"Turkey-spotting"

There seem to be alot of turkeys out and about today around my neck of the woods and while I was not able to get good pics with my primitive technology (LOL) I have to say there was about 25-30 turkey hens grazing in the cornfield across the road from my place!They hover close to the edge of the trees and stay in a group and what tickles me is that when they go back into the woods they have to cross a huge drainage ditch and they all line up,single-file to "jump" the ditch with a flutter of wings,and cross one at a time!I rarely see a turkey tom,but you know theres always a handful of them somewhere on the edge of the woods,watching over the hens while they eat.I was curious and asked my husband why the toms sit there and hold sentinel like that and you know what his reply was?"They are looking out for their bitches!"ROFLMAO-crude,but when you think about it-it makes sense.My daughter especially loves to spot deer,turkey and the occasional herons that appear,not to mention snakes,frogs and turtles and on days like this,I am so glad we are raising her out in the country rather than in town where theres traffic,and no wildlife to speak of.

In memory of two heroic dogs

Sue Feuling,of Winnona,Minnesota,and her young daughter were saved from a fire in their home in the early hours of Friday,February 8th by their two dogs,who sadly lost their own lives in the blaze.The family pets,Bella, a 3-year-old golden retriever/collie mix & Maddie, a 6-month-old golden retriever awoke Sue and her daughter and they were able to get out of the house,but could not coax the dogs out and they perished.The electrical fire gutted her home but Feuling says out of all she has lost,the dogs are what she misses the most and cannot replace.It is believed that the dogs stayed in the house believing Sue's child was still in her room.I wish them both well.

Another amazing dog in the news!

Today the Tampa Tribune reported the story of a Labrador,with the ironic moniker of "Jet",who survived a 6 story fall on New Years Eve 2007.She accidently leaped over a railing in the Tampa airport parking garage and plunged about 70 feet,and then got up!The 2 yr old pooch had a collapsed lung and some contusions and was home the next day!Jet lives in Largo,Fl,with his owners.

Super Tuesday means super stupid bills on the ballots

Today it was reported in national news that in two of the many states holding elections today,there are ridiculous bills on the ballot up for vote.
First of all,in Mississippi,we have a bill from Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier,which would ban restaurantiers from serving obese people.I sh*t you not!another dumb law to save people from themselves that has no merit whatsoever.Read says he never intended for it to ever be voted into law,he just wanted to shed light on what he feels to be an obesity epidemic in his state(an estimated 30% of Mississippians are obese).So why even waste the valuable time debating it or bringing it up at all?
Then over in California,Measure A on the local ballots in Riverside,if passed,would restrict the number of roosters residents can legally own.They say it is to cut down on cockfighting but there was also alot of pressure on the city council by residents who merely complained about excessive noise from crowing roosters.If you live in ANY metropolitan area and your biggest complaint is a crowing cock,then you need to get a life.If the city already allows people to keep chickens its kind of unfair to backpedal now because some neighbors got their feathers ruffled!

Even MORE animal hoarders!

For the THIRD time in a little over a week another animal hoarding case has made national news-this time in Bonham,Texas where complaints from neighbors prompted an investigation yesterday by the local police in cooperation with the SPCA.Three dogs and a mind-boggling TWO HUNDRED AND NINE cats were removed from the home,and authorities say they found 40 of the cats together in a single bedroom.The alleged owner,David Wheeler,says he initially started out with 13 cats and they quickly multiplied.Wheeler also added that it was too expensive to spay and/or neuter that many cats AND feed them too.Here's a novel idea for him-don't have A pet,let alone over a dozen,unless you are prepared and able to have them neutered and vaccinated.

Not again!!!Another animal hoarder is raided

This seems to be happening alot lately-cops and/or animal welfare officers going into a home and finding hundreds of animals,and usually many of them are dead!It happened this time in Virginia Beach and while no offender has been identified,sources say that a dog,a bird,3 cats and 100 ferrets were found malnourished and dehydrated.61 of the live ferrets had to euthianized due to the severity of their condition.
The frozen corpses of a cat,a rat,an otter and 89 ferrets were discovered in freezers in the home and adjacent garage!WTF?What is wrong with these crazy people????

"Take my ass,please..."

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Minnesota is hoping to convince more Midwestern rural folks to "foster" donkeys for them until they are placed in permanent homes.They have over a thousand abused and/or neglected wild burros and donkeys and while many of them have been adopted and placed in sanctuaries in western states such as California,there is still a pressing need for what they call "satellite adoption centers",where landowners would agree to foster up to 6 donkeys and try to procure permanent homes for them.It's a win-win situation because the Donkey Rescue will reimburse the "foster parents" for hay and veterinary expenses-they just need to shelter,contain and care for the animals until homes are found.

Donkeys have little monetary value,and are unfairly characterized as stubborn difficult animals when truthfully they are gentle,smart and social creatures.I had to blog about this because I know there are alot of animal lovers out there in "Internet Land" and I fervently hope those of you with room to roam will consider fostering one of these animals.If I had a couple acres of my own,I would definitely be willing to keep a donkey!Let us hope they all eventually find good homes with people who truly love animals!!

200 Animals rescued from "hoarders"

The SPCA raided a home in Marshall,TX and impounded over 200 various animals,including birds,dogs,lizards,a hedgehog,rabbits,hamsters,mice,gerbils,guinea pigs and cockroaches.A little of everything....They were acting on a Harrison County Warrant for medical neglect and there is no word what charges have been or will be filed against the unidentified homeowner.Several animals were found to be dead and they were housed in sheds,pens and a filthy old doublewide mobile home on the property.
WTF is wrong with these people?It's fine to have a menagerie of pets if you are financially able to,and you are a responsible owner,but its no better than animal cruelty to have so many hoarded creatures that they are living in unhealthy conditions and are not properly nourished.It breaks my heart to hear this type of story because it happens alot in the news.As a busy Mom raising a child,its hard enough for me to care for just a couple of mice I keep but I do it!Little rascals eat as good as we do lol-honestly,though,people who would keep THAT many pets has some psychiatric issues that need to be addressed and they should never be able to own an animal again!

Paydirt for doggies

A Hagerstown,Maryland man named Ken Kemper died last year and left his entire estate,estimated at 800 thousand dollars in value and including his house,to his three dogs!They consist of a Beagle and two Lab mixes and they live at the home with their cartaker Roy Grady,who even makes them spaghetti and garlic bread dinners once a week(that cant be good for them!).The executor of the Kemper estate says that when the dogs are deceased and no longer require care,the remainder of the estate will be donated to animal-related charities,saying thats what Kemper would have wanted.Apparently he adopted all three dogs as strays and wanted to be sure they would continue to be cared for after he was gone.Hey,if he does not have kids to spend it for him,I think it was really sweet to look out for his pets.Whatta guy!