The Road To Shamballa (Music by Three Dog Night)

I LOVE this video. I think it will always be one of my favorites. A very close friend shared it with me last year when I was going through a tough time. She told me when ever I felt sad to play it, it would help me smile. She was right. The lyrics are great, but the video really makes the song. I will never tire of watching this video or hearing the music.

My Favorite Pictures

Here are a few ( I use the word few lightly) of my favorite pictures of my dogs. I have five dogs currently and they do keep me on my toes. Never a dull moment in my house. Most of my dogs have had some sort of job weather it be competing in AKC Obedience Competitions, AKC Conformation, Flyball, and active Certified/Registered Therapy Dogs. Their number one job is to be the best family companions first, to cuddle with, play with, and enjoy being part of the family.



This is Jake. He is currently 10 years old, and one of the best German Shepherds I have ever owned. A very special boy with a huge heart, favorite past time is playing with his tennis ball, and spending the day with my husband. I think he owns stock in Tennis Balls.




This is Jarie. She is the baby of the family. She is 2 years old. She loves everything and everybody.



This is Bandit, My oldest Australian Shepherd. He is 8 years old. He is the clown of the house and never fails to make me laugh with his silly antics. I don't think he will ever grow up. Don't let the sweet angel face full you, he can be a real devil when he wants to be, always into something.



This is Jeni, she is my 6 year old Australian shepherd. She is the smallest in my house and the sweetest and smartest little girl. She is the alpha in the dog pack, and Bandit's best friend.


This is Jessi, my 4 year old Australian Shepherd. She is my wild child. Jessi has one speed, WARP speed. Crazy, Crazy pup she is. But oh, she is so very sweet. She packs a good punch if she jumps on you.

Online Friendships

The Internet can be overwhelming at times.

I have found that people I have made friendships with online to be some of the most honest, generous caring people I have met. They bring laughter and warmth into my life, and have been a source of strength and support in ways that I never imagined.

People that do not chat on message boards or blogs on a regular basis, have a difficult time understanding a friendship formed on the internet. They question how I can befriend a stranger I have never met in the real life.

My online friends are just as real to me as my "real life" friends. I have more contact with my online friends, and we're more in touch with each others ups and downs. I think it is easier for real life friends to not listen to each other. Interrupt the other while talking, never really hearing what the other is saying, because they are more interested in what they have to say at that very moment then what you have to say.

Online friends rely on the written word. We have time to read, and re-read the written word, before we respond. So we tend to understand and know what the other person is saying or feeling through those written words. Sometimes it is easier to write what I am feeling then to say it in person.

A bond forms with someone miles away but close to me on my computer. Anytime I feel the need to chat with my online friends, to share a happy thought, or reach out for needed support, I can quickly type on my keyboard, and shortly get that reply, that virtual hug.

My online friendships can be as real, and just as supportive as real life friendships. It seems it is easier to get to know someone online then in real life. My internet friendships can be closer in some ways and more trusting than real life ones.

I think the anonymity of the internet can create a greater intimacy and willingness to talk about things one might not talk about with real life friends.

I know online friendships come and go. While some are only here for a little while, others form deep bonds that can last a lifetime. So what happens when you form a close bond with an online friend, then one day you realize your friendship is slowly dying? Your friendship isn't what it use to be. Do you just let it go? Do you mourn the loss of an online friendship the same as you would a real-life friendship? I think the answer for me would be yes.

A Shelter Dog asks God...

Dear God,
What is "Time"?
I hear the sadness in the voices of workers here.
They say my "Time is up", that they have to make
room for yet another dog.

My "Time" is up. I don't know what that means, God. I
only know that my new friends are so sad, and the more I
wag my tail---the harder I try to make them feel better--
-the sadder they become.

I know I have heard that word "Time" before, but I don't
understand. When I was younger, my people would
say "Time to play!" They would throw the ball, and I
would run fast. Sometimes I brought it back to them, but
other times we'd end up chasing each other having fun.

I remember "Time to eat". My people would put down a
bowl of food, and I would enjoy dinner, wagging my tail
in joy. There was also "Time for your walk". My boy
would put my leash on, and we would go walking together,
visiting the neighborhood and enjoying each other's company.

When I was younger I thought "Time" meant fun.
Or maybe Love?

I don't understand. "Time" must mean something else, but
how can it change, God? Before I came here, I heard my
people say, "No time to feed you now, boy. Later, when I
get home." Sometimes my family would forget, and there
was no food in my bowl.

Does "Time" mean when my belly hurts?

My people said there was no time for walks. I tried to
hold it all day long-- but God, I just couldn't anymore.
When I finally had to go, it made my family very angry.

Does "Time" means anger? Or maybe Loneliness?

My family said they didn't have "Time". They didn't have
time to play, or time to take me to the vet, or time to
go for walks. They didn't have "Time",
so they brought me here.

Maybe I was right... They said they didn't have time,
and if "Time" means Love, how did they lose it?

Did I do something wrong?

God, I think my new friends are sending me to you. Do
you have "Time"? May I sit on the couch?

Am I a good Dog, God?

Author: Joan C. Fremo
Published on: July 29, 2001

Addictions

Yes, my name is T, and I must confess, I am a *Toyaholic*. I just can't help it. My dogs are very, very spoiled. I think they have too many toys.

Have you ever walked into a Petsmart or Petco, and walked down the toy isle and resisted the temptation to purchase that cute little squeaky hedgehog? What about the Teddy bear with a velcro opening to replace the squeaker when it breaks? Oh lets not forget the long little doggy we all have come to know and love called Bo Bo from the Petsmart commercials. Every dog needs a BoBo!!




Oh, my addiction is not just with dog toys, but cat toys too! I think I need help. My husband just rolls his eyes at me when I have to make a quick turn down the kitty isle and pick up something new. "but, the cats just love them", I say. "it keeps them from being lazy". Think my husband goes for those excuses? I doubt it, but he just smiles back at me and says "those cats have it made".
Yes, they do.

Grady, (stray kitty)

My husband decided to name him Grady. What a gentle name. Grady did not show up the night before last night. I was a little worried but not for long. Last night he was there waiting with the others for his food. I took a few pictures first, then brought him his food. This time, I was able to pet him and pick him up. He was so light. All I felt under that matted fur was bones. He didn't squirm or fuss, he just seemed to enjoy the kind touch of a human.

Today will be the first day of Grady's rehabilitation. We have antibiotics for him, he will be cleaned up, get some weight on him, then we will find him a forever loving home. One he deserves.

For the person who dumped him, all I can say is "how could you"? "How could you look into those eyes and put him outside to fend for himself"? "How could you feel good about yourself?" I am happy Grady found his way to me.

Hungry Stray Kitty

I have been seeing this little stray/feral cat sleeping on top of the shed with the other ferals in my back yard lately. He isn't here everyday that I have seen, but he may be coming very late at night, when I am not up and watching for him.

Three nights ago, as I was going out to feed the other ferals, there he was, waiting, perhaps hoping for some can food too. After setting all the bowls down for the others, I slowly walked toward him, as he was standing on the catwalk, he was cautious, but was more interested in the food.
Look at him. Skinny, matted, eye infections. As he stood and ate, all the other ferals stood by and watched and waited for him to finish. I had to stand guard and make sure the others did not take his food. We all stood there for 45 minutes. Yes, it took that long for him to finish his 5oz of can food. Look at those poor eyes. The poor baby, my heart just breaks for him. After eating, he looks like he is saying "Thank You".

It is apparent he once probably had a home. Was he dumped? Was he lost? Looking at his teeth, he is young. In my neighborhood, cats are being left and dumped all the time. The very reason I have so many ferals showing up, more cats being born feral.

Video Bar

I was just sitting here watching all the video's in my video bar, so I thought I should explain them a bit, for those that may be interested.

Those video's are all mine. The bar shows 4 video's, and periodically they change. I only have five video's on youtube at this time.

There are 3 separate video's of Oscar, one of my ferals. Oscar, Oscar 2, and Oscar's New World. I refer to Oscar as my Angel Boy. I believe he came into my life at a very important and needed time in my life. My husband and I had seen him roam my neighborhood for several years. Fighting with other unaltered tom cats, spraying the neighborhood, trying to let all the other toms know this was his territory. Many times I would see him sitting right outside my front window, covered in blood, open wounds on his neck, face, legs. He was a mess. He would come into my cat shelter I have in my back yard for all the ferals I tnr'd, to eat, then leave very quickly.

He was not very regular when he came around, so I never attempted to trap him. I was always under the impression he was a very mean tomcat. Then something changed.

January of 2007, he started staying in my shelter, sleeping in one of the cuddlers I had on their shelter houses. He would leave when he heard me coming, then eventually he started staying. We had another very mean tomcat come in and attack him quite often. Every day, every night, we would hear the awful, screaming, yowling cat fights. My husband and I would both go running outside with squirt bottles to break up the fights. When I originally named Oscar, his name was Oscar the grouch, soon I realized, he wasn't a grouch at all. He was a lover, not a fighter. He was tired of running, fighting. He just wanted a safe place to eat and sleep.

Over the next several weeks I worked really hard to trap him, he wasn't interested. So, the next step was to work on gaining his trust. I would often cry when I would see him bleeding from another fight. I was able to clean his wounds a bit, but couldn't pick him up. He soon realized I was protecting him, when the other cat would come around and start a fight, I would get the other cat to leave, and Oscar would look up at me and crawl back into his cuddler.

I never did trap Oscar, I realized all I had to do was pick the cuddler up while he was sleeping in it, and put the cuddler with him in a carrier. Couldn't get any easier then that. He loved his cuddler. His one safe place he found.

So the next few weeks, he stayed at my friends in her bathroom, recovering from his neuter, wounds, and then bathed. We introduced him to her foster cats, to see how he would be. All was good, then the day came. He came home. Yes, you all didn't think after all that work, I would let him live anywhere else did you? The truth is, I fell head over heals in love with this cat, he had to come back to me.

In a sense, he rescued me. At the time he came in my life, I was ready to give up rescuing feral cats. I had just lost one of my precious ferals, a pretty little torti, named Turtle. She and her mommy, Mama Cat, are the reason I have a cat room. Turtle died of complications from an Upper respiratory infection, after I brought 2 other ferals ( Ashley and Delilah), into the cat
room. I blamed myself, and told myself I would never bring another cat inside. I loved Turtle so very much, and miss her terribly. She was only 2 years old when she died. I didn't want to rescue anymore. I lost many ferals in the past, but not one I brought inside.

Oscar opened my heart again. He is a very special boy. He comes with a lot of scars. Part of his left eyelid is missing, his tongue is slit, his front leg had been fractured at one time. His pads are all calloused, and all his back nails are deformed. With all of those imperfections, he is the most perfect cat. When he looks into my eyes, I feel like I can see inside his soul. He has such a loving, wise way about him.

So, back to the video's, they tell his story, starting from outside, to recovering at my friends, then at home in my cat room. I hope you all enjoy them.

The other video shows many of the ferals in my colony in my back yard. Some are still there, some have been tamed and adopted, a few are now in my cat room, and others have passed on and waiting at Rainbow Bridge.

Then there is the Video of Benny, my Newfoundland. He passed away right before his 3rd birthday, so that video is in remembrance of him.

Introduction

I don't really have a reason to start this blog, other then to write about the many adventures, ups and downs in my not so boring life.

I have five dogs currently, and they are a huge part of my life, so most likely I will be writing and sharing many adventures of their lives and how they make mine whole.

I also have six rescued feral cats in a room I created solely for them. I am very passionate about all living species, nature, humanity. I help rescue stray and feral cats, and try to rehabilitate them, if possible so they can find a forever inside home. Otherwise, I get them tnr'd, (trap/neuter/return), and let them live their life as a feral, but under the watchful eye of a caregiver (another rescue volunteer, sometimes me), that provides food, and medical when needed.

I have a colony of feral cats that live in my backyard I care for, and have grown to love, but are not tame, so I will be writing about them, and my many adventures they put me through.

I also run a childcare/preschool out of my home, so between the cats, dogs, and 6 small children under the age of five, I am sure I will find plenty to write about.

Oh, and lets not forget my wonderful, supporting husband, who at the end of the day, I can finally sit down. relax, take a breath, and enjoy a quiet, peaceful evening with, until we start all over again, with our many adventures.