Hi Everyone,
As much as I love living in Playa del Carmen, there is one problem that I find so difficult to understand, and that is the treatment of pets here. I guess coming from Canada, where your pets are really a member of the family, it is truly heartbreaking to see owners simply neglect their animals, dogs especially. My neighbour has a dog, Chatta, and he takes wonderful care of her, but unfortunately, he really is the exception. She has become that dog on the street who runs and greets everyone with such love...it's as if she feels like she truly belongs in every house. Actually, there's a vacation rental house on the street and when Chatta's owner is away for the night, you can find her scratching at that door, and sure enough, the vacationers take her in for the night! She is really darling ;)
This is her and I soon after we met :)
And here she is saying hello when our friend and Brian were in the car :)
There are several animal rescue operations here, totally run by volunteers; It is something Brian and I are wanting to get involved with. This is Roja (Spanish for 'red'), and she is the little girl we were looking to adopt. You can see she has a scar on her head, and as unbelievable as it is, that scar is from someone hitting her with a machete. Somehow she survived, and the volunteers call her the miracle dog. Every time we see her, she goes crazy...so excited to see us! She is just so full of love, that I cannot imagine what kind of person would do that!
This little girl is one we feed regularly. It took her a while to trust us, but now when she sees us, she runs and sits at the little corner store, waiting for us to buy her food! She's a doll ;)
Now this little guy is new to our street. A neighbour brought him home, but unfortunately does not take care of him at all; it's actually Chatta who cares for him...like a good mom! Of course when the guy brought him home (we call him 'puppy' ;), the little pup was fat, healthy and oh so cute. Now he's been there for about three weeks and his fur is not the least bit shiny, he's flea ridden and getting way too skinny. So everyday we get him food, and in the evenings I make my way outside to feed him our dinner leftovers and wander around the block to find and feed the others. We are also going to get some flea medication and just give it to him because the poor little guys ears and body are cut up from all his scratching. It's difficult to watch, but it is more difficult to not do anything at all!
Here he is in the basket on my bike. I was testing the waters to see if he would go for a bike ride with me ;)
Like I said earlier, there are obvious exceptions, and some people take great care of their pets, going so far as building some pretty fantastic dog houses. Here are a couple I spotted in people's yards.
I guess like in a lot of places, there are good pet owners and bad pet owners. But what breaks my heart, is that a dog will love you no matter what you do or don't do to them or for them. They'll give you love and ask for nothing in return. They will flourish if they receive that love, but if they don't, they will still continue to give it. That is something that no one should take advantage of!
I'll leave you with a quote from a Persian poet in the 14th Century:
Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.
I would love to hear about your dogs or cats! It warms my heart to hear people talk about just how much they love their pets :)
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I like that Persian quote. :)
Thanks @galenkp! He's got some great poetry and all kinds of quotes that are so applicable today :)
Happy to have you back and to see another aspect of your pure heart! I love animals too.. Even though it has been years since I've had one of my own... I traveled so much it wasn't right to be away from them so much.. But my mom has 2 very cool cats and I grew up with many dogs... My parents bred German Shepards, so I know how loyal and friendly dogs can be!
Which one of these is your favorite? I like this cutie :)
Thank you Dave! You are always full of compliments ;)
Yes they're a big responsibility, so I respect the fact that you're aware and that you don't have one right now. I saw your mom's cat in one of your posts..so cute. And that's cool that your parents bred Shepherds; they are such brilliant dogs!
I love the one you chose as your favourite! She tugs on my heart strings for sure because she warmed up to me, but also because of something I didn't put in the post. The first time I saw her, and she seemed so hungry and her teats were hanging, so obviously she had puppies some where...so I fed her but followed her to see if she had a proper home and to see if the pups were hungry too. We wandered for a bit until she got to a run down gate, with two very drunk guys outside. That turned out to be her house and owner. I asked if the puppies were around, and his only words were "Si. money." laughing hysterically. Kinda broke my heart, because I know she's mistreated. Every time I go to pet her, she flinches. I never did see any puppies, I think the guys had already sold them, but I have a feeling this little girl is simply for breeding. Nice right? :(
I could tell you so many stories about the dogs here, but a lot of them are sad, so I tried to keep the post relatively upbeat. So to answer your question...they are all my favourite :) I often think that when Brian's gone, I'll open a shelter here for all the mistreated dog and cats, and become that really crazy cat/dog lady haha
Love it!!!!
I'm so glad!!
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A very wise looking gaze.
That's exactly what I thought! Whenever I see her, she now recognizes me and her gaze is much more relaxed; this photo was in our getting-to-know-you phase :)
You clearly feel an immense love towards dogs! They are probably the best pet we can have!
Except cats or a fire breathing dragon. :)
Ok I LOVE cats as well, but in the end, I think a dog or cat's got nothin' on a fire breathing dragon haha
Do you watch Game of Thrones by any chance? :)
Yes, we wat h GOT. :)
Who doesn't watch GOT?!
I have been waiting what feels like years for the new season, and just yesterday after watching the new Westworld trailer I googled about GOT to see when its being released and its by next year : (((
I didn't remember the new season wasn't going to be released this year, more waiting I guess.
It is such an awesome show!! but it seems as though it's on for a month and then off again til the following year ;)
I completely agree! I grew up on a farm and always had dogs, but they were "outside" dogs, so although I loved them, it was different. My own dogs have always had the run of the house and I've treated them like my own children!
You just reminded me of a story: One time when my son was a baby, I was attempting the "cry yourself to sleep" thing for the very first time. As a new mom, I was finding it extremely difficult to hear him and not go soothe him, but on my mother-in-law's advice, I was giving it my best shot. I was lying in bed, listening and my dog kept coming to the side of the bed, knocking my arm. Now this dog used to do that when she wanted to get under the covers with me:), so I ignored her. After several minutes of her doing that, she left my room, went across the hall to my son's room, smashed the door open with her head, and layed down in front of his crib! The whole time she was simply alerting me to his sadness. I immediately got up, taking direction from my dog, instead of my mother-in-law, and went to soothe my son ;)
They really are
Thank you for stopping by! And thanks for triggering that memory for me <3
I had a cat do the same thing to me - though I wasn't leaving the child to cry, I just had to get some free-arm time (as in, my arm was killing me!) Anyway, this cat would climb up on the cat furniture behind me and tap my shoulder as if to tell me to take care of my kitten!
And yeah, although my eldest got the harder treatment, the others never even got put in the crib/cot more than as a quick break and when my daughters came along, I didn't even get a new crib!
That's a great story; cats and dogs can be so smart!!
haha that's funny, with each kid we get a bit more lax ;) A bit like with soothers for first born are boiled if they fall on the ground, and by the time the next ones come, they're lucky if they get a quick wipe on a sleeve before passing it right back ;)
That's a beautiful story! And what a smart dog that understood what was happening! Lovely!
brilliant dog :)Thank you so much @dedicatedguy! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) She really was a
Yes I do have an 'immense love towards' them! They really are a wonderful companion:)
I experienced the same surprise when I lived in South America for two years. I couldn't get over how they said they cared about their pets, but would barely provide anything for them and the interactions with them were borderline abuse.
Right?? It's so impossible for me to understand! Even if you're not crazy about them, how can anyone abuse a helpless animal...it just doesn't make sense in my head. I just told @davemccoy a little bit more about one of the dogs in my comment to him; makes me so sad to see it all way too often here.
Thanks for popping by @papacrusher! I appreciate it ;)
Thank you so much for caring for all of these beautiful dogs! You are such a compassionate woman...and when you wrote about how dogs love, it really was touching, and very poignant... :'( :'( <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Thank you for thinking that! It really is my pleasure to do it...and I'm sure you understand that! When I see in their eyes, that they are starving for not only food, but a little love as well, I just don't understand people not helping them. When any of them come to me with tails wagging and I swear a smile on their face, it's really all the thanks I ever need...such unconditional love! If you want, have a look at some of my responses here because so many people triggered different stories that I think you'd enjoy.
Oh, speaking of smiling dogs, here's my Max, who's been gone for a couple of years now, smiling. It's the face he gave us when he was doing something he shouldn't have been, like tearing apart our garbage. I laughed every time I saw it, which was about a million times over the 13 years he was with me ;)
my heart broke here as I live with one dog because my place is only big enough for one but have 4 other dogs at my mom's place and when I see dogs mistreated it breaks my heart and just want to high five bad pet owners with a steel chair in their face!
hahaha your 'steel chair' comment made me laugh out loud!! but it's so true right??!! Why bother getting an animal if you're not going to take care of it. Drives me crazy!! And you have so many dogs, but you're so aware of what they need, so you're willing to sacrifice having them all, for their benefit!
That's a sign of a really good guy :)
If you look through my comments here, you'll see a lot of different stories about my personal dogs and those here, but I think I might eventually, when I'm on my own, open a dog/cat shelter here for all those innocent little darlings. They deserve a good home after being so mistreated!
Thank you for stopping by Mav, I appreciate it!
Ohhh you could have it Steem funded like TAC. It is one of the projects by The Alliance and Steem Silver and Gold. run by Rhonda K of the Writers block.
oh thank you for that!! I'll have to check it out; I think I've heard about in one of the Discord channels :)
This is so amazing of you to go out and look after the poor dears. Shame you're probably the highlight of their day. I love my pets and my staffie sleeps with me every night, I can't imagine how to do it any other way and it makes me sad that so many people out there don't treat their pets well. They truly are part of the family and I couldn't imagine my life without them.
I couldn't have said it better myself @jusipassetti!! It just doesn't make sense to me either; if you chose to have a pet, then just take care of it. It should be simple, right??
I'm so glad to hear about your staffie sleeping with you...I love that!! I just left this "story" with someone else here, but your staffie in your bed makes me want to share it with you too:
One time when my son was a baby, I was attempting the "cry yourself to sleep" thing for the very first time. As a new mom, I was finding it extremely difficult to hear him and not go soothe him, but on my mother-in-law's advice, I was giving it my best shot. I was lying in bed, listening and my dog kept coming to the side of the bed, knocking my arm. Now this dog used to do that when she wanted to get under the covers with me:), so I ignored her. After several minutes of her doing that, she left my room, went across the hall to my son's room, smashed the door open with her head, and layed down in front of his crib! The whole time she was simply alerting me to his sadness. I immediately got up, taking direction from my dog, instead of my mother-in-law, and went to soothe my son ;)
Amazing right? :)
I feel the exact same way!
That is such a sweet story and I know dogs can be amazing. They really can sense when you're upset. Yesterday morning I started having panic attacks again and my dog just lay with me the whole day. They just can't help themselves and are a perfect example of unconditional love ❤.
That's it! The unconditional love is like a miracle to me. I'm so glad that your dog is so helpful for you <3 There's nothing like laying in bed and cuddling with your dog!
It's really shameful how often we humans let down our most loyal companions. It's also a reminder to adopt rescue dogs and avoid buying from breeders. So many great, loving rescue pups out there!
It is shameful! They are so loyal regardless of what we do, but unfortunately yes, "humans let them down".
And your point of adopting rescue dogs is a good one! The shelters here are over-flowing, and volunteers, every Thursday, bring some dogs and 'advertise' on the main tourist strip here. It's awesome because they regularly adopt out a dog and ship them home with their new owners :) It really warms my heart!
My baby girl is my world and life, after my husband and kids. I talk to her all day long, treat her as if she were the queen of the house. To know people neglect these beautiful, and so full of love, animals saddens me to no end.
I LOVE that she's your girl ! I always knew you were great, but now I think you're even greater ;) A true pet lover really does treat them like their own kid, and unlike kids, they don't talk back, or drive you crazy ever haha They really are amazing, and like you, I just don't understand how people can mistreat them.
I feel the exact same way, and wish that I could take care of all of them here. I have had many a days, in tears, because a dog that I've fallen in love with, has simply vanished. I'm left with only a horrible conclusion in my head as to what happened to it. It really is heartbreaking. So I do what I can and try to shut the rest out. I think one day though, I will open a shelter here to house and love as many as possible.
Awwee!! This post squeezes my heart. I love you already! You're an angel to all the dogs who are abused, maltreated and left behind by their owner. I hate those people who maltreated their pets. If they are like that they shouldn't have a pet in the first place.
I want to share a story too.
My parents have an eatery, then there were six thin dogs who always visit there. Both my parents are a dog lover especially my father. So he always feed them then I bought a dog shampoo to kill those unwanted tick and fleas. They became a fat dog with shiny fur. After three weeks, an owner took one and my mom was crying because he will miss him. Another was taken by a dog pound. He was just sleeping approximately 2.5 meters in front of our eatery, basically he's just within the area of our responsibility yet they took him and it was too late for my mom to realize it. The real owner never claimed him. I was so mad. He's so cute. I often visit our eatery yet he knows that I'm the daughter of the couple who always fed him. Then the last one was attempted to be locked up by his owner yet he always finds his way to our eatery and guard it all night.
From six, they are down to four. I missed the other two but still I'm so happy that the four adopted dogs of my parents stayed in our eatery. We also have dogs at home. However, one died last month and 10 days later, another dog of mine died. I was broken for a week. Thankfully, the two left were able to soothe my aching heart.
Now, at home, we have two dogs and just recently, two little kittens living wonderfully together under one roof.
and your parents ;) You are all "angels" also to dogs who really need one. I too hate that people are capable of mistreating their pets. It really makes no sense to me at all!Well after reading that story @kneelyrac, I feel the same about you
I love your story, and I'm so happy about the dogs that your parents feed. Your eatery is their home...I love that, and I'm sure they do too! I am also so sad for the dogs that they were unable to save, and of course for yours who died. It is so difficult to go through, I know!
is a good way to describe the pain :( But you're right, the others will be there to support you as well as the new cute little kittens. We always had cats and dogs and they simply loved each other. It's so beautiful to see, isn't it? :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story, and it was really nice to meet you!
There are lots of strays here in our place. The way we treat them here is far different how you treat them - being part of the family.
A dog lover friend of mine said that feeding dogs once will make them remember that kindness for life. That stayed with me. I haven't had the chance to do that yet but I will surely do it the chance I got.
I have heard that before. I think many cultures view pets differently, and I know some cultures can get kind of crazy dressing up their dogs ect.
I like what your friend said! Dogs are so smart, so I believe they really do remember that. Just imagine if you or I were starving and we were unable to get food ourselves...I would certainly remember the person who fed me, and I'm sure you would too.
If you get a chance to, please do feed them. The love they give in return is really a remarkable thing:)
I was thinking. There are lots of strays in our neighborhood and some owners just let theirs loose sll the time anyway. Most dogs here are big and intimidating. Maybe i should bring with me food and feeding every dog i see. That way I wouldnt fear being bitten.
I'm sure they would love you for it! When I first meet one of these dogs, I just pour some food near it, and back away. But I watch and see how they seem and all of the time I've been able to pet them after they're done eating. But you don't have to do that if you're not comfortable; they'll appreciate the food for sure! That's so nice...I'm glad you are considering doing that :)
You really do like dogs. You weren't kidding about that. :)
I was not kidding...I love them ;)
This could become your full-time job, you know. :) Or hobby, since there's money going out instead of coming in.
I wasn't in the residential area of Playa del Carmen the one time I went, so I didn't see any dogs. But if it's anything like the suburbs of Mexico City—that's a lot of dogs.
On the street where my wife's family lives, the dogs hangout on the roofs and bark at you from above.
The guy who brought the puppy home might have thought you'd take care of it if he saw you helping the others.
Yep a hobby for sure!! I'm thinking of one day opening a shelter here for all the cats and dogs who are homeless. That is so funny about the dogs on the roofs! When I'm out for my walks, I'm often startled from above:) It's so weird to look up to see a dog there. The other day, I was on our rooftop, and turned in the direction of dogs barking, only to see six very large dogs on a roof, going crazy about a dog walking on the street:) I had to laugh!
You may be correct about the puppy-guy, because there is another dog in that 'complex' who I feed all the time, but I didn't have a picture to include in my post! Funny, I'd never thought about that.
Where does your wife's family live?
Yeah, it definitely takes some getting used to. And it doesn't help that there mainly large dogs, either, which must be feral, and potential rabies carries.
Spade and neutering definitely needs to be done, but now there's so many, unless there's some kind of publicly funded clinic, I doubt there's any interest to just spend money on it.
I don't know why they call them street dogs. It really should be roof dogs.
My wife has family living in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl. It's a suburb of Mexico City. I can never pronounce the full name correctly, so I always use the shortened version, Neza. Kind of sounds like necio, which sort of describes some of the goings on there.
Last time we were there, one of her uncles took us on a roadtrip outside of the state of Mexico. Getting out of town meant we went through an area where there must have been a raw sewage collection point. All we saw were walls, but the stench was overwhelming for about a minute. No mistaking what it was. He apologized to us for it. He was pretty embarrassed about it.
Now, even though there's wall to wall people there, everyone knows everyone else in the neighborhood, something I'm sure is duplicated hundreds if not thousands of times everywhere else, so it's pretty safe to walk around in at night. No gangs, or at least there weren't any the last time I was down there.
haha yes, roof dogs!
There are 3 Dog Rescue groups here, run completely by volunteers and donations. They are always full to capacity and as you know, there are still plenty on the streets.
Mexico City is huge...well population that is. That's a crazy story about her uncle and the drive, but I feel bad that he was embarrassed about it; although I can understand why. There is no other smell like it, that I know!
That's how I feel in our neighborhood; everyone knows us now and we say hi and have short conversations in our best "spanglish", but I think we are liked here. The kids who work at the corner store, where there's no alcohol sales, gave us a beer and chit-chatted for a few minutes with us. He was almost done work and had them in the cooler ;) And the owner of the local 'beer store' a few blocks away gave us a couple of beers as we were walking by. We didn't have change, only a 500 peso bill, so he said no problem, pay next time. I was so pleased, seriously! Not for the free beer, but that we are beginning to be viewed as local. It was a very nice feeling!
I'm sure your heart is missing your doggie friend of 13 years when you wrote this. :(
I saw your cat comment on my post, but haven't had a chance to comment back yet. If only people stop engaging with me or publishing new posts, I might get something done! ;)
It happens all the time when people bring pets home. They love them when they are small and cute, but stop taking care of them when they've grown. Such a shame the sheer number of abandoned pets out there, simply because they've outgrown their cuteness. The ones that build those pet homes for their pets..awesome! My cats leave their furry behinds all over the house. Quite spoiled really, their little highness and majesties.
Ah yes, good old Max will forever be in my heart. I have so many memories of him...just as I typed that I remembered, when the kids were pre-teens, coming in from the yard saying, "Mommmm, Max is hogging the trampoline" hahaha He loved playing with my boys and all the neighbourhood kids on there ;)
haha Right??!
Your comment about a pet outgrowing their cuteness is so true! Such a shame, and so horrible. What if we all abandon are kids at that awkward, gangly 11 year oldish stage? Funny, but it's the same thing in my mind. You wanted that pet, you got it, and now it's yours. Period.
Aren't those pet homes cute! It's kind of one extreme or the other here I think. I love that you have
That's the way it should be. It shows to your good heart Paula! Like us, I know we spoil Buddy rotten, but it's always with the premise that the poor guy spent 2 years in a pet store, so...he basically gets whatever his cute lil' heart desires :)
What wonderful love and caring you are showing to your neighborhood dogs! The photos are awesome.
Thank you so much Roger, I appreciate that! I'm sure the dog lover in you would be doing the exact same thing ;)
Thanks for the compliment on the photos...I was in a hurry, so I'm sure you noticed I didn't do the enlarge thing haha
Things can get a little crowded in our bed especially when Lola, our Newfie, wants to come up and snuggle. Of course the Labs are always in bed when we are!
I can just see you with a pack of neighborhood dogs.
The enlarge function can take up a little time when you are posting a large number of photos. That's when I pick and choose which ones might be worth seeing enlarged.
hahaha I can just picture you guys and the dogs in bed! And it's funny how we actually move over to give them room ;)
This is the first time, in a long time, that I haven't had a dog, so I am enjoying all of them, despite how they are treated by others.
That's a good idea about enlarging...pick and choose. I don't know why that didn't cross my mind ;) Thanks!
No room for Daddy! haha!
hahaha that's awesome!!! I love it :) They look so comfy too, and I'm including Sheila in that!! Geez that picture makes me really want a dog again:)
The perfect dog will find you!
if you want to check it outaww. @trumpman is doing a challenge for donating to charities for animals
Hey thanks for the heads-up ;) I'll check it out for sure!
...and "aww" speaks volumes! Seriously, in case that could be misconstrued as sarcasm. Which is wasn't. That's clear now, right? :)
deffinatly was not sarcasm.
haha thank you for saying that! I was just kidding around ;)
So sad when people do not take responsibility for taking care of their pets..great article!
@lidac! So nice to see you:) I hope all is well with you!
It is terribly sad to see, and it's something I really will never ever understand. Keep loving those birds of yours :)
Few people in my country, and i have the feeling by extension in Africa, think of dogs as pets. They are more for home 'protection' , afforded, by those who can be said to care, only the basic minimum to survive and be useful against potential thieves or trespassers.
That fond and pamper treatment is a rarity, but of course not an exception. As there are a select few who make sure to accord as much 'love'.
At the very worst, dogs especially are left to stray and fend for themselves, something relatively easier, as we really seem to dump a lot of garbage!
But yes, dogs love the same. And still.
How true! That is the spirit. Give without expecting anything in return.
The highest expression of love, India Arie, the American song writer, correctly observed, is to give without expecting, and to accept without exception.
In Luke 6:35, the bible alludes to the same.
We humans obviously have much to learn from dogs about selflessness. Fortunately, a dog is always only a tone throw away, be it at the neighbors, or a far-come stray!
And speaking of kindness and selfless giving, what did i read somewhere, said by James?
No better way to sum up the spirit of giving.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reply! The way you explain how dogs are thought of is exactly the same as here!
I'm glad you liked the quote in my post, and yours is just as lovely! selfless giving and accepting...and to think we can learn it from dogs!
Yes I believe the candle quote is right...it's so true!!
Thank you again!
The pleasure is mine. Happy Easter season.
I really love this post! I do find it strange the way you describe they treat the pets where you are. (I am not quite sure where you are other than a Spanish-speaking country), but I'm glad that visitors give the dogs the attention and affection they need. I think if I were living there, I'd end up running some sort of shelter - wouldn't be able to help it somehow.
That's funny, because I was thinking of one day opening a shelter here! There are three dog rescue places all run by volunteers and donations, and they are always full to capacity. There's a need for sure, but also a need to educate pet owners and try to get them to spay and neuter their dogs and cats.
I'm just south of Cancun ;) and where are you again?
I'm in Wyoming. I've never visited Mexico. I have occasionally thought about retiring to South America - I'd love to run an internet cafe or something. One would offer English classes, cultural experiences and such as well as an import shop - or something... I doubt I could get my husband to leave the US though. lol
I'm not heavily on the spay/neuter wagon, because I've seen what happens when they become over-zealous - it strangely encourages puppy farms because the more responsible pet owners don't have any kittens/puppies and there is still always a need for them, somewhere.
When I was in England, I did let our cats have kittens and never had trouble rehoming them - mainly because the local charities acted as if each one had a champion pedigree and would not rehome to anyone with an imperfect home (and they did home-visit checks!) such as families with children (they didn't bother to ask if the children had experience with cats) or anyone in rental housing... the list went on, and people traveled 1.5 hours to see us!
There is a problem, to be sure - and I recognize that. I'm just not sure what the real solution is... Perhaps targeting the strays would be the first step... and you and I definitely think alike on that front!
Wyoming is beautiful. My husband and I have some great memories of travelling across the States twice!(we're from Canada). We came to Mexico because he, @briancourteau, has cancer and the "writing's on the wall" so to speak, so we decided to sell everything and came here with two backpacks, a suitcase and our cat haha I has been amazing.
...except for the dog and cat problem. I hear what you're saying about the one fell swoop to spay and neuter. I don't think that's the answer either, but starting with the strays might be a good idea. I've seen way too many female dogs who are in such a bad state after having so many litters. It kills me.
I really like what they do in England though! Because of course, there has to be puppies and kittens somewhere ;)
I'm considering the shelter idea when I'm on my own; I think I may appreciate having all the animals around!
I like you ;) and I'm so glad to have stumbled upon your post. Here's to new relationships on steemit ;)
Yes, animals are good to keep you company.
One thing I did like in England was that the places where you could advertise kittens and puppies insisted that they were at least 9 weeks old! That has the additional benefit of keeping the bitch or the queen from being bred again too quickly. It upsets me when I see people here selling 4 or 5-week old kittens or puppies - just because they're eating food doesn't mean they're ready to go! I had a cat who always suckled the blanket for being taken away from her mother too soon - she was the runt of the litter though - and improved after having kittens, but you really shouldn't be able to see the blue eyes of kittens when you're buying - those are too young!
Always good to find online friendships. :)
What part of Canada? I joined the Mormon Church when I was in NE Washington - and our church was actually held in Grand Forks, BC, one of the few international units in the world for the LDS. Most members don't even know they go as small as what we had! Great place though - had I had permission to stay in Canada, I probably would have. (But then, I wouldn't have met my husband.)
Chat later, I must get off.
That's a great rule; 9 weeks old is as young as they should be. Your poor little runt, suckling the blanket :( missing his momma. And yes, it's a good general rule of thumb that their eyes shouldn't be blue.
We are from Ontario but lived most of our life in the Vancouver area. I didn't know about the church in Grand Forks, although not being Mormon, and having no reason to go to Grand Forks, it's not much of a surprise that I did't know ;) BC is a beautiful province though; I can see why you wanted to stay...but then, there's the husband thing :)
I visited Vancouver for Expo 86 - ran into my (married) math teachers there, strangely! Amazing place! Even by Pacific Northwest standards. The first time we were up there, we camped to the northwest of Vancouver, near a very tall, but narrow waterfall - and to the sound of a train's steam whistle several times a day! Past several road barriers obviously put down during adverse weather.
Yeah, actually I believe that little (church) unit is quite a new group anyway, so it's unlikely it was there when you were around anyway. But Grand Forks must seem a very, very long ways from Vancouver. I lived several years in the other Vancouver that Washington is sandwiched between.
Found you!!! ;-) Oh Roja is one beautiful dog. We are crazy in love with our dogs and they come first. Sometimes even before Roger. Ozzie is our chocolate Lab and Roger's baby. I flew to Illinois when Sammy, our black Lab, was a pup and needed a home, to bring him into our pack. We did agility with both but Sam had massive anxiety issues being two inches away from me so he and I stopped. We also had two beautiful Labs earlier, Fergus, Roger's and my Spirit Muse, Sophie. She started me painting dog portraits. I swear Sophie came back to me as Lola, my brown and white Newfoundland. Lot's of weird stories there. lol Hope you get Roja soon!!!!
I'm so glad you found me :) Brian and I were killing ourselves laughing at the picture Roger shared of you and the dogs in bed. I love your dogs already, and I totally believe that Sophie came back to you as Lola! And "Sophie your Spirit Muse"...that's so sweet! We used to have a Lab cross (Max), who was mine and Brian's was a Blue Merle Collie named Forte; he was absolutely gorgeous, and they both used to sleep in with us too!
And sweet little Roja! When I told Roger that the pic of your dogs make me want one, he said that the right dog would find me. I love that!
Thanks for searching me out!
That's so true...the dog that "finds" you, you will find is there for a reason, to keep you company and heal your soul. I found that both times. Roger got me Sophie when my parents died 6 days apart and Lola is my healing girl from loosing Soph. I think it's Sophie in a bigger form actually.
Aww that's so sweet! Your the second person I've spoken to in the last few days whose parents died in days of each other. Sweet and tragic!
Looks like we're going to get the puppy from my last post by the way. It's a long story, but when it all happens, I'll write about it for sure here!
so excited for you!!! Can hardly wait to hear about it!!
Hearing about pets being mistreated always pulls at my heart strings. We have a golden retriever and I cannot imagine just neglecting him in that way. He's always been an inside dog so he's always getting love and treats. And flea meds!! It is great that you and Brian are stepping up to help the neighborhood dogs that aren't getting the proper care. And that "miracle dog" is just adorable. I know he will be well taken care of if you two decide to adopt him!
half kidding :)aww thanks @keciah! You can sure tell a dog lover when you "read" one :) I too cannot imagine mistreating an animal...it just doesn't make sense on any level! We are considering the "miracle dog", but we might just steal that little puppy instead...
Thank you for taking care of the neglected dogs. 💜 Why do people get dogs if they won't take care of them?? 😤
I don't know any other way, except to take care of them :)
And I ask myself the same question several times a day! I don't think that there's a good answer at all!
Thank you so much for stopping by ;)
Most puppies and dogs so much like going for rides, the wind in there faces new smells, My little girl Shasta loves to go for rides, but she has never ever liked the wind in her face. I think she doesn't like it because she is afraid she will make like the flying nun 'cause her ears are so big.;-}
hahaha that's funny @bashadow! My dog used to love the same thing, with crazy floppy ears flying all over the place. Except he used to also bite at the wind. haha Perhaps he didn't like it either :)
I read once that dog's smell the way humans see. Brilliant hey?
I think it’s a global problem that people decide to get a pet, but are not willing to take responsibility for it.
I don’t expect all of them to turn
Into a crazy cat lady like I am - lol, but it breaks my heart to see those doggies are neglected like that...
Well from one crazy cat lady to another, I wish more people were like us!
It looks as though the puppy will be coming home with us soon by the way ;) I'm waiting to write a post on it, but it's in the works. I wasn't really ready to get a dog, but it appears that he chose us instead, so what am I to do when I look in his little brown eyes and smiling face and see his full body wag going on?:)
It sounds to me like you’re more ready than you think you are ;0)
Well @simplymike, have a look at the post I just did...I think you're right ;)