the kittens turned three a couple weeks ago
August 29, 2007 l 1 Comment
And I did what any good mother would do: gave them a bit o’ the nip.
There’s the initial buzz.
Sibling rivalries melt away.
But not everyone is willing to share…
PJ starts to feel a little left out…
…so he finds the bag that the toys came in (naughty boy)
but mom, it’s sooo good 
scare tactics
August 22, 2007 l 4 Comments
Pit Bulls Enter Home Through Pet Door, Maul Woman
(my modified response from a forum where this article was posted…)
This situation doesn’t sound too unlikely. The article says the dogs went after this woman’s Jack Russel Terrier. I love JRT’s, and I know that this particular dog was a service dog, but they can be feisty and many would not think twice about taking on another dog six times their size.
So maybe the Pit Bulls chased the dog into the house. Or maybe they saw the dog, and went in to get a closer look. Or maybe they just found a random pet door and decided to check it out, encountering another dog once they got inside.
At any rate, the article does say that the dogs began to fight, and it pretty strongly infers that the fighting dogs ended up in the woman’s bedroom (maybe her poor dog tried to run in there) She tried to break up the fight, which is an instant recipe for disaster. Hyped up, potentially aggressive dogs looking to bite anything that moves.
These dogs unexpectedly broke free from what sounds like an otherwise secure containment and a terrible thing happened. And I am so very sorry that this woman was injured and her dog was killed.
But honestly? MY dog could have been in the same situation. He would have gone after the little dog and could definitely have caused some damage had a person tried to physically interfere (never, ever put yourself between two fighting animals). My dog was a Dalmatian. This isn’t a Pit Bull issue AT ALL. It’s an issue of controlling roaming dogs, and this poor woman being caught in a bad situation.
There are reasons these stories make for ‘good’ news. Not because there are waves of Pit Bull attacks across the country, but because people respond. They respond with outrage and bias and sweeping legislation. But what are you more likely to see: a story about an aggressive Labrador, or an aggressive Pit Bull? The latter, and not because Labs don’t bite people: they’re one of the top offenders.
It’s sensationalism, pure and simple.
where does the time go?
August 20, 2007 l 2 Comments
A little over three years ago, a pregnant stray cat gave birth to four kittens in my closet.
A little over two years ago two mice were born in a pet store and, like so many of their kind, likely due for a short life in a small cage.
I had no intention of acquiring a pregnant cat. Had no intention of keeping any of her kittens. And I certainly had no intention of bringing home two small, rodenty ex-birthday presents.
And yet mama kitty, three of her babies, and two very old mice are all here now. They’ve made our home a veritable zoo, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
the mousey boys
August 6, 2007 l 2 Comments
Hi, mum!
I was taking a nap…
I’m back!
August 5, 2007 l Leave a Comment
I’m well, and the animals did just fine in my absence (better than fine, if you count the extra scoop the rabbits were getting at breakfast - apparently mom wasn’t reading the instructions closely enough) The great thing about living with my family, though, is that my leaving doesn’t terribly upset anyone’s routine. The cats, having been well fed and loved on for three weeks, greeted me with: Hi, mum. Nice to see you, and your luggage does smell rather interesting. Do we really have to go back to sharing the bed? There’s a lot more bed to share now, thanks to my mom, and even more floor space for the bunnies. So, yes, the animals made out pretty well while I was gone.
As for the mice - to be perfectly frank, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had passed on. They’re fast approaching their second birthdays, otherwise known in mouse years as ‘extreme old age’, and have slowed down considerably. But they are still happy and energetic, which is what I would hope to be when I’m that old. I did take some more photos of them before I left; I’ll have to remember to post them later…
