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Showing posts from May, 2007

Dogs are dumb

The hubby goes out the door. They bark. At him. Outside. Like he's a bad guy. Doy.

Lion In The Street

By Allison L. Smith David Farber faces things head-on that make most people shudder: bears, alligators, glaciers, even near-death experiences. Farber, 51 became paralyzed in all but his right arm after a 1981 motorcycle accident. The wreck left him in a coma for weeks and hospitalized for a year. But Farber did not give up his lifelong quest to photograph nature. He trekked to Alaska twice in the past year, the first person in an electric wheelchair to be escorted through Denali National Park. Kammren Cusack, an 18-year-old Dundee Crown High School senior, was drawn to Farber's photographs when visiting the library Thursday. Cusack aspires to study photography, he said, and marveled at Farber's work as well as his having overcome major obstacles. The shots are amazing," Cusack said. The colors, the clarity. It's really great." Farber chatted with Cusack about his outdoor adventures and their mutual fascination with moose. He talked about the camera equipment he de

A-skeeeerd

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This weekend we went to a party for our best friend's son's graduation. I was having a conversation with a group of people and the subject came up that I'm a herpetologist. Then the question came, "what reptiles do you have"? I told them the list. I then watched as people literally inched away from me, as if I was holding all my reptiles right at that moment. Chicken shits!

Dreadful

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I haven't written about them yet, but for the past year I've been cultivating dreadlocks . They're finally "mature", but because my hair was very thin, my dreads are skinny and some are only 4-5 inches long. I can't wait until they grow long and I can pull them all back into a ponytail. While I'm waiting, I've been experimenting with braiding in different stuff. Right now, I have needlepoint thread braided in and I likey. I've extended some of the shorter dreads by braiding the threads out past the actual dread hair, and that gives the illusion of longer dreads. It also helps with the dreaded (pun intended!) "unicorn" dread. That's the short dread in the middle of my forehead that doesn't stay back on it's own and will occasionally stick out my forehead. Like a unicorn horn. So, I enjoy going around the house yelling... "UNICORN". The hubby yells back. "ASSHOLE". Oy.

The art of distraction

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This morning we had a dog "event" that I thought I'd write about, even though I'm not going to write all about it, cause, well, it's sort of embarrassing. So, here goes. Willie and Frankie both like to wake me up in the "morning". ("Morning" is in quotes cause I usually roll out of bed around 11-12, which for most people is lunch-time. If you have a problem with this, bite me.) Anyway, this particular morning, Willie awoke with "morning wood" (or "lunch-time wood" if you prefer). Ew. Then he and Frankie started wrassling and "it" happened. Frankie stepped on the piece of "wood". Ow. From that point on, the piece of "wood" would not go back to it's normal state. (I am so not going to describe this any further. Here's a more professional description. ) Willie couldn't even sit or lay down. I guess it was painful. It sure looked painful, although I tried NOT to look. I called th

Skins Portis, Samuels ridicule dog fighting as crime

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- Washington Redskins players Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels defended Michael Vick on Monday by ridiculing the notion that dog fighting is considered a crime. In an interview with WAVY-TV, Portis said that if the Atlanta Falcons quarterback is charged and convicted of being involved in a dog fighting operation, then authorities would be "putting him behind bars for no reason." "I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not," Portis said. "But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it." Portis said dog fighting is a "prevalent" part of life. Portis, a native of Laurel, Mississippi, added: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they're not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I'm sure there's some police got some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else." "Politicia

Paula Abdul Breaks Nose in Dog Mishap

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Paula Abdul broke her nose over the weekend after she fell while trying to avoid stepping on her Chihuahua, her publicist said Monday. Abdul was recovering from the mishap and will appear on "American Idol" Tuesday and its season finale Wednesday, publicist David Brokaw said. "She's a little sore, but is doing fine," he said. Abdul told the syndicated entertainment TV show "Extra" she tore cartilage in her nose and fractured her toe. "I took a nasty fall ... trying not to hurt my dog. I bruised myself on my arm ... my chest, my waist all the way down to my hip. All from my little chubby Tulip," Abdul said. The dog was not hurt, Brokaw said.

doG

Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you any more. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us." And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves." And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail. And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal." And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of

Not dog related, but damn cute!

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Twins!

Man in deep doo-doo over ticket protest

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) -- An man who allegedly included dog feces along with his payment for a parking ticket has been charged with disorderly conduct. The 22-year-old man was charged with the misdemeanor May 11 in a criminal complaint filed in Mower County District Court. The man's vehicle was ticketed on April 18 while it was parked in front of his residence. He put an envelope containing his payment and dog feces in a drop box at the law enforcement center, the complaint stated. On April 25, an office employee for the Austin Police Department smelled a rank odor as she gathered envelopes from the box. Opening the envelopes, the woman noticed one leaking a brown fluid, which got onto her hands and her desk, according to the complaint. The next morning the woman awoke with a headache and vomited repeatedly. She was hospitalized for about two days with an undetermined illness. The man allegedly admitted putting his dog's feces in the envelope because he was upset at the time, the c

Two untimely deaths... very sad

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This past Thursday, we lost a two special souls. Joe Mojica and his 6-year old daughter Jeanie were killed in a car accident. Joe was a member of our herp group. He was a kind soul who loved his kids, his wife and his animals. Joe had been fighting and winning a hard battle with esophageal cancer. His recent bouts with the nasty side-effects of long-term prednisone use had battered his body but not his spirit. His love for his daughter was always evident and all his kids were his life. He will be greatly missed. Here are a few news stories about the accident: Thorndale journalist, daughter killed Accident near Thorndale claims two lives Here is a website setup in his honor: joemojica.com The funeral will be next Saturday, May 19th at 1pm. Cook Waldon Capital Parks Funeral Home 14501 NIH-35 Pflugerville TX 78660 (512) 251-4118 His wife Elana has requested that in lieu of cards & flowers, donations be made to help offset funeral costs. Those can be made by contacting the funeral ho

Teacher charged after dogs smell drugs

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A high school teacher faces marijuana possession charges after drug-sniffing dogs on a routine campus sweep led police to his classroom desk, authorities said. No drugs were found in the desk of Stakely McConnell, a Spanish teacher at Ball High School. Instead, the dogs smelled papers that had a marijuana odor transferred from McConnell's hands, school police chief LeeRoy Amador said. McConnell, 25, admitted to smoking marijuana over the weekend, Amador said. Authorities said they later found a half cigarette of marijuana in his car, but that there is no evidence or suspicion that students were involved in the alleged drug use. McConnell was placed on administrative leave after being arrested on campus Tuesday. Possession of marijuana carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $4,000 fine. Because the alleged discovery happened in a drug-free zone, the district attorney can increase the charge to a state jail felony, which carries a maximum two-

Just say NO!

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Canine Camera Canine Camera A portable, durable camera from Takara Tomy can be hung from your dog's collar and operated by remote control. You can set a timer, triggering the camera to snap photos every few minutes and auto-upload to any Japanese cell phone.

Tanya Tucker Sued Over Dog Bite

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A manicurist who claims she was attacked by country singer Tanya Tucker's dog is suing the singer for $300,000. Danielle D. Hobbs alleges in a lawsuit filed last week that the dog ran from a bedroom at Tucker's home and began biting her without any warning. She said she suffered painful and disfiguring scars on her leg. Hobbs said she was attacked May 2, 2006, by a dog named Bella while she was at Tucker's home near Nashville to give her a manicure. She said Tucker has at least eight dogs, and several of them growled and barked at her during two previous visits to the home. Hobbs said she told the singer's assistant that she was afraid of the dogs and asked that they be restrained, but she claims the assistant told her the dogs were "just babies" and that "they will not hurt you." "This lawsuit comes as a total surprise and has been filed without merit," Tucker's publicist, Kirt Webster, said Tuesday. Tucker'

Which one is not like the other...

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I am so not going to quote that 1969 movie title here

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This weekend I watched that documentary on Barbaro , that Kentucky Derby winning horse that broke it's leg and eventually had to be put down because of continuing health problems related to that injury. I thought, ahh, all horses are the same. What's so special about this one? Then I saw it's big brown eyes. Then I looked at Willie's big brown eyes. Nuff said, I was bawling by the end of the show. Oy.

I'm sure this post will get me higher ranking in the search engines

What Does Willie Love More: His Ball or His Penis? Today I watched Willie play with his tennis ball. He lays on his back and literally juggles it in the air. Then the ball landed on the floor right next to his wang. He had to choose. Ball or penis? Ball or penis? Ball? Penis? Both! (I'm so not explaining this!)

Pet Food Poisoning Mystery May Be Solved

Finding Comes As Menu Foods Expands Its Recall And Senate OKs Regulation Of Pet Food Labels WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 "If you can imagine an instantaneous kidney stone — that's essentially the way I would perceive it. -Dr. Perry Martos, University of Guelph (CBS/AP) The mystery of how two chemicals that are considered non-toxic poisoned so many pets may have been solved, CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes reports. The breakthrough was made at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. A week ago, scientist Perry Martos mixed together a few drops of melamine and cyanuric acid, the two unauthorized chemicals found in tainted pet food. In less than a second, they formed a mass of crystals nearly identical to crystals found in the kidneys of sickened animals. "If you can imagine an instantaneous kidney stone — that's essentially the way I would perceive it," says Martos. Dr. Kimberly May of the American Veterinary Medical Association says the discovery could end up

Wandering Dog Spray-Painted 'Go Home'

CHUBBUCK, Idaho (AP) - Animal control officers had to decide if they were investigating vandalism or animal mistreatment after someone spray-painted a dog. A resident reported that he found the words "Go Home" spray-painted on the sides of his large white dog late last month. The animal had been allowed to roam freely, Capt. Mike Sanders said. "An animal like that is domestic property, so technically that's vandalism," Sanders said. "It's really not the dog's fault. He's just doing what dogs do." It could have been worse, Sanders said. Idaho law requires an unfenced dog to be either on a leash or under supervision of its master. And landowners are allowed to shoot a trespassing dog if that dog is harassing livestock. Sanders said detectives have not determined who spray-painted the animal. They decided to drop the case, partly because the dog's owner shouldn't have let the dog roam free. It's both inappropriate and unusual to pa

Tiny terrier saved kids from pit bulls

Story Highlights • Jack Russell terrier was playing with kids when pit bulls attacked • Terrier fought off pit bulls until adults could intervene • Terrier mauled too badly in fight, had to be put down WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A plucky Jack Russell terrier named George saved five children from two marauding pit bulls, but was so severely mauled in the fight that it had to be put down, its owner said Wednesday. George was playing with the group of children as they returned home from buying sweets at a neighborhood shop in the small North Island town of Manaia last Sunday when the two pit bulls appeared and lunged toward them, Allan Gay said. "George was brave -- he took them on and he's not even a foot high," Gay told The Associated Press. "He jumped in on them, he tried to keep them off. "If it wasn't for George, those kids would have copped it." One of the children, Richard Rosewarne, 11, was quoted in the Taranaki Daily News on Wednesday as say

Man Diversifies by Making Pet Caskets

ALBION, Maine (AP) - An man is diversifying his wood products business by building caskets for family pets. Matthew Dow, who operates Dow's Wood Products, is making custom-built pet caskets and urns that he is marketing through animal shelters, pet stores and veterinary clinics. Dow first began making the caskets a couple of years ago after talking to funeral directors, who told him that they could fill a void. An Albion family then hired him to make a casket after the family cat died. "They didn't want to just throw the cat in a hole," Dow said. "They wanted something to put the cat into." A year later, the family ordered another casket for their family dog. Dow comes from a family of woodworkers and is carrying on in the family tradition - but in ways his forebears would probably never have imagined. When Dow first mentioned his pet casket idea to others, they responded with amused skepticism. Now he's trying to turn the venture into a viable enterpris

TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY!

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TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY! The first Tuesday of every month is hereby proclaimed as Talk To The Disabled Tuesday . NOW, THEREFORE, I, The WillaWoman, do hereby proclaim the First Tuesday of every Month as TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY . I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, and all the people of the World to observe this day with the appropriate actions outlined below. Pretty official sounding, eh?! Goals : Raise awareness of the Disabled's plight of feeling invisible or feeling like a circus freak. Demonstrate to the abled-bodied that The Disabled are just like everyone else. Cause a generational avalanche of knowledge to the abled-bodied 's children. Make the day of a lonely, ostracized Disabled Person . Actions : Say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Nod and smile to a Disabled Person . Strike up a conversation with a Disabled Person . Have your child say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Look a Disabled Person in the eye and a