Birmingham Blues

Good thing — I started counting on my fingers when I heard about the proposal.  Wouldn’t want to be forced to put a hamster or two out on the street.

Actually, the original provision in the proposed animal control ordinance would have limited the number of cats and dogs in a household to five.  It didn’t mention hamsters.  Our menagerie is safe.  For now…

There’s a provision requiring people to clean up feces left on others’ property or the street, which seems perfectly appropriate, but there’s also one that requires them to clean up and properly dispose of the dog poo in their own yards.  I’m not quite sure how they’ll enforce that one.  Hey, at least they don’t tell us how often we have to clean the catbox.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

We lost our sweet Rose this morning.  She was 10 years old.  Rose and her brother Freud joined our family when they were four months old.  They were the last two of a litter of Golden Retriever mixes from the Shelby County Humane Society.  The plan was to bring home one puppy, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to separate them.

Rose had health problems throughout her life — low thyroid, hip damage that required surgery, and skin problems in the last couple of years that left parts of her virtually hairless.  Despite all that, she was unfailingly sweet and loving.   Freud, who is the picture of health physically, has always been a bit neurotic and easily spooked, and we’re very worried about how he will cope with her absence.

Rose started showing symptoms of a serious neurological problem Friday night.  She had trouble walking and keeping her balance, and she appeared to be in a lot of pain. She was disoriented and agitated.  Her blood work was good, and nothing showed up on x-rays, so the best guess was either a stroke or encephalitis.  The vet did what she could, but Rose didn’t respond to treatment.  We made the decision to let her go so she wouldn’t suffer anymore.

She was a sweet girl.  We will miss her.

Our older granddog is not thrilled about her new sibling. Nestlé is so tiny (for now, anyway), and she wants a mama dog in the worst way.

Here’s Nestlé trying to give Meg a kiss. Meg is so not interested.

Meg gives Nestlé the glare of death.

How can she resist this sweet face?

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Related Posts:

• Sunday Animal Cuteness
• Détente

Well, sort of…

Our new granddog, Nestlé, came to visit today. Isn’t she adorable?

Prissy is not too sure what she thinks about the new niece-dog.

Good God, how sick does someone have to be to skin a dog alive? I heard about this last week, but I thought it best for the sake of my own mental health to pretend it didn’t happen.

Authorities in Cullman County are investigating a shocking case of animal cruelty. Police said a Vinemont family’s beagle was skinned alive and had to be euthanized, but a second beagle escaped with minor lacerations.

Neal Rodgers said he had let the family’s two beagles run loose in a rural part of Vinemont located on Cullman County Road 1428 last weekend. He said he first thought his 3-year-old dog named Anne had been hit by a car, but after a closer look it was clear someone skinned his dog alive.

Now several private citizens and animal groups have donated or pledged over $35,000 in reward money. My knee-jerk thought was, “$35,000 for a dog?,” but then I remembered that animal cruelty is one of the indicators of a future serial killer. Maybe serious intervention now can prevent more tragedy later. Anyway, I hope the police catch the cretin(s) who did this and insist on both serious punishment and intensive therapy.

Some of you followed the story of Eagle, a horse rescued by TEARS, The Emergency Animal Rescue Service headquartered in Birmingham.  I received an email today pointing me to this announcement on the TEARS website.  Legal wrangling with Eagle’s owner, an interestingly timed raid on the director’s home by the State Department of Conservation, and negative publicity have contributed to a sharp decline in contributions — to the point that TEARS can no longer provide rescue services without a large and immediate infusion of funds.

The organization continues to feed and shelter more than 200 animals, some of which are available for adoption.  Check out the website and give a donation if you can.  Or maybe you’ll find a friend in need of a home.  Either way, the animals will thank you.

H/T, Joanne