The most recent picture of Moxie, my rescue Rottie.  Taken May 1 by one of the people on the 4th Annual Beaver Brook Association Pack Hike sponsored by the Swissy Club of New England, the pix captures her enthusiasm and zest.  On this day, Mox earned her Novice Working Pack Dog title.  My astonishing girl is titled in five companion and performance events (carting, drafting, obedience, Rally, and pack dog), with advanced titles in three of them (drafting, obedience, and Rally).

Photo credit: Peter Ziegler

Even more amazing is the fact that Moxie is 10-1/2 years old.

I don't know where this video originated but this is priceless!  This cat just loves water.  The video was sent to me by a fellow cat lover - it will be a great use of 2 minutes of your life to watch it.

Cat Drinking Video

When we first brought Winston home at 8 weeks old - he shivered and howled at being in a car - expected behavior for an 8 week old pup.  When he got a little older - between 3 - 6 months old - he didn't howl anymore but he was so awkward in the car that it was really difficult to take him anywhere.  He wouldn't lay down and he insisted on sitting in the seat with his butt facing the windshield.  I don't know if he was afraid at seeing too much out of the front window or if he just felt more secure riding with his face in the direction of the seat and the more enclosed space.  Somewhere around 6 months old, he started enjoying the ride.  I don't really know why.  But he seemed to go from being insecure in a car to enjoying himself.  Now, at the age of 2 - he is a regular car junkie - he LOVES going everywhere - he even enjoys handing out in the car to the point where he begs to get back in the car if we are taking too long loading it up with groceries. 

He especially loves sitting behind the wheel the second you leave the car.  He sits with his paws on the steering wheel and it truly looks like he's getting ready to take off.

Winston goes to work with my husband everyday.  He knows the signals and can tell when my husband is getting ready to go and he waits at the door for the o.k. sign.   Anyone who knows us is now used to seeing his face pressed up against the window of the truck as it rides down the street.  And other than the disgusting slobber that is consistently freezing in rivers down the glass of my husband's truck - they are both very happy for the company.

Our 2 year old male lab has no idea that he is a 90 lb animal that can scare the crap out of people and small animals when he gallops down our driveway to say hello.  He also has no idea that when an agressive male decides to jump his back (mistakenly taking him for a female) that he can fight back and just say "NO!".  He's a super gentle dog with a very playful but timid personality - and I couldn't love him more - exactly the way he is.  

However, I have always felt bad for the amount of fearfulness I see him display - he's happy, don't get me wrong - but he won't even leave our back deck at night without me telling him it's o.k. and without him barking furiously towards our woods - (just in case another animal might be lurking) 

There has never been a reason that anyone can see that would explain his fearfulness - we adopted him at 8 weeks old from a friend - so we know he was never abused or mistreated.  Our friend told us that from the time of his birth, he was the only pup who howled when separated from his mother - who knows?  Just like our children, we never really know why kids from the same environment can turn out so differently, I guess we will never know why it happens with animals either.

This brings me to the most recent unusual behavior we have seen from him.  He has always done this strange thing where he needs to bring a familiar toy with him whenever he gets in the car.  I don't mean he just happens to have something with him - I mean that he will stop mid-run, turn around and go back in the house and find a toy before he will get in the back seat.  I've always thought it was adorable but strange and more like the behavior I saw from my daughter at 6 when she wouldn't leave the house without her "nonny doll" than from a dog. 

For Christmas I bought him a stuffed rabbit with googly eyes and a fuzzy tail that squeaks when you squeeze it.  Yes, I am "one of those" who has a special stocking for the dog and the cats.  Anyway, usually anything soft and fuzzy is chewed and ripped apart within minutes of being handed over.  So when I first brought it home and showed my husband he thought I was crazy because it meant that I would be cleaning up stuffing the rest of Christmas day.  But not this time.  The dog took one lap at this wacko looking rabbit and fell in love.  He sucks on it, licks it, carries it in his teeth - but has not made one attempt at ripping the snot out of the thing,  Since Christmas day he carries it with him from room to room - won't go to bed without tucking it in with him - and when he arrives home (I won't let it go out in the snow with him) it is the first thing he looks for.  Even running past his food bowl and me!  Something I never thought I would see.

So here we are - I thought the novelty would wear off by now but it has been a week and he is even more attached than he was day one.  The look of contentment and peace on his face when he beds down for the night with one paw resting protectively over the rabbit's body is an amazing thing to see - making that rabbit the best Christmas present I have ever given out.

 
Above: Helen Quinn of Acworth stands in the doorway of her mobile home, describing how upset she is that her horses were put down.

A love for animals- a case for the law.  Acworth woman decries loss of horses by Sarah Palermo, Sentinel Staff

This article was originally published in The Keene Sentinel on July 31st and was the cause for much discussion in the community.

Here is the original article, with reader's comments following  through the extended entry text.  Please post your thoughts in the comments form below. 

ACWORTH — Standing on the trash-covered porch of her mobile home in the dusk of a muggy, buggy Friday night, Helen Quinn said her life was stolen.

On Thursday morning, the state veterinarian euthanized four of the six horses she kept at her Mulligan Road farm. The other two were put in the care of a friend from Swanzey.

“The goddamn bastard sneaks,” she said, claiming the officials put down the horses while she was at the store.

“To me this is horse stealing. I’ve never heard of such a thing as someone being able to go in your barn and kill your horses.”

Many town residents had already heard the news by Friday evening, according to Doug H. Robinson, who was working at the South Acworth Village Store.

“They saw the cruisers, they knew where they went,” Robinson said, adding that state officials had been called to Quinn’s land in the past to check on the animals.

Quinn’s farm, North Star Morgan Ranch, is a collection of buildings and trailers, including the house where Quinn, 83, says both she and her mother were born.

The house, which might once have been gray, has no door and is overrun by weeds. Several windows are filled with cobwebs instead of glass.

Cobwebs also hang on the stairs leading to the mobile home where Quinn now lives. Under the wet scent that fills New Hampshire’s woods this summer, a stench lingered where food and wood rotted.

The porch and area around the home is littered with cans of cat food. Quinn is taking care of a family of Maine Coon cats that lives in the barn, she said, but it’s been difficult since the horses were taken.

“At this point I can’t even face going into the barn ... Any time this comes up in my mind, I just go all to pieces,” she said. “My life’s been taken away. My horses were my whole life.”

N.H. State Police and a state veterinarian began investigating Quinn after a neighbor said she had horses on her property that were emaciated and foundered, according to Sgt. Jayson Almstrom.

Almstrom and State Veterinarian Stephen K. Crawford, who euthanized the horses, could not be reached for further comment.

The other two horses were in the custody of Mike Johnson of Swanzey, Quinn said. Johnson could also not be reached for comment Friday night.

Four of the horses could not be saved, and the two others that were savable were adopted by a friend of Quinn’s who lives in Swanzey, Almstrom said.

Quinn said Friday night she told officials who visited Wednesday she planned to put down a white mare with foundered feet — “as soon as I could get a vet and a backhoe.”

The other horses were healthy and happy, she said.

“They were almost human. They were brought up with people loving them and petting them,” she said.

Even if the horses were sick, she said, that would be no reason to put them down: “You don’t kill people just because there’s something ailing them.”

Quinn has not been charged with a crime as police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the condition of the horses.

She says she and her horses are victims.

“I love my animals, you know,” she said. “There’s not much I can do now. I’ll stay here until I’m ready to just give up ... I was near ready to last night.”

Sarah Palermo can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or spalermo@keenesentinel.com

Sentinel reporter Phillip Bantz contributed to this report.

READER COMMENTS TO THIS STORY:

For anyone who already is involved or wants to be involved in helping our community deal with caring for abandoned animals, now is the time to step up.

There is an article in today's Keene Sentinel about the Jaffrey shelter being at capacity right now.  And they are not the only shelter struggling.

Shelters always have a struggle trying to keep up with the supplies needed to care for the animals dropped off or found lost or abandoned. But in these extremely tough economic times, when people are struggling to feed their children - the first thing to go is the cat or dog whose care is just too much for the families to deal with.

The Jaffrey center is a no-kill, cat-only shelter and has 150 cats in their care right now.  The Monadnock Humane Shelter has 200 cats living in Swanzey and another 70 that are in foster care.  This is an extreme situation.

It is heartbreaking to me to think about a family being in such distress that they have to make a decision like that.  But as much as my dog and two cats are a part of my family - I too would have to take that step if it came down to feeding my daughter or the dog. But I would never be the same not knowing what happened to this animal that put its trust in me to care for it for the rest of its life. It would leave me with such a feeling of failure.

If you are one of the families that is fortunate enough to not be faced with a decision like that - and you can do without a little cash this month - think about dropping off some bags of cat or dog food - or just donating the cash to the shelter of your choice.  Before you buy that extra pair of jeans or think about going out to dinner - consider doing without - for one night.  The cost of dinner out for two people - even at an inexpensive restaurant - is at least $40.00 - that amount could buy enough cat food to last a month for at least 2 - 3 cats. 

For more information about how you can help or what the different shelters are doing in this area - check out the Sentinel article -
Pets feel the pinch

I'm always distressed when I see stray animals around in our neighborhood.  It can be difficult to distinguish between the animals - particularly cats - that are just left to roam free - and the animals that are truly homeless.

If I acted on impulse and took home every animal that I see that isn't being treated the way they should - my home would quickly become overrun - not to mention smelly, diseased and bankrupt.  I would end up one of those people you see on animal planet that have to be "rescued" from their homes because they have 50 cats and 30 dogs.

So the answer isn't always to provide a home - but it isn't to ignore them either.  I've heard co-workers say that they feel better in the warmer months because they don't worry about strays as much as in the winter.  But that is not a well thought out opinion.  In the warmer months there are just as many dangers for strays. 

Strays do not have access to fresh, clean water the way they should.  Strays are suseptible to every disease spread by fleas, ticks, mites - you name it.  Sun exposure is just as dangerous to a pet as it is to humans - and it isn't as easy to avoid in a safe way as you might think.  Seeking cooler ground and thirst have caused strays to wander into drainage pipes, sewer systems - not to mention going into the woods where they can easily become prey.

The best thing to do once you confirm that an animal is a stray is to offer it water - and then use a have-a-heart trap or some other means of capturing the animal and bringing it to the local shelter.  It may find a home or it may be euthanized - either way it is more humane to the animal than letting it wander every day without any care or comfort.

There is an excellent article about this subject posted on the humane society web site: Animal Angel

A recent article in the Sentinel by the Associated Press makes the case that a car in warm temperatures can be deadly to pets.   That isn't news to most pet owners.  But what may be eye-opening is that the temperature doesn't have to be what we consider "hot" to be deadly. 

The article states "When it’s 72 degrees, a car in direct sun can reach an internal temperature of 116. Even in the shade, a car can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than outdoors, and cracking the window has almost no effect."   I consider myself a responsible pet owner - but I admit that in the spring when the temps are in the low 70's - I haven't thought twice about leaving my dog in the car while I run an errand.  Although I do more than "crack" a window - it does make me re-think the situation.

The article offers this website as a resource - http://www.mydogiscool.com/  - a site provided by the United Animal Nation organization.

The full article can be read for free for the next 7 days on the Sentinel website - http://www.sentinelsource.com/articles/2009/05/25/living/lifestyles/free/id_355570.txt

I recently had a conversation with a friend who had just adopted her first cat.  I have been a cat owner (and dog owner) for years, so naturally she came to me for some advice.

One of her questions was what to feed her cat.  I'm not sure what other pet owners do or even if it is recommended - but I have always believed in a varied diet for my pets.

First thing - always - is to investigate what types of food are harmful for whatever type of pet you have - but other than avoiding those foods (like chocolate for dogs) I go with whatever they seem to like.

My older cat LOVES broccoli - and anything cooked with garlic.  Strange I know but, hey, whatever... I have another cat who hates fish but loves pork.  You can't eat a pork chop in peace around the howling and begging that goes on!

I don't give large amounts of people food - ever.  But I have found that adding a little broccoli cooked in a small amount of olive oil and garlic - makes for one happy old cat - and the olive oil is nice for his coat as well.

Of course, the dog will eat anything - including the cat litter and goose poop - so - so much for his picky palette.