Rowan's Journal

...which, of course, I knew. But this is really sad news. And I can't help at all since I'm basically homeless myself, except for the charity of dear friends. It sucks all over.

But if anyone has the money and inclination to help these nice people, please do so.

The Pet Connection is shutting its doors.

Effective immediately, The Pet Connection is closing its adoption center Mondays through Fridays until enough money can be raised to reopen. We will still be open on weekends and adoptions can be done by appointment during the week. In the past three months we have been under extensive scrutiny from several different agencies. We have been inspected by the state veterinary board, the state animal health department, the fire department, and the city because of “anonymous complaints” or “routine inspections”. We may have made someone mad or it may all just be a strange coincidence, but either way, we have needed to use the majority of our time and resources handling these repeated inspections. Lawyer fees and extra staff time have drained our bank account.
We need help to raise enough money to reopen our doors. We want to continue to help the thousands of animals we help each year through our adoption center and clinic. We want to continue to provide assistance to other rescue shelters and rescue groups so that they can help more pets. But we also need to prepare ourselves in case we need to shut our doors forever. As hard as it is, we are currently no longer taking in cats or large dogs to prepare ourselves in case we have to close for good. Many organizations and animals rely on our care.
With enough money we can re-open our doors to the public every day and can begin taking in dogs and cats into our shelter again. This bump in the road only has to be a small set back to the overall good that we provide to this community.
Please contact Melody Kelso and/or Jason Huff for details on how to help and/or for details on an informational meeting that will be held in the next few days to explain the circumstances to those interested. Donations can be made at www.thepetconnection.net or by coming to our facility. Jack 105 will be having a live remote at our facility on Saturday from 10A-12N to help raise needed sponsorships. Address: 5918 Broadmoor, Mission. KS 66202.

http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com/

Be VERY careful of the toys you buy for your pets. Four Paws, Inc. has achieved complete AssHat status in my book.

DO NOT BUY Four Paws toys for your pets.

Warning, this link to this story will make you see red. Ganked from my dear friend apocalypticbob

see more dog pictures


see more dog pictures


see more dog pictures


see more dog pictures

...example of doings around the house. These conversations happen on a regular basis around here.


(I'm sitting at the kitchen table catching up on email.)

Minko: MAOOOOOOR! (He's standing at the back door looking at me significantly.)

Me: You wanna go out?

Minko: Mrrrr-rowr.

Me: Ok, well, come on then. You gotta go out the front door. I don't wanna rile up the dogs.

Minko: Mrrrp.

(I go the front door, closely followed by Minko. Penny is also looking interested. Bobbi is sitting on the front window sill, looking more concerned as Minko approaches. He doesn't even notice her. I open the front door, letting cold air in.)

Me: Ok, Minko, there you go.

(Minko goes out. Penny is standing at the end of the hallway, looking interested but she's obviously waiting for an engraved personal invitation.)

Me: Penny, would you like to go out, too?

(Penny trots forward, with remnants of last night's gravy still on the bridge of her hose but she got indignant when I tried to wipe it off after supper. She slows down and gingerly steps outside the door. Minko skips forward 'cause OMG there's another cat at the door before he remembers that he's a big tough male cat and not afraid of anything. He covers the lapse in coolness by jumping up onto the trellis wall.)

Me: Tail too...

(Penny pulls her tail out the door and turns to look at me as I shut it.)

Me: You sure you want out?

(Penny blinks at me and moves back toward the door. I re-open the door letting in more cold air. Penny sits down.)

Me: Well, make up your mind, silly girl! (Penny blinks at me. I close the door. She flicks her tail which usually means there's something going on of which she does not approve.)

Me: Do you want back in again? (I open the door. Penny sits back down.)

Me: Ok, I'm closing the door and going away now.

I return to the kitchen where Nell is sitting behind my laptop waiting for birds to fly by.

It's just a normal, peaceful morning in the Cannon household. Breakfast done, up to the sewing room to work on fiddle bags.

Ya just hafta laugh.

Poor Nell kitty...you know, the one with one brain cell? The one that when you look into her eyes, you see the back of her head?

Yep. Well, I'm cutting stuff out on the dining room table today 'cause it's raining and as usual, I can't work upstairs when the dogs are inside, right?

So I scooched her bed (box lid with a towel inside it) and the cat food bowl to the edge of the table so I'd have a bit more room. This break in the usual routine has her fairly freaked out anyway; I mean, those scissors could be a weapon, right? And the fabric coming at her is really scary!

Apparently I moved the box a little closer to the edge of the table than I thought. She just finally got really brave, despite my bustling around, and decided to go back and lay in her bed. She sorta skidded into it when she, the bed and the towel all went sailing off the edge of the table and landed *plop* on the floor.

Yep, I laughed.

I'm checking my email and Minka-kitty is sitting on Bruce's desk right in front of the monitor. She has been distracted by the cursor and is now hypnotized.

Seriously, she is watching every character go up on the screen as I type and when I move the cursor back and forth, her little head goes back and forth, back and forth.

Really cute.

Reposting this from mistressniniane 'cause it's just too appropriate for those of us with 'fur' children.

( Pet Rules )

Wow, second weekend in a row at home. Necessary to do Terry's exercise plus last minute plans allowed mistressniniane to fly down from St.Louis to record viola parts for our new CD, "En Passant" so we're enjoying her company this weekend. (For those of you on AFR for years; you'd know her as LadyNiniane...yep, samesame.)

The really good news is that when I was introducing her to all the 4-legged family members, we of course went outside to see the dogs. They were doing their usual, laying in the dirt 'bunkers' they'd dug for themselves right next to the house in the shade (on either side of the nice bed that I made that neither of then uses!)

We walked out there and Terry wagged! First time, we have old propellor tail back and that's so cool; he got many a pat and a 'good dog' because that means that his nerves and everything work right down to the end of his spine. Yep, he's gonna make a full recovery, I really think.

Now, off to record and work on the costume guidelines for White Hart and painting the bathroom.

HUGS!

It's an entirely unique experience to dart up out of bed at 4am because through your ear plugs you've heard the old dog get up. You know that he's either already peed in the kitchen or it about to, so you dash out as is, nekkid as a jay bird, ear plugs still in and no glasses, of course...

To realize that he's standing right outside the bedroom door, intently sniffing something. And you immediately know what it is; it's cat diahrria. You know this because you've stepped in it...with both feet.

Now to pack to leave at noonish...

I have a pretty princess Penny here at home, sitting on my cutting table grooming herself and purring like mad. It was an expensive venture but they allowed me to divide it into two payments, thank gods. I'm still further impressed with this Veterinary clinic and this Vet.

When I got there, they told me the doctor wanted to talk to me and showed me into one of the exam rooms. Pretty soon, a young lady in a lab coat popped in, left a can of food and a small bowl and said she'd be right back. Turned out to be the assistant (whose name I unfortunately didn't catch.) The doctor popped in and introduced himself, shook my hand and said he'd be right back, that he had six puppies to vaccinate. And sure enough, I could hear a little "yipe!" one after another from next door.

Then the assistant came back in and showed me how to 'force feed' her by watering down some of the canned food, putting it into a syringe with no needle and then squirting it into her mouth a little at a time. I watched and held her as she demonstrated and Penny ate quite willingly. She told me that I could try giving Penny some in a plate but if she didn't eat, that we had to force feed her to get her weight back up.

That accomplished, I settled in to snuggle the princess until the doctor came back in. Some head butts and lots of ear and neck skritches later, Dr. Applebaum came in and told me what was what, explained the medicine and showed me how to tell how jaundiced she is; he's right, the insides of her ears and her gums are lemon yellow, poor little girl. So she has prescription food, an antibiotic and a new enzyme pill to take everyday.

That accomplished, we put her into the carrier and went out to settle the bill. While standing there, I watched the puppies parade out, vaccinations completed. What I saw were the cutest bloodhound puppies ever, brought in by this long-haired older dude and his equally free-spirited looking lady. Nice folks and turns out that she's epileptic so holding a pup and keeping her balance was a challenge. Of course, I oooh'd and aahhh'd and had to pet each one so they asked, "Do you want one?" Riiight; as if! "No," I said, "we have a housefull already and my sweetie would kill me but I'll take one of your cards and see if anybody else does." Gods, they are cute with those long faces and the wrinkled up foreheads, so very solemn and sad looking but sweet and friendly. The guy said, "They're great watch dogs...they'll watch as somebody takes your tv and your sound system. But they'll sure let you know when somebody's coming!" *chuckle* I'll bet...can you imagine a whole brood of bloodhounds braying as a car comes up the driveway?

Anyway...all's well with the world. She meowed at me the whole way home and couldn't wait to get out of the carrier. She came inside and got sniff-greeted by Nell and Minka, just like, "Where have you been?"

So Penny's home and I think she's going to be alright.