Tuesday’s Show and Tail: Big Horn Sheep

It’s time "Tuesday’s Show & Tail" time again! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures.  Angela has been hosting this special time for almost a year now, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 51st week that Angela has hosted this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

I got this in an email from a cousin and thought that it was truly amazing!

Hard to believe that these sheep can stand up let alone walk across this wall!

We don't need no stinking bridge! Big Horn Sheep taking a stroll at Buffalo Bill Dam, just west of Cody, Wyoming

A whole new meaning for being "sure footed!"

Notice that some of the sheep in this picture are heading the opposite direction of everyone else.

Isn’t God’s Creation AWESOME!!!

“Show and Tail”… Game Birds

It’s "Tuesday’s Show & Tail"  time again! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 46th week that she has done this. Angela hosts this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines. 

Since we are so far out in the “boonies,” we have a lot of “game birds” that take refuge from the hunters, such as it is.

We have had hunters shoot at our cars and shoot out the truck mirrors, and one time, a couple even shot at Mike! They hit the tree beside him and the ground in front of him! He was NOT a happy camper, and of course, the police didn’t get all the way out here until they were long gone!

Right now, we have a lot of quail and dove that are in our yard and pastures. Yesterday, I went out to feed the horses, and at least 20-30 dove flew up out of the backyard and the trees back there. I hadn’t seen that many before, but when I mentioned it to Robert, he said that he’s seen a LOT of them back there lately. Maybe next week, I’ll have been able to get some pictures of them.

Robert WAS able, though, to get several pictures of the quail that were outside of the front yard the other day. BG was intently watching them, as you can see.

Several years ago, we even had a white quail, probably an albino, that was around for about a year. I sure wish I’d been able to get some pictures of him!!!  Isn't this male, California Quail a beauty!

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… Tuffy Loves to Tease

It’s "Tuesday’s Show & Tail" time again! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! Angela hosts this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. This is the 45th one.  If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

As I’ve mentioned before, we keep my son’s horse, Tuffy, here because when my son’s new job moved him, he wasn’t able to take Tuffy with him. That’s ok, because horses are herd animals, and he is a companion for my old horse, Cory.

The thing is, he LOVES to tease the corgis!

He will come right up to the fence and snort on them, or swing his head toward them just to irritate them!

It makes them SOOO MAD! 

It is really funny to watch, so I made a short video so you could see what I mean…

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… Hummers

It’s "Tuesday’s Show & Tail" time again, and this time, I get to join in! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in!  This meme let's us share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals.  If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

We have a hummingbird feeder near our front door and get quite a few little hummers that come by to eat. Lots of times, you can see them out there fighting for their territory. Robert was able to get these pictures today, for me to share.

And this short, 15 second video...

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… Field Pups

It’s time "Tuesday’s Show & Tail" time again! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 39th week that Angela has hosted this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

Today, I thought that I would tell you one of the stories from the Unity Thrift and Outreach files. My sister and a few other people work together, volunteering their time to help save lost, abandoned, neglected and abused dogs in and around the Taft, CA area.

Last year, they received a call that there was a pack of dogs that people had let loose in the hills on one side of the town. There were several big dogs running the in pack, including one that looked like a Mastiff, and another that looked, at least mostly, like a Shar-Pei.

One looked to be mostly Rottweiler and another looked a lot like a Bernese Mountain Dog. They were told that the Animal Control officers would be going out to shoot these dogs if they could find them, but that someone thought that there were puppies up in a den on the hill. My sister and her friends searched for them and finally found them, pulling several pups that were approximately 6-8 weeks old out of the hole.

They took them in and fostered them with some of their volunteers. My sister took care of one of them that she named Smoochie. They were taken to the vet for their puppy shots, and after several weeks of socialization and care, they were taken to some No-Kill Dog Rescues on the coast where they all found wonderful homes.

My sister has kept in touch with the people who took “Smoochie” and he is well loved and cared for.

The Animal Control officers weren’t able to find all of the wild parents and U.T. & O recently had to rescue another litter from out there.

A couple of these pups were taken to another Animal Rescue where they were able to get surgery done on one of the pups that had inverted eyelids (A common problem with Shar-pei’s from what we understand).

They were adopted out shortly afterward to good homes. These rescues do home inspections before they will adopt out, and then they do follow-up inspections as well.

I really respect the dedication of people who do this kind of work, going out day and night at times to help save some of God’s creatures that need help.  These pups all have happy stories because of them.

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… J. R., Our Cat-dog

It’s time "Tuesday’s Show & Tail" time again! Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 37th week that Angela has hosted this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

Today, I thought I’d do a quick few notes on our old cat, J.R. We got him for my son, Manuel, who wanted to name him Manuel… he wanted to name EVERYTHING Manuel. I talked him into naming the kitten, Manuel Jr., which got shortened to J. R.

J.R. was raised with dogs and thought he was a dog, I think. He even used to drool a lot when he was petted and would start to purr. He was a really sweet cat, probably because he was neutered very early, so he never learned to wander. In fact, that’s probably why he lasted into old age around here when most of our cats didn’t with the coyote problem we have. (In this picture you can see most of the "Crucified Christ" on the cross marking he had on his side... all but the head.)

He would follow us out if we went on a walk, but if we got toward the edges of our property, he would start to meow… like he was telling us that “It’s NOT safe out here!” “We NEED to stop and go BACK!” “YOU ARE BEING STUPID!” It would get louder and louder until we were back on our property and safe.

He was one of OC’s best friends from the time she was a little puppy! He seemed to think the pups (her and her brother) were his own babies and would snuggle them. When they would get too rambunctious, and run up to him and almost knock him over, he would sit up and bat them on their ears with both paws… bat, bat, bat… but with his claws sheathed so he never hurt them. He and OC would clean each others faces for years until he passed away…

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… My Shadow

It’s time to share another "Tuesday’s Show & Tail." Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this special time for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 36th week that Angela has hosted this meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

Today… if I can get through it… I want to share about my old Shadow. He was a very special dog (but so many have been) that we got originally for my son, Mick. We first saw Shadow at an old Safeway Grocery store in March of 1990. He was in a shopping cart with a BUNCH more brothers and sisters. He was the skinniest of the bunch, and looked like he was mostly head (as do most animals who are starving) I couldn’t take all of them home, but decided we would try to save him as he was in the worst shape of them all.

He was part Border Collie and probably had some German Shepherd and/or Queensland Healer in him. He was TOTALLY smart, and learned very quickly. Of course, with good food and a lot of love, he grew into a very handsome, healthy dog and, since we moved out here a few months after we got him (one of the reasons that I knew we COULD get him) he and Mick had lots of room to roam. Mick lived on, and for horses, and they spent many hours riding the hills around here for miles with Mick’s brothers.

One day, when Shadow was a year or so old, I heard what sounded like a horrible struggle outside about 6 a.m.. It sounded like someone was being strangled. I jumped out of bed and ran outside (without my glasses), tripped in a hole and crawled to where the two dogs were struggling. Our other German Shepherd, Midnight, and Shadow had been playing when she got her jaw tangled in his choke collar and it somehow twisted around her jaw she couldn’t let go and it had tightened down on his neck and was strangling him while threatening to break her jaw.

I was yelling to try to wake one of the kids and praying desperately when suddenly one of the links broke! ( a TOTAL miracle as those were heavy, welded links) Midnight ran dripping blood from her mouth, and Shadow lay on his side, not breathing, his tongue blue, and he had already soiled himself. I gave him CPR ( I worked with little special ed. children, so had been taught how) Within a minute, he started to breath again, and we laid there, side by side, me petting him, crying and thanking God, and him gasping until he got his breath back.

His neck was cut and swelled up quite badly for several days, and Midnight had lost one of her front molars, but they both survived. From that time on, if Mick wasn’t home, and after he graduated and left home in 1996, Shadow was literally, in my shadow, until he got to the point where he could no longer walk and started to be in pain, at the age of 17. I took him to the vet and was with him as he went to the “Rainbow Bridge.” Mick drove out and buried him in our front yard, under the trees in his favorite spot.

Besides her Mama Mist, Shadow was OC’s favorite, and she followed him around and looked up to him totally. He was great with everyone and with other dogs, too, once he was told they were "ok." The only thing he feared was gunshots. I remember one day, the neighbors were practicing shooting out in their side pasture, and I heard a bang at the front door. I looked up and there was Shadow hanging from the flyscreen that’s on the upper half of the screen door. He reminded me of those old Garfields that used to have the suction cups on the feet that you could hang on windows… poor baby.

I wrote a poem about/for him the evening we buried him:

Goodbye My Shadow

3/90 to 7/9/05

That silver muzzle is no longer here

To nuzzle my hand as I shed my tears.

Old friend I will miss you so

As through this life I continue to go.

I remember your big head at six weeks old

Attached to that tiny body of bones.

We took you home and fed you up

And you became a sturdy pup.

And then when you were one or two

I shared the breath of life with you.

You’ve been my Shadow from that day to this

And you’re loving presence I greatly miss.

Today I freed you from your pain

I hope that my loss is your gain.

I looked to throw you a treat tonight

But no trusting eyes greeted my sight.

Later I reached to scratch your old ears

Then couldn’t hold back the flowing tears.

I know you’re in a better place

And smiling again with your doggy face.

By Linda Brock © 7/9/05

Tuesday’s Show and Tail… A Beautiful Email

Time to share another "Tuesday’s Show & Tail." Angela, over at West Virginia Treasures, has been hosting this meme for several months, and it is always a lot of fun to see all the interesting posts of the people who join in! This is the 35th one that Angela has hosted, it is a meme to share about past or present pets, animal friends we’ve known, or interesting stories about animals. If you’d like to join, here is the link to the Guidelines.

This was just so sweet, I had to share it…

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick..

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me.. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God