Animals In Our Lives

[Penthesilea]

Thank you all.
I miss the clack, clack of his claws on the floor, I miss his content sigh and deep grunt when the day is officially over and we settle in bed at night, he slept on a rag in front of the bed. I miss him sneaking into the kitchen while we eat and of course I miss his greeting whenever I come home. I still have dog hair in my laundry pile though and it makes me miss him yet again.

An odd thought keeps coming to me: the last evening, I gave him half of a wrap which was left over from dinner. Normally he and the cat each gets a tiny piece of leftovers, when we clear the table. On Thursday evening I gave him a real big chunk though, and I'm ridicously glad about this now.

[David In Indy]

Chrissi, you did the right thing. I hope you realize it. He would have suffered terribly. It's just a terrible thing though isn't it? They are a part of our family. People who have never had a pet find it difficult to understand, but it's true. Your descriptions of Max only prove my point.

I don't think I ever told you this - maybe I did - but when I lived in Evansville, I, along with a friend of mine - my lover at the time - took in the cutest dog. A stray. He just wandered up to our door one day. It was obvious he didn't have a home and we were scared the dog catcher would get him so it didn't take long for us to take him in. He was at least half bull mastiff (the vet said so) and something else. I'm not sure. Anyway, he reminded us a bit of the dog from the movie "Beethoven" so wouldn't you know it? We named him Beethoven! lol  We called him "Bay" for short. Corny name, I know. He had the softest fur and the cutest face. We loved him and he loved us. To make a long story short, Bay passed away about 4 years after we adopted him. Your Max reminded me quite a bit of Bay.

I'll never forget the time I was feeling down and you posted a picture of Max "waving" at me. He had his paw up in the air and it was the CUTEST picture! That picture instanty cheered me up. So your Max somehow managed to have a positive effect on at least one person all the way across the Atlantic ocean, thousands of miles away from him. Quite a testiment to Max, huh?  And to you.

What a cute and sweet dog he was, Chrissi!

[Sason]

Chrissi, what a terrible way for you to lose your beloved dog.

I'm so sorry for you and your family.

When you get over the shock of the sudden loss, I hope the happy memories will prevail.

(((( Chrissi and family ))))

[Meryl]

Chrissi, I'm awfully sad to hear about your loss of Maxi.  It's so hard on the family to lose him so suddenly.  I'm glad, though, that he was feeling well up to the last and didn't have to suffer through a long illness.  He was a lucky dog, really, beloved by his family and happy in life.  That's what we wish for all those we love, isn't it?  Big hugs to you.  ((((Chrissi and family))))

[David In Indy]

Not exactly "breaking news" but I thought it was kind of sweet!



Stranded Dolphin Finds Home At Indy Zoo

Calf Found Alone Off Florida Coast


INDIANAPOLIS -- A dolphin calf found stranded along the coast of Florida will soon call the Indianapolis Zoo home.

Taz, a male Atlantic bottlenose calf believed to be about 6 months old, was found alone on a sandbar in the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in January.







"The exact reason he became stranded is not known, but without a parent to guide him, the federal authorities who oversee the protection of wild marine determined that, without the social skills necessary, Taz would not survive on his own, and should not be returned to the wild," read a statement from the zoo.

Zoo officials said Indianapolis was selected because it presented the possibility for socialization with adult females almost immediately.

"The social dynamics of our dolphin group will provide the opportunity for Taz to become a member of a real dolphin family. We anticipate that more than one of our adult dolphins will help with his adjustment to the group," said Rob Shumaker, zoo vice president of life sciences.

While Taz adjusts to his new surroundings, he will be housed in the back pools in the zoo's Dolphin Adventure Pavilion. He may be available for public viewing later depending on his adjustment and health status, zoo officials said.


http://www.theindychannel.com/news/26982003/detail.html

[Front-Ranger]

Please send pics when it gets to your neighborhood!!

They should rename it Ding Darling!

[Kelda]

awww...

[Fran]

Not exactly "breaking news" but I thought it was kind of sweet!

Sweet indeed!  Thanks for posting this, David.

[David In Indy]

8 Things You Do To Annoy Your Cat (or Worse!)









We love our cats but still complain about their annoying behavior problems. Why do they scratch furniture and caterwaul all night when we are perfect parents?

The problem is that while we are worrying about their behavior issues, we might be better off focusing on our behavior instead. Here are eight common things owners do to "hiss off" the cat.

1. Underappreciating the Need to Claw: Cats claw to mark territory, to exercise and relieve stress. Owners annoy cats by not providing the right claw object in the right location or by replacing a favorite scratching post. A nasty-clawed-ugly-old-post with scratch graffiti is like a child's favorite binky and can't be easily replaced with a spanking-new post.

2. Surprising Him With the Cat Carrier and a Trip to the Vet: Being stuffed into an unfamiliar cat carrier and then grabbed, poked and probed by scary-smelling strangers (vet alert!) makes cats hit the panic button. Savvy kitties teach owners a lesson by disappearing each time we reach for the carrier. Acclimate your cat to its bag by first making the cat carrier part of the furniture in the room. Then add catnip toys or fuzzy bedding to make it more soothing and appealing.

3. Buying the Wrong Litter Box or Litter: Hit-or-miss potty behavior is the top complaint of cat owners but we often bring it on ourselves without realizing it.

- Changing cat litter. Do you have a favorite TP? Cats get attached to favorite litter, and switching prompts some cats to take their business elsewhere.

- Getting a too-small box. If you have a jumbo-size cat, most standard litter boxes will be too small and he will have to hang over the edge or look elsewhere.

- Choosing a covered box. Though this might appeal to you, it doesn't work for all cats. A covered box condenses smells, which can make the box a place the cat wants to avoid. These kinds of boxes also often block the view, so cats can't see if someone is sneaking up on them.

- Having too few boxes. Your cats might be acting up because they don't like sharing a littler box. Extra boxes will reduce the hiss quotient.

4. Leaving Him Behind: Your cats get used to being fed, petted, played with and snuggled at certain times, and your absence during a business trip or vacation throws a wrench in kitty expectations. It can take him a week to get accustomed to a change in schedule, so not only is his schedule upset when you leave, it is also upset when you return.

5. Oversleeping: Why would an owner want to sleep late when a kitty bowl needs to be filled? Cats just don't understand it. Which is why they raise a ruckus to point out food bowl infractions or other owner irresponsibility. Even a small change can annoy your cat.

6. Forcing Indoor Incarceration: Cats that have experienced the great outdoors can become distraught when "jailed" exclusively indoors. Sure, they're safer indoors away from dangers, but cats find closed doors and barred windows crazy-making. Keep the annoyance level down by recreating the outdoors inside with challenges like cat towers and puzzle toys.

7. Cheating With a New Pet: Bringing a new pet (especially another cat) into the house turns up the hiss-teria. How would you feel if asked to share your potty, dinner plate, toys, bed and love-of-your-life human with a stranger off the street? To the cat, the interloper looks funny, smells scary and disrupts the all-important routine. It can take weeks or months for cats to accept newcomers as family members.

8. Declawing: This doesn't just annoy your cat, surgical claw removal offends many cats on an emotional and physical level. It strips away normal kitty defenses and changes kitty stride/balance. Yes, some cats manage to suck it up and soldier on, but others demonstrate hissed-off status by avoiding the litter box (it hurts to dig with sore toes!) or biting more often in defense.

Of course, every cat is unique and your cat might have an entirely different list that causes hissy fits. Understanding what annoys our cats helps us be better owners and enhances the love we share.


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http://www.pawnation.com/2011/03/08/8-things-you-do-to-annoy-your-cat-or-worse/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl8%7Csec1_lnk3%7C205282

[Lynne]

R I P


Max
2000 - 2011

Last Friday, I had to put my Mäxi down. In the early morning, the world was still intact. He was happy to go for a walk and gobbled down his food with enthusiasm. He was his usual, happy self. In the course of the morning, he deteriorated quickly though and by noon I called my husband to come home. We went to the vet immediately but by the time we arrived, Max was already a dying dog. He had hypothermia and was extremely anemic. I decided to let the vet do all emergency measures and then exams to see what's up. The ultrasound showed he had a huge tumor in his spleen and liver, which probably had broken open in the morning.
It came so quickly, we had no idea. The vet said he can see the dog was well until recently, he wasn't emaciated or anything. The kids didn't even have a chance to say good-bye, when they left for school in the morning, Mäxi was still all right. We all miss him so badly.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Oh, Chrissi, shit.  And I do mean that in the BBM sense.  Max looks like a wonderful dog - such an expressive and beautiful face.  I am so sorry for you and your family.  

 

((((Chrissi))))

This is one of those threads I never get to, wish I'd known sooner.  I'm sorry about that too.