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Animals

May 16, 2008

Friday On My Mind

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Well, it's been a long week for the Tot and she has earned a nap to get ready for the weekend. It is supposed to hit ninety degrees here tomorrow which is very uncomfortable for bulldogs and piggies so there is going to be some playing in the hose happening at my house (not a euphemism).

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

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Congratulations to Paul and Shelly on the new member of their family. Say hello to little Guinness and make it a great weekend...


May 09, 2008

T.G.I.T.T.!!

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Enjoying another week of being Queen of the World, here's Tater Tot's latest day at the beach.


Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

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Thanks to blog reader John for sending me a link to the recent Asian International Dog Show. I don't have any information on this beauty but she seems to be getting her nails done for the competition here.

Please enjoy your weekend, y'all!   


May 04, 2008

Kentucky Tragedy

 Here's part of the Baltimore Sun's recap of yesterday's disastrous Kentucky Derby running at Churchill Downs.

                        

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - "Eight Belles was grabbing all the real estate she could as she pounded down the front stretch in a long-striding effort to catch Big Brown as he streaked toward victory.

It was a race Big Brown would win by 4 3/4 lengths, but Eight Belles had shown her stamina and determination and the 157,770 fans at Churchill Downs for the 134th Kentucky Derby celebrated as the favorite, followed by the lone filly in the race, came home one-two today.

But the celebration didn't last. As Eight Belles galloped out around the first turn, she stopped and went to her knees and then collapsed on the track.

Eight Belles, a big, strapping daughter of Unbridled's Song who was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby, had broken both of her front ankle
s.                   

She was immediately euthanized.

'There was no reason to wait,' said Dr. Larry Bramlage, the American Association vet on call.

In the stands trainer Larry Jones saw his filly cross the finish line with her ears up, in no distress and he left the stands elated, having seen Eight Belles join Hard Spun as a second-place finisher for him in back-to-back Derbies. It wasn't until he got to the track that he discovered a horse had gone down and then that it was Eight Belles.

'I was shocked,' said Jones. 'Put her down? We're used to trying to save them now. But when I did see her, there was no doubt it had to be done.'

Bramlage, who has been working at race tracks since 1975, said he had never seen such an injury.

'Sometimes, rarely, you might see a horse suffer something in one leg,' Bramlage said. 'But I've never seen it happen in both like that.'

Eight Belles is the second 3-year-old in three years to be euthanized after injuries in a Triple Crown Race. Barbaro, the 2006 Derby winner, suffered a shattered left front leg in the Preakness Stakes two weeks after winning here."

Eightbelles


Bean here. Question: At what price entertainment, you guys? I know that horse racing in this country generates millions of dollars of revenue for those involved and is enjoyed by millions of fans as well. 

But are the animals that are born and bred just to race merely expendable cogs in the money-making machinery? Should we just expect they'll just lose a few as the price of doing business? At the end of the day is Eight Belles' death just like crashing a NASCAR vehicle? Is it, "No sweat, we'll buy another one?"

Here's all I know. At 3:15 yesterday afternoon this very young horse was completely healthy. And through no fault of her own, just ten minutes later, she was completely dead.


May 02, 2008

Play Ball!

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"You've got two choices, Daddy. Reach for the ball and I will grab it with my teeth and not let go so you can not throw it, roll it, bounce it, or in any way make the next move in our game. Or, you can not reach for the ball and I will bark and bark and bark at you."   


Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bovine:

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It seems inconceivable so soon after losing our beloved steer, Hey, back on March 2nd that we could have another cow in jeopardy so soon. This is Betsy, a rescue heifer who was already around age twenty when we adopted her from a no-win situation four years ago. It took a very long time for her to warm up to us as she had not been raised around people at all and now we are in the difficult position of trying to get her to trust us as we try to nurse her back to health.    

While she is recovering from pneumonia it is so hard for her to understand the times she has to stay in the barn when everyone else is outside grazing in the sunshine. She doesn't like having her temperature taken and she really doesn't like any of the shots. She's had Vitamin B to get her stomachs moving, steroids to get her appetite up, and antibiotics to treat the infection.

She is getting better though and we'll keep on doing whatever we can for her. She deserves as many happy years as she can get. Otherwise, she may never know how this story ends that Donna is reading to her as they keep each other company in Betsy's stall!

Get well soon to her and a happy weekend to you all!


April 25, 2008

Someone is NINE!!

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Someone turned nine on April 15. Happy Birthday Tater Tot!!

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

This week was the annual Beautiful Bulldog contest, held in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.  Here's the winner, three year old Buddy, from Ankeny, Iowa. The contest is one of the events leading up to the Drake Relays, a track and field competition and is held to honor Drake University's mascot, the bulldog! 

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Have a winning weekend yourself! 

April 22, 2008

Strongly Worded Letter #7

22 April 2008

NBC Universal
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, Ca.

Attn: Jeff Zucker, President & CEO

     Congratulations on the weekend's big box office for your new movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  I went to see it and as long as you keep giving Kristin Bell roles you'll be getting more of my business in the future too.
      However, I could not have been more disappointed with one completely unnecessary minute of the film. I know comedy is subjective and maybe others will object to the coarse language or the nudity but it's safe to say most people who go to an R rated  movie expect that these days.
     But how on earth did a scene where Jason Segal's character Peter knifes a pig to death end up in this movie? It came completely out of the blue and  was so tonally out of step with everything else in this otherwise light, romantic comedy as to ruin an otherwise festive outing. Is there anyone who finds that kind of gratuitous violence against an animal funny? Do you?
     Don't misunderstand me. I recognize that people eat pigs and I've even seen them, just like in this film, cooked in the sand at a Hawaiian luau before. But don't they deserve to die as humanely and as with as much dignity as possible, even in a movie, and not appear to be chased, caught and slashed to death for "entertainment?"
     Thank you for your time and attention to this customer's concern.

Respectfully,    



CC: Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal
        Nick Stoller, Director, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
        Jason Segal, Writer, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
        Judd Apatow
, Writer/Producer, Forgetting Sarah Marshall

April 18, 2008

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Tater has sort of lost interest in American Idol now that Michael Johns has been voted off and here she Tuesday night dozing at the start of the hour.

Tottired1

Now her head is on my knee and she is fading fast.

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Good night, Tater!!

Tottired3



Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

Joe

Blog reader Wenyee sends word of Joe. He is two-and-a-half years old and doing great since being rescued from the Humane Society in Chino. California. Tater, Joe and I all wish you the best weekend ever!


Now A Tater Tot Friday Bonus Not Bulldog:

Obi


Donna was in Italy last week and this is the family's dog that lives at the villa where she stayed in Florence. Meet Obi, a Newfoundland, I guess. He pretty much adopted Donna as his new person and here he is ready for bed.

April 11, 2008

If It's Friday It Must Be Tater Tot!!!

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That is one happy dog! I wonder what her secret is? Keep it simple? Just be satisfied with love, sleep and food because nothing else really matters? Perhaps.

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog (Celebrity Edition!):

Did you watch American Idol: Idol Gives Back charity telethon on Wednesday night?  Lots of talented A-list stars, plus Dane Cook, were pushing the phone number 1.877.IDOL.AID for viewers to donate to some wonderful children's charities. Lines are still open!  Visit AmericanIdol.com for more information.

Matzoball_3 One star brought some help. In a taped piece, Adam Sandler appeared on his couch with his sprawled and snoring English Bulldog Matzo Ball!  Give if you can. Thank you, and have a spectacular weekend!
   

April 05, 2008

No Way!!!

Uh...this can't be real, can it? A few more long shots would certainly make it more convincing, but still....What do you think?

I can't get my dog Atomic to remember where the doggie door is yet someone was able to teach this elephant to paint like this?

April 04, 2008

Beach Baby, Beach Baby, There On The Sand...."

Spring has come to the Pacific Northwest, almost right on time with the calendar. Oh, sure it snowed some during the fifth inning of the Mariners baseball home opener this week but Wednesday and Thursday were beautifully sunny and near or at 60 degrees!

So it's been a great week to walk on the beach with Tater. I couldn't decide between these two so I am posting them both.

Whoiscute

Whoiscute2


While we were walking we met a fine Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog.  This is seven year old Peanut with the legs of her owner Tiffany

Peanut

Hope it's sunny where you are and you have an amazing weekend!

March 28, 2008

Entertaining Tater Tot Friday Caption Here

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It's Tater Tot Friday once again and the Tot is t-i-r-e-d. Lots of walks on the beach this week and that means it's time to nap!

No Bonus Bulldogs today but thanks to Irina for this photo of her pug Poosie.  Donna wondered if the tongue action is for concentration or balance.

Poosie

Also, thanks to Yasmine for this pug related silliness. Fun to look at and it will clean your computer screen too!

Make it a good weekend, people. 

March 21, 2008

Just Add Water

It's Tater Tot Friday!  Welcome to some fuzzy phone photos of a certain young lady having a bath and not loving it.

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Totbath3

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Totbath5

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Have a terrific Easter weekend, y'all!   


March 14, 2008

We Are Family

Chief1

Tater Tot and I spent some time this week out in the front yard playing ball. That's the game where I throw the ball and Tater chases it, puts it in her mouth, and then NEVER GIVES IT BACK EVER.

No bonus bulldogs today because I am going to add some pictures from the same day in the yard. These are our other dogs that don't have the outstanding public relations team that keeps Tater in the headlines but they are also very much loved.

Chief3    

Here's Atomic Dog, age 11.


Chief4
Santa's Little Helper, age 12.


Chief2

And the great Chin Ho, age 13.


I think it was wise old Benjamin Franklin who remarked that 71 percent of blogs in this country only exist so people have somewhere to put photos of their dogs. Guilty!!

Have a great weekend and thank you for your continued support. 

March 07, 2008

Quit Hogging All the Covers

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It's Tater Tot Friday! I was glad I had my camera phone on me when I came across a Mommy And Me nap in progress the other day.

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

"Bean,

If you're looking for a guest bulldog for your blog, this is Stryder, my neighbor's bulldog.  My labrador, Wally, has known him since he came home as a puppy and they are total BFFs.

Tiffany"

Stryder

Wally

March 03, 2008

The Hardest Post I've Ever Had To Write

Hey_donna

Yesterday was one of the hardest days we've had on the farm as our beloved steer, Hey, passed on about 11:30 a.m.

He had been in slowly declining health for the past couple of years, suffering the effects of old age. We estimated him to be about eighteen and he has lived with us for over fifteen years. So it does help a little bit that he had such a long life and he was so well loved. I am also grateful that it was not a long, debilitating illness that  took him but more likely a heart attack or some other quick event.   


Heyletmein
   
Here is a quite recent photo of Hey and Betsy, taken through the barn door.

I wish I had taken some pictures of him on this past Saturday as that was the day Donna and I gave him his spring bath. We spent a couple of hours with him, shampooing him, brushing him, and drying him off with a big fuzzy towel. All the while we talked to him, told him how handsome he was, and made sure he knew how grateful we were to have him in our life. Yeah, we really did talk that way about a cow. He was a very special member of our family.


Waffle_cow

Here's a 2006 photo of Hey preparing to devour a waffle. He loved baked goods: bagels, bread, cake, you name it. Curiously, neither of the other cows ever cared for them. Just Hey.


Heyage3

Here is the earliest known photo I could find last night of Hey. He was between two and three years old when we adopted him to save him from the slaughterhouse. That is Donna giving him a kiss.  We kissed him on the head nearly every single day of his life.


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We can't thank our friends Marty and Lorie enough for being here with us yesterday and making the arrangements to get Hey buried in a sunny spot on the property.  We talked about the trade-off we all make when we decide to have a pet. They will leave us too early and it will hurt badly but in return we get a few years of love and joy from  having them in our lives. The love we give and get from our furry friends is indeed a blessing.

I'll close with my favorite picture that we have of Hey, from about  2000 or so I think. Even with all our other pets around, his presence will be missed for a very long time.   Goodbye, sweet boy.


Snowycow


February 29, 2008

TaterDay In The Park.....

Totinwoods

Donna and Tater and I all went for a big walk in one of the many parks on the island this week. The Tot is an excellent follower but I don't believe we will count on her to lead us out of the woods if we ever get lost in there. Still, we had a great time and have really been enjoying a mostly sunny, mild February.

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:

Hello Bean!

This is a picture of my brother's dog Rickles who
lives in Kodiak at the Coast Guard Base. He will be a
year old in March. We censored it for your delicate
audience.

Thank You!

Jennifer

Rickles_rated_g

February 27, 2008

FW: FW: FW: FW:

Because I am known as an animal lover I get forwarded every news story or funny picture that anyone who knows me comes across that includes fur, wool, snouts, hooves, paws, wings, or tails. It is rare I don't get a dozen copies of most of these emails but I know the senders mean well so I don't mind.

Just in case you don't have the same friends and family as I do though you might have missed these two stories that have been buzzing around the internets. I don't know the origin or validity of either.

The first set of photos arrives with this text, "A momma dog is fostering this little pig for his mom who couldn't take care of him. He had his eyes closed, but now they are open. He is just a little bigger than her other pups. She loves this little guy more than the other puppies and she is nursing him back to health. He is the cleanest puppy ever because she licks him all the time."

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Dogpiglet3

Dogpiglet4


Dogpiglet5

Dogpiglet8

If I were sending out these photos I might add a note for the receiver to consider the randomness of which of these pets you choose to eat over the other and why.


The second hot link I've been getting over the past year or so is this one that offers this explanation for the linked video, "This woman found this lion hurt and about to die. She took him home and took care of him. When the lion was better she called the local  zoo. This was the reaction she got when the lion saw her again." 






    

February 22, 2008

Walking In A Winter Taterland

We had some beautiful warm and bright and sunny days this week and Tater Tot enjoyed every one of them. We played ball in the yard, sat out on the back porch and went for a few big walks.  And here she is!

Taterwalk

Today's Bonus Tater Tot Friday Bulldog Photos!!!  Blog reader Menard (wife Danielle and son Juggernaut) came through with photos of his gorgeous pair of bullies. Please meet MacGyver  (top in first picture) and Stan Lee (bottom in same).


Bulldogs

Bulldogs2

Bulldogs3

February 15, 2008

Like The Beatles Said, "Hey Bulldog!"

This is one of my favorite Tater Tot Friday pictures, from July 2006. I came across it recently and hoped some of my new readers might enjoy it.

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Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldogs!!!

Reader Anissa rules for reminding me that this past weekend was the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest in Long Beach, Ca.. Click  here for the results or just sit back and enjoy lots of bulldoggy goodness with these photos from the competition. (Janice Harris photos)


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Personal to blog reader Menard: I am retarded and  somehow lost the awesome photo you sent of of your little guys. Would you please re-send for a future Friday post?


Enjoy the holiday weekend, one and all!!

February 08, 2008

Lampshade In The House

Taterhattie

Taterhattie2

Tater Tot Friday!! It happens to many dogs at some point in their lives: the dreaded lampshade on the head.


Eliza2_2 Come to think of it, it happens to some people too.

Tater'll be fine. She's got a little scratch on her  eyeball so we're trying to keep her from rubbing her face and making it worse. She has a bunch of eye drops that are helping it heal and keeping her comfortable too but the plastic collar she does not dig.

It should be all cleared up by this time next week so no panic necessary in the Tater Nation.

Have a phenomenal weekend!


February 03, 2008

Thoughts On A Giant Rat

As a guy who likes to stay informed on breaking news I am a frequent visitor to Google Trends, a site I've mentioned it in this space before; it's like a record chart of songs bubbling under the Hot 100. 

Don't misunderstand. These aren't the most common searches for that hour. Those are almost always the usual suspects, Britney Spears, Hannah Montana, Jessica Alba, etc. No, this is
a constantly updated web page of the Google searches with most new upward action.

I clicked on over yesterday around noon and was surprised, perhaps naively, that Groundhog Day was still as popular as is was. Seven of the top ten search terms related to the holiday.

1. "groundhog day 2008"
2. "punxutawney phil"
3. "did the groundhog see his shadow"
4. "puxatony phil"
5. "ground hog"
6. "punksatony phil"
8. "groundhog phil"

other mentions on the list included

15. "punxsutawney pa"
33. "groundhog video"
38. "groundhog results"
48. "groundhog prediction"
51. "groundhog news"
68. "gobblers knob"

Handlers08 In case you are wondering which is which, search #15 is the correct spelling of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where the Groundhog Day event takes place each February 2d.

Every year I keep expecting it to be the last for this charade. To me, it's like the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, something that transfixed America at one time but is now barely hanging on thanks to a few old people. Once they die, is this a tradition that young people are really going to continue? Pulling a rodent out of a box and and using it as a cover to be wrong more often than not in trying to predict the weather? No please.

P.S. By the way, Phil did see his shadow which means you should take the Giants and the points.

February 02, 2008

Snail Mail

Dear Bean,

I have an important postal question, and after receiving conflicting information from various devisions of the post office, I decided I would ask the one person who is sure to know, and will also care.  Let me give you a brief history of my situation: 

426118415_b4686bad23 During filming of UA Films' recent feature, Ray Bradbury’s Chrysalis, in the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico, three *huge* snails climbed into the Panasonic camera bag and managed to live for TWO weeks in our edit bay until we discovered them.   We nursed them back to health with lettuce, mushrooms, and bottled water, and now they are living in a miserable plastic storage container.  I feel bad for these little guys and I desperately want to send them home. However, I do not feel comfortable smuggling them back and do not have the resources to send them via a private flight.  I would like to get them back to the El Yunque rainforest before they become too dependent on me and forget how to forage and ooze on their own.   I do not know if it is a relief, in their estimation, to have the safety and convenience of the entrapment with an endless supply of food, but I can only imagine the beautiful and refreshing rainforest is a preference for any creature, which is why we are desperately trying to avoid a sanctuary. 

62831959h0yaqenkimg_6715 Over the past week, I've managed to pull together a campaign to get them back to Puerto Rican rainforest safely, and enlisted the help of PETA activists, The US Department of Forestry and Fish and Wildlife, El Yunque Biologists and Puerto Rican local government involvement.  I am told it is imperative that the snails are returned the general location they originated from, and we definitely have the connections on the receiving end to ensure they are placed properly.  Everyone has been extremely helpful and willing to assist in every way, but no party has the ability to ensure a safe arrival of the snails to Puerto Rico.  The main concern we face now is that simply mailing the snails via USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex would subject them to the transportation process (which can be freezing temperatures in the airmail cargo) and the same Customs regulations as any other mail item.

Bean, you are the only existing expert on animals, the US Post Office, *and* National Parks and Forests.  I am sure if there is a resolution to be found, you can help us discover it.  We welcome any suggestions or information regarding animal shipment and transportation that could be a feasible solution to this problem. 

Also, since the story has become somewhat of an interest in local and national press, we will be posting updates in the Discussion forum of the new website for Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis, starting with this one.  Please refer your readers to www.chrysalismovie.net  to see updates on the gastropods as the process unfolds.  I would love to be able to write how Bean's Blog was the turning point for the plight of the snails, and will include a link to your blog as well.   Thank you again, Bean, for your compassion and assistance. 


Kindest regards,
Cana

(end of letter, edited for length)

Okay, team, what advice to you have for Cana? How can she get these snails home? Please discuss.

February 01, 2008

Shhhhhhh......

Tater_sleep_series_1

Hey, it can be exhausting being a dog!


Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog photo today is......Tater Tot!!! Here she is at age 3 months. This photo was taken on her very first day in Washington in 1999.


Tateryoung



Godzilla Update: After three nights sleeping apart we put Sophie and 'Zilla in their stall in the barn and told them to work it out. We stayed down there with them for about an hour as she sniped at him and he oinked at her. They are still not sleeping yin and yang like usual but at least they are touching now.


Piggies

January 30, 2008

Animal Farm

Quick recap for those of you joining this saga late: Godzilla, Boy Pig, age 10,  is battling his third skin cancer diagnosis. He just spent ten days in a central Oregon hospital receiving chemotherapy after surgery. We brought him home Sunday.

Based on previous  experience with 'Zilla being away from home we knew there might be some tension in his reunion with his life mate, Sophie. She is also 10 and man, can she hold a grudge! You do not step out on this pig. A few days away from home without a better reason than CANCER, apparently and she will freeze your porcine ass out. 


Sophiezillaone

Exhibit A: Godzilla is just getting home here and is met at the door by an angry woman. Yeah, we've all been there.

 

Sophiezillatwo

Exhibit B: "Come here right now, young man!!!" (Sniff, sniff) "What is that smell? You have some 'splaining to do and it starts now, Mister."


Sophiezillathree

Exhibit C: "Where do you think you are going? Come back here right now."


Sophiesleeping
Exhibit D: Later that night, "Hey, sleep on the couch, man. You are not coming anywhere near this bed."


Godzillasleeping Exhibit E: Godzilla on the couch. This was the scene Sunday night, Monday night, and still last night. Sophie is starting to allow  him to eat near her during the day and I hope she is warming up to getting things back to normal but so far, no dice.  It breaks my heart but there are times when we just have to let it play out. These kids have ten good years together. I think they'll make it.


While we are in the barnyard, I am keenly aware that many readers could not be less interested in another idiot babbling on about his stupid pets. If you are still reading this far, however, I thought you might enjoy some pictures of some of our other animals that you don't see much on this blog.


Betsyportrait

Our cow, Betsy. we adopted her when she was already 17 and found herself having to move from the only home she had ever known.


Buttercupportrait

Buttercup is about twelve. We have had her since she was ten months old. We love her. She barely tolerates us. Some pets are like that. Some people are even like that.


Happycloseup

Finally for today, our burro, Happy, who is somewhere in his twenties.  Donna took this picture Sunday. Happy seemed to think the camera was food!


January 25, 2008

Wake Me Up When We Get There

Totonferry

Here is the mighty Tot in action in the passenger seat of my car while we were crossing Puget Sound on the ferry yesterday afternoon. Yes, she fell asleep with her head on my arm. So I used my left hand to take this picture with my cell phone, as best I could. Tater was quite annoyed when we docked and I had to use my arm again to drive.

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Photos:

Not another bulldog today but instead some photos that Donna sent me from Oregon last night. You may recall our boy pig is in the hospital down there undergoing cancer treatment. She spent Wednesday and Thursday with him and I am going down Sunday to bring him home. Yay!!! Get well soon, Godzilla!   

Zillaone_2

Zillatwo_2

Zillathree


January 20, 2008

This Little Piggy Went To Hospital

We've had a tense week because one of our furry ones is in the hospital. Meet Godzilla. He's ten years old and weighs just over 600 pounds.  He had a rough start because his mother died during childbirth and he was the only one of his litter of ten that did not find a new mommy. We gave him that name because we wanted him to have something strong and powerful in his life to get him through the hard times.

Here he is, still at the vet's office in 1997 where we had to keep him for three days on antibiotics and fluids to get him healthy before we were able to bring him home. He's three months old here and weighs just eight pounds.

Baby_godzilla

Of course we had to bottle feed him for some time after we got him home.  Here I am at one of his many feeding times.

Godzillafeeding


Here he is with our other pig, Sophie Marie having some dinner. She now weighs 750 pounds, by-the-way and is powerfully missing her mate right now. Until this week I don't think they slept apart more than three or four nights in ten years together.

Gozillaeating

Our Christmas card in that magical year of piglets, titled My Donna And Child. Sophie was going to be the model but she was too squirmy so the always well behaved young man got to be the Chosen One.

Godzillaxmas

Fast forward to Godzilla as a grownup. In this undated photo he enjoys an afternoon in the pond. Pigs don't have sweat glands in their skin, as you may know, so they roll around in the mud to cool off on hot days.

Godzillapond_2

Donna took this one of him on Thursday, the day of his surgery to cut out some skin cancer from his ears. We tried to kill the bad cells by having them frozen at a clinic in Washington on two prior occasions but they came back. Why? Because cancer sucks.

Godzillahospital_3

This time we found a specialist in central Oregon to do this hopefully more permanent solution. He needs to remain there for another week for follow up chemotherapy. Donna stayed with him to spend the days in his stall and read aloud to him both Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Charlotte's Web. Godzilla loves story time. And vanilla wafers.  

I drove down yesterday and was so happy to see him up and around. This treatment is uncomfortable but his pain is well managed here at this facility and if we can take him home next weekend and the cancer does not recur it will have all been worth it.

Godzillachemo

Godzillajail

I don't know much about prayer or good vibrations or whatever is supposed to help the sick in times like these but we would very much appreciate any good thoughts you can send Godzilla's way.  :)         

January 18, 2008

Not Just Cute, But Popular Too!

For the first time in 72 years, the bulldog has made it back onto the American Kennel Club's list of top 10 most popular dog breeds. The list is based on 2007 AKC registration figures. Of course, the Labrador Retriever is still the AKC's "Top Dog" --a position it's now held for 17 consecutive years.
   
This year's most popular list (last year's rank in parentheses):

10. Bulldog (--)
9. Shih Tzu (9)
8. Poodle (8)
7. Dachshund (6)
6. Boxer (7)
5. Beagle (5)
4. Golden Retriever (4)
3. German Shepherd Dog (3)
2. Yorkshire Terrier (2)
1. Labrador Retriever (1)

Speaking of bulldogs, it's Tater Tot Friday!!!

Tater_with_ball_under_table_2

Tater's favorite game is to take her ball under the coffee table and bark until you try to take it away from her. Then she grabs onto it and will not let it go. Repeat. Again. And again.

Have a superb weekend!


 


January 14, 2008

Jessica, Put Daddy's Car Down.

I don't recall if I mentioned during my trip to the animal safari park in Oregon last month that I love hippos. They are definitely in my Animal Top Ten, along with polar bears and penguins, pigs and naked mole rats, bees and dogs, cows and hedgehogs, and, of course, tapirs.

Here are a few more hippo photos from my trip, unfortunately all taken from inside the car due to park rules. Then we'll meet Jessica and see why she rules.

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Okay, now about Jessica. Here are some highlights from the Sky News story:

"Jessica weighs almost a ton and enjoys sweet coffee and a massage before she goes to bed. She's a hippo with a big identity crisis - she thinks she's a family pet.

Tonie Joubert, a retired game warden from Hoedspruit in South Africa, found her washed up on his land by flood water when she was just a day old.

He hand raised her, fully expecting her to return to the wild as soon as she was old enough. That was seven years ago and Jessica has never left.

"I don't know whether she thinks I'm a hippo or she thinks she's a human," Tonie explained as he deposited another fistful of sweet potato inside Jessica's gaping mouth.  "But we have the most fantastic bond."

Me again. Hmm, as a retired game warden Joubert must know how deadly the big creatures are - they kill more people than any other mammal in Africa. Wonder if the news story when that happens will be the follow-up YouTube video to this delightful introduction to Jessica...



January 12, 2008

Saturday Smorgasbord

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1) R.I.P. Vampira. Who knew she was still alive? But now I am sad.


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2) This may be the cutest baby I've ever seen. Kinda hairy though. Wait, what's that?


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3) Y'all know how I feel about puppies. What you don't know is that piglets are even cuter. Even fluorescent ones.


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4)  Watch last night's episode (#211) of Friday Night Lights at NBC.com  and  I'll give you a dollar* if you can name a better actor on television than Kyle Chandler. Watch it.  I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.


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5)  America loves Brett Favre. I get that. I do too. But he's won his ring.  Now it's time for his former backup QB Matt Hasselback to get his. To get another shot at it all the Seahawks have to start by beating the heavily favored Packers today on the hallowed and frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wisconsin, 54307.  Yes please.      


*dollar not included

January 11, 2008

It's My Party And I'll Pout If I Want To

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There must have been one moment recently when we weren't giving 100% of our attention to Tater Tot and she was keen to express her displeasure. (Donna took this one)

Tater Tot Friday Bonus Bulldog:  Many, many thanks to blog readers Jeff and Christine for sending me this photo of their precious Maddie.

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Finally, and don't think you can send me your mangy non-bulldog pictures and expect to see them published, but here is my dad's dog Scamp, age 12 today, by executive order.


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January 04, 2008

What Do You Mean I Need Braces?

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Tater is so used to having her picture taken that she sometimes poses and waits until I get my shot before she goes about her day. She is both thoughtful and beautiful.


Bonus Tater Tot Friday Bulldog picture: 


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From Jeff, along with his caption, "No more wine for Ted!"

Have a great weekend, readers. And Go Seahawks!!  The Redskins can't kill enough of their players to get the momentum to beat Seattle tomorrow.

January 03, 2008

Strongly Worded Letter #4

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Ms. Patti Labelle c/o
Universal Music Group

2220 Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica , CA 90404

Dear Ms. Labelle,

     I'm not a rabid fan but have always been impressed by your voice and your ability. I bought "Lady Marmalade" on 45* as a teenager, and just last month I bought your new Miss Patti's Christmas CD. May I ask for one minute of your time after my 35 years of support?
     I saw the photo in the newspaper of you with your friend Mary J. Blige at a record release party in New York last month, both draped head to toe in fur.
     You think you know what I'm going to say next but I am not an activist, am not deeply involved in this issue, and don't even agree with much of how PETA conducts their business.
     I know how slowly people's habits change but have