Hi everyone.

You all remember a couple months back when  I posted about Benson having a medical condition called Lymphangiectasia, where his lymph nodes leak fluid. It’s caused his digestive tract and intestines some serious injury and Benny has taken a turn for the worse over the past few weeks. He’s dropped about 10 pounds, isn’t eating, has serious “stomach upset” (the D-word), and is overall just lethargic.

Please everyone say a prayer for Benson that he will pull out of this. He is supposed to go back to the vet next week to see what the options are. I’ll be honest though: It’s not looking good at this point…:(

Drumroll please…. the three winners of the May cat photo contest are…in no particular order (that would be way too hard to decide):

Daisy the Curly Cat

Finnegan

Davy 

Congrats to all the winners! You will be contacted separately for prize information.  And we want to thank everyone who entered this cat photo contest, it was a fun one and a  VERY tough decision to make…

I saw this over at Wolfie’s Aloha Dog Blog (very cute blog) and just had to re-post it. Thanks Wolfie! If you have a few minutes, go over and visit Wolfie…

Why Dogs Make Better Friends Than Humans

Things dogs will do as friends:

Lapse into Attention Deficit Disorder.

Visit you unannounced.

Take over your bed.

Give unconditional love.

Bark at ghosts.

Carry dingleberries into your home.

Run away when Billy Mays is pitching on TV.

Expose their private parts for all to see.

Have good manners.

Stare at you.

Forgive and forget.

Clutter your house with half-eaten chewies.

Live for today.

Bring you dead critters for presents.

Go nuts with elation when you give them a present.

Slurp when they eat.

Follow you everywhere.

Let you know when they don’t trust someone.

Protect you.

Bite their fingernails.

Show appreciation when you do something for them.

Things dogs won’t do as friends:

Stink up your bathroom.

Try to make a point with silly, inappropriate hand gestures.

Talk about you behind your back.

Talk incessantly about trivial nonsense.

Keep repeating themselves even when you tell them you already heard that.

Keep repeating themselves even when you tell them you already heard that.

Be anal-retentive.

Leave pee on your toilet seat.

Become closet smokers.

Be control freaks.

Give ludicrous excuses for not wanting to do something.

Become obnoxious know-it-alls.

Make money and material things their main reason for living.

Be cheapskates.

Refer to acquaintances as “buddies”.

Let Ladies go first.

Clutter your house with chotzkies.

Give absurd rationalizations for rude behavior.

Live in the past.

Insist their way of doing something is the only way.

Tell strangers your personal business.

Make sarcastic remarks.

Brag about their exploits.

Lie about their exploits.

Take advantage of your friendship.

Complain, complain, complain!

Best Bully Sticks are all natural chewies are inspected by the USDA/FDA and they come from free range, grass fed bulls. Bully sticks are also a good chewy choice for dogs because they are:

- Easy to Digest While Cleaning Teeth and Reducing Tartar

- Better than Rawhide Because They are Naturally Low in Fat

- All Natural – No Chemicals or Preservatives

Of course most importantly, the boys LOVED the way the Best Bully Sticks tasted. I would highly recommend these all-natural treats for any dog. They are a  great way for them to spend some quiet time doing many dogs’ favorite activity: chewing! (To see the different tasty varieties or to place an order, click here.)

 After the boys got them, Franklin ran outside with his to burrow in his favorite spot and semi-bury it so no one would take it! Henry enjoyed his in peace in the family room with me, and Barney took to destroying his Bully Stick in the kitchen.  Here are some pictures of the boys chewing the Best Bully Sticks:

Barney

Peanut (Henry)

Franklin

The word is out about Michael Vick. He’s out of prison and looking to improve his very damaged reputation.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) will be working with the disgraced NFL star to educate others about the dangers and cruelty of dogfighting. Vick was convicted of financing and operating a massive dogfighting ring and imprisoned for almost two years.

From the CEO of HSUS, Wayne Pacelle: “The Humane Society of the United States is going to provide an opportunity for him to get involved in some of our anti-dogfighting outreach programs. Animal advocates might be skeptical, as I was, about whether a man who committed such horrible acts to dogs could do anything positive to help animals. But I want to give him the chance to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. If he is serious — and we’ll soon find out — then Vick can help HSUS reach young men in urban communities and tell his story about dogfighting being a dead end.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was, at one point, interested in working with the former NFL star, but those rumors ceased when PETA called for Vick to get a brain scan to check for psychosis and other mental disorders.

Many Clevelanders are extremely passionate about the issue of dogfighting, and wary of the HSUS’s decision. Ashly Smith, a local foster parent for Ohio Basset Rescue and former pit bull owner, had this to say: “Honestly I don’t feel that man deserves retribution in any way…at all. I hate him and he should die the way he killed all those poor dogs.”

Cleveland resident Joan Turnbull, a self-proclaimed animal lover and frequent donor to animal welfare programs, has mixed feelings about it. “I want to believe that Vick is doing this because he has come to realize what a horrific thing he did promoting and participating in dog fights.  Animals will greatly benefit if he is being sincere in his outreach attempts because of his stature – young kids will listen to him.  I am, however, a bit concerned that he has a hidden agenda – can a leopard (mean, low down, dirty scumbag like Vick) really change his spots?”

A local Cleveland pet blogger, who will remain anonymous, said this: “On one hand, he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven for the animals he relentlessly killed. On the other, he actually might be able to get through to troubled urban youth in inner cities who are active in dogfighting.”

Amy Weitzel, who owns two local rescue groups, says Vick just wants to play football again. “If, and this is a BIG if, Vick really understands what he did and the pain and the suffering he put animals through, then maybe him helping to educate people is a good thing. But I think he is only sorry because he got caught.  He saw nothing wrong in what he did and he just wants to get back to football.”

Twitter is also amok with further reactions. April Miller said she doesn’t know what the HSUS is thinking. “Yep, he’s sorry – sorry that he got caught that is…” Lisa Penosky said putting Vick in cahoots with the HSUS is, “about as appropriate as allowing a pedophile into a school!”

What are your thoughts on Vick working with HSUS? Do you think it’s a good idea? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.

I wanted to share some more of the entries I’ve gotten for the May cat photo contest. They are so adorable, all of them! Who do you think is the cutest? Who should win? Don’t forget the other kitties who have entered, they were posted last week…

Jake

Socks

Midge and Pearl

Finnegan

Benny

Davy

Earl

Charlotte

Huckleberry

Penelope

Brutus

Hooray, we got a new award from the Dughallmor Beagles! Thanks guys!

The rules are that we must link to the friend that gave us the award….here they are!

And give the award to up to 15 blogs we have recently discovered. Here are our recently discovered favorites:

- Socks, Scylla, Charbydis & Fenris

- Ben McFuzzyLugs

- Asta

- Dino

-Dogs Deserve Freedom

- Dog By Nature (Spencer’s parents new blog)

-The 4 B’s

-The OP Pack

-Thor

- Tucker & Daisy

Thanks again for the award Beagles!

Great article on AmericanGreetings.com…

Many people have heard the old adage “Adopt, Don’t Shop!” In case you haven’t, it means you should always adopt a pet from a shelter or other rescue instead of shopping for one at a pet store. Pet store dogs often come from puppy mills, mass breeding operations where the dogs are treated very poorly. But how to you go about adopting/rescuing your next pet, and where do you start? After all, this is a very important decision, one that will affect your life for the next 12-15 years (if you get a puppy or kitten). Whether you’re looking for man’s best friend or a fabulously furry feline, here’s how to rescue a pet.

Franklin the Rescue Basset

First things first, decide on which type of pet you would like to adopt, the most common are dogs and cats. You must take many things into consideration when making this decision. How often are you at home, i.e., how much time do you have to train and spend with the pet? How patient are you when it comes to training a pet? How good will you be about properly exercising and playing with the pet? How much money do you have to care for a pet? Do you travel a lot? All these things should be taken into consideration. You don’t want to rescue a pet if you don’t have the time or finances to take proper care of it.

After you’ve decided on that, follow these steps:

To read the rest of the article, click here.