DOGTOR DEATH

That's JoJo's new nickname.

He's been very busy these past two years ridding this old country home of pests.

So far, here's his scoreboard:

Birds - 2
Bats - 3
Chipmunks - 1
Flying squirrels - 3 (two in one day, yesterday)
Flies and various other insects - too numerous to count

I should note that with the exception of the chipmunk (and many insects), all of these have been inside.

Unusual Friendship

My dog sits at the window most of the time. He gets very excited when something outside gets his attention. Lately, this has been our resident chipmunk.
This little rodent seems to find it entertaining to taunt the dog. It doesn't seem to be fearful of him and chirps at JoJo whenever he's in the vicinity.

He's just outside the door. I'm here, come get me! Then it's off to the side of the house. Over Here! Here I am!

It's absolutely hilarious when he pops up from one hole while JoJo is looking down another, something I have yet to catch on video. I truly believe that the chipmunk finds this game as much fun as the dog does.

OUR SHELTERS

I haven't been writing much lately. I don't like to write just for the sake of writing. I reserve it for when I actually have something I want to share. I would like to take a few minutes of your time to express how much our animal shelters need your help.

Where I live we are fortunate to have no-kill shelters.

This was where I found JoJo. I am ever so grateful for the care they gave him before I arrived. He was a case where the prior owners dumped him at the shelter in the middle of the night. With their cameras they were able to locate them and find out why they got rid of him. The man said that he bit him when he was disciplining him and showed them a small scratch. The first time I gave JoJo the sit command he did it but without eye contact and obvious fear. He certainly wasn't expecting the praise I gave him.

 Our store does a donation drive every year for this shelter which is located nearby. They have a capture/spay/release program for stray cats and sometimes bring animals up from high-kill shelters to find homes for those at high risk of euthanasia through no fault of their own.

 Most shelters don't have that luxury. There is only so much space to house all of the animals that come through their doors.

Some were found as strays. Some are lost pets whose owners need to be found (if possible). Some are owner surrenders. "I can't take care of him anymore." "I'm relocating due to work and can't find housing that allows pets." "This cat keeps escaping and coming back pregnant."

Some come from puppy mills. Some come from dogfighting situations.

Once in the shelter, they all are scanned for a microchip. If one exists, the hope is that it has been registered and updated. If an owner can be located, they are not always willing to pay the fee and collect their pet. If there is no owner looking for the animal they need to be checked by a vet to see if they have any communicable diseases. After they are determined to be adoptable, the wait for a forever home begins.

The kennel environment itself proves too much for many animals who either shutdown or become aggressive. This makes their odds even lower.

I once went to the shelter to adopt a cat. This was before it became a no kill shelter. I told them that I wanted the cat that was highest on the list for euthanasia. Muffy was a seven year old cat with 24 toes, six on each paw. She had 24 claws that had grown so long that they had curved back into her own paws. She was terribly matted. The vet told me that they could put her under and shave her if I wanted. I said no and took her home. I worked on those mats with my fingers and with scissors and my ex bathed her to loosen the ones that had formed around her feces. We clipped her claws and gently pulled the ends from her feet. The next challenge was teaching her to be a cat. I sat in the doorway until she got comfortable with that. Next was the sidewalk, and finally the yard. She was very cautious and concerned at the feel of grass. Eventually, her days consisted of laying in the yard and soaking up the heat of the sun. I am convinced that she had lived in a cage her entire life up until the day I adopted her. As she was, her odds were pretty poor. I am so glad that the second half of her life was a good one.

In the book. "ONE at a Time" the authors spent one week at a typical city shelter. This book was published in 2003 but the statistics overall still hold true. In just that one shelter, in that one city, in one week:

363 animals passed through the shelter

240 were brought in lost or stray

14 were brought in for euthanasia due to illness or old age

3 were taken in under protective custody

15 were found and claimed by their families

6 were dead on arrival

6 died after arriving

2 were stolen

2 were transferred to other shelters

215 were adopted to new homes

117 were euthanized

How to help

Volunteer (walk the dogs, give them a break from kennel time, give them human contact)

Donate (vets, food, running spay/ neuter programs are only some of the expenses)

Adopt (make room in the shelter for yet another animal, don't support the continued breeding for profit that exists everywhere.

Be a responsible pet owner. Spay or neuter your pet. License and microchip your pet. Provide vet care, love, training and commitment to your pet. You'll be well rewarded.

If you have rental property, agree to rent to responsible pet owners.

PLEASE, consider the shelter worker who chose this life because of their love for animals. They are forced to choose between this animal and that one, who lives and who dies. Instead of saving them all, they hold them and speak softly as they put them down to make room for the endless stream. It is heartbreaking beyond words. HELP THEM!!

ROOM TO RUN

My first vacation! I had many firsts this weekend. Just look at all of this space to explore.

I wonder where this path goes.

I caught a scent, did it go this way, that way? That way! I ran and mom came with me. There it was! My shackles went up. I growled, I barked. Mom said, "A rock? Seriously, you're barking at a rock?" I growled and barked again. This time, the 'rock' moved. I had tracked a big turtle!

Mom brought along new toy. She calls it a flirt stick. I call it FUN!

I made some new friends too. I met a couple I didn't quite get along with but most of them were pretty cool. After all of that activity, it was sure nice to go back to our home away from home.

I think I like vacation.

MANGE?

In this tree, so close to home....

was this bear. In January. We wondered why it wasn't hibernating and why it was hanging out so close to our homes in spite of the barking dogs and playful childrens' shrieks and laughter.

The answer may lie in the fact that he appeared rather unwell and a bit mangy.

The Game Warden was called and advised our neighborhood to watch for it and report any sightings. They hope to capture it and hopefully treat it so that it won't spread the disease among the local wildlife.

A little research turned up this,

'Animals with sarcoptic mange will often exhibit hair thinning and loss. The skin becomes thickened, wrinkled, and covered in scabs and foul-smelling crusts due to overgrowths of normally occurring bacteria and yeasts. Skin lesions can involve the entire body however the ears and face are most commonly affected. Severely affected animals may become emaciated, depressed, and lethargic, and may lose their fear of man. When the skin around the eyes, mouth, and ears is involved, animals may experience blindness, difficulty eating, and hearing loss. Red foxes are typically the most severely affected wild species and often die of this disease. Severely affected bears will often not den.'

That may explain a few things.

LET THERE BE PEACE

LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH!

VERY TRICKY

When I came to my new home I didn't really make eye contact. The 'sit' command was foreign and when 'shake' was introduced I was less than thrilled. Just look at me two months later! I am a very smart boy.

We call this 'over' and 'under'. I wonder what we'll do next.

BEST DAY EVER!!!

Hey, It's me, JoJo.

Mom is letting me use her blog space because I have to tell you about my best day ever.

It was a Saturday. Dad was cleaning up the brush and I was on my lead. I love being outside. Chewing up sticks is just about the best pastime ever.

After Mom got home from work (I know she was at work because she had to change out of her uniform) she helped Dad gather the brush he had cut up.

They went in the house and came back out with my leash! We didn't go walking though. We got in the car. I love going for rides and Mom says I ride well. I have to stay in the back but that's okay.

When we arrived, I found myself at Christmas In The Barns. It is a local craft show held in the barns at the Fairgrounds. The stalls become booths and tents are set up outside as well.

There were lots of people and the aroma of the food vendors really made my nose twitch. I made a lot of human friends and met a three-legged dog that wanted to play with me as much as I wanted to play with her.

Mom was very happy with me. I didn't bark even once and was very cooperative as we wandered around. We stopped at a booth that had homemade dog treats and toys. I got a new tugger that Mom chose because it didn't look like any of the socks or shirts we have at the house and apparently, I'm NOT supposed to eat. The girls that made all of these goodies were really friendly and we spent some time visiting.

That night, after dinner when we take our evening walk, we went in a different direction. We went up through the yard to a secret path and wound up at the neighbors. It was those same girls! I got a bag of pumpkin turkey treats (which Mom doles out). Boy, are they good!!! The girls took turns having me sit and shake hands and giving me treats. There were dog toys everywhere and I was allowed to play with any of them. It was great.

Then we went outside. Four young, energetic girls running with me on my leash. I loved every minute of it. They even set up hurdles. They use them to jump the rabbits. Personally, I'd rather chase the rabbits but I guess that's not allowed. They taught me to "jump".

Whenever I went around a hurdle I was guided back to it and we tried again. Each time I succeeded I got all kinds of praise and attention. By the end of the evening the hurdles had been raised several times and I was happy and proud.

As Mom and I were walking home, I was positively strutting. That was definitely my BEST DAY EVER!!!

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Adjusting to a new family member involves getting to know one another. We all have our strengths and weaknesses as well as unique personality traits.
JoJo is learning his territory and has found the perfect place to keep an eye on it even when he is inside.

Upon hearing a thumping sound upstairs, I figured that I had better check to see what he had gotten into. I came around the corner to see a ball bouncing down the steps and a dog hot on its trail. He really does know how to entertain himself!
It does seem as if I spend quite a bit of time 'checking on the dog'. A couple of times he disappeared but I found him. He was keeping himself busy hiding.

He really has a sense of humor about expressing himself. As I was slicing into a fresh apple pie, I heard a sound behind me. JoJo had brought me his empty food dish and dropped it at my feet. Apparently he felt I should serve him some too!

I've had to make some adjustments around here. I've discovered that laundry needs to go in the washer instead of in a basket!

(Un)fortunately, he's only one, seven in human years, so he has a great deal of growing up to do. I see so much potential in him. Patience is key. By this time next year, it will be fun to reread this to see how much he has matured. Until then, hang on! I'm sure I'll have more escapades to tell you about.

MEET JOJO

 Meet JoJo. He's a one year old minpin/Jack Russell mix.

 My search for the newest member of the family led me to our local shelter. I'd been to two other shelters and did a meet and greet with a dog from Craigslist before I walked into this building and found what I believe will be the right dog for this house.

He's already made himself at home and discovered the best part...

a handy playmate! Although at the moment the cat is still uncertain of the situation.

SASSY

I had mice. I also had dogs. I needed a cat. One with attitude. I found what I was looking for at my local shelter. This cat, which had been a stray that the shelter named 'Shipwreck', fit the bill precisely. She loves to catch mice. She also knows exactly how to put a dog in its place. She's fast and good at getting up out of reach.

I renamed her Sassy in celebration of her spirit. She never really got along with Lady and Jack used to 'put the run on her' whenever she got too close to his food dish. She would retaliate by blocking the stairs daring him to pass. She likes to hide and attack from nowhere which led to comical reactions from those two dogs.

She's much more companionable with Mitzi. She acts like a dog when we wander the property. She likes to bathe Mitzi's face although the dog looks slightly nervous because she is just as likely to bat her upside the head...depends on her mood.

She is still most definitely a cat though. Whichever side of the door she is on, it's the wrong side. She only wants on my lap if I'm reading or on the computer. She hollers for food while standing in front of a full dish. That chess piece that has sat there for a month suddenly needs to be chased all over the room. Yep, gotta love that Sassy cat!

A NIGHTTIME VISITOR

One good thing about having Wednesday off is that I can stay up later on Tuesday night and watch America's Got Talent. At least once each time I watch an act will give me goosebumps. Some people amaze me!
Last night I was enjoying the show tremendously when I saw a shadow flit by in my peripheral vision. A moth, I thought. One more act and it's bedtime. Then, I saw it again. That's an awfully big moth!
Then I got a better look. A bird...no, too silent...BAT!

It decided to take up residence in the corner of the room. I decided that I was heading to bed, immediately. Blankets pulled up over my head, overly warm but a distance from my visitor, 'It'll be gone in the morning' I thought. It was.

I hope he doesn't return tonight. Ugh!

MEET MITZI

I've always called Mitzi my big dumb dog. She obviously doesn't think before she acts. This is the dog that ran out of the kitchen with the back of a chair wrapped around her head. But she has a heart of gold. She was very protective of her friends.

Lady helped raise her. Mitzi would raise the alarm whenever Lady had one of her seizures. I've witnessed her place her body between Lady and the heater until I could get to her. When Lady developed Cushings poor Mitzi took the blame for the overturned trashcans until I finally found out what was really happening. After Lady passed, Mitzi and Jack stepped up to help heal my heart.

Jack was the senior dog of the house. He also had seizures on occasion. He and Mitzi were an odd couple. He'd get the hots for her but she was too big for him to have any success. She'd just sit down and give him 'the look' until he'd finally give up. Whenever they were outside they were always together, each taking a turn at the lead as to where to go next. Again, Mitzi would sound the warning when Jack was in distress. I've seen her lay across the steps to keep him from falling down them. When he passed, she had to learn how to be an only dog.

Together, we've gone camping.

We've gone down to play in the creek. We've explored bunny nests, chased birds around the house when they find their way in. We've watched the baby squirrels chase each other in the tree.

All of the time that I had spent caring for and making memories with my elder dogs, she was doing the same. Now that she has adjusted to the loss of her friends and I have done the same, her childish nature has returned. She grabs her squeak toys and dances around enticing me to play. We both tire quickly but we both enjoy the diversion. She takes off after rabbits but gives up the chase a few yards in. Still, she turns back to look at me as if to say, "Did you see me?" I am happy to be getting to know this wonderful animal all over again.

STRANGE SHOPPERS?

These two came right up to the door to the store where I was working. It looked as if they were waiting for someone to come along and let them in. I admit that I was tempted. They finally waddled off. You just never know who's going to show up in State College!

THOSE CRAZY ANIMALS

Taking the day off from writing, but I thought I'd share some of the things I've collected because everyday deserves a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bet you chuckled at least once!!