost the paperwork? There are six U. S. databases. To find out which one you are registered with, take your pet to a vet or shelter to have your pet scanned to get the microchip number. Go online to CheckTheChip.com and enter that number. It will search and tell you which database to contact. Go to that website and check your information, making any necessary changes. If it isn’t there, register the microchip number before you forget.

Be sure to print the information and put it in your pet’s file with all his vet information. You will need this if your pet is lost, and a shelter might require you bring paperwork to verify this chip number belongs to your cat or dog.

We read two articles today that reminded us of this subject, so we thought this might be a good time to remind your humans. One was a warning from a shelter. If we remember correctly, something like 40% forget or don't bother to register and a very large percent don't update their information. Many shelters will not or can not invest the time to try to track down an owner who has been negligent or forgotten to register new information.

The other reminder was a positive article from Arizona: New Tool to help Valley sheriff's posse locate lost pets.. Many of you undoubtedly know Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding Valley area have a large number of annual winter "snowbird" visitors and many of them bring their pets.

Hope you all have a good day. Today and tomorrow Jan will spend a few hours outside the local Wal-mart distributing Buddy Poppies for the Veteran's of Foreign Wars. Veteran's Day is the 11th, next Wednesday. So if you happen to see her (or anyone else distributing poppies for a veteran's group), we hope you will take a moment to say hello and donate a green paper or more for a poppy. The VFW poppies are made by disabled veterans and the proceeds are used to help veterans in the local community.

Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Lost Benny and Daddy Chihuahua

Benny, a white German Shepherd, was lost during interstate transport to his new home and needs to be found ASAP. There is a reward. Please pass on this link to anyone even remotely along the route, as dogs can travel.

We don't understand how anyone could not notice a dog this size was not there for such a long route, but strange things do happen, so we're just hoping Benny will be found soon.


Heartbreaking story... Benny, a white German Shepherd was rescued from a high kill shelter, received all of his vetting, and had a wonderful family adopt him. He was enroute to this family when he escaped from transport. If you have seen Benny or have any information, please call Traci Wood at 901 238 1724 or email her tparris2005b @ aol. com (take out the spaces first). Benny escaped from a transport between Atoka, TN and Corinth, MS. The route of the transport is detailed below.

There is a $500 dollar reward for his safe return.

He's about 70-75 pounds with long legs and knows his name. He's microchipped and was wearing a collar with a PAWS rescue ID tag and his yellow microchip tag.

Route taken from Atoka, TN to Corinth, MS:
Highway 14 going South to I-240
I-240 going West to Nonconnah Blvd.
Nonconnah Blvd. to Highway 72 in Collierville
Highway 72 straight south all the way to Corinth, MS

He was discovered missing when the transport pulled off at the McDonald's in Corinth, MS. Benny is an amazing dog who has had a terrible life; he was literally two days away from his happy ending. The family who is adopting him is set to spoil him rotten- please help us find him!

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We received an email from our friend Bill today, pointing us to a great story.

On the front page of the San Antonio Express today: Daddy Chihuahua leads his family to safety down a busy street during rush hour -- into the safety of the animal shelter. (This story will probably not be available on this url for long.)

Web Posted: 10/17/2009 12:00 CDT
Daddy Chihuahua leads family to safety

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And don't forget to vote for Merci.
http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/vote.cfm?h=194291465301F78C17ECD3F5BA4AB250

Merci the Model and Pee Pee Ess

Thank you Zoolatry for the beautiful graphic.

We are so proud of Merci, as we think she is a beautiful girl with a heart of cat. Yes, we said a heart of cat. When Jan adopted her, she was just hoping for a dog that wouldn't harm her cats. She never dreamed Merci would turn into a cat rescuer -- Percy and Cameron are Merci's -- or attract cats to follow them on their walks. (That was pre-Buddy and Sam, folks.) This loving Merci-ful character is what makes her beautiful to us.

We forgot about the Next Dog Model Contest until the last day (Friday, June 19). All our photos of Merci playing with a toy are blurred and we didn't have any posed shots we could use. So Jan took Merci outside and took some shots of her in the grass.

There were some beautiful/handsome dog photos entered, but when we got online this afternoon, we were pleasantly surprised to learn Merci won.

As Baby Patches writes in her post, "Just to recaps here da winner receives bragging rights, a spot in da header on SuppliesJust4Pets.com, and these goodies to goes wif it: 1 BullyBell Bully Stick, and 1 His or Hers Plush Bone Dog Toy!"

Congratulations Merci, runners-up perrythebirman's brother Sam and Jax. And also to honorable mentions Dixie, Syke and Olive. (If you don't believe a pit bull can smile, you have got to see Olive's photo. What a cutie.) You can view all their photos here at Baby Patches'.

And you can see our Merci in the header over at Supplies Just 4 Pets.

(s) JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Pee Ess:
Our intention was to do an upbeat post, but just as we began writing this, we learned JB' has a prayer request out for Bear. Some of you are aware of the problem, but the details are not important. What is important is that Bear was to be safely turned over to JB's mom, but the ex-stepdad relocated him instead and Bear is evidently not in a safe situation. Please stop by JB's Small World to leave a comment -- and pray for Bear's safe return.

Pee Pee Ess:
Khyra's mom really liked a handsome Siberian named Laska that she helped transport to New Jersey. He got out Sunday. He was LOST NEAR POINT BREEZE DRIVE IN WEST MILFORD NJ. Khyra's mom lives in PA and she is worried sick about Laska. H e needs to be found ASAP! Visit Khyra's blog for details and updates.

Bear With Us

As you can see, we are in process of upgrading our journal. Upgrading is not the same as redecorating or merely choosing a new template. It is going from HTML to hands tied blogging, which is what Jan calls layouts. But it does have some advantages. Doing this means we lost everything not blogger related and will have to add things back as we can.