Rescue Us

pets,rescue,

“I’d like people to start to look at animals as individuals,” she said. “If everyone did a bit more, if they fell in love a little bit more, so much could happen. It doesn’t have to be going vegan. You can advocate for them. You can show tenderness. You can play music for them. I really hope people can connect with animals the way most of us did as children.”

That’s the thing about animals we grow close to, Ms. Stewart added: “We talk about taking in ‘rescue animals.’ But the truth is, just as often, animals rescue us.”

~ Judith Newman, Tracey Stewart’s Animal Planet


Tracey Stewart is the editor-in-chief of the website Moomah, which provides parents and kids with fun, easy, and effective ways to contribute to varying kinds of nonprofits. A passionate animal advocate and expert (she’s a former veterinary technician), she lives on a farm in New Jersey with her husband, Jon Stewart; two kids; four dogs; two pigs; one hamster; three rabbits; two guinea pigs; one parrot; and two fish—all rescues except for the kids.

Don’t miss Judith Newman’s background story on Tracey Stewart: Tracey Stewart’s Animal Planet

Tracey Stewart’s book will be released on Amazon on October 20, 2015: Do Unto Animals


Rescue (85 sec)


When South African filmmaker Dave Meinert took into his life a Great Dane puppy, whom he named Pegasus, he was told that the tiny canine might not live very long due to her difficult beginnings in a squalid backyard puppy mill. With this in mind, Meinert set about documenting Pegasus every day for six months as she walked or tried to walk on a treadmill. He then compiled the footage together and created an incredibly touching time-lapse film entitled “The Pegasus Project.” Meinert discussed the project in an interview with Fast Company.

“Rescuing her was a way for me to be sure she’d be looked after,” Meinert says. “For me, she had already been born—nothing was going to change that. By rescuing her, at least I could be certain that she wouldn’t be discarded.” Rather than dwell on the negatives about her life, he says, “I decided to make a record of the healthy days as a way to celebrate them.”

And also note that today (August 26th) is National Dog Day.


Source: Laughing Squid

A dog’s love


“Heartbreaking photos show grieving Bird and stray dogs attend funeral of woman who fed them.

These heartbreaking photos prove that a dog’s love knows no bounds as a collection of stray pooches pay tribute at the funeral of a woman who showed them kindness. Lying in the floors and trotting through the aisles, the dogs congregated at the funeral of Margarita Suarez – much to the surprise of the woman’s friends and family. Margarita, from Merida in Mexico, frequently took time out of her day to care for stray dogs and cats by giving them food in the morning. She would also take a bag of food out with her during the day, and treat other stray dogs she passed to a tasty treat. Dogs from all around the area would huddle around the caring woman when she passed them by, but they were evidently left heartbroken after Margarita passed away.

According to Misiones Online, the caring woman, who’s age has not been revealed, died after her health took a poor turn at the beginning of March. The family then began organising the funeral but were stunned when animals began arriving at the parlour where her mother’s body was being kept. Workers at the funeral home denied any knowledge of the animals and said they had never seen them before.

Amazingly, on the day of the funeral, a large number of stray dogs slowly followed the hearse carrying Margarita and even returned to the funeral home. They only left when the body was being prepared for cremation, but not before the family had one final treat. A bird, that was not thought to be native to the area, flew into the service and tweeted away contently. Margarita’s family have told how they believe the animals had an instinct that they wanted to be there to say goodbye to someone who had been so good to them.”


Saturday Morning

pitbull


Source: Gentleman’s Essentials

 

Sniff. A small puff of dust…

dog-nose-cute-adorable-pet

Few have looked closely at exactly what happens in a sniff. But recently some researchers have used a specialized photographic method that shows air flow in order to detect when, and how, dogs are sniffing… The sniff begins with muscles in the nostrils straining to draw a current of air into them — this allows a large amount of any air-based odorant to enter the nose. At the same time, the air already in the nose has to be displaced. Again, the nostrils quiver slightly to push the present air deeper into the nose, or off through slits in the side of the nose and backward, out the nose and out of the way. In this way, inhaled odors don’t need to jostle with the air already in the nose for access to the lining of the nose. Here’s why this is particularly special: the photography also reveals that the slight wind generated by the exhale in fact helps to pull more of the new scent in, by creating a current of air over it.

This action is markedly different from human sniffing, with our clumsy “in through one nostril hole, out through the same hole” method. If we want to get a good smell of something, we have to sniff-hyperventilate, inhaling repeatedly without strongly exhaling. Dogs naturally create tiny wind currents in exhalations that hurry the inhalations in. So for dogs, the sniff includes an exhaled component that helps the sniffer smell. This is visible: watch for a small puff of dust rising up from the ground as a dog investigates it with his nose…

We might notice if our coffee’s been sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar; a dog can detect a teaspoon of sugar diluted in a million gallons of water: two Olympic-sized pools full.”

~ Alexandra Horowitz, Inside of a Dog. What Dogs, See, Smell and Know


Credits:

20 Strangers Lick For the First Time (Take 2)


And if you missed the original, here’s “20 Strangers Kiss for the First Time

And don’t miss today’s NY Times Article offering fascinating background on the original video: A Kiss Is Just a Kiss, Unless It’s an Ad for a Clothing Company (43.5 million views on YouTube and Vimeo and counting…”)


Thank you Lori for sharing.

The thing about dogs

The Thing About Dogs from Daniel Koren on Vimeo.


Not exactly sure why I liked this.  Watched it 3x and was left smiling, each time.  What is it?  Is anything Dogs good?  Is it so different that it’s compelling? The finish? Ugh.  His voice – the cadence, the accent?  What is it ?  No idea.  Loved it.

Man’s Best Friend


Take 2 minutes for an immediate attitude adjustment.


Thanks Lorne

Moved.

“Mohammad Azmi, a 55-year-old former contractor, has dedicated his life to rescuing stray dogs and cats, despite living in a country (Malaysia) where dogs are considered taboo and filthy…However for Mohammad Azmi, who is fondly known as Pak Mie, his love for these animals is unconditional, as he, with the help from his wife, splurge their savings on the stray animals by providing a shelter, food and medication on daily basis, apart getting donations from concerned citizens… This also means that they have to lead a simple life; so simple that they sleep in the car parked outside the shelter that they built just to make sure that no one harms the animals during the night. Although Pak Mie knows that he will never get anything in return by sacrificing his normal life, he is hopeful that he will continue to do so until his last breath.”

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

A Stray Hero from Hisyam on Vimeo.

Running. With Wolf Pack.

dog, running, vizsla,rescue,winter, exercise

Here’s my Wolf Pack. Our Zeke on the left.  Anya, the neighbor’s dog on the right.  Zeke, a pure bred Hungarian bird hunting Vizsla.  Anya, a rescue mix with herding in her DNA.

Zeke was acquired five years ago for hundreds (many) of dollars. (The King’s list of demands in dog selection included a sporting/running breed.  It didn’t include acquiring someone else’s problems.)  Anya was acquired from a shelter with no cash outlay.  (*Hold this thought on dog profile differences.)

Trail running (and all running outside) has largely been suspended this winter season. Weekend exercise has taken the form of intermittent stabs on the elliptical machine in the attic…remote control in the right cup holder and water bottle in the left.  Air temperature constant at 67F.  No snow. No slush.  No uneven surfaces.  (And No Running Posts.  Zero inspiration running on an elliptical.)

Weather warming this weekend.  It was time to GET OUTSIDE.  So, I prep.  Ugg’s on.  Strap Garmin on wrist. Grab iPhone. Earphones. Doggie treats. Two Dog leashes.  Dog tags.  Poop bags. Car keys. And stuff it all into a fanny pack. (Black manly style fanny pack.)  Put on down coat.  Pull on hat. (38F.  Hat not needed but run will be arduous.  No need to display thinning/receding and matted hair.)  Jam running gloves in pocket.  Grab Driver’s license and wallet and head out the door.  (With the exception of dry food, ropes, crampons and ice axes, I’d be ready for climb up McKinley.  Heavy load for a trail run in snow.  Pulse quickens and I haven’t even left the car.) [Read more…]

Arthritic Schoep is lulled to sleep in warm Lake Superior Waters…


 “They say a dog is a man’s best friend, but to John Unger, a Wisconsin resident, his dog, Schoep, means everything. Unger adopted Schoep as a 8-month old puppy and the two have been together ever since. Now, at 19 years old, Schoep has arthritis and has trouble sleeping…Unger found that water is therapeutic for his pained buddy, so he takes Schoep into Lake Superior and lulls him to sleep…Schoep trusting John so much he falls asleep in the buoyancy of the water which soothes his arthritic bones.”

Read more of this inspiring story at The Huffington Post.  Thank you conflictingheart for the share.

And more background at this YouTube video clip.


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Sunday Morning: Beautiful Day at the Dog Park…

The short clip reminded me of the Sunday mornings (rain, shine, bitter cold or snow) that we’d take Zeke to the dog park to play with his friends.   The video is paired with happy music.  Bet you dinner you smile at least once and your heart warms at least one degree.  (Easy Money!)

Good Sunday Morning.

Beautiful Day at the Dog Park from Kelsey Wynns on Vimeo.


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Hump Day: 4:12 am and inspired…

Kickin’ off Hump Day with Fleetwood Mac and “The Chain” and several of my favorite posts of the week…


 


Kurt Harden @ Cultural Offering with his post “In Praise of Life.”

Here is the thing about life:  From the moment you are ejected out of your mother’s womb, it is coming for you.  Life is unrelenting.  It is experiential.  Smells, sounds, sights and senses constantly bombarding you.  A fire hose dousing you every single moment of every single day.  At some point we get to decide: Are we going to manage life or are we going to be managed by it. Is this the most basic decision we make? …If I think to the most important decision I have ever made it has been this one: Swim versus tread water. One decision demands thought and action, another buoyancy.

Sarah Potter @ sarahpotterwrites:

“Plenty of things are conspiring to stop me, but I refuse to submit.”

[Read more…]

Word of the Day: F-O-C-U-S…

 

 


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Image Source: youwillbesad

 

 

Research Says: My Personality Profile Is Aligned With A Great Dane (Ouch)

My Brother shared an article from the current issue of Men’s Health titled What Your Dog Says About You.  “British researchers at Bath Spa University surveyed 1,000 dog owners and found that people pick dog breeds that match their own personality – – because we subconsciously gravitate towards dogs who share our own temperament.”

And lo and beyond, as I hit the link and scanned the article, there’s a picture of our breed, a Vizsla. Almost a spitting image of Zeke.  Research landed squarely on the perfect “Friendly and Agreeable” personality profile match to Susan (my wife).  So, what’s up?  How about me?  Where’s the personality profile for the “Introverted and Disagreeable?”

If you’re: Friendly and agreeable
The dog for you: Viszla

A Hungarian breed, Viszlas are more sleek than labs, and energetic without being aggressive. “They’re comfortable around both people and other dogs, so they’re perfect if you want to take your dog to an outdoor restaurant or a cafe,” says Vargas. Also consider: Cocker spaniels (or any variety of spaniel), Spanish water dog

They even have a quiz to help you pick which dog is right for you.  (Link to Quiz).  I took the quiz (a cool quiz by the way) – and the quiz recommended that the dog I should own is a Great Dane.  Crazy! (Or maybe this says something about my personality.  More frightening.)

[Read more…]

I miss “Birdie”…

Erin (aka Birdie) is a Sun Conure.

It’s Erin’s 10th birthday.  (And Sunday mornings are for reflection and I’m reminiscing.)

LC, a former colleague, asked our family to watch her while her home was being renovated.

90 days came and went and somehow Birdie was adopted.

What a magnificent creature she was.

We were soul mates. (Laughing.  I could hear my kids now.  Dad, that’s WAY over the top.)  She would camp out on my shoulder and watch me do my work on the PC while she gnawed away at old sweat shirts.  (Must have been soothing for her as she worked through at least 10-15 shirts.)

[Read more…]

Who saved whom?

Thank you Debra @ Catatonically Speaking

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