Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Rare
Two rare things…the white alligator and my favorite ‘little guy’. 
Both perfection.
This taken at Silver Spring, Florida while we were there celebrating my Mom’s 80th birthday.
There they are, both 80, waiting for the rock paintings to be done by ‘little guy’ while at Kidfieti at Silver Springs, Fl. Amazing… more perfection, along with beauty it’s all around us if we just take the time to look.
For more Weekend Reflections photos click here.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Let’s Make Believe We Are ‘Watch Dogs’!
For more Wordless Wednesday photos please click here!
This week’s pet blog hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor (found at Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume). Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!
Monday, March 07, 2011
What’s Been Going On
A lot going on around here lately so I will fill you in. I haven’t been able to find time to do much blogging as I have taken on a new job that takes up quite a bit of my time. Also, we took a week to go visit my Mom for her 80th birthday! Brought ‘little’ guy with us so she could spend some quality time with her Great Grand Baby, I just couldn’t think of a better birthday present than that. It was a surprise. She didn’t know he was coming, but she was thrilled to see him!
While waiting to catch the plane to my Mother’s house there was a bit of horsing around.
Once we arrived and were waiting for the bags, Little Guy could not wait to share all his very cool things with his Great Gramma! She was more than happy to check out his prized possessions.
One of the places we all went while there was Silver Springs. We got to see white alligators!
Uh-oh, don’t be messin’ with that Bampa…he’ll feed ya to the gators! 
They had a children’s festival going on that day called ‘Kidfietti’ where there was treasure hunting and…
Rock painting as well as just a TON of other activities going on for kids.
While there we had our driver taking us everywhere from Disney World to Mall of America and Target too! He was a very careful driver and didn’t run into any volcanoes. However, once when I was riding he parked in the middle of a bunch of alligators and snakes. I was afraid to get out! So he decided to park somewhere else. 
Then there was the shopping for a sports hat at the local flea market! Looking pretty good in that cap he found!
We also went to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World for one day. There he got a terrific pirate gun at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride to use over on Tom Sawyer’s Island where there was a Fort that needed defending from evil Clone War characters galore. Such a lot to do!!!
There was also swimming and general running around. He made sure we were kept very busy. He was quality control inspector when we were making Great Gramma’s birthday and helped eat it too! Everyone seemed to have had a great time.
Renner: AND I didn’t get to go! 
Mandy: Nope WE didn’t get to go. Maybe next time we can come along.
For more ‘That’s My World Tuesday’ photos please click here!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sharing
Renner: I’m completely wordless this Wednesday!
For more ‘That’s My World Tuesday’ photos please click here!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Still Too Cold and Snowing!
This week’s pet blog hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor (found at Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume). Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Don't Be Fooled by These 12 Common Pet Myths
For many, many years now I have helped (or tried to help) others work through behavioral problems with their animals; specifically retired racing greyhounds that have been newly placed into homes after retiring from the track. However, along with the greyhound placement, often times other pets are involved as well as children.
My Dad knows this and being an animal lover too he took the time to send me the following article. I endorse this article whole-heartedly and would like to throw into the mix that in the majority of cases where animals do not work out in a home it is not the animal’s fault; it is the human’s lack of understanding the animal or misconceptions about what is really going on. I have told countless people to read the materials I give and recommend to them in order to better communicate with their pets and learn to think ‘on their pet’s level’ as pets do *not* have the ability to think on the human’s level.
Renner: Hey, I’m trying to tell you something but you just aren’t *getting* it!
Below are some very common misconceptions being discussed by Amy Shojai that you may find interesting. Take them to heart; it could make all the difference when it comes to working with your well loved animals. Hopefully it will spur further interest and you will research a bit more to help you form a better and more nurturing relationship with your pets. I hope some part of what Amy Shojai has written catches your eye and helps you to consider communicating from your *pet’s point of view* instead of assuming they can figure out *yours*. Hopefully it will make things a lot easier for you and your pet:
For centuries, people created fanciful stories to explain puzzling animal antics. Many of these myth-understandings about cat and dog behaviors linger on, even though modern veterinary and behavior experts have uncovered scientific explanations for these issues. Here we lay 12 common myths to rest.
Myth 1: Dogs and cats enjoy being hugged. People are by nature touchy-feely creatures. Dogs and cats on the other hand, grab and hold prey, and "hug" during mating or fighting. Pets may enjoy nuzzling and getting affection akin to hugging, or there may be a reason why they should be sensitized to being hugged, but it is good to remember that your pet may also confuse a hug with aggression.
Myth 2: Cats seek out people who hate cats. It can seem that way. A cat lover's admiring stares and "kitty, kitty, kitty" calls can be off-putting. So in a crowded room, a cat often seeks the only person ignoring her. Besides, cat lovers may already smell like strange cats, so she'll be more attracted to the cat-free-zone human.
Myth 3: Dogs that are aggressive are showing dominance. Actually, it is fearful dogs that most often aggress to make a scary situation go away. A top dog rarely aggresses because other dogs accept he's the boss. You do however see pushy dogs learn to use snarls to get their way, or clueless adolescent dogs act up because they've gotten too big for their furry britches and want to challenge the real boss.
Myth 4: Dogs and cats are jealous of the phone. The phone rings and suddenly your pet demands attention. This can certainly be annoying but their behavior is logical when you realize why they're doing it. From you pet's perspective, you're talking and there's nobody else around -- so you must be talking to your pet!
Myth 5: Dogs wag their tails when they are happy. Not always. Dogs wag when excited, when fearful, when happy or even to signal imminent attack. The position of the tail, and frequency of wags, is a better indicator of happiness. Low-held tails with slow, loose wags usually signal, "Come closer; I want to be friends."
Myth 6: Dogs and cats learn only if you punish them.
No. Punishment actually can interfere with pets' ability to learn. Punishment can make behaviors worse and can cause fear aggression. Instead, you need to teach an alternative to bad behavior.
Myth 7: Dogs catch on to house training more quickly when you rub their noses in their accidents. Absolutely not. But this does teach the dog that humans sometimes go nuts and seemingly want them to eat their poop! Talk about confusing. Punishing for a normal behavior like going to the bathroom encourages dogs to hide it better the next time. Instead, catch your dog in the act of targeting the right spot and reward with praise or treats for the most effective lesson.
Myth 8: Cats always land on their feet. It is true that cats have balance organs in the inner ear that allow a cat to contract and flex the spine, shoulders and flanks to land on her feet in amazing ways. But there are many factors involved. Falls from too short a distance -- being dropped by a child, for example -- won't allow enough time for a paw landing. Conversely, landing feet first from a fall from a great height can break bones and seriously injure the cat.
Myth 9: Cats purr when they are happy. Often they do. But think of the cat's purr as a feline smile -- do you smile only when happy? Purring soothes kitty emotions (and humans as well), and the vibration relieves pain and speeds healing, so purring can happen when a cat is happy, injured or just needs to comfort himself.
Myth 10: Cats wet the bed and dogs destroy furniture and other items in the house because they are angry. There are many possible physical, emotional and/or instinctual reasons for these normal behaviors -- none having to do with anger or vengefulness. Items that smell like you (bed, shoes, purse) are targeted because your scent comforts the pet. Consider that a back-handed compliment, not spite.
Myth 11: Cats suck the breath from babies. Yes, this old wives tale is still around. Curious cats may check out milky-smelling infant breath or be attracted to a warm crib. They are not trying to harm the baby, but pets should always be supervised around infants.
Myth 12: Dogs alpha roll each other. A study of captive wolves (later debunked) gave rise to this theory. Dogs roll onto their backs to expose their tummies to other animals -- or people -- and signal deference and non-threat. Dogs willingly show their tummies to people or other dogs they want to placate or acquiesce. But even alpha dogs show their tummies to invite puppies and subordinate dogs to play. Dogs do not force other dogs onto their backs to prove leadership. Alpha rolling your dog may confuse or frighten him and some dogs even fight back. Don't risk it!
- Jan 21st 2011 @ 11:00AM Filed Under: Cats, Pet Health
Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog."
We are also Pet Blog hopping!
This week’s pet blog hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor (found at Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume). Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!
Equal Time
Fidget
Lemme
The kitties have demanded more face time in this year’s contract. So in order to avoid legal issues I bring you the kitties. Yep, we are about more than just Retired Racing Greyhounds here, we have rescue kitties too!
We are also Pet Blog hopping!
This week’s pet blog hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor (found at Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume). Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thank You!
A big thanks to Clytie and Beth at Random Hearts for including my water photo from this post for this week’s Random Hearts pick. I really appreciate it and also appreciate the fact that they stop by my blog on Friday’s for a visit. Wonderful! Thank you again so much. Everyone should drop by Random Hearts when they have a chance to check out some amazing ‘heart work’! 
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