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Trixie, our 15 year old Lab mix, passed away today. She had been fighting a losing battle with cancer for the last 2 years. She was active until her last day. Normally she hangs out with me as I lead the horses out to pasture but she was strangely missing this morning. She commonly wanders around our 7 acres so I thought she was off somewhere on her travels.
I had not see her all day when late in the afternoon I went looking for her. I found her near our wood pile, where she had lately decided to sleep most of the time. She must have past away in her sleep since the area showed no sign of a struggle. We already had a spot and grave dug for her since we found out about her cancer 2 years ago. I buried her this evening.
We took her away from my mother about 7-8 years ago because Trixie did not like being shut up in their small backyard. Trixie was always digging out or chewing through the fence to go and visit the neighborhood. She never did learn to get along with our horses but she did enjoy the freedom that our acreage had to offer her.
If you are absolutely discussed with the inhuman treatment of animals that goes unpunished due to lack of laws or enforcement then you can protest. How do you do that? Simple, go to a site called Care2. The site has a section on petitions you can read and sign. Everything from horse slaughter to over fishing are there. If you don’t see the issue you are upset about then you can also start a petition. You can make a difference!
After all the terrible animal news we have gotten this year I am going to end the year with a fun video. A friend of mine turned me on to this video at YouTube. It is one of the craziest ways to drive a horse I have seen yet. If you have 5 minutes to spare you should check out the driving ponies video below.
Even animals outside the USA are feeling the credit crunch. Dogs and cats are being abandoned on the streets in England because their owners can no longer afford them. Video news below:
After the success at the box office with “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” the top film production companies decided to make “Marley and Me” a movie about a yellow Lab.
I love dog movies and dogs in general. What I don’t like is the general public going nuts over every dog breed that is showcased in the current movie hit. It does untold harm to the dog breed in general every time a dog breed is the main character.
Take for example the Chihuahua breed. Soon after the movie came out there were hundreds of puppies advertised in our local newspapers. Most of them backyard bred with no registration papers and they wanted $500 and up per puppy. I even drove by some shacks for homes with signs outside advertising Chihuahua puppies for sale. I visualize the same fate for the Labrador dog breed.
I certainly hope that people will have enough common sense to realize that the Labrador is a sporting dog breed with high energy levels. They need to be exercised regularly and not just a walk will do for that breed. We have a Lab that I rescued from my own elderly mother. The dog was given to her as a puppy by people that did not take into account that the dog would never leave the backyard. The dog learned to dig out, howl, bark and always try and get into the house for attention. My mother was not mentally equipped to take care of such a high maintenance dog breed. We took the dog home with us on Thanksgiving Day 9 years ago when my husband saw my mother hitting the dog because she (the dog) was trying to get into the house. We still have Trixie and she loves roaming our acreage and barking at the horses. She will be 15 years old next year.
I have written articles on this subject before. Several of them were for now defunct parenting magazines. I was finally offered the chance to write about it again at Associated Content. Here is the title and you can read it in it’s entirety at the “View more” click
How to Respond to Your Child’s Wish for a Pony
Has your child been bugging you for a pony or horse for Christmas? How should you respond to the request? View more »
You could also get your children the book called “The Almost a Christmas Pony”. It is based on a true story about a pony at an animal shelter. The book is recommended for ages 4-8 years old.
In Europe it is very common that dogs are allowed into restaurants with their owners to dine. France is very dog friendly when it comes to allowing pets to be with their owners in public places. The dog owners have taken the extra step of making sure that their dogs have fantastic manners when out in public.
That is fine for places in Europe but are there any dog friendly restaurants in the USA? Most states and localities have strict laws against animals in restaurants for public health reasons, at least that is what they site when prohibiting the dog from the restaurant. So what do you do when you are traveling with your pet? You can either leave the dog at the hotel in a crate while you go out and eat. You could take the dog with you and go through a fast food drive through. If you are traveling to the San Diego area there are a few La Jolla restaurants that cater to dog owners. For areas near where you are traveling just look up the phone number of the local restaurant and give them a call. If they don’t allow dogs ask them to suggest a place that does. If enough people call that restaurant asking them if they are dog friendly then it might encourge them to change their policy to get the dog owning public as customers.
