Hi my name is Miss Cooty pronounced “Miss Cody”. I am all dressed up with no date dont that stink. But that wont stop me from my Halloween costume contest. Miss Brittany and her Grandmother made my lovely outfit. No its not my real hair color. She’s naturally “cream” which is like a dirty blond or off-whiteish. But now a days who goes all natural. Please dont hate just appreciate. Happy Halloween.
My picture was taken by: stickx911
My Basenjis work together to get food off the counter. They push a chair over to the counter. One will use it to climb onto the counter (the other one is not a climber) and knock the food down.
J. Stevens, Atlanta GA
Leslie Ann is a twice adopted, brindle coloured, former racing Greyhound. In her first career, racing, she wasn’t a big winner so she was retired early. In her second career as a housepet and therapy dog, however, she never fails to place “in the money!”I first met Leslie Ann while visiting my best friend, David, in Austin, TX. He had researched (actually I did all the research, via the internet, and sent it to him) and decided to adopt a former racing Greyhound as a companion for himself and his Black Labrador Retriever. He asked me to accompany him to adoption day at the PetsMart store in south Austin where he had been told two Greyhounds were going to be available for adoption. One was an energetic, friendly, neutered, fawn male (that I really liked) and the other was a timid, shy, frightened, and only-spayed-the-day-before brindle bitch. Guess which ‘hound Dave wanted to adopt?
As Dave filled out the adoption papers I collected the provided supplies: a leash, a harness, and a collar, and coaxed her out of the crate. We loaded her trembling body into the back cab area of his extended cab pickup truck and started out on the drive to his house. As soon as we got out of the parking lot she started whining (loudly). I crawled into the back cab and held her and talked to her all the way to her new home – it was the only way to get her to stop her ear-splitting howls.
When we got to Dave’s house we showed her the backyard, she just stood there, looked at us and shook. We took her inside the house and methodically introduced her to each room, showed her to her bed and crate, and took her to where the food dish and water bowl were located. Upon seeing each location she just trembled. During all this I kept wondering, “David, what the he## have you gotten yourself into.” Leslie Ann celebrated being unleashed in her new home by promptly defecating on the faux Persian rug in the hallway! I laughed out-loud, Dave got mad, Leslie Ann retreated to her crate and I ended up cleaning the rug!
During her first week of adoption she would not allow herself to be crated with the door to the crate closed without violently trying to escape, she would not play with Dave’s Black Labrador Retriever, Travis, she would not eat if anyone was in the kitchen, and the only person she would come to was me (I think David got a little jealous). For my entire visit we let her sleep with me on the bed in the guestroom.
Dave worked with her a great deal after I left and the next time I visited, four months later, she had really changed. She was social, gregarious, played constantly with Travis, and was an all around sweetheart. For some reason she remembered me, though, and immediately came rushing up to me when she saw me again. For the duration of this visit she again slept with me each night. I was starting to fall more in love with her each day. After I went home that time Dave told me Leslie Ann moped around the house looking for me and slept on the guestbed for three days.
Leslie Ann convinced me that I ought to adopt a Greyhound myself! I, too, had a Labrador Retriever and thought: “Heck, if I can feed and walk one dog I can feed and walk two.” I had a fenced in yard and already knew more about Greyhounds than some people who own them so I planned to rescue one myself.
A sad turn of events halted my plans to rescue another former racer because Leslie Ann would soon become my dog.
Two months after my last visit with David I flew back down to Austin to bring Leslie Ann home with me; Dave’s health had taken a sudden turn for the worse. You see, my best friend had been living with full blown AIDS for the past two years and his health reached the point where he didn’t feel he could take care of his dogs the way he wanted to. A month prior to this visit his mom had adopted his Lab, Travis, and Dave and I had agreed that no one else should ever own Leslie Ann again except me.
I once asked David why he chose Leslie Ann instead of the other Greyhound. With no hesitation he told me, “That other dog was so perky I knew he would easily find a home but Leslie Ann looked like she needed to be loved. I really know what that’s like so that’s why I wanted her.”
I frequently sent Dave pictures and videos of Leslie Ann but after she settled into her to her new home with me in Michigan David never saw her again in person before he died. I spent the last month of Dave’s life with him at his mom’s house in Louisiana where he was reunited with his Black Lab, Travis, but he frequently asked about Leslie Ann and asked to see the videos I had made of her running.
After Dave died Leslie Ann and I went to school at a local dog academy so she could earn her therapy dog certificate (my Chocolate Lab, Jesse, had already earned his). As a certified therapy dog Leslie Ann, along with her best buddy, Jesse’, became volunteers for a local AIDS service organization, a retirement home and the pediatric unit of a local medical center.
Les’ and Jes’ became immediate celebrities when we started our therapy work. Some of Leslie Ann’s clients have had to give up their pets so they love it when she visits. Her clients who haven’t had to relinquish pets also love her, especially the children, because she’s kind of like the dog they never had or never will have. She will jump in bed and cuddle with her clients if they invite her to (she’s a ‘hound that loves her hugs), she is safe for anyone of any age to walk (because she never pulls on leash and doesn’t mind going slow so even clients who have trouble walking can take her out), her clients love to see her run (c’mon, is there anything on earth more beautiful than a Greyhound kicking up a cloud of dust while running at full stride?) and she has the ability to raise people’s spirits from worst to best by a nuzzle of her needle-nosed muzzle or a twitch of her infinitely expressive ears.
Who cares if Leslie Ann didn’t win money for gamblers betting at the track? Right now she’s a winner two to three times a week in many people’s hearts and a daily winner in mine. Even more, she’s a living daily reminder of my best friend.
Kindly Contributed By:
Forest Godsey
I have a Jack Russell Terrier who has nominated himself for an important job. I recently acquired a 10 day old puppy and Jack has taken the responsibility of helping me take care of her. He cleans her, helps her go potty, talks to her, and worries about her. He runs to her everytime she cries, and he’s so excited when I take her out of her kennel to play, cuddle or feed her. He’s proven himself to be a great foster brother!Darla, Guam
One Christmas, Mum was visiting for the day and had brought the dog with her. Our little cat sat in various places during the day in view of the dog but always out of reach (you could almost see the smile on her face when the dog was told off for getting excited). When she got fed up with taunting the dog she slowly strolled upstairs where our larger cat was asleep. A few minutes after the door swung open and our larger cat was sitting slap bang in the middle of the doorway staring at the dog, who promptly jumped on to mum’s lap shaking like a jelly. It was as if our two cats had been talking about the dog!
iona_ivf
Grizz looks like a mixture between a collie and a German shepherd. He’s the sweetest dog, but when he was younger, you couldn’t leave him alone for five minutes!
As soon as noone was looking, he’d use his big wet nose to poke the garbage can until it fell over, tear open the plastic bag inside and go treasure hunting. Ten minutes later the whole house would look like a battlefield.
He grew out of that habit when he was about 2 years old, but until then there was just no stopping him. All we could do was to hide the garbage can – and all other breakable objects for that matter.
One day my wife and I went to the movies without hiding the garbage can. By the time we realized the oversight, it was already too late. For the remainder of the movie we kept telling each other what horrors to expect once we got home.
Back home, we slowly opened the kitchen door, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. We were dumbfounded to find the kitchen, the living room, and all other rooms just the way we had left them. We were so proud of Grizz not having wreaked havoc… until we saw him!
There he stood, squinting at us with a picture frame around his neck! Don’t ask me how, but somehow he had managed to take a picture off the wall, eat it and stick his head through the frame.
I guess he had been so busy trying to get the frame off of his neck, he just hadn’t had time to mess up the rest of the house.
Tonight’s my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleeping all cozy upstairs,
While I’m guardin’ the stockin’s and tree.What’s that now—footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a cat or a mouse?
Who’s this down the chimney?
A thief with a beard— And a big sack for robbin’ the house?I’m barkin’, I’m growlin’, I’m bitin’ his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scare his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I’ve frightened the whole bunch away.Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again.
The stockin’s are safe as can be.
Won’t the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow
And see how I’ve guarded the tree.by Shel Silverstein
1. A CD of cats meowing popular Christmas songs.
2. A chew toy with the head already gnawed off by his canine brother who chewed his way into the gift box around the 15th of the month.
3. A chew toy shaped like a shoe which he is immediately going to confuse with the right sneaker of your favorite pair.
4. Central A/C for his Dogloo when you’re still using individual wall units that are barely up to cooling a small close-size area in your house.
5. Anything Garfield.
6. A remote control for the refrigerator door.
7. A knitted pink sweater that makes your macho doberman look like a poodle.
8. A deluxe pre-packaged treat-filled Christmas stocking that’s large enough for you to use as a sleeping bag.
9. Doggie antlers when your near-sighted hunting relatives will be spending the holidays with you.
10. A stuffed toy dog with an angel’s halo as a hint as to what he has to do to get more presents next year.
11. A doggie door between you and the suspicious butcher next door.
12. An audition for a diet dog food commercial where they feed him so much during retakes that he actually gains weight.
13. A piece of jewelry featuring a ceramic dog of his breed for you to wear.
14. His own i-pets.com credit card.
15. A cat.
Brain Candy
1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.
2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.
3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.
4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:
- – don’t pee on the tree
- – don’t drink water in the container that holds the tree
- – mind your tail when you are near the tree
- – if there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don’t rip them open
- – don’t chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree
5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part:
- – not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans
- – don’t eat off the buffet table
- – beg for goodies subtly
- – be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa
- – don’t drink out of glasses that are left within your reach.
6. Likewise, your humans may take you visiting. Here your manners will also be important:
- -observe all the rules in #4 for trees that may be in other people’s houses.
- – respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house
- – tolerate children
- – turn on your charm big time.
7. A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the middle of the night. DON’T BITE HIM!!
Brain Candy
On the first day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
The Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the second day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the third day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Ten Christmas cards I shoulda mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Eleven unwrapped presents
Ten Christmas cards I shoulda mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
A dozen puppy kisses And I forgot about the other eleven days.