Atwater Vitki

Blessings Be for your new and reconfirmed understanding Rev! How great!

I speak cat, dog, goat, sheep, horse, donkey, prairie dog and a little bit of chimpanzee, alpaca and camel. These, amazingly enough, are all quite similar, except for the chimp...IF you keep your ears open ! Coyote and wolf, on the other hand are very difficult to get the exacting nuances figured out, and then of course there's all those local dialects. It's soooo embarrassing to think you're saying "Here doggie, doggie!" in Central Valley California coyote, only to realize (after you're bitten) that you actually said "Sit on a cactus-berry cat face!" in Northern Montana Gray Wolf! But it's all tonal...sorta like Charlie Brown's Mom or teacher...we don't understand a single word, BUT you sure get the drift by how it sounds! Blessings of Peace, (Bow-wower rowie-wow woof! or Mao-wower mowie-mao maao!.... for the catter's out there!)

Too amazing...when we lost our "Gray C" to an accident, many months later we got MeShell, Hemet and Hershey..that looked exactly like your "Gracie" in the picture! Strange how those things seem to go 'round! Blessings of Peace,

What a beautiful story. How our hearts break when our beloved pets pass is something so individual and private, yet we want to shout our sorrow from the roof tops. It took me awhile to respond as I sat staring at the screen, reading over and over a few lines about who was left behind to mourn. It brought back many memories, both good and bad, of the many Spirited Souls I've let lovingly slip away to the ethers. Our love for them in life is only expressed, by such beautiful words, like those you posted above. Many Blessings of Healing for the Shared Sorrow, to you and yours blessed Sister

I don't know about "size" something MD said to post and have had few ?'s regarding doing so... of course "I dunno" is all I can resond 'cause I don;t have a clue about other's settings, computers etc...can barely keep mine set "right". But I do have a question of my own... How does the vet know which optical Rx to fill for the Pup? You're awful cute too, but looks like ya could use a hair cut...a little shaggy 'round the edges there! Blessings of Peace, <<RA...slinks off now!

Beautiful Lady! Too cool to hear about her "working" MP duty..I always like hearing those stories...more?...do tell!? Blessings to you both,

OMG! You said funny, but.... That's a bonafide pant wetter, coffee spittin', laugh till ya cry! Too funny!!!

Too many folks confuse the words “wild”, “feral” and “rescue”. Sure many rescues are feral, but few are truly wild. Dogs and cats that don't have a permanent home are often seen around dumpsters, behind fast food places and are just running loose around our neighborhoods, but in most cases have had plenty of human contact. Unfortunately for the animal that contact has been both good and bad. Technically, by dictionary definition, feral means a domesticated animal that has escaped from a cared for status and is living more or less in a wild, untamed manner. Feral comes from the Latin “fera” - 'wild beast' with a secondary meaning of “feralis” - belonging to the dead. The term 'feral' should not be used to describe the naturalization of a wild (non-domesticated) species. Nor should "feral" be used to describe a population of a species which although descended from a domesticated population has severed itself from dependence on humans and lived independently in the wild for a long period. According to zoological terms, a wild animal is strictly instinctual in its nature and will act in like manner. These animals have little, if any, human contact and should be regarded with great caution as there is nothing to prevent it from acting out its natural behavior; survival. This usually equates to 'protecting itself', 'hunting for food' and 'continuation of species'. I can only stress the precautions that many rescuers are familiar with when dealing with your neighborhood feral dog or cat and often such critters as racoons, possum and fox. In some areas the list can be quite long. Feral animals can be extremely dangerous to your domesticated petsEven though often “cute” or “irresistible”, do not leave food outside(1) to attract feral animalsIf feral or wild animals have become a nuisance around your home, call a professional(2) Keep your domesticated pets inside, or at least in a protected area, at nightIf confronted by a feral or wild cat, dog or other animal, remain calm and back away slowly(3) (1)Many of us have inside/outside pets and leaving food out for them is almost “natural” as we are of course thinking about the well being of our pets. Water bowls are okay but many pet stores sell a trickle device to attach to your hose faucet. I recommend these whenever possible. If you leave “crunchies” out for your cat or dog, make sure to bring it in at night unless there is sufficient protection from wild or feral animals. (2)Depending on where you live; “Animal Protection”, “the Pound” or “Animal Welfare” should be listed under your City or County phone listings. If you happen to be in an area where these public services are not available look under “Animals” in the yellow pages of your local phone directory for a private, professional service. (3)There seems to be much controversy over exactly what to do when confronted by wild or feral animals. Here's a basic tactic that seems to be a compilation of most “expert's advice”: Use a calm voice to let the animal know that you are not interested in a fight. Facing the animal, take several steps back to let it know you concede the confrontation. Turning your back could incite the attack response in wild animals. Your full body should be turned towards the animal as a profile makes you appear smaller. Remain tall and erect, and if at possible try to make your body appear bigger than it really is. Waving your arms above your head and to your sides and shouting “Get away!” or “Shoo!” will often do the trick to scare off the aggressive animal. A jacket, sweater or shirt can be slipped off and used to wave over your head or to the side to further increase the size of your presence. As you continue backing away, try to locate a stick, tree branch or even a rock to use as a possible weapon should the animal decide to attack. If the animal does lunge at you, remain standing while kicking at the animal's head and torso. Your legs are better suited for defense as they are generally stronger than one's arms. If you have a stick, deliver full, forceful blows to the animal's neck and torso in an effort to weaken it. If there is a possibility for you to move to higher ground such as on a car, a raised platform, or a tree, then do so. No pet/animal lover wants to hurt an animal, but sometimes it may be unavoidable. Some ferocious attacks have been made by “cute animals” like racoons and possum. Do not let your love and caring for animals interfere with your survival or harm to yourself or domesticated pet. Of course you can try all non-violent means first, but in the case of an attack by a feral or wild animal you may not have such a luxury. Blessings of Peace,

If there's typo's, it's due to watery eyes, Grateful. Even after 3 years, I'm sure it's difficult to extend to us your remembrances of the loving pet and shared joy you had with Nori. (Or was "Iron" on her tag in the mirror?? ) What a magnificent story of two energies being in the right place at the right time! Even "good" pet owners often fail to understand the vocal connection between us and critters. Your calm, quieting voice talking to her in the car let her know she was going to a good place. I'll bet you are one of those folk that gets along with/can approach/interacts with animals that others have labeled mean, vicious or crazy. That is so cool! I love it when that happens. Kay and I know from many experiences how well the vocal connection works...and of course, it's not the words, rather, the tone of voice that makes the connection happen. We wish more people would be aware of that tonal vibration in their voice and what a difference in attitude it makes to animal, and human alike. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt story about your beloved pet. Blessings of Peace, .

Scooter Rubin is delightful! I love seeing the glimmer in the eyes of loved and loving pets! Looks like one healthy, happy "Content-a-puppy"!! Blessings to you all,

Ah...okay...what happened? My post from yesterday is gone... The intention was that folks just copy and paste the "Temptation picture", there was no link involved. So I responded to BrDevon with a link to my blog to see if that worked for him to get picture. Here it is again! Other than that??? guess it wasn't meant to be. Blessings,

I've read that so we make sure plenny open windows and "box room" is separate from rest of areas we and kids hang out. Wife HATES any hint of box smell...guess I should have made ref to open windows, but those in the know should know, ya know? But anyway, yes, thank you for the caution, I'll edit that with a caution about lungs...but then what do a billions Indians do with tons of Nagchampa?? Blessings,

ooops...looks like a double take!