Bad Boxer Dogs! (I’m Gettin’ Nuttin’ for Christmas)

A musical tribute to boxers behaving badly! Brought to you by the friends, family and volunteers of Adopt a Boxer Rescue.
See our available dogs at http://www.adoptaboxerrescue.com

I Found Your Dog Today…

I found your dog today. No, he hasn’t been adopted by anyone. Most of us who live out here have all the dogs we want and those who do not have dogs do so because they choose not to. I know you were hoping he would find a good home when you left him out here, but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a burr in his paw.

How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To see his tail wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his never-ending quest to find you, but I was not you. And despite all my persuasion, his eyes saw only a stranger. He did not trust. He would not come.

He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would bring him to you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things.

Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he travel during the day. He doesn’t know that the sun and heat will claim his life. He only knows that he has to find you.

I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog. Some would run him off, others would call the county and the fate you thought you saved him from would be preemptedby his suffering for days without food or water.

I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only you were here to call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate, it could take him many miles in 24 hours.

It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I have found your dog. His thirst has stopped, it is no longer a torment to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his paws bother him no more. Your dog’s been set free from his burdens, for you see, your dog has died.

I kneel next to him and curse you for not being here yesterday so I could see the glow, if just for a moment in those now vacant eyes. I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it, and I agonize, for I know that were he to awaken at this moment, and if I were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail would wag with love and forgiveness.

If I Could Give You One Thing In Life

Basic Rules for Dogs

Newspapers: If you have to go to the bathroom while playing in the front yard, always use the newspaper that’s placed in the driveway every morning for that purpose.

Visitors: Quickly decide which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly and leap playfully on this person. If the human falls down on the floor and starts crying, lick its face and growl gently to show your concern.

Barking: Because you are a dog, they expect you to bark. So bark–a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night and hearing your protective bark, bark, bark…

Licking: Always take a big drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans prefer clean tongues. Be ready to fetch your human a towel.

Holes: Rather than digging a big hole in the middle of the yard and upsetting your human, dig lots of smaller holes all over the yard so they won’t notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, maybe they’ll think it’s gophers. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem.

Doors: The area directly in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep.

The Art of Sniffing: Humans like being sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty, as the family dog, to accommodate them.

Dining Etiquette: Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up any food that falls on the floor. It’s also a good time to practice your sniffing.

Housebreaking: Housebreaking is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.

Going for Walks: Rules of the road: When out for a walk with your master or mistress, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn.

Couches: It is perfectly permissible to lie on the new couch after all your humans have gone to bed.

Playing: If you lose your footing while chasing a ball or stick, use the flower bed to absorb your fall so you don’t injure yourself.

Chasing Cats: When chasing cats, make sure you never–quite–catch them. It spoils all the fun.

Chewing: Make your contribution to the fashion industry…eat a shoe.

~ Author Unknown

Wait for it…

Audubon California

GoPro camera catches a unique view of a pileated woodpecker on a suet feeder.

Wow, what a great catch with the GoPro. Have you ever seen a Pileated Woodpecker? If not then maybe you have heard one. Its drumming is very loud, especially if one happens to be on the side of your house doing that drumming. Most often though it sounds like someone striking a tree very quickly with a hammer. They are very cool birds with their big red heads. The only difference in the markings between the adult males and females is that the males have a red line from the bill to the throat (as you see in the video) and in adult females these are black. It is also the largest woodpecker in America almost the size of a crow. They are the Woody Woodpecker of cartoons.

Truth is stranger than fiction…

I don’t normally trash most animal advocate groups. However that’s not what PETA is. I’m not quite sure what part of “PETA KILLS ANIMALS” that it’s followers just don’t seem to understand. PETA seems to think there should be no companion animals, and that animals are better off dead than living with humans. I don’t agree with that philosophy. It just doesn’t work for me on so many levels. Two of the most important reasons are that it sets up this continuous killing cycle that we are now seeing in these so-called shelters today, and the fact is people and animals need the love and companionship they get from each other. I think as a society we could do a better job at solving this problem if not for the greed factor that’s involved. I’m sure we can come up with better, more compassionate ways to solve this problem other than this continuous killing cycle we’re stuck in. Seriously, if this is the best, most creative solution that we (as a supposedly intelligent species) can do for our animals, than there is probably little hope for any of us.

Maybe instead of teaching fear, hatred, intolerance, greed, and over breeding of ourselves and our animals, we should teach love, compassion and how to live in balance with our natural surroundings.

Truth is stranger than fiction, or: When a Georgia politician cites PETA as a reason to kill shelter pets | Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World.

Race against the tide: Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse’s side for THREE HOURS after getting trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’

What an amazing story of love and friendship. This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’. Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide. The 78-stone show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107521/Bravery-young-mother-stayed-horses-hours-getting-trapped-mud-like-quicksand.html#ixzz1nifxfkkx