A Dogs Special Thanksgiving Day

I was talking with a friend the other day and telling her about how a few years back, we had a small Thanksgiving Dinner at our house, not like the sit-downs for 25+ I’ve had many times over the years, 40 was our record.  But that year we ended up having dinner for 6.5 people and 8 furkids… I told her I’d find the photos, so I’m sharing below. This year we will be volunteering at a mission and fixing a barebones meal afterwards; primarily for our pups.

Angelina Waiting for Turkey, Princess After Too Much Turkey and Annabelle With Baby River

Angel and Apachi Having Too Much Fun

Merlin Playing Out Back

Snoop & Gizzy with Some Chews, Waiting for the Good Stuff… Turkey

Hope You All Had a Happy, Safe and Pet-Blessed Thanksgiving

Ask Marion @ JOMP

Hope You All Had a Happy, Safe and Pet-Blessed Thanksgiving

Pilgrim Pets

Common Foods That Are Harmful or Even Fatal to Pets

“Holidays Are Great and Fun to Share With Our Pets, As Long As We Avoid the No-No Foods”

A Baby Horse on its Mom’s Lap…

These pictures are heart-stoppers! They are keepers for sure!

A baby horse on its mom’s lap

Some pictures just don’t need captions.  There is nothing like Mom’s lap no matter who you are. This is precious !!!!

This is a newborn offspring of Taskin, a Gypsy Stallion owned by Villa Vanners of Oregon.

These pictures were taken immediately after his birth on April 6th.

The mare laid down, and then he trotted around and crawled right up into her lap.

Bear Quints – once in a lifetime photo

Black  bears typically have two cubs; rarely, one or three. In 2007, in northern New Hampshire, a black bear sow gave birth to five healthy young.  There were two or three reports of sows with as many as 4 cubs, but five  was, and is, very extraordinary. The photographer learned of them shortly  after they emerged from their den and set a goal of photographing all five cubs with their mom – no matter how much time and effort was  involved. He knew the trail they followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly before dark. After spending nearly four hours a day, seven days a  week, for more than six weeks, he had that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and photographed them. He used the equivalent of  a very fast film speed on his digital camera. The print is properly focused  and well exposed, with all six bears posing as if they were in a studio for a family portrait.

The photographer stayed in touch with other people who saw the bears during the summer and into the fall hunting season. All six bears continued to thrive. As time  for hibernation approached, he found still more folks who had seen  them, and everything remained OK. The photographer stayed away from the  bears because he was concerned that they might become habituated to him, or to people in general, and treat them as approachable friends. This could easily become dangerous for both man and animals.

After Halloween, no  further reports and could only hope the bears survived until they hibernated. This spring, just before the snow disappeared, all six bears came out of their den and wandered all over the same familiar territory they trekked in the spring of 2007. 

The photographer saw them before mid-April and dreamed nightly of taking another family  portrait, a highly improbable second once-in-a-lifetime photograph.

On 25 April 2008, he  achieved his dream.

When  something as  magical as this happens between man and animal, Native Americans say,  "We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow." And so it is with  humility and great pleasure that I share these exhilarating photos with you.

Just when you thought you have seen everything… Jazz for Cows

I wonder how these guy came up with this idea?

This is a great performance.

Take note of how the audience gathers around and not one of them left during the performance.

Video:  Jazz for Cows

Deformed Pit-Bull Puppy Nursed Back to Health

Erica Daniel, a Florida woman who fosters dogs that need extra care, saved a pit-bull puppy from the trashand nursed it back to health from a debilitating, life-threatening medical condition.

11-week-old Harper was born with a condition called pectus excavatum, more commonly know as "swimmer puppy disorder," according to NBC’s "Today." Puppies afflicted with the disorder lie flat on their chests with their arms splayed out, resembling a swimmer in mid-stroke. Most puppies with pectus excavatum don’t survive, and Harper herself came very close to being put down before Daniel stepped in.

Daniel had not originally intended to keep Harper alive, but simply to give the puppy one day of love and affection before she had to be euthanized. "I had to show her what it was like to be loved," Daniel said. But as she spent the day with Harper and massaged the puppy’s limbs, the deformed dog began to respond and quickly show signs of improvement.

Instead of putting Harper down, Daniel had a vet perform a closer inspection, only to find that the pup was indeed far healthier than first thought. No longer doomed, Harper has received massage therapy and hydrotherapy. Now, only 11 weeks later, she’s walking on her own four feet.

"She’s a walking miracle," says Bev McCartt, Harper’s physical therapist. "She’s a real testament to a dog’s determination to get up and just go."

Bambi and Thumper Really Do Exist…

This was taken in Alberta, Canada in a back yard…
Bambi & Thumper really do exist!

‘What an incredible photographer to have caught these shots…

May you always have Love to Share!!

Tucson: Pets, Vets, Veterans Day

Therapy dogs bring relief and joy to Veterans

from the HSSA press release

When Lady trots down the halls of the Tucson VA Medical Center, she is on a first-name basis with staff and patients.

Lady is a 10 year-old Sheltie and a therapy dog trained to give affection to strangers. Lady and her owner, Ernie Minchella, are volunteers in the Pets for Vets program at the hospital. They were certified through the Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s Pet VIP visitation program.

Ernie is a Vietnam vet and a former patient at the hospital. “When I was here I saw this man with a therapy dog, and asked about what he was doing. The rest is history.”

An animal visit can offer entertainment and a welcome distraction from pain. People often talk to the dogs, and research shows petting an animal can reduce a person’s blood pressure. Petting encourages use of hands and arms, stretching and turning.

“The Pets for Vets program is so important. We just love having the dogs come in to see the patients,” says Deborah Brookshire, VA Volunteer Services Program Manager.

Therapy pets give people a common interest and provide a focus for conversation. Many people in hospitals have had to give up their own animals and miss the unconditional love a pet provides. A dog pays little attention to age or physical ability, but accepts people as they are.

When Ernie and Lady come to visit, they stop in to see his fellow veterans. “I think I get more out of it than they do, and it’s great exercise for me and my Lady.”

by Karyn Zoldan on Nov. 11, 2011

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Waived adoption fees for active & retired military on Veterans Day
Plus, to thank active and retired military servicemen and women, the HSSA waived adoption fees (but not license fees) on all pets for military families on Veterans Day at the main shelter. Promoting a visit to the HSSA to be a hero to a homeless pet in need!

Tucson’s dog lovers will also join together to walk in support of pit bulls on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:30p.m.

(Louis Serna enjoys Lady’s company at the Tucson VA – Photo courtesy of the HSSA)

Source: TucsonCitizen.com

Honoring military dogs on Veteran’s Day

Today is Veteran’s Day, when the country honors the service men and women who have given up so much to ensure our freedom. And right alongside those human warriors canine soldiers offer service, trained to protect the troops and keep them from harm.

On Nov. 7 a special ceremony was held on Capitol Hill with the American Humane Association, a Tribute to War Heroes on Both Ends of the Leash.

The reception was made possible by Virginia Congressman Jim Moran, the co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. Rep. Moran represents Virgina’s 8th district, which includes Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Reston and Falls Church.

Special guests at the ceremony included a man whose guide dog saved his life by leading him down 78 flights of stairs in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and two military working dogs who served in Iraq.

Watch Fox channel 5’s story: DC Tribute Honors Military Dogs.

Speaking of hero dogs, the Hallmark Channel is premiering the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST. Eight canine finalists will be honored for their devotion, bravery and companionship. The dogs were selected in a nationwide online search and represent categories of working dogs including service, therapy, military, law enforcement and arson, hearing, guide, and search and rescue.

Dogs aren’t just helping our military during combat tours, either. Organizations such as Pets2Vets, based here in Arlington, are rescuing shelter dogs and training them to help veterans cope with combat duty-related issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Read about P2V founder Dave Sharpe in a Two Dog Tales blog post from last year.

Our human and canine military protectors deserve to be honored every single minute of every day for all they do for us. Make sure to thank a vet today.

Source:  The Examiner

Canine Military Hero

Read: (and See Below) the Great Story of Nubs the Dog and His Marine

Video: Nubbs:  The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle – Get Book

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Harbor the Coonhound Has the ‘Longest Ears on a Living Dog’

Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records 2012 edition

If you’re like me, you spent countless hours with your friends in junior high poring over the Guinness Book of World Records. Remember the guy with the world’s longest fingernails? Or the world’s heaviest twins, sitting on their motorcycles? So weird.

 Guinness World Records 2012

Recapture that old magic with the "Guinness World Records 2012 Edition." There’s plenty of weird and gnarly stuff to entertain you, and if you’re an animal lover (Why would you be here if you’re not?), you’ll get a special kick out of the great pet records too.
Harbor is an 8-year-old purebred black and tan coonhound from Colorado whom you’ll find in this latest edition of the Guinness book. What exactly did Harbor do to earn a place among Guinness’s world-record holders? Just look at the photo! At 12.25 inches and 13.5 inches, Harbor’s dog ears are the longest in the world!

According to Harbor’s owner, Jennifer Wert, Harbor’s ears bring him almost constant attention from strangers, and he’s often asked to stop for photos. "Most days I forget how oddly long his ears are," Wert says. "He’s a phenomenon in the world and he creates smiles wherever we go."
Interestingly, Harbor’s ears aren’t designed for super hearing, but for super smelling. When Harbor walks about, his enormous ears flap around in a way that sweeps scents toward his nose for enhanced olfactory detection.

To see Harbor and other record-breaking animals, check out Guinness World Records 2012, available in the U.S. on September 15 for the suggested retail price of $28.95. The 2012 eBook version will launch on November 28.

Video:  Dog with the Longest Ears – Harbor

Source:  Paw Nation