Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.
You Make Me Smile – July 12, 2015
.
Lauren Miller said, “Mine run circles around me! They come back when I whistle and then take off again. People always ask me where they are and I say, “WAIT FOR IT!!!” and then they pop up.”
That makes me laugh…”WAIT FOR IT!!!” Dogs are so silly sometimes.
Jan K said, “Sheba is the only one ever allowed off leash, and she usually runs ahead. I’ll keep calling her back to me, so she runs back and forth a lot!”
On the rare occasions I do let Delilah off leash (at least lately) she herself has been so good at checking in that I don’t get the opportunity to call her back! Sampson thinks that every time I call him, someone is nearby. He’s such a tool.
Hailey and Zaphod said, “Hailey has to be on leash as she would run way to far away. Phod never goes to far, and if he thinks he is too far, he comes back.”
That’s sweet of Phod, Hailey is like Delilah. I can’t tell you how many times she’s taken off on me.
Jan said, “Off leash my guys mostly forget I’m the pack leader. They become feral until I call their names.”
LOL I just can’t picture your dogs as ‘feral’.
Jen Gabbard said, “Aw that’s so sweet, he looks so chill. Laika will run ahead but instead of sitting she turns around & silently barks at me.”
Does she just open and shut her mouth with no sound? That’s adorable!
Karen Dibert said, “Louie is the same! He’ll run ahead, then stop and look back as if to say, “are you even coming?” Margo, on the other hand, will keep running to find the end of the earth. She can’t be off leash.”
It seems you and I have two dogs with similar personalities. 😉
Cats, Cats and More Cats! – Blog the Change
Just a few of the kitties looking for their forever homes.
Before we hit the comments, I want to thank all of you who shared this post. Donna updated me yesterday. When the rescue came out to de-flea the cats, they agreed to take two more cats, and the owner is keeping one, which means they are still looking for homes for nine cats. Sadly some of the cats are too feral and they will be trapped, neutered and released.
Sue said, “I tried to take off my judgey pants, honest, but I sure wish that lady had spayed/neutered 🙁 We’ve lived in the country for years and like someone else said, we’ve fed a lot of feral cats over the years. S/N is our friends and the cats’, too.”
It is hard not to be judgey, Sue, I know. From what I know of hoarding, it appears to be a mental illness and based on some of the pictures of the house that I saw, I would say hoarding wasn’t their only problem. Don’t get me wrong, my housekeeping is far from perfect, but based on the pictures I saw, this couple was in way over their heads. (God forgive me for saying it.)
Jan said, “I saw a TV special on the number of kittens one unneutered male cat can produce and it was phenomenal. I’ve been working with our shelter to try to solve the same problem you cite where one lady fed all the feral cats in the area and when she was not able to care for them there were over 30!!”
THAT’S a lot of cats Jan! I often wonder how people get in so far over their heads.
Cathy Keisha said, “Unfortunately the best intentions can go wrong. Someone we know is in a similar situation. We’ll share and hope someone gives those kitties a place to live.”
And I do believe this woman did have good intentions, but it would seem like they really didn’t have the money to care for all those cats, never mind have them spayed and neutered. I hope the person you know can find homes for their cats.
Jan K said, “It is too bad when someone tries to do the right thing but it gets out of control. It is also sad that people are dumping cats and that the shelters are full.”
I think it’s easy to lose control and I agree, it’s sad that our society feels like animals are disposable.
Jen Gabbard said, “There’s never enough people to foster, donate, or adopt. But I have to remind myself that we can each only do so much, and when we each do something for at least one animal in need it is making the biggest difference in the world to that animal. I try not to let negativity get to me when it comes to animal advocacy, but somedays I realize how daunting it is. ”
It is so hard not to let it drag you down, but all we can do is the best we can and that is how we make a difference.
Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, “I know those people mean well but if they could just get the animals spayed and neutered it might not get out of hand. Wish there was a less expensive spay neuter clinic for people in this situation.”
I think there are places around that do low cost, but I also think a lot of folks don’t know where to find such resources.
2 Brown Dawgs said, “I hope they can find homes for those cats. It does not sound like an ideal situation for a happy outcome.”
I agree.
She Walked Away – Barks and Bytes
Lauren Miller said, “They might not hate him as much now that he’s older. Zoe doesn’t like puppies, either!”
That would be nice, since she is more than likely going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks while we work on removing a tenant.
Emma said, “We learned early on that other dogs get to play with us in the yard and then come into the house too, so we always let them in. Mom is happy our lives started this way so we don’t have any issues. No, Mom isn’t super clever or smart, it just happened because in Germany dogs are everywhere, go everywhere and most of our friends had dogs so it just happened and turned out to be a good thing.”
I think that’s awesome, I wish the states were more like Germany in that respect.
Taryn said, “LOL! Isn’t it annoying when the dogs don’t do their park and provide blog fodder?!”
And all this time I thought I was the one who lost my mojo…maybe it’s her. 😉 LOL
Mary said, “I suppose you just need to be proud of Delilah for keeping her shit together.”
Honestly Mary, these days she keeps her shit together better than I do. 🙂
We Live in a Flat said, “I thought this was rather humorous. 🙂 And aren’t you glad Delilah was so chill?”
Thank you. Humor seems to be harder for me to come by these days, and yes, I’m so glad she was so chill!
Repoleon said, “They are a mystery aren’t they…. I can’t count the times I have expected things to be fine and they have gone terribly wrong or the times I expected the worst and it was all good.”
Yes, exactly! Although I have to say, I tend to lean towards things going badly and end up pleasantly surprised.
Beau did not know body dog language.
Flea said, “I do believe Beau is the cutest bulldog I’ve ever seen.”
He is pretty damn cute.
Beau as he looks today.
That’s it for me folks! Have a wonderful weekend!
Great follow up, Jodi! I hope you have an awesome weekend, too!
Beau is ridiculous! Delilah is ridiculous, too! (Ditto Sampson) Too much cuteness over there!
Beau is gorgeous. Have a great weekend!
Mom says the only thing she remembers about my last off least encounter, 8 yrs ago was seeing me get smaller and smaller on the horizon, a huge knot in her stomach, and the over half hour efforts she and her friend made to get me back. No hounds of leash unless area is fenced since then. Happy weekend!
Great follow up post as always, my friend!! I’ve been following Donna’s postings on FB — and I think I shared the first one — sooo happy the rescue group agreed to take two more of the cats. Some people here seem to think all animals, dogs included, are disposable. It really makes me angry sometimes; but it makes me more sad than angry. If I had the money, the property, and the wherewithal to handle it, I would go up to our shelter and adopt every one of those doggies! But, I don’t. I did the best I could do (not quite) 3 years ago when I pulled Ducky out of there.
Have a great weekend.
Great follow up, that bulldog is so cute, best go back and see whats happening.
To answer your question yes – Laika silently barks at me, as in there’s no bark that comes out but sometimes I can hear the snap of her teeth… It’s either a bit creepy or cute, I can’t decide.
Good one and some really nice pics. Thanks for sharing! 🙂