Treasures

 

This really is a great story!

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this.

You'll like it even if you haven't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky.

Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box..

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky?

Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom..

Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap..Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky, he still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure..

Remember......live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

Live simply..

Love seriously.

Care deeply..

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to the dog.

Balance

 

Today I’ve decided to do a post that’s a little off the beaten track – although – it’s a subject we could all use.

This year has been quite a year for me. I have had many highs and lows as many of you have had too. I won’t get into what the issues were because we’ll be here all day then! Lol

I’ll get straight to the point…

 

 

In the long run after very long BBM’s and Emails to an extremely long suffering, wonderful and supportive friend – I decided that I would take her advice and explain clearly for the last time; what I needed; and that I didn’t need extra pressures in my life.

Not everyone understood where I was coming from…

It made people upset with me… and they will probably never understand… as someone said to me “people will never truly understand unless they have been there themselves.”

This past weekend I began to doubt my decision until I watched Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. The movie really resonated with me.

You can’t hold back on your dreams.

You have to say to yourself – “this is my life” – Everyone is different. We all have our own set of goals and dreams that we wish to be a reality.

You can allow someone else to live their dreams BUT you can’t let them drain you of yours.

You can’t have an overwhelming relationship with one person as it allows your other relationships to suffer.

You can’t make everyone happy. You have to make yourself happy. If you are happy and the people around you sincerely care about you, they will be happy for you.

The saying that people are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime rings true… The people no longer in your life now never made it there for a reason and its best to leave those people in the past where they belong. Learn from the issue that put them there – make yourself stronger by it – and move forward.

You have to have balance in your life. Without that balance you make yourself sick – whether it’s too much work or too much play.

When I went to bed last night I had an Oprah “light bulb” moment.
Since applying balance concerning the people in my life I have been far less stressed. I have been able to do what I need to do in the day without the constant anger from being annoyed. I have been able to work on my dreams and goals and you know what - I am happy with my progress – if someone isn’t happy with it – it’s tough…. “It’s my life” and I am deserving of the balance I need. So I shouldn’t doubt my decisions.

I am stronger than what I was before. I still have niggling health and soul issues to work through but I’ll get there - one day at a time.

That may be harsh – but as my good friend said to me “you have to be cruel to be kind.”

Just 1 litter

 

Hi Everyone,

This is a very long email I received this week but it is VITAL that you read every word written and understand it.

I will not say more than that as I understand every word and see the value of sharing it far and wide.

Please share this! Put it on your social network profiles, email it. Do what you can to spread the word.

Please don’t copy and paste as the person reading may be educated by another article posted here. It is VITAL that we educate so people understand the issue at hand.

if you don't believe it, go to my facebook page and see how many animals are placed daily for adoption… and that isnt ALL of them!!! it is only the tip of the ice berg!

“You want your dog or cat to have just one litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth? Then you should be prepared to complete their education by allowing them to witness the miracle of death in the backroom of a shelter” ~ BAT

IN A PERFECT WORLD EVERY DOG WOULD HAVE A HOME AND EVERY HOME WOULD HAVE A DOG"~unknown"

This means that there are 45 cats and dogs born for every person"

Did you know... :

• 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home

• 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a home

• 2-3 millions pets are euthansed in the United States alone because people won't stop breeding

When you get yourself that cute puppy or kitten and decide to have just 1 litter - do u actually realize that you are bringing an estimated 67 000 puppies and 420 000 kittens into this world?

Apart from that for every puppy or kitten that you sell you are responsible for a shelter animal loosing it's life just because you chose to breed!

People need to start understanding how serious this problem is and how out of hand it is getting! People need a SERIOUS wake up call and need to start realizing that this is not about offending anyone, this is about educating people who are breeding until it sinks in, because quite plain and simply, you have absolutely no idea what a complete stuff up you are causing by breeding with your animals!!

I work in animal welfare myself, in fact I have even been told by my family that my life revolves around it! I get to see and deal with 100-200 emails a day and none of them are pretty! Every single one is cats and dogs needing loving homes, and its always the same old thing, Unwanted, breeding, immigration, moving into non pet friendly houses, you name it. All my fosters that I have hand reared and brought up were innocent puppies that had been born from people who couldn't be bothered to spay their female dogs.

Chiquita - you all know my dog

Chiquita - she was a foster - abdandoned in a township, another lot of puppies that I fostered were literally dumped on my doorstep to become my problem and my very recent foster dog Angel was wired to a tree and beaten, kicked and starved!!!

So forgive me if a person comes to tell me they are going to breed and I get a bit ratty about it!

Those of you who don't work in this field have absolutely no idea what it is like for us who do and you have no idea how difficult you make our job sometimes just because of your greed and irresponsibility

The bottom line is you are being selfish if you are breeding, and before you come and wave a finger in my face, I have been doing this a LONG time and think I may just know a little about what I am going to talk about here!!! If you want to breed, come with me, for just one day to one of the animal shelters and I promise you, your mind will be changed in 2 seconds flat!! I will say this again, if you are breeding, you have no idea what damage you are causing!

Some of the most ridiculous excuses for breeding that I have heard was "I wanted my child to witness an animals birth" Well guess what? I never witnessed one and I turned out pretty okay!!! Another favourite of mine is "they just so cute, we had to breed" PATHETIC!!!! but my most favourite and most used excuse of all time is "It wasn't supposed to happen" PEOPLE!!!!!! What the hell did you expect to happen? They are animals for goodness sake!! When a female goes into heat, the male will be attracted!!!!!!!!!

STOP WITH THE EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want pets, you need to start understanding that they have certain needs and requirements and if they breed, it is YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my experience with working in the animal industry, I have found that most of the time, people who choose to breed have absolutely no clue what they are doing and think they will find good homes for the puppies or kittens they have bred with, but in short, what is a good home? In many of these cases, because people that are having just "1 litter" have no experience when it comes to choosing the correct family and think that any old home where food, water and shelter are provided is more than enough for qualifying as a 'good' home

Well I have news for all of you who want to have just 1 litter!!!! First of all, breeding is not profitable and quite honestly it is just disgusting that you want to sell innocent animals for money. Most of the time, females have to be rushed in for emergency caesarians because the inexperienced twit of an owner who has bred with them have no clue what they are even doing! I know someone who bred a huge male with a tiny female and then wonders why the female nearly died during birth!!

What these backyard 'breeders' cannot get through their heads is that their idea of a 'good' home is not enough!!! You have to interveiw the puppy or kitten buyer's, you have to do homechecks, you have to put sterilization contracts in place, you have to ensure that the animal will be made part of the family - the list goes on......

In short - you are bound to those babies for life!!!! I am still in contact with people who adopted some puppies that I hand reared and I have had the pleasure of seeing them all big and grown up now! I warn all people that adopt my fosters - you are stuck to me for life!!! And if you don't like it - tough!!!!

AND THIS IS WHY WE IN ANIMAL WELFARE GET SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because this is not being done!!!!!!!!!!

 

When I just out of interest called a breeder pretending that I wanted to buy one of her puppies, I actually asked her if she would need to come and evaluate my home and if I must spay the puppy - her reply was " when you have paid me, it is your puppy to do with what you want" I was speechless to say the least - Does this woman have any idea how irresponsible she is being?? Actually when I look back now, I think she does know, but couldn't give a damn!! In my line of work, I get to see a lot of people who buy puppies from breeders and I always ask them about the breeder that they bought from. Do you know that I have come across exactly 1 breeder that actually follows correct protocol?
1 breeder - that is shocking and scary! It is plain and simply sick and revolting! What I'm trying to say is that when you have your 1 litter and sell your 5 puppies or kittens, I can guarentee that with 1 of those babies that you sell, the supposed 'good' home will also decide that they want to have just 1 litter. Then they sell that litter of babies, and then those people who buy them also decide to have just 1 litter.

Do u see where I'm going with this? It's never just 1 litter!!!!! The vicious breeding cycle just continues and continues!

Please read this and think about what I am saying to you! It is not worth it!!!!

Please stop leaving us (animal welfare) to clean up your mess!!! Just stop - please.

Enjoy your pets as companions and furry children. Please stop exploiting them for money.

Stop using them as breeding machines - Please stop!!!!!!

Please be part of the solution, not the problem

Help us to educate/ convince others to neuter and spay. It is the biggest present you can give a pet!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and my biggest hope for this email is that I manage to change just one persons mind with breeding!!!

Bath Time

 

A few thoughts on cat baths....

by The Cat:

 

'But You Said You Loved Me!'

 

'You will pay, you will pay.'

 

'Holy crap, you call this water warm???'

 

'I don't think I like you anymore.'

 

'You Lied !!!!!!'

 

'E.T. Phone home.......quick!'

 

'No, I'm not your Good Little Kitty anymore.'

 

'Traction... .I'm losing Traction!'

 

'I want my Mommmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!'

 

Oh Hell No !!!!

Adoption Education

 

I received this in an email I got from PETS this week. I think its worth sharing; especially to those who continue to buy from breeders and pet stores.

Please feel free to share this.

Please guys don't copy and paste. By sharing you may allow someone to be educated further by another article I have posted.

Thanks

Di

Why Adopt?

My parents always advised me never to buy a used car, because I would just be buying "somebody else's problems."

Unfortunately, that's how some people view rescue pets - as pets that weren't wanted because they had problems and didn't make good companions.

In the vast majority of cases, that's just not true!

Most dogs who come into rescue are not given up because they were "bad dogs" or have behavioural problems. Unfortunately, many people buy pets without thinking about the time, effort, and expense involved in keeping them. These pets end up in shelters, along the side of the road, or if they're lucky - in rescue.In fact, the most common reasons a pet ends up with a rescue organization include the following:

• The owners don't have time for the pet.

• The owners find that they can't afford either basic vet care or the expense involved in treating an illness or injury.• The owner dies or goes into a nursing home.

• The owners divorce and neither party can keep the pet. (You would be amazed at how many pets end up in rescue as the result of a divorce!)

• A young couple has a child and no longer has time for the pet, or the pet no longer fits into their "lifestyle."

• The owner is moving to an apartment building that doesn't allow pets.

This is not to say that all rescue pets come with perfect manners, perfectly socialized and housebroken. The pets who have been neglected and abandoned need training and gentle discipline - but so do all the puppies & kittens people buy! And a rescue pet usually needs much less training than a baby pet.

Another myth is that rescue pets are, by definition, inferior to pets bought from a breeder or pet store. Pets who are rescued came originally from show breeders, pet stores, and hobby breeders - pretty much everywhere. They are a cross-section of the pet population, and, as such, are no more or less likely to have genetic problems than any other pet.

But I Want a Particular Breed!

Purebred pets - Don't shy away from considering adoption of a pet from a shelter because you have a preference for a specific breed. About 25 percent to 30 percent of shelter populations are purebreds. If you're looking for a specific breed, contact or visit your local animal shelter or breed rescue group and ask them to contact you should a pet of that breed becomes available.

Designer dogs - People spend big money on labradoodles, spoodles and other "designer dogs" when their local shelter is full to the brim with the exact same cross breed dogs. Except the shelter likely calls the labradoodle by its true name - a poodle X!

Reasons to Choose a Rescue Dog or Cat

Those of us who volunteer in rescue all have at least one rescue and we know what terrific pets they can be!

Here are some reasons to consider a rescue if you are ready to add a new pet to your family.

You're not starting from scratch with an older pet - When you buy a puppy, you're essentially bringing an infant into your home... a completely untrained, unsocialised little critter who thinks the crate you bought for him is a jail (and who cries to get out... at 3 AM!), the newspaper you put down for him to squat on is a wonderful toy to be shredded, your new shoes are much tastier than rawhide, and your best carpet is an excellent substitute for grass when nature calls!

Most rescue dogs have been house dogs in the past, come with some basic manners and may have even been living with a foster family to teach them the ropes.

An older cat most likely will be content being alone - a perfect match for someone who has an active lifestyle.

The bond is strong - Contrary to the belief that an adult dog cannot bond with a new family, a dog that has been abandoned once is usually eager to become part of a loving pack, where they feel safe and secure, and are likely to act accordingly.

We find that rescue dogs are generally eager to please their new owners. Animals rescued from puppy mills often want to be in your lap at all times and will follow you from room to room, just to be near you.

Adult cats may sleep at the foot of your bed, in a cozy spot in your bedroom or under your bed. A kitten will most likely run around all night climbing and play attacking anything low enough to jump on - including you.

Fewer vet fees - Rescue pets have had physical examinations, have been desexed and are up to date on shots. When you buy a puppy or kitten, you pay for the pet AND for the vaccinations, desexing and other medical expenses.

What you see is what you get - When you buy a baby pet, you can never really be sure what type of adult you're going to get.

All puppies are cute and playful, but their adult personalities aren't visible until they're about two years old. So you don't know whether you're getting a dog who wants to play all the time (ALL the time!) or a couch potato. When you rescue a dog, you know what the dog's personality is like and whether it fits with what you want in a dog companion. You also know in advance about any problem areas you, as the new owner, will have to address.

A cat's personality has already been developed by the time it's one year old. A lap cat will continue to be a lap cat and it is easy to determine if the new cat will work out in a multi-cat household. With an adult cat, you definitely know what you're getting.

Adult pets are generally better for families - Adult pets generally are better with kids. Pups and kittens can play rough and cause harm to children by biting, nipping or scratching. When excited, large breed pups can knock children over accidentally. Children sometimes handle animals too roughly and can cause harm.

Adult pets are more mellow and more able to get themselves out of harms way and because of this are often more patient with children.

It teaches your kids good values - Face it - we live in an extremely materialistic society, in which TV teaches kids that everything can be bought, that they should get their parents to buy them everything, and that anything worth having costs a lot of money.

Adopting a rescue pet for your family presents a wonderful opportunity to teach your children basic values of compassion and caring, and also about the value of second chances.

Smile Time

 

enjoy the smile…

These are a few funnies I really enjoyed…

 

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however, dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.

It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years--canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the butt of that other cat/dog who lives here. I cannot stress this enough. Thank you..

In The News

 

Hi everyone.

It is vital that you read this story and sign the petition that has been created. There is an email version of this petition doing the rounds too – it has been created by the same lady and all the names signed on the email are being taken to the SAPS.

Thank you

Di

Dear animal lovers,

Below is an article that was published in our local newspaper the DistrictMail yesterday about the brutal slaughter of Trish and Mike’s dog Tammy on Sunday afternoon 28 August 2011.

The article below doesn’t even begin to tell the horrible truth of how Tammy was killed.

The state vet has done an autopsy on her remains and one cannot comprehend such cruelty which has been revealed in this report.

To date the alleged perpetrator who is apparently a well respected businessman of Somerset West has not been arrested or charged by the South African Police Service.

By supporting and signing this petition we want this person named and shamed.

He is apparently the owner of two dogs himself and frankly if one is capable of murdering another person’s animal you are not in any position to have animals of your own.

By supporting and signing this petition we as a community can make this case stronger by showing SAPS that they have the community behind them, and by word of mouth more and more evidence will be collected against the person responsible for killing Tammy. We want SAPS to take action against this person and bring him to justice.

Please sign and circulate this petition to as many people as possible.

Should you have information about this case please contact warrant officer Valton Lategaan or Captain Seekoei on (021) 850-1344.

 

A SOMERSET West family are battling to come to terms with the death of their much loved Jack Russel, Tammy, that was found decapitated in their neighbour’s yard.

Tammy’s owner Mike Daneel said she was their baby girl and an important part of the family.

On Sunday afternoon Mike and his wife Trish Daneel went cycling at around 17:00.

While they were away their daughter Alexandra Daneel (19) was at their home in Helderzicht Street studying.Alexandra said she heard a gunshot and ran downstairs to investigate.

As she passed a passage window she saw smoke outside which she suspected was from the gunshot.

When she arrived outside she saw Tammy on the ground with her head stuck through their concrete fence. She called her but Tammy was already dead.

Alexandra burst into tears and became frantic.

Just then Mike and Trish arrived home.

They saw Alexandra in the driveway screaming and pointing to where Tammy was lying.

“I tried to remove her but she was wedged in too tight. As I looked over the wall I noticed that there was blood all around and her head had been taken off and was nowhere in sight,” said Mike.

He immediately went to the police station for help.

Two police officers came to scene to investigate and removed Tammy from the wall.

Mike explained that the dog was so tightly wedged in the wall that some concrete had to be broken away to get her out.“By the marks on the ground it was clear she really fought to get away,” said Mike.

Tammy was taken for an autopsy to determine the cause of her death.

Trish said that the family was informed by the state veterinary that there are clear knife lacerations around the dog’s neck. “We suspect her throat was slit and she was then shot in the head, but we are awaiting the full autopsy results.”Trish described the 15-year-old Jack Russel as one of a kind. “She was an amazing watch dog, always there, always the same, she was my daughter’s best friend and my husband’s rugby companion.”With tears in his eyes

Mike described her to be loyal and a very good judge of character. “She followed you around everywhere and was always happy to see you. The person that has inflicted such a despicable atrocity on a defenceless animal will be punished 10 times over. My prayers are with that person, he needs help.”

Police are investigating a case of malicious damage to property. More charges will be added once an arrest has been made, which is expected soon.

Anyone with information is requested to contact warrant officer Valton Lategan at 021 850 1344.

If you don’t mind going to www.mypetition.co.za and this is petition no 587, or alternatively follow this link http://www.mypetition.co.za/index.php?page=sign_petition&petition_id=587