Yesterday we got out to herd sheep for the first time since last fall. The ice has melted here and the footing was good, except for some mud here and there. We enjoyed being out and I could see that the boys felt fulfilled, like they were once again doing the job that they were meant to do.
Bandit, as usual, was “overkill†on the sheep, and I, as usual, had a hard time staying ahead of him. But it felt good to be out there. Read more…
Posted on March 23rd, 2009
Filed under: Cayenne/ Zulu, General, Kate's Family | No Comments »
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More action is needed. This bill will be heard in the Minnesota House Civil Justice Committee as H.F. 253 (the Tilberry bill) on Monday, March 23rd and in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, March 24th as S.F. 7 (Senator Betzold’s bill), for more debate and a vote. Info for contacting the house was provided in a previous post (two posts ago). Info for contacting the senate is shown below.
Please note that these bills distinguish between hobby breeders and producers of large numbers of puppies and kittens. They focus on eliminating inhumane conditions. For more information, go to www.animalfolksmn.org.
Another Senate Hearing – More Calls Needed: Read more…
Posted on March 22nd, 2009
Filed under: General, News | No Comments »
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What have dogs taught me about love, life, and myself? This question was posed on the Angel Animals Network today and here is my quick response:
Bandit taught me that sometimes the best friends will find you when you least expect them to, and that paying attention to them is important. Jump on a good opportunity when you see it because life is too short and you may not get the chance again. He also taught me to be a leader, because (bred to herd cattle) he is a “lead or get out of the way” kind of guy. I had to step up to maintain order in my household! I used to think that he waved the rubber chicken at me when I was trying to work because he wanted to play. But then I realized that he did it because he knew that *I* needed to play. He knows me so well!
Kate taught me that an old lost beaten down girl who survived a Louisiana hurricane and flood and was displaced halfway across the country could adapt. It wasn’t easy–everything was different–but she carried on. She taught me that starting over when you’re perhaps past the prime of your life isn’t easy, but you can do it. And you can do it with dignity and heart. She reminded me how important it is to socialize puppies and expose them to all kinds of different experiences when they’re young. A dog who hasn’t had those experiences has a much harder time with new things as an adult. Kate taught me that friends from all over the country and even the world will come forward to help me when I need them. I had to ask for help for Kate and she led me to many new friends. She also took me to new spiritual depths and introduced me to animal communication in a way that I hadn’t known before.
Kate
Chase taught me that another man’s trash would be my treasure. My friend Sarah, who I met through Kate, rescued Chase in Virginia from a man who was going to shoot him for chasing sheep. Chase is the sweetest, most sensitive dog who is so worried about making a mistake, because he knows that it could have cost him his life. Chase trusts me now and we have learned to work together to herd sheep so that he can express this wonderful talent without fearing for his life. He taught me that you can start over again and you can recover from abuse and violence to go back to being who you were meant to be. He is a very loving dog.
Cayenne taught me that a dog who is afraid of her own shadow can eventually bond to a person. Abandoned in the wilderness of Tennessee with her young littermates, Cay had never bonded with a person before. With time and patience and love, this dog who once cowered in the back of her travel crate and needed two people to pull her out, learned to smile and be happy, and run up to a person to be petted. She is wiggly and joyful now and approaches my friends to be petted. She taught me that the waiting is worthwhile. She loves me now and that is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.
Jenny, Chase, Cayenne, and Bandit
All of these dogs have taught me to live more in the moment and appreciate our time together each day. For our time together is much too short.
Posted on March 21st, 2009
Filed under: Cayenne/ Zulu, General, Kate's Family | No Comments »
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Here’s an update showing that phone calls have been successful for supporting the proposed puppy/kitten mill bill in Minnesota. Action is needed again before the bill is heard by the House’s Civil Justice Committee on March 23rd. Please note that the definition of commercial breeder has been changed to include breeders with 20 or more intact companion animals and producing 5 or more litters per year. Read the message below and make phone calls before March 23rd. Thanks for your support!
HEARING UPDATE AND ACTION NEEDED
GREAT NEWS –
On Tuesday, March 17, the members of the House Public Safety Committee passed H.F. 253 by a wide margin – 13 Yes votes to 4 No votes (the No votes were Representatives Bruce Anderson, Steve Drazkowski, Paul Kohls, and Ron Shimanski.). Your calls do make a difference! Read more…
Posted on March 20th, 2009
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URGENT–Act now!
If you live in Minnesota, please take the time to form your opinion on this bill and call the Minnesota House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee before Tuesday. There is more information below and you can call at any time and leave a voice mail message. This bill was written to target inhumane breeding practices and not to target small or hobby breeders. This bill would finally give us the ability to have laws against puppy/kitten mills and provide the resources/ability to enforce them. I have been called to help with cattle dogs rescued from deplorable conditions in Brown County, Minnesota. There are way too many puppy mills in this state, with hundreds of dogs living in inhumane conditions. Please also be aware that there is more than one bill before the legislature on this topic. H.F. 253 is the only one with teeth in it (IMO and in the opinon of many others). Read more…
Posted on March 15th, 2009
Filed under: General, News | No Comments »
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ForeWord Magazine recently announced that 8 State Hurricane Kate: The Journey and Legacy of a Katrina Cattle Dog is a 2008 Book of the Year Awards Finalist! The winners will be announced at BookExpo America in NYC at the end of May.
Click here for more information on the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards.
Posted on March 11th, 2009
Filed under: Awards, Book Tour--Virtual, General, News | No Comments »
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Frankie the Walk ‘n Roll Dog is a delightful book for both children and adults. Frankie the Dachshund faces and overcomes many challenges in this story, including housebreaking issues, the death of her canine pal, and then her own paralysis after an accident. Frankie’s indomitable spirit, positive attitude, and love of life help her to keep on going and eventually to keep on rolling when she is fitted with wheels to help her get around. The love between Frankie and her mom Barbara is evident in the activities they enjoy together and the obstacles they overcome in the story. Read more…
Posted on March 7th, 2009
Filed under: General, We Recommend | No Comments »
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I’m thinking about attending the Noah’s Wish Volunteer training in Iowa City, IA on April 4th-5th. I attended their training in May of 2006 and highly recommend it. Even if you are not planning to deploy to disaster regions, this info is very useful when natural disasters affect your part of the country. It includes great info to help you plan for your own animals in the event of a disaster. Here are the links to general training info and the 2009 locations:Â
http://www.noahswish.info/VolunteerTraining/2009GeneralTrainingInformation.html
http://www.noahswish.info/VolunteerTraining/LocationsDates.html
Read more…
Posted on March 6th, 2009
Filed under: Calendar of Events, Events, General | No Comments »
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With the financial situation in this country, people losing their jobs and homes, many animals are also losing their homes when their families can’t afford to keep them. In the past few months, I’ve been bombarded with requests to find new homes for dogs. It is truly heartbreaking.
I’ve been talking with people at the Minnesota Valley Humane Society and at All Breed Obedience about what we can do to help in our communities. Read more…
Posted on March 6th, 2009
Filed under: General, Need a Home | No Comments »
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I received the following message from my friend Beryl. I felt that it was important enough to share with you. Please read all the way to the bottom for some good news about the surviving Vicktory dogs.
Recent news reports that the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers are potentially interested in acquiring Michael Vick.Â
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Not only do we need to pressure these teams to NOT acquire him; more importantly, we need to put pressure on the NFL to NOT allow Michael Vick to be reinstated into the NFL.
Read more…
Posted on March 2nd, 2009
Filed under: General | No Comments »
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