You have HOW MANY PETS????

Anyone who has more than one cat or dog (or ferret or bird, or fish, etc...well. maybe not the fish) has heard this question at least a dozen times over the years.  Usually it's accompanied by a shocked expression, wide eyes, occasionally terror and almost always the thought of "Hoarders" moving through their eyes. 

I ran an all animal rescue for 15 years pre-2009.  It started as a Lhasa Apso rescue, then to a ferret and Lhasa, then to "what the hell, bring it in" rescue.  I did adopt many animals out over the years to loving forever homes; and I still hear from some of the families.  But whenever you deal with animals there are those that are unadoptable.  Sometimes it's because of abuse, often it's because of the horror of puppy mills.  But in between those dogs that make your heart sing as you watch them go off with a new mommy and daddy and the ones who break your heart because they just can't be helped is a subsection called "Unadoptable".

Sometimes these babies are unadoptable because they're just DONE with people.  They've been abused, hurt, scared, and used in vile and disgusting ways by humans and they don't care to trust again.  If a dog is aggressive and can't be helped, there is often no choice but to put it down, but if it can be safely managed, it can be listed as non-adoptable and kept for it's life, or until the perfect person jumps up and falls in love.    Then there are the ones who have health issues, disabilities or other issues which mean that just anyone isn't going to be able, or want to, deal with for the life of the animal.  Though some special people WILL adopt from these lists...

I guess unadoptable is not the right word, closer would be "Adoptable to Special People".

Anyway, that tangent was to explain this one.  I have four dogs and three cats.  Or three and a half dogs, as one is only 3 lbs.  ALL the dogs, and one of the cats are remainders of the rescue.  You think 4 is a lot of dogs?  Five years ago, before my babies began to die from old age and their medical issues, I had TEN dogs; most small dogs.  Does it take a lot of time and care? Yes.  Will I have them all long? I don't think so. Scruffy is 13, Lex is 12, Annie is between 11 and 13, depending.  All of them are suffering from the pains of age, just like I am.  We commiserate a lot.  The three pound dog I was telling you about was actually my last official rescue before I just couldn't do it anymore. He's about 5-8.   And Oscar was taken in from a family that just couldn't keep him anymore, so I guess he's a rescue, but I know his history.  

The cats aren't nearly as old, except David.  David is 11 years old, and one of the two cats I CHOSE to have.  The other chosen cat is my black cat Toothless who came from my daughter's rescue cat who came preggers.  Arch Angel was under my house until he was drawn up though a hole in the floor under the sink by Toothless. 

Now, before I get roasted, I don't advise people to take in this many animals.  You should never take in more than you can care for and that means vet care, food, shots, lisc if necessary without causing you to go without food.  If I had my choice, I have one or two dogs and one or two cats MAX.  BUT, I made my true choice all those years ago when I took these guys in.  I promised to love and care for them until the end of their lives; and I will.  I will be there at the end, if possible for every single one of them, holding them in my arms and whispering how thankful I am that they were in my life.  How much I love them, and how much fun they will have at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for me.  

I guess in the end, they ALL will break your heart. 

Life update

"May you live in interesting times"  An old Chinese curse...or maybe blessing, at least that's what I've heard.  This last couple of weeks has proven that well.


First of all, my mom had a pain pump implanted on the 2nd of March.  Like me, she felt it was the best and only chance to get both pain relief and out of this "opiod war/War on Drugs/Chronic Pain Patients"  Her surgery went well and she went to my daughter's house (aka Club Bowen) for three days until her first post surgical meeting when they put her medication into her pump and turned it on.  Everything went ok that day, including the drive home which was hilarious.  Apparently "there were sharks and the cats were walking on water and chasing the sharks".  We stopped at WalMart and asked if she wanted anything and the comments were a bit garbled, but "I'm not functional" was clear as a bell. 


At any rate, we went to take her home and her estranged husband had locked the gate leading to the home he had abandoned for his new girlfriend; but my mother had been living there.  There was even an agreement that she would move out as soon as she found somewhere to move and they would leave her alone and NOT lock her out.  Her estranged husband was verbally abusive; spitting, snarling...he reminded me of the Tasmanian Devil.  We called the cops and they went to talk to him, but of course, he was no where to be found...I guess he doesn't really want the cops around.  '


So...mom went back to Club Bowen and tried to find a) An attorney and B) somewhere to live.  So far, she'd found neither. 


ANY ONE KNOW A GOOD ATTORNEY WHO TAKES PRO BONO CASES?  If you do, email or comment me. 


My mom is nearly 70, in bad health and recovering from surgery.  She got locked out of her home THREE DAYS AFTER SURGERY, and when asked where she should go, he estranged husband said he didn't care.  She got a meeting with the housing authority and it looks like eventually she will have a voucher.  But not for a while and Deanna's lease specifies no more than two people living in their home.  Meanwhile, I live in a two bedroom house.  The second bedroom was mostly storage, there is only one bathroom and the house has a LOT of issues.  On the other hand, it beats a bridge. 


SO we fixed the room up and Mom, her little dog Starr and her cat CoCo moved in here.  So far, so good...there have been a few issues; when I get frustrated I snap...when she gets frustrated she cries.  I hate it when someone cries and she hates to be snapped at.  BUT, the animals are getting along. I have 4 1/2 dogs (one is 3lb, he only counts as 1/2) and three cats.  (More on the critters in another post)  Her little Min Pin Starr has a habbit of snarling at the other when they get too close to her mom, but she's getting better every day.  And surprisingly my only female, Annie, immediately adopted Starr and Mom and decided that mom's room was the "Girls room/Girls Only"  The boys don't agree, but hey...things work out. 


Mom is a clean freak...I'm...well, NOT a clean freak though I've been getting better.  Mom has to deal with no closet (there is only one in the house), and none of her furniture except her bed (not the complete bed, just the base and mattress), but so far so good.... 


We've been talking about making this permanent, and it has a lot of plusses.  Lower bills for me, half the rent, a little money for my own every month...and company.  It's looking good at this point...


Besides, she's a HELL of a house cleaner!  She's gotten more done even recovering from surgery than I have in weeks.  And she cleans the cat box every day...the cats might strike if she leaves!


Sometimes "interesting times" is a blessing.

Simulated Horse Racing.

I love horses, I always have. I've been blessed in my life to have three wonderful horses of my own and to train several others.  I especially love Arabs, but any and all horses are special to me.  As some of you know, I have a large collection of "plastic ponies" from Breyer, Stone, Schleich and other manufacturers.  I have a few more expensive resin horses, but most of mine are plastic.  I have in excess of 1000 counting every size from Stablemate (1:12) to traditional (1:9, I think).  I have most of them packed away because I simply have NO WHERE to show them off. At one point, on the Mountain, I had them all displayed on a multitude of shelves around my mobile home...Deanna says those little black eyes give her the creeps even remembering them.  The only room growing up that wasn't full of shelves and horses was her bedroom and bathroom. 


Anyway, what is a horse lover to do when they want a hobby involving horses, but has no room, or in my case, no more room?  She finds SIMULATED ALL BREED HORSE RACING.  Yes it is what it sounds like....I have paper ponies, everything from US Arabs, to Polish Arabs, to Appaloosa, Paint and of course Quarter Horses.  I've been in this hobby for longer than I care to put a number too (though 2001 is the start I think), but I have breaks, some as long as a few years.  I always find my way back, however and I always love it, even when I have no time for a life, let alone a hobby. 


How does it work, you ask?  Well, if you're really interested you can go check out the website at www.theexpress.itgo.com.  Basically, all our paper ponies trace back to real horses; horses that, usually, raced in real life.  We "breed" them, which is not nearly as weird as it sounds (ok, maybe it is), by finding a stud and mare and creating a pseudo foal.  Gender is random, colors, pattern, etc are decided by DNA.  Trust me when I tell you, those in the simulated racing are better at DNA than many real breeders.  There is another group, that I used to be apart of, International Pedigree and Bloodlines Research Associations (www.ipabra.org) that "breeds" all breeds, from SHetland Pomies to Shire Draft horses.  But I digress.


ONce you have created your "Foal" you name it and register it with the group.  The one realistic lacking thing many do is decide on the breeding, name, color etc in one sitting.  So if I want to start r acing my horse, I'll make him born in 2015.  That's 3 years old and ready to start racing.    And yes, folks, we have a database thanks to a VERY wonderful and knowledgeable member, which as every horse ever registered in the express. 


So now I have a (filly) born in 2015 from two real race horses or one or more simulated horses.  Say "My Horse" is it's name.  Now what do I do with her?  That's where the fun really begins.


Some members of the hobby hold the race meets.  Bless them, without the stewards there would be no hobby.  They post the types of races (Maiden, Allowance, distance, etc) and open them up for entries.  Distances are, once again, based on real races.  Most stock horses run in yards (220-870), except Appaloosas which can run in yards, but many stewards use furlongs (1 Furlong is 220y).  Arabs, domestic or other race in meters on turf (T) or dirt.  .  You find the race you think your horse would fit.  Say it's her first race, so enter her in a Maiden race. If her sire won at 870y and her dam at 550y you can try one of those distances, or if their not offered a different distance completely.  Say I decide to enter My Horse in a maiden 550y race because that's where her dam won.  Most stewards use "fake money" in their meets, which help when you look at how successful (or not) the horses are.  


So, now you've selected your race, it's time to create the "race card".  That basically includes all the info a steward uses to run the simulated races.  See, these are not "draw the winner from a hat";  this is a comparison of horses in the race based on certain criteria which is specific to each steward, but often includes past races, his sire and dam and any full or half siblings records and other other deicions such as luck rolls.  Usually the stewards does the scoring without looking at which horse owners or breeder to remove any idea of favoritism. 


ONce the Steward has scored EACH AND EVERY HORSE ENTERED in each race (there are sometimes 20 horse entered in Race 1, which means splitting the pack up into R1A and R1b, etc.  And there are usually between 6 and 10 different races with different criteria.   Yeah, you see why I say bless stewards?  Running a meet is a LOT of work.  Then you compare the horses score.  Say My Horse has a 4 in parents background and Their HOrse has a 5, at the first turn, their horse is ahead of mine.  Each criteria is compared with all horses and the total s are the  end result.  So My Horse ends up with 14 points and Their horses ends up with 12.  My horse got to the wire first, usually by 1 or 2 lengths. (horse body lengths).   So I have a winner.  Next time My Horse races, it will be in an allowance, around the same distance and if she's racing a non winner, she'll have an extra point. 


And that's how Simulated Horse Racing works.  It sounds complicated, but despite everything, when you have a horse that won by 4 lengths with a wire to wire leading of the pack to victory, it's a shot of joy and energy.    Horses can race as long as they are sound in real life, of course our horses can always be found.  BUT most people retire their horses about 5-8 for mares and stallions and a bit longer for gelding.  Why, you ask?  Realism, once again, is paramount.  For some that means rolling each meet or year or whatever to see if the horses stay sound.   


What happens to your newly retired My Horse who has won 6 out of 7  races including a couple of high paying, impressive "Stakes" races.  So you have a mare, 5 years old, 7 races, 6 wins and a second with a winnings in excess of a $100,000.7(6-1-0-0) MGMSW $250000.)      You breed her, of course.  Find a real stallion or someone in the hobbymates paper stallion you think would work well with My Horse, ask the owner of the paper stallion for a "breeding" and create that foal as you did My Horse.  Random gender, color and markings based on their genetics...come up with a name...(Your Stallion X My HOrse) Colt Studly McStud)and the entire process starts over.




SO...that's my hobby.  It sounds complicated and confusing, but it's really fun and enjoyable.  Questions?  Hit my comments or drop me a line.

Short Post...long excuse list

Things are changing this week.    My mother was kicked out of her house by her estranged husband; well, actually she left for surgery and he refused to allow her back in.   She stayed with my daughter the weekend after surgery, then we went to take her home monday after her post surgical appointment and her estranged husband had locked the gate and refused to allow her back on .  HE ended up getting nasty and beligerant with DEanna, so we left down the road and called the cops.   The sherriff was nice and tried to help, but his hands were tied.  She does have the right to go back into her home, but she's terrifided of him as he has abused her mentally and verbally and his abundance of firearms.   So she went to deannas home for a while.

Did I mention that she has been filing applications for apartments and the housing authority?  Well, she has.  But be that as it may, Deanna and Channon's son had an agree to have he out within 2 months and they wouldn't harrass her or stop her from going home.  Not sure if the boy was lying to Deanna, or was over ridden by his father; either way, my mother has no where to go...and until we can get her stuff, she has nothing. 

Since I have a second bedroom, I've offered to have her stay with me.  I don't anticipate any issues, and barring that, she could just stay here rather than finding a new place.  MIght help both of us.

The only real problem may come between mom's dog Star and Annie, my only girl.  Both of them are older and spayed, so maybe we won't have huge issues.

Anyway...I started this Sat morning and it's now 9:34 pm.  I went to Deanna's for the afternoon, and dinner.  THUMBS UP DANIEL!  The corned beef was to DIE for.    Now my tummy is full, it's time to bolus and bed.  LOL

Catch you on the next one....

Adults needing "Safe Places" to avoid "triggers"....What?!?!?!

Ok, I gotta ask:  What is this thing about "Triggers" and protecting ADULTS from them?  Safe rooms with pillows to cuddle and soft music?  Not having a speaker at a college or university because they may "trigger" students to be s ad? 


Excuse me? Did I miss something?   Like a plague that cause otherwise normal human beings into helpless, whiny brats?    Now before people go commenting about PTSD, and emotional baggage, etc, etc, etc, I know all about them.  Depression, Bi Polar, Anxiety, chronic pain...those I am very familiar with . And the best way to treat them and reduce their stranglehold on a person is treatment and coming to grips with it.  Medication, talk therapy, cognitive reasoning, all those very helpful and proven effective methods. 


Let's start with "triggers".  A trigger is something that cause an otherwise sane and rational adult into a thumb sucking child.  Or something like that.  And the world around the HAS to accommodate them and not allow the trigger to happen.  Huh?  Rather than being something  that the person WITH the sensitivity has to deal with, it becomes everyone else problem.  What happened to dealing with things and if necessary, and you aren't ready AVOIDING the situation yourself.?  Why does everyone else have to change their lives, or not be exposed to something just because it "triggers" someone to remember a bad event and be sad?  PTSD is hard to handle, ask any Vet.  But we don't outlaw helicopters because the sound can trigger a flash back in a vet.  So why eliminate a class or uninvited a speaker or whatever because it might effect someone. This is not a society problem, this is a YOU problem...and the only one who can help you deal with and overcome the situation.

How about "safe places".  And I'm not talking about battered women's shelters and protective places against violence; those are very important and underfunded.  I'm talking about a college or work place having to keep a room for students, employees, whatever to go to when they are triggered or feeling bad.  I've seen these rooms filled with soft colors, gently music, pillows, stuffed toys...even kittens and puppies to snuggle.  I don't get it...I always thought you were supposed to make your home a safe place and just deal with things in the manner of an adult and not like a toddler who needs "mr binkie" and a cuddle.


I just read about a University who cancelled a very controversial and interesting speaker because some of some of the students protested because it could "trigger" some students and cause trauma.   Granted, it's been 20 some years ago, but when I went to college it was all ABOUT challenging me and my view points.  Triggering me to think about things, even traumatic things, and learn that not everyone feels the same way I do.  College was about expanding your mind AND your world and that can't happen if you're not "Triggered" to find out WHY it bothers you so much.,  and how it needs to be address so it DOESN'T.   YOU changed to fit the college and society...it didn't change to fit you. 


I've had shitty things happen to me. I've been raped, sexually harassed, attacked, molested as a child.  I've had traumas and life events that stained my soul and took part of my heart.  But that is MY BAGGAGE TO DEAL WITH.  Not the rest of you, not society, not University; MINE.  And snuggling a pillow while listening to Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra and having a woman stroke my hair for $15 an hour is NOT the way to deal with things that upset me. 


Although...a room with kitties to pet whenever I want?  That might be a keeper.