www.TheWillaWoman.com

I just received some really great comments from Willie and Frankie's breeder on this article: Is Spot Happy? Just Look At His Tail Thought I'd post her comments below. By the way, you know I can find anything on the web. so here's the link to the actual study paper. Ha! ===================== As someone who has worked with dog training, dog and pack behavior as well as spending a lot of time rehabilitating abused dogs the majority of my entire life, and professionally as a young adult up until now, (I'm 42, started at my grandfather's AKC CH Beagel Kennel when I was 8) that's 36 years of multiple breed training, redcue and rehabilitation, competition, and breeding Labrador Retrievers...always learning new thing along the way. In addition to certifications acheieved, etc...now in my older years, I am still a very small-time breeder, having cut down on my kennel size, and I am ANAL when it comes to morals, ethics, education, and plain old common s...

Ok, yer asking, what am I looking at here? Lizards, big deal. Well, it is a big deal! These are two of my prehensile-tailed skinks . They are of the subspecies Corucia zebrata alfredschmidti (Cza). What's with the Latin? Well, this particular subspecies is one of two for the Corucia zebrata lizard (prehensile skinks). And they are very rare in captivity. So rare in fact that my female Cza is only one of 9 females known to be in captivity in the United States (owned by "U.S. Americans" ... if you get that, yer an internet addict). I recently acquired a male Cza for my female hoping to breed them someday. At first, introductions were sketchy. Lots of biting on the female's part, and lots of running away on the male's part. With a lot of patience, they are now the best of friends. In fact, the other night when I took most of these pictures, the female had actually pushed herself underneath the male... as if to say... "DO ME"! I'll post more. Hec...

I have dreadlocks. This is not my goal.

Now this worries me. Could we be creating a future generation of mentally disabled adults? It's almost 2hrs long, so get something to drink, and a healthy snack, and take it all in. Especially if you have young children.

Helmsley's dog gets $12 million in will Helmsley Pooch Inherits $12 Million NEW YORK (AP) -- Leona Helmsley's dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley's grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire's estate. Helmsley left her beloved white Maltese, named Trouble, a $12 million trust fund, according to her will, which was made public Tuesday in surrogate court. She also left millions for her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who was named to care for Trouble in her absence, as well as two of four grandchildren from her late son Jay Panzirer - so long as they visit their father's grave site once each calendar year. Otherwise, she wrote, neither will get a penny of the $5 million she left for each. Helmsley left nothing to two of Jay Panzirer's other children - Craig and Meegan Panzirer - for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote. But no one made ou...

RAMAPO, N.Y. (AP) -- Every dog has its day, and for those in this suburban town it's Sept. 9: That's when the pooches will have a pool party. For the fourth year, Ramapo will mark the end of the dog days of summer with a canine swim at the town pools at the Spook Rock Park. The event raises money for animal care, educates people about dogs, and gives the dogs a chance to have some doggone fun, organizers said Monday. More than 250 dogs took a dip at last year's event, called the Dog Days of Summer K-9 Pool Party. Smaller dogs used the kiddie pool, while larger dogs used the main pool. The town stopped the pools' chlorine treatment before the event because it couldn't figure out a way to keep the dogs from drinking the water. Humans weren't allowed in while the dogs were swimming.

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) -- A friendly young antelope found cavorting with a dog along a walking path was probably picked up illegally in Wyoming and may be too tame to return to the wild, wildlife authorities say. A family believed to have brought the animal to Colorado could face charges that carry fines and jail time, said Larry Rogstad, a district officer for the state Division of Wildlife. The 3-month-old, 15-pound buck was spotted Wednesday morning, running and playing with a neighborhood dog named Skeeter along on the Poudre River trail, a path that runs through Greeley and the nearby town of Windsor. "It's just the craziest thing I've ever seen," said Ronda Underwood. "We were just riding along the trail and saw this antelope playing with a dog." She said the antelope came up to her, nuzzled its head and neck along her leg and seemed almost to beg to be petted. Rogstad was summoned for fear that the antelope would be attacked by the numerous coyotes in th...

Secret Letter from Iraq A Marine’s Life from October 6, 2006 All: I haven’t written very much from Iraq. There’s really not much to write about.More exactly, there’s not much I can write about because practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military information or is depressing to the point that I’d rather just forget about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it’s a bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that’s worth reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days, every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions. Every challenge demands a response. It’s like this every day. Before I know it, I can’t see straight, because it’s 0400 and I’ve been at work for 20 hours straight, somehow missing dinner again in the process. And once again I haven’t...

www.puppetgov.com

See, here's the deal... I burn x amount of calories a day, so I make sure I only eat x amount of calories per day. Simple, right? Not at first. Mainly because I'm so damn inactive and I burn very few calories in a day. So my caloric intake seems very low. But for my activity level, I actually eat just right, about 1400-1600 calories a day. Forget 3 meals a day with snacks. I eat two meals a day and that's it. Fruit for dessert. Trust me, you get use to it. I don't feel hungry and rarely have hunger pangs or cravings. Luckily, I had many years to figure this out, with my activity level going down slowly. But my weight certainly did creep up on me. At one point a few years ago, I was almost 200 lbs. Granted, I am 6 ft tall, but still, 200 lbs was ridiculous. And it didn't help when using the wheelchair. The muscles in the arms have a hard time doing the job of the large muscles of the legs. But I lost 30 lbs by finally figuring out that I couldn't eat ...

SAN ANTONIO -- Military dogs go to basic training, too. Instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio teach dogs to tolerate the crack of gunfire and sputter of helicopters. The animals are trained to sniff for explosives on command, plus freeze and stare at suspicious objects. About 2,000 of these working dogs confront danger beside American soldiers, largely in the Middle East. With noses that detect scents up to a third of a mile away, many sniff for explosives in Iraq. Their numbers have been growing about 20 percent a year since the terrorist attacks of 2001. In doing their jobs, dozens of these dogs have also become war wounded, and their services are so valued that injured dogs are treated much like hurt troops. Some dogs evacuated to military veterinary centers hundreds of miles away, even to Germany and the United States for rehabilitation. Many recover and return to duty. People interested in adopting a military dog at the end of its service career may contact Lacklan...

Yeah yeah, I know I haven't written in a while. It's weird, I'd like to write more about my experiences as a crip in this world, but alas, I don't get out much. I think writing about my experiences in my boring house would be just that... boring as hell. Not that I'm bored. I've got plenty to keep my busy. I'm almost finished editing my first movie... howze that?! I'll post it here soon I've been editing stuff now for the past few years or so and it's something I can do it from the comfort of my recliner. When I first was symptomatic and was spending less and less time on my feet, I was very depressed. I spent way more time watching TV (the OJ Simpson trial was on at the time) than I did on my computer. A good friend of mine found out about this and was furious. She knew what a major computer geek I was. She had a long talk with me. I tried to explain to her that I my legs were just not cooperating when it came to sitting in an office chair ...

Thinking about all the soldiers that will be coming home and entering into the disabled community, I'm going to start posting interesting things about this war and this administration. Just my opinions, just my thoughts as a disabled citizen. More to come. Here's a clip for an upcoming documentary " No End In Sight ". "A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country."

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- From the state that popularized purse puppies, drive-thru dog washes and gourmet dog food delivery comes the latest in canine convenience - a company that contracts out dogs by the day to urbanites without the time or space to care for a pet full-time. Marlena Cervantes, founder of FlexPetz, bristles when people refer to her five-month-old business as a rent-a-pet service. She prefers the term "shared pet ownership," explaining the concept is more akin to a vacation time share or a gym membership than a trip to the video store. "Our members are responsible in that they realize full-time ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the dog," said Cervantes, 32, a behavioral therapist who got the idea while working with pets and autistic children. "It prevents dogs from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who realize it wasn't a good fit." FlexPetz is currently available in Los Angeles and San Dieg...

Jul 25, 11:12 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) -- A black Labrador who became a national canine hero after burrowing through white-hot, smoking debris in search of survivors at the World Trade Center site died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. Owner Mary Flood had Jake put to sleep Wednesday after a last stroll through the fields and a dip in the creek near their home in Oakley, Utah. He was in too much pain at the end, shaking with a 105-degree fever as he lay on the lawn. No one can say whether the dog would have gotten sick if he hadn't been exposed to the smoky air at ground zero, but cancer in dogs Jake's age - he was 12 - is quite common. Some rescue dog owners who worked at the World Trade Center site claim their animals have died because of their work at ground zero. But scientists who have spent years studying the health of Sept. 11 search-and-rescue have found no sign of major illness in the animals. The results of an autopsy on Jake's cancer-riddled body will be part of ...

Sitting outside the back entrance of the Paramount theater, I thought I was a sure thing. Surely a crip in wheelchair with a dog that helps her would get me at least an autograph. Being on "the no-list" myself, a sighting of a D-list celebrity would be a huge feather in my cap. Heck, maybe it would even have the power to cure me! It was 8pm Friday night and the crowd was getting rowdy. Kathy Griffin was fashionably late, but we didn't care. Then the rumble started. Here comes a black limo. It must be her! Suddenly there she was, a vision in red hair and brown slacks. Here it comes, my brush with fame! I readied my pen and my dog. "Miss Kathy, might I please have an autograph and a hug?", I groveled. Next thing I knew, I was being pounded about the stomach and head. Fists were flying and they weren't mine. Kathy was going balistic. Holy crap. Ok, ok, all that never happened... but that's what I've felt like for the past 3 days!! We went t...

Here are some pix of my new prehensile-tailed skink "Cutie Pie" with her mate "Junior". They're both soaking in their water dish. Cutie pie is the little girl above the darker Junior. I think they're getting along famously now. Yay!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Fallout intensified Friday from NFL star Michael Vick's indictment on charges linked to dogfighting, a practice that a longtime lawmaker denounced as "barbaric" on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who has addressed lawmakers often about his love for animals, shook with emotion during a forceful condemnation of dogfighting. "Hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars are often at stake in the breeding, the training and the selling of fighting dogs. How inhuman, how dastardly!" shouted the senator. "The training of these poor creatures to turn themselves into fighting machines is simply barbaric." Senate criticism increased Friday when Sen. John Kerry said he had sent a letter to the NFL commissioner calling for Vick's immediate suspension. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee also said he planned to introduce new anti-dogfighting legislation. Joining the call for Vick to ...