“Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.” ~ Ann Landers
“Properly trained, a Man can be Dog’s best friend.” ~ Corey Ford
“Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.” ~ Franklin P. Jones
“The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog.” ~ Ambrose Bierce
Filed under Amazing Animals, Favorite Quotes
Filed under Amazing Animals
“Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one.”
“There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it.”
“My Labrador retriever had a nervous breakdown. I kept throwing him a boomerang.” ~ Nick Arnette
“Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.” ~ Dave Barry
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals, paintings I love
My mom loved ‘baby anythings.’ She would melt into a puddle, her heart on the floor as she oohed and ahhed over pictures or the sweet animals in the flesh.
She had three dogs – two chihuahuas and a toy poodle, who ALL stayed small and ALL sat in her chair with her whenever she sat down. She would cuddle, and talk in a baby voice FOR the doggies, giving each a definite personality.
My dad, who wanted to please my mom, sometimes brought home baby animals to try to please her. I will never forget a baby monkey that my dad brought home from a pet shop. They named him “Philbert,” and he basically hated everyone. One day he escaped from his cage and ran into the kitchen. My mother was soaking a head of lettuce in the sink. Philbert grabbed the head of lettuce and proceeded to run all over the house with it dripping – up and down draperies, over the carpet, onto the furniture, even up a wall or two as my mom ran around screeching. My dad tried to catch it, carrying a towel. He finally caught it. I remember seeing the monkey’s TEETH biting through the towel as he stuffed the monkey back into the cage and locked the door. (I was given custody of the head of lettuce to take back to the kitchen while my brother got more towels for the cleanup. (Philbert was taken back to the pet shop the next day to be adopted by someone else.)
We had baby rabbits as pets, too, because my mom fell in love with the ones at the store being sold at Easter. We brought home two gaily colored rabbits who became members of our family. We named them “Peter Rabbit” and “Welch Rabbit.” They grew out of their pastel-dyed fur and became quite sweet pets for us.
My mom saw a special on elephants on National Geographic. She oohed and ahhed, but by that point, had learned to look at my dad sternly and say firmly, “But, Jim. I DON’T want one!”
It’s a good thing that my husband doesn’t react to MY melting into a puddle over baby animals. We wouldn’t be able to get into our home because of all the cats and dogs, in particular, I would want to adopt… BUT – probably NOT an elephant… AREN’T THEY CUTE!?
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
“When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine…you know you are loved.” ~ John Lyons
“For one to fly, one needs only to take the reins.” ~ Melissa James
“I am still under the impression that there is nothing alive quite so beautiful as a horse.” ~ John Galsworthy
“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom.” ~ Sharon Ralls Lemon
“There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain’t a thing.” ~ Will Rogers
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill
Filed under Amazing Animals, Favorite Quotes
When we were in the co-op buying veggie plants, we found this huge, long pork stick for Amber. We balanced it on the garage trash can while we brought in packages from our errands. Amber came out of the utility room, as usual, went right over to the pork stick, picked it up and carried it outside.
She finally picked it up, her tail wagging like mad.
She whipped it all around, like she was doing a victory lap.
This photo should be captioned, “Amber’s Joy.”
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
Four years ago Amber was born and soon came to live with us. She is a yellow lab.
We had done some research before getting her, and saw that labs tend to be a bit hyperactive for the first two years, but then they settle down.
Amber did not get the memo.
(I remember my parents, both only children, sitting me down at times for ‘serious discussions.’ They would calmly tell me that they had read the book (probably Dr. Spock) and that they realized that I was apparently going through the ‘terrible two’s.’ They had decided that I would SKIP this stage, moving right on to whatever came next. The talks really didn’t work that well, but I understand their motivation.)
Amber HAS calmed down – to be fair – but still is a maniac. She does pretty well when nothing is happening and we are by ourselves. The minute anyone ELSE comes, she acts as though she has never seen us before. All the time we’ve spent trying to train her goes out the window.
Since she weighs 95 pounds, it isn’t ‘cute’ that she wants to run right up to you, jump up, and lick you in the face. We have baby gates all over the house so that we can contain her. She is sneaky, and very smart, knowing that we can’t pay attention to her every minute. She calmly waits and then goes into the kitchen and eats my husband’s treats off the counter, leaving only the container on the floor, coming in where we are in the living room, smiling and belching. My husband and I try really hard to remember to close the baby gate between the living room and the kitchen, but we’re old and we get busy…
My other worst time is when she is outside and I come out, usually going out to the shop to check on my husband, or out to the garden. When she sees me, her eyes light up and she comes running FULL SPEED. She has knocked me flat onto my back on the ground several times. I now try to hurry to a tree, or at least turn sideways to give her a smaller target. She doesn’t mean to hurt me, but the damage is done before she tries to lick my face.
If I had to describe Amber in one word, it would be ‘EXUBERANT.’ The love for life and wish to experience all there is overflowS in this sweet dog. I wish her parents were smarter…
Filed under Amazing Animals, Challenges, Family
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals, paintings I love
Filed under Amazing Animals, paintings I love
There was a sweet red cardinal trapped inside this bottle bird feeder this morning. I think it was the same one that was trapped in there once before, but the last time he freed himself after awhile. This time I decided that maybe he is mentally impaired and I couldn’t just leave him there.
He just walked out when I took the bottle down – meaning that if he hadn’t freaked out, he would have been easily able to extricate himself.
It is my observation over many years that the female cardinals check out feeding areas for the males. They come and see if the food is good and the area is safe. If nothing bad happens to them, the beautiful male red cardinals show up and eat. Maybe the females have spoiled the males so much in the past that they are borderline incapable of fending for themselves…
Now the cardinals – and all the other sweet birds, have two filled bird feeders, plus seeds in the shovel bird on the edge of the deck, plus two containers of suet, plus water ready.
Filed under Amazing Animals
I was cleaning up the kitchen earlier this afternoon and noticed movement outside the dining area window. It was a deer!
The deer was just off what we call the civilized portion of our back yard, eating something sticking up from the snow. I stood there looking at it in amazement, and then went to get my husband. We’ve never seen one in the daylight this close to the house.
It was truly a sight to treasure.
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals
These beautiful images were forwarded to me by a friend.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography, Friendship
Thanks to a friend for forwarded email with these wonderful photos.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Friendship, hope, love
Thanks to a friend’s forwarded email for these wonderful images.
Filed under Amazing Animals, hope, love
Thanks to a good friend who forwarded these wonderful photos to me.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Friendship, hope, love
Photos forwarded by friend
Filed under Amazing Animals, Friendship, hope, love
Thanks for a friend’s forwarded email.
Filed under Amazing Animals, hope, love
Thanks to Viktorija Gabulaite and Liucija Adomaite of Bored Panda for the wonderful pictures.
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals
Filed under Amazing Animals, CUTE!
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
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