Disaster Relief for the Animals

I see the news broadcasts and feel so helpless. I listened to some horrible audio stories on CNN about the devastation to the affected animals. It makes me feel so frustrated that I can't do more to help. What a nightmare for all of the animal control workers and shelter workers. I'm sure that many of you feel the same way. If you would like to make a donation to help rescue and reunite animals affected by Katrina with their owners, you may do so by clicking the following links. The American Humane Association , The Humane Society of the United States , and the ASPCA have disaster teams in route and stationed in the areas hit by Katrina. You can donate any amount, and every little bit will help.

To make a donation to American Humane's Animal Emergency Services click HERE.

To make a donation to The Humane Society of the United States Disaster Relief Fund click HERE.

To make a donation to the ASPCA's 2005 Disaster Relief Fund click HERE.

Be Prepared

It's really more than just a boy scout motto, you know. We weathered Katrina pretty well in Shelbyville. Thankfully, Katrina wasn't all she was cracked up to be, by the time she got to my house. I'm very thankful for that. All of this has really made me aware that I need some kind of disaster plan for my pets. It really hit home last night, when Casey and I were trying to figure out what to do with the little outside dog next door. We were trying to find a place to put him, where he would be safe from the elements and flying debris. Luckily it didn't get that bad, but it did make me more than uncomfortably aware that I need to formulate a plan. What would happen if something happened to my house while I was at work? Who would get my dogs, cats, and reptiles out? Where would they go, until I could get to them? Where would I go afterwards? Who would catch them if a tree fell into the house, and they were running loose in the neighborhood? The American Humane Association has an online tutorial to help you formulate your own disaster preparedness program. For more information and to design your own plan, click HERE. You can order a "Be Prepared" kit and check card, along with a wallet pet emergency card by clicking HERE.

Also if you love animals, and would like to help shelter or rescue during disasters, you can receive training and be a part of The American Humane Red Star Emergency Services. They are holding volunteer training sessions across the U.S. right now. Click HERE to find information on a training session near you, or to find out when the next one is scheduled.

I was lucky this time. There are many who were not so lucky. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by Katrina. Next time, I will be better prepared. Everyone have a safe and happy day!

The Honorable??

First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with all of those in the path of Katrina. May you stay safe and well.

What a weekend!! It went by so fast that I hardly even noticed it. I took Friday night off from Kindred Spirits, so I could get a little rest. It was a good thing too! I was asleep by 8:30 p.m. I can't remember the last time that I went to bed that early. Saturday was a good day at the kennel. Since I had gotten a lot of my routine stuff throughout the week, I got to be with the dogs a lot more. I took Cash, the big silver lab, out for a walk and some heeling lessons. I also got to take Tipper, Jennie's border collie, over to the little local park. He and I walked over 2 miles on the path, before coming back to cool down under the picnic pavillion. I made several great pics of Tipper to share with you all this week. Every kennel is full. We have big dogs. We have little dogs and every other size in between. The next couple of weeks are going to be really busy.

Yesterday was the Celebration Dog Show. It went really well. I was more than a little nervous, when I arrived. As the show got going, I started to relax. They had twelve classes. They had costume, look-a-like, children 8 yrs. and under, 9 yrs. and over, puppy, women's, men's, obedience, and several others. The show had nearly 500 entries!! I couldn't believe that it was so big. Some of the classes had over 30 entries. One of my favorite classes was the trick class. We had a smaller class, so it was a lot easier to judge. The winner was a blue heeler and his little buddy that was a yorkie. The heeler led the yorkie around on a leash. He then put the yorkie in a sit. Then, he went around and collected everyone's trash and put it in the trash can. At the end, he went and got a rose in his mouth and presented it to me. What a cute little pair of dogs!! I really did enjoy myself. It was crazy to hear myself announced as "The honorable judge Richardson." I tried to judge fairly with the knowledge that I have. I think most everyone went away happy. There was even one schipperke there in the puppy class. Oh so cute! Let me tell you, that puppy class was way to cute! There was also the cutest and tiniest little chihuahua. I did get a lot of pictures, but it zapped my camera battery. So, it's at home charging today. I'll have them up for you all tomorrow.

Today will be pretty busy work wise. It's the first day of the fall semester, so I expect that it will get pretty crazy. So you all hang in there with me for the next couple of days. It may get hairy here because of the weather. Hurricane Katrina is supposed to barrel through Tennessee at tropical storm force. We are expecting bad storms and high winds. They tell us to expect power outages as well. What a week! Everyone hang in there and have a great day!

Working Like a Dog

Whew!! I'm really glad that it's Friday. I've been pulling double duty all this week. I've been working at the library and at Kindred Spirits all week. I really haven't minded it at all, but I am definitely starting to get tired. I have to admit that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is getting weak at this point. I've enjoyed getting to spend the afternoons with all of the dogs. It's a really good way to unwind from the day. Wednesday afternoon, I took Bear with me. He got to run around and play in the small play yard. After I was finished with the afternoon feeding, I went out and we played ball. He was so funny running around with his little tailess butt. He got all of his playing out. He slept on the ride back home, and that's something he NEVER does. We've not had many other dogs this week, so I've really tried to spend good quality time with the boarders. We've played ball and frisbee everyday. It's amazing how little it takes to make a dog really happy. It's so unconditional.

Last night, I spent my time finishing the deep clean that I had started this past Saturday. This consisted of cleaning the play yards, cleaning the kennel gates and top dividers, and really giving the kennel room a good, disenfecting mop. My back and hands are really feeling it today too. It's a good thing I got finished, because we have every kennel booked for the next two weeks. Then my time will be spent on baths, training, and lots of laundry!! There's never a dull day or the same day twice there. We'll see what there is to do tomorrow.

Sunday is the day that I'll be doing my dog show judging stint. I talked with the organizer, and I think they have about nine classes scheduled. There will be a kids costume class, and adult's costume, ladies class, gentlemen's class, and a best in show that I know of right now. I hope that I place everyone well, and most people are happy with my choices. I've got a couple of people that are going with me, so I should be able to get some good pics to post here next week. I'm going to try to be better about getting pics posted, but I just haven't made any lately. Everyone cross their fingers and wish me luck! I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who did blog posts of their own, e-mailed, signed the petition, and commented on yesterday's post. A very special thanks to Brittany at Nasvhille Is Talking, for picking up this information and posting it for all of middle Tennessee to read!! It is really appreciated. I just checked the petition this morning. The signatures now number over 4,000! What a difference a day can make. This story is making big news. I've had many people e-mail me and tell me of incidents that took place like this in their own towns. The scary part is this: a lot of these people they were telling me about were later arrested for commiting heinous crimes against humans. This is a big warning sign folks. There is DEFINITELY a connection between animal cruelty and violent crime. It's time elected officials took notice of this. For more information about the link between animal abuse and crime, visit the The American Humane Association's web site or click HERE. Again, thanks to everyone for all of your help. Hopefully, we can see to it that these dogs did not die in vain.

We NEED To Do Something About This!!!!

I received this information in my Petwarmers list this morning. This is absolutely horrible!! Since Chrissy lives in Texas, maybe she can shed some more light on this. My thanks to Kathleen for her permission to post this!

A TEXAS TRAGEDY

by Kathleene S. Baker

A horrible atrocity has been committed in Texas.

Please brace yourselves before reading further. However, being Petwarmer members and pet lovers, I feel you must be informed.

Hopefully, if enough of us join together, we will create a force to be reckoned with. A tragedy of this magnitude must be prevented from happening again ­- EVER! ANYWHERE!

In Jourdanton, Texas, on or about July 11, a City Supervisor ordered two employees to cage and drown the dogs in their animal control facilities. For this to happen in water is beyond imagination, but these unfortunate animals were drowned at the sewer plant -- in sewage!

Sadly, a young child witnessed this from a distance. Can you imagine how helpless he felt, or the visions that will remain with him? They will be visions of a nightmare that took place before his very eyes in broad daylight -- visions of man¹s best friend suffering a terrible fate. And more than likely, he will forever remember the fearful, desperate sound -- those of screaming and yelping dogs as they fought to live.

The City Manager did his best to sweep this nasty event under the carpet, and when approached about it, he wrote a simple reprimand to the Supervisor. Nothing more. Only a reprimand for torturing animals -- when there are laws against it.

It truly boggles the mind and breaks my heart! Not to mention, taxpayers shell out money to pay wages for people of this caliber.

I thank each and every one of you in advance for signing the petition. We cannot allow things of this nature to take place, and especially with no consequences for those involved. Why do we have laws, if they are not to be enforced?

When you give your pets hugs and kisses this evening, please remember the dogs that suffered a tragic, terrifying death at the hands of two heartless, evil human beings.

-- Kathleene S. Baker

___________________________________________

You can learn the details of this story by going to the Google search engine at: http://www.google.com and typing in the words, "Jourdanton Dog Drownings". A list of sites with stories will pop up.You can also help tremendously by signing the petition:

HERE

It's the people like this that I try to stop. It just makes me sooooo mad!! What idiots! I hope that you all will join with me by signing the petition. Let's all just flood their e-mail boxes and give them LOTS of bad publicity! If you would like to e-mail Kathleen drop me an e-mail, and I'll get her address to you.

Frisbee Anyone?

I'm working some extra evening time over at Kindred Spirits this week. Jennie's busy with the new house and floors, so I volunteered to do the afternoon feedings. It's been pretty quiet this week. We only have a couple of dogs in for now but by the weekend, we look to be pretty booked. Last Saturday, after all of the work was done, I decided to take Jennie's border collie, Tipper, out to play. The heat was pretty intense, but he wanted to play so badly. I decided that we'd head out for about 15 minutes. I figured that was all he or I could take. Anyway, we headed out to the big play yard for a game of frisbee. Tipper has had a lot of training. He's received his AKC Good Citizen certification, and he's had intensive agility training. We always use him as a demo dog, when we do group obedience classes. Also, Tipper's got a ball drive that won't quit. Anyway, we got out there finally and began to play. Tipper was just so happy. He looked like one of those championship Frisbee dogs! We both had so much fun! His form was quite good. I accidentally sailed the frisbee over the fence once, and Tipper seriously considered climbing the 7 ft. fence to get it. Anyway, after a few minutes in the heat, we were both ready to get cooled off. I promised him that we would play again soon. Yesterday presented the perfect opportunity to have another game. I think that our cool front finally came through, and it was decent enough by around 6:30 last night. As soon as I had everyone feed, Tipper and I headed back outside with the frisbee. He was even more impressive yesterday! It was cool enough that his energy level was very high. We continued our game for about 30 minutes yesterday. I decided to play as long as he wanted. He finally let me know it was time to rest by dropping his frisbee in the water bucket. We headed back inside to get him settled for the night. Needles to say, I had a very happy dog on my hands. I'm hoping to get some pictures of Tipper in action this week. I even have feature to make some little Quicktime movies. If I can figure out how to post those for you all, I will. Anybody know how to do that? I'm hoping to take him out every afternoon this week, if the weather permits. I guess you all can tell that I'd do this, even if I wasn't getting paid...(just kidding Jennie...wink, wink)! Everyone have a great day!

I'll Just Pencil You In

I had a great weekend! The week has started out on an exciting note too. I can jot one more thing to look forward to down on my list. My fall is looking like I'm going to be a busy girl indeed. I guess it will officially start next Sunday. That's the day, I found out, that I'll be judging the Celebration Dog Show. The organizer told me that it will involve judging six to eight classes. Afterwards, the whilwind ride of my fall will begin here's a list of the events that I'm looking forward to the most:

Sept. 3-5, 2005 - DragonCon-SciFi/Fanatasy multimedia convention. - Atlanta, Georgia - Yes, where the true geek in me comes alive. I'm going to be doing the StarWars track of course. Casey and I were planning on being in Atlanta that weekend anyway for his birthday. We figured we'd drop in and have some fun.

Sept. 27, 2005 - The Outlander series sixth installment, A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, is finally released!! Whoopee!! I thought the wait would never end. It's my favorite series of books EVER!! If you are looking for a great read, I highly recommend them.

Sept. 29, 2005 - Book signing by Diana Gabaldon at Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville!! I'll be there in line with my book hot of the press! I can't wait to meet her! Kim and I will definitely be hotfooting it to Nashville that day.

Oct. 15-16, 2005 - My friend, Melissa, that moved to Ohio in June, will be here for the weekend. We are planning on going the Tennessee Titans game.

Oct. 23, 2005 - The Moody Blues at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. They are doing a special show for the celebration of the tribute album that was done for them. The album was called Moody Bluegrass. A wonderful album of all Moodies songs done by some of the top names in Bluegrass music. The Moodies themselves will be at this show performing with the bluegrass lineup!! I can't wait!

Oct. 29, 2005 - The Moody Blues at the Aronoff Theatre in Cincinatti, OH! I'm making the trip up to stay with and go to the Moodies show with Melissa! We are gonna have so much fun!! This is just one of their regular concerts on their tour.

Nov. 1, 2005 - The release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on DVD, not to mention the re-release of the dark chocolate M&M's. Absolutely delicious!! Also the release of the new book Star Wars Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. This book tells what happens between Episodes III and IV. I'm betting a pretty good read.

I'm going to be such a tired, happy, broke girl!! It's good that I've bought the dogs their greenies in bulk! I've got so much to look forward to. It just makes my head spin! Have a great day!

What Have I Forgotten?

Have you ever had one of those days that when you get up you are already out of sorts? I believe my mother used to say, ...got up on the wrong side of the bed?" I'm not in a bad mood, but I'm uber nervous today. I'm all discombobulated (or however it's spelled) and very nervous. The thing is, I have no idea why. I went over my mental list before I left today. Nope, didn't forget anything. Got my watch. Brushed my teeth. What could it possibly be? Is there some deadline or major thing that I was supposed to have gotten done? If there was, I certainly can't think of it. I can't really think of anything that should be stressing me out. I haven't slept very well this past week. I've been restless and unable to relax. Maybe this is just a manifestation of the past week. I guess it could be because I'm not really on my regular schedule. Maybe I'm getting too much caffeine. I've been really drinking a lot of coffee lately. By a lot, I mean that I'm having more than my usual weekend cup. I feel like I could swim about a billion laps right now. Hopefully, I'll settle down in a bit. Maybe I'll put on some music. That usually seems to help. I think I need a walk as badly as Bear does this week. It's been rainy most all week in the afternoons, and when it hasn't been raining, it's been TOO hot to get out. I miss it. He misses it. We're both antsy. Hopefully, I can put an end to that today.

There's just not a whole lot going on for the weekend. Casey's last shift at the game store is Saturday. Because it's inventory weekend, he'll work most of the night Saturday night. I'm not sure what we'll get into Sunday. We may come over to campus and spend some time at the pool. I'd really like to get to the movies this weekend. The drive in is out because of Casey's work schedule, so we'll have to do matinees this go round. There are several movies that I'd really like to see before they are gone. Tomorrow is Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department's Dog Days of Summer . I attended last year and really had a great time and won some great prizes. Jennie said that I can take a couple hours off tomorrow and go if I want. I'd really like to take Bear. I'm not sure if I'll go, since gas is so high. I hate to make an extra trip that far in, when it's not necessary. We'll see. Wow, this post is quite disjointed isn't it?

Now that I've rambled for quite a while, I'll give you all an interesting doggie tidbit.

John Walker

Dogs are not only allowed into the Bau House Cafe in Seoul, they are encouraged to make themselves at home.

There's a cool dog friendly cafe in Seoul, South Korea. Dogs, cats, and their owners are all welcome at this cafe. If you're out shopping and would like for your dog to have some refreshment, you can leave him here. Click HERE to hear the full story and see a slide show on NPR.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Is That A Knock? Oh, Hello Opportunity!!

What a long week this has been. I usually feel this way, when my work schedule has been rearranged. Everything has been going normally at work. It's been a bit slow though, since no one is on campus right now. Casey is working out his last few days at the game shop this week. He'd really like to keep it, but the way the schedule is running between that job and his full time job, he's had two days off in the past month! He's bordering on exhaustion.

I got a call from Jennie at Kindred Spirits late yesterday afternoon. Every year during the Celebration (Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration), the organizers put on a dog show. Now, this isn't like an AKC event. They have little contests and talent things like we did at Celebration Pet Day. Anyway, the organizer called Jennie and wanted Kindred Spirits to judge the competition. Jennie, who is right in the middle of building a house and running a business, just didn't feel that she could get free to judge. So, she called me and asked me if I'd like to go judge and to represent Kindred Spirits. I agreed. It sounds like it will be fun. It's the kind of thing that I would usually go and do anyway. So, on August 27th, I'll be judging the Celebration Dog Show for a couple of hours. I don't have all of the details yet. Jennie was going to contact the coordinator to find out all of the details and what time that I'll need to be there. I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm sure that I'll take my camera. Surely, I'll be able to get some really good shots there. I'll keep you all posted on all of the details.

Now in the spirit of dogs....I'm not guilty of any of this.....really?!!!!

How Do You Know When You Have Too Many Dogs

1. When you have more grass in your driveway than in your backyard.

2. When your neighbors find ANY dog running loose and automatically bring it to your house.

3. When you want to watch TV and you have to sit on the floor because all of the furniture is "occupied".

4. When it takes you longer to wash your dogs' dishes than your own.

5. When you have to use a wash tub for a water dish.

6. When you have to run an obstacle course to get to the phone.

7. When you see one of your dogs doing something bad (like chewing something up or leaving a "dog deposit" on the rug) and you have to run through the entire list of dogs' names in order t o yell at the right one and by then it is too late.

8. When the hazmat team comes to your house on trash day to handle the "deposits" that you have placed in your trash can.

9. When you have all of your dogs in the back seat of your car and it automatically changes lanes when they move to the other side of the car.

10. When you NEVER go anywhere for a vacation because it costs more to kennel your dogs than to go to Hawaii.

11. When you have an extension on your king-sized bed so you all fit.

12. When Iams/Eukanuba makes home deliveries.

13. When you move your bedroom into the garage and put a king and queen sized bed together so all of your dogs can sleep with you.

14. When you can't remember all of your dogs' names and just call them by colors.... ' little black dog'.

15. When you take your dogs for a run in the park and people think it is a dog show. [more like a 3-ring circus!!!]

Everyone have a great day!

Bow Wow, Bow Wow!!

I just knew it all along!! For years, people have been convinced that it's not the actual words that dogs understand, but it's the tone used. It seems that researchers are finding this false, and dogs DO understand what we are saying to them. I discovered this reading an article at MSNBC. I surely could have told everyone this. Vocal commands are the basis of obedience training. At the kennel, we use different worded commands for the behavior that we want. The dogs understand us and perform the command. Also at home, it always seems they understand what I'm saying to them. I just knew it! For the full story and information, click HERE.

Manuela Hartling / ReutersBorder collie Rico, who can fetch at least 200 objects by name, retrieves a Pokemon toy June 10 in Berlin. Rico can figure out which objects his owner wants even if he has never heard the word before.Border collie Rico, who can fetch at least 200 objects by name, retrieves a Pokemon toy June 10 in Berlin. Rico can figure out which objects his owner wants even if he has never heard the word before.

Such a great article! Everyone have a great day!

Barking for the World's Record and Local Fundraisers

This past Saturday, over 100 dogs gathered in a local park in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Their purpose was to raise funds for the LaCrosse Humane Society and set the world's record for the loudest bark. Interesting idea, I think. They accomplished their goal. To read the full story in The LaCrosse Tribune click HERE.

Speaking of local fundraisers, The Nashville Humane Association is hosting ANIPALooZA this weekend. All of the proceeds benefit the humane association. Here's the pertinent information from an e-mail:

Come to ANIPALOOZA, The Summer's Hottest Bash, this Saturday and:

LAP UP...exotic cocktails at the open bar

CHOW DOWN...gourmet hors d'oeuvres from Nashville's biggest caterer

WAG YOUR TAIL...to the live '70's Funk & Soul Groover of "DELICIOUS"

BEG FOR A TREAT...at the Silent Auction (over $15,000 worth of goodies from Nashville's top shops and restaurants)

MAKE A CANINE CONNECTION...with doggie speed dating

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE $15 OFF ADMISSION – CLICK HERE!

100% of proceeds benefit the Nashville Humane Association

When:

Saturday, August 20th - 7 p.m.

Where:

Nashville Humane Association Courtyard

213 Oceola Avenue (directly behind Sprintz on White Bridge Road)

Price: $50 in advance, $65 at the door (includes bar, hors d'oeuvres & valet parking)

Maybe I'll see some of you all there! Everyone have a great day!

Cat Hackers?

Here's an interesting tidbit that Lindsey sent to me. Are you having trouble with cat hackers getting into your computer? While you're away, the cats play, or download, or surf the web? Well, now there's special software designed to solve your problem. It's called PawSense. This software says it will protect your computer from the harm that cats can do by walking on your keyboard. It detects "cat-like typing" on your keyboard and stops the problem. Here's a blurb from the site.

When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it. PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard.

Go and check out their webpage HERE. Thanks Lindsey for the "paws" up!

I had a lovely weekend. I didn't get around to doing much of anything, but that's o.k. Sometimes, that a good change. I worked a half a day at the kennel on Saturday. Afterwards, Casey and I just lazed around. He gamed, while I either read or napped. Casey grilled steaks that night, and we had dinner with my mother and brother. Yesterday I managed to get a long day in at the pool, so I'm happy about that. Not a whole lot on the agenda this week. This is Casey's last week at the game place, and they are taking advantage of all of his spare moments. He works every night but two! I'm sure that he'll be glad, when this week is over. Everyone have a great day!

Furry Friday Findings

Wow!! It's finally Friday. I can't believe how fast this week's flown by! I'm actually getting the next few Saturdays off. Summer classes are over, and there's nothing going on until fall classes start. I've swapped my day around at Kindred Spirits, so I'll be working for a while there on Saturdays for the next few weeks.

I have several animal related tidbits for you all today. The first is a new blog that I've added to my blogroll. It's called Amazing Felines. There's all kinds of good cat and kitten information there. Everyone go on over and say "hi" to Katharina!

I found a really uplifting article about pet custody this morning. I found it on MSN. It's about a couple that decided to share custody of their dogs and cats, and actually had it written in the divorce settlement. They have such a unique arrangement. It's an interesting read. For the full story click HERE. Now, if only people could have such good arrangements for children.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend! Maybe I'll actually get around to doing an AudioBlogger post. We'll see! TAH!

Furry Delivery

Check out this amazing kitten story from MSNBC. Seems some kittens got mailed several states away by accident and are doing fine. Click HERE to read the whole story.

I've finally managed to get my camera here with me today. So here's some of those pictures that I promised. On my way home from work Saturday, I, unfortunately, ran into some inclement weather. I ended up pulling off on the side of the road four times on my way home. I definitely wasn't the only one. It was some much needed rain for our area. It's been VERY hot with little to no rain. We are not even mowing our front yard this week. It's all dry and crunchy! Wouldn't you know that not a drop fell where I live. While I was on the side of the road waiting for the storm to pass, I called Casey, knowing it was just as bad there. Nope! The sun was shining at home. After an hour and a half and four stops, I finally made it home.

The view out of my driver's side window.

The view out the passenger window. You can tell which direction the wind was blowing!

The view out of the front windsheild.

The windsheild wipers were totally useless in this storm.

Just the usual going on today, so I'd better get to it. Everyone have a great day!

Doggie Bones

Quite a few bits in doggie news today.

On August 15th, Animal Planet launches a new show called K9 Karma. Hosts, Kari Harendorf and her husky mix, Charlie teach the newest human/doggie yoga moves. The show airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. E.S.T. For more information click the picture above or click HERE

Scoped this out at MSNBC this morning. Britain's having a dognapping problem. Seems there's a huge problem with pet owners being "held up". People are being held up at gun point for their pets even. They say that the number of missing pets in Britain is around 50,000!! Too scary. I can't even imagine the thought of someone doing that to me. For the whole story click HERE.

Everyone have a great day!

Catching Up

My weekend was pretty ordinary and uneventful. On the way home Saturday, I did get caught in one of the more violent storms that moved through the area. My usual thrity-five minute trip home took me an hour and a half! I ended up pulling over four times. It rained so hard for so long, that I whipped out the camera and started taking pictures. I had meant to get them posted today, but my camera battery died. So, it is at home charging today. I'll have them up tomorrow. Sunday I managed to get to the pool and get laps done. I also managed to get some more play in on the X-Box, so I was happy. Yesterday, I got my day in at the kennel. There was a lot of outside work to do, so I spent most of yesterday outside. There's not a lot going on today. It's been kind routine and boring in my life lately. I have to admit, it's a welcome period too. So here's a little something more interesting for your reading pleasure. This is another story about dogs and music. Seems that music has been proven to really "sooth the savage beast". Cool little artical on MSNBC. Click HERE to read more.

Doggie Paddling

It's the weekend finally! I think a lot about swimming, as you all know, during the summer. I can't believe this story that I came across, while I was surfing the web this morning.

Photo and story from MSNBC.com

It's a story about Jake. Jake is the first dog (a Golden Retriever) to swim from Alcatraz to the San Francisco shoreline in history. He swam the WHOLE thing with 500 other competitors, along with his owner. Not only did he finish the swim, but he placed 72nd!! Waaaaaaay to go Jake! I wish I could doggie paddle that good. Click HERE to read the full story on MSNBC and see the video coverage!

Not a real busy day today. I managed to get a lot of stuff done during the week. I got caught up with the laundry, got the house cleaned, and got Bear out for his walk most nights. I've also been busy learning how to play Casey's new X-Box. That thing definitely makes me feel old and uncoordinated. I am getting better now. I'm playing Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. I'm playing the Padawan level, which makes it a great game to learn to play. I hate to admit it, but I am getting addicted to the thing. Casey's been busy playing Halo and Halo 2. Between the two of us, we've been keeping the X-Box hot. Not a lot planned for the weekend. Casey has to work at the game place ALL weekend. I'm not sure if we'll make the drive-in tonight or not. A lot depends on the weather and how Casey feels this afternoon. I'm planning to get by the pool again today. I did managed to drag my lazy self over there yesterday. I got quite a few kickboard laps in, but it took forever to get a lane. I'll be back at the kennel working on Monday. It will be nice to see what dogs are there this week. I really do miss it, when I'm away. I hope that everyone has a GREAT weekend!

"Feline" Humorous Today

A friend of mine came over and gave me link to a GREAT website today. If you need a lift, or just something to make you smile, Stuff On My Cat is the place for you. People download pictures of their cats wearing various things, doing various thing, and in various situations. It's hysterical!! I laughed for a long time just looking at the different "cat"egories! You can even submit your own pictures to be submitted for the site. Too cool!! Below is just one example of their offerings. It is entitled: Brilliant.

Click HERE to go to the website. Everyone have a happy Friday!

Can I Get A Hallalujah!!

Really cool. I heard on NPR that a church in Virginia is allowing members to bring their pets to the weekly service with them. A really interesting thought, I think. I guess that it could make for a VERY interesting service at times and not because of the sermon. Still, I have to admit that it is an appealing idea to me. To hear or read the whole story, click here.

Pretty normal day today. NOTHING at all going on. Sorry to be rather boring, but it has just been so routine this week. Hopefully, I'll be more interesting soon! Everyone have a great day!

Music Appreciation

Share a tune or two with your pooch. Check out this album of tunes just for your favorite canine friend. Click here to read more about it and to hear three songs for yourself. I think that my group would just go CRAZY for Squeakey Deakey. They just love squeakey toys!

Pet Accessories Equal BIG Deals

The big pop culture companies are betting pet owners will buy eye catching fashions and accessories for their pets. Deals are in the works with media moguls from FOX, Nickelodeon, and many others. There are deals pending for pet items such as sweaters, water bowls, leashes, tags, and other pet supplies bearing images of The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants, and Clifforford The Big Red Dog to name a few. I'm just not quite sure how Bear would look wearing a sweater with either Spongebob or Homer Simpson on it. I CAN picture him with something that has Bart Simpson on it saying, "I'll eat YOUR shorts man!" or something of that nature. To read the full story click HERE. Everyone have a great day!

Nashville Links Up!!

Whoohoo!! I just made the discovery that Nashville Is Talking has listed Richardson Zoo on its site! Hopefully, I can help to impact the homeless animal cause with more exposure. This site is hosted in part by a local news station and helps to link all of the Nashville area bloggers together, along with local current events. They are also linked to post my updates in their sidebar. Oh the pressure! To see the posting yourself go to: Nashville Is Talking and look for the August 1st post: Brand Spankin' New Blogs.

Lounging By the Pool

Casey and I had a wonderful weekend. Casey had to work at the game place on Saturday, so I spent the afternoon over at the pool. Even though it was really hot on Saturday, there weren't a lot of people at the pool. Hard to believe, but the swimming laps were all open. I managed to get all of my kickboard laps done and was able to relax too. The water was near perfect. Casey had Sunday off (his first day off in 15 days). Since he was planning to hook the new X-Box up, I hadn't planned anything for us to do. I figured that he would just want to sit around and chill. Boy was I wrong. He was hyper to do something. I suggested more swimming off of the top of my head. He absolutely jumped on it. So, we got our suits on and headed out. We didn't leave the pool until closing time. After an entire weekend of swimming, I'm wondering what took me so long to get back to the pool this year. I'm already planning on getting over there tomorrow afternoon and this weekend.

Yesterday, I took Mom in for her regular doctor's checkup. He said that everything looked good and did the usual bloodwork. After her appointment, I took her out for a nice belated birthday lunch. We went by the mall and did a little shopping too. We spent the rest of the day running around Nashville in the heat doing errands. I had saved up all of the little things to do in one trip. We didn't get home until after 5 p.m., and I was totally exhausted.

Not much going on today. I'm just trying to get odds and ends cleaned up. I have some pictures to post, but I'm charging my camera battery. Hopefully, I'll have updates in a couple of days. Everyone have a good day!